Bryony Gordon: People pleasing, body image and why midlife is when you stop accepting people's bull
Not Another Mummy PodcastShow Notes
My guest today is Bryony Gordon - journalist, author, mental health advocate and host of The Life of Bryony podcast. Bryony has written extensively and honestly about OCD, addiction, depression and disordered eating, and her new book, People Pleaser, is her first novel. It follows a chronically people-pleasing woman who wakes up one day to find she's lost the ability to put anyone first but herself - and the chaos that follows.
Bryony talks to me about why people pleasing is at the root of so many of the issues women face, what "good girl conditioning" actually costs us over a lifetime, and why hitting your 40s can feel like finally running out of patience for everyone else's bulls**** - in the best possible way.
We also chat about: Why people pleasing is actually manipulative - and why that's not the judgement it sounds like What she'd do differently if she woke up tomorrow unable to people please How early perimenopause brought back her OCD symptoms, and what finally getting her HRT right changed The three things she does every day to keep her mental health in check Why she deliberately picks the least flattering photo to post on Instagram Her female elder in her 60s who responds to every crisis with "so what?", and why everyone needs one of those
Follow Bryony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryonygordon/ Listen to her podcast: https://www.instagram.com/lifeofbryonypod/ Buy People Pleaser: https://amzn.to/4scaxYR
If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can follow the podcast to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you!
Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.
Music: Epidemic Sound Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Not Another Mummy Podcast
This brand new series of Not Another Mummy Podcast kicks off today with a stonker of a guest. I'm joined by the incredible Dr Shefali - clinical psychologist, New York Times bestselling author and founder of the conscious parenting movement, whose work has been championed by Oprah and Pink.
My guest on this special episode, brought to you in partnership with YouTube, is Dr Garth Graham. As well as being YouTube's Head of Health, Garth is also a dad of four, from age three up to a teenager.
My guest today is content creator Kelly Taylor (previously known as Kids and the Commute) who turns the chaos of the school run, class WhatsApp groups and the work-and-kids juggle into some of the funniest, most relatable content on social media.
Kate Silverton needs no introduction to most parents. She spent years as one of the most familiar faces on BBC News before retraining as a child therapist and writing two bestselling books There's No Such Thing as Naughty and There's Still No Such Thing as Naughty.
My guest on this episode is Rose Stokes, best known for her honest, nuanced writing on motherhood, women's health and living in a body the world won't stop having opinions about. You'll have seen her byline in the Guardian, Grazia, the Telegraph and Women's Health. Rose is also a mum of two, and she's just about to launch her first podcast, A Matter of Fat, with Cambridge geneticist Professor Giles Yeo.