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  • JCIP #321 - Meg Skinner

    JCIP #321 - