Crisis What Crisis?

By Andy Coulson

Crisis What Crisis? provides authentic, judgement-free and useful storytelling from those who have been at the brutal, sometimes life threatening, sharp end of crisis and who survived and thrived in t... more

4.5

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FAQs about Crisis What Crisis?:

How many episodes does Crisis What Crisis? have?

The podcast currently has 174 episodes available.

Crisis What Crisis? episodes:

November 23, 2023 77. Lord Hain on growing up in crisis, letterbombs and a Kafka-esque plot
Former Secretary of State Lord Peter Hain’s remarkable life was forged in crisis.

His parents’ peaceful but determined activism against apartheid – and the drama that surrounded his family as a result – was the backdrop to Peter’s upbringing in South Africa.

The Hains were constantly harassed – and at one stage jailed by the South African security services.

When a close family friend was convicted and executed for the bombing of a railway station – an attack which his family condemned – it was Peter, aged just 15, who spoke at the funeral.

Peter’s parents moved to the UK in 1966 … exiled from the country they loved.

He joined the British anti-apartheid movement and aged just 19 became the Chairman of the infamous Stop the 70 Tour which organised direct action against South Africa’s proposed cricket tour of England. A major success for the anti-apartheid movement.

Peter’s campaigning led to him being followed and bugged by Mi5, receiving death threats and becoming the subject of an assassination attempt.

A life in British politics beckoned for Peter … but not before more extraordinary drama and crisis.

As a Labour politician he held office as Welsh Secretary, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and Northern Ireland Secretary, playing a key role in negotiating the power sharing settlement in 2007.

His time in politics also brought more personal crisis – a donations scandal that he described as a ‘soul searing experience’

Now in the Lords, Peter continues to campaign and as an author he’s written 29 books including biographies of Mandela, his own brilliant biography A Pretoria Boy and a series of novels focused on the crisis of animal conservation. The latest, The Elephant Conspiracy (see link below) has just been released.

A fascinating conversation with someone who has lived, breathed and experienced crisis from so many different angles.

Links:

Stream/Buy ‘Allies’ by Some Velvet Morning: https://ampl.ink/qp6bm
Some Velvet Morning Website: www.somevelvetmorning.co.uk
Your Daily Practice: Sleep by Myndstream: https://open.spotify.com/track/5OX9XgJufFz9g63o2Dv2i5?si=b2f9397c92084682

Buy Peter’s latest book, The Elephant Conspiracy: Volume 2 – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elephant-Conspiracy-Peter-Hain/dp/1739966058
Also read his earlier book, A Pretoria Boy: The Story of South Africa's 'Public Enemy Number One' – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pretoria-Boy-Africas-Public-Number/dp/1785787632

Host – Andy Coulson
CWC production team: Louise Difford and Jane Sankey
With special thanks to Global

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]
...more
1h 5min
November 17, 2023 Bonus Episode: Timbaland's Crisis Comforts
As regular listeners will know, at the end of all our conversations we ask our guests for their three crisis comforts; their go-tos for inspiration and strength during the challenging times. Short but perfectly formed advice for getting you through the tough moments.
Over the years we have heard some incredibly interesting and useful tips for anyone who might be feeling the weight of their own problems.

In this episode Timbaland, legendary music super producer, shares his Crisis Comforts with us. The full episode is available below, but here is a little taster…

Full episode and transcript available below
Timbaland - on addiction, depression and why he’s kept the bullet inside him https://www.crisiswhatcrisis.com/podcasts/timbaland-on-addiction-depression-and-why-hes-kept-the-bullet-inside-him/

Links:
Stream/Buy ‘Allies’ by Some Velvet Morning: https://ampl.ink/qp6bm
Some Velvet Morning Website: www.somevelvetmorning.co.uk
Your Daily Practice: Sleep by Myndstream: https://open.spotify.com/track/5OX9XgJufFz9g63o2Dv2i5?si=b2f9397c92084682

Host – Andy Coulson
CWC production team: Louise Difford and Jane Sankey
With special thanks to Global

