What the Health?!

Episódios

• 
  “I Couldn't Get Out of Bed for SIX Weeks”: Champion Surfer Lucy Campbell on Burnout, Prioritising Rest and Learning to Slow Down 12.08.2026 54min

  This week we're asking what happens when our drive to push ourselves goes too far, and whether we need to rethink our relationship with rest, recovery and our bodies. Claira Hermet is joined by eight-time national women's surfing champion Lucy Campbell to talk about building a career in professional surfing, the changing landscape for women in the sport, and the pressure female surfers face around their appearance. Lucy opens up about experiencing severe burnout in 2024, the self-doubt and chronic fatigue that preceded it, spending six weeks unable to get out of bed, and how the experience completely changed her relationship with rest and recovery. She also discusses learning to listen to her body, making space for gentler forms of exercise, and why she wants more women to see sport as something they can do for fun, rather than something they have to be good at.
• 
  The Power of Showing Up: How Finding Your Community Can Change the Way We Feel About Fitness 05.08.2026 54min

  This week on What The Health?! host Claira Hermet is joined by Minreet Kaur, award winning journalist and founder of Asian Women Run. She shares the story of how running transformed her life; and how her mum’s battle with blood cancer inspired her to help hundreds of other women discover the power of movement. Minreet tells us how she went from someone who never really enjoyed exercise, to becoming someone who now can’t imagine life without it. She explains how it was it was her mum who got her to running during lockdown, and how that shared passion led to the creation of Asian Women Run - a run club built to encourage and support more women, particularly within the South Asian community, to get active without fear, judgement, or the pressure to be the fastest.Claira and Minreet explore why so many people feel intimidated by exercise, how community and representation can make all the difference, and why movement doesn’t have to be about personal bests or competition - sometimes it’s just about putting one foot in front of the other.Up next: Clara puts herself to the test as she joins the Get Up and Get It Done community for one of their gruelling group workouts. Founded by Sanchez Brown, the group is built around bringing people together to push themselves hard! Will Claira survive the workout? Expect sweat, sore muscles, questionable life choices, and a reminder that sometimes the hardest part of exercise is simply showing up.
• 
  ADHD In Women Looks Nothing Like What You Were Taught - Olivia Drewery On Late Diagnosis, Masking & Finding Yourself 29.07.2026 55min

  This week on What The Health?! host Claira Hermet is joined by Olivia Drewery, the creator behind neurodiversing, co-founder of sensory friendly clothing brand Club Neuro, and one of the most honest and relatable voices in the neurodivergent community online. She was diagnosed with ADHD at 23 and autism at 24, and has since built a community of hundreds of thousands of people who finally feel seen because of the content she creates. Olivia talks us through what it actually felt like to grow up not knowing she was neurodivergent. She describes spending years masking, performing, and hiding the parts of herself that felt too much or not enough, and the sheer exhaustion of keeping that up day after day across school, university, work, and friendships. It is a description that will feel uncomfortably familiar to a lot of people listening. A year after her ADHD diagnosis, Olivia was also diagnosed with autism, and we talk about what that second diagnosis added to how she understood herself, how the two conditions overlap and interact, and why so many people are still being missed entirely. We get into sensory sensitivities, what they actually feel like day to day, and why something as seemingly simple as clothing can determine whether Olivia is able to get through the day at all.
• 
  How I Survived a 60ft Wave and a Broken Back - Andrew Cotton on His Horrifying Surfing Accident and the Road to Recovery 22.07.2026 55min

  A 60ft wave, a mid-air fall, and a broken back. This is the story of the day big wave surfing nearly ended Andrew Cotton's career. In this episode presented by host Claira Hermet, Andrew relives the exact moment his line closed out at Nazaré, forcing him to bail and take a pounding that bounced him 40 feet through the air onto his back, fracturing his L2 vertebra. He talks us through the terrifying rescue on the beach, what those first days in hospital were actually like, and the long, uncertain road back to full fitness. We go right back to the beginning of Andrew's story too, including the point at 25 when he'd given up on surfing entirely and retrained as a plumber, before an unlikely turn saw him become one of the very first people to attempt Nazaré, alongside big wave pioneer Garrett McNamara. He explains what it actually felt like laying eyes on Nazaré for the first time, what it means to surf a wave category before it even officially existed, and how he trained his mind not to panic while dropping into some of the biggest, most unpredictable water on the planet. Three years after his accident, Andrew returned to paddle out at the exact same spot that broke his back and he tells us what that moment felt like, and what it took to get his body and head back to that point. We also dig into the wider world of big wave surfing: the physical toll it takes on the body year after year, how safety protocols and rules have evolved at spots like Nazaré, and whether funding in the sport is finally starting to catch up with the risk these athletes take on.
• 
  Why Is Everyone Suddenly Running? The UK's Fitness Boom Explained 15.07.2026 54min

