Javeno McLean brings his enthusiasm and inclusiveness to this episode. Javeno is a Pride of Britain award winner for helping to transform the lives of sick, elderly and disabled people through exercise. He's become known for his viral videos, where he shares his messages of showing gratitude and inclusivity.

He tells Giovanna he's driven to try to make people passionate about exercise in order to stay motivated and he believes going out for a run can often be a battle with the mind.

Javeno reacts to a powerful story from our couch buddy today. Katie Stevenson, who has incurable cancer and epilepsy. Katie logs her running journey on instagram @iamkatiestevenson

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app. https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K? Download an app(details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill? Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work? You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take? You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

Today's conversation is about running with a life-changing condition. Couch to 5k coach and TV and radio presenter Reece Parkinson talks about his relationship with running after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Alongside him is Sally Chambers, who used Reece as a coach on the app and became a friend. She talks about how she uses running after being told she has stage 4 bowel cancer.

Reece is familiar as one of the voices of the NHS Couch to 5k app. He believes running is an armour for life after being diagnosed with type1 diabetes at just 26 whilst recording a TV documentary.

He ‘met’ Sally Chambers on a live radio feature about Couch to 5k. They went on to meet in person at a local Park Run and have become friends ever since. Sally was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and she explains how running has helped her since 2019. She's now part of the 5k Your Way movement for people impacted by cancer.

Sally tells Giovanna that she has been through more than 50 cycles of chemotherapy and thought she’d never run again after multiple surgeries. However, she has now completed more than 100 Park Runs. And gets out three times a week between her chemo treatment. She says it’s given her sanity back and provides her with headspace.

There's an obvious mutual respect between Reece and Sally with a heart-lifting unity over what running and Couch to 5k can do for people.

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K? Download an app(details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill? Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work? You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take? You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to. You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

This is an incredible story. From addiction to drink and drugs... to running the London Marathon in just a bra and knickers. Bryony Gordon's story is full of laughs, astonishment and courage.

Bryony has had a lot to deal with. OCD, mental illness, depression and addiction. She was an alcoholic when she ran her first London Marathon, which proved a life-changing moment. Her world was falling apart when she first decided to put on some trainers and go for a short run. A decision which left her mind feeling cleansed.

She entertains us with her story of how she came to be a marathon runner following an off-the-cuff comment to Catherine, Princess of Wales. And now she's known for doing marathons in just her underwear as a celebration of body image.

"Running saved my life' she says with a smile and a laugh. But amongst the funny stories is an uplifting truth.

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K?

It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K?

Download an app(details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill?

Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work?

You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take?

You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

Giovanna’s guest today is one of the greatest names in British Athletics, Steve Cram. If you’re doing the NHS Couch to 5k programme, you’ll know he’s one of the coaches. He still loves running and the grassroots of the sport after an illustrious career.

Giovanna goes in to how the boy from Jarrow went on to become such a great. He talks about taking up running through to becoming an Olympian and World Record holder.

Steve talks about the influences in his life, including a number of familiar names for athletics fans. And what it’s like to break a world record.

But his passion for running goes way beyond his past achievements…and even his time in the commentary box for the BBC.

Steve tells Giovanna there are very similar principles whether standing on the start line at the Olympics or completing Couch to 5k programme. Have a plan, trust the training and have a go! And generally the hardest part of any run is getting out of the door.

It’s an entertaining episode with lots of great advice from Steve who also meets Kev, who had Steve as his Couch to 5k coach.

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

Savannah Sachdev chats with Giovanna Fletcher about her life-changing decision to run every day. She began in 2021 and hasn't stopped.

She's now a successful content creator and contributor to running publications and tells Giovanna that she can't quite believe what happened. Savannah had little interest in sport or running until her remarkable daily streak began. She now mixes work with being a step-mum and is running longer distances including marathons...but always for fun.

It's an example of how showing up, even for just a few minutes each day, can lead to a dramatic change in fitness levels.

Savannah now uses her running to clear her head and it's an important part of her daily set-up. She says she has become a better person for it. As an introvert, she believes it's given her a confidence she thought she'd never have.

