Live A Little with Nikki Lilly

denying an emotion doesn't stop it from existing with david larbi

on this episode of live a little, nikki lilly is joined by someone she's been wanting to have on for ages - writer, creator, and poet david larbi. nikki and david immediately click as "friends in waiting" - those people you follow and just know you'd get on with, but need that in-person connection to solidify it. they explore the importance of never dismissing what you feel - because denying an emotion doesn't stop it from existing, it just makes it harder to process. nikki shares her therapist's beautiful metaphor about emotions being like weather, which leads into a conversation about why david's poetry resonates so deeply with people: it simplifies big, difficult feelings into something beautiful and digestible. david gets vulnerable about losing his mum when he was 21, how grief became the language he learned to speak through poetry, and why he doesn't believe in "everything happens for a reason" - some things are just heartbreaking and unfair, and trying to make sense of them is pointless. the episode wraps with powerful reminders about coming out of uni, why flowers open at different times and they're all still valid, and how the caterpillar is just as worthy as the butterfly. grab a cup of tea, get cosy and remember - your value is intact now. don't forget to subscribe and don't miss new episodes every thursday! Follow Live A Little with Nikki Lilly Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/livealittlepodcast] TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@livealittlepodcast] YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepod [https://www.youtube.com/@livealittlepod] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

how to grieve a life you never got to live

welcome back to live a little with nikki lilly... this week comes with a gentle note that nikki is diving deep into grief and loss. nikki opens with open tabs - the tab she's loving, the tab living rent free and the tab that needs closing. but this episode is really about something nikki's been unpicking in therapy - what it's like to grieve a version of yourself that you never got to have or a life you didn't get to live. when nikki was diagnosed at six years old, she completely changed as a person... that little girl who thought life was magical and open-ended, who wanted to be a fairy when she grew up and meant it - she got pulled away too soon. nikki gets deeply vulnerable about grief mourning, realising she's been grieving someone who is still alive (herself), and how her therapist challenged her to think about her 44-year-old self looking back. this episode also introduces the fig tree theory from sylvia plath's the bell jar, nikki reflects on grief and she talks about becoming someone her younger self would have needed - someone safe, gentle, someone who stays and keeps going when she isn't able to. if you've ever grieved a version of yourself, a person you lost, a path that closed, or futures that didn't get chosen... this one's for you. don't forget to subscribe and don't miss new episodes every thursday! Follow Live A Little with Nikki Lilly Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/livealittlepodcast] TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@livealittlepodcast] YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepod [https://www.youtube.com/@livealittlepod] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

it's time to say no to people pleasing with tobie donovan

welcome back to live a little.. this week nikki, is sitting down with actor and longtime friend tobie donovan (from heartstopper)! nikki and tobie dive straight into cinema room dreams, the academy museum in LA (dorothy's shoes! maria's dress! the shark from jaws!), and letterboxd panic about whether to be honest or cool with your top four films. tobie opens up about the pivotal moment that made him want to act - seeing the gender-swapped production of company in the west end with jonathan bailey, he talks about wanting to tell stories in unexpected ways and create space for himself in the industry. nikki and tobie also get real about the pressure of being a people pleaser, learning to say no (tobie's been working on it in therapy), and why it's so hard to put yourself first when you're wired to make everyone else comfortable. they also discuss rejection in the acting world - how you can't internalise every no as personal and the importance of separating your value from the yes or no. tobie's wisdom? if you can't brush off rejection, you can't do the job. if you've ever struggled with people-pleasing, felt the weight of constant rejection, or just needed to hear that journaling might actually help... this one's for you. don't forget to subscribe and don't miss new episodes every thursday! Follow Live A Little with Nikki Lilly Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/livealittlepodcast] TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@livealittlepodcast] YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepod [https://www.youtube.com/@livealittlepod] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

how do i stop waiting and starting living?

on this episode of live a little with nikki lilly... nikki is getting real about something she's been spiralling about recently: how her world has become very, very small, and how she keeps waiting for the right moment instead of actually living. nikki opens up about living life like it's a waiting room - waiting to feel better, waiting to be less tired, waiting to be more confident, waiting for some perfect version of herself that doesn't exist... she gets honest about shutting down ideas before they even begin and accidentally living as if her life hasn't really started yet. nikki talks about being on autopilot and how her brain focuses on the one bad thing that happened instead of acknowledging the ten minutes she sat in the sun. she reflects on treating life like a draft - a temporary version that's not quite ready yet - and how we postpone joy for weekends that never come and save outfits for better versions of ourselves. this episode is full of practical, gentle ways to stop waiting and start living. nikki shares her list of things she wants to start doing and she talks about the power of nature, doing things badly and imperfectly and the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique for feeling more present. if you've ever postponed your life until things calm down, or saved spontaneity for a future version of yourself... this one's for you. don't forget to subscribe and don't miss new episodes every thursday! Follow Live A Little with Nikki Lilly Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/livealittlepodcast] TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@livealittlepodcast] YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepod [https://www.youtube.com/@livealittlepod] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

recovery is possible with ben west (part 2)

trigger warning: this episode contains discussions of suicide, grief, trauma, and mental health struggles on this episode of live a little, we're picking up from last week's episode, as nikki lilly is once again joined by mental health advocate and campaigner ben west. our conversation starts with ben explaining why his brother, sam, believed that once you got depression, you never don't have depression - a mindset that convinced him he could never get back up. ben and nikki talk about how this is absolutely not the case, and how even with lifelong illnesses like bipolar disorder, people can live very happy, healthy lives. they discuss the power of hope and why 'reasons to stay' exists - because the only person truly qualified to tell someone it gets better is someone who's been there and made it through. ben shares one of his favourite letters from reasons to stay, and nikki shares her own journey through PTSD and depression, and how clinical depression creates that tunnel vision where your brain can only remember the bad times. they explore why we need to practice finding things to live for, the nitty-gritty of emotional vocabulary, how to improve emotional literacy and why there's so much pressure to "fix" someone when really they just need to be heard. if you've ever felt like things will never get better, or you've struggled to find the right words to help someone... this one's for you. don't forget to subscribe and don't miss new episodes every thursday! Follow Live A Little with Nikki Lilly Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/livealittlepodcast] TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@livealittlepodcast] YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@livealittlepod [https://www.youtube.com/@livealittlepod] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]