On today’s episode, we wanted to introduce an unsung hero. Brookemorgan discusses the breakdown of her relationship with her family, and her experiences with homlessness and depression. Brookemorgan’s mother suffered with debilitating depression, meaning she had to look after herself and her brother from the age of just 14.

After Brookemorgan’s relationship with her mother broke down, she moved out to live with her grandmother. But she was beginning to show signs of depression herself, which worsened when her grandmother asked her to leave a year later. After sofa surfing for a while, Brookemorgan sought help from the local authority, and she eventually ended up living at a youth hostel, with the help of the infamous homeless charity Centrepoint where she turned a corner and started building the life she always wanted.

This came to a head when Brookemorgan was inspired to start She Oath by her own lived experiences with homelessness, sexual assault and mental health issues. She is founder of the community interest company, She Oath. The company improves the quality of life for vulnerable young girls and women, giving each person a strong internal GPS, a self-assured mindset and the ability to be the leaders in their own lives.

This is a truly powerful episode as we walk through many issues such as homelessness, depression, and mental health.

We cover -

• Her childhood
• Her struggle with Mental health issues
• She Oath
• It’s mission and aims

Note - Centrepoint has found that 6 out of every 10 homeless young people in the UK have experienced family breakdowns. Stamatia Lorentzou, a senior psychotherapist at Centrepoint, called it “one of the most common causes of homelessness in the people we see.”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can follow Wes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wesrashid/?hl=en

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dwain Chambers is one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of athletics. He first showed promise at the age of 16, when he won the 100m sprint at the 1994 English school’s championship and he quickly established himself as one of the UK’s most promising athletics stars. He competed in the 100m sprint in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, coming in 4th place, winning him the title of fastest man in Europe.

In 2004, Dwain’s athletics career came to an abrupt halt, when he tested positive for the performance enhancing steroid THG. He received a two-year ban from athletics and a lifetime Olympic ban. This event was highly publicised by the media shining a light on Dwaine who was once a poster child for UK Athletics.

When his athletics ban was lifted in 2006, Dwain returned to the sport and worked hard to win back the favour of both the athletics community and the public. He and his teammates won gold in the 4x100m relay at the 2006 European championships. By 2009, he was back at the top of his game, running the 60m sprint in 6.42 seconds – a speed that remains a European record. His Olympic ban was lifted by the British Olympic Association in 2012, which meant he could compete in the 2012 London Olympics.

Dwain has said that taking performance enhancing drugs is his greatest regret, but he also hopes to use his past mistakes to educate and guide the next generation of athletes. In 2009, he started Chambers for Sport to help train and inspire young athletes.

This episode is raw, brutally honest and enlightening. We cover:

• Dwain’s life growing up
• Early career and rise to fame
• Going to America and taking Performance Enhancement Drugs (PEDs)
• Redefining himself
• His life now

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can follow Wes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wesrashid/?hl=en

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode we introduce Norman Jay MBE, the legendary British club, radio, and soundsystem DJ.

In 1980, he debuted at Notting Hill Carnival, playing a revolutionary selection of disco, soul, and funk using his Good Times Soundsystem amidst a soundscape of reggae and ska. It was not too long before Norman built up a huge following. Many people who went to Notting Hill Carnival would go for Good Times because they knew it would be the best weekend of their lives.

From this point, he pioneered a new wave in the dance music scene. His Shake ‘n’ Fingerpop warehouse parties are celebrated for bringing House music to the UK, and his ‘Rare Groove’ show on KissFM – then a pirate station which he co-founded – is credited as having founded the Rare Groove music movement.

Between 1997 and 2008, he hosted Giant 45 on BBC London and he later hosted The Funk Factory on BBC Radio 2. Since 2019, he has hosted a fortnightly show on SoHo Radio.

In 2002, he was awarded an MBE for his services to music – he was the first black DJ to ever receive the honour. This is definitely one you don’t want to miss out on.

In today’s episode we cover:

• Norman’s life growing up
• Notting Hill Carnival
• Warehouse Parties and Judge Jules
• Co-founding Kiss FM and the Rare Groove Movement
• His MBE

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can follow Wes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wesrashid/?hl=en

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.