In this powerful and deeply human conversation, I sit down with Charlotte Ricca, performance psychologist, former journalist, sea swimmer, horse rider, and passionate advocate for emotional literacy, to explore what success really means when life feels overwhelming.

This episode goes far beyond high performance.

Charlotte shares candidly about:

• navigating burnout, anxiety, and periods of depression
• changing her relationship with alcohol
• learning to sit with discomfort rather than mask it
• balancing ambition, motherhood, identity, and self-worth
• and why choosing connection over being right can transform relationships

This is an honest conversation about:

✨ mental health

✨ parenting

✨ redefining success

✨ suicide prevention

✨ emotional resilience

✨ values, purpose, and presence

If you’ve ever felt pressure to “hold it together”, to perform, or to keep going when things feel heavy — this episode will land.

00:00 – Introduction

02:30 – “Are you alright… really?” and showing up authentically

07:00 – Finding glimmers: joy, nature, sea swimming & presence

11:00 – Alcohol, identity & changing coping mechanisms

18:30 – Masking discomfort vs sitting with emotions

22:30 – Why confidence follows action (not the other way around)

27:00 – Anxiety, fear & reframing pressure as privilege

32:00 – Emotional literacy, parenting & allowing children to feel

39:00 – Guilt, self-care & choosing yourself without shame

45:00 – Identity beyond roles: parent, athlete, professional

52:00 – Success, money & redefining what “enough” really means

59:00 – Career pivots, purpose & living without regret

1:05:00 – Overwhelm, burnout & taking one small step at a time

1:12:00 – Depression, hope & why feelings always pass

1:18:00 – Suicide prevention: asking the hard questions

1:26:00 – Teaching kids emotional regulation & resilience

1:34:00 – Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation

1:41:00 – Living in alignment with your values

1:56:00 – Advice to younger self

2:04:00 – Final question: choosing connection over being right

You don’t need to fix everything.

You don’t need to feel “on” all the time.

Sometimes, staying alive, staying present, and taking one small step is success.

🎧 LISTEN TO MORE DIFFERENT HATS EPISODES:

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

🔗 Connect with Charlotte Ricca

Website: https://kindabrilliant.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlottericca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-ricca/

💡 If this episode resonated with you, please like, share, and comment below. Your support helps us spread this important message and change the narrative around success and mental health.

Rivervale – https://www.rivervale.co.uk

Brown Bear Studios – https://www.brownbearstudio.co.uk

Carpenter Box – https://www.carpenterbox.com

🎬 PRODUCED BY:

H2 Productions – https://h2productions.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I thought my 100th podcast episode was the start of my journey.

I didn’t realise it would change everything.

Recorded the day after my 47th birthday, this 18-minute solo episode reflects on the most transformative year of my life, not the easiest, not the most “successful,” but the most honest.

A year of silence.

Sobriety.

Relationships changing shape.

Asking for help.

And finally facing the question I’d spent years avoiding:

Why am I not enough?

In this episode, I share the lessons I learnt, the breakdowns, and the moments that rebuilt me.

We explore:

• Redefining success beyond money and status
• The Five Pillars of Success as lived experience
• Male mental health, vulnerability, and asking for help
• Sobriety, self-worth, and sitting with discomfort
• Why connection, not achievement, saved me

This episode marks a shift.

From building businesses to building a movement.

From push motivation to pull motivation.

From wearing many hats… to finally choosing the right one.

If you’re navigating change, feeling lost, or quietly struggling, this episode isn’t here to give you answers.

It’s here to give you permission.

Because sometimes the bravest thing you can say is:

"Help"

00:00 – Introduction

01:45 – Stripping Life Back: Silence & Sobriety

03:20 – The Five Pillars of Success

05:40 – When Relationships Change Shape

07:50 – “Why Am I Not Enough?”

10:20 – When It Got Dark

12:40 – Asking for Help

14:30 – Clarity, Purpose & Letting Go

15:50 – From Business to Movement

17:00 – I Am Enough

🎧 MORE EPISODES:

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

💡 If this resonated, please like, share, and comment, it helps spread this message and challenge how we define success.

SPONSORED BY:

Carpenter Box | Brown Bear Studios | Rivervale | Plus X

SPECIAL EPISODE PRODUCED BY:

Matt Cheney - Brown Bear Studios

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.