Stories of Men: Beneath the Surface

The new season of Our Voices is out tomorrow!This season we'll be Celebrating Women in the UK. Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

We hear a story of isolation and betrayal. We also learn how Stewart has taken motivation from his most hurtful experiences to try to create a better world for his children. Stewart is a black, Bafta-nominated director, who recently directed the film “Black and Scottish”. The film is very personal to his own experiences as he moved to Scotland at the age of two after being born in Kenya.  *********************Check out the Stories Of Men website for more on this storyWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

We hear the story of a devastating racist attack. We also learn how Dr Zainab Khan is using the trauma she has suffered to help others. Zainab has a PhD as a trained barrister and she is also Pro-Vice Chancellor at London Metropolitan University. But her journey to becoming a high-achiever has been made especially challenging by the discrimination and racial violence that she has suffered.*********************Check out the Stories Of Men website for more on this storyWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Natasha is the Welsh Senedd’s first woman of colour and has become one of the few representatives of ethnic minorities in Welsh politics. Yet it took five elections and a long battle against discrimination for her to achieve her goal. She also had to rethink her initial career ambitions. Her career path changed due to a particularly uncomfortable interview at the BBC and some words of wisdom from her father.*********************Check out the Stories Of Men website for more on this storyWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Mark, a serial entrepreneur and social activist, talks about how he has found a way to remain positive amidst the discrimination he has faced as a black man with a disability. He was born to Nigerian parents in Leicester in the 1960s. And, at the tender age of 5, he was given a 10% chance of survival after contracting polio. Since then, Mark has not only survived, he has thrived.*********************Check out the Stories Of Men website for more on this storyWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Graham is a veteran campaigner and activist, he is also Glasgow Council’s first ever Afro-Caribbean councillor. He was born in London to a Jamaican father and a Granadian mother and he is Rastafarian. Graham grew up with a sense of confidence in his multiple identities but he has found himself a victim of racist abuse on numerous occasions. Shockingly, his most recent experience is among the worst.*********************Check out the Stories Of Men website for more on this storyWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Andy is a police officer of both Malaysian and Northern Irish heritage. He is also a father of three children and president of the National Black Police Association, an organisation which represents police officers of ethnic minorities across the UK. In many ways, it is Andy’s experiences while growing up which have influenced his desire to stand up to racism as part of his profession.*********************Check out the Stories Of Men website for more on this storyWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Aisha is a Muslim and has been the victim of a form of discrimination which has caused particular strife in Britain; namely, Islamophobia. She was born and raised in the Middle East but she came to London initially to study. She talks about being made to feel different to others and how she has used her passion for skateboarding as a way to challenge preconceptions of Muslim women.*********************Check out the Stories Of Men website for more on this storyWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

This week we hear the story of Dina. She is an Iranian refugee who has had contrasting experiences of living abroad. She discusses the way in which she has been both brutalised and embraced in her adopted countries and her experience of racism in the UK.Life in IranDina grew up in Iran during the mid ‘80s. It was a time of revolution and, as a result, she had “a tumultuous childhood”. There were, however, positive memories of that period too. Dina remembers the time spent together as a family, at her grandparents house. With her grandfather’s rambling stories and her grandmother’s epic feasts. It was a happy time. A magical experienceYet, at 6 years old, Dina had the chance to travel to the UK. Her aunt, Who lived in London, was getting married. The plan was for Dina to spend a few months in London and then return to Iran after the wedding. Dina reflects on the “storybook houses” she saw in London and she speaks with great excitement about being able to eat fresh bananas for the first time. The confectionery of the UK was something she also appreciated. She describes Maltesers as “a miracle of culinary perfection.” She says being in London was “magical because it was so Western…so foreign”. During this time, Dina’s mother would convert to Christianity..... *********************Check out the Stories Of Men website for more on this storyWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

The new season of Our Voices is out tomorrow!Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

In our sixth and last Christmas throwback:The first episode of “Our Voices” centres around one-time “nurse of the year” Joan, an intensive care nurse who was born in Barcelona and travelled to work in the UK after experiencing a lack of job opportunities in Spain. He tells a story of how caring for a patient after a motorcycle accident taught him that human connection is the most important and powerful tool a nurse has to offer.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

In our fifth Christmas throwback:Carlos is a single father of a 10-year-old daughter and a fifteen-year-old son. We hear about the struggles Carlos has faced trying to support his son in the midst of his son’s antisocial and violent behaviour. After threatening his mother with violence and being arrested by the police, it looked as if the situation had become completely untenable. Then lockdown intervened and became, possibly, the best thing that ever happened.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

In our fourth Christmas throwback:Here we get the rare opportunity of hearing the voices of children who have been impacted by lockdown. Andrea has spoken previously on the podcast but this time she is accompanied by her eldest daughter, 9-year-old Ella, and her son, 7-year-old Luke. Listening to their reflections we are able to hear how these children have been impacted by lockdown restrictions and how they have found ways of coping during these challenging times.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

In our third Christmas throwback:Katie is a Kid’s Doctor who describes the challenges that working in the NHS can pose. To address this, she became involved in establishing a forum called “NHS Million”. As well as creating a marketing campaign for the NHS choir to beat Justin Beiber to the Christmas number 1 spot, this forum provides NHS workers with a space in which they can talk about the psychological issues that they are facing.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

In our second Christmas throwback:This episode looks at the heartbreaking struggle of Ross: a son, father and fiancé, who took his own life in the midst of lockdown at the age of 31. We hear from Ross’s father, Mike, who reflects on the challenges his son faced and how, as a society, we could do more to help those who are battling serious mental health challenges.If you've been affected by any of the issues highlighted in this episode, please speak to someone. CALM and Samaritans are always there to help.Campaign Against Living Miserably - https://www.thecalmzone.net/Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org/Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

In our first Christmas throwback:Rema’s story introduces us to an incredible experience of conflict, suffering and survival. While working as a doctor in Libya, she recounts operating in the midst of a civil war. The starkness of this reality is made even more vivid by her description of colleagues dying in front of her and the threat of violence and death facing her while she was trying to do her job.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Today Producer Sam joins Alex to have a Christmas catchup and review the year. Listen out for Alex's announcement for what we'll be covering on in the upcoming season in the new year. Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Chris left school at the age of 16 but, very quickly, he found a stimulating project to get his teeth into. He began travelling to Africa and the Middle East to help them improve their farming methods. From there, he set up Sports Aid to help combat famine in Africa. Through a project called Earth Dive, he is now working on saving the entire planet.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Lee, who now dedicates his life to education and innovation regarding Climate Change, talks about his sense of mission first developing at an early age during conversations with his grandmother. He describes how she “spoke to me like an adult, not a child”. Interactions with his grandmother got Lee thinking: “how can I do something different that will help people and change the world.”Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Louise works for Stop Ecocide International, an organisation which is attempting to criminalise “mass destruction to ecosystems” at the International Criminal Court. Her love for nature came at an early age when she spent time rock-climbing and kayaking with her father. Her father also instilled in her a sense of global awareness. He insisted that she always ate her food because “every 5 seconds a child dies of hunger on earth”.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Steven is a professor and award-winning journalist who has developed a unique and enriching perspective of nature. From early childhood, he reports having a fascination with nature due to witnessing the extreme weather events taking place around him. He describes seeing tornadoes ripping up surrounding trees, some of which almost fell on his house. He also relates spending time with his mother indoors watching the majesty of a lightning storm and “their intense visions”.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Tara, a climate change influencer, content creator and young farmer has a particular affection for animals. Her interest in Climate Change came about when she came across a video of a turtle in a cup. This video highlighted the plight that animals such as turtles face due to the way in which human beings have changed the planet. “These innocent animals were being impacted by what we were doing as a species”.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Physics and sci-fi enthusiast, Simon Clark, has embraced modern communications in order to educate his audience on protecting the earth’s atmosphere. Simon describes himself as someone who was always extremely curious, even as a child. His curiosity extended to science. As a teenager, when deciding on his future studies, he noted “all the cool stuff is in physics… from that point on, I knew I wanted to do a Physics degree”.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Rollie Williams made the unlikely transition from young comedian to Climate Change activist.Originally from Colorado, Rollie moved to New York with the aim of becoming a successful comedian. He was beginning to make an impression and, pretty soon after arriving, he was asked to perform a show at Brooklyn Theatre. Not sure exactly what to do, Rollie decided he would experiment with a comedy routine based around Climate Change.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Dave began his journey of climate consciousness when he began building a cabin outside of his house for use as an office. As he was doing so, he attempted to install solar panels to reduce his carbon footprint and he made use of YouTube for advice on how to do this. However, his YouTube investigations soon went much further as he began to learn about Climate Change and its serious dangers.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

The new season of Our Voices is almost here!Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

 Do you remember that iconic moment the first UK vaccine was administered? Well, here we hear the story of the nurse who provided it, her name is May Parsons. May was originally born in the Philippines. She had a challenging childhood in which, at just 5 years old, she witnessed the brutal murder of her father during New Year’s Eve celebrations. Recovering from this loss became the challenge of her childhood.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

As a child, Steven describes having a violently negative reaction to the very concept of consuming almost all food: “There were only about 5 different foods I’d eat as a child” these included bread, cereals, french fries and ice cream. This hardly provided Steven with the basis for a healthy diet but he was genuinely worried that having a piece of chicken or steak would bring about a severe allergic reaction.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Here we get the rare opportunity of hearing the voices of children who have been impacted by lockdown. Andrea has spoken previously on the podcast but this time she is accompanied by her eldest daughter, 9-year-old Ella, and her son, 7-year-old Luke. Listening to their reflections we are able to hear how these children have been impacted by lockdown restrictions and how they have found ways of coping during these challenging times.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Carlos is a single father of a 10-year-old daughter and a fifteen-year-old son. We hear about the struggles Carlos has faced trying to support his son in the midst of his son’s antisocial and violent behaviour. After threatening his mother with violence and being arrested by the police, it looked as if the situation had become completely untenable. Then lockdown intervened and became, possibly, the best thing that ever happened.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Phoebe is a nine-year-old girl who happens to have Down’s Syndrome. Her father, Matthew, describes how in so many ways she is just like any other little girl. Yet, he recounts the ways in which people often seem subconsciously conditioned to view his daughter as a condition rather than as a person. This is an attitude he is determined to challenge to provide the best possible future for his daughter.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Chrissy is a woman who has many strings to her bow, including being a tutor, a coach and a poet. She was living on her own in London when the lockdown was announced and she found herself feeling particularly isolated. As a result, when there was a call for people to help at her local food bank, she answered that call immediately and discovered her help was very much needed.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

This episode looks at the heartbreaking struggle of Ross: a son, father and fiancé, who took his own life in the midst of lockdown at the age of 31. We hear from Ross’s father, Mike, who reflects on the challenges his son faced and how, as a society, we could do more to help those who are battling serious mental health challenges.If you've been affected by any of the issues highlighted in this episode, please speak to someone. CALM and Samaritans are always there to help.Campaign Against Living Miserably - https://www.thecalmzone.net/Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org/Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

The new season of Our Voices is almost here!Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Tony grew up as a “tall, skinny, freckled kid” in Sunderland and went from being picked on at school to boxing for Great Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Much of Tony’s success was down to his father’s encouragement and insistence that he train and develop his boxing skills. When Tony eventually won his Olympic medal, the first person he would thank would be his father.Visit www.tonyjeffries.com to find out more about Tony.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Susie, a gold-medal winning former Paralympic swimmer, has overcome the odds on multiple occasions in order to achieve at the highest level. She was born with disabilities which have required her to wear prosthetic limbs since childhood. Rather than expressing regret, Susie articulates her gratitude to the support she received from the NHS. Right from her early years, it’s clear that Susie’s attitude has been one of positivity and possibility.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Tom is an Olympic race walker who holds three world best titles and six British records. Although Tom was involved in athletics from an early age, after his first race for Great Britain did not go well, he fell out of love with the sport and decided to follow his cousin’s suggestion to volunteer at a summer camp in America. This was a decision that would change his life.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Holly’s story allows us to take a contemporary look at the Olympic experience. She is a pole vaulter who is preparing to compete in her 3rd Olympic Games in Tokyo. Holly talks about the anxieties she experienced as a child when doing sport for the first time and how these anxieties resurfaced as she was exposed to the challenges that come with being a high-profile athlete.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Frazer, a superheavyweight boxer, has spent 12 years on the Team GB Olympic boxing team. It is a record period of time. During previous tournaments, he has lost out on making the Olympics to illustrious GB competitors, such as current unified Heavyweight Champion: Anthony Joshua, and current WBO mandatory challenger: Joe Joyce. But, despite not achieving his dreams on those occasions, Frazer has refused to give up on his ambitions.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Garry Cook is a former Olympic athlete who won a silver medal in the 1984 Olympic Games relay race. He is the husband of Kathy, a former guest of the podcast who also achieved Olympic glory. Just like Kathy, Garry attributes much of his success to the people who supported him as he was growing up. Speaking about his Junior Coach, he says “90% of my success was down to him”.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Kathy is a former Olympic sprinter. She is a three-time bronze medallist and competed for Great Britain at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic games. She recounts her journey into sprinting and the experiences that helped to shape her achievements. What is striking about Kathy’s story is hearing about the number of key individuals who were present at the right time to guide her towards her ultimate achievement.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

A new season of Our Voices is here! This time featuring Team GB Olympics athletes past and present.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesWe're also on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramA Fascinate Production

Katie is a Kid’s Doctor who describes the challenges that working in the NHS can pose. To address this, she became involved in establishing a forum called “NHS Million”. As well as creating a marketing campaign for the NHS choir to beat Justin Beiber to the Christmas number 1 spot, this forum provides NHS workers with a space in which they can talk about the psychological issues that they are facing.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesThanks to our sponsor Swoosh English: for 10% off any course click hereA Fascinate Production

Helen has “one of the best jobs ever.” Her job is to recruit nurses from abroad to work in the NHS. She describes her job as being very busy, with a daughter and three step-sons, she also has an extremely busy home-life, yet, she describes herself as being blessed: “I get to meet people with so many wonderful stories to tell from all parts of the world.”Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesThanks to our sponsor Swoosh English: for 10% off any course click hereA Fascinate Production

Ellie is an occupational therapist who began working for the NHS in July 2020 during the height of the pandemic. She describes her initial experiences as being a long way from what she had envisioned. She relates being confronted with ill patients who were ventilated on tubes and describes the psychological toll of having to deal with the death of both her patients and her own family members during the pandemic.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesThanks to our sponsor Swoosh English: for 10% off any course click hereA Fascinate Production

Sophie is an occupational therapist. During the height of the pandemic, she worked in an acute stroke ward where she was charged with caring for patients who had experienced significant cognitive, physical or sensory deficits. It was her role to help these patients attempt to regain independence in their lives. In this episode she reflects on the determination of a particular patient she cared for who presented in a severe condition.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesThanks to our sponsor Swoosh English: for 10% off any course click hereA Fascinate Production

Andrea is a laboratory pathologist who suddenly finds herself on the other side of the doctor-patient divide. Specialising in analysing and detecting changes in cells and tissue in the body, her main role is to identify diseases, particularly cancer. She had previously been able to detach herself from the potentially life changing news that she would give. Her perspective changed dramatically, however, when her husband was diagnosed with rectal cancer.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesThanks to our sponsor Swoosh English: for 10% off any course click hereA Fascinate Production

Dr Waheed is a former refugee born in Afghanistan, whose journey to reach the UK was fraught with danger and difficulty. Afghanistan was in the midst of conflict when Dr Waheed was born. Soviet troops had entered the country making it necessary for him and his family to flee on multiple occasions. As a small boy, he found himself living in conditions of extreme poverty in a refugee camp in Pakistan.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesThanks to our sponsor Swoosh English: for 10% off any course click hereA Fascinate Production

Rich is a critical care nurse who is a proud member of the LGBTQ community and identifies as non-binary.  They begin by talking about the experience which encouraged them to join the NHS. Their grandmother had dementia and eventually it was necessary to admit their grandmother to hospital. Rich was struck by the way the nurses cared for her. They knew at that moment that they wanted to provide the same care for others.Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesThanks to our sponsor Swoosh English: for 10% off any course click hereA Fascinate Production

Rob is a paramedic who is now in his 20th year of service having started as a volunteer with St John’s Ambulance at the age of 13. He was clearly born to work in the healthcare profession. He describes having always wanted to “help people” and “be part of a community”. In his words: “very few things in life give you the return that helping somebody does”. Check out our website for the latest from Our VoicesThanks to our sponsor Swoosh English: for 10% off any course click hereA Fascinate Production