True Story London Podcast

Today's storyteller is Julian John sharing the story of his attempts to make both himself, and his parents, proud. In our discussion afterwards we talk about family expectations, the cultural differences between growing up in Nigeria and working in Britain, his fascination with the true stories of creative people, and more.Find Julian on Instagram at @mc_saabii_boiFind his Korak podcast and events at @korakevents--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Jess Kasriel sharing her story of attending the prestigious Bath Academy at age 14 whilst being ranked number 2 in the UK for tennis. In our discussion afterwards we talk about the unfair pressures and outdated attitudes to health and nutrition she faced as a teenager in elite sports, the important role her family plays in her life, and how the events of the story have influenced her work today.Find Jess on Instagram at @jess.kasrielOr visit her website jesskasriel.com--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Sergey Katsuba sharing the story of how his relationship with his mother developed alongside the backdrop of increasing anti-LGBT laws and propaganda in his home country of Russia. In our conversation afterwards we discuss reconciling love and politics, how the message of his story changed during the writing process, Russia's LGBT 'extremism' laws, and his PHD work studying the effects of anti-LGBT propaganda.--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Heenu Nihalani sharing her story of looking for love as an introvert by taking part in an introvert's worst nightmare - speed dating. In our talk afterwards, we discuss the aspirational nature of romantic love, not feeling loveable, her journey towards being authentic on dates, and the realisations she made during the story's development.Find Heenu's writing on Substack here: Field Notes From ExistanceFind Heenu's zines on Etsy here: RainbowSplatZines--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Anil Qasemi sharing his story of surviving a terrorist attack and subsequently having to flee his home country of Afghanistan. In our discussion afterwards we talk about his inspiring outlook on the world, how he maintains his amazing resilience, optimism and generosity in the face of stark adversity, and get insight into his humanitarian, political and entrepreneurial aspirations.Find Anil on Instagram at @anilqasemiAnil's hats can be found online at hatopia.co.uk--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Kaitlyn Kelly sharing the story of how her wedding, which she and her parents had been dreaming of since she was a child, didn't quite turn out they way they'd expected. In our conversation afterwards we discuss the significance of weddings, defying parental expectations, her experiences living and performing in Paris, and her techniques for bringing true stories to the stage.Find Kaitlyn on Instagram at @msultraviolet--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Christopher Wade sharing a truly shocking story of betrayal, deceit and radical forgiveness. In our talk afterwards we discuss the influence of his working class upbringing, the meaning and action Christopher has taken in the aftermath of this story's events, and his wise outlook on healing.More information about Christopher's foundation Mulwade can be found at mulwadefoundation.comOr find them on Instagram or FacebookTickets to Mulwade's World Aids Day event 'Riot Act' can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mulwade-presents-riot-act-tickets-1047815553527--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Martha McBrier telling us about the time she received a terrrifying warning from one of her students. Martha is a brilliant comedian and storyteller who manages to have us in stitches whilst also presenting a story with some truly frightening stakes. As you'll hear, Martha has lived a remarkable life and afterwards we dive deeper into what makes her such a talented storyteller, how deafness led to her evolution as a performer, her as-yet unfulfilled dreams of being a "proper writer" and more.Find more from Martha on her website here: marthamcbrier.com--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content notice: this episode contains the discussion of pregnancy loss.Today's storyteller is Ryan Sheehan sharing a story of pregnancy loss from a father's perspective. It's an emotional, courageous and important perspective on an under-discussed topic, and we're so grateful to Ryan for sharing it with us. Afterwards we talk about just how much has changed in Ryan's life since both the events of the story and the telling of it.More information about Ryan's bar Low Country in Shoreditch can be found on Instagram here: @lowcountrybar--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Sina Leasuasu, sharing her story of how a careless comment from a stranger led to a crisis of identity. Her story highlights the reflective power of the storytelling as she grapples with concepts of both cultural and social identity - and what they mean for her. In our talk afterwards, we discuss just how much has changed and evolved for Sina since the telling of the story.Sina and her work can be found on Instagram here: @stuffbyseenerSina's collective Mixed Rage can be found on Instagram here: @mixedrageMixed Rage's exhibition 'Unapologetically Other' will be at Waterside Arts Manchester until 12th October - more info here: https://watersidearts.org/whats-on/3585-unapologetically-other/--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Bridget Leigh telling the story of her unconventional childhood obsession, and its impact on her life as a 'weirdo'. Now an experienced teacher, in our conversation afterwards Bridget provides some real insights into both the challenges she faced as an adolescent, and the challenges her students face today.Find Bridget on Instagram here:@msbridgetleigh--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Ezio de Mauro sharing how, and why, he kept his colour blindness a secret for thirty years. Ezio is such an entertaining and compelling storyteller who manages to simultaneously convey both the funny and poignant naure of his unusual situation. In our chat afterward we delve deeper into the topics of shame, acceptance, difference, and inclusion.