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Is the obsession with creating the perfect home actually making us miserable? Psychology lecturer and broadcaster Claudia Hammond has spent much of her career examining the ways we think, feel and behave. She presents All in the Mind on BBC Radio 4 and is the author of several books, including Overwhelmed: Ways to Take the Pressure Off. In this conversation, we explore how our homes shape how we feel, why some people hold on to objects as a connection to their past, and why the promise of a better material life doesn't always deliver the happiness we expect. We also discuss the role of rest and solitude, how our routines shape the way we experience time, and the challenges of finding space to unwind – especially when work and home life overlap.  Claudia considers how our culture of perfectionism contributes to the pressures of modern life, and why embracing the belief of ‘good enough’ might actually give us some room to rest. To hear more from Claudia:Website: www.claudiahammond.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claudia_hammond_/?hl=en Claudia Hammond's latest book, Overwhelmed: Ways to Take the Pressure Off, is available here: https://canongate.co.uk/books/5261-overwhelmed-ways-to-take-the-pressure-off/ To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

For jazz drummer and composer Moses Boyd, home is more than where he lives – it’s the physical realisation of a generational dream. Moses is one of the most exciting musicians to emerge from London’s jazz scene. He’s a two-time MOBO Award winner, nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2020 alongside Dua Lipa, Stormzy and Michael Kiwanuka. Moses grew up in a lively household of six children. As a teenager, he discovered music, which he describes as the one thing he didn't have to share. Immersing himself in everything from jazz to grime, he found purpose at a time when some of his peers were drawn into violence and crime. In this conversation, Moses talks about his extraordinary determination to turn ideas into reality, from selling snacks to his schoolmates after PE lessons to save for his first drum kit, to designing and building a recording studio at the bottom of his garden. Moses explains why he approaches music more as a science than an art, reflects on his almost spiritual relationship with creation, and shares why he has chosen to open his front door as a gathering place for friends and family. As the grandson of Caribbean immigrants, he reflects on what it means to create a place of security and opportunity for the next generation. We recorded this episode in Moses' home studio in south-east London. Join our Patreon community to watch the exclusive video walkthrough: https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt Moses Boyd's new album 'Song for Sinners' releases on Friday, October 30th. It's an exhilarating, deeply personal body of work that explores the tensions of faith and the push and pull of a lifelong search for answers. Pre-save the album here: https://exodus.ffm.to/songsforsinners To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Why do we feel homesick when we’re away? And why can it sometimes feel so unsettling when we finally find our way back? Professor Susan J. Matt is a historian of emotions at Weber State University and the author of several books about our emotional relationship with home, consumerism and technology – including Homesickness: An American History. Once considered a legitimate medical diagnosis, homesickness came to be seen as a sign of weakness and a lack of adaptability. In this conversation, Susan traces how this shift happened, and what we’ve lost because of it. Together, we explore why childhood homes exert such a powerful pull on us, how memory tends to idealise the past, and why our homes need to connect us to the world beyond their walls. We also discuss how envy went from being a sin to a driving force behind consumerism; and what constantly looking at other people’s lives and homes is doing to our satisfaction with our own. To hear more from Susan: Email: [email protected]: https://www.weber.edu/history/susanmatt.html Susan is the author of Homesickness: An American History and Bored, Lonely, Angry, Stupid. To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Antiques dealer Will Fisher was obsessed with English country houses from age seven – a fascination that sparked a lifelong pursuit of beauty. Will grew up in southeast London, the son of two working-class teachers, and persuaded his parents to take him on country house visits, dreaming of recreating their beauty in his own home. Today, Will is one of London's most respected antiques dealers. Alongside his wife, Charlotte Freemantle, he owns Jamb, which is known for its refined fireplaces, lighting and furniture. Their shared home in Camberwell is a treasure trove of objects amassed over a lifetime. In this conversation, Will talks about his serendipitous journey into the world of antiques, his experiences of dyslexia and feeling like an outsider, and how he's created an environment that helps him feel at home in himself. He also speaks with remarkable openness about a traumatic experience in his teens that had a lasting impact on his mental health. This is a conversation about beauty, chance and what it means to build a home around the things you love. We recorded this episode at Charlotte & Will’s Georgian house in Camberwell. Join our Patreon community to watch the exclusive video walkthrough: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

For Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak, home isn't a physical place; it lives in the stories we tell. Elif is an award-winning novelist, celebrated for writing about the lives of people on the margins. She has spent much of her life moving between countries, cultures and languages. Yet she feels most at home in the world of books, stories and imagination – a place she calls ‘Storyland’. In this conversation, we talk about the loneliness that first drew her to stories, and what it means to write in a language that isn’t your mother tongue. She also tells me about being forced to write with her right hand as a child, her experience of postpartum depression, and why it’s so important that we talk openly about our mental health. This is a conversation about stories, exile and belonging – and how home can be found beyond the physical. Guest Info: Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist, whose work has been translated into fifty-eight languages. Her new novel IN ONE BRIEF MOMENT ALL ETERNITY is published on 15 October 2026 and available in all good bookshops. Her previous novel, THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY, was the UK’s bestselling literary hardback novel of 2025, selling over 500,000 copies.  