Ed Stott & The Big Life Questions – Details, episodes & analysis

Thinking about quitting, but not sure if you'll regret it? This episode will help you work out whether it's time to leave, or if there's still something worth holding onto.

We've all been there: lying awake at night, weighing the costs of staying against the risks of walking away. Do you push through and hope it gets better, or cut your losses before you waste more time?

In this episode, I've brought together Ash Ambirge, Julia Keller, Simone Stolzoff and Monique Ross to help you figure it out.

We'll explore the hidden traps that keep us stuck, the real benefits of quitting, and the surprising strategies that can make staying a lot better than it feels right now. Plus at the end, I'll give you five questions that can bring your answer into focus, fast.

💡 You'll learn:

• When grit and perseverance become harmful

• Why the sunk cost fallacy makes quitting so hard

• How to spot your own version of a "good enough job"

• Simple shifts to make your current role work better

• Why sometimes the smartest move isn't quitting or sticking — but something in between

📖 Chapters
00:00 – Should I quit my job?
03:40 – Ash Ambirge: quitting as growth
11:20 – Julia Keller: rebranding quitting
20:00 – The sunk cost fallacy
26:30 – Simone Stolzoff: the "good enough job"
34:10 – Monique Ross on job crafting
40:00 – The secret third option: quasi-quitting
42:00 – Five questions to guide your decision

🔗 Helpful Links

• Confused Math Lady Meme

• Ash Ambirge's The Middle Finger Project

• Julia Keller's Quitting: A Life Strategy

• Simone Stolzoff's The Good Enough Job

• Monique Ross' This Working Life

📬 Get in touch
Email me at: biglifequestions @ edstott.com

What if everything you've been told about baby sleep is wrong and the real solution is already built into your baby's biology?

Dr. Pam Douglas is the founder of the Possums Sleep Program, a science-backed, sanity-saving alternative to traditional sleep training.

In this myth-busting episode, she shares where so many of the things we think we know about sleep come from, why they often create sleep problems instead of solving them & how understanding your baby's biology can change everything.

💡 You'll learn:

• Why "normal" baby sleep is wildly different than what you've been told

• The two regulators that actually control sleep — and how to work with them

• How common sleep advice is probably setting your family up to fail

• Why "wake windows," dark rooms and early bedtimes can backfire

• The surprising truth about overstimulation, routines, and melatonin

📖 Chapter Timestamps:
00:00 – Peeking out of the trenches of year one
01:50 – Why sleep is one of the most distorted parenting topics
04:30 – How outdated health advice causes unnecessary distress
08:00 – What the research really says about night waking
11:25 – The myth of sleep training as "evidence-based"
14:30 – The massive range of biologically normal sleep
17:00 – Why wake windows don't make sense
22:00 – The two real sleep regulators and how to use them
29:00 – Do you really need a consistent nap routine?
35:00 – Why stimulation at bedtime is a good thing
41:00 – Forget bedtime — it's wake time that matters
46:00 – How to reduce early rising
51:00 – Transitioning away from co-sleeping (gently)
54:00 – What Dr. Pam most wants you to know

🔗 Helpful Links:
Dr. Pam's Book, The Discontented Little Baby Book
Possums Sleep Program
Find a Possums-accredited practitioner

💌 Related episodes:
5 Helpful Things I Learned in My First Year of Motherhood

📺 Watch & Subscribe:
Watch this episode on YouTube
Subscribe on Substack

📬 Get in touch:
Say hi or suggest a guest: thatshelpful @ edstott.com
Follow That's Helpful on Instagram

If you're pregnant or have a new baby - I have some GAME-CHANGERS for you!!

I'm coming up on my first year of being a mum and I've learnt so much.

In this episode, I've whittled down a year's worth of blood, sweat and tears in to my 6 essentials - there's a couple of reccomendations & a few pieces of wisdom in there that I know you'll find truly helpful.

Yours helpfully,

Ed x

PODCASTS
Hypnobirthing 101: Simple Tools to Make Your Birth Better
Make Your Intuition Your Super Power with Prof Joel Pearson

BOOKS
Hypnobirthing: Practical Ways to Make Your Birth Better
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

PROGRAMS
Possums Sleep Program

CONNECT WITH ME
Connect with ⁠That's Helpful on Instagram.
Find me on Substack & Youtube.

This episode discusses: motherhood, hypnobirthing, baby sleep, new mom tips, new mum tips, motherhood journey, parenting advice, intuition in parenting, motherhood challenges, personal growth, motherhood insights

Stefanie Sword Williams says the difference between the hard workers who succeed & the ones who don't is self promotion.

But if the idea of networking makes you cringe, taking compliments is excruciating & your inner critic shouts you down before you can even remember your password for LinkedIn, how do you start to self-promote?

Stefanie is the author of Fuck Being Humble: Why Self-Promotion Isn't a Dirty Word, she runs an organisation by the same name & has made it her mission to convince you that celebrating yourself is the key to unlocking your dream life.

If you enjoyed this episode, you should absolutely listen to this one with time management wizard Kate Christie on how to plan your life list (& why it's 9000x better than a bucket-list!).

CONNECT WITH US
Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram.
Find Stefanie on Instagram or via her website.

BOOK
Fuck Being Humble

Got an episode suggestion or feedback for me? Email me - edwina@edstott.com

If you've been listening to the podcast for a little bit now, you'll know I'm all about finding new ways of working, dreaming big & making it happen. The TRICKIEST part of this though, can be figuring out WHAT you want to do.

There are few people as qualified to talk on this as today's guest.

She is a podcaster, business owner, DJ, best-selling author & presenter known as FlexMami.

She's written all about how she made this incredible career happen in her book The Success Experiment & that's the topic of today's conversation.

If you love this chat (I know you will), you should really listen to this episode on why 'success' isn't making you happy & what will.

CONNECT WITH US
Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram.
Find Flex on Instagram or via her website.

BOOK
The Success Experiment

Got an episode suggestion or feedback for me? Email me - ed@edwinastott.com

TRIGGER WARNING: This conversation very briefly touches on eating disorders.

How can we raise young women who like themselves in a culture that tells them not to?

Kasey Edwards is the mother of two & the Co-Author of Raising Girls Who Like Themselves, which she wrote with her husband Dr Christopher Scanlon.

They spent 10 years researching & speaking with the experts to figure out the non-negotiables when it comes to raising girls with self esteem & confidence.

In this episode, Kasey shares the 7 key qualities that enable girls to thrive PLUS how to apply these effective strategies to your own life to re-parent yourself & boost your own self esteem.

If you enjoy this ep, you should also check out The Fun Habit: How to Prioritise Fun & Transform Your Life & What Boundaries Are & How to Set Them Without Feeling Guilty.

CONNECT WITH US
Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram.
Find Kate on Instagram, Facebook & via her website.

BOOK
Raising Girls Who Like Themselves

Got an episode suggestion or feedback for me? Email me - ed@edwinastott.com

Sometimes climate guilt & grief can be overwhelming. But, as well as not feeling very nice, overwhelm is a fairly useless state to be in. So how do we manage these very scary & real emotions & turn them into something positive?

My guest today is Dr Beth Hill. She's a program development coordinator at Psychology for Safe Climate - they're a not for profit whose sole purpose is helping people with this exact dilemma.

If you enjoy this episode & know you'll find this one with Ethically Kate super helpful too: 3 Simple Shifts to Live a More Sustainable & Fulfilling Life.

CONNECT WITH US
Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram.
Find Psychology for Safe Climate via their website.

LINKS
Find out more about Climate Cafes running in August & September.
Become a Climate Cafe Facilitator
PSC's Climate Journey Stream

Got an episode suggestion or feedback for me? Email me - ed@edwinastott.com

If you feel like there's always something else to do, you're never doing enough & your time is slipping through your hands no matter how much you try to control it this episode is for you.

Madeleine Dore spent 5 years searching for the secret to productivity only to wind up writing a book exposing our obsession with doing more.

In this episode she dismantles hustle culture & shares some better ways of working that can help us re-evaluate our relationship with productivity.

If you enjoyed this episode, I know you're going to love this one with time management wizard Kate Christie on how to find an extra 30 hours a month!

CONNECT WITH US
Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram.
Find Madeleine on Instagram & via her website.

BOOKS
I Didn't Do The Thing Today

Got an episode suggestion or feedback for me? Email me - edwina@edstott.com

Our periods are often thought of as being a right old pain - both literally & metaphorically.

BUT, are we missing out on an opportunity by just letting them roll on by each month WITHOUT making the most of the hormonal cycle that comes with them?

Lucy Peach says yes, absolutely & that our menstrual cycles can be our superpower if we just learn to let them.

Lucy is the creator of award winning theater show My Greatest Period Ever, author of Period Queen & she's the host of a podcast by the same name. 

Today, she's going to teach us how to hack the different phases of our menstrual cycle for maximum joy, creativity & ultimate self care.

If you enjoy this episode, you'll also love this one with Dr Stacy Sims on how to make your cycle your workout's secret weapn.

CONNECT WITH US
Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram.
Find Lucy on Instagram & via her website.

COURSES
Lucy's Believe Your Body Course is now open for September 2023 enrollments. 

BOOKS
Period Queen

Got an episode suggestion or feedback for me? Email me - ed@edwinastott.com

If you've tried to practice mindfulness only to end up frustrated or falling asleep mid-meditation you'll know how hard it is to develop a mindful practice that you'll actually stick to. but there are some real benefits to perfecting this practice. The good news is that there are some simple & fun ways of adding it to you daily routine.

To understand why mindfulness is so powerful & what's going on in our brains when we practice it PLUS build a mindfulness practice that is both sustainable & enjoyable, I've called in the help of a neuroscientist who works with some of the country's most successful sports teams & has even had his work featured by Oprah.

Dr Stan Rodski is the author of The Neuroscience of Mindfulness.

CONNECT WITH US
Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram.
Find Stan on Instagram & via his website.

BOOKS
The Neuroscience of Excellent Sleep
The Neuroscience of Mindfulness
Mindwaves Calming Colouring Peaceful

Got an episode suggestion or feedback for me? Email me - ed@edwinastott.com