


17 Sep 2026 · 11m · 6 chapters

Episode topic: Fern Cotton (Happy Place) vents about adult life’s draining “to-do” lists, school/parenting stress, and how to stay positive despite rude people (“arseholes”). She celebrates small joys (gardening, art, exhibitions) and shares a lesson from a negative street encounter: keep believing “there are good eggs out there.”
No guests appear; it’s a solo chat by Fern Cotton. Mentions listener messages from Donna, Helen, Jennifer, and Anushka.
Adult life is overwhelming; school WhatsApp groups are nonstop; kind people integrate others; positivity helps when strangers are aggressive.
picking plums and making plum-cinnamon jam; getting art orders after Instagram/TikTok; 30-minute discussion of Marilyn Monroe at the National Portrait Gallery; being scolded while crossing the road with her 11-year-old.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes.
Fern shares listeners' positive experiences and inspirations.
“Elevate your earn with unlimited double miles on every purchase.”
Fern shares listeners' positive experiences and inspirations.
“So you lovely lot have been messaging on Instagram telling us what is massively floating your boat this week.”
Fern discusses her journey into art and the joy it brings her.
“No piensan de arte como algo que podría hacer en la futuro.”
Fern talks about parenting worries and school dynamics.
“I am definitely fully in swing in my art era.”
Fern expresses the challenges and to-do lists of grown-up life.
“Jennifer says, making decisions about high school cuando I know my child won't cope y neither will I.”
Fern reflects on the importance of positivity amidst negativity in life.
“I need to get my knee sorted, I said that at the end of the summer once I got the Happy Place Festivals out of the way, I'd get my knee sorted because I can't run, have I done it?”

Get the gist, explore an idea or ask about something said.
On Happy Place, what are the key points of this episode?
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.
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1:46Fearne Cotton: Well hello everybody, how are you? I'm Fern Cotton, welcome to Happy Place. So when I was at the Happy Place Festival recently One of the lovely festival revellers came up to me and said I really like the solo eps where you're just chatting Because I listen to those when I'm just out walking And it's nice to hear you just chatting a load of shit And I was so relieved Because sometimes I think What the fuck am I wanging on about So to that lady I can't remember your name, I'm so sorry Thank you for that feedback Because that has been great motivation for me to sit here And do this all over again So let's vent and let's celebrate things that we love too.
2:25Fearne Cotton: Let's start with the likes this week. So you lovely lot have been messaging on Instagram telling us what is massively floating your boat this week. Donna says, harvesting my own produce from my back garden. Donna, you are living the dream. I can definitely see this in my future. I would love to grow. I mean, let's be honest. Let's start with tomatoes. They're easy, aren't they? Mi padre tiene so many tomatoes growing in his garden All through the summer Y runner beans They seem like easy produce I could cope with I'm not at all green fingered But Donna, this is where I am headed And actually what I love Is recently I went and I can't believe I'm about to say this I went and picked some plums From my friend's plum tree Sounds like Very cheeky euphemism pero directamente up I picked some plums from a tree and then I made plum jam and oh my goodness this is the nicest jam I've ever eaten I put some cinnamon in there so it's plum and cinnamon I am spreading jam on everything it is dreamy so Donna, this is my future you are my inspiration also listener Helen says people are seeing my artwork and I'm getting orders now that is exciting porque art es una de esas cosas que se han sido guardado de hacer seriously en la escuela.
3:51Fearne Cotton: Como, oh, es un tema de la escuela. No piensan de arte como algo que podría hacer en la futuro. Y, por supuesto, es todavía muy difícil de conseguir conseguir un carrera y pagar bills de ser solo un artista. Es como este histórico que es muy difícil de sellar artes. Así que estoy agradecido por ti que la gente se vea tu artes. I'm not sure how you're getting it out there, maybe Instagram or TikTok, however you're doing it. I love that the digital space is really highlighting great artists. And I'm so glad that people are liking it and they're buying it. I'm absolutely thrilled. I am definitely fully in swing in my art era.
4:31Fearne Cotton: And this is my big like for not only this week, for this hopefully new chapter of my life. I didn't give myself time to paint for years and years and years. Only recently, in the last, I'd say, two years, have I entertained the idea of painting for the fun of it. I'm not doing it for any other reason. I spend a whole day painting and I feel totally in joy, like pure joy painting. And also I'm trying to go to as many art exhibitions as humanly possible. So recently I went to My Happy Place, which is the National Portrait Gallery. I try and go like three, four times a year if I can. I went to see the Marilyn Monroe exhibition and it was just the most beautiful space to walk around to see these incredible images of her taken by photographers who had seen that special glimmer that she had that charisma, that like something else and you can really see it in these pictures I just walked around in awe and actually at the Happy Place Festival back in early September I spent I reckon a good 30 solid minutes talking to Tom Reed Wilson about that exhibition because he went to and felt as passionately about it.
5:49Fearne Cotton: It was oh, there's one picture of her where she's like leaning back like this and the wind is blowing in her face and she's on a beach. And that picture, I actually like had some tears in my eyes looking at it. I was like, that's how I want to feel like free and liberated. And that photographer had captured it so special. Me y Helen, estamos en el arte era y estoy aquí para el mundo. Vamos a ver en los que queremos poner en la bin, quite frankly. Vamos a empezar con la gente, lo que le escucha. Jennifer says, making decisions about high school cuando I know my child won't cope y neither will I.
6:28Fearne Cotton: Jennifer, I so feel you. I've got one kid in high school, secondary school, one kid starting it next year. y es overwhelming sometimes I think we do really really worry that our kids will struggle and actually I'm hoping they cope much better than we think because I think schools have got better support systems now whether it's SENCO you've got learning support or teachers that you can go to if your kid is having a rough time which definitely wasn't the case back when we were at high school the thing that I I know we won't cope with Jennifer. The WhatsApp groups. The school WhatsApp groups. Why?
7:10Fearne Cotton: Why are they pinging all day long? And even if I've got my phone on silent, I get to the end of a work day, check it out. I've missed like 97 messages. It's nuts. It's insane. Our parents coped absolutely fine with going, bye, have a good day at school, and they'd see us at the other end. They didn't know what we did there, qué homework we had o qué extracurriculars were going on. They didn't have a clue. I might as well go to school with my kids, I know so much. It is a joke. So, Jennifer, I'm there with you, babes. Now, from Team Happy Place, Anushka says, there's always something on being a grown-up list to do.
7:49Fearne Cotton: A fuse has blown. A prescription needs ordering. There's an appointment to book. The fridge needs defrosting, etc. This is why I think at the moment I feel so utterly drained es porque la lista es never ending. En el momento, la lista de la lista, estas cosas que he puesto por tanto tiempo, no puedo decirles, solo se quedan en la lista. I escribí una nueva y tengo que transferirlo a la nueva lista. Una de ellas es, solo a una nueva tumbledria. Solo lo que hace. Mi tumbledria ha funcionado por... I mean, es años. Es años y años. Y me lo he moado constantemente. I've got to put it on again. I've got to hang something out in the one window of sunshine that there is.
8:31Fearne Cotton: Or hang towels on the back of chairs because my tumble dryer is shit. I've had it for about 12 years and it's from the previous owners. From when I moved into the house, this thing could be like 40 years old. Why won't I just buy a new one? I'll tell you why. I can't be asked. I can't be bothered to work out if I should change and get a tumble dryer that has the little water drawer or is fitted to the mains. I haven't got the capacity for any of it and I'm boring the shit out of myself even talking about it now so yeah I feel the same being an adult with this never ending to do list of boring shit my knee, my knee I need to get my knee sorted, I said that at the end of the summer once I got the Happy Place Festivals out of the way, I'd get my knee sorted because I can't run, have I done it?
9:19Fearne Cotton: Have I even booked a doctor's appointment? No, no I have not so my knee is fucked y lo probablemente permanece hasta que se sienta bien. En mi put it in the bin list this week es people being arseholes. Es literalmente simple. So, I am still tired slash buzzing from the Happy Place Festival, mainly porque I had this delightful experience, as I do every year, walking around meeting good eggs like people that are kind and then I would have met someone at the festival who turned up on their own and then a lovely group of people enveloped them into their group and off they went on their jolly way and I felt like oh this is such a good slice of humanity I feel hopeful, I feel optimistic and then the very next day, the day after the Manchester Happy Place Festival I was crossing the road with my daughter and a motorbike that I could barely see que fue taniale y se拉 corte, con una, como Seehan or Inоны cozy en continuación, denovas, 20 mph, si pongo, cuando estáxe en el pe hiring Le Tech Un Ride.
10:44Fearne Cotton: Si, diciendo, ¿Por qué? ¿ Why? ¿Por qué? He's giving me shit going What are you doing crossing the road And I was like I can't be honest I've got my daughter with me And then a woman on a bike is coming from the other direction And she goes well it wasn't a green man was it And I just thought Really Really I'm just trying to cross the road with my 11 year old We're having a post dinner walk To look at the sunset And I am being bombarded by People that I don't know Giving me shit So that was like a good test from the universe to go right This is not showing you that actually the Happy Place Festival was a load of old shit And actually humanity is awful It was a test for me to go even when other people are projecting their anger on you Stay with that mindset that people are great There are good eggs out there that want to be kind and want to be helpful And want just to create a nice atmosphere So I'm putting arseholes in the bin Thank you so much for listening To this episode of Happy Place Where we celebrated the simple Pure joys in life And also putting the bin a bunch of shit That we just can't be doing with quite frankly If you would like to send yours in Head to our Instagram, send us a little DM We would love to hear from you And we might include yours In a future show And whatever mood you're in this week Good, bad, ugly, if you've been bombarded by arseholes you've got this, love ya
12:47Los Deportes Hablamos de lo que no se habla. Available by prescription only.
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13:56¡Gracias por ver el video!
What’s been going on for you this week? What are you happy about, and what’s really not floating your boat? Fearne’s here with more chat about what’s putting her, Team Happy Place, and you lot in a good mood, and what’s feeling a bit heavier too.
This is our space to explore what’s been on our minds. Want to join the chat? Send us a voicenote, DM, or comment on Instagram @happyplaceofficial!
In this chat, Fearne explores:
-The wholesome dream of growing your own food
-Finally being paid to create the stuff you love
-Being in awe of Marilyn Monroe
-Sending your kid to high school when they’re not ready to cope
-Why there’s always something on the Being A Grown Up to do list
-The dull details of buying new white goods
-The people who insist on being tw*ts to strangers
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