Episodes

In this episode, I am joined by Jonathan Bogner, executive producer of reality TV & movies, and entrepreneur with multiple businesses. In 2007, life was great for Jonathan, living in Beverly Hills with his wife and children, living his dream job producing movies and had just sold a movie at a major film festival. Life was to change drastically in a moment, forever. Jonathan suffered heart failure, two massive strokes and lost the ability to speak. He survived but unable to talk or write, he lost...

Welcome to the Mid-Life Men podcast. In this episode, I am joined by author Johnnie Lowery, who writes about his passion for football, but also about mental health and the relationship between the two. Johnnie’s first book, Six Added Minutes, was written while he was at university and published in November 2019 and his second book, Match Fit, was published in August 2023, and is inspired by a desire to ensure mental health does not remain a taboo subject in society. Johnnie shares his own mental...

Welcome to the Mid-life Men podcast aiming to break the stigma of men talking about their mental health. In this episode, we’re looking at techniques you can practise for combatting depression. According to some reports, up to 14% of men in the UK experience depression, and I suspect that number's actually a lot higher. This episode is a little different. Instead of the usual interview format, Dave Williams, author, speaker and award-winning coach talks about his own experience with depression f...

In this episode, I talk to Russ Hoadley on corporate burnout, changing career mid-life, and finding your true calling, in his case as a teacher. Russ was working up to 115 hours a week with a demanding job in international finance, spending his life on an aeroplane, resulting in an unsatisfactory work-life balance especially with a young family. After experiencing a near-fatal medical event, he knew his lifestyle needed to change. He talks about how he started to volunteer at his children's sc...

In this episode, we discuss Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with my guest Octavian Constantinescu, who shares his life experiences and how an adult ADHD diagnosis helped him find clarity and focus. To listeners feeling frustrated at work or not meeting their expectations, Octavian advises investing in their mental health. While external factors may be beyond their control, focusing on one's own actions and well-being is imperative. Taking charge of mental health can empower indiv...

In this episode, Tom Mitchelson, the author, speaker, and writer, talks candidly about his experience growing up in a home where his dad's behaviour was at best unpredictable and at worst violent and aggressive, especially towards his mum. He has since published his story in a memoir titled 'Don’t ask me about my dad'. Tom discusses his life from a young boy to adulthood focusing on the impact his dad's actions had on himself and his family both then and now. He explains why he decided to write...

In this episode, Simon Mcmurdy and Gareth Birkett share their experiences as fathers of children with special needs and life-limiting conditions. Simon and Gareth had previously worked together and ran into one other in a hospital corridor, when they recognised they shared a common bond. They share firsthand accounts of the difficulties encountered, first with Simon and his daughter Olivia, and later with Gareth and his son William. The discussion covers all aspects of their experiences, from t...

In this episode, we look at the devastating impact that an addiction to gambling can have on people's lives. We talk to James Grimes, Head of Education at Gambling with Lives, a community of families bereaved by gambling-related suicide that provides support, raises awareness, and campaigns for change. James is also the founder of The Big Step, a campaign to end all gambling advertising and sponsorship in football, led by people harmed by gambling. James had a 12-year gambling addiction and f...

In this episode, I talk 'Bollox' with Daren Elsley, founder of the underwear brand 'Bollox', which aims to raise awareness of men's cancers. After the death of a good friend from cancer, Daren wanted to do something to highlight men's cancers, so he decided to start his own underwear brand. After trying to balance it with a full-time job, he made the leap to devote his time entirely to building the underwear business and creating a brand that helps open up the discussion around men's cancer. ...

In this episode, I talk with Mike Jenn, founder, and lifetime president of the UK Men's Sheds Association, enabling community spaces for men to connect, converse and create. The activities are often similar to those of garden sheds, but for groups of men to enjoy together. They help reduce loneliness and isolation, but most importantly, they’re fun. Mike founded the first UK shed in Camden Town, London, over ten years ago. today there are over 800 Men’s Sheds which equates to well over 20,00...

In this episode, I talk to John Houston head coach and founder of the South Moreton Boxing Club in south Oxfordshire. A year ago he started The Cornermen, a service aimed at improving men’s mental health and suicide prevention and how doing something and talking whether it be walking, talking or boxing is the key to getting men to open up. Suicide is the leading cause of death of men under 50, and the Cornermen’s aim is to reach men downstream before they hit catastrophe by providing access to ...

In this episode, I talk to Scott Oughton-Johnson, the founder of The Proper Bloke's Club, a peer-to-peer support group with the aim to provide a safe and relaxed environment to break down the stigma of men talking about their mental health. Suicide is the leading cause of death in men under 50. Sadly, 115 people die by suicide in the UK every week, with 75% of those deaths being male. (ONS). Scott explains how his organisation is trying to improve men's mental health by getting the conversa...

In this episode, I talk to Andrew Kojima (better known as Koj), the British, Japanese chef, teacher, and author, about his career shift from finance to food. After graduating in Classics from Oxford University, Koj stumbled onto the treadmill into finance, where he spent ten years as an investment research analyst. Eventually, in 2012, he seized the opportunity to turn his passion into his profession. After reaching the final of MasterChef, he undertook a fast-track training program in Micheli...