The Thrive Programme Podcast

Why Social Anxiety Isn’t About Them - It’s About You

In this episode, Lucy is joined by Mícheál for an honest and empowering conversation about social anxiety - where it really comes from and how to overcome it. Mícheál shares his personal experience of struggling with confidence in his 20s. At the time, he was putting huge pressure on himself to fit in, be liked, and measure up to everyone else. Social situations felt uncomfortable and draining, not because of what was actually happening, but because of what was happening in his head. He was constantly second-guessing himself, replaying conversations, and worrying about what other people thought of him. Lucy and Mícheál explore how social anxiety is often rooted in fear of judgment, taking responsibility for other people’s feelings, and harsh self-criticism. But here’s the key insight: social anxiety isn’t something that just happens to you. It’s not coming from the room, the party, the meeting, or the people in it. And it’s rarely an accurate reflection of what others truly think. It’s you thinking in ways that make yourself feel small / awkward / uncomfortable / judged. This is great news! Because it means its totally within your power to change.  In this episode, they discuss: * Why social anxiety feels so real - even when it’s thought-driven * The trap of living life through other people’s eyes * How rumination keeps social anxiety alive * The hidden pressure of trying to manage how others feel * Why building genuine self-esteem is the foundation of confidence * How taking responsibility for your thinking changes everything Lucy describes the shift as moving from living your life according to what you think others think about you… to living according to what you think about you. It’s about making decisions based on your values. Liking what you like. Backing yourself. And letting other people be responsible for their own thoughts and feelings. If you’ve ever walked away from a social situation replaying everything you said, worried you got it wrong, or feeling like you weren’t “enough,” this episode will help you see what’s really going on - and remind you that confidence is built from the inside out.

More Than the Outcome: Thriving Through the IVF Journey

In this week’s episode, Lucy Wood is joined by Sue Tetley, who shares her powerful story of navigating the emotional highs and lows of IVF - and how learning to thrive transformed her experience along the way. For Sue, the IVF journey had become an exhausting cycle of hope and heartbreak: trying, being disappointed, picking herself up, and finding the strength to try again. Alongside the emotional strain came the physical toll - endless appointments, procedures, and medications - yet still no positive result. As a paediatric nurse, Sue was used to caring for others, but she realised she needed something more to support herself emotionally through the uncertainty she was living with. Discovering The Thrive Programme marked a turning point. Sue began to see that while she couldn’t control the outcome, she could influence how she experienced the journey. By learning to manage her thinking, strengthen her self-belief, and focus on the control she did have, Sue took her power back. She built confidence in her ability to cope - no matter what lay ahead. When the final round of IVF ended and the phone call she had been dreading finally came, Sue was able to feel calm. She had spent days mentally preparing, rehearsing the moment so she could meet it with emotional strength rather than fear. Together with her husband, Sue chose to follow the path of adoption. After everything they had endured, she describes the process as feeling “easy in comparison,” and before long they were matched with their daughter. Looking back, Sue reflects on the journey not only in terms of its challenges, but in what it revealed about who she is - strong, capable, and deeply resilient. In this episode, we explore: * The emotional reality of IVF and repeated disappointment * How shifting your thinking can change your experience, even when outcomes are uncertain * Finding control in situations that feel powerless * Building emotional resilience through life’s toughest moments * Moving forward with hope - and trusting your ability to cope This is an inspiring conversation about reclaiming personal power, discovering inner strength, and recognising that even the hardest chapters can reveal just how resilient we truly are. If you can relate, please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.

