In The Moment with Alex Manzi

Can’t believe I made it to episode 50! And to mark the occasion, I decided to share my story and journey so far. This moment in time is quite pivotal in my life as I am currently going through a real transition period so the timing of Ep 50 seemed right. For this episode, I invited my friend Anton (from the Wriinkle podcast) to help me break down my life journey, experiences, what has shaped me an...

"Self-Discipline is about finding reasons to do something and committing to see the task through to the end" In this week's In Focus session I discuss Self-Discipline. This is something that I have really worked on over the past year or so as I have found that the more discipline I have, the more productive and creative I become. So in this episode I share some of my thoughts and experiences, with...

On this week’s episode I sit down with Annika Allen who has been hugely influential in helping to promote and inspire young black females and creatives in setting up The Black Magic Awards Network. As someone who has lived life both within a corporate environment and working for herself, Annika has a huge amount of knowledge and wisdom to share; from creating her own platforms, to growing up and d...

“When setting goals, focus on your personal performance, not the outcome” In this week’s In Focus session, I discuss goal-setting. Recently I’ve been trying to be better at setting goals for myself, to push my performance in both my work and life so I wanted to explore the benefits of doing so and share some of the experiences I’ve had so far. If you enjoy the episode, please leave a review or com...

On this week’s episode I am joined by the hugely inspiring Zach Washington-Young who was involved in a horrific crash in 2012 and was left paralysed from his hips down and told that he’d never walk again. Fast forward to April 2018 and he completed the full 26-mile London Marathon on foot, making medical history as the first person to suffer from a severance of the spinal cord to do so. In this ch...

“The first 90 minutes of your day has a big impact on the rest of your day” In this week’s In Focus session I discuss the importance of a good morning routine, something that I have found hugely beneficial for me over the past couple of years. I wanted to share with you some of my experiences and thoughts, as well as a break down of my exact routine to show you how easily you can incorporate a rou...

On this week's episode I'm joined by the incredibly talented photographer Holly-Marie Cato. We hear about how she turned her hobby into a full time job, experiences working with brands, how her huge family has influenced her, having a passion for storytelling, documenting the London riots and plenty more. The chat is full of so many gems and Holly's calming yet assured manner was a real pleasure t...

"It's an amazing feeling to spend a few minutes each day unplugged from the outside world and just be" In this week's In Focus session I wanted to discuss with you a tool that I find very helpful and powerful in my life; meditation. It's something that I incorporate into my daily routine and find the benefits seriously huge. Finding the time each day to sit and reflect and become comfortable with...

On this episode I’m super excited to sit down with BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter, Reece Parkinson, someone who I have had the pleasure of watching grow and evolve over the past couple of years. Reece is someone who I regularly turn to to bounce ideas around about this very podcast and also the projects he’s working on. And someone I’d consider a good friend, so it was great to be able to sit down and...

“Use affirmations to create positive habits in the way that you think” In this week's In Focus episode I discuss the power of affirmations on creating positive thinking, my experiences with reading and writing affirmations, how you can use them to set up your day, my morning ritual and more. If you enjoy the episode, please leave a review or comment. And be sure to share it with a friend who needs...

On this episode I am joined by Paula Akpan, co-founder of the I’m Tired Project and also the UK’s first Black Girl Festival.  We discuss her career path and journey from university, the exact moment she realised that she’d made her mum proud, the importance and influence of Black Panther, her biggest inspirations, why she’s following her passions rather than a specific career path and more. If you...

"If you're waiting for someone to come and help you or save you, you're just wasting time" After some incredible In Focus sessions over the past weeks, I'm back with a solo round and discussing why you shouldn't let you past struggles and experiences hold you back. I know I've certainly done it myself, but now is the time to take ownership and control of your life. If you enjoy the episode, please...

On this episode I am joined by poet Hussain Manawer to hear about the amazing work he does in spreading awareness of mental health issues. Hussain has dedicated his artistry to sharing stories and experiences with Mental Health. Having recently lost his mother, he has an EP on the way dedicated to the learnings she passed onto him. He also holds the Guiness World Record for the largest Mental Heal...

