Headstraight
A teen mental health podcast hosted by Mark Taylor that offers real talk and practical support for teens who want to understand what’s going on inside their head.
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*Conversations* That Make a Difference
Headstraight is a teen mental health podcast hosted by Mark Taylor, offering genuine conversations and practical insights tailored for young people seeking to understand their emotions and enhance their well-being.
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8
Sept. 1, 2026
An apology for this week...
Life has thrown me a curve ball this week and my planned episode isn't ready to publish.. Why not take this as an opportunity to take a look at the back episodes..? Normal service will resume next week..! Want to get involved? I’d love to hear from you: Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contact Leave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemail Share your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/new Explore more from Head
7
Aug. 26, 2026
I Can Tell What Mood You're In Before You Even Speak
Some people can tell that someone’s mood has changed before a word’s even been said. A different look, a change in tone, a shorter message, a slightly different atmosphere, and immediately there’s a feeling of, I know what’s going on here. And sometimes you’re absolutely right. But noticing that something has changed isn’t quite the same as knowing what that change means. In this episode, I look at what happens when being good at reading people starts to feel like certainty, how past experience
6
Aug. 19, 2026
Maybe I’m Not Just Being Difficult
Sometimes the hardest part isn’t what you’re doing. It’s trying to understand what’s going on underneath it. Maybe you’ve lost your temper, walked away, shut down, refused something, or ended up in another argument. Everyone else can see the behaviour, but that doesn’t mean they understand what’s behind it. And sometimes, if you’re being honest, you might not completely understand it either. So what if you’re not just being difficult? In this episode, I explore what can happen when behaviour
5
Aug. 12, 2026
I Don't Want To Be Ill, I Just Don't Want To Be Invisible
What happens when getting better starts to feel like you might lose something too? For some young people, being unwell can become the point where people finally notice. Family check in more. Friends stay closer. School takes things more seriously. People make time, ask questions and seem to care in a way that perhaps they did not before. So when things begin to improve, there can be another feeling sitting underneath the relief. If I'm no longer the person everyone is worried about, will they
4
Aug. 5, 2026
Everyone Comes To Me With Their Problems
Everyone seems to come to you when something’s gone wrong. You listen, you stay calm, you try to help, and before long you’ve somehow become the person everybody relies on. At first, that can feel like a good thing. It means people trust you, they feel safe with you, and they believe you’ll know what to say. But after a while, it can start to feel heavy, especially when their problem stays in your head long after they’ve moved on. In this episode, I want to look at how that role develops, why
3
July 29, 2026
Can You Love Someone And Still Be Scared Of Them?
Can you love someone and still be scared of them? It feels like a question that should have a simple answer. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that real life rarely fits into simple categories. In this episode, we're not talking about labels or trying to decide whether somebody is a good person or a bad one. We're talking about something much more familiar than that. What happens when someone can make you feel loved and unsettled at the very same time? When your heart seems
2
July 22, 2026
Am I Being Left Behind?
I've been thinking about friendships quite a bit while putting this episode together, and the more I thought about it, the more I realised this isn't really an episode about friendships at all. It's about what happens when they start to change. Most of us have experienced that moment when someone we were once really close to slowly becomes a smaller part of our lives. Sometimes there's an argument, but often there isn't. Life just moves on, and we're left trying to work out what happened. The
1
July 15, 2026
I Wish Somebody Would Notice Without Me Having To Say Anything
Have you ever found yourself wishing that somebody would just notice that you're not okay... without you having to say anything? Not because you want attention. Not because you want everyone fussing over you. But because saying the words out loud somehow feels even harder. That's what we're talking about this week. We're going to look at why so many of us wait for someone else to ask the first question, what we're really hoping for when we wish someone would notice, and why staying quiet o
About the Host
Mark Taylor
Creator, author and host.
I’m a Qualified/Certified Mental Health Nurse with over 35 years of experience supporting young people and their families. I’ve worked in secure hospitals, eating disorder units, and CAMHS crisis teams—walking alongside adolescents during some of their toughest moments.
My focus has always been on helping young people in emotional distress—especially those who struggle to engage or are finding it hard to stay safe.
I also teach at universities and train professionals across health, education and social care to better understand what young people really need from us.
Headstraight brings all of that together. Just real conversations, grounded advice, and ideas that might actually help. That’s the goal: make it easier to understand, easier to talk about, and more useful to you in real life.
Reviews
This will help me.
I can't wait to get started on this. Going to listen to it all on my commute to work. This guy really sounds like he knows his stuff
- Beth Alice
- July 17, 2025
Such a great find..!
I'm a parent and was desperate to find something for my son to look at. I've tried to encourage him to seek support but he is worried about talking to someone about how he feels. This podcast was just what he needed to find the courage to speak to someone. Now he is talking to his counsellor in school and is noticeably brighter. Thank you so much... !
- Anon
- July 28, 2025
Always something helpful
I found this clear and straightforward. Something to learn for practitioners and young people alike, both professionally and personally as we all go through stuff! Going to listen to the 'confidence' track with a young person who struggles with low self esteem as I'm struggling to communicate with him!
- Elsie
- Oct. 11, 2025