Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan is a physiologist, Sleep Expert, Author & keynote speaker, who is dedicated to helping people and organisations to thrive, sleep more deeply and live more joyfully.

Nerina spent a decade conducting sleep and wellness programmes at Nightingale Hospital in London, coaches on burnout prevention at Ashridge Business School and is the original founder of BUPA’s Corporate Wellbeing Solutions.

Nerina works with individuals as well as numerous corporate clients from various industries including sport (Chelsea Football Club).  She is particularly interested in how, post-pandemic, organisations and individuals can thrive rather than merely survive.  Her recently published 4^th book Finding Inner Safety (Capstone, 2022) suggests that an important way forward in these volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) times is to tap into our deepest sources of resilience and inner safety.  Many of her keynotes and presentations are focused on showing organisations and individuals how to do this.

Nerina is the author of three other books: Tired But Wired (Souvenir Press, 2010), Fast Asleep, Wide Awake (Thorsons, 2016), and The Little Book of Sleep: The Art of Natural Sleep (Gaia, 2018).   Her work is often featured in the media including TV and Radio.

Joyce and Nerina have known each other for over 40 years, since they first met while doing their PhDs — which makes this episode particularly special. Both are deeply passionate about the idea of reclaiming joy.

In this conversation, Nerina explores what joy really is. It’s not always easy to define. ChatGPT describes it as a deep feeling of happiness, delight, or contentment that often arises spontaneously — not always triggered by something external. Nerina expands on this, explaining why joy is so essential for both our physical and mental wellbeing.

Of course, joy looks different for everyone. We each have to discover what brings us joy in our own way. Nerina argues that joy should be recognised as a priority not just in our personal lives, but also in schools and workplaces — right alongside sleep.

This is the final episode in the mini-series on reclaiming joy. I hope it’s sparked some ideas and inspiration for how you might reconnect with your own sense of joy. I’ll be back with another mini-series on joy and happiness next year — so stay tuned.