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At 19, Michael was living with psychosis - hearing voices, seeing things other people couldn’t, and trying to hold himself together while training as a nurse.

In this episode, he takes us right into the moment it all collided: on a hospital ward, caring for someone who couldn’t move or speak, while the voices in his head were telling him to end his life. It was the night he lost nursing and, for a while, lost himself too.

Michael speaks honestly about what came next: the secrecy, the stigma, the friendships that disappeared, and the deep depression that followed. He also talks about identity, including what it meant to come out as a gay man in Ireland, at a time when shame and silence were already crushing him.

But this is also a recovery story - and peer support sits right at the heart of it.

Michael explains what personal recovery really means when symptoms don’t just disappear. The daily work. The coping tools. The planning. The small choices that keep you one step ahead. And he shares how peer support works in practice - not as “telling your story”, but finding the overlap between two lives and building trust from there.

We also get into lived experience as knowledge - why peer work can’t be supervised using a clinical model, and why the heart of peer support is equality, relationship, and real-world connection.

Most of all, Michael leaves you with one clear message:

Just because you live with psychosis, your life is not over.

Listen if you’re interested in: psychosis, voice-hearing, stigma, identity, personal recovery, WRAP, and what peer support looks like when it’s done properly.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

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In this deeply honest episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, Cate is joined by Louise Nix, who reflects on the first moments of peer connection, how they helped her begin to heal, and how they led her into peer support roles.

Louise shares her story of growing up with domestic abuse, to surviving an abusive relationship, to reaching a point of despair where life felt unbearable. She describes how finding faith was a turning point for her, helping to restore a sense of worth and hope at a time when she felt lost.

Years later, after the traumatic birth of her first child, Louise experienced postnatal psychosis, a frightening loss of reality followed by compulsory hospitalisation. Upon leaving hospital, there was little space to process what had happened.

This is where peer support enters the story. Louise reflects on the first moments of peer connection, felt in the quiet power of another mother offering a cup of tea, listening without judgement, and saying you’re doing okay. That human connection became the foundation for healing.

As a peer support worker, Louise now sits in the space between patients and professionals — breaking down the “them and us” divide, challenging stigma, and showing that recovery is possible, even after profound crisis.

This conversation explores why peer based approaches within mental health services matter so deeply, especially for people who have been traumatised within these services. Louise speaks about peer support as hope in action: “I was where you are, and now I’m here.”

You’ll hear about:

• Surviving postnatal psychosis and inpatient trauma
• The lasting impact of restraint and loss of dignity
• Why silence and stigma delay recovery
• Finding healing through informal and formal peer support
• Becoming a peer support worker after lived experience
• Peer support as hope, not fixing
• Challenging the “them and us” culture in mental health
• A message of reassurance for anyone who feels afraid or ashamed

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes & resources:

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

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Dr Justin S. Bell is a community psychologist based in the US whose work sits in the intersection between lived experience, research, and system design. Justin studies how those in lived-experience roles are recruited, trained, supported, and too often, undervalued.

In this conversation, Justin talks to Cate about what first drew him to his work and why the working conditions for lived-experience professionals matter just as much as the evidence behind their roles.

He shares what he’s learned from years of researching peer workforces: what helps them thrive, what leads to burnout, and what organisations get wrong when they try to add peer roles without changing the culture.

We explore the state of peer support in the US and Justin reflects on the structural barriers that prevent peer workers from doing the work they’re trained for. Woven through it all is Justin’s belief that recovery isn’t a service, it’s a relationship, and that lived-experience leadership is central to any system that wants to be humane, hopeful and effective.

It’s a conversation about evidence, equity, and designing systems that make recovery possible.

You’ll hear about:

• Justin’s journey into community psychology and recovery research
• The realities of peer workforces in the US and what the data shows
• Working conditions, burnout, boundaries, and sustainability
• What organisations misunderstand about peer roles
• Why evidence alone won’t change systems but culture can
• Lessons from US models that the UK and elsewhere could learn from
• How lived experience reshapes research, practice and leadership
• What gives Justin hope for the future of peer support

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes & resources:

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

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In this episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, Cate is joined by Hansa Raja, founder of Holding Space - a peer-led mental health support service created by and for parents.

Hansa’s journey into peer support began when her child experienced serious mental health challenges, at a time when she was also navigating divorce, exhaustion, and fear. Like many Parent Carers, Hansa felt blamed rather than listened to - referred to parenting courses instead of offered understanding and support.

What changed everything wasn’t a diagnosis or a referral. It was peer support.

In this conversation, Hansa explains how searching for one other parent who understood led her to create a small online space grounded in lived experience. That space grew into Holding Space, a Parent Carer peer support service offering connection, validation, and practical support to carers who often felt left to cope alone.

We explore why peer support for carers works where traditional services can fall short: because it’s relational, non-judgemental, and rooted in shared experience. Hansa talks about the power of being listened to, the importance of early intervention, and why carers’ voices must be taken seriously if we want better mental health outcomes for children and families.

The conversation also looks at the wider system; how parents can sometimes feel pushed to the margins of mental health services, why lived experience can still undervalued, and how peer-led mental health support can sit alongside clinical care rather than often being treated as an afterthought.

At its heart, this is an episode about lived experience mental health and why peer support isn’t “extra”, but essential.

You’ll hear about:

• Hansa’s lived experience as a parent and carer
• Feeling unheard and unsupported by services
• Why peer support mental health approaches work for carers
• How Holding Space grew from one connection into a community
• Early intervention and preventing crisis through peer support
• The emotional toll of caring and why carers need support too
• How peer support can empower parents

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes & resources:

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

Send us a text

Alex was first hospitalised at 16 - and spent much of the next eight years in and out of the same psychiatric unit. By the time she was discharged at 24, she was labelled “clinically recovered” but inside, she felt empty, hopeless, and lost.

In this conversation, Alex talks honestly to Cate about the harm she experienced in mental health services, the limits of being treated through diagnosis alone, and what was missing when she needed it most: connection, safety, and people who truly understood.

The turning point didn’t come from another intervention. It came when Alex stepped away from services altogether — and began recovering with the support of family, friends, and, crucially, peer support. People who didn’t try to fix them. People who listened. People who believed them.

We explore how peer support became the foundation of Alex’s recovery and later, her work. From frontline peer roles to leading peer support services, Alex reflects on what it means to carry lived experience into leadership, the risks of burnout, and the importance of being supported as a peer, not just useful to others.

Alex also speaks about parenthood, relapse, and reporting abuse years later - and how peer connection helped them navigate those moments with compassion rather than self-blame.

At its heart, this is a conversation about recovery beyond services — and why peer support isn’t an “add-on”, but the thing that makes healing possible.

You’ll hear about:

• Growing up in psychiatric care - and the harm Alex experienced
• Being “clinically recovered” but emotionally abandoned
• Why leaving services opened the door to real recovery
• What makes peer support different - and why it works
• Using lived experience in peer and leadership roles
• The challenges of peer leadership and protecting your own wellbeing
• Moving from anger to compassion
• A message of hope for anyone who feels beyond help

***CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains references to sexual abuse/assault, which some listeners may find distressing. Please take care of yourself, and feel free to skip this episode if it's not the right time for you.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

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What happens when a car accident stops life in its tracks — leaving you facing pain, uncertainty, and a future you never imagined?

In this powerful episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, Cate speaks with José Argudo — husband, new dad, volunteer, and trauma survivor. Just two weeks into a new job, having recently moved house and with a baby on the way, José’s life changed overnight when he was rear-ended by a van on the motorway. The crash left him not only with a broken back, but with ongoing back and knee injuries, daily pain, and the emotional toll of adjusting to a new reality.

While José didn’t formally access peer support at the time, he came to realise just how vital it could have been — and how much difference it makes to connect with someone who understands. That realisation led him to volunteer with Day One Trauma Support, turning his experience into hope for others.

