12 minutes | Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Send us Fan MailIf a friend told you they were struggling financially, you'd probably tell them not to suffer in silence.But would you take the same advice yourself?That's something comedian Judi Love and I discussed on the latest episode of The MarshyCast, after research found that 70% of people are more comfortable talking about other people's problems than their own.Before getting into the serious stuff, Judi told me about her recent trip to the London Podcast Festival and what a brilliant experience she'd had.But our conversation soon turned to something affecting households across the country: the difficulty many people have admitting they're struggling financially.And that struggle doesn't necessarily look the way we might expect.We talked about how earning a decent wage doesn't automatically mean somebody is financially comfortable. Rising household costs and individual circumstances can leave people struggling to pay bills, including some of the people we rely on every day.The fact that members of our emergency services can find themselves struggling financially despite working on the front line is particularly sobering.The problem is that asking for help can feel incredibly difficult.Judi and I talked about the strange contradiction between being willing to listen to somebody else's problems, offer advice and tell them there's no shame in seeking support, while finding it much harder to admit when we need that support ourselves.Social media can add another layer.When we're constantly seeing snapshots of other people's holidays, meals, homes and apparently perfect lives, it can become easy to believe everybody else is doing brilliantly.Of course, we're usually seeing the highlights rather than the bank balance.We also discussed support available through the British Gas Energy Trust, including grants that may be available to people struggling with energy costs.Perhaps the most important part of the conversation, though, is much simpler: being good at helping other people shouldn't stop us asking for help when we're the ones who need it.🎧 Hear my full conversation with Judi Love now on The MarshyCast, available on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts. Find me on all social media @paulswampymarsh