The Just Checking In Podcast

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...

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...