The Just Checking In Podcast

In episode 218 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with journalist Melissa Fleur Afshar. We came across Melissa through an article she wrote on Newsweek about the contraceptive pill entitled ‘Did My Pill Cause Cancer?' Women Describe How the Pill Changed Their Lives’. In the article she speaks to women and medical experts about the physical and mental impact of the pill on these wom...

In episode 217 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with journalist Chris McHugh. Chris currently works as a broadcast journalist for BBC Oxford. We came across Chris through friend of the pod Matt Graveling who sent us a story Chris had done around miscarriage and baby loss with a charity called Wynter’s Wish FC.Wynter's Wish FC are a bereavement football team for men affected by ba...

In episode 216 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Brett Scott. Brett is the author of ‘Cloud Money: Why the War on Cash Endangers Our Freedom’.Brett also has a SubStack called ‘Altered States of Monetary Consciousness’ where he explores the frontiers of modern money and in his words ‘draws pictures of it to help you see our economic system with new eyes’.In this episode we begin by...

In episode 215 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Amanda Dashwood. Amanda currently works as a Practitioner for The Revenge Porn Helpline. Amanda has worked for the helpline since October 2021, which support all adults affected by Intimate Image Abuse (IIA) in the UK. In the podcast, we refer to revenge porn as IIA throughout as this is the established umbrella term for it. In this...

In episode 214 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with entrepreneur, businessman and teacher, Leo Winstanley. Leo is the Founder of Hand-I-Craft, which makes bespoke furniture tailor-made to their customers requirements. They make everything from simple candle holders to kitchen accessories, household furniture and outdoor and garden furniture. Hand-I-Craft was born out of a hugely trau...

In episode 213 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Jack Sirkett. In part 1 we discussed his events promoter group 'Soul City', which he co-founded with his friend from university, Jack Lydon and his experience of tinnitus. Since we last checked in, in JCIP #28 Jack has now co-founded a record label called 'LoveTime Guarantee' and put more time and investment...

In episode 212 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Zac Fine. Zac is a therapist, former journalist and host of 'The Masculinity Therapist' podcast. Zac focuses on helping men and boys with their mental health and has a particular focus on helping divorced men through a method he employs called ‘The Ceasefire Method’ and advocates for greater awareness around the UK’s famil...

In this episode of Behind The Decks we checked in with producer and DJ, Balthazard. Marco was born and raised in Switzerland but is based in London at time of recording, after moving to the city two years ago. Marco’s career debut started as a live drummer and he toured across the globe including countries like the USA, China and Dubai. After being behind the decks at main events in Switzerland an...

In episode 211 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Tara Ann Thieke. Tara is a writer, homemaker and the mother of five children. Tara worked with children for 15 years before she decided to have children of her own. In this episode we discuss motherhood, what women need from men to help them be good mothers and vice versa, the problems facing children today when it comes to their me...

In this episode of Behind The Mic we checked back in with artist Tobiah Frei. Tobiah Frei first came on BTM in September 2022 to discuss his music journey, overcoming stage anxiety, evolving as an artist and the impact that the death of a childhood friend had on him in 2014. This period of grief led to a mental health breakdown in 2017, which thankfully he has now overcome. In Part 2, we talk abou...

In episode 210 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with academic Dr Emily Setty. Emily is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Surrey and focuses on research around young people and their relationships, harmful sexual behaviour and online harms. In this episode we tackle the issue of consent education and wider sex education for young people today, especially young men. We discuss why...

In this episode of Behind The Decks we checked in with producer and DJ, Ryan Doyle. In this episode we discuss his music journey, from initially pursuing a career in Marine Biology to changing course to pursue a career in music and then obtaining a Masters in music production in 2022.For industry issues, we discuss the relentless nature of being an independent artist, work-life balance, burnout an...

In this episode of Behind The Mic we checked in with lead singer of Scottish band, La Mantra, Ryan Connor. In this episode we discuss his music journey and how to avoid being exploited as a young artist in the music industry. For Ryan’s mental health, we discuss his diagnosis of Autism and ADHD. We explore how it impacted his childhood and adolescence, how its influenced his creativity and how tak...

In this episode of Behind The Decks we checked in with Norwegian producer, FRO$TY. We came across FRO$TY through his brilliant sophomore EP ‘STARTED // OVER’, which he released in October 2023.In this episode we discuss his music journey in Norway, from picking up the drums when he was three years old, the guitar at 6/7 and starting to produce his own beats when he was 17. Philip then went to prod...

In episode 209 of The Just Checking In Podcast, we checked back in with mental health advocate Danny Bowman. Danny is currently a PHD student and researcher at the University of Liverpool, Research Lead and Head of Communications at The Conservative Mental Health Group and a Fellow at The Royal Society of Arts. We first checked in with Danny in JCIP #70 where we discussed his Body Dysmorphic Disor...

In episode 208 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with content creator and designer Teddy Lange. Teddy spent 10 years figuring out his life path and veering from things he enjoyed because of what he believed he ‘should’ be pursuing due to societal expectations before arriving at the place he is now. In this episode we discuss his professional journey, from theatre to studying life scien...

In episode 207 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with entrepreneur Sunil Jindal. Sunil is also an old school friend of our Founder Freddie Cocker. Sunil is the Founder of The Ping Pong Society, a company which offers businesses and their staff bespoke one-hour long events to give them a taste of table tennis in a fun and accessible way. He is also the Co-Founder of MAGIC, a fitness-tec...

In episode 206 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with writer and Swindon Town fan Liam Walsh. Liam is the author of ‘Red Balloons: A Father, A son: A Memoir’, where he writes about losing his 15-year-old son Patrick in January 2020. Patrick had gone to a football match to watch Tottenham Hotspur, Liam and Patrick's second team play and collapsed suddenly for no clear, explainable...

In this episode of Behind The Decks, we checked in with DJ and producer Russell Small. Russell Small is the founder of two iconic UK house music groups, Phats & Small and later, the Freemasons. The very first record Phats & Small ever put out called ‘Turn Around’ in 1999 was a smash hit, peaking at number two on the UK singles chart and catapulted them both into international fame and star...

In episode 205 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with YouTuber and writer, Alexander L.Alex lives in Norway and moved there from Poland when he was 16 years old. He suffered severe bullying when he was at school in Poland which caused him to develop sex dysphoria and a feeling he was not 'good enough' to be a man. He also felt disgust towards his genitalia and had a strong de...

In episode 204 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Stephen J Shaw. Stephen is an academic, data scientist and the writer, director and producer of the film 'Birthgap - Childless World'.Birthgap analyses the data of falling birth-rates across the world, the societal, economic and cultural reasons this is happening and what the consequences of it will be. Stephen also speaks...

In episode 203 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with firefighter Dean Corney. Dean is also the co-founder of Walk & Talk 999, which is a men's walking group in the in the UK for any man in the emergency services to walk and talk about their mental health, if they want to, and be met with empathy, trust and understanding. The group was setup in 2018 by four women and two men,...

In episode 202 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with journalist Angela Walker. Angela has over 20 years’ experience as a news reporter including twelve years as a Senior Journalist with BBC News. She now works freelance and has her own podcast ‘Angela Walker Reports’.In this episode we chart her journalism journey, from a chance opportunity to go on local radio to talk about the motor...

In episode 201 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with journalist and author Madeleine Davies. Madeleine is currently Senior Writer at The Church Times. Madeleine is also the author of the book 'Lights For The Path', which aims to help young adults and teenagers dealing with grief. Madeleine wrote the book out of her own grief she experienced when she lost her mother when she...

In this episode of Behind The Mic we checked in with UK artist Lily Ward. Lily started working in the industry when she was 16 years old and has been singing and playing instruments for far longer. In this episode we chart her journey from a 16-year-old starting out to where she is now, how much growth and potential she has going forward as she is still only 23 years old and the pressure she feels...