Cate Mackenzie - Love, Pleasure and Joy

In this episode, somatic therapist Kate Daisy Grant shares her wisdom on how to navigate the darker months and the lost art of hibernation.

She talks about using somatic resources such as the imagination, visualisation and body awareness to feel more wellness and comfort during the winter.

Kate Daisy Grant is a musician and a somatic psychotherapist and coach. She combines arts with somatics whenever possible, and has produced an album ‘Lullaby’ which weaves together over 100 world folk lullabies in harmony to emphasise our interconnectedness, as well as a sonic experience of Polyvagal Theory.

Kate's new project ‘The Aliveness Lab’ is a collaboration with somatic coach, educator and artist Rachel Blackman and shares easy-to-use embodied experiences to enhance goodness and offer resource to the heart of life’s challenges. Together they are embarking on a series of seasonally-linked somatic workshops.

In this episode, Cate hears from Francis Lickerish about addiction. He speaks about his work helping the families of addicts with learning how to set boundaries and reclaiming their lives.

Francis is a respected professional with 30 years’ experience working in the fields of adult addiction and family services and has run family programmes for notable treatment centres across the UK. He has also worked globally, establishing family programmes in the Middle East, Pakistan, and South Africa. He runs workshops in schools and colleges on the nature of addiction and how it impacts on, and can be managed in, such systems. He sees addiction as a systemic condition that has its roots in society and history.

He is also a well-known composer and guitarist and believes that it is these skills that allow him to see beneath the surface of things and work in an organic and all-encompassing way.

Francis is currently working on a PhD and is writing a book on the historical and social context of addiction.

In this episode, Cate speaks to Wendy Sullivan and Paul Field about Clean Language, a process and set of questions developed by counselling psychologist David Grove. They explore the simple art of Clean Language and how it helps people to go deep into themselves and find the richness of their own metaphors, words and sensations that become resources for their lives.

Wendy Sullivan is a Clean Language Trainer, Psychotherapist, Coach and Coach Supervisor. She has worked in the field of Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling for around 20 years and is one of the most experienced trainers in the field. As well as training others to use Clean Language, she uses it herself when working as a coach or psychotherapist, facilitating teams and working with all sizes of organisations and businesses.

Matt and Sarah Davies are the authors of You, Me and the Space Between Us: How to (Re)Build Your Relationship, a guidebook for how to create a healthy, loving and lasting relationship.

In this podcast episode, Matt and Sarah talk about their journey of writing the book and insights from their own relationship. Listen in for a fascinating discussion about courage, vulnerability, deal-breakers and the ups and downs of marriage.

Matt Davies is a marriage counsellor and psychosexual and relationship therapist, trained at Tavistock Relationships and worked in two NHS settings.

Sarah Davies is a movement and somatic coach, trainer and a founding member of Open Floor movement practice. 

Matt and Sarah Davies blend therapeutic techniques with movement in workshops on sexuality and relationships. They see clients together in relationship therapy sessions as well as each having their own practice in London and Sussex.

In this episode Cate Mackenzie chats with Karis McLaughlin about the ins and outs of dating.

Cate is a love coach who supports individuals to build their confidence in dating so that it becomes easy, relaxed and fun!

She recommends focusing on yourself and your own sensuality and fun, which lifts you up and makes you more magnetic to other people.

The conversation also covers what groups and activities ideal for meeting new people, a warning about emitting just ‘friend’ signals, and a protocol for first dates.

The key is to keep dating light and playful.

Esther Freud is the author of nine novels, including Hideous Kinky, her semi-autobiographical debut, which tells of her unconventional childhood in Morocco. In this podcast episode, she speaks about I Couldn’t Love You More, the story of three generations of Irish women and their intertwining lives. The book speaks to relationship, love and expectation, as well as managing desperation, fear and hopelessness.

Esther is a wonderfully in-depth person to listen to and speak to. Enjoy!

In this podcast episode, we hear all about the life and career of Cleo Sylvestre, the incredible pioneering black actor who broke down the doors of racism in theatre, film and television in the UK.

Cleo was the first black actor in a major role at The National Theatre, the first main black character in Crossroads, broke ground in Ken Loache’s Up the Junction and Cathy Come Home, played amazing parts alongside Anthony Sher, and sang To Know Him Is to Love Him with the Rolling Stones.

There was a significant moment in history when Cleo was cast as Noelle Gordon’s adopted daughter Melanie in Crossroads after Enoch Powell’s 'rivers of blood speech' that ignited swathes of racism in the UK. She speaks of a time that was extremely tough as a black woman and yet her incredible passion was her constant guide to keep going.

