Live Well Be Well with Sarah Ann Macklin | Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition

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Why Finding Yourself Is Overrated: Arthur C. Brooks' Guide To Real Happiness Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

This week I'm joined by Arthur C. Brooks, Harvard professor, bestselling author and one of the world's leading experts on the science of human happiness, and someone who has spent his life answering one of the most fundamental questions we all ask and what does it actually mean to live well?

We explore happiness, meaning, love and what the science really says about building a life that feels worth living.

Arthur Brooks is a professor at Vanderbilt University and senior fellow at Harvard Business School. He is the author of 16 books including three number one New York Times bestsellers. He has spent decades studying happiness not as a feeling but as a skill and teaching people how to practise it.

What we explore together:

Why happiness is not a destination and what the arrival fallacy is really costing you
The four idols your brain tells you will make you happy and why they never do
What the neuroscience of love actually looks like and the two things that keep couples bonded
How the failure journal works and why writing down your disappointments makes you happier
Why meaning and happiness are not the same thing and which one actually lasts
What it means to love and be loved and why Arthur believes that's the whole answer

Love, Sarah Ann 💛

My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

This episode is sponsored by:
NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today
👉 15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

The Great British Veg Out
👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/t…

Reset Your Health
👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/r...

👉 Free 5-recipe PDF: https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes

👉 The Compassionate Cure: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Let's be friends!
📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin/
📹 Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast
💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:59 Arthur's personal journey and finding purpose
05:59 How grief can be a doorway to meaning
09:07 Why knowing everything doesn't make you happy
15:04 What Stoicism teaches us about happiness
20:57 The four idols — money, pleasure, power, fame
23:57 Why the four idols are a dangerous trap
33:00 Arthur's worst day and what it taught him
38:57 The arrival fallacy
42:03 The neuroscience of dopamine
48:00 The failure journal
54:07 The neuroscience of love — oxytocin, touch and eye contact
57:03 How to keep connection alive long term
65:58 Why the silent treatment is so damaging
72:02 How your emotions are made in the brain
78:00 Finding meaning beyond achievement
87:08 Where Sarah is two years on
93:00 What saved Viktor Frankl
98:28 Final thoughts on living well and being well

OJ Simpson, Bill Cosby & Finding Your Voice: Ruby Wax Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

This week's Live Well Be Well Moment with Ruby Wax, comedian, author and mental health advocate.

We delve into two of the most extraordinary moments of Ruby's career, interviewing OJ Simpson and being humiliated by Bill Cosby on camera and what she would do completely differently today.

My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

This episode is sponsored by:
NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today. 👉 15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

More from me: The Great British Veg Out How to support your gut by eating more, not less https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/t…
Reset Your Health If your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout, this is where to start! https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/r...
Free 5-recipe PDF for busy weeks https://open.substack.com/pub/sarahma...
Join thousands reading The Compassionate Cure → https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Let's be friends!

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin 📹 Subscribe https://youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah?si=UbuuWvMjAcTkELPN

📱 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZN-96iOW29jTRm

What Depression Actually Feels Like And How Ruby Wax Learned To Live With It Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

This week's Live Well Be Well Moment with Ruby Wax, comedian, author and mental health advocate.

We delve into what depression actually feels like from the inside, the machine guns, the intrusive thoughts, and how mindfulness taught Ruby to create distance from the thoughts that were trying to destroy her.

My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

Let's be friends!

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin 📹 Subscribe https://youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah?si=UbuuWvMjAcTkELPN

📱 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZN-96iOW29jTRm

Ruby Wax: What Interviewing Murderers And Presidents Taught Me About Gut Instinct Jul 08, 2026

Show notes

This week I'm joined by Ruby Wax, comedian, author and mental health advocate, and someone who has spent her life turning the most painful human experiences into something that makes us feel less alone.

We explore depression, mindfulness and what it really means to understand your own mind, not just survive it, but actually work with it.

Ruby Wax is an Emmy Award-winning writer and performer who studied neuroscience at Oxford University and went on to write the bestselling books Sane New World and A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled. Ruby founded Frazzled Café, a peer support community for people who feel overwhelmed by modern life, and has performed sell-out shows across the world on mental health. She knows what depression looks like from the inside and she has the Oxford degree to explain why

What we explore together:

*Why depression isn't about sadness and what it actually feels like from the inside
*What mindfulness does to your brain, and why Ruby had to go to Oxford before she believed it
*Why your thoughts are not you and how to create distance from the ones trying to destroy you
*What happens when you stop fighting depression and let it pass instead
*Why self compassion isn't weak or gushy — it's biological necessity
*The moment Bill Cosby humiliated Ruby on camera, and what she would do differently now
*Why Ruby feels safest in a mental institution and what that tells us about belonging

Love, Sarah Ann 💛

My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

The Great British Veg Out
How to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.
👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/t…

Reset Your Health
If your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.
👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/r...

👉 Practical beats perfect. Here's a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.
https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who read The Compassionate Cure each week.
https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Chapters
00:01 — Introduction
03:05 — Ruby's childhood and what shaped her
05:54 — How Ruby found her voice through comedy
08:49 — Being outed by Comic Relief
11:49 — What depression actually feels like from the inside
14:59 — The neuroscience behind mental illness
17:57 — How Ruby used her illness publicly to help others
21:08 — The machine guns — living with intrusive thoughts
24:04 — How mindfulness creates distance from your thoughts
26:49 — What happens when depression takes over completely
29:52 — Why Ruby checks into a hotel instead of fighting it
32:59 — Performing in mental institutions for two years
35:55 — What mindfulness does to your brain — the science
39:04 — How to actually practise mindfulness anywhere
42:00 — Jon Kabat-Zinn and the origins of mindfulness
44:58 — Ruby's modelling career and finding what she was good at
47:58 — Why self compassion feels cringeworthy — and why it shouldn't
50:51 — The difference between mindfulness and meditation
54:01 — Ruby on relationships and what she looks for
57:01 — The OJ Simpson interview
60:04 — What it means to feel truly safe
62:59 — How Ruby met her husband
66:02 — Family history and what gets passed down
69:01 — Why Ruby feels at home in a mental institution
72:00 — How to observe your thoughts like clouds
75:02 — Ruby's upcoming tour
78:00 — The mania perfume idea
80:55 — Final thoughts on living well

Can Men Actually Handle A Confident Woman? Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

This week's Live Well Be Well Moment with Cindy Gallop, advertising icon and entrepreneur.

We delve into whether men can handle female confidence, what real love actually looks like and why so many of us are surrounded by more love than we realise.

My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

This episode is sponsored by:
NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today.

👉 15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

More from me: The Great British Veg Out How to support your gut by eating more, not less https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/t…

Reset Your Health If your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout, this is where to start! https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/r...

Free 5-recipe PDF for busy weeks https://open.substack.com/pub/sarahma...

Join thousands reading The Compassionate Cure → https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Let's be friends!

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin 📹 Subscribe https://youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah?si=UbuuWvMjAcTkELPN

📱 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZN-96iOW29jTRm

Why Searching For "The One" Is Holding You Back Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

This week's Live Well Be Well Moment with Cindy Gallop, advertising icon and entrepreneur.

We delve into why the search for "the one" is keeping so many of us unhappy and the dating filter that could change everything.

My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today.

👉 15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

More from me: The Great British Veg Out How to support your gut by eating more, not less https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/t…

Reset Your Health If your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout, this is where to start! https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/r...

Free 5-recipe PDF for busy weeks https://open.substack.com/pub/sarahma...
J

oin thousands reading The Compassionate Cure → https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Let's be friends!

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin 📹 Subscribe https://youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah?si=UbuuWvMjAcTkELPN

📱 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZN-96iOW29jTRm

Why 'Finding the One' Is Terrible Advice (And What to Do Instead) | Cindy Gallop Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

This week I'm joined by Cindy Gallop, entrepreneur, founder of Make Love Not Porn, former Chair of BBH USA, and someone who has spent her life questioning the rules we're told to live by.A quick warning before we start: Cindy has spent her entire life saying the things most people are too afraid to say out loud, and she does so with absolutely no filter. Which, as you'll hear, is exactly what makes her so brilliant.From challenging how we think about sex and relationships to redefining what confidence, success and fulfilment can look like, Cindy has spent decades refusing to live by anyone else's expectations. She was named Advertising Woman of the Year and has become one of the world's most outspoken voices on sex, relationships and modern culture.In this conversation, we explore what it really means to build a life that feels true to you, rather than one that simply looks right to everyone else.What we explore together:* Why so many of us live by beliefs and expectations we never consciously chose* Why confidence comes from knowing yourself, not seeking validation from others* Why Cindy believes we need more role models for living differently* Why the search for "the one" can stop us from asking better questions about love* How creating Make Love Not Porn became a mission to challenge shame and misinformation around sex* The question Cindy believes we should all ask before entering a relationship* What it actually means to trust yourself, especially when your choices don't fit society's expectationsLove, Sarah Ann 💛My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5This episode is sponsored by:NOWATCH: The compassionate health trackerConnecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today👉 15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/The Great British Veg Out How to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/t…Reset Your HealthIf your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/r...👉 Practical beats perfect. Here's a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who read The Compassionate Cure each week.https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/Let's be friends!📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin/📹 Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/Chapters00:00 Introduction02:51 The secret of confidence05:58 Why we struggle to promote ourselves, especially in Britain09:08 The challenges Cindy has faced in her career11:50 Why the conversation around sex is so negative14:55 A different perspective on relationships18:05 Dating as a single woman in business21:02 Can men handle a confident woman?24:10 Using humour to disarm difficult moments27:10 Why Cindy stopped looking for "the one"29:58 Friendships, family and external validation32:57 The dating filter most people overlook36:02 How to drown out everyone else's expectations and trust yourself39:00 Confidence, dyslexia and self acceptance41:50 How Cindy started dating younger men45:01 Meeting people you'd never otherwise cross paths with47:55 What needs to be role modelled in the real world51:01 How Make Love Not Porn began54:08 A story about marriage, sex and reconnecting56:50 The noise of advice on Instagram and TikTok59:53 An interesting topic in modern relationships63:08 Cindy's honest take66:08 The pressure to keep creating content69:08 Where women are in this cultural moment

How One Conversation Can Change A Belief You've Held Your Whole Life Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

This week's Live Well Be Well Moment with Nir Eyal, behavioural designer and bestselling author.

We delve into how our beliefs about the people closest to us can keep us trapped and a simple technique that can set you free. Featuring two of the most personal stories Nir has ever shared.

Nir's books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00HJ8021I
My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

This episode is sponsored by:
DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded. Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month. 👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO
NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today. 👉 15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

Let's be friends! 📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe https://youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah?si=UbuuWvMjAcTkELPN

📱 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZN-96iOW29jTRm

Why Your Beliefs Are Running Your Life And How To Change Them Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

This week's Live Well Be Well Moment with Nir Eyal, behavioural designer and bestselling author.

We delve into the science of beliefs, why your brain lies to you even when you know the truth, why manifesting can actually work against you, and what the difference between a limiting and liberating belief really means.

Nir's books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00HJ8021I
My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

Let's be friends! 📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe https://youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah?si=UbuuWvMjAcTkELPN

📱 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZN-96iOW29jTRm

Nir Eyal: Why Positive Thinking Isn't Working (& What Actually Does) Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

Grab my Sunday Times Best Selling Book: Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard 👇😆✌🏼
https://linktr.ee/HealthySBTH

Have you ever wondered why you keep thinking, feeling or behaving in ways you know aren't serving you even when you know better?

This week I'm joined by Nir Eyal, behavioural designer and bestselling author, and one of the most fascinating voices on how our beliefs shape everything from our habits and identity to our health and happiness.

Nir has a way of cutting through the noise of self-help and getting to the science and what he shares isn't about toxic positivity or vision boarding. It's about understanding the beliefs running your life, and actually changing them.

What we explore together:

Why your brain continues to lie to you even when you know the truth
The difference between facts, faith and beliefs and why it matters
Why manifesting and positive visualisation can actually make you less likely to succeed
What a 1950s rat experiment teaches us about the power of belief and human potential
Why your ADHD, perfectionism or Myers-Briggs label might be holding you back
How the stories we tell ourselves create suffering — and how to change them
The science of luck — and why lucky people aren't just born that way
Why your beliefs about ageing could impact your lifespan more than diet or exercise
How to actually change a limiting belief — practically and permanently

If you've ever felt stuck in patterns you can't seem to break, this one is for you.

Love, Sarah Ann 💛

Nir's books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00HJ8021I

My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

This episode is sponsored by:
NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker
Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today
👉 15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded.
Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month.
👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO

The Great British Veg Out
How to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.
👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/t…

Reset Your Health
If your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.
👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/r...

👉 Practical beats perfect. Here's a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.
https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who read The Compassionate Cure each week.
https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Timestamps
02:30 — Introduction: Why our beliefs shape everything we think, feel and do
05:01 — The difference between facts, faith and beliefs
09:58 — Why manifesting and positive visualisation can backfire
13:28 — Pain is not suffering — and the stories we tell ourselves
18:47 — The 1950s rat experiment and the science of hope and belief
24:57 — Why your beliefs about ageing could add years to your life
30:03 — How to start changing a limiting belief
34:57 — The steelmanning technique for difficult conversations
44:56 — The four questions that can change how you see anyone
54:54 — It's not your fault — but it is your responsibility
59:49 — Prayer, faith and the science of belief without religion
74:59 — Conditional vs unconditional love and how beliefs shape relationships
99:59 — How to actually replace a limiting belief — step by step
104:54 — The belief that changed everything for Nir recently
119:52 — Final advice: how to start living by better beliefs today

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