We Are The People Podcast

Orlagh Reynolds was a messer as a child and she has retained that sense of mischief into adulthood. She loved life and life loved Orlagh back as she lived the dream. City hopping as her career developed, working her dream job, surrounded by friends and family and topped off by her husband and daughter. Orlagh was lucky and grateful.

Then one day, her husband Fraser received a Motor Neuron Disease diagnosis that turned their world upside down. He was given two years to live and as the devastating news sunk in Fraser decided that something good was going to come from this diagnosis. It may have been too late for him but he was sure he was going to make a difference for future MND patients. 

And with that, they began to fight back!

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Scott Jenkins didn’t want to find himself at the age of 80 looking back at his life wondering what more he could have done with it, what more he could have achieved and the people he could have helped along the way.

Scott grew up in Wales and reached a turning point at the age of 30 where he decided to do something big, something that would have an impact on his life but also on lives around him. Himself and his brother decided to run 2000 miles from Boston to Austin, raising money and learning life lessons along the way.

Since that decision to run 75 marathons in 75 days, Scott has become an ultramarathon runner, a Badwater finisher, a high performing sales manager, a motivational speaker and has changed the lives of 93 children across the world, through Operation Smile.

Scott will inspire you to take the leap of faith you’ve been putting off and he’ll make it sound so simple… This is Scott Jenkins

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Born in Jamaica in 1949, Beulah Coombs moved to Manchester at just eight years old, following her parents who had gone ahead to help rebuild post-war Britain.

In this episode of We Are The People, Beulah reflects on growing up Black in England, facing racism, building a life in her adopted country, and later confronting policies that questioned her right to belong. She also shares how she became a first-time published author at the age of 75.

A thoughtful, grounded conversation about migration, resilience, and lifelong curiosity.

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Lawrence Cowan set out in politics determined to change lives but his life took an unexpected turn when his best friend, Gordon Aikman, was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease. It was too late for Gordon but together they were determined to positively impact the lives of future MND sufferers.

From Gordon Brown to Nicola Sturgeon, Lawrence and his friends energised Scottish politics to change Scottish Healthcare for the better, positively impacting Scottish generations to come. Their campaign was so successful Gordon's legacy was preserved when the largest lecture theatre in Edinburgh University was renamed The Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre.

Laurence's work raising funds and awareness of MND lead him to pursue a career in fundraising. He continued on to work for Breast Cancer Now and Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, saving countless lives in the process.

Lawrence speaks with passion throughout this episode, none more so than when he speaks about his daughter who navigates the world with a visual and physical disability. 

Lawrence's story is the inspiration for all of us to be the change we wish to see in the world.

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Elaine Garrigues O'Neill grew up in Ireland but her eyes were always firmly fixed on a life further afield. When she graduated from University she moved to France and set about becoming as French as the French themselves.

She set about honing her translation skills in the corporate world before realising she would much rather be her own boss. With little more than a few contacts, a large helping of bravery and a willingness to conquer French bureaucracy she set up her own translation business.

As her business grew she became more comfortable and her mind began to wander once more. Elaine had always dreamed of becoming a pastry chef and where better to learn than in the pastry capital of the world? She enrolled in a patisserie school and went back to the classroom for long hours, intense exams and early mornings in the bakers.

Elaine's story is proof that we can achieve our goals once we set our minds to them.

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Vicki Duffendack was a typical South Dublin woman, she grew up interested in boys, having fun with friends and seeing the world. She travelled across the globe as a nanny, working hard and partying just as hard.

In Australia, she found love and got engaged but when that didn't last she looked for love on Instagram... well what she thought was love. Her quest for likes and followers brought her to Bali but her obsession with appearance drove her to a breakdown.

In the depths of despair she reignited her relationship with God and slowly recovered at Teen Street, a discipleship for Christian teens. Vicki drew strength from her relationship with God and signed up to attend the Bethal Christian School. 

Her whirlwind life continued as she met her future husband and settled in America, with her family and church her focus.

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Serendipity and chance encounters brought Inka and Iason together, their shared interests blossomed into a romance that is now three years down the road. As their relationship developed their boundaries fell as they opened up to each other and realized a shared dream.

The dream of one day creating music with their partner… that day arrived and so The Zorbas was born.

The Zorbas is a mixture of music, cinema, design, story telling… and lots more.

Ambition, vulnerability, excitement, passion, humour, positivity, it’s all here… This is the Zorbas!

Listen to the Zorbas here: https://www.thezorbas.live/

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The events we experience throughout our lives shape who we are and how we look at the world. As we move through life we learn and adapt and change because of what we have been through.

Inka Malovic was conceived in the Congo, born in Bosnia, grew up in Algeria and when war broke out in both Yugoslavia and Algeria she settled with her family in Canada.

As she moved from one place to the next she became a sponge in her new environment, she watched and listened as she integrated herself and it was these skills that helped her hone her craft.

Inka is an actress, a dancer, a teacher, a musician… she wears many hats all of them with passion and positive energy… nothing is impossible… This is Inka Malovic.

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The vast majority of us follow a well-trodden path when it comes to what we do with our lives, we may take an unexpected diversion here and there but by and large we follow in the footsteps of where others have gone before. 

Stephen Carton grew up in Dublin, went to school in Dublin and completed a degree and masters in Engineering in Trinity College… you can probably fill in the gaps from here, right?

Wrong?

A chance encounter as a Fresher in Trinity lit a spark that created a passion for American Football that burnt so brightly he decided becoming an American Football coach was his destiny.

He left Ireland in a hurry and put his foot on the bottom rung of a ladder and started climbing, his adventure taught him the importance of family, to embrace his identity and what happens when you take a chance… This is Stephen Carton.

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I think it is interesting to hear what people wanted to be when they were children because it gives an insight into what they were like then and as their story unfolds we can get a sense of how they have developed.

The truth is, most of us give up on that childhood dream early on, but not everybody does…

James Timmons always wanted to be a footballer. It informed how he spent his lunch time break, where he went to university and encouraged him to travel the world.

Buckle up as one of the most enthusiastic people I know takes us from single minded child to even more determined adult… this is James Timmons.

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