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PODCAST

Beyond the basement

Chris Kenworthy

Join Chris for unscripted reflections on the wild, tender and playful experience of being human. Each episode is like an intimate voice-note to you, with lively insight from the edge of discovery. People say you’ll recognise yourself in these adventures and encounters. And hear clarity, perspective and truth - with deep appreciation for life’s messy magic as it’s really lived through your body. Chris Kenworthy is an improviser, facilitator and embodiment coach. Find me at chriskenworthy.co.uk or

comedy improv

All Episodes

31:56

Anger + sadness = a perfectionist’s traffic jam

Beyond the basement ·

2025/10/06

In this episode, let’s dive into a pattern I see in myself and many other perfectionists: when anger and sadness happen simultaneously and get stuck in the body. I talk about that moment of feeling wronged or unseen - the surge of “I want to act” colliding with shame, grief and the impulse to shrink. It’s like driving with one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake: so much energy, but no movement.I share how I’m learning to slow down, sense anger and sadness as separate forces, and give each

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22:15

Hey perfectionist - what if you just enjoyed your...

Beyond the basement ·

2025/09/23

Under a giant ash tree in my local cemetery, I unpack a juicy invitation a friend offered me: what if I simply enjoyed my biological instincts - without judging them or needing to act on them? If you’re a regular listener you’ll know I’m a recovering perfectionist. So I notice how quickly I police urges (from cream buns to sexual desire), labelling them “right/wrong” and shutting down aliveness. Here I reveal an edgy challenge in my own life - feelings of attraction that have awakened primal

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51:43

How to be more playful in everyday life - reclaiming...

Beyond the basement ·

2025/09/15

It’s a juicy question, and one I tried to answer in the closing moments of my ‘Think Less, Play More’ workshop at Happy Startup School’s Summercamp. What emerged was good enough, yet could have been clearer - so here’s my attempt to explore and answer aloud.I share why playfulness isn’t about learning to “do” play, but about subtracting the noise and distractions that cover up our natural capacity to “be” playful. I talk about following aliveness, experimenting with safe ways of play, and

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38:15

Cabaret of chaos: An improviser’s guide to playing in...

Beyond the basement ·

2025/09/02

Join me unpacking a recent experience of improvising at a festival - in a room that wasn’t quite ready to play. What started as a search for lightness turned into a fascinating, often excruciating exploration of what happens when improv meets uncertainty, nervous systems, and a whole lot of silence.This is part analysis, part rant, and part love letter to the art of play. I share what I learned about game-building, commitment, group dynamics, and what improvisers know deeply: how to meet a moment,

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24:10

Why bother with Perfectionism?

Beyond the basement ·

2025/07/31

Perhaps perfectionism’s just a quirk in your life, you’re not even sure what it is, or what it has to do with you - then this episode is for you.I make the case for why it’s worth getting curious about perfectionism—not just as a personality trait or habit, but as a powerful, often hidden force shaping how you feel, work, relate, and live. You don’t have to call yourself a perfectionist to benefit from exploring it.This isn’t about diagnosis it’s about self-understanding. In this episode, I offer

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27:31

Your style of play

Beyond the basement ·

2025/07/29

In this episode, I explore something you could call your play love language - the idea that each of us has a particular way we enjoy playing, even if we think we’re “not a playful person.”I often meet people who say they don’t know how to play or forgot, or that they’ve never really felt playful. So I wanted to take a closer look: What is play, really? How do we find our way into it without pressure or performance? And what might it mean to reclaim play as a personal, pleasurable, maybe even vital

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32:22

Perfectionism’s tight grip on the steering wheel of...

Beyond the basement ·

2025/07/22

In this episode, I talk about why letting go can feel almost impossible - especially for perfectionists. Not because we don’t want to relax, but because our whole system has been trained to hold on, grip tighter, and stay in control.I explore how this contraction shows up in the smallest places: in how we walk, speak, think, write, and relate. It’s not just a behaviour - it’s a survival strategy. And letting go for people like us isn’t about forcing ourselves to relax. It’s about noticing the grip,

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21:25

Uncertainty: your mind’s least favourite hobby (and...

Beyond the basement ·

2025/07/15

If there’s one thing humans resist, it’s not knowing - stepping into a void of uncertainty (a.k.a being alive).In this episode, I explore our very human relationship with the unknown. I reflect on how your mind instinctively scrambles to make meaning when we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory - and how that effort to “work it out” can sometimes get in the way of effectively navigating what unfolds, and even thriving and creating in it.Borrowing lessons from improvisation, I talk about the

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40:47

Do you suffer from seriousness fatigue?

Beyond the basement ·

2025/06/30

In this episode, I explore a condition I call Seriousness Fatigue™ - a surprisingly common but under-diagnosed affliction affecting grown-ups everywhere. Symptoms include: chronic joylessness, relentless productivity, and a general heaviness that makes life feel like a spreadsheet.It’s a playful diagnosis, but a real experience. I look at how fun deficit disorder (FDD) links to perfectionism, mental over-exertion, and emotional and physical disconnection. I also offer a few suggested treatments

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36:09

Love, loss, limits & letting go (life after Laurie)

Beyond the basement ·

2025/06/24

If you’re a regular listener, you’ll know Laurie (my dog) was a robust presence in my life, and our relationship was both loving and incredibly challenging. It wasn’t simple. It stretched me, frustrated me, entertained me, taught me. Living with him, and later rehoming him, pushed me to my limits - but that was only the beginning of the journey. I had no idea what would happen next…This is me sharing a story and reflecting on the experience - what it taught me about navigating boundaries and grief

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36:24

Learning to trust yourself again

Beyond the basement ·

2025/06/19

Ever questioned your trust in yourself or doubted your capacity to do brave things? Ever felt weak or ashamed because of that?In this episode I share reflections from periods of my life when I’ve felt raw, alone and unsupported - when I had to rebuild trust with myself as a matter of self-preservation. And what I’ve discovered is that self-trust doesn’t come from pushing through, ‘man-ing-up’, or performing confidence. It grows quietly, in moments of honesty, in choosing gentleness, and deliberately

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33:10

Our inability to sit still, alone (and what happens...

Beyond the basement ·

2025/06/16

Modern life really isn’t set up for being slow and still. It can feel uncomfortable, even pointless. Yet beyond the resistance, I’ve been discovering something tender, alive and a source of great relief. This episode is me sharing that process with you.In this episode, I talk about something very simple - but not always easy: sitting still and being with myself. No fixing, no doing, just being with myself and noticing what’s there. That simple.It started as an experiment, but it’s been surprisingly

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25:34

What do you really want? Learning to listen again

Beyond the basement ·

2025/06/10

Here I’m exploring the terrain of desire - not the surface-level kind, but the deep, bodily knowing of what you truly want and need. Speaking from a clearing in the woods, I reflect on the difference between external striving and inner attunement, and how perfectionism can cut us off from our own instincts.This is a meditation on listening, gently, to the signals in your body, the ache of unmet needs, and the quiet internal whispers of what you might really be here for. If you’ve ever felt

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22:51

How do you want to spend your time on earth?

Beyond the basement ·

2025/06/06

Join me for walk in the Austrian Alps, reflecting on a question few of us ever dare to ask, let alone answer: “How do you want to spend your time on Earth?” From the beauty of retreat to the discomfort of liminal space, I explore the tension between desire and guilt, perfectionism and possibility. Expect honest musings, playful techniques (like divergent thinking and ‘sensing’ into your response), plus heartfelt encouragement to live the question, rather than force an answer. This is a nice

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18:29

What improv revealed at the edge of a freezing...

Beyond the basement ·

2025/05/29

What does wild swimming in an alpine lake have to do with improvisation? Everything, it turns out.In this episode, I tell the story of standing on the edge of a glacial lake in Austria, feeling the pull of aliveness and the grip of fear, all at once. I notice how familiar the pattern is: the hesitation, the mental noise, the search for the “right” way in. Just like improv.This is honest reflections on what it means to take a risk - whether it’s stepping into cold water or stepping into the unknown

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21:19

Are you going with the flow or going along with it?

Beyond the basement ·

2025/05/21

Some Perfectionists think they’re pretty easy-going. They don’t make a fuss. They go with the flow. Or do they?In this episode, I explore the subtle difference between genuinely flowing with life and quietly complying with it. If you’ve ever mistaken your ability to ‘just get on with things’ as calmness, this one’s for you. I unpack the hidden self-abandonment that can sit under so-called flexibility - and how to tell the difference.You’ll hear reflections from my own journey, what I’ve noticed in

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16:20

How I became a Perfectionist

Beyond the basement ·

2025/05/06

Ever wondered why you’re so hard on yourself?In this episode, I share the story of how I became a Perfectionist - from the early signs I didn’t have a name for, to the moment it all clicked, and the ways it’s shaped every part of my life. Career, creativity, relationships, rest… nothing has escaped its grip.I talk about what I’ve learned along the way, how my understanding of Perfectionism has deepened, and how that might relate to your own experience - even if you’ve never used the word

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31:39

Getting through it: feel or function?

Beyond the basement ·

2025/05/05

By the time you hear this, I’ll have said goodbye to my dog Laurie.This episode is me choosing not to “function” my way through the re-homing process - but to feel it, and to share that with you. I reflect on what it means to end things relationally, not just practically. On how grief shows up in the body. On humility, holding, and being held. On how hard it is to let go - even when it’s the right thing.There are funny stories too (Laurie gave me plenty). And there’s some real talk about

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17:51

What every human wants

Beyond the basement ·

2025/05/03

What if the thing we’re all really searching for… is aliveness?In this episode, I explore what I believe is a core human drive — the longing to feel something. To feel moved, stirred, stretched, awake. I share reflections on what aliveness means, how it shows up in different phases of life (especially mid-life, where I find myself now), and how it can quietly slip out of reach when life becomes too safe, too predictable, or too dull.I talk about the tension between safety and risk, comfort and edge

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23:48

How to hear your body (and what it’s YELLING)

Beyond the basement ·

2025/04/30

Ever felt restless, frustrated or ‘just this side’ of anger - but can’t quite put your finger on what or why?In this episode, I explore one of those days... When your body speaks louder than the mind, when sensations and feelings emerge without reason. I talk about what it’s like to be there, and share what I’ve learned in my work as an embodiment coach about how to listen to the body, and how it speaks about what you really need.I share personal reflections, gentle practices, and a few hard-earned

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273 results

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