The Life Of Bryony - The Life of You – Donna Ashworth on the Power of Kindness, Creatures & Calm

Episode Date: October 17, 2025

Donna Ashworth is back in the studio with me – her last visit was unforgettable, and today she’s lifting the lid on the three things she simply can’t imagine life without. Donna’s uplifting spirit fills every part of this conversation, whether she’s recounting unique companions, cherished moments at home, or practices that help her reset and refocus. If her last episode left you inspired, this one will deepen your admiration even more. Stay tuned for a nourishing chat that might just prompt you to consider what your own essentials are – and don’t forget to message me on Instagram or leave a review with your favourite moments from Donna’s return. Look after yourself, and see you next time!BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODEDonna’s new book, “Joy Chose You”, is available to buy now.WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOUGot something to share? Text or send a voice note on 07796657512 – just start your message with LOB.Use the WhatsApp shortcut: https://wa.me/447796657512?text=LOBPrefer email? Drop me a line at [e-mail] this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – p it really helps! Bryony xxCREDITS:Host: Bryony GordonGuest: Donna AshworthProducer: Laura Elwood-CraigAssistant Producer: Tippi WillardStudio Manager: Sam ChisholmEditor: Luke ShelleyExec Producer: Jamie East  A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, lovely people, and welcome to the bonus edition of The Life of Briney, the Life of You. Today, Donna Ashworth is lifting the lid on her absolute essentials. The three things she simply couldn't imagine going without. Kindness must come through you first. If you're projecting kindness out into the world and you're not standing in it as it comes out, it's not as helpful as you think that it is. If you're feeding yourself the kindness and then radiating it out through you first, that has such power.

So settle down and strap in. My chat with Donna coming up right after this. Donna Ashworth, I'm thrilled to have you back for the life of you talking about the three things that are crucial to your well-being. And I feel like this is going to be a deeply nurturing, nourishing. Oh, the word I want to use is nourishing, Donna. What's the first thing that is crucial to your wellness? I am assuming that family and friends is a given. I think you can have family and friends.

Well, then that would have to come absolutely first because without, you know, the importance of that in everybody's world and especially mine is absolutely massive, especially doing what I'm doing now, all these wonderful opportunities that have come my way, the priority and the joy and the gorgeousness of pouring as much of yourself into family and friends and getting all of that back is everything because then you can step out and do other things with that real solid core of love and kindness and safety and the joy of the people that you've been gifted.

You know, you've been gifted these people, even the ones that challenge you, they're challenging you for a reason. reason, that's how we grow. We grow through the challenge. So number one would have to be family and friends. I think it's really interesting as well that you were like, oh, I take it this as a given, because actually we think of, oh, what are the things I need for my well-being? Is it an aura ring or, you know, or a like meditation app? But actually we forget about the things that are just there in our lives, which are more crucial than any of that sort of wellness tech or whatever. So crucial. So crucial. And I practice. prioritize it every single day. And I always think to myself, the life that I am living has to be so completely nurturing and fulfilling and joyful so that I can go out and share other things with other people.

Otherwise, if that's not your priority and where your focus is going, everything else isn't as authentic somehow and isn't going to have the energy that it needs to help anybody else must come through you first and come out. kindness must come through you first if you're projecting kindness out into the world and you're not standing in it as it comes out it's not as helpful as you think that it is

if you're feeding yourself the kindness and then radiating it out through you first that has such power that's the kind of kindness that heals so that would be my first thing family and friends number two number two is animals

pets how many people okay tell us about the Menagerie. I have two cats and two dogs. We did have a bearded dragon. Sadly, he's no longer with us. Sorry, hold on a second. You say that like really casually, like most households have a bearded dragon? You don't? I, not that I last checked. Oh, I would check. You never know. I don't know if I want to come across a bearded dragon. We had a bearded dragon called Benny, but he sadly passed away about six weeks ago. Oh, I'm sorry, so it's quite fresh. It's quite fresh, and it's very sad. They're cold-blooded creatures, and they don't. don't give out an awful lot, you know, it's hard to understand what a bearded dragon is