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app. https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K? Download an app (details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill? Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work? You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take? You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

Comedian Maisie Adam joins Giovanna Fletcher to chat about her running journey. Maisie is great fun as she talks about her sporty life but also the difficulty she has in enjoying running.

A pile of pizzas at the finish line was her highlight when she finished the London Marathon, an event she ran for charity. But she tells Giovanna she didn’t enjoy the training and was glad when it was all over.

Maisie grew up in Yorkshire where she had a talent for cross country running. But the early starts and muddy finishes were too much and she gave up on the sport. Now she plays football for Brighton Seagals FC and that’s her exercise passion. She will still run, but it needs to be with a group of friends at a Park Run as she doesn’t enjoy the solitude that others love. To get by whilst running she takes herself in to a dream world of being in a band or performing the Paso Doble in Strictly Come Dancing.

Maisie has not one but two fantasy runs; she has a few must-play running tracks and has some great advice for beginners. We also here from Dom who refuses to let her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis dominate her running and her ability to do Couch to 5K.

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K?

It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K?

Download an app(details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill?

Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work?

You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take?

You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

We’re starting the second season of the Couch to 5K Podcast with two guests from the BBC TV series The Traitors joining Giovanna Fletcher.

Minah Shannon and Freddie Fraser were two of the most popular contestants in series 3 of The Traitors UK. With their energy and humour they take us inside the programme and reveal their own running journeys... from representing the UK to tackling half marathons.

Freddie talks about his horrific day on the TV show after being recruited as a traitor and his panic when Claudia Winkleman walked into the room during filming, whilst Minah tells an opposite story telling how she revelled in the role.

Minah explains how she got in to running. She’s downloaded the NHS Couch to 5K app 5 times, the final time in November 2023 which, she says, was life-changing. She’s progressed to running half marathons and Minah talks about how it’s improved her sleep and her mental health as well as her general health.

Freddie tells Giovanna that he had a very athletic childhood. He competed for GB as a schoolboy in the hurdles. His ambition was to make the Olympic Games but an injury forced him off the track. He finds long distances challenging and prefers to run on a treadmill rather than outside.

Giovanna talks about her experience in ‘I’m a Celebrity..’ and the lack of opportunity for exercise whilst on the show. Freddie says he was so exhausted during filming that he just slept. But Minah reveals she found a running circuit and a welfare member ran with her playing Taylor Swift on his phone to keep her motivated.

And Freddie owns up to cheating whilst trying to improve his 5K time by doing part of it on a bike!

We also have the regulars – the fantasy run, the Couch Buddy with a remarkable story of turning his life around with running, an essential tune and a top tip to completing Couch to 5K. Thanks for listening!

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

You can download the NHS Couch to 5K app from your app store and can find more details about the programme here:

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K?

It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K?

Download an app (details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill?

Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work?

You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take?

You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

Giovanna Fletcher is back for 2026 with more inspiration and motivation wherever you're at on your running journey. She returns with a great guest list sharing their running stories. And we now have bonus episodes exclusively on BBC Sounds to answer all your running questions inlcuding how to start, technique, health issues and gear.

In this episode of the Podcast Giovanna Fletcher sits down with the unstoppable Sara Davies MBE, entrepreneur, star of Dragons’ Den and crafter. Couch to 5K has played a significant part in Sara’s life. It didn’t start with a dream of being fit or fast. It began with a warning from her mum that running would give her saggy boobs! But things changed dramatically a few years later, after a visit to the doctor.

Giovanna discovers that Sara’s first taste of running came many years earlier. She and her friend decided to get fit and take part in the Great North Run so that they could arrive at university looking ‘fit and ‘sexy’ with runner’s bodies.

Sara tells Giovanna that six years ago as she filmed her first series of Dragons’ Den, she realised she was overweight, two dress sizes bigger than she should be and without motivation. Seeing herself on national TV persuaded her to do something about it.

She had a medical ‘MOT’ as she knew she had a background of gestational diabetes. The doctor advised her to start running. At first, the thought of committing time in a busy life seemed too much. The doctor prescribed a 5:30am start, Couch to 5K and off she went!

