Vulnerability Rocks with EMMA BELLE

I first became aware of my latest guest Marcus, when he was doing his CRAZY mission of 30 marathons in 30 days…….

I mean….I couldn’t even imagine doing one, let alone THIRTY!

Talk about determination.

Retiring from Rugby after the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens, Marcus turned his attention to extreme challenges, which tested his mental and physical strength to the limits.

In February 2018, Marcus was hit by a truck whilst training and he was left fighting for his life.

I wanted to get Marcus on the show to talk about his terrifying experience, what he’s up to now, and why he truly believes that everything happens for a reason.

All my love,

Emma x

Links to find Emma and Vulnerability Rocks

Approximately 800,000 people die by suicide around the world, every year.

This is absolutely heartbreaking.

What’s even more heartbreaking is that so many of these deaths could have been prevented, if the souls who committed suicide just had more support.

This week, I am joined by my incredible friend and one of the founders of Brighton-based suicide prevention Charity ‘Grass Roots’, who have a simple put power goal;

that no one should have to contemplate suicide alone.

Grass Roots work locally and nationally with communities, organisations and individuals, helping them to become ready, willing and able to effectively support someone at risk of suicide, experiencing a mental health problem, or someone who self-harms.

I wanted to get Chris on the show to help us learn how we can talk about about this “taboo” subject more openly to help support more people, and how we may be able to identify the warning signs of someone who may be thinking about suicide.

Chris has saved so many people already and I couldn’t be happier to have her join us in this episode.

All my love,

Emma x

To find Chris and all of the resources mentioned:

Domestic abuse isn’t always as obvious as you may think.

Whether it’s mental abuse, physical abuse or even sexual abuse, so many people suffer it daily around the world and it can be one of the most difficult and terrifying ordeals someone might ever have to deal with.

In the most extreme cases, domestic abuse can even be fatal.

I have spoken in the past about my own experience of domestic violence at the hands of an ex-partner, but I wanted to bring on my latest guest to share her own story, including how she finally left her abusive relationship and where she is now.

So, in today’s episode, we are joined by Ash.

Ash suffered both mental and physical abuse from her ex-partner and she now uses this awful experience as a way of helping other people through her podcast – Empowered With Ash.

Ash believes that adversity is our greatest strength, as it is proof we can survive anything. However, she also believes that we need to change our perception on adversity, in effect moving ‘From a worrier mindset to a warrior mindset’.

All my love Emma x,

Between attending births as a doula, a photographer and a birth assistant to a midwife, April has seen a lot of vaginas….and writing about them is now her full-time gig!

Covering topics not spoken enough about like maturation and menstruation, incontinence and period panties, sex before, during and after pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, postpartum and more, April believes that we should ALL become experts on our own bodies, and rightly so.

So often, we haven’t got a clue about the things we’re putting into our bodies or the damage they can cause, both mentally and physically. Doctors are incredible but they can only do so much. We hold so much control over our bodies, and we need to be more aware of this.

April is super entertaining and incredibly knowledgeable and I just had to get her on the Vulnerability Rocks Podcast to share her story and why she does what she does.

I am so excited for this one!

All my love,

Emma x

Today, I am joined by Alex Walker, Realignment Coach and co-founder of Bee Sober which encourages and supports people who want to take a break from alcohol.

Alex was brought up in a very alcohol-fuelled environment, which contributed to her turning to it herself, when she was older as a coping mechanism.

Like so many others, Alex used the only tools she’d been taught to cope, and it often ended up in chaos.

Alex has also suffered from multiple miscarriages and I wanted to get her on to share her powerful story to remind us all that no matter how bad things might get, there is almost always light at the end of the tunnel, if we choose to see it and follow it.

Emma x

This week I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with Brad Yates better known as Tap with Brad. 

I am SO excited for this episode. Brad Yates is known internationally for his use of Tapping/EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques).

He is also the author of the best-selling children's book "The Wizard's Wish," the co-author of the best-seller "Freedom at Your Fingertips," and a featured expert in the film “The Tapping Solution.”

He has also been a presenter at a number of events, including Jack Canfield's Breakthrough to Success, and has even done teleseminars with “The Secret” stars Bob Doyle and Dr. Joe Vitale, and has been heard internationally on a number of internet radio talk shows. Brad also has over a thousand videos on YouTube, that have been viewed over 32 MILLION times.

Brad is here today to discuss what tapping is and how it can help us to overcome stress, in a powerful yet natural way.

Welcome to this week's episode where my guest is Rebecca Wilson. She is a Womb Healer, Conscious conception guide & Spirit baby doula. 

Rebecca has been through her own journey that began by unpicking her own contraception story and not having a natural cycle for 18 months. 

We discuss everything from cycles, to how we store emotions and trauma in the womb space and how a lot of us grew up believing that our monthly bleed was an inconvenience and how many of us have been pleased to not have a period at all by controlling it with contraceptive hormones.

Join us to get curious about how your cycle affects you, how and why we store energy and trauma in our womb space and how we can start moving towards unpicking some of the beliefs that society has imposed on us.

Thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing this space with me

All my love 

Emma Belle x

Links to find Emma and Vulnerability Rocks Podcast: https://www.vulnerabilityrocks.com/

After releasing the podcast last year I receive lots of messages asking me how to start healing and leaning in to who we truly are to make changes in our lives. 

So this year I will dedicate some episodes of stories of vulnerability and humanness, and also I will share some amazing conversations with you from therapists, healers, coaches and some incredible people that I know will help you to get curious about your own stories and provide a space to explore topics and modalities that you feel speak to yo for your own journey.

This week my Guest is the amazing Wendy - The Completion Coach. She was my coach last year for about 5-6 months and we talk about how living a life that had a level of dissatisfaction, led her to question if she was the one who had it all wrong as she perhaps 'should' be a certain way like everyone else said she should.

Wendy decided to make some changes and lean in to what she really wanted and what she believed and changed the landscape of her life and is now known well to the insta community as @thecompletioncoach

Now coaching isn't all about the doing, its a balance of doing and being and honouring all parts of ourselves, as you know I am here for that!

I recommend that you grab a pen, pad and a nice Cuppa as there are so many takeaways from this chat that you do not want to miss.

Let me know your favourite parts 

Thank you from my heart for being a fabulous guest Wendy, I'm grateful for you.

All my love Emma Belle x 

Links to find Emma and Vulnerability Rocks Podcast: https://www.vulnerabilityrocks.com/

My guest this week is the wonderful Emily Williams. Emily is a fitness trainer, specifically for expectant and new mums and I wanted to get her on the show after being so incredibly inspired by her Instagram content for quite a while now.

Like all of us, Emily has faced many obstacles in her life, and by being so open and honest with her audience, she has helped so many women in overcoming their own challenges.

Emily discusses an incredibly traumatic experience she had as a child and how it unknowingly affected her for many years after.

The thing with traumatic experiences is that they aren’t always so blatant in how they can affect us, in our later lives. Much of the time, we actually think we’ve forgotten about them all together, but our subconscious mind is incredibly powerful, and rarely (if ever) truly forgets.

Mum to two beautiful young children, Winter and Rocky, Emily uses exercise as the main way to help her mental health and she inspires thousands of others every day, to do the same.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Emily.

All my love Emma Belle x

Links to find Emma and Vulnerability Rocks Podcast: https://www.vulnerabilityrocks.com/

My guest this week is Ryan Ridgeway. Ryan is an MMA fighter and Mental Health First Aid Trainer who lives with OCD. 

OCD can be stereotyped and glamorised as someone who likes things super clean and tidy. This can be the case for a ‘good day’ but I learn from Ryan that OCD can be far more complex and frightening than most of us can imagine. With compulsive actions and rituals becoming something that had to be completed or serious harm would come to those that he loved, OCD is really far more than lining up our plates and having tidy shelves. 

Ryan shares with me some of his darkest moments, compulsive thoughts and having multiple blood tests in a year due to fear of contracting HIV and living with auditory intrusions. We also discover how he came to live with the name Daisy Sparkles for over 5 years.... 

Thank you, Ryan, for taking your time to share your story and educate me and our listeners on the reality of what living with OCD has been like for you. All my love Emma Belle x 

Links to find Emma and Vulnerability Rocks Podcast: https://www.vulnerabilityrocks.com/   

This week’s episode is so very close to my heart and still very raw as I have just gone through the heart break of having to have a termination for medical reasons just a few weeks ago after having multiple fertility treatments this year. 

In this episode Zara joins me to share her devastating experience of having to have a Termination for Medical Reasons as her son Jesse was diagnosed in utero as having body stalk anomaly and sadly would not live outside of her womb. This really is an impossible decision and one that no parent should ever have to make. I will invite you to listen to the full episode as this is so complex, layered and so deeply personal to every parent that sadly has to painfully walk this path for what are very wanted pregnancies and babies. 

