Play therapy rewires the brain! Facing childhood traumas, with The King’s Trust

Everyone deserves the chance at a fulfilling life. Shauna Tiffany grew up in foster care, feeling ashamed of and responsible for her parents’ choices. Creative play therapy helped her work through her childhood trauma, and now – with the support of The King’s Trust – she’s built her own business doing the same thing for other children and families. In this chat with Fearne, Shauna explains how she’s learnt to believe in herself because of the way others have chosen to believe in her. Emotional support has made her feel worthy of great opportunities, and practical advice has empowered her to turn ideas into reality, so they chat about how to gently chip away at increasing self-confidence. Plus, Fearne’s got a big surprise for Shauna... Check out Shauna’s work at Lighthouse Therapy Hub. https://www.lighthousetherapyhub.co.uk/ Find out more about The King’s Trust. https://www.kingstrust.org.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Fearne Cotton?

  Hello and welcome to Happy Place with me Fern Cotton. Today, oh, this chat is going to properly warm your heart and fire you up. I'm talking to an incredibly impressive woman. Her name is Shauna.

• 0:16Speaker 01

  My experiences have been like self-belief, self-confidence, not feeling worthy enough. All of the things that happened for my parents were always blamed on me. Now, looking back, I can see as a child, it was never my fault. But when you're growing up in that situation, means that now it's been challenging to face them barriers because I'm not only breaking the barriers of what their internal model is, but also recognizing that actually I was just a child. But the experiences before, I've been told, you're not worthy, you don't deserve it, you're not going to do anything. That repeatedly meant that I didn't trust anyone.

• 0:51Fearne Cotton?

  Now Shauna was in the care system as a child and her experiences inspired her to start her own business, Lighthouse Therapy Hub, where as an accredited play therapist, she uses different creative therapeutic approaches to revisit people's past experiences and trauma. She's one of the 2026 winners of a Regional Young Changemaker Award from the King's Trust, which is such an amazing charity. I'm actually a goodwill ambassador for mental health and wellbeing for them. And I absolutely hold that title by my heart at all times. I'm, I'm so, I feel very lucky to be a goodwill ambassador for the King's Trust,

• 1:34Fearne Cotton?

  mainly because I get to meet so many wonderful people that properly shift my perspective and motivate me, just like Shauna, who you're going to meet today. King's Trust helps support young people aged 11 to 30 and believe that every single young person should have the chance to succeed, no matter their background or their personal challenges. They offer support into education, into training and into jobs too. And as you're here, they help Shauna launch her business. This was a really cool opportunity to talk with Shauna about the power of both self-belief and good people believing in you. And I think you definitely want to stick around to the end because there's a massive surprise for her that makes us both cry.

• 2:22Speaker 02

  Guessing is for game shows, not your business. Workday is the enterprise AI platform for HR, finance and IT. With AI grounded in your context to get work done and done right. It's a new workday.

• 2:37Speaker 03

  Hey, we're Nick and Jack, hosts of The Best One Yet. Behind every episode, there's research, emails, spreadsheets and our shared Google Doc, the headline hammer. With Google Workspace with Gemini, Google's AI is built right into the premium versions of tools we already use, like Gmail, Docs and Sheets. No new tools or extra logins, just personalized AI for the way we work. That means less time on the work around the work and more time finding the stories worth talking about. Get AI tools for work. Upgrade to Google Workspace with Gemini at goo.gle/workspacewithGemini. That's goo.gle/workspacewithGemini.

• 3:11Speaker 04

  Hello, I'm Joanna Fletcher.

• 3:13Speaker 05

  And I'm Marco Burchella.

• 3:14Speaker 04

  And this is Boots Off.

• 3:17Speaker 05

  We are friends who've spent a decade together, walking up mountains, across deserts and along coastlines with some seriously awesome groups of humans.

• 3:25Speaker 04

  And something happens when you're out there, feet on the ground, surrounded by nature. The conversations just spill out of you.