Cate would love to see Cleo be given a part in Bridgerton and a lifetime award from BAFTA. If anyone has any links, please do put her forward as she really is the best.

Cece Sykes is a psychotherapist with over thirty years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples and families, specialising in work with the effects of trauma and addiction. She is a Senior Trainer for the Internal Family Systems Institute and her chapter on compassionate approaches to addictive process appears in the book IFS: Innovations and Elaborations, 2016, Routledge. Cece also has special interests in spiritual practices intersecting with therapy and in the impact of psychotherapy upon the life of the therapist.

In this powerful and compassionate interview, Cece speaks about her way of working therapeutically with addictive processes. She also shares her ways of supporting therapists to tell their stories in a safe container.

Michelle de Swarte is a stand up comic, actor and ex catwalk model. She is the best friend in the Netflix comedy The Duchess and stars in the HBO series The Baby. 

In this podcast episode, Michelle speaks about what it’s like to ride the wave of life when a lot is happening that you may have always wished for and how she is learning to manage it. She shares from her heart about all kinds of issues, from how to stand up for yourself as a woman, how racial and gender diversity is addressed in TV casting, to how to handle success when you are really busy.

This was a beautiful and enlightening interview. Enjoy!

In this episode, Andrew G Marshall talks about the eight types of affairs and seven stages to deal with them. He trained with RELATE the UK's leading couple counselling charity and is the author of twenty books. His best known titles are I Love You, but I'm Not IN Love with You: Seven Steps to Saving Your Relationship and How Can I Ever Trust You Again?: Infidelity: From Discovery to Recovery in Seven Steps. He leads a practice in the UK offering on-line and in-person couple therapy and he has a private practice in Berlin (Germany). He is also the host of The Meaningful Life with Andrew G Marshall podcast where he talks to other therapists about psychological and spiritual issues. 

Peter York is an author, journalist, broadcaster, management consultant and President of The Media Society.

Over the last 30+ years he has produced a flood of articles, initially in Harpers & Queen and thereafter in broadsheets, particularly The Independent, and eleven books, including the 1980’s best-selling trade book The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook (co-authored with Ann Barr). His latest book The War Against the BBC, co-written with Professor Patrick Barwise was published in November 2020 by Penguin.

In this podcast episode, Peter shares about his fascinating life and the evolution of his varied and prolific career, including making a stand for the BBC.

Marianne Power is the author of Help Me!: How Self-Help Has Not Changed My Life. In this podcast episode, she talks about her book and her year of taking risks and being completely vulnerable. Marianne expresses a depth of connection and spaciousness within herself that came from this huge journey... and she brings so much humour and delightful cynical cheekiness! A must read and a must listen!

Marianne holds weekly therapeutic writing workshops, Writing for Fun and Sanity, and her articles appear in papers and magazines including Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Independent, Red, Good Housekeeping, Bazaar, Grazia. She lives in London.

In this episode, Steven Chandler talks about his amazing book The Story of You: And How to Create a New One. This book invites you to explore the stories you are telling yourself about you. This is a powerful enquiry that can lead to re-writing your story and stepping into a more loved version of you.

Steven is the author of 30 books that have been translated into over 25 languages. His success coaching, public speaking and business consulting have been used by CEOs, top professionals, major universities, and over 30 Fortune 500 companies.

Cate Mackenzie had the pleasure and privilege to talk to Susan Jeffers, author of Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway amongst many other great titles, before she died in 2012. She talks about the book which provides tools to come back to love and to keep opening to love. Susan also shares about being 'the queen of self-help' and how she navigated being a mum alongside studying and working.

In this episode, Alex Cheatle talks about what he's achieved with his visions for Ten Group, how they are moving forward, and how they remain at the top of their game.

Ten was founded in 1998 by Alex Cheatle and Andrew Long, who both had a vision to provide an unrivalled, personalised and trusted service that would help members get the most from life.

The business began providing a lifestyle concierge service to just 20 members in London. As its reputation, contacts and expertise grew, Ten’s member proposition became stronger, and the company expanded its private membership base.

In 2001, Ten won its first corporate contract to provide concierge on behalf of a major banking group. Today, Ten has more than 50 corporate client- and employee-loyalty programs, and runs private membership services for millions of members worldwide.

Jose Fonseca and her business partner April Ducksbury set up Models 1 in 1968 which is the most established longest-running agency in the UK. 