Please find the following resources that can help you or those that you know who are finding themselves in this heart breaking situation: 

ARC: https://www.arc-uk.org/ 

Petals: https://petalscharity.org/ 

Tommy’s: https://www.tommys.org/ 

Links to find Emma and Vulnerability Rocks Podcast: 

My guest for this episode is Laura Beddoe who is a spiritual Hypnotherapist & Coach for women

In this episode Laura shares her experience of the shock of learning about her ectopic pregnancy and also her Missed miscarriage that she was told she had at her 12 week scan.

We talk about how being pregnant and pregnancy & baby loss is a deeply personal experience that need to be talked about more and also has to be processed however feels best to the person navigating these incredibly painful and vulnerable experiences

Laura shares with us her feelings around getting pregnant after loss and also her journey to healing and moving through her pain to her most recent pregnancy which has blessed her with her 5 month old baby girl.

We do discuss the reality of pregnancy & baby loss, TFRMR, termination for medical reasons.

We hope that this episode helps other parents to not feel alone in their journey of loss and we want you to know that our hearts break with yours if you have had to experience this yourself.

All my love

Emma Belle xxx

(00:42) We actually booked this episode before I suffered with my own loss, but we decided it was important that we went ahead anyways, because this needs to be talked about more.

(04:13) Laura discusses her journey of her unexpected pregnancy.

(08:27) The excruciating pain started only 10 minutes again after finding out she was pregnant.

(12:23) Just lost a baby? Sex is usually the last thing on your mind…and that’s totally normal.

(14:51) The last thing you’d expect to hear are some of the comments Laura received from her female employer.

(16:44) Laura is pregnant again and so excited, but also terrified.

(17:22) It’s the day of the 12-week scan, and it’s also Laura’s son’s 15th birthday, so she excitedly brings him along to meet his new to-be sibling.

(20:31) Why do some people say the most stupid and insensitive things?

(23:40) Thanks to COVID, partners/ husbands/ wives of the mothers aren’t current allowed into the scans in the UK.

(27:06) Why did Laura feel stupid for telling people she was pregnant?

(29:50) Why Emma found that being open about her whole journey helped her mental health.

(32:07) Laura gives some tips for anyone going through a similar journey.

(39:46) Choosing the option that is the least worst for you.

(42:17) Laura discusses how she felt in the weeks after her second loss.

(45:58) It’s not spoken enough about the changes that happen with your body, after losing a baby.

(48:24) Trying for a baby again can be very unsexy!

(51:10) Laura’s happy ending.

(52:25) What to do if you haven’t experienced this awful loss yourself, but you know someone who has.

Links to find Emma and Vulnerability Rocks Podcast:

Javaria is my guest for this episode and I have to say I have been blown away with her strength of character, unshakable mindset and relentlessly determined attitude to her diagnosis, self-management and outlook on life. After over 15 years of struggling with this invisible illness that wasn’t diagnosed until she was 29 Javaria decided to move to Dubai, alone and lead the life she wanted despite her mother being so worried about how she would cope with a progressive condition in a different country , ‘ Who would pick her up if she fell and was alone?’ Javaria has a fire in her belly for sharing her story and helping others with the same condition to see how they can get the best out of living their life to the fullest whilst also managing this very serious condition. 

Most people do not have to worry when they wake up in the morning about whether they will be able to drink or breathe without hinderance as their brains do this automatically for them. This isn’t the case with Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). This condition doesn’t just affect the muscles we see in our arms and legs, this affects the muscles that are required to eat and breathe. I am so grateful to you Javaria for sharing your story and amazing personality with me and helping me to learn and understand more about your experience. 

All my love Emma Belle x x x 

(01:43) Javaria explains what spinal muscular atrophy is and how she found out she had it. 

(05:53) When Javaria was 23, she started her online business but her undiagnosed illness was affecting her life more and more. She knew she needed help and she needed answers…. 

(09:37) How did Javaria end up getting diagnosed? 

(12:00) How she felt when she got her diagnoses….her answer may surprise you! 

(13:31) Javaria explains what inspired her to become a mindset coach. 

(15:21) Another diagnoses…what did this mean for Javaria? 

(18:05) What is the difference between the various types of SMA? 

(20:21) Muscles aren’t just the things we see on the outside of our bodies….but t’s easy to forget that when you’re not affected by something like SMA. 

(24:03) Javaria explains how she remains so strong. 

(28:00) The top most unhelpful and helpful things that people have said to Javaria. 

(34:22) What helps to manage Javaria’s condition?

(35:40) Finally, Javaria tells us what she can’t live without and how her friends would describe her. 

Where to find Emma and Vulnerability Rocks Podcast: