Ruby Wax: What Interviewing Murderers And Presidents Taught Me About Gut Instinct

This week I'm joined by Ruby Wax, comedian, author and mental health advocate, and someone who has spent her life turning the most painful human experiences into something that makes us feel less alone.We explore depression, mindfulness and what it really means to understand your own mind, not just survive it, but actually work with it.Ruby Wax is an Emmy Award-winning writer and performer who studied neuroscience at Oxford University and went on to write the bestselling books Sane New World and A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled. Ruby founded Frazzled Café, a peer support community for people who feel overwhelmed by modern life, and has performed sell-out shows across the world on mental health. She knows what depression looks like from the inside and she has the Oxford degree to explain whyWhat we explore together:*Why depression isn't about sadness and what it actually feels like from the inside*What mindfulness does to your brain, and why Ruby had to go to Oxford before she believed it*Why your thoughts are not you and how to create distance from the ones trying to destroy you*What happens when you stop fighting depression and let it pass instead*Why self compassion isn't weak or gushy — it's biological necessity*The moment Bill Cosby humiliated Ruby on camera, and what she would do differently now*Why Ruby feels safest in a mental institution and what that tells us about belongingLove, Sarah Ann 💛My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5This episode is sponsored by:NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today👉 15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/The Great British Veg OutHow to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/t…Reset Your HealthIf your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/r...👉 Practical beats perfect. Here's a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who read The Compassionate Cure each week.https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/Let's be friends!📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin/📹 Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/Chapters00:01 — Introduction03:05 — Ruby's childhood and what shaped her05:54 — How Ruby found her voice through comedy08:49 — Being outed by Comic Relief11:49 — What depression actually feels like from the inside14:59 — The neuroscience behind mental illness17:57 — How Ruby used her illness publicly to help others21:08 — The machine guns — living with intrusive thoughts24:04 — How mindfulness creates distance from your thoughts26:49 — What happens when depression takes over completely29:52 — Why Ruby checks into a hotel instead of fighting it32:59 — Performing in mental institutions for two years35:55 — What mindfulness does to your brain — the science39:04 — How to actually practise mindfulness anywhere42:00 — Jon Kabat-Zinn and the origins of mindfulness44:58 — Ruby's modelling career and finding what she was good at47:58 — Why self compassion feels cringeworthy — and why it shouldn't50:51 — The difference between mindfulness and meditation54:01 — Ruby on relationships and what she looks for57:01 — The OJ Simpson interview60:04 — What it means to feel truly safe62:59 — How Ruby met her husband66:02 — Family history and what gets passed down69:01 — Why Ruby feels at home in a mental institution72:00 — How to observe your thoughts like clouds75:02 — Ruby's upcoming tour78:00 — The mania perfume idea80:55 — Final thoughts on living well