Sport and Life

Tania specialises in Early Years Physical Development of children and Health and Wellbeing. She's the author of Learning through Movements. You can find out more about her work and upcoming publications at www.binspireduk.co.uk. In this conversation Tania shares her thoughts on how parents should approach the new challenge of becoming pseudo-teachers during the pandemic.

Michael competes in Bellator and has a 17-1 record at the time of the interview. He also has background in kick boxing and boxing and supports Manchester United in football. Here we also talk about the Black Lives Matter movement and the quest for equality for all. 

Heather Hardy is a former WBO Feather weight champion boxer and is also an MMA Fighter. She’s a mother and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Lekan holds a degree in a Mechanical Engineering and a prospering career as a Software Test Analyst at Sky. But in his spare time, he’s been working towards his dream of becoming a professional boxer and was on the verge of getting his license when the global pandemic put his plans on hold. Lekan was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria before moving to Glasgow, Scotland at the age of 13. He talks ca...

Paul Godrey is Club Secretary of Cheltenham Town Football Club. He's also a historian of the club. Here we talk about the financial and logistical challenges of lockdown and Cheltenham's involvement in the impending League Two playoffs. Also discuss the feasibility of lower league football being played next season if the coronavirus pandemic still prevents fans from attending. 

Dr Mark Draper - my father - is a GP in England and has been a medical doctor for 40+ years. He's also a qualified nutritionist and helps design supplements.  His keen area of focus are trace elements - particularly selenium, which he believes is detrimentally low in UK soil.  Here we talk about ways we can optimize our immune system at this time of a pandemic and in the future. 

Spencer Fearon an ex boxer, promoter and historian and is also a motivational speaker. Spencer was early supporter of the BlackLivesMatter movement and a campaigner for equality.

Dan Lawrence, @Perform365 on social media, has worked with a raft of elite athletes including boxers and NFL Players. He's Head Of Performance for Matchroom Boxing working with fighters including John Ryder and Conor Benn. Here we talk about the challenges of coaching boxers and everyday civilians remotely during lockdown. Talk about the importance of creating discipline around a daily routine dur...

James Pope is a former headteacher, who's now working as a positive psychology coach with education professionals, the police, military and others Here we talk about the philosophy of positive psychology and how taking a proactive approach to having good mental health can help us all perform well - in sport and life. That's opposed to the reactive approach of waiting until we have an issue or reac...

Tony Bellew won a world title at cruiserweight. contended and light-heavyweight and twice beat David Haye at heavyweight. Here he talks about his love of MMA and the potential for boxers and MMA fighters to compete against each other.

Paula was the 3rd British  and 14th International Woman to Ski Full Distance from the coast of  Antarctica to the South Pole - a 1000 KM trek - and has completed an impressive list of other challenges.  She is also an expert and consultant in the field of adventure psychology. Here we talk about how the concept of 'going knowingly into the unknown' can be useful in everyday life rig...

Ran is a GP in Gloucestershire and co-founder of the Cotswold Optimal Health Clinic. Talk about the situation he’s facing currently with coronavirus and his tips for maximising health and immunity.

Interview with retired elite level mixed martial arts fighter Chael Sonnen who contended at Middleweight, Light heavyweight and heavyweight. He was a prominent athlete in both the UFC and Bellator. 

Throw back episode - interviewing actor Danny Dyer in my radio days in 2009.  Danny is now best known for acting in East Enders, but has also been in loads of films including cult classic Human Traffic. Danny's from East London and supports local football club West Ham United. 

Six months on from John’s contentious defeat in his world title loss to Callum Smith, catch up with him to see how he’s handling lockdown. Talk about homeschooling his daughter, trying to stay fit and fighting in empty arenas when boxing resumes.

An interview with former UFC referee John McCarthy who currently works as a host and analyst for Bellator. It was recorded for Sky Sports (thanks to my employers for the use of the audio) ahead of UFC 249, which was the first big sports event to go ahead in the western world in weeks. Will this be a template for all sports going forward? Talk about how that event could set a precedent for combat s...

Johnny ( born Ivanson Ranny) Nelson is the longest reigning World Cruiserweight Champion of all time. He held the WBO title from 1999 to 2005. This after losing his first three professional fights. Johnny is now a presenter and analyst for Sky Sports. Here he provides an inspiring account of how the sport and his trainer, Brendan Ingle changed his life.

Enzo Maccarinelli held the WBO World Cruiser Title from 2006 to 2008 and is a former European Champion. He also contended at light heavyweight and remains determined to have a 50th and final pro fight.

Tris is the former editor of Boxing News and has covered the sport for print, online and broadcast media. He’s written several books on the sport and its stars. In particular, we discuss his book Road To Nowhere. Tris also competes in CrossFit.

Jon Palmer is a sports journalist for Gloucestershire Live and other outlets. He also teaches journalism at the University of Gloucestershire. Here we talk about the financial impact of the coronavirus lockdown on local sports clubs, small businesses and on students’ futures.

John has produced an e-book out called How To Survive a Pandemic. Here we talk about how we can all draw on the lessons of those who’ve survived extreme isolation in the past to remain healthy in body and mind during the coronavirus lockdown.

James Golden is a fitness and lifestyle coach with vast experience of working with athletes and non-athletes to achieve their bespoke goals. He’s found online under the moniker @aka_thefitnesspro. He’s also the father of four and interesting talk here about the positives - those of us not physically affected by coronavirus - we can take health wise around more sleep, rest and exercise.

Michael is Cheltenham Town football manager and a former Premier League player with Burnley. Here we talk about the effect of the coronavirus on players psyche ( isolation and uncertainty) and the financial impact on football. Apologies for connection quality at this time.

My father, Dr Mark Draper is a medical doctor (GP) in the UK and researcher into micro nutrition. Here we answer general questions ( from social media) about Coronavirus and discuss the importance of selenium in bolstering our immune systems.

Chris is one of my best and longest friends. But we usually just joke around so haven’t previously taken the time to explore a condition that really stretched him to his mental limits. Here we talk about his struggles with tinnitus and how mindfulness not medication helped him get a handle on the condition. We also talk about his current isolation due to Coronavirus - he lives on his own in Dubai...