The Just Checking In Podcast

In episode 337 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Mark Taylor. Mark is a Director at Men Walking and Talking (MWAT), a men’s walk and talk organisation founded in 2021 by Dan Reid. Mark is also the Kenilworth branch Walk Leader, which is how he became involved in MWAT and remains the leader to this day. In this episode we discuss his involvement with MWAT, its growth, the services it provides and the impact it’s had on the men they support. We also discuss Mark’s own mental health journey, which originates from a very bad car accident he had in 1997 when he was 25 years old. For a long time he didn’t see it as a long-lasting traumatic event. However, in 2021, his mental health issues came to a head. He started experiencing unexplained outbursts of anger in the workplace, which became so bad they almost cost him his job. He googled anger management therapists and found someone who began helping him unlock why he was having these outbursts. He told his therapist about some important life events which had caused him difficulty or even trauma. He listed being bullying at school, getting divorced from his wife and the loss of regular time with his children. He then disclosed the car accident and some traits which are associated with Post-Traumatic Stress, including the anger, as well as high sensitivity to noisy environments and certain sounds. Suddenly, things began to make sense and from there, he began to gain the self-awareness to improve his life, make adjustments to his work to avoid being triggered and recover from those traits which had previously almost derailed his life. We discuss all of that, his recovery and how he now helps men go on that journey of self-awareness and ownership like he did. As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about MWAT and find your local walk branch here: https://www.menwalkingandtalking.co.uk/. You can follow MWAT on social media here: https://www.instagram.com/menwalkingandtalking/?hl=en Support Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise

In episode 336 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Sam Lehane. Sam is an entrepreneur, former business owner and former employee of Virgin StartUp, where he worked during two separate periods. In-between all of that, he co-founded a creative events & wellbeing business called Make Your Own (M.Y.O) alongside his wife Diana, which they ran together from 2017-2025, until they exited and sold it. In this episode we chart Sam’s professional journey, from starting out in KPMG in their Dublin offices, moving to London, starting his own business alongside his wife and being inspired by his father, who ran his own business for over 30 years. We also discuss his work with start up businesses with Virgin and working with Richard Branson, where he is in 2026 where he could be unemployed for the first time, and the identity issues he has been managing as a result. For Sam’s mental health journey, we discuss the life and death of his dad, who died from bowel cancer on 4th September 2014. We talk about the influence he had on his life, the way Sam handled the grief and how he moved forward from that point. We also talk about how following the Covid-19 pandemic, Sam was much more proactive in developing his mental toolbox, which involved him trying various things to figure out what worked for him and what didn’t, and using those in the future when he experienced mental health dips. We finish by discussing the role his wife plays in supporting his mental health, fatherhood, which he was due to become at the time of recording and this new chapter of his life. As always, #itsokaytovent Support Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise

In episode 335 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Darren Placid. Darren has worked as a firefighter in the London Fire Brigade for 20 years. He applied in 2004 and successfully became a firefighter in 2005. He is currently stationed at Romford Fire Station and completed a sponsored Hyrox on 5th December 2025 in full fire gear alongside his friend and colleague Carl to raise money for The Firefighters Charity. The charity provides mental health support to male and female firefighters across the service. In a previous life, Darren was a professional footballer, playing as a goalkeeper until retiring in 2004, and played in the FA Cup for non-league team Heybridge Swifts in 2003. After retiring, he didn’t know what to do with his life. He was away with his mates for a weekender and he happened to hear the fire service advertising on radio stations all weekend. He decided to apply, which caused some conflict with his dad, whom he later reconciled with, and the rest is history. In this episode we discuss his professional journey, becoming a personal trainer, and his 20 year firefighter career. For Darren’s mental health journey, we discuss his experience of Post-Traumatic Stress, particularly two incidents which shaped his life at different stages. When he was 16, he was at a train station when he saw a man jump in front of a train and take his own life. Fast forward a couple of decades and at the same train station, working as a firefighter this time, he had to deal with another incident of a young person jumping in front of a train too, and we talk about this very weird and dark ‘full circle’ moment. We discuss how he dealt with that incident from a mental health perspective, the tools he put in place to manage the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress when they occurred after that incident, and how he's moved forward to do his job to the best of his ability. As always, #itsokaytovent You can follow Darren on social media here: https://www.instagram.com/darrenplacid/ Support Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise Music: Patawawa - Strange

In episode 334 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Mike Thompson. Mike is the Founder of two organisations, Paternity Fraud UK and the Falsely Accused Network. Mike founded PFUK in July 2020 and then later set up FAN in May 2023. FAN supports men who have been falsely accused of domestic abuse in the family court system and outside of it, and PFUK supports men and families who have been the victim of paternity fraud, which is still not classified as its own unique criminal offence in the UK. Mike’s desire to start these organisations came from his own experience of being the victim of paternity fraud and being falsely accused of domestic abuse from his marriage to his first wife. Mike married his first wife in 2013 but very quickly after the wedding, the relationship became toxic. In November 2017, he decided to leave the relationship for good. However, the day he told her he was leaving her, she rang him and told him she was pregnant. This child was born in the summer of 2019. Fast forward two years later and in May 2020, after developing suspicions about his paternity and his best friend disclosing to him that he shared his own doubts, he took a DNA test and devastatingly, Mike found out that the child he was raising as his own for two years, was not his. In this episode we discuss that journey, his experience of periods of depression at various points in his life, his experience of being a victim of paternity fraud, its prevalence in the UK and the statistics behind it, his experience of the family court system and being falsely accused of domestic abuse. We then discuss how he channelled that trauma into setting up PFUK and FAN, the work the organisations do to support men, the safeguards they have in place to determine the genuine men who have been falsely accused and those who are in actual fact abusers looking to falsely accuse their own female victims, and the key achievements the organisation has had since they were created. As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about Paternity Fraud UK here: https://www.paternityfrauduk.org/ You can find out more about Falsely Accused Network here: https://www.falselyaccusednetwork.co.uk/ You can follow FAN on social media here: https://www.instagram.com/paternityfrauduk/ You can follow PFUK on social media here: https://www.instagram.com/falselyaccusednetworkuk/ TRIGGER WARNING: this podcast contains discussions about paternity fraud, domestic abuse and suicide, which some listeners may find distressing or upsetting, so please listen with caution. Support Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise Music: Patawawa - Strange

In episode 333 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Scott Johnson. Scott is the Founder and CEO of the Proper Blokes Club (PBC) C.I.C, a community organisation which provides walk and talk groups for men across London and, since we last checked in, outside of London too! We first checked in with Scott in JCIP #256 in August 2024, where we discussed the origins of PBC, divorce and his experience of the family court system, parental alienation, gambling and alcohol addiction and his subsequent recovery from both. In the last year, PBC has gone from strength to strength. Scott now runs PBC full-time, and the organisation has 30 walks across the UK! In Part 1, Scott was also developing a new idea called Talk FC, which in the last year, he has successfully launched. The first team is based in Romford in East London, with 25 lads from the ages of 20-50 years old. We discuss this launch, the ‘Team Talks’ they do at the end of every session, his plans for an employment project through Talk FC, and his plans for a new programme to help young people from the ages of 10-19 too. For Scott’s continued mental health journey, we have a check in on his recovery, rediscovering his love for running and his goal to do an ultra-marathon in 2026. We also discuss the balance he has to find between finding ‘good addictions’ to replace his old, negative ones but still retain a healthy work-life balance and family life. As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about Proper Blokes Club and find a walk and talk near you here: https://www.theproperblokesclub.co.uk/ You can follow PBC on social media here: https://www.instagram.com/the_proper_blokes_club_cic/ You can also follow Talk FC on social media here: https://www.instagram.com/talk_fc_uk/ You can listen to Part 1 of Scott's journey here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595459/episodes/18685899 Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

