The Convex Conversation

Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies / economist Paul Johnson explores the state of Britain’s economy and explains what’s needed for recovery and vital economic growth.   Paul – who writes a column for The Times newspaper – says the absolute priority is for inflation, currently at a 40-year high, to come down and be under control, and explains how trade-offs are essential.   He's a regular...

Light Artist Chris Levine takes us behind the scenes on his sittings at Buckingham Palace to create the first holographic portraits of The Queen and explains how Her Majesty embraced his innovative and complex techniques.   ‘Lightness of Being’ - which captures the Queen with her eyes closed wearing the Diadem she wore to her Coronation – and ‘Equanimity’ hang in London’s National Portrait Gallery...

Hazel Findlay has been climbing for 27 of her 33 years. She tells Helen how tackling the most difficult, vertical, steep rocks is what motivates her most and shares her joy of sleeping in a makeshift hammock hanging from a sheer rock face.   On a recent expedition to Greenland, Hazel made two ‘first ascents’, climbing massive walls that no one has ever conquered, and explains how much harder it is...

More people have been to space than have been Yeoman Warders at The Tower of London - a role created by King Henry V11 after the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.    Former Royal Marine Commando Andy Merry talks about the Yeoman Warders’ role in modern day history, giving us a behind the scenes look at guarding Her Majesty The Queen as she lay in state; their involvement in the proclamation of Kin...

In our first podcast of 2023, Mindset Coach Kamran Bedi talks about how to deal with the overwhelming feelings many people have as a new year dawns, and how to achieve a positive mindset and live more in the present.   Kamran – author of The Anxiety Antidote & Your Mind is Your Home – tells Helen that now is a good time to take a look at our minds and shares positive tips on how to start.   He als...

Entrepreneur and pioneer Margo Marrone reveals how she grew her business from a shop in London’s Kings Road 20 years ago - at a time when there was a lot of scepticism about ‘organic’ - into a global brand with a presence in more than 40 countries.   Margo – a pharmacist, homeopath, yogi and shaman - has dedicated her life to healing and finding natural ways to promote wellness of the mind, body a...

Sam Zeller shares the story behind lifting the first ever World Cup for Physical Disability Rugby League for England, beating New Zealand 42-10 in a tough game to become champions. Sam - a 23-year-old claims adjuster at Convex - says the England team's focus is now on getting more exposure for the game to ensure more people are able to play. The England side is made up of players with cerebral pal...

Consultant anaesthetist Dr Manish Raval of Moorfield’s Eye Hospital reflects on 11 years volunteering for Orbis, travelling to places like Peru, Zambia and Mongolia to work on surgeries on board their state-of-the-art Flying Eye Hospital and in the community.   Manish explains that 1.1 billion people have some sight loss yet 90% is avoidable. Orbis - a non profit organisation - empowers local medi...

It’s Friday night at St Columba’s Church in London’s Knightsbridge. Helen joins Haircuts4Homeless founder Stewart Roberts at work and chats to some of those who turn up for a free cut and warm meal.   Stewart started offering homeless people haircuts eight years ago. He now has 600 volunteers who have given more than 40,000 cuts all over the UK and Ireland, and the charity is proud that Game of Th...

As COP27 approaches, Callum Roberts - Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of Exeter - talks about the Convex Seascape Survey, an ambitious five-year scientific research programme to fathom out how the ocean could be a vital asset in slowing planetary warming.   The seabed is the ultimate sink for carbon emissions but has been overlooked and undervalued because of insufficient and in...

Globally renowned business expert Adam Kingl talks to Helen about the three generations in today’s workforce - baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y   By 2025, it’s estimated Gen Y will make up 75% of the global workforce but a typical Gen Y doesn’t tend to stay in a job long-term.   Adam explains the paradigms and events which have led to the creation of a generation who demand a better work-life balance...

As Hampton Court Palace prepares to host the 10th Tusk Conservation Awards, Helen is in Northern Kenya with the awards' partner/co-creators Ninety One to meet their first ever winner, Tom Lalampaa.   Tom - CEO of the North Rangelands Trust - explains how he’s found success brokering peace with feuding tribes in Northern Kenya using a conservancy method to ensure communities, wildlife and the habit...

As the UK’s cost of living crisis deepens, Helen meets the Deputy Editor of MoneySavingExpert.com - Helen Saxon - for advice on what we can all do to survive the coming months.   With energy rates soaring, as well as food, broadband, council tax and fuel going up in a way we haven’t seen since the 1970s, Helen shares her expertise and offers some practical advice.   Money Saving Expert Martin Lewi...

60 years ago Sean Connery uttered those immortal words “Bond, James Bond” when Dr No premiered in October 1962.   As the franchise celebrates the milestone with a focus on the iconic music scores, Helen talks to Neal Callow - Art Director of the last five Bond films starring Daniel Craig – and Austrian entrepreneur Jakob Falkner – the man behind the world’s first permanent Bond installation.   Nea...

Fresh from performing 25 one-woman shows at the Fringe, New York comedian Emily Wilson talks to Helen about her “life-changing” experience in Edinburgh. In the show, written by Emily and Sam Blumenfeld, Emily shares the humiliating story of being a finalist on The X Factor USA when she was just 15, performing in front of Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and the other judges. Through hysterical, se...

Ten-year-old Betsi Rose Powley tells Helen that sharing her battle with Ewing Sarcoma - a rare form of cancer - with 70,000+ followers on Instagram has kept her positive through gruelling chemo & radiotherapy, and made her happy she's helped others cope with with their treatment.    In her first podcast, Betsi says making short films from her hospital bed at The Royal Marden kept her going, gave h...

Pilot and founder of Spitfires.com Matt Jones shares extraordinary stories with Helen from his record-breaking and risky circumnavigation of the globe in G-IRTY - a beautifully restored 1943 Mk IX Silver Spitfire. Matt and his team flew 22,138 nautical miles around the world in just four months, crossing deserts, red mountains, barren areas of Russia, fields of ice and stunning cobalt lakes - clim...

This week Helen visits a small primary school in Ntumbiri in Northern Kenya to meet Ephantus Mugo - winner of Disney's Conservation Hero Award 2020 - to find out and experience how children are learning the value of conservation to improve their lives.  Ephantus explains the challenges rural communities in Kenya face and how, in his role as Conservation Education Programme Coordinator for Lewa Con...

Stephen King described Sarah Pinborough’s psychological thriller Behind Her Eyes as ‘bloody brilliant’. Netflix snapped it up and made it into a hugely successful six-part series in record time The ending - #wtfthatending - trended on social media and the book, like many of Sarah’s others, shot to the top of best-sellers lists all over the world. Sarah talks us through what happened, how her mum f...

This week I’m in Northern Kenya with an 11-person team from investment firm Ninety One to document their unique experience taking part in Tusk's annual marathon through the beautiful Lewa Wildlife Conservancy alongside some of the world’s most endangered species. The corporate team raised money for Tusk and visited incredible projects funded by the conservation charity, including schools, to see f...

London’s Ambulance Service is the busiest in the world, receiving around seven thousand 999 calls a day. Jules Lockett shares stories from her 21 years at the heart of the Emergency Operations Centre - as a call-handler, trainer & now EOC General Manager – and reveals her pride in wearing the NHS/Ambulance uniform. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Jules talks about 50 years of Pride and how Lo...

In part two of our special, F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart explains the dangers of emotion & how he managed to remove that emotion before a race by forcing himself to read despite having severe dyslexia. The former three-times World Champion talks about how dangerous racing was in the sixties & seventies, his crash at Spa in 1966 and the safety measures he fought hard to bring in, even though it did...

In part one of our two-part special, former three-times World Champion Sir Jackie shares stories from his heyday in racing – the close bond with other F1 drivers & their families, the excitement, glamour & adrenalin but also the incredible dangers & sadness of losing friends on the track. Jackie’s beloved wife of 60 years, Helen, was his stopwatch, timing his laps to the millisecond with unwaverin...

Simon Jeffries, co-founder of The Natural Edge, explains how mindset is a skillset & the path to long-term happiness begins & ends with our minds. Drawing from his own personal experiences, including eight years & three tours as a Special Forces soldier, Simon shares some simple tips for making positive change, starting the journey to turn our potential into peak performance. If you’ve plateaued,...

Led Zeppelin’s frontman Robert Plant is to thank for two of the nation’s most loved & respected broadcasters hitting the road to share extraordinary stories from a combined 100 years in the music business. Bob Harris & Danny Baker have been touring Britain with ‘Harris and Baker’s Backstage Pass’ recounting tales from the most seminal moments in music history featuring icons like David Bowie, Marc...