| Season 2 | Episode 1 (Part 1)

Guest: Mark Westcombe, Founder & Director – Animal Think Tank (UK)

🎧 What makes someone leave behind a successful career in management consulting, academia, and impact delivery — to dedicate their life to animal freedom? In this opening episode of Tails of Hope Season 2, we meet MarkWestcombe, founder and director of Animal Think Tank, UK, whose 25+ years of activism span environmental justice, LGBTQ+ rights, communal living, and now the boldest mission of all: building a mass movement for animals.

This is not just a story of veganism. It’s a story of awakening, courage, and reimagining the very frameworks through which society perceives justice and compassion.
In this heartfelt and deeply reflective conversation, Mark shares how a simple remark at a party — “Because I can be” — shifted his worldview forever and planted the seed of veganism. That seed grew into a lifelong commitment: challenging the political, legal, and cultural narratives that sustain animal exploitation.

Mark takes us through his personal journey of transition: from enjoying the outdoors and foraging to questioning the ethicsbehind food on his plate. From grassroots activism in diverse causes to founding an organisation dedicated to strategic, large-scale change. From training future leaders at Lancaster University to becoming one of the architects of the UK’s evolving animal freedom movement.

What stands out in Mark’s story is not just passionbut structure. His work at Animal Think Tank focuses on political and legal strategy, cultural and narrative change, and movement building.

These aren’t abstract concepts — they are actionable tools to dismantle systemic injustice. His background in operational research and long-term impact delivery informs how he and his team design strategies that don’t just raise awareness but lay foundations for lasting transformation, spanning decades.
Why should you care? Because this conversation is not about animals alone. It is about us — our capacity to expand empathy, challenge ingrained habits, and step into a more just way of living.

Mark brings clarity to questions many of us wrestle with:

His reflections will move you, not by overwhelmingyou with guilt, but by empowering you with perspective. He reminds us that every movement for justice, whether for the planet, for gender equality, or for animals, begins with individuals who choose differently.

This episode is rich not only with philosophy butalso with hope: hope for a society where compassion becomes a norm, not an exception. Hope that political will and cultural narratives can be redefined.And hope that listeners like you can become catalysts in the journey towards freedom — for all beings.

👉 Tune in to Tails of Hope Podcast Season 2, Episode 1 (Part 1) with Mark Westcombe and witness the intersection of personal awakening, strategic movement-building,and unwavering commitment to justice.

🔗 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
💬 Share this episode with someone who has ever questioned where their food comes from.
❤️ And most importantly, let this conversation spark reflection: If he can be, then I can be. If I am not, then what does that make my choices?

This is more than a podcast. It is an invitation tocourage. To compassion. To a future we can all be proud of.

📝 Guest Bio: Mark Westcombe

Mark Westcombe is the Founder and Director of AnimalThink Tank, UK. The organisation is dedicated to building mass organising for Animal Freedom, focusing on political & legal strategy, cultural and narrative development, and movement building.

A grassroots activist for 25+ years, Mark has workedacross environmental, LGBTQ+, and communal living movements. Professionally, he was a management consultant specialising in impact delivery for long-term projects, an Associate Professor in Management Science at Lancaster University, and a trainer for theOperational Research Society.

https://animalthinktank.org.uk/