The Just Checking In Podcast

In episode 126 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with journalist Alice Porter. Alice currently works as the London reporter for GB News. Just before the Covid-19 pandemic began, she was a reporter on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme and found herself out of work as BBC budget cuts forced the programme off-air.As the pandemic took hold in the UK, she began job hunting and took roles at Good Morning Britain and then GBN where she is today but life was very difficult for those two years both for her and her partner. In this episode we discuss how and why Alice went into journalism, the stories she worked on at Victoria Derbyshire and across her career and social media comparison culture amongst journalists.We also discuss the importance of separating general mental health from mental illness and why conflating the two is harmful to the wider conversation.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow Alice on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/PorterAlice2Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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In this episode of Behind The Decks, we checked in with indie electronic and nu-disco production duo, Betablock3r.They began by making remixes for a host of successful artists including Ellie Goulding, RAC and Selena Gomez.They released their debut EP Monolith in 2018 and have put out a number of singles which have charted on Hype Machine and featured on tastemaker playlists for Spotify and Apple Music.In this episode we discuss Chris and Ryan’s music journey and how Ryan originally started in a death-metal band.For Chris, we talk about the fakery that exists in the music industry and how young artists have a hard time understanding the value in what they do outside of monetary success.For Ryan we talk about the streaming wars and how independent artists can retain independency through alternative avenues of funding.For the duo’s mental health journey, Chris talks about living with undiagnosed ADD and how that impacted his education and his adult life, the severe anxiety he lived with at the same time as a child, the positives he’s found in physical exercise and a serious back injury he experienced from the gym.For Ryan we talk about his lived experience of depression, anxiety, people-pleasing and how he’s learned how to manage his mental health as an adult.As always, #itsokaytoventListen to Betablock3r on streaming platforms below:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1s5qarNhu9YkU9fFVSFcnk?si=gzsQMlSKQhqqjBFqjsR6cwYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXf3lVV2rTCBjVSC7yWEBAwSoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/betablock3rFollow Betablock3r on social media below:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betablock3r/Twitter: https://twitter.com/betablock3rSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkOutro: Betablock3r - In My Head: https://open.spotify.com/track/3LGzKci9PDKbMNWZ4mNB0C?si=64a7fe2bcb684a88

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In episode 125 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with David Hartrick.Dave is a journalist, writer and the other half of the presenting duo behind the Huddersfield Town podcast ‘Ooh To Be A’, with us having already checked in with Steven Chicken. Dave is also the author of 'Silver Linings: Bobby Robson's England'. In this episode we discuss the book through a mental health lens, how he went from a car mechanic to a football journalist, the move he made as a teenager from his hometown Brighton to Yorkshire and the impact that had on his mental health including shyness and social anxiety.We finish by talking about the pillar of support his wife is for his mental health and his experience of Covid-19 twice since the outbreak in the UK in March 2020.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow David on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHartrickYou can purchase a copy of Silver Linings here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/silver-linings/david-hartrick/9781785317811Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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In episode 124 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Sergiy Slipchenko. Sergiy currently works as a political reporter for the Kyiv Independent and previously worked for the Kyiv Post when he was living in Ukraine before the war began.In this episode we discuss his route into journalism, the mental health impact of writing about the war in Ukraine against Russia on a daily basis and imposter syndrome. For Sergiy’s mental health, we talk about the trauma of seeing his country and his life turned upside down through war and Ukrainian attitudes towards mental health.We end by discussing his belief that he has undiagnosed ADHD and how he's battled with it since childhood and how he relates to his wife who has diagnosed ADHD.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow Sergiy on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SergSlip1You can follow the Kyiv Independent on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/KyivIndependentYou can support them by donating to their GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/kyivindependent-launchYou can also become a Patron here: https://www.patreon.com/kyivindependentThere are other ways you can support the people of Ukraine and organisations providing humanitarian relief. You can find them below:Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal: https://donation.dec.org.uk/ukraine-humanitarian-appealUkraine Red Cross: https://donate.redcrossredcrescent.org/ua/donate/~my-donation?_cv=1World Central Kitchen: https://donate.wck.org/give/236738/#!/donation/checkoutSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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In episode 123 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Jayme. Jayme is a writer, commentator, disability advocate for cerebral palsy and transsexual man.In this episode we discuss the difficulties that living with cerebral palsy has presented him throughout his life, the process of transition for him and why he’s found it difficult to get the medical support he needs despite jumping through all the right hoops.We also discuss the loss of his brother in a car accident when Jayme was 18, having to start university just months after it and the suicidality he experienced in that period of grief.We conclude by discussing his fears for the gender dysphoric children seeking medical transition right now, why he feels there is an unnecessary narrative of fear around trans people coming to harm and the abuse he’s received from people within the trans community for writing about his experiences.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow Jayme on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jayme_SpeakingSubscribe to Jayme's Substack 'Selfmade Renegade' here: https://selfmaderenegade.substack.com/You can read the article Jayme discussed 'She Just Can't Wait to Be King: The Hubris Infecting Young Trans Men' here: https://selfmaderenegade.substack.com/p/she-just-cant-wait-to-be-king-the?s=rYou can also read the article Jayme wrote about her transition in more depth here: https://selfmaderenegade.substack.com/p/the-diagnostic-criteria-in-the-room?s=rSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkTRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains a deep discussion about grief, suicide and self-harm which some listeners may find distressing or upsetting, so please listen with caution.

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In episode 122 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Buck Angel.Buck is a transsexual man, commentator, advocate and adult filmmaker who has been discussing his transition journey openly for many years. Buck transitioned in 1992 when he was 28 years old and he is affectionately known within the community as 'Tranpa'. Buck has spoken out on the conflict going on within the trans community between transsexuals like himself and those who identify as transgender. In this episode we discuss how and why he transitioned, why he believes that transitioning saved his life but also why for him, in his words, he hates the day-to-day experience of being transsexual.We also discuss why gatekeeping is actually safekeeping, why he finds people asking him for his pronouns insulting and some of the hot topics within the conversation around trans right now and what happens when these topics spill out into the mainstream.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow Buck on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuckAngelYou can find out more about Buck by visiting his website here: https://buckangel.com/Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkTRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains a brief discussion about suicide and suicidality which some listeners may find distressing or upsetting, so please listen with caution.

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In episode 121 of The Just Checking In Podcast, we checked in with Paula Wright. Paula Wright is a graduate student in evolutionary psychology, a writer, actress and comic. Her Substack is called Dangerous Ideas and her journey into academia began when she founded a Facebook forum called Darwinian Gender Studies. This brought many academics, thinkers and writers to its discussion threads including now Quilette editor Claire Lehmann, Gad Saad and David Buss. Paula came from a working-class background and left school with no qualifications. She went into academia relatively late and became fascinated by the subject of evolutionary psychology which she believed could be used as a lens to explain aspects of feminism and other societal issues. In this episode we discuss how Paula got into academia, how Darwinian Gender Studies came to be and some of the issues she writes about, including the current conversation around rape, why she stopped identifying as a feminist when she said she found out the truth about rape conviction rates and cancel culture.For Paula’s mental health we discuss her diagnosis of autism in her 40s, how she’s lived with ADHD throughout her life and how taking medication for anxiety has helped her mental health.We also discuss the sexual abuse that was inflicted upon her family by her stepfather. Her stepfather sexually abused both of Paula’s two sisters and attempted to sexually abuse Paula but didn’t succeed. We talk about the impact that had on her and her family, how it affected her and how after multiple mistrials, he was finally convicted for the crimes he committed. As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow Paula on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SexyIsntSexistInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/porlawright/Subscribe to her Substack 'Dangerous Ideas' here: https://paulawright.substack.com/Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkTRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains deep and detailed discussions about sexual abuse, which some listeners may find extremely upsetting or distressing, so please listen with caution.

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In episode 120 of The Just Checking In Podcast, we checked in with Davelle Heath.Davelle Heath is a PHD candidate at Lancaster University. His PHD study aims to explore and understand the lived experiences of Black American men that have been sexually assaulted by women via the ‘made-to-penetrate’ tactic as an adult.In this episode we discuss Davelle’s journey into academia and the reasons he wanted to explore this topic of male sexual abuse by female perpetrators. We outline the scale of this problem and the research and factors behind it, sexual racism black men face in wider society, the stigma men face in reporting their sexual abuse and recognising the abuse happened to them at all. We also explore Davelle’s upbringing and the sexual abuse he experienced at the hands of both male and female perpetrators in his childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Davelle’s life could have ended up in a very different place after he joined a gang as a teenager. We talk about how and why he joined it and how he ended up in prison for a period of time, a suicide attempt and subsequent hospitalisation and how through reflection and self-improvement, he has got to where he is today.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow Davelle on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustdavelleSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkTRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains deep and detailed discussions about sexual abuse and suicide, which some listeners may find extremely upsetting or distressing, so please listen with caution.

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In episode 119 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Helena. Helena is a detransitioned woman from the USA.Helena talks online about her journey from transition to detransition. Helena's mental health difficulties started before her gender dysphoria and her trans identity developed from trauma associated with family issues and an eating disorder. Helena lived with bulimia and started to become more certain she was trans. She went on testosterone for 17 months – starting in August 2016 until February 2018. She started testosterone when she was 18 years old. She spent a lot of time on social media platform Tumblr which she says indoctrinated her into what she described as 'gender ideology' and it took her a long time for her to get her mental health into a healthy place and embrace herself fully.After she did this, she came to the realisation that she wanted to detransition.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow Helena on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/lacroicszSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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In episode 118 we checked in with academic Sophie Marsh. Sophie is an Associate Lecturer in Criminology & Law. She did a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Criminology and Law at the University of the West of England and graduated with First Class Honours in the summer of 2019.She is currently doing her PhD on the attrition of rape and the effects of rape myth acceptance and is also the founder of Soph Talks, a platform which discusses issues including criminal justice, human rights, mental health and sustainability.In this episode we discuss Sophie’s academic journey, the imposter syndrome she had transitioning from student to lecturer, work-life balance and the impact that Covid-19 had on her career. We also discuss Soph Talks and the positive impact it’s had on her authors and her own mental health in educating her about issues she hadn’t previously known about. We then have a discussion about sexual violence against women, the awareness campaigns currently out there and why they need to be much better than they currently are. For Sophie’s mental health, we discuss her experience of anxiety and panic attacks she has lived with in her teenage and adult years, why doing CBT wasn’t helpful for her and the grief she experienced losing her uncle a couple of years ago.As always, #itsokaytoventVisit Soph Talks here: https://www.sophtalks.co.uk/You can follow Sophie on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophielmarshSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukGoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-healthMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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