• 3:32Speaker 05

  This series is about the adversities that lead to adventure.

• 3:35Speaker 04

  The adventures that lead to adversity.

• 3:37Speaker 05

  And how life can be one big adventure in itself.

• 3:40Speaker 04

  Listen every Thursday, just search for Boots Off.

• 3:48Fearne Cotton?

  All right, here we go. This is the show.

• 4:12Fearne Cotton?

  I'm excited to chat to you, Shauna. Oh, I'm so, thank you so much for the opportunity. And it's so lovely to meet you in person. It's so lovely to meet you. I just adore what the King's Trust does and to hear stories like yours, this is what it's all about. Like hearing actual people's experience of not only their lives before finding the King's Trust, but what they've done since. So I want to get to as much of that as we can. First up, before we start, you good? You happy? I am, yes, thank you. I think you love the studio.

• 4:42Speaker 01

  Yeah, I love it. Thanks.

• 4:44Fearne Cotton?

  I know, they're so cosy, aren't they? So, there's so much I want to talk to you about. First of all, let's just start with a bit about you. Tell us where you're from, anything that you think we would love to know about you.

• 4:54Speaker 01

  So, I'm Shauna. I'm a mum of two and I'm based in Leeds. And I run a therapy business based on play and creative arts.

• 5:02Fearne Cotton?

  Oh, which is so up my street and we're going to talk more about that in a moment. But first of all, let's just get a bit more about your background and your childhood. So you grew up in care. How do you think that impacted, I guess first of all, you as a child, but also how it's informed who you are today?

• 5:22Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's a good question because we look at the part of being in care, but it's not always talked about what happens before that, of what led to that situation. And I think my experiences have been like self-belief, self-confidence, not feeling worthy enough, all of the things that happened for my parents were always blamed on me. Now, looking back, I can see as a child, it was never my fault. But when you're growing up in that situation, always being blamed for something repeatedly means that now it's been challenging to face them barriers because I'm not only breaking the barriers of what the internal model is, but also recognising that actually I was just a child.

• 6:05Speaker 01

  And it's okay, it was, the responsibility was there and not with me. And to break through them barriers has been really challenging. And hopefully we'll talk about the King's Trust as well. But that has been like the turning point for me in being able to do and sit and talk about my experiences too, so.

• 6:22Fearne Cotton?

  I know one of the things that you've said is that growing up in care, you don't necessarily feel like you've got people backing you and saying, "You can do this. This is the path you can take." That's a key element that's missing.

• 6:34Speaker 01

  Yeah. We were really lucky that our foster parents were amazing and we had a really wonderful experience there. But the experiences before, I've been told, you're not worthy, you don't deserve it, you're, you're not going to do anything, you're not worthy of anything, don't do anything. That repeatedly meant that I didn't trust anyone. So even like the foster carers, even though they had my best interests, my sister's best interests, meant that I didn't believe it. Because up until that point, I was on my own, it was just me and my sister. So we had repeated experiences of that, which were really, really tough, really challenging.

• 7:11Fearne Cotton?

  And that is a very hard cycle to break. When you're that young, and that's what's being kind of programmed within you to believe about yourself, that takes an almighty amount of strength to change that sort of mindset. Obviously, the King's Trust, as you said, has been a big part of this. So how did that even happen? How did you even hear about the, the words King's Trust?

• 7:34Speaker 01

  Good question. And I thank my children for that. Because I had two children under two, one that was 17 months, one that was a newborn. Yeah, I know.

• 7:44Fearne Cotton?

  I just did a face and you were like, yeah.

• 7:46Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 7:47Fearne Cotton?

  Exhausting.

• 7:48Speaker 01

  Yeah, exhausting.

• 7:49Fearne Cotton?

  Mad, madness.

• 7:50Speaker 01

  Crazy. What, what were you thinking?

• 7:51Fearne Cotton?

  Yeah, it's just, it's what happens, isn't it? It's, I remember those days and it's like, you don't know how you get through it. It's bonkers.

