The Just Checking In Podcast

In episode 235 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Diane Porterfield. Diane is a menopause Nurse Practitioner, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) prescriber and the Founder of Bourne2Care.Bourne2Care is Diane's own private consulting practice, where she sees female clients struggling with the menopause and she can prescribe HRT as a course of treatment, where appropriate. Diane has gone through the menopause and takes HRT herself. Diane's expert knowledge spans a 30 year nursing career in women's health, which she began her training at just 17 years old. In this episode we discuss her healthcare journey, her training as a nurse and her travels across many different countries for work including the middle-east in Oman and Abu Dhabi and even the Isle of Man. We then do a deep dive into her work at Bourne2Care and every aspect of life which the menopause affects women’s health and wellbeing. This includes physical health and stereotypical symptoms like hot flushes, muscle aches, joint pains and headaches as well as others like low mood, anxiety, mood swings, low self-esteem and problems with memory or concentration. We break down the myths around the menopause and also how it impacts so many other areas, including relationships, friendships, social life, work and even driving ability.We then explore the various types of treatment women can access for support with the menopause, the self-awareness that women need when they are experiencing menopausal symptoms and how men in these women’s lives can be an effective and compassionate support pillar. For Diane’s mental health, we discuss her own experience of the menopause, the identity crisis she experienced when the Covid-19 lockdown hit and she lost most of her work as a nurse temporarily, and the death of her mum in May 2020. As always, #itsokaytoventYou can find out more about Bourne2Care here: https://www.bourne2care.co.uk/You can follow Diane on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianeporterfield_bourne/Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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In episode 234 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Jonathan Lee. Jon is currently a Creative Director at an advertising agency and the Founder of mental health initiative The Life Jacket (TLJ).After Jon’s friend Alex took his own life in 2023, he wanted to create a new suicide prevention tool that would have intervened in the period building up to Alex’s death. Jon tragically discovered Alex had been researching suicide methods online for a year prior to when he did it. Jon then created an initiative in partnership with R;pple Suicide Prevention and The Life Jacket was born. The Life Jacket aims to give people the skills, knowledge and confidence to take action and turn someone else’s life around.In the UK alone, there are over 1.2 million internet searches every month on how one can take their own life. TLJ work with organisations, alliances, universities and schools to reduce the number of lives lost to suicide through collective, preventative action.To launch the platform, 17 life jackets were placed in locations around the UK, with each jacket dedicated to someone who has tragically lost their life to suicide.In this episode, we discuss the journey of The Life Jacket, what Jon wants to achieve with it, the bubble which exists in some mental health spaces and how Jon wants to break out of that. We also discuss his plans for the future including workshops and international Life Jacket chapters across the world. For Jon’s mental health, we discuss the impact that Alex’s suicide had on him and his mental health, why he wanted to take that grief and turn it into TLJ and how we can positively intervene and spot the signs of a man or anyone when they are suicidal.As always, #itsokaytoventFind out more about The Life Jacket here: https://thelifejacket.co.uk/You can follow The Life Jacket on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelifejacketmission/Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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In episode 233 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with academic Dr Susie Bennett.Susie currently studies at the Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab (SBRL) at the University of Glasgow, researching male suicide.We came across Susie through friend of the pod George from TheTinMen and for her PHD dissertation, she conducted one of the largest studies of suicidal men ever done. She interviewed 32 men who had either attempted to take their own life or had suicidal thoughts and also heard from people bereaved from male suicide.Susie’s interest in men’s mental health started from an early age as she has three brothers she is close with. In 2017, as #MeToo was exploding into the public consciousness and a lot of men were rightly brought to justice for their crimes, Susie began to feel concerned about the overspill of it into men who did not fit the criteria of men like Harvey Weinstein but were being compared with him in the same breath. She also became uncomfortable with what she says was a growing narrative around ‘male privilege’ whilst also gaining knowledge about the statistics about suicide being the biggest killer of men under 50. She could not square the circle that all men seemingly simultaneously had all the privilege and power but were also taking their own lives at a much higher rate than women. She wondered if there was a part of the story that was missing. Fast forward to now and she is dedicating her work and career to helping men with their mental health. She does this through carrying out research into why men take their own lives and what society needs to do to listen to them and stop it from happening. In this episode we discuss her academic journey, how she became, in her words an ‘accidental academic’ and her desire to help men’s mental health.We discuss what she learned during the study she conducted and the biggest risk factors for men to take their own lives in childhood and adulthood. For Susie’s mental health, she struggled with high anxiety levels and traits associated with OCD during her childhood. These included intrusive thoughts and rituals which she hasn’t got diagnosed at time of recording. She is also trying to get assessed for ADHD at time of recording and we discuss those symptoms too. We also discuss her struggles with sexuality during the 1990s as she is a Lesbian, suicidality and the power and beauty of platonic friendships between lesbian girls and heterosexual men. We finish by wondering whether Gen-Z is in danger of losing these friendships as boys and girls in their cohort are increasingly moving further apart politically. As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow Susie on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/male_suicide_research/Twitter: https://twitter.com/susie_researchSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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In this episode of Behind The Mic we checked back in with UK band VICTORS for the third time. This time we checked in with Simon who plays lead guitar in the band.In this episode we discuss Simon’s music journey and how he came to form the band with Harry who came on for Parts 1 and 2, playing in various indie-rock bands in his school days and a fond discussion over a shared love of the mid-00s UK pop-punk and rock scene.For industry issues, we discuss social media and the instability and unpredictability of the music industry.We also discuss the band's recent experience as headliners of Just Checking In Live #5 and the launch of their new single 'Nothing Seems to Matter Now', which was released the day before the show.For Simon’s mental health, we discuss the death of a good friend of Simon’s who took his own life on October 30th 2023. Simon had known Ben since childhood and they were part of a group who regularly went climbing together. We discuss the shock of his death, the grieving process and how we can stop other men like Ben from taking their own life and help them find the release valve that works for them.As always, #itsokaytoventListen to VICTORS on streaming platforms below:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/163g9TCjT…hwS7Gs2Ka3bPfubAYouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCq-H6qmB1U59D2XqRNl2EcQSoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/victorsofficialFollow VICTORS on social media platforms below:Instagram: www.instagram.com/victorsofficial/Twitter: twitter.com/victorsliveFacebook: www.facebook.com/victorsofficial/You can listen to Parts 1 and 2 of VICTORS' journey below: Part 1: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/behind-the-mic-v-i-c-t-o-r-s?in=venthelpuk/sets/behind-the-micPart 2: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/btm-victors-part-2Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkOutro: VICTORS - Nothing Seems to Matter Now: https://open.spotify.com/track/3YktaxfQzXAAVY5utLFdKP?si=cea98896ea8a4d35

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In episode 232 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with academic and writer Dr Samuel Mace.Sam currently works as a teaching fellow at the University of Leeds and has a SubStack called ‘Theory Matters’. He also holds a BA and MA in Politics and a PHD, which specialised in political theory and middle-eastern studies.We came across Sam through an article he wrote in The Critic entitled ‘Beyond mental health awareness’. The piece explores a lot of the uncomfortable conversations around mental illness and proposes some solutions we need to have if we are to truly tackle the issue.In this episode we discuss Sam’s academic journey, a deep dive into the article, socialisation and the lack of connection in today’s society and how that specifically affects men and male loneliness.For Sam’s mental health, we discuss a year out he took from university between his second year and third year in 2014/15 and the positive affect that had on his mental health and the importance of having strong and supportive networks in your life.We finish by discussing the grief of losing his dad a few years ago and the metaphorical ‘bolt of lightning’ which it had on him and caused him to make some positive changes in his life.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can read Sam's article we discussed in The Critic in full here: thecritic.co.uk/beyond-mental-health-awareness/You can subscribe to Sam's SubStack here: theorymatters.substack.com/You can follow Sam on social media below:Twitter: twitter.com/thoughtgenerateSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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In episode 232 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with academic and writer Samuel Mace.

Sam currently works as a teaching fellow at the University of Leeds and has a SubStack called ‘Theory Matters’. He also holds a BA and MA in Politics and a PHD, which specialised in political theory and middle-eastern studies.

We came across Sam through an article he wrote in The Critic entitled ‘Beyond mental health awareness’. The piece explores a lot of the uncomfortable conversations around mental illness and proposes some solutions we need to have if we are to truly tackle the issue.

In this episode we discuss Sam’s academic journey, a deep dive into the article, socialisation and the lack of connection in today’s society and how that specifically affects men and male loneliness.

For Sam’s mental health, we discuss a year out he took from university between his second year and third year in 2014/15 and the positive affect that had on his mental health and the importance of having strong and supportive networks in your life.

We finish by discussing the grief of losing his dad a few years ago and the metaphorical ‘bolt of lightning’ which it had on him and caused him to make some positive changes in his life.

As always, #itsokaytovent

You can read Sam's article we discussed in The Critic in full here: https://thecritic.co.uk/beyond-mental-health-awareness/

You can subscribe to Sam's SubStack here: https://theorymatters.substack.com/

You can follow Sam on social media below:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thoughtgenerate

Support Us:

Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk

GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-health

Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop

Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

In episode 231 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with a very old friend of ours, Elliot Pearce. Elliot first came on the podcast way back when in JCIP #2! At the time we recorded Part 1 he worked at Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA), a very important organisation who deliver Mental Health First Aid training to organisations across the UK. Elliot worked his way up to the role of Community Engagement Manager before he was unfortunately made redundant during the Covid-19 pandemic. He now currently works as Senior Partnerships Manager at Oviva, a company who empower everyone to change their eating and lifestyle-related habits, improving their long-term health through personalised support and technology. In this episode we discuss the work he does with Oviva, the mental health impact of his redundancy from MHFA and how he needs to work harder to employ mental health tools in his day-to-day life, now he is outside the bubble of the mental health sector.We also discuss how Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects his mental health and the importance of routine for him.We then discuss his love of running and the importance of it for his physical and mental health, the Covid-19 pandemic and how it affected him then and his behaviour now and his desire to work in the office as often as possible.We finish with a reminisce about Elliot and our Founder Freddie's friendship, the gigs they went to together to see long-time friends of the pod and sadly disbanded band Patawawa, who also provide the theme-tune for this podcast and a chat about the future.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can listen to Part 1 of Elliot's journey here: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/jcip-2-elliot-pearceSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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In episode 230 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Sam Evans.Sam is a mental health advocate and works in the healthcare industry. He first came on the podcast way back when in JCIP #31.In Part 1, we discussed his exposure to mental illness when one of his friends tragically took his own life and it ignited his desire to help men with their mental health. He has since put his words into action and took part in mental health campaign ‘Movember’ several times and was recently made lead of his internal mental health group at work. In Part 2, we discuss that promotion, how his understanding of mental health and mental illness has changed and how he has learned more about his own mental health in the last three years.We also discuss the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on his mental health and when is the right time to healthily detach from supporting someone’s mental health? This is an uncomfortable conversation the mainstream mental health conversation refuses to have because the ugly side of mental illness isn’t surface-level awareness campaigns.Sometimes mental health support requires huge levels of patience, perseverance and the awareness to recognise there may come a point when a person needs to take personal responsibility for their mental health. As always, #itsokaytoventYou can listen to Part 1 of Sam's journey here: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/jcip-31-sam-evansYou can follow Sam on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam_evans23/Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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In episode 229 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with conflict journalist, Andy Hayward. Andy currently works as a freelance journalist and has previously worked for VICE News in their international team producing news pieces and documentaries. Andy also previously worked on VICE’s flagship, Emmy Award-winning show VICE News Tonight on HBO.We came across Andy through friend of the pod Jake Hanrahan who interviewed him on his podcast Popular Front about an upcoming documentary he has produced within Russia called ‘Warped by War: Inside Putin’s Russia’. The film covers the suppression of the Russian regime of public dissent against the war in Ukraine, speaks to the family members of Russian soldiers who are currently serving and those who have been killed.In this episode we discuss the film in-depth through a mental health lens, his previous films he has done in Russia and Belarus and his wider journey in conflict journalism. For industry issues, we discuss work-life balance and the responsibility he feels as a journalist to capture the stories of those who speak out against the regime but not put their lives in danger. For Andy’s mental health, we discuss the importance of having positive relationships in your life as a release valve from the day-to-day of conflict journalism, the stress and paranoia that come with working in a repressive country like Russia and how that bleeds out into his personal life. We finish by discussing his family's military background and how that’s shaped his attitude towards mental health. As always, #itsokaytoventYou can find links to watch all of Andy's films we discussed on the podcast in full below: 'Protesters in Belarus Are Being Jailed and Killed, But That Isn't Stopping Them': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSnZp7_TM28&pp=ygVSUHJvdGVzdGVycyBpbiBCZWxhcnVzIEFyZSBCZWluZyBKYWlsZWQgYW5kIEtpbGxlZCwgQnV0IFRoYXQgSXNuJ3QgU3RvcHBpbmcgVGhlbeKAmQ%3D%3D'Nationalism or Nothing: Life in Modern Russia': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w56s1tTS9io&t=495s&ab_channel=VICENews'Putin's Russia: A Country at War with Itself': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rnFtnDa_Oo&ab_channel=VICENewsYou can follow Andy on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndyJohnHaywardInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr_andy_hayward/Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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In this episode of Behind The Mic, we checked in with artist, producer and DJ Le Dionisos.Dion puts out brilliant, balearic disco and funk music that is a joy to listen to. Hailing from the Netherlands, Dion studied keys and production at The Conservatorium van Amsterdam. In this episode we discuss his music journey, the self-confidence you need to succeed in the music industry, how he fell in love with DJing and having his first original single played by the iconic DJ Harvey, as well as a couple of his edits. For Dion’s mental health, we discuss the challenge he felt transitioning from high-school to university and the choice he made to spend an extra year in high school to prepare for university. We then discuss the ‘hole’ he fell into after completing university and figuring out what he wanted to do with his life full-time. We finish by discussing growth, personal development and his outlook on his life now.As always, #itsokaytoventListen to Le Dionisos on streaming platforms below: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/60Fms0yhF4pUvCxJ6eEnzH?si=4c16a59fdd5b44bbYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ledionisos4198Bandcamp: https://le-dionisos.bandcamp.com/album/wanderlust-albumYou can follow Le Dionisos on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ledionisos/Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkOutro: Le Dionisos - Over and Over: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q3r6mQDPHU&pp=ygUZbGUgZGlvbmlzb3Mgb3ZlciBhbmQgb3Zlcg%3D%3D

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