Nicky Abdinor is an expert on doing MORE, with less.

 Nicky is a registered Clinical Psychologist, international speaker, and founder of the non-profit organisation, Nicky’s Drive. Nicky has a passion for challenging our perceptions of ABILITY. She is a firm believer that it’s not our situation, but how we THINK about our situation, that determines our emotional well-being. 

 Nicky is a sought-after inspirational keynote speaker who gained international recognition following her TEDx talk, "Driving Dreams." She was awarded the 2022 “Speaker Hall of Fame” award, a great honour through the Professional Speakers Association of South Africa. Nicky has presented talks as far as Europe, the USA, Middle East and Australia - and now will be chatting to us from her office in Cape Town

Some key points from our interview:

·        How unbroken means finding meaning in our perceived brokenness

·        How there was no medical explanation for being born without arms and shortened legs

·        How her parents always focused on what she could do and not what she couldn’t which led to her never seeing her limitations

·        How it was never a question of can Nicky do this? but how 

·        How she focused on academics and trained as a psychologist

·        How she believes her humour helps her with her positive attitude 

·        How meeting a client who had lost and arm and a leg in an accident made her realise she should share her story to motivate others 

·        How a woman in the UK gifted her an adapted car and she said driving gave her wings

·        How she started a non profit organisation to help other people with disabilities get their car adapted to meet their needs 

·        How she believes it’s so important to not ignore what is wrong, but focus more on what is right

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nickyabdinorspeaker

Twitter: @Nicky_Abdinor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickyabdinor/

Instagram: @nicky_abdinor

Website: www.nickyabdinor.com 

TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJV9LG9-Vp0

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 She is trained in adult massage and when she had her first child it just felt logical to massage her.  

 She then discovered research about the benefits of massage for preterm babies and became passionate about massage for all, especially babies/children. 

 She began teaching parents, mid-wives, health visitors, early years practioners and the Scottish School of Child & Baby Massage was born 28 years ago.  

 She ran her business while having and raising a family of 7 children. 

She has many stories about the profound impact that massage has on lives of other babies/parents with bonding, health & well-being and wants to start writing a book now that most of the young people have moved out!! 

Some key points from our interview:

·       How unbroken means being able to pick herself up whatever happens

·       How life in Vancouver was chaotic as she was born to a schizophrenic mother 

·       How she fell in love with massage at 12 when received one from a Dutch woman and started to have massage parties teaching her friends as a teenager

·       How when she moved to Scotland, she met Jim and qualified in massage

·       How her family became one of seven children including one son who has severe autism and epilepsy

·       How she loves teaching mums to massage their babies and has so many stories of mental health improving for the mums and physical health too for babies

·       How she believes that massage can be used to help others connect to themselves and their baby which improves the bonding between them both

·       How self-care is not a luxury but an important way to take care of our health

Her website for training: http://www.babymassage.org.uk/

Online course for Parents: https://bambinoandi.co.uk/

Facebook:  Scottish School of Child & Baby Massage
                                          *                               *                           *                          *
Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/


You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Hailed in the US as ‘The British Oprah’, Jaz has travelled the world advising governments, educators and helping tens of thousands of people with her bespoke leadership development programmes, training courses and motivational speeches.

 As a successful entrepreneur, mum of three, and former teacher - she knows a thing or two about galvanising people into taking action!

 With a passion for resilience, positive disruption, and a human-first approach to everything, Jaz’s energy is infectious and you can’t help but become mesmerised and fall under her captivating spell

 Some key points from our interview:

·       How she believes that unbroken is about being unbreakable and being able to reform with a new story to be resilient

·       How she feels that resilience is all about knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do

·       How her start in life was tough and being beaten, neglected and sexually abused left her feeling broken, worthless and defeated for many years 

·       How she ended up in care at eight years and homeless as a teenager but meeting five everyday heroes when she was at school changed her life 

·       How having a family is her success as she broke the cycle

·       How she’s passionate about helping people to become at least 10% braver

·       How her brother dying of a heroin overdose motivated her to speak out to show others what is possible in choosing a different life

·       How when she recently received an award at a conference, she was moved as she reflected on the enormity of her journey from foster care to speaker of the year 

 www.jazampawfarr.com

 Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/


You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 A career change beckoned following a stroke and in 2009, Andrea graduated with a BSc in Computing Science.

 A need to help and guide small businesses followed and SEO Angel was born in 2014. 

 SEO Angel aims to de-mystify SEO, to help small and micro businesses with their visibility and watch them thrive!

Some key points from our interview:

·        How she believes that Unbroken means her life had many broken shards of glass at times, but she’s examined and fixed them and is thriving again

·         How in 2003 she was diagnosed with ME which almost broke her as she fought against the illness and believes that could be what led to her stroke

·        How once she was left hospital, she didn’t leave her house for six years

·        How she was unable to carry on with her work and went to university and got a degree in computing science

·        How she went to university in a wheelchair, but walked in for her graduation with crutches  

·        How despite being told by her Dr’s that she won’t walk again she never gave up on her dream of walking unaided

·        How she practices self-care 

·        How at the time of this interview she has walked without the use of crutches for the last eight weeks only but is also determined to dance unaided too!

·        How she recognises that it would be so easy to wallow in everything she’s been through, but she chose to get back

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-rainsford-seo-angel

https://www.subscribepage.com/o4t3y8

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/


You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 He explains how he fixed his broken life and the learnings he gained which he now shares to empower people with the right mindset to go confidently on their journey in the direction of their dreams, their GOLD.  

 He’s passionate about everyone experiencing the happiness and fulfilment of achieving the life that they have imagined and truly deserve

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How Kuntsugi means unbroken to him, which is a Japanese word that refers to a broken vase that is mended with gold, making it better and more unique

·        How he believes that resilience is a like a wave and there are a range of emotions you need to go through to come out the other side

·        How a car accident in 2002 caused so many injuries to his legs that he was told he may never walk again

·        How his patience was tested as he wore a cage over his leg for 18 months but could also only twist the bolts through his legs by 1mm per day, which grew his leg back

·        How even walking just 10 seconds per day caused utter exhaustion, but he pushed himself to improve

·        How he stopped saying “Why me?” and instead I’d say “Try me!”

·        How years later he was looking for a new challenge and discovered paratriathlon’s and started his training 

·        How he has always focused on what he can do rather that what he can’t do

·        How he went from being told he may never walk again to becoming British and then world champion in the paratriathlon

·        How he believes if you want to become a high achiever in life then you need to start focusing on what you want to achieve

 www.steve-judge.co.uk

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/


You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

  She is the founding Artistic Director of Ego Actus Theatre Company. Off Broadway, she directed Sycorax at HERE, Play Nice! at 59e59 theatres, and I Know What Boys Want at Theatre Row. She directed Six Characters in Search of an Author in Oslo, Norway and Kafka’s Belinda in Prague.

 Joan was awarded Best Director in the United Solo Festival where she has directed six pieces. She was named to the Indie Theatre Hall of Fame by nytheatre.com. 

 She has also directed plays and readings at the Lark, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Urban Stages, Workshop Theatre, Nylon Fusion, Abingdon Theatre, Oberon Theatre, the Samuel French Short Play Festival, T. Schreiber Studio, and many others. Joan is an alumni of the LaMama directing and playwriting symposiums in Umbria, Italy.

 She is a member of the Playwright/Director unit at Actor’s Studio, the League of Professional Theatre Women, the Dramatists Guild, and the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How she believes that being broken is ok 

·        How in the summer of 1969 she witnessed a gang member being murdered and she was then raped by the murderer to silence her

·        How she became a selected mute after these traumas, as she was too scared to speak out

·        How a friend encouraged her to go for therapy at high school as she was having obtrusive dreams

·        How she was encouraged at a writing retreat in Italy to share her story

·        How it took her many years to write her story down due to shame and denial

·        How writing has been her escape from trauma and her therapy too

·        How she’s passionate about storytelling and wrote “Almost 13” which are her memories of a young girl’s violent summer in Brooklyn and plays all 10 characters herself 

·        How she believes we can all have horrible things happen to us, but we can survive them too

Review of Almost 13  - “Joan Kane sets an example to others to face up to their stories and to be prepared to share them in order to disseminate, perhaps dissipate and gain some healing through the process”



Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/


You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Arno was a leader of hate groups, and frontman of the hate-metal band Centurion before single parenthood, love for his daughter, and the forgiveness shown by people he once hated helped to change his world, bringing love for diversity and gratitude for all life. 

 Arno has appeared on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360”, “The View”, the BBC, CBC, and ABC. He has published op-ed on CNN, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, and Al Jazeera English.

·        How he feels proud of his broken heart as it opened him up for the world to touch the most tender part of him

·        How his faith in humanity remains unbroken

·        How he had an idyllic childhood even though he ended up in hate groups

·        How violence and hatred made sense in his world when nothing else did and he likens it to an addiction

·        How a black women pointed to his newly tattooed swastika on his finger and told him “That’s not who you are” and her compassion totally disarmed him and left him powerless

·        How he left hate groups and went to the rave scene which was hyper diverse and found himself embraced by the people he would have attacked in the past 

·        How he struggles with self-forgiveness but recognises its importance and that it’s a process

·        How he believes people commit crimes because they are suffering 

·        How he now embraces diversity, practices gratitude, is a Buddhist, promotes peace and has totally tuned his life around

     https://www.parents4peace.org

     https://www.instagram.com/arnomichaelis/?hl=en

 
Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/


You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

He lives just outside of Glasgow with his awesome wife Nikki who has been and is his total rock. 

He’s 48 years young and passionate about running, cycling and all things motorsport and if he’s not in trainers, he’s on a bike or driving a car. 

‘Anxiously chilled out’ describes his approach to stuff now after suffering a catastrophic stroke, out of the blue, in February of 2017 at 42, that changed his life and set him on a new and exciting path and adventure.  

He thinks the words loyal, considerate, challenging and inappropriately dark humoured would best describe him.

Some key points from our interview:

·       How he thinks the word unbroken means acceptance of who and what he is

·       How at forty-two years old he suffered a cryptogenic stroke despite being obsessed with cycling and training

·       How he wasn’t sure it was a stroke when it happened, but his wife had read about FAST (face, arms, speech and time) acronym and knew it was worse than just an ear infection, which is what he thought he had

·       How he didn’t want to make a fuss and call an ambulance, even though he was aware that he couldn’t stand or speak properly 

·       How he found himself in dark spaces emotionally

·       How he believes his stubbornness helped him to recover physically and emotionally

·       How he made a choice of who he was now going to become because of his stroke

·       How he believes that his stroke was the best thing that ever happened to him as it softened him

·       How he accepts and loves who he is now and feels he’s a more compassionate version of himself  

Reach Out to Andy here: 

Instagram - andyd2574_stroke_of_luck

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/


You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Formerly a competitive oarswoman, sailor and swimmer, with qualifications in neurolinguistics, hypnotherapy and the expressive arts - she draws on some extraordinary life experiences, a keen commercial sensibility and a quirky and creative perspective on life

Her book, ‘Your Leadership Story’, was shortlisted in the Business Book Awards and has become a transformational programme for speakers to find their message and story

Working with global bluechips such as Accenture, AmEx, Microsoft and the MOD, she inspires her audiences to bring the life and soul back into their organisations

Her vision is to equip leaders to create cultures in which everyone can shine - even (or especially when) they feel ‘Perfectly Flawed’

Some key points from our interview:

• How unbroken means to her that our soul, and our essence is like water and can’t be broken
•  How she focused on looking after her father’s needs when her mother left when she was eleven, before her own needs
•  How as an adult she was able to let go of her anger and frustration and was able to forgive her mother
•  How she felt as if she didn’t matter much, and she struggled with her self-worth
• How her journey has been about creating healthy boundaries and learning to put herself first and standing up for her soul

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/


You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Her no BS, filter-free and empathic approach makes her a force to be reckoned with. She'll call you out on your excuses and hold your hand to make the changes. 

 Her sarcastic humour will immediately put you at ease and you'll find yourself feeling like you've known her for years. She genuinely loves to watch women grow and says that's her "why" that underpins everything she does. 

 
Some key points from our interview:

·      How Unbroken means being whole and authentic and not using any valid reason as an excuse to not do the things we want to do

·      How at aged two she was scalded over 70% of her body and wasn’t expected to live

·      How miraculously her organs that had shut down started to work again and she need her hands or feet amputated 

·      How she grew up in hospitals and loved everything about them

·      How she feels that because her parents never covered up her burns and skin grafts, she never felt any shame around them 

·      How she believes we are only vulnerable if we are ashamed 

·      How she learnt to put good boundaries in place to support herself

·      How she wants to inspire other to not try and fit in and don’t let anything hold you back, go after your dreams

 
You can find out more about her at roxyrhodestherapy.co.uk and filterfreebusiness.com ..

And join her free Facebook Group at facebook.com/groups/filterfreebusiness

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/


You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

He works with both the energy and physical body. Peter is a Ki Gong champion, winning the international competition with the British Team in Korea in 2016. Peter runs a successful coaching business achieving amazing results with highly sensitive people and empaths using the Dream Method.

He has set up a local charity called Brighter Living helping the elderly with their health and well-being using Ki Gong and meditation. Peter has also worked with schools locally, helping students connect with themselves.

Peter has launched the Bright Beings Academy online internationally, which incorporates everything that he does to empower people to reach their full potential as human beings. Peter's motto is ‘Journey Inwards – Succeed Outwards’

Some key points from our interview:

·        How he believes that unbroken means that even though at times it may feel like the end of the road, he knows it isn’t and he keeps going

·        How he used to focus on what the fall over but now he focuses on the come back

·        How his mother became his best friend as he couldn’t understand his brother’s energy, but she passed away when he was eleven

·        How he struggled when he was sent to boarding school after his mother died and felt like it was hell because there were paedophiles and bullies there

·        How he left the sales world to become a musician and loved improvising music as it became a type of meditation for him

·        How he looks back and sees that his drinking habit covered up the pressures of the music world and his unprocessed childhood trauma – ptsd -now helped by traditional Chinese medicine

·        How he discovered Ki Gong at a mind, body & spirit festival he was at with his wife and it spoke to him

·        How he believes that everything we go through comes up in our body- “The Body Keeps the Score”

“Journey Inwards – Succeed Outwards”

Reach Out To Peter here >>                            https://www.peterpaulparker.co.uk/

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/


You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 An orphan by the age of five, Charlotte is currently writing a book about her life, which was initially merely a form of therapy for herself.

 Charlotte now hopes that by sharing her story she can help others understand how you can emerge from a life defined by grief to build something meaningful and loving.

 It’s a story of resilience – about how even the darkest and most disabling challenges life can throw at you can be overcome with drive and determination and a growing understanding of the grieving process

Some key points from our interview:

·       How unbroken means being able to adapt to life’s biggest challenges that are thrown at you 

·       How she lost both of her parents by the time she was five years old and went on to live with grief all her life

·       How she never had any specialist support as a young child growing up with grief

·       How she was recently diagnosed with PTSD because of her childhood even though it felt like it was just a normal life for her

·       How she feels that she’s just on the start of her journey at aged forty

·       How she now feels comfortable about living with grief all her life and decided to write her story down to help others

Reach out to Charlotte on...

www.rushconsulting.co.uk

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/


You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

• How being Unbroken means being able to retain her essence of who she is despite everything she has gone through.
• How she writes and speaks about rape to leave a trail, offer hope, and build communities for other survivors.
• How she wrote every other chapter from the perpetrators point of view in her first book “Dark Chapter” to try and make sense to what had happened in this 15-year old’s life.
• How she chooses not to be angry after hearing that the man who raped her has now been linked to other cases of sexual assault since his release from prison.
• How her second book “Complicit” looks at the misogyny, power, exploitation, and the open secrets that have become normalised in the film industry for women.
• How she never assumed that she would meet a partner one day and become a mum.

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/winniemli

Social media:
Twitter @winniemli
Instagram winniemli
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/winniemli

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch the highlights of the interview on YouTube HERE

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

• How he believes that Unbroken means overcoming traumas that could have broken him, but didn’t .
• How he’s now on a mission to remove his mask of trauma and feels passionate about speaking out about the childhood sexual abuse he experienced as a teenager.
• How he struggled with shame and blame for years, wrongly thinking it was his fault but now understands that the blame lies 100% with the perpetrator.
• How it took the impact of other traumas to bring the feelings of the childhood sexual abuse to the surface and now wants to speak out to heal himself and other men too.
• How he recognises that he used alcohol to self-medicate to stop the pain and negative thoughts he was feeling.
• How he recognises the importance of speaking out to rid the feelings of shame to reclaim his life.

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

A mother to grown-up twin daughters, Charlotte and Samantha, and Grandma to Charlotte’s 6-month-old twins Georgia and Reggie, Lynn’s passion for mental health awareness came through the battles she faced with Samantha, who suffered with anorexia nervosa in her teens and obsessive-compulsive disorder in her early 20s.

Some key points from our interview:

·        How she believes that we are broken at times, but we can make waves to make ourselves better

·        How when she noticed the changes in her daughter’s behaviour regarding food, that she had to speak to her about it

·        How she spent four years looking for help to deal with her daughter’s eating disorder and decided to discharge her from all treatments and do it herself 

·        How she believes that the way eating disorders are approached hasn’t changed or evolved

·        How she’s passionate about breaking the taboos around mental illness and that no family ever feels alone in their struggle

·        How she’s so proud of her daughter who has produced and co-written a short film called “A Day with OCD” – obsessive compulsive disorder.

·        How she works with the whole family and not just the sufferer of the eating disorder

·        How eating disorder recovery is possible

 Website: www.lynncrilly.com

https://www.instagram.com/lynn_crilly/

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Her new book The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars and Restore Your Health tells the story of her journey to repair after battling to protect students from teacher abuse and failing. 

 With a PhD in Comparative Literature, she believed that there must be research that could help her recover. 

 That's when she discovered what scientists know about the amazing powers, we have within to repair our hurt brains. And to contribute to suicide prevention.

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How she feels that we are never unbroken as our brains are never unbreakable

·        How she discovered her son was a victim of bullying and abuse, including emotional abuse from teachers at his school when she took the testimonies of 8 other students who had also been bullied

·        How she discovered that the school had known about this for a year and failed to protect their students

·        How she decided to do the research into the neuroscience of being bullied and wrote her book to show the impact of bullying on the brain but also how it can be healed too

·        How her own trauma of being emotionally, physically, and sexually abused by 3 teachers was triggered by her son’s trauma

·        How she went to the police to report her own abuse to stop covering up and to honour a student “Ellen” who tragically died by suicide after being abused by a head teacher that was covered up by the school

·        How we all have the power to convert our mind bully to our own empathic coach in order to rewire our brain

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

• How he feels that unbroken means that he’s like a wild horse as he’s not had his will snapped or been broken into submission by his illness.
• How he believes that he’s so much more than the events in his life.
• How being truthful was not as difficult as he thought it would be when he was writing his memoir,
• How writing really helped him to work out what was his illness and what was his personality.
• How he used to think he was demonic because of the hideous hallucinations he experienced but managed to grow used to them by learning what was real and what wasn’t.
• How he still struggles with the idea of being vulnerable and weak.
• How he can’t emphasis enough that we should treat people who are unwell with tenderness, patience and compassion.
• How he now feels he’s at the best he’ll ever be and never though he could be this well with his mental illness.

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Siya is a Resilience and Mental toughness motivational speaker who speaks in schools and businesses across the country

 Siya is a motivational speaker on a mission to empower, educate and enthuse people, especially children and young people, with resilience skills.

 With over 30 years’ experience of speaking in the education sector, he is highly recommended by Ofsted and other authorities and can put his message across in an articulate manner that is accessible to all 

Some key points from our interview:

·        How he believes he’s not a broken person but more of a wounded healer

·        How he feels he was imprisoned from the moment he was born as he was born under apartheid

·        How he refuses to believe he was a victim of apartheid, but the victor of his life

·        How at just 17 he was sent to prison for 4 years because he was speaking out about the injustices within the education system for black students

·        How he was tortured and brutalised during his time in prison but chose to forgive his captors years later

·        How he learnt to let go of his anger and bring in empathy and understanding by realising his oppressors were victims too of apartheid

·        How he strongly believes that through love and understanding we can all make this world a better place to live in 

·        How he his philosophy that governs his life is “face it, embrace it, defy it and conquer it”

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

He’s the founder of the iCan Academy and has worked with organisations across the globe for the last 15 years sharing his personal story of resilience. 

He’s also an award winning speaker and a Fellow of The Professional Speaking Association and in 2019 was awarded the PSAE (Professional Speaking Award for Excellence)

He was just a week away from his sixth birthday in October 1975, when he woke to discover his mother was missing.  She was the first victim of the notorious serial killer, Peter Sutcliffe. Despite other tragic losses, and a period of dabbling with drugs and prison, Richard decided to turn his life around.  

We met through The Forgiveness Project when I was looking for help with the publication process for my book and Richard kindly offered to help.  

It was then that we both realised that the number 44, was a very meaningful number to both of us!

Some key points from our interview:

• How life was tough and chaotic even before his mother was murdered as he grew up on a Leeds council estate experiencing poverty, alcohol, and violence 
• How the death of his mother , Wilma McCann, felt like a double blow because it was public and reported in the paper 
• How he was able to understand when he became a parent how difficult it must have been for his father looking after four traumatised children
• How he’s able to look back and remember moments of joy from his childhood
• How he’s able to see the gifts of the tragedies in his life
• How hearing a speech Desmond Tutu in 2010 it transformed his life and realised he was able to choose to forgive Peter Sutcliffe in order to free himself
• How he rang the brother of Peter Sutcliffe when he heard he had passed away to offer his condolences 
• How he believes that resilience is the ability to bounce back from life’s challenges and we all have the capacity to do 

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 A born leader, Sarah is using her skills, knowledge and experience to create a new recovery community to bring people together and support personal transformations

I met Sarah online and have always been impressed by her ability to be totally honest.  Not every day is great for her as she recovers but she’s not afraid to show that vulnerable side of herself.

She has been on a massive personal transformation and now feels that her purpose in life is to help others on their recovery journey

Some key points from our interview:

• How unbroken means to her about retrieving all the broken parts of herself that had been lost
• How she never believed that dabbling in drugs as a teenager would lead to a drug addiction and cocaine dependence
• How she’s learnt through her personal journey of healing, that cocaine stopped her from feeling the hurt of her childhood abandonment issues
• How becoming a mum made her ask herself some important questions which led to her realising she needed to stop before it stopped her
• How when she made the decision to quit cocaine, she felt she had to be accountable and chose to go public with her story
• How she realised that drugs never gave her confidence she thought they did, as that was always inside of her
• How she’s passionate about helping others to heal and recover from drug addiction and has no set up an online community called “Recovery Central”

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLxNHG3f/ 

 IG: www.instagram.com/the_recovery_witch 

 FB Personal: www.facebook.com/therecoverywitch2911 

 FB Biz: www.facebook.com/therecoverywitch 

 FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/perpetualmotionwithsarah 

 YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCxOdbVy_Cm4RRZ79MSswOjQ


Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 He presented “The Punch” series for Radio 4 which won best factual series at the national radio academy awards 2021. Which followed Jacob’s personal experience of Restorative Justice, how it has benefitted other perpetrators and victims of crime, and what the benefits might look like if we were to adopt Restorative approaches more broadly throughout society 

 He is a former Longford scholar and received a first-class honours in criminology from Nottingham Trent University in 2019

 His debut book ‘Right From Wrong” published by Harper North was released on May 12, 2022, which he hopes will shine a light on the reforms and support needed to break an endless cycle of division and hopelessness

 I know Jacob from our involvement with The Forgiveness Project and was always so impressed by how he managed to turn his life around, after that fatal night when he threw a single punch which resulted in the death of James Hodgkinson

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How he believes his inner child is in a state of unbrokenness and innocence

·        How he struggled in his teenage years at school and found the experience degrading

·        How he was labelled with ADHD, dyslexia and being on the autistic spectrum whilst at school

·        How he feels he failed at school and had a negative belief system and eventually stopped going to school

·        How he got involved with dealing drugs, being part of a gang and getting involved with fights

·        How he was sentenced to prison at aged 19 after throwing an unprovoked single punch, which killed James

·        How he met James’s parents, Joan and David, through the Restorative Justice process as it felt he owed it to them to answers their questions

·        How their concern about him and his future disarmed him

·        How he recognises the importance of self compassion and compassion for others

·        How he’s passionate about sharing his story and talking about conflict and restorative justice to show people that anyone can turn things around with the right support

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Chris is passionate about bringing out the best in people and has a wealth of experience helping clients deal with problems and finding solutions. Each week he sets aside 5 hours for reduced rate or pro/bono work to help others. 

 He has a sports mad son that keeps him busy most days, as chauffeur to Alex’s sporting activities. When not behind the wheel of the car Chris spends time watching Bristol City FC, taking country walks with the family, and negotiating for the TV remote control

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How his family has a family coat of arms in Latin (Erupta Copula) which translates as an Unbroken bond!

