In episode 383 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Sam Maclean.

Sam is a firefighter by day but also the Founder and host of The Lonely Chapter Podcast (TLCP).

TLCP bills itself as “a podcast for people doing okay on the surface, but still figuring life out.”

Sam started the podcast in May 2024 because of his love for listening to podcasts but increasingly, as he was listening to them, he “wanted to be in the room and ask the next question”.

Since launching it, he has done over 110 podcasts at time of recording, and has interviewed friends of the pod George from TheTinMen and Dr Susie Bennett amongst a host of other great and inspiring guests.

In this episode we discuss how and why he launched the podcast, what he’s learned along the way, how the skills he’s learned as an interviewer has helped him in his firefighting job and vice-versa.

We also discuss how he’s been able to set up a men’s mental health support group in the Fire Service as a result of the podcast and through speaking to Susie in particular.

For Sam’s mental health journey, we discuss burnout he’s experienced whilst being a firefighter, volunteering with the charity Samaritans from January 2024-March 2025 and the skills he learned there, and the detachment skills he’s implemented in firefighting and running the podcast.

As always, #itsokaytovent

You can listen and subscribe to The Lonely Chapter Podcast, as well as where follow them on social media here.

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In episode 382 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Ian Goodship.

Ian is the CEO of an organisation called Man Time.

Based in Stone in Staffordshire, Man Time provides a weekly safe space for men to talk, connect and support each other.

The organisation was founded in 2022, and Ian was initially a service user, before taking over the organisation in 2023/24.

In this episode we first discuss Ian’s mental health journey, and his 30 year career in the Ambulance Service as a Paramedic.

Throughout that career, he witnessed many serious and traumatic incidents. Around 25 years ago, he had to deal with one fatality in particular. He thought nothing of it but around 10-12 years ago he began struggling significantly with his physical health and mental health.

His colleagues began to worry about him and he was recommended to contact the Staff Liaison Service and the Ambulance Service Charity for additional support.

He received some Talking Therapy off the back of it but it didn’t work for Ian.

He was then diagnosed with Complex-PTSD, or PTSI as we prefer to call it and accessed something called Rewind Therapy, which was hugely beneficial for him and his recovery journey.

From there, he took more positive steps with his recovery, joined Man Time and the rest is history.

For Man Time, we talk about its purpose, the role it plays in the men’s mental health space in Stone and their collaboration with friends of the pod Headspace FC.

As always, #itsokaytovent

TRIGGER WARNING: this podcast contains deep, detailed and at times graphic descriptions of fatalities and incidents a paramedic would encounter. This includes car accidents and suicides. Whilst we have taken care to remove details of some incidents, in order for you to understand the reality of the profession, we have kept some details in we wouldn’t normally do. Some listeners may find these details distressing or upsetting, so please listen with caution.

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In episode 381 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Jide Ehizele.

Jide is a writer and the Founder of the SubStack South East London Psalms, where he writes about class, race, politics and faith.

Jide first came on in JCIP #252 in August 2024.

In Part 1 we discussed a range of topics, including growing up in South London in the mid-2000s, navigating gang culture in his school and local area, his Christian faith, race and even a nostalgic chat about gaming sites like Miniclip.

Since we last checked in, Jide has been commissioned to write articles on a range of outlets, including The New Statesman, The Spectator, Plough and UnHerd.

In Part 2, we discuss a range of new topics, including a term Jide has coined to describe a phenomenon happening within Gen-Z called ‘Urban Nihilism’, why he believes we are now living in an ‘Entertainment Society’ and an article he wrote on his SubStack called ‘The God of Efficiency’.

In Jide’s continued mental health journey, we discuss how and why he’s been kinder to himself in the last two years, his struggles with Seasonal Affective Disorder, (we prefer to use 'Sadness' instead of Disorder) how he’s learned to manage it better, and how his faith has helped him with it too.

As always, #itsokaytovent

You can read all of the articles we discussed in full below:

• Urban Nihilism and the Search for Hope
• Urban Nihilism and the Spectacle of Disorder
• The Entertainment Society
• The God of Efficiency
• Which London Are We Talking About?

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