In this episode, I sit down with Conor Warren. the founder and CEO of Spark UK. We talk about Conor’s experience of growing up with anxiety, accessing counselling from a young age, and how grief and major life changes shaped his mental health. We explore what it was like to start a mental health organisation at 14, the bullying and backlash that came with it, and the pressure of growing up in the public eye while trying to create change.

We also talk about burnout, the link between mental and physical health and how anxiety can show up in unexpected ways in the body. Conor reflects on balancing university, running a charity, learning when to say no, and the guilt that can come with rest. We go on to discuss faith, purpose, and why Conor believes young people are searching for meaning in an increasingly uncertain world.

Please leave a review or rating if you enjoyed the episode, it really helps the podcast reach more people.

If anything in this conversation brings up difficult feelings, you’re not alone, and support is available.

If you’re in the UK, you can contact Samaritans free, 24/7 on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org.

If you’re elsewhere, you can find local helplines at findahelpline.com.

And if you’re in immediate danger, please contact your local emergency services.

Find out more about Conor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamconorjames/

Resources

https://www.mind.org.uk/

Follow the podcast on Instagram for updates: @nowwerereallytalking

Check out Be The Change Media: @bethechangemedianetwork

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at crumppaddy@gmail.com.

The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the change. Media Network or its partners.

In this episode, I sit down with Leigh Johnstone, the Beardy Gardner. Leigh is a theatre director turned garden designer. He is now an active mental health campaigner and has become popular on social media sharing gardening content.

In this episode, we talk about Leigh’s experience of growing up with an alcoholic parent and how this still impacts him today. We also talk about the positive impact on mental health of theatre and gardening.

We go on to talk about the double edged sword of social media, and the value of slowing down, and how reconnecting with creativity and nature can help us feel more human in an increasingly fast, digital world.

Please leave a review or rating, if you enjoyed the episode!

Leigh on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beardygardener/

Fluid Motion Theatre: https://fluidmotiontheatre.com/about-fluid-motion-theatre

Resources

https://www.mind.org.uk/

Follow the podcast on Instagram for updates: @nowwerereallytalking

Check out Be The Change Media: @bethechangemedianetwork

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at crumppaddy@gmail.com.

The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the change. Media Network or its partners.

In this fascinating episode, I am joined by Lara Rodwell. Lara is a writer, journalist and mental health advocate whose work explores neurodivergence, grief, identity, and loneliness. She also founded the Lonely Club. She speaks openly about growing up as an identical twin, navigating her sister’s eating disorder, discovering she is autistic and ADHD in adulthood, and how those revelations reshaped her understanding of herself. Lara also shares the deeply personal experience of losing her dad in 2020 and how grief became both a rupture and the start of a new chapter.

If you found the episode insightful, please subscribe and give a review!

Lara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lararodwell_/

All things The Lonely Club: https://linktr.ee/_thelonelyclub

Resources:

https://www.marmaladetrust.org/

https://www.mind.org.uk/

Follow the podcast on Instagram for updates: @nowwerereallytalking

Check out Be the change. Media: @bethechangemedianetwork

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at crumppaddy@gmail.com.

The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the change. Media Network or its partners.