·        How he believes that something positive can come out of tragedy

·        How he learnt to come to terms with losing his daughter and son

·        How he left teaching and retrained as a hypnotherapist and loves transforming people’s life and making positive changes

·        How he plays in a football team which is made up of other men that has lost children

·        How he believes that we can get through whatever happens to us and laugh and enjoy life again

 https://www.facebook.com/thinkhypnotherapy

https://twitter.com/HypnosisMorris

https://www.linkedin.com/in/timetothinkhypnotherapy

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cry-Loon-Christopher-Morris/dp/1460913582

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Duncan has done his fair share of overindulgence, strictly speaking he’s drunk more than his fair share of wine and eaten more than his fair share of cake.  

Along the way he found himself in some interesting places like on stage with S-Club, a stint as Mayor of his hometown and Morris dancing in Westminster Abbey. 

After 20 years of over-doing it, he cleaned up his act and trained with the Easyway clinic, the world’s most successful stop smoking service. Now he spends his time helping people push over-indulgence out of their life. 

He lives in Abingdon with one wife, one daughter and two bonsai trees

Some key points from our interview:

·        How Unbroken to him feels a bit like two songs. The lyrics from Amazing Grace resonated “I once was lost but know I’m found, I once was blind but now I see” and also feels like he spent 20 years in the House of The Rising Sun

·        How he feels he lived with shame, alcohol, junk food and fear for many years 

·        How he realises that he had to question his inner dialogue that constantly spoke to him and encouraged him to drink and eat unhealthily

·        How he was able to stop drinking to be a father stop eating junk to be a better parent 

·        He started to ask himself “How’s that going to help?” every time he wanted a drink or junk food and slowly there was steady improvement

·        How he believes that we can start living when we take away our addictions and have a better more mindful life

·        How he now helps others to have freedom from over indulgence as he believes it can change your life and is passionate about sharing his message

“Inside of you is everything you need”

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 She is an author, advocate and activist for all things child sexual abuse (CSA) She speaks from sixteen years of lived experience and has managed to turn the final corner of healing into giving back

 She does this through highlighting the issue of #csa to help other survivors. She is currently writing her second book, Flightpath to Healing, which is a guide for survivors

 A mother herself, her career includes teaching, therapy and business consulting. She regularly blogs on Gloriamasters.com. and has created the podcast Handing the Shame Back, which is a safe space for other survivors to share their stories

 Her focus is on hope, love and joy and she follows her Angels wherever they lead her

Some key points from our interview:

·        How she feels as if she has become an oak tree with its roots firmly planted in the ground, which may bend but never breaks

·        How she was trained at a very young age in the art of seduction as her father used her as a sex slave and sold her to paedophile rings in New Zealand 

·        How she had no safe adult around her and learnt to go within for her own support

·        How her angels showed up when the abuse started and allowed her to focus on the good and light and have stayed with her

·        How the number 16 (1+6) is a special number for her and finds it everywhere

·        How she recognises that she had to end her relationship with her mother and siblings, because they refused to hear her truth

·        How she is a beacon of hope by showing others that you can come through the worst of times and live a wonderful life full of love

 https://www.gloriamasters.com/#/

 
"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 She earned her first Scottish National Team cap at 14 and has been following her passion with the sport around the world since. She started an online business at 18 to allow her to pursue her passion and build an income alongside travelling and competing as a self-funded Karate athlete. 

 In 2015, she suffered a career threatening injury, with doctors saying she would not be able to compete again. Through two years of rehabilitation and persistence, she returned to competition going on to win British titles and a European medal. She uses this experience to help people going through tough times in their life and find the joy in every day. 

 Most recently, she represented Team GB in contention for the Tokyo Olympics for 2020. Wearing the tracksuit and representing Great Britain, was something she could have only dreamed of as a little girl.

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How she believes that even the negative experiences in her life have been an opportunity for her to learn and grow from

·        How she’s always striving to be a better athlete and person through fitness and personal development

·        How she recognises the importance of surrounding herself with positive people when she was injured and focusing on working on her mindset

·        How she had to allow herself time to be heartbroken when her hopes of competing in the Olympics didn’t happen

·        How the discipline of being an athlete helped her to train both her body and her mind and feels she’s much stronger now than before she was injured

·        How she hopes her story inspires others that despite experiencing hard times, there is a way out

·        How her practice of gratitude and looking for joy every day, helps her to remain positive

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

She is a well-known UK psychotherapist, EMDR specialist, trauma clinician and Founder of “Trauma Thrivers” a hugely popular trauma informed Facebook community for those in recovery from trauma and addiction.  

Previously, Lou worked in rehab at the Priory Hospital Roehampton, and before that, in both the Rag Trade and the Radio Industry.  The change in career choice made possible because of her own struggles with mental health and desperately seeking suitable treatment and wellness

Lou’s current mission now she recognizes trauma sits underneath most mental health conditions is to move beyond individual work so she can educate and trauma-inform groups.  

Lou says, “If I could help enlighten as many people as possible on how to recognise and rectify trauma within themselves and others.  Not only would that help us all do the personal work required but we could also stop repeating the mass re-traumatisation within our society, our species and ultimately our world.

Some key points from our interview:

• How she believes that human beings are unbreakable despite feeling broken at times
• How she recognises she had one trauma after another from a young age, but also feels affected by her mother’s generational trauma 
• How she was abused by a female babysitter at just aged four, but couldn’t speak about it for many years
• How she experienced sexual violence at 19 when she was raped 
• How her avoidance of all the hurt and trauma led her to numbing out by using alcohol and believed that happiness was found in money and material things 
• How she’s grateful that her drink was spiked with LSD as it led her to psychosis, rehabilitation and weeks in a psychiatric hospital, but it was also a turning point for her and woke her up to her trauma
• How she retrained as a trauma therapist to help others trauma survivors to shine again

Websites

https://traumathrivers.com/

Socials 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/traumathrivers/

https://www.instagram.com/traumathrivers_loulebentz/

https://www.facebook.com/loulebentztraumathrivers

https://www.linkedin.com/in/loulebentz/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9oIwwwD_ZDlleY_WOpH9Xw

Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-trauma-thrivers-podcast/id1561794822

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

She has been through so much both physically and mentally but what I love about her is her honesty and her refusal to be defined by her experiences.  She has a daily routine of staying grounded, practising gratitude and sharing goodness

She is a disabled stroke survivor, among many challenges she has endured, and Founder of Spread Goodness Day, a non-profit event started in 2017 dedicated to empowering world change through goodness and “making the future so bright, we all need shades!”  The event celebrated its fifth anniversary on March 11th 2022, and has spread hundreds of thousands of acts of goodness throughout the world through her spread goodness challenge

A 2014 graduate of Northern Michigan University, Anna’s commitment to world change was lit during college as she dove into the works of volunteering and non-profits. Those passion-fuelled volunteer activities led to her career in marketing, event promotion and community relations.  She loves the benefits of volunteering and the impact it can have for others

Prior to her injury, she worked for Travel Marquette, enticing visitors to share the beauty of her hometown. Her passion now is inspiring people to survive with goodness, bringing the powerful, healing energy of kindness to their lives.

Some key points from our interview:

• How even though she feels she has broken many times she’s able to piece herself back together and is a more beautiful version of herself 
• How after her rare stroke at just 34 she had to learn to walk and talk again and her life was never the same again
• How she wants to show people that there is life after a stroke
• How during her stroke recovery she had to accept the loss of all the things her stroke took away from her
• How the kindness and love she received by her community and friends helped to heal her and she now wants to use kindness to heal not just herself but the global community too
• How she still gets days when she struggles and is angry but is still about to remain positive and can find the light and goodness all around her and in others too

www.spreadgoodnessday.com

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Addiction nearly killed him, but on that fateful day in October, he received a gift. Call it what you will: a perspective shift, an awakening, or simply dumb luck — that’s not important – what matters, is that it completely changed the course of his life.

In what seemed like an instant, the world seemed to glow. Colours were more colourful. Sounds were more cheerful. Things that were once hollow were now full of depth. He felt more alive than ever before and he hasn't looked back since.

He says:

"Captivated by this sudden change, I started to question why I felt so alive. I didn’t see it at first, but then it hit me. It had tortured me my entire life. The voices in my head, the stories that I spun myself – the ones that drove my anxiety and, in turn, my addiction – they were gone. For as long as I could remember, thinking had consumed me – my mind racing about what I thought needed to do – but the voices were silent and my anxiety was gone. The race was over and my new life had begun."

Some key points from the interview:

-How addiction had him early on, but he could not see it.
-How his addiction forced him to lead a double life.
-How he catches himself if he becomes anxious or thinks negative thoughts.
-how he is "Schizophrenically Normal"
-How he studied a load of self help, and the revelations that came.
-How, after his awakening he had a desire to help others.
-How the "Words we speak become the world we live in"

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 She graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sports Science and became a Pilates teacher. 

 Two near death experiences and divorce guided her to heal and inspire others with her mindfulness Pilates zoom studio. 

 She created a mindfulness Pilates podcast, and founder of the Happy Kids cards and Happy & Calm cards to help you live happily ever after

 Some people seem to experience a catalogue of events in their life, and I’m always amazed how they draw strength from these events and come back stronger and brighter than they were before!

Some key points from our interview:

• How she feels that she did feel broken and destroyed in the past, but she’s come back braver and better than before
• How after a serious road traffic accident when she was hit by a car when she was cycling, she developed depression, chronic fatigue and PTSD
• How she discovered Pilates which inspired her to heal and set up her own studio
• How she had a pre eclamptic fit during childbirth and nearly died again but believes she survived to protect her son and give others a voice 
• How she and her three-year-old son had to flee their home due to domestic abuse
• How she had to learn to heal herself again but her creativity opened up again as a result
• How she loves to encourage others to connect with their guardian angels
• How she is now thriving in life and business after overcoming all of her challenges 

www.beverleydensham.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/beverleymdensham/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverley-densham-a871831a5

Instagram beverley_densham

My book I Talk to Angels: Connect with your guardian angels  & all good bookshops & signed copies from the website.

tinyurl.com/angelsbev

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Writing has always been Gill’s other passion but in 2014 it became a lifeline. She learned that her son, Sam had died while travelling overseas. For two years she kept a journal, writing about him and her grieving. She found herself addressing Sam too - there was so much still to say. Another bereaved mother read Gill’s journal, and urged her to publish it, saying it had made her feel much less alone. Gill’s memoir, A Song Inside, was published by Retreat West Books in July 2020.

I was introduced to Gill by another of my podcast guests, Claire Dyer.  Reading her book brought up so many questions for me and I wondered how she coped with all the unanswered questions she might have 

I think when people hear the word Schizophrenia, they are a little scared by that label, so it was really refreshing to have an open discussion to what it looked like for her as a mother with a son who had that diagnosis 

We also discuss her grief journey and readjusting to her world that will forever be changed.

Some key points from our interview:

• How she feels that unbroken is about surviving even though the trauma of losing her son, Sam, has had a huge impact 
• How she was determined not to let her trauma build a brittle shell around her to avoid her pain 
• How despite her concerns about Sam, it would take a meeting with several family members for her to be listened to and for him to be diagnosed with schizophrenia
• How writing and talking about Sam helps to end the schizophrenia stigma 
• How as a mother she struggled with guilt and regret and feels it’s a natural response
• How she had to learn and process her complicated grief through her new changed world 

Website: https://www.gillmannauthor.co.uk

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

It's Okay was founded from a spell of severe depression and a close suicide attempt, luckily he was able to fight his way back and create a brand that's foundations are to support, spread MH awareness, fight the stigma and not leave anyone behind.

 With each and every sale they donate 10% of their profits to designated monthly focused charity, to ensure that everyone gets a share

Some key points from our interview:

• How he recognises that his depression started after experiencing so much loss and trauma in such a short period of time
• How he was forced back to his hometown after his divorce which was where he grew up and suffered a turbulent childhood
• How he found the courage to speak out about his depression, but it took a few attempts to find the right support
• How he couldn’t have come back from depression without speaking out, his therapist and his dog Willow
• How he’s passionate about overcoming the stigma of mental illness for everyone
• How he’s speaking out to improve mental health and share mental health tips on his website
• How he’s started a clothing brand with a heart that also offers support for people experiencing all types of mental health issues; it’s so much more than a fashion brand 

Website: www.itsokclothing.com

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

In 2019 Polly was on holiday in France with her husband and their ten-month-old son. They were driving home from the beach when their car was hit by truck. Her son was killed instantly, and her husband Larry died in hospital a day later. She was trapped in the back of car and airlifted to hospital where she was put into a coma and woken up 3 days later. She was sure her son had died but thought Larry had just been knocked out but was then told he had died as well. She was left unable to walk due to broken pelvis and spent 3 months in a wheelchair after she finally left hospital.

