Have you ever said yes to something you really didn’t want to do and then spent the next three days feeling annoyed about it?

Perhaps you agreed to another project when you were already overwhelmed, or told your partner “yeah, fine” and then felt furious that they believed you. This week on Dial Emma, I’m talking about assertiveness: how to speak up when something bothers you, how to say no without composing an apology for the rest of the day, and a practical exercise called the assertiveness ladder.

Today’s dilemma comes from a 44-year-old listener, who has been in a relationship with her boyfriend for just over a year after going through a divorce with her ex-husband. She finds it almost impossible to speak up when something bothers her. When he cancels plans, she says it's fine and then spends the evening hurt and resentful. She grew up with an intimidating father and a mother who kept the peace, a pattern that has followed her through her marriage and into work and co-parenting. The people around her think she’s confident and sociable, but as soon as something feels personal, she loses her voice.

She asks: how do I learn to stand up for myself when I’ve spent most of my life learning not to?

Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Email: contact@dial-emma.uk

Have you ever looked around at your life and thought, is this it?

I don’t mean because something awful has happened. Sometimes it’s quite the opposite: you’ve got the house, the job, perhaps the partner and the children, you’ve spent years building the life you thought you wanted, and instead of feeling satisfied you wonder whether there was supposed to be something more. And then comes the guilt, because you know how lucky you are.

This week I’m exploring that peculiar midlife question, why it can arrive even when life is going reasonably well, and how to tell the difference between what you want to change and what you need to accept.

Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Book my 2027 women's retreat at Bliss House in Crete: https://bliss-house-experience.replit.app

Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Email: contact@dial-emma.uk

Have you ever had that horrible little moment when someone you care about tells you something wonderful, and your first feeling isn’t happiness but disappointment, irritation, or a sinking feeling in your stomach?

Today I’m talking about envy: that embarrassing, occasionally ugly, but completely ordinary human emotion. We’re increasingly comfortable admitting to anxiety, overwhelm, and exhaustion, but envy still feels shameful. I don’t think it’s evidence that you’re a horrible person, and it isn’t always an instruction to go and get what someone else has. Sometimes it’s telling you something important about your own life.

Today’s dilemma comes from a woman who’s worried her jealousy is damaging one of her closest friendships. She and her best friend have known each other since university, and their lives always ran on parallel tracks - but lately her friend’s life has taken off, with a big promotion, a beautiful new house, and a third holiday of the year, while our listener is struggling with her mortgage and feeling exhausted. Her friend is genuinely lovely, which somehow makes it worse, and she’s started noticing herself reacting negatively to her friend's successes.

So, perhaps the real question isn’t why can’t I be happy for other people, but why have I started treating their happiness as evidence that there’s something wrong with mine?

Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Book my 2027 women's retreat at Bliss House in Crete: https://bliss-house-experience.replit.app

Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Email: contact@dial-emma.uk