Usually I share interviews with scientists doing research that can shed light on how we can live better, healthier lives. But this week you'll hear from a different kind of expert – a mindfulness teacher who has made a big impact on my life.

Timothea Goddard led the eight week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course that I participated in during the production of my film My Year of Living Mindfully.

Tim (as she's affectionately known to us Aussies) is a psychotherapist who has taught more than 2000 students and trained more than 200 new mindfulness teachers. But you might find what she has to say about mindfulness rather surprising.

In this episode you'll hear –

Why trying to find bliss in the present moment is a myth (and a problem, especially if you have anxiety, depression, trauma or chronic pain)
How the marketing hype about mindfulness often gets it very wrong
That pretty much everyone finds mindfulness training difficult and boring
Why learning to turn towards our painful emotions and experiences can be life changing
And that life sux, but why we shouldn't take it personally

Tim offers mindfulness courses online and in person, and also runs retreats through her organisation Openground. She also runs rigorous mindfulness teacher certification courses through the Mindfulness Training Institute – Australia and New Zealand. If you'd like to know more about MBSR from the man who actually developed it, head to the very first episode of this podcast series and look for my interview with Jon Kabat Zinn.