Comedian Suzi Ruffell is no stranger to the podcast world; her show Like Minded Friends with co-host and friend Tom Allen has proved very popular and funny, often talking about the strangest topics.

Suzi has now released a new podcast called Out with Suzi Ruffell with the intention of speaking to inspirational figures from the LGBTQ+ community. Still in its first season, Suzi has already hosted some emotional conversations with truly fascinating guests, and she had a clear idea from the outset of what she wanted to create.

I really wanted to create a podcast that had a hopeful and positive message about being queer. There is a long tradition in the LGBT+ community of people sharing their coming out story, I thought a podcast would be a great way to share those stories and celebrate the guests journeys from realising they were different to finding their place in the world. I noticed there wasn’t anything quite like what I wanted to do so I just went for it. It was probably only about two months from first speaking to the team at Keep It Light Productions before the first episode came out.

Not only has the LGBTQ+ audience responded well, but Suzi is keen to point out that all ears have turned towards the podcast and its engaging chats.

I’ve loved creating this show and the listener reaction has been brilliant, part of the show is sharing audience correspondence and I have been blown away by how many people have got in touch. It has also reached beyond the queer community and I have received so many emails from straight people who have loved and been inspired by the guests on the show.

Like many podcasters, Suzi has had some personal thrills in producing the series, and she’s been shown wonderful hospitality too…

I have been so lucky with guests, an Oscar winner, a Bafta winner, notable broadcasters, writers, comedians, activists, and a Baroness Pretty impressive for series one. I can’t pick a favourite, they were all brilliant and special. The first episode I recorded was Dustin Lance Black, he won an Oscar for the film Milk, which is one of my favourite films. Dustin is also an activist who has always fought for the rights of the oppressed. Spending an hour listening to him and his story confirmed to me we were making something pretty special. Also the amount of beautiful listener stories we have received and folk telling me what the podcast means to them has been very humbling. I just want to keep creating a show that is thoughtful and funny and that people enjoy. I already have the beginnings of a very exciting line up for series 2.

Suzi would like to raise awareness to akt, a charity that supports young people from the LGBTQ+ community in the UK who experience homelessness or hostile living environments, lending support via safe homes and employment, education or training, not to mention a welcoming and open environment that celebrates LGBTQ+ identities.

Out with Suzie Ruffle is now in it’s third season. You can listen now on ACAST, SPOTIFY or your favourite podcast app.

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Mental health is an issue that we’re all beginning to talk more about, but what exactly gave Yvette and Ellen the seeds of inspiration to start a podcast about mental health?

Yvette: Both Ellen and I have long term mental health issues, we know how isolating it can feel. We’ve both written about mental health and this felt like the next step. We’ve covered everything from schizophrenia to anxiety and borderline personality, and we’ve had celebrity guests including Ruby Wax, Audley Harrison, Kelly Holmes and Rose McGowan.

Ellen: Back in 2017, when we started the podcast, I was in the middle of a personal series about my own mental health journey, called Getting Better, and the response was incredible. I was getting messages every day from people thanking me for speaking up and saying that as a result of my articles they had gone to the doctor and finally asked for help, so podcasting felt like the perfect medium because it’s intimate. You can hear people telling their stories in their words.

Collecting memories along the way, the podcast has also taken to the stage:

Y: I’ll never forget our first Mentally Yours Live – a panel event in which top speakers Natasha Devon, Matthew Todd, Carl Anka and Dr Pragya Agarwal discussed mental health and work. We had a great turnout and it was brilliant to meet listeners in person. One listener in particular said it had really helped her when she was off work, which meant a lot.

E: My favourite episodes are always the ones where we talk to someone with a radically different experience to our own. Talking about mental illness when you yourself are struggling can bring up a lot of emotional stuff and it can be draining. I’ve recorded some episodes then gone home and cried because it resonated too much. I’ve had to learn how to decompress after each episode and be aware that listening is emotionally challenging.

As ever with podcasts, there can often be guests and topics that the hosts would love to get stuck into, so what would those topics be fore Mentally Yours?