• 7:59Speaker 01

  And I remember one of the night feeds, you know, you're up all night and I'm like, I deserve, my family deserve better, I need more. How can I put myself in a position that means that I can be the parent that my kids deserve? And I was scrolling through social media, on Instagram actually, like two o'clock feed, really late at night. And I came across the King's Trust and one of the hashtags at the bottom, I'm like, oh, what's this about? I'll have a look. And I ended up going through a rabbit hole of information.

• 8:31Speaker 01

  And was like, okay, okay, well, maybe, maybe, just maybe that this could work. But I decided, okay, I'm not, I can't, it's not for me, it's not gonna work, they're not gonna like my idea. No, no. And then I spoke to my partner, Tom, and he was like, just, what's, what have you got to lose? Take the risk or lose the chance, even if you're not sure, you take the risk. We don't have to believe in anything, I believe in you, I think you can do anything, but take the risk for the kids. And then you never know what will happen. So yeah, that was how I first found the King's Trust.

• 9:05Fearne Cotton?

  I love that that is just a random moment of chance. You could have scrolled on to like Katy Perry's Lunch, I mean, it could be any old stuff. But you happened across that, which is so beautifully fateful. But as you say, it's one thing to come across it and go, that's piquing my interest. That feels like could be an option for me, but then to see it through and to action it, especially when you're a mum, is a whole other thing. So what, what led you to then getting in touch with them and thinking, this is worth it, I've got to do this?

• 9:38Speaker 01

  So I was finishing my postgraduate study as a play therapist, I was right at the very end of that. And one of the modules was how to set up a business. I'm like, okay. Is this another sign that this is where I need to be? Because ultimately I'm supporting myself, being able to write this and do this course too. Like, what are the chances that this is happening? So I was like, okay, let's, let's bounce. And having two children, I was really lucky to be a part of the first cohort that had it online. So it meant that childcare wasn't an issue, because I had two kids under two, I had very limited support. Without it being an option online, there's no way I'd have been able to attend.

• 10:17Fearne Cotton?

  God, how brilliant.

• 10:18Speaker 01

  It's just aligned.

• 10:19Fearne Cotton?

  So you'd had your idea, which we're gonna get to and really deeply dive into, you'd had that before. What, what sparked the idea for you to have your own therapy hub?

• 10:28Speaker 01

  Great question. So with my background and experiences, we know that trauma, I knew that I needed to access therapy because of the history that I had. I tried like the talking therapies and there's a therapy for everyone is is what I think will take away from that. But I realised that play and creative arts therapy offer opportunities that doesn't attach with shame. So, you know, being classed as an orphan is tough, it's horrible. And to face that reality, which is mine, that you don't know how that's going to be received. And actually, do you want to face that? So it offers a layer of protections to be able to dive deeply in the safety of a metaphor, so that you're not directly facing everything all at once.

• 11:11Speaker 01

  You can take it back as far as you can, essentially come back to safety and then go again until you're ready to reach that place. And like now for me, there's always going to be challenges that I face, anxiety, stress, I'm really sensitive to that. But I also know that I have the tools to be able to manage that. And that's come from playing creative arts, which sounds crazy. It's not.

• 11:32Fearne Cotton?

  Not at all. I think it's not, but it is just such a beautiful way.

• 11:37Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 11:37Fearne Cotton?

  To not only calm your nervous system, but to also explore and look at whether it's your past or how your brain works at the moment, without having to sit there and trawl over traumatic things or keep talking about them. So is play therapy something that you had experienced?

• 11:52Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 11:53Fearne Cotton?

  Wow. And you knew that it was impactful for you?

• 11:55Speaker 01

  Yeah, the thing that makes me passionate about what I do is it helps rewire the brain. And it 20 opportunities of play or creative arts versus hundreds of talking. So we have more chance of being able to help rewire the brain in a way that's long lasting. And I was like, when I first experienced it, I'm like, I'm not sure. But then on this side of it going, okay, everyone, if you need it, everyone needs the opportunity to be able to have a fulfilling life of whatever that looks like. Passionate for that.