We discuss:

~What it’s like when sudden trauma collides with everyday life — work, home, and family~Recovery, surviving, and the challenge of learning to live again~Guilt, resilience, and fatherhood in the middle of recovery~Why it can sometimes feel easier to open up to a stranger~The “dual purpose” of peer support — giving something back, and receiving in return~How sharing your story can help you heal, and inspire others along the way

Whether you’re at the start of your recovery, supporting a loved one, or working in health and trauma services — José’s story is a moving reminder of why peer support matters, and how hope can grow even in the hardest of times.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes & resources:

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

Day Once Trauma Support: https://dayonetrauma.org/

Catastrophic injury, resilience, and the role of Day One Trauma in helping survivors rebuild their lives.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

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Debbie brings a rare mix of lived experience, professional insight, and deep empathy to the world of suicide prevention. She became a carer at a time when support was scarce, patchy, and hard to navigate — and those early years shaped her determination to make sure other families aren’t left alone in the dark.

In this conversation, Debbie talks about the emotional reality of caring for someone at risk of suicide: the fear, the responsibility, and the instinct to hold everything together without breaking. She shares how peer support connected her with other carers who “just get it,” and why the Stronger Together project has become such an anchor for people living through the same pressures.

We explore what services often miss — from communication gaps to carers being excluded from decisions — and what needs to change to involve families safely, respectfully, and early. Debbie also reflects on her Churchill Fellowship research, the international models that inspired her, and how much the UK could learn from approaches that genuinely value carers as partners.

And for anyone listening who feels isolated, scared or overwhelmed, Debbie offers a grounded, compassionate message: you are not alone, you are not failing, and support is out there.

It’s a conversation about courage, connection, and the power of carers supporting carers.

You’ll hear about:

• Debbie’s journey into caring — and how it reshaped her life

• Why carers’ experiences are vital in suicide prevention

• What Stronger Together offers and why peer spaces matter

• The pressure carers carry, and the relief of talking to someone who understands

• The biggest gaps in how services involve families

• Lessons from Debbie’s international Churchill Fellowship

• Practical advice for carers feeling overwhelmed

• What gives her hope — and keeps her going

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes & resources:

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

Send us a text

Fiona Lobban has spent her life at the intersection of mental health, research, and lived experience. Growing up in the North East, she applied to Oxford “almost on a whim” — and walked straight into a culture shock that left her struggling, isolated, and without support. Her own mental health collapsed during her degree, and she later spent a year working in a drug rehabilitation clinic in Liverpool, witnessing the realities of distress up close.

Fiona eventually returned to Oxford, completed her PhD, and trained as a clinical psychologist — but she carried her lived experience in silence, convinced it would count against her. In this conversation, she talks about the cost of that silence, and how it ultimately shaped her work: clinically, academically, and as a researcher committed to co-designing support with the people who use it.

We explore her work on peer support, from analysing online forums through the iPOF study to co-creating the Library of Lived Experience — a striking project that captures people’s stories in ways traditional research often can’t. Fiona reflects on the conditions that make peer spaces safe and transformative, the misconceptions that still exist, and why services underestimate just how powerful peer-to-peer connection can be.

You’ll also hear her take on what really needs to change in services, how families and peers are too often left out, and what it takes to get policymakers to genuinely listen. And for students or young people who might be where she once was — isolated and unsure where to turn — Fiona offers grounded, compassionate advice.

It’s a conversation about voice, courage, and building systems that finally recognise lived experience as expertise.

You’ll hear about:

• Navigating student mental health in an era with little support

• Why lived experience was something Fiona hid — and later embraced

• What co-designed psychosocial support looks like in practice

• The power and limits of peer support

• Creating the Library of Lived Experience

• Misconceptions, risks, and designing safe online peer spaces

• What needs to shift in policy, practice, and representation

• Why the next generation gives her hope

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes & resources:

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk