Proudly Said

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Nikias Tomasiello is an online personal trainer, certified nutritionist, and trans man who moved from Italy to Portsmouth, then Brighton, then Liverpool, which he and his partner both loved immediately and stayed. Episode 70 of Proudly Said, filmed on a very sweaty day in late July. Nikias joins John to talk about a fitness journey that turned out to be about a lot mo...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Content warning: this episode contains adult themes, explicit discussion of sex work, recreational drug use, online harassment, and mature content throughout. It is intended for audiences aged 18 and over. Jay Mitchell describes himself as Liverpool's number one OnlyFans creator, and in this episode he sits down with John to talk about pretty much everything. They cov...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Janethan Jeffery is a Manchester-born musician, content creator and self-described 'spicy Jonathan'. His name is January and Ethan put together, and yes, he has to explain that constantly. He joins John at Brewers in Manchester's Village, recorded on quite possibly the hottest day of the year, with cold drinks that were definitely not helping. Janethan talks about gro...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Theo UK Rose is a professional dancer and performer currently touring the UK in The Bodyguard. John catches him in a dressing room at the Liverpool Empire, squeezed in between a matinee and an evening show, which is exactly the kind of chaotic scheduling that makes touring theatre what it is. Theo talks John through how he got here: growing up dancing to the Wiggles,...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Dr. Christopher Owen is a Canadian-born, Manchester-based liberation coach, consultant, trainer and activist, and the founder of Coliberate. He holds a PhD in intersectional systemic oppression, has worked with organisations including Starbucks EMEA, Hilton Worldwide and Booking.com, and was named a Northern Gamechanger in 2024. He is also, by his own admission, a rag...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? KY Kelly is a live vocalist, comedian and drag performer who has spent years building one of the most recognisable presences on the UK cabaret circuit, with residencies across Manchester's Village, gigs up and down the country, and a name that has a very good reason for existing. John catches her at Brewers in Manchester, recorded on one of the hottest days of the yea...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Minnie is a Welsh-born, Cardiff-raised, Liverpool-adopted drag queen, host, DJ and bingo caller, who goes by Just Minnie, formerly Mini Cooper, before a certain Australian Drag Race contestant made that slightly complicated. Recorded between gigs in her sister Simone's flat, with Dream Boys to follow shortly after. Minnie joins John to cover a lot of ground at pace, b...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Warren Allmark is a founding member and chairperson of Chester Pride, a drag artist known as Wanda Why, and the driving force behind the Rainbow Tea Rooms, Chester Pride's own LGBTQ+ community café in the heart of the city. He has tried to leave Chester Pride twice. He has not succeeded. Recorded at the Rainbow Tea Rooms, where a memorial to The Vivienne adds to the a...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? A.J. West is a Sunday Times bestselling author, award-winning former BBC journalist, and, as he puts it himself, the world's foremost queer bookshop historian. He joins John at Liverpool Central Library, just ahead of a sold-out evening with the Proud Readers Book Club , to talk about his new nonfiction book, How Queer Bookshops Changed the World. And they did change...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Skarlett Skandal is a Carrickfergus-born, Liverpool-made bearded drag queen and DJ, currently making her way back home to Northern Ireland after eight years of nights, stages and dance floors across Merseyside. She calls herself the Bearded Bratz Doll. She is not wrong. Recorded backstage at Heaven prior to Big Gay Cabaret , Skarlett joins John for a conversation that...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Mac Wynter is a musician, animator, freelance illustrator, event organiser, teacher, and the founder of Stripped MCR and QuAC, a UK-based queer arts collective. He also used to go by Mickey Taylor, but Mickey's dead now. He said so himself. Mac joins John ten years after their first on-camera conversation, and wastes no time catching up on a decade of reinvention. Fro...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Ruby Boy is a Yorkshire-born, Doncaster-raised drag queen, DJ, host and event producer, who relocated to Liverpool in early 2025 and has been quietly building something rather brilliant ever since. Recorded at the Epstein Theatre bar straight after a brunch show, with Proseccos already well underway. Ruby joins John to talk about her journey from selling shots at 18 i...