Season 1
#25 - Jill: Alcohol Addiction, Suicide Attempts, Relapse, Rehabilitation, Recovery, Aftercare, Family Strength, The Forward Trust & Empty Nest Syndrome
Matt delves into Jill's profound journey of overcoming alcohol addiction, surviving suicide attempts, navigating relapse, and finding renewal through recovery. In this deeply personal and transformative podcast episode, Jill ...
#24 - Kevin Kennedy: Alcohol Culture, Addiction, Coronation Street, The West End & 25 Years in Recovery
Matt is joined by Kevin Kennedy, actor and musician, best known for playing the character Curly Watts for 20 years in ITV's long-running television soap opera Coronation Street. Kevin serves as director of Kennedy Street reco...
#22 - Braidey: Newly Qualified Nursing, Student Placements, Work-Life Balance, Professional Expectations & Nursing in the Community
Matt is joined by Braidey, a newly qualified nurse in addiction services. Braidey gives a compelling and honest account of becoming a nurse and gives practical advice for those looking to enter this profession for the first t...
#23 - Connor Gregory: Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression, Alcohol, Recovery, Trauma & How Wrestling Saved His Life
Matt is joined by Connor Gregory, commonly known as British Wrestling stand out and current BWR Cruiserweight Champion, Scotty Rawk. Connor’s journey as an indie wrestler is not just about his physical abilities as a high-fly...
#21 - Bea: Transgender, Neurodiversity, Addiction, Recovery, Wheelchair & Living with Tourette's
Matt is joined by Bea, a Transgender woman, former Miss Transgender UK, and activist for Trans, neurodiversity, and disability rights. In this candid conversation, Bea opens up publicly for the first time about her struggles ...
#20 - Pete: Heroin, Drug Culture, Trauma, The Great Binge & The Hierarchy of Drug Users.
Matt is joined by Pete and they candidly discuss the journey throughout his addiction to heroin and his lifestyle in recovery, They discuss the modern history of addiction, drug culture, heroin chic and how his personal exper...
#19 - Nadine: Parenting, Partying, Autism, Methadone, TikTok, Trauma & A 17 Year Heroin Addiction
Matt is joined by Nadine and they candidly discuss the journey throughout her addiction to heroin and her lifestyle in recovery, including; becoming a new parent, understanding her autism and sharing her lived experiences wit...
#18: Emma Hardy MP: Stigma, Addiction, Education, Parliament, Endometriosis & Poverty Premium
Matt is joined by Emma Hardy, Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle . Emma candidly discusses her background in teaching to becoming politically active in 2011 and using her profile and influence to tackle stigma....
#17: Michelle Heaton: Addiction, Recovery, Trauma, Boundaries, Stigma, Menopause, Liberty X & Dancing on Ice
Matt is joined by Emmy & Brit Award winning singer, Michelle Heaton, member of the pop group Liberty X. In April 2021, Michelle bravely checked into rehab to fight her battle with addiction and today, 21 months sober, Michell...
#15 - Dr Helen Hawes GP: Opiates, Addiction, Religion, Abortion, Primary Care, Pain Management & Being a GP in Hull
Matt talks to Dr Helen Hawes GP about her route into the profession, managing pain for a person with an opiate addiction, life choices, religion, abortion, diversifying the workforce and a holistic approach to patient care. H...
#14 - Darren: The 12 Steps of Narcotics Anonymous, Opiate Addiction & Championing Recovery
Matt talks to Darren about his journey from taking his first substance aged nine - right through to present day and his time with Narcotics Anonymous (NA). NA offers recovery from the effects of addiction through working a tw...
#16 - Mark Moody: Addiction, Recovery, Stigma, Scotland, The Heroin Epidemic & Being CEO of the UK's largest Drug & Alcohol Charity
Matt is joined by Mark Moody, CEO of the UK's largest Drug & Alcohol Charity, Change Grow Live . Mark candidly discusses his rise from an entry level position with only 40 people in the organisation all the way to being respo...
