Beyond the basement

This allotment has been in my life for about 5 years now. But I've given it up. I walk past it most days and you know what? I feel only relief. That tells me I've made the right decision, I think. I've been wondering if I'm in a kind of mourning - the aftermath of making a significant decision or a change in life. We call it reflection, with regret, relief, sadness, happiness - whatever, but we go...

In case you haven't noticed, which seems unlikely, we got a puppy. Dog, it turns out are agents of change. Catalysts for personal growth and destruction. I've also become a walking cliché for middle class parenting. Listen to a broken man witter about everything you already knew about family life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to b...

The improv retreat comes to an end, and I'm left to process the fall-out on Birmingham New Street station concourse. Alone. Broken. Sleep-deprived. Yet deeply inspired. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

It's the second day of this comedy improv retreat my intuition hoodwinked me into attending. This is so much fun, so much to learn, nice people I'm having a nice time are you I can't slow my brain down please can I sleep now this is more than I can handle give me more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisken...

Facing the demons/music on day one of this daft improv retreat my intuition signed me up for. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

That time my dead grandad's watch nearly got me nonced by a guy with calves like gammon. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

More grim recollections from a misspent adolescence in a northern industrial town. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Gaz has a magnificent, racing mind. Here we attempt to unearth wisdom from how he manages thoughts into action, and what it's like living with ADHD. Bit of a departure from my usual audio blog format, but this is such a lovely, insightful interview. Hope I do him justice. I also hope it helps you feel more aware of your own thought processes too, and how you might begin to channel your genius. Yes...

Have you got a professional self and a personal self? Do colleagues or clients get a different version of you than at play? Sounds tiring... This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Just throwing this one out to the universe. Looking for a collaborator to play with an idea I've got for subverting seriousness. Comedians, performers, stand-up, artists. Is that you? Know anyone? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Everything's in its place. I'm stealing a march on the day. What could go wrong? How do some people find contentment amongst the chaos, even when things aren't going so well? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

I'm not ashamed to say I'm drawn to rubbish. Skips, bins, fly-tipping, fruity dog eggs and obscene graffiti. Our effluent says a lot about humanity. Or perhaps my curiosity says more about me, and my kind of people. Last week, I spotted a fun looking skip in Armley (a run-down, yet proud district of Leeds). So I paused to film a spoof advert for a friend ("What's that? No fires? BURN IT with Beesl...

Reflections on a thing I did with some people. A workshop with improv and role play, getting to know the inner critic. Here's what happened. Photo credit: Andy T https://unsplash.com/photos/EiDWIYspZyc?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisken...

You know when you say yes to something significant, then pop it in your calendar when it's ages away, then all of a sudden it comes along and turns out it's ACTUALLY happening? We'll, that's the story behind my upcoming live broadcast interview with my friends over at The Happy Startup School. Holy kak. What to do next? Preparation or presence? Laugh or cry? Catch the event at https://www.crowdcas...

That time all the buses went wrong and I thought I could run a better public transport system than a district council. Why so serious? How might humour be a route out? Why is fun, play and compassion often the last place we want to go? What other options are there? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenwort...

Our experiences so far of hosting two Airbnb lets in our home. Airbnb is a website to rent out rooms or property. How it's going, stories about interesting guests and how to make it work. Our listings: http://www.airbnb.com/h/cosy-vibrant-wortley and http://www.airbnb.com/h/quirky-comfy-wortley This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonu...

Uh oh, Chris has been on his own for to long. #AudioMo day 7. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Fond-ish memories of a childhood pond. Day 4 of the #AudioMo challenge to record an audio blog every day in June. Photo by Benjamin Wong: https://unsplash.com/photos/Z_OmqGohZHc?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Today we play a little game about thoughts and feelings. https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1618206 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

This one's for folk feeling stuck in the impossibility of a perennial problem. Whichever way you turn, is there a roadblock? Live and (partly) unscripted from the allotment. Inspired by June's #AudioMo challenge. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

Here's how to give your day a lift, completely for free. Or end it with crushing disappointment before it even began. Part of the #AudioMo experiment: https://audiomo.tumblr.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

What can a lumpy floor and self-levelling compound teach us about fear, control and change? More than you think, in a brief return to the basement for this episode. If you're a perfectionist or procrastinate from time to time, you'll identify with the cycle of fear, hesitance and imagination that's often the precursor to actually getting on with things. Maybe you'll learn a little bit about self-l...

Join me for a petit sojourn into a French forest to convene with Sasquatch and our fear of the unknown. Immersed beneath the canopy and with darkness encroaching, I wonder if there's a time and a place for those uncomfortable feelings we get, when we don't know 'what's out there'? Just a theory. Let's find out...  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers o...

I'm scared of thunder and lightening. There, I said it. Now, what next? When we're faced with fear, uncertainty and discomfort - where do we go from there? What's an appropriate response? Join me in the midst of an extreme climatic event for a scary story without a point (well, not one that comes immediately). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or ge...

After a funny couple of weeks, Chris clambours into a ditch to cheer himself up - in search of a disused mine. No coal to report, but irreverent insight abounds in this episode all about how every challenge is relative, and just as valid as any other. And if anyone who ever tells you to 'pull yourself together' or 'it could be worse', tell them to get lost - ideally down an long dark hole. This is...