Life Changing

After moving to Los Angeles, 12-year-old Dan Edozie and his mother were left homeless and begging for food. Life was not easy: they slept where they could, sometimes on public transport, sometimes in the refuges of the city’s infamous Skid Row. But a chance separation from his mother was about to change his fortunes forever. Dan tells Dr Sian Williams how this life-changing moment allowed him to t...

Sarah Fairbairns spent much of her life feeling she was a bit different. Growing up in the 1960s and 70s, she gained the reputation of a wild child – from travelling to India, to dancing on stage with the cast of iconic counter-culture musical Hair. And yet all the while, she faced bouts of sadness and depression, and a confusion as to why that should be. Later in life, Sarah made a discovery abou...

Strapped to explosives, threatened with execution and packed into a vehicle with a suicide bomber, civil engineer Nick feared for his life. It was 2013, and he had found himself at the heart of a violent attack on the Algerian gas facility he was working at, carried out by a group later revealed to be affiliated to Al-Qaeda. It was a deadly hostage situation, in which 39 workers lost their lives –...

Dr Sian Williams looks forward to another series of extraordinary stories.

When twins Georgia and Melissa Laurie set off a once-in-lifetime adventure to Mexico in 2021, they thought it would be an opportunity for some sisterly bonding. Whilst on their travels, they went for an ill-fated swim in a lagoon – and found themselves in a terrifying fight for survival. They tell their incredible story to Dr Sian Williams, and explain how in that moment, and over the years that f...

Tony Redmond was an experienced medical doctor from Manchester, used to dealing with challenging situations. In December 1988, he attended two major global disasters that left him feeling a broken man, ready to hang up his stethoscope. But it turned out he was not quite done yet. After writing in to Life Changing about his experience, Dr Sian Williams invited him onto the podcast to share his stor...

Tier Blundell was never a bad kid. He was bright and curious, but also disruptive. Growing up sandwiched between two cultures, he felt excluded from society. Those feelings were amplified when aged 11, Tier was informed by his school that he would not be welcome back following the summer holidays – instead being sent to a Pupil Referral Unit. He left there with no qualifications and a sense of sha...

Su Chantry was adopted as a baby and grew up fantasising that she was the daughter of a French princess who would one day return for her. As an adult with her own family, Su received an unexpected and life-changing phone call. Su tells Dr Sian Williams how she rushed to meet her mother, and they would spend just one day together – her mum’s last.

Aged 19, Dan Simmonds turned down a university place and instead became an oil trader in the City of London. It was an exciting and ruthless environment driven by big risks and even greater rewards. But it ultimately challenged Dan’s values and filled him with a desire to seek something new. Over a decade later, whilst jogging around Regent’s Park, Dan made a discovery that would change his life a...

When nurse and midwife Agnes Nisbett’s third baby was delivered, she was confronted by a profound need for systemic change. Agnes came to the UK as part of the Windrush generation and despite many barriers, “sheer hard work” got her to the top of her profession. However, her own hospital experience in the 1970s revealed just how flawed and uncaring the system could be. Now in her 80s, Agnes looks...

Georgia Gabriel-Hooper is now 20, she works for a tractor dealership and enjoys bumbling around the countryside. But as a child, she was witness to a terrible event: her mother, Cheryl, was murdered in a domestic homicide. Understandably, that day had a profound impact on Georgia – who has since shown extraordinary courage and determination to use her personal testimony to raise awareness and crea...

In this special edition of Life Changing, recorded in front of a live audience at the Hay Festival, we are catching up with Harriet Ware-Austin, who was a guest on the programme in 2021. Harriet had a difficult but important story to tell, concerning the deaths of her two sisters in a plane crash in Addis Ababa in April 1972. Harriet was only eight at the time and witnessed the event. Almost 50 ye...

Growing up in Newport with his mum and younger brother, Connor Allen struggled with his identity as a mixed race kid. He bottled up his feelings and as the anger and frustration built up, could not find the words to express his emotions. When his rage erupted into violence against his mum, she ended up doing the unthinkable and calling the police. He faced a prison sentence, his future at a crossr...

