A Class of Their Own

Half Indian, Half Normal The Stories We Tell Ourselves What happens when you say something as a joke… and then realise it reveals something much deeper? Writer and poet Ramanique Ahluwalia joins me for an honest, powerful conversation about identity, belonging, and the quiet pressures that shape us. From growing up between cultures to navigating sexuality without the words to describe it, this epi...

Ever feel like you're just making it up as you go? You're not alone. What happens when you stop chasing what you should do. And start figuring out what actually makes you happy? Dave Buonaguidi is back. From career highs and failures to social media, money, and the strange stigma of just being happy, this conversation goes deep (with a few Pringles analogies thrown in). It's as raw, fu...

Would you let Fear hold you back? If it was the only thing standing between you and the life you want. In part two, Nishma Patel Robb gets brutally honest about ambition, reinvention, and finally backing herself. 🔥 From blagging her way into a dream job to leading at Google. - She shares the hustle, the fear, and the reality 💰 "Without money, you don’t have choice" - The mindset that s...

Nishma Patel Robb’s journey is a mix of rebellion, resilience, and redefining success on her terms. From a salesgirl with “phenomenal blag” to a managing director, she shares her story of ambition, humour in the darkest times, and navigating life's non-linear path. What we cover: Starting from the bottom: Saving £300 a month and chasing security for her family Finding love at work: Falling for...

What happens when you spend your life pretending everything’s fine? Matt Ebbage opens up about the pressure to suppress anything that wasn’t “positive” how that led to years of anger and self-doubt, and the slow, uncomfortable process of facing it all What we discuss: Toxic positivity: The hidden damage of suppressing emotions to keep up appearances. The overthinking spiral: Why Matt always second...

This week’s episode explores the complexities of identity, fairness, and growth in a way that feels deeply personal and universally relatable. Highlights include: Embracing life’s unfairness: Why accepting that “life isn’t always fair” can be liberating, and how shifting our mindset allows us to thrive Mixed-race challenges: A candid discussion on raising mixed-race children, understanding the uni...

A story about leadership. Not really. It’s about survival. In Part 2 of our conversation, Sal Naseem peels back the layers of what it actually takes to drive change in a system built to resist it. A system that doesn’t just push back—it pulls you apart. Sal doesn’t sugar-coat it: the racism, the denial, the people who tried to break him from the inside out. But here’s the thing—Sal’s not here for...

Forget the 'new year, new me' clichés. This episode is about building momentum and making intentional decisions that last. In just 19 minutes, hear powerful insights from our incredible guests Samantha, Santanna, Amardeep, Ravinol, Sara and Naroop. They've overcome challenges, embraced change, and created habits that truly work. Ready to shape your 2025 on your terms? Here's a snip...

In just 16 minutes, our incredible guests share - how they’ve overcome challenges and built new habits in 2024 From navigating sobriety to redefining success, hear real stories of growth and mindset shifts. Practical ideas to shape your own year ahead, from monthly goals to creating space for what truly matters. A golden-star commitment to kickstart your 2024. Short, sharp, and crisp - packed with...

How do you rebuild when life tears your world apart? From the outside, Samantha had what looked like a stable childhood, but the cracks ran deep. At just seven years old, her mum’s affair shattered her family, leaving her dad heartbroken and her world upended. Samantha grew up fast, taking on the emotional and practical weight of her home life. But nothing could prepare her for losing her dad, the...

This episode isn't just for people like Sal Naseem, it's for anyone with the power to listen, learn, and act. Sal Naseem, author of True North: A Story of Racism, Resilience & Resisting Systems of Denial, has lived through it all: the relentless racism, the concrete / glass / all the ceilings, and the fight to create change within resistant institutions. From a childhood shaped by violence and...

This isn’t just another episode on A Class of Their Own Podcast it’s a rallying cry. Emma Freivogel, CEO of Radical Recruit, is on a mission to prove that the people society overlooks are often the ones with the most to offer. Emma’s story starts in a home where love had no limits. Her parents ran an open-door policy, well her mum did and her dad fed any kid in need could walk through their door....

This week's episode brings you the kind of conversations most men avoid-and desperately need. It's raw, it's real, and it might just be the push you need to stop bottling things up and start talking. From living in shame to finding purpose, these stories challenge everything we think about what it means to be "strong." Josh White opens up about how being the life of the party masked crippling anxi...

