Podcast

“I want to break free.”Who hasn’t occasionally fantasised about getting on a train, plane or possibly ferry and disappearing for a while?In this episode, Julia explores our fantasies of escape; from remote Scottish islands with no internet to glamorous Parisian apartments where nobody needs anything and the washing mysteriously does not exist.But what are we...

We all need someone to reach out to. But what happens when reaching out becomes handing over? In this episode, Julia explores our tendency to create our own Personal Jesus: the boss, partner, therapist, guru or even AI tool that we hope might have all the answers. From idealisation and dependency to transference and our...

“The cold never bothered me anyway.” Except perhaps it did. In this episode, Julia looks at the stories we tell ourselves when reality feels a little too uncertain, disappointing or downright uncomfortable. Why are we so quick to fill in the blanks? And how does an idea we’ve created with remarkably little evidence suddenly become...

Bond. James Bond. Nobody gets that one wrong. So why are some people apparently incapable of getting everybody else’s name right? In this episode, Julia looks at why names matter far more than we might think. From being repeatedly called Julia Roberts (sadly without the hair or bank balance) to the people who continue to...

“Did you miss me?” It sounds like a fairly innocent question. But underneath it can sit something much bigger: did you notice I wasn’t there? Did you think about me? Do I matter to you? In this episode, Julia looks at what happens when there’s a gap in contact and our minds merrily fill in...

“Be kind.” It sounds harmless enough. Who could possibly object to kindness? Julia, apparently. In this episode, she takes a psychodynamic look at one of social media’s favourite slogans and asks what might be lurking underneath it. Is it really about protecting other people, or could there be something rather more interesting going on? From...

This week on The Dynamics of Everyday Life, Julia takes a psychodynamic look at one iconic Victoria Wood moment: “Don’t bother Ken, I’ll do it myself.” What starts as a funny, familiar line opens into something much deeper. Competence as identity, the fear of relying on other people, resentment, emotional labour, and the strange loneliness...

When something feels off, most of us don’t trust it. We explain it away. Override it. Or ask everyone else what they think, as if someone else might have better access to what’s going on in our own heads. In this episode, Julia takes a closer look at that hard-to-pin-down sense that something isn’t quite...

Why is it that one small comment can stay with you for days, while everything else disappears? In this episode, Julia explores why certain remarks don’t just land… they linger. What starts as a throwaway comment can quickly turn into something much bigger. Not because of what was said, but because of what it touches....

Some people are just… easy. They don’t mind where you go. They’re happy to fit around everyone else. No fuss. No drama. Sounds ideal, right? In this episode, Julia explores what sits beneath being “easy-going”, and why saying “I don’t mind” isn’t always as simple as it sounds. Because over time, keeping things smooth can...