Words of Affirmation

It's Carers Week and so we're back with a bonus episode while we're between series. This week we talk about the language of care and dissect this year's theme for Carers Week; carer friendly communities. Does this do enough to genuinely change our experiences of care? And what are the more radical and transformative ideas we should be calling for? We'll be back soon with series...

Our final episode of 2025 is a bit of fun as Hannah and Ruth reveal their words of the year. Let us know your words of the year in the comments. Thanks for listening to our little podcast. May 2026 care for you all. Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan. You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon . You can find out mo...

This week we’re joined by Joe Durbidge to talk about the concept and meaning of “the gig economy”. We discuss how it’s a lot less fun than it sounds and how understanding workers rights for some shines a light on systemic patterns affecting the rights of us all.  Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan. Our guest Joe Durbidge is a campaign-led r...

This week we take on the language of ‘vulnerable people’ and explore what it means for how we live, work and care for each other. We’re joined by Bryony Shannon, author of the Rewriting Social Care blog and the book - ‘Rewriting Social Care: Challenging and Changing Language and Practice for a Better, Brighter Future’ . She has almost 20 years’ experience in adult social care information, communic...

This week we’re talking about the ‘housing ladder’. We explore how the idea of a ladder keeps our attention on home ownership over other tenures, and whether the metaphor stands up in the midst of today’s housing market. Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan. You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon . You can find o...

This week we’re talking about ‘taxpayers money’ and exploring how such a commonplace phrase leans us towards less public spending and creates a dividing line between who public services are and aren’t for. Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan. You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon . You can find out more about h...

This week we talk about the language of crisis and ask whether it enables or prevents us from moving towards a fairer economy.  Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan. You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon . You can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website . This week we talked about: Adam Tooze on the p...

This week we’re joined by Jason Bunting to talk about fairness in the economy and explore what it means for how we live, work and care for each other. *We had a few issues with Ruth’s sound so apologies for some crackling sounds whilst she’s talking. It’s all good stuff she’s saying so we’ve kept it in!* Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan....

This week we deep dive into the 'benefits system’ and ask what using this language means for our shared understanding of what benefits are and why they exist. Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan. You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon . And, you can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website . This w...

This week we take on ‘social mobility’ and explore what it means for how we live, work and care for each other. Does a focus on individual mobility obscure structural inequalities? And what would a more collective guide for our economy look like? Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan. You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to ou...

This is a preview from our Patreon bonus episode! To listen to the full episode sign up to be a supporter of Words of Affirmation: https://www.patreon.com/collection/1523755 After the vote on the Welfare Reform Bill we take a look at the language shaping the terms of the debate. From supporting the most vulnerable to moralising work, what can we learn about the future of our social security system...

This week we explore our collective obsession with GDP and ask whether we need an alternative or to move away from simplistic stats altogether. Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan. You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our ⁠ Patreon ⁠ . And, you can find out more about hosts Care Full on ⁠ our website ⁠ . This week we talk...

This week we take on ‘hard-working families’ and explore what it means for how we live, work and care for each other. Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan. You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon . And, you can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website . This week we talked about: This 2005 Guardian artic...

This week we take on ‘economic inactivity’ and explore what it means for how we live, work and care for each other. Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan. You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon . And, you can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website . This week we talked about: Emma Holten’s book Deficit...

Welcome to Words of Affirmation, the new podcast from Care Full, where we demystify and dismantle the words and phrases propping up our economy. Each week we’ll take on some of the language swirling around the political and economic discourse; exploring where it comes from, what it means and how it’s holding us back from a fairer economy for all of us. From hard working families to economic activi...