This is a selection of real human experiences, shared with us by the this talk family.
If you have your own story to share, feel free to contact us.
this talk: is about learning to be responsible for your own happiness - with Nicole
What I have learned from going through counselling and reflecting on the triggers of losing my partner and my loved one all at once, is that I saw these people as my safety net. I have realised that I am largely responsible for my own happiness. I have the power to bloom again, even when my problems or situations have left me wilted. I have learnt to build resilience.
this talk: is about the inner-workings of the mind-gut connection - with Lottie Drynan
The term “gut feeling” isn’t just a saying; our gut and brain are connected by an entire communication network. When we feel something in our gut it’s our brain trying to tell it something. When we get stressed our body goes into “fight-or-flight” mode, triggering a chain of reactions that affects our digestion rate which can cause things like bloating, cramping and undesired bowel movements.
this talk: is about the devastating impact of losing someone you love - with Annie Wade Smith
Grief is still such a taboo subject, and it’s something that will impact everyone at some part in their lives. We need to talk more openly about grief, because feeling like you have to be silent when you’re going through it sometimes feels more painful than the loss itself.
this talk: is about processing trauma following brain surgery - with Grace Latter
I was diagnosed with a brain tumour in May 2014. I was breezy and positive the whole way through. I was actually more concerned for my family and friends, having to watch me go through it all. Not once did I get anxious or upset for myself. It wasn’t until a few months after the surgery that I realised I needed counselling, and to actually process the trauma I’d been through.
this talk: is about the impact of toxic masculinity on self-esteem - with David Fadd
I’m a plus sized model and influencer. I do what I do for guys like me who have had such a difficult time with body image and self-love. For the little boys that are growing up feeling less than. For the men that genuinely look in the mirror and hate what they see. Masculinity isn’t singular but that there are as many forms of manhood as there are men.
this talk: is about making the most of living with incurable cancer - with Laura Henrietta
Being diagnosed with an incurable cancer aged 28 comes with heaps more complications to life. I was never an anxious person before cancer but after this I became constantly worried about the future, about leaving the world I enjoyed behind and about not being able to fulfil what I wanted to do in life.
this talk: is about the relationship between disordered eating habits and anxiety - with Alexia Degremont
The quest to being thin governed my days, which quickly turned into an obsession and disordered eating habits. I started going to the gym, weighing my food, and making only “healthy” recipes. I spent my time reading about what diet is healthiest, what foods are most nutritious and how to be lean. All of my thoughts were about food, body image and fitness.
this talk: is about struggling as a mental health professional in Coronavirus isolation - with Thomas Whitfield
It's now going on week 6 of isolation, living alone in a state I hardly know. The truth is, I'm not ok, or I’m ok-ish. I'm slipping into a depression and fighting to stay out. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to, everything I've been taught to, everything that from an empirical stand point is supposed to work.
this talk: is about navigating being genderqueer whilst managing existing mental health issues - with Phil Hill
Understanding my gender identity has brought me nothing but happiness, it was only ever the outside world that made it difficult. But despite the negative impact being openly queer sometimes has on my mental well-being, I am proud to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community and wouldn’t change that for the world.
this talk: is about bare-faced beauty standards and the journey to self love - with Elizabeth Claire Nguyen
In a world that is so focused on external beauty and these unattainable standards, I aimed to put it all publicly out there to shatter society's perception of beauty. Not just for myself, but for all the other people in the world as well because our skin does not define us or tarnish our inner beauty. Acne is normal and it should not corner us into depression because we are greater than any social standard imposed upon us!