Born without arms, not without attitude!

Nicky Abdinor is an expert on doing MORE, with less.

Nicky is a registered Clinical Psychologist, international speaker, and founder of the non-profit organisation, Nicky’s Drive. Nicky has a passion for challenging our perceptions of ABILITY. She is a firm believer that it’s not our situation, but how we THINK about our situation, that determines our emotional well-being.

Nicky is a sought-after inspirational keynote speaker who gained international recognition following her TEDx talk, "Driving Dreams." She was awarded the 2022 “Speaker Hall of Fame” award, a great honour through the Professional Speakers Association of South Africa. Nicky has presented talks as far as Europe, the USA, Middle East and Australia - and now will be chatting to us from her office in Cape Town

Some key points from our interview:

· How unbroken means finding meaning in our perceived brokenness

· How there was no medical explanation for being born without arms and shortened legs

· How her parents always focused on what she could do and not what she couldn’t which led to her never seeing her limitations

· How it was never a question of can Nicky do this? but how

· How she focused on academics and trained as a psychologist

· How she believes her humour helps her with her positive attitude

· How meeting a client who had lost and arm and a leg in an accident made her realise she should share her story to motivate others

· How a woman in the UK gifted her an adapted car and she said driving gave her wings

· How she started a non profit organisation to help other people with disabilities get their car adapted to meet their needs

· How she believes it’s so important to not ignore what is wrong, but focus more on what is right

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nickyabdinorspeaker

Twitter: @Nicky_Abdinor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickyabdinor/

Instagram: @nicky_abdinor

Website: www.nickyabdinor.com

TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJV9LG9-Vp0

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Tammy is Canadian and moved to Scotland in 1989.

She is trained in adult massage and when she had her first child it just felt logical to massage her.

She then discovered research about the benefits of massage for preterm babies and became passionate about massage for all, especially babies/children.

She began teaching parents, mid-wives, health visitors, early years practioners and the Scottish School of Child & Baby Massage was born 28 years ago.

She ran her business while having and raising a family of 7 children.

She has many stories about the profound impact that massage has on lives of other babies/parents with bonding, health & well-being and wants to start writing a book now that most of the young people have moved out!!

Some key points from our interview:

· How unbroken means being able to pick herself up whatever happens

· How life in Vancouver was chaotic as she was born to a schizophrenic mother

· How she fell in love with massage at 12 when received one from a Dutch woman and started to have massage parties teaching her friends as a teenager

· How when she moved to Scotland, she met Jim and qualified in massage

· How her family became one of seven children including one son who has severe autism and epilepsy

· How she loves teaching mums to massage their babies and has so many stories of mental health improving for the mums and physical health too for babies

· How she believes that massage can be used to help others connect to themselves and their baby which improves the bonding between them both

· How self-care is not a luxury but an important way to take care of our health

Her website for training: http://www.babymassage.org.uk/

Online course for Parents: https://bambinoandi.co.uk/

Facebook: Scottish School of Child & Baby Massage

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

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Jaz Ampaw-Farr is a ‘resilience ninja’, international speaker, coach and author.

Hailed in the US as ‘The British Oprah’, Jaz has travelled the world advising governments, educators and helping tens of thousands of people with her bespoke leadership development programmes, training courses and motivational speeches.

As a successful entrepreneur, mum of three, and former teacher - she knows a thing or two about galvanising people into taking action!

With a passion for resilience, positive disruption, and a human-first approach to everything, Jaz’s energy is infectious and you can’t help but become mesmerised and fall under her captivating spell

Some key points from our interview:

· How she believes that unbroken is about being unbreakable and being able to reform with a new story to be resilient

· How she feels that resilience is all about knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do

· How her start in life was tough and being beaten, neglected and sexually abused left her feeling broken, worthless and defeated for many years

· How she ended up in care at eight years and homeless as a teenager but meeting five everyday heroes when she was at school changed her life

· How having a family is her success as she broke the cycle

· How she’s passionate about helping people to become at least 10% braver

· How her brother dying of a heroin overdose motivated her to speak out to show others what is possible in choosing a different life

· How when she recently received an award at a conference, she was moved as she reflected on the enormity of her journey from foster care to speaker of the year

www.jazampawfarr.com

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

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Andrea Rainsford –Andrea had an extensive career in the corporate world, working as a Business Development Manager for Ernst & Young and Eversheds.

A career change beckoned following a stroke and in 2009, Andrea graduated with a BSc in Computing Science.

A need to help and guide small businesses followed and SEO Angel was born in 2014.

SEO Angel aims to de-mystify SEO, to help small and micro businesses with their visibility and watch them thrive!

