WHOLE: The Podcast

About WHOLE: The Podcast

Achievement is healthiest and most sustainable when it is aligned with meaning, authenticity, values and psychological flexibility. WHOLE: The Podcast explores the stories and psychology behind sustained meaningful achievement, and how people continue evolving despite the inevitable challenges. Hosted by Christabel Heasman-Cossins (performer, presenter, coach and researcher), WHOLE looks beyond surface-level ideas of success to examine how people build meaningful careers, navigate challenge, and continue evolving across creative, professional and athletic fields. Through conversations with individuals from the arts, sport, media and beyond - alongside reflections grounded in academic perspectives on motivation, performance and the self - WHOLE: The Podcast explores what drives people not only to begin a path, but to sustain it. This podcast grew out of the WHOLE Framework - What, Honesty, Ownership, Living It and Evolution - which recognises meaning and purpose as central components of long-term wellbeing and fulfilment. Blending lived experience with psychological insight, WHOLE offers an honest look at the human realities behind achievement, creativity and longevity. To find out more about the WHOLE Framework head to wholecoaching.co.uk Follow on Social Media: @christabelsvoice

Publisher

Christabel Heasman-Cossins

Category

arts · education · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Oct 2025

Latest episode

28 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

28 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Oct 2026

   The Creative Art of Naughtiness | David McGillivray

   What happens when you stop worrying about what's normal, respectable or expected of you? David McGillivray has spent more than 60 years finding out. This effervescent and slightly shocking episode had me laughing out loud. A wonderful conversation which had me pondering whether I have played it too safe in my life. If you are looking for permission to be your most transgressive self, this is it. Pour yourself a glass or just crack open a Christmas chocolate and settle down for the story.... Dubbed 'The Truffaut of Smut', but best known for his 42-year creative partnership with Julian Clary, David is also a journalist, playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker whose extraordinary career has taken him through the wildest corners of British entertainment. Expelled from school at 17, he went on to write notorious 1970s sex comedies, cult horror films and outrageous comedy. Along the way, there were drugs, Soho nightlife, artistic adventures and plenty of rule-breaking. Now nearing 80, David is still writing, creating and pursuing whatever fascinates him. He claims to have no regrets, despite admitting that some of his work was dreadful! In this candid, funny and occasionally outrageous conversation, we explore rebellion, creativity, identity, fear and the freedom that comes from questioning convention. David's story is an invitation to be a little less obedient, a little more curious and perhaps a little wilder. Because stepping outside the boundaries of what's expected of us might just open up possibilities we never imagined. WHOLE: The Podcast explores the psychology of meaning-led success through honest, revealing conversations with incredible people. We go beyond the achievements to examine what drives people, the choices they make, the challenges they face and what they discover about themselves along the way, because success isn't just about what we achieve, but what it takes to get there and whether the journey is worth it. Subscribe for more conversations and discover WHOLE beyond the podcast. Instagram: @christabelsvoice Website: www.wholeframework.com

2. 

   21 Oct 2026

   Frank Smith: Matchroom Boxing CEO at 26 | How, Why and Was It All Worth It?

   How do you become CEO of Matchroom Boxing at just 26? And what does it actually take to get there? Frank Smith started working with Eddie Hearn at 14, having relentlessly pursued him for an opportunity. By 26, he was running one of the biggest boxing promotion businesses in the world. But what drove him to succeed so young? And was it all worth it? We talk about money, ambition, the extraordinary dedication required to reach the top, and the experiences he sacrificed along the way. Frank also speaks candidly about Conor Benn, Chris Eubank Jr, loyalty, ego, why he believes emotion can be detrimental in business, and the criticism that genuinely got under his skin. And perhaps most interestingly, why the things he wants from life now are very different from those he wanted at 14. An honest, funny and revealing conversation about getting to the top, staying there, and knowing what you actually want from life. WHOLE: The Podcast explores the psychology of meaning-led success through honest, revealing conversations with incredible people. We go beyond the achievements to examine what drives people, the choices they make, the challenges they face and what they discover about themselves along the way, because success isn't just about what we achieve, but what it takes to get there and whether the journey is worth it. Subscribe for more conversations and discover WHOLE beyond the podcast. Instagram: @christabelsvoice Website: www.wholeframework.com

3. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Are You a Panda Too? Oli Howe on Authentic Content Creation, Music and Mental Health

   What happens when you stop creating for the algorithm and start creating as yourself? Musician and content creator Oli Howe has attracted millions of views and a huge online audience by doing almost everything creators are told not to do: three-minute videos, no conventional viral hooks, simple editing, a deadpan stare, plus music he genuinely wants to make. His reharmonisations of well-known songs have attracted millions of views and attention from artists including Justin Timberlake, Lenny Kravitz, Chaka Khan, David Foster and TLC’s Chilli. But behind Oli’s success is a much deeper story. In this conversation, Oli talks openly about losing his father, the suicide of his sister, depression, PTSD and complex PTSD, severe panic attacks, physical illness and the period in which he lost his ability to perform and create and, with it, much of his sense of identity. We talk about creativity as a way of processing emotion, why creative block doesn’t mean you’ve stopped being creative, perfectionism, knowing when your work is “good enough”, the pressure of numbers and likes, and why authenticity may be far more powerful than trying to manufacture virality. Oli also explains the surprisingly deliberate structure behind his videos — the recurring jokes, musical payoffs and tiny familiar moments that keep millions of people watching. A conversation about creativity, mental health, grief, resilience, perfectionism, social media — and finding your own way of doing things. P.S. Get ready to cry!! Find Oli on Instagram: @oli_howe_keys WHOLE: The Podcast explores what helps us live, create and work in closer alignment with what genuinely matters to us. Head to wholeframework.com to learn how you can do the same.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

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Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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