Therapy Works

A listener shares the hidden reality of life after cancer. Three years after successful treatment for anal cancer, she is cancer-free but continues to live with chronic pain, changes to her body and the lasting physical and emotional effects of radiotherapy. While those around her assume she's "better", she feels forever changed. Julia, Emily and Sophie explore the loneliness of invisible illness, the grief of losing the body you once trusted, and how to help others understand what life is really like after treatment. They discuss living with chronic pain, finding support from people who truly understand, and why healing isn't always the same as being cured. It's a deeply compassionate conversation for anyone navigating life after serious illness or supporting someone who is.

Send us your Agony Aunties questions: jsamuelpod@gmail.com

Or message Julia on Instagram: @juliasamuelmbe

More from Therapy Works:

Subscribe to the Therapy Works Substack for guidance on everyday struggles and access to Julia’s monthly live webinar: ⁠⁠https://juliasamuel.substack.com/⁠⁠

Grieving someone you love? Julia's Grief Works Support Programme offers structured, expert-led help, with 94% of people reporting feeling better after using it. As a podcast listener you can get 25% off plus a 30-day money-back guarantee here - ⁠⁠www.griefworks.com/therapy⁠⁠

Follow Julia on Instagram: ⁠⁠@juliasamuelmbe⁠⁠ for tips, tools, and conversations about navigating life’s challenges.

If you enjoy this episode, please consider rating, reviewing, and subscribing - it makes a big difference and helps others discover these conversations.

If you need help finding a therapist, visit: ⁠⁠The Samuel Therapy Practice⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A listener shares a dilemma that will resonate with so many couples: after almost 20 years together and two young children, she and her husband have drifted into a relationship that works beautifully as a partnership but has lost its intimacy. Julia, Emily and Sophie explore why this happens, how the demands of parenting and everyday life can leave us feeling more like co-managers than lovers, and why rebuilding connection starts long before sex. They discuss rediscovering curiosity, nurturing your own sense of self, communicating openly without blame, and finding small ways to reconnect, offering compassionate, practical advice for anyone wondering how to move from surviving together to truly finding each other again.

Send us your Agony Aunties questions: jsamuelpod@gmail.com

Or message Julia on Instagram: @juliasamuelmbe

More from Therapy Works:

Subscribe to the Therapy Works Substack for guidance on everyday struggles and access to Julia’s monthly live webinar: ⁠⁠https://juliasamuel.substack.com/⁠⁠

Grieving someone you love? Julia's Grief Works Support Programme offers structured, expert-led help, with 94% of people reporting feeling better after using it. As a podcast listener you can get 25% off plus a 30-day money-back guarantee here - ⁠⁠www.griefworks.com/therapy⁠⁠

Follow Julia on Instagram: ⁠⁠@juliasamuelmbe⁠⁠ for tips, tools, and conversations about navigating life’s challenges.

If you enjoy this episode, please consider rating, reviewing, and subscribing - it makes a big difference and helps others discover these conversations.

If you need help finding a therapist, visit: ⁠⁠The Samuel Therapy Practice⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A listener asks one of the hardest questions imaginable: how do you visit a close friend who is nearing the end of their life? Julia, Emily and Sophie explore how to show up with love when there are no perfect words, why your presence matters far more than saying the "right" thing, and how to navigate the grief, fear and uncertainty of a final goodbye. They discuss letting go of the pressure to perform, meeting someone where they are, expressing what truly matters while you still can, and caring for yourself afterwards. It's a compassionate conversation about love, loss and the courage it takes to simply be there.

Send us your Agony Aunties questions: jsamuelpod@gmail.com

Or message Julia on Instagram: @juliasamuelmbe

More from Therapy Works:

Subscribe to the Therapy Works Substack for guidance on everyday struggles and access to Julia’s monthly live webinar: ⁠⁠https://juliasamuel.substack.com/⁠⁠

Grieving someone you love? Julia's Grief Works Support Programme offers structured, expert-led help, with 94% of people reporting feeling better after using it. As a podcast listener you can get 25% off plus a 30-day money-back guarantee here - ⁠⁠www.griefworks.com/therapy⁠⁠

Follow Julia on Instagram: ⁠⁠@juliasamuelmbe⁠⁠ for tips, tools, and conversations about navigating life’s challenges.

If you enjoy this episode, please consider rating, reviewing, and subscribing - it makes a big difference and helps others discover these conversations.

If you need help finding a therapist, visit: ⁠⁠The Samuel Therapy Practice⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special episode of Therapy Works, in partnership with Code8's Confidence Comes From Within campaign, Julia is joined by Royal Ballet Principal Yasmine Naghdi for a fascinating conversation about confidence, perfectionism and what it really takes to perform at the highest level. Together, they explore the difference between striving for excellence and chasing perfection, the psychology of self-belief, learning to trust your body, and how becoming a mother has transformed Yasmine's relationship with both her career and herself. They also discuss the power of rituals, the importance of identity beyond work, why rest can make us stronger, and how true confidence isn't about being flawless—it's about feeling secure enough to be fully yourself.

Visit Code8: ⁠https://codeeight.com/⁠

Follow Code8 on Instagram: ⁠@code8beauty⁠

Follow Manon: ⁠@manonlagreve⁠

More from Therapy Works:

Subscribe to the Therapy Works Substack for guidance on everyday struggles and access to Julia’s monthly live webinar: ⁠https://juliasamuel.substack.com/⁠

Grieving someone you love? Julia's Grief Works Support Programme offers structured, expert-led help, with 94% of people reporting feeling better after using it. As a podcast listener you can get 25% off plus a 30-day money-back guarantee here - ⁠www.griefworks.com/therapy⁠

Follow Julia on Instagram: ⁠@juliasamuelmbe⁠ for tips, tools, and conversations about navigating life’s challenges.

If you enjoy this episode, please consider rating, reviewing, and subscribing - it makes a big difference and helps others discover these conversations.

If you need help finding a therapist, visit: ⁠The Samuel Therapy Practice
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Family holidays are meant to be relaxing, so why do they so often leave us feeling exhausted? This week, Julia, Emily and Sophie answer a listener's question about navigating a passive-aggressive mother-in-law and the tension that can build when one person's mood begins to shape everyone else's experience. Together, they explore the power of radical acceptance, why we can't change other people's behaviour, how to protect your own peace without carrying someone else's emotions, and practical ways to set boundaries, repair relationships and enjoy your holiday - even when family dynamics are anything but simple.

Send us your Agony Aunties questions: jsamuelpod@gmail.com

Or message Julia on Instagram: @juliasamuelmbe

More from Therapy Works:

Subscribe to the Therapy Works Substack for guidance on everyday struggles and access to Julia’s monthly live webinar: ⁠⁠https://juliasamuel.substack.com/⁠⁠

Grieving someone you love? Julia's Grief Works Support Programme offers structured, expert-led help, with 94% of people reporting feeling better after using it. As a podcast listener you can get 25% off plus a 30-day money-back guarantee here - ⁠⁠www.griefworks.com/therapy⁠⁠

Follow Julia on Instagram: ⁠⁠@juliasamuelmbe⁠⁠ for tips, tools, and conversations about navigating life’s challenges.

If you enjoy this episode, please consider rating, reviewing, and subscribing - it makes a big difference and helps others discover these conversations.

If you need help finding a therapist, visit: ⁠⁠The Samuel Therapy Practice⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices