Wee Stories With People

what a joy doing the Wee Stories with People podcast! I will be forever grateful to all the generous guests and listeners~ but it is time to start something new.

-the impact of dyslexia, esp. late diagnosis -ALWAYS feeling “not academic enough”-leaving school with no qualifications, to learning how to learn, develop self trust and completing MSc/BA/diploma etc.

It feels strange to release a podcast without acknowledge the pain and heaviness that is so active in the world right now. There are no words to soothe the devastating realities. Acknowledging this makes me wrestle with sharing things however, creativity in all its forms has been used as a salve for pain, a release valve, that is not to say this podcast will do that for you, but I hope from listening to this wee blether for 30mins gives you some form of connection and shared understanding.

“I can’t meditate because I can’t clear my mind” how often do we hear this... what about if we were curious and compassionate about what comes up in the stillness rather than thinking we were failing at an almost impossible task whilst being alive…. “I think therefore I am”.This wee episode has themes of winter dread, how we can almost loose parts of our year depending on our relationship with the seasons, unconscious responses, how awareness without compassion can create more angst/pain and more.

labas again: a wee episode about momentum, cringe culture, fear around sharing your full self, connation and getting out of our own way....

The way we heal pain is not by transmitting, it’s about transforming it.This podcast was a dream to record. It was one of those conversations that leave you feeling uplifted for ages afterwards.We talked about a range of different topics from:-James’s trans experience, including when he first knew and how people in his life reacted & the person who really gave him an opportunity to feel supported during that confusing & challenging time-The relatively small issue of gender neutral bathrooms and the more important issues that need to be discussed around support for talking therapy and medical care-We are more than one label-The joy and love that shines through from the LGBTQIA community-Mental health and the seasons of life & depression-Leaning in to your genuine, authentic self on social media-Inclusive sex education in schools and how that can better support LGBTQIA young people-Creating open and safe spaces for LGBTQIA young people to have conversations in schools and youth groups across Scotland-The lack of LGBTQIA role models in leadership potentials and how much of difference it would make for young people in Scotland-Being a lighthouse for people you love when they need support back to shore-Politics and the lack of representation and lived experience & so much more

Burnout is something I have wanted to talk about on the podcast for a long time. It seems to be a pattern that I can look back on in my life. I tend to go ALL in on things. From casual creative hobbies, to work, to exercise, to supporting people in my life, I go all in, usually balancing all of these things at the same time. Burnout:-What is burnout? The definitions and symptoms- Vilius and I share our different experiences of burnout -Burnout being different from chronic fatigue or depression, but can have very similar symptoms-Compassion fatigue wow! It is a thing. To all my empaths out there, we can get drained from emotionally investing energy into others.-Toxic positivity-The “grind” our society perpetuates the idea of grinding and then some of us, I would include myself in this category, just go all-in on things until we reach a stage of burnout.Finding balance:-We share our experiences-& Practices we try and have tried to find more balance Good Shit: We share a podcast/book/thing we have been enjoying recently- inspired by The Self-Helpless Podcast Vilius and I usually have different experiences and views on things, and it was great to explore burnout and balance in an open and honest way.  Some links we mentioned:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00284/fullhttps://www.positive.news/society/positive-news-stories-from-week-27-of-2021/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4911781/https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/mental-health-in-the-workplace/202008/burnout-is-real-the-rise-and-retractable

To celebrate Wee Stories With People being 1 year old I have put together a few short videos from each guest that I had on the podcast. ✨🍄

Part 2 of the wonderful episode with Aldo 🌞

Part 1:In this first half Aldo talks about growing up in Scotland, the impact of our environment on the paths we take in life, living in Mexico with his wife and child this last year during the pandemia, boxing, creativity and more.I LOVE how Aldo describes creativity in all things. It was a real privilege to connect and talk with Aldo and I’m excited to collaborate on things in the future. We have lots of similarities and it felt so lovely to chat through so many things.Part 2 coming next week.

This was one of my favourite episodes, although I already knew parts of Boabs journey, the way he describes his experiences and connects it to:-growing up in Scotland, young team culture -generational trauma -accents, values, class -addiction & recovery-AA/CA 12 step journey -male mental health-describing the values and principles of stoicism, shout out to Boab’s podcast Scottish Stoics-hiking & cold water therapy -psychedelics- my favourite part where Boab describes his revelation on mushrooms “I’ve goat it now, I understand”Near the end of the podcast, Boab talks more about his recovery journey, including describing his experience of cold water therapy and hiking the Munro’s. Boab gives a wee shout out Max Kolbe recovery group “a mental health peer to peer support group” created out of the need for connection and community- named after St Maximilian Kolbe Patron of Addiction Recovery. The community continues to expand, offering free weekly boot camps and hikes up Ben A’an/ cold water dips. I went along with Boab last Saturday, such a lovely group of people. It’s so cool to know groups like this exists in Scotland right now, bringing people together, connecting them with nature and being active for free. P.S. I just re listened to a section, as always it’s such a embarrassing experience hearing my voice back and seeing that I got fired up as I always do when I talk about injustice and inequality. 

