Harry Potter Saved My Life
35 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 6 ratingsUnexpected life lessons from The Boy Who Lived. Every episode, superfan Harriet Morris looks at one character, spell, invention or place from the magical world of Harry Potter (and related works) and asks: what hidden soul-saving teachings are there to help us navigate and dismantle anxiety, depression and the curveballs that life has a habit of throwing at us?
As you will see, Winky the house elf, Draco Malfoy and the time turner all have as much to teach us about reclaiming our power as does Harry himself.
Harry didn't literally save Harriet's life, but this more than any other work helped her recover from compulsive eating .
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Episodes
5.1: How To Cast Spells With Phoenix Huber
December 11, 2021 19:11 - 33 minutes - 36.9 MBWriter and fellow Harry Potter superfan Phoenix Huber drops in to talk about a JK Rowling-inspired spell she uses to manage her eating. She also discusses: The need to create good habits when you use games and fantasy worlds such as Hogwarts to manage challenges of being trans What she tried before this spell to improve her eating habits One example of a spell inspired by The Goblet of Fire Non-Harry Potter spells Cool synchronicities that happen as a result of these spells How...
BONUS: Managing Life's Curveballs with Catherine Rains
November 29, 2021 20:47 - 39 minutes - 45.7 MBAn interview that makes no mention of Harry Potter – yes, it’s true! I interview artist Catherine Rains and we discuss nothing to do with the boy wizard. BUT I wanted to bring you this interview because I extracted so much wisdom from it. Catherine is an amazing human being who has just as many life lessons for us as Harry himself. Find out more about Catherine here https://catherinerains.com/ And on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/catrains.artist/ At the end of the interview, I ma...
4.7 What If Hermoine Had Not Been Clever?
May 17, 2021 14:44 - 8 minutes - 9.92 MBHeads Up – Boundary Setting 101 week is comin on May 17th …and it’s completely free Make sure you sign up https://www.theshiftinside.com/freed/ What if Hermoine had not been clever? This episode takes what some might see as a bit of a controversial stance on her relationship with Harry and Ron…but that’s not the important thing here. Rather I am interested in what she symbolises for you. Email me more What If? Ideas: info {at} theshiftinside.com
4.6 What If Sirius had Not Died?
May 16, 2021 14:59 - 5 minutes - 6.75 MBHeads Up – Boundary Setting 101 week starts tomorrow May 17th …and it’s completely free Make sure you sign up https://www.theshiftinside.com/freed/ The death of Harry’s godfather is in my opinion the biggest blow to Harry of the entire 7 books. Today I ask: what would have happened if Sirius had NOT died? And what lessons do we glean from the tragedy? What would we have lost that is perhaps useful to our own escape from anxiety and depression if The Order Of The Phoenix had not ended the...
4.5: What If Luna Had Had More Friends?
May 15, 2021 17:29 - 5 minutes - 7 MBIn today's minisode, I ask What if Luna Lovegood had had more friends? Discover the surprising answer to this question - and the double contrasting power that she holds. Grab your spot for Boundary Setting 101 Week here: https://www.theshiftinside.com/freed/ Masterclass 1 ~ Turn Down The Volume on Your Fear of Setting Boundaries Discover why you are already better than you think at boundary setting, and learn all about your fear centre. Something akin to a blind and stubborn boun...
4.4 What If the Dursleys Had Been Kinder To Harry?
May 14, 2021 16:51 - 5 minutes - 6.96 MBThe ill-treated orphan trope is such a well-worn dramatic device. However, in JK Rowlings hands, it works. But what if the Dursleys had been kinder to Harry? Of course if we just stick to literary interpretation, there are certain consequences that would have affected the story if the author had made a different decision regarding Harry’s muggle relatives. However, in this minisode, we go deeper and look at the life lessons for us that Harry’s uncle, aunt and cousin deliver. Heads Up –...
4.3 What If Draco had Killed Dumbledore?
May 13, 2021 09:51 - 6 minutes - 7.92 MBHeads Up – Boundary Setting 101 week is coming on May 17th …and it’s completely free Make sure you sign up https://www.theshiftinside.com/freed/ You can attend on Zoom or get the videos in your inbox. How would The Harry Potter series have been different had Draco killed Dumbledore in the Astronomy tower at the end of The Half Blood Prince? How would it change what this character means, as well as others? Find out in this minisode. https://www.harrypottersavedmylife.com/
4.2 What if Voldemort Had Not Taken Harry’s Blood?
May 12, 2021 10:35 - 4 minutes - 5.99 MBIf Voldemort had not taken Harry’s blood, he would not have made love an integral part of his regeneration – and therein lie the seeds of his own self destruction. Find out more today. Heads Up – Boundary Setting 101 week is coming on May 17th …and it’s completely free Make sure you sign up https://www.theshiftinside.com/freed/ You can attend on Zoom or get the videos in your inbox.