Why forgiveness is the most powerful thing you own

In today’s episode, Lucy is joined by Philippa Saunders for an honest conversation about why forgiveness is an internal act of power - something you do for you, not for the other person, and not in response to what they did or didn’t do. Philippa opens up about her experience of feeling let down by her father during her teen years, and how those moments shaped her self-esteem and her expectations of how life “should” have been. It wasn’t until she became a parent herself that she fully recognised just how much those early experiences were still influencing her. Discovering The Thrive Programme in her thirties became a turning point. Philippa shares the mindset shifts that helped her choose forgiveness, the process she went through, and the powerful sense of relief and freedom that followed - like finally putting down a weight she’d been carrying for decades. Lucy also shares the extraordinary story of Eva Kor, who, at just 10 years old, was taken to Auschwitz and subjected to horrific medical experiments. For 41 years, Eva held her pain in silence - until she discovered the profound personal power of forgiveness. She couldn’t change the past or the people who hurt her, but she realised she could reclaim her own emotional freedom. Together, Lucy and Philippa explore how self-forgiveness is just as transformative. They discuss how it cuts through perfectionism, self-criticism and the tendency to beat ourselves up for things we didn’t - or couldn’t - have done differently. If you’ve ever felt weighed down by resentment, guilt, or old stories about what “should” have happened, this episode is a powerful reminder that forgiveness is something you choose - and it may just be the most liberating choice you’ll ever make.

The Empowered Menopause: You’re the Captain Now

Ladies of a certain age - this one’s for you. If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking “I’m old… past it… life is slowing down… why don’t I feel like myself anymore?.  Or if the symptoms of menopause and this stage of life (let’s be honest, it’s busy isn’t it) have been dulling your sparkle - this episode is your invitation to take back the helm. This week, Lucy is joined by Sue Tetley (Thrive Programme Coach based in Suffolk) for a powerful conversation all about empowering yourself through the menopause. Together, they explore how much of our experience comes down to perspective, beliefs, and the meaning we attach to this stage of life. You have more power over it than you might currently think… Looking at the research into global language and connotations around the menopause, it’s clear this has an impact. For example, in Chinese culture, menopause is viewed as a rebirth - a pivotal chapter where women can let go of the energy expended in childbirth and are considered wise, valued, and respected. They report some of the lowest menopause symptoms and medication use in the world. A different cultural lens… a completely different experience. Sue and Lucy discuss a couple of key things you can do to captain your own ship through this stage of your life:  1: Choose your perspective. The way you perceive it – the beliefs you hold, the perspective you take, the understanding you have, language you use - will determine your experience. You have control over this – you don’t have to struggle and simply survive!  2: Focus on what you can do to support yourself. Yes, lifestyle habits like sleep, movement, support around you, getting outside help…all the stuff you’ll already know (yawn, sign, eye roll…).  But you can do better than that – you’ve got a huge potential on the inside - get yourself thriving:  * Challenge and let go of your limiting beliefs * Build a sense of safety and security in who you are – develop self-confidence like you’ve never thought possible * Learn how to feel powerful and in control of your life  * Build robust emotional coping skills so that you can cope with life’s stressors with relative ease * Create a mindset for life that empowers you to be the captain of your ship – in control of your life  This episode is all about taking the power back over this phase of your life and doing it the way you want to do it – it’s your choice – it’s more up to you than you think it is.

Thriving beyond hearing loss: The power of psychological strength

In this episode, Lucy sits down with Anne Best – a Thrive Programme Coach based in Glasgow, Scotland – to discuss how The Thrive Programme helped her (and continues to help her) navigate her journey of living with hearing loss.   Anne lost her hearing after a complicated journey with asthma and repeated ear, nose and throat infections, and now has bone-anchored hearing aids.  Anne reflects on her mental health at the start of her journey and says, “I was allowing my poor thinking to control my life”. She initially thought her way out of having the operation she needed to give her a better quality of life and was worried what people would think about seeing her with hearing aids.   But then she got herself thriving! Anne reveals how getting herself thriving empowered her to take responsibility for the thoughts in her head, the feelings she creates, the way she responds to situations in life, and the words she chooses both inside her head and what she says out loud. She now sees her hearing aids as her power tool! She says, “There’s fact and there’s fiction, and what I was inclined to do was make up a story – almost as a way of controlling something - and I don’t it anymore. I stick to the facts”.  This inspiring episode is full of things you can do to take control of your experience of dealing with something challenging in your life. Practical takeaways, mindset shifts, coping skills, a sense of humour even.    If you’d like to talk to one of the team and get some help with something going on in your life right now, please reach out. We’d love to help.