• 12:26Fearne Cotton?

  Me too. But I just love how, you know, your passion has created this whole thing. So let's talk more about. The business that you're setting up and how the King's Trust helped you bring that to fruition. So it's called Lighthouse Therapy Hub.

• 12:40Speaker 01

  Correct, yeah.

• 12:41Fearne Cotton?

  Tell us about what you do and how it works.

• 12:44Speaker 01

  Yeah, so we support, it started as just me, as the play therapist and my jam is children 10 and under. And I'm like, yes, this is where I know that my zone of genius, as we at work like to call it. Where it's like, I know that if somebody comes in, needs support for this age group, I know that this is where I excel. And what happened was, as families started to come to us, they just started to trust us and realised that they wanted to access mental health for themselves and we were able to, we're in a unique position to be able to support the whole family. So what it meant was, the adults, the mum, the dad, the grandma, grandad, uncles were saying, please, can we see you? I'm like, I'm really sorry, that's not possible.

• 13:25Speaker 01

  However, would you consider if I found a team, which my team are fabulous, they are amazing. Would you consider experiencing therapy through them? And those like, yeah, if you say, we believe in you, we trust you, yes. So the team that we have now, they are fine tuned, but all have such a unique zone of genius and all complement each other so much. We have an art therapist, a movement therapist, a play therapist, there's two of us now. And all for empowerment, self-esteem, self-confidence to help support long-lasting change. And it's something that I think if we can, you know, we talk about children, but if we can get to the parents too and support them

• 14:08Speaker 01

  and give them real-time skills, we're ultimately resetting their path for generations to come. And partly why I'm like, advocating, flying the flag.

• 14:17Fearne Cotton?

  Yes, you are.

• 14:18Speaker 01

  For creative therapies, because it's so powerful.

• 14:20Fearne Cotton?

  And it's also sparking so much.

• 14:24Fearne Cotton?

  I don't know, just like so many thoughts in my head and this sort of like motivation. Like this is so cool. You're breaking these cycles, you're changing whole families and like sort of generational trauma. So these kids can go out into the world and live their best lives and be, I mean, it must be amazing to see that happen in real time. To be working with kids or whole families and over a course of weeks, months to see the change in them. It must be amazing.

• 14:48Speaker 01

  Yeah, it is to see the end result. And usually when we get to the end result and they're ready to go and to leave, they're non-recognisable. But also to get to that point, the journey is tough, therapy is hard.

• 14:59Fearne Cotton?

  Yeah.

• 15:00Speaker 01

  And there is, yes, we provide like the lighthouse is so important to me because it stands strong in all of them storms. And it doesn't matter like the personal storms that they're going through, the experiences that they have, we know that we can hold strong for them. And be the guardrails for that. But it also means that as they experience the safety net that we provide, they're able to take the self-esteem and confidence out from us and into the real world. Into jobs. I can think of one client that has got a new job and has emailed us. He's the first one we've told that he's got a new job because he's just so happy and we've supported him on that journey. And it's so empowering to see that, although the journey isn't easy.

• 15:42Fearne Cotton?

  No.

• 15:43Speaker 01

  We know the end result to go, we believe in you, even if it's challenging, even if that you find it really tough now. We know that you can make it because I know that I have and I know everyone with the right opportunity can too.

• 15:56Fearne Cotton?

  Yeah, I mean, you're sat here talking about your skill set, your genius, what you can offer in the most brilliantly empowering way. Which makes me feel like I could burst with happiness. Like this is what we need more women out there going, I know my skill set, I've got it to offer. But obviously coming from a background where that confidence wasn't a given.

• 16:18Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 16:18Fearne Cotton?

  You are living proof that this works and that you can change, you can rewire your brain and you can sit here today saying, I feel so confident in who I am and what I've got to offer. It's incredible.