Season 4: The What If? Series
May 12, 2021 10:32 - 3 minutes - 4.08 MBWhat if Voldemort had not taken Harry’s blood? What if Draco had not Killed Luna? What if Luna had had more friends? In this series of minisodes, I explore what might have happened had key events NOT happened – or indeed HAD happened in the Harry Potter book series. The point is to show you how even catastrophic events can have positive side effects. Straight after this one - What if Voldemort had not taken Harry’s blood? Harriet Morris Harriet Morris is a HP superfan. This...
S3E7: Neville - How To Stand Up For Yourself
September 24, 2020 19:09 - 17 minutes - 21.7 MBhttps://www.theshiftinside.com/stop/ Neville Longbottom certainly learns to stand up for himself during his time at Hogwarts. But there is more to Mr Longbottom than meets the eye. In this episode, I make the case for Neville being more heroic, more of a role model for fighting bullies than Hagrid, Hermione or even Harry himself. Listen in and hear why I make this bold claim, as well as explain the two lessons that Neville has for us in helping us stand up to people. RESOURCES Eati...
S3E6: Polyjuice Potion: A Lesson In Body Image
August 27, 2020 15:38 - 21 minutes - 25.3 MBThis episode explores the meaning of polyjuice potion and how it can help us live more empowered lives, free from anxiety and depression. Instant physical transformation, or shapeshifting, is something that has existed in myths and legends for centuries. Humans crave it big time. But, as you shall hear, JK Rowling highlights the shortcomings of shapeshifting in the very way she crafted the idea of Polyjuice potion. There is so much to learn about self acceptance here. Who knew that Crabbe ...
3.5: "Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it”
July 05, 2020 18:00 - 9 minutes - 11.6 MBToday’s Quotefest focuses on something Dumbledore says to Harry at the end of The Goblet of Fire after his horrific experience in the graveyard, being forced to watch Voldemort come back to human (ish) form. “Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it” Dumbledore says to Sirius’ protests. I am exploring this quote as a metaphor for addiction in this episode. RESOURCES Russell Brand: Recovery – Freedom From Our Addictions Flaws by Bastille: https://...
S3E4: "Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this” (Quotefest #3)
June 17, 2020 18:51 - 15 minutes - 19.4 MB“Dobby will have too punish himself most grievously for coming to see you Sir; Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this” (from The Chamber of Secrets). Today’s Quotefest episode uses this seemingly simple quote from Dobby to illustrate a deeper understanding of self-sabotaging behaviour. I am talking about Invisible Pricetags. Dobby creates a very visible pricetag for speaking the truth about his abuse at the hands of the Malfoys, and wanting to help Harry: he self harm...
S3E3: John Green on Harry Potter (Quotesfest #2)
June 14, 2020 09:51 - 6 minutes - 7.63 MBToday’s quote is about - not from - one of the Potter books and it comes from John Green, author of Paper Towns “Harry Potter isn’t real? Oh no! Wait, wait, what do you mean by real? Is this video blog real? Am I real if you can see me and hear me, but only through the internet? Are you real if I can read your comment but I don’t know who you are or what your name is or where you’re from or what you look like or how old you are? I know all of those things about Harry Potter. Maybe Harry Po...
S3E2: Great, Tell me when you’ve defeated Voldemort for me, will you?
June 07, 2020 12:38 - 9 minutes - 11.9 MBWelcome to The Harry Potter Saved My Life Quotefest. Every episode for the next few weeks or so, I will bring you two quotes – 1 meaningful and 1 pure comedy. I give you my spin on how these words can you life an more empowered life. MEANINGFUL QUOTE “Great, Tell me when you’ve defeated Voldemort for me, will you?” from Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows I talk about what this quote means to me and how it can help you deal with anxiety, depression and live a more empowered, resilie...
#3.1 How Peeves Can Help You Cope With Coronavirus
March 20, 2020 12:32 - 15 minutes - 17.6 MBIf Coronavirus Were A Harry Potter Character, It Would Not Be Voldemort. So Who Then? Why, Peeves The Poltergeist of course. For me, the most useful metaphor for Coronavirus in the world of Hogwarts is Peeves the poltergeist. Hogwart’s most un-favourite poltergeist is pretty unmanageable. The only souls, living or dead, that have any impact on his mischief-making are Dumbledore and The Bloody Baron. Everyone else must put up with him - because what else can they do? Whether he is lobbi...
