The Psychology of your 20s

It's our 400th episode! Today is a special episode. Feeling stuck, behind, or like you’re wasting your 20s is not a rare experience. But you might just be focusing on the wrong milestones... In this episode, we break down 15 unconventional things I think everyone should do in their 20s and the psychology behind why.
Some of the bucket list items we discuss:
The best money lessons you learn through experience
The importance of yearly challenges and quitting the things you depend on
The plan you can make for your life, today
Why we all need to do a social audit
Solitude, relationships and the love you should find in your 20s
Happy listening!
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Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know exercise is ‘good for us’, but why is it that a walk can calm your brain, why a workout can feel like emotional release, or why movement can become either self-care or self-punishment. In this episode, we unpack the psychology of exercise – what’s happening to our brains over time, where the ‘exercise as antidepressants’ claim came from, and what happens when it crosses into obsession.
We explore:
• The role of endorphins and endocannabinoids
• How movement can regulate our emotions
• Identity and motivation in exercise
• How exercise changes our brains
• The role of exercise in treating depression
• How to build a healthier relationship with exercise
Watch on Netflix
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]
Our favourite sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10813489/
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/2/101.abstract
https://insight.jci.org/articles/view/126190
The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feeling stuck in your 20s is a rite of passage, but it's can also feel deeply hopeless when nothing in your life seems to be moving or changing in the way you want it to. In today's episode, we break down some of the reasons we feel stuck and the five things you can do in the next 6 months to change that, including:
The 10 minute mind map tool to get you out of a funk
Why you need to stop asking other people for advice
The 6 month challenge project
Plus so much more
Happy listening!
The episode I mentioned: How to feel like yourself again
The book I mentioned: The Anatomy of a Breakthrough
Watch on Netflix

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we think about office politics, you might think gossip, favouritism, or power plays - the kind of behind-the-scenes drama that makes work feel draining. But office politics isn’t just about one-upmanship or ambition. At its core, it’s a very human process: how people build trust, navigate competition, and influence decisions in the workplace.
In this episode, we break down the ‘unwritten’ dynamics of office politics - why they exist, how they affect your daily work life, and what you can do to navigate them without compromising your values.
We explore:
• The types of influence and power at work that you can leverage for yourself
• Why office politics feels inevitable
• How to recognise unspoken rules and social dynamics
• Advice on office gossip
• The 5 things you should be doing at work to get ahead (ethically)
If you want to go into the office with less dread and more clarity, this episode is for you.
Watch on Netflix
Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Homesickness is more than just “missing home", it's a deep sense of nostalgia, grief, longing and also, as psychology will tell us, a unique kind of stress response. In this episode, we break down the psychology of homesickness: why our brains react so strongly when we leave familiar places, how place attachment shapes our sense of identity, and why nostalgia can make the past feel more perfect than it really was.
We explore:
What happens to your body and mind when you're away from home

The psychology of place attachment and why certain locations feel like part of us

Why homesickness often is delayed

When homesickness is something to listen to ... and when it’s not

7 practical strategies to help you feel more at home in a new place

Whether you’ve just moved across the world, across the country, or you’re feeling unexpectedly nostalgic for a life chapter that’s ended, this episode is for you.
Watch on Netflix

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast
Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s
For business: [email protected]

The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.