Thinking about quitting, but not sure if you'll regret it? This episode will help you work out whether it's time to leave, or if there's still something worth holding onto.

We've all been there: lying awake at night, weighing the costs of staying against the risks of walking away. Do you push through and hope it gets better, or cut your losses before you waste more time?

In this episode, I've brought together Ash Ambirge, Julia Keller, Simone Stolzoff and Monique Ross to help you figure it out.

We'll explore the hidden traps that keep us stuck, the real benefits of quitting, and the surprising strategies that can make staying a lot better than it feels right now. Plus at the end, I'll give you five questions that can bring your answer into focus, fast.

💡 You'll learn:

• When grit and perseverance become harmful

• Why the sunk cost fallacy makes quitting so hard

• How to spot your own version of a "good enough job"

• Simple shifts to make your current role work better

• Why sometimes the smartest move isn't quitting or sticking — but something in between

📖 Chapters
00:00 – Should I quit my job?
03:40 – Ash Ambirge: quitting as growth
11:20 – Julia Keller: rebranding quitting
20:00 – The sunk cost fallacy
26:30 – Simone Stolzoff: the "good enough job"
34:10 – Monique Ross on job crafting
40:00 – The secret third option: quasi-quitting
42:00 – Five questions to guide your decision

🔗 Helpful Links

• Confused Math Lady Meme

• Ash Ambirge's The Middle Finger Project

• Julia Keller's Quitting: A Life Strategy

• Simone Stolzoff's The Good Enough Job

• Monique Ross' This Working Life

📬 Get in touch
Email me at: biglifequestions @ edstott.com

What if everything you've been told about baby sleep is wrong and the real solution is already built into your baby's biology?

Dr. Pam Douglas is the founder of the Possums Sleep Program, a science-backed, sanity-saving alternative to traditional sleep training.

In this myth-busting episode, she shares where so many of the things we think we know about sleep come from, why they often create sleep problems instead of solving them & how understanding your baby's biology can change everything.

💡 You'll learn:

• Why "normal" baby sleep is wildly different than what you've been told

• The two regulators that actually control sleep — and how to work with them

• How common sleep advice is probably setting your family up to fail

• Why "wake windows," dark rooms and early bedtimes can backfire

• The surprising truth about overstimulation, routines, and melatonin

📖 Chapter Timestamps:
00:00 – Peeking out of the trenches of year one
01:50 – Why sleep is one of the most distorted parenting topics
04:30 – How outdated health advice causes unnecessary distress
08:00 – What the research really says about night waking
11:25 – The myth of sleep training as "evidence-based"
14:30 – The massive range of biologically normal sleep
17:00 – Why wake windows don't make sense
22:00 – The two real sleep regulators and how to use them
29:00 – Do you really need a consistent nap routine?
35:00 – Why stimulation at bedtime is a good thing
41:00 – Forget bedtime — it's wake time that matters
46:00 – How to reduce early rising
51:00 – Transitioning away from co-sleeping (gently)
54:00 – What Dr. Pam most wants you to know

🔗 Helpful Links:
Dr. Pam's Book, The Discontented Little Baby Book
Possums Sleep Program
Find a Possums-accredited practitioner

💌 Related episodes:
5 Helpful Things I Learned in My First Year of Motherhood

📺 Watch & Subscribe:
Watch this episode on YouTube
Subscribe on Substack

📬 Get in touch:
Say hi or suggest a guest: thatshelpful @ edstott.com
Follow That's Helpful on Instagram

What if forgiveness didn't mean forgetting, reconciling, or letting people off the hook — but reclaiming your future?

Learning how to forgive — even when it feels like the hardest thing in the world to do — is transformative.

It's a complex process, and there's a real art to balancing boundaries and letting go.

It's an art Rachael Coopes is obsessed with. She's the author of The Art of Forgiveness.

💡 You'll hear:
– The origin of the word forgiveness — and why it changes everything
– The science behind rumination, stress, and long-term health
– What forgiveness has to do with resilience and agency
– How to begin (even if you're not ready yet)
– Why boundaries are essential — not the opposite of forgiveness
– Why reconciliation and forgiveness are not the same
– How your future can be your act of forgiveness

📖 Chapters
00:00 The Quote That Changed Everything
02:18 How Forgiveness Became Rachael's Obsession
05:10 What 25 Interviews Taught Her
06:30 Forgiveness vs Letting People Off the Hook
10:45 Forgiveness ≠ Reconciliation
13:05 The Neuroscience of Resentment
17:55 Where to Start When Forgiveness Feels Impossible
22:00 Boundaries, Distance & Letting Go
24:45 When Forgiveness Just Isn't Possible
26:10 Resilience, Accountability & Rachael's Son's Story
29:40 Your Future as the Ultimate Act of Forgiveness
31:15 "Forgive Like a Grain of Sand"

🔗 Helpful Links:
– The Art of Forgiveness by Rachael Coopes
– Rachael's official website
– Follow Rachael on Instagram

📺 Watch & Subscribe:
– Watch this episode on YouTube

📬 Get in touch:
thatshelpful @ edstott.com
Follow That's Helpful on Instagram

What if the pop culture you loved growing up was quietly teaching you to shrink, perform and turn on other women?

In this episode, Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist Sophie Gilbert joins me to revisit the legacy of the 90s and 2000s — a time that likely shaped how you see yourself & other women.

We talk about the toxic version of 'empowerment' that dominated the era, why so many of us still feel stuck in competition mode and how we can start untangling the stories we were sold.

