With just ten days to go, Ollie reports in on his challenge to fix charity.
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Skill-A-Thon Update...

Amazing stories, emerging trends, and sex advice - with Olly Mann, Alix Fox and Ollie Peart. 'Best Interview Podcast', British Podcast Awards. New episodes monthly, on the 10th. Get in touch or buy us a beer at https://modernmann.co.uk.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Relationships

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

What’s it like when the person you’re closest to in the world isn't who you think they are?
Elizabeth* spent a year dating a man who provided only sketchy details about his life, but ingratiated himself into her friendship circle, her family and her home.
In this interview with Olly, she reveals how it felt to discover he was living a double-life, and how it’s affected her trust ever since...
This episode first appeared in March 2017. Now with an update from Elizabeth and remastered, we have paired this episode with our May 2024 episode, My Real Identity. Go listen now!
*we have changed her name to protect her identity
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Playback: The Man Who Stole My Year

Amazing, original true stories, trends and relationship advice from the multi-award winning podcaster Olly Mann. Plus a record of the month. What's not to like?
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This... is The Modern Mann

Patricia never knew her birth parents. And she didn’t care to: adopted by a white family in Toronto, she felt awkward and embarrassed when people perceived her as Korean.
But, in her twenties, at the insistence of family and friends, she began a journey of discovery to uncover her roots: a bumpy ride that would take her to the other side of the world, into the arms of dubious private investigators, a fistfight, and institutional corruption.
In this poignant interview with Olly, Patricia explains how her sense of identity as a trans-racial adoptee has radically shifted - and reveals why, despite so much heartbreak, she considers herself lucky… 
The Adoptee Mentorship Society are on Instagram @adopteementorship.

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart ventures beyond his four walls to explore the trend for Forest School education. 

What are the barriers preventing all parents and schools from embracing outdoor learning? How can society address the knowledge gap around nature-based education? And how does ‘risky play’ contribute to children's mental and physical well-being?
With the help of Mann-fan Katie, Ollie has the answers!

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Elsewhere, in a classic question from the Foxhole vaults, Alix Fox considers the best way to get kinky when you live in a small community. How can you best put together a voyeuristic MMF threesome… in the Isle Of Man?

If you have a trend you’d like to challenge Ollie to try, or a relationships question for Alix, submit it via the Feedback form on our website, https://modernmann.co.uk/feedback

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Finally, we’re getting ready for Summer with our Record of the Month, Belong Together by Mark Ambor 

My Real Identity

Smuggling marijuana from Thailand to Alaska; trading illicit fuel in Nigeria; evading the law in France - Robert Stone did it all.
From one small fishing boat in the Bahamas he built up a veritable fleet of vessels - including a 6000-tonne oil tanker - devoted to his businesses empire.
In this incredible interview with Olly, Robert reveals what it was like to be making a million dollars per month, switching between dozens of aliases and risking his life on the high seas...
This interview first aired as Diving To Adventure in August 2018. We've paired it with I Was A Drug Dealer from this month - check it out now.
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Playback: The Diver Who Got In Too Deep

Stu Otten was raised on a tough Liverpool estate, where drug-taking was rife, and established crime families enacted violent retribution.

Aged 17, he became a bar-room bouncer - and soon found himself dealing drugs, protecting human traffickers, and defending his territory in a turbulent turf war.

In this raw, insightful interview, Stu reveals to Olly the self-loathing, drug-induced hallucinations and spiritual awakening that led him away from his marriage, his city, and organised crime - and into seeking forgiveness from those he’d hurt the most.

Stu now works for Causeway, stepping in to prevent today’s young people from echoing his mistakes. Find out more about his work, and donate, via their website, https://www.wearecauseway.org.uk/ 

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart examines how, in this election year, the war for our votes is being fought online - from A.I.-generated memes to disinformation campaigns.

How do MPs stay on top of fake news? How can social media users research who’s targeting them? And - eight years on from Donald Trump’s first Presidential election - how come foreign entities are still able to buy their way on to our Facebook feeds? 
 
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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox discovers ‘fraysexuality’, and asks if some men get off on… having STI swabs.

If urethral sounding does give you a kick, what’s the safest way to introduce it to your sex life? What are the downsides of a ‘doctors and nurses’ fetish? And IS ‘Cotton Eyed Joe’ by the Rednecks really about syphilis? 

With the help of Sophie Cohen from House of Vixens and Dr Kareem Mahmoud from Flo, Alix has the answers… 

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Finally, in music corner, our Record of the Month comes from Aberdeen punk rockers Cold Years, and their not-very-aptly-for-a-podcast-named new track, ‘Radio’ - from their forthcoming album, ‘A Different Life’.

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Thanks so much for listening! Our monthly magazine show relies on your support - so, if you enjoy our independent podcast, and want to help us to keep making it, please BUY US A BEER 

Skill-A-Thon Update...

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