thinking at any given time. But like any living creature, you become so very attached to the stationary being. Did you cuddle it? No, you can't cuddle them, but they have their own way. You say that to me as if I should know this. Go on, Brian, of course not. He had a shower every day of his life. He had a shower? He used to go in the shower and he used to, that was his joy every single day. I don't know how we found that out, but we did. He loved a shower. And then I've got two dogs, Dave and Brian, who are joy and love. If you want to learn how to unconditionally love or just love and be a nice person, watch a dog, get a dog, be more dog. I mean, they are so absolutely effusive with their love in the most basic and wondrous of ways. And then I've got two

cats who, Manny and Sheldon. Sheldon, who's named after Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory. Right, I assumed. And it definitely takes after his namesake. And they say that cats are there to sort of give you that spiritual nurturing and protection and dogs are there to give you the physical, you know, nurturing and protection. So if you've got two of each, it's a complete one-win. But there isn't a day that goes by that I don't take joy and love.

love and energy from my pets that I just have to think about them and I'm back in that place of love. I'm back in that place of life is good. That's so nice. I'm sorry to hear about Benny. Thank you. It's hard, isn't it? RIP, Benny. We loved you as best as we could as we knew how. Is that the most kind of, I'm not going to say, I don't want to say odd, but like yeah, unusual. Least conventional pet that you've ever had. And we, you know, we, you know, used to own an animal charity when we lived in Azerbaijan, my husband and I and my mum. Sorry. I mean, that just opened up, like, we've only got this studio for another half an hour. And why were you living in an Azerbaijan?

We moved, my husband and I, when we first met, we moved to Baku and we set up our own businesses there. I know, as you do. We'd only known each other for about six months, so it was a real make or break. And they didn't have any animal charities in Baku, and dogs and cats were on the street. And my mum and dad were also in Baku. My dad worked with the oil industry. So we very quickly realized that we were going to have to set one up because we could not cope passing these kittens and puppies on the street knowing that they were going to die in the elements.

So before we knew it, we had like 14 puppies in our house. We had kittens and then we thought, right, we need to set up a clinic and we got vets involved. And that charity is still going to this day. Wow. And other ones have come off the back of it, I think, or maybe would have organically anyway. But animals are a huge, really important part of everything for me. Number three.

Number three would have to be meditation stroke affirmation. Oh yeah. because that mindset shift I swither there over choosing gratitude over meditation and affirmation because there's nothing that you can't achieve starting off with grateful thoughts an attitude of gratitude

an attitude of gratitude yeah absolutely if you wake up each day and do that first especially if you write it down say it out loud it's like magic and one day will prove the science of it but for me at the moment meditation and affirmation they're really I start a cave meditation now I've been in London for six days and oh my goodness my heart rate and my nervous system is like oh what's this you know it's just a

constant constant overwhelm of people and noise and energy and so 15 to 20 minutes of meditation is so powerful you get inside yourself you feel what's going on physically you feel what's going on mentally you feel what's going on emotionally and then you've got the awareness and you've got yourself safe and you can go back out into the world a completely more solid safe version of yourself so that's a priority and you could start if anyone is listening and they're like oh i don't know if i can do 15 to 20 minutes you could start trying with just by doing affirmations and i've got three 15 minute meditations on my audiobook and i've never done them before and now you can well i've done them but i've never made them available so there is one on joy one on

peace which is so important at the moment and one on magic you know seeking the magic they're 15 minutes they're so doable and so a guided meditation with you with you speaking with me speaking around the poetry and it's really simple it's really easy it's beautiful music composed by my friend jenny sawden she made these beautiful tracks and they're 15 minutes in the morning at lunchtime lunch time, at night time, there's, you know, if you do those, it will start to bring it in, bring it in, bring it in, and you'll see immediately how that has a knock-on effect to your whole life. I want Donna in my ear.

I don't know about you, everyone listening, but I want Donna in my ear permanently. Then I'll be able to live my life. Well, now you can have it, Brian. I'll send you wee voice notes at bedtime too. Oh, thank you. That would be amazing. Thank you, Donna. Thank you.

Are you still there or have you gone off to download Donna's audio book Joy Chose You? If you are still there, please message me on Instagram and let me know what you thought of Donna as a guest. I mean, obviously you think she's brilliant, but what were your favourite things that she spoke about? And if that doesn't appeal, you could just leave us a review and give us a follow. It helps more than you could know. But most importantly, look after yourself. And I hope to see you again on Monday.