Some key points from our interview:

· How she believes that Unbroken means her life had many broken shards of glass at times, but she’s examined and fixed them and is thriving again

· How in 2003 she was diagnosed with ME which almost broke her as she fought against the illness and believes that could be what led to her stroke

· How once she was left hospital, she didn’t leave her house for six years

· How she was unable to carry on with her work and went to university and got a degree in computing science

· How she went to university in a wheelchair, but walked in for her graduation with crutches

· How despite being told by her Dr’s that she won’t walk again she never gave up on her dream of walking unaided

· How she practices self-care

· How at the time of this interview she has walked without the use of crutches for the last eight weeks only but is also determined to dance unaided too!

· How she recognises that it would be so easy to wallow in everything she’s been through, but she chose to get back

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-rainsford-seo-angel

https://www.subscribepage.com/o4t3y8

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

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As a professional speaker, author and resilience coach Steve’s mission is to deliver his story that took him from wheelchair to world champion and beyond.

He explains how he fixed his broken life and the learnings he gained which he now shares to empower people with the right mindset to go confidently on their journey in the direction of their dreams, their GOLD.

He’s passionate about everyone experiencing the happiness and fulfilment of achieving the life that they have imagined and truly deserve

Some key points from our interview:

· How Kuntsugi means unbroken to him, which is a Japanese word that refers to a broken vase that is mended with gold, making it better and more unique

· How he believes that resilience is a like a wave and there are a range of emotions you need to go through to come out the other side

· How a car accident in 2002 caused so many injuries to his legs that he was told he may never walk again

· How his patience was tested as he wore a cage over his leg for 18 months but could also only twist the bolts through his legs by 1mm per day, which grew his leg back

· How even walking just 10 seconds per day caused utter exhaustion, but he pushed himself to improve

· How he stopped saying “Why me?” and instead I’d say “Try me!”

· How years later he was looking for a new challenge and discovered paratriathlon’s and started his training

· How he has always focused on what he can do rather that what he can’t do

· How he went from being told he may never walk again to becoming British and then world champion in the paratriathlon

· How he believes if you want to become a high achiever in life then you need to start focusing on what you want to achieve

www.steve-judge.co.uk

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

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Joan Kane (director, writer, performer, educator) recently performed her script of Almost 13 in the Edinburgh Festival Fringereceiving a five-star review. She also got favourable reviews for her direction of Safe and what do you mean in New York and Edinburgh.

She is the founding Artistic Director of Ego Actus Theatre Company. Off Broadway, she directed Sycorax at HERE, Play Nice! at 59e59 theatres, and I Know What Boys Want at Theatre Row. She directed Six Characters in Search of an Author in Oslo, Norway and Kafka’s Belinda in Prague.

Joan was awarded Best Director in the United Solo Festival where she has directed six pieces. She was named to the Indie Theatre Hall of Fame by nytheatre.com.

She has also directed plays and readings at the Lark, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Urban Stages, Workshop Theatre, Nylon Fusion, Abingdon Theatre, Oberon Theatre, the Samuel French Short Play Festival, T. Schreiber Studio, and many others. Joan is an alumni of the LaMama directing and playwriting symposiums in Umbria, Italy.

She is a member of the Playwright/Director unit at Actor’s Studio, the League of Professional Theatre Women, the Dramatists Guild, and the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers

Some key points from our interview:

· How she believes that being broken is ok

· How in the summer of 1969 she witnessed a gang member being murdered and she was then raped by the murderer to silence her

· How she became a selected mute after these traumas, as she was too scared to speak out

· How a friend encouraged her to go for therapy at high school as she was having obtrusive dreams

· How she was encouraged at a writing retreat in Italy to share her story

· How it took her many years to write her story down due to shame and denial

· How writing has been her escape from trauma and her therapy too

· How she’s passionate about storytelling and wrote “Almost 13” which are her memories of a young girl’s violent summer in Brooklyn and plays all 10 characters herself

· How she believes we can all have horrible things happen to us, but we can survive them too

Review of Almost 13 - “Joan Kane sets an example to others to face up to their stories and to be prepared to share them in order to disseminate, perhaps dissipate and gain some healing through the process”

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

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Arno Michaelis is a speaker, author of My Life After Hate, co-author of The Gift of Our Wounds, Filmmaker, and Peacebuilding Consultant.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Arno was a leader of hate groups, and frontman of the hate-metal band Centurion before single parenthood, love for his daughter, and the forgiveness shown by people he once hated helped to change his world, bringing love for diversity and gratitude for all life.

Arno has appeared on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360”, “The View”, the BBC, CBC, and ABC. He has published op-ed on CNN, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, and Al Jazeera English.

· How he feels proud of his broken heart as it opened him up for the world to touch the most tender part of him

· How his faith in humanity remains unbroken

· How he had an idyllic childhood even though he ended up in hate groups

· How violence and hatred made sense in his world when nothing else did and he likens it to an addiction

· How a black women pointed to his newly tattooed swastika on his finger and told him “That’s not who you are” and her compassion totally disarmed him and left him powerless

· How he left hate groups and went to the rave scene which was hyper diverse and found himself embraced by the people he would have attacked in the past

· How he struggles with self-forgiveness but recognises its importance and that it’s a process

· How he believes people commit crimes because they are suffering

· How he now embraces diversity, practices gratitude, is a Buddhist, promotes peace and has totally tuned his life around

https://www.parents4peace.org

https://www.instagram.com/arnomichaelis/?hl=en

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

The Gift of Our Wounds: A Sikh and a Former White Supremacist Find Forgiveness After Hate

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He says he’s just a bloke that runs ultra-trail marathons in his spare time…16 now!!

He lives just outside of Glasgow with his awesome wife Nikki who has been and is his total rock.

He’s 48 years young and passionate about running, cycling and all things motorsport and if he’s not in trainers, he’s on a bike or driving a car.

‘Anxiously chilled out’ describes his approach to stuff now after suffering a catastrophic stroke, out of the blue, in February of 2017 at 42, that changed his life and set him on a new and exciting path and adventure.

He thinks the words loyal, considerate, challenging and inappropriately dark humoured would best describe him.

Some key points from our interview:

· How he thinks the word unbroken means acceptance of who and what he is

· How at forty-two years old he suffered a cryptogenic stroke despite being obsessed with cycling and training

· How he wasn’t sure it was a stroke when it happened, but his wife had read about FAST (face, arms, speech and time) acronym and knew it was worse than just an ear infection, which is what he thought he had

· How he didn’t want to make a fuss and call an ambulance, even though he was aware that he couldn’t stand or speak properly

· How he found himself in dark spaces emotionally

· How he believes his stubbornness helped him to recover physically and emotionally

· How he made a choice of who he was now going to become because of his stroke

· How he believes that his stroke was the best thing that ever happened to him as it softened him

· How he accepts and loves who he is now and feels he’s a more compassionate version of himself

Reach Out to Andy here:

Instagram - andyd2574_stroke_of_luck

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

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Deborah Henley has over 20 years in psychology and personal development

Formerly a competitive oarswoman, sailor and swimmer, with qualifications in neurolinguistics, hypnotherapy and the expressive arts - she draws on some extraordinary life experiences, a keen commercial sensibility and a quirky and creative perspective on life

Her book, ‘Your Leadership Story’, was shortlisted in the Business Book Awards and has become a transformational programme for speakers to find their message and story

Working with global bluechips such as Accenture, AmEx, Microsoft and the MOD, she inspires her audiences to bring the life and soul back into their organisations

Her vision is to equip leaders to create cultures in which everyone can shine - even (or especially when) they feel ‘Perfectly Flawed’

Some key points from our interview:

How unbroken means to her that our soul, and our essence is like water and can’t be broken
How she focused on looking after her father’s needs when her mother left when she was eleven, before her own needs
How as an adult she was able to let go of her anger and frustration and was able to forgive her mother
How she felt as if she didn’t matter much, and she struggled with her self-worth
How her journey has been about creating healthy boundaries and learning to put herself first and standing up for her soul

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

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Roxy Rhodes is a psychotherapist and business coach with a private practice in Derbyshire who works predominantly with women who are ready to make some life changes.

Her no BS, filter-free and empathic approach makes her a force to be reckoned with. She'll call you out on your excuses and hold your hand to make the changes.

Her sarcastic humour will immediately put you at ease and you'll find yourself feeling like you've known her for years. She genuinely loves to watch women grow and says that's her "why" that underpins everything she does.

Some key points from our interview:

· How Unbroken means being whole and authentic and not using any valid reason as an excuse to not do the things we want to do

· How at aged two she was scalded over 70% of her body and wasn’t expected to live

· How miraculously her organs that had shut down started to work again and she need her hands or feet amputated

· How she grew up in hospitals and loved everything about them

· How she feels that because her parents never covered up her burns and skin grafts, she never felt any shame around them

· How she believes we are only vulnerable if we are ashamed

· How she learnt to put good boundaries in place to support herself

· How she wants to inspire other to not try and fit in and don’t let anything hold you back, go after your dreams

You can find out more about her at roxyrhodestherapy.co.uk and filterfreebusiness.com ..

And join her free Facebook Group at facebook.com/groups/filterfreebusiness

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

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Peter Paul Parker is a Dahn Master in the mind-body-spirit arena, a musician and sound healer.

He works with both the energy and physical body. Peter is a Ki Gong champion, winning the international competition with the British Team in Korea in 2016. Peter runs a successful coaching business achieving amazing results with highly sensitive people and empaths using the Dream Method.

He has set up a local charity called Brighter Living helping the elderly with their health and well-being using Ki Gong and meditation. Peter has also worked with schools locally, helping students connect with themselves.

Peter has launched the Bright Beings Academy online internationally, which incorporates everything that he does to empower people to reach their full potential as human beings. Peter's motto is ‘Journey Inwards – Succeed Outwards’

Some key points from our interview:

· How he believes that unbroken means that even though at times it may feel like the end of the road, he knows it isn’t and he keeps going

· How he used to focus on what the fall over but now he focuses on the come back

· How his mother became his best friend as he couldn’t understand his brother’s energy, but she passed away when he was eleven

· How he struggled when he was sent to boarding school after his mother died and felt like it was hell because there were paedophiles and bullies there

· How he left the sales world to become a musician and loved improvising music as it became a type of meditation for him

· How he looks back and sees that his drinking habit covered up the pressures of the music world and his unprocessed childhood trauma – ptsd -now helped by traditional Chinese medicine

· How he discovered Ki Gong at a mind, body & spirit festival he was at with his wife and it spoke to him

· How he believes that everything we go through comes up in our body- “The Body Keeps the Score”

“Journey Inwards – Succeed Outwards”

Reach Out To Peter here >> https://www.peterpaulparker.co.uk/

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Short of time but want to tune in?

Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE

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Charlotte Rush is a Marketing Director with a career spanning over 20 years. In recent months she has started to embark on a journey of becoming a lived experience speaker, telling her story, which details how she has been shaped by grief, and how she's now playing an active role in moving beyond it.

An orphan by the age of five, Charlotte is currently writing a book about her life, which was initially merely a form of therapy for herself.

Charlotte now hopes that by sharing her story she can help others understand how you can emerge from a life defined by grief to build something meaningful and loving.

It’s a story of resilience – about how even the darkest and most disabling challenges life can throw at you can be overcome with drive and determination and a growing understanding of the grieving process

Some key points from our interview:

· How unbroken means being able to adapt to life’s biggest challenges that are thrown at you

· How she lost both of her parents by the time she was five years old and went on to live with grief all her life

· How she never had any specialist support as a young child growing up with grief

· How she was recently diagnosed with PTSD because of her childhood even though it felt like it was just a normal life for her

· How she feels that she’s just on the start of her journey at aged forty

· How she now feels comfortable about living with grief all her life and decided to write her story down to help others

Reach out to Charlotte on...

www.rushconsulting.co.uk

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

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After a lifetime spent caring for her disabled parents, Helen had her own children, and began to suspect her mum was deliberately pretending to be unwell

She began reading her mother's 55 years’ worth of diaries after her death in 2016 and discovered her mum’s deception went far beyond anything she had imagined

She wrote My Mother, Munchausen’s, and Me in the aftermath, piecing together the truth about her parents, her childhood, and her identity

Some key points from our interview:

• How Unbroken means moving forward with happened to her without it defeating her
• How after she read her mother’s diaries, she realised that her whole childhood was founded on lies
• How it took her many years to realise that her childhood was abusive as she had been gaslit by her mother for years and it didn’t occur to her to question it
• How her mother controlled her thoughts, ran her down constantly, believing she was a failure, telling her what she liked and didn’t like- since she has developed mental health awareness.
• How her mother’s symptoms of Parkinson’s didn’t match the illness and even her Parkinson’s nurse realised she wasn’t being truthful about her condition
• How she chose to forgive her mother as she wanted to be free of her grip on her, but it’s continuous work
• How she’s determined to create the best life she can for her and her family and will love wholeheartedly and sincerely even though it terrifies her to be vulnerable

*Factitious disorder, malingering, hypochondriasis all are similar meaning terms.

www.helennaylorwriter.com

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386718

Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

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Winnie M Li is an author and activist. Her debut novel Dark Chapter is a fictional retelling of her real-life stranger rape in Belfast, from victim and perpetrator perspectives.

Translated into ten languages, it won The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize, and was nominated for an Edgar Award and the Best First Novel Award.
She is currently adapting it for the screen.

Her second novel Complicit was published in Summer 2022 and selected by The New York Times for their August book club.

Winnie is also Founder of Clear Lines, the UK’s first-ever festival addressing sexual assault and consent through the arts and discussion. Her PhD research at the London School of Economics explores media engagement by rape survivors as a form of activism.

She holds an honorary doctorate from the National University of Ireland in recognition of her writing and activism

Some key points from our interview:

How being Unbroken means being able to retain her essence of who she is despite everything she has gone through.
How she writes and speaks about rape to leave a trail, offer hope, and build communities for other survivors.
How she wrote every other chapter from the perpetrators point of view in her first book “Dark Chapter” to try and make sense to what had happened in this 15-year old’s life.
How she chooses not to be angry after hearing that the man who raped her has now been linked to other cases of sexual assault since his release from prison.
How her second book “Complicit” looks at the misogyny, power, exploitation, and the open secrets that have become normalised in the film industry for women.
How she never assumed that she would meet a partner one day and become a mum.

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/winniemli

Social media:
Twitter @winniemli
Instagram winniemli
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/winniemli

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch the highlights of the interview on YouTube HERE

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Richie is an entrepreneur, film producer and actor. His entrepreneurship spans successful businesses across property development; sport; and education.

As an actor Richie has appeared in many TV, Feature films on Netflix and Amazon, and has recently completed a number of international Bollywood films.

Richie believes everyone in life can act and we all take on the role of a character in life. He has found acting to be a successful way of tackling and dealing with deep personal matters.