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]
...more
5min
November 09, 2023 76. Timbaland on addiction, depression and why he's kept the bullet inside him
Our guest for this episode is music legend Timbaland. With more Top Ten hits than Elvis, Tim is one of the world’s most successful super producers, performers and music entrepreneurs.
He’s worked with artists including Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Jay-Z and Beyoncé. And yet despite this incredible success, Tim has faced down a number of life-threatening crises.
Accidentally shot in the neck as a teenager, he still carries the remnants of the bullet that left him partially paralysed for more than a year. A reminder, he says, of the fragility of life but also his innate resilience.
Years later the legacy of that injury came back to impact Tim, causing him to become seriously addicted to the painkiller OxyContin - a habit which almost claimed his life.
Tim is passionate about the issues of addiction and depression, particularly in the music community from where he‘s lost a number of close friends. He states that while he came ‘from the era of drug dealers’ making rap hits, we are now in ‘the era of drug users’.
So in this episode you’ll be in the company of someone who has experienced the true highs of show business success and all it has to offer … but who also knows about the deadly pitfalls, those crises he has somehow managed to navigate.
My thanks to Timbaland for joining us on Crisis What Crisis? I hope you enjoy the episode.

*Disclaimer – This episode includes discussion of addiction issues. Anyone struggling with addiction should seek professional help from an expert. Here’s where to find support https://www.talktofrank.com/get-help/find-support-near-you

Links
Stream/Buy ‘Allies’ by Some Velvet Morning: https://ampl.ink/qp6bm
Some Velvet Morning Website: www.somevelvetmorning.co.uk
Your Daily Practice: Sleep by Myndstream: https://open.spotify.com/track/5OX9XgJufFz9g63o2Dv2i5?si=b2f9397c92084682

Host: Andy Coulson
CWC production team: Louise Difford and Jane Sankey
With special thanks to Global

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]
...more
56min
October 27, 2023 75. Steve Gallant on his journey from murderer to hero
If you pitched the story we discuss in this episode as a fictional film script you’d be laughed out of the room … so shocking, so unlikely is this tale of crisis.

In 2005 Steve Gallant was convicted of the brutal revenge murder of a man he claimed had attacked his then girlfriend. After being sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum 17-year term, Steve made a vow to never again use violence.

He kept that vow for 14 and a half years until, on November 29th 2019, he was allowed out on day release for the first time to attend an educational event at Fishmonger’s Hall near London Bridge. On that day Usman Khan, a former prisoner, unleashed terror – killing two young graduates Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones.

Steve, along with two others, confronted Khan, who was wearing what turned out to be a fake suicide vest, and chased him out of the building, bizarrely using huge Narwhal tusks and a fire extinguisher. With no concern for their own safety, they took him down before armed police then ended his life.

The reaction to Steve’s incredible bravery was mixed. For some, including then PM Boris Johnson, he was lauded as a hero. But for others it raised questions about his rehabilitation … about whether his reactions on that day demonstrated a continued willingness to use violence.

Steve was eventually awarded the Queen’s Medal for Gallantry and granted a Royal Prerogative of Mercy, reducing his minimum term by 10 months. He details his time in prison, essentially a story of change in the face of daily crisis, in his compelling new book The Road To London Bridge.

And in this conversation we explore his journey – from a difficult and violent childhood, through the shame of his appalling crime, his determination to change as he navigated his way through the prison system, to that day of truly astounding, instinctive bravery.

This is a crisis conversation unlike any we have had. My thanks to Steve for joining us.

Steve’s Crisis Comforts

1. Perspective – Knowing what you have and understanding there is always someone worse off than you.

2. Cup of tea – I love Yorkshire tea bags. You can’t beat it. Yorkshire Tea was a lifesaver in prison.

3. Exercise – Staying physically healthy helps the mind and in prison keeps the odd idiot at bay.

Links

Stream/Buy ‘Allies’ by Some Velvet Morning: https://ampl.ink/qp6bm
Some Velvet Morning Website: www.somevelvetmorning.co.uk
Your Daily Practice: Sleep by Myndstream: https://open.spotify.com/track/5OX9XgJufFz9g63o2Dv2i5?si=b2f9397c92084682

Watch the documentary - London Bridge: Facing Terror https://www.channel4.com/programmes/london-bridge-facing-terror/on-demand/74280-001

Read Steve’s book – ‘The Road to London Bridge’ - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-London-Bridge-Steve-Gallant/dp/1399604856

Host: Andy Coulson
CWC production: Louise Difford and Jane Sankey
With special thanks to Global

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]
...more
1h 11min
October 13, 2023 74. Tom Fletcher on the Israeli crisis, avoiding assassination and the art of diplomacy
Our guest this week is Tom Fletcher, former Ambassador to Lebanon, Downing Street Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs to three successive Prime Ministers and author. Given Tom’s experience at the sharp end of geopolitics, the timing of our conversation could not have been more useful.

Tom, who is now Principal of Oxford University’s Hertford College, has first-hand, visceral experience of managing conflict in a region now beset with tragedy and terror. Experience that included facing the regular threat of assassination as well as the complex management of an Embassy at a time of extreme challenge.

As a diplomat, Tom has a tried and tested operational formula when it comes to crisis. But he is also a man with strong and useful views across the range of other risks and threats we face across politics, education and other areas. A former diplomat (or recovering Ambassador as he puts it) who is not afraid to have opinions.

Tom is also someone who believes in the strategic power of a sense of humour, even when you’re in a room full of world leaders. Stand by for a cracking anecdote about Silvio Berlusconi and his budgie smugglers. Hope you enjoy this episode and find it as useful as I did. My thanks to Tom.

Tom's crisis comforts:
1. A small piece of land – to put my hands in the soil and sit under my fig tree with a Negroni.
2. A good Spotify playlist – Music is always a good place to put my head.
3. The basics – air, water and sleep – simply remembering to breathe, stay hydrated and always get your seven hours sleep.

Links:
Stream/Buy ‘Allies’ by Some Velvet Morning: https://ampl.ink/qp6bm
Some Velvet Morning Website: https://www.somevelvetmorning.co.uk
Your Daily Practice: Sleep by Myndstream: https://open.spotify.com/track/5OX9XgJufFz9g63o2Dv2i5?si=b2f9397c92084682

Books by Tom:
The Naked Diplomat -https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0008127581/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tu00_p1_i0
The Ambassador - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1800328974/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tu00_p1_i2
Ten Survival Skills For a World in Flux - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0008447802/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tu00_p1_i0
The Assassin - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1800328990/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tu00_p1_i1 Naked Diplomacy - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0008127565/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tu00_p1_i3

Host: Andy Coulson
CWC production team: Louise Difford and Jane Sankey
With special thanks to Global.
...more
1h 2min
September 29, 2023 73. Sir Anthony Seldon on managing tragedy, the resilience crisis and political failure
In this episode I’m joined by the eminent and progressive educator, renowned author and political historian Sir Anthony Seldon. As a Headmaster, he has led some of Britain’s most prestigious schools, including Brighton College and Wellington and most recently Epsom College, a role he took on following the shocking murder of former Headmistress Emma Pattison and her daughter, Lettie.

Anthony talks about that challenge and other personal crises he has faced and managed. Along the way we discuss his passionate belief in the importance of developing resilience in our young people. As he puts its: “What really matters is helping young people learn how to live meaningful, contented, productive, enjoyable lives without dependencies and without the need to trash themselves.”

His work on this subject was well ahead of its time … and even prompted severe criticism from other teachers.

Anthony’s own school education was far from plain sailing – he flunked his A Levels and was later, as he eloquently puts it, ‘invited to leave the school’. After the intervention of an English teacher who recognised his talent, he got back on course and, after some more bumps in the road, began the career in which he has helped so many young people.

Anthony also speaks movingly about the death of his first wife Joanna and explains why he feels he did not handle his grief well.

I loved this conversation both for the range of subjects we covered and for the wisdom Anthony shared so brilliantly. I hope you enjoy it too.

Sir Anthony’s Crisis Comforts
1. Writing whilst walking – Walking is sensational. I dictate what I’m seeing and noticing, and then at the end of a day’s walking I put it all together.
2. Eating and drinking with friends – There is nothing more heavenly and grounding than being in France by a river having lunch with people who one loves.
3. Teaching – It’s in teaching that we learn. It is an unbelievable privilege talking to young people and sharing ideas with them.