In episode 332 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with George from TheTinMen. We first checked in with George in January 2024 in JCIP #223, where we covered a whole range of issues he covers on the platform, including: male domestic abuse victims, male suicide, working-class boys and boys more generally struggling in education, fatherlessness and sexual abuse in men’s prisons. In this Part 2, we discuss his views on Netflix’s megahit TV show ‘Adolescence’, the state of play for male domestic abuse victims and men with eating disorders, social media trends like ‘men would rather do X than go to therapy’ and the very problematic ‘would you rather be in a forest alone with a man or a bear’. We also discuss the controversy surrounding a dating app called 'Tea', and George’s ground-breaking investigation into men’s mental health charity ‘Movember’ and what he uncovered. We finish by discussing the recent break he took from advocacy work and why he did it. As always, #itsokaytovent You can follow TheTinMen on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetinmen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTinMenBlog You can listen to Part 1 of George's journey here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595459/episodes/18685941 Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

In episode 331 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Colm Brett. Colm is now the Founder and CEO of Arctic Event Solutions, which provides towable refrigerated trailers for hire to the live events space, including concerts and festivals. In this episode we discuss why he stepped away from the live events space full-time, building the business, and the freedom its given him in still being able to do freelance work in the space whilst having a much better routine and structure. We also discuss the benefits and challenges of being an entrepreneur and self-employed, and the new skills it’s given him. For Colm’s continued mental health journey, we talk about how he has become a lot better at expressing vulnerability and taking off the mask around people. We also talk about the role his long-term partner has played in the progress he’s made, and the joy that’s come into his life with the dog he and his partner decided to adopt! As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about Arctic Event Solutions here: https://www.arcticeventsolutions.com/ You can follow them on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arcticeventsolutions/ Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 330 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with journalist Ben Sixsmith. Ben currently works as Online Editor and podcast critic for The Critic magazine, and also has a Substack called The Zone. We first checked in with Ben in November 2022 in JCIP #159, where we discussed his journey into journalism, male stoicism and the pros and cons of meaning and its absence. We also discussed Ben’s experience of an eating disorder, where he had anorexia and bulimia during his university degree, why the EDs forced him to drop out of university altogether, how he overcame them and turned his life around.In Part 2, we discuss a range of issues, including online subcultures and how our identities have become increasingly tied to them, AI and the future of creativity. For Ben’s continued mental health journey, we discuss his agnosticism, the grief of losing his dog Lola, and his decision to get a new dog called Buddy.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can find out more about Ben's writing here: https://www.bensixsmith.com/.You can follow Ben on social media below: X: https://x.com/BDSixsmithYou can listen to Part 1 of Ben's journey here: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/jcip-159-ben-sixsmithSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 329 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Richard Campion. Richard is a Devon-based professional photographer, who specialises in wildlife photography. We came across his work through great friend of the pod and all-round legend William Jones-Warner who recently did a collaborative project with Richard capturing wild otters in the Isle of Mull in Scotland.Richard grew up in Jersey originally and got into photography relatively late.It started when he moved to London in 2015 and he was in a corporate job in The City he deeply disliked. During this difficult period where he experienced symptoms of depression and quite severe anxiety, Richard would try and combat it by going for short walks and looking for wildlife. That summer, his sister visited him and bought him his very first camera, and the rest is history. He began capturing the wildlife he saw on those walks, building that love of nature and animals, and he eventually got himself out of that state of mind. Now, he has built his photography career to the point he can do it for his full-time career. He offers workshops and photography tours to clients, including the chance to see beavers, seals, brown hare and red deer. In this episode we discuss this journey, his career highlights so far, working with Will and their plans for a wildlife podcast in 2026. For Richard’s mental health journey, we discuss his diagnoses of OCD and ADHD. He was diagnosed with OCD and this manifested in rituals, health OCD and intrusive thoughts which his brain told him he needed to do in order to protect his mum and sisters and prevent them from dying. We discuss his journey of self-awareness, acceptance and ownership of both these diagnoses, the tools he’s used to manage them from childhood to adulthood, and where the conversation is for people living with OCD now, vs when he was a child in the 1990s.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can find out more about Richard’s work here: https://www.richardcampionphotography.com/ You can follow him on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mywildlifeimages/ Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 328 of The Just Checking In Podcast, we checked in with Declan Burley. Declan is a filmmaker, conservationist and wildlife camera operator. We came across Declan through his role in the incredible series on Apple TV, ‘The Wild Ones’, where he stars alongside former Royal Marines Commando Aldo Kane and Congolese cinematographer and cameraman Vianet Djenguet.Declan’s role in the show was as a camera trapper, where they tried to capture six incredibly beautiful but rare, endangered animals on film across the world.The Wild Ones team used the footage of each animal to show to the local communities that live in their habitats and prove to them that they are worth saving. As a result of each episode, conservation efforts have been stepped up in every one of those respective countries, as a direct result of Declan, Aldo, Vianet and their crew’s efforts. Declan’s journey into filmmaking didn’t follow the route of some of his more privileged peers. After being kicked out of college at 17 years old in his hometown of Luton, he had no idea what he wanted to do in life. One day, hanging out with his friend, he told him ‘I’m going to become a cameraman’. His friend laughed in response, and his origin story was confirmed. Despite his diagnosis of dyslexia, he went to a different college and completed a B-Tech in Media Studies, before going to Bournemouth University to study TV Production. Whilst Dec was at uni, he realised he wanted to get involved in wildlife filmmaking. Bournemouth funded him to travel to the Peruvian amazon rainforest for three months which in his words, ‘changed everything’.In this episode, we chart this journey, from college to university, amazon rainforest excursions, working on Sir David Attenborough’s ‘Frozen Planet 2’ in 2018/2019, how Covid-19 affected his career, and a deep dive into The Wild Ones series. We also discuss classism and access in the filmmaking industry, accentism and how he leaned into his his working-class background and owned it to secure opportunities for himself. For Declan’s mental health journey, we discuss a diagnosis of testicular cancer in 2017, the chemotherapy and surgery he went through to resolve it, fatherhood, resilience and anti-fragility.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can watch The Wild Ones on Apple TV here: https://tv.apple.com/gb/show/the-wild-ones/umc.cmc.4w1tfn11hyb3frc9tp5fpksbb You can find out more about Declan’s work here: https://declanburley.com/ Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 327 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Tanyka Davson.Tanyka Davson is a Public Affairs professional and the Co-Founder of Cubbi, a platform built to support new and expecting parents with exclusive discounts from brands that truly understand the realities of family life.Tanyka founded the business alongside her sister Olivia in 2023, who became a mother herself that year. Olivia, like many new mums and dads quickly discovered how expensive parental leave could be. With finances stretched, even the smallest treats — a coffee or a pair of jeans to fit her new body — were tinged with guilt. Despite being a loyal customer for years, she felt unseen by the brands she loved most. So, she and Tanyka decided to take matters into their own hands and Cubbi was born. They officially launched the business in February 2024 and have signed up over 100 brands to date across a whole range of areas including healthcare, fashion, retail, food and drink, technology and experiences. In this episode we discuss Tanyka’s professional journey, where she's worked across public affairs, consultancy and the wider corporate environment.We then discuss the brave decision she took to leave her job in 2025 and work on Cubbi full-time, the transition to being self-employed, the joys and challenges of running a business with a family member and the support she hopes to extend to dads through Cubbi as the business hopefully grows.For Tanyka’s mental health journey, we discuss her experience of anxiety she’s lived with throughout her life. We talk about how it’s affected her mental health inside and outside the workplace and why it flared up particularly badly when her dad fell ill unexpectedly a few years ago.We finish by discussing the tools she used to get through those periods of anxiety and come out the other side a better and more well-rounded person. As always, #itsokaytoventFind out more about Cubbi here: https://www.cubbi.uk/You can follow Cubbi on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubbi.uk/?hl=enTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cubbi.ukSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 326 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Nick Davis.Nick is a musician, actor and mental health advocate for addiction recovery. We first checked in with Nick all the way back in JCIP #51!In Nick’s Part 1, we discussed the work he did for Forward Leeds (FL), an addiction and recovery centre which provides support for adults, young people and families needing help with alcohol and drug use in Leeds. We also talked about ‘Music from the Attic’ (MFTA), a music collective and community club he founded in Leeds that brings people together to play and sing