Update January 2019
January 25, 2019 18:32 - 3 minutes - 3.9 MBA quick update on what I am working on - and one of my favourite passages from the entire series, taken from The Goblet of Fire
S2E4: How To Stop Feeling Suicidal Using Harry Potter
December 30, 2018 14:13 - 42 minutes - 51.5 MBIn this episode, I explain how I used Harry Potter to help a client deal with her suicidal urges. Please note that my area of expertise is compulsive and binge eating, not suicide – so take everything you hear as anecdote, rather than expert advice. In addition, my client has never attempted to take her own life – we are talking about passive suicidal ideation (i.e. dealing with thoughts such as ‘I don’t want to be here anymore’ rather than any active intention to end her life). 4 min ...
#2.3: Hagrid (part 1)
December 19, 2018 14:22 - 28 minutes - 33.3 MBHogwart’s favourite half-giant teaches us three important life lessons throughout the course of the seven books. What are they? Loyalty? Being a good father figure? Well, although these are traits that many people think of, I believe they are least interesting for our purposes here. Instead, let’s talk about: #1 Building Better Boundaries. Hagrid is an anti-teacher in this respect – he shows us what happens when we fail to build healthy boundaries. This is apparent not just in his naïv...
#2.2 Crimes of Grindelwald Review
November 26, 2018 16:21 - 12 minutes - 15.1 MBA choc-full-of-spoilers review of the latest Fantastic Beasts installment. I talk about what was great, and what was not so great. In particular: *The theme of belonging and can an isolated outsider ever become a leader? *The surprising symbolism of the niffler stealing Grindelwald’s blood pact trinket *What I think about Queenie’s defection to Grindelwald *Is it right for it to take such a dark turn after Fantastic Beasts? RESOURCES Episode on Draco: http://harrypottersa...
#2.1: Should I Go and See The Crimes of Grindelwald?
November 18, 2018 17:29 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBS2E1: A no-spoilers episode to kick off season 2. I give you a review of the latest Fantastic Beasts film that contains absolutely no major plot giveaways – beyond what your local cinema might have in their description blurb. I talk about what’s good and not so good about The Crimes of Grindelwald so you can decide for yourself. I talk about where I disagree with the criticisms levelled at this movie – and where I think the naysayers are right. In particular: *The issue of exposition i...
#14: Season 2 Trailer - and a bit about Jacob Kowalski
November 11, 2018 13:19 - 21 minutes - 24.4 MBSeason 2 of this podcast is just around the corner! Be sure to subscribe so you get the next episode the moment it is released. I include an excerpt about Jacob Kowalski (the thoroughly befuddled muggle from Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them) which was featured in episode 14 of my other podcast, The Eating Coach. Here is the full episode that extract comes from, plus all the video clips for each Hollywood Rebel: http://www.theshiftinside.com/films/
#13: The Time Turner: Neutralising Regret
March 17, 2018 05:00 - 14 minutes - 16.2 MBWouldn’t we all just love a Time Turner? How fabulous would it be to go back in time and wipe out that awful interview, the person you wish you had never met, or the job you would avoid like the plague if you had your time over again. However, I believe that the REAL fantasy pull of the Time Turner is two-fold: to help us turn away from the inevitable forward march of time and to avoid having to feel regret. Sorry, ain’t gonna happen. In this episode, I discuss how JK Rowling’s v...
#12: Voldemort: Dismantle Your Fears
March 03, 2018 18:52 - 22 minutes - 27.6 MBSo many of our fears have a very powerful misunderstanding at their core. Find out why so many of us are servants to our fears, instead of brave adventurers who dismantle them at every opportunity. Harry chooses to face Voldemort in the forest – and we too can stand up to our fears…with equally powerful results. New section: Who’s Your Favourite…? Thanks to Marina Darlow from www.vision-framework.com who hosts the Better at Business podcast at http://betterat.biz/ for being the first...
#11: Omnioculars - Reel VS Real Life
February 17, 2018 17:19 - 12 minutes - 15.1 MBToday I look at the significance of omnioculars in the Muggle world. If you have forgotten, they appear at the start of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire when our hero is watching the Quidditch World Cup: "You can replay action ... slow everything down ... and they flash up a play-by-play breakdown if you need it. Bargain - ten Galleons each." Find out what they mean to us in our life, and how they can help us be happier and more empowered. RESOURCES Ideas for future show topic...
#10: Snape - The Dangers of Confirmation Bias
February 03, 2018 17:12 - 14 minutes - 18.2 MBToday we look at our own tendancy to use events and actions of other people to confirm our pre-existing beliefs through Snape...and indeed Harry. Find out exactly how they are inverted mirror images of each other, a kind of mutually destructive, corrupted yin and yang. And of course we take this lesson out of JK Rowling's world, and into our own. Find out what feeling is a pretty good clue that you are suffering from confirmation bias, as well as the question that can help you be more obje...
