Positive Solace with Attika Choudhary: Recent Episodes
Attika Choudhary
In March 2020, the UK went into lockdown as did most of the world. As people reached out to Attika, about feeling anxious and confused, she wanted to do something helpful and the “Positive Solace” podcasts were born. Mental health has been her concern for some years and this led to the creation of a team which would make it happen. Hosted by BBC's Attika Choudhary, Positive Solace is a podcast that will empower your mind, spread positivity and wisdom.
Both season 1 and 2 are motivating, inspiring and in some cases really moving - and challenging the societal norms! The guests are from different backgrounds, cultures, experience and learning. In their own, unique way they are doing what they can to help their community overcome the challenges and lead people to a better place. The conversations are not scripted: they are raw and show vulnerability and create a place where these voices can empower us all. So come join us as we laugh, get emotional and travel the world.
Positive Solace: Women of Vision concludes with an interview with Mahira Khan, a multiple award winning actress and film producer.
Mahira has just finished an intense period of filming for her latest film Aik Hai Nigar based on the first female Lieutenant General in Pakistan.
Mahira achieved global fame when she portrayed the role of Khirad Ashar Hussain in the TV series Humsafar. Other than her TV work Mahira is passionate about her film roles - she lives through them - and about the difficult themes tackled in her films. But at the same time she recognises the stress and strain these deep and heavy subjects and treatment of them can bring to her both physically and mentally.
Attika asks about the film Verna that deals with the rape of a married woman and the social reaction to it that Mahira feels is no longer acceptable for the new generation.
When portraying a roles that deal with difficult issues like the General's, she works hard to reflect her true character and how she has dealt with all the obstacles in her path. This film is being produced by Mahira's own film company Soul Fry Films. So she gets to be both sides of the camera.
Despite her broad career in both large and little screens, Mahira has many other strings to her bow, not the least of which is her work with the United Nations. She is an ambassador for the UN refugee arm, UNHCR. She is particularly concerned about the refugees in Afghanistan and how these people may come under greater threat due to recent events.
Mahira is a deep and thoughtful person and she opens up to Attika in this podcast. She talks about the challenges and the dark times she has experienced but also looks at the good and positive: she is driven and optimistic for negativity is just not part of her vision. Mahira is not just a celebrity and a business woman, she's also a mother to Azlan her 12 year old son and takes time out to care for her family, even her granny.
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In the penultimate Positive Solace: Women of Vision, Attika speaks to Mir Urfi, a Kashmiri lawyer and human rights activist, who faces a constant struggle for justice and freedom of movement, not just for her clients.
She is often stopped and made to identify herself by the Indian security forces in her own state: Jammu and Kashmir.
When Urfi began her work as a lawyer she was a woman in a man's world, and even today there are very few female lawyers, especially those willing to take on cases of citizens wrongfully detained.
Since 1949, Article 370 of India's Constitution gives Jammu and Kashmir special status, authorising the region to have its own constitution and state flag. However, this article was revoked by India in 2019, resulting in the voice of the people being silenced. With communication services suspended, a curfew imposed, creating an effective lockdown, and people encouraged to stay off the streets, the state is effectively under martial law.
Oppressive legislation such as the Public Safety Act (PSA), is being used to make indefinite arrests and detentions thereby revoking a person's rights. In fact, the PSA violates many human rights according to international law.
In her day-to-day life, Urfi fights for those unlawfully detained: sometimes, she explains, these people have been held in custody for months or even years. The PSA gives the security forces the right to revoke a person's right to habeas corpus which should force the authorities to bring the detainee to trial. And while India feigns ignorance of its actions, its security forces pursue further injustice.
Urfi says she dreams of a Kashmir where people can live without fear, go out without hinderance, and not feel constantly the threat of physical violence or mental pressure from the security forces. Mental problems have increased due to high levels of anxiety. Upwards of a third of the adult population have been diagnosed with some form of mental condition and Urfi believes this is all related to the stress of living with the present tensions. Even the medical practitioners who treat the people are themselves suffering from heightened anxiety states.
