Welcome to episode 7 of ‘Me, Myself, and Isla – Lifting the Lid on Loneliness’. It’s been a little while since I recorded one of these podcasts, life gets in the way sometimes, but I am very happy to kick off again with the wonderful Sandra Mclennan.

I’ve known of Sandra for a long time through work, so I already knew she was awesome, smart, switched on, and super professional, but it’s only recently that we’ve started to talk a little more and realised we should have been friends long before now.

Sandra is a force for good, and it says everything that it makes her nervous when I say that, because she’s very humble too. Sandra got in touch a couple of months ago and told me she’d like to join me on my podcast. I was surprised, because as if always the way, Sandra is not someone I’d have ever expected to feel lonely. By her own admission, she has incredible family and friends around her, but was keen to talk about how situations and curve balls can cause feelings loneliness.

Sandra talks passionately about how she handled these feelings, and how she also makes it her mission to make sure that other people don’t feel alone. A chat about incredible amount of charity work that Sandra does led to us having a nice conversation about volunteering, and how this is an ideal way to help people and form your own socials connections at the same time.

It was an absolute delight to talk to Sandra, who is kind, compassionate, and very smart. I learned a lot in our chat, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did. I have a feeling you will.

Today my guest is Mark Dalgarno, a Global Talent Acquisition Lead at Minor Figures, and a well-respected CV and Career Coach.

Mark got in touch a few months ago and offered to join me on my podcast. He suggested sharing some of his experiences of being alone, and also being lonely, which are of course two different things, and how times of loneliness helped him to build strength and resilience.

On this podcast Mark reflects on times when he was travelling alone, when he moved to Glasgow on his own for work, and of course the impact of the pandemic. He also talks about the feeling of empowerment that comes from having to make decisions on your own, because you are on your own, rather than looking to others for advice or opinions.

I really enjoyed my Sunday afternoon chat with Mark, and I hope you do too.

Welcome to the next episode of ‘Me, Myself, and Isla – Lifting the Lid on Loneliness’. Today we’re talking to Craig Leith, Senior Lecturer at Robert Gordon’s University in Aberdeen, and Subject Leader of Hospitality, Tourism, and Events.

Craig got in touch back in January when I very first put the idea of my podcast out there, and suggested he speak about his PhD research on the area of Solo Tourism, and the relationship with loneliness. I was over the moon, this was a great angle that I’d never thought of, but before I knew it, it was April, and we hadn’t managed to chat yet. So we tried again!

Within minutes of talking to Craig I knew he’d be great. His passion for solo travelling is infectious, but he is also very in tune with the emotional and practical reasons why solo travelling could be great for some people, and trickier for others, and those is covered with kindness and humor in this podcast.

I’ve always been nervous about the thought of being a solo tourist, I think I’ve felt embarrassed or worried that I might be judged, but Craig’s stories, enthusiasm and great advice for anyone considering a solo adventure, make me think I could give it a go.

I felt super energised and full of good vibes after this chat with Craig, and I really hope you feel the same.

Laura Antonia Jordan is the Fashion and Lifestyle Features Director at Grazia, my favourite ever magazine, so I was over the moon when she agreed to join me on my podcast.

I approached Laura after reading an incredible article that she wrote about loneliness in lockdown. I felt every word she said, and it turns out I wasn’t alone because it was one of her most read articles to date. I also watched a short clip of a Zoom call she shared, where she talks about loneliness being her ‘favourite unsexy subject’, and that clip became one of my main reasons for starting this podcast.

I sent Laura a DM, and couldn’t believe my luck when she replied, and with utter kindness given that I was a complete stranger, and hadn’t even started the podcast yet. We spend the next wee while trying to sort out a suitable time to chat as Laura jetted around the world for each of the Fashion Weeks. That last bit is important, because if someone who is kind, cool, and sassy like Laura can also talk openly about loneliness, then I think we all can, and we don’t need to be embarrassed.

Laura speaks so wisely, and with an incredible self-awareness, throughout this chat, which only helps to highlight that I’m a little star struck at times, but I don’t care. I loved every bloody minute of this podcast, I still can’t believe it happened, and I hope you love it too.

When I was deciding whether or not do this podcast, I put some feelers out on social media and was blown away by the response that I got. So many people reached out to say they were glad this topic was finally being covered, shared their own experiences of loneliness, and some people even offered to join me for a chat.

Adele Slater, a friend and someone I’ve also been lucky enough to work with, was one of the first people to respond to my social posts. She was also the first person to say she’d like to talk about single positivity, and the importance of being able to, and actually prioritise, spending time alone.

My conversation with Adele is a breath of fresh air, and I hope it makes you feel as good as it made me feel. We talk about the potential to feel like failures in a society that favours women who are married with children, but we also share examples of role models we have who are paving the way for single women. We covered single positivity, and how this doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in starting relationships, it just means we don’t need them to feel like the best versions of ourselves.

Welcome to the first episode of my podcast, ‘Me, Myself, and Isla – Lifting the Lid on Loneliness’. I'm joined by Astrid Whyte and Laura Simmons, who are both experienced person-centred counsellors, and have wisdom and compassion for everyone.

I was over the moon when they agreed to join me for a chat about loneliness in general, share our own experiences of it, chat about the various causes of loneliness, and the importance of having the courage to speak up.