Sport and Life

An interview with Texas-born defender Jonathan Tomkinson on how he came to be a professional footballer in his father's homeland of England. Lots of ground covered including a take on the differences in football (soccer) culture between the UK and US and the importance of a "if you don't ask, you don't get" attitude. JT also talks about living in Cheltenham and having a Great...

Harry Bates is a Worcester-based Personal Trainer. He runs The Movement Company with three tiers of engagement: a free run club, group circuits and bespoke one-to-one sessions at his private studio. In this we discuss: ** For sedentary people why ditching data, wearables, smart watches and SMART goals and just moving could be the key. ** Why combining fitness with community/socialising maximises t...

Josh Davison, 26, is a striker on loan at Cheltenham Town from Tranmere Rovers. He was discovered by a Peterborough United scout when he was 16 playing 5-aside with friends in Enfield, North London. In the past nine years he's played for 12 football clubs - and the moving has become more complicated in recent seasons and he's a father to two daughters, a toddler and a baby. Lots of ground...

Luke Harvey was an elite jump jockey winning races at the famous Cheltenham Festival and Aintree among other successes. Since retiring he's become a beloved racing broadcaster for ITV, Sky Sports and others. In this conversation Luke tells me why he thinks the 2026 edition was the best 'Cheltenham' in decades. In a time when we're also considering the healthiness of much of elite s...

My brother, Dr Max Draper was in a dark place six or seven years ago. Physically and mentally he was as low as you can go. At his nadir he felt like he didn’t want to be here anymore. Remembering that time is painful for me and everyone else who loves Max. But there’s a huge tale of hope that sprung from that low and it’s in his rise back to health that Max charts in his book  Testosterone Decoded...

Legend is perhaps an overused word in modern sport. But Lewis Ludlow would be considered a Gloucester Rugby legend in any era. 'Luds' has captained the club for much of his time - more than a decade - wearing the famous cherry & white colours and is on track to break Gloucester's appearance record in the nearish future.  He also captained England on his debut, underscoring his inna...

Have you noticed how one health topic is all the rage on the internet one week only to be replaced by another next week? That's why it was powerful to get Katie outline why the focus on protein isn't a fad - but a vital message for good health. Katie, a Cheltenham-based nutritionist who helps clients all over the world remotely, tells us why protein is vital for our health. The conversatio...

It feels like winter 25/26 in the UK has been a big one for colds - a lot of people I know have had one or more. This sounds smug, but I don't get that many colds. I believe that's in large part to my dad, Dr Mark and his steer on how to stave off a cold when you feel one 'coming on'.' We also look at how you manage colds and coughs and recover asap afterwards. In this conversa...

I met Simon Mundie when we were both ambitious young men living in London in our 20s pursuing careers in sports broadcasting. I was presenting the sport news on the Breakfast Show at Absolute Radio and Simon was playing the same role on Drive Time. Simon has gone onto work for BBC radio and TV, but his thoughtful and insightful approach to sport and life began to articulate with his very popular p...

This week I caught up with Cheltenham only’s current professional boxer Louis Bacon to look ahead to a significant night in his fledgling career.  On March 28th at GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester Louis, who’s 23, steps up to six rounds for the first time. He’d previously only boxed 4 round contests in the pro ranks.  Louis is also moving up in weight to 168 pounds (12 stone) or super-middleweight...

A compelling and very honest conversation with Gloucester (and England international) winger Ollie Thorley about how his life changed with his family's decision to leave London and move to Cheltenham as a small boy. Without that sliding-doors decision, Ollie thinks he may never have even played regular rugby - let alone become a pro and a Gloucester legend. We talk about Ollie's passion fo...

Cheltenham Town’s free-scoring midfielder Issac Hutchinson is actually a Bristol Rovers player. He’s on loan at Cheltenham and travels up the M5 for training. But at 25 this is the 7th club he’s played for as a professional footballer. In fact, Bristol took recalled him in January only to allow him to return to Cheltenham at the end of the month.  Isaac’s others clubs thus far: Southend United, De...

Andy Brassington is in his 70s. But you’d never guess it. He came around to my house before Christmas for a coffee and a long chat. He left me feeling invigorated, hopeful and enthused. For what I’m trying to do with the podcast and with my Triple Tonic workouts, for sure. But, also just generally excited for life and reassured there are philanthropists like Andy who are out there trying to connec...

Hi, Teddy here. I count myself as pretty fit and healthy - I think that's important to walk the walk as I work as a fitness professional. But for the first time recently I had a full blood panel done and felt a huge amount of relief to find that things are good under the bonnet: hormones, minerals, metabolism and more. I visited GHS Clinics in Cheltenham and can offer you a 10% discount if you...

James Golden is a fitness professional based in the Cotswolds. He's trained athletes and non athletes for decades. But in this conversation he tells me that if someone is starting from scratch trying to get healthier adding movement into daily life could be the key - rather than say three trips to the gym per week. In this conversation James gives concrete examples of how we can add steps and...

I’m half-Welsh. My dad hails from cwmbran. And so presenting on Sky Sports News as Wales wound their way in magical fashion to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 is a treasured memory. A special summer - counterbalanced by the fact that I’m half-English and Wayne’s Rooney’s Three Lions were dumped out by Iceland in ignominious fashion. Ouch. That still hurts.  But it was also a special time for the coun...

Dr Mark Draper ( my dad) is a GP in Gloucestershire and a micro-nutritionist who has run courses for other doctors and medical professionals focussed on the vitamins and minerals we need to be healthy. Here he explains how his interest and passion for vitamins and minerals was sparked when working as a doctor in the Turks and Caicos islands - he and his colleagues found huge improvements in the is...

I don’t know about you, but I don’t really struggle to do health-related things like exercising and eating vegetables. But I’ve founding sleeping well on a regular basis to be a bit of a challenge. Shift work as a sports broadcaster - 2am get-ups in the same week as 2am bedtimes - hasn’t helped. But fundamentally sleeping is the anti-do: relaxation isn’t something you can force through with discip...

If you’re into fitness in Cheltenham, you’re very likely to have come across Katie Brighton-Jones who trains people all over the town in various gyms, pools and fitness locations. I’ve often seen her out jogging in my local stomping ground of Leckhampton too. Katie is a all around font of fitness knowledge, but has two big specialities - working with people training for triathlons helping women ex...

Dr Ran Crooke is co-founder and COO of WellFounded, an international practice changing the face of health and performance medicine for purpose-driven change-makers. Ran, who lives in Cheltenham, was once a local Gloucestershire GP before taking his experience in elite sports and sports medicine to setup WellFounded with his co-founders, ex-paratrooper Dr Andy Crockett, and expedition medic, Dr Jac...

I think for those of us who played a lot of football growing up, there is always a part of us that wonders... could I have made it if I’d tried harder, had more lucky breaks, backed myself more?  Jordan Thomas is evidence that even in age when pro club’s academies cast scouting nets far and wide across the country, it’s possible for a talented kid to be overlooked - but then to make it pro anyway....

What are your thoughts on one of the age old debates in my industry: are athletes born or made? Is it nature or nurture? Usually, we conclude it’s a bit of both. But I certainly get the sense that Jack Clement may have been genetically predisposed to playing pro rugby. He didn’t even play the game until the age of 14 and within a couple of years was representing England in his age group. This is a...

It’s struck me that people are bombarded by a lot of nuance and detail about physical training and fitness.  And it’s true you can go deep into the weeds if you’re looking to maximise performance and conditioning. Not to mention appearance. But that’s irrelevant to someone who isn’t currently moving. The path to getting stronger is brilliantly simple: start lifting something. And beginning with yo...

I believe everyone wants to be fit and healthy. But I also know that in this modern world that encourages sitting around and eating non nourishing food, it can be hard to know how to get going.  So I found this conversation with my bro Max brilliant in breaking down simple steps to feeling healthier and happier.  Areas covered include:  Nutrition, Movement (big focus on walking), Daylight, Mindset...

Happy New Year Message from me, Teddy and a chance to win a £300 voucher for Herring Shoes (handmade in Britain). Please email answers to the question posed in this episode to teddy@drapermedia.co,uk (or hello@drapermedia.co.uk) Thank you for listening to the podcast! ************* Chief Sponsor: Bang & Olufsen Cheltenham: https://stores.bang-olufsen.com/en/united-kingdom/cheltenham/unit-15-th...