In this episode, I sit down with Leigh Johnstone, the Beardy Gardner. Leigh is a theatre director turned garden designer. He is now an active mental health campaigner and has become popular on social media sharing gardening content.

In this episode, we talk about Leigh’s experience of growing up with an alcoholic parent and how this still impacts him today. We also talk about the positive impact on mental health of theatre and gardening.

We go on to talk about the double edged sword of social media, and the value of slowing down, and how reconnecting with creativity and nature can help us feel more human in an increasingly fast, digital world.

Please leave a review or rating, if you enjoyed the episode!

Leigh on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beardygardener/

Fluid Motion Theatre: https://fluidmotiontheatre.com/about-fluid-motion-theatre

Resources

https://www.mind.org.uk/

Follow the podcast on Instagram for updates: @nowwerereallytalking

Check out Be The Change Media: @bethechangemedianetwork

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at crumppaddy@gmail.com.

The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the change. Media Network or its partners.

In this fascinating episode, I am joined by Lara Rodwell. Lara is a writer, journalist and mental health advocate whose work explores neurodivergence, grief, identity, and loneliness. She also founded the Lonely Club. She speaks openly about growing up as an identical twin, navigating her sister’s eating disorder, discovering she is autistic and ADHD in adulthood, and how those revelations reshaped her understanding of herself. Lara also shares the deeply personal experience of losing her dad in 2020 and how grief became both a rupture and the start of a new chapter.

If you found the episode insightful, please subscribe and give a review!

Lara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lararodwell_/

All things The Lonely Club: https://linktr.ee/_thelonelyclub

Resources:

https://www.marmaladetrust.org/

https://www.mind.org.uk/

Follow the podcast on Instagram for updates: @nowwerereallytalking

Check out Be the change. Media: @bethechangemedianetwork

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at crumppaddy@gmail.com.

The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the change. Media Network or its partners.

In this episode, I am joined by Danny Bowman, an academic and Director at the Conservative Mental Health Group. Danny opens up about his experiences with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), reflecting on the period of his life when he became housebound and consumed by his self-image.

The conversation explores why Danny went viral a decade ago, how BDD affects his everyday life and the long road toward recovery.

We also delve into his academic and political work on mental health, including the lessons he took from standing in the 2024 general election.

If you found the episode insightful, please subscribe and give a review!

Danny on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannybowman96

Donate to Danny’s marathon: Link to Donate

Resources:

https://www.ocduk.org/

https://bddfoundation.org/

Follow the podcast on Instagram for updates: @nowwerereallytalking

Check out Be the change. Media: @bethechangemedianetwork

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at crumppaddy@gmail.com.