79. Reflecting on: Laughter (lots of giggles)

79. Reflecting on: Laughter (lots of giggles)

The Home of Wellbeing and Joy Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week, Charlie and Dr Marcus get into laughter itself. Why we do it, what it means when we do it together, and what it says about us when we can't stop even though we know we shouldn't. From a live laugh for a minute challenge to a proper psychology deep dive, this one is pure joy from start to finish. 🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞: Charlie and Dr Marcus explore why we laugh, starting with a live laugh for a minute challenge and moving into benign violation theory, the idea that we find something funny when it breaks a social norm in a way that feels safe rather than threatening. They both take Rod Martin's Humour Styles Questionnaire live, a real psychometric tool used in humour research, and compare where they land across the four humour styles. Along the way there is an honest moment on self deprecating humour and what it can signal about confidence. 🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞: Notice which of the four humour styles you lean on most, and with who. Humour is learned and socialised, not fixed, so it shifts depending on who you are with and how safe you feel with them. If you catch yourself using humour to put yourself down, that is worth sitting with rather than brushing off. 📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy, Community and Connection 📚 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬: Martin, R. A., Puhlik Doris, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., and Weir, K. (2003). Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological wellbeing: Development of the Humor Styles Questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 37(1), 48 to 75. 🔔 Don't forget to follow and review, it really helps us grow 📲 Follow us for more: 👉 Instagram: @themoodboosterofficial [https://www.instagram.com/themoodboosterofficial/] 👉 TikTok: @themoodboosterofficial [https://www.tiktok.com/@themoodboosterofficial] 🌍 Website: www.themoodbooster.co.uk [https://www.themoodbooster.co.uk] 🎥 Prefer video? Watch this episode on YouTube @TheMoodBoosterOfficial [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMoodBoosterOfficial]

78. Weight Loss, Judgement and the Truth About using GLP1s w/ Hatty Grant

The Home of Wellbeing and Joy Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week, Charlie and Dr Marcus sit down in Hyde Park with Hatty Grant, events manager, Monday Mood Booster ambassador, and someone who has spent the last year quietly transforming her relationship with her health, her body, and herself. Hatty has been part of the Mood Booster community since January and has already become one of its most vital voices. This is one of the most honest conversations we have had on the podcast. No perfect narrative, no filters, just the real stuff. 🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞: Hatty was diagnosed with PCOS at 16 and discovered she had diabetes as an adult. That second diagnosis became the turning point. In this episode she takes us through what her relationship with her body looked like before this chapter began, the moment she decided something had to change, her experience using a GLP1 as part of that journey, and the judgment she faced from others and from herself along the way. She also speaks beautifully about body neutrality over body positivity, what running and community have done for her that no medication could, and where she finds genuine joy now that the noise has quieted down. 🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞: From learning to fuel your body properly rather than restrict it, to understanding the difference between body positivity and body neutrality, to choosing yourself without needing anyone else's approval, this episode is packed with warm, grounded, and genuinely useful insight. Whether you are at the start of a health journey, somewhere in the middle, or simply tired of feeling like you are doing it wrong, this one is for you. 📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy 🔔 Don’t forget to follow and review, it really helps us grow  📲 Follow us for more: 👉 Instagram: @themoodboosterofficial  [https://www.instagram.com/themoodboosterofficial/] 👉 TikTok: @themoodboosterofficial  [https://www.tiktok.com/@themoodboosterofficial] 🌍 Website: www.themoodbooster.co.uk [http://www.themoodbooster.co.uk/]  🎥 Prefer video? Watch this episode on YouTube @TheMoodBoosterOfficial  [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMoodBoosterOfficial]

77. It's Never Too Late to Change Your Life w/ Steve Day

The Home of Wellbeing and Joy Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week, Charlie and Dr Marcus are joined by Steve Day, founder of Imagination Running, community runner, psychology student, and one of the most honest guests we have ever had on the pod. Before we get into Steve's story, we open with a letter from a member of our community: a 42-year-old who has worked in retail since the age of 15, who desperately wants to change direction but is asking themselves whether it is too late. Steve's answer, in every sense, is his life. Please note that this episode contains open discussion of mental health crisis, alcohol abuse, drug use, and time spent in residential rehabilitation. We have included some links and resources below for anyone who needs them. As always, we are grateful you are here. https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/ https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/ https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ 🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞: Steve had it all on paper. Corporate career, house, car, family. But behind it he was exhausted, unfulfilled, and heading toward a mental health crisis he did not see coming. In this episode, he takes us through the heart scare at 30 that first got him moving, the panic and anxiety that built quietly through his corporate years, how the pandemic became an unexpected catalyst for change, and what it actually took to walk away from everything and start again at 40. He now runs Imagination Running, is studying for an undergraduate degree in psychology, and got a first in his most recent module. This is one of the most open, warm, and quietly courageous conversations we have had. 🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞: From understanding your why before you make a leap, to using movement as a genuine mental health tool, to knowing the difference between being comfortable and being stuck, this episode is packed with lived, honest insight on what it takes to start over. Whether you are 25 or 52, if you have ever felt like the life you are living does not quite fit, this one is for you. 📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy 🔔 Don’t forget to follow and review, it really helps us grow  📲 Follow us for more: 👉 Instagram: @themoodboosterofficial  [https://www.instagram.com/themoodboosterofficial/] 👉 TikTok: @themoodboosterofficial  [https://www.tiktok.com/@themoodboosterofficial] 🌍 Website: www.themoodbooster.co.uk [http://www.themoodbooster.co.uk/]  🎥 Prefer video? Watch this episode on YouTube @TheMoodBoosterOfficial  [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMoodBoosterOfficial]

