Frankly Speaking Episode 25 - Stella Duffy

In this episode of Frankly Speaking with Lynne Franks, Lynne is joined by her friend Stella Duffy, discussing her multifaceted career, from actor to director to author to practising psychotherapist. They also discuss their close family connection and Stella’s journey to health and personal happiness.

The two share their experiences in their practise of Buddhism, how Stella created spaces for community storytelling and take a close look at post menopause - shifting the conversation from it being just purely a medical experience but also a societal, cultural, psychological and emotional experience.

Stella Duffy is an award-winning writer of seventeen novels, over seventy short stories and fourteen plays. She worked in theatre for over thirty-five years as an actor, director and facilitator. She is the co-founder and until January 2021 was co-director of the Fun Palaces campaign supporting community-led connection, with over 750,000 local participants across the UK. She received the OBE for Services to the Arts in 2016. She is also a yoga teacher and runs yoga-for-writing workshops.

Stella is in the third year of a doctorate training in Existential Psychotherapy, her research is in the embodied experience of postmenopausal. Alongside her private psychotherapy practice, she works in an NHS cancer support service and a low-cost community mental health service. As a campaigner Stella was on the founding steering committee of the Women’s Equality Party, has worked for LGBTQ+ equalities for many decades, and is a member of Gateway Women’s Childless Elderwomen, the #NoMoCrones.

Twitter & Instagram: @stellduffy

You can find Lynne on Instagram at @lynnejfranks, Facebook @lynnefranksobe, Twitter @Lynne_Franks , LinkedIn @Lynne Franks OBE.

This episode was produced by Tanya Anastasiadis

Music by Joolz Barker