• 16:30Speaker 01

  Yeah, massive. There's still worries there, but it doesn't hold me back like it used to. There was a time that I'd be like, no, thanks, no, no, I can't do that. Whereas the King's Trust has offered opportunities to build on skills from before. So yes, I've done the enterprise programme and been supported from that, being a part of the Change Your Girl's Life programme. Just like the filming took place in October last year and for that to go live in March, the difference in me is huge. Really? Yeah.

• 17:01Speaker 03

  Hey, we're Nick and Jack, hosts of The Best One Yet. Behind every episode, there's research, emails, spreadsheets and our shared Google Doc, the headline hammer. With Google Workspace with Gemini, Google's AI is built right into the premium versions of tools we already use, like Gmail, Docs and Sheets. No new tools or extra logins, just personalized AI for the way we work. That means less time on the work around the work and more time finding the stories worth talking about. Get AI tools for work. Upgrade to Google Workspace with Gemini at goo.gle/workspacewithGemini. That's goo.gle/workspacewithGemini.

• 17:35Speaker 02

  Guessing is for game shows, not your business. Workday is the enterprise AI platform for HR, finance and IT. With AI grounded in your context to get work done and done right. It's a new workday.

• 17:49Speaker 06

  Hello, this is Suzy Ruffel. And Maisie Adam. And together we host Big Kick Energy. Hey Mais, what is it? Only the best podcast ever. Yeah. A comedy entertainment podcast with a focus on all things women's football, all things hilarious, all things friendship. It's a laugh is what it is, Ruffel. Yeah, and a fair bit of gossiping too. Oh, and a lovely bit of gossip. Chow down on the gossip.

• 18:13Speaker 06

  You can listen wherever you get your podcasts, just need to search Big Kick Energy. Grab a knife and fork and tuck in, baby.

• 18:23Fearne Cotton?

  And so let's talk about how the King's Trust has helped you on your journey with confidence, certainly, but also helped you, on a very practical note, build this thriving business you've got going.

• 18:33Speaker 01

  Yeah, well, there's so many things that the King's Trust support with. It's so hard to pinpoint exactly which one because there's so many different ways that they support. But for me, it was the confidence in me, they believed in me before I believed in myself, which is empowering in and of itself.

• 18:52Fearne Cotton?

  You just need one person to go, oh no, I believe in you.

• 18:56Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 18:56Fearne Cotton?

  I believe in you.

• 18:57Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 18:58Fearne Cotton?

  It's amazing.

• 18:59Speaker 01

  And it was the King's Trust for me.

• 19:00Fearne Cotton?

  And then, so how did they help you on a practical note, go, right, you've got a bloody good idea, but how are we going to make this into an actual thing?

• 19:08Speaker 01

  The programme that I did was Enterprise and they offered practical tips like cash flow, business plans, accountancy, all the key skills that you need to set up and run a business, how to support registering with HMRC, sole trader, all of them things that are actually terrifying.

• 19:24Fearne Cotton?

  Oh my god, I hate all of it. All of it. I'm just like, la things it is, la la la. The worst.

• 19:31Speaker 01

  Yeah, terrifying.

• 19:31Fearne Cotton?

  But we need to know.

• 19:32Speaker 01

  We do, we do. And I look back on that period now and go, knowledge is power.

• 19:38Fearne Cotton?

  Yeah.

• 19:38Speaker 01

  And the change was that they gave me the knowledge so I could turn that into quite a powerful and meaningful movement for me. And so now I sit back and go, okay, I know that if I was struggling with something, trademarking for example, I can go out and reach the King's Trust and ask for advice and guidance on that. Or actually, my business plan hasn't gone the way that I thought. How can I adapt and support myself to be able to overcome these challenges that we're facing so many different ways?

• 20:09Fearne Cotton?

  You don't have to sit there worrying about it on your own. You've got that support network. It's so, it's so, so key. And then tell us about the Change Girls Life campaign that you were part of as well. What did that involve?

