Always Meet Your Heroes: Recent Episodes
Sam Berry
The weekly podcast packed full of meaningful conversations with our heroes, mentors and inspiring people who help make the world a better place.
Mpula Lawton is an educator and lawyer and founder of the ARISE Project, which stands for Anti-Racism in Schools and Education. After experiencing racism in the workplace whilst teaching at a primary school, Mpula made the decision to do something about it. Through the ARISE Project, she delivers training and workshops to schools to help them understand how they can best combat racism in their communities. She also delivers workshops to children, providing them with the tools to navigate the world and challenge stereotypes, microaggressions and other forms of racism which they may encounter. This was a great conversation which will truly make you reflect and consider your own actions and make positive changes which will have an impact on the people around you.
Connect with Mpula
π· ARISE Project Instagram
π¦ ARISE Project Twitter
π» ARISE Project Website
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Today's episode is a bit of a different one, as we share with you some of the best advice given to us by the numerous athletes we have spoken to over the first fourteen episodes of the podcast. In this episode, you will hear from:
- Triathlete, coach and content creator Taren Gesell.
- Triathlete and coach Lauren Kebla.
- Atlantic rower, hiker and world record holder Isaac Kenyon.
- Professional boxer and coach Joe Hughes.
- Triathlete and cancer survivor Gillian Roberts.
- Ultra--marathon runner Scott Jenkins.
Click on the name of each guest to listen to their original episode in full.
Connect with Guests
π» Taren's Website
π· Lauren's Instagram
π» Isaac's Website
π· Joe's Instagram
π» Gillian's Website
π· Scott's Instagram
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Alison Newman is a singer, songwriter, podcaster and mum of 2 boys from regional South Australia. She has been singing and performing since the age of 5 and, for the last 14 years, has been juggling her career with being a mum. This is a topic that really interests me personally, as my wife and I are soon to become parents! In this episode, we discussed the challenges of becoming a parents, including post-natal depression and 'mum-guilt', how to balance becoming a parent with a career and a life outside of parenting, as well as what it is like to parent in the 21st century, with the minefield of social media and technology! Whether you are a parent or not, this episode is a fascinating insight into life as a parent, which you, or someone close to you, will need at some point!
Connect with Alison
π· Alison's Instagram
π» Alison's Website
π»Alison's YouTube Channel
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Pip Stewart is an adventurer, journalist and author who I came across a few months ago when I discovered and started reading her book - Life Lessons From The Amazon. I love the book and really wanted to talk to Pip about her adventures and what she has learned from them. I loved this conversation and Pip was definitely one of the most easy to talk to people I have ever spoken to, which made the interview so great! In the episode, we discuss how and why Pip got into some of her incredible adventures, including cycling from Malaysia to London and kayaking Guyanaβs biggest river, what life lessons she has learnt along the way which we can all apply to our own lives, as well as the sustainability impacts of tourism, of our everyday consumption and the moral and ethical impacts of traveling. A really interesting conversation and Iβm very grateful for Pip for chatting with me! If you havenβt read her book Life Lessons From The Amazon, I definitely think you should go grab a copy (you can find it here!).
Connect with Pip
π· Pip's Instagram
π¦ Pip's Twitter
π» Pip's Website
π»Check out 'Life Lesson's From The Amazon'
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Scott Jenkins has been ultra running for years now, completing some of the toughest races on Earth, including the Badwater 135, which involves running through Death Valley in temperatures exceeding 50 degrees, and Moab 240, for which Scott actually holds the British record! He is also an ambassador for the global charity Operation Smile, which we discuss in the podcast too. In this episode, youβll hear us discuss the mental attributes which are tested during an ultra marathon, the things Scott has learnt from running these enormous races and the challenges faced during multiple day running events!
Connect with Scott
π· Scott's Instagram
π» Operation Smile Website
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
In 1999, as a professional motocross athlete, Aaron Baker sustained a career ending spinal cord injury. He fractured his cervical vertebrae 4, 5, 6 rendering him a quadriplegic, paralysed from the chin down. He was given a βone in a millionβ chance of ever feeding himself again.
Today, Aaron is a recovering quadriplegic husband, father, adventure athlete, author, orator, entrepreneur and ambassador for spinal cord injury. He co-founded the Center Of Restorative Exercise and represents Red Bullβs non-profit charity - Wings For Life Foundation - as a member of the Board Of Directors, USA and Chairman of the Ambassador Council.
In this episode, we discussed Aaron's near-death experience, his incredible recovery and the mental growth he has experienced as a result.
Connect with Aaron
π· Aaron's Instagram
π» Aaron's Website
π» Wings For Life Website
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Gillian Roberts is a fellow teacher from Canada, who is big into endurance sports and triathlons in particular. What makes Gillian's story different to most is that she developed ovarian cancer when she was in her mid-twenties. Obviously, this has had a huge impact on Gillianβs life and she now uses her online platform to spread awareness around cancer and, in particular, the recovery aspect and what life is like after cancer. Sheβs a super positive woman and I absolutely loved this conversation with her. We discussed her feelings around the time of her diagnosis, how she has maintained a positive mindset throughout her treatment and what life has been like for her since. We even got a few special guest appearances from Gillianβs cat, which was lovely!
Connect with Gillian
π· Gillian's Instagram
π» Gillian's Blog
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Joe Hughes is a professional boxer and coach who was born with a condition called Erbs Palsy. Despite being told from an early age by doctors that there were many things he would not be able to do in life (including contact sports!), Joe went on to become a professional boxer. Not just a professional, but an English and European champion. In this conversation, we discuss the challenges Joe faces as a result of his disability, how he has overcome those challenges and the lessons he has learnt along the way.
Connect with Joe
π· Joe's Instagram
π¦ Joe's Twitter
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Natalie Coaten shares her sobriety story over on Instagram, which is where I was first introduced to her. Natβs story is probably one that many of us can relate to. She works in the city and spent most of her twenties drinking quite heavily in a social context and, like many of us, she thought that the constant hangovers and hangxiety were just a part of life that you had to accept if you wanted to have a good time. She now spreads positive messages about the power of sobriety. In this episode, we discuss Natβs journey to sobriety, the benefits that come from not drinking and useful tips for anyone interested in trying the sober life.
Connect with Natalie
π· Instagram
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Isaac Kenyon is a world-record breaking British eco-adventurer, energy transition spatial analyst/researcher, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of London and the Geological Society of London. He is also a trustee for Mind, the mental health charity. After realising he was becoming consumed by screen-time whilst at university, Isaac made a conscious effort to get outside more. The impacts this had on his mental health were profound and led to him completing a range of impressive adventures, including swimming the English Channel, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and rowing the Atlantic. He now speaks to people about the importance of getting outside to support our mental wellbeing and health.
Connect with Isaac
π· Isaac's Instagram
π¦ Isaac's Twitter
π» Website
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
This episode is an extra special one, where I sit down and interview one of my best and oldest friends, Tom McCluskey, AKA Tommo! Tommo is a full-time F1 YouTube content creator and has built a huge online following in a relatively short space of time. In this conversation, we discuss his journey towards becoming a full-time content creator, how he handles the pressures and difficult moments that come with it, as well as how we can move closer to becoming the people we want to be.
Connect with Tom
π· Tom's Instagram
π¦ Tom's Twitter
π» YouTube
π» Website
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Lauren Kebla is a coach and endurance athlete who also works in the education sector, supporting students and young adults. One of the main things that encouraged me to invite Lauren on the show was her ideas and theories around goal setting, particularly in terms of our use of SMART goals, which have become the default type of goals for most people. We discuss why SMART goals generally arenβt right for most people, how to set goals which excite us and keep us motivated and also, the lack of diversity in the endurance sport world and what we can do about it.
Connect with Lauren
π· Lauren's Instagram
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Kevin Chapman is a content creator on YouTuber, a podcaster, and someone who has been almost perfected the art of perseverance and consistency. Kev has managed to amass hundreds of thousands of subscribers and followers across his YouTube channels and various social media accounts, however they did not come easy. Years of hard work, setbacks and consistent effort has led to his current success and his ability to become a full-time content creator a few years ago. Kev's Football Manager videos on YouTube helped keep boredom at bay throughout the first lockdown of 2020 and actually encouraged me to create this podcast, giving me the confidence to put myself out there. I had so much fun chatting with Kev and we covered some really important topics, including the challenges of juggling a full-time job with YouTube and a family, the difficulties of being a full time YouTuber and the positive and negative sides of working hard and having a high work ethic. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and I know you will too.
Connect with Kevin
π· Kevin's Instagram
π¦ Kevin's Twitter
π» YouTube
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Taren Gesell is one of my absolute favourite podcast hosts and YouTubers. Heβs a Canadian triathlon coach who may be better known by his online persona βTriathlon Tarenβ. Back in 2020 when I first considered the idea of completing my first triathlon, like most beginners, I headed to YouTube and looked for beginner triathlete information and Taren provided the best videos I could find introducing people to triathlon. I then began listening to his podcast every week as I tried to learn everything I could about triathlons. Even if youβre not interested in triathlons or endurance sports, you will love this episode with Taren. We discuss how to find balance in your life, finding what excited you in life and building a positive relationship with your own health.
Connect with Taren
π· Taren's Instagram
π¦ Taren's Twitter
π» Website
π» Check Out Taren's Books
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Tom and Jo Brassington are siblings and primary school teachers, who have written a fantastic book - 'Bottled' - to support emotionally honest conversations with young people around their mental health, emotions and well being. In this episode, we discuss what emotionally honest spaces are, why it is so important to openly discuss our emotions and how we can begin to have these important conversations with each other. We also discuss the impacts of the growth of social media and technology, both good and bad, as well as the impacts that the COVID pandemic has had on our emotional well-being. This episode provides clear solutions for how we can support young childrenβs mental health, painting a really positive image of the way that things will move in the future. I definitely recommend grabbing a copy of Bottled for yourself and any children you know - you can grab a copy here!
Connect with Tom & Jo
π· Tom's Instagram
π· Jo's Instagram
π¦ Tom's Twitter
π¦ Jo's Twitter
π» Website
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Sean Conway is an adventurer and endurance athlete, whose achievements include cycling around the world, setting a world record for the longest ever triathlon, becoming the first person to swim the length of Britain and coming 2nd in the infamous Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling Competition! In this episode, we discuss how and why people choose to challenge themselves, how Sean got involved in endurance adventures in the first place and how to handle the difficult moments and the βhiccupsβ in our lives. You can find Sean's books and documentaries here to explore his work further!
Connect with Sean
π· Instagram
π¦ Twitter
π» Website
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)
Here's a little sneak peak at what to expect from Always Meet Your Heroes. Make sure to check back every Monday to hear the newest episodes as soon as they drop!
Connect with Sam
π· Instagram
π¦ Podcast Twitter
π¦ Personal Twitter
π» Website
Leave A ReviewIf you have enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do to support the show is leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Even a simple review helps more people to find our content and learn something new! You can also share this episode directly with friends and family if you found it useful. Thank you for your incredible support!
LinksIf you are interested in creating your own podcast, you can use Buzzsprout (use this link to receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your 2nd month) to host your podcast and Riverside (use this link to sign up and you will help support this show!) to help you remotely record interviews professionally. You can also sign up for Podmatch here if you are a host looking for guests or a potential guest looking for the right podcast to appear on!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/alwaysmeetyourheroes)