5/5/26

From 'I Don't Want to Be Here' to Running 85 Marathons: Sally Orange MBE | E30

In this episode of P.S I Love Me, Lynda is joined by Sally Orange MBE: mental health campaigner, endurance athlete (85 marathons and counting), and former British Army Major who spent 22 years serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps before being medically discharged due to depression and chronic anxiety. Sally shares what it was like going from “Major Sally Orange” to “just Sally” overnight, and how losing her career forced her to rebuild her identity from the ground up.

They explore the stigma that still surrounds mental health, why so many high-achieving people are brilliant at supporting others, but struggle to receive help themselves, and why speaking up is one of the bravest things you can do. Sally also explains how movement became her lifeline from a place of darkness, and how running marathons dressed as fruit became a powerful conversation starter that made mental health more visible, accessible, and less scary to talk about.

The conversation also covers Sally’s experience of breast cancer, the strange invisibility of illness, and what resilience actually looks like when life hits hard. If you’ve ever felt like you’re holding it together on the outside while falling apart on the inside, this one is for you.