💡 You'll hear:
– How porn and pop culture collided to redefine girlhood
– Why so many women still struggle with internalised competition
– What's changed in how women are portrayed — and what hasn't
– How to start spotting (and unlearning) the cultural scripts you didn't choose
– And what reclaiming your story can actually look like

📖 Chapters
00:00 Nostalgia and Reflection on the 90s
03:08 The Power of Pop Culture
05:57 Reality TV and Intersectionality
08:57 Sexualization and Female Power
11:57 The Influence of Porn on Culture
14:55 Empowerment and Its Implications
17:46 Crisis of Female Identity in the 2000s
22:10 The Shift in Celebrity Culture
28:43 Cruelty and Compassion in Pop Culture
29:05 Progress in Women's Representation
31:33 The Impact of Technology on Self-Perception
34:56 Revisiting the Past for a Better Future

🔗 Mentioned:
Girl on Girl by Sophie Gilbert
Sophie's writing at The Atlantic
Ed's Doco Series on what led to Britney's conservatorship

💌 More from That's Helpful:
Subscribe to my Substack
Watch the podcast on YouTube
Follow That's Helpful on Instagram

📬 Got thoughts or guest suggestions? Email me at: thatshelpful @ edstott.com

Know your phone is stealing your focus, but don't quite know how to take your back your brain? Here are 5 small, science-backed tweaks that will actually help.

In this episode, I'm sharing how I broke the cycle—not with timers or guilt, but with insights from neuroscientists, psychologists, and attention experts who helped me understand the real cost of distraction, and what to do instead.

💡 You'll hear:

• How tech companies exploit your brain's dopamine system

• The hidden cost of distraction most people never talk about

• The identity shift that makes new habits actually stick

• "20% habits" that give you 80% of the results

• Why barriers beat willpower every time

• And the one mindset shift that changed everything for me

Whether you're ready to ditch social media completely, or just want to feel a little more present in your actual life, this one's for you.

Recommended listening:
The Science of Habits that Actually Stick with Dr Bree Hurn
How to Hack your Dopamine with Dr Anastasia Hronis
Reclaim Your Attention with Annie Margaret

📺 Watch the episode on YouTube
📝 Subscribe on Substack

Enjoying the podcast?
Share it, leave a review, or forward to a buddy who needs a little nudge to be more present.

Feel like you're failing at motherhood? Maybe you're actually on the right track.

In this episode, I chat with author and podcaster Victoria Vanstone about her year of "mumming" — a 12-month mission to try anything and everything to become a better mum.

From parenting courses and rage walks to hiding in Aldi and whispering affirmations in the pantry, Victoria shares the real story of what worked, what didn't, and why trying (and failing) might be the most important part.

If mum guilt, mum rage, or the pressure to "get it right" are part of your daily internal monologue — this one's for you.

You'll hear:
💡 Why mum guilt and mum rage are normal — and what to do with them
💡 The parenting tools that actually worked (and the weird ones that didn't)
💡 Why doing things for yourself might be the most effective parenting strategy
💡 What Victoria learned from yelling, bribing, and eventually walking away — on purpose

Watch the episode on YouTube:
📺 YouTube.com/@ThatsHelpfulPod

Subscribe on Substack for weekly helpful writing & behind-the-scenes:
📝 thatshelpful.substack.com

Buy Victoria's book:
📚 Mumming: A Year of Trying and Failing to Be a Better Mum

Find Victoria online:
🌐 www.victoriavanstone.com
📸 @vic_sober_awkward

Enjoying the podcast?
Share it, leave a review, or forward to a buddy who needs a little less guilt and a bit more grace.

Ready to stop asking for permission and start doing the thing you actually want to do?

Ash Ambirge is here to hand you the match. 🔥

She's the author of The Middle Finger Project — a book, a movement, and a manifesto for anyone who's tired of playing it small. She's on a mission to help people ditch the jobs they hate and build their dream lives.

In this conversation, Ash and I talk about what it really takes to walk away from "safe" and create something better. If you're dreaming of more but scared to make the jump, this episode is your sign. It's the perfect follow-on to last week's ep with Amie McNee.

Yours Helpfully,

Ed x

Inside, we get into:

• Why "security" is the biggest scam going

• How to stop waiting for the right time

• Why rebellion isn't reckless — it's necessary

• How to back yourself (even when nobody else does)

CONNECT WITH US
🔥 Follow That's Helpful and Ed Stott on Instagram.
🔥 Find Ash at The Middle Finger Project website, or on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

BOOKS
📚 The Middle Finger Project by Ash Ambirge

Got thoughts, ideas, or just want to yell "YES"? Email me: ed@edwinastott.com

Tired of waiting for someone to give you a chance? This is how you stop waiting — and start doing.

Whether you want to write, launch a project, change careers, or share your work with the world, this episode with author Amie McNee is your go-to guide. She shares how she stopped chasing permission, started backing herself, and built a creative career on her own terms — before anyone said yes.

If you've been holding back on making something or becoming something because you're waiting to be picked… this is your sign to choose yourself.

Yours helpfully,
Ed x

CHAPTERS
00:00 Living Between Two Worlds
01:47 The Essence of Art
06:22 Claiming Your Creative Identity
11:55 Self-Creation and Empowerment
17:14 Reclaiming Power as Creatives
22:41 Valuing Art Beyond Metrics
27:38 Taking Baby Steps in Creativity
29:31 The Power of Baby Steps in Creativity
32:24 Embracing Imperfection: The Art of Making Shitty Art
36:31 The Courage to Bomb: Lessons from Stand-Up Comedy
41:14 Vulnerability in the Creative Journey
45:50 The Transformative Power of Journaling

BOOKS
We Need Your Art: Stop Messing Around & Make Something

PODCASTS
Ash Ambirge - Middle Finger Project
Sam Reece - Shitty Craft Club
The Unpublished Podcast (with Amie & James)

CONNECT WITH US
Connect with ⁠That's Helpful on Instagram.
Find me on Substack & YouTube.
Follow Amie McNee on Instagram.