Book Media and Reviews

Speaking about Rise to Steve Wright, BBC Radio 2

Before the publication of Rise, I spoke to Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2 about my breast cancer experience and double mastectomy.

I told him I never expected my trauma training would be put into practice in such a personal way.

I said: “I did a science masters in psychology and my theses was about growth after trauma.

“It was about growth after trauma in journalists who had seen some horrible stuff in difficult places, and how they had managed that and coped with it mentally. And what were the tips and coping strategies if they had suffered acute stress to get them out, so they not just bounced back, but went beyond.

“A lot of times we talk about mental health, we talk about illness. We don’t talk about protecting our mental health. We don’t talk about developing a psychological first aid kit.

“How do we defend ourselves when difficult stuff happens? That’s what the book is – that’s what I spent a year leaning.”

You can hear the full interview on BBC iPlayer.