She started to work on recovering physically and mentally. She decided to have another child and went on to have Florence by sperm doner… in the meantime she also met her current partner, Ben. 

Before the accident she ran a fashion label with her sister, all very east London hipster, but gave it up when she had Max and got a proper job before she got pregnant. She has even pitched on Dragons Den! She’s now a web designer and living back in Bristol.

She says “To outside world I have a wonderful life, but it’s marked by the worst tragedy”

Some key points from our interview:

• How she feels that even though part of her life stopped very suddenly after the car accident, she chose to carry on living
• How she knew instantly when she saw her baby after the accident, that he had died
• How sometimes she looks back now and wonders how she has managed to cope with it all 
• How her rehabilitation gave her a focus to heal herself both physically and mentally
• How even though she felt nervous about sharing her story she wants to show others that life goes on

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

He then wrote a silly story to amuse his grandson, who was just 6 months old when he had his accident.  Encouraged by others, (including Quentin Blake who said, “It’s an impressive piece of work,”) he self-published his first book in 2019.  Two years later there are now four books.  

He now spends his time doing lots of school visits to raise awareness about disability and to show kids that being in a wheelchair, is no barrier to having fun.

Everything he makes is donated to charities that help people who have suffered a spinal injury like me. So far, he’s raised just over £28,000 for the Spinal Injuries Association and Back Up

Some key points from our interview:

·        How he recognises that his body might have been broken physically inn his accident, but mentally he remains unbroken

·        How his uses his positivity that he inherited from his mother and dark humour to help him

·        How he met the woman who saved his life in the most extraordinary way

·        How he first decided to write a children’s book for his grandson to explain why he was different to other Grandads 

·        How he’s now passionate about sharing his story in schools to raise awareness of life in a wheelchair and more importantly the fun he can still have

“Nothing is forever; be patient” – Brian Abram

You can get more info about Brian and his books here:

 www.grandadwheels.com

You can read his personal blog here:

 www.thestrifeofbrian.com

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 It took many years and many rejections for Louise Beech to finally get a book deal in 2015. Her debut, How to be Brave, got to No4 on Amazon and was a Guardian Readers’ Pick; Maria in the Moon was described as ‘quirky, darkly comic and heartfelt’ by the Sunday Mirror; The Lion Tamer Who Lost shortlisted for the Popular Romantic Novel of 2019 at the RNA Awards and longlisted for the Polari Prize 2019; Call Me Star Girl longlisted for the Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize and was Best magazine’s Best Book of the Year 2019; I Am Dust was a Crime Magazine Monthly Pick; and This Is How We Are Human was a Clare Mackintosh Book Club pick. 

 Louise’s memoir Daffodils will be released in audiobook 1st April, exploring a shocking family suicide attempt and a difficult childhood. Nothing Else, her eight novel, will be released 23rd June.

 Today we are going to explore writing a memoir and how that impacted her...

Some key points from our interview

• How even though she felt like she had been broken in the past, she’s not unbroken as she was never truly broken
• How she reversed her decision in writing her memoir after her mother jumped off the Humber bridge and miraculously survived 
• How she wanted to look back over her difficult childhood, childhood trauma and the challenging relationship with her mother to make sense of it and possibly retrieve some of her deeply buried memories
• How growing up with a mother that has a narcissistic personality disorder shaped her into stepping into a mothering and nurturing role from a very young age
• How she knows that even though her mind has deeply buried memories around childhood sexual abuse, and she can’t currently access them, her body knows and remembers the trauma
• How from a very young age, writing has always been a therapy and escapism for her.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 She is an accredited healing facilitator using The Emotion Code and The Body Code; and has been practising as a healer since 2015, when she got her first energy healing qualification.

 Gen has helped hundreds of people all around the world with emotional, physical and mental issues, by helping to sort out old, emotional baggage that no longer serves them and that leads to stress and disease. She works on the premise that our bodies have a powerful ability to restore our own health if conditions are right, so she tries to make the conditions right, with the right energy balance.

 Just before our interview she told me she was worried that she might not be a good fit for my show as she didn’t have a big story or a life altering event, but has grown up with low self-esteem and a feeling of not being good enough and it would take till she was in her 50’s to finally be happy with who she was and accept herself

 I reassured her that her story would resonate with so many people and it’s great to show others that despite being in her 50’s she was able to do the work and make the changes needed to reverse and change her mindset, thought patterns and behaviour 

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How her definition of Unbroken is to be like a tree that can bend and sway in the wind and doesn’t snap due to its resilience

·        How she always knew at a very young age she had been adopted at birth

·        How despite being adopted into a loving and supportive family, she always felt not good enough and had a mother wound

·        How it would take till she reached her 50’s that she decided to stop stuffing her hurt down and deal with her stuff

·        How she was amazed when her energy healer asked her in their first Kinesiology  session “Who abandoned you?”

·        How she decided to work on herself and has reached a peaceful and loving place and no longer thinks she’s not good enough

·        How she uses holistic therapies and alternative medicine to release trapped emotion and has trained in The Emotion Code and Body Code  

·        How she is passionate now about helping others to heal and transform with acceptance, gratitude and love for a more peaceful life

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 A tradition that she wholeheartedly respects and understands, yet her ambition as a little girl growing up in this culture, was to be all that she could be in her life. Wherever that would take her.

 She is a coach and mentor, currently training to lead international programmes, whilst also running Arabela Beauty Agency which she founded in the UK and it facilitates and establishes beauty brands

 She has had many painful experiences in her life but has been able to transform her pain into life lessons and she now says that the hardest of times have also been her greatest teacher.

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How despite feeling broken many times she recognises that she is unbreakable and feels as if she’s walked through fire.

·        How she felt unhappy of who she was for a long time and developed an eating disorder and emotional eating as a coping mechanism.

·        How her life changed contrastingly when her family became refugees in the UK, leaving behind a life of privilege and comfort.

·        How she decided to stay in the UK when her mother left to return to Libya once the civil war was over and how that decision means that her mother no longer speaks to her. 

·        How she has learnt to develop a better image of herself and stops feeling guilty about things that weren’t her fault through life coaching.

·        How she’s passionate about her personal development and wants to help others to be the best version of themselves too.

·        How she’s learnt to overcome her inferiority complex and is now a wellness warrior for herself and others.



Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 When I ask people to be a guest, I ask them to send me a short bio, but his is definitely the shortest one I’ve ever received!

 He emailed me this – “Dennis Relojo-Howell is the founder of Psychreg and is the host of The DRH Show” 

 However, he has an amazing story of starting life in the slums of Manila where he lived with his family with no running water or electricity to becoming an international speaker, author and award-winning blog psychologist

 We discuss how living in the slums shaped his life and how he used education as his route out.  He has a passion now in teaching resilience as a skill, especially to young people also growing up in a challenging environment

 Some key points from our interview:

·      How he’s grateful for his childhood as it influenced and shaped him

·      How he recognises he was salvaged by his parents when he was an adolescent when he experienced a disconnect from himself

·      How his parents instilled the value of education to all three of their children who all have completed at least one university degree

·       How he’s used education as way for social mobility 

·      How he believes that resilience is something that can be taught to everyone 

·      How’s he’s passionate now about giving back by developing a resilience intervention using blogging for people living in low- and middle-income countries

·      How he doesn’t share his story to get pity but to show people with the right mindset, resilience and grit you can make positive changes to your life

 You can get more info about Dennis here:

https://twitter.com/dennisr_howell

https://twitter.com/wearepsychreg

https://www.youtube.com/psychreg

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 She survived the Belgium terror attack when Brussels airport was bombed in March 2016 and was close enough to feel the bombs, hear the screams.

 She was able to wipe the tears away from injured people and hold hands with those in pain… feel helpless for those she lost. 

 The wounds this experience had on her mind, heart and soul took a long time to heal. She had to relearn how to live, breath, eat and sleep. 

 Without the right support she wouldn’t be here today, she wouldn’t be able to talk with me right now and share with the value of ‘heart happy’. 

 Appreciating the small lights in life that give space for future hope. 

 Some key points from our interview:

·      How she will not let anything defeat her and is determined to grow from her experience

·      How her instinct was to go back into the airport and help where she could, despite the threat that there maybe more explosions from other bombs

·      How her inner critique let her think that she was a failure following the bombing

·      How it was only when she moved away from Brussels and back home to Australia that she got the emotional support she needed

·      How she discovered that her day gets better when she looks for the joy and is grateful

·      How she works on being kind to herself to make herself “heart happy” 

You can contact Anneke here 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annekeweemaes

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 She’s been married to Barry for 24 years and they live in New York

 Prior to becoming ill with a rare disease called Mast Cell Disease, she was a Special Education Teacher/Administrator. Her disease causes her to have anaphylactic episodes from multiple triggers, which can cause anaphylactic shock

 Since there is no cure and very few medications for her disease, her transplant doctor and Tara decided to proceed with having a transplant. 

 In July 2015, she had an autologous stem cell transplant using her own stem cells. In June 2018, she had an allogeneic bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. 

 However, due to various complications, she was hospitalized extensively at MSKCC in New York City. 

 Her story has been made into a documentary called “Second Chance” featuring all original music co-written and recorded by Samantha

 The full documentary will be available to the public in Spring 2022, after it has finished completing the film festival circuit

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How despite feeling that her body is semi broken, she feels that her spirit, courage, and resilience remains unbroken

·        How whatever is going on with her health she always tries to persevere

·        How it took five years before she would receive her diagnosis

·        How her resilience developed by her determination to be here for her children and desire to watch them grow up

·        How despite her many health conditions she still finds time to lobby for changes in the law to offer transport to children whose parents are unable to take them to school due to ill health

·        How she’s determined to raise awareness about rare diseases and stem cell transplants

·        How her daughter Samantha has recorded nine separate songs for the documentary “Second Chance” which reflects all the different topics they went through as a family 

 https://www.instagram.com/taranotrica/

Instagram-TaraNotrica

 Trailer Link/Film Information 

www.4thcoastproductions.com/secondchancedocumentary

 "Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 After a disrupted upbringing, he began work in retail banking at 18, but at 30 became an Anglican Priest. 

 After the collapse of his marriage and the loss of his faith in 2016, David was forced to reassess and reshape his inner life. 

 He is now married to Jane and successfully coparents his daughter with his former wife, Karen. 

 David now runs a successful life coaching and celebrancy business from his home in Salisbury

 Some key points from our interview

·        How he recognises that being unbroken is lifelong journey towards a sense of wholeness

·        How he was brought up in two contrasting environments

·        How joining the church, learning theology and becoming ordained as a priest gave him a sense of belonging and acceptance

·        How he had to own up to the church authorities that he had an affair and therefore lost his job and his home

·        How he recognises that a time of crisis is also a time of decision

·        How he feels that his breakdown allowed him to focus on his purpose in life

·        How he recognises that the true treasure lies in our struggles and pain, and that there is lifelong learning in all of our journeys

·        How after being a funeral celebrant for hundreds of people, he realises that we will regret the experiences we didn’t have, far more than the riches we didn’t have, when we die

www.davidlinaker.com

 "Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk

 Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Her previous collections are Domestic Karma, The Disheveled Bed, and Brook & Rainbow (winner of the 2001 Sow’s Ear Press Chapbook Prize)

 Her poems have won awards from Five Points, River Styx, The MacGuffin, and the Poetry Society of America. 

 They are cited in the Library of Congress Online Guide to the Poetry of 9/11, and have been featured on NPR, Poetry Daily, and as Split This Rock Poem of the Week, A Founding Editor of Barrow Street and Managing Editor of The Emily Dickinson Journal, she has been Series Editor of The Word Works Washington Prize since 2017. 

 An avid birder, she lives in Los Angeles, where she grows lemons, limes, oranges, and tangerines in her back yard.

 Some key points from our interview

·         How her sister’s called saved her life when she phoned to ask if she was ok as the Twin Towers had been hit

·         How when she returned to her apartment, she was aware that the dust contained ashes of thousands who vanished four mornings ago

·         How she has so much gratitude to all the people and strangers that helped her along the way and believes she survived because of them

·         How writing “September 12” impelled her to bear witness to that day and its aftermath

·         How she also believes in the power of sharing stories

·         How she feels that her book, which took twenty years to write, is the evidence of being Unbroken by 9/11

 You can get more info about Andrea here:

https://www.andreacarterbrown.com

                                *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

His books include; The Recovery Letters, What I Do to Get Through, How to Tell Depression to Piss Off, How to Tell Anxiety to Sod Off and How to Get to Grips with Grief (released in July 2022).

He is the founder of the internationally renowned The Recovery Letters project. 

