Sidney, 37, from Nerds on a Couch once again guests on my show to talk about the Black Lives Matter movement. We were joined by two young activists: Journey, 21, training to be an EMT and Joy, 19, student at San Diego State University while also working for a non-profit. They talk about what they feel is different about the current situation, what types of conversations are now happening and what these two young people feel about on-going racism. Sidney talks about some personal experiences she has had to go through in her life which brings it home what some people have had to go through. Joy and Journey share their worries and concerns as well as discussing some positive solutions, and how forgiveness should also be part of the equation.

Because she was so great, I had to bring Mary Carouba back to talk about a subject I am inordinately interested in – prisons. Instead of dreaming of getting married or becoming a doctor or lawyer or famous artist, Mary spent her childhood scheming how to survive in prison! She was convinced she was headed there, and it was only the Delancey Street Foundation that saved her. Part of the philosophy at Delancey Street was to “Act as if” and Mary describes how she used this to completely change her outlook on life. This also helped when Mary took a Delancey Street initiative into prisons. She gives a fascinating glimpse into what daily life is like in prison, how gangs totally rule, how inmates are treated really badly, but also how successful the initiative has been in stopping violence and giving inmates some self-respect.

I was thrilled to invite Mary Carouba back, this time to talk about her very interesting life. In fact, it was so interesting, I have had to split this into two episodes. In Part 1, we start off talking about rats and squirrels for some bizarre reason and then get back on track and talk about how receiving a life-saving liver transplant from a 14-year-old boy had the consequence of Mary performing 100 acts of kindness. Mary then talks about her traumatic childhood, where she received a lot of physical and emotional abuse. She shares the different roles that kids play in dysfunctional families and then goes on to explain how her unusual upbringing prepared her for her career in Child Protective Services. Rather than being a victim, Mary takes full responsibility for her life and explains how she has total forgiveness for all the people who have mistreated her in her life. We also had time to talk about why she wrote the critically acclaimed book “Women at Ground Zero – Stories of Courage and Compassion” about the incredibly brave women who were completely unacknowledged and unseen after 9/11.

I was delighted to interview a friend of mine, Nancy Davis Kho. She is the author of a fabulous book called The Thank You Project, where she describes how, in her 50th year, she decided to write 50 thank you letters. It is a really interesting book and Nancy is a really interesting person to interview. She talks not only about how amazing it was to write the letters and how it changed her life in lots of ways, but also some of science behind why gratitude is such a powerful tool.

This episode I chat with Mary Carouba and Regina Stoops, who are two very talented comedians and storytellers. Together, due to the Covid-19 and the fact that we can no longer meet in person, we have started Six Feet Apart Productions, and in particular, Sunday Night Stories. We chat about why we came up with a live storytelling YouTube Show and what the challenges have been. How does it translate from being in front of live audiences to telling a story from your living room, with nothing but a little green dot to connect you with everyone? As usual, we end with a quick funny story.

Warning: Adult content! This week I interview my good friend GB (aka “Gay Boy”) and he explains why he calls me “The Gay Whisperer” and how we bonded over our shared love of UK sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. GB gives us a fascinating glimpse at the gay dating scene, including why older men are much in demand at the moment. We each find there are some words that need explaining – like “slapper,” “under the sheets,” “sex blanket” and “the Daddy Stroll.” As well as being hilarious, the talk also gets serious as we discuss the Aids crisis and how that compares to the current coronavirus pandemic.

Part 2 of my interview with Julie Gunn. We start with some more lovely music from Ricardo and then Julie tells a funny story about accosting a hip-hop street dancer on the streets of San Francisco. She then explains about their fabulous workshops for children and institutions which started in New Jersey and then they took them all over Africa and shares about the benefits of clapping. There was another funny story about one particular prison and how the big burly prison guards took to Flamenco. Plus, what does tree-planting have to do with Flamenco dancing? I end with Julie singing a couple of songs with Ricardo from a concert they performed at my house while they were staying. www.ricardogarciaguitarist.com

I was thrilled to interview my great friend Julie Gunn, who manages her extremely talented partner of 27 years, Ricardo Garcia, world renowned, Award-winning Flamenco and Classical guitarist. They were staying with us and I had forgotten how much I drink when with a fellow Brit, so had a sore head a few mornings. Julie reveals how she is a “manifesting maven” or you might think it purely coincidental, that’s up to you. She talks about the surprising story of how she and Ricardo met, plus fascinating stories about their travels all over the world, from Edinburgh in Scotland, across Africa and to San Francisco. From female plumbers with hilarious names to accosting hip hop dancers on the streets, Julie has been one of my most interesting guests so far. At the end, Ricardo treats us to some beautiful guitar.

This episode I sit down with Kyle David, a friend of my stepson Benj, who works at Legion Beats. We talk about his journey from drinking too much, through rehab and how having a positive attitude has transformed his life. Legion Beats has had a lot to do with it too. I like to end on a funny story and this time we found out we both had kidnapping stories! You decide which one was the scariest!

As a follow-on to my last episode, Bug and I talk about what it was like to date back before the dawn of time … well, before mobile phones and the internet, which is just about the same thing! We talk about the “Dating Apps” of our time: the pub, school dances, parties, friends, work. How the order of things was not sex first and then let’s get to know each other, but the other way round! And sometimes, no sex at all! Plus, Bug reveals a pick-up line that actually worked, a surprising incident with a very forward young lady, and a lovely romantic memory of his Dad.