• 20:20Speaker 01

  Oh, crazy. That was, I was just saying earlier that I nearly pulled out of it.

• 20:25Fearne Cotton?

  Really? Why?

• 20:26Speaker 01

  Terrified, terrified.

• 20:28Fearne Cotton?

  Just because you knew it would be something different to do, pressure, just didn't know what it was?

• 20:32Speaker 01

  Well, I knew what it was, but I was like, it's just, it can't be me. And please, can you go check the name? And Lizzie, who I, who supports me on the Young Ambassador team, and Marissa, I'm like, please, can you just go back and check? Because I don't think you mean me, like.

• 20:47Fearne Cotton?

  They're like, no, no, 100% you.

• 20:50Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah. And it's like, no, it's fine. But then when you hear like the celebrities that are involved, I'm like, I'm terrified. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I don't show up in a way that I hope to show up? Or convey what I'm trying to, you know, it is about your care leavers. What if I missay something? No, I can't, I can't. And the King's Trust wrapped around me essentially to be able to go, it's okay, let's not worry about that. Let's take one step first. And that is get on the train.

• 21:18Fearne Cotton?

  Get on the train babes, get on that train.

• 21:20Speaker 01

  Get on the train and then worry about what's happening next.

• 21:23Fearne Cotton?

  Yeah.

• 21:23Speaker 01

  And then it's step by step from that. And the King's Trust are like that throughout it.

• 21:27Fearne Cotton?

  Yeah.

• 21:28Speaker 01

  So they offer support, like for today. There's just so many different opportunities to be able to support in being able to sit with someone and have them open conversations.

• 21:38Fearne Cotton?

  Yeah.

• 21:38Speaker 01

  But also to go, it's okay that it's hard because it is hard, it's not an easy thing to do.

• 21:43Fearne Cotton?

  No.

• 21:43Speaker 01

  But also everyone's rooting for you too, and we are, so.

• 21:47Fearne Cotton?

  Everyone's rooting for you. Not only that, every single person who would have been involved in that campaign, whether they were a celebrity or not, would have been feeling the same, you know. I think that's always the thing to remember, isn't it, that we can go, oh my god, I don't want to mess this up, I don't want to say the wrong thing, but everybody's thinking that. And actually, when you've got people you know you can lean on if you feel uncomfortable or out of your depth, that that safety net's there again, that you can push through and do something that would have been terrifying a couple of years ago.

• 22:15Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 22:15Fearne Cotton?

  And now you can do it.

• 22:16Speaker 01

  Yeah, even like the couple of days before that, and actually it was so empowering, like to sit now and look back on that. And I say to Lizzie, I say to everyone, that was a massive turning point for me, in my own confidence to be able to say, I don't have to share my story with shame now.

• 22:32Fearne Cotton?

  No.

• 22:33Speaker 01

  Yes, it's a part of my history, but it doesn't define what happens next. That was challenging, but this can also thrive too, both can co-occur together.

• 22:41Fearne Cotton?

  Absolutely.

• 22:42Speaker 01

  And that has been a credit to Change Girls Life campaign for the being able to sit and talk openly about my story now, and was the start of something quite powerful and significant because, wow, I'm sat here with you now being able to talk about the King's Trust.

• 22:58Fearne Cotton?

  It's so great.

• 22:59Speaker 01

  And all the amazing things that they do.

• 23:00Fearne Cotton?

  Well, and you're a King's Trust ambassador, we need to point that out as well. I mean, that must feel like a lovely badge to wear.

• 23:06Speaker 01

  Yeah, I'm so proud.

• 23:08Fearne Cotton?

  Yeah.

• 23:09Speaker 01

  We work a lot with like children's homes, with schools, and we link them directly. If we're supporting them, we always link them to the King's Trust, because I know that, yes, the support network in the village can go around them, not just us, but let's bring in other people to help these young people thrive. Yes, let's support the mental health and wellbeing, but let's also give them opportunities to succeed somewhere else. So we connect a lot with the King's Trust separately, and I'm proud to do that, because look where I am, would not be where I am today without the King's Trust and the support they offer.

