Stories of Survival in the Modern Age

At 56, after more than 30 years in education, Dr. Charlotte Garbutt decided it was time to do something completely different. She retrained as a personal stylist and colour analyst and started her own business, not because she had suddenly become someone else, rather she wanted to re-empower herself and try something new. In this conversation, Charlotte and I talk about reinvention, confidence and...

Six years ago, Brett Henry and I talked about authenticity and reinvention. We had no idea then just how much life was still going to change. Since that conversation, we've experienced loss, relocation, a move back to the UK, and semi-retirement. And now he's embarking on something completely new, training to become an independent civil celebrant. And yet... is it really something new? I...

What happens when you sit around a table with people you've known since primary school? In this episode, I'm joined by three old friends, Joanne Gallacher (Stanley), Nichola Prescott (Preston) and Lorna Read (Symon), and rather than a carefully planned interview, we simply start talking. We chat about what has changed over the five decades since we first met, what hasn't, getting ol...

Lauren Sellick's story takes us through bereavement, betrayal, redundancy, lockdown, romance scams, perinatal mental health struggles and the difficult reality of becoming a mum when you're not sure you can be what your baby needs. Lauren fell in love believing she'd found her person, only to have her marriage end in a five-minute phone call. Already feeling isolated and unwanted, s...

What if the things we’ve been told about ourselves become the very things that hold us back? At 72, Christine Worthington is a healthy living advocate, coach and lifelong learner who is still curious about what’s possible. And yet, her story began with being told, in effect, that she wasn’t quite good enough. Leaving school at 16 with few qualifications, Christine went on to study through evening...

Sometimes the episode you planned isn't the one you end up releasing. After attending a celebration of life service and then unexpectedly losing her Tower Captain just days later, Sarah found herself asking some difficult questions. What really matters? What will people remember about us? And how much of life are we missing while we're busy preparing for the future? In this honest and re...

What if recovery didn't end when rehabilitation did? When Victoria Jones' father suffered a major stroke in 2023, life changed in an instant. As she watched him navigate the months that followed, she also discovered something many families experience: the gap between clinical rehabilitation and the realities of everyday life. That journey transformed Victoria's career and inspired h...

What if resilience isn't about being fearless... rather about the choices we make when life doesn't go to plan? In this deeply personal episode, Sarah chats with Carey Winder, who is sharing a part of her story publicly for the very first time. Diagnosed with Turner syndrome at 13, Carey found herself navigating growth hormone injections, regular hospital appointments and being told she...

What does it really mean to "bring sunshine"? ​ After joining 100 volunteers on the beach at Morecambe, Lancashire, to celebrate what would have been Eric Morecambe's 100th birthday, I came home reflecting on something far bigger than a famous comedian and a familiar song. ​ It was about kindness. It was about community. It was about the memories that unexpectedly transport us back...

What if joy isn't something we find once life gets easier... rather the very thing that helps us through life's hardest seasons? In this heartfelt conversation, Sarah sits down with entrepreneur, creative director and Joy First® founder J. Nichole Smith to explore a journey shaped by burnout, crippling self-doubt, people-pleasing and the pursuit of proving her worth. Together they unpack...

How many times have you looked in the mirror and decided you weren't enough? In this honest and deeply relatable conversation, Sarah sits down with body image coach and mentor Natalie Trusdale to explore the hidden emotional struggles behind body confidence, self-worth and the exhausting pursuit of perfection. Natalie shares her own journey through body dysmorphia and anorexia nervosa, reveal...

Growing up in Nadezhda (a Roma neighbourhood in Bulgaria whose name translates as "Hope"), Mihail "Misho" Mishev learned early that hope alone isn't enough. Raised by a single mother who often worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, Misho experienced first-hand the challenges that come with poverty, exclusion, and limited opportunity. Yet rather than allowing those circums...

In this episode, Sarah chats with Sally Saint about childhood trauma, perfectionism, and the long journey back to herself. Growing up on a small farm in a family shaped by unspoken trauma, Sally learned early how to stay small, stay quiet, and survive. Diagnosed with ME at just 16, she spent years navigating illness, healing, motherhood, and the gradual unraveling of patterns that had once protect...

When Lewis Baxter stood on a bridge at 17 years old, watching cars race beneath him, he couldn't see a way forward. What followed was a conversation with his parents, support from Child Action Northwest, and the first steps on a journey that would ultimately change the course of his life. In this episode of Stories of Survival in the Modern Age , Sarah talks with Lewis about depression, suici...

Award-winning photographer and entrepreneur Kimi Watson joins me for a candid conversation about confidence, self-worth, and her changing relationship with weight, food, and herself. From feeling trapped in her own body to rediscovering her confidence, Kimi shares the highs, lows, lessons, and life-changing decisions that helped her become herself again. This isn't just a story about weight l...

After a pause, Stories of Survival in the Modern Age returns with a gentle but honest conversation about reset, recalibration, and what it means to keep going in a world that constantly asks us to keep pushing forward. In this season opener, Sarah reflects on life changes, loss, exhaustion, shifting priorities, and the quiet moments that invite us to stop… listen… and realign with what truly matte...

In 1985 Lianna Champ opened Champ Funeral Services where, instead of providing a purely practical solution to death and funerals, she created a holistic experience that eases the pain of losing someone and helps the grieving process. A Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, she is also the author of "How to Grieve Like A Champ", and is passionate about caring for those who have been bereav...

Neil Blackburn offers us a brief glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes, from ensuring the cars always looks their best to the questions he gets asked most often. In this episode, Neil also shares what about the job he wishes he'd been better prepared for. Stories of Survival in the Modern Age features honest conversations about resilience, reinvention, and being human in a complicated w...

After losing her her own father, and experiencing the loving care from Champ Funeral Services, Kirsty Goodinson's dream was to become a Funeral Director and today, she has special experience working with child loss and helping others pre-plan a celebration of life. In this episode Kirsty chats about how she got started in this profession.  Stories of Survival in the Modern Age features honest...

Drawing on more than two decades of experience, Carl Taylor's caring and considerate nature makes him perfectly suited to his role of Funeral Director, Embalmer and Civil Funeral Celebrant. In this episode he chats about how he got his start in this profession and the true understanding he has of each family he works with, their needs and the needs of their loved ones Stories of Survival in t...

Eighteen months ago we began having a conversation about the menopause and taking charge of the transition.  Agreeing to come back, Victoria Jones revisits that conversation to see what's changed and how the topic has moved forward – or not. Stories of Survival in the Modern Age features honest conversations about resilience, reinvention, and being human in a complicated world.

Jenny Palmer has lived with anxiety since early childhood and has suffered with chronic pain since her teens. In this episode, listen as Jenny shares her story of dealing with the consequences of both and how she stood by as her husband underwent brain surgery. Stories of Survival in the Modern Age features honest conversations about resilience, reinvention, and being human in a complicated world.

In this week's episode Danny Matthews tells his story of how a burnout saw him quite literally fall to his knees in central London with no feeling from the waist down. Danny says he was chasing the money and not his dream. Stories of Survival in the Modern Age features honest conversations about resilience, reinvention, and being human in a complicated world.

In 2004, seeking more adventure in her life, Nicky Davies left her well-paying corporate job to follow her dreams of becoming her own boss. In this episode, Nicky talks about the difficult times and failures she faced…. and how looking back, she believes in moments of what looked like sure defeat, opportunities presented themselves that allowed for quantum leaps in growth both in her business life...

In this episode Donté Richardson talks about how, at age 19, he drove across the United States to California on the promise of "just a job interview". With little income despite landing the job, Donté was homeless for three months, and today credits his resilience and his drive for getting him through. Stories of Survival in the Modern Age features honest conversations about resilience,...