A BBC radio collection exploring the history, philosophy and science of self-help

The Examined Mind

This collection brings together history, science, philosophy and comedy to explore our age-old search for meaning. We live in an age of self-improvement and self-examination - lifehacking, wellbeing, self-care, mindfulness retreats - but this seemingly very modern phenomenon is a pursuit that dates back for millennia. 
 
Join comedian Robin Ince to explore how the ancient Greeks aimed to get happier, healthier and richer. 
Will Self asks some of Britain's key scientists, philosophers and faith leaders to share their conclusions on the meaning of our existence. 
Historian Kate Williams investigates the Grandfather of Self-Help, Samuel Smiles' 1859 book Self Help, and its lasting influence. 
In 'Hell is Other People', performer Byron Vincent attempts to overcome his paralysing fear of social situations. 
Emma Barnett traces the multi-billion dollar mindfulness industry to its Buddhist roots to discover whether it's just another health fad. 
Comedian Felicity Ward tries to solve her mental health issues, one app at a time. 
Sian Williams presents a practical guide to boosting brain power through exercise, relaxation, stimulation, sleep and diet. 
 
From the ancient Greeks to the present day and even into the future, The Examined Mind provides an unique insight into our constant quest to be better people.

Emma Barnett

This book is absolutely excellent. I loved every word

I can remember before I had a baby, wondering and wondering what it would feel like to be a mother and have a baby. Maternity Service is a companion for mothers and mothers to be who would like a bit of realistic insight into what it might be like. This lovely book will keep many a new mother company through some of the inevitable long nights of early parenting.

‘Reassuring, funny and wise … A very welcome life raft’

Women need to be prepared for motherhood, in body and in soul, and I hope Emma’s book will inspire mothers to talk about their "maternity service"

Naomi Stadlen, author of What Mothers Do – especially when it looks like nothing

This is the book every woman should read before they take maternity leave. 
It explains how to navigate this magical but topsy turvy time in a woman’s life -whilst still retaining some sense of self-identity

An absolute jewel of a book. Kind, funny, smart, soothing, and radical. I wish I'd had this book in my early matrescence. Emma writes so beautifully and sensitively from the oft-forgotten inside of the tender, wild months of early motherhood, and gives reassuring and practical suggestions. This book is a hot cup of tea, a steadying hand on an arm, a baton passed with care and compassion. And the correct naming of maternity "leave" as a period of service is so sorely needed; Emma has given us a new framing which rightly acknowledges the work and true nature of care-giving. I inhaled it. A true gift for mothers, and an act of service in itself. This book will change lives.

When Emma turns her forensic gaze onto a subject, that subject should be very afraid.  She is stepping out onto virgin soil here and busting it open in the most comprehensive of ways … Attitudes towards Maternity Leave should and will never be the same again. And the first thing that needs to change is its ridiculous name

Maternity leave is a no man's land. Often literally. Weirdly so little has been written about it - probably because new mothers are too knackered and dazed. Emma has managed to capture this very strange but magical time and make some sense of it for us all

Reading Maternity Leave left me smiling and damp eyed. It was the missives from the frontline that I didn’t know I needed. My kids are grown. I wish it had been around when they were babies. It’s a tender, honest 'love bomb’ of a read, puncturing the loneliness of motherhood with brilliant lived experience of those early years when you are up at the 3am witching hour figuring out the parts of motherhood no one tells you about. I’m giving it to every new mother (and old) that I know.

Abi Morgan, author of This is Not a Pity Memoir

Emma Barnett is the David Attenborough of the maternity leave world; her writing is as reassuring as her voice is on the radio. Reading this made me want to weep with relief for the woman I was in those early months - this book should go alongside the breast pads and maternity pants in every hospital bag

Wise, compassionate, funny and honest, Maternity Service is a wonderfully sisterly guide to an often-misunderstood time. An essential companion for the overwhelming days of new motherhood.

Maternity Service is like a very honest, reassuring and lucid friend throwing their arm around you and telling it like it is, so you can enter this wilderness armed with self-knowledge, compassion and a sense of humour about the hard bits. The handbook women everywhere have been waiting for

A caring, funny, real book that holds your hand when you are holding everyone else’s in perfect nap time chunks. I wish I’d had it when I was in the service. Next time I’ll know where to go

After the birth of her second child, BBC Radio 4 broadcaster Emma Barnett set out to candidly and compassionately chronicle the reality of maternity leave in real time, hoping to capture the rollercoaster ups and downs of this unique time in a parent’s life, and how it can impact a woman’s sense of identity and purpose

Independent – The best books to look out for in 2025

A Love Letter to Mothers from the Front Line of Maternity Leave

The essential companion for every mother embarking on maternity leave 
 
'In one important sense maternity leave is poorly named, as it involves no actual leave. You are constantly on, even when your offspring is having a nap. There is nothing restful about it. In another sense maternity leave is aptly named, because it’s a period of leave from all you know: taking leave of one’s mind, body, job, and relationships' 
 
When Emma Barnett began her second maternity leave, she realized that, despite having been there before, as soon as her first leave finished the rose-tinted lenses had descended and she immediately forgot what the experience was actually like when you’re in it. This collective forgetting, which leads to well-meaning comments such as ‘enjoy every minute’ and ‘treasure this special time’, is doing a disservice to women, leaving them unprepared for the more complicated reality of what it means to be on maternity service. 
 
In this warmly reassuring, refreshingly honest book, Emma sets out to capture this reality, in real time while on her latest tour of duty. She isn’t offering advice on sleep-training or weaning or helping your baby reach milestones. Instead, this book is a celebration and acknowledgement of the work of being on maternity leave, with its soaring highs and challenging lows, and its impact on how women feel about our purpose and ourselves.

Emma Barnett

Praise for Maternity Service

This book is absolutely excellent. I loved every word

I can remember before I had a baby, wondering and wondering what it would feel like to be a mother and have a baby. Maternity Service is a companion for mothers and mothers to be who would like a bit of reali ...

‘Reassuring, funny and wise … A very welcome life raft’

This book is absolutely excellent. I loved every word

I can remember before I had a baby, wondering and wondering what it would feel like to be a mother and have a baby. Maternity Service is a companion for mothers and mothers to be who would like a bit of reali ...

‘Reassuring, funny and wise … A very welcome life raft’

This book is absolutely excellent. I loved every word

I can remember before I had a baby, wondering and wondering what it would feel like to be a mother and have a baby. Maternity Service is a companion for mothers and mothers to be who would like a bit of reali ...

‘Reassuring, funny and wise … A very welcome life raft’

Books by Emma Barnett

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