Sara talks about the ups and downs of running as a busy mum and businesswoman. She tells the podcast she uses her runs to clear her head. And whenever work-stress, family-life or any other pressure gets too much, instead of lying in bed worrying, she’ll get out on an early morning run to help her clear her head. As she says, it’s like magic and she always comes back with the answer.

Giovanna teases out her stories from Strictly and Sara reveals that getting to be on Dragons’ Den was a move planned to give her an opportunity to appear on the dance show, which was her life's ambition. She was a female investor and also had 15 years experience presenting on Shopping TV and a friend called-up the BBC to persuade them to give her an audition to become a Dragon.

At 40, she had another body ‘MOT’ as she’d become less fit and was putting on weight. Sara was told she was heading for pre-diabetes and got ‘the kick up the bum’ she needed. The doctor recommended running once more. Sara signed up for the Great North Run and got back to fitness and healthy eating.

Sara’s fantasy run is very close to home in her beloved North East, yet a part of the country she only relatively recently discovered.

This week we have two Couch buddies who’ve sent voice notes to Giovanna:

Adam is 51 and from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire. He tells a remarkable journey of weight-loss. At one stage he was 38 stone. He started Couch to 5K at 21 stone. He now finds himself literally half the man he used to be. Adam had never run before. He’s now moved up through Park Run, 10K, half marathons and in 2025 the London Marathon. Couch, he says, has changed his life. And he loves it.

Ellen is 25. She’s from Hackney in London and had never run before doing the Couch to 5K programme. She found it manageable but hard. Ellen still finds running humbles her. But she’s proud to commit to something she finds difficult. She say running is now part of her personality

FAQ's

It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K?

Download an app(details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill?

Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work?

You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take?

You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You can download the NHS Couch to 5K app

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

In this episode Dr Alex George shares his inspiring journey from struggles with grief, mental health and weight into fitness and running…and finding joy in life.

Dr Alex is a former A&E doctor who attracted a large social media following after appearing as a contestant on the TV show Love Island. During the pandemic, he became a trusted voice with his insights from the frontline. He’s now an author of four books and has been a Government youth ambassador on mental health.

Alex tells Giovanna about the grief he’s had in his life. In July 2020 his youngest brother Llŷr died by suicide. And whilst a young doctor in Devon, a close friend from medical school died of cancer.

He talks openly about the pivotal moment in his life when he recognised the need for change which led him to become alcohol-free and start an exercise journey which began with gentle walking and moved on to running.

Giovanna discovers just how big the change in his life has been over the last two years. He’s gone from an unfit 20 stone, struggling with mental health, to a runner, gym goer and exercise-lover. Alex reveals that he’s still been in some difficult places but details how the life-changes have helped him to cope and find joy.

He tells Giovanna that he believes running has given him happiness, confidence and resilience but admits it’s not always easy. Alex urges everyone not to lose the joy of running, believing it’s more important to take in nature and have fun than going quickly.

His fantasy run is in a North American National Park – although he shares with Giovanna that he would give anything for one more run along a beach in South Wales with his brother who’s passed away.

He concludes the podcast saying Couch to 5K is one of the greatest health interventions ever. He believes it changes the downward slope of health deterioration moving people into a positive space, where they can see real results.

Our couch buddies on this episode are:

Lynn, who’s 53 and from Derbyshire. She began the programme to help with her health issues which included diabetes and celiac disease. Before starting running she had her worse blood test results ever. But since running, she’s seen a massive positive change in her health markers.

Ray is 61 and from Hampton in London. He had a heart attack and triple by-pass surgery before starting the Couch to 5K programme. He’s had to re-start twice more because of further health issues. But following medical advice, he’s now completed Couch and gone on to run more that 100 Park Runs. Ray says it’s been life changing and he has loved the whole community of support.

What is Couch to 5K?

It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K?

Download an app(details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill?

Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work?

You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take?

You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You can download the NHS Couch to 5K app

The Couch to 5K Podcast