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Lizzy Maginness joins John from the top floor of Gaydio Towers (really the Manchester One buildings, but Gaydio Towers sounds so much better!), looking out across Manchester… and reflecting on a career that’s taken her from rural Lincolnshire to the heart of the UK’s media and LGBTQ+ landscape. Now Commercial Manager at Gaydio , Lizzy shares her journey through some o...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Dan Roberts is a Liverpool librarian and the founder of the Proud Readers Book Club , an LGBTQ+ reading group that meets monthly in the Hornby Reading Room at Liverpool Central Library . In less than a year it has grown from a nerve-wracking first night where Dan wasn't sure anyone would show up, to a thriving community of 25 to 30 members and a shortlisting for a nat...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Kyle Clarke is a talent manager, producer, and the founder of DFIU Events , a drag and entertainment events company that has been putting on shows across the UK for five years. Kyle joins John to tell the story of how DFIU came to be: born in lockdown, built on relationships forged through interviewing RuPaul's Drag Race queens online, and grown into a touring events...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Jeneen Lilith is a former nurse, queer activist, artist, and the mum of Luna, a transgender teenager known within Liverpool's LGBTQ+ community. John has known them both for ten years, and this conversation has been a long time coming. Jeneen joins John to talk honestly about what it has meant to raise a trans child, from the fear and paralysis of those first early day...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Jodi Fox is a creative director, brand consultant, trustee of The Proud Trust , and founder of Studio Zenko , but more than that, she’s someone who understands how identity, creativity and leadership can all shape one another. In this episode, Jodi joins John at The Proud Place in Manchester for a conversation about the power of queer spaces, the importance of giving...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? To mark the start of Pride Month, John sits down with Liverpool drag artist Naya Thorn for a conversation that feels honest, grounded, and very real about where she’s at. Naya talks about how drag first came into her world, being around the Liverpool scene, the performers she looked up to, and slowly figuring out what her own version of drag looks like - which takes t...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Mario Kyriacou, the man behind the iconic Cheer Up pop party, joins John for a conversation that goes far beyond the dancefloor. We get into the story behind one of the UK’s most recognisable LGBTQ+ club nights, from its roots in pure pop nostalgia to becoming a full-scale celebration of queer joy, community, and connection. Mario shares how Cheer Up grew into a space...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Alena is the owner of The Pole Loft , a Liverpool-based studio built on inclusivity, confidence and creating space for people to move, express and reconnect with themselves. Alena joins John to talk about her journey from the Czech Republic to Liverpool, and how her path into pole fitness began. What started as a personal exploration soon grew into something much bigg...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? For the 50th episode of Proudly Said, John sits down with reality TV personality, football referee and digital creator Mikey Connor. Best known to many from BBC Three’s I Kissed A Boy, Mikey joins John for a candid catch-up about life since the show, what it’s like navigating public attention, and why he’s still terrible at replying to messages. They talk about Mikey’...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Debbie Darling is a Liverpool drag queen known for her polished performances, big personality, and a strong commitment to giving back to the community. Debbie joins John to talk about her journey into drag, from early days doing photoshoots with established queens and learning the ropes behind the scenes, to performing in holiday parks and building the confidence to t...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Daisy Gill is a Liverpool singer-songwriter known for her retro-pop sound, powerful voice, and growing audience online, where thousands follow her mix of music, honesty and sharp observations about life. Daisy joins John to talk about her journey into performing, from early influences and finding her confidence on stage, to stepping into the spotlight on The Voice UK....

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Tyler is the founder of The Cracked Mirror Collective , a grassroots project creating space for trans mutual aid, culture and community across the North West. In this episode, Tyler joins John for an honest conversation about his journey as a transgender man: from navigating identity and transition, to the everyday realities and challenges that come with living authen...

🎙️ What’s This Episode About? Millie Dollar is, in John’s words, local legendary burlesque royalty . A performer, producer and storyteller who has spent years helping shape Liverpool’s cabaret scene, Millie brings glamour, grit and a deep love of performance to every stage she steps onto. Millie joins John to talk about her journey into the world of burlesque, from growing up in a strict religious...