#9: The Dursleys - The Hidden Benefits of Jealousy
January 20, 2018 16:33 - 13 minutes - 16.3 MBWhat surprising lessons can Harry Potter's hideous relatives have to offer us? The hidden benefits of jealousy, that's what. Another shot of inspiration from superfan Harriet Morris who can seemingly find not exactly a font of wisdom from Privet drive, but some backwards, unintended life advice Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon never intended to give their nephew, but is writ large in neo lights whenever either of them open their (rather mealy) mouths. RESOURCES Episode 2 (mistakenly I...
#8: Halloween - Discover Life’s Greatest Paradox
October 29, 2017 12:31 - 14 minutes - 16.8 MBThe 31st October is massively significant in the Potterverse, and even more meaningful for us – if we look deep enough. How we do it is by unearthing the strange paradoxes that occur every Halloween to Harry and his friends. His parents died on this day – but it is also the day that he, Ron and Hermione join forces as a powerful trio that will eventually work together to defeat Voldemort. These conflicts of meaning continue throughout the whole series – listen today to decipher w...
#7: Draco - The Loneliness of Change
October 22, 2017 18:43 - 17 minutes - 20 MBDraco Malfoy is much more than a bully gifted with magical powers. He offers us two very different sources of inspiration when it comes to empowering ourselves. First of all, he makes us ask What is great about that person who drives me crazy? It is the ONLY question we can ask. Without Draco, Harry would not be master of The Elder Wand. We too can use bullies and other difficult people as sources of resilience. Secondly, Draco exemplifies the loneliness of true change. Nobody is there t...
#6: Felix Felicis - Change Your Story
October 14, 2017 19:04 - 16 minutes - 19 MBHow can we shed our victimhood using the metaphor of Felix Felicis? This is the continuation of last episode on Ron - so go back and re-listen to that first if you haven't already. Lucky potion, as introduced by professor Slughorn in Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince, can be used to talk about many different challenges - but here I am going to focus in on the episode where Harry pretends to give Ron some Felix. This potion allows Ron to change the victim story he is telling...
#5: Ron - Shedding Victimhood
October 09, 2017 15:33 - 13 minutes - 15.9 MBI HATE being poor! I'm not wearing that! I'm no good at Quidditch! Just exactly what IS up with Mr Ronald Weasley? Why would such a self-styled victim be part of the most powerful wizarding trio Hogwarts has ever seen? In this episode I discuss the two great gifts Ron has to offer us on our own journeys to empowerment: his sheer ordinariness and the way he sheds his victim identity. I love the way JK Rowling holds her ginger-haired hero up as a refreshing counterbalance to the cu...
#4: Hermione - Soul-Saving Rebellion
October 09, 2017 13:32 - 19 minutes - 22 MBHow can 'the best witch of her age' help us live more empowered lives? Isn't she, as Snape puts it, just 'an insufferable know-it all'? Yes she is. Of course she is. But Hermione is so much more than that. It is she, not Harry or Ron, who punches Draco in year 3. It is she who masterminds Dumbledore's army when Harry is a bit too consumed by rage to organise anything. By comparing Hermione to Percy Weasley, we see her in a new light, and understand the lessons she has to teach u...
#3: Hogwarts - The Replacement Tribe
October 01, 2017 17:48 - 14 minutes - 16.3 MBToday I talk about the role that the idea of Hogwarts has for us in healing from anxiety, depression etc. Nobody transitions from abused child to powerful leader without some form of social support – and we CAN do this, even without a half-giant on a motorbike whisking us off to a strange new world! So much of people’s misery is down to the fact that we are essentially tribal creatures living in a tribeless society. In this episode, you will discover: The specific ways we are still c...
#2: Harry and Self-Acceptance
September 29, 2017 10:45 - 16 minutes - 18.2 MBIn this episode, we look at how you can accept yourself better – not via useless affirmations, but by integrating the shadow within. This concept, coined by Jung is “the unknown ‘‘dark side’’ of our personality - dark both because it tends to consist predominantly of the primitive, negative, socially or religiously depreciated human emotions and impulses like sexual lust, power strivings, selfishness, greed, envy, or rage, and due to its unenlightened nature, completely obscured from consci...
Harry Potter Saved My Life (Trailer)
September 29, 2017 10:16 - 1 minute - 2.54 MBA glimpse into what to expect from Harry Potter Saved My Life, the show that explores the soul-saving lessons hidden in JK Rowling's magical world.