Tom's Talks

Everybody saw what happened on the ride. Nobody ever asked what happened in their parents' living room.

On 2nd June 2015, Leah Washington and Joe were on one of their first proper dates when The Smiler crash changed their lives forever. Leah lost her leg, Joe suffered life-changing injuries, and both were trapped four metres in the air for four hours.

Now, 11 years later, they're married. In this powerful episode, they share the untold story behind the headlines - from the impact on their families and relationship to the long road of recovery.

Joe also opens up for the first time about his recent mental health struggles, including depression, therapy, and the conversation with his dad that changed everything.

A raw, honest conversation about trauma, resilience, love, and hope.

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The Tom's Talks Podcast is a place where we speak to a vast array of people from different walks of life and find out what makes them them. We will speak about their unique journey and delve into the highs and the lows which ultimately define them. 

Richard Chapman was an area director at HSBC. He had five sons, a beautiful house, and by his own admission, a perfect life. Then one evening after a round of golf, a stranger in a pub offered him a line of cocaine and he said yes.
That yes cost him seventeen years, a million pounds, and very nearly his life.
In this episode, Richard takes us through the full arc of his addiction with staggering honesty - from recreational weekends to using 26 grams a day, sitting in a supermarket car park for 36 hours straight, and reaching the point where he'd planned to end his life in a hotel room. It was a WhatsApp message from his 11-year-old son that changed everything.

Today, Richard is six years clean and runs Ark House - the very rehab centre he walked into as a broken man in 2020. He now dedicates his life to helping others find the way out he found.

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Check out my website: toms-talks.co.uk
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The Tom's Talks Podcast is a place where we speak to a vast array of people from different walks of life and find out what makes them them. We will speak about their unique journey and delve into the highs and the lows which ultimately define them. 

Sian Lord was 24 years old. It was her second day in New York. She was on the pavement, drink in hand, talking to her best friend - exactly where she was supposed to be.
Then a taxi driver mounted the kerb.
He severed her left leg below the knee, never got out of the cab to check if she was alive, and was never charged. Sian spent six weeks in hospital in America, had four back-to-back surgeries, and flew home to rebuild a life that looked nothing like the one she'd planned.

Twelve years on, Sian is a model, motivational speaker, and one of the most honest voices on disability, body image and resilience you'll find. In this episode she holds nothing back — the physical recovery, the mental battle that was harder, the years of hiding her leg, and the moment she finally stopped.

Plus Tom opens up about motivation, discipline, and why without a reason why most people never follow through.
Whether you're going through something that's changed your body, your plans, or your sense of self — or you just need to hear from someone who's been through the worst and come out the other side - this one is for you.

Support the show

Check out my website: toms-talks.co.uk
Follow me on Instagram: toms.talks__
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Subscribe on YouTube: TomsTalks

The Tom's Talks Podcast is a place where we speak to a vast array of people from different walks of life and find out what makes them them. We will speak about their unique journey and delve into the highs and the lows which ultimately define them.

Lewis' Brand New Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/024164683... 

Lewis Raymond Taylor was told by his own mother that he wouldn't make old bones. By his mid-twenties, he'd been to prison three times, spent seven years addicted to cocaine, and had an identity built entirely around chaos and destruction. He didn't just believe he was a bad person - he'd been told it his whole life.

Then one night in a prison cell, staring at a piece of scratched metal that passed for a mirror, something shifted. And everything changed.
In this episode, Lewis, a diagnosed psychopath, life coach, documentary subject and author, sits down with Tom for one of the most honest, thought-provoking conversations the podcast has ever had. This isn't a redemption story dressed up in motivational language. It's a raw, unflinching look at identity, trauma, accountability and what it actually takes to rebuild yourself from scratch.

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We're back after a short break with an hour long Q&A answering your questions!

The Tom's Talks Podcast is a place where we speak to a vast array of people from different walks of life and find out what makes them them. We will speak about their unique journey and delve into the highs and the lows which ultimately define them. 

Support the show

Check out my website: toms-talks.co.uk
Follow me on Instagram: toms.talks__
Follow me on TikTok: tomstalks
Subscribe on YouTube: TomsTalks

The Tom's Talks Podcast is a place where we speak to a vast array of people from different walks of life and find out what makes them them. We will speak about their unique journey and delve into the highs and the lows which ultimately define them. 

Adam Stott left school with one GCSE. By 25 he had a six-figure salary and a £100,000 car. By 30 he was running a business turning over nearly £14 million a year. And then it started to unravel — and nobody saw it coming, least of all him.

This is one of the most honest conversations about business, resilience and ambition you'll hear. Adam doesn't just share the wins. He walks through the moment funders froze £2.5 million of his funding, the year he appeared on stage with 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather while his business burned behind him, and what it actually cost him, financially and personally, to walk away.

He also shares what he's learned from coaching over 100,000 business owners, and why most people are using the wrong strategy at the wrong time.

