Laura Hearn is a former BBC journalist and the host of Flip It, a podcast about flipping your life around for the better. Through the power of intricate storytelling, she helps her listeners navigate life's inevitable highs and lows.
What made you decide to create a podcast?
I’ve spent my career as a journalist, telling other people’s stories—much easier, right? But when it comes to my own life, I’ve always found it hard to find the right words, and even harder to edit it into something that makes sense. When I sat down to write the first episode of my new series, I must have written five different episodes before deleting them and starting again.
In that first episode, I wanted to finally tell my own story because a number of people encouraged me to. I realised I didn't want to keep hiding behind the stories of others. My life has been shaped by struggles, triumphs, and things that felt insurmountable, but I also believe that sharing those stories is what connects us. So, that’s why I’m here—creating Flip It, a platform where people can share their voices and experiences.
You're an accomplished storyteller. Why do you think telling your own story presented such a challenge?
I think it’s because real life doesn’t have a neat, tidy beginning, middle, and end. It’s messy and unpredictable, and that’s hard to wrap into a “story.” The fact is, I spent much of my early life blending into the background, trying to go unnoticed. I wasn't academically brilliant, I wasn’t the popular one—just average, and I made that work for me. But deep down, I was really struggling. The bullying I faced, the loneliness, the moments when I realised I wasn’t being seen by anyone - it all shaped me in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time.
It’s easier to focus on external things, like your career or your achievements, than to look at the emotional scars or the vulnerabilities. But to truly connect with others, you need to be vulnerable, and that’s something I had to learn the hard way.
Can you tell us more about the key moment that shaped everything?
My family went through a traumatic event and it changed everything. It was a turning point where I began to spiral into a deep emotional darkness. I couldn’t express my grief or gratitude, especially to Michael, my stepfather. So instead, I turned my pain inward, punishing myself in the only way I knew how. That led me into a two-decade-long battle with my mental health, which was both physically and emotionally exhausting.
In the midst of all this, I tried to keep up appearances—succeeding at work, getting a Masters in Broadcasting, working at the BBC—but on the inside, I was completely lost. I felt so alone. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t worthy of love or happiness.
It sounds like your journey was incredibly isolating. How did you begin to heal from all of that?
There was a moment when I read a self-help book that made me burst into tears—it was the first time I felt like someone else truly understood my pain. It gave me hope, something I hadn’t had in years.
That hope led me across the world to the U.S., where I spent months really confronting my demons. The most powerful part of that experience was listening to other people’s stories. People who had faced similar challenges and had learned to live with them. Those stories helped me change my perspective on myself. I learned to see myself through a new lens, without judgment or self-loathing.
You found solace in hearing others’ stories, and that’s actually what led you to Flipit, right?
Exactly! When I came back to the UK, I found myself in a place where I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I returned to work, but even then, I still felt like an outsider. My eating disorder was still a secret. I felt like I couldn’t talk about it, even though it affected my every move.
Then one day, I got an email from a senior editor asking me to share my story for an internal mental health campaign. I hesitated, of course—who wouldn’t? But I realised that this could be my chance to break the silence, not just for me but for others too. I did it, and the response was overwhelming. Messages of gratitude, messages from people I never even knew. That’s when I truly understood the power of sharing our stories.
So, after that experience, you were inspired to create Flip It. What’s your mission with this podcast?
My mission is simple: to share real, human stories. Stories that don’t have to be perfect or glossy but are full of real emotion and vulnerability. Stories have saved my life, and I believe they can save others. The world can sometimes feel like a harsh place, and when you’re going through something difficult, it’s easy to feel alone. But through Flip It, I want people to know they aren’t alone. There’s always someone else out there who has felt what you’re feeling.
At the end of the day, it’s not about having a perfect life or a perfect story. It’s about embracing all the chapters, even the painful ones, because they shape who we are.
You can listen to Flip It now on your favourite podcast app, or by clicking the link below. New episodes release every Monday.
