Seen with Pandora Morris

Is self-compassion just being soft on yourself? Not at all. In this conversation, psychologist Sarah Ann Macklin explains what self-compassion really is, why self-esteem is a poor measure of your worth, and how self-pity keeps you stuck. She also shares simple tools you can start using today, including the selfie test and the friend filter.

Why is it so hard to enjoy sex when you have spent years at war with your body?

On this episode of Seen, I sit down with writer Emma Louise Boynton, founder of Sex Talks and author of Pleasure. I devoured her book and couldn't wait for this conversation.

Emma opens up about developing an eating disorder as a young teenager and what it took from her. She explains how it worked as a coping mechanism, why understanding what it gave her mattered more than finding its cause, and what a later ADHD diagnosis helped her make sense of.

We talk about how disconnecting from your body makes intimacy feel impossible, why sex education that never mentions pleasure teaches us to perform rather than feel, and the contentification of sex online. Emma also shares how sex therapy at 28 changed everything, starting with one line from her therapist: for as long as she was at war with her body, she would struggle to enjoy pleasure.

In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why disconnecting from your body makes intimacy so much harder, and how that can be relearned
- What a pleasure journal is, and why Emma's therapist started there rather than with sex
- Why good sex education has to include pleasure and bodily boundaries, not just risk
- How to start with body neutrality when loving your body feels completely out of reach

Thank you Emma for being so honest. If you take one thing from this, let it be what she says to every woman who tells her she is broken: you are not alone, and you are not broken.

Chapters:
The Darkness Behind The Confidence (00:00)
How An Eating Disorder Takes Hold So Young (02:19)
Why Someone With An Eating Disorder Is So Hard To Reach (05:21)
The Turning Point That Made Her Want To Get Better (09:52)
What Your Eating Disorder Is Giving You, And The ADHD Link (14:03)
Early Sex And Living In A Body You Cannot Feel (18:18)
Why Sex Education Never Mentions Pleasure (21:21)
The Case For Lifelong Sex Education And Porn Literacy (28:46)
Bonnie Blue And The Contentification Of Everything (34:01)
Rock Bottom At 28 And The Dinner Party That Changed Everything (36:15)
At War With Your Body, And Why Your Body Is Your Home (41:39)
Why Recovery Is A Dance, Not A Finish Line (46:54)
What Sex Therapy Actually Looks Like, And The Pleasure Journal (48:36)
The Shame Around Bulimia, And Finding Good Company (53:03)
Why We Still Cannot Talk About Sex Openly (56:14)
Where To Begin If You Feel Disconnected From Your Body (1:00:49)

This episode is for education only and isn't medical advice. If you are struggling with your relationship with food or your body, please speak to your GP, or reach out to an eating disorder charity such as Beat.

Where do you start when you realise you're struggling with your mental health?
In this bonus episode of Seen, author Gemma Styles joins me again for a few more questions after our main conversation.
Gemma's advice for a first step is simple: speak to someone. It doesn't have to be the perfect person, or the perfect way. If saying it out loud feels too hard, write it down or send a text. She also shares who she first opened up to.
We talk about the difference between feeling sad and being depressed, and why casual phrases like "I'm so ADHD" or "I'm a bit OCD" don't help anyone. Gemma also explains why she pushes back on the idea that ADHD is overdiagnosed.
Then we get practical. Gemma shares the small, everyday things that help her, from feeding herself properly and getting outside to being honest when she has nothing left in the tank, as an introvert and a mum.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- How to take a first step when you're struggling, even if it's just a text
- Why you don't have to wait until things get worse to look after your mental health
- Small daily habits that help Gemma look after herself
- Why mental health and neurodivergence don't look the same in everyone
I hope this one reminds you that we're all different, and that's what makes life so beautiful and rich.
Chapters:
Where to Start When You're Struggling With Your Mental Health (00:00)
Who Gemma First Opened Up To (02:13)
Is ADHD Overdiagnosed? Why Language and Labels Matter (03:09 )
Sad or Depressed? Situational vs Clinical Depression (06:34)
Mental Health Maintenance: Gemma's Daily Non-Negotiables (09:56)
How Gemma Protects Her Social Energy as an Introvert (12:30)
Why Mental Health Doesn't Look the Same in Everyone (13:40)

This episode is for education only and isn't medical advice. If you're struggling, please speak to your GP or someone you trust.

Why does being healthy feel so hard, when we have more health information than ever? 

On this episode of Seen, I sit down with nutritionist Sarah Ann Macklin, author of the bestselling book Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard. I devoured her book, and I loved this conversation. Sarah has worked in wellbeing for over a decade. She says we don't have an information problem. We've lost ourselves in the middle of the health conversation. So we talk about the part most of us skip: the way we speak to ourselves. 

We get into how constant self-criticism keeps your body in stress mode. We talk about why sleep tracking can turn into an obsession, and why self-compassion can boost your motivation instead of making you lazy. Sarah also opens up about her two burnouts, and why reaching a big goal can still leave you feeling empty. 

We also talk about the new GLP-1 weight loss pill. Sarah shares why she's worried about people taking it when it isn't meant for them, including the effects on muscle and bone health. This topic is very close to my heart. 

In this episode, you'll learn:
 - Why being hard on yourself can make healthy habits harder to stick to
 - What self-compassion really is, and why it isn't letting yourself off the hook
 - How to be your own parent, from your morning routine to your phone
 - How a one-day thought journal can show you what your inner critic is saying 
I hope this one helps you be a little kinder to yourself. 

Chapters:
Why Is Being Healthy So Hard? (00:00)
Why Drastic Health Changes Often Fail (05:17)
Orthosomnia: When Sleep Tracking Becomes an Obsession (06:35)
Are You Living in a Dysregulated Nervous System? (09:37)
What Is Self-Compassion? And Why It Makes Us Cringe (14:46)
How to Talk to Yourself Like a Good Friend (18:37)
Does Self-Compassion Make You Lazy? (24:12)
Be Your Own Parent: Simple Daily Habits (28:51)
The Arrival Fallacy: Why Success Can Feel Empty (31:49)
Burnout: What Happens When You Ignore Your Body (36:43)
How to Use a Thought Journal (38:36)
Loneliness, Relationships and Longevity (41:27)
GLP-1 Weight Loss Pills: Muscle and Bone Health Concerns (42:47)
Why Nobody Has It All Figured Out (52:24)
Dyslexia, Self-Belief and Feeling Truly Seen (56:35)

This episode is for education only and isn't medical advice. Please speak to your GP before starting any medication.

In this personal solo episode, Pandora looks back on four years of Hurt to Healing and the extraordinary journey that has brought her here. She shares how learning to trust herself, embrace uncertainty and choose the things that make life bigger has transformed her recovery, before revealing the exciting new name and vision for the podcast as it enters its next chapter.

Seen with Pandora Morris is Coming Soon!

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