I meet Michael Owen, the founder of Always Wear Red, an uncompromising menswear brand utilising only the very best materials and makers around the UK. Amongst other things we riff on growing up, turning 50 - an occasion that led Michael to start a blog which has grown into a searingly honest, witty and wise look at life through Michael's glasses - and the creative process. We end with a very personal exploration of the indelible impression that the film Kes has left on both of us.

Michael has subsequently pivoted and now runs two businesses as well as his 50odd blog:

https://www.mychael.co.uk/

https://oldpostoffice.co.uk/

https://www.50odd.co.uk/

On the eve of the 10th Do Lectures, I discuss the genesis of the event with co-founder David Hieatt. David shares the ideas and inspiration behind the Do, why and how it came into being, and what he hopes to achieve with it. He also shares rare insights of his life with his wife Clare, and their process in building their much admired first brand Howies, and their second - Hiut - a specialist hand-crafted maker of jeans in Cardigan, West Wales.*

https://thedolectures.com/

https://hiutdenim.co.uk/

*Full disclosure - I have a minority financial interest in Hiut

I meet the talented and multi-faceted artist Anna Koska in her rural studio after a joyous walk in the woods. In our first conversation* we talk about painting, writing, bee-keeping, rearing pigs, charcuterie, feeding a family on home grown vegetables, and cooking. Anna is deeply curious about the world, adventurous, unafraid to fail, and her beautiful little studio, sitting as it does on the edge of woodland, with just birdsong and Billie the lurcher for company, was the perfect space to talk.

https://www.instagram.com/gremkoska/

* second episode coming soon

I meet acclaimed singer-songwriter Luke Sital-Singh at his studio in Bristol to discuss his journey from teenage music fan to universally respected professional musician described by no less than Lauren Laverne as ‘unbelievably good’. We discuss Luke’s searingly honest, haunting and mournful songs and the creative process behind writing and recording them. We share a fascination with melancholy and discuss how that most misunderstood of aesthetic emotions can be a source of great creativity and the part it plays in Luke’s music. Luke also reveals his fabulously dry sense of humour. Sincere thanks to Luke for personally mixing his wonderful music into the edit.

https://www.lukesitalsingh.com/

Music courtesy of Luke Sital-Singh

Jack Adair Bevan exudes soul. He’s an author, director and craftsman. Jack co-founded The Ethicurean - a multi award winning West Country restaurant straight out of University. He developed an award-winning artisan vermouth, The Collector, selling it successfully to the best bars and restaurants in the land. But driven by his innate curiosity Jack gave it up to follow a new-found passion - to use his hands to craft classic wooden sailing boats. With rare humility Jack shares his story of learning a new trade, the intense kindness of the folk on the West coast of Scotland, and how his love of, and respect for ritual, has given him wisdom well beyond his years.

www.jackadairbevan.com

In this episode I meet Tim Strange in his beautiful beach hut on England's South Coast. Tim is an artist, photographer, educator and, notably, one of only 1,881 people to have completed a solo swim of the English Channel (as at 31st January 2025). Tim talks with great clarity about how he came to take on the challenge of the Channel swim. To put this achievement into perspective as at December 2024 7,120 different people have reached the summit of Mount Everest. Tim also talks about studying fine art at Goldsmiths in the shadow of the YBA's, his art practice and how he makes his stunning photography, and his love of teaching.

A conversation with all round New York City cool cat Shana Dressler, about art practices, unrequited love, family tragedy, rebounding from failure, Jaques Cousteau, patenting McDonald's Golden Arches and Hugh Heffner's Playboy logo, and social impact. Shana gives a very personal, visceral and searingly honest insight into her life, her love of travel and cultural exploration and how she has switched her professional focus from personal goals to supporting emergent businesses seeking to effect socially progressive and positive change in the world.

www.shanadressler.com

Dan Kieran is a writer, entrepreneur, lecturer, speaker and mentor.

The start of my meandering podcast journey was an eclectic conversation with Dan Kieran around the office kitchen table at Unbound, the crowd funding publishing platform that he co-founded to liberate writers - putting them and their readers into a direct relationship. Like a physical Substack of sorts. At the time Dan was growing Unbound as CEO.

Channelling an off-piste skier mentality we went all over the place searching for the best powder snow. Dan revealed the personal journey that took him from a junior bank teller position in a suburban town, via The Idler magazine and writing about Crap Towns and journeys on electric milk floats, to leading one of London's most exciting media start-ups.

https://www.dankieran.com/about

I share a somewhat unstructured, whiskey fuelled conversation with the fabulous Dr James Taplin. James is an innovation expert, maker, grower, community anchor and adventurer. James is as humble as apple pie, always puts others first, and is a Trojan behind the success of the Do Lectures. Recorded back in the late phase of the Covid pandemic remotely, James is a wonderful, natural storyteller, and shares all sorts of eclectic insights.

https://www.instagram.com/jrdtaplin/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamestaplin/