Title: Rediscovering Vintage Soul: A Conversation with Erica Falls

In the latest episode of "Inspiring Minds," we dive deep into the world of soul music with the captivating neo-soul artist Erica Falls. Renowned for her sultry vocals and timeless sound, Erica takes us through her musical influences, upbringing, and the essence of vintage soul.

Growing up in the vibrant streets of New Orleans' 9th Ward, Erica was steeped in a musical melting pot that shaped her into the artist she is today. Raised on a rich diet of Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughn, and Whitney Houston, she developed a profound appreciation for the classics that would later define her musical style.

With her distinct blend of sass and soul, Erica effortlessly channels the spirit of an earlier era, captivating audiences both on stage and in the studio. However, she quickly reminds us that vintage soul isn't merely a nostalgic throwback; it's a timeless force that resonates with listeners today. She eloquently says, "Vintage soul is not about bringing the listener back to a time of authentic music; it's about reminding them that it never went anywhere."

In this episode, Erica shares her insights into the evolution of soul music, the challenges of staying authentic in a rapidly changing industry, and the power of music to transcend boundaries and connect people from all walks of life. Join us as we delve into the depths of the soul with one of its most captivating voices, Erica Falls.

Richard Wiseman holds Britain’s only Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire and has published over 100 academic papers examining the psychology of magic and illusion, deception, luck, and self-development.  He has written several popular psychology books (including The Luck Factor and 59 Seconds) that have been published around the world and regularly gives keynote talks to a wide range of organizations.

Richard has also created psychology-based YouTube videos that have attracted over 500 million views, is one of the most followed psychologists on Twitter, and the Independent On Sunday chose him as one of the top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live.

A Member of the Inner Magic Circle, Richard acts as a creative consultant on several stage and television projects, including work with Penn and Teller, and Derren Brown.

Richard has been described by a Scientific American columnist as ‘…one of the most interesting and innovative experimental psychologists in the world’ and by Elizabeth Loftus (Past President, Association for Psychological Science) as ‘one of the world’s most creative psychologists.’

YouTune QUIRKOLOGY CHANNEL
 https://richardwiseman.wordpress.com/youtube/

A wonderful privileged to have actor Andy Nyman as my guest on the latest episode of Inspiring Minds. Andy Nyman is not only a successful actor, he is also a film-maker, director, screenwriter, author and one of the best magicians in the world, even though he counts magic as just a fun hobby.

He is one of the most positive and inspiring people I know, always full of optimism, and it was lovely to explore inside the mind of Andy Nyman!

Andy Nyman bio from Wikipedia
Nyman was born in Leicester. His first noteworthy performance was in 2000 as Keith Whitehead in Dead Babies,[4] an adaptation of the Martin Amis novel of the same name. Soon after he appeared alongside Jon Voight, David Schwimmer and Leelee Sobieski in Jon Avnet's 2001 Emmy award-winning film Uprising[5] as a Polish-Jewish freedom fighter.

His next film role was in the 2003 film Coney Island Baby as a gay French gun dealer. In 2006 he appeared in horror-comedy Severance, Herman Brood biopic Wild Romance and British romcom Are You Ready for Love? That same year Nyman won the award for best actor at the 2006 Cherbourg-Octeville Festival of Irish & British Film for his role as Colin Frampton in Shut Up and Shoot Me.[6] In 2007, Nyman appeared as one of the leads in the Frank Oz film Death at a Funeral, starring opposite Matthew Macfadyen, Ewen Bremner and Keely Hawes. In 2008, he starred as Patrick, a sleazy reality show producer, in Charlie Brooker's E4 horror satire Dead Set,[7] and appeared in BBC Four's supernatural drama series Crooked House.[6]

He played the recurring character Jonty de Wolf in Channel 4's semi-improvised show Campus. In 2013, Nyman appeared in Kick-Ass 2, as "The Tumor." He did voice-over work for the series Sarah & Duck and Chuggington

Since losing Nicholas one of her twin sons to suicide at the age of 27 in 2004 Elizabeth Burton-Phillips now dedicates all her time to raising awareness of the impact of drug of addiction on families and significant other to ensure that those affected by someone’s substance use receive adequate and timely support.

Elizabeth is perhaps best known as the author of ‘Mum, can you lend me twenty quid? What drugs did to my family’ a story that has now been read by thousands of people in the UK and translated into six languages. The book describes how an ordinary family was devastated by drug addiction which drove her twin son Nick to end his life in 2004, aged just 27.

Following Nick’s tragic death, Elizabeth has campaigned continuously to raise awareness of the harm caused to families by drug addiction and to influence policy and practice so that the needs of families are better recognised and met. Elizabeth founded the charity DrugFAM in 2006, which now helps thousands of people who are affected by someone’s substance or gambling use, including those who have been bereaved by addiction. The charity is open seven days a week from 9-9pm via its helpline 0300 888 3853. She speaks publicly on behalf of the charity in schools, prisons, rehabs and numerous conferences all over the UK and beyond.

Elizabeth was co-opted on to the government’s Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs New Recovery Committee in 2012-2015 and is currently advisor to a number of organisations. She has contributed to research by the Universities of Bath and Sterling which has produced new guidelines for professionals working with those bereaved by substance use.

Over the last 16 years Elizabeth has delivered over 1000 lectures and key note speeches to clinicians, practitioners and other stakeholders at schools, prisons, and conference events across the globe. Nearer to home.

Elizabeth was nominated as a Woman of Achievement in the Women of the Year Lunch Awards from 2009-2012 and her courage and determination to support families continues to be acknowledged around the world.

In May 2017 her charity was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

She loves Ed Sheeran

ww.drugfam.co.uk

Hi, I’m Roberto Forzoni, Welcome to the latest episode on Inspiring minds and what an episode it is. 

I started the podcast chatting to people I have had the pleasure of working with over the past 25 plus years, and there are lots more conversations to come – but as I had hoped, some fabulous recommendations have been coming through. 

 If you enjoy the podcast please subscribe and share through your own social media, Any comments or reviews are really appreciated as they really do help get the podcast to a wonderful audience. 

Our guest today has quite a unique background for his sporting success. You’ll hear how a thirty-year career in the police force, including on the riot shields and more so on the firearms teams, helped develop a stoic resilience that helped him immensely in dealing with the unique pressure of international and Olympic sports – his knowledge, experiences and wonderful manner will truly inspire you. 

This is a fantastic and resourceful episode.

I am so pleased to introduce our guest today, he is the manager of the Team GB Hockey team preparing for the delayed Olympics in two months’ time.  Get a pen and paper there are some wonderful nuggets you’ll want to remember. 

Welcome Andy Halliday

 what a fantastic story and as with all of our guests so far, what a nice person! Humility and inspiration a wonderful combination. 

Biography

After a career spanning three decades policing London whilst balancing the demand of international sport, he is able to reflect on a wealth of experience working with high performing teams. 

As a young Metropolitan Police Officer, he developed his policing skills in the pressured environment of the 1980s. After initial training, these skills were to underpin a working life in specialist roles throughout his career. For many years, he was a Specialist Firearms Officer, a frontline role in the fight against armed crime and terrorism. He participated in nearly 3000 firearms operations during an 18-year stint with CO19. As both an instructor and operator, the role saw him lead firearms operations in the UK and abroad. By his own admission, it was a steep learning curve. 

“The unpredictability of the environment tested situational awareness and pressured decision making both as an individual and as a team. Thorough planning, the ability to think ahead, adapting the plan and reacting accordingly were constantly under scrutiny. We accepted that things didn’t always go to plan, but encouraged an honest and robust approach to briefing and debriefing. We were able to create an environment where tough conversations were made possible in pursuit of bettering the team.” 

A former international hockey player and coach, he now manages the GB Men's hockey team as they prepare for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. 

“I’ve been fortunate to spend most of my career in pursuit of best practice alongside like-minded individuals. After so many years working in high performance, It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to support other individuals, businesses and teams as they strive to be the best they can be.” 

In his spare time, he claims to have invented “extreme hockey dribbling” and his dribbling challenges in the UK and the Himalayas have raised thousands of pounds for charity. 
He is a TRIM Practitioner, a mentor on the Pathfinder scheme at Help4Heroes and an ambassador for Hockey4Heroes, Access Sport and Disability hockey. 

#GBHokey #hockey #performance #inspiration

In this episode, we speak briefly with founder and owner Pierluigi, and his son Marco who now manages the business, on the subjects of customer service, teamwork and longevity in the highly volatile business of running a highly successful restaurant in London. 

https://www.instagram.com/pierluigisbeckenham/?hl=en
#pierluigisbeckenham

Welcome to episode seven of inspiring minds. If you’ve not checked out any of series one, which contains many of the short audios from the mind app, and include audios on how to deal with stress and feelings of depression, as well as how to increase your levels of happiness, do take a listen or share with any friend in need of a boost.

Thank you so much for all your messages and for subscribing to Inspiring Minds, 

By subscribing and leaving reviews it really helps get the podcast out there and will help to bring more inspiring guests to you going forward 

And on that note I must say a massive thank you to my good friend Kev Bird for all your support on the Inspiring Minds podcast, and

Not only for some wonderful suggestions for some spectacular guests going forward but for sharing your contacts and letting them know about the podcast too! Thank you so much

If you have any suggestions for guests going forward, or perhaps someone whose story you would like to hear, email me [email protected] with your suggestions, 

I am super pleased to bring a very special guest to you today, the first on the podcast not from the world of sport. She’s been described as a professional malt asker and is perhaps best known for her TV appearances. Including dancing on ice and a place in the sun, but there is so much more to this lovely entrepreneur and today she shares a little inspiration.

 My special guest…the fabulous Laue Hamilton

Laura Hamilton

Bio
Laura Hamilton was born in Kent.

Her father is a drummer, who had a stint as Great Uncle Bulgaria in The Wombles with Mike Batt.

Laura Hamilton studied at Dartford Grammar Girls School and got A-Levels in English, Psychology, Theatre Studies and Spanish.

She then worked as a runner on some Channel 4 productions and amongst those she worked for was Dermot O'Leary, who later helped her put together her first show reel.

Laura Hamilton then spent 4 years as an Assistant Floor Manager.

Whilst playing Cinderella at the Woodville Halls in Gravesend, Laura Hamilton was encouraged by Nick Bailey who played Dr Truman in EastEnders, to look in the Stage newspaper for more performing opportunities. As a result she got her big breakthrough as Melody in the ITV show the Fun Song Factory.

She went on to present several shows on Nickelodeon. Laura Hamilton's presenting credits include Wake Up World on Nick Jr, Staraoke for the Cartoon Network, and GMTV's Toonattik.

Laura Hamilton's hobbies include skiing and snowboarding. She set up the Performing Arts Skills Academy. Laura Hamilton is the patron of REACH, The Association for Children with Upper Limb Deficiency.

In 2011, Laura Hamilton was paired with Colin Ratushniak on ITV's Dancing on Ice. Laura and Colin came second in Dancing on Ice.

#laurahamilton #aplaceinthe sun #inspiration #entrprenuer

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Welcome to the sixth episode of Inspiring Minds, the podcast that looks for that little inspiration in these tough times. 

I‘m Roberto Forzoni, and I must say thank you for being here at the start of this exciting journey. 

When I started I couldn’t even imagine the first six contributors would be the six we have had. Pure class and I thank each and every one of them - Humphrey Walters, Steve Coppell, Alex Welsh, Jeanette Kwkye and Alan Pardew kicked things off – if you’ve missed any episode please go and check it out – everyone my guests shares a little inspiration and has some real practical ideas that will help make your life a little richer. 

My guest today is someone that not only inspired me, and continues to do so, but inspired the whole nation.

There’s loads of great stuff in this episode but before we get going I’d love it if you could subscribe hit the notification button and as, as soon as there’s something new on the podcast you will get it.  Also, if you can rate the podcast and write a short review it really will help us going forward

the goal of the podcast is to share some inspiration by speaking with some of the most influential people I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with over the years. ; My guest today shares some personal experiences that you will not have heard before.

When I lectured at Brunel University he kindly came in one afternoon and spoke to the master's students on their psychology course, it was the highlight of their year – forget what I was teaching. Standing in front of them was that rare breed of manager – someone who won a world cup final 

Surprising. in this chat he speaks as much about his love for football as the sport he’s mostly associated with – rugby! 

 He’s a lovely guy, kind, sincere and full of inspiration. 

Welcome Sir Clive Woodward

I first met my guest today when I was invited onto a Charlton vets tour over twenty years ago, Since then, he has gone on to manage some of the biggest clubs in the country, I feel privileged that he has asked me to work with him at a few of those clubs. Including West Ham United, Southampton and Charlton Athletic.

As well as those clubs, he has managed West Bromwich Albion and Reading, Newcastle and. Recently he has expanded his experience by managing  Dan Haag in Holland and currently as a Technal Director’s role in Bulgaria. with CSK Sofia.

The biggest accolade I can give is the success he had at the three largest clubs he managed, with promotions, FA Cup finals and Premier League Manager of the year awards, including a coveted LMA Managers manager of the year. The one’s that managers really appreciate as it is voted for by their peers – the  92 other managers the Football League

His philosophy in football is to play exciting and expansive football that fans enjoy – it’s also effective.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome today's guest

Alan Pardew,