What does The Rocky Horror Show have to do with belonging?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

This week on It’s A Small World!, Tanya and Mich talk about Rocky Horror - the fishnets, the Time Warp, the audience participation and more than 50 years of cult status - and something much bigger:

Why do we all need somewhere we feel we belong?

We talk about being different, finding your people, identity and acceptance, and those spaces where you realise you don't have to change yourself to fit in.

Why are some communities so powerful for people who've spent much of their lives feeling like outsiders? Why does finding “your tribe” matter so much? And is belonging about fitting in - or finding somewhere you don't have to?

We also look at why Rocky Horror became such an enduring home for outsiders and why its message of self-expression still resonates generations later.

And, as always, expect a few tangents along the way. Because it wouldn't be It's A Small World! without them.

Whether you've been doing the Time Warp for decades or you've never seen Rocky Horror in your life, this episode isn't really about a musical.

It's about something most of us spend our lives searching for:

A place where we can simply be ourselves

Buy The Rocky Horror Picture Show Here - https://link.amazon/B0eCTA6Pr

After a few months away, It’s A Small World! is finally back.

And rather than jump straight into one of our usual topics, we thought there was only one way to restart - sit down, switch on the mics and have a proper catch-up.

A LOT has happened.

Tanya talks about losing her partner, navigating grief and then facing another unexpected chapter with cancer, while we reflect on just how quickly life can change when you think you know what the next few months are going to look like.

But this isn't 45 minutes of doom and gloom.

We also talk about friendship, carrying on with ordinary life when things are anything but ordinary, laughing when perhaps you don't expect to laugh, and what the last few months have taught us about what really matters.

There are serious moments, lighter moments and, inevitably, a few tangents along the way.

Basically… we're back. And we've got a LOT to talk about.

Welcome back to It’s A Small World!

Revenge is one of the strongest human emotions, but does getting even really bring the satisfaction we imagine?

In this episode of It's A Small World!, Tanya and Mich explore why we seek revenge, whether it's ever justified, and the difference between revenge, justice and healing.

Inspired by Lily Allen's latest album, written in the wake of her marriage breakdown, Tanya reflects on seeing her perform live and asks whether turning pain into creativity is its own form of revenge.

The conversation also delves into Mich's personal experience of stalking, the powerful themes explored in the play Punch, and why our desire to retaliate can sometimes say more about our own hurt than the person we're trying to hurt.

Along the way, they discuss the psychology of revenge, whether forgiveness is really the harder option, and ask one simple question:

If you had the chance to get even... would you?

As always, this isn't about telling you what to think - it's about exploring the ideas together.

Show links:

Lily Allen - West End Girl https://amzn.to/3Qwy5eB

This week on It's A Small World!, we're exploring one of the most fascinating, and controversial, subjects out there: Past Life Regression.

Can hypnosis really unlock memories from another lifetime, or is something else happening inside our minds?

Tanya shares her own recent past life regression experience, while we discuss the science behind hypnosis, famous case studies, including the work of Dr Ian Stevenson, and the arguments from both believers and sceptics.

As always, we're not here to tell you what to think. Our aim is simply to explore the evidence, ask questions and encourage open-minded conversation.

Have you ever experienced déjà vu, unexplained fears, or a feeling that you've lived before?

We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Show links:

Book. - Many Lives, Many Masters https://amzn.to/4wqc28H

For Past Life Regression visit Jane Osbourne - https://jane-osborne.com/

What do circuses, influencers, celebrities, reality TV and social media all have in common?

More than you might think.

In this week's episode of It's A Small World, Tanya and Mich use the life and legacy of P.T. Barnum as a starting point to explore something much bigger: why humans are so fascinated by spectacle.

From The Greatest Showman to The Prestige, from theatre audiences to TikTok virality, this conversation explores charisma, illusion, performance, identity and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are.

Why are some people magnetic?
Why do audiences willingly suspend disbelief?
Are influencers simply modern-day showmen?
And do humans need wonder just as much as they need truth?

Thoughtful, philosophical and surprisingly relevant to modern life, this episode isn't really about Barnum at all.

It's about us.

Because perhaps humans don't just watch performance...

Maybe we live it.

Links:

The Greatest Showman https://amzn.to/4x4oSKN

The Prestige https://amzn.to/4ac0UTZ

The True Life of The Worlds Greatest Showman https://amzn.to/43aXjBU

What do we actually mean when we say someone has “good energy”… or that a place feels “off”?

In this week’s episode of It’s A Small World,! Tanya and Mich explore the fascinating space between science, psychology, intuition and human experience as they ask:
What IS energy?

From Nikola Tesla and the science of frequency and vibration… to emotional contagion, gut feelings, atmosphere, spiritual energy and the emotional weight of places…

this episode explores why humans are so deeply affected by people, environments and emotion - often before we consciously understand why.

Why can crowds completely change how we feel?
Why do some people leave us drained?
Do places hold emotional residue?
And is “protecting your energy” actually psychological survival rather than mysticism?

Thoughtful, conversational and slightly philosophical, this episode sits right in that It’s A Small World! space between:
physics… feeling… belief… and something we still can’t fully explain.

Plus: intuition, energy healing, paranormal locations, nervous systems, emotional atmosphere, modern burnout and why humans have always searched for invisible forces shaping our lives.

What if the mind can change the body… even when the treatment itself does nothing?

In this episode of It’s A Small World!, we explore the fascinating and sometimes unsettling world of the placebo effect, nocebo responses, expectation and human belief.

From sugar pills and placebo surgery… to empathy, self-talk and the physical effects of fear and stress… we ask how much the mind influences the way we experience pain, healing and reality itself.

We discuss:
What the placebo effect actually is
Why even “honest placebos” can still work
How belief changes biology
Placebo surgery and expectation in healing
The nocebo effect and health anxiety
Manifestation, mindset and self-talk
Why humans are so psychologically responsive to hope, trust and reassurance

We also explore the emotional side of healing:
the importance of empathy, human connection, ritual and feeling safe, and whether healing has ever been purely physical.

This isn’t an episode about miracle cures or magical thinking.

It’s about the questions.

Because maybe the placebo effect tells us something much deeper about what it means to be human.

Can what we eat really heal us?

In this episode of It’s A Small World!, we explore the complicated, emotional and deeply human relationship between food, health and healing.

From ancient herbal remedies and fasting rituals… to calories, vitamins and modern wellness culture… humans have always searched for answers in what we consume.

We talk about:
the origins of nutrition science
food as fuel vs nourishment
gut health and fasting

emotional eating and comfort food
cancer, fear and conflicting health advice online
why so many medicines originally came from plants
and whether modern life has disconnected us from food in a deeper way

Tanya also reflects on her own experience as a two-time cancer survivor, and the overwhelming world of “anti-cancer” diets, wellness promises and food anxiety that can come with it.

This isn’t an episode about perfect eating or miracle cures.

It’s about the questions.

Because maybe food isn’t magic…but maybe it’s never been “just fuel” either.

Next week’s episode explores placebo, belief and the power of the mind.