Jose and April had both lost their jobs on the same day and after speaking on the phone decided to meet and began to work together. They started it with three famous models Sue Murray, Marisa Berenson and Ingrid Boulting who were friends of Jose's and were immediately blessed with a visit from Eileen Ford.

They went from strength to strength with Jose being the 'eye' scouting and taking care of the models and April running the business until they reached great success in the 1980s.

In this podcast episode, Jose recounts the journey and the strife of the changes. She now believes that destiny guides us to life that we show up for and that really we are small cogs in a great wheel and the great key is self-responsibility. She feels it is tempting to blame others for our lives but when we look inside we can work with our triggers and shift into more balance.

Quite a few years ago, Cate Mackenzie had the privilege of talking to former supermodel, writer, poet, actress and patron of many charities, Jerry Hall. What a wonderful insightful woman she is. The recording has been dusted off the shelf for you to enjoy in this podcast episode.

Chris Lang is the writer and producer of over one hundred and twenty hours of prime time British drama. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, leaving in 1983 to work at Nottingham Playhouse for six months. There he met fellow actor Hugh Grant, and the two of them formed a comedy writing partnership (later joined by fellow RADA student Andy Taylor) called The Jockeys of Norfolk, who enjoyed great success at the Edinburgh Festival, and who went on to star in their own TV comedy showcase. Chris is best known as the writer, creator and executive producer of the critically acclaimed and award-winning series Unforgotten.

In this podcast episode, Chris shares about his upbringing, creativity and how happiness is unrelated to career success.

Larry Lamb is an English actor, producer and radio presenter. He played Archie Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, Mick Shipman in the BBC comedy series Gavin & Stacey and Ted Case in the final series of the BBC drama New Tricks. He also appeared on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2016. He played real life criminals in the films Buster (1988) (Bruce Reynolds) and The Hatton Garden Job (2017) (Brian Reader).

Larry talks to Cate about TV fame and his journey from selling fish and chips to acting in the West End.

The Mackenzie sisters — Cate, Georgia and Tara — talk to their dad Colin Mackenzie about his adventures around the world, including the biggest scoop of all, Ronnie Biggs.

Colin Mackenzie is known for what the UK Press Gazette nominated as one of the top ten scoops of the twentieth century – finding escaped great train robber Ronnie Biggs in Brazil in 1974 while he was an intrepid reporter on the Daily Express.

As told in this memoir Pressing My Luck, Colin spent the last 23 years of his work life combining his two passions and became a horse racing correspondent, first on the Racing Post when it launched in 1985 and finally on the Daily Mail.

Ben Miller ditched his Physics PhD at Cambridge University for a career in comedy and acting. He wrote and starred in the Channel 4 sketch show Armstrong and Miller, as well as the BBC sketch show The Armstrong and Miller Show. Miller is also known for playing the lead role of DI Richard Poole in the first two series of the BBC crime drama Death in Paradise, and for portraying James Lester in the ITV science-fiction series Primeval. Ben co-wrote MindGym, winner of the first BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Award for comedy in 1998. He and Armstrong won a BAFTA for The Armstrong and Miller Show in 2010.

In this podcast episode, Ben Miller talks about his BAFTA success and the mysterious process of waiting for exceptional ideas to arrive.

Richard O'Brien is an English-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show The Rocky Horror Show in 1973, co-wrote the screenplay of the film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and appeared in the film as Riff Raff. The film became an international success and has received a large cult following.

In this podcast episode, Richard talks about his life and what he calls some of his 'small' successes like The Rocky Horror Show, Crystal Maze, accepting himself as Trans and being kind to other people.

Annabelle is an English actress best known for playing Monica Gallagher in the hit television comedy-drama Shameless, Joy Wilton in Soldier Soldier, and Violet Buckle in Call the Midwife. Her passion also lies in helping people connect more deeply to themselves and others through the art of touch. Perhaps now more than ever she has realised that touch is so important for mental and physical well-being.

Russell Kane is a multi-award winning comedian, presenter, actor, author and scriptwriter. He is best known as the host of three series of Live At The Electric, regular appearances on Live At Apollo, Unzipped, Celebrity Juice and I'm Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now.

Russell is such a loving, compassionate being who cares deeply about supporting people with mental health issues. He runs a radio show to help men ask much-needed questions about life, psychology and help. He has written a book about his relationship with his dad Son of a Silverback: Growing Up in the Shadow of an Alpha Male where he describes with great love the difficulties of having an alpha male dad and his experience as a sensitive son. His book honours his dad and at the same time explains how tough it is dealing with inter-generational trauma.