You Can Do Hard Things

About You Can Do Hard Things

You Can Do Hard Things isn’t about perfect lives — it’s about what happens when everything falls apart. If you’ve ever been tested by life and wondered if you’re strong enough, this is where you find out you are. You Can Do Hard Things isn’t about perfect lives or polished success stories — it’s about what happens when things fall apart. Hosted by Jenny Melling, this podcast is built on real, unfiltered conversations with people who’ve faced pressure, failure, loss, and doubt — and kept going anyway. Because the truth is, resilience isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build when life doesn’t go to plan. From elite athletes and high performers to everyday people with extraordinary stories, each episode goes beyond the highlight reel and into the moments that actually shape us. The setbacks. The turning points. The decisions made in the dark when no one else is watching. This is where you’ll hear what success really looks like — not the glossy version, but the version that’s messy, uncomfortable, and earned. The version that comes after rock bottom, after rejection, after things don’t work out the way you thought they would. We talk about mental health, mindset, identity, pressure, and what it takes to rebuild when everything feels uncertain. We talk about proving people wrong, but also about proving something to yourself. About finding strength when you feel like you’ve got none left. About showing up anyway. Whether it’s dealing with loss, navigating change, chasing something bigger, or simply trying to get through a tough season, this podcast is for anyone who’s ever felt tested by life — and wondered if they’re strong enough to keep going. Because doing hard things isn’t just about surviving them. It’s about what you become in the process. Expect honest conversations, powerful stories, and moments that stay with you long after the episode ends. No fluff. No filters. No pretending. Just real people, real experiences, and real proof that you can do hard things. Follow and subscribe to You Can Do Hard Things so you never miss an episode — and if something resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Publisher

Jenny Melling

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

5 Apr 2026

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

21 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Oct 2026

   Luke Steele: Manchester United, Losing Football & Finding a New Identity

   What happens when the thing you’ve built your whole identity around is suddenly gone? Luke Steele spent his childhood chasing one dream: becoming a professional footballer. That journey took him into the Manchester United academy, through the realities of professional football and eventually to the point every player has to face: what happens when football is no longer who you are? In this episode of You Can Do Hard Things, Luke talks openly about the experiences behind the career, from the pressure of trying to make it at the highest level to injury, setbacks and some of the more personal moments that shaped him along the way. We talk about identity after football, the drive to prove yourself all over again, and why Luke has now thrown himself into a completely different world: acting. There are plenty of laughs too, some stories I definitely wasn't expecting, and a brilliant moment towards the end when Luke effectively UNO reverses the podcast and starts asking me the questions, including why I started You Can Do Hard Things in the first place. This isn't just a conversation about football. It's about what happens when one chapter of your life closes, figuring out who you are without it, and having the courage to start again. 🎙️ You Can Do Hard Things with Jenny Melling If life can be pretty shit sometimes, remember: you've got this. And you can do hard things. Topics include: Luke Steele, Manchester United, professional football, football academy life, retirement from football, identity after sport, life after football, career change, acting, resilience and starting again.

2. 

   21 Sept 2026

   Gilli: A Cult Survivor’s Story of Abuse, Survival and Escape from the Plymouth Brethren

   Gilli describes himself as a cult survivor. Born into the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC), formerly known as the Exclusive Brethren, he grew up in a world governed by strict religious rules, separation from outsiders and expectations that shaped almost every part of his life. In this episode of You Can Do Hard Things with Jenny Melling, Gilli tells his story of growing up inside the Plymouth Brethren, experiencing sexual abuse as a teenage boy, living with shame and confusion, reaching the point of attempting suicide, and eventually rebuilding his life outside the community. Gilli talks openly about what it means to be born into a high-control religious environment when you have nothing else to compare it with. He explains why the question “Why don’t they just leave?” is far more complicated than it sounds, and what can happen when leaving means risking your faith, identity, family and everything you have ever known. He also speaks candidly about male sexual abuse and something rarely discussed: the confusion a young male survivor can experience when their body physically responds during abuse. For Gilli, that response contributed to years of believing he was somehow responsible for what happened to him. The conversation explores childhood sexual abuse, male survivors of sexual abuse, coercive control, religious trauma, shunning, family separation, suicide, mental health, leaving a cult and life after the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. But Gilli’s story is not defined only by what happened to him. He talks about therapy, understanding his past, finding his own identity and building a life beyond the world he was born into. This is Gilli’s personal experience and account of his life within and after the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains detailed discussion of childhood sexual abuse, male sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts and a suicide attempt, coercive control, religious trauma and family separation. SUPPORT If anything in this conversation affects you, support is available. Samaritans: Call 116 123 free, day or night, 365 days a year. SurvivorsUK: Specialist support for men, boys and non-binary people who have experienced sexual abuse. Call 0808 801 0332 (Monday–Friday, 10am–12pm), or access webchat, WhatsApp and SMS support through SurvivorsUK. NHS 111: Call 111 if you need urgent help for your mental health. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999. 🎙️ You Can Do Hard Things with Jenny Melling Conversations about the things we survive, the lives we rebuild and what we're capable of when life gives us no easy option. Life can be pretty shit sometimes, but you’ve got this. You can do hard things.

3. 

   16 Sept 2026

   Matt Dearsley: Baby Loss, Bereaved Dads and Life in the Met Police

   Matt shares the devastating reality of losing Harry and Daisy, alongside the other pregnancy losses experienced by him and his wife, Lauren. He talks about hearing the words “there’s no heartbeat”, supporting Lauren as she delivered their babies, explaining loss to their children and reaching a point where he struggled to recognise himself. He also explains why many grieving dads remain silent, why he would cry alone in his car and how joining a football team for bereaved fathers helped to save his life. That experience eventually led to Dad’s Still Standing—a podcast providing honest, practical and sometimes funny support for dads and families affected by baby loss. The conversation then turns to Matt’s policing career: being robbed at gunpoint as a teenager, joining the Metropolitan Police at 19, facing a meat cleaver during his first arrest and working across CID, Trident and proactive policing. Matt also reflects on grief within the workplace and how policing has changed during his career. This is a powerful conversation about surviving experiences you never chose, finding a way to live alongside grief and creating something meaningful from unimaginable loss. Please be aware that this episode contains detailed discussion of miscarriage, baby loss, pregnancy loss and childbirth following loss. Listen to Dad’s Still Standing wherever you get your podcasts. If this episode resonates with you, please follow or subscribe to You Can Do Hard Things, share it with somebody who may need it and leave a rating or review. Your support helps these conversations reach more people.

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Guest appearances

Books guests

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