"Stop using 'how do I start' as an excuse for putting in the work" On this very special In Focus session I am joined by none other than Gary Vaynerchuk. I was very grateful to get the opportunity and some time to record with such a huge inspiration on me.  And it's even more exciting to be able to provide you guys with some of his incredible no-nonsense advice. On this session I pick his brains on...

On this episode I am joined by Vicky Grout - the UK music photographer of the moment - to hear about her journey so far. For someone who is just 21, Vicky has already achieved a lot in a short period of time so we take it right back to hear how she first got into photography, why you are better off not being a perfectionist, being a woman in a male-dominated industry, wanting to help educate the y...

"I think it's really important to set goals and write them down" Ciara returns for the 4th and final part of her In Focus takeover and we're discussing all aspects of building your own business and the steps she took to set up her fitness classes and brand. Plus she has some tips for anyone who is looking to start their own company. If you enjoy the episode, please leave a review or comment. And b...

Andy Leek is the man behind @notestostrangers page on Instagram - an incredible idea where he leaves positive & inspirational notes around the UK for people to discover and post on their own Instagram accounts. With a history in Advertising and experiencing some mental health issues, Andy talks us through his journey and his biggest learnings and why he's so passionate about sharing love and i...

"It's important for women to support other women" Ciara returns for part 3 of her In Focus co-host and this week we discuss all things female empowerment and why 2018 is due to be the year of the woman! If you enjoy the episode, please leave a review or comment. And be sure to share it with a friend who needs to hear this! thedreamersdisease.co.uk Follow Ciara: IG: @CiaraLondon Twitter: @ciaralond...

A very open conversation with Natasha Benjamin, founder of Free Your Mind - an organisation to help support children who have experienced domestic violence. She's also a self care coach, mental health expert and has written and released two books, so she's a pretty busy lady! Natasha speaks about her experiences dealing with Anxiety, discovering she had experienced domestic violence as a child and...

"If you're relationships are as tight as they are meant to be, if you win, they win" Ciara is back for part 2 of her In Focus co-host and this week we have a very juicy chat about relationships & love and why you should pick your relationships wisely - both friendships and lovers. If you enjoy the episode, please leave a review or comment. And be sure to share it with a friend who needs to hea...

A real in-depth chat with Kojo Anim aka Kojo The Comedian - someone who has helped break down so many doors and put on so many comedians throughout his career. He shares stories on touring with and being mentored from the likes of Chris Rock, Kevin Hart & Dave Chappelle, to growing up with his parents in jail, to script-writing, to advising up-coming comics. There are so many gems in this conv...

"Embrace who you are and how you look to make yourself the best version of you and stop comparing yourself to others" In the first of a 4-part series, I invite Personal Trainer & Fitness Expert Ciara London back to the podcast to share some thoughts in the latest In Focus session. The interview we did way back in episode 7 had some amazing feedback, so I wanted Ciara to come back and delve int...

Catching up with Chuckie Online to discuss his career as a freelance DJ, Broadcaster, Podcaster and how he has dealt with endless amounts of rejection along the way. This is a very powerful conversation talking about how kids these days have lost the art of conversation, why we're living in a world full of online outrage & fake outrage and why happiness is his main focus moving forward. Chucki...

"A quitter never wins and a winner never quits" On this In Focus session we discuss the fear of failure and why you should't let it hold you back from doing what you want to do. Ultimately making mistakes is the best way to learn and by constantly building on failures, it can only lead you on to more success. More often than not I find that the fear of failure is my gut telling me how much I actua...

Striving for greatness is something we all want for ourselves and DJ Semtex is the embodiment of that. A legend and pioneer in the UK music scene, I sit down with Semtex to discuss everything from discusses growing up in Manchester and dealing with racism from an early age, his earliest influences and having to overcome adversity as a teenager when he lost his right arm to a medical condition Lymp...