Urfi's mentor was the renowned lawyer and human rights activist Mir Shafqat Hussain who fought all his life for people abandoned by the judicial system. And he played a pivotal role in helping Amnesty International highlight the abuse of humans rights in Kashmir. Urfi has taken over his firm and is now walking in his footsteps.
Urfi tells Attika that the Kashmiri people must be freed from the constant military pressure. “The people need to be given the right to live!” she says.
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In the latest episode of Positive Solace: Women of Vision, Attika chats to Founé Diawara and Leïla Kellou, who are members of Les Hijabeuses, a collective of women who are campaigning against the French Football Federation (FFF)’s ban on the wearing of a hijab in official matches and international games.
Despite FIFA, the world governing body of football lifting their ban on hijabs in 2014, the FFF have stood fast, citing that the sport must comply with Laïcité, (secularism), which is derived from a traditional policy of separation between church and state in France, but has since been taken to mean that the state should be neutral to all religions.
France’s estimated 5.7 million Muslims face a torrid time of further stigmatisation and oppression from extremist groups - There is continuing controversy over the national ban on full-face veils in France which was first imposed in 2011, and more recently there has been an amendment to a controversial 'anti-separatism' bill which includes a ban on women under the age of 18 wearing the hijab in public places, sparking a backlash and a protest under the hashtag #HandsOffMyHijab that went viral.
Founé was just 15 when she was first told by a referee that she could not participate in a football match due to her choosing to wear a hijab.
Now 21 and the co-president of Les Hijabeuses, the pair play football together, connect with other teams across France and put on training sessions to encourage other young hijab-wearing women to get into football.
Leïla originally comes from an Algerian family that has a passion for the game. She has also been denied the right to participate in games, and wants the next generation of young women to enjoy the sport without the fear of exclusion.
Founé and Leïla converse with Attika about their experiences both on and off the field. They discuss how they are dealing with the recent political decisions by the French Senate, their campaign for a more inclusive French society, regardless of religion or race, their love for the beautiful game and their vision for a more inclusive sport in France is truly something to behold.
You can find out more about the Les Hijabeuses by following the group on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leshijabeuses/
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In the latest instalment of Positive Solace: Women of Vision, Attika chats with Dr Paula Kahumbu, a multiple award-winning wildlife conservationist, well-known presenter of Kenya's Wildlife Warriors and Chief Executive Officer of WildlifeDirect, a conservation programme launched by Richard Leakey.
She is well known for spearheading the "Hands Off Our Elephants" campaign, which has been successful in reducing the poaching of elephants, but now the campaign is focusing on change in the behaviour and attitudes of the people towards wildlife and especially elephants where new villages or developments encroach on the elephants' feeding habits. As a result of her work, the campaign has succeeded in getting governments to bring in laws enabling the successful arrest and prosecution of known ivory smugglers.
Kenya sees some of the highest migration of animals in the world every year, with more than two million wildebeest, zebra and many other species. Paula wants people to be better-educated about the wildlife and environment around them; she wants them to become conservationists. Her latest project is to build a centre as part of the First Protected Area in Africa specifically designed for children, in the Wildlife Warrior Kids programme.
How did Paula develop such a passion for conservation and wildlife? Growing up just outside of Nairobi, Kenya, Paula has been raised with nature and wildlife around her. When she was younger she was greatly influenced by Richard Leakey and he became her mentor. Now, as one of the loudest voices in Wildlife Conservation in Africa, Paula wants to educate the people to own the wildlife and nature around them. But there are forces that oppose what Paula is doing and these are not just the poaching organisations.
Paula was shocked by the recent killing of Joannah Stutchbury a conservationist who staunchly defended Kiambu Forest from developers. Dr Kahumbu says that prominent conservationists have been targets first because of the ivory trade and now for opposing development and encroachment by land-grabbing building companies. “We work in an environment of fear for our lives,” she said, “and Joannah's death proves this is no exaggeration.”
She has written a book which has been translated in 27 languages and has sold a million copies. 'Owen and Mzee - The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship’, based on the unlikely friendship between an infant hippopotamus and an Aldabra giant tortoise.