This isn’t just another episode. It’s a lifeline. It’s a collection of raw, honest moments from five incredible men who’ve walked through pain, joy, and the grey areas in between—and lived to share their truths. Through rebuilding and rising stronger. Their words will resonate, challenge, and inspire you to confront what you’ve been holding back. Sam Smith reveals the weight of feeling worthless a...

Ever had life break you wide open, leaving you to rebuild from scratch? For Naroop Jhooti, that moment hit when a 25+ year relationship ended, leaving him single at 41 and a male role model for his daughter. This episode is a raw dive into the gut-wrenching reality of finding yourself again, not just as a father, but as a man who’s faced down insecurity, heartbreak, and the fear of never finding l...

What would make a successful stockbroker give it all up to become a monk? In this jaw-dropping episode, Ravinol Chambers reveals his path from a stock trader with wealth at his fingertips to embracing an austere life of service and self-discovery. Hear Ravinol’s raw reflections on how he faced his family’s expectations, the intensity of monkhood, and his struggles with society’s definition of succ...

Afraid of failure? Sara risked everything to follow her passion. Find out how she transformed fear into joy. Sara Pope knows that feeling. She had a good career, a steady path – but something didn’t feel right. Then, in a seemingly simple but transformative shift, Sara turned to paint and found her true medium: lips. In this episode, Sara talks about her journey, from studying mathematics, to shoe...

We dive deep into the raw, emotional, and often turbulent journey of Alan Daly, a high-flying corporate exec whose world spiralled into chaos as he battled addiction and anxiety. Alan takes us through his early years, growing up in an environment shaped by fear, and the crushing expectations of trying to ‘fit in.’ It was all about accomplishment, but none of it ever felt real to him. Despite his c...

This episode of A Class of Their Own is one you won’t want to miss. We sit down with Santanna Oush, the DJ and in her own words the most motivational person in the room. Santanna's story is a rollercoaster of resilience, creativity, and bold self-expression. This episode will have you curious and wondering where we will go next. Buckle up, because this conversation will take you from the humble be...

What happens when you’ve lived your whole life behind a mask maybe one involving the idealism of masculinity - was that toxic masculinity. Then one day it falls away? In this gripping episode, Amardeep Parmar sits down to talk about the moment everything changed and the surprising lessons he’s learned from it all. From his early years growing up in Barkingside, East London, faking confidence to fi...

You’re about to meet Jack Suddaby, a man who went from causing chaos on the airwaves to navigating parental heartbreak, all while being ADHD to stay in any box. Jack describes his future self as being a little bit silly, carefree and being surrounded by like minded people as a community. This episode is packed with raw honesty, laughs, and the kind of life lessons you don’t see coming. Jack doesn’...

Ever felt like your childhood was just a “bit much”? In this episode, we’re joined by Katrina Collier, who’s got a story that'll have you hooked from the get-go. Katrina grew up in what she thought was a "normal" home, until she realised it wasn't. With a narcissistic mother, emotional abuse, and a strained relationship with her family, Katrina’s early years were far from smooth sailing. Katrina h...

In this episode, we sit down with Rebekah Clark, TEDx speaker and all-around powerhouse, about her journey through foster care, navigating identity, and how she found healing on her own terms. Rebekah doesn’t hold back - she talks openly about growing up as the only brown child in a white family, facing rejection, and how it has helped shape who she is today. Taken into foster care at just 10 mont...

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Manisha Morgan, an Indian woman raised in the UK, born in India whose life is a bold mix of defiance, resilience, and unapologetic authenticity. From dealing with racism in Bolton to breaking cultural norms within the Indian community, Manisha’s journey is anything but ordinary. Growing up in an immigrant family, in Bolton Manisha faced prejudice. She fea...

In this episode, we sit down with Joe Roberts-Walker, a man whose life has been a rollercoaster of joy, loss, and the messy, beautiful moments in between. Joe grew up in a household where laughter and music were as common as breathing, and his parents’ “work hard, play hard” mentality set the tone for a childhood filled with unforgettable memories. But life isn’t all sunshine and sing-alongs. Joe...