Birmingham-born Call the Midwife star Helen George will return to her home city this month to appear at Mind Body Spirit Festival as the event celebrates its 11th year in Birmingham.
George, who recently launched the spirituality and wellbeing podcast Mystic Mates with friend Yvette Robinson, will take to the Main Stage on Sunday 15 November as part of the three-day festival at the NEC.
The event's return comes as new research from Mind Body Spirit Festival suggests interest in spiritual and holistic wellbeing practices continues to grow.
An online survey of 611 people from the festival's own database of subscribers, customers and festival attendees found that six in ten (59%) now practise manifestation or intention-setting, while almost half (47%) use therapies such as Reiki or crystal healing.
The findings also suggest people are seeking greater connection through wellbeing activities, with nine in ten respondents (90%) saying they would like more opportunities to connect with others through wellbeing, while seven in ten (70%) believe their local area does not offer enough.
"Spirituality is no longer on the fringes," said Josh Roberts, Managing Director of Mind Body Spirit Festival. "From podcasts to prime-time television, people are talking openly about finding deeper meaning and how they want to live."
The survey also found that four in five respondents (81%) had felt exhausted but unable to relax during the previous month.
"People aren't broken, they're overloaded," said Theresa Cheung, the festival's programmer and This Morning's dreams and spiritual expert. "We hear it all the time: 'I'm shattered, but the minute I lie down my brain switches on.' That's a nervous system that has forgotten how to come off high alert."
For many women, midlife can prompt bigger questions around purpose, health and wellbeing alongside changing family dynamics and menopause. It is a conversation that has moved firmly into the mainstream.
When Helen George and Yvette Robinson launched their podcast Mystic Mates earlier this year, they found a ready-made audience keen to explore spirituality, intuition and personal growth.
"Since we launched Mystic Mates at the start of the summer we've been blown away by the mystic community's warm welcome and desire to share their stories," said Helen and Yvette. "The idea of meeting so many like-minded souls in Birmingham is extremely exciting."
Festival visitors will be able to see Helen George and Yvette Robinson in conversation on Sunday 15 November. The event will also feature speakers including Paul McKenna, TV therapists Nick and Eva Speakman, BBC Breakfast's Dr Helen Wall and former X Factor finalist Matreya.
Celebrating its 11th year in Birmingham, Mind Body Spirit Festival takes place at the NEC from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November and includes more than 111 free sessions covering wellbeing, spirituality and personal development.
Opening times are 11am to 6pm on Friday and 10am to 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Tickets start from £19 plus booking fees.
