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Hello, I'm Gemma and welcome to Good Influence. This is the podcast where each week you and I

meet a guest who'll help us pay attention to something we should know about as well as answer

some of your questions. This week we're talking about self-belief. Being put in boxes we didn't

ask for, self-help books and how we access them in different ways, and how hashtag bekind also

needs to apply to yourself. So joining me this week is Laura Whitmore.

Laura is a TV and radio presenter, actress and writer. This episode was recorded in lockdown back

at the beginning of 2021 before Laura went on maternity leave. She is of course now back and

currently on our TV's presenting season 7 of Love Island. I spoke to Laura ahead of the release

of her debut book titled No One Can Change Your Life Except For You, which quickly became a Sunday

Times bestseller and is now out in the world and available for you to read.

The worst things that people say to each other can't be as bad as what we say to ourselves,

like I'm like whatever comments I've ever had online, I'm like I've said worse things to myself,

I can't never be as bad as that and I think if we can't even be a little bit nicer to ourselves,

like how do we expect other people to? So I'm gonna start by asking you about your new book,

of course. So I guess begin with just how did you come to write a book about this kind of theme

of sort of self-belief? Like is it, would you say that's something that's been a strong theme

for you throughout your life anyway? It's something I've definitely had to get better at.

And it's strange because basically the book idea has been on the table for like a few years now.

...