• 23:38Fearne Cotton?

  That's why I love hearing these stories, because every time I've. Been at, you know, a King's Trust event and I've met young people who are doing extraordinary things, but you hear the story before that, you see how things could have been so different. Like this stuff is life changing and that, that phrase gets thrown about a lot, but this is, this is the real deal. This is life changing stuff.

• 23:59Speaker 01

  It is. And it is, it is mentioned a lot, life changing, but to go from an orphan that has no opportunities, no support network or limited, to now having a business that's thriving and we're looking for new office spaces, we're looking to expand, like that is happening for us, the connections that are happening with the schools and that's happening to me because of, of what the King's Trust has offered me, like shout it from the rooftops.

• 24:24Fearne Cotton?

  And your hard work.

• 24:26Speaker 01

  Yeah, for sure.

• 24:27Fearne Cotton?

  For sure. I'm so, I'm chuffed to bits for you, so chuffed to bits. And also recently, you won the King's Trust Regional Young Changemakers Award.

• 24:34Speaker 01

  I know.

• 24:35Fearne Cotton?

  How did that feel?

• 24:37Speaker 01

  Honestly, the, the experience from the beginning to end was phenomenal. It was back in January and we were in this space with so many other young people that have done really phenomenal things. And to sit back and hear their stories and where they've come from and the journeys that they've been on and being a part of that was really inspiring.

• 24:57Fearne Cotton?

  Did you celebrate?

• 24:58Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, my kids did. Actually, my, we had a phone call from the kids' school that my eldest put a potato up his nose.

• 25:08Fearne Cotton?

  As a reaction to the joy?

• 25:10Speaker 01

  To come with us. He was sad that he was left out.

• 25:13Fearne Cotton?

  Brilliant. What a move.

• 25:15Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 25:15Fearne Cotton?

  A potato up the nose?

• 25:16Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 25:17Fearne Cotton?

  Who knew?

• 25:17Speaker 01

  Who, who knew? Yeah, obviously it didn't work.

• 25:19Fearne Cotton?

  What a genius.

• 25:20Speaker 01

  Yeah. Yeah. When we got home, I said, oh, why did you do that? I, I wanted to be celebrating with you. Oh my God. Thanks. Much appreciated.

• 25:28Fearne Cotton?

  I like his thinking outside the box.

• 25:31Speaker 01

  But yeah, the experience for them was amazing in terms of the sponsor, um, the sponsor of my award. They were so lovely, the feedback from that. But that's the thing that I find the toughest is hearing them positive things because it's not something that I've particularly heard, well, before. And I don't necessarily believe it. So to sit and hear that they've read my story and seen that was overwhelming, joyous, but also empowering to another change.

• 25:57Fearne Cotton?

  So empowering. Well, get ready to celebrate some more because you're also the King's Trust National Young Changemaker Award winner, Shauna.

• 26:08Speaker 01

  My God.

• 26:11Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 26:14Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 26:14Fearne Cotton?

  It's so brilliant.

• 26:16Speaker 01

  Oh my god.

• 26:21Fearne Cotton?

  I'm so chuffed for you.

• 26:23Speaker 01

  Fearne.

• 26:24Fearne Cotton?

  Shauna.

• 26:25Speaker 01

  What?

• 26:26Fearne Cotton?

  What?

• 26:29Fearne Cotton?

  It's the best. You better get a nice dress ready because we're going to the awards and you've won it.

• 26:39Speaker 01

  Oh my tears. Well, you'll be there too.

• 26:41Fearne Cotton?

  I'm there, babe.

• 26:42Speaker 01

  Oh my gosh.

• 26:43Fearne Cotton?

  I'm picking out a frock. We're going. We're going.

• 26:46Speaker 01

  No way.

• 26:47Fearne Cotton?

  Yes way. Yes way.