You can find out more about Wildlife Direct, including how to donate, here: www.wildlifedirect.org
A sneak peek of season 2 of Wildlife Warriors https://vimeo.com/507900821
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In this week’s episode of Positive Solace: Women of Vision, Attika interviews Siobhan Baillie, the first ever woman MP for Stroud.
Becoming an MP for the first time already has its challenges, but for Siobhan, the challenges were complicated by the fact that she was pregnant at the time of the election. Three months later, the Coronavirus pandemic forced people into lockdown and MPs had to do business from home. But Siobhan is no novice as far as the Internet is concerned.
Leaving home at the age of 15 and underperforming at her GCSEs, she often sofa-surfed at the houses of her friends before getting work as a secretary in a law firm. Then, luckily, they sponsored her to study for her solicitor's exams. As a solicitor, Siobhan was moved by families who struggled to pay for the services of people like herself, and she saw a lot to be desired in the divorce laws so she entered politics. First she won a seat as a borough councilor, and then as an MP in Westminster.
She is now working to change the laws regarding separating families and has been successful in creating a no-fault divorce. Alongside her work as an MP, Siobhan is one of those courageous enough to tackle online abuse and trolling, especially on behalf of susceptible young people. This includes working with the Stop The Hate Campaign and Clean up the Internet, two organisations challenging all forms of hate crime and discrimination.
Attika and Siobhan speak about the need for more female representation in UK politics, and the challenges that women politicians face every day. They discuss what can be done to combat abuse of women on social media, and how to help younger adults who are considering going into politics.
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In this episode of Positive Solace: Women of Vision, Attika meets Jessica Hepburn, one of the UK's leading voices on fertility and family.
Jessica has one of the most remarkable and inspiring stories to tell - overcoming adversity and going on to swim the channel to climbing Mount Everest more recently.
While trying to become a mother, she went through 11 rounds of IVF treatment, and an ectopic pregnancy that almost proved fatal, she was down and out and staring into the abyss. Her long cherished ambition to have a family was over.
The mental and physical strain had been enormous – often IVF stories have an extremely happy ending, making all the hurt and pain seem
worthwhile. This one doesn't – there was no baby and no new life that had come from the deep love, support and commitment of her partner.
She had a successful career in the arts, as executive director of the Lyric in Hammersmith, London, one of the country’s best known theatres and spearheaded its £20 million capital redevelopment plan – all the while hiding her intense pain and hurt – of not having a family.
Describing this time as the “darkest period” of her life, she tells Attika what helped to drag herself from the depths of despair to find
hope, zest and a new hunger for life. She has found the strength and conviction to put her experiences into writing - with a bestselling novel on fertility.
Slowly, and methodically, she found it in writing and then in founding the Fertility Fest, co-creating the world’s very first arts festival
dedicated to fertility and modern family making, and finally and more recently, in Adventure Activism, combining her love of challenges with
raising money for charity. She is no athlete as she tells Attika but set herself demanding physical goals.
Listen to Jessica and Attika talk about how from the lowest of lows, you can find your way back to the top and they of course discuss fertility,
what it means to be a mother or not in today’s world - and how the future might look like for women who want a family… and a life that is
fulfilling too in other ways...
You can find more about Fertility Fest here: https://www.fertilityfest.com/
Also, here are some links to Jessica’s literary work.
‘21 Miles’ - https://www.amazon.co.uk/21-Miles-Jessica-Hepburn/dp/1783526092
‘The Pursuit of Motherhood’ - https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Pursuit-Motherhood-Jessica-Hepburn/1783061871
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In this episode of Positive Solace: Women of Vision, Attika talks to Roya Mahboob, the CEO of the Digital Citizen Fund that helps students through digital education. In fact Roya is championing the cause of education for girls and women, and works with the Afghan government to create STEM schools where Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are made available to all students.
Roya started the group of robotics specialists known as The Afghan Dreamers, who also join Attika in this podcast.
This six-girl robotics team made up of teenagers between 14 and 18 years old, has already won awards. When challenged by the Herat Governor to help with the Covid-19 crisis, they created a ventilator from old car pieces that should hit the market soon costing around $600.
Some ventilators sell at upwards of $50,000.