#13 - Millie Gooch: Sober Girl Society, Addiction, Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Sober Dating, Sober Sex, Boozeless Brunches, Mental Health, Sober Curiosity & Being Millie
Matt talks to Sober Girl Society 's founder, Millie Gooch, about why she quit drinking - and how it's changed her life. They discuss; binge drinking, labels, alcohol temptations, therapy, mental health, how to deal with sobri...
#12 - Di: Service Management, Hull, Hostels, Community, Addiction, Recovery & Stigma
Matt talks to Di, Hull's Drug & Alcohol Service Manager. Di gives a candid account of managing Hull's Drug & Alcohol Service and talks about her 35 years in the sector and a multi-disciplinary approach to care. The Believe in...
#11 - Holly: Volunteering, Internships, Education, Fraud Prevention, Social Media & Safer Drinking
Matt talks to Holly who has just turned 21, graduated this week and landed her first job with UK's leading third sector provider of drug and alcohol services. Holly talks about about the importance of volunteering, the oppor...
#10 - Elly: Harm Reduction, Commercial Sex Work & The History of Hull's Needle Exchange
Elly has nearly three decades of experience in the Drug & Alcohol sector and Matt talks to her about addiction & recovery in the 80s and 90s, commercial sex work, the history of Hull's needle exchange & the importance of effe...
#09 - Professor Dame Carol Black: An Independent Review of Drugs, Stigma, Treatment & Recovery
In Episode 9 Matt talks to Professor Dame Carol Black. In 2019 Dame Carol was commissioned by the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care to undertake a 2-part independent review of drugs, to inform the gover...
#08 - Andy Train: Pandemic, Performing, Self Employment, Alcohol, Addiction, the LGBT+ Community & Pride in Hull
Matt talks to Andy Train, chair of the Hull & East Riding LGBT+ Forum, the Co-Founder and Co-Chair UK Pride Organisers Network, Trustee, Creative Director & Co-Vice Chair of Pride in Hull, an InterPride Global Advisory Counci...
#07 - Steven: Business, Addiction, Recovery and the Sports Entertainment Industry
In episode 7 Matt talks to Steve about addiction from a young age, working in the drug and alcohol sector, intergenerational casual fans, his advice to others in the business, wrestling being his constant, living in recovery ...
#06 - Chelsey: Addiction, Detox, Bereavement & Breast Cancer
In episode 6 Matt talks to Chelsey about her mum's journey through addiction, detox, recovery, breast cancer discovery and bereavement. ___ ReNew is a free and confidential drug and alcohol service for adults, families, carer...
#05 - Rachel: Nursing, Cancer, Mistletoe & Me
Matt talks to Rachel about; working as a nurse in the third sector, her recent cancer diagnosis, the decision to reject the treatment pathway offered in favour of an alternative approach and Mistletoe and Vitamin C therapy Yo...
#04 - Darylanne: Volunteers' Week & Working Front Line in Hull's Drug & Alcohol Service
Matt talks to Darylanne about volunteering in a drug & alcohol service and how this has prepared her for working full time in the busy duty office in Hull. ___ ReNew is a free and confidential drug and alcohol service for ad...
#03 - Hepatitis C: Facts, Needle Exchanges, Treatment, Micro-Elimination & A 10 Stop Car Journey Up The M62
Matt is on a trans-Pennine car journey from St Helens to Knowsley to Halton to Warrington to Manchester to Tameside to Bradford to Kirklees to Leeds to Hull in eight hours to discuss Hepatitis C and what's being done from at ...
#02 - Andi: Addiction, Suicide, Recovery, Anxiety, Family & Role Models
Matt talks to Andi about addiction, recovery, suicide, anxiety, depression, family, self esteem and role models. ____ ReNew is a free and confidential drug and alcohol service for adults, families, carers and affected others ...