This week is mental health awareness week, and coincidentally, Vilius and I recorded a podcast about mental health & impact on the people who care about us... Trigger warning: we discuss our subjective perspectives of mental health, including suicidal ideation, panic attacks, situational depression, eating disorders, seasonal affective disorder etc. If you feel like these topics may make you feel worse rather than better, maybe give this episode a wee skip until you are ready. P.S. this is not a podcast discussing severe mental illness- i.e., cognitive impairment- where the treatment and discussion would be completely different.  I have wanted to record this podcast for a long time. I finally feel ready to hear Vilius’s truth without guilt or defensiveness bubbling up inside me.It is wonderful that we are opening up about how we feel globally. The stigma around mental health/illness is slowly but surely breaking away. We still have a long way to go, especially around severe mental illness - i.e. Schizophrenia and treatment but things are in a much better place in comparison to even just five years ago. However, one thing I think is sometimes missing from the conversation is the impact on the people around the person who is struggling with their mental health. How does depression impact the people who are around the person? How does a partner, friend, or family member feel when they are helpless seeing someone they love to suffer?As I describe in this episode, I felt guilt and shame for along time after my first period of deep depression. I felt guilty that Vilius had to go through it too. The pain of seeing someone you care about so much go through such a challenging time, the helplessness you feel because you can’t do anything to elevate or change how they feel and the energy impact - how does being around someone who feels low impact your mental state?! I wanted to have an open and honest conversation with Vilius about his experience of the time I was depressed. How did it impact him? how did he feel and how does he feel now? I think I share the story of that time more than I thought I would in this episode, however, I still love hearing our different perspectives of the same time and think it is really important. If you or someone you love is struggling with their mental health, know that you are not alone. When you are in the sticky dark mud of depression and despair, it is soooooo challenging to hear that it will get better, you will feel the brightness again, you will be able to appreciate your existence and have hope again. “Sometimes you have to lose yourself to FIND yourself”. 

I am so excited to share this episode, I was so excited when Peter said yes to come on the podcast. Peter has been my favourite Scottish crime author since I started really getting into reading.  Peter has sold over more than 4 million copies of his books worldwide. He is best known for his acclaimed “Lewis Trilogy“, set in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.His books have been a lovely companion in many different stages of my life, from living in Orkney to studying for my masters in England. His books reminded me of home, even though many of them are set out with Scotland, there is something familiar about them, they have wee cultural nods to Scotland. This conversation was wide-ranging. Like all of my conversations. We talked about I could believe how quickly time went by. I remember looking at the clock for the first time before I asked the last question and was sooo surprised it was over 1hr 30mins. • Peters history and life experiences • The lack of Scottish writer role models when Peter was a young aspiring author• The change wonderful change in Scottish literature over the last few years- more Scottish authors sharing their lived experience • The impact of writing/art on mental health and well-being: from understanding yourself and processing emotions to having a creative space to share your ideas• The challenges Peter faced getting his books published. • The impact of that adversity and how it motivated and pushed Peter on to become an accomplished author... "his career advisor at school laughed when he shared he wanted to be a writer" picture Glasgow in the 70s... Wonderful stories• The difference of life when an author is promoting and touring a book vs writing a book • Peters creative process and how he sets up his life/day when he writes• He also describes art and creativity in such an important way that like it could be a promotional clip for the government to pour more money into supporting creativity for mental health and well-being... which is happening, but society sometimes underestimates the true impact of creativity on the writer and the reader/ the person and the audience of the art• The impact of London representing the UK and the push back authors had authors used and still have getting books that represent the Scottish culture especially the accent/language• Publishing houses wanting "mainstream" stories that they though would sell more to larger audiences, instead of unique stories...which impacted aspiring authors in a significant way, from lack of role models etc • The importance in self-belief • The balance between hard work and magic in the creative process- i.e. showing up and allowing the ideas to comeI hope you enjoy this episode and go on to read a few of Peter May's books. A have many, so send me a wee message if you want a borrow. My top three The Critic, The Runner, and the Black House... they are all amazing though in my subjective opinion. 

There is lots of debate, misconceptions, and judgement around multi-level marketing. Especially during the pandemic where people have become involved in multi-level marketing companies out of desperation to make money to get by. This podcast was inspired by an article Vilius read last week. We had talked about multi-level marketing at length in the past, and mostly had a negative opinion of it. We kind of had a broad brush stoke perception that all companies that work in that way were unethical or somehow exploitative on some level. Or at least I did. This was a wonderful podcast to record. We examine multi-level marketing from all angles and having a three-way discussion where we all have different ideas and perspectives was so awesome.The main things we cover are:-Alex shares his experience and background of working with Isagenix: a multi-level marketing company. The personal development he has achieved from working with the business.-What multi-level marketing is and the main difference between a pyramid scheme and multi-level marketing.-The pros and cons of multi-level marketing -The diversity of culture and approaches of each multi-level marketing business -Nutrition and supplements -The impact of passion and discipline on reaching goals-How accents and your appearance impacts your chances of succeeding in many multi-level marketing, commission-based jobs-"Meritocracy", Inequality,  and the impact on your opportunity's in life, with a  wee shout out to Boris Johnson-&  much more Thank you so much again to Alex for being so honest, open, and kind with his time. His approach to each question was thoughtful and not defensive. You have now reached the next stage in your hippea.oils ambassador programme.  Welcome. You now have to recruit 200 people by the end of next month to graduate from the scheme. Haha.I really enjoyed hearing both Vilius's and Alex's thoughts and I really loved how varied our conversation was and how we ended up talking about some of my favorite subjects, nutrition, passion, and inequality.

I am so excited to share this episode with Amy. Amy is an inspirational, kind, and thoughtful young woman and I am so happy she wanted to share some of her story on the podcast.In this conversation, Amy shared her experiences of living with autism and we discuss the misconception around autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Amy shares her life-changing experiences of grief and loss, we explore mental health and mental illness, bullying, coping mechanisms and tips for stress management, sleeping patterns, body image, the impact of creativity and writing on Amy's mental health and so much more. Amy also shared a wonderful analogy about autism and the way she thinks her brain works and the differences we have in relation to what our strengths and weakness are. This is around the second half of our conversation, and it includes open and closed doors, I won't spoil it anymore but it is wonderful!!Amy is really keen to share her experiences to support and help anyone else who has gone through similar struggles. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I did.Thank you so much Paul Shields for editing and producing this episode and  Vilius Kateiva for adding the music and intro #techgenuis'sMusic played: Stephen Wake, The Old Copperplate

Wooohoo, finally had time to sit down and record a podcast...In this episode, Vilius and I talk about:-our experiences of lockdown- the positive things that have happened over the last year-mindfulness, answering some of our wake up/ wind down https://open.spotify.com/show/7pqSBiqn7j1SNh3ZXn3Vqf?si=ILRQrmF2SjCuaV-NHJm1bQ-we touch on negative visualisation & moreThank you for listening and for your support. It has been so lovely to receive messages to say that the podcast had a tiny, yet valuable impact on your life.

In this episode, Matt and I talk about politics. Matt is the co-host of the Rebel City podcast. They discuss politics regularly on the podcast in a really engaging way - breaking down the way in which politics impacts many different social issues and our overall experience of the world.  I have always felt that politics and the way politics is discussed is overcomplicated, exclusive, and somewhat unrelatable to many people. Yet politicians and the policies they create and implement impact every aspect of our lives. So, I asked Matt to come on and share his experiences and break-down some of the over-complicated ideas. We share our experiences of politics; the first time you were introduced to politics and what our attitudes were at that point. We touch on UK and US politicsWe touch on the traditional ways in which politics and politicians operate- perpetuating an out-of-date and unrelatable systemWe talk about power and the ways in which it corrupts politicsWe touch on the power of local and community level council- and how we believe that empowering communities to enable them to make needs-led decisions for themselves is the way forwardLastly, we touch on compassion for politicians - the fine balance between keeping politicians accountable and holding them to their word but also being compassionate when they are doing the best they can- mostly I was thinking about the wonderful Nicola Surgeon.Thank you so much again to Matt for sharing his time and insights.Some great Rebel City episodes:1.  Rebel City Podcast - Episode #96 - Aidan Martinhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2nXI4145Lk&t=3390s&ab_channel=RebelCityPodcast2. Rebel City Podcast - Episode #70 - Graeme Armstronghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=c0seSe5Uo78&ab_channel=RebelCityPodcast3. Rebel City Podcast - Episode #93 - Douglas Stuarthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2pjYmM7lFo&ab_channel=RebelCityPodcast4. Rebel City Podcast - Episode #94 - Kieran Burns - All About Abilityhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_cF1TjzfaM&ab_channel=RebelCityPodcastMatt also writes blog posts for the Rebel City pod, here are some really good posts related to this podcast:1.You Don’t Live in a Democracy (Part 1) https://therebelcityblog.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/you-dont-live-in-a-democracy/2.You Don’t Live in a Democracy (Part 2) https://therebelcityblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/03/you-dont-live-in-a-democracy-part-2/

Lunchtime chat about something we don’t often speak enough about… periods. A natural cycle that almost half the population experience once a month. Which is significantly linked with physical and mental health and well-being. I think this short chat is relevant to everyone, with or without a period.-I start by talking about the female athlete triad, what it is, my experiences, and what can support healing & recovery.-Getting my period back after five years!! the day after Scotland becoming the first nation to PASS the bill to provide period products free for everyone. -Finish by talking about period dignity & period poverty- how impactful dehumanizing not having access to period products can be. I have had many cruicual open and honest conversations with Vilius about periods, how I have felt over the years, the worry and angst when I lost my period the official name being hypothalamic amenorrhea and the joy I experienced when it came back- a huge lesson in trusting our bodies and knowing they will balance their selves out when they feel relaxed and at ease.  Female Athlete Triad related resources:Book: No Period. Now What? by Dr. Nicola J Rinaldi, Stephanie G Buckler, Lisa Sanfilippo Waddell Podcast: Endurance Planet, Stacy Sims, PhD: The ‘Everything’ Guide for Female Athletes