On The Mend

SOLO EPISODE: On Love

Listen on

Episode notes

This week, Matt is opening up about a topic that makes many of us uncomfortable… love!
Matt and his wife, broadcaster Emma Willis, have been going strong for 20 years. They’ve been through high, lows and all sorts of addiction-related battles. If anything, they’ve come out of the other side stronger.
Since Matt and Emma began hosting the UK Series of Love Is Blind, the pair have been asked the same question by countless people: what’s the secret to their happy marriage?
If you want the honest, raw answer, then listen up. Matt has thought long and hard about this, and today he’s sharing his secret to a long-lasting, successful relationship. He’s also stepping out of his comfort zone to shed truth on the long, often tricky, journey he’s been on to learn to love himself.
Love Is Blind UK is out now on Netflix.
If you’ve been watching already, let Matt know if you’re enjoying!
(0:00) Intro
(0:16) Daily gratitude
(3:16) Using Journal app to document growth
(4:03) Struggling with daily affirmations
(5:00) Talking about love
(5:43) Matt never believed in love as a kid
(6:53) What’s the secret to Matt and Emma’s relationship?
(7:54) What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger
(8:29) The people you love will change
(9:55) Relationships are not 50:50
(11:13) You can’t love while you’re dealing with addiction
(12:20) The route of a strong relationship is honesty
(17:13) Relationships are never perfect
(17:39) Learning to love yourself
(19:38) Treat yourself how you treat others
(20:15) How therapy has unlocked self-love
(24:02) Being at peace with your past self
(25:23) Reacting to triggers
(25:56) Lessons from elderly people (what’s important about life?)
(27:08) Lessons from Johann Hari (the opposite of addiction is connection)
(29:00) How does Matt feel today?
(29:23) Outro
Related links:
Johann Hari’s Ted Talk: Everything You Know About Addiction Is Wrong Chasing The Scream by Johann Hari