music. We then talked about his battle with alcohol addiction, his recovery and sobriety journey and his divorce from his ex-wife. In the last five years, a lot has happened in Nick’s professional and personal life. In Part 2, we have an update on MFTA and FL, his work with Kirkstall Festival, a volunteer-run festival performed, organised and staffed entirely by volunteers, which Nick has become chief booker for all of the music acts. Nick also put on a fundraising gig to raise money for operations costs for the festival in 2024 where he raised over £8,000 and over 800 people attended.As part of his recovery journey, he has created the ‘Nick Davis Recovery Roadshow’, a one-man band, touring project and 2-hour show where he tells his story of recovery through music, performing cover songs which have inspired him along the way, as well as his own original songs too. We also discuss some great minor roles he has held in TV dramas, including BBC’s Gentleman Jack and Netflix’s most recent show, House of Guinness, including how he managed working on a show directly related to his addiction. For Nick’s continued mental health journey, we talk about his prostate cancer diagnosis, which came two years ago. Nick was only diagnosed because he worked on a campaign around prostate cancer awareness and he got checked out as a precaution! We also discuss the death of his father, his relationship with him, reconciling with him shortly before his death and how he channelled those emotions and grief through a song he wrote called ‘Cold boiler man’.We finish by discussing him reconciling with his ex-wife as result of the publication of his first podcast, and the support of his current partner, who he has been with for over 3 years.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow Nick on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickdavis1812/You can listen to Part 1 of Nick's journey here: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/jcip-51-nick-davisSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 325 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with academic Immy Harrison. Immy is currently a PHD student and researcher into singlehood at the University of Swansea’s Evolutionary Psychology department, where she studies under the tutelage of friend of the podcast Dr Andrew George Thomas!Immy did her undergraduate degree completing a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology & Archaeology at the University of Durham, before completing a Masters in Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University.In this episode we talk about her academic journey, how she came across the subject of evolutionary psychology through another great friend of the pod William Costello, a deep dive into her academic work on singlehood and what her end goals are for her PHD. We also talk about how the subject of evo psych and how some academics within it can fall into very binary analyses of how men and women think and act, and how that impacts her mental health from time to time.We then finish by why the subject has also given her greater empathy for groups of men like incels.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow Immy on social media below: X: https://x.com/immyyharrisonSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 324 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Dan Ascough.Dan works a firefighter for the London Fire Brigade. As part of his role, he is also chair of the employee support group on Neurodiversity, and runs the London section of the fire brigades union forum for disabled and neurodivergent members. Dan originally wanted to go into music as a kid, playing in bands and having a desire to go into music production.He studied for a music production degree but walked away from that career path, dropping out with just six weeks to go. Dan cites burnout from his undiagnosed ADHD at the time, his fear of failure and little lesson structure for the reasons why.He then worked for a short time doing various jobs, including manual labour before taking stock of what he wanted his life to look like.His dad was in the fire brigade, so he set his sights on that goal as a natural aim. He loved helping people and the idea of public service, so he went through the application process and succeeded in it.Dan was also diagnosed with autism and ADHD around 5/6 years ago, first with ADHD and then autism afterwards. Initially, he fought against the ADHD diagnosis and was in denial but over time, Dan has accepted and owned it, as well as his autism too. In this episode we discuss his journey into firefighting and how his ADHD and autism diagnoses led him to doing the work he does within the London Fire Brigade in recent years for men and women like him.We also discuss the conversations he has with ‘normies’ about firefighting and why some of them are problematic, the build-up of repetitive traumatic incidents you have to deal with as a firefighter and how he dealt with them himself. For Dan’s mental health journey, we discuss the ADHD and autism diagnosis in-depth, fatherhood and the grief of losing his mother from cancer in 2019 after a 14-month illness from cancer.As always, #itsokaytoventSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 323 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Darren Lawrence.Darren is a qualified life coach and the Founder of Front Foot Coaching.In Darren’s words, 'Front Foot Coaching is about helping you to get onto the front foot’.Darren predominantly works with middle-aged men, a demographic which is often forgotten about in the mental health space.Darren’s journey didn’t start in life coaching. For 17 years, he worked in large sports organisations including Sport England and The FA at regional and national levels.Interspersed within that time he gained some experience in a local authority and smaller organisations in a variety of senior roles, including CEO.He began to realise his passion for helping people was of equal level to his passion in sport, so in 2016 he enrolled on The Coaching Academy's Diploma for Personal Performance Coaching, which he qualified in, in 2017.Since then, he has taken up life coaching full-time and become self-employed, with all the highs and lows that come with that working life too.In this episode, we discuss this professional journey, from sport to life coaching and everything in-between.We then discuss the work he does specifically for middle-aged men, the issues he supports them with and the reality of the life coaching sector more widely.For Darren’s mental health journey, we discuss the precarious nature of being self-employed and the importance of having a growth mindset.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can find out more about Darren's work here: www.frontfootcoaching.com/You can follow Darren on social media below:Instagram: www.instagram.com/frontfootlifecoaching/Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 322 of The Just Checking In Podcast our Founder Freddie Cocker speaks about his diagnosis of ADHD in August 2025. Following on from his autism diagnosis in 2024, he now holds a dual diagnosis of AuDHD.In this episode he reflects on having this clarity at 31 years old, how he's used it to gain greater understanding and self-awareness about his mind, and moving forward alongside it in 2026 and beyond. This podcast is also available as an article, which you can read here: https://vent.org.uk/audhd-total-clarityAs always, #itsokaytoventSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 321 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Meg Skinner. Meg is a communications professional and currently works as Deputy Director of Communications at Barts Health NHS Trust, where our Founder Freddie worked in her team from December 2020 to August 2022. Barts manages five East London hospitals, including The Royal London, St Bartholomew’s, Newham University Hospital, Mile End Hospital and Whipps Cross Hospital.When it comes to Meg’s career, she started with a university degree in Psychology, and always had a desire to work with people in some way, shape or form.After meeting someone who worked in marketing, it piqued her interest and she then completed a Masters degree in marketing and communication. From there she embarked on her communications career. In this episode we chart that career, which includes working in a carer’s organisation, her NHS career, a period travelling, joining Barts Health and her drive and ambition which has got her to this point. We then discuss the Covid-19 pandemic and her experience of it, and we give you an insight into the things she saw, and how it changed her forever.Across Meg’s career and her personal life, we also discuss her use of coaches to support her career and shape that journey, which includes confidence issues she has always had to some degree.We finish by discussing how important her family, friends and colleagues have been in supporting her mental health.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can connect with Meg on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganskinner/You can also follow Barts Health NHS Trust on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhsbartshealth/Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 320 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Jordain Dawkins.JD, as he is known to his friends, is the co-founder and co-host of the ‘You Good Bro?’ Podcast, which he started with his childhood friend and journalist, Jahmal.Their podcast is relatively young, with their first episode published in October 2024, but they have already covered a range of issues including mental health, relationships, racism, young people and current events. In this episode we discuss the genesis of the YGB podcast, JD and Jam’s friendship and relationship as it’s evolved through the podcast, the issues they cover and their plans for it going forward. For JD’s mental health journey, it centres around his diagnosis of dyspraxia, which he was diagnosed with at 13 years old. According to the NHS website, dyspraxia is also known as developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), and affects movement and co-ordination.JD struggled with the traits of dyspraxia throughout his childhood and adolescence and was in denial about it for a long time. He desperately wanted to be ‘normal’ and fit in, and adopted a class clown persona to mask his own insecurities. We talk about this journey of self-awareness, denial, acceptance and ownership of his dyspraxia, how he wants to inspire others with the condition and provide a blueprint to follow.We also discuss why conditions like this are descriptors, and his views on labels across the wider conversation for similar and different neurological conditions.Since recording this in the summer of 2025, JD and Jam also hosted their first live show in Manchester in December 2025, featuring a panel of esteemed guests across the men's mental health space.