  This week we're asking why Britain has become a nation of runners, and whether it's really transforming our physical and mental health. First, host Claira Hermet is joined by model and dancer Scarlett Clarke to talk about living with Congenital Melanocytic Naevi (CMN), the rare skin condition she's been raising awareness of through her work with Caring Matters Now. Scarlett discusses growing up with CMN, the powerful Bare Your Birthmark campaign, seeing her photographs exhibited across London, and what it was like completing the London Landmarks Half Marathon. Later, former Team GB Olympian and 400m British record holder Iwan Thomas MBE joins Claira to discuss the UK's running boom, whether marathon fever has gone too far, the link between running and mental health, and his advice for anyone thinking about lacing up their trainers for the very first time.
• 
  A Dermatologist Reveals the Biggest SPF Mistakes That Age Your Skin Faster 08.07.2026 54min

  Is suncream really the best anti-aging product? Should you wear SPF every day in the UK? Can sunscreen affect Vitamin D, your skin microbiome or even become unsafe if it's stored incorrectly? In this episode, host Claira Hermet is joined by NHS Consultant Dermatologist Dr Ellie Rashid to answer the biggest questions surrounding SPF, skincare, skin cancer prevention and healthy aging. We discuss:Why UV exposure causes premature skin agingThe biggest sunscreen mistakes people makeHow much SPF you should really applySPF under or over makeup?Hats vs sunscreenChemical vs mineral sunscreenNatural sunscreen mythsVitamin D and sunlightSunscreen and the skin microbiomeBenzene contamination in sunscreen productsHow to store sunscreen properlyAerosol spray sunscreensWho is most at risk of skin cancerThe warning signs of melanomaRepairing your skin barrierThe best moisturiser ingredientsDoes expensive skincare actually work?Do eye creams make a difference?Pollution and skin healthDiet and healthy skinThe skincare products Dr Ellie actually recommends Whether you're interested in anti-aging, preventing skin cancer, improving your skincare routine or understanding what the science really says about sunscreen, this conversation is packed with practical, evidence-based advice.
• 
  Am I Already Too Late? A Fertility Expert Answers The Question Millions Of Women Are Asking But Nobody Is Answering 01.07.2026 54min

  This week on What The Health?!, host Claira Hermet is joined by Dr James Hopkisson — one of the UK's leading fertility specialists, UK Medical Director at TFP Fertility, and a doctor who has been working in IVF and reproductive medicine since 1993. If you have ever Googled your fertility at midnight, wondered whether you have left it too late, or just wanted someone to give you straight answers without the sugar coating, this is the episode you have been waiting for.Millions of Brits worry they may already be too late to have children, yet three quarters have never once checked their fertility. Dr Hopkisson tells us how often the people who come to him convinced it is already over are actually wrong, what age fertility really starts to decline, and whether the biological clock is as dramatic and urgent as we have been led to believe or whether we are creating unnecessary panic in an entire generation of women.We get into the questions that everybody is searching but nobody is saying out loud. Does a regular period actually mean your fertility is fine? Does being physically fit and healthy protect you or can you be the picture of health and still struggle to conceive? What are the early warning signs that something might be worth looking into, for both women and men? And how often is fertility actually a male issue, and why are we still not talking about that enough?One in five people now see egg freezing as a financial milestone comparable to university or buying a home, and nearly half of women say the cost is the only thing stopping them. Dr Hopkisson breaks down who egg freezing is actually for, who it is not right for, what the real success rates look like versus what people assume, and the age at which it genuinely makes a difference versus the age at which it may no longer be worth pursuing.For anyone in their twenties or thirties who is thinking about having children in the next few years, Dr Hopkisson gives clear, practical guidance on what you should actually be doing right now. We talk about what a fertility MOT is, whether everyone should be getting one, and what it can and cannot tell you. And for anyone who has been trying to conceive and it is not happening, he tells us exactly when to stop waiting and go and speak to someone, and what that first conversation actually looks like.
• 
  Pelvic Floor, Diastasis Recti, Hormones & Perimenopause - A Women's Health Coach Gets Brutally Honest 24.06.2026 54min

