As a teenager, António Ferreira felt huge pressure at school to succeed, and started suffering pseudo seizures, auditory hallucinations and paranoia. He describes it as a boulder on his back that he couldn’t lift or get rid of, and he had planned to take his life before an intervention. Through a long recovery process, he […]
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Hope gives you everything, António Ferreira
How do we talk about grief?, Ola Pelo
After losing her mother, Ola Pelo felt lost with her grief. She was pregnant with her second child and was at a crossroads work-wise. She made the leap to run her own business, to fulfil her passion for storytelling and content. She tells us how she tried to navigate her grief while raising a young […]
Forgiveness brings us peace, Swati Dlamini
Swati Dlamini, granddaughter of Nelson and Winnie Mandela, vowed to carry her grandparents’ work and values with her through her life. “One of the great lessons I learned from my grandfather was one of forgiveness. Forgiveness is for me to have peace, and not being imprisoned by what others have done.” During the pandemic, she […]
Loving the skin you’re in, Eryca Freemantle
As a child, Eryca Freemantle was bullied at school for being different, and remembers the constant feeling of heaviness and sadness. Home was her safe space. But when a life-changing accident left her with serious facial scarring from burns, those memories of childhood bullying came back. After suffering a breakdown, having suicidal thoughts and finally […]
From tragedy, comes hope, Orin Lewis
When Beverley De-Gale’s son Daniel was diagnosed with leukaemia for the second time in 1995, he needed a stem cell transplant to survive. But stem cell matches outside of the family are race-related, and the chance of finding a match was 1 in 250,000. The match was found, but it was too late, and Daniel […]
Family is the one constant, Jamie Jewitt
We spoke to Love Island star Jamie Jewitt a couple of years ago. Then, he spoke about his disillusion with how his modelling career had panned out and how unhappy he had been over social media and the pressure to present a perfect image. Now, he and partner Camilla are expecting a baby and he […]
Paws for thought, Professor Jo Williams (and Boomer)
An estimated 10% of youngsters in the UK have had an official diagnosis of a mental health condition. “The complexities of modern life add further cognitive strain and we are seeing a rise in these diagnoses,” says Professor Jo Williams from the University of Edinburgh. She has been researching the impact of pets on the […]
We Need People Who Think Differently, Vikie Shanks
Author, Speaker & Mentor Vikie Shanks was widowed when her husband took his own life. She was left to bring up seven children, six of whom are on the autistic spectrum. Two of her children have cerebral palsy. Vikie, on her own, had no choice but to cope and to enable her children and herself […]
You Can’t See Mental Pain, Mim Shaikh
Radio Host Broadcaster Mim Shaikh grew up with his mother suffering from severe mental health issues. It wasn’t until he went to school that he realised his family was different from others. However, today he feels this experience has helped him to become more sensitive and empathetic towards others going through mental pain. It’s also […]