Links
Stream/Buy ‘Allies’ by Some Velvet Morning: https://ampl.ink/qp6bm
Some Velvet Morning Website: www.somevelvetmorning.co.uk
Your Daily Practice: Sleep by Myndstream: https://open.spotify.com/track/5OX9XgJufFz9g63o2Dv2i5?si=b2f9397c92084682

Book By Anthony Seldon: The Path to Peace: Walking the Western Front Way

Book By Martin Seligman: TomorrowMind: Thrive at Work with Resilience, Creativity and Connection, Now and in an Uncertain Future.

Host: Andy Coulson
CWC production team: Louise Difford and Jane Sankey
With special thanks to Global.
...more
1h 3min
September 15, 2023 Trailer - Featuring former guests
In this short trailer you can hear snippets of our compelling conversations with previous guests on the podcast, including – Richard Bacon, Fergal Keane, Nile Rodgers, Piers Morgan, Sarah Standing, Bill Browder, Vicky Pryce and Lisa Squire. A reminder of the broad range of topics and conversations around crisis that I’ve had with some truly exceptional people.

Our stories range from the devastating personal impact of surviving a terror attack, to life in the eye of public storms; grief, PTSD, addiction and mental health issues. But these conversations are really about finding inspiration from their stories of struggle, offering a judgement free zone where guests willingly share their story with honesty, authenticity and often humour.

All episodes featured can be found on our website or wherever you get your podcasts from.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis/id1517015748 https://www.crisiswhatcrisis.com

Links
Stream/Buy ‘Allies’ by Some Velvet Morning: https://ampl.ink/qp6bm
Some Velvet Morning Website: www.somevelvetmorning.co.uk
Your Daily Practice: Sleep by Myndstream: https://open.spotify.com/track/5OX9XgJufFz9g63o2Dv2i5?si=b2f9397c92084682

Host: Andy Coulson
CWC production team: Louise Difford and Jane Sankey
With special thanks to Global
...more
4min
September 04, 2023 72. Andy Coulson on regrets, resilience and recovery
In today’s episode we revisit a conversation from three years ago, when I swapped seats and let my friend, the journalist and broadcaster Jane Moore ask me the questions.

Listening back to this interview, my approach to life after crisis remains relatively unchanged, but I also realise that there’s so much more I’ve learnt as a result of the 60+ episodes I’ve recorded since then.

The judgement free platform we provide for our guests to talk about their experiences of crisis, mean that we’ve been able to build an incredibly valuable archive packed with useful, practical tools for anyone facing a challenge. I hope you enjoy this episode and please do have a listen to the other guests I’ve had the privilege to talk to.

Andy’s Crisis Comforts

1. Charles Dickens – The Pickwick Papers – I could not have been more delighted on the day that I finally got into the library at HMP Belmarsh, and even more delighted that there was a whole shelf of Dickens.

2. Ben Howard – ‘Keep Your Head Up’ – Music has been incredibly important for me and my family. This has been a bit of a family anthem.

3. Château Musar – A very tasty Lebanese wine - Liquid proof that there is some good that can come of crisis.

Links
Stream/Buy ‘Allies’ by Some Velvet Morning: https://ampl.ink/qp6bm
Some Velvet Morning Website: www.somevelvetmorning.co.uk
Your Daily Practice: Sleep by Myndstream:
https://open.spotify.com/track/5OX9XgJufFz9g63o2Dv2i5?si=b2f9397c92084682

Host: Andy Coulson
CWC production team: Louise Difford and Jane Sankey
With special thanks to Global
...more
1h 7min
August 18, 202371. Saad Mohseni on losing colleagues to terror and running a media business in Taliban ruled Afghanistan
Surviving crisis is one thing. Building a business empire in the midst of one is quite another. In this episode we are joined by media mogul Saad Mohseni – the creator of Afghanistan’s first news and entertainment TV network.

The son of an Afghan diplomat, Saad was born in London but spent his childhood years in Kabul until the Soviet invasion in 1980 when his family sought political asylum in Australia.

