JR: At the age of 14 Gigi Robinson was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, but Gigi has used her experience to develop her skills in podcasting. Everything You Need Is Within is a masterclass in how to turn adversity into advocacy.

GR: The idea was conceived in late 2020, it was based on a conversation I had with Julia Michaels on Instagram Live. The subject was being an artist and dealing with mental health, not only online but also in our creative work. I decided that it’d be really cool to interview creators from all different backgrounds and give my platform to people who wanted to get their mission out there into the world. The show was then picked up by Spotify Live and I was with them for a year and a half which was incredible and really helped grow the podcast.

With a varied career ranging from being a finalist in the Sports Illustrated Swim Search to being a champion of issues such as chronic illness and body positivity – how does Gigi manage to keep balanced?

Dealing with a chronic illness on top of working as a content creator can definitely be challenging, especially when I’m spending 15 to 30 minutes on the phone with a doctor just trying to set up an appointment. Managing so many different things is definitely a big challenge, but thanks to a huge team and other people behind the scenes we’re able to really create a content machine, which doesn’t leave me as burnt out as I once was. If you do want to scale up, I think it’s really important to balance and delegate tasks to different people so that you can maximise your productivity. I have things that help me stay on track but I’m still a work in progress! I also spend at least two to three hours on virtual appointments during the week and two to three hours on commuting, all of which combined probably equates to a part time job.

Everything You Need Is Within hosts conversations based around social advocacy, including mental and physical health, leadership, and much more.

A big subject that I love talking about on the show is, of course, disability and accessibility online, so that we can work towards levelling the playing field for everyone. Some of my favourite subjects I’ve touched on include pay transparency, which always needs more highlighting, as well as internet activism and advocacy. I think there are ways to implement social media literacy into everyone’s work and make sure that people are really taking responsibility for platforms if they have them.

Season 4 is right around the corner…

The future of Everything You Need is Within is definitely bright; I think we have a really solid pilot series to pitch for a live talk show and hopefully work our way up not only within the podcast space but into the talk show space as well and bridge the gap between what it means to be a host in these spaces. I would say that anybody who is interested in learning about social media literacy should definitely listen to some of our episodes and make sure that they’re being intentional every time they use social media. And last but not least, always be kind online.

Gigi Robinson is an advocate for The Jed Foundation – looking after emotional health and suicide prevention.

Listen to Everything You Need Is Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

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JR: It’s ever more apparent that we need to listen to the voices who are directly impacted by race, inequality and oppression. Speaking to the team behind the Race Reflections’ AT WORK podcast, we find out more about the need for conversations around racial justice and equality.

RRAW: From the very first episode, we have dived deeply into topics such as racial trauma, joy as a form of resistance and the psychological framework of race-based traumatic stress. More recently we have discussed the concepts of scapegoating and aversive racism whilst also addressing topical issues such as the mistreatment of the Black players in the England team after the Euro 2020 Final. Racial trauma in the workplace is an issue not often reflected upon.

JR: What’s the story – how and why was the podcast started?

RRAW: Race Reflections is a fast-growing social enterprise dedicated to tackling inequality, injustice and oppression in society. We provide this through various activities including organisational consultancy, training, community engagement and content creation. Founder and Head Disruptor, Guilaine Kinouani – author of Living While Black – decided to introduce a podcast that addresses the psychological impact of racism and racial trauma in the daily lived experience of black people.

JR: Like any podcast with a social message it’s important that the listener engages and seeks to do more in the space:

RRAW: Race Reflections’ AT WORK brings the same engaging, stimulating and supportive content found on our membership platform, but in a free audible form. We hope that this podcast provides a place of sanctuary.

We talk about issues concerning Black people but also speak to issues that include people of colour generally and people marginalised in other ways. Tuning in provides you with an opportunity for reflection and exploration for and with people that want to be active participants in the conversation for change.

JR: What more can we all do?

RRAW: Visit our website: racereflections.co.uk – you will find a variety of membership options. Spreading the word and the link to a podcast episode that you enjoyed is also appreciated! We love to hear from our listeners and your ideas for future episodes can be submitted to contact@racereflections.co.uk.

‘AT WORK’, as the name suggests, focuses on inequality, injustice, and oppression AT WORK and is solution-focused. What more can we all do? Acknowledge our complicity and recognise that it’s important to think beyond interpersonal issues, considering cultural and structural issues as well to promote the well-being of staff of colour and marginalised people in our communities.

We have several exciting changes in the upcoming months as we begin to welcome different voices and perspectives to the podcast. We will be inviting exciting speakers including artists and authors from marginalised groups to add to our discussions; covering topics like the success of Black pound day, ‘taking up space’ as a black person in a social setting, and employment barriers across different industries.

Listen to Race Reflections’ AT WORK on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast apps. For press enquiries, contact: dionne@racereflections.co.uk. To find out more, visit: racereflections.co.uk.

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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. 

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Podcasts have become a hub for entertainment and amusement, or indeed a place of learning, but they’ve also taken on a role of outreach. There are certain challenges that we collectively face in today’s world, but podcasts are putting conversations on a global stage. We now have a whole sector with a social conscience in the podcast world. Pod Bible aims to shine a spotlight on these causes.

Learning To Adult Slowly is a podcast hosted by rap artist Professor Green and its aim is to address the many aspects faced by men today, such as body image, mental health, grief, and resilience. Produced by The Book of Man, a website that aims to open up the dialogue around mental health – and for which Professor Green is a columnist – the Learning to Adult Slowly podcast is a natural spin-off. So how did it all come about?

Martin Robinson, founder and editor of The Book of Man explains why he initially took such an interest in our collective mental health.

“I had the idea for it after losing my previous magazine job and finding myself at home, discovering the joys of being a stay at home Dad, but also quite isolated and bewildered and emotionally bruised. It occurred to me that there was nothing out there to really support men internally as well as externally – nothing genuinely dealing with the ‘masculinity crisis’, which wasn’t just a pop culture joke but a genuine result of a digital age shifting in social roles at home and work, exacerbated by recession and resulting in terrifying figures for male suicide, mental health issues, addiction, violence, sexual dysfunction, and eating disorders.”

The figures speak for themselves. The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is a support network for mental health and according to their website suicide is the single biggest killer of men aged under 45 in the UK. In 2015, 75% of all UK suicides were male. During a live recording of Learning to Adult Slowly, with guests consisting of Scroobius Pip, comedian Kelly Convey, and CALM CEO Simon Gunning, the panel were keen to point out that males under the age of 45 are statistically more likely to be at risk from dying due to self-harm than any other way, including road traffic deaths. What can we do to keep the conversation going?

Martin Robinson says:

“Having Professor Green as our columnist on Book of Man and also the host of the Learning to Adult Slowly podcast has been wonderful in exemplifying the kind of issues we want to deal with – the issues that aren’t better left unsaid. His writing about grief, meds, violence, fear, vulnerability, is remarkable and much needed. But bringing that into the podcast arena has given it another dimension, as well as a bigger repeat audience. Real conversations with people on these areas really makes them hit home. And you realise everyone has in some way been affected by such matters. The mere fact that you can listen to people talking about the most difficult moments in their life is remarkable. The reaction we had was immediate and positive”

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