This episode I chat with Jordyn Romero, she is a award winning filmmaker from Santa Fe, NM. Her work aims to elevate the female narrative in the outdoor space. Story telling is what this podcast is all about, sharing my own, but also about creating space and place for others to tell theirs. This is what Jordyn Romero has done with the film WE ARE L…

In this episode I have the pleasure of chatting with Bethan Taylor- Swaine. Bethan is a PhD student at Birkbeck, University of London where she studies the representations and identities of women in ultra running. This episode we delve into what it means to be a woman in sport, the history of how we are encouraged to participate. How early years sp…

This episode is a collaboration with the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2021. I chat with Kate Stevens, the Creative Learning Co-ordinator, at the Beacons arts centre, a contemporary theatre and arts venue in the heart of Inverclyde. Kate is one of the workshop facilitators of a series called; creative nature for wellbeing that ran during thi…

In this episode I am blessed to meet and share space with Kris Primacio, who currently serves as the CEO of the International Surf Therapy Organisation (ISTO), a Nonprofit she co-founded in 2017 in Cape Town You are going to hear stories about sea otters, dolphins, the healing power and potential of mother ocean, about how surf therapy can both hea…

In this episode I chat with Glasgow-based artist and activist Karlie Wu, her work delves into the identity of being British/Scottish-Chinese, its expectations and misconceptions, and the reality of this lived experience exploring ‘cultural identity. Karlie is also one of the six founding members of besea.n (Britain’s East and South East Asian Netwo…

Kirsty Alexander is a teacher on the Applied Gender Studies programme at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, and a gardener at Ochil Tower School in Auchterarder. In this episode, she talks with me about living with Dermatillomania. Otherwise known as Excoriation or skin picking disorder. Skin picking disorder is one of a group of behaviours …

In this episode I chat to Viana Maya and Karsten Huttenhain both of pRESPECT, an organisation that through the ethos of Respect, Empowerment and Empathy aim to is to empower minority ethnic and other marginalised people into meaningful employment. This podcast episode will not tell you how to ‘home school’ properly, it's not about study tips and go…

In the episode, I chat to Marlon Patrice founder of Wegooutsidetoo, a UK-based organisation that hopes to encourage, support, and inspire the black community into outdoor activity, exercise, and the multiple benefits of nature. Marlon is a long-distance runner, mental health first aider, and owner of a natural health store. Brought up in the city o…

In part five of a mini-series on wild swimming health and healing, I chat with Rachel Ashe the founder of mental health swims. A UK based organisation looking to encourage people to dive into the world of outdoor swimming, supporting people gain the benefits of cold water and community. This episode is about the wonderful world of wild swimming and…

In this episode, you are invited to join a newly formed coven of very amateur Edinburgh witches. I have always been fascinated by the practices of Witchcraft, Wicca, Shamanism, magic and the connection between nature and spirituality. I decided to take my curiously a little further, I wanted to know if there are rituals in our daily life that maybe…

This podcast is all about the relationship we have with our physical bodies. It’s about Fatphobia, the body positivity movement, fat bias, demonising of the bigger body in our media, in our advertising, the social stigma of obesity. It´s about how to learn to acknowledge and challenge our own preconceived notions. Where it comes from, how its inter…

Ed Accura, Filmmaker, hip hop star, podcast host, co-founder of the Black Swimming Association has just released his first film/documentary. A Film Called Blacks Can´t Swim. Inspired to teach the world to Swim, Ed is on a mission to enable Black Asian and Minority ethnic people to get into the water. There is a disproportionate amount of non-swimme…

This episode is in collaboration with The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festivals online 2020 program . I meet and chat with Emma Jayne Park off cultured mongrel whom along with Emily Furneaux and other artists have brought us Eat, Move, Sleep, repeat. This is a creative collaboration that was developed as a response to Covid-19 as part of the festiv…

Lockdown has brought an endless amount of emotional and physical reactions and our mental health is being put under enormous strain. I was curious in how mindfulness practices could be part of our coping strategies. Dr Bill Paterson has many roles but one of these is mindfulness coach. He kindly took the time to chat to me about how mindfulness pra…

Covid-19 has brought group and organised swimming to a standstill, with a lot of people using outdoor swimming to maintain physical and mental health I wondered how this was impacting on the swimming community In this episode I chat remotely to Jenny Waring who is a ex competitive outdoor swimmer, her love for the sea and lochs in Scotland means sh…

In this episode I meet, swim, chat and share cake with Itamar Nitzan the founder of Dip your Toes in Wild Swimming Facebook page. Itamar´s page educates, inspires and welcomes new swimmers and old to his experiences and insights in outdoor swimming. One of the things he offers free of charge is to buddy an individual or small group who want to swim…

Do you Love dogs? Does your dog help you through difficult times and is by your side when you need them? In this episode I am joined by Janet Jones from CanineConcern Scotland, which recruits and manages the Therapet service in Edinburgh. Dogs of all breeds and their handlers visit places such as nursing homes, resisdental homes, hospitals, univers…

This is part two of of wild swimming, health and healing. In this episode you are taken to Loch Lomond where half of the podcast was recorded in the water whilst Louise and I had a refreshing dip. Louise was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis three years ago at the age of 25. She opens up about the impact of this relapse and remittent disease has ha…

Out of Sight out of Mind is an art exhibition at Edinburghs summer hall. A combination of 180 peoples work. What makes this unique is all the exhibitors have had an experience of mental illness. Following my visit I got chat to three of this years artists and in this episode you get to hear how we caught up in the gallery over some cake. The podcas…

This podcast is a journey into the deep and the first of a mini series about wild swimming health and healing. I was curious if wild swimming could improve health and recovery and well being, if it created a greater sense of community and connection for people. I decided to take a birds eye view or maybe in this case a seals so I got my swimmers on…

In this episode I had the pleasure of meeting chatting and baking with Debra Riddel of Breadshare Community Bakery, Edinburgh. Debra and her husband Geoff set up Breadshare social enterprise after leaving their careers in IT. I was curious if baking can improve your mental and physical well being, it has worked for me and in this podcast I take you…

A New podcast unpacking issues of Mental Health and well being, spirituality, race, social justice and culture. Conversations with cake and compassion. From the ordinary to the extraordinary stories of amazing people. The first episode was produced for Mental Health Awareness week, which is led by the Mental Health Foundation and this years theme w…