Julia Davis has been described as mad as a box of frogs (in a good way) by The Curious Creative Club. She definitely embraces everything that life can throw at you with a curiosity and lust for life that is infectious, but it's her sense of community and desire to share that is overwhelmingly apparent when you meet her.

Julia started The Unity Yard when she started selling plants from the yard (attached to the large warehouse space that was once a fabric mill in Holmfirth) during covid when she could no longer work in the opticians.

The warehouse space became available for rent, and without hesitation, she took it on.

You would naturally assume that it's a Community Interest Company (CIC) when you enter the gorgeous huge doors but it's not, because the reality of making a CIC work is more difficult than it should be.

In this episode Nina and Julia talk about Julia's journey to The Unity Yard, what the space means to people today and how Julia has achieved what she set out to achieve but how, keeping that going, can be the hardest part of the journey.

Back in November 2021 we made an episode of The Change Troubleshooter called, A Solar Farm at What Cost? The episode was about a campaign against the construction of a proposed solar farm in the eastern Algarve area of Portugal.

In theory, a solar farm sounded like a great idea which was in line with our global necessity to switch to renewable energy solutions, and help the slowdown of catastrophic climate change.

Sometimes though, what sounds like the right thing to do can actually have unintended consquences for the land we are trying to protect through energy transition. 

The problem in this instance was that the site of the proposed solar development would have contaminated an important water source.  An untouched area of natural landscape, beneath which lies an aquifer - an ancient subterrannean system of pools and lakes that the local area relies on for its fresh water supply. Clearing the land of trees, vegetation and boulders for a solar farm would undoubtedly have had terrible consequences for the aquifer as well as the flora and fauna of the area which has remained untouched for millennia. If you didn't catch it back in 2021, we recommend you have a listen here before listening to this episode.

This new episode is a follow up to that story and is one of the most inspiring things you'll ever hear - Amanda, the local resident and activist tells Nina what heppened to that proposed solar farm.

Nina's guest, Amanda, is part of an environmental protection organisation called Probaal who campaign tirelessly against projects that, if approved and executed, can have terrible consequences for the areas and people who live in the communities.

As you will hear, Probaal's campaign was successful because specific reports were required to quantify the damage.  These reports aren't done by anyone.  Unbelievably we leave the importance of geological surveys and four seasons reports to the company whose interests lie in getting a positive outcome from the public consultation.  This costs money.  Nina and Amanda touch on the need for systematic change in this area, but today Probaal and other citizen led organisations rely on funding.

You can make a donation through their Go Fund Me page here.

Here are a couple of lovely videos that were used as part of the campaign which you might also find interesting.

Ruby's Rabbit

Water is life - how an aquifer works

Christine Lee has made conscious decisions in her life that allow her to look back at them as different stages, chapters if you like, that are all quite different.

In those conscious decisions, her health and wellbeing have been  prominent drivers, along with decisions over money, particulary when to take her pension.

Her lust to live life to the full has not been dampened or thrown off course by the early loss of her parents, cancer or continuing health challenges she now faces.

In fact, it's made her more determined to do her own research and take more control of the decisions she needs to take.

Nina and Christine listen to loads of podcasts, sifting through the celebrity extremism in order to find out things that will help them both in their determination to age healthily and not be boring!

Sit back and listen to them chatting about their journey, if it resonates at all, you can join in the conversation with them by contacting Nina directly.

Welcome to a brand new season of the Change Troubleshooter! 

Amazingly, this is the 6th season of this podcast that started back in 2020. We have now had over 2 and a half thousand downloads from no less than 535 cities in 47 countries spanning 6 continents! Thanks to you all for remaining interested.

Season 6 is called "Hang on, what happened and why?" This is a common moment that Nina has with people.  She loves the "stop, and take me back" moment this creates and is curiously hungry to understand the detail better.

Episode one kicks of with "I Wanted To Be An Explorer." 

Johnny France, a toolmaker, originally from Southport. once told his careers advisor he wanted to be an explorer.  He did an engineering apprenticeship thinking he would work in manufacturing,  just as Margaret Thatcher thought that wasn't what we should invest in anymore. "Sometimes life doesn't take you on the path you thought," he said, as Nina says hang on, what happened and why?

Welcome to Season 5 of The Change Troubleshooter:
Channel Your Inner Cheeky Monkey

This is episode 4, Smarta Resilience. Today Nina talks about resilience with Rachel Robinson, founder of Smarta Group in Tavira, Portugal. Rachel tells her story of how she went from corporate retail in the UK to building a house, business and life in Portugal. It's a story of facing up to big issues, huge changes and her need to pull on her resilience on a daily basis.  Together with Nina they discuss what resilience really is and to keep going when sometimes it can feel like you have lost everything.

Welcome to Boxing Clever, the 3rd episode in the Channel Your Inner Cheeky Monkey season where we focus on strength.

Today Nina talks to Ben Williams, a boxing coach, but Ben's not just any boxing coach, he has been Nina's boxing coach for the last 2 years. 

Today they talk about how strength in all its forms, personal, mental and physical are put to the test in a boxing environment.

Hola y bienvenido a la temporada 5 de The Change Troubleshooter: ¡Canaliza tu mono descarado interior! (Channel Your Inner Cheeky Monkey!)

Este es el episodio 2, Casa Colibri.

Colibri  representa la transformación que ha atravesado Isabel Alebrt mientras canalizaba su mono descarado interior y visualizaba la vida futura que quería para ella y su familia.
 
Chris  e Isabel hablan sobre esta transformación de Casa Colibri, la casa de 300 años de antigüedad en medio del pueblo de Castaño del Robledo que Isabel ha restaurado con amor durante los últimos 2 años. Chris le habla de su trayectoria desde ser abogada del gobierno local en Sevilla, donde su mono descarado interior se estaba perdiendo lenta pero seguramente, hasta convertirse en alguien que la ha liberado, donde su potencial apenas comienza a realizarse. 

Hello and welcome to season 5 of The Change Troubleshooter - Channel Your Inner Cheeky Monkey!

This is episode 2, Casa Colibri.

Colibri is spanish for hummingbird, and represents the transformation that Isabel Albert has been through as she channeled her inner cheeky monkey and visualised the future life she wanted for herself and her family.
 
Nina and Isabel discuss this transformation from Casa Colibri, the 300 year old house in the middle of the village of Castaño del Robledo that Isabel has lovingly restored over the last 2 years. Nina talks to her about her journey from being a lawyer for local government in Seville, where her inner cheeky monkey was slowly but surely being lost, to one that has set her free, where her potential is just starting to be realsied.

This episode is also available in Spanish
Este episodio esta tambien disponible en Español
 

Welcome to Season 5 of The Change Troubleshooter. This season we hope to inspire you to Channel Your Inner Cheeky Monkey! A state of fun, playfulness and happiness that we can sometimes forget needs to remain a core part of our lives.

In this 1st episode, Ninety Years of Lifting people Up, Nina talks to the amazing Shirley Hughes about her early life as a child performer and her wonderful outlook on life that continues into her 91st year.  

*This version contans clips of Shirley's friends talking about her at her 90th birthday party.

Welcome to Season 5 of The Change Troubleshooter. This season we hope to inspire you to Channel Your Inner Cheeky Monkey! A state of fun, playfulness and happiness that we can sometimes forget needs to remain a core part of our lives.

In this 1st episode, Ninety Years of Lifting people Up, Nina talks to the amazing Shirley Hughes about her early life as a child performer and her wonderful outlook on life that continues into her 91st year.