Healthy Minds, Better Lives - My Reflections on Identity, Storytelling & the Chapters We Live This month on Healthy Minds, Better Lives
Healthy Minds, Better Lives - My Reflections on Identity, Storytelling & the Chapters We Live
This month on Healthy Minds, Better Lives, we explored one of my favourite topics: identity and the stories we tell ourselves.
Sitting with Tammy, Tom, and our brilliant guest Tracy Hill from The Cat's Pyjamas, I felt so inspired by the honesty, humour, and vulnerability that came through the whole show.
As we settle into 2026, it felt like the perfect moment to ask one powerful question:
“What stories are you telling yourself about who you are and are they actually true?”
It’s a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately, especially as we move from the Chinese Year of the Snake into the Year of the Horse. The shift symbolises movement, energy, and transformation and it’s made me reflect on the identities I’ve outgrown and the ones I’m stepping into.
Starting the Year by Shedding Old Identities
I opened the show by sharing how many of us walk around repeating beliefs about ourselves that no longer fit. Old identities can be like old coats, comfortable, familiar, but far too heavy to keep carrying.
Sometimes we’re holding onto stories we didn’t even write. Stories that other people wrote for us, whether in childhood, society, or expectations we didn’t agree to.
Our conversation made me realise just how powerful it is to pause and ask:
Who am I now?
Who do I want to become?
And what stories am I still carrying that no longer serve me?
The Chapters of Our Lives - Written or Drifted Into?
Tom asked the question has life happened to you or have you made choices. He shared openly about drifting through early adulthood, following the path that was expected of him rather than one he actively chose. I think so many listeners can resonate with that. He was even lucky enough to have a friend apply for a job on his behalf and he got it.
Tammy described life as a book full of chapters, some we choose, some that choose us.
And that’s the beauty of storytelling. We can:
Reframe our past
Reauthor our present
Rewrite our identities
Step into new chapters at any point
Accept that no chapter defines us forever
It’s never too late to pick up the pen again.
My Four Notebook Confession
One of the funniest parts of the show was when I shared that I currently journal in four different notebooks. Yes, four!
One for letting go
One for manifesting
One for the future
And one for… well… everything else
Meanwhile, Tammy keeps it all in her head (which I honestly don’t know how she does). But even she admitted that writing things down might lighten the load a bit.
Journaling has been such a powerful tool for me. It helps me:
untangle my thoughts to keep me focussed
spot the stories I keep repeating
see patterns I never noticed
find clarity in the chaos
It’s not about being neat or perfect, it’s about being honest. Sometimes I can’t even read my own writing
Welcoming Our Guest: Tracy Hill from The Cat’s Pyjamas
Having Tracy on the show was such a joy. I haven’t seen her in a while.
She shared the beautiful and unexpected origin story of The Cat’s Pyjamas, which began with a café, a lockdown and delivering afternoon teas during a time when she discovered the magic in listening to people’s stories.
Tracy spoke about reconnecting adults with creativity, imagination, and play. Something we forget we’re allowed to have, something I think we all need.
She also talked about returning to university at forty after years of believing she “wasn’t good enough.” That part really hit home for me, and I know many listeners will feel it too.
Her message was powerful:
Just because a story was true once doesn’t mean it has to stay true forever.
That was really the heart of the whole show, really.
Storytelling as a Tool for Mental Health
Throughout the episode, we found ourselves returning again and again to the importance of storytelling.
Storytelling allows us to:
Make sense of our experiences
Feel less alone
Recognise inherited beliefs we never chose
Challenge labels we’ve carried since childhood
Give ourselves permission to grow
Labels especially came up the ones given to us (“the clever one,” “the shy one,” “the pretty one”) and the ones we give ourselves.
I said it on the show and I’ll say it here again:
Words are powerful.
Stories shape us.
But we always have the choice to rewrite them.
Later in the Show: Menopause & Talking Therapies
Tammy also shared her upcoming conversation with Lorraine Pascal, looking at why so many women in midlife avoid talking therapies, even when facing huge challenges — work, family pressures, caring roles, menopause.
It’s a conversation we need to have far more openly, and I’m so glad she brought it into the show.
My Final Reflections
As we wrapped up, I found myself coming back to this truth:
Awareness changes everything
Our stories matter
Our identity isn’t fixed
And we are allowed to grow, change, and evolve at any age
If there’s one thing I hope listeners take away, it’s this:
You are both the main character and the author of your life.
And the next chapter is yours to write.
Join Us Next Month
We’ll be back on 12th March at 8pm with more real conversations, more compassion, and another inspiring guest.