This Podcast Will Change Your Mind

My third guest of the series is the remarkable Adam Smith. Adam is the founder of The Real Junk food Project. At the age of 10, Adam's life changed forever after being taken into care, following a life-changing incident on Christmas Day that year.  The impact this had on him over the next 15 years was evident for everyone to see when he became substance abuser, remanded in prison, sectioned into a mental institution and ended up homeless.  Aged just 25 years old in 2010, Adam was found after an attempted suicide, presumed dead, it was only the concoction of drugs he had taken that was keeping him alive and his heart beating.What has happened since that day is well documented and is a true representation of human resilience, determination and how one idea has helped to feed millions of people and save huge amounts of food waste changing lives and setting a blueprint for positive environmental impact.Over the next year, Adam’s story, I'm sure will be discussed a lot following the release of his upcoming book. I went into this interview with the intention of going chronologically through his experiences and seeing how he got from the despair of A to the achievements of B, however, because of the common relative themes in our lives this conversation soon took a different approach. It ended up being a fascinating discussion on life, achievements, trauma, working on yourself and how our priorities and views on what success looks like change over time. Its a conversation I have taken so much from personally, and I really hope you do too. If any of the subjects discussed effect you then please look at the following links.ASSIST Trauma Careassisttraumacare.org.uk Information and specialist help for people who've experienced trauma or are supporting someone who has.addaction.org.ukSupports people with drug, alcohol or mental health problems, and their friends and family.0800 9177 650 alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk Cocaine Anonymous UK0800 612 0225cauk.org.ukHelp and support for anyone who wants to stop using cocaine.DrugWisedrugwise.org.ukInformation about drugs, alcohol and tobacco.Families Anonymous0207 4984 680famanon.org.ukSupport for friends and family of people with drug problems.FRANK0300 123 6600talktofrank.comConfidential advice and information about drugs, their effects and the law.nhs.ukInformation about health problems and treatments, including details of local NHS services in England.

I'm excited to say that my second guest of the series is Samantha Browne. Sam is part of a very small percentage of people who can say they  have survived being human trafficked. She had to endure years of constant humiliation, torture, sexual abuse and was also subject to satanic ritual abuse. Her story is both horrific and inspiring. She is living proof that with hope, anything is possible and recovery is likely. In our conversation, we discuss how she came to be in such a vulnerable position, how her resilience helped her escape and how this has affected her mental wellbeing going forward.She now runs various projects and charities and is an activist and public speaker for the anti-child exploitation movement.www.diamondyouprojects.comwww.stopchildexploitation.co.ukDue to the nature of the conversation in this episode there is potentially offensive language and subjects discussed that might offend or trigger.If anything discussed in this podcast effects you then please use the sites and numbers listed below for support. NSPCCHelp for adults concerned about a childCall us on 0808 800 5000Help for children and young peopleCall Childline on 0800 1111Sexual abuse – support for allHelp for Adult Victims of Child Abuse (HAVOCA)havoca.orgInformation and support for adults affected by childhood abuse, including an online support forum.Lifecentre0808 802 0808 (freephone)07717 989 022 (textline)lifecentre.uk.comSupport for survivors of sexual abuse and anyone supporting them, including a helpline, text support and email counselling.The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC)0808 801 0331napac.org.ukA charity supporting adult survivors of any form of childhood abuse. Provides a support line and local support services.One in Four0800 170 0314oneinfour.org.ukOffers advocacy and counselling services and information for people who have experienced sexual abuse.The Survivors Trust08088 010 818thesurvivorstrust.orgLists local specialist services for survivors of sexual violence, including advocates and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs).Sexual abuse – support for womenCIS'ters (Childhood Incest Survivors)023 8033 8080cisters.org.ukProvides help and support for adult women who suffered incestuous abuse in childhood.Rape Crisis England & Walesrapecrisis.org.ukSupport for women and girls affected by rape, sexual abuse or any form of sexual violence. Provides details of local centres.Sexual abuse – support for menMankindmkcharity.orgProvides one-to-one counselling, therapeutic groups and couple counselling to men (age 18+) who have experienced sexual abuse at any time in their lives.Survivors UK020 3322 1860 (SMS)074 9181 6064 (WhatsApp)survivorsuk.orgSupport for men who have experienced rape or sexual abuse, inc

I’m delighted to say that my first guest is someone I’ve wanted an in-depth conversation with for about a year. Leah Harris is a Paramedic for West Midlands Ambulance Service who is an avid campaigner for suicide awareness and prevention. Her passion for the latter was born from not only her experiences in her paramedic role but the tragic loss of her sister to suicide and the events that followed. In the first half of the conversation, I talk to her about how she copes with the ups and downs of life on the road with the ambulance service and how this can affect her home life. Then the conversation moves on to her sister, how the events of that day have affected her, the ripple effect of suicide and how out of a tragedy she plans to help others and prevent families going through what hers have. This episode deals with suicide. If you need help or more information on suicide prevention then please visit the following:Samaritans – for everyoneCall 116 123Email jo@samaritans.orgCampaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – for menCall 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight every dayVisit the webchat pagePapyrus – for people under 35Call 0800 068 41 41 – 9am to midnight every dayText 07860 039967Email pat@papyrus-uk.orgEpisode is Not LivePublish: Nov. 30, 2020 @10PM EditPublishAdd a TranscriptGet episode better indexed by search engines.View/Edit ChaptersListeners can tap through & see what’s coming up.Visual Soundbite AvailableLandscape Soundbite - 0:57Great for YouTube or your website.