We wear masks which hide the true ‘us’ and help portray different images. But what lays behind the mask? - often trauma, sadness, and darkness.

Richie is in the process of removing his mask and raising awareness of childhood sexual abuse and the impact this has in adulthood, particularly amongst middle aged males

Some key points from our interview:

How he believes that Unbroken means overcoming traumas that could have broken him, but didn’t .
How he’s now on a mission to remove his mask of trauma and feels passionate about speaking out about the childhood sexual abuse he experienced as a teenager.
How he struggled with shame and blame for years, wrongly thinking it was his fault but now understands that the blame lies 100% with the perpetrator.
How it took the impact of other traumas to bring the feelings of the childhood sexual abuse to the surface and now wants to speak out to heal himself and other men too.
How he recognises that he used alcohol to self-medicate to stop the pain and negative thoughts he was feeling.
How he recognises the importance of speaking out to rid the feelings of shame to reclaim his life.

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://podfollow.com/unbroken-healing-through-storytelling

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Lynn is a mental health awareness champion, counsellor, film producer and author of four books that give advice and hope to sufferers of mental illness and their families, including Hope with Eating Disorders 2nd Edition, Hope with OCD, Hope with Depression and Hope with Anxiety, all published by Hammersmith Health Books.

A mother to grown-up twin daughters, Charlotte and Samantha, and Grandma to Charlotte’s 6-month-old twins Georgia and Reggie, Lynn’s passion for mental health awareness came through the battles she faced with Samantha, who suffered with anorexia nervosa in her teens and obsessive-compulsive disorder in her early 20s.

Some key points from our interview:

· How she believes that we are broken at times, but we can make waves to make ourselves better

· How when she noticed the changes in her daughter’s behaviour regarding food, that she had to speak to her about it

· How she spent four years looking for help to deal with her daughter’s eating disorder and decided to discharge her from all treatments and do it herself

· How she believes that the way eating disorders are approached hasn’t changed or evolved

· How she’s passionate about breaking the taboos around mental illness and that no family ever feels alone in their struggle

· How she’s so proud of her daughter who has produced and co-written a short film called “A Day with OCD” – obsessive compulsive disorder.

· How she works with the whole family and not just the sufferer of the eating disorder

· How eating disorder recovery is possible

Website: www.lynncrilly.com

https://www.instagram.com/lynn_crilly/

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://podfollow.com/unbroken-healing-through-storytelling

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Jennifer Fraser is the founder of The Bullied Brain. She's an award-winning teacher, best-selling author, and unlikely whistle-blower. And key in mental health awareness.

Her new book The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars and Restore Your Health tells the story of her journey to repair after battling to protect students from teacher abuse and failing.

With a PhD in Comparative Literature, she believed that there must be research that could help her recover.

That's when she discovered what scientists know about the amazing powers, we have within to repair our hurt brains. And to contribute to suicide prevention.

Some key points from our interview:

· How she feels that we are never unbroken as our brains are never unbreakable

· How she discovered her son was a victim of bullying and abuse, including emotional abuse from teachers at his school when she took the testimonies of 8 other students who had also been bullied

· How she discovered that the school had known about this for a year and failed to protect their students

· How she decided to do the research into the neuroscience of being bullied and wrote her book to show the impact of bullying on the brain but also how it can be healed too

· How her own trauma of being emotionally, physically, and sexually abused by 3 teachers was triggered by her son’s trauma

· How she went to the police to report her own abuse to stop covering up and to honour a student “Ellen” who tragically died by suicide after being abused by a head teacher that was covered up by the school

· How we all have the power to convert our mind bully to our own empathic coach in order to rewire our brain

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://podfollow.com/unbroken-healing-through-storytelling

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David Mark is recognised as a 'master of the dark psychological thriller', drawing upon his 15 years of experience as a crime journalist.

After a decade as a full-time novelist and Sunday Times bestseller, David penned the critically-acclaimed memoir PIECE OF MIND, detailing his lifelong battle with depression, mania, OCD, addiction and hallucinations.

The book has been labelled 'a life-saver' and 'essential reading' by readers, contemporaries, and mental health professionals.

How he feels that unbroken means that he’s like a wild horse as he’s not had his will snapped or been broken into submission by his illness.
How he believes that he’s so much more than the events in his life.
How being truthful was not as difficult as he thought it would be when he was writing his memoir,
How writing really helped him to work out what was his illness and what was his personality.
How he used to think he was demonic because of the hideous hallucinations he experienced but managed to grow used to them by learning what was real and what wasn’t.
How he still struggles with the idea of being vulnerable and weak.
How he can’t emphasis enough that we should treat people who are unwell with tenderness, patience and compassion.
How he now feels he’s at the best he’ll ever be and never though he could be this well with his mental illness.

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

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howtowriteabook #sexualabuse #healing

Laura Davis is the author of The Burning Light of Two Stars, the story of her loving yet tumultuous relationship with her mother, and six other non-fiction books, including The Courage to Heal, Allies in Healing, I Thought We‘d Never Speak Again, and Becoming the Parent You Want to Be.

Her groundbreaking books have been translated into 11 languages and sold 1.8 million copies. In addition to writing books that inspire and change people’s lives, the work of Laura’s heart is to teach.

For more than twenty years, she’s helped people find their voices, tell their stories, and hone their craft. Laura loves creating supportive, intimate writing communities online, in person, and internationally.

You can learn about Laura’s books, workshops, read the first five chapters of her new memoir and all of her upcoming writer’s retreats, from her website www.lauradavis.net.

Some key points from our interview:
•How she believes we can be stronger at the broken places of our lives
•How her supressed memories of her abuse reappeared 25 years later
•How her mother didn’t believe her when she told her about the abuse she experienced from her grandfather, and it caused an estrangement between them
•How she was able to care for her mother in her later life, even though she felt she had betrayed her
•How she never got the apology she wished for from her
•How she recognised they had a great bond and chose to reconcile with her
•How she feels she has an active relationship with her mother since she’s died and focuses on all the positive things, she gave her rather than the challenging ones

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://podfollow.com/unbroken-healing-through-storytelling

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Meet the man who, like a giraffe, stuck his neck out for what he believed. Like Nelson Mandela, Siya Twani was imprisoned for making a stand against injustice in South Africa.

Siya is a Resilience and Mental toughness motivational speaker who speaks in schools and businesses across the country

Siya is a motivational speaker on a mission to empower, educate and enthuse people, especially children and young people, with resilience skills.

With over 30 years’ experience of speaking in the education sector, he is highly recommended by Ofsted and other authorities and can put his message across in an articulate manner that is accessible to all

Some key points from our interview:

· How he believes he’s not a broken person but more of a wounded healer

· How he feels he was imprisoned from the moment he was born as he was born under apartheid

· How he refuses to believe he was a victim of apartheid, but the victor of his life

· How at just 17 he was sent to prison for 4 years because he was speaking out about the injustices within the education system for black students

· How he was tortured and brutalised during his time in prison but chose to forgive his captors years later

· How he learnt to let go of his anger and bring in empathy and understanding by realising his oppressors were victims too of apartheid

· How he strongly believes that through love and understanding we can all make this world a better place to live in

· How he his philosophy that governs his life is “face it, embrace it, defy it and conquer it”

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://podfollow.com/unbroken-healing-through-storytelling

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Jermaine Pennant had a 25 year career as a professional footballer. A product of the Notts county and Arsenal FC youth and becoming a Liverpool FC legend.

His talent is undeniable, yet this was often overshadowed by his behaviour off pitch.
From scandalous headlines to stupid mistakes. Jermaine wants to open up and talk in depth about his childhood which left him unguided and unable to understand who he was.

Now thirty nine years old he has started to unpick the destructive cycles and really find himself.

His brand new podcast, Brutally honest is not only a chance to help other people listen and take note from his mistakes but also for Jermaine to talk it out with guests on the podcast to really get into depth on the subject to create more lightbulb moments for himself

Some key points from our interview
• How he believes that being unbroken means using something that could break you to create you instead
• How he’s now on a mission to understand how his challenging childhood shaped his behaviour which led to some of his mistakes
• How he used his passion and talent of football to escape his childhood and thinks life would have been very different if he didn’t have that
• How he understands that his Dad was doing the best job he could as a young father looking after a toddler who had been abandoned by his mother at three years old
• How when his football career was over, he went on a journey of self-discovery to gain more insight into his own personal journey in order to improve and work on himself
• How he’s passionate about speaking out about mental health and encouraging others to speak out if they’re struggling

https://www.wearehoi.com/brutally-honest-jermain-pennant/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1369p9Q0vYQ

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://podfollow.com/unbroken-healing-through-storytelling

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Richard is a Times No1. Bestselling author and has now written 4 books. His first, Just a Boy, sold close to half a million copies and is translated into eleven languages.

He’s the founder of the iCan Academy and has worked with organisations across the globe for the last 15 years sharing his personal story of resilience.

He’s also an award winning speaker and a Fellow of The Professional Speaking Association and in 2019 was awarded the PSAE (Professional Speaking Award for Excellence)

He was just a week away from his sixth birthday in October 1975, when he woke to discover his mother was missing. She was the first victim of the notorious serial killer, Peter Sutcliffe. Despite other tragic losses, and a period of dabbling with drugs and prison, Richard decided to turn his life around.

We met through The Forgiveness Project when I was looking for help with the publication process for my book and Richard kindly offered to help.

It was then that we both realised that the number 44, was a very meaningful number to both of us!