  This week on What The Health?!, host Claira Hermet sat down with Kim Modlinger-Ali, known to her worldwide community as Kimmy Fitness - personal trainer, pre and postnatal specialist, single mum of two, and one of the most refreshingly honest voices in women's health today. This episode covers everything the mainstream fitness world has been getting wrong about women's bodies, and everything your GP probably hasn't told you either. We talk about the snap back culture dominating social media and the very real damage it is doing to new mums who are already running on empty. We get into diastasis recti, the condition that affects the majority of women who have given birth and yet most have never heard of, what it actually is, how to check if you have it, and what happens if you leave it untreated. We talk about pelvic floor dysfunction, why it goes far beyond leaking when you sneeze, why it affects women of all ages, and why so many women are quietly living with it and assuming it's just part of life. Kim breaks down why so much of the fitness and nutrition advice women receive is based entirely on male physiology research and what actually changes when you start working with your body instead of against it. We talk about syncing your training and nutrition to your cycle, why your energy, strength, and recovery look completely different across the four phases of your month, and why understanding that could be the single biggest thing you do for your health this year. We also get into the conversations that are finally starting to happen around perimenopause and menopause and why women in their thirties need to be paying attention right now, not in ten years time. Kim shares what she sees most commonly draining women's energy, why so many of us have accepted chronic exhaustion as normal, and what small shifts in nutrition and movement can actually make a difference. For anyone who has ever been too scared to pick up a weight in case they bulk up, Kim puts that fear to rest once and for all. We talk about what your core is actually doing for you beyond aesthetics, why women are more prone to certain injuries than men and how to train in a way that protects your body long term, and how to handle the very real mum guilt that stops so many women from ever putting themselves first. This is also a conversation about identity, about the mental load of being a woman today, about what it means to be a single mum building a business and a community while still showing up for yourself.
• 
  Your Questions, Answered: Gym Anxiety, Body Image, Bad Dates and Everything In Between 17.06.2026 54min

  Host Claira Hermet, a self love and confidence coach and trained PT, is joined by PT Leyla Mehmet for a full episode dedicated entirely to your questions. No topic is off the table. We're covering everything from gym anxiety and how to actually start lifting weights with confidence, to body image struggles and the relationship between how we move and how we feel about ourselves. We get into mental wellbeing and the small daily habits that genuinely make a difference, the truth about meditation and whether it actually works if you're someone who can't sit still, and the relationship dilemmas that so many of you have been quietly dealing with.If you've been wondering how to get over the fear of walking into a gym for the first time, how to build genuine self confidence rather than the fake-it-till-you-make-it kind, how to navigate a relationship that's affecting your mental health, or simply how to feel more at home in your own body - your questions are answered!
• 
  The Teenage Big Wave Surfer Who Went Viral - Plus Why Your Protein Obsession Might Be Making You Fatter 10.06.2026 55min

  This week on What the Health?!, host Claira Hermet sits down with Malakai Hagley, a 19 year old professional surfer from Devon who is quietly becoming one of the most talked about names in big wave surfing. After a video of him taking on one of Mullaghmore's biggest ever waves went viral, the messages came flooding in from some of the most famous athletes on the planet - including Kelly Slater himself. Trained by Andrew Cotty, Britain's leading big wave expert, Malakai talks about what it actually feels like to ride a wave at that size and speed, how he trains himself not to panic when everything goes wrong underwater, what a tow-in actually is and what happens when it doesn't go to plan. He also opens up about his ambitions for the World Surf League adult tour and the Olympics, and the very real funding challenges facing the next generation of big wave surfers in the UK. Then Claira is joined by Jo Travers, Harley Street nutritionist, dietician and author, known as The London Nutritionist. Jo is here to cut through the noise around the protein craze that has taken over social media and what she has to say might surprise you. From protein maxxing and the 200g a day trend, to why protein consumed at the wrong time can actually cause weight gain, to the risks of the carnivore and keto diets, Jo breaks it all down in a way that finally makes sense. She also gets into the protein supplement industry and why she doesn't recommend bars and shakes, what leucine is and why it matters so much after 50, and what a genuinely healthy breakfast actually looks like.
• 
  Grief, Barbells and a Stadium Workout: The Two Women Redefining What Fitness Actually Looks Like 03.06.2026 54min

