Dial Emma

Voicenote Therapy Ep 2: You're not asking for too much 20.07.2026 12dk

Hi! It's me. For the next four weeks, we're trying something a little different on Dial Emma - this is Voicenote Therapy, combining my love of long voicenotes with therapeutic insights to create something new and, hopefully, helpful.Today, in episode two, we're exploring a question I hear a lot, in life and in the therapy room: "am I asking for too much?"I delve deeper into why we tell ourselves that we're expecting too much from other people, the tendency to shrink our needs and preempt our own disappointment rather than asking for what we need without apology, and how we can begin to rewrite the script by telling our truth.Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Book my 2027 women's retreat at Bliss House in Crete: https://bliss-house-experience.replit.appSocial media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Voicenote Therapy Ep 1: What if the problem isn't actually the problem? 13.07.2026 13dk

Hello! It's me. This week we're trying something a little different on Dial Emma - this is Voicenote Therapy, combining my love of long voicenotes with therapeutic insights to create something new and, hopefully, helpful.Today I'm exploring the idea that the feeling causing us the most distress is not always the real root of the problem - whether it's anxiety, overthinking, people-pleasing, recurring relationship patterns, or something else - and why therapy often seeks to shift the focus from, “how do I stop this?” to “what is this trying to tell me?”Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Book my 2027 women's retreat at Bliss House in Crete: https://bliss-house-experience.replit.appSocial media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

The Truth about Family: "I love my aging parents, but I also want my life back." 06.07.2026 16dk

Welcome back to Dial Emma, and to the last episode of our latest miniseries, The Truth. This week, we're exploring the unsayable truths about family, and the caregiving roles that we never signed up for.Our listener, a woman in her fifties whose parents are now in their seventies, wrote to me about the feeling of losing herself while taking on multiple roles in her parents' lives: administrator, technical support, taxi service, crisis manager. She asks a simple question: am I an awful person, for wanting freedom from the people I love?In this episode, I explore the specific exhaustion that comes from being needed, the feeling of your own middle age being consumed by managing somebody else's later life, and why we can feel grief, resentment, loss and love all at once.Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Book my 2027 women's retreat at Bliss House in Crete: https://bliss-house-experience.replit.appBook a place on my Woodland Wellbeing Day Retreat with Alice Crowe: https://www.alicecroweceramics.co.uk/product/woodland-wellbeing-day-retreat-with-emma-reed-turrell-alice-croweSocial media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

The TRUTH about success: "I built the life I wanted. Why do I secretly want to run away from it?" 29.06.2026 20dk

Welcome back to Dial Emma, and to our new miniseries, The Truth. This week, we're exploring the uncomfortable truths about success, that most of us are feeling but not saying out loud.Our listener is 44 and finally has the life that she spent the last decade working towards - a long marriage, healthy children, a senior job, a nice house. So why does it feel like a trap, instead of a victory? And how do we find ourselves living a life that we thought we wanted, but that constantly demands things of us?In this episode, Emma explores the shame that we attach to feelings of dissatisfaction with a life that looks objectively desirable, the midlife audit that many of us go through in our 40s and 50s, and why building a 'successful' life and one that aligns with who you are, are not always identical projects.Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Book my 2027 women's retreat at Bliss House in Crete: https://bliss-house-experience.replit.appBook a place on my Woodland Wellbeing Day Retreat with Alice Crowe: https://www.alicecroweceramics.co.uk/product/woodland-wellbeing-day-retreat-with-emma-reed-turrell-alice-croweSocial media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

The truth about relationships: "I'm getting married in 8 weeks. Are my cold feet trying to tell me something?" 22.06.2026 21dk

Welcome back to Dial Emma, and to our new miniseries, The Truth. This week, we're exploring the uncomfortable, illicit truths about relationships, that we often feel like we aren't supposed to say out loud.Our listener is 34 and getting married in eight weeks, to a wonderful man who everyone in her life loves. So why is she waking up at 4am, convinced that she can't go through with it?This is a dilemma that gets to the heart of relationship doubts, why we experience them, and how we can tell the difference between fear of commitment and intuition trying to get our attention.Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Book my 2027 women's retreat at Bliss House in Crete: https://bliss-house-experience.replit.appSocial media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

"I'm pregnant with my second child. I still miss who I was before my first.": The truth about motherhood 15.06.2026 19dk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! I have a new miniseries for you, lovely listeners, that I'm calling The Truth - exploring the uncomfortable, illicit truths that we often feel like we aren't supposed to say out loud.In this first episode, we hear from a listener who is pregnant with her second child, but still mourning the version of herself before she became a mother for the first time.Can we love the life we have right now, and long for an old one, at exactly the same time? Are we allowed to feel more than one thing at once: appreciation for the life we chose, and grief for what was displaced in the process?Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Book my 2027 women's retreat at Bliss House in Crete: https://bliss-house-experience.replit.appSocial media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

"Who am I now that my kids don't need me?": Dial Emma Reframes Ep 4 01.06.2026 23dk