Roya is keen to break down cultural barriers and prejudices that question the value of women being educated. She encourages girls to pursue careers in engineering and robotics, a suggestion bucking the social trend and unheard of in Afghanistan until recently.
Attika talks to Roya and the girls about the successes they’ve had with their work, their experiences growing up with the unrest in Afghanistan and all the challenges that brings. What lies ahead for these dreamers? Listen to the podcast now available on all platforms.
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In this week’s episode of Positive Solace: Women of Vision – 'Women beyond War' - Attika speaks with Iman Humaydan, an award-winning Lebanese writer who says she uses words to alleviate her pain: her pain from the devastating civil war that ended in 1990: her pain for the disintegration of her beloved Lebanon; her pain for women trying to operate in a man's world where men write all the rules.
She puts into her fiction, which is close to fact, all her own experiences and those of other Lebanese women. Her hard-hitting and eye-opening novels concern the struggles of womanhood, family, loss, as well as the bitter consequences of war. Iman's perspective is unique as revealed through her characters.
Iman talks about how writing has been a cathartic, cleansing experience for her, and helped her cope with the post-war problems and social adversity: it seems even in our modern age many people in Lebanon oppose women taking power for themselves.
Iman talks of motherhood and her job teaching in Paris and how she divides her life between a Lebanon struggling to rise from the ashes and the ancient, cultural city of Paris, which ironically, has recently known its own violence.
You can find a selection of Iman’s works here:
‘The Weight of Paradise’ - www.interlinkbooks.com/product/weight-of-paradise-the/
‘Wild Mulberries’ - www.interlinkbooks.com/product/wild-mulberries/
‘Other Lives’ - www.interlinkbooks.com/product/other-lives/
Iman Humaydan is a co founder of Pen Lebanon and its current president. For Lebanese writers link here: https://penlebanon.org/index.php/about/
This week Attika is also joined by guest presenter, James Ward, a young aspiring writer and Positive Solace’s assistant producer.
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In this week’s episode of Positive Solace: Women of Vision - 'Sisters in Motion'
Attika speaks to Branwen Summers and Elisha Applebaum, two young actresses who are great friends and are making strides in helping women wanting to work in the entertainment industry.
Aside from their individual careers, together they present a podcast called ‘Woman Waves’ where they talk about the entertainment industry and the challenges women face within it.
This is in partnership with The Girls Network, an organisation that aims to inspire and empower girls from the most disadvantaged communities by connecting them with a mentor and a network of professional female role models.
In our podcast, Branwen talks to Attika about her love of creativity, not only as an actress, but as a producer, and tells us what it is like to produce and act in a male-dominant industry.
She also talks about her role with the Creative Mentor Network, while Elisha talks about her successes such as her outstanding award-nominee performance in James Arden’s ‘Leopard’ as well as her breakout role as Musa, in the hit Netflix series ‘Fate: The Winx Saga’ and the bright future she has ahead of her.
You can find out more about The Girls’ Network here: https://www.thegirlsnetwork.org.uk
More information on the Creative Mentor Network here: https://www.creativementornetwork.org/
You can also check out the aforementioned short film 'Leopard' starring Elisha here: https://vimeo.com/553298373/comments
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In this episode of Positive Solace: Women of Vision, Attika speaks to Aline Boblin and her journey into menopause.
Aline is a passionate campaigner for menopause awareness, and is the director of the Transformation in Action CIC: an organization driven to support women’s health issues such as the menopause.
Aline is someone who has experienced the menopause herself. She has been misdiagnosed by GPs on several occasions, and as a result suffered long-term mental and physical pain.
She is finding ways to empower women with the knowledge they need pre-menopause. She also wants to challenge the stigma around menopause in the workplace, to offset the shocking NHS shortages and broaden GPs' knowledge and experience of menopausal symptoms.
Aline talks to Attika about the effects of a menopause that she suffered and how it affected her job, her family and her friends. They discuss awhat can be done to avoid the trauma frequently associated with the menopause.
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In this instalment of “Positive Solace: Women of Vision - Indian Village Girl gets to Havard", Attika meets Seema Kumari, a 17-year-old, who comes from the village of Dahu in Northeast India.
Young girls in Dahu and the Jharkhand region of India face unimaginable challenges – education is very limited, and not seen as a priority for young women. As a result of this, over 50% of young women in the State drop out early or do not attend school at all, and are at extreme risk of human trafficking.
They are likely to end up in a forced marriage when they are not even 12 years old!
In 2012, Seema joined the YUWA Academy: an organisation that aims to shield young women from such dismal futures.
Girls who enrol with YUWA (which translates as “Youth” in Hindi) create their own soccer teams and are mentored each week.
This adventure has taken Seema around the world – from training as a football coach with Real Sociedad in Spain, to spending summers studying at Washington University in the United States.
Thanks to YUWA and Seema’s newly boosted confidence, her determination and inner strength - she has just been accepted into Harvard University with a scholarship to study Social Studies. Harvard is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, with a historically low acceptance rate of people outside the USA. This also makes Seema the first woman in her district to receive a university education.
Seema speaks to Attika about just how challenging life has been up to now, how supportive her family have been of her endeavours, and how excited she is for the future.
Find out more about YUWA and the work they do: https://www.yuwa-india.org/
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Positive Solace with Attika Choudhary returns with its second season – “Women of Vision”.
In this opening episode, 'Never Just A Number', Attika talks to Zainab Basheer, a student and a writer who lives in the Gaza Strip, which has been under blockade from Israeli and Egyptian military forces since 2007.
Zainab writes for “We Are Not Numbers” – an organisation that allows young Palestinians to tell the stories behind the numbers that are often reported in the world’s media.
Despite the latest violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Attika was able to interview Zainab, a young Arab student in the centre of the crisis. They converse about Zainab’s day-to-day life, and how she deals with tough emotions like stress and grief in such an environment. Zainab bewails the bombing of her favourite bookshop and asks, "what have books ever done to be destroyed like this?"
They also discuss what impact the ongoing fighting has had on Zainab’s education and Palestine’s vaccination programme in the COVID-19 crisis.
Find out more about We Are Not Numbers: https://wearenotnumbers.org/
If you'd like to donate towards the rebuilding of the bookshop, here is the link: https://uk.gofundme.com/f/rebuild-gazas-samir-mansour-book-store
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Nabil Abdul Rashid is a comedian a private and carefree soul who sees his comedy more than just a job. In 2010, at the age of 25, he became the youngest black comedian to perform stand-up at the Hammersmith Apollo. Currently a semi-finalist for Britain’s Got Talent, he has been married to his South Asian wife for ten years. Nabil although born in England spent some time in Nigeria before returning in 2006. His father spent time in Soviet Russia, training in the medical profession, before moving to the UK.
Nabil has appeared in many popular comedy skits and Attika Choudhary first saw him performing at a Muslims Lol Ramadan event in 2014 and later introduced him on a BBC English regions comedy event.
In this final episode of “Positive Solace”, Nabil and Attika talk about the comedian's struggles with anxiety stemming from childhood which he described as ‘colourful’. They also discuss the nature of his marriage, as a black Muslim man with Nigerian heritage to a South Asian Muslim woman which is not a common occurrence. He makes comedy of the many times people have stared at him, his wife and children: once, a woman walked into a fruit stall and knocked it over, much to his amusement. He is saddened by racism and takes us into the history of it and believes that there is much more we can do to stop it.
He talks about the virus situation affecting the comedy industry; he explains that much of the comedy world is on hold, due to social distancing, despite many attempts and strategies, like Zoom, to overcome it. He also campaigned for fighting against knife and gun crime. And you can find out more about this charity which Nabil originally formed head over to https://apfoundation.co.uk/
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Suyyash Rai is an actor and singer. He came to Mumbai 11 years ago from Punjab, and he started his acting career on the popular Indian show Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani as Neil Khurana. That was where he met his wife, Kishwer, only for her to murder him in the episode! “In my first show, Kishwer killed me, but we've been working together since. I love capturing her. I can do that better than anyone else!”