Some key points from our interview:

How life was tough and chaotic even before his mother was murdered as he grew up on a Leeds council estate experiencing poverty, alcohol, and violence
How the death of his mother , Wilma McCann, felt like a double blow because it was public and reported in the paper
How he was able to understand when he became a parent how difficult it must have been for his father looking after four traumatised children
How he’s able to look back and remember moments of joy from his childhood
How he’s able to see the gifts of the tragedies in his life
How hearing a speech Desmond Tutu in 2010 it transformed his life and realised he was able to choose to forgive Peter Sutcliffe in order to free himself
How he rang the brother of Peter Sutcliffe when he heard he had passed away to offer his condolences
How he believes that resilience is the ability to bounce back from life’s challenges and we all have the capacity to do

Wilma McCann, 28, Leeds, October 1975

Emily Jackson, 42, Leeds, January 1976

Irene Richardson, 28, Leeds, February 1977

Patricia Atkinson, 32, Bradford, April 1977

Jayne McDonald, 16, Leeds, June 1977

Jean Jordan, 21, Manchester, October 1977

Yvonne Pearson, 22, Bradford, January 1978

Helen Rytka, 18, Huddersfield, January 1978

Vera Millward, 41, Manchester, May 1978

Josephine Whittaker, 19, Halifax, May 1979

Barbara Leach, 20, Bradford, September 1979

Marguerite Walls, 47, Leeds, August 1980

Jacqueline Hill, 20, Leeds, November 1980

First book is Just a Boy

Ted talk link https://youtu.be/c7Mvjj8xxPo

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iCanSpeaker

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmccann/

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://podfollow.com/unbroken-healing-through-storytelling

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Jacob Dunne is an author and consultant facilitating important conversations around criminal justice, education, and mental health.

He presented “The Punch” series for Radio 4 which won best factual series at the national radio academy awards 2021. Which followed Jacob’s personal experience of Restorative Justice, how it has benefitted other perpetrators and victims of crime, and what the benefits might look like if we were to adopt Restorative approaches more broadly throughout society

He is a former Longford scholar and received a first-class honours in criminology from Nottingham Trent University in 2019

His debut book ‘Right From Wrong” published by Harper North was released on May 12, 2022, which he hopes will shine a light on the reforms and support needed to break an endless cycle of division and hopelessness

I know Jacob from our involvement with The Forgiveness Project and was always so impressed by how he managed to turn his life around, after that fatal night when he threw a single punch which resulted in the death of James Hodgkinson

Some key points from our interview:

· How he believes his inner child is in a state of unbrokenness and innocence

· How he struggled in his teenage years at school and found the experience degrading

· How he was labelled with ADHD, dyslexia and being on the autistic spectrum whilst at school

· How he feels he failed at school and had a negative belief system and eventually stopped going to school

· How he got involved with dealing drugs, being part of a gang and getting involved with fights

· How he was sentenced to prison at aged 19 after throwing an unprovoked single punch, which killed James

· How he met James’s parents, Joan and David, through the Restorative Justice process as it felt he owed it to them to answers their questions

· How their concern about him and his future disarmed him

· How he recognises the importance of self compassion and compassion for others

· How he’s passionate about sharing his story and talking about conflict and restorative justice to show people that anyone can turn things around with the right support

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://podfollow.com/unbroken-healing-through-storytelling

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I met Amy at my Karate club and have witnessed her personal growth and achievements over the years and always been inspired by her grit and determination. I think you will be too!

She earned her first Scottish National Team cap at 14 and has been following her passion with the sport around the world since. She started an online business at 18 to allow her to pursue her passion and build an income alongside travelling and competing as a self-funded Karate athlete.

In 2015, she suffered a career threatening injury, with doctors saying she would not be able to compete again. Through two years of rehabilitation and persistence, she returned to competition going on to win British titles and a European medal. She uses this experience to help people going through tough times in their life and find the joy in every day.

Most recently, she represented Team GB in contention for the Tokyo Olympics for 2020. Wearing the tracksuit and representing Great Britain, was something she could have only dreamed of as a little girl.

Some key points from our interview:

· How she believes that even the negative experiences in her life have been an opportunity for her to learn and grow from

· How she’s always striving to be a better athlete and person through fitness and personal development

· How she recognises the importance of surrounding herself with positive people when she was injured and focusing on working on her mindset

· How she had to allow herself time to be heartbroken when her hopes of competing in the Olympics didn’t happen

· How the discipline of being an athlete helped her to train both her body and her mind and feels she’s much stronger now than before she was injured

· How she hopes her story inspires others that despite experiencing hard times, there is a way out

· How her practice of gratitude and looking for joy every day, helps her to remain positive

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://podfollow.com/unbroken-healing-through-storytelling

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Sometimes we meet people in life for the first time that we feel like we’ve known for years. That was exactly what it felt like when I met my guest, Lou Lebentz, a few years ago through the PSA (Professional Speaking Association)

She is a well-known UK psychotherapist, EMDR specialist, trauma clinician and Founder of “Trauma Thrivers” a hugely popular trauma informed Facebook community for those in recovery from trauma and addiction.