Y: I’d love to have Mariah Carey on. She has bipolar disorder and it would be interesting to hear how she’s managed it throughout her life and career. I’m a huge fan too, so I’d just like an excuse to talk to her to be honest.

E: I would love to cover psychopathy. It’s another area that I have preconceptions about that I would love to have challenged, and ‘psychopath’ is such a strong label that it would be so powerful to have someone come on, say they identify with that label, and explain what it means to me

And what may the future hold for the podcast?

Y: As well as more great guests and interesting topics I’d love to host more live events and to also do some episodes out on location too. There’s a lot of great projects going on and it would be good to go to them if we can.

E: I’d like to chat to someone in the government and funding side of things to get their perspective on why on earth mental health care still isn’t being properly funded. We’ve had a mental health nurse, and someone who set up a ‘poetry pharmacy’ to prescribe poems to people struggling – I like what we’re doing at the moment, which is coming at mental illness from different angles.

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Listen to Mentally Yours, on ACAST, SPOTIFY and OTHER PLATFORMS. Read more Good Samaritan articles in the Pod Bible magazine, which you can read online or buy in our shop.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram so you don’t miss the rest of our recommendations for podcasts about mental health. 

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After broadcaster Mark Goodier suffered a stroke in 2016, he found that there weren’t too many resources to help survivors, this led him to set up Stroke Stories, a podcast dedicated to those who have lived-experiences.

STROKE STORIES: There weren’t many resources that were available to help stroke survivors during their recovery. Also, once a stroke survivor is away from constant medical supervision, and their friends and family return to their normal, daily lives, it can be a lonely time. The podcast is there to fill in that gap: to give stroke survivors an opportunity to tell their story in their own words, and in doing so providing insight and support to other survivors.

WITH OVER 100,000 SUFFERING STROKES IN THE UK, IT’S FAIR TO SAY THAT STROKE STORIES HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY.

SS: The podcast is there as a resource for survivors and their families. Often, the stories will involve the guest telling us about their stroke and aftermath, the challenges that they faced while recovering, and their tips and advice that they pass on to other survivors. A universal theme from all of our stories is that sometimes getting your life back takes time but for most people, a rewarding and fulfilling life is very achievable. A stroke can be an incredibly isolating experience, and the feedback we’ve had suggests that having these stories readily available can help survivors realise that they aren’t alone in the world.

SO, WHAT SHOULD WE BE AWARE OF?

SS: Every 6 seconds, someone will suffer a stroke. That’s 15 million people every year, and roughly a third of those will die from their stroke. The majority of the rest will be left with disabilities that they will often carry with them for the rest of their life. Strokes can happen to anyone at any age. Because stroke is so widespread and can affect such a large cross section of the world’s population, we want to feature as many people from the widest possible range of ages, backgrounds, and locations.

LIKE MANY ILLNESSES AND PROBLEMS WITH HEALTH, STROKES ARE INDISCRIMINATE, THEY CAN IMPACT ANY OF US AT ANY TIME, THIS IS WHY STROKE STORIES IS KEEN TO KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING AND RAISE AWARENESS IN A NUMBER OF WAYS:

SS: The good news is there are things that we can do that can decrease risk: maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet. Keeping a check on the amount of alcohol we consume and the amount of exercise that we do, getting enough sleep at night, and managing your work/personal life properly to ensure that you aren’t consumed by stress.

AND DON’T FORGET THE SIMPLE THINGS TOO!

SS: Something else that is important is understanding how difficult life post-stroke can be for a survivor. If they are left with mobility, speech, or fatigue issues then they can often find themselves out of work and less able to navigate the day to day. If you know, or are related to a stroke survivor, then doing something as simple as sending a text or calling them up to check on how they can really make a difference in their recovery.

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Listen to Stroke Stories on ACAST, SPOTIFY and OTHER PLATFORMS. Read more Good Samaritan articles in the Pod Bible magazine, which you can read online or buy in our shop. 

The post THE GOOD SAMARITAN // Stroke Stories appeared first on POD BIBLE.