To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Dan Martensen is a portrait and fashion photographer whose work appears in Vogue, i-D and WSJ Magazine. He’s also the founder of It’s Bagels, bringing the New York-style bagel he grew up with to London. In this conversation, Dan talks about being uprooted from his childhood home at eleven, struggling to fit in at school, and learning to hide his sensitivity to get by. We discuss how those early experiences influenced his work as a photographer, his instinctive ability to connect with people, and his marriage to stylist Clare Richardson.  Dan also tells the brilliantly chaotic story of renovating his house while simultaneously opening the first It’s Bagels in Primrose Hill – a business born, quite literally, from his homesickness for New York.  Having once been the person his friends thought would never leave New York, Dan reflects on the unexpected process of putting down roots in London, and how this house finally made it feel like home. This episode was filmed inside Dan’s home in North-West London. Join our Patreon community to watch the exclusive video walkthrough: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt Dan Martensen: Website: danmartensen.com Instagram: @danmartensen  It's Bagels: Website: itsbagels.com Instagram: @its__bagels  To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Writer and creative coach Amie McNee believes that creativity isn’t a luxury; it’s a fundamental human need, and one that many of us are suppressing. Amie has a wonderfully broad definition of creativity. It might mean writing a novel or painting a picture, but it could just as easily be gardening, baking a cake, or singing in the shower. It’s not about creating something good, useful, or profitable; it’s about making things because that’s what humans do. In this conversation, we talk about what happens to us when we neglect the instinct to create, and why modern life makes it increasingly difficult to protect. We also discuss the role the home plays in creativity—why Amie believes we should leave our creative materials lying around, and why she's fiercely protective of the space and solitude she needs to write. Amie McNee: Amie McNee is a writer, artist and creator. Her book We Need Your Art, a manifesto on the vital, human importance for creating art, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/462403/we-need-your-art-by-mcnee-amie/9781529937015 To hear more from us: Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMatt YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt Contact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusic Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

At 91, Rose Wylie has one of the most remarkable stories in contemporary British art. She stopped painting in order to raise her three children and returned to it in middle age, finding widespread recognition in her seventies.  Today her work is exhibited around the world, and earlier this year she had a major show at the Royal Academy. For the past 58 years, Rose has lived in the same house in Kent. It’s an extraordinary space where piles of discarded paper are strewn across the floor, and the windows are covered in paint.  Rose has little interest in domestic rules: she doesn’t tidy her studio, leaves her garden to run wild, and lets the house adapt around her life and art. In this conversation, we explore the influences that shaped Rose’s unconventional life  – from her wartime upbringing as the youngest of seven, to her partnership with her late husband Roy Oxlade, and finding global acclaim later in life. Rose’s story is one of freedom, creativity, ageing, and the value of allowing a home – and perhaps a life – to develop on its own terms. Join our Patreon community to watch the exclusive video walkthrough inside Rose Wylie’s home and studio: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt Rose Wylie: Rose Wylie's exhibition at David Zwirner Hong Kong is called Napoleon and Wild Flowers. It is a show of new paintings. It will be on view from 24 November 2026 to 6 March 2027. To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We spend around a third of our lives asleep, yet for so many of us, getting a good night’s sleep can feel like a real struggle. Could our homes hold some of the answers to sleeping better? In this conversation, leading sleep expert and Oxford Professor of Circadian Neuroscience Russell Foster rethinks the rules of sleep and explores how we can create a home environment that supports our natural rhythms.  We discuss why getting outside in the morning is one of the best things we can do for sleep, how to navigate a partner's different sleeping habits and why sleep trackers often do more harm than good. But perhaps the most reassuring idea of all is that we need to stop trying so hard. As Russell points out, the more we worry about sleep, the more elusive it can become. Sometimes the best thing we can do is create the right conditions and let it take care of itself. Please note: the views expressed in this episode are those of the guest and are not intended as medical advice. To hear more from us: Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMatt YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt Contact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusic Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Matt Gibberd visits writer and creative consultant Charlene Prempeh at her home in North London.  Charlene is the founder of A Vibe Called Tech, a creative studio that champions Black culture. She’s a columnist for the Financial Times, and curator of an upcoming exhibition at the Design Museum called The Nue Black Aesthetic. Charlene grew up in a small council house in Canning Town that was, in her words, "teeming with people". She was the youngest of four children, raised by a single mother, with cousins, friends and members of the Ghanaian community constantly coming and going. In this conversation, we talk about how that crowded childhood left her with a love of solitude. We explore why she doesn't believe that more space necessarily makes a happier home, and how, despite having very little money growing up, the dinner table always felt like a place of abundance. We also discuss why she found herself shape-shifting when she arrived at Oxford University, the importance of books and beautiful objects, and what it means to be truly at home with yourself. Join us over on Patreon to watch the full home tour. Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Lemn Sissay is a poet, playwright and broadcaster. Few people have thought more deeply about the meaning of home than Lemn.  As a baby, Lemn was separated from his Ethiopian mother and placed into foster care with a white family. He grew up believing he had been abandoned, not even knowing his real name. From the age of twelve, he was placed in a series of children's homes, where he remained until adulthood.  In this conversation, we explore how those early experiences shaped Lemn’s understanding of family, belonging and identity.   We talk about how poetry gave him a sense of place when nowhere else could, and what it means to build a sense of home inside yourself after losing it so young.  These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional. Lemn Sissay:See Lemn on tour: https://www.fane.co.uk/lemn-sissay#event-listingShare your family story on Lemn's global storytelling website: https://tellmesomething.family/ To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Anna Jones is a cook, food writer, and one of the leading voices in modern vegetarian cooking. For Anna, making food for someone is the ultimate act of care. She began her career working alongside Jamie Oliver, before becoming one of Britain's best-loved food writers in her own right with bestsellers like A Modern Way to Eat and One: Pot, Pan, Planet.   Anna grew up in a close-knit family where food was central to everything and, for a shy child, cooking became a way to express herself. She also shares how losing close family friends in the Lockerbie air disaster instilled a lifelong instinct to be the dependable one. We explore motherhood, postnatal depression and what happens when caring for other people leaves too little room to care for yourself.  This episode was recorded in Anna's Victorian House in Hackney. Join us over on Patreon to watch the full house tour.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt More of Anna:Books - https://annajones.co.uk/booksWebsite - https://annajones.co.uk/Weekly newsletter - https://substack.com/@annajonesfoodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/we_are_food/ To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Martha Beck is a sociologist, bestselling author and one of the world’s leading life coaches. She grew up in the Mormon community in Utah, in a home that was a source of shame for her and her siblings. Her childhood was one of profound anxiety and depression, and she’s written openly about the abuse she experienced from her father. Those traumatic experiences led to a lifelong search for safety – and what it really means to feel at home. In this conversation, Martha shares why beauty became a lifeline during the darkest periods of her life, how she learned to meditate despite finding it almost unbearable at first and why she believes our homes reflect our psychological state. These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional. Martha’s Work: Martha Beck, PhD, is a Harvard-trained sociologist, world-renowned coach and New York Times bestselling author. She has published nine non-fiction books, one novel, and more than 200 magazine articles. Inspired by the ideas in her latest book, Beyond Anxiety, this conversation explores how play can be a powerful antidote to anxious thinking.  To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jinny Blom is one of Britain's leading landscape designers. She has created over 700 gardens – and each one begins, in some way, with a search for security. Jinny trained as a psychologist and psychotherapist, working for many years in mental health, before a prophetic dream prompted her to devote herself to her lifelong interest in natural landscapes and gardens. Since then, Jinny has created spaces that promote the relationship between nature and health – from her sky garden at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to a healing garden she created with King Charles. In this conversation, Jinny speaks openly about a childhood marked by abandonment and abuse, and how those early experiences shaped the way she experiences architecture and landscape.  We talk about the childhood hiding place that still influences her work today, the unusual rules she follows when designing a garden, and how creating beautiful landscapes became a way of making sense of a very difficult start in life. This episode was recorded in Jinny's converted sixteenth-century threshing barn in Oxford. Join us over on Patreon to watch the full home tour.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt Jinny's Current Work: Jinny’s studio has projects across various continents as well as in the UK. Her most recent book ‘What Makes a Garden’ won Garden Book of the Year in 2024 published by Frances Lincoln/Quarto. The accompanying self-made podcast series launched in October 2023, with guests as varied as Tim Walker, Skye Gyngell and Brian Eno. The studio has won prestigious awards for large, completed estates, some of which appear in her new book. Jinny has launched a bespoke range of English ‘landscape colours’ designed by her specifically for use outside. She has teamed up with Dominic Myland, the owner of the family run paint maker and Royal Warrant holder Mylands. It is a unique plant-based formula for wood, metal and masonry. To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jackie Kay is an acclaimed poet and novelist, who was previously the national poet of Scotland – a role known as the Makar. She’s the author of Red Dust Road, a memoir that chronicles a twenty-year search for her birth parents. Jackie was adopted as a baby by a white Scottish couple and grew up in suburban Glasgow. Throughout her life, she's had to explore questions of identity, belonging and family – themes that run through some of the most celebrated writing of the past forty years.    In this conversation, Jackie reflects on how the love of her adoptive parents helped her navigate racism, what it means to feel at odds with your national identity, and whether it's ever possible to feel completely at home in yourself. These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional. Jackie Kay is an award-winning Scottish poet and author of Selected Poems 1991-2006, May Day and Red Dust Road. To hear more from us:Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMattYouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with MattInstagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★