Podcast Summary: Great Company with Jamie Laing

Episode: OLIVIA ATTWOOD: Why I'm Not Afraid To Be Alone Anymore

Released: February 11, 2026

Host: Jamie Laing
Guest: Olivia Attwood

Overview

In this compelling and candid episode, Jamie Laing sits down with television personality and documentary maker Olivia Attwood to delve deep into themes of self-acceptance, anxiety, personal resilience, social media scrutiny, relationships, and the journey to becoming comfortable in one’s own company. Olivia opens up about private struggles, how she’s evolved from fearing solitude to embracing it, and touches upon her career, mental health, and the realities of life in the public eye.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Fear of Being Alone and Learning to Love Solitude

• Olivia’s Early Struggles: Olivia shares she used to be “terrified to be with my own thoughts or my own company,” leading her to never want to be alone, often overlapping relationships to avoid solitude.

  “The idea of being alone was so much more terrifying than not just being with someone. Just terrified to be with my own thoughts.” (00:00)

• Growth and Embracing Solitude: She describes the liberation of finally becoming comfortable alone and how it positively changed her relationships:

  “One of the most powerful things that you can harness in this life is to be comfortable with yourself, because that's the only person that was there at the beginning. You'll be there at the end.” (19:48)

• Impact on Relationships: Olivia explains that learning to enjoy her own company made her relationships healthier and less desperate, shifting from fearing loneliness to appreciating independence.

2. Performing in Public vs. Needing Alone Time

• Olivia identifies as an “extroverted introvert,” comfortable in social or performative settings but quickly drained by them:

  “I like to be around people and I'm slightly...performative. And I'm social, but it drains me very quickly.” (17:56)

• She highlights the need to recharge alone, noting her love of solitary activities and even preferring solo long-haul flights:

  “Most people would hate the idea of a long distance flight alone. And when I go away with my team and we shoot TV shows…Some nights I'll get to the end of filming and I'll go, no, I need to eat like room service alone.” (18:20)

3. Anxiety, ADHD, and Self-Awareness

• Olivia traces her lifelong struggles with anxiety, recounting panic attacks as a child and adolescent.
• Diagnosis Journey: She was officially diagnosed with ADHD at 21, which reframed her experiences:

  “She said, you to me are just textbook ADHD. So it's like a chicken and egg thing. You're overstimulating yourself...The anxiety is coming as a warning sign that you're in overdrive.” (36:38)

• Coping Mechanisms: Olivia prefers tangible, cognitive therapy-based strategies over digging into her past:

  “Some people like to sit and talk about feelings and unpack, like childhood memories...I just didn't feel like it was helping me...but practical, actual, useful methods...that's a lot more how I learned.” (33:31)

• She discusses being disciplined, but sometimes directing her discipline into the wrong areas due to a need for control.

4. Empathy, Boundaries, and People-Pleasing

• Olivia opens up about her high levels of empathy, sometimes imagining others’ suffering and feeling responsible for their emotions:

  “I could have these overwhelming feelings of empathy for someone I don't know...Why are you taking on emotional baggage of people you don't know?” (07:10)

• She admits struggling with boundary-setting and overcompensating to avoid disappointing anyone.
• Notable Insight: “We have a responsibility towards other people, not for them.” (08:49)

5. Navigating Public Scrutiny and Self-Worth

• Olivia distinguishes not caring about mass public opinion but being deeply affected by the perceptions of those close to her:

  “I don't care about a mass consensus...But I care deeply about people close to me, people that employ me, my family...” (10:17)

• She and Jamie discuss the hazards of letting negative online chatter “creep in”:

  “Once you let a little bit creep in, I've found myself go down a hole of scrolling or seeing my name in a thread and then I kind of have to like remove myself...” (11:54)

6. Relationships: Honesty, Social Portrayal, and Real Work

• Olivia is transparent about the challenges in her marriage, bucking the trend of curated, “perfect” online personas:

  “There's a newer generation...who are sharing things that previous generations have...pretend everything's fine. I just know that a lot of people will relate to the kind of year Brad and I had...when you're like, this is like, you know, young married people...so easy to become disconnected.” (13:33)

• Both agree authenticity is more valuable than maintaining a facade:

  “Relationships are their work...You do have to actively put into them.” (14:06)

• They poke fun at social media “relationship theater,” noting those who project relentless happiness often struggle behind closed doors.

7. Toxic Relationships and Learning Self-Value

• Olivia reflects honestly on past toxic and even misogynistic relationships, admitting she was sometimes “a bit garbage as well.”
• She discusses how societal understanding of traits like narcissism or ADHD was limited during her youth.
• Olivia realized that despite growing up with a strong parental example, she was unprepared for “rat bags” because she didn’t realize men could be “bad.”
• Now, she sets higher standards and credits her family as foundational, but admits to a period of rebellion and naiveté.

