Hello and a happy Friday to you,
Excuse my self-indulgence, but I have some good news of my own to share today. I’ve launched a podcast and the first episode is live on Spotify. The other platforms take a few more days to upload but I’m too impatient to wait until then, so I am sharing it with you now.
Life, Oh Life is a podcast about life advice. A few years ago, I made some festival friends who became actual real-life best friends (I know!!). We met at Secret Garden Party (RIP) 2016 and passed the rainy days by walking around with a head of broccoli as a microphone asking strangers for their best life advice (@ me if you were one of the lucky people we approached 😆 ). In ‘festival mode’, it felt like the most entertaining thing we’d ever done, and looking back on it with fondness made me realise everyone has some great gems of knowledge to share if you just ask.
If you’re confused, bear with me. When I was first facing redundancy this year, I started planning two passion projects to keep me going - this newsletter The Uplift, and a podcast. I wanted an original hook as there are a lot of podcasts out there, so I decided to draw on my glittery festival experience and focus on life advice. The Life, Oh Life podcast is a chance to have a chat with people I admire and also to talk to them about advice, because I believe that by sharing our own wise words we can understand each other better and make the world a more hopeful place. Or at the very least, have a laugh on the way.
My guest for the first episode is Selina Barker. I first came across Selina when I was recommended the brilliant Project Love podcast a few years ago by friends. Project Love co-founders Selina, and Vicki Pavitt also created the Goodbye, Hello journal, which is a turn-of-the-year planner where you do some in-depth reflections to set intentions rather than New Year’s resolutions, then check in throughout the year. It’s been life-changing for me.
Selina’s book Burnt Out: The exhausted person’s guide to thriving in a fast-paced digital world, came out in April 2021. It’s a practical toolkit that aims to help you reclaim your energy and design a life you love. As I was reading it, I just wanted to give it to so many people I care about. So many people are feeling exhausted – especially after the past year.
In the podcast, we talk about burnout, and the benefits of reframing exercise as movement. We also talk about the four ‘burnout archetypes’ identified by Selina during her research for the book, smartphone addiction, toxic workplaces and career change, among other things.
Every episode I ask my guest three questions: what is the best advice they’ve ever received, if they could go back and give their past self some advice what would it be, and what advice do they want to pass on to others. It’s fast becoming my favourite part of the chat (yes, I have more episodes lined up for you).
I hope you enjoy it. Please bear with me as a novice podcast host and do send me any constructive feedback, or life advice.
Thank you to anyone who bought me a coffee last week. Your generosity means a lot.
Have a restful weekend,
Becky x
Uplifting News Stories
Forests The Size Of France Regrown Since 2000, Study Suggests | BBC News
Woman, 96, Adopts 17-Year-Old Dog | Metro
Dua Lipa Calls For NHS Pay Rise As She Accepts Brit Award | ITV News
Woman Shocked to Discover Her 'Sick' Kitten Is Actually a Rare Wolf Cat | Newsweek
Fans Applaud Elton John And Olly Alexander’s Brits Performance | Independent
Features Worth Sharing
Men Journal, Too – And They’re Starting To Talk About It | HuffPost UK (This one’s written by me)
I Transformed My Tower Block Flat Into A Thing Of Beauty On A Budget | Metro
We May Have Been Alone, But Covid Mums Shared A Unique Experience | Grazia
This is The Uplift, a weekly newsletter by me, journalist Becky Barnes. If you enjoyed it, or my podcast, feel free to buy me a coffee.
The Uplift will arrive in your inbox every Friday, featuring good news, self-care and life advice.
A bit about me: I’m a journalist living in London. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram.
Oh my goodness, I've made a podcast
Congrats! Love the branding and sounds fab xx