He has appeared on many popular tv series like Kya Hua Tera Vaada, and is in the Bollywood film, Aadat, due for release at some point. In fact, that’s where Attika met and first interviewed Suyyash, on the set of Aadat in London, in 2018.
In this penultimate episode of “Positive Solace”, Suyyash and Attika discuss how to find balance and calm through the little things of life and by accepting the good that we have. Just humming a favourite tune can help: “Music makes me happy,” he says - and he gives Attika a little tour of his studio. She points out that it is a lot more complex and high tech for humming a tune!. "If i'm sad or feeling a little off, I come to my studio. I make some music: it keeps me sane. With every new song I compose, I learn something,” Suyyash explains.
He talks about the virus situation in Mumbai and strategies for dealing with it. He is saddened by how it has affected the film industry and the pressures many people - staff and stars - are under. He was deeply moved by the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput who was a close friend. He says how feelings are important: “I choose to express my feelings, to let the other person know what I feel, no matter if I’m angry, sad or happy. If you've given me happiness, I will make sure you know that you've made me smile."
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This week, BBC's Attika Choudhary is joined by Hollywood director/producer and stunt coordinator James Bamford. The two discuss a range of current issues the world is grappling with right now, from racism to Covid-19 and television and film production. James, who has directed episodes of TV smashes, Arrow and Batwoman, had an early career as a Juvenile Corrections Officer in Canada, before switching to film and TV through his love of martial arts. He touches upon his work in Bollywood with film stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif and shares, very candidly, his responsibilities as a father and as a filmmaker and the importance of diversity and equality. The two share the joys and pains of life right now with sensitivity and a smile.
The following links are to help and support some of the causes James feels most strongly about.
The Conscious Kid - https://www.theconsciouskid.org/donate
Canadian Red Cross - https://www.redcross.ca/how-we-help/violence-bullying-and-abuse-prevention/educators/child-abuse-and-neglect-prevention
Canadian Child Abuse Association - https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/canadian-child-abuse-association
Legal Defense and Educational Fund - https://80th.naacpldf.org/
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Steve Baker MP, member of Parliament for Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, former Brexit Secretary, Royal Air Force engineer, and darling of the Conservative Party sits down with Attika Choudhary, host of Positive
Solace, to discuss the realities of being an MP – from the day to day pressures and the impact on home life, to the unique challenges and
struggles thrown up by Covid-19 for his constituents.
Steve also shows his personal side, with his love of extreme sports, only having been skydiving three times in the last year - a lot for most
of us, but comparatively little for him. Watch these on his YouTube channel.
Steve and Attika also touch on subjects such as the plight of Uighurs in China and how the British Government, whilst supporting free trade where
possible, should not sacrifice the human rights of minorities.
In the midst of all this, they talk about the realities - and also the need to be kind. Each of us have a responsibility to work together and stay optimistic.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/positivesolace/message
Attika Choudhary, and Babs Withers who is a mother and a district nursing sister, delve into the realities of grief, before, during and after the pandemic. This is all in a heartfelt episode, that might bring you to tears, but will resonate with anyone who has ever lost someone and those who are trying to support their friends, family, and loved ones, hit by grief in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.
Babs lost her daughter to Metastatic bowel cancer in November last year. One year before her daughter, Georgina, had been diagnosed with cancer but at the time there was hope of a cure. However, last July, it was found that Georgina’s cancer had spread and was terminal. At the age of 32, Georgina who was just married for 18 months, had to leave her life behind along with her husband and loved ones. On the day of her funeral, her mother Babs was still in a state of shock.
They also discuss what positives have arisen from the pandemic, like the many "Chelsea Flower Show" gardens that have sprung up across the country, or hoe people are having real conversations with their neighbours because they now have time to talk. Now neighbours are meeting on driveways and in gardens like never before with tea parties, and barbecues and neighbours looking out for each other.
The speakers also explore mental wellbeing - and how differently men and women might grieve They look the networks that are so important for those in need. Just a card or a phone call, showing care, can mean so much to people. Those who grieve are often in a state of shock and struggle to reach out to others at the time when they need support most. “Going back to basics" of support can be so important: a simple, "How are you?" can mean so much. Nothing prepares you for death and people grieve differently. But we are not alone key to this support is communication.
