Mastering Change | The trauma, mental health & wellbeing podcast

Welcome to Mastering Change, a podcast co-hosted by Emma and Araminta, where we engage in meaningful conversations centred around healing. In this series, we bring together leading experts, innovative thinkers, and emerging voices to connect knowledge with real-world impact in the areas of trauma, mental health and wellbeing. Each episode features insightful discussions with respected figures as well as promising new contributors to the field. We explore a range of topics with a focus on making this knowledge available for anyone interested in supporting their own healing journey or that of others. At Mastering Change, we understand the significance of conversation as a means of fostering understanding and growth. Our aim is to create a ripple effect, facilitating the transfer of knowledge and establishing a community where impactful voices are heard. Whether you are a seasoned professional or new to the field, we invite you to engage in

Mastering Change | The trauma, mental health & wellbeing podcast is a health podcast hosted by Masters Events, with 82 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Masters Events hosts Mastering Change | The trauma, mental health & wellbeing podcast, a health show with 82 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #81

  From Suppression to Expression: Healing Through Music, Movement and Community | Leslie Salmon Jones and Jeff W. Jones | #081 Mastering Change

  Sep 17, 202644 minS1

  Have we forgotten some of the ways humans have always sought to heal? In this episode of Mastering Change , Emma Stapleton and Dr Keisha Siriboe are joined by Leslie Salmon Jones and Jeff W. Jones, co-founders of Afro Flow Yoga, for a conversation about healing through movement, music and community. Drawing on nearly two decades of creating embodied healing experiences, Lesley and Jeff explore why trauma recovery can involve more than talking. Together, they discuss the role of rhythm, ancestry, breath and movement in helping people reconnect with themselves, their communities and their bodies. The conversation explores agency, belonging and the idea that healing may sometimes be less about learning something new than reconnecting with practices that have existed across cultures for generations. We explore: Why movement can reach places words cannot The relationship between trauma, music and rhythm What ancestral practices can teach us about healing The role of community in recovery How safety and agency can create conditions for healing Reconnecting with the body's innate wisdom Moving from suppression to expression Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, mental health and distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #80

  What Glycans Reveal About Stress, Trauma and Ageing | Gordan Lauc | #080 Mastering Change

  Sep 11, 202640 minS1

  Can trauma and psychological stress actually influence how quickly our bodies age? In this episode of Mastering Change, Emma Stapleton and Araminta are joined by Professor of Biochemistry Gordan Lauc to explore the emerging science of glycans – molecules that can provide insight into inflammation, immune function and biological ageing . Gordan explains why psychological stress may play an important role in accelerated glycan ageing, particularly in younger people and how trauma and chronic stress may become reflected in our biology. But these biological markers are not necessarily fixed. Gordan shares striking examples of people's measured glycan age changing following major shifts in their lives and explores whether biomarkers could one day help us understand not only when something is wrong, but whether the interventions we're trying are working. We explore: How psychological stress can influence biological ageing What glycans reveal about inflammation and immune health Why trauma affects different people differently How fight-or-flight changes immune, reproductive and digestive function Whether biological markers could help measure therapeutic progress Why physiological changes can begin long before disease appears What this emerging science could mean for more personalised approaches to health Moment of Care : This episode includes discussion of childhood trauma, serious violence, mental health and other potentially distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take care of yourself and seek support if you need it. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #79

  Open Dialogue: Could This Change the Future of Mental Healthcare? | Russell Razzaque | #079 Mastering Change

  Sep 4, 202641 minS1

  A major UK trial has just put a radically different approach to mental healthcare to the test. Open Dialogue puts relationships, collaboration and the individual's own voice at the centre of care. Now, findings from ODDESSI, the first randomised controlled trial of the approach, have been published in The Lancet Psychiatry . In this episode of Mastering Change, Emma Stapleton and Araminta Jonsson are joined by consultant psychiatrist and Professor of Relational Psychiatry Russell Razzaque to explore what they found and what it could mean for the future of mental healthcare. ODDESSI followed 494 people presenting to NHS mental health services in crisis over two years. The findings were striking: people receiving Open Dialogue were less likely to be admitted to psychiatric hospital or referred back to crisis services and reported improvements in recovery, quality of life and satisfaction with care. Russell also shares one particularly striking figure: 54% fewer days spent in hospital. But the conversation goes beyond the numbers. Russell explores what changes when clinicians are no longer the sole experts in the room, families and support networks become part of care and therapeutic relationships are treated as fundamental rather than an afterthought. We explore: What Open Dialogue actually looks like in a mental health crisis What the ODDESSI trial found and what the results could mean for mental healthcare Why relationships may be one of the most powerful tools in mental healthcare What changes when people become active participants in their own care Why continuity and trust matter when someone experiences another crisis The surprising relationship between Open Dialogue and mindfulness What it could take to implement this approach across the NHS Moment of Care: This episode includes discussion of childhood trauma, serious violence, mental health and other potentially distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take care of yourself and seek support if you need it. Russell Razzaque at Transform Trauma Oxford 2026 Russell will take this exploration of relationships further at Transform Trauma Oxford this September in Open Dialogue & Mindful Listening: How Healing Happens in Relationship. In this experiential session, he will explore how the quality of our attention can help people feel safer, understood and more connected and why learning to listen rather than immediately solve or fix can strengthen the healing potential of relationships. Through mindfulness, practical teaching and experiential exercises, participants will have the opportunity to practise these skills themselves and explore how they can be brought into therapeutic conversations. Russell will be speaking alongside leading experts Gabor Maté, Bessel van der Kolk, Kristin Neff, Dan Siegel, Jack Kornfield, Ruby Wax, Rangan Chatterjee and many others. In-person ticket: £995 Virtual ticket: £395 Get tickets here Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Mastering Change | The trauma, mental health & wellbeing podcast