I read “How to Tell Depression to Piss Off” before I interviewed James and was pleasantly surprised to find it was such a funny and light book to read.  I asked myself if I could really love a book about depression!  

It made me so intrigued to meet James and find out how he could treat such a serious topic so light heartedly

And only after a few minutes of speaking to him I understood that his dark humour is just one of the many tools he has in his depression tool kit.

Both of us have seen the darker side of life and both of us have used to see us through those times too.

I really enjoyed my conversation with James and think you will too as he describes living with his depression and anxiety and the many ways, he has found to support him on his journey.

We know that there has been an increase of mental health during lockdown and Covid. And it can present in many ways such as a panic attack, major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, social anxiety, depression and pain.

Some people might use CBT, psychotherapy or a light therapy lamp to help, but there are many different types of approaches.  It’s just about finding out what works best for you

Here’s what the comedian, Robin Ince, says about his latest book:

A book to play anxiety bingo with and one that will help you realise you are not alone in experiencing absurd mental terrors that feel horribly real. James makes it very funny too, because the ludicrousness of where our anxiety imagination can take us can be as funny on the page as it is horrifying when it is playing out in our mind. You will laugh and come away from this tooled up for the next battle in your mind's darker corners

Some key points from our interview:

·         How looking back now he realises that losing his father at five and being abused at seven, shaped his life and had an impact of his mental health

·         How he has learnt to find meaning in his life and moments of absolute joy

·         How he had to learn to celebrate the small wins on his darker days and to take it second by second rather than day by day

·         How he became aware that his illness lied to him and not to believe his negative chatter 

·         How he still gets anxiety when writing his books but knows that when we share our pain and connect with others something beautiful happens

·         How he looks at the many approaches he has tried as his homework with depression and anxiety and writes down what works for him

·         How he’s learnt to hold on to the fact that things can change and get better, despite what his illness may be telling him and is passionate about mental health awareness

Website: http://www.jameswithey.com

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
                                                                     

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 This book was longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction, on the best books lists for Publishers Weekly and the Boston Globe as well as named a Must Read by TIME Magazine and the Massachusetts Book Awards. 

 Bowdler is the recipient of the Barbara Deming Memorial Award for nonfiction. Her writing has been published in two anthologies, the New York Times, Ms. Magazine, Psychology Today, the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, Literary Hub, and other journals. 

 Anita Hill writes of this book, "Is Rape a Crime? is beautifully written and compellingly told. In 2020, we were all looking for solutions and this book was right on time. It is one we should all be reading."

 I was introduced to Michelle by a mutual friend who said I should have her on the show to discuss her powerful book and the work she is doing around violence against women

 She was raped in her home by two men during a burglary and reported it to the Police who sent her to the hospital to have DNA taken using a rape test kit

 Many years later she read an article about 1000’s of untested rape kits in the Police labs which led her onto a journey of enquiry about what happened to these tests and hers too.

 I really believe that violence against women and misogyny is a hate crime and the rape laws in both of our countries need so many changes, not just in reporting rape and domestic violence but how victims are treated during a trial and the sentences that are given out, because we know that just a small percentage of trials end in a conviction.

 Some key points from our interview:

 ·        How sharing her “me too story” publicly for the first time was liberating ·        How she found it harder to come out about being raped than being gay

·        How she started to do research into untested rape kits after reading an article in her local paper
·        How her feminism and activism got reignited as she wanted to do something about the untested rape kits, which has a huge impact on women’s health and bring it to people’s attention 
·        How she feels lucky that she met someone who was patient with her 

·        How she recognises that we all have the ability to heal and move on despite going through hard times 

 Connect with Michelle  here:

https://michelle-bowdler.com/about 

To buy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rape-Crime-Memoir-Investigation-Manifesto/dp/1250255635

                                             *                                *                                  *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.


You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Her latest novel, 'The Significant Others of Odie May' is published by Matador, and she has a new collection forthcoming with Two Rivers Press in 2024. 

 She has curated Reading's Poets’ Café for the past five years, teaches creative writing and runs Fresh Eyes, an editorial and critiquing service. 

 She has an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London and is a regular contributor on BBC Radio Berkshire

 Today though we are discussing the story behind her poetry collection “Yield” which beautifully shares her journey of her son becoming her daughter

 Yield can have three meanings  

 Some key points from our interview:

·         How when her child first told them they thought they were trans she felt fear for their future

·         How she writing Yield has been cathartic but took five years to complete

·         How they have always been met with love, support and understanding 

·         How it’s felt like a grief process and had to learn to surrender and accept the changes within her family

·         How she recognises that the heart of her daughter has never changed, even though outwardly she may look different to the gender she was assigned at birth

 Depend – Supporting the families and friends of trans people

https://www.depend.org.uk

 Mermaids - UK organisation for young trans people and their families, with support and resources for both

https://mermaidsuk.org.uk

 You can get more info about Claire here:

 www.clairedyer.com

 Twitter: @ClaireDyer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claire.dyer.98 and https://www.facebook.com/Claire-Dyer-Author-131347343704266

Insta: @clairedyerwriter

https://tinyurl.com/yckp79uy  << Buy Book Here!

https://tworiverspress.com/?s=yield

                                     *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.


You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Kijuan has many talents to include being a musician, singer, actor, and an athlete. 

Yes, he still performs those talents, but recently has added motivational speaking and self-published author to the resume, despite his blindness symptoms

Mr. Amey likes to believe his target audience for speaking is high school, college, and military, but it seems he relates to more by presenting the human side of himself. 

His newly published book, “Don’t Focus on Why me: From Motorcycle Accident to Miracle,” relays a lot of messages people need to hear when going through hardships and life altering changes. 

As he always says, “I may have loss my sight, but I didn’t lose my vision to help others.”

Some key points from our interview:

·         How he had to hit a low point in his healing before he found his resilience

·         How he realised that he had a choice in his recovery and attitude 

·         How he had a profound moment when he was in hospital when he heard a still voice come over him and asked “Well, why not you”

·         How his faith has always been a big part of his life and a support.  He never questioned God and his chronic illness, but accepted it as his path

·         How he now believes that sharing his story is his destiny to help others

You can order his book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Focus-Why-Me-Motorcycle/dp/B097TRW



                                    *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

She did confess before we started recording that she felt quite nervous as she’s more used to supporting others through baby loss and not sharing her own story, but she also feels it’s important to share her story to serve others on their healing journey too.

She is British and living in Australia. She says she is a proud mummy to angel twins and two young boys, and she works as a Bereavement Outreach Worker.

Her infertility journey began 10 years ago. After several rounds of IVF, finally falling pregnant with their miracle twins. Enduring hospital bedrest and prematurely giving birth, which resulted in their death too. Emotionally struggling with the loss of our hopes and dreams, being shattered and having a life-threatening infection, she says it felt like she experienced the impossible. Her and her husband, Pete, both had to learn to navigate their lives again and overcoming what now and what next.

8 years later, and 2 successful pregnancies, she has found healing through peer supporting others as a volunteer for a local charity and facilitating their support groups. This has been further extended to her dream job, as a Bereavement Outreach Worker, supporting families with the loss of their baby through a charity Program offered here. offering practical and compassionate support

Some key points from our interview:

·        How exhausting both physically and emotionally the IVF process is

·        How devastating it was to leave the hospital with empty arms after losing her twin girls in their premature birth

·        How important it was to open herself up to receive the support offered

·        How important it is to mark their birthdays and celebrate their lives as they will always be part of her family

·        How she believes that the universe is working with her and meets the people she’s meant to exactly at the right time in her life

·        How she’s now passionate about helping others cope with their grief after baby loss 

 
Precious Wings (Australia): https://www.preciouswings.org/

Red nose (Australia): https://rednose.org.au/ and https://rednosegriefandloss.org.au/

                                     *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 He is a transformational coach specifically helping queer men of colour to reignite their self-worth and lead a more authentic life

 As a young boy, he was taken advantage of, his sister’s life was taken too soon and he lost his mother to a heart attack

 Depression, addiction and anxiety plagued his life for years. After hitting rock bottom and begging for help Joshua sought the treatment he needed

 Recovery, joy and service to others are now what fills his life.

 Through authentic storytelling, Joshua brings to life his experiences for others to relate to and feel part of, allowing others not to feel alone anymore

 He aspires to speak to those who feel lost, alone and ready to change their lives. Joshua truly believes that owning your story and experiences brings freedom and he’s here to help you with yours!

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How despite losing his Mum when he was just twelve years old, she left him with her qualities of courage, strong, brave and caring

·        How he hadn’t yet come out as gay to his mum, but he has a sense that she knew

·        How for a long time he hid who he really was for fear of being judged by others

·        How he recognises that within the black community there is discrimination against gay black men

·        How he’s now passionate about helping others to share their story in order to be free to be their authentic self

You can find Joshua here:

www.LinkedIn.com/joshuamcruz

www.instagram.com/wordsbyjoshua

                                      *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

I met today’s guest when I was speaking at a speakers’ conference in Johannesburg and it’s a talk I won’t ever forget!  It was the first time she had shared her story with her peers, and she was powerful, courageous and vulnerable.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, but what I remember more was the wisdom she shared in her traumatic story too 

Human Potential and Parenting Expert, Nikki Bush empowers individuals, families and teams in business and education to win at work, home and life. She has the knack of putting difficult, complex, and sensitive topics on the table (ones we often prefer to avoid) and making them accessible. Nikki is an award-winning speaker having been inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame in 2019 – the first woman in South Africa to ever receive this lifetime achievement award and was recognised, in the same year, by the Ford Motor Company as one of their Women with Drive. 

Nikki speaks with energy, passion, self-deprecating humour and a disarming honesty and vulnerability. Future-proof Yourself (Penguin Random House), her book on dancing with disruption, hits the shelves in July 2021. She has co-authored a number of best-selling parenting books with major publishers, including, Future- proof Your Child for the 2020s and Beyond (Penguin Random House, 2019) and has fielded over 3 000 media interviews in the past 15 years 

Some key points from our interview:

·      How it was instinctive for her to follow the safety scenario plan she had instilled in her children from a young age

·      How she locked herself in her bathroom as it was a room with a key and refused to come out, despite knowing that the home invaders had her son on the other side of the door and were armed

·      How she now recognises that being vulnerable through the murder of Simon her husband, was a gift

·      How she recognises that she had a choice to how she was going to respond to her situation

·       How she uses her story of loss for human potential, and the lessons it has taught her beauty, repair and growth

You can get more information about Nikki here: https://nikkibush.com 

                               *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

For those of you who don’t know my story I am a suicide survivor after attempting when I was thirteen years old following extreme trauma. 

I could understand both sides of the story, from seeing no way out of a dark and difficult space and as a parent dealing with the reality of mental health and suicide

For over 20 years, Steve was a successful consultant, trainer and keynote speaker in the world of sales and marketing. On December 4th 2019, he received a call that would change his world completely – his son Jordan had taken his own life.

Steve was faced with two choices; give in to debilitating despair that was beginning to take over or create something to prevent other families from having to experience the trauma of losing a loved one to suicide - fortunately, Steve chose the latter.   

With a LinkedIn following of more than 34,000 people, Steve’ articles and posts have engaged a global audience of millions. Early in 2020, Steve established The Jordan Legacy CIC, to provide support to those struggling with their mental health or considering suicide, whilst accepting the position as Head of Mission, at Champion Health UK Ltd, a rapidly growing tech and client services company in the world of workplace employee wellbeing.

Steve’s lived experience of suicide, combined with his reputation as a highly engaging speaker, will help you understand the importance of looking after your own mental wellbeing and in turn, looking out for those you care about.

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How very early on he was able to transform his pain into purpose

·        How he has transformed his life and now raises awareness around mental health and suicide

·        How he wants to prevent any other families experiencing the pain that his family did

·        How he’s now trained in Mental Health First Aid to enhance the work he is already doing

·        How he’s passionate in working with suicide prevention in both practical and emotional solutions

 You can get more information about Steve here: https://thejordanlegacy.com/

*                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 When I heard his story about his son, I knew I had to share it!

 At the age of 12 months Daniel’s first child Lucas was diagnosed with the rare disease Menkes Syndrome.  After adjusting his expectations of what raising a child might look like Daniel began to tell Lucas’ story with a short documentary.  That film led to Daniel co-founding DISORDER: The Rare Disease Film Festival and later the Disorder Channel, both dedicated to spreading awareness for patient families facing any of the more than 7,000 rare diseases.

 One of Daniel’s stories about Lucas won the 2015 Rare Patient Story Award from Global Genes.  His award winning 12-minute documentary on Menkes Syndrome is narrated by Oscar nominee Mary McDonnell. IN 2008 he founded the Ballston Spa Film Festival.  He was a pioneer of original content online (now called web series) and co-wrote and co-produced the internet’s first animated series. He has created videos and marketing materials for American Cinematographer, PBS, RightRice, bio-techs, hospitals , most major movie studios, TNT’s “The Closer” and HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” among others .  He currently works as Global Genes’s Associate Director of Community Engagement.

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How he and his wife where scared when they initially got their son’s diagnosis

·        How going through this process, he has developed more compassion and understanding for others

·        How he’s passionate about sharing Lucas’ story to help others to offer hope

·        How he recognises that whatever you are going through, that it’s important to find your tribe for support

·        How he recognises that even though there were challenging times parenting a child with a rare disease, his son ultimately brought him more joy than pain

 You can watch his documentary here https://vimeo.com/120211522

And you can get more information across all social media platforms here:

https://www.facebook.com/rarediseasefilmfestival
https://www.instagram.com/disorderrarediseasefilms/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/disorder-the-rare-disease-film-festival/
https://twitter.com/DisorderRare

   *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 She is a dedicated mum of four and has spent her entire adult life searching for a connection with her biological family. Whilst her childhood was fairly smooth sailing, the strong desire to connect with her birth family continued to haunt her. 

After years of closed doors and dead ends, her lifelong story came to fruition during a worldwide pandemic with an ending worth the wait. 

 She speaks to as many people involved in the adoption triad as possible in the hope that her incredible story may be a ray of hope for others beginning their adoption journey.

 While adoptions are complicated and her story shocking, her outlook through each bump in the road brings an array of emotions to any listener, adopted or not. 

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How she never gave up on her mission to find her birth mother

·        How becoming a mother herself was the first time she met someone that was a biological relation to her

·        How her faith has supported her along her journey

·        How she couldn’t stay angry despite being let down by her birth mother a few times

·        How the day she met her mother for the first time was bittersweet

·        How she is so grateful for the many connections she has made during this process

·        How sharing her story is both healing for herself and she hopes others too

 You can get some more information about Mary here: 

http://www.becauseadoption.com

*                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

She is the owner of online business, Kiddiwhizz and founder of Independent Mother organisation describes herself as more than just a proud Single Mother. 

Having overcome a life of adversities including homelessness, domestic abuse and 20 years of mental illness she has fought against the odds to gain an education and reach personal goals set as a coping strategy.

With a career history starting at a young age, she heading straight for city life once she finished her University degree. Now, 6 years after designing the world’s first handheld portable toilet for kids aptly named, the Whizzer, she utilised her time in lockdown to bring the innovative invention to life. 

She’s hoping Kiddiwhizz will be the start of a bright new future for her and her son.

Zoë’s children’s book, “The seed that grew with love” based on the story behind their Single Mother and son bond will be available soon

Some key points from our interview:

·        How she recognised that her mental health was a burden that was ignored in the abusive household that she grew up

·        How she was made homeless at just fifteen and moved to a hostel where she was exposed to drug addiction, crime, violence and abuse

·        How she put her energy and focus into her education and she still remembers the kindness of a few teachers that made sure she had money to get to exams and food to eat

·        How her dream of graduation from University and one day working in the city of London was realised, when she got a job at The London Stock Exchange

·        How she recognised that her mental health was impacted on the long hours she worked and took a break and went travelling to reset

·        How she decided to get some help to face her past traumas and spent a year in a psychiatric day hospital

·        How becoming a mum gave her a reason to live and experience unconditional love

·        How nobody would recognise that she still struggles with debilitating illness of bipolar at times, because she has become a master of disguise in order to survive.

              *                           *                               *                          *                           *                               *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Darren Harris is an author, speaker and coach on mindset mastery.

 He works with forward thinking organisations that want inspiration, courage and determination to tackle life’s biggest challenges.

Black, blind and a badass footballer – Darren is the most capped England blind footballer, he uses real-life examples to bring different perspectives to his clients in business, education and sport.

 His motto “The eyes are useless when the Mind is Blind” transformed his thinking of what blindness means, and began his mission to "Unblind the mind."

 Darren is a regional president of the Professional Speaking Association, graduate of The Coaching Academy, Amazon #1 best-selling author, and recipient of an honorary doctorate for outstanding public service.

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How he denied what was going on for a while whilst his sight was failing

·        How sports, especially football, gave him focus and direction

·        How he realised that he wasn’t going to live the limited life he thought he would because of his blindness

·        How he’s learnt to thrive and experience life in many different ways

·        How he realised that whatever he had lost, he could survive without it

 You can get more info about Darren here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenharrisgb/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://twitter.com/darrenharrisgb

https://www.instagram.com/darrenharrisgb/

https://www.facebook.com/DarrenHarrisGB/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfkCCz3n3uvpZgqyuMpDbCA

                                    *                                *                                  *                                    *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 At their baby Laurie’s twenty week scan they discovered that she had two rare and fatal conditions which meant that she wouldn’t survive full term and were faced with the difficult decision of continuing with the pregnancy

 Mark is an online piano coach, best-selling author and helping use music to improve mental health for twenty-five years

 He has spent more than twenty yearsworking as a musical director, pianist, arranger and teacher, and has built a really diverse group of musicians as a client base. From artists such as Faye Tozer of Steps to black metal bands Winterfylleth (a band Mark ended up joining!) and Drudkh. 

 He has given Lenny Henry piano lessons, and written versions of songs by metal stars Sonata Arctica for symphony orchestra and choir.

 Mark’s extensive work as a musical director has included everything from choirs for the BBC, Magic Radio, and his own Sing United, to music theatre shows such as West Side Story and The Sound of Music. 

 He has conducted the Royal Northern Sinfonia and written string parts for Japanese post rock legends Mono. He has previous clients around the world including France, Canada, Finland and Holland, and has even co-written and toured a comedy musical with the BBC’s Alfie Joey.

Some key points from our interview:

·        How he discovered that everything could change in a moment

·        How he really struggles with the word “Termination”

·        How he discovered that no men speak about losing a baby in this way

·        How it took his wife, Angela, and himself nine months to find a support specifically for TFMR (termination for medical reasons)

·        How he had to apply all the well being tips he gives to his music clients to himself, when he started experiencing panic attacks

·        How he now uses his lived experience to help other men to speak out about mental health 

·        How it has reinforced that music is a therapy 

You can get more info about Mark here:

      https://markdeeksmusic.com

                            *                                   *                                    *                                    *

 "Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.


You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 We are both survivors and therapists and understand what it’s like to sit in both chairs in the counsellor’s room. 

 And we also understand that healing after trauma is not always easy but is so worth it.

 Shari Botwin, LCSW has been counselling survivors in recovery from trauma and abuse for over 24 years in her South Jersey practice. 

 Her second book, "Thriving After Trauma: Stories of Living and Healing," is a compilation of patient stories and some about her recovery after surviving childhood sexual abuse. 

 Shari Botwin just launched the podcast, Warrior Women Speak, with Judge Rosemarie Aquilina

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How she recognises that food became her comfort from a young age

·        How she understands that she numbed out from the abuse, that always took place at night, as form of protection

·        How the memories of her childhood abuse were triggered when she starting working with people that also had eating disorders and she decided to start therapy

·        How becoming a mother, she learnt that she was capable of giving love even though she had never received it

·        How she recognises that healing after abuse is a long, painful and messy journey but a very worthwhile one 

·        How going public by writing about her story in the newspaper not only helped her but so many other people too

 You can find out more about Shari here 

 www.sharibotwin.com

                       *                                   *                                    *                                    *

 "Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

He’s had an accomplished career with a few accolades. He’s been an audiologist for 34 years and have seen well over 70,000 patients. He’s worked in Navy and private hospitals to include NICUs; Associate Professor at IPFW University; Private Practice Owner, and currently administers compensation and pension exams to Veterans.

He is married to a wonderful woman Kate and has three grown up children. He feels that the tragedies in his life became the springboard to make a difference locally, nationally, and internationally. And believes that regardless of differences as individuals, we all have a universal need to be loved, respected, and wanted. He chooses to make a concerted effort to make this world better one person at a time and found the best way, was to get over himself and his struggles is to help others.

 
Some key points from our interview:

·        How he struggled with the guilt that he should have protected his wife.

·        How he had to find a way to not listen to other people’s judgments and gossip.

·        How he protected his children from the truth that their mother had been raped.

·        How he encouraged his children to tell their mother that they forgave her when she was in a coma just before she died.

·        How he recognised that his faith has played such a big part in his own recovery.

·        How he recognises that it’s important not to isolate yourself and to surround yourself with good people for support.

·        How he recognises that good can come from the very darkest of times.

                                           *                                     *                                             *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Gian Power is an ex- Deutsche Bank and PwC employee and is the founder & CEO of TLC Lions – using the power of storytelling to transform workplaces globally.  In 2019, Gian was the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards and was recently featured in Forbes, Business Inside and on the Empower Ethnic Minority Executives List. Alongside work, Gian sits on the board of The UK’s largest mental health conference, This Can Happen and is an ambassador for Missing People Charity.

 In 2015, an unexpected family tragedy changed Gian’s life forever.  When returning back to work, Gian saw the power of being able to share his emotions and being his full self at work and decoded to leave PwC to set up TLC Lions.  Lions coming from his and his father’s middle name.  Gian brought together 25 ordinary people with extraordinary stories globally to share real life stories and life-changing experiences at large organisations around the topics of Mental Health, Inclusion and Talent Development.

 Gian is one of TLC Lions’ key storytellers and shares his experience of managing his mental health whilst coping with a family tragedy and the high demands of the corporate world.  Through his story he highlights the importance of empathetic leadership, managing one’s own mental health and building resilience.  In his talks Gian often shares his practical tips for self-care and some of the coping mechanisms that allowed him to find strength in tough times.

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How after his father was murdered overseas it changed his outlook on life forever

·        How at 23 years old he found himself leading a missing persons investigation which is also why he supports the charity “Missing People” 

·        How he learnt the importance of self-care at 24 when he had to press restart and reinvent himself

·        How he became passionate about bringing self-care and emotion back into the workplace after a colleague ended his life by suicide

·        How is passionate about changing culture within organisations using the power of storytelling 

*                                     *                                             *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/
Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 He is currently working with a few start-ups and mentoring their founders.

He has worked for many corporates both as a contractor and employee, most recently at Microsoft.

 He is proud to have worked with a talented team designing m-pesa, which is a successful micro finance platform used by millions (mainly in Africa) and considers this to be one of his greatest contributions so far

On the show we discuss being misdiagnosed with bipolar and schizophrenia and was detained in a mental health facility and the impact that had on him.

It was something I knew little about, but he says cases of misdiagnosis are common. Often leading to life changing conditions such as PTSD for those trapped, forcibly drugged, threatened, assaulted by those responsible for their care and their inactions, often due to the many complex pressures of the job imposed by those at the highest levels

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How he realises that he had a choice in how he reacted to what happened to him and chose to stay positive

·        How he was arrested under the mental health act by the Police who considered he was a risk to himself due to misinformation 

·        How the more he spoke up about being misdiagnosed they thought that his paranoia feelings were actually part of his condition, and he was delusional

·        How he’s passionate about sharing his story to help others despite being warned not to do so

Connect with Allister on LinkedIn www.qbain.com

And you can read more about the campaigns about misdiagnosis here 

www.NHSLives.com

www.StatutoryInquiry.com

*                                     *                                             *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/
Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Tre Lowe is a London based musician, mentor, and entrepreneur 

 Producer-songwriter of the award-winning band Architechs. Notable for their chart-topping song: Body Groove. A regular music contributor on ITN news.

 A landlord and property investor, with 20 years of experience. Additionally, Tre has a successful coaching & consulting company called Alpha Clique, specialising in success & performance coaching for entrepreneurs and business owners. 

 Tre is a passionate wellness advocate, as a lifelong sufferer, he campaigns for tinnitus awareness, reaching an audience of millions.

 He has appeared on BBC Breakfast News, ITV, ITN News, BBC Radio, BBC 5 Live, The Sun newspaper, and numerous others

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How he believes that his parents’ ability to stay unbroken has helped him

·        How he has had a catalogue of events through his life but learnt to stay strong

·        How he has turned his own pain into something better

·        How he’s grateful for the pain he’s been through otherwise he wouldn’t be so obsessed with mindset and personal development

·        How he’s so proud of the legacy that his brother has left with their hit song “Body Groove” 

 *                                     *                                             *                                 *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

 Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 She started her healing journey, which included writing a letter a day to Bob, and nurturing Sydney, their daughter who was 15 when he died. 

 Sheila’s healing took 6 years and during this time she thought about her empowerment journey and how she could help others. 

