Back On Track

On today’s episode is Alastair Campbell, who worked as the spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy for former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. However since then, Alastair has gone on to become a prominent mental health campaigner, and also speaks publicly about his own struggles with mental illness.

Back in 1986, Alastair was working as a journalist, had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol and ended up having a psychotic mental breakdown which led to him actually being arrested and even spending time in hospital. 

He gave up drinking soon after that low point, thinking it was potentially the root of his problems, but he soon discovered that some of the demons were still there in the form of depression. Alastair has suffered with depression on and off ever since, even during his high profile and intense years in government, but has since learned to manage his mental illness and shares his story publicly in the hope that it helps others.

I hope you enjoy the episode and don't forget to subscribe/follow wherever you get your podcasts! 

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/campbellclaret 

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You can get yourself a copy of Alastair's new book "Living Better: How I Learned to Survive Depression" here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Better-Learned-Survive-Depression/dp/152933182X 

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On today’s episode is successful shoeshine entrepreneur Drew Goodall, who became homeless after his acting career fell apart due to a lack of confidence. 

He had gone from appearing in films alongside marquee names like Brad Pitt and Hugh Grant to living on the streets at rock bottom. 

After seven months of homelessness, Drew stumbled upon the idea of shining shoes in London offices as a way to make money, and incredibly has turned this into a really successful business which serves some of the biggest companies in the UK. 

Drew also made the brilliant decision to only employ people that either were homeless too, have special needs or are disadvantaged in some way - so not only is he a successful entrepreneur but is doing real good in society too. 

I hope you enjoy the episode and don't forget to subscribe! 

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On today’s episode is a good friend of mine called Raül, who was severely bullied throughout his teenage years simply because of his sexuality.

The homophobic abuse and everything that went with it eventually led to him becoming depressed and even considering taking his own life. 

Incredibly, Raül found the strength inside him to stand up to the culprits and eventually made them some of his good friends. He also sought help in the form of therapy to try and recover from the years of torment, and I’m really pleased to say he’s now living a much happier life. 

Raül's story is one of incredible resilience and I hope you can find some inspiration in his journey! Make sure you subscribe to stay tuned for all future episodes, and remember, you can also watch episodes on YouTube if you prefer! 

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On today’s episode is actually a good friend of mine called Mason, who suffered for years with feelings of depression which seriously affected both his academic and social lives. 

After spending one Christmas day all alone, he hit rock bottom and decided he needed to seek out the right professional help in order to get out of the hole he found himself in. 

It was during an appointment with a specialist that Mason discovered he actually had high functioning adult ADHD and atypical depression.

I’m really pleased to say that thanks to finding the right medication and discovering his passion in the form of running, Mason is now in a much better place and living a happy life which isn’t dictated by the condition. 

I hope you enjoy the episode, don't forget to subscribe and remember, you can also watch all of the podcast episodes on YouTube if you prefer!

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On today’s episode is Jeffrey Deskovic, who spent 16 years in prison in the US after being wrongfully convicted of rape and murder at the age of just 17. Jeffrey was coerced into giving a false confession and DNA evidence found prior to the trial even suggested that the police might have had the wrong person, but unbelievably the prosecution continued with the case and he was convicted. Thankfully, the Innocence Project took on Jeffrey’s case and the DNA found pre trial was tested against the police data bank which found the true perpetrator and he was freed. After receiving millions in compensation, Jeffrey studied to become a lawyer himself and has started the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation which has already helped to overturn various other wrongful convictions. I hope you enjoy the episode and don't forget to subscribe!

Follow Jeffrey on social media! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jeffrey-Deskovic-1111976308978510 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreydeskovic/  Follow me on social media! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backontrackpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BackOnTrackPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backontrackpod

On today’s episode is ex-footballer and now referee Jacob Viera - who survived an assassination attempt in his native Kenya after he refused to help a gang smuggle drugs. An electrical charge was attached to the door handle of his home so that when he returned from training, he would be electrocuted. Miraculously Jacob survived, and just a month later travelled to Newcastle for a trial with the English club. Whilst there, he was encouraged to seek asylum.What followed was a gruelling five-year process involving lots of uncertainty and other missed opportunities with Premier League clubs - as Jacob was unable to work until his application was approved and he became a resident.I’m really pleased to say that Jacob is finally now a UK resident and lives in Liverpool with his wife and child. Although the chance of becoming a professional footballer has passed, he is now putting all his efforts into becoming a Premier League referee.I hope you enjoy the episode and don't forget to subscribe!Follow Jacob on social media!Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacobviera3Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacob__viera/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacob.viera.779 Follow me on social media!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backontrackpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BackOnTrackPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/backontrackpod

On today’s episode is martial arts expert, entrepreneur and community worker Gavin Eastham, who became homeless back in 2018 after the breakdown of his marriage.

