A Bunch of Therapists Podcast

A Bunch of Therapists Podcast goes behind the doors of the therapy room, turning candid conversations with fellow therapists into powerful revelations about the human experience - from both sides of the couch.

Hosted by our CEO, Michaela McCarthy, and Dipti Solanki, each episode shares insightful and sometimes unexpected stories from people who’ve experienced counselling and psychotherapy – and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Whether you’re in therapy, considering it, or simply curious about how it works, this podcast offers real insight into the therapeutic journey – what it feels like, why it matters, and how it can change lives.

New episodes every other Thursday. Listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts.

The Awareness Centre

The A Bunch of Therapists podcast is sponsored by The Awareness Centre & The Awareness Centre Training School.

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Season 2, Episode 6: The Footballer Who Became a Therapist – Anthony Bedward

This episode discusses supporting survivors of sexual abuse, undiagnosed dyslexia, overcoming adversity, football, youth work, and vulnerability.

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Humanistic Integrative Psychotherapist Anthony Bedward. Once a promising footballer, Anthony’s journey took a dramatic turn after an injury forced him to leave the sport behind. Facing undiagnosed dyslexia and leaving school unable to read or write, he went on to build a career as a youth worker and mentor before finding his calling in therapy. Anthony shares the emotional and financial challenges of training as a counsellor, the struggle with vulnerability, especially for young Black men, and his dedication to supporting survivors of sexual abuse and promoting emotional literacy.

In this compelling episode, Anthony openly shares:

  • Growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia and leaving school without qualifications
  • His early promise as a footballer and the impact of injury
  • Building a career as a youth worker and mentor
  • Facing redundancy and choosing a new path in counselling
  • Overcoming emotional and financial barriers as a student therapist
  • The challenge of vulnerability for young Black men
  • His work supporting survivors of sexual abuse
  • Advocating for emotional literacy in young men

This essential conversation offers valuable insights for anyone overcoming adversity, navigating career changes, or interested in the importance of vulnerability and emotional support.

Key Topics Discussed:

  • The impact of undiagnosed learning difficulties
  • Football, identity, and life after sport
  • Youth work as a foundation for therapeutic practice
  • Navigating redundancy and career transition
  • Barriers to training as a therapist
  • Emotional literacy and vulnerability in men
  • Supporting survivors of sexual abuse
  • Advocacy and private practice

Learn more about Anthony Bedward.

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More from A Bunch of Therapists

Your hosts

Therapy in Marylebone with Michaela McCarthy

Michaela McCarthy

Michaela McCarthy is a psychotherapist, entrepreneur, and the creator and host of A Bunch of Therapists podcast. Born into a working-class Irish immigrant family, Michaela was exposed early to the realities of mental illness and addiction within her own home. Her personal experiences, including witnessing her mother’s psychiatric hospitalisation and her father’s struggle with alcoholism, shaped a deep commitment to understanding the human psyche.

Feeling different from a young age and struggling with her own issues, Michaela embarked on a long and transformative journey towards self-discovery, healing, and belonging. Years of personal therapy led her to train as a counsellor, psychotherapist, psychosexual & relationship therapist and clinical supervisor. Her mission has always been clear: to support others in navigating their own paths, allowing space to explore, heal and grow.

Michaela is the founder and CEO of The Awareness Centre, The Awareness Centre Training School, and Michaela McCarthy & Associates. Through these platforms, and now her podcast, she brings together insight, empathy, and unfiltered conversations to de-stigmatise therapy and empower others.

Grounded in lived experience and professional expertise, Michaela describes herself as a “person of knowing” who approaches life with honesty, grit, and a passion for connection.

Dipti Solanki

Dipti Solanki

Dipti Solanki is a therapist, grief coach, and founder of Grief Matters 4 All CIC, with 19 years of experience supporting people through life’s transition and emotional crossroads. Whether that’s loss, identity shifts, emotional overwhelm, or navigating complex relationships. Her work sits at the meeting point of therapy and coaching, helping people feel seen, supported, and reconnected to their own sense of self, even in the most difficult seasons.

Dipti brings a unique depth to her work, blending the insight of therapy with the action-oriented clarity of coaching. Whether she’s holding space one-to-one, facilitating group work, training organisations on grief and wellbeing, or speaking to larger audiences, her approach is grounded, inclusive, and always real.

She’s been featured in a range of media, including a BBC documentary ‘Living with Loss’, BBC London Radio, The Independent, The Observer, and OK! Magazine, and is the creator of ‘Grief, Heartbreak and Hope – There’s So Much More to Say’ a guided journal designed to help people gently process and make space for their grief after losing a loved one.

Dipti is passionate about creating emotionally honest spaces. She works at the intersection of emotional wellbeing, compassion, and cultural sensitivity, with a deep commitment to making mental and emotional support feel accessible and human.

On this podcast, Dipti brings all of that and more: therapist, coach, speaker, and human – offering honest, heart-led conversations about therapy, life, healing, and what it means to grow through the things that shape us.