 Drawing on her leadership experience, she explored coaching and started her business, Live Out Loud Coaching in 2018. Sheila is committed to helping people recognize their power, especially in their careers. 

 She is putting finishing touches on a guided journal entitled My Badass Journal, which contains 52 prompts and a Badass Manifesto to help people live an empowered life. 

 In her free time, she can be found at the theatre, writing, doing open mic, and traveling. 

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How she and her husband loved life and she adored him.

·        How after he passed away, she decided to write him a letter once a day over six years.

·        How writing was a way to hold onto him and share her life with him.

·        How the writing organically healed her and led her to a place of peace.

·        How her passion is helping others to get through things and find yourself in the process.

 You can get more info about Sheila here:

 www.liveoutloudcoaching.com

*                                     *                                             *                                 *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

 Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 She is such a fierce difference maker and I know you will love her too!

 Judge Rosemarie Aquilina earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Western Michigan Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1984 after earning her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Michigan State University in 1979. 

 She is a retired Michigan Army National Guard JAG Officer. 

 She is a civilian judge, serving 4 years as Chief Judge and Sobriety Court Judge in the 55th District Court and now 13 years as a 30th Circuit Court. 

 Judge Aquilina is a Law Professor and a motivational speaker. 

 She is the author of Feel No Evil, Triple Cross Killer and All Rise; and her memoir Just Watch Me was released December 2020 in partnership with Audible Reese Witherspoon. 

 Judge Aquilina, is the mother of five children, has three grandchildren, and resides in East Lansing, Michigan. 

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How she grew up feeling kidnapped when her parents removed her from her grandparents home as she believed that they were her parents.

·        How she believes that children should be given explanations, a voice and allow them to ask questions.

·        How she believes that it’s very important to explain things to people very clearly, whether they are the victim or the defendants.

·        How she is passionate about treating people with dignity within her courtroom.

·        How she believes that giving witness the space to share their story opens the doors for others to do the same to .

 You can find out more about here:

https://www.amazon.com/Rosemarie-Aquilina

 http://www.rosemarieaquilina.com 

 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/warrior-women-speak-because-your-voice-matters/id1561565210

 https://www.instagram.com/authoraquilina/?hl=en

 http://twitter.com/AquiRosemarie


                              *                                     *                                             *                                 *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black who really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

I heard about my guest today when I was in a Facebook group about climbing the Munros (a mountain over 3000 feet high) in Scotland and saw her “team” leaving flags at the summit to remember her daughter, and was so moved by what they were doing and her story

 Danielle Falconer is 27 and lives in Fife, Scotland. 

She is currently a primary school teacher at Lumphinnans Primary School and describes it as a wonderful job

She says she is a Mamma to 3 beautiful babies. Her gorgeous girl Robyn Skye Knox – who will be forever 3 - and her beautiful twin boys - Robin Junior Skye Knox and River Skye Knox – who were on born 4th December 2020.

Her daughter Robyn was tragically killed in an accident and Danielle along with her team want to keep her name alive and raise funds for other families that are going through tough times to offer both emotional and practical support

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How she found it so surreal to accept that her daughter had been killed in an accident

·        How just three days after Robyn’s death, she decided they wanted to help other families

·        How she wants to make changes to the memory boxes that parents are given when they leave hospital without their child to include a grief guide

·        How helping others keeps Robyn’s name alive and is a living legacy to her

·        How she recognised that it’s so important to sit with and allow whatever feelings come up and not fight them

 You can get more information about Danielle and the Remembering Robyn pages here:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063074418088 

 https://www.gofundme.com/f/kcsr5d-remembering-robyn?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

 https://www.instagram.com/robynskyeknox/?fbclid=IwAR0DkeEVjmX1fPYqaUqsx2WDIveIWbBSSj74kq2j-KP8REJopsX7256hwm0

*                                     *                                             *                                 *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

 Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Born and adopted from Da Nang, Vietnam at six months old. Her birth name is Dang Thi Minh Hanh; a very symbolic and meaningful name. In Vietnamese “Minh” means “bright” and “Hạnh” means “good morale, good soul”. Combining those two doesn’t just make a powerful name, but a powerful person, and that power has unintentionally made Amy Minh Hạnh Corey not only “one to watch” but “One to make a difference” and known by her fans as “The one who understands the Misunderstood”.

At only twenty-three years of age, Amy Minh Hanh Corey has started a creative empire just by being honest with her life, her mental health, and overcoming her past struggles with being adopted, bullying, depression, attempted suicide, self harm, eating disorders and so much more.  

She passionately infuses this honesty in her music, speaking, writing, brand, ambassadorships, and other entrepreneurial projects. 

Amy’s name and message has gained recognition in multiple industries, by public figures and big names such as Dolly Parton, Gary Vee, Dr. Oz, Scott Conant, Kevin Guest (CEO OF USANA), Andy Wilman (Executive producer of The Grand Tour), Madame Tôn Nữ Thị Ninh (HCMC Peace and Development President, Former Ambassador to Vietnam of the EU) along with hit songwriters and other public figures throughout the world. 

Amy is an Ambassador for Holt International’s Child Sponsorship program as well as the fourth Goodwill Ambassador for HCMC Peace and Development Foundation in Vietnam. Her compassion and understanding to those who feel misunderstood is what sets Amy in her own league and has given her the drive to expand her voice in multiple industries and around the world to better the world.

I loved my interview with Amy, so young and so wise with such a wonderful energy!

Some key points from our interview:

·        How when she was just eight years old, she faced many traumas which impacted on her mental health

·        How her unhealthy coping strategies became a normal way of life for her – eating disorders, self-harm, suicide attempts etc

·        How she had to become her own hero and music was big part of that and helped her to heal

·        How she’s now passionate on creating healthy coping strategies for herself

·        How she’s also sharing and speaking out about her struggles in order to help others too 

 You can get more info about Amy here: www.amycorey.com

 *                                     *                                             *                                 *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

 Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Today, Craig is an author, speaker, and Reinvention Architect. He specializes in working with people whose lives have fallen apart, helping them reinvent themselves by showing them how to rebuild their self-worth and create the extraordinary lives they've always wanted

 I loved my interview with Craig as he was so honest and authentic with me about how his journey of losing everything actually was a gateway into discovering himself 

Some key points from our interview:

·        How one of his favourite books he read whilst he was in prison was “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand

·        How prison taught him that no matter who you are or how bad things look that you can rebuild your life

·        How he believes that our greatest adversities do not have to be the end and actually can be our greatest beginning.

·        How he’s passionate about helping his clients create a life of purpose, passion and meaning through coaching 

 
You can get more info about Craig here:

Website:- Show www.craigstanland.com

TEDx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrkG9VQzqIo

Blank Canvas https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blank-Canvas-Reinvented-after-Prison/dp/1544519478

*                                     *                                             *                                 *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

 Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 His mission is to inspire people around the world, creating more impact, legacy and joy with his unique experience and knowledge that he has on Personal Mastery, Personal Branding and Professional Networking.

 He is a well-respected authority in the realm of Personal Branding and Professional Networking and has been featured numerous times in media both locally and internationally 

 He lives by the belief that if we all knew how much we’ve missed out on by being uneducated, disconnected and broke, we’d be working a lot harder towards our goals. The person you will be in a year from now is based on the content you study, who you are mentored by and the people you surround yourself with today

Some key points from our interview:

·         How he talks about growing up with a mother who had mental health issues.

·         How his mother’s schizophrenia influenced him to train as a psychiatric nurse.

·         How he still works as a nurse alongside running his successful podcast show and feels he has his feet in two contrasting worlds.

·         How he’s passionate about personal development and improvement to be the best version of himself.

·         How he believes that who you surround yourself with is very important.

 You can connect with Rayson here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raysonc/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hireraysonchoo/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raygacy/

The Tribe of Raygacy: https://t.me/theraygacyshowfamily

 
 *                                     *                                             *                                 *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

 Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Andrea Martinez is an award-winning actress who is originally of Venezuelan descent. 

 She has featured in several independent film projects from short films to series and feature films. She has also done adverts for brands such as LEGO, Lifestyles Condoms USA and Batiste dry shampoo to name a few.

 Her latest feature is in the series ‘Trust’ which is currently on Amazon Prime. 

As well as an actress Andrea is also 1/3 host of a radio show called ‘Latin Heat’ which is live every Tuesday 12-2pm on Flex FM

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How she feels she was too young and naive to name what was going on and kept silent for many years

·        How she was so relieved that when she told her mother that she believed and supported her

·        How it took many years of self-work to heal herself .

·        How a conversation with one of my former guests Geoff Thompson (episode 30) changed things for her and saw that the abuse opened a door to her creativity.

·         How acting is a form of self-expression for her which continues to heal her.

·        How forgiveness was always for her, and it set her free.

 
You can find Andrea on Instagram here:

www.instagram.com/iamandreamartinez

                         *                                     *                                             *                                 *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

 Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

- In 1997 he received the National Crime Victims Special Community

Service Award presented by President Clinton and Attorney General Janet
Reno. 

- In 2002, he received Search for Common Ground’s prestigious award
alongside Desmond Tutu and Ted Koppel

- In 2004, he participated in the Synthesis Dialogues with His Holiness the Dalai
Lama which was hosted by Pope John Paul at his summer palace in
Castelgandolfo, Italy
 
 - In 2006 he was given the &quot;Spirit of Crazy Horse
Award  from the Reclaiming Youth Network alongside Mohammad Ali.

- In addition, Azim has been the recipient of the California Peace Prize in 2003
and the Pepsi Freedom Heroes Award in 2006. He has received several other
Peacemaker of the Year awards.

With a strong passion to share his message with the youth and to inspire
nonviolent leaders become proactive as peacebuilders, Azim, in addition, has
given over 1,000 presentations to over a million students worldwide. He is a
published author of five books.

Some key points from our interview:

• How he believes that the universe doesn’t give us any more pain than you can handle.
• How he reached out in forgiveness to Tony Hicks grandfather, Ples Felix
  to begin the process of healing and together they established the Tariq
  Khamisa Foundation.
•  How being a Sufi Muslim has supported him during his grief process and
  guided him for the future.
• How when he first met Tony in prison he says he was able to climb into
  his eyes and touch his humanity and realised that the spark in him was
  no different from himself.
• How he supported Tony in prison and advocated for his parole hearing.
• How he started the Tariq Khamisa Foundation to “Kids killing kids”
  through education, mentorship and community service programs

You can find out more about Azim here:

https://www.azimkhamisa.com

https://www.ted.com/talks/azim_khamisa_and_ples_felix_what_comes_after
_tragedy_forgiveness

*                                     *                                             *                               

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 I also love his podcast show “On The Edge” he has a great interviewing style and his guests are always fascinating. In this episode we discuss some of the thought provoking people he’s interviewed, whether he should give some of his interviewees the air time and does he have a favourite guest? 

 He is a multi-lingual TV presenter, podcaster and documentary maker with a keen interest in extreme beliefs and touching controversial ground. 

 He’s made and presented short documentaries on UFOs and the porn industry for HBO, and his hour-long BBC 3 documentary exposing an abusive exorcist in the impoverished suburbs of Buenos Aires won festival awards and placed in the channel’s Best of the Year list. 

 He took English at Leeds Uni and later did his NCTJ journalism qualification, before starting his career at the much-maligned The Sun. He hated it, and went back to work in France, before stints in Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Berlin, where he now lives with his Argentine partner of six years, Julieta.

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How he struggled with OCD tendencies as a teenager but believes it helps him in a positive way now with his work

·        How he loves quirky and controversial people but also people that can share their wisdom who are thriving after adversity

·        How he learnt a lot from watching his favourite podcasters in the field, especially Louis Theroux

·        How he’s passionate about sharing stories that are thought provoking 

 You can get more info about Andrew here: 

 https://www.andrewgoldpodcast.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l78hW8qVIWI

                                 *                                     *                                             *                                 *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

 Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 I was so impressed with his talk and performance especially when you consider that his content was about his fear of public speaking!

 After years of suffering with crippling communication anxiety, Simon Day was left with two choices: spend his whole life hiding in the shadows and risk losing everything or find his voice.
 
 Through a painful yet empowering journey of discovery, Simon has transformed from terrified teenager to UK award-winning speaker and communications coach. He now employs his communication skills as a middle leader in secondary education and works under his self-built brand, Simon Speaks, to coach others seeking to lose their fear, find their voice and speak with greater power.