Previously, Lou worked in rehab at the Priory Hospital Roehampton, and before that, in both the Rag Trade and the Radio Industry. The change in career choice made possible because of her own struggles with mental health and desperately seeking suitable treatment and wellness

Lou’s current mission now she recognizes trauma sits underneath most mental health conditions is to move beyond individual work so she can educate and trauma-inform groups.

Lou says, “If I could help enlighten as many people as possible on how to recognise and rectify trauma within themselves and others. Not only would that help us all do the personal work required but we could also stop repeating the mass re-traumatisation within our society, our species and ultimately our world.

Some key points from our interview:

How she believes that human beings are unbreakable despite feeling broken at times
How she recognises she had one trauma after another from a young age, but also feels affected by her mother’s generational trauma
How she was abused by a female babysitter at just aged four, but couldn’t speak about it for many years
How she experienced sexual violence at 19 when she was raped
How her avoidance of all the hurt and trauma led her to numbing out by using alcohol and believed that happiness was found in money and material things
How she’s grateful that her drink was spiked with LSD as it led her to psychosis, rehabilitation and weeks in a psychiatric hospital, but it was also a turning point for her and woke her up to her trauma
How she retrained as a trauma therapist to help others trauma survivors to shine again

Websites

https://traumathrivers.com/

Socials

https://www.facebook.com/groups/traumathrivers/

https://www.instagram.com/traumathrivers_loulebentz/

https://www.facebook.com/loulebentztraumathrivers

https://www.linkedin.com/in/loulebentz/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9oIwwwD_ZDlleY_WOpH9Xw

Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-trauma-thrivers-podcast/id1561794822Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch via YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://podfollow.com/unbroken-healing-through-storytelling

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Raga Olga D’Silva

I met Raga through social media when she asked to interview me and was instantly drawn to her. She is warm, loveable and authentic

With over 25 years of experience in the creative field, Raga has worked in senior positions in advertising in India and New Zealand and has been the recipient of several prestigious awards.

Raga is a co-founder of India's largest international speaker agency, Speaking Minds. Raga is a published author of Untold Lies, her debut book which received much love. Raga has been named as one of the top most Diversity & Inclusion Leaders by the World HRD Congress in 2022. Raga was also named amongst the Top 100 wonder women in advertising, marketing, and entertainment in 2021. She is on several DEI Boards, including Sony Pictures and Aristocrat.

Raga is a host of several online shows, including Coming out stories from India. Raga is a known advocate in the LGBT space. A two times TedX speaker, Raga is an established voice in the LGBT community and engages with corporates around the world on intersectionality, LGBT lived experience and being aware of our Unconscious Biases.

Raga is currently writing three books, scripts for OTT web series and working on her first short film. A story that Raga wrote during lockdown is being made into a feature film by Onir, an award-winning filmmaker

Some key points from our interview

How she believes that she has been broken many times, but putting the pieces back together makes her feel that she remains unbroken
How she has now created a better version of herself
How most of her life she felt trapped when she was growing up in the slums of India with an alcoholic father
How when her mother discovered that she was gay, she tried to stab her as she was so ashamed
How Raga herself recognises she was homophobic towards herself for many years
How it took many years for her to accept herself, stop lying to herself and others and live her life as a gay woman
How she’s now passionate about speaking out to help shift the culture, conditioning and biases present in communities

Social media: Instagram/Twitter: @Totally Out Now

Youtube channel : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuR9o3OCaH5WvFm03upHXw

TedX talk: 50 & Out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Visx4Ps2J4A

TexX talk: Will you Cancel me? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd_8wdMZFoU&t=408s

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch via YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken

You can listen to the full extended series of incredible stories on https://podfollow.com/unbroken-healing-through-storytelling

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Brian Pennie is an author, speaker, PhD candidate, university lecturer, and life-change strategist. His life used to be very different, however. On October 8 2013, he experienced his first day clean after 15 years of chronic heroin addiction.

Addiction nearly killed him, but on that fateful day in October, he received a gift. Call it what you will: a perspective shift, an awakening, or simply dumb luck — that’s not important – what matters, is that it completely changed the course of his life.

In what seemed like an instant, the world seemed to glow. Colours were more colourful. Sounds were more cheerful. Things that were once hollow were now full of depth. He felt more alive than ever before and he hasn't looked back since.

He says:

"Captivated by this sudden change, I started to question why I felt so alive. I didn’t see it at first, but then it hit me. It had tortured me my entire life. The voices in my head, the stories that I spun myself – the ones that drove my anxiety and, in turn, my addiction – they were gone. For as long as I could remember, thinking had consumed me – my mind racing about what I thought needed to do – but the voices were silent and my anxiety was gone. The race was over and my new life had begun."

Some key points from the interview:

-How addiction had him early on, but he could not see it.
-How his addiction forced him to lead a double life.
-How he catches himself if he becomes anxious or thinks negative thoughts.
-how he is "Schizophrenically Normal"
-How he studied a load of self help, and the revelations that came.
-How, after his awakening he had a desire to help others.
-How the "Words we speak become the world we live in"