• 26:52Fearne Cotton?

  You've just got to let it sink in. Got to let it sink in.

• 26:55Speaker 01

  And what, oh my, Fearne.

• 26:58Fearne Cotton?

  I was so nervous to say it. I was like, oh my god, it's so nerve wracking. I'm so chuffed for you. It is so deserved. Everything you're doing, everything you've achieved, all the adversity you've overcome. You are such a deserving winner.

• 27:15Speaker 01

  I'm speechless.

• 27:18Speaker 01

  Um, but honestly, I also think from, to come from where I am to now, but also for, to for the play therapy community, for the creative arts. If it means that somebody even connects with someone locally to them, the power that it could change for them, for anyone, like, what, what?

• 27:37Fearne Cotton?

  Yeah, you're putting that message out there. You're, you're getting that, you're getting the word out. It's so amazing. It's so amazing. I'm so chuffed for you. So chuffed.

• 27:46Speaker 01

  Let's go celebrate.

• 27:47Fearne Cotton?

  Yes.

• 27:49Speaker 01

  Oh my god.

• 27:52Speaker 01

  I think I need a tissue.

• 27:54Fearne Cotton?

  Bloody hell, Shauna, I tell you what, moments like that are the best part of my job. The team here were in tears being part of that with Shauna too. I sort of couldn't recover for ages. We had to have a hug for about 10 minutes. I'm just. Over the bloody moon for Shauna. I'm over the moon and I cannot wait to be at the big awards ceremony cheering Shauna on in person. It's gonna be so good. If you'd like to support the work of the King's Trust or know someone who might be in need of their support, or you're interested in finding out more about any of the free courses they have to offer, do visit their website, kingstrust.org.uk. Now, are you following us on Instagram?

• 28:35Fearne Cotton?

  We're at Happy Place Official and that's the place to share your own stories and be inspired by loads of other really cool people too. Hey, thank you so much again to the bloody fantastic Shauna, the champion, to the producer, Anushka Tate at Happy Place Studios, and to you, I love you. You're all champs.

• 29:24Speaker 03

  Hey, we're Nick and Jack, hosts of The Best One Yet. Behind every episode, there's research, emails, spreadsheets, and our shared Google Doc, the headline hammer. With Google Workspace with Gemini, Google's AI is built right into the premium versions of tools we already use, like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets. No new tools or extra logins, just personalized AI for the way we work. That means less time on the work around the work and more time finding the stories worth talking about. Get AI tools for work. Upgrade to Google Workspace with Gemini at go.o.gle/workspacewithGemini. That's go.o.gle/workspacewithGemini.

• 29:57Speaker 02

  Guessing is for game shows, not your business. Workday is the enterprise AI platform for HR, finance and IT. With AI grounded in your context to get work done and done right. It's a new workday.

• 30:11Speaker 07

  At Humana, our Medicare Advantage plans are easy to understand and easy on your wallet. Like offering more benefits than you'd get from original Medicare alone. And including dental, vision and hearing coverage in every plan. And the best part is, every plan has a $0 or low monthly plan premium, which makes it easier to save too. So this Medicare planning season, plan well with Humana. Learn more at gethumana.com. Humana is a Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on contract renewal.

• 30:43Speaker 04

  Hello, I'm Joanna Fletcher.

• 30:45Speaker 05

  And I'm Marco Burchella.

• 30:46Speaker 04

  And this is Boots Off.

• 30:49Speaker 05

  We are friends who have spent a decade together, walking up mountains, across deserts and along coastlines with some seriously awesome groups of humans.

• 30:58Speaker 04

  And something happens when you're out there, feet on the ground, surrounded by nature. The conversations just spill out of you.

• 31:04Speaker 05

  This series is about the adversities that lead to adventure.

• 31:07Speaker 04

  The adventures that lead to adversity.

• 31:09Speaker 05

  And how life can be one big adventure in itself.

• 31:12Speaker 04

  Listen every Thursday. Just search for Boots Off.