Colin Grist recorded on 04/09/2024

Colin Grist is the other Co-Founder and the Creative Director at Few and Far.

Few and Far help charities make the world a better place. Proud to work only with charities and do-good organisations in bringing their experience and expertise in digital to a sector in real need of support.

Colin worked for almost 15 years in digital - across design and development - creating award-winning work for organisations such as: WaterAid, The Bank of England, Blue Cross and Mind.

Colin speaks openly about his own mental health experiences both as a founder but also as a creative person and he set up a platform called 'Pressures & Perspectives' to help break the stigma around mental health in the creative industry.

Recently Colin became a Trustee at Leeds Mind and is also a qualified gym instructor & dance instructor, providing dance classes to the local community for over 3 years.

To find out more about Few and Far go to: https://www.fewandfar.co.uk/

Check out 1% For The Planet here: https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/

And if you're unfamiliar with B-Corps check their UK website here: https://bcorporation.uk/

You can buy Let My People Go Surfing here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/let-my-people-go-surfing/yvon-chouinard/naomi-klein/9780143109679

Other booksellers are available but my mate works at Waterstones.

You can also check out S04 E19 of Working Hours to hear from Colin's co founder Thomas Nadin.

Gillian Rogers recorded on 18/09/2024

Gillian Rogers is a retired GP and a member of the Royal College of General Practice. She is also the Founder and CEO of Autism Arena CIC, a non-profit community interest company set up to help families of autistic children navigate health & social care, education and leisure.

Gillian took medical retirement from the NHS after having a stroke 10 years ago. A mum of 3, a carer of autistic and neurodivergent children, she also has an acquired neurodiversity.

In Lockdown, when home-schooling, Gillian noticed her son was behaving differently and had some learning challenges. On checking the diagnostic criteria for autism, she realised that she needed to refer her son to be assessed for autism.

It was through doing that Gillian realised there was no easy way for non-doctors to access the information required to work out what to do for autistic child. Rather than every family having to go through a torturous process, she decided there had to be an easier way, and it would be very beneficial to others to share her knowledge skills and experience.

At the bottom of everything was a child who needed the right support to be able to reach their potential.

Gillian has set up a non-profit community interest company (CIC) to help families be stronger advocates for their children. She is delighted to have been awarded National Lottery Community Funding towards this work.

She’s created a website, organised online peer support sessions, educational webinars and attended events in schools to support families. Gillian also provide individual consultations for families and she says, “I have had lovely feedback, where my advice has made a difference to people's lives”.

To work with Gillian go to: www.autismarena.org.uk

CONTENT WARNING: You might not necessarily think discussions of Child Sexual Abuse would be work relevant, you would of course be wrong to think that.

If you are in any doubt about listening to this episode please avoid but, I would highly recommend listening to it if you can. Debbie is a great speaker who is passionate and insightful on her discussion areas.

Debbie Riley recorded on 31/10/2024

Debbie Riley was born and raised in Leeds and has lived all her life in Leeds (apart from a couple of years away at university). She is a Lived Experience Speaker and started her business Talking from Experience to deliver educational talks in three areas in which she has first-hand experience:

1. Eating Disorders - The Reality Behind the Diagnosis

2. The Impact and Reality of Being Sexually Abused as a Child

3. When Exercise Becomes Harmful.

Debbie's talks are tailored to audiences’ and their needs. Debbie has delivered workshops and talks from 20 minute to 4 hours in length and everything in-between. Her talks are always audience appropriate whether that's for a school assembly for 300 Year 7 pupils or a staff group at the Metropolitan Police.

All Debbie's talks are delivered from the perspective of her own lived experience. They provide insight into the recurring and ongoing harm these 3 experience have had on her person and the ongoing personal as well as wider social costs that can and did result.

Debbie uses her own personal experiences to draw attention to these 3 wide spread social harms which effect so many people in Leeds. Her talks are disarmingly honest and refreshingly straight-forward about topics that most of society would simple prefer to minimise, ignore and repress.

Debbie's workshops show us how pretending something isn't there or doesn't exist doesn't make it go away. No matter how much we want it to.

Get Debbie to come and speak at your workplace or organisation: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiearile

If you'd like to know more about Visible go to:

https://visibleproject.org.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/@VisibleVoicesPodcast

If anything in this podcast has affected you and you live in Leeds please visit the Mindwell Leeds website https://www.mindwell-leeds.org.uk/

Courtney Jocelyn recorded on 10/05/2024

Courtney Jocelyn is the Founder and Organiser of Leeds Indie Market. Leeds Indie Market is a pop-up market community in Leeds. They organise especially curated markets featuring artisans, hand-makers, bakers and other independent businesses in an around Leeds.

They organise markets for everyone, with their indie market events hosting an eclectic mix of vendors and their moon markets which hosts a darker, more alternative selection of artists and makers.

https://www.facebook.com/leedsindiemarket/

https://www.instagram.com/leedsindiemarket/

Rachael Unsworth recorded on 03/12/2024

Rachael Unsworth is an urban geographer fascinated by the long-term evolution of cities, including prospects for the future. After a geography degree and PhD, Rachael became Head of Research for a firm of surveyors in London. Back in Yorkshire from the mid-1990s, Rachael was a part-time lecturer at the University of Leeds until 2013.

From around 2000 Rachael also became involved in research, policy and practice in the city of Leeds: planning, urban design, development and regeneration, housing and environment. Her publications include ‘21st century Leeds: geographies of a regional city’ (2004), a guide book ‘Around Leeds: a city reinvented’ (2008) and ‘Leeds: Cradle of Innovation’ (2018).

Since 2019 Rachael has been running a one-person business Leeds City Walking Tours, taking groups of locals, visitors and professionals on a range of tours and also offering presentations. Rachael also runs the events programme for the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society.

www.leedscitywalkingtours.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/leedscitywalkingtours

https://www.instagram.com/leedscitywalking

Janine Walker recorded on 02/05/2024

Janine Walker reflects on her childhood dreams of becoming a lawyer or FBI agent, influenced by TV shows and movies like 'Ally McBeal' and a film about FBI agents. It is called FEDS and it's from 1988.

Janine didn’t pursue these careers but found fulfilment in the arts, volunteering for Leeds Children's Theatre where she directs, choreographs, and leads workshops.

Janine also co-organize a Twitter-based Christmas book swap inspired by Icelandic traditions, which has grown significantly, connecting people around the world.

Janine has transitioned from a long-term banking job to becoming a debt advisor at Christians Against Poverty (CAP), fuelled by a desire to help others and leveraging her finance background to help others. Janine discuss the challenges and rewards of this role, CAP's holistic support approach, and its environmentally conscious practices. She also touches on societal issues like child poverty, inadequate financial literacy, and the importance of community initiatives for financial stability.

Links:

https://capuk.org/

https://www.leeds-childrens-theatre.co.uk/

https://x.com/ChristmasBkSwap

Lyla Asif recorded on 25/04/2024

Lyla Asif is a very outspoken 30 something year old with lots going on. She's a disability and mental health “influencer” and all views are her own.

Insta @cerebralpalsywarrior91

@as.if_lyla_writes_poetry

Noah Roberts – recorded on 08/02/2024

Noah Roberts is a non-binary, Neuro-Queer disabled raconteur who uses creativity to reduce ableism.

They speak publicly and write about LGBT+ issues, mental health, disability and Neurodiversity. They offer freelance consultancy to creative projects and organizations on how to make their practice more accessible and engage a diverse audience.

They express their own creativity through performance art.

Noah is also a community news reporter and podcast host. They are foodie loving, plant based and write a blog reviewing places to eat and drink called spilltheequalitea.

Website: www.neurocoach.online

Socials:

Twitter : @blueglassesuk

Facebook: @creativecoachinguk

Instagram @blueglasses

Zine : https://heyzine.com/flip-book/02c356c98b.html

West Leeds dispatch paper:

https://westleedsdispatch.com/bramley-woman-builds-fat-pigeon-bakery-in-her-back-yard/