Georgina's passion was the natural world - she had a zoology degree. If anyone wishes to donate, here are just a few links: https://www.greyhoundlifeline.co.uk/ WWF (World Wide Fund for nature) https://www.wwf.org.uk/ The Withers family contributed to The Royal Marsden Hospital where Georgina received her treatment. https://www.royalmarsden.org/ https://www.pth.org.uk/ Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care where Babs has been seeking bereavement counselling.
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This week is Loneliness Awareness Week and as lock-down eases for some lock-down is normality. In this episode of Positive Solace Attika Choudhary talks to Steve Gilbert OBE FRSA about mental illness. Steve is what is described as a living experience consultant and is a suicide survivor. He was a vice chair of the UK government’s recent mental health act review. He suffers from bipolar disorder and depression. Steve & Attika discuss the struggles people with mental health problems face on a daily basis and how society often sidelines them. They also look at the impact on the black community as well as other minorities and what we can do to improve the situation for everyone. Steve is committed to improving outcomes for people living with mental illness. He was recognised in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours List and appointed an OBE for services to mental health.
Steve has so much to share about how we can turn the tide on mental health and make our society more caring and nurturing and reduce misery, isolation, suffering and loneliness – and even if your not, learn how you can help those that are and identify the signs you can see to help them!
In the wake of recent events, he created an anti-racism resource – please check it out -- www.stevegilbertconsulting.co.uk/antiracism-how-to-be-an-ally
There are also a number of charities that you reach out to help here are just a few:
- https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/?gclid=CjwKCAjw26H3BRB2EiwAy32zheBqR4j2ks0rqQpxWgISBMNs4UOkn8dbAY8_djP5efWlK2IghgZL0RoCQgIQAvD_BwE
- https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/#:~:text=Infoline%3A%200300%20123%203393&text=We're%20open%209am%20to,to%20get%20help%20near%20you
https://www.rethink.org/aboutus/what-we-do/advice-and-information-service/?gclid=CjwKCAjw26H3BRB2EiwAy32zhZKPLTAPxr-A6aWEvOTVeR4BJZVg9b--UrEItodXwFSAhpYWsz3IaRoCz0YQAvD_BwE
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/contact
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Attika Choudhary discusses the extraordinary project of a white woman, Melissa DePino, and a black woman, Michelle Saahene, who met through the Starbucks incident in 2018 and founded “From Privilege to Progress”.
Their aim is to change the way white people think from a position of privilege to understanding things from a black person’s point of view, and how we, as a community of all colours, have a duty to tackle racism by calling it out whenever we see it.
They discuss the current Black Lives Matter protests sweeping across the Western world, sparked by the death of George Floyd. The women see re-education as key to fighting racism.
They feel there are two different Americas - one for whites and another for blacks; even speaking about racism seems difficult for many whites. The protests should mark a crucial point for improvement.
For the many white people involved in the protests, it may be the first time they have come face-to-face with police brutality. It is something that black people have had to live with since the creation of the modern police force. If white people would learn and speak out from their position of privilege, adding their voices to black people everywhere, it should be possible to oppose and eventually dismantle the racist system and put an end to the discrimination that seems to be endemic in Western police forces.
Below are some links to help you get started should you wish to sign petitions, donate and educate and learn. You can find @privtoprog on instagram.
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
https://justiceforbreonna.org/
https://8cantwait.org/
https://www.naacpldf.org/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xa9Av-NfuFsWBHlsMvPiqJHdNedZgnCRW56qAS-7PGQ/mobilebasic?urp=gmail_link
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In the fifth episode of Positive Solace, host Attika Choudhary speaks with Devina Guyton, a nurse in a care home in Sussex. They consider the effects of the pandemic and lockdown on care homes and explore ways of coping with the mental stress, as well as the positives that the lockdown has brought to the UK.
They discuss society today, the impacts of the virus on work-life balance and also the impact on elderly residents. Their unscripted, honest talk ranges from the situation in Sussex, to the effects the virus has had on nursing as a profession, and how Devina wants the conversation on Nursing to change, towards the positive aspects of nursing and the benefits of the profession. It also delves into grief and death and how hard it is when people are unable to visit dying relatives.
