Last week, we were thrilled to welcome Telegraph journalist, podcaster and author, Bryony Gordon, to the School to discuss her new book, Mad Woman, as part of our Inspiring Talks Series, in association with Linghams Booksellers in Heswall.
Interviewed by North West radio presenter, Lisa MacMaster, Bryony discussed her OCD, which she has lived with since she was 12, as well as her battles with alcohol and food addictions and the overall impact on her mental health. She decided to go public with her struggles in the hope it would help someone else going through similar, and also felt talking openly about difficult topics made them seem more ‘normal’. She pensively said: “The most normal thing in the world is to feel weird.”
Bryony was personable and warm making everyone in the room feel like they knew her with her engaging manner and relaxed approach to the talk. She spoke fondly of @mentalhealthmates, which she founded during lock down, but explained that she wasn’t as involved as much anymore as it had naturally evolved into a community of people from all over the UK supporting those with mental health struggles. She also discussed her popular Podcast and even hinted there may be some exciting news coming soon!
In April she will be taking on an epic challenge to raise money for @mentalhealthmates by running the Brighton Marathon, London Marathon and the distance in-between the two cities – an incredible feat!
After the talk Bryony answered questions from the audience and signed copies of her book. It was humbling to see so many people be so open and honest in regards to their own mental health struggles and their experiences – a testament to how relaxed she made the audience feel.
We’d like to thank Bryony and Lisa for a wonderful evening filled with laughter, honesty and emotion.
