True Story London Podcast

Today's storyteller is Donna Freed making her return to the podcast with an intense and insightful story of confronting her father over a moment of seriously unacceptable behaviour. In our conversation afterwards we discuss how the events of the story changed her relationship with her dad, reflections on surviving the Me Too era, and the life changing value she has found in the storytelling proces...

Today's storyteller is Michaela Agapiou sharing the story of when she, as a self-proclaimed "non-sporty" person, decided to take up taekwondo. In our talk afterward we discuss the nature of belonging and achievement, being an outwardly emotional person and craving the same from others, and how she found and fell in love with storytelling. Find Michaela on Instagram at @michaelaagapiou Find The Sto...

Today's storyteller is Julian John sharing the story of his attempts to make both himself, and his parents, proud. In our discussion afterwards we talk about family expectations, the cultural differences between growing up in Nigeria and working in Britain, his fascination with the true stories of creative people, and more. Find Julian on Instagram at @mc_saabii_boi Find his Korak podcast and even...

Today's storyteller is Jess Kasriel sharing her story of attending the prestigious Bath Academy at age 14 whilst being ranked number 2 in the UK for tennis. In our discussion afterwards we talk about the unfair pressures and outdated attitudes to health and nutrition she faced as a teenager in elite sports, the important role her family plays in her life, and how the events of the story have influ...

Today's storyteller is Sergey Katsuba sharing the story of how his relationship with his mother developed alongside the backdrop of increasing anti-LGBT laws and propaganda in his home country of Russia. In our conversation afterwards we discuss reconciling love and politics, how the message of his story changed during the writing process, Russia's LGBT 'extremism' laws, and his PHD work studying...

Today's storyteller is Heenu Nihalani sharing her story of looking for love as an introvert by taking part in an introvert's worst nightmare - speed dating. In our talk afterwards, we discuss the aspirational nature of romantic love, not feeling loveable, her journey towards being authentic on dates, and the realisations she made during the story's development. Find Heenu's writing on Substack her...

Today's storyteller is Anil Qasemi sharing his story of surviving a terrorist attack and subsequently having to flee his home country of Afghanistan. In our discussion afterwards we talk about his inspiring outlook on the world, how he maintains his amazing resilience, optimism and generosity in the face of stark adversity, and get insight into his humanitarian, political and entrepreneurial aspir...

Today's storyteller is Kaitlyn Kelly sharing the story of how her wedding, which she and her parents had been dreaming of since she was a child, didn't quite turn out they way they'd expected. In our conversation afterwards we discuss the significance of weddings, defying parental expectations, her experiences living and performing in Paris, and her techniques for bringing true stories to the stag...

Today's storyteller is Christopher Wade sharing a truly shocking story of betrayal, deceit and radical forgiveness. In our talk afterwards we discuss the influence of his working class upbringing, the meaning and action Christopher has taken in the aftermath of this story's events, and his wise outlook on healing. More information about Christopher's foundation Mulwade can be found at mulwadefound...

Today's storyteller is Martha McBrier telling us about the time she received a terrrifying warning from one of her students. Martha is a brilliant comedian and storyteller who manages to have us in stitches whilst also presenting a story with some truly frightening stakes. As you'll hear, Martha has lived a remarkable life and afterwards we dive deeper into what makes her such a talented storytell...

Content notice: this episode contains the discussion of pregnancy loss. Today's storyteller is Ryan Sheehan sharing a story of pregnancy loss from a father's perspective. It's an emotional, courageous and important perspective on an under-discussed topic, and we're so grateful to Ryan for sharing it with us. Afterwards we talk about just how much has changed in Ryan's life since both the events of...

Today's storyteller is Sina Leasuasu, sharing her story of how a careless comment from a stranger led to a crisis of identity. Her story highlights the reflective power of the storytelling as she grapples with concepts of both cultural and social identity - and what they mean for her. In our talk afterwards, we discuss just how much has changed and evolved for Sina since the telling of the story....

Today's storyteller is Bridget Leigh telling the story of her unconventional childhood obsession, and its impact on her life as a 'weirdo'. Now an experienced teacher, in our conversation afterwards Bridget provides some real insights into both the challenges she faced as an adolescent, and the challenges her students face today. Find Bridget on Instagram here: @msbridgetleigh -- Follow us on Inst...

Today's storyteller is Ezio de Mauro sharing how, and why, he kept his colour blindness a secret for thirty years. Ezio is such an entertaining and compelling storyteller who manages to simultaneously convey both the funny and poignant naure of his unusual situation. In our chat afterward we delve deeper into the topics of shame, acceptance, difference, and inclusion. -- Follow us on Instagram at...

Today's storyteller is Emma Morgan sharing her story of visiting her dying father in hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emma is an executive producer for factual television shows, and in our chat afterwards we dicuss how bringing her own personal true story to the stage differs from the creative process of her day job. We also discuss the emotionally and politically-charged context of her stor...

Today's storyteller is Heleana Blackwell sharing her story of growing up as a black nerd in a conservative, mostly-white small British town. Heleana is an stand-up comedian who also works as a strategist and this story shows us why she excells at both. After the story, we delve deeper into the challenges she faced, and the strategies she used to overcome them. Find Heleana on Instagram here: @h_a_...

Content notice: this episode contains reference to rape . Today's storyteller is Tihane, sharing her story of how a bizarre neurological experience unlocked unsettling, once-buried memories. As a musician and artist, Tihane's distinctive creative style really shines through in this intimate yet bold telling. Afterwards, I talk with Tihane more about the context of her story, the nature of unexplai...

Happy New Year! To mark the end of a year of firsts and experiments for True Story London, we're sharing something special with you. In 2023 we debuted some unique live shows in which songwriters wrote and performed original songs inspired by another person's true story. We'd like you to have a taste of these magical shows as we close out the year - this is True Story Soundtrack. Stories: Bonnie's...

Today's storyteller is Donna Freed , telling us the wild and fascinating story of finding out she was adopted - and the shocking revelation of just who her birth parents were. Donna has written an entire excellent memoir on this topic, so we have plenty to talk about in our discussion after the story. Donna's memoir 'Duplicity: My Mother's Secrets' is available now, published by Muswell Press: htt...

Today's storyteller is Maria Shehata , talking about the time she fell in love with someone across the Atlantic, then quickly fell out of love when they met in person. Maria is a brilliantly funny stand-up comedian and her story follows suit. Though, in our talk afterward, you'll also hear about how this story has more serious meaning in her life, and how both Maria's approach to her craft and und...

Today's storyteller is Jess Carrivick , sharing her story of being diagnosed with the chronic pain disorder vulvodynia. Jess delights in shocking the audience into laughter while talking candidly about this rarely-discussed and really important health issue. After her story, we discuss the use of humor to broach serious topics, the nature of chronic illness, and how people with vaginas could be be...

Today's storyteller is Michael Noel , sharing his story of how an optimistic road trip turned very dark. Since Michael is based in California, this is our first interview conducted entirely online - but we just had to give him a call to hear his developing insights into how he makes sense of this dramatic and transformative episode in his life. Follow Michael on Instagram here: @itsreallymichaelno...

Today's storyteller is Dee Gibson, sharing how she realised her charmed life wasn't actually going in the direction she wanted - and what she did about it. Despite the difficult and unique circumstances, Dee manages to make this story highly relatable with insights into breaking with tradition, listening to intuition, and pursuing an unexpected path. Stick around after the story to hear Dee go int...

Today’s storyteller is Joe Milik, sharing his adventures in helping his friend and doppelganger to stage a proposal in the Welsh countryside. It’s a funny, risky, highly entertaining story and afterward I’ll talk with Joe about how he came to storytelling, what drives us to take risks, and look closer at story structure and craft. -- Find out about our live shows, workshops and past podcast episod...

Today's storyteller is Ayanda Tambo, sharing her surreal experience of receiving a prestigious award from a prominent yet divisive public figure. Ayanda has such a measured and wise outlook on the events of the story, the wider societal context, and her own future as she steps into the working world. Stick around after the story when we dive deeper into all of these topics and more. Ayanda (and th...