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Dr Mohamed Kajouj arrived from Syria as a refugee speaking very basic English. He had to learn the language and re-qualify in order to practise medicine in the UK. He now works on the COVID-19 wards in York Teaching Hospital. There are a number of doctors who have come to the UK as refugees but cannot practice because their qualification is not recognised here. Dr Kajouj is campaigning to get this re-qualification process made easier and quicker. Doctors are so needed at this time because the NHS is overstretched. He also talks about his experiences in Syria during the war, and how he dealt with the trauma of the conflict. Although things are calmer now due to the Covid-19 threat, the conflict is far from being resolved. He is concerned about the new symptoms of the virus being discovered and the threat of a second wave. On the positive side, he speaks about well-being, both physically and mentally and the Eid celebrations at the end of Ramadan.
Dr Kajouj is also involved in this campaign: https://act.helprefugees.org/help-refugees/refugee-healthworkers/sign/
Thank you if you can support these charities in any way:
Medecins Sans Frontieres who are busy helping refugees caught in the pandemic: https://www.msf.org.uk/
https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/
https://helprefugees.org/choose-love/
https://nationalemergenciestrust.org.uk/
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In the third episode of Positive Solace, BBC journalist Attika Choudhary goes on a journey of discovery with Poldark actor Christian Brassington who grew up in a nearby town in Hampshire. Currently living in London, he is a successful professional actor, a humanitarian and an avid supporter of Manchester United FC.
They explore ways of keeping oneself focused during lockdown, and ready to seize opportunities and chart one’s best path, and discuss what life is like in the spotlight and what events have influenced their lives.
Christian is reading bedtime stories to children as part of his response to the current pandemic and is also involved as an ambassador for the following charities:
https://m2m.org/
https://babylifeline.org.uk/home/
https://www.thelucafoundation.org.uk/
*Poldark is a BBC drama series
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In the second episode of Positive Solace, BBC presenter Attika Choudhary goes on a spiritual journey with Ali Zafar, actor, singer-songwriter, and humanitarian, currently in lockdown, in Lahore, Pakistan. They consider the effects of the pandemic and Ali explains his foundation which distributes needy meals to many families. Link here: https://www.alizafarfoundation.org/
They discuss finding inner peace, and consider the effect of the lockdown and how Ramadan is affecting communities. Their conversation often returns to Ali’s view that the world needs to seize this opportunity for change and global peace.
The song 'Na tum ghalat' at the end of the show sums up beautifully what they've been talking about.
You can find @alizafar and @attikac on Instagram.
In this first episode, Positive Solace host Attika Choudhary speaks with Dr Kamran Ahmed, a psychiatrist, writer, and media contributor, who works in Sydney, Australia. They consider the effects of the pandemic and lockdown and explore ways of coping with the mental stress.
They explore positive strategies to overcome anxiety, negativity and one's inner critic, which Dr Ahmed wrote about recently, in The Guardian. Their unscripted, honest talk ranges from the world-wide situation to the individual's personal response, how isolation affects different people in different ways, and how we can use mindfulness and meditation.
It also covers grief and death and how people are trying to cope with not being able to visit dying relatives or attend funerals.
With thanks to team Positive Solace and our first sponsors, Big Talent Media which publishes http//:www.asianculturevulture.com and its Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHE-Q4asdS2zKbu91mY32KQ). Remember to follow on Instagram: @Attikac
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Positive Solace, with Attika Choudhary, is a podcast about finding inspiration during the difficult time of COVID-19 and lockdown. How do we remain up-beat? How can we be authentic and there for one another during this time?
Each week, presenter and journalist, Attika talks with her guests, unscripted, raw and real, such as how people are coping with the lock down, the Coronavirus itself, and how their lives have changed and what they have learnt during this process.
Positive Solace with Attika Choudhary premieres Tuesday 28th April wherever you get your podcasts.
So subscribe today! We would love to hear your feedback: please let us know what you think and what you'd like to hear more of. Thank you!
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