 Some key points from our interview 

·        How he was so terrified of public speaking that he left a job

·        How he realised that everything was in jeopardy if he didn’t face his fear of speaking

·        How the traumatic birth of his son impacted him and realised he needed to speak to a counsellor, which was one of the first times he opened up personally

·        How he had to find ways to break through his social anxiety as he wanted to be a role model for his family

·        How he recognises that now he’s found the words to tell his own story, he wants to help others to find their voice too

·        How even though he may feel scared at times it doesn’t stop him anymore

 You can get more information about Simon here: https://www.simonspeaks.co.uk

*                                     *                                             *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

• Some key points from our interview
• How her partner’s brain haemorrhage changed the course of both of
• their lives forever
• How the trauma of the experience woke them both up
• How Jo had a massive mind shift and decided to get into property
• investment for financial security
• How she recognises that it’s important to anchor herself for both her
• mental and physical health
• How she’s passionate about coaching other women transition to live
• their best life

Find Jo on social media here:
https://www.instagram.com/jolightfoot_official/
https://www.facebook.com/jolightfootofficial/
www.linkedin.com/in/jolightfootofficial

                                            *                                     *                                             *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Pat is a former head teacher who has dedicated herself to raising awareness and understanding of mental health since the loss of her son, Dom, to suicide at seventeen.  She is a keynote speaker and trainer in mental health first aid and represents carers on suicide prevention advisory groups.  Pat is also passionate about spending time with those she loves and appreciating the precious moments that every day offers if you look for them .

Kerry fisher is an internationally bestselling author of eight novels, selling more than a million books worldwide.  She describes her books as ‘witty contemporary fiction for women who’ve lived long enough not to expect the fairytale’

Together they have co-written a heartbreakingly, but beautiful book called “Take My Hand” about both of their sons’ struggle with life threatening illnesses. 

Some key points from our interview:

·        How Pat describes the factors in Dom’s life of everything building up inside of him, a bit like the game Buckaroo

·        How Pat looks back and realises that she didn’t understand the scale of Dom’s issues as he was so good at covering it all up

·        How Pat has learnt how important it is to ask someone if they are feeling suicidal

·        How Kerry has learnt that unless you’ve been though something similar that it’s not your place to have a view of how someone is handling it

·        How Kerry was so stressed but found a way to get through it all

·        How important it is for both of them to notice nature and take time to step away

·        How together they wrote the book they felt would have helped them to navigate their own trauma 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KerryandPat

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KerryandPat

*                                     *                                             *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

However, it didn’t!  Ella is a prime example of Unbroken as she hasn’t let the accident she had when she was running which led to her right leg being amputated above the knee, stop her.  In fact, I would say she is thriving and has found an inner strength that she maybe didn’t know she already had.

She is a journalist, author and trustee of the Limbless Association. In 2016, she lost her right leg below the knee following a freak running accident – tripping over while out for a jog.

Since then, she has been on a mission to improve knowledge and awareness of amputation, trauma and disability, through her writing, charity campaigns and speaking events. She is passionate about emphasising the importance of finding positivity through adversity, resilience and the healing power of writing. There is hope after trauma. There is light through the dark. It can – and it will – get better. 

Some key points from our interview:

·      How after 4 operations the decision was made to amputate her leg at aged just 25

·      How she had to find a way to stop avoiding the facts and feeling numb

·      How she has used humour to help her get through the dark days

·      How she used writing down her worries to help her process her concerns and come to terms

·      How she’s passionate about bringing disability into the mainstream, to show people that we are all capable of amazing things

*                                     *                                             *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 And how amazing that my guest today is not only episode 44 but she was born on the 11/11 at 11:11!!

 I “met” Gordana Biernat over on Twitter and I was immediately drawn to her empowering tweets like a magnet, because she just says it how it is.  I call her a teacher of life as she guides and inspires people to be the best version of ourselves through personal development and spiritual inquiry

She is a mentor, thinker, writer, speaker and wisdom keeper. She is one of Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul 100 teachers – a group of 100 awakened leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity.

 I love her book "#KnowTheTruth - Why Knowing Who You Are Changes Everything”. It is a collection of her most profound wisdom and reminds us of who we are and why we are here

 So much of what she said resonated with me so personally and I truly could have spoken to her for hours!!

 Some key points from our interview:
·      How at just six years old she knew that she was emotionally more intelligent than her father and had to learn to navigate through that

·      How many years later she realised that her father had mental health issues

·      How at just eight years old she felt like she was a housewife at home

·      How she felt so alone growing up

·      How at 11 years old she realised that she came from the stars which changed her and her reality

·      How she understands that it takes awareness to change our negative blueprints but it’s very possible

·      How for years she felt she had no voice but she found the courage to speak her truth

·      How she knows that our challenges in life show us who we truly really are, and we can stand in our light

“Who I truly am, can never be broken” – Gordana Biernat

You get can more information about Gordana here: www.mypowertalk.com

                                                                             *          *           *         *                   

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/
Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Adam Smith has been on an incredible journey from being declared dead in 2010 by the Police, to being the founder and co-director of a multi winning and global initiative of The Real Junk Food Project (TRJFP)

 He set up in December 2013, to revolutionise the disposal of avoidable food waste into landfill, the pioneering movement's manifesto is to: Feed bellies, not bins.

 A professional chef for over ten years, Adam has held a wealth of head chef positions, internationally. Whilst in Australia, Adam witnessed the scale of food waste, agriculturally and within the catering industry. Upon his return to the UK, he was inspired to set up TRJFP.

 Adam and TRJFP have received numerous plaudits and awards from organisations ranging from NESTA to The Observer. In 2014, Adam was voted one of the forty most influential men in the world by AskMen. The Telegraph voted Adam as one of the 50th most influential people in UK Food & Drink – Food & Drink Power List 2017

 Adam was a featured speaker on the TedX broadcast from Warwick University on February 28th 2015

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How he grew up in a domestic abusive home

·        How at ten years old he was sectioned in a mental health home

·        How he recovered from substance abuse

·        How he now recognises the impact of trauma had on his life

·        How he has turned his life of homelessness, prison, suicide attempt, self-harm etc around

·        How he is now passionate about food waste and feeding the world

·        How his practice of gratitude and kindness is important to him

"Feed bellies, not bins" - Adam Smith 

You can find out more about The Real Junk Food Project here: https://trjfp.com/about/

*                                     *                                             *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/
Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 He is a Holistic Coach with a focus on the wellbeing of men and is passionate about helping men to open up and practice self love.

 Ditching the corporate blazer to becoming a trailblazer for the wellness, the growth and the empathetic human. 

 A resilient, charismatic successful strategic leader, having overcome mental challenges including personal trauma and healed from cancer. 

 He has over 30 years leadership experience, including, board director, business advisor and leader in alternative thinking

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How he and his family used humour to help in the tough times 

·        How he recognises that he should have asked for professional help when he was struggling

·        How he realises how hard it was for him as a man to speak from his heart 

·        How he managed to break out of his negative mindset

·        How he believes his change in nutrition and epigenetics has kept him cancer free 

·        How he’s happy to help men to be more comfortable with who they are

“You’re actually stronger than you think you are” – Martin Gillespie 

Connect with Martin here:

linkedin.com/in/gillespiemartin

 *                                     *                                             *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/
Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Jo Berry is an inspiring speaker who works to resolve conflict around the world. Sixteen years after her father was killed by an IRA bomb, Jo first met with the man responsible, Pat Magee. This initial three-hour meeting led to them speaking on over three hundred occasions, on a shared platform around the world. Their unusual relationship has been told in the BBC documentary "Facing the Enemy", was featured in the film "Beyond Right and Wrong", and inspired "The Bomb", a play by Kevin Dyer.

 The founder of the charity ‘Building Bridges for Peace’, Jo advocates that unbounded empathy is the biggest weapon we have to end conflict. With political, religious and racial divides deepening as global and local events unfold, her words offer a message of hope and encourage us all to see the humanity in others.

Some key points from our interview:

·         How she made the decision to bring something positive when her father was killed

·         How she decided very early on after the bomb attack, that she will not make an enemy but wanted to understand the man who killed her father

·         How she transformed her pain as she didn’t want to be affected by it for the rest of her life

·         How she recognised that unbounded empathy and compassion for all is necessary to understand each other

·         How she’s determined to break down the deep structures in society by making friends with her enemy

“If I had lived your life, would I have made the same choices?” – Jo Berry 

You can get more information about Jo here: https://jo-berry.com/

 
*                                     *                                             *                               

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/
Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 This episode is very close to my heart as I really believe that if they hadn’t heard Andy Woodward speaking out on the Victoria Derbyshire show, then they may not have found their voice

 It confirms how powerful it is to hear someone sharing their story and the courage it can give to others to find their own voice to share their story too

 Steve Walters is an ex professional footballer – Crewe Alexandra, director of Offside Trust, football survivor, business owner and family man .

 Gary Cliffe was a youth Footballer for Manchester City and  survivor of Barry Bennell. in 2018, along with 12 other survivors, Bennell was found guilty of numerous counts of serious sexual abuse of children.

 Gary helped to secure 8 counts of serious abuse convictions against Bennell.
 He is currently a senior ambassador to the Offside Trust, Advisor to the FA survivor and safeguarding group.

He has been Detective Constable and has twenty years’ service with Staffordshire Police and his current role in Child Protection and Exploitation Team.

 Some key points from this episode:

·        How when they both look back, they realised how groomed they were

·        How that over time they have learned to live with what happened to them

·        How speaking out has unburdened them both

·        How they both understand now that the guilt and shame is not theirs to carry

·        How they are grateful to others for speaking out

·        How they started The Offside Trust to support other survivors and raise awareness

·        How they recognised they couldn’t deal with the impact of the abuse by themselves

"The hurt is not ours to carry" - Gary Cliffe
"Turn a massive negative into a huge positive" - Steve Walters 

*                                     *                                             *                                *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/
Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

 Lisa’s early years in the 1970s New York City were a mixture of encounter groups, macrobiotic diets, communes, Indian ashrams, and watching naked actors on off-Broadway stages during the musical HAIR. By the time her older brother was ten, Lisa’s father had him smoking pot. By the time Lisa was ten, Lisa’s mother had them pledging their lives to the Unification Church (the “Moonies”)

 As a child Lisa knew the ecstatic comfort of inclusion in a cult and as a teenager the torment of rebelling against it. As an adult, Lisa struggled to break free from the hold of abuse and the scars in her heart, mind, and psyche—battling her own addictions and inner demons and searching her soul for a sense of self-worth. 

She is a writer, teacher, and public speaker who owns a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm and who works to bring to others the tools, mind-shifts, and practices she’s found that have helped her heal, as well as the hope and forgiveness she’s been blessed to let into her life. 

 Some key points from our interview:

·        How she grew up in two contrasting worlds both of which she says can make you a little wacky!

·        How she recognises that when her mum joined the Moonies it gave her a lot of stability .

·        How when she was attended a music camp at sixteen and met people who were different from her, she started to question all she had been told.

·        How she woke up to the conditioning and manipulation she experienced growing up in the cult.

·        How she now uses her voice to share three main messages – to educate people that extreme situations exist but you can leave them, that self-love and self-compassion are important and whilst there might be damage there is still always hope .

 “I learnt that I’m not damaged, I have damage” – Lisa Kohn 

 Find out more about Lisa here: https://www.lisakohnwrites.com

 *                                     *                                             *                                *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/
Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

She was born in Kent and had a highly successful international career in finance. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and worked as a Senior Analyst in London, New York and Hong Kong for HSBC working on an investment portfolio of $1bn. 

Following a life-changing visit to Jakarta, Indonesia, where she was held hostage at gun point, she discovered in herself a yearning to understand the deeper aspects of what it is to be a human being. Emma put her financial career on hold and began travelling and exploring yoga and meditation. 

She qualified as a British Wheel of Yoga instructor in 2003 and has since, for over 15 years, taught both yoga and meditation, simultaneously deepening her life-long interest in Buddhism. 

A chance meeting with a Buddhist Lama on her first visit to Bhutan in 2011 led to her studying Buddhism with this Lama and, eventually, becoming the first and only Western woman to be ordained in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan as a Buddhist nun.

Emma founded the registered UK charity, ‘Opening Your Heart to Bhutan’ in 2015. This has built medical and educational facilities to help special needs children in Bhutan. 

She was given a Tibetan name when she was ordained of Pema Deki which means blissfully happy lotus, which is perfect for her

Some key points from our interview:

·         How when she was shown a photo of the man who held her hostage by the Police, she felt an overwhelming sense of compassion and sorrow for him

·         How she discovered she was very good at yoga and fell in love with it

·         How she had a pivotal moment on a visit to a temple in Bhutan and met a Lama (a spiritual teacher in Tibetan Buddhism), who would become her teacher

·         How she embraces parenthood as a huge spiritual teaching 

·         How her practice has been about raising the value placed on kindness and compassion

Find out more about Emma here https://www.emmaslade.com

*                                     *                                             *                                *

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/
Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenthepodcastwithmb 

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE