The Just Checking In Podcast

In episode 311 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with journalist Christian Hewgill. We first checked in with Christian in December 2022, in JCIP #160!At that point in time, he had recently left the BBC where he worked on BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat programme as a reporter and presenter for five years, and was working freelance. In 2025, he is still working freelance but in 2023, his ol...

In episode 310 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Sam Northwood. We first checked in with Sam Northwood in November 2021 in JCIP #77! In his Part 1 we discussed his journey of acceptance as a gay man, the difficulties he had during his university degree, and his love of cooking, which manifested in his ‘Sam Well Cooks’ Instagram page. In those four years, Sam may have found an...

In episode 309 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Georgie J.Georgie is a marketing professional, describing herself as a ‘disruptive marketer’, and works in the men’s space, as well as with other brands in contentious topics who wish to work with her. However, Georgie began her career in a very different space, as she completed her university degree in contour fashion, before compl...

In episode 308 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Lizzie Bielicki. Lizzie works as a social media and content strategist. In this episode we discuss her professional journey in content and social media. We also discuss the marketing business she ran for several years, and the sad decision she had to make to close the business. We talk about some of her career highlights, which has...

In episode 307 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Alicia Duncan. Alicia is a writer, soon-to-be-published author and, in her words, advocates for transparency, ethical oversight, and accountability in Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) system. Alicia’s advocacy comes from her own experience of the MAiD system. In 2021, Alicia’s mother died through accessing MAiD, despite n...

In this episode of Behind The Mic we checked in with Neil Dowd from pop-punk band, Autumn Fires. Autumn Fires was started by lead singer Charlotte and her current partner, who also plays in the band, and are part of the new wave of pop-punk bands keeping the genre alive and kicking in the UK.In this episode we discuss Neil’s music journey, how he joined the band, the band’s latest EP and the massi...

In episode 306 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in for a third time with journalist James Bloodworth. James Bloodworth is a New Statesman columnist and the author of three books: his seminal book ‘Hired’, the first book he wrote was called ‘The Myth of Meritocracy’, which we discussed in-depth in his first JCIP and his third book, the critically acclaimed ‘Lost Boys: A Personal Journey T...

In episode 305 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Melanie Williams. Mel is the Founder of 'Mel Williams Coaching'. She also works as an Mental Health First Aid Instructor for MHFA England, and as an Associate Tutor for Suicide First Aid. In this episode we discuss her varied career, from working at Nationwide Building Society, setting up her first business 'Reinspire...

In episode 304 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Nikhil Patel, alongside his mother, Gita Patel. Nikhil Patel currently works as English Teacher and Student Support Lead at the Cambridge International School, based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where he has worked since August 2021.We first checked in with Nik way back when in JCIP #40, in May 2020!We discussed his ti...

In episode 303 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with returning guest Evan Grant, alongside his wife, Carol Grant. We first checked in with Evan in JCIP #278, where we discussed his career in IBM, fatherhood and most poignantly, the life and death of his son Cameron, who took his own life in 2014, when he was just 21 years old. We also discussed Cameron’s legacy and the work he an...

In episode 302 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Mark Ferris. Mark is a proud stepfather to two boys and lives with his wife Sarah in Chelmsford in Essex. However, the reason we are checking in is because of an important campaign Sarah and Mark are running to raise money for life-saving treatment for one of his stepsons, Callum. Callum is currently 15 years old and one day, he was...

In this episode of Behind The Decks we checked back in for third time with a VENT favourite, Snowdream. Elliot is someone who has gone from strength to strength in the last few years we've been checking in with him. The first time we checked in, in July 2020 we discussed his music journey, music perfectionism culture and his bisexuality. In Part 2, in June 2023, he had started a new adventure...

In episode 301 of The Just Checking In Podcast we decided to do a special 'Ask Me Anything' pod! Our Founder Freddie answers a batch of questions submitted by you the venters. He gives an insight into some of his dream guests, favourite music that boosts his mental health and which form of therapy he's accessed that's helped him the most! As always, #itsokaytoventSupport Us:Pat...

In episode 300 of The Just Checking In Podcast, we marked the milestone with a special episode dedicated to our Founder Freddie's university tutor, Dr Sabina Avdagic, who taught him in the final year of his degree. In this episode Freddie provides the context for where he was on his mental health journey in his third and final year of his undergraduate degree at the University of Sussex, wher...

In episode 299 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Andrew Hill. Andy is is the Founder of UTurnBack2Basics. Based in Norfolk, Uturn creates outdoor experiences designed for people to reconnect with the fundamentals of life - self-awareness, survival skills, and personal growth. Their mission is to support individuals from all walks of life, with a strong focus on veterans and vulner...

In episode 298 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Garry Miller. Garry is a communications professional and worked as a publicist in the BBC Sport communications team at the same time our Founder Freddie worked at the BBC.Garry’s first proper job was working for Wigan Council, where he cut his teeth across a range of areas including policy, project management and investigating benef...

In episode 297 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Jay Williams, and his mother Niru Williams. Jay is a childhood friend of our Founder Freddie, who met whilst playing at Wanstead Cricket Club together. They have now known each other for over 20 years. Jay first came on the podcast in September 2020, when he appeared as a guest on our Mind On The Game series. Since we started VENT,...

In episode 296 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Dan Foreman. Dan is the Co-Founder of ‘Chaps for Chaps’, which he started alongside five of his friends. It started when they were working out in the gym he owns, Built by Novo Fitness in Bexhill. They had put some country music on whilst working out and they wondered if it would be a good idea to do workouts in country outfits as a...

In Part 2 of our check in with journalist and author Andrew Shields, we discuss marriage, fatherhood and how his work (especially with LOCOG) impacted his family life and the sacrifices he had to make, along with his wife Elaine, who supported him hugely in being able to make them. We then discuss the death of his mum, which happened in the run-up to this podcast, the mental health impact that her...

In episode 295 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Andrew Shields. Andrew Shields is a journalist, communications and events management professional and published author who has worked in the world of sports media for over 40 years. Andrew graduated from the University of Warwick with a BA in American and English Literature and began climbing the ladder in sports journalism in the m...

In episode 294 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Natasha Moore. Natasha is communications professional, consultant and the Co-Founder of Moore Squared Communications. She started it with her sister, Charlotte Moore, who is an ex-investment analyst and is now an established and respected pensions journalist. Natasha spent the most recent decade working in corporate communications i...

In episode 293 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Elliot Bewick. Elliot is a producer, presenter and the host of The Next Generation Podcast, which bills itself as ‘a home for Gen Z to be exposed to different viewpoints, learn lessons from the past & search their way to a meaningful and fulfilled life’.Elliot got his start in media production when he was just 15 years old, thro...

In episode 292 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Kyt Lyn Walken. Kyt is a qualified man-tracker and the Founder of her own tracking business, The Way of Tracking. Kyt’s father was obsessed with western television and movies and he introduced her to man tracking skills from the age of around 5/6 years old. In 2012/2013 she got into survival skills professionally and found a school...

In episode 291 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Leigh Edwards. Leigh Edwards works as a QA Analyst for a housing association and helps lead on the community work that men's mental health charity Mandem Meet Up (MMU) carries out in Wolverhampton. Leigh was raised by a single mum in a difficult neighbourhood of Wolverhampton, but achieved the grades to study at university. He...

In episode 290 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Angela Allen. Angela is the Founder of ‘Bags for Strife’, a charity which supports people bereaved by suicide, set up by people bereaved by suicide. When Angela’s 23-year-old daughter Katrina died by suicide on 8th November 2019, she reached out to friends and loved ones and asked them what the overriding emotions they felt when the...