Welcome back to Dial Emma and to the fourth and last episode of our mini-series on reframes. Thank you so much for joining me, and please do let me know what you thought of the series!This week, our listener is in her fifties, wondering who she is now that her grown-up children no longer need her in the same way they once did.In this episode, I dive deeper into what happens when the conditions that we place on our self-worth shift and change, the process of returning to the self after decades of existing for others, and how we can learn to see ourselves again in the midst of an emergence.Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Book my 2027 women's retreat at Bliss House in Crete: https://bliss-house-experience.replit.appSocial media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

"I'm 47 and I've blown up my entire life": Dial Emma Reframes Ep 3 25.05.2026 25dk

Welcome back to Dial Emma and to the third episode of this mini-series on reframes.This week, we hear from a listener who wonders if she is having a breakdown...while I wonder whether it's the first honest version of her life.In her own words, our 47-year-old listener feels as though she has 'blown up her life,' after ending her marriage of twenty years, moving into a rented house and trying to navigate midlife, dating apps and new identity as a single mother. Is freedom and autonomy just a false fantasy? Or is that collapse we feel after a big life shift simply evidence that we've stopped trying to maintain a life that doesn't fit?Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

"I'm ashamed that I resent motherhood. Why can't I cope?": Dial Emma Reframes Ep 2 18.05.2026 28dk

Hello, lovely listeners! Welcome back to Dial Emma and to our mini-series on reframes.This week, our listener is a mum of two in her thirties, who feels as though she is disappearing amidst the demands of modern life, career and motherhood. She has a good husband and two children who she loves, but in private, she fantasises about escaping to a hotel room where she can be alone, not needed by anyone. Why, she asks, can't I cope, when everyone else seems to?Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.The OK Corral in Transactional Analysis: https://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/ok_not-ok.htm---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

"Am I wasting my late twenties?": Dial Emma Reframes Ep 1 11.05.2026 29dk

Hello, lovely listeners! Welcome back to Dial Emma and to my brand new mini-series on reframes.This week, we hear from a 27-year-old listener who feels as though she missed the life handbook that everyone else got. Her peers are getting married, having children, buying houses: meanwhile, she lives in a house share, with a mouldy bathroom and one shelf in the fridge to call her own.Does everything need to feel certain in our twenties? Do we need to have a five-year-plan? Or can we find ways to intentionally inhabit a life that feels joyful right now, without a clear destination?Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Dial Emma Reframes: The personal reframes I didn't see coming 27.04.2026 29dk

Hello, again! Welcome back to Dial Emma and to a new mini-series: all about reframes.Before I bring in the voices of my lovely listeners to explore this theme, I wanted to start somewhere personal - because reframes have shaped almost everything in my life, professionally, therapeutically, and in the very particular chaos of the last few years. And if I'm going to ask you to go there, it felt only right that I go first.This isn't a polished story with a tidy conclusion. It's a real account of how perspective has shifted for me - sometimes gently, sometimes with a force I didn't see coming.I talk about how I ended up in therapy, retraining as a therapist, navigating the COVID pandemic and, of course, my personal reframes: divorce, single parenting, losing my mother to Alzheimer's, perimenopause and a diagnosis of autism.Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

"I'm grieving a life I never had" Dial Emma: The Unsaid 23.03.2026 17dk

In honour of International Women’s Day, Dial Emma presents The Unsaid – a four-part mini-series exploring the emotional realities many women are living with, but rarely have language for. Each episode features two listener dilemmas and twenty minutes of thoughtful, compassionate reflection on the inner work women are doing beneath the surface of competence, independence and survival.This is the fourth and final episode of The Unsaid mini-series, and this week we're talking about grief - but perhaps not in the way you might think.We hear from two listeners who are both struggling to navigate their unique experiences of grief. One is experiencing the loss of the person she thought she would become and the life she thought she would live, while the other survived something traumatic and is now grieving for the parts of herself that she lost in the process.How do we move forward in the wake of survival, knowing that it came at a cost? Can we ever make meaning from the chaos of the grief experience?---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

“I don’t need anyone, but I’m lonely” Dial Emma: The Unsaid 16.03.2026 17dk

In honour of International Women’s Day, Dial Emma presents The Unsaid – a four-part mini-series exploring the emotional realities many women are living with, but rarely have language for. Each episode features two listener dilemmas and twenty minutes of thoughtful, compassionate reflection on the inner work women are doing beneath the surface of competence, independence and survival.In this episode, I explore a powerful paradox: being strong and independent while still feeling lonely or unseen.While many of us pride ourselves on being capable and self-sufficient, that sense of independence can sometimes develop as a form of protection, often from early experiences that shape the way we relate to support, vulnerability, and connection.Our two listener dilemmas uncover the psychological patterns behind defensive independence and the fear of being a burden, and how both can quietly lead to isolation.---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

"The weight I didn't agree to carry" Dial Emma: The Unsaid 09.03.2026 19dk

In honour of International Women’s Day, Dial Emma presents The Unsaid – a four-part mini-series exploring the emotional realities many women are living with, but rarely have language for. Each episode features two listener dilemmas and twenty minutes of thoughtful, compassionate reflection on the inner work women are doing beneath the surface of competence, independence and survival.In this week's episode, I explore the unseen emotional burdens women often carry for others. Many of us become “emotional regulators,” constantly soothing, managing, and fixing for family, friends and even colleagues, but it's often at the cost of our own wellbeing.I dive into why this pattern forms, how resentment and guilt signal crossed boundaries, and the crucial distinction between being present and being responsible for others’ feelings. I also share some practical strategies for caring without carrying, including setting boundaries, tolerating discomfort, and how to let relationships wobble without collapsing.---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

"Nothing is wrong, but nothing feels right" Dial Emma: The Unsaid 02.03.2026 19dk

In honour of International Women’s Day, Dial Emma presents The Unsaid – a four-part mini-series exploring the emotional realities many women are living with, but rarely have language for. Each episode features two listener dilemmas and twenty minutes of thoughtful, compassionate reflection on the inner work women are doing beneath the surface of competence, independence and survival.This first instalment explores a theme that resonates deeply for many of us: doing objectively well in life, but still feeling wrong beneath it all.Our first dilemma comes from a listener who says that nothing is wrong in her life, but something about it doesn't feel right, either. Our second listener feels like she has ticked every box, but finds herself contending with a sense of itchiness and dissatisfaction.In this episode, I explore functional freeze, delayed desire, the pressure to feel grateful, and the quiet awakening of something more honest beneath achievement.---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

"Caring feels like part of who I am": Aimee Cliff on empathy, emotional sensitivity and how to switch off 23.02.2026 39dk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.This week on the podcast, I'm responding to a listener dilemma all about empathy - and who better to help me answer it than an integrative psychotherapist who describes herself as someone who 'empathises for a living,' Aimee Cliff.Aimee joins me to explore the complexities of empathy, emotional sensitivity, and the challenges faced by those who feel deeply for others. We discuss the burden of emotional intuition, the importance of setting boundaries, and the impact of childhood experiences on one's ability to manage empathy. Aimee also emphasises the importance of self-care, and understanding the difference between genuine emotional connection and anxiety-driven responses.If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. To pre-order Aimee's book, click here. ---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Dr. Claire Plumbly: Burnout, modern lives and how to protect our mental health 16.02.2026 38dk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.In this week's episode, Dr. Claire Plumbly, a clinical psychologist, EMDR consultant and author, joins me to explore the complexities of burnout, a subject that she specialises in alongside PTSD, anxiety, and trauma-informed wellbeing.We respond to a listener who is struggling with the constant connectivity of modern life and work, discussing our physical and emotional responses to stress, the importance of understanding the autonomic nervous system, and the practical strategies we can implement to manage energy and set boundaries.We also talk about the need for self-compassion, the role of personal values in shaping identity, and how creating cues of safety can facilitate relaxation and help us transition more smoothly into rest time.If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form.Find Claire on social media here.Access her free resource, the 5-step PARKS Method for switching off, here.---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

"How do I let go of the victim mindset?": What can we do when we feel like life is happening to us? 09.02.2026 20dk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.In this bitesize episode, I'm responding to two in-the-moment dilemmas: how to escape survival mode, and how to let go of a victim mindset. I explore why survival mode is not a failure but a natural response to overwhelming circumstances, the small, manageable changes we can make to navigate it, and how reclaiming our agency and recognising our influence in the present moment can help us to feel less powerless.If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. ---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Natasha Page: Self-esteem, midlife transitions & reclaiming confidence 26.01.2026 42dk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.This week on Dial Emma, I'm joined by psychotherapist and self-development coach Natasha Page, whose debut book, Believe You're Made for More, will be published on 27th January 2026. We're exploring a dilemma from a listener who feels as though her self-confidence has been quietly eroding over the years. Between caring for teenage children and elderly parents, maintaining relationships and trying to keep everything ticking along, our listener has been left with very little space for herself and her needs. Now, she's about to turn 50 years old and is really struggling with feelings of low self-esteem.This lack of confidence is something that both Natasha and myself can relate to, particularly when we're also navigating midlife transitions. During our conversation, Natasha provides some incredibly useful insights and practical exercises to help us rebuild self-esteem and foster a healthier relationship with ourselves. We also explore the complexities of self-worth, the impact of life changes, and the steps we can take to reclaim confidence and authenticity.If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. Find Natasha's work here.---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

"How do I parent a teenager with a long-term health condition?" Ali Isaac: Imperfect Bodies, motherhood and self-discovery 19.01.2026 45dk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.This week, I'm joined by Ali Isaac, author of Imperfect Bodies (available to pre-order now), a powerful memoir that explores motherhood, identity and the female body through the lens of Ali's experiences raising her daughter, Carys, who lives with a rare genetic disorder.Our dilemma comes from a mother of a 15-year-old daughter with cystic fibrosis, who feels overwhelmed with guilt and fear around making the transition from managing her daughter's health needs as a child, to allowing her more independence as a teenager.We talk about the challenges of parenting a child with a long-term health condition, the responsibility and guilt that often comes with it, and the importance of maintaining a strong parent-child bond. Ali also reflects on the power of open communication and finding personal fulfilment outside of caregiving, sharing her own journey of self-discovery through education and writing.If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. ---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk