Elite marathon runner Anya Culling's story will inspire you but maybe not in the way you expect. She shaved nearly two hours off her marathon time and now competes at the highest level, representing her country.

In this episode, Anya opens up about teenage health crises that shaped her mentality, the ironic moment she realized elite runners do still have periods, and why her coach refused to train her until she got her health sorted. We discuss wellness overwhelm, how to spot the difference between training hard and overtraining, why women's health issues in sport often go unaddressed, and the recovery principle that changed everything for her.

Anya is backing iron supplement brand Active Iron’s campaign to encourage open conversations around women’s health in sport. For more information visit https://activeiron.com/en-gb

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This week, clinical psychologist, bestselling author, and content creator Dr. Julie Smith joins us to dismantle the myth of constant happiness and offer practical tools for navigating life's inevitable storms.

With over 10 million followers and two Sunday Times bestsellers (Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? and Open When), Julie has made it her mission to make high-quality mental health education accessible to everyone.

In this conversation, we explore why young people are struggling despite having "the best it's ever been," the crucial difference between self-compassion and self-indulgence, and how our modern obsession with optimization is setting us up for failure. Julie shares the powerful "predator mindset" that helped her through her own health crisis, explains why feelings are information rather than problems to fix, and introduces the "solid back five" concept - fundamental pillars of mental wellbeing that we constantly underestimate.

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In a world of aggressive optimization, morning routines, and relentless pressure to manifest a perfect reality, how do we experience actual joy when life falls apart?

This week on Well Enough, we sit down with Kate Bowler - Duke University professor, religion scholar, and author - to explore the profound differences between happiness and joy. At 35, Kate was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, an event that completely shattered her reality and forced her to confront the agonizing platitude that "everything happens for a reason."

Kate dismantles toxic positivity and wellness capitalism, explaining why you don't always need to find a silver lining.

Get Kate’s book “Joyful, Anyway” here https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/joyful-anyway-9781037202582/

Follow Well Enough on Instagram here

https://www.instagram.com/wellenough

Timecodes:

00:00 Why Joy Isn't What You Think

03:10 Happiness vs. Joy: What’s the Psychological Difference?

06:25 Navigating Rage and Finding Joy After a Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis

08:00 "Emotional Appropriateness" & The Myth of Constant Optimization

10:45 The Danger of Toxic Positivity and "Everything Happens for a Reason"

13:10 The Hidden History (and Harm) of Manifesting

17:30 What is "The Ache"? Embracing the Bittersweet Longing of Being Human

20:20 Wellness Capitalism and the Absurdity of the 24/7 Morning Routine

23:30 Navigating the Seasons of Wanting & Opening Your "Vault of Jewels"

29:10 How to Practice Joy: Service, Love, and Hope

33:30 How to Experience Joy During a "Light Apocalypse"

37:00 Absurdism: Why You Should Lean Into Your Weird Delights

39:20 The Surprising Limits of Gratitude Journaling

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