Cathy Tyson: Misery, Isolation, Shame To Finding Joy & Winning a BAFTA! School of Rock Bottom 17

[TW//Divorce, anxiety, depression] Today I welcome acting royalty - the incredible BAFTA award-winning Cathy Tyson! Following the breakdown of her marriage in her 20s, Cathy suffered from anxiety and her self-esteem plummeted. She branded herself a 'failure' which resulted in bouts of extreme misery, loneliness, isolation, the breakdown of relationships and feelings of shame which lasted years. Cathy strongly felt (back then) that admitting her struggles would be more evidence that she was a 'failure'. She kept throwing herself into acting roles to distract herself from her declining mental health which only got worse with time. Over 20 years ago, she reached out for help, community and therapy and so found great happiness, joy and peace of mind. A huge thank you for sharing in great detail what you learned in your dark years to bring anyone struggling back into the light! Cathy also shares the struggles of coming up in the 1980s and beyond as a black actress - many years before diversity and inclusion was taken seriously by the industry. And what a career she is having!... Cathy has worked on a broad range of projects for screen and stage. Her performance as Polly in Help (Channel 4) was recognised last year when she won the BAFTA for ‘Supporting Actress’. Other television work includes Maternal (ITV), The Canterville Ghost (BBC) and Band of Gold (ITV). Upcoming television projects include Kaos (Netflix), Criminal Record (AppleTV+), Death in Paradise (BBC) and Boiling Point (BBC). Cathy’s break-out performance as Simone in Mona Lisa earned her multiple nominations (Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress; Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress and BAFTA nomination for Best Actress). She can be seen playing Maureen in the recent Netflix feature Bank of Dave, and will be playing Sam in Luna Carmoon’s upcoming debut feature Hoard. For stage, Cathy has performed across the UK in a variety of productions. Recent credits include Rockets & Blue Lights (National Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange); My Beautiful Laundrette (Leicester Curve) and Talking Heads (Octagon Theatre Bolton). Topics - 0:00 Intro 3:10 Cathy's first rock bottom 8:25 Seeking help, acceptance & making amends 13:45 Isolation, rumination & loneliness 18:00 The pain of divorce 21:15 Using work as a distraction and for self-esteem 26:30 Protecting your body and mind in the performing arts industry 32:45 Trying to be true to yourself 34:40 Worrying about what other people think 39:40 Do you have to suffer for your art? 41:22 How does Cathy remain happy? 46:41 Diversity & Inclusion 55:25 Self honesty & worry This Podcast is not for profit but my goal is to break even. To help me make more please donate here. Thank you! https://bit.ly/3kSucAs Follow Cathy Instagram - https://instagram.com/cathytyson1 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cathy.tyson.10 Twitter - https://twitter.com/CathyElizaTyson Brown Girl Films - https://www.cathytyson.com Follow Oliver Instagram - https://bit.ly/3IemHLY Twitter - http://bit.ly/3GQYj2l Facebook - http://bit.ly/3w8S1Gx LinkedIn - http://bit.ly/3kp4ymC TikTok - https://bit.ly/3YGLsYm Listen or watch on: Spotify - https://bit.ly/3L9S2ll YouTube - https://bit.ly/3Z43V1S Apple - https://apple.co/3PajZvQ or search 'School of Rock Bottom' where you listen to your podcasts.