76. We Ran 123km in Under 24 Hours. Our Ultramarathon debrief

We Ran 123km in Under 24 Hours. Here's What Actually Happened | EP - 76 | The Mood Booster Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week, Charlie and Dr Marcus are sitting down with their hard earned medals and doing something they have been saving for the pod: a proper, honest debrief of the most physically demanding thing either of them has ever done. Six months ago, they said yes to running the National Forest Way Ultra 75 by Beacon Hill Events. 123 kilometres. 22 hours and 47 minutes. Vomit, blood, blisters, rain, and a fence they had to scale in the dark at 1am. This is all of it. 🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞: Charlie and Dr Marcus take you through every stage of their inaugural ultramarathon, from the 5am start line and imposter syndrome in the dark, to poppy fields at 60K, a full panic attack at 80K, blisters that required medics at the 70K aid station, and a final 10K that was almost entirely uphill through brambles and tree roots at midnight. They also explore what the experience revealed about pain, partnership, the mental game of endurance, and two very different ways of coping when your body wants to stop but your mind refuses to let it.  🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞: From breaking a race down into manageable blocks, to the psychology of not giving pain the air time it needs to take hold, to the role that partnership plays when solo willpower runs out, this episode is full of honest, lived insight on what it actually takes to do something that feels impossible. Whether you are a runner or not, this one is for anyone who has ever had to find something extra when they had nothing left.  📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy 🔔 Don’t forget to follow and review, it really helps us grow  📲 Follow us for more: 👉 Instagram: @themoodboosterofficial  [https://www.instagram.com/themoodboosterofficial/] 👉 TikTok: @themoodboosterofficial  [https://www.tiktok.com/@themoodboosterofficial] 🌍 Website: www.themoodbooster.co.uk [http://www.themoodbooster.co.uk/]  🎥 Prefer video? Watch this episode on YouTube @TheMoodBoosterOfficial  [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMoodBoosterOfficial]

75. What It takes to Build a Community w/ Jonty Brown

The Mood Booster Podcast | Episode 75 - The Home of Wellbeing and Joy What does it take to build a community from nothing? In this episode, Charlie and Dr Marcus sit down with Jonty Brown, co-founder of Run Limited, the world's most collaborative running brand, to explore community, leadership, and what it means to live many different lives in pursuit of the one thing that matters most. Jonty has been a barista, a barber, a motorcycle builder, a surf instructor, and now a running store founder and ultramarathon runner who ran nearly 500km across America as part of the Speed Project. His story is one of curiosity, courage, and relentless consistency. 🎧 In this episode: We cover Jonty's journey through many different careers and how those experiences shaped who he is today. We explore the founding of Run Limited, what "most collaborative running brand in the world" really means, and how Jonty and co-founder Molly created a space for the entire running community, not just their own. Jonty opens up about being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 11 years old and how he manages that through extreme endurance events. We dive into what it takes to be a good community leader: presence, consistency, getting in the room, and genuinely caring about the people around you. We also talk about the Speed Project, fuelling for ultras (including newborn potatoes), imposter syndrome, and finding joy in the worst moments of a race. 🛠 Practical Advice: How to build a community around a passion, even from zero. What to do in the first two years of any new venture. Why showing up consistently matters more than almost anything else. How to lead well by focusing on others rather than yourself. 📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy 🔔 Don’t forget to follow and review, it really helps us grow  📲 Follow us for more: 👉 Instagram: @themoodboosterofficial  [https://www.instagram.com/themoodboosterofficial/] 👉 TikTok: @themoodboosterofficial  [https://www.tiktok.com/@themoodboosterofficial] 🌍 Website: www.themoodbooster.co.uk [http://www.themoodbooster.co.uk/]  🎥 Prefer video? Watch this episode on YouTube @TheMoodBoosterOfficial  [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMoodBoosterOfficial]