By HTE Founder, Erin Hughes
When you meet Alice, you’re struck by her warmth, her grounded energy, and the way she speaks with honesty. She’s a wife to her best friend Charlie, mum to Archie (8) and Poppy (5), and the voice behind Behind Closed Doors, a podcast that dives into the raw and very real realities of living with chronic illness.
For more than twenty years, Alice has lived with chronic bloating and constipation, anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, and daily headaches. These challenges have shaped her journey, her resilience, and ultimately, her mission to help others feel less alone.
“Honestly, I think I just got tired of carrying it all by myself. For years I convinced myself it wasn’t ‘big enough’ to share. And I think as women, we can be really good at downplaying our struggles or just sweeping them under the rug, because we don’t want to be a burden or make a fuss. But the truth is, we’re all going through stuff – every single one of us.”
The reality of living with it has often been brutal. “When I’m going through a bad patch or a flare, there’s this wave of fear that’s hard to put into words. It’s like everything instantly becomes heavier, even the smallest daily tasks feel impossible. Getting out of bed, making a meal, answering a message… it all takes so much more out of me than it should.”
Sleep, something most of us take for granted, became one of her hardest battles. “Over years of pain, anxiety, and stress, my nervous system got so used to being in ‘alert’ mode that it stopped recognising what it felt like to relax. Bedtime wasn’t restful, it was almost like my brain had been trained to expect discomfort or racing thoughts as soon as my head hit the pillow. Even when I was bone-tired, my body wouldn’t let go.”
Relearning sleep, she says, has been one of the hardest and most important parts of her healing journey.
After years of silence, Alice says one of the most powerful parts of her recovery has been allowing others to see the messy, unfiltered truth.
“I’ve learnt the importance of speaking my truth. Letting people in and showing them the real, the messy, and the ugly has been instrumental in my healing.”
She’s built a network of practitioners across both Western and Eastern medicine, exploring everything from physiotherapy and pain specialists to acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, herbalism, yoga, reiki, and meditation. But more than the appointments, it’s been about building a support system that truly believes in her recovery.
“Setting up a proper support system that truly believes in you and your recovery, and that aligns with your values, is everything.”
Through it all, Charlie has been her constant. “More than anyone, Charlie, my husband, has been my unwavering support. He’s stood by me every step of the way, my constant behind closed doors.”
Motherhood, Alice says, has been both her anchor and her heartbreak. “To say the last eight years of motherhood have been easy would be a lie. It’s been incredibly challenging on so many levels. The pain and exhaustion I carried as their mum was overwhelming at times, and looking back on it is a bit heartbreaking. But my kids know how deeply they’re loved, and I hope that one day when they listen to this podcast, they’ll understand that their mum was always fighting for them – even when it was tough.”
Alice has turned her pain into purpose with her podcast, Behind Closed Doors.
“Behind Closed Doors is a podcast where I share my personal journey of two decades living with chronic pain, mental health struggles, and sleepless nights. It’s a raw, honest conversation about the realities many of us face but rarely talk about openly.”
Her mission is simple but powerful: connection. “Everyone has a story, and often the hardest battles happen behind closed doors. By sharing mine, I hope to shine a light on those silent struggles, reduce the stigma around chronic illness and mental health, and remind people they’re not alone.”
Over the years, Alice has built her own toolkit of reminders and survival strategies. Here are the ones she always comes back to:
- You’re not alone. No matter how isolating it feels, there are others out there who get it.
- Find your people. Surround yourself with those who’ve walked your path, whether it’s in person, online, or even through text.
- Speak your truth. Don’t assume people know what you’re going through. Sharing makes you feel seen and understood.
- Create your safety circle. Build a team – family, friends, practitioners – who know your story and can step in when you hit a tough spot.
- Be clear about what help looks like. Whether it’s asking someone to remind you about a podcast, check in on exercise, or help with the school run, spelling it out makes all the difference.
Alice’s story isn’t polished or picture-perfect, and that’s exactly why it resonates. It’s proof that sharing the hard parts doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human.
As Alice says: “Talking about it isn’t about drama, it’s about connection. If my story helps even one person feel less alone, then it’s worth saying out loud.”
Follow the journey of Behind Closed Doors on Instagram or listen to the podcast here.
