GoHealth Podcast

What if every day ended with a sense of satisfaction and contentment, whatever our circumstances? Could Day Crafting be a culture changing antidote to burn out? Gillian Straine explores these possibilities and more with our guest, the brilliant Bruce Stanley.   Bruce Stanley has a long history of creative endeavours. He is currently the Innovation and Product Lead for HeartEdge. In his 20s, he ran...

Where do you go when you kiss the concrete? As part of our Burn Like Stars series Gillian talks with Sarah Horsman, Warden of the Sheldon Community in Devon. A place of refuge and recuperation for many when life in ministry gets tricky. Together they explore: All about Sheldon – What is it, what does it do, where is it and what it was set up.  How Sarah observes burn out at Sheldon Sarah describes...

Gillian talks with Alex Soojung-Kim Pang about his book Rest. He is a Silicon Valley-based consultant and writer. Their conversation explores: Alex introduces his new book 'Work less, do more.' He describes his curiosity about creativity that led him to write Rest.  His research led him to uncover the processes that a number of exceptional creative people used - including the importance of Rest. H...

Can faith and science share a healed and healing relationship? Gillian shares a fascinating and insightful conversation with Davinder and Matthew Gardner, directors of The Faith Experiment project. This episode is well worth a listen, whatever your relationship is with science, or faith. Davinder currently works as a Clinical Scientist, performing tests and planning radiotherapy treatments. Achiev...

How can the experience of music help us learn more about what it means to be human? This is the question Gillian explores with Joe Fort in this episode of the GoHealth podcast.   Joe is a conductor and a musicologist based in London. He has been the director of Music at St Paul's Church in Knightsbridge since 2021, where he conducts a professional choir in the weekly services  He is the director o...

A special compilation Easter episode sharing nuggets from previous episodes on the theme of resurrection: Bishop Jan McFarlane on her breast cancer experience. Dr Claire Foster-Gilbert on her incurable cancer and repeated resurrections. Dr Paula Gooder helps us find hope in the resurrection. Bishop Adrian Newman reflects on the significance of the stone being rolled away from the tomb. Very Revere...

What if medicine started with lifestyle solutions rather than seeking solutions to sickness? Listen to Dr Richard Pile's hard won wisdom in the area of lifestyle medicine in this inspiring and challenging conversation with Gillian Straine. Trigger warning - there is a mention of suicide towards the end of this episode.  Find Richard's full biography and the transcript of this conversation here. Ri...

Looking for a positive boost to give you a lift at the end of January? Wanting to give  your New Year's resolutions a kick-start, again? Listen to this inspiring and uplifting conversation between Gillian Straine and Alex Strangwayes-Booth.  Alex has a long history working in religious broadcasting for the BBC and has been on an inspiring journey of health and wellbeing for many years. She shares...

What are the simple ways to build mental and emotional resilience every day? Gillian gets under the skin of this question in this brilliant interview with Will Van Der Hart.  Will is a coach, author, priest in London and Director of The Mind and Soul Foundation. His interest in emotional health is wide ranging, reflecting his broad experience in a variety of pastoral contexts. He is a Mental Healt...

No leaf is left unturned, not even a fig leaf, in this delightful and uplifting episode of the GoHealth podcast. Gillian talks to the director of the Conservation Foundation, David Shreeve. Take yourself outdoors to listen to it, if you can, and get some of the benefits that Gillian and David talk about here.  Some of the ground they cover includes: They discuss where the term wellbeing might have...

In this special first episode of the third season of the GoHealth podcast, Gillian talks with The Very Reverend Martin Fair.  Martin is a Former Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Minister of St. Andrew's Church in Arbroath that operates an inspirational community project called Havilah.  He is the incoming chair of the Scottish Pilgrim Routes Forum.  But arguably even more interesting than...

What is the meaning of health? Bishop Adrian Newman talks with Dr Gillian Straine about the answer to this question, as well as sharing his story about retiring from his role as Bishop due to chronic migraines.  There is so much to ponder from this episode we'll be taking a break in August but will return with our new podcast series in September.   Ponder along with Gillian and Adrian: The traumat...

Nicky Burr, GoHealth community member, talks with Gillian about her healing journey as a transgender woman. This is an episode rich with insights and honesty that you will not want to miss listening to, the many topics covered include: Healthy Healing Hubs project of the Guild of Health and St. Raphael and how Nicky first connected with the GoHealth community.  Gillian shares her honest discomfort...

Gillian has an honest and insightful conversation with Nick Thorley.  Nick is co-founder and co-host of Nomad Podcast. He lives in Nottingham where he spent most of his 20’s working as a Youth Minister for a group of Methodist churches. Since then he’s been involved in fundraising for various international development charities. Nick loves to hang out with his kids, run very long distances, drink...

Gillian talks with Brian Draper about living with Long COVID and numerous other physical challenges he encountered in 2021. Brian is an author, he is a regular speaker at Greenbelt and other festivals, and he has presented on Thought for the Day on BBC Radio four Today program for over a decade.  Episode notes:  Brian gives an overview of his work. Gillian and Brian talk about labyrinths and a day...

In this fascinating conversation Gillian Straine (CEO of the Guild of Health and St. Raphael) and Dr. Paula Gooder, Canon Theologian of St. Paul's Cathedral cover many topics including the following: How lockdown was for Paula The three words for healing in the Gospels/ New Testament The integration of body, mind and soul in the New Testament Mental health, Descarte and dementia The need for scien...

In this episode Gillian talks with Claire Foster-Gilbert, director of Westminster Abbey Institute, about her experience of living with Myeloma.  Claire gives an overview of the work of Westminster Abbey Institute. Claire describes how the Myeloma was found and the experience of diagnosis. The detail of treatment is shared including the experience of having a stem cell transplant.  How unhelpful th...

To mark and honour Black History Month Gillian has an honest, inspiring and challenging conversation with Rosemarie Davidson-Gotobed, the founder and director of the Sam Sharp lectures and a diversity and inclusion consultant. In this lengthy and indepth conversation they cover many topics, including: Rosemarie's experience of lockdown and how music helped. Walking away and returning to the work o...

Welcome back to the first episode of the second season!  This season we take the theme of learning to heal. Learning how to be a source of healing and to be healed ourselves. We begin by exploring how we experience healing in nature. You might find it helpful to listen to this episode out doors! This episode features five short reflections on the healing power of nature as experienced by GoHealth...

In this end of season recap we listen back to the many golden nuggets of wisdom, experience and insights from the first season of the GoHealth podcast. We revisit the pilot episode and hear again why this first season was titled 'Sacramental stories'. Gillian shares her personal story of healing, also from the first episode. Rev. Azariah France-Williams shares his hard and healing experience of wr...

In this episode Gillian talks with Revd. Elizabeth Baxter about the healing that is experienced at Holy Rood House, Thirsk. Elizabeth is the executive director of Holy Rood House, a centre for health and pastoral care. Elizabeth is an ordained priest in the Church of England, a spiritual director, theologian and coordinates the Centre for the Study of Theology and Health. In 2018 she received the...

In this episode of the Go Health podcast Gillian chats with Professor John Stackhouse, he is a Canadian theologian, author, journalist and academic, and currently is the Professor of Religious Studies at Crandall University in Canada.  Amongst many things, they discuss: The two different responses of the church being distanced even further - that of social action and that of evangelism, the interi...

This month Gillian talks with Rev Dr Richard Tiplady, director of context based ministry training for the Scottish Episcopal Church. Richard talks about about his being rescued and recovery process after a mountaineering accident in the Lake District in March 2020.  Richard describes his career journey. They discuss how the church might change as a result of Covid - aware of how unknown that is. R...

In this episode Gillian takes a deep dive with Professor Jim McManus, into the experiences and lessons of the Covid pandemic, as we approach the first anniversary of the lockdown restrictions in the United Kingdom. Professor Jim McManus is the President of the Guild of Health and St. Raphael, he is also the Director of Public Health for Hertfordshire county council amongst many other things. Prof...

Gillian talks with Rev Lucyann Ashdown, the vice chair of the board of trustees of the Guild of Health and St. Raphael. Lucyann has spent most of her career in health care, training as a registered general nurse at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. During this time she became interested in women's health and went onto do her Midwifery training at The Royal London. In 1989 she became an Independent Midwife...