‘What piece of advice do I wish I could tell my younger self?’

The conversation series encourages podcast fans to listen, learn and find comfort in talking about mental health, as well as hear about ways to support yourself or others. The podcasters involved include:

• Kate Mason and Jim Campbell of The Football Ramble talking to Dr Rupy from The Doctor’s Kitchen Podcast about gym anxiety and how physical health can help mental health.
• Actor and podcaster Scroobius Pip from Distraction Pieces Podcast talking to birth doula Lauren Mishcon and women’s coach Nicole Goodman of Self Care Club about worrying what others think of you.
• Podcaster and one half of The Rubberbandits Blindboy talking to neuroscientist and podcaster Dr Sabina Brennan of Super Brain about understanding how the brain works.
• Historian, presenter and podcaster Dan Snow talking to Caroline Foran, author and host of Owning It: The Anxiety Podcast about accepting failure.

The series makes use of Acast’s recently launched Sponsored Stories ad format, with the segments dynamically inserted at the end of episodes of the podcasts taking part. There will also be videos of the conversations posted across Acast’s social channels.

Acast believes there’s power in podcasts, with compassion, companionship, and comfort to be found for all sorts of situations — whether it’s turning to a familiar voice in your favourite podcast host, listening in on an intimate discussion about a guest’s own mental health journey, or relaxing with a welcome distraction from the day-to-day.

Podcasts also offer a way for people to stay entertained away from screen fatigue. Recent studies have investigated the association between screen time and mental health during COVID-19, and Acast recently ran a representative survey of the UK population of more than 2,000 respondents, where more than 52% of Brits said they feel as though they need to reduce the amount of screen time they’re getting in a day.

Sam Shetabi, Content Director Acast UK/IE, said: “It’s not surprising to see so many of us eager to spend less time in front of screens in a year that was defined by endless Zoom calls and TV series binging. We think podcasts are a perfect way to get away from looking at glaring screens and still be kept up to date with news and culture, learn something new or have a laugh — as well as hear the most unguarded conversations on issues like mental health. It’s important to bring these discussions to listeners, and we’re doing it with the help of some of the most exciting names in podcasting.”

Dr. Rupy Aujla, host of The Doctor’s Kitchen, said: “It was really cool to talk to the Football Ramble team about physical activity, food and how they are related to mental health. It’s brilliant that Acast are facilitating these open conversations and it was great to be connected to such fantastic podcasters too.”

Dan Snow, host of History Hit, said: “All of us experience mental health challenges at some point in our lives. I found it so useful listening to Caroline’s advice and will definitely adopt some of her methods for being more present, sleeping better and not letting stress and anxiety get out of control. Focusing on mental health, after the year we’ve all had, is really important.”

Caroline Foran, host of Owning It: The Anxiety Podcast, said: “My goal is to normalise mental health issues, to empower us all to get comfortable talking about the tricky stuff in life — so that the anxiety about what people will think of us, or the stigma that surrounds mental health, will start to dissolve. Podcasting is, in my opinion, the fastest and most effective route to achieving this goal and so I’m thrilled to join the brilliant Dan Snow’s History Hit for Mental Health Awareness Week.”

The conversation series launches today, all made possible by Acast’s dynamic ad insertion technology. Acast hosts more than 27,000 shows worldwide, with more than 65 million monthly listens in the UK alone.

The post Acast brings together UK and Ireland’s favourite podcasters to talk mental health appeared first on POD BIBLE.

POD BIBLE: Who are you and what’s your podcast about?
NICK EDE: I am Nick Ede and I am a popular culture, PR and brand expert. I run a PR Agency in London and have been in broadcasting for over 15 years appearing regularly on GMB, Lorraine and as judge on Project Catwalk, The Dating Agency and Diet on the Dancefloor to name but a few. ImPODster Syndrome is about social anxiety syndrome and how it can affect people in many different ways. We presume that celebrities have it all and are full of self confidence and arrogance but behind the public persona there are many who struggle. I wanted to ask people in the public eye how they manage imposter syndrome and how it manifests itself.

PB: What’s the first podcast you ever listened to?
NE: My husband introduced me to podcasts and the first one was Jessie Ware’s brilliant Table Manners which I loved then and still do today. It’s a light listen that is funny and interesting and her guests are always people who I want to listen to. The other is My Dad Wrote A Porno which took me while to get into but now I find it hilarious and its certainly deserves all the accolades it gets.

PB: Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?
NE: I love communicating and broadcasting so it felt like a perfect thing to do. I think that with podcasts you can go into subjects that other mediums don’t allow you to and you can make them both compelling and personal. I originally wanted to do a podcast on adoption but as I started to work on it more I realised that adoption is all about identity or lack of and this lead me to imposter syndrome and how it can affect so many people in many different ways.

PB: Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?
NE: My good friend Kate Thorton has a brilliant podcast called White Wine Question Time which is informative, irreverent and funny, and I love it. It’s a simple format but her guests are so eclectic you want to join them for a glass of wine when you’re listening to it, however I listen to it at 9am and that’s not Wine O’clock. The other one I really like is Nikki Tibbles, Dog Bless You, its so specific to dog lovers but again it makes you smile when you hear how pets have really helped people through their lives.

PB: Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?
NE: I would love to have Mariah Carey on ImPODster Syndrome because I think  that she has had to deal with it in the truest sense of the word. Not only was she from a mixed race family and told by her music company to ‘be more white’, she also had to be a part of a machine during her early years in music so I think it would be very interesting to ask her how she navigated it for so many years and if she still has it, being the most successful female artist of all time!

PB: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?
NE: I have had to learn pretty quickly and as I recorded most of the first season of ImPODster Syndrome in lockdown that you need to really listen to your guests and also don’t present like you would to camera on a TV show, treat it as a conversation with old friends over a good glass of wine and the chemistry will flow and you’ll get more out of your guests.

PB: Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?
NE: I have an episode with bestselling author and clinical psychologist Owen O’Kane who really explains to me what imposter syndrome is and how it actually manifests in the brain and how people cope with it. Its an eye-opening episode and I think it sets the scene that this isn’t just another celebrity interview podcast. What I am trying to do is find out if there is a way out of social anxiety syndrome and how you can cope with it as it does affect everyone, not just the famous.

PB: Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?
NE: You can find out more about me by going on my website nickedetv.com or by visiting my Instagram.

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The post HAVE YOU HEARD? // ImPODster Syndrome appeared first on POD BIBLE.