  Can Childhood Trauma Make Someone Violent? | Gwen Adshead | #078 Mastering Change

  Aug 28, 202630 min

  What can childhood trauma tell us about why some people become violent? In this episode of Mastering Change, Emma and Araminta are joined by forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Gwen Adshead , who has spent decades working with both perpetrators and survivors of serious violence. Gwen explores the significant overlap she has encountered between trauma and violence, while challenging any simple assumption that trauma causes violent behaviour. Instead, she asks what we can learn by looking beyond categories of “victim and perpetrator” or “good and bad" and understanding the complex pathways that can lead someone towards violence. Drawing on her work in hospitals, prisons and therapeutic groups, Gwen explores what happens when people who have committed serious violence begin to understand their own histories, confront shame and take responsibility for their actions. We explore: Why childhood trauma can be one factor on the pathway towards violence – but never tells the whole story What people who have committed serious violence actually confront in therapy Why understanding someone's history does not mean excusing their behaviour Why Gwen believes dividing people into “victims and perpetrators” or “good and bad” can be unhelpful How shame, isolation and social exclusion can shape recovery Why being able to understand and articulate your own mind may be a privilege we underestimate What working with violent offenders has taught Gwen about responsibility and change Why preventing future trauma may require supporting the adults who are struggling to care safely for children Moment of Care: This episode includes discussion of childhood trauma, serious violence, mental health and other potentially distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take care of yourself and seek support if you need it. Gwen Adshead at Transform Trauma Oxford 2026 Dr Gwen Adshead will be speaking at Transform Trauma Oxford this September in her session, Unspeakable: Trauma, Language and Therapy. Bringing together neuroscience, narrative identity and psychotherapy, Gwen will explore why trauma can leave people struggling to put their experiences into words, how it can shape autobiographical memory and the stories we tell about ourselves and how the therapeutic relationship can help people discover a new voice. If you are interested in learning more about Gwen’s work, her Oxford session offers an opportunity to explore the science of trauma and language in greater depth alongside hundreds of practitioners committed to advancing trauma-informed care. Gwen will be speaking alongside leading experts Gabor Maté, Bessel van der Kolk, Kristin Neff, Julia Samuel, Shi Heng Yi, Jack Kornfield, Matthias Barker, Rangan Chatterjee, Ruth Cohn and many others. In-person ticket: £995 Virtual ticket: £395 Get your ticket here: https://mastersevents.com/oxford-2026/?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=GwenAdshead%2FTraumaAndViolence%2FAugust2026 Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #77

  Ruby Wax: Can Mindfulness Really Change Your Brain? | #077 Mastering Change

  Aug 21, 202643 minS1

  Can we really train our brains to respond differently to our thoughts? Ccomedian, author and mental health campaigner Ruby Wax joins Emma and Araminta for a characteristically funny and candid conversation about mindfulness, depression and the science of changing our minds. Drawing on her own experience or recurring depression alongside her studies in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy at Oxford, Ruby explores what mindfulness actually looks like in practice and why understanding it intellectually is very different from doing it. For Ruby, mindfulness is training. Our attention wanders, we notice it and bring it back. Then we do it again. Or, as she puts it: "Just like you get a six-pack if you keep going to the gym." From neuroplasticity and attention to loneliness, compassion and recurring depression, the conversation explores what happens when we stop expecting our minds to behave perfectly and start learning how to work with them. We explore: Why Ruby's experience of depression led her from comedy to studying the mind at Oxford What she has learned about recognising another depressive episode and why she no longer tries to fight it Why a wandering mind doesn't mean you're bad at mindfulness What neuroplasticity tells us about our capacity to change deeply ingrained patterns Why understanding mindfulness intellectually isn't enough, even with a master's degree in it What Ruby has learned about loneliness, compassion and our need for genuine human connection. Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, mental health and distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Ruby Wax at Transform Trauma Oxford 2026 Ruby Wax will be joining us at Transform Trauma Oxford this September for two sessions exploring mindfulness, trauma and the power of lived experience . Get tickets here: https://mastersevents.com/oxford-2026/?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=RubyWax%2FMindfulness%2FAugust2026 Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Mastering Change | The trauma, mental health & wellbeing podcast. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.