The Just Checking In Podcast

In this landmark two hundredth episode of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with conflict journalist and researcher Aram Shabanian. Aram is the Open-Source Information Gathering (OSIG) Manager at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy. In this episode we discuss his unconventional route into conflict journalism, after having to study at two different universities after dropping o...

In episode 199 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with academic Dr Andrew George Thomas. Andrew is currently Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Swansea University, researching in the area of Evolutionary Psychology. Andrew did his BSc in Psychology at Cardiff university but moved to Swansea university for his PhD where he studied with Professor Steve Stewart-Williams. In order to fund his...

In this episode of Behind The Decks we checked in with Jack McNeilage who forms one half of Scottish dance music production duo, Able Faces. Jack formed the group with his brother Mark and in this episode we discuss the two brothers' music journey, from starting a band to meeting their now manager and becoming a songwriting duo before moving into music production and recently DJing too. We al...

In episode 198 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Kat May Romero. Kat is a freelance journalist and is involved in a campaign called 'Formula for Change' which is being led by The Metro, in partnership with charity Feed UK. They are all calling on the UK Government to urgently review their infant formula legislation and give retailers the green light to accept loyalty poi...

In this episode of Reel Stories we checked in with actor and producer Danny Kirrane. Danny is best known for his roles in the TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, Pirates of the Carribbean: Salazar’s Revenge, The Serpent Queen and TV show Wasted where he starred alongside Sean Bean. He also has credits in shows like Skins, Casualty, Trollied and Poldark. In this episode of Reel Stories we t...

In episode 197 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Dr Karleen Gribble. Karleen is an Adjunct Association Professor at Western Sydney University, where she specialises in Infant feeding, child trauma, foster care and adoption. In this episode we discuss her academic journey and a case study she did on a woman who had detransitioned and experienced deep regret and trauma over a double...

In episode 196 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Gar Lock. Gar is an Irish farmer who helps ex-prisoners reintegrate into society, learn social skills and life skills and improve their physical and mental health. Gar had this desire from being in prison himself where he spent 3.5 years of his life. Whilst in prison, he realised he needed to change himself and his life in order to...

In this episode of Behind The Mic we checked in with Norwegian R&B and pop artist, Severin. Severin got into music through discovering UK rock band Royal Blood. After being in bands and performing in English for a few years, he realised it wasn’t authentic to him as an artist and he began singing, writing and producing in his native Norwegian and carved out his own path as a solo artist. In th...

In episode 195 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with writer Alina Clough. Alina has a regular column for Evie Magazine and in this episode we discuss how she got into professional writing, from initially writing about conservation issues to how she landed her regular column at Evie today. We came across Alina through one of her articles in Evie entitled 'Dance Moms Are Using Soci...

In this episode of Behind The Mic, we checked in with UK artist Jade Morgan Kelly. We came across Jade through a covers medley video she did for BBC Introducing, as well as her smash hit ‘Reason To Stay ft. Jarkii Monno’.In this episode we discuss how Jade got into the music industry, from her diploma at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) in London, to her undergraduate degree in...

In episode 194 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Elliott Wheat-Bowen. Elliott was the Founder of Huddersfield Town fan platform, Talk of The Town (TOTT). Our Founder Freddie Cocker was the co-founder of this platform and wrote for it extensively before he started Vent in 2017.Elliott then made the decision to close the platform down and in this episode we discuss the journey of TO...

In this episode of Mind On The Game we checked back in with Charlie Roebuck. Charlie previously came on the podcast in JCIP #42 in June 2020 to discuss his cricketing journey, the mental health impact of long-term injuries, suicidality and self-harm. Three years later, Charlie has taken up a new sport in running and has used it to channel his emotions, including the grief of his grandfather and ra...

In episode 193 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Dr Rakib Ehsan. Rakib is an academic, commentator and the author of 'Beyond Grievance: What The Left Gets Wrong About Ethnic Minorities', which was published in June 2023.He is currently a columnist at Spiked magazine and a regular contributor for Mail Plus and The Telegraph. He has also written for other outlets including...

In episode 192 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Patrick Moore. Patrick is a sports journalist and has worked for rugby league team Huddersfield Giants and the BBC, the latter of which he is leaving for a new role at time of recording. In this episode we discuss his journey into sports journalism, work-life balance in sports journalism and working in a highly-pressurised environme...

In episode 191 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Jacob George. Jacob works as an engineer and is a childhood friend of our Founder Freddie Cocker. He first came on the podcast three years ago in JCIP #23.In Part 1 of Jacob’s journey, we discussed his experience of anxiety, panic attacks and depression. We also discussed his experience of fatherhood, having become a dad when h...

In episode 190 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with journalist Matt Graveling. Matt currently works freelance for a range of outlets including the BBC, predominantly on sports stories. In this episode we discuss how and why Matt got into journalism, his previous lives as a dogwalker, an NHS worker and packing boxes in a factory before he broke into journalism, fighting tooth and nail...

In episode 189 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Jennifer Jordan. Jennifer is a Freelance Digital PR Manager and lives with a female health condition called Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder(PMDD).PMDD is a rare form of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) which causes a range of emotional and physical symptoms every month during the week or two before a woman’s period. PMDD usually occurs d...

In episode 188 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with sports journalist Bryn Law. Bryn has worked in sports media for 30 years. He spent 21 of those years at Sky Sports where he made his name as a reporter, commentator and presenter. Four years ago he left Sky Sports and has been working freelance ever since for a range of different outlets. He is also the author of two books: ‘Zombie...

In episode 187 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Alfie Fitzsimmons. Alfie is the Founder of Alfie's Squad, which is is a non-profit organisation working to help children bereaved by parental suicide. Alfie started this charity because when he was eight years old, in May 2017, Alfie tragically lost his father Keith to suicide. Initially, his mother Allison was worried about te...

In this episode of Behind The Decks we checked back in with UK producer and DJ, Snowdream. In Part 1 we talked to Elliot about music perfectionism culture, his bisexuality and the challenges and positives that has brought to his life. In Part 2 In this episode we discuss his first ever live DJ set at Just Checking In Live #4 (Take Two), his TikTok following he has built and balancing that new vent...

In episode 186 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with writer Will Hayes. We came across Will through a response piece he wrote on the Centre for Male Psychology website entitled 'Why Men don’t write about Sex and Dating'. The original piece was published in The Guardian by journalist Imogen West-Knights entitled 'Why do hardly any straight men write about sex and dating?...

In episode 185 of The Just Checking In Podcast, we checked in with food entrepreneur Josh Storkey. Josh is the Founder and inventor of Stork Sauce, a range of hot sauces that can be used on a range of foods to inject flavour and excitement. Josh has always been intrigued by how fermentation can change and develop new flavours in food. During the Covid-19 period in the summer of 2020 and with a lot...

In episode 184 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Dr Joe Whittaker. Joe is a Lecturer in Cyber Threats at Swansea University’s Cyber Threats Research Centre, housed in their Law department. His PhD analysed the online behaviours of Islamic State terrorists in the USA from the years 2012-2018, conducted as a joint degree with Swansea University and Leiden University. He has also res...

This is Part 2 of personal trainer and mental health advocate James Roffey's story. In Part 2 we explore the origins of his eating disorder, the destructive behaviours and habits it made him adopt and the eight years he was trapped in its grip. We discuss why his sports psychologist was a massive influence on his recovery, why traditional therapy didn’t help him and how he successfully moved...

In episode 183 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with personal trainer and mental health advocate, James Roffey. James brands himself as ‘The Mental Health Personal Trainer’. When James was in his 20s, he developed an eating disorder which was triggered by three key life events: being released by Charlton Athletic FC’s academy, failing a business studies exam when he was doing his AS l...