8. Societal Loneliness and Community-seeking Online

• Olivia thinks today’s media and podcasting often create a false sense of community, which can contribute to extremism and belonging by hating or judging collectively:

  “People are drawn to extreme thoughts because it makes them feel part of something. People are craving community and to feel like they belong in something...that's why problematic speakers, podcasters, they're thriving, because people are so lonely.” (27:44)

• She allows negative commenters to congregate in her social channels, seeing it as them “needing that community” in their day.

9. Olivia’s Television Work: OnlyFans, Cosmetic Surgery & Perfection

• Upcoming Series: Olivia shares about her documentary specials, including a celebrity OnlyFans deep dive (Katie Price, Kerry Katona, Lauren Goodyear), and a Vegas episode on the sex economy:

  “They're telling me really, like, the truth. Showing what they earn, what they post, why they do it. So that's fascinating...” (44:14)

• Take on OnlyFans:

  “Society wants women sexualized, but when they elect and do it themselves, we don't like it...I think the age limit should be increased...I think it's being glamorized for young women as a great alternative...and that is a little bit scary.” (45:01)

• Plastic Surgery and Societal Pressures:

  “It's a very easy way to control and guilt women predominantly. And you, you have to free yourself from the trappings of it as best you can—which is super hard in this, you know, image-based society.” (49:03)

10. Memorable Jellyfish Story & Starting on Love Island

• Olivia recounts a hilarious and painful mishap right before entering Love Island:

  “I waded into, like, here, and anywhere your eye could see, there was a jellyfish...This little pervert jellyfish like, attacked my vagina...it just looked like I had aggressive herpes outbreak.” (54:53)

• She was forced to wear denim shorts to cover up the rash, and jokes about her “scruffy” season on the show.

11. Olivia’s Relationship With Herself Today

• She rates her self-relationship as a “seven out of ten,” admitting to being in the best place of her life but still hard on herself.

  “I'm in the best place I ever have been in my entire life, like from birth, genuinely...But I give myself...a really hard time.” (31:10)

• Reiterates the importance of practical habits for mental well-being—moderation with caffeine/alcohol, regular exercise, and structured discipline—and the challenges of managing ADHD.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Boundaries and Empathy:

  “We have a responsibility towards other people, [but] not for them.” — Olivia (08:49)

• On Overcoming People-Pleasing:

  “I never want to disappoint anyone...I overcompensate sometimes then maybe to my own detriment.” — Olivia (09:06)

• On Social Media and Scrutiny:

  “If you're going to be in this industry, you have to actually accept that that stuff's actually not any of your business.” — Olivia (11:11)

• On OnlyFans & Agency:

  “Society wants women sexualized, but when they elect and do it themselves, we don't like it...we like doing it to women, we don't like women doing it for themselves.” — Olivia (45:01)

• On Dealing With Anxiety:

  “Once I started to have actual usable methods, like breathing properly…that’s how I kind of got control of it.” — Olivia (34:48)

• On ADHD and Stimulants:

  “If I drink on a flight, I'm trying to get in the cockpit. I swear to God, like, I don't drink on flights anymore, ever. Cause I can. I am a menace.” — Olivia (38:54)

• On Perceived Perfection:

  “Ultimately a lot of people are pursuing perfection, which one doesn’t exist. So you’re kind of trying to reach something constant. You can’t get it.” — Olivia (49:07)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 — Olivia on her fear of being alone
• 07:10 — Empathy, boundaries, and people-pleasing
• 10:17 — Public scrutiny & what opinions matter
• 13:33 — Sharing real relationships online vs. curating happiness
• 19:48 — The freedom of enjoying your own company
• 33:31 — Olivia on practical therapy vs. talk therapy
• 36:38 — ADHD, anxiety, and diagnosis
• 44:14 — Upcoming TV series on OnlyFans and the Vegas sex economy
• 45:01 — Olivia’s thoughts on OnlyFans, societal double standards, and dangers for young women
• 49:03 — Cosmetic surgery, chasing perfection, and societal pressures
• 54:53 — The infamous Love Island jellyfish story
• 31:10 — Olivia rates her self-relationship and current mindset

Olivia’s Quick-Fire Answers (57:36–59:38)

• Phrase that cheers her up: “Don’t bring your shit to a piss fight.”
• Best compliment received: Her resilience.
• Greatest fear about herself: Not stopping to enjoy what she’s achieved.
• Last time she cried: When moving house.
• Guilty pleasure: Clubbing.
• Turns her off: Not being seen.
• Turns her on: Laughing, having fun, being broken down (emotionally vulnerable).
• What she likes most: Work ethic and (sometimes to her detriment) generosity.
• Hall pass: Casper the Ghost (“He’s so beautiful. Those big eyes, man…”)

Tone & Style

The conversation is uproariously funny, deeply honest, and refreshingly unfiltered—Olivia’s charismatic candor pairs perfectly with Jamie’s empathetic but cheeky interview style. Both speakers move seamlessly between irreverent humor and thoughtful reflection, offering relatable insights for anyone navigating self-worth, public life, or simply searching for more comfort in their own company.