Paper Trails Podcast

Welcome to Paper Trails, a podcast by Inspyre UK, where we explore the stories and ideas that connect people through culture, creativity, and lived experience. In our 2nd episode of the season, Mohamed and Sharmarke go through some juicy Q&As Big shout out to our sponsor: @concreteculturestudio - Get 10% off your first booking by using code INSPYRE10 🔗 Stay in the loop: Subscribe to our Newsl...

Welcome to Paper Trails, a podcast by Inspyre UK, where we explore the stories and ideas that connect people through culture, creativity, and lived experience. In our first episode of the season, Mohamed and Sharmarke sit down to talk about our big ambitions for the year and announce some things that might catch your interest! Regular ramblings definitely also occurred. Big shout out to our sponso...

2025 has been a year we’ll never forget. From selling out our first 150+ show, to launching a monthly book club, and consistently putting out Inspyre Bytes while juggling full-time jobs, this year has been full of risks, growth, late nights, and moments that reminded us why we started Inspyre in the first place. In this episode, we take a deep dive into our year: The moments that challenged us, pu...

Welcome to Paper Trails, a podcast by Inspyre UK, where we explore the stories and ideas that connect people through culture, creativity, and lived experience. In our final episode of the season, Mohamed and Sharmarke sit down with Maryamah, our first ever big Storytelling show competition winner. We talked about how our show went and Maryamah's experience before and at the show. 🎤 Go support Mar...

Welcome to Paper Trails, a podcast by Inspyre UK, where we explore the stories and ideas that connect people through culture, creativity, and lived experience. In this episode, Mohamed and Sharmarke sit down with Fathiya Saleh , a UK-based comedian whose sharp wit and fearless storytelling have made her one of the most exciting voices on the comedy circuit right now. Fathiya reflects on her journe...

Welcome to Paper Trails, a podcast by Inspyre UK, where we explore the stories and ideas that connect people through books, culture, and creativity. In this episode, Mohamed and Sharmarke sit down with D.D. Armstrong — author of Ugly Dogs Don’t Cry . D.D. shares how his love for literature was born during his time incarcerated, and how reading became a tool for reflection, rebuilding, and ultimate...

Welcome to Paper Trails , a podcast by Inspyre UK, where we explore the stories and ideas that connect people through books, culture, and creativity. In this episode, Mohamed and Sharmarke sit down with Sofia Akel - academic, activist, and founder of the Free Books Campaign . What began as a mission to get books into the hands of people who need them most has grown into a movement that’s reshaping...

Welcome to Paper Trails , a podcast by Inspyre UK, where we explore the stories and ideas that connect people through books, culture, and creativity. In this episode, Mohamed and Sharmarke reflect on Inspyre UK’s first-ever public speaking appearance at the Riyo Consultancy Creativity and Innovation Conference 2025 in Cardiff. We shared what it felt like to represent the brand on a professional st...

Welcome to Paper Trails , a podcast by Inspyre UK , where we explore the profound stories and ideas that connect people through books, culture, and creativity. In this episode, Sharkz and Sharmarke sit down again with Mohamed Mohamud , founder of Somali Sideways and writer of the new play Between 2 Worlds . He shares what inspired the story, how it captures the experience of living between culture...

Welcome to Paper Trails , a podcast by Inspyre UK , where we explore the profound stories and ideas that connect people through books, culture, and creativity. In this episode, Sharmarke and Mohamed pull back the curtain on how to run one of the most in-demand new book clubs in London and what it really takes to make it all work. From curating the perfect book list to building community through st...

Welcome to Paper Trails , a podcast by Inspyre UK , where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favourite books, shows, and movies. In this episode, Sharkz and Mohamed sit down with Adiwahab Abdisalam , author of Can I Ask You a Question? , a book that has sparked deep conversations about love, faith, and meaningful connection. Together, they explore how intentional questions c...

Welcome to Paper Trails , a podcast by Inspyre UK where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favourite books, shows, and movies. In this episode, Sharkz and Mohamed flip the script — and the covers. Armed with curiosity (and a bit of judgment), they pick random books purely based on their covers and first impressions. No blurbs, no reviews, no recommendations — just bold title...

Welcome to Paper Trails , a podcast by Inspyre UK where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favourite books, shows, and movies. In this episode, we sit down with British-Somali author Salma Ibrahim to discuss her powerful debut novel, Salutation Road . Set between South London and an alternate present-day Mogadishu, the novel follows 23-year-old Sirad Ali, who is transported...

Welcome to Paper Trails , a podcast by Inspyre UK where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favourite books, shows, and movies. In this episode, we dive into the dark side of storytelling — villains. We explore what makes a truly great antagonist, why every memorable story needs one, and how to create compelling villains that challenge the hero and captivate the audience. Fro...

Welcome to Paper Trails, a podcast by Inspyre UK where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favourite books, shows, and movies. In this episode, we review Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks and break down what it really takes to tell a great story. From crafting everyday moments into compelling narratives to understanding the structure behind memorable tales, we explore the practica...

Welcome to Paper Trails, a podcast by Inspyre UK where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favourite books, shows, and movies. In this episode, we talk about the idea of success after death. Would you still do it if you knew you would be unsuccessful? Don't miss this special episode of Paper Trails, where we unravel the threads of storytelling to uncover the emotions that con...

Welcome to Paper Trails, a podcast by Inspyre UK where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favourite books, shows, and movies. In this episode, we talk about the hero's journey, the call to adventure and how we answer it. Don't miss this special episode of Paper Trails, where we unravel the threads of storytelling to uncover the emotions that connect us all. Subscribe now on...

Welcome to Paper Trails, a podcast by Inspyre where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favorite books, shows, and movies. In our brand new season (#5), we embark on a new journey dedicated to storytelling. Join us as we talk about our plans for the season and share some stories along the way. Don't miss this special episode of Paper Trails, where we unravel the threads of st...

Welcome to Paper Trails, a podcast by Inspyre where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favorite books, shows, and movies. In our season finale, we reflect on our journey through stories and storytelling. Join us as we revisit our favorite episodes, share the most impactful insights we've gained, and discuss what surprised us most along the way. We'll also give you a sneak pe...

What an episode we got for you Inspyrites with one of our heroes from The Candid Bookclub. In this episode of Paper Trails, we’re joined by Omma from the Candid Book Club to explore the transformative power of community and storytelling. We dive into how Omma and her team fostered a thriving reading community, the inspiring journey of launching their book festivals, and the challenges that come wi...

Welcome to Papertrails , a podcast by Inspyre where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favorite books, shows and movies. In this week's episode we have a Star Wars nerd off, be warned nerd levels at 3000 in this episode but give it a watch and see what you think. Don't miss this episode of Papertrails , where we follow the threads of storytelling to uncover the emotions that...

Welcome to Papertrails , a podcast by Inspyre where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favorite books, shows and movies. In this week's episode we talk everything around the Fantasy genre. We give you a breakdown of it's history, where it is now and some of our favourites. Don't miss this episode of Papertrails , where we follow the threads of storytelling to uncover the emo...

Welcome to Papertrails , a podcast by Inspyre where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favorite books, shows and movies. In this week's we review and discuss Mohamed's favourite fiction book "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes. A great book about an experiment done on somebody with extremely low IQ in the perspective of the main character as if written in his journal. Don...

Welcome to Papertrails , a podcast by Inspyre where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favorite books, shows and movies. This episode's a special one, Sharmarke interviews his co-star Khalid, a young superstar in the making. He talks about his acting debut and his filmmaking experience. Go check him out: https://www.instagram.com/khalidraffy Don't miss this episode of Papert...

Welcome to Papertrails , a podcast by Inspyre where we explore the profound stories and themes woven into our favorite books, shows and movies. This episode's a special one, Sharmarke completes his acting debut on the theatre arena and Mohamed interviews Sharmarke to get all of the juicy inside information that us audience members would love to know. https://www.instagram.com/maanta.theatre/ Don't...