  This week on What the Health?! with Claira Hermet, we have two guests and two stories that prove fitness is about so much more than how you look. First, Claira is joined by Ifende Ozuko, known to her community as MsFitQueen, a four time bodybuilding champion, fitness coach and someone whose relationship with fitness began in one of the darkest moments imaginable. In 2013, Ifende lost her sister and became a full time carer for her three children overnight. While most people might have crumbled, Ifende picked up a barbell. What followed was four bodybuilding championships, a thriving community of real women with real lives and a coaching practice that goes far beyond sets and reps. She opens up about grief, what it actually takes mentally and physically to step on a bodybuilding stage, why she eventually walked away from competing, and what strength means to her now compared to the day she first walked into a gym. Then Claira is joined by Gina Obeng, founder of Beats and Bands, the fitness movement that started as a simple lockdown idea and has grown into one of the most exciting things happening in UK fitness right now. Gina's question was simple: what if working out actually felt like a night out? Six years on, she's found her answer and on the 7th of June she's taking it to a football stadium. Gina talks about building a community rather than a client base, why live music does something to a workout that a playlist simply cannot, and what happens when someone who has always believed fitness isn't for them walks into a Beats and Bands event for the first time.
• 
  Dr Tara EXPOSES The Biggest Sex Myths We Still Believe 27.05.2026 54min

  This week, Dr Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, the resident sex expert from Celebs Go Dating, joins host Claira Hermet to answer the questions people are too embarrassed to ask out loud.Expect unfiltered conversation about sex, relationships, libido, orgasms, periods, pornography, sexual compatibility, fantasies and the biggest myths people still believe about intimacy. Nothing is off limits!Claira Hermet: https://www.instagram.com/missclairahermet/?hl=enDr Tara: https://www.instagram.com/luvbites.co/?hl=en
• 
  The Fastest Female Wingsuit Pilot on Fear, Near Death and Flying Across the English Channel 20.05.2026 52min

  This week on What the Health?! with Claira Hermet, we sit down with one of the most extraordinary humans we have ever had on this show. Amber Forte is a Red Bull athlete, world record holder, stunt performer and the fastest female wingsuit pilot on the planet. She jumps off mountains for a living, treks solo across remote Norwegian coastlines carrying everything she needs, and is currently preparing to fly across the English Channel. But this is not just a story about adrenaline. In 2019, Amber had an accident that forced her to relearn how to walk. She talks about what those days actually looked like, the mental battle, the moments it felt impossible and what kept her going when everything she had built her life around was suddenly out of reach. She also opens up about how she trains and looks after a body that is essentially her aircraft, how she mentally switches off when her whole life revolves around the sport, and whether the fear ever actually goes away - and if not, how she makes herself jump anyway.
• 
  Bounce Back Culture, Broken Pelvic Floors and Postnatal Mental Health 13.05.2026 55min

  Kat Suchet is a women's health physiotherapist, former competitive CrossFit athlete, founder of Hatch Athletic and mum of two. She has spent her career sitting at the intersection of intense training and female physiology. Which is exactly what makes her story so important. Because despite all of that knowledge, all of that training and all of that expertise, the postnatal period still brought her to one of the darkest places of her life.With it being Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, Kat joins host Claira Hermet to talk honestly about what that darkness actually looked like, why maternal mental health doesn't discriminate between those who should know better and those who don't, and what she wants every woman who is quietly struggling right now to hear. She also gets into the culture of bouncing back, why the pressure on women to be fine, to be fit and to be grateful is actively making the maternal mental health crisis worse, and why she built Hatch Athletic to fill the gap that nobody else was filling.But that's only half the conversation. Kat also unpacks everything the fitness industry consistently gets wrong about women: from training through pregnancy to the pelvic floor issues millions of women are whispering about instead of fixing, to why losing your period should never be brushed off, to how your menstrual cycle should be influencing the way you train every single month. She also gets into what women in their late thirties should be doing right now to protect themselves ahead of perimenopause and the most common thing women believe about their bodies that simply isn't true.
• 
  Told She'd Never Walk Again at 18 - Now She's Running the Entire Length of the UK 06.05.2026 55min