--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Emma Morgan sharing her story of visiting her dying father in hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emma is an executive producer for factual television shows, and in our chat afterwards we dicuss how bringing her own personal true story to the stage differs from the creative process of her day job. We also discuss the emotionally and politically-charged context of her story, the realities of grief and loss, and more.Emma Morgan is a freelance creative consultant and executive producer working across popular factual formats and documentaries as well as scripted projects based on factual stories and IP. She is currently exec producing Chateau DIY for C4 - other credits include Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over and Emma Willis Delivering Babies both for UKTV, Mums Make Porn and The Fried Chicken Shop both for C4 and Style it Out for CBBC. You can contact her via LinkedIn.--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Heleana Blackwell sharing her story of growing up as a black nerd in a conservative, mostly-white small British town. Heleana is an stand-up comedian who also works as a strategist and this story shows us why she excells at both. After the story, we delve deeper into the challenges she faced, and the strategies she used to overcome them.Find Heleana on Instagram here: @h_a_blackwell--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnFind out more about True Story London on our website: truestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content notice: this episode contains reference to rape.Today's storyteller is Tihane, sharing her story of how a bizarre neurological experience unlocked unsettling, once-buried memories. As a musician and artist, Tihane's distinctive creative style really shines through in this intimate yet bold telling. Afterwards, I talk with Tihane more about the context of her story, the nature of unexplained and mystical phenomenons, and the experience of living beyond trauma.Find more about Tihane, her online courses and creative coaching here: https://linktr.ee/tihane.--Follow us on Instagram at @truestoryldntruestorylondon.comCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea Noise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year! To mark the end of a year of firsts and experiments for True Story London, we're sharing something special with you. In 2023 we debuted some unique live shows in which songwriters wrote and performed original songs inspired by another person's true story. We'd like you to have a taste of these magical shows as we close out the year - this is True Story Soundtrack.Stories:Bonnie's full story: https://www.truestory.london/10-make-me-one-with-everything-wbonnie-oddie/Lili's full story: https://www.truestory.london/04-my-refugee-story-wlili-sulejmanovic/Songwriters:Tihane - Instagram: @tihane___Hari - Instagram: @harimusiqJohn Chisholm - Sea Noise (Instagram): @sea_noise, Lost Moons (Bandcamp): lostmoons.bandcamp.comAmarra - Instagram: @iamamarraEllis Ballard - Instagram: @ellis.ballard, Bandcamp: ellisballard.bandcamp.comLauren Lucille - Instagram: @iamlaurenlucilleWandering Lex - Instagram: @wandering_lexSegnon - Instagram: @segnontvFind out about our live shows, workshops and past podcast episodes on our website: truestorylondon.comFollow us on Instagram at @truestoryldnCREDITS:Hosted by Michelle TothProduced by Ellis BallardTheme Music by Sea NoiseSound effects recordings by 'magedu' via Freesound: https://freesound.org/people/magedu/sounds/273437 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Donna Freed, telling us the wild and fascinating story of finding out she was adopted - and the shocking revelation of just who her birth parents were. Donna has written an entire excellent memoir on this topic, so we have plenty to talk about in our discussion after the story.Donna's memoir 'Duplicity: My Mother's Secrets' is available now, published by Muswell Press: https://muswell-press.co.uk/product/duplicity-9781739638290-paperbackDonna can be found on Instagram at @donnafreed--Find out about our live shows, workshops and past podcast episodes on our website: truestorylondon.comFollow us on Instagram at @truestoryldn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Maria Shehata, talking about the time she fell in love with someone across the Atlantic, then quickly fell out of love when they met in person. Maria is a brilliantly funny stand-up comedian and her story follows suit. Though, in our talk afterward, you'll also hear about how this story has more serious meaning in her life, and how both Maria's approach to her craft and understanding of herself are evolving.Maria can be found online at mariashehata.com--Find out about our live shows, workshops and past podcast episodes on our website: truestorylondon.comFollow us on Instagram at @truestoryldn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Jess Carrivick, sharing her story of being diagnosed with the chronic pain disorder vulvodynia. Jess delights in shocking the audience into laughter while talking candidly about this rarely-discussed and really important health issue. After her story, we discuss the use of humor to broach serious topics, the nature of chronic illness, and how people with vaginas could be better served by the medical world.Jess can be found online at jesscarrivick.com--Find out about our live shows, workshops and past podcast episodes on our website: truestorylondon.comFollow us on Instagram at @truestoryldn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Michael Noel, sharing his story of how an optimistic road trip turned very dark. Since Michael is based in California, this is our first interview conducted entirely online - but we just had to give him a call to hear his developing insights into how he makes sense of this dramatic and transformative episode in his life.Follow Michael on Instagram here: @itsreallymichaelnoelMichael's sidecar tours of San Francisco can be found at ridesbyme.comThis episode contains references to suicide.For suicide prevention support in the UK, Samaritans can be reached on 116-123 or by email at jo@samaritans.org. For help elsewhere, befrienders.org lists local services. --Find out about our live shows, workshops and past podcast episodes on our website: truestorylondon.comFollow us on Instagram at @truestoryldn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.