After spending his first few nights sleeping in a bus shelter or a phone box with it hailing outside, Gavin decided to take refuge in the library during the day to keep warm.

Incredibly it was on the computers there that he decided to buy a website domain name for £1.58 and start his own martial arts business.

After getting temporary housing from the council, Gavin started giving martial arts classes in the local community centre, and this has since grown exponentially to a six-figure business which also helps the community. 

I hope you enjoy the episode and don't forget to subscribe - thank you!

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Follow Gavin on social media!

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/CobraLifeFMA

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On today’s episode is army veteran Mark Smith, who almost died in a tragic firing range accident back in 2011 when he was shot seven times in his leg and shoulder.

Mark actually flatlined for a total of five minutes and had to be resuscitated with defibrillators as he lay there fighting for his life.

After the wounded leg began giving him organ failure, Mark was left with no option but to have it amputated in order to save his life.

What followed was a long period of recovery and rehabilitation and eventually he was up and able to walk and run on a prosthetic leg.

After being medically discharged from the army Mark had to find something new to do, and having lost a vast amount of weight during his time in hospital, he decided to take up bodybuilding to totally transform his appearance.

After winning various bodybuilding competitions, Mark decided to try something new and compete in strongman competitions instead.

In an incredible turn of events, he won the title of Britain’s Strongest Disabled Man at the very first time of trying - and even went on to compete in the World’s Strongest Disabled Man competition too.

Sadly, Mark has had to stop doing strongman due to the unforgiving toll it takes on the body, but incredibly is now playing professional amputee football for West Brom instead.

He has an incredible story showing that there is no barrier too great to stop you achieving what you set your mind to!

I hope you enjoy the episode and don't forget to subscribe to stay tuned for more episodes!

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On today’s episode is rap artist Elro whose rap career blew up after going viral with an SBTV freestyle back in 2011. It wasn’t long after that that he was signed to a label and it seemed like all of his dreams were coming true. 

However, Elro began suffering with depersonalisation - a mental condition that can cause you to lose the human connection with everything around you, making everything seem foreign or strange. The record label he was signed to also folded soon after and Elro found himself at rock bottom and drinking to numb the pain of the mental illness. 

After years of suffering, by going sober Elro managed to get himself out of the hole he was in and is now living a much happier life which isn’t dictated by the condition. I’m also personally pleased to say that he’s making new music again and we can expect to hear some of that soon.

I hope you enjoy the episode and don't forget to subscribe to stay tuned for more interviews!

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Follow/subscribe to all Elro's channels by clicking the links below!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elroraps/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElroRaps

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElroRaps

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On this week's episode of the podcast is YouTube star Jessica Kent, and her story covers everything from bullying and addiction, to drug dealing and even a prison pregnancy. 

 

Life wasn't easy from the outset for Jessica, with her parents breaking up when she was just four and ending up homeless for a short period at the age of eight. 

 

The combination of having no money around the house, being bullied at school and suffering from mental illness led Jessica down a path of drinking, drug taking and eventually selling drugs as well. 

 

Having been in and out of prison and going through periods of being addicted to pills, heroin or meth, Jessica was finally sentenced to five years imprisonment for selling drugs. 

 

What Jessica didn't know when she was arrested was that she was pregnant - and this would prove to be a key moment in terms of deciding to turn her life around. 

 

After accepting that this was a reality, Jessica decided to get sober and fight hard for the custody of her daughter upon her release.

 

Jessica now has a wonderful family, is eight years sober and uses her story to inspire others on her YouTube channel - which currently has an incredible 329k subscribers. 

 

I hope you enjoy the episode and don't forget to subscribe to stay tuned for more interviews!

 

Follow/subscribe to all Jessica's channels by clicking the links below!

 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-lh8H0PDk9mwG0qE3ouX1A

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesken12

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jkentmicah12

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.kent.522

 

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