On the Irregular with Java Bere

This week I am chatting to baker, artist and empress of cushion embroidery Sharon Nagadya. Born in Uganda, Sharon moved to the UK age 11. After initially pursuing a career as a nurse/hairdresser, Sharon couldn’t ignore the fact that her passion was in the creative fields.  We talk about family and cultural expectations, what she now considers to be the markers of success, her time caring for her f...

This week I’m chatting to Grower & Florist Hattie Shackleton of Honour Farm Folk. In our conversation we touch upon Hattie’s experience of working in branding agencies and being a woman in the graphic design industry, then opening up her own shop ‘Maud’s House’ in the old market town of Skipton. We talk about what it’s like to have several skills and to allow yourself to hone in what you love,...

This week I’m chatting to writer and life coach, Nadia Karim. Nadia’s rich journey includes a passion for photography, social justice, an ongoing theme of storytelling and being one half of Edinburgh based shop Century General Store. We had a long chat about empathy, acknowledging the depths of our differences, the value of being quiet, her journey as a writer and story teller, interrogating the a...

This week I’m chatting to TV Camera Operator and photographer Lyndsey Harris. As a camera op, Lyndsey has worked on productions such as Coronation Street , Wimbledon and, in my opinion, the most exciting of all, Stars in Their Eyes .  When she’s not filming, Lyndsey captures the world around her with her camera and a sharp documentary eye, honing in on the moments we often miss. We talk about grow...

This week I’m chatting to visual artist, community builder and photographer Jo Melia. Jo and I chatted about growing up and living with her mum’s alcoholism and the impact this had on her creative dreams, parenting and being part of a neuro-divergent family, her experience of art school, her years working full time in a bank, setting up a make-up business on her own with two young children, the va...

This week I’m chatting to artist, adventurer, writer and marine conservationist Katie Tunn.  Katie lives her life in companionship with the waters: waking up to the sound of waves on the Isle of Skye, creating stunning art work inspired by the Hebridean seas, collecting litter and rescuing injured seals along the coastline and, later this year, visiting all 82 of Britain’s largest islands. In our...

This week I’m chatting to creative powerhouse, Instagram influencer, kitchen dancer, style icon… the one and only Sophia Cook. Growing up, Sophia loved the performing arts, leading onto studying and later working in theatre and costume design. We cover her journey from working as a wardrobe mistress in London theatres to overseeing builds of new schools with all the twists and turns in between. We...

This week I’m chatting to sensory designer, brand consultant and passionate foodie Lauren Davies. Lauren approaches her work as both an alchemist and detective, using design and her passion for innovation as a way to tell her own stories and those of her clients. For the first half hour we talk about Lauren’s focus on sustainability  and wellbeing in design, the pivotal experiences that led her on...

This week I’m chatting to photographer, graphic designer, story teller and creator of magic, Mirlah Richardson. Mirlah is a multi-hyphen, multi-talented stream of cool water, adapting to whichever way her life has led her. In this conversation we touch upon (amongst many other things) the value of being a master (or mistress) of all trades, adjusting to life with her partner’s MS diagnosis, carvin...

A short, and slightly emotional intro to Season Two of 'On the Irregular' with me, Java Bere. It's a brief reflection on my own journey, the first season and what to expect from this season. If you are interested in learning more about our creative workshop Say It Out Loud, click here to read more. Welcome back and thank you for listening! Support the show This is a public episode....

In this episode I talk to the journalist and author, Amy Liptrot. Amy grew up on Orkney before moving to London in her twenties to pursue a career as a music journalist. Her memoir The Outrun is an account of her alcoholism during this time, her recovery and the pull between the island and the city. The book won her the PEN Ackerley prize, the Wainwright prize, has been translated into fifteen lan...

In this episode I talk to Fola Agbalaya, a vintage furniture upholsterer, with a passion for mid-century designs. Working from her South Manchester workshop, Fola sources furniture from all over Europe and breathes a new life back into each unique piece. Originally from London, Fola talked to me about her dramatic career pivot in her late forties after a succesful career of working in HR. We talk...

This week I talked to my partner Jon, who doesn’t identify as a woman, but for this bonus episode, I asked him to chat with me while we picked up ingredients at the market and returned home to make lunch on a cold, bright winter morning. I wanted to discuss the last couple of years since we both started our businesses, and Jon gave up his full time job at Manchester University. The timing of this,...

This week I’m talking to my dear friend and colleague, the photographer and educator, Laura Carly Adams. In this chat we grasshopper all over the place. We go from the value of community, to how photography changed Laura’s life, to the power of sharing our stories and finding purpose after the early years of motherhood. Laura is a firework of enthusiasm and determination, and has the wonderful abi...

This week I'm talking to Jenny Oakenfull, baker and co-owner of Longboi's Bakehouse in South Manchester. Originally from York, Jenny left school with an armful of A grades and very little idea of what she wanted to do. Because her academic learning skills were strong, she was encouraged to pursue the academic route and applied to do Geography at uni. Nearly fifteen years later, via sever...

This week I am talking to my dear friend, Emma Crompton, a casting director and acting coach. Emma and I met over fifteen years ago at drama school. Since then, Emma has worked with some of the greatest casting directors, producers and directors in the world, on productions such as Line of Duty, Sherlock, Beauty and the Beast and Vanity Fair. In our chat we touch on what it’s like to be Sacha Baro...

This week I am talking to clinical scientist, photographer and writer Emma Goulding. From the moment we started talking, we went in deep. You will hear me wax lyrical about Emma’s self portrait, and I cannot encourage you enough to follow her on instagram for both her images and words. Starting with the heart of a tree, we moved onto thoughts on sharing personal stuff on Instagram, emotional growt...

This week I’m talking to Mariel Greene of Next Lives Vintage, a stylist, photographer and seller of unique vintage pieces. Mariel lives in South Africa with her husband and two dogs in a self built, off grid house from where she runs her vintage business alongside doing her full time day job. We talk about her learning difficulties misdiagnosis as a child, the resourcefulness that can be born from...

This week I’m talking to the prolific artist and graphic designer Lela Harris. We talked about Lela’s childhood days in Manchester, sat on her back step writing her memoir on a typewriter, the acts of generosity that have helped guide her creativity, and the serendipitous snowboarding accident that opened up a staggering talent for portraiture she never knew she had.  At the time we recorded this...

This week I’m talking to Laurie Park, aka Dear Prudence Studio, an illustrator and designer, mother of three boys and dear friend. Originally from Scotland, now based in Hebden Bridge, Laurie chatted to me about growing up knowing she wanted to be an artist, the struggles she had in the education system and the path she took via textiles and fashion, to arrive at her current medium of cards and st...

This week I’m talking to Annie Klink , an American artist selling Mexican pottery . I first came across Annie on instagram years ago when searching for other vintage sellers. At the time Annie lived in New York and specialised in selling vintage rugs. Her elegant, bohemian, warm style appealed to me on every level. Annie has since moved to Mexico, from where she sells pieces of pottery and continu...

This week is chapter II of my chat with Kiruna Stamell, an Australian actress based in the UK. Kiruna has worked extensively on both stage and screen. Her credits include Moulin Rouge , Life's Too Short and The New Pope alongside a prolific stage career.   Kiruna and I met in Manchester in our early 20’s. Fast forward 17 years and Kiruna is busy filming a big budget drama in the South of Fran...

This week I’m talking to Kiruna Stamell, an Australian actress based in the UK. Kiruna has worked extensively on both stage and screen. Her credits include Moulin Rouge , Life's Too Short and The New Pope alongside a prolific stage career.   Kiruna and I met in Manchester in our early 20’s. Fast forward 17 years and Kiruna is busy filming a big budget drama in the South of France. I was lucky...

This week I’m chatting to Saima Kaur, an embroidery artist living in Hebden Bridge. Saima spent time at boarding school in India where she first learned how to embroider. Little did she know that years later, embroidery would become her main channel of work and expression. As Saima tells me her story, we touch on how our clothes  can reflect our state of mind, being the parent of a child with auti...

Cherelle is a multi-faceted creative dynamo. She is passionate about growing food, cooking food, styling, interiors, challenging herself to take on practical projects and setting the perfect scene to enjoy a feast of food and drink. Since finding each other on instagram a few years ago, we bonded over bulk buying ingredients, the electric joy of a vintage bargain and derelict buildings we want to...