This episode is proudly sponsored by Unthin - The UK's number 1 hairloss solution. Clinically proven to support stronger, healthier hair from within.
Use code TOM20 for 20% off your order: https://unthinhair.com/?aff=toms-talks.co.uk

Support the show

Check out my website: toms-talks.co.uk
Follow me on Instagram: toms.talks__
Follow me on TikTok: tomstalks
Subscribe on YouTube: TomsTalks

The Tom's Talks Podcast is a place where we speak to a vast array of people from different walks of life and find out what makes them them. We will speak about their unique journey and delve into the highs and the lows which ultimately define them. 

At 24, Sammie Ellard-King was £24,000 in credit card debt. A third of his wages were going out the door every month — just in interest. Not paying the debt down. Just interest.

Sammie is a property investor, financial educator, and founder of the Gains app. He's built a platform helping everyday people understand money — because nobody taught them. And in this episode, he holds nothing back.

This episode is the financial conversation most of us never had growing up. No jargon, no judgment — just honest, practical advice on how to get out of debt, start saving, and actually build wealth on an average salary.

This episode is proudly sponsored by Unthin - The UK's number 1 hairloss solution. Clinically proven to support stronger, healthier hair from within.
Use code TOM20 for 20% off your order: https://unthinhair.com/?aff=toms-talks.co.uk

Support the show

Check out my website: toms-talks.co.uk
Follow me on Instagram: toms.talks__
Follow me on TikTok: tomstalks
Subscribe on YouTube: TomsTalks

The Tom's Talks Podcast is a place where we speak to a vast array of people from different walks of life and find out what makes them them. We will speak about their unique journey and delve into the highs and the lows which ultimately define them. 

Sam Bagshaw has a stammer. He also has over a million followers online — and he built that by doing the one thing most people are too scared to do: showing up exactly as he is.

In this episode, Sam shares what it was really like growing up with a stammer, feeling isolated, and not knowing anyone who shared his experience. He opens up about the moment he decided to start posting online, why he never edits out the difficult moments, and how stepping outside his comfort zone has helped him build a platform that’s now changing lives.

This conversation isn’t just for people with a stammer — it’s for anyone who’s ever felt different, held back, or unsure whether their vulnerabilities could be a strength.

We also discuss what a stammer actually is, how to better support someone who has one, dealing with negativity online, and the habits that help Sam manage his mental health day to day.

This episode is proudly sponsored by Unthin - The UK's number 1 hairloss solution. Clinically proven to support stronger, healthier hair from within.
Use code TOM20 for 20% off your order: https://unthinhair.com/?aff=toms-talks.co.uk

Support the show

Check out my website: toms-talks.co.uk
Follow me on Instagram: toms.talks__
Follow me on TikTok: tomstalks
Subscribe on YouTube: TomsTalks

The Tom's Talks Podcast is a place where we speak to a vast array of people from different walks of life and find out what makes them them. We will speak about their unique journey and delve into the highs and the lows which ultimately define them. 

In this episode, Kieron opens up about being sexually abused from the age of 6 to 16 — something he kept hidden for nearly 20 years.

We talk about what it’s like growing up not realising something isn’t normal, the confusion and guilt that follows, and how trauma can shape your identity, relationships, and mental health for years after.

Kieron shares what finally led him to speak out, the reality of staying silent for so long, and how he’s now using his story to help others feel less alone.

This isn’t an easy listen — but it’s an important one.

Support the show

Check out my website: toms-talks.co.uk
Follow me on Instagram: toms.talks__
Follow me on TikTok: tomstalks
Subscribe on YouTube: TomsTalks

The Tom's Talks Podcast is a place where we speak to a vast array of people from different walks of life and find out what makes them them. We will speak about their unique journey and delve into the highs and the lows which ultimately define them.

In this incredibly powerful and emotional episode of Tom’s Talks, we sit down with Ben Kennedy, also known as His Grief, to hear a story that will stay with you.

At just 32 years old, Ben lost his wife and unborn child in a matter of hours — what started as a normal day quickly turned into unimaginable tragedy. In this conversation, Ben opens up about that day — the shock, the trauma, and the reality of losing everything in an instant.

But this episode isn’t just about loss.

It’s about what comes after.

Ben shares how he navigated grief, the guilt, and the mental battle that followed — and how he slowly found a way to keep going, not just for himself, but for his young son. We also explore the importance of therapy, support systems, and how even small shifts in mindset can make a difference during the darkest moments.

This is one of the most raw, honest, and important conversations we’ve had on the podcast.

If you’re going through a difficult time, or know someone who is, this episode could genuinely help.

This episode is proudly sponsored by Unthin - The UK's number 1 hairloss solution. Clinically proven to support stronger, healthier hair from within.
Use code TOM20 for 20% off your order: https://unthinhair.com/?aff=toms-talks.co.uk

Support the show

Check out my website: toms-talks.co.uk
Follow me on Instagram: toms.talks__
Follow me on TikTok: tomstalks
Subscribe on YouTube: TomsTalks