Nicky Elkington is a hairdresser, Kylie Minogue fan since she was 7 years old, cat enthusiast, cancer survivor, and a cold-cap ambassador. When Nicky was 15 years old, her world was turned upside down when her mum died suddenly. In March 2019 just a few short weeks after her 40th Birthday, Nicky was diagnosed with breast cancer and began aggressive treatment. Then, on the 27th December 2019 her husband unexpectedly and suddenly died. And most recently, she’s had to grieve her dad’s death. She has faced unimaginable loss but has come out stronger on the other side. Nicky has been cancer-free for five years. Refusing to be defined by grief, she’s carved out a new life for herself, unapologetically embracing hope and the possibility of love again. Nicky’s story is one of resilience, joy, and living life on her own terms.

Description

Talking about grief is one of the hardest topics to untangle. When you’ve lost someone you love, the festive holidays can seem far from the happiest time of the year. And grief at Christmas can feel particularly hard. From making new traditions to simply surviving in one piece, there is no wrong or right way to grieve. However, by learning a softer yet realistic way to tackle grief with a friend, relative, loved one or colleague, we can make this time of year less lonely, isolating and let's be honest... awkward. By understanding the less than helpful platitudes and learning what to text a person during the ‘happy holidays’, we can invite grief into the conversation lovingly versus leaving it outside in the cold. And if you find yourself holding onto so much love that has nowhere to go, let hope be your gift this Christmas. In this honest, uplifting, and to-the-point season finale, listen in as Nicky and Ally talk about grief, a different way.

In this episode, Nicky and Ally discuss:

• How to cope with grief at Christmas
• Why stigma around death and grief needs to end
• How to juggle a happy holiday with a broken heart
• The less than peaceful platitudes
• The differences between anticipatory and sudden loss
• How to lean into loneliness at Christmas
• When grief becomes a familiar feeling
• Widow, single or neither: What is the perfect label for the grievers?

If you love this episode, please share and leave a review — let’s smoke out stigma and make truth-telling the next biggest trend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iain Anderson is a Scottish comedian based in Barcelona. Since he exploded onto the Barcelona comedy scene last year, he has been making waves with his quick-wittedness, charisma and a lethal turn of phrase. He recently returned from the Edinburgh Fringe after completing a full run of his amazing debut one-man show TRAUMEDY: A Guide To Being A Fabulous Homeless Addict, which was a huge success and audiences praised it for being a clever blend of hilarious, moving and uplifting storytelling. He has been using this show as a vehicle to challenge people's ideas about homelessness and addiction and to rehumanise those who are currently impacted by it.

Description

From the gay Glasgow scene to a bench in Barcelona, Iain Anderson found himself at rock bottom. Sadly, society places hefty stigmas and stereotypes surrounding addiction and homelessness, labelling those who find themselves waking up to this reality, “lazy, dirty, criminals. However, this is far from the case. New research has revealed that 45% of UK adults aged 18-75 have either directly experienced addiction themselves with a dependency to alcohol, drugs, medication, gambling or sex themselves. More than one in three people sleeping rough have been deliberately hit or kicked or experienced some other form of violence whilst homeless. Staggeringly, 80% of homeless people in England reported issues with their mental health, with 45% having been diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point in their lives. In this brutally honest episode, Iain explains how he found recovery, a warm bed, hope, and now through the power of comedy and storytelling, his soaring career as a comedian in his debut one-man show TRAUMEDY: A Guide To Being A Fabulous Homeless Addict.

In this episode, Iain and Ally discuss:

• Why comedy is the perfect vehicle to expose trauma and tragedy
• The stigmas or stereotypes surrounding addiction and homelessness
• What life is like living on the streets through a homeless lens
• How to find recovery from addiction
• Why judgement is the last hand-out a homeless person or addict needs
• Living life sober
• The power of recovery, purpose, acceptance, and hope through the comedic genre

Follow:

For more about Iain @iananderson.comedy and @traumedyshow

If you love this episode, please share and leave a review — let’s smoke out stigma and make truth-telling the next biggest trend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennie Girardo is an award-winning director and producer with hundreds of behind-the-scenes, social, and branded content efforts under her belt. She’s created content for Apple TV’s Masters of the Air, Amazon Prime's Mr. And Mrs. Smith, and HBO's Game of Thrones and more. In 2024, Jennie made her narrative directorial debut with short film The Fuscos, which touches on the subject of domestic violence. She hopes that this film will help encourage women to use their voices to rise above the taboo, share their stories, and ultimately put an end to this epidemic. In her free time, you can find Jennie hiking in the mountains of California with her beloved four-legged children, Monte Carlo and Hudson.

Episode Description:

Domestic abuse (sometimes called 'domestic violence' or 'intimate partner violence') is an incident or a pattern of behaviour that is used by someone to control or obtain power over their partner or ex-partner. It is never the fault of the person who is experiencing it, and it is a crime. An equal act of domestic abuse can also be known as emotional abuse, which includes non-physical behaviours that are meant to control, isolate, or frighten you. This may present in romantic relationships as threats, insults, constant monitoring, excessive jealousy, manipulation, humiliation, intimidation, and dismissiveness, among others. Alarmingly, the stats pointing to domestic abuse remine rife and incomprehensible. In this honest, insightful and sensitive chat, together, Jennie and Ally share their personal experiences of domestic abuse and the ways, stages, and courageous steps they took to escape and heal from it.

In this episode, Jennie and Ally discuss:

• The varying forms of domestic abuse
• The links between domestic violence and myths surrounding domestic violence leading to isolating stigmas
• How to spot the red flags of domestic abuse
• Finding the power to speak up and speak out
• Discovering the courage to walk away from domestic abuse
• How the public and judicial system perceive domestic abuse
• The impact of domestic abuse trauma and living a new life

Follow:

For more about Jennie and a portfolio of her work, visit: www.jenniecreates.co

Personal IG: @jenniecreatesco

Monte and Hudson's IG: @monteandhudson

The Fusco's IG: @thefuscosfilm

If you love this episode, please share and leave a review — let’s smoke out stigma and make truth-telling the next biggest trend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.