In this episode of Identity First, host Stephanie Fleet is joined by occupational therapist and transactional analysis practitioner Lisa Poole for a thoughtful exploration of identity, communication, and change. Drawing on her experience across health, social care, education and organisational settings, Lisa introduces transactional analysis as a practical framework for understanding how we relate to ourselves and others.

The conversation explores how identity is shaped across a lifetime, particularly through significant transitions such as illness, trauma or life-changing injury. Lisa explains the core transactional analysis model — the parent, adult and child ego states — and how our past experiences can subtly influence present-day reactions, behaviours and communication. With clarity and warmth, she shows how greater self-awareness can help professionals navigate difficult conversations, avoid unhelpful patterns such as “rescuing,” and remain grounded in the here and now.

The episode also tackles sensitive and real-world scenarios, including supporting people through grief, identity shifts, mental health challenges and disclosures around gender identity. Throughout, Lisa offers practical insights, reflective questions and compassionate guidance that are relevant not only to case managers and clinicians, but to anyone interested in human connection.

At its heart, this episode invites listeners to reflect on identity as a lifelong, evolving conversation — and to consider what it might mean to see ourselves, and others, as “perfect, whole and complete.”

In this episode of Identity First, Megan and Stephanie sit down with Andrew Jenkins — known to many from BBC’s The Traitors, but whose real story goes far deeper. At 21, Andrew’s life was rewritten in an instant following a catastrophic road traffic accident that left him with life-changing injuries, a long recovery, and an even longer battle with identity, self-worth and unspoken trauma.

Andrew opens up about the physical and emotional fallout of the crash — the coma, the surgeries, the isolation, and decades of silently “wearing the mask” expected of a young Welsh rugby lad raised in a stoic, old-school environment. He speaks with powerful honesty about grief for the life he lost, the slow journey toward acceptance, reconnecting with family, and how therapy finally reshaped his understanding of himself.

We also explore how The Traitors unexpectedly became a platform for Andrew to share his message, why vulnerability is strength rather than weakness, and how he now champions resilience, emotional honesty, and healthier role models for young men.

It’s a raw, inspiring conversation about rebuilding identity, breaking generational patterns, and choosing who you become after everything changes.

In this powerful episode of Identity First, host Stephanie Fleet speaks with solicitor Tracy Norris-Evans, a leading practitioner in catastrophic injury law whose work places her at the heart of some of the most life-altering moments individuals and families can face. Tracy shares how her early love of medicine led her into a legal career that bridges clinical understanding with deep, long-term client relationships—often spanning decades.

Throughout the conversation, Tracy offers a rare insight into how identity shifts after catastrophic injury—not only for the injured person, but for whole families navigating trauma, litigation, medical assessments, and the lifelong impact of life-changing conditions. She explores the dual roles she often occupies: first as a litigator fighting for clients, and later as a professional deputy or trustee tasked with safeguarding their financial futures.

Tracy discusses how families must repeatedly revisit painful details through expert assessments, the emotional toll on litigation friends, the complexity of navigating cultural and religious needs, and the profound “ripple effect” of brain injury highlighted through her work with the Head Together conference.

Thoughtful, compassionate and insightful, this episode shines a light on identity as something dynamic, fragile and deeply human—and asks what it means to preserve hope through the most challenging journeys.

In this episode of Identity First, host Stephanie Fleet speaks with Teresa Clarke, whose life changed forever in 2006 when she fell asleep at the wheel while driving friends home from a festival. The crash killed three of her passengers, injured two others, and left Teresa seriously hurt. Convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, she later served time in prison.

Before the accident, Teresa was a 27-year-old artist and designer struggling with direction and her sexuality. Afterward, she faced the unbearable weight of guilt, grief, and physical recovery — an “existential crisis” that stripped away everything she thought she knew about herself. Yet through the love and support of family and friends, she slowly rebuilt her life.

Teresa describes making a private vow to live her life in honour of those who died, which became her anchor through the darkest years. Seventeen years on, she now works in mental health and wellbeing, helping others find meaning through trauma.

She reflects that identity is not fixed but continually reshaped by what we choose next. True happiness, she says, lies in inner peace and purpose, not external validation. Her story is one of profound accountability, transformation, and enduring hope.

In the debut episode of the "Identity First" podcast, host Stephanie Fleet interviews Teresa Shaw, a director at CMS UK, about the significance of identity in case management. The podcast's title was inspired by a recent CMS UK conference that centered on personal and professional identity.

Teresa explains that the conference's theme addresses the changing identities of both case managers and their clients. As case management evolves into a registered profession, professionals from diverse backgrounds like nursing and social work are forming a new, unified identity. This shift allows case managers to move from the constraints of corporate environments like the NHS to a more bespoke, individualized approach.

The discussion also focuses on clients who undergo a change in identity following a traumatic event. The speakers emphasize the importance of recognizing the fluidity of identity for both professionals and clients. They highlight the dangers of unconscious bias and "throwaway comments" from medical professionals, which can negatively impact a client's recovery and sense of self. Teresa shares a personal anecdote of being misdiagnosed because of a nurse's unconscious bias against her as a fellow nurse. The conversation concludes with the idea that while identity changes can be difficult, they can also be embraced as positive opportunities.