159. Why Do I Feel So Alone? | Sophie Alway on Grief, Mental Health & Finding Hope159. Why Do I Feel So Alone? | Sophie Alway on Grief, Mental Health & Finding Hope
The Self Development Podcast
Johnny Lawrence talks with Sophie Alway about losing her daughter Georgia to suicide, the aftermath of grief and guilt, and the creation of Georgia’s Voice for young women. Their conversation touches on trauma, alcohol as a coping tool, social media pressures and learning to rebuild a more authentic life after loss.
53:28•29 Jul 2026
Grief, Loneliness and Georgia’s Voice: How Sophie Turned Pain Into Purpose
Episode Overview
- Unprocessed childhood trauma and perfectionism can quietly shape adult behaviour, including turning to alcohol and other unhealthy coping strategies.
- Grief after suicide often brings intense self-blame, but recognising this can become a catalyst for seeking therapy and personal change.
- Young people frequently feel unworthy of help and lack the language to describe their emotions, so safe group spaces can be crucial.
- Social media can increase isolation and anxiety, so curating feeds, unfollowing unhelpful accounts and limiting phone use can protect mental health.
- You can’t avoid pain, but you can choose what to do with it; channelling it into meaningful action can make life feel worth staying for.
“Once I decided I was going to live and I was going to stay here, I needed to find a way to harness that pain and put it into something that felt meaningful.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction and grief at the same time? This conversation on The Self Development Podcast follows Sophie Alway as she speaks openly about losing her daughter Georgia to suicide and how that loss reshaped every part of her life. Sophie shares how years of buried childhood trauma, perfectionism and people-pleasing left her ignoring her own needs.
She talks honestly about using alcohol and other “not necessarily very healthy coping mechanisms” to take the edge off anxiety she didn’t yet have a name for.
It wasn’t until Georgia died that she finally sought counselling and life coaching, saying, “Once I decided I was going to live and I was going to stay here, I needed to find a way to harness that pain and put it into something that felt meaningful.” That “something” became Georgia’s Voice, a suicide prevention charity for young women in Cornwall. Sophie explains how the groups give young women language for their emotions and a place to feel less alone.
Many arrive thinking they don’t deserve help, or that they’re the only one who feels this way; hearing others say the same things breaks that illusion of isolation. The episode also digs into the impact of social media, with Sophie describing how doom scrolling and comparison fed both her and Georgia’s struggles, and why making phones a more positive space (and sometimes just putting them out of reach) can be a life-saving step.
This is one for anyone living with grief, questioning their relationship with alcohol, or trying to rebuild an identity after trauma. You’ll hear tough honesty, plenty of warmth and even some humour as Sophie shows what it looks like to stop chasing perfection and finally stop “self‑abandoning”. It might leave you wondering: what pain in your own life could be harnessed into something that actually helps you heal?
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