When Alan and Irene met in 1959, their connection was instant. The two isolated children aged just seven and nine found warmth and kindness in each other in a children’s home that was unwelcoming and strict. They would steal moments together up on Bunny Hill and talk about their lives. But the home had a rule that boys and girls could not mix. So when their friendship was discovered, a year after...

In August of 2006, Teresa Clark was driving five of her friends back home after a day at a music festival. Several hours into the journey she fell asleep at the wheel of their people carrier and crashed. Three passengers were killed, two others were injured as well as Teresa herself. She was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and spent time in prison. The guilt and shame of carrying t...

Ambitious police officer Clodagh Dunlop, 35, was used to dealing with emergency situations - until it was her own. Whilst training to run a 6-minute mile, her journey took a terrifying turn. Clodagh found herself trapped in her own body, hearing the conversations around her but unable to communicate. Speaking with Dr Sian Williams, she explains how she found the strength to make a remarkable break...

Rachel Watkyn’s upbringing was a contradiction: aristocratic but impoverished. She was forced to memorise her father’s extensive family tree and was expected to behave as the 'perfect young baroness'. Despite their status, the family did not have clean clothes or heating and she was called a ‘fleabag’ by other children at school. This left Rachel isolated, never knowing where she fitted in, and fe...

When Will Darby left school in 2007, his peers all headed to university. But Will wanted something different – an adventure. In search of unridden waves to surf, he built himself an idyllic life in the Solomon Islands. Until the sea disappeared, and everything came crashing down… Will tells Dr Sian Williams about the turn of events that created a lifelong bond with the island and its inhabitants.

It is the summer of 2008, and a bride and groom have just stepped out of a carriage drawn by two white horses. The sun is out, the bridesmaids are wearing beautiful dresses, and everyone has drinks in hands. The day has gone smoothly for the wedding party. But for carriage driver Emily King – things are about to take a terrifying turn, as a chase begins. Years later, Emily tells Dr Sian Williams h...

One Monday morning, Stephen is meeting with his boss in a crowded coffee shop. Minutes later he is at the centre of a horrific and brutal crime scene — his life hanging in the balance. The events leave him deeply scarred, both mentally and physically, but it prompts Stephen to press the reset button for himself and his family. For the first time publicly, Stephen tells his story to Dr Sian William...

Being a TV news anchor was everything to Polly Evans until she was forced to re-evaulate her identity. Her turning point happened in the spotlight – in front of an audience of hundreds of thousands – when she felt deeply exposed and humiliated. It was caused by a physical condition called Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia, but Polly’s journey since then has been one of self-knowledge and finding fulfil...

Hazel Ellis-Saxon was brought up in a busy household with four siblings in the village of Tiptree in Essex in the 1960s. She struggled with her school work and was often finishing assignments when the other children were enjoying playtime. One day in a quiet classroom Hazel overheard her form teacher describe her to a colleague as ‘mentally retarded’. These two words had a profound effect — leadin...

It had been a beautiful day, Jessica Williams and her two young sons had been out in the local park enjoying the Welsh sunshine. By the time they got home they were happy but weary and looking forward to some cosy time on the sofa but as Jess opened the front door she noticed a strange smell. She put the boys in the sitting room and went into the kitchen to investigate — that was when the house ex...

Growing up Joe Jaquest Oteng knew very little about his Dad; they struggled to find much common ground. Joe’s Dad, Peter, was guarded about his early life in Ghana and the family he had left behind when he emigrated to the UK in the 1960s. When Peter died Joe was left to sort through his belongings. He discovered bundles of documents, letters and photos which revealed new and shocking information...

It was September 2000 when Lisa and her 10-year-old brother Gary were taken to the airport. Their Dad said they were going on holiday and that mum Tracey was going to join them later, just as soon as she could get time off work. As the children boarded the plane full of expectations for the trip they could not know how profoundly this moment would shape the rest of their lives – they were soon tol...