This weeks Extraordinary Ordinary guest is unlike any I have had before. Over the last 15 months, Dani Britz has lived through the shocking loss of her best friend and father, followed shortly after by her mother. What makes these all the worse, is the fact that they both passed away in South Africa, whilst she was living over 10,000km away in Australia. Anyone living far from home has dreaded the phone call that sadly Dani has received not once - but twice. What makes this episode all the more unique is not only the how recent these losses occurred, making the conversation as raw and honest as you can imagine, but the fact that, for the first time, I had never before met Dani. Dani is a friend of Nataschia Holland’s (my guest on Episode 9), and after hearing our chat together reached out to me asking to get involved too. This conversation turned into quite the journey but what was evident from it, was the strength of Dani’s character, the hopefulness and lessons she has taken from being rock-bottom and the drive she now feels to allow her story to help others. Quite simply, Dani encapsulates all that it is to be an Extraordinary Ordinary guest and I am sure each and every one of you can take something and be inspired by her story.

What an absolute pleasure it was to sit down with Sophie. A truly unique episode as she has experienced not one, but two, terrible losses at such a young age. She opens up and talks with incredible maturity, insight and vulnerability in what I'm sure is an episode that so many listeners can learn from. Sit back and enjoy this episode with the wonderful and beautiful gem that is Sophie Macrae!

What an episode to return to! I had the chance to sit down with the beautiful, bursting, ball of energy that is Aimee who generously and sensitively shared her experiences of coping with having a Dad going through cancer. I hope you all learn as much as I did from this episode!

After a little while away I am back and thrilled to bring you 2 (possibly 3!) brand new 'Extraordinary Ordinary People' episodes!

I have been busy recording two other podcast series, Inside Out and HAC Chats, so do go and check those out if you like these.

But in the meantime. Watch this space for new episodes...

Welcome to my brand new podcast series 'Inside Out'!

In 2019 life is still easier for those that are straight than those that are gay.

In my eyes - this is a tragedy that it is up to our generation to change for the benefit of all of those – gay and straight -in the future. 

I imagine that almost everyone that has come out has been subjected to some form of homophobia. Even the word ‘gay’ is used as an insult to belittle people - irrelevant of their sexuality.

I want to do my bit to help change this. Homophobia, like racism or sexism, is often a result of a lack of education. So, let’s educate people!

In this my new podcast – Inside Out -  I will invite my gay and lesbian guests to share their experiences with us.  How have their lives changed since coming out, what advice they would they give to others who might be struggling with their sexuality and most importantly what actions do they believe need to be taken in order for the next generation to never experience the injustice of homophobia.

You might ask why I – a middle class, straight, white man – who has rarely been subjected to discrimination or abuse of any kind should be a suitable host for such a podcast. And in many ways, you might be right. And yet, I have no doubt that there are probably numerous other podcasts or programmes when one member of the LBGTQ community interviews another about their shared experiences. But I see it this  way. As a straight man, I am the exact demographic of the type of person who isdiscriminatory towards gays and lesbians. I am, therefore, the exact category of person that needs educating. That needs to be involved in these types of conversations. So allow me to ask the naïve questions you may have thought of but not felt too embarrassed to bring up.

By the format of the podcast being a straight man interviewing a gay guest, I hope we can reach the broadest audience possible whilst avoiding the risk of being a podcast exclusively about homosexuality for the benefit of homosexuals. This is an all inclusive podcast, relevant to everyone.

Homophobia cannot end if it is only those who identify as gay that take offence at discriminatory behaviour. It is up to us all to defend and support the integrity and rights of a community that has been mistreated for so long by so many.

More episodes coming soon...

I want to interview everyday people that I find extraordinary.

Not the celebrities we often hear interviewed who, following the death of a parent, went on to make millions setting up a start-up of some kind or another.

But ordinary, relatable people. My friends.

Losing a parent is surely one of the hardest things any of us will have to deal with in life. And yet, it is one we will all experience at some point.

I want to talk to those who experienced this all too soon. Those who lost a parent in their early formative years.

How has it changed them?

What are they doing now?

And most importantly what was the best thing their friends or family said to them during this time? How should we react on hearing a great friend of ours has suffered such a loss? There isn’t a guide book for this and many feel at a loss as to know how to react. Should I encourage them to talk about it? Or would they rather speak about anything but it? How do I not treat them differently whilst showing them that they have my full support?

In short what helped and what didn’t help them?

I am not coming at this from the angle of a psychologist. And I understand the incredibly sensitive and personal nature of the interview. I am approaching this from the angle of a friend trying to encourage the interviewee to share their experiences and give some helpful advice both to those going through the same thing and those trying to help their friends. 

In this episode I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Anna who opens up beautifully and eloquently about the effects of losing her father at such a young age. We discussed an enormous range of topics from grief, to male influences to the #metoo movement in what was a fascinating hour shared with one of my favourite people! I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did recording it. Thanks as ever for your continued support and particular thanks to the wonderful Anna Marshall!

I want to interview everyday people that I find extraordinary.

Not the celebrities we often hear interviewed who, following the death of a parent, went on to make millions setting up a start-up of some kind or another.

But ordinary, relatable people. My friends.

Losing a parent is surely one of the hardest things any of us will have to deal with in life. And yet, it is one we will all experience at some point.

I want to talk to those who experienced this all too soon. Those who lost a parent in their early formative years.

How has it changed them?

What are they doing now?

And most importantly what was the best thing their friends or family said to them during this time? How should we react on hearing a great friend of ours has suffered such a loss? There isn’t a guide book for this and many feel at a loss as to know how to react. Should I encourage them to talk about it? Or would they rather speak about anything but it? How do I not treat them differently whilst showing them that they have my full support?

In short what helped and what didn’t help them?

I am not coming at this from the angle of a psychologist. And I understand the incredibly sensitive and personal nature of the interview. I am approaching this from the angle of a friend trying to encourage the interviewee to share their experiences and give some helpful advice both to those going through the same thing and those trying to help their friends. 

In this - our fifth episode - I had the pleasure of interviewing my wonderful friend and proud owner of the deserved nickname 'Fit Bells'! Listen as she opens up about the loss of her father and the difficulties she faced in starting university so soon after his loss, whilst also playing the older sister to her younger siblings. 

I want to interview everyday people that I find extraordinary.

Not the celebrities we often hear interviewed who, following the death of a parent, went on to make millions setting up a start-up of some kind or another.

But ordinary, relatable people. My friends.

Losing a parent is surely one of the hardest things any of us will have to deal with in life. And yet, it is one we will all experience at some point.

I want to talk to those who experienced this all too soon. Those who lost a parent in their early formative years.

How has it changed them?

What are they doing now?

And most importantly what was the best thing their friends or family said to them during this time? How should we react on hearing a great friend of ours has suffered such a loss? There isn’t a guide book for this and many feel at a loss as to know how to react. Should I encourage them to talk about it? Or would they rather speak about anything but it? How do I not treat them differently whilst showing them that they have my full support?

In short what helped and what didn’t help them?

I am not coming at this from the angle of a psychologist. And I understand the incredibly sensitive and personal nature of the interview. I am approaching this from the angle of a friend trying to encourage the interviewee to share their experiences and give some helpful advice both to those going through the same thing and those trying to help their friends.

In this weeks episode I interview my own Dad. We explore (for the first time!) the challenges he faced losing his father so young, how it differed to losing his mother 20 years later, and how it may have affected the way he has acted as a parent himself.