Life in Stride: Recent Episodes
Mark Steadman
Mark Steadman has a lot going on. He helps people make podcasts (that sound better than this one), he writes fiction for kids and adults, he edits a newsletter, he improvises, he plays the piano (pretty well) and the guitar (very badly). His mum would say he's running out of pies to keep fingers in.
Join Mark on a journey through life’s gentle inclines, and try not to get too tangled up in tangents.
This is the latest in Mark’s continued exploration of the journal podcast, so if you don’t know or like him, you’d probably be happier listening to something a little more considered.
But if you’re up for lacing up and heading out, Mark will always be glad of your company.
In which I remind you that your voice is a splendid thing, and it's nice to hear messages from people in their own tongue. Also a little life update from the last couple of weeks.
Just a quick one to let you know that Inside Bramble, the audio diary for my new media hosting platform is now up. You can search your podcast app for Inside Bramble or hear episode one on the web.
This is the one in which I make no firm plans to stop or resume the podcast. Likely you won’t hear from me for a couple of weeks, but it’s unlikely that this is the end of The Lighthouse… there’s still work to be done!
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
Mark breaks out the guitar – sorry!
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I remember being “trapped” in Florida in 2010, and discovering my favourite book trilogy.
Two more episodes after this, then we’ll knock it on the head so this doesn’t becmoe the Mark Steadman Vanity Podcast. Remember, you can still have your say in making the show work for you.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
The movie trilogy that started with 2020 is proving quite the blockbuster hit i nits final iteration. Let’s take a moment to deal with the loss of cabin pressure caused by such a monumental event as Queen Elizabeth’s passing.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
Apple brought out some new devices and I got a printer. That’s it. That’s the episode.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
It’s a fun one, this. Lots of bobbing in and around tangents to do with language and the way we speak.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I had a pretty productive day today, so flush with possibilitiy and positivity, I share my tips for success!
Also, if you’d like the show to continue past 50 episodes, please share this with a friend.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
This is the one where I figure out marketing.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I explore my morning routine, modern pop music, and how to deal with things that are offensive.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
A short episode today as I’m sniffly and don’t want to make snotty noises all over the mic. I’m certain all’s well so will be back tomorrow, no doubt in full force.
It’s a slightly higher-energy episode than yesterday’s, and one which weaves in and out of tangents like a 70s movie car chase.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I recap my day, talk about being too fat, and then explore – for about 20 minutes – a Facebook post about education funding in the States. It’s riveting stuff.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I throw back to 2005 and my first foray into freelancing; building webisstes for under £200 and advertising in a little business newsletter. Those really were very much actually quite literally the days, my friend.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I recount my day backwards, and make a pledge to bring the energy I want to see in the world.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I recount my day’s trip to an optomitrist, and then go off on one about someone’s brand for some reason.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
This is the one where I actually cry on mic. Probably the first of many. It happened because I talked about a teddy bear. It’s fine and everything’s fine.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
This is the one where I sing. Also I talk about moods, and create a metaphor involving spiny woodland creatures.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I talk about Internet dating in the wake of the millennium, and perhaps get a bit oversharey about my own experiences in the arena of affection.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I complain – briefly and lightly – about marketing, read some nice news about Dolly Parton giving away books, and follow a tangent that takes in Johnny Vegas and 101 Dalmations.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I bury us deep in tangents today, talking about DAT, a highly awkward theatre sketch, and the time I trapped a children’s author in a library.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I have thoughts on purposeful thought-leaders. Also I try another AI-generated story and it isn’t good, so instead we look at faces.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I go radio gaga, remembering Chris Moyles at BBC Radio 1, and my time in student radio.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
Today is a bit of a low-ebb day, so if you have a spare hug lying around, it wouldn’t go to waste over here. All’s well though, and we embark in a nice long calming meditation today… as long as you’re OK with dogs. And, even if you’re not, it’s OK, this dog’s very friendly and won’t sniff your crotch or anything.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I talk about an annoying and unnecessary bus trip, and read some positive news stories.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I read a tall tale from Reddit, about a yeti (I don’t think they know what a yeti is).
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I read a couple of stories generated by artificial intelligence.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I go all round the houses and somehow end up talking about the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I bring a lower, slower energy than yesterday, and go off on a noodle around the word “spouse”.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
This is the one where I stand up, and have a revelation that gets me all excited.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I talk about a new little podcast toy I’m building on a whim, describe my first day of zombie survival training, and recount a minor tantrum.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I get into some productivity and describe my plan to train for the zombie apocalypse.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I describe a long-held fantasy. Oh, and there’s also an update on the cats’ feeder situation. Riveting stuff.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I reminisce about projects past, and consider how our best creative work often derives from a need within us. It's a longer one today, so buckle up!
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I try and figure out the name for the concept of universal love and safety, and also talk about apps.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I talk about safety, recount an episode of an Apple TV+ show, and attempt decode a confusing text message.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I talk about tomorrow being a clean slate, fear of missing out, and being good company for yourself. In the second half, I examine my Gene Keys, and interrogate my own relationship with a world of personality and purpose outlining that I profess to be entirely ignorant of.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I og off on one about the nocode movement and people who use iPads instead of computers to make a point. I introduce the Mark Steadman Drinking Game (don’t play this, you’ll die), and wonder whether I really needed to have written so much code after all...
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I describe my weird muffin experiment, ask your opinion about making some knowledg eaccessible for free, and wax nostalgic over a past project.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I distract myself a lot, talking about the Dean from Community, and things I want to do with Notion.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I try and remain out of the heat, share some warm-feeling feedback, and give a project the cold shoulder.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I get all nonstalgic about computers and video games, and try and keep out of the heat.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
Today we get into the emotional weeds a little more than usual. If you’re not up for exploring how judgement affects the traumas we share… then feel free to skip this episode. Or go back to one of the ones where I talk about cats. ❤️
There’s nothing particularly trigger-worthy here, and you should be able to expect the same going forwards, but this might land a little heavier than some others.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I get spidey-senses round my cats’ feeders, and think about atoning for the smaller balls that get dropped when juggling the bigger balls of work, life, and everything in-between.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
We kick off with a reading of some spam, I tell a shaggy dog story about my large cat, and Brendan rejoins the conversation to talk about devotion to self-care.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
Today I play a few rounds of Absurd Trolley Problems, complain about a parking space I don’t use, and wax on about commitment, discipline, and routine. Oh yeah, it’s a real barnstormer!
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
As today marks another – more significant – resignation from no10, I have a chat about flow states, and read a lovely and thoughtful card from a fellow Keeper.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I bring you a special report from outside Downing Street (not really), we learn that my dad listens – or at least listened – to the hsow, and we have a chat about risk, zone sof safety, and The Out There.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
We have a bumper bag of feedback from friend of the show – and of myself – Brendan, plus a random assortment of thoughts on what it means to be seen.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
You find me having broadband issues today. Plus I’d like your advice on how we can solve iOS device autocorrect, because I reckon together we can do it.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
Today I take a quick peek behind the curtain, dissect my Wordle defeat, wax lyrical about the IndieWeb of old, describe a couple of Shortcuts I’ve built, and offer some teachings from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
I've been thinking about the concept of audacity today, so spend a bit of time discussing that. We also hear a voice note from Anya, and the first draft of a mini meditation to close out our time together.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
Inspired by an episode of BBC One's The Repair Shop, I'm back on mic, to spend half-an-hour with whoever would like to join me.
🎙 Leave me a voicemail
☕️ Shout me a decaf coffee
💌 mark@thelighthouse.fm
Do you ever feel lonely? Have you ever gone a day or more without talking to someone?
Hi, I’m Mark, and I created The Lighthouse to provide a daily dose of warmth and company to anyone who needs it. Whether you’re going through something right now or just need to hear a friendly voice, you’re so welcome here.
I first started this in 2020 during the UK’s first lockdown. Now, loneliness and isolation have gone from an acute problem to a chronic one. While it feels to some like the pandemic is over, for lots of people it’s still very much ongoing.
But that might not be the only reason you feel like you’d like some company around now.
This isn’t a sleep cast, although you certainly don’t have to pay attention to me. You can just pop me in your ears and get yourself cosy. I’ll tell you about my day, and you can leave me a voicemail to keep the conversation going. It’s a bit like how the Shipping Forecast would sound if it cared about your day.
You can find new daily episodes and follow the show at TheLighthouse.fm.