  At just 18 years old, on the cusp of a professional dance career, Esmee Gummer was told she would never walk again. This week on What the Health?! with Claira Hermet, she joins us in the studio to talk about everything that came after that moment - the dark days, the mental battle that was harder than any physical challenge, the resentment and jealousy nobody talks about when everyone else's life carries on without you, and the moment fitness stopped being something she had lost and became the thing that was putting her back together.She also talks about SAS: Who Dares Wins, where she completed every single challenge, and what that experience taught her about what she's actually made of.But the reason you really need to hear this episode right now is what's coming this summer. Esmée is about to run the entire length of the UK (roughly 5,000 kilometres across 77 cities in just 99 days) and in every single city she stops in, she's hosting a free 5K event open to absolutely everyone. No entry fee. No fitness level required. Just people moving together. Her mission is to get one million people moving, and the way she's doing it is as extraordinary as the story that got her here. She also gets refreshingly honest about the specific challenges of taking on something this monumental as a woman - periods, mental load, physical differences - and why she refused to just quietly get on with it and pretend those things don't exist.The Nation's 5K kicks off on 27 June. Find your city, show up, and be part of it.
• 
  Medically Gaslit for 13 Years - Plus the Woman Told She Had Six Months to Live Who Just Ran a Half Marathon 29.04.2026 54min

  This week on What the Health?! with Claira Hermet, we have two guests and two stories that will make you angry, move you to tears and leave you feeling genuinely inspired.First, Amy Peckham-Driver joins Claira to talk about an infuriating and heart-breaking example of medical dismissal. At just 14 years old, Amy was passing out from period pain so severe she could barely function. She asked her doctor if it could be endometriosis. She was told she was too young and given the pill. For the next 13 years, she was told it was anxiety. It was IBS. It was in her head. It wasn't. When she was finally diagnosed at 27, after paying privately for surgery because NHS waiting lists had become impossible, her surgeon told her her pelvis looked like a bomb had gone off inside. By then, the damage to her fertility was already done. Amy talks candidly about being medically gaslit, what it feels like to be told your very real pain isn't real, the moment she was rejected for IVF because of damage that an earlier diagnosis could have prevented, and why she's now on a mission to make sure other women don't spend over a decade fighting to be believed.Then Claira is joined by Holly Dyson, a woman who was told by doctors that she had just six months to live due to her alcoholism. Holly opens up about what daily life looked like at the depths of her alcohol addiction, why hitting rock bottom didn't immediately lead to change, and what finally pushed her toward recovery. Nearly three years sober, Holly has completely rebuilt her life and her body and has just crossed the finish line of the London Landmarks Half Marathon in 2 hours 49 minutes, raising awareness for Alcohol Change UK. She also challenges the stereotype of what an alcoholic looks like, explains why that stereotype is actively dangerous, and shares what she wishes someone had told her when she was at her lowest.
• 
  The Breakdancer Who Woke Up Paralysed, Competed 7 Months Pregnant and Still Made It to the Olympics 22.04.2026 54min

  Some stories are so extraordinary you have to hear them twice to believe them. This is one of those stories.Anna Ponomarenko, known in the breaking world as B-Girl Stefani, is a Ukrainian Olympic breakdancer who in 2017 woke up in a hotel room in Turkey completely unable to move. Paralysed from the neck down, she was told surgery was her only option. The catch? She would never dance again. She refused. What followed is one of the most remarkable stories of resilience, physical courage and sheer refusal to accept the impossible that you will ever hear.This week on What the Health?! with Claira Hermet, Anna joins us to talk through every chapter of a journey that has taken in paralysis and recovery, competing at four months pregnant, returning to training just four days after giving birth, flying to Japan to compete two months after labour, and representing war-torn Ukraine on the world stage while her family remain in Kharkiv. She opens up about what it means to carry the weight of a nation while competing, how she looks after her mental health under unimaginable pressure, and what she's learned about her body after putting it through things most people couldn't even imagine.She also just won the Red Bull BC One Cypher UK for the third time and will be representing the UK at the World Final in Toronto in November. https://www.instagram.com/missclairahermet/https://www.instagram.com/bgirlstefani/
• 
  Why Skincare is Destroying Young Girls' Skin: Leading Dermatologist on What We're Doing Wrong 15.04.2026 54min

  One in four British girls aged 9 to 12 are using retinol. Primary school children are turning up to dermatology clinics with skin damage caused by products designed for women in their late twenties. And Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics are currently under investigation for how they market skincare to children.This week on What the Health?! with Claira Hermet, we're getting into the skincare crisis that's quietly playing out in bathrooms across the UK and we brought one of the best in the business to break it down.Dr Emma Wedgeworth is a consultant dermatologist, British Skin Foundation spokeswoman and Harley Street practitioner who trained at the world-renowned St John's Institute of Dermatology. She joins Claira to talk about what actually happens when anti-aging products are put on young skin, why brands are targeting younger and younger audiences, and what she's seeing firsthand in her clinic that should concern every parent in the country. She's also calling out the influencer economy that's driving it .But that's only half the conversation. Dr Wedgeworth also gets into the skincare questions everyone's been wanting answered: the real golden number of products your routine actually needs, what most people are still getting wrong with SPF, and whether red light therapy and microneedling actually work. She also shares her holy grail products and breaks down the biggest misconceptions circulating online right now.
• 
  The Truth About Getting Fit, Losing Weight and Why Your Mindset Is the Real Problem 08.04.2026 55min

  This week on What the Health?! with Claira Hermet, we have two guests who between them cover every angle of the fitness and weight loss conversation.First up, Sanchez Brown, personal trainer, actor and founder of Get Up Get It Done, a fitness brand built on one simple belief: movement is for everyone. Sanchez gets into the biggest mistakes people make when they start training, why most people quit before they see results and how to stay motivated when the novelty completely wears off. He also opens up about the link between fitness and mental health, whether exercise can become unhealthy, and what he believes is the single biggest barrier stopping people in the UK from getting fit right now. Then Claira is joined in the studio by Rachael Sacerdoti, midlife weight loss coach and founder of It's So Simple - a wellness method that started, of all places, as a WhatsApp group during Covid and has since grown into a movement of its own. Rachael talks candidly about her emotional relationship with food growing up, how pregnancy changed her relationship with her body, and the moment everything shifted. She also gets into the all-or-nothing mentality that quietly sabotages so many people's progress, what a sustainable weight loss journey actually looks like in practice, and why she thinks society is getting the conversation around Ozempic and GLP-1 jabs completely wrong. Host: https://www.instagram.com/missclairahermet/?hl=en
• 
  From Rock Bottom to World's Strongest Woman: Expelled, Addicted and Back Fighting 01.04.2026 55min

  This week on What the Health?! with Claira Hermet, we have Meg Robson-Austin, a triple world record holder and was crowned World's Strongest Woman in 2024. But that headline only tells a fraction of the story. Meg didn't start lifting until her 30s. Before that, she was expelled from school at 13, became emotionally reliant on drugs and had to find her own way back from rock bottom - a journey that eventually led her not only to the world stage in strength sport, but to qualifying as a trauma-informed therapist and founding her own coaching business.In an incredibly honest conversation, Meg opens up about the moment she knew her life needed to change, how weight training became the thing that saved her, and why she believes lifting weights might be one of the most powerful things a woman can do. She also addresses the outdated idea that muscles are unfeminine, talks about what it was actually like to be crowned the world's strongest woman, and reveals what her training looks like now.Then Claira is joined by her HYROX partner Jo for an honest debrief after their first ever attempt last week. What actually is HYROX? Is it as brutal as it looks? What do you wish someone had told you before you signed up? Jo breaks it all down - the highs, the lows, the toughest moments and whether they'd do it all again.Host: https://www.instagram.com/missclairahermet/