The Psychology of your 20s

Feeling stuck in your 20s is a rite of passage, but it's can also feel deeply hopeless when nothing in your life seems to be moving or changing in the way you want it to. In today's episode, we break down some of the reasons we feel stuck and the five things you can do in the next 6 months to change that, including:
The 10 minute mind map tool to get you out of a funk
Why you need to stop asking other people for advice
The 6 month challenge project
Plus so much more
Happy listening!
The episode I mentioned: How to feel like yourself again
The book I mentioned: The Anatomy of a Breakthrough
Watch on Netflix

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we think about office politics, you might think gossip, favouritism, or power plays - the kind of behind-the-scenes drama that makes work feel draining. But office politics isn’t just about one-upmanship or ambition. At its core, it’s a very human process: how people build trust, navigate competition, and influence decisions in the workplace.
In this episode, we break down the ‘unwritten’ dynamics of office politics - why they exist, how they affect your daily work life, and what you can do to navigate them without compromising your values.
We explore:
• The types of influence and power at work that you can leverage for yourself
• Why office politics feels inevitable
• How to recognise unspoken rules and social dynamics
• Advice on office gossip
• The 5 things you should be doing at work to get ahead (ethically)
If you want to go into the office with less dread and more clarity, this episode is for you.
Watch on Netflix
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Homesickness is more than just “missing home", it's a deep sense of nostalgia, grief, longing and also, as psychology will tell us, a unique kind of stress response. In this episode, we break down the psychology of homesickness: why our brains react so strongly when we leave familiar places, how place attachment shapes our sense of identity, and why nostalgia can make the past feel more perfect than it really was.
We explore:
What happens to your body and mind when you're away from home

The psychology of place attachment and why certain locations feel like part of us

Why homesickness often is delayed

When homesickness is something to listen to ... and when it’s not

7 practical strategies to help you feel more at home in a new place

Whether you’ve just moved across the world, across the country, or you’re feeling unexpectedly nostalgic for a life chapter that’s ended, this episode is for you.
Watch on Netflix

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The idea that depression is caused by a “chemical imbalance” is one of the most widely accepted explanations in modern mental health ... but is it actually true?
In this bonus episode, we unpack where the chemical imbalance theory came from, how it became the dominant narrative around depression, and why many researchers today believe the story is far more complicated. Including:
The academic and applied history of this theory

What research says about antidepressants vs placebo

Why the “low serotonin” explanation may be too simple

The psychological and social drivers of depression

Why meaning, connection, and environment matter for mental health

Why depression treatment often works best when it’s multi-layered

Happy listening!
Watch on Netflix
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]
The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When one person tries to get closer to someone else, and the other person pulls away in response, they might be experiencing a pursuer-distancer dynamic. This can create a very painful cycle, where communication breaks down, each side blames the other, and ultimately, nobody has their needs met. In this episode, we explore the stages of a pursuer-distancer cycle, unpack why we’re drawn to relationships like this, and learn how to break the cycle so we can enjoy more happy, fulfilled relationships.
We explore:
What the pursuer-distancer dynamic looks like
The psychology of why romantic opposites ‘attract’
What’s going on in the mind or a pursuer and distancer
Pursuer-distancer burnout - and when the pursuer final quits...
How we can heal a pursuer-distancer cycle
Can pursuer-distancer dynamics work in our 20s?
A note that this episode contains content about abusive relationships.
Listen now!
ORDER MY BOOK: https://www.psychologyofyour20s.com/copy-of-book
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
For business: [email protected]

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.