Saad found early success in finance before deciding that his future lay in the media industry – but not in New York, London or Sydney. In 2002 Saad brought popular television and news to Afghanistan for the first time with businesses including Armen FM and TOLO TV. But that came at a price with not only personal death threats but also terror attacks against his staff, including a targeted bomb attack in 2016 which killed seven of his employees.

Despite all this – and the sudden withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan two years ago, Saad continues to operate in a country now ruled by The Taliban. Determined to deliver accurate news to a nation facing so much difficulty, he has, so far, managed to persuade those Taliban leaders to keep him on air.

Saad has also been in the room with Presidents, Prime Ministers and Afghan leaders – and witnessed first-hand the appalling impact of political failure. And his account of the final days of the Afghan regime and the President’s delusion – told from within the bunker – is utterly fascinating.

So, this is a conversation about how to stay focused in an environment of chaos and death. About how to stay strategic against a backdrop of uncertainty and risk. And how to speak truth to power … even with a fatwa declared against you.

Saad’s informed and balanced analysis of the Afghanistan dilemma is definitive and most worthy of a listen for anyone interested in a country that remains a capital of crisis.

Saad’s Crisis Comforts
Humour is very important
Running in order to clear your head
Classical Music – Rachmaninov & Beethoven

Links
Stream/Buy ‘Allies’ by Some Velvet Morning: https://ampl.ink/qp6bm
Some Velvet Morning Website: www.somevelvetmorning.co.uk
Your Daily Practice: Sleep by Myndstream: https://open.spotify.com/track/5OX9XgJufFz9g63o2Dv2i5?si=b2f9397c92084682

Host: Andy Coulson
CWC production team: Louise Difford and Jane Sankey
With special thanks to Global
...more
1h 22min
August 04, 2023 Bonus Episode: Victoria Milligan & Henry Scowcroft's Crisis Comforts
This Crisis Comforts episode features previous guests Victoria Milligan and Henry Scowcroft. Victoria, who joined us early in Series One, described how in a moment she went from a perfect life to becoming a “widow, a bereaved parent, a single parent and an amputee” all in one horrific boat accident in 2013. In her Crisis Comforts, she explains how she navigated her appalling grief by focusing on doable, achievable goals and learning how to seek out and embrace joy in the small pleasures of life.
Henry, a guest from Series Four who lost Zarah, his girlfriend of six years to cancer, explains how through the writing of his book Cross Everything he was able to provide not only a powerful legacy for her but a useful guide for others facing down a cancer diagnosis. Henry also talks movingly about avoiding the ‘shoulda’ woulda’ coulda’ trap that often comes with facing the loss of a loved one. As he says: “Focus on the horizon, not over your shoulder.”

Please listen to their full and inspiring episodes here:https://www.crisiswhatcrisis.com/podcasts/victoria-milligan-on-tragedy-survival-and-human-spirit/https://www.crisiswhatcrisis.com/podcasts/shortcuts-henry-scowcroft-on-grief-writing-to-recover-and-the-power-of-music/

Other Links:
Stream/Buy ‘Allies’ by Some Velvet Morning: https://ampl.ink/qp6bm
Some Velvet Morning Website: www.somevelvetmorning.co.uk
Your Daily Practice: Sleep by Myndstream: https://open.spotify.com/track/5OX9XgJufFz9g63o2Dv2i5?si=b2f9397c92084682
Traction in the Rain by David Crosby: https://open.spotify.com/track/0qexU8674Ii6vaeFolN6Gb?si=3b629d7bc7eb48c4
Child Bereavement UK: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/
Cancer Research UK: https://donate.cancerresearchuk.org/donate?gclid=CjwKCAjwsNiIBhBdEiwAJK4kho_CgAZZPfqR3-9lrx5Uj4yHIq7rpM5_OYywkUil1oJdQSY5evX5YBoCD9AQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Host: Andy Coulson
CWC production team: Louise Difford and Jane Sankey
With special thanks to Global
...more
9min

FAQs about Crisis What Crisis?:

How many episodes does Crisis What Crisis? have?

The podcast currently has 174 episodes available.

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