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can listen to You Good Bro? on streaming platforms here: https://www.yougoodbro.co.uk/You can follow YGB on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yougoodbropodcast/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yougoodbropodcastSupport Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In episode 319 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Caroline Roodhouse. Caroline is an Internal Communications professional, mother, mental health advocate and Founder of Daddy Blackbird Communications.Caroline was brought into the world of mental health advocacy when her husband Steve and the father of her two children, tragically took his own life on Monday 12 November 2018.Steve had no history of prior mental illness and the suicide and the violent method of it turned Caroline and her children’s world upside down. Broken by grief, Caroline started the journey of putting her life back together, navigate her journey of suicide loss and become a single mother to her two daughters. She also began her education on suicide and suicidality, which culminated in the publication of her incredible book ‘Daddy Blackbird: The True Story of A Family Surviving and Thriving After Loss by Suicide’ in 2024. In this episode we talk about the story of how she and Steve met, how they fell in love, and starting a family together. We talk about the man Steve was, the factors which may have led to his suicide and the day he took his own life. We explore how this suicide grief affected her mental health, all of the emotions she felt towards Steve, including some natural but stigmatised ones and how she moved forward following his death. With her two children, Caroline talks about the ‘strength of a triangle’ in representing their family unit now. We then discuss how she took this grief and channelled it into starting Daddy Blackbird Communications, writing the book and the advocacy work she does now. We finish by discussing the work she is doing to remove outdated language like ‘committed suicide’ from the Oxford Dictionary and her work with the charity Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS). As always, #itsokaytoventYou can purchase a copy of Daddy Blackbird here: https://shorturl.at/jC0y7You can follow Caroline on social media below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-roodhouse-mcipr-a5948622/Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Send a text In this episode of Behind The Decks we checked in with Drum & Bass DJ and producer, DJ Flame Jade. Flame got into D&B when she was going to squat parties underage because she was too young to go to club nights and raves. From there, she began to listen to artists in the scene like Optical, Brocky, Mampi Swift, DJ Hype, Hive, Cause for Concern and Dillinger.In Flame’s music journey, we chart this journey through D&B, DJing, producing and getting her career to where it is now. For industry issues, we also discuss dark elements of the industry which persists to this day. This includes female DJs and producers like Flame being asked for sexual favours in return for collaborations from male DJs which continues to this day, even post-#MeToo.We also talk about the challenges she’s had from her female peers, for example some female DJs have deliberately broken her headphones before she’s due to start her set.We finish by discussing the general flakiness of the industry which is a story across the board and the broken promises and let downs which permeate it and why.For Flame’s mental health journey, she experienced a lot of childhood trauma which has shaped her mental health from childhood, through to adolescence and adulthood. Her mum was domestically abused multiple times by Flame’s dad and other male partners after she separated from him. Flame and her sister witnessed this abuse, which was extremely violent. Flame’s mum became addicted to alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with the abuse, which was projected onto Flame, and she ran away from home at just 10 years old and many times afterwards to escape that home environment.Her father died when she was 13 years old, and her mum died when she was 20 years old, and we explore the grief she felt from both their deaths and how she navigated life beyond that point. Flame is diagnosed with multiple diagnoses, including ADHD, CPTSD and Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, which is another name for borderline personality disorder. We finish by her journey to becoming a qualified Reiki yoga practitioner, and her use of something she calls ‘sound healing’, which combines music and yoga together.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can find out more about Flame or book her for your event here: https://djflamejade.com/You can listen to and purchase Flame's music here: https://djflamej.bandcamp.com/track/shotsYou can follow her on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djflame.j/Support Us:Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpukPayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBMerchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shopMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: Patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk