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 13: Gambling Addiction, Shame & Feeling Good Enough – Joel Bild

This episode discusses gambling addiction, shame, co-dependency, self-esteem and masculinity.

This episode of A Bunch of Therapists is proudly sponsored by The Awareness Centre Training School. If you’ve ever thought about becoming a therapist or are looking to enhance your clinical skills, TAC Training School offers a complete, supportive pathway into the profession. From foundation-level counselling courses to their BACP-accredited Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Diploma in Clinical Supervision, their programmes are led by expert tutors and designed to help you grow into a confident, ethical and skilled practitioner. To find out more, visit www.tactrainingschool.com and take the next step in your therapy journey.

Join us for a fascinating and refreshingly honest conversation with therapist and coach Joel Bild as he shares his journey from a teenage gambling addiction that spiralled out of control, to finding his way through years of self-exploration and ultimately training as a therapist.

This compelling discussion explores the shame and co-dependency that can underpin addiction, and why that elusive sense of “feeling good enough” is so central to our wellbeing.

In this compelling episode, Joel openly shares:

  • His first encounters with gambling during his school years
  • Spending his bus money on fruit machines and the gradual pull of addiction
  • His family recognised the problem and referred him to therapy in his teens<
  • The addiction spiralled out of control by the time he reached university
  • The long and non-linear journey of overcoming addiction through self-exploration
  • Waiting until he felt “grown up enough” to train as a therapist
  • Working with clients on confidence, self-esteem and addiction
  • His thoughts on co-dependency and the role it plays in addictive behaviours
  • Unpacking shame and how it keeps people stuck
  • Exploring masculinity and vulnerability
  • The search for that elusive feeling of being “good enough”

This essential conversation offers valuable insights for anyone navigating addiction, struggling with shame, or on their own journey towards self-worth and confidence.

Key topics discussed:

  • Gambling addiction and how it can take hold from a young age
  • The role of shame in addiction and recovery
  • Co-dependency and its connection to addictive behaviour
  • Family intervention and the introduction to therapy
  • The long road of self-exploration and personal growth
  • Masculinity, vulnerability and emotional honesty
  • Confidence and self-esteem in recovery
  • Feeling “good enough”: what it means and why it matters
  • Using lived experience to inform therapeutic practice
  • Working with clients on addiction and self-worth

Learn more about Joel Bild.

Subscribe, listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts

More from A Bunch of Therapists

YOUR HOSTS

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.