Joining Talia this week is professional footballer Tom Lockyer for an honest conversation about surviving cardiac arrest, trauma, resilience, and discovering who you are beyond football.

Tom's career took him from being released by a professional academy at just 15 for being considered too small, through non-league football and spells with Bristol Rovers and Charlton Athletic, before spending six years at Luton Town and helping the club reach the Premier League. But his life changed dramatically after suffering cardiac arrests on the pitch.

Tom opens up about collapsing during Luton's Championship play-off final at Wembley, later being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, and then suffering another cardiac arrest while playing against Bournemouth in the Premier League. He recalls waking up surrounded by paramedics and discovering that he had been clinically dead for 2 minutes and 42 seconds.

The conversation goes far beyond football, exploring the delayed impact of trauma, anxiety, identity loss, and the challenge of rebuilding your life when the career that defined you is suddenly taken away.

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What happens when the applause fades and you're left to face your biggest battles alone?

Joining Talia in the studio this week is former Premier League footballer, professional boxer, mental health advocate, and author Leon McKenzie for one of his most honest conversations yet.

After a successful football career with clubs including Norwich City, Coventry City and Crystal Palace, Leon transitioned into professional boxing before dedicating his life to raising awareness of mental health. Having experienced depression, trauma, and suicidal thoughts, he now uses his platform to help others realise that healing is possible and that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Together, Talia and Leon explore the lifelong impact of childhood experiences, the non-linear journey of healing, and how faith, purpose, self-love, and vulnerability have helped him rebuild his life. This is an emotional conversation about surviving the darkest moments, embracing authenticity, and discovering the strength to keep getting back up.

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What if the biggest setback of your life became the foundation for your greatest achievements?

In this inspiring episode Talia is joined by Paralympic gold medallist, MBE, motivational speaker, and disability advocate Aaron Phipps. After contracting meningitis as a teenager, Aaron underwent life-saving surgery that resulted in the amputation of both legs. Rather than allowing adversity to define him, he rebuilt his life, becoming one of Great Britain's most celebrated wheelchair rugby players and helping Team GB win Paralympic gold at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Aaron shares the mindset that has carried him from hospital beds to the Paralympic podium, opening up about resilience, mental health, embracing risk, and finding purpose through life's greatest challenges. He also reflects on pushing beyond perceived limits, including becoming the first person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair, proving that impossible is often just a starting point.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that resilience isn't about avoiding hardship, it's about choosing to rise every single time life knocks you down.

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What does it really take to get back up when life doesn't go to plan?

Joining Talia in the studio this week is former England and British & Irish Lions rugby star James Haskell. Since retiring from professional rugby, James has successfully reinvented himself as a bestselling author, broadcaster, podcaster, entrepreneur, and international DJ, proving that life after elite sport can be just as rewarding as the career that came before it.

Together, they dive into the mindset behind resilience, the power of self-belief, and how embracing setbacks can become the catalyst for growth. James opens up about protecting his mental health, learning from failure, building confidence through visualization, and staying authentic in a world increasingly shaped by social media. The conversation also explores relationships, setting healthy boundaries, finding purpose beyond sport, and even James' fascination with the universe and life beyond Earth.

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What happens when life throws challenge after challenge your way? For Ottilie Quince, the answer has always been the same: keep moving forward.

In this episode Talia sits down with kidney transplant recipient, cyclist, and resilience advocate Ottilie Quince to explore her extraordinary journey through chronic illness, organ transplantation, and rediscovering purpose.

Ottilie shares the realities of living with end-stage kidney disease, the emotional highs and lows of receiving a transplant, and how cycling became far more than a hobby—it became a lifeline. 

Together, they discuss the power of community, self-advocacy in healthcare, and why embracing life's setbacks can lead to unexpected opportunities for growth.

Whether you're facing your own health challenges or supporting someone who is, this conversation is a powerful reminder that resilience isn't about avoiding adversity; it's about learning how to navigate it, getting back up and taking it one step at a time.

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Life rarely follows the path we expect, and often our biggest challenges become the moments that shape us most.

Joining Talia in the studio this week is TV presenter, broadcaster, Soccer AM favourite, and LifeJacket UK producer John Fendley for an honest conversation about resilience, mental health, grief, and embracing life's unpredictable journey.

John shares his experiences of navigating difficult moments, learning to sit with uncomfortable emotions, and understanding that life isn't a straight line. From managing overthinking to finding joy in everyday moments, this episode explores what it really means to rebuild, grow, and keep moving forward.

To find out more, head to the links below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fennersinsta/?hl=en

LifeJacket UK: https://www.instagram.com/lifejacketuk/?hl=en

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Joining Talia in the studio this week is the incredible team behind Say It Lad, the anonymous voice-note platform helping men open up about their mental health without fear of judgment.

Together, they explore why so many men struggle to talk about anxiety, depression, loneliness, and fear, and how silence often becomes one of the biggest barriers to getting support. The conversation dives into the power of vulnerability, the impact of negative self-talk, and why being heard can be more valuable than being given advice.

Through honest discussion and personal insights, this episode highlights how simple acts of openness can create life-changing turning points and why creating safe, accessible spaces for men to share their experiences has never been more important.

More about Say It Lad

Say It Lad is a UK-based men's mental health initiative built around a simple but powerful idea: giving men a safe, anonymous space to speak openly. Through WhatsApp voice notes, users can share their experiences, struggles, fears, and victories without using their name or revealing their identity. The platform was created to break down the barriers that stop many men from asking for help, offering peer-to-peer support through honest conversations and shared experiences. Its mission is simple: help men realise they are not alone and encourage conversations before crisis point.

To find out more, head to the below links:

Website: https://www.sayitlad.com/

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

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Joining Talia in the studio today is former professional footballer Jay Bothroyd to explore the defining moments that shaped his remarkable career and personal journey.

From the highs of representing England to the challenges of adapting to life and football overseas, Jay opens up about the resilience, determination, and mindset that helped him overcome setbacks and continue moving forward. He shares candid insights into handling criticism, navigating cultural changes, managing personal health challenges, and finding strength through vulnerability.

This powerful conversation is packed with lessons on perseverance, self-awareness, and personal growth that extend far beyond the football pitch.

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I got my smile back.. 

Carl Beech creator of the BeechBand and someone living with Young-Onset Parkinson’s, Carl went from losing his ability to speak, walk normally, and control his body.. to calming his symptoms and getting his voice, his movement, and his smile back. 

From tapping on his arm one day, Carl had an epiphany which became the device everyone in the Parkinson’s community is talking about – the Beechband. The day Carl felt hope again. 

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Diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis (MS), at the age of 32 in 2008, it was a day that freed Ben but also told him that things were going to be tough. The one thought that came through was just hold on. Participating in marathons, and becoming a teacher, the pain that started all of this has since created the happiness he now has.. 

Ps never forget, the world is always better with you in it. 

MS is a chronic, autoimmune disease of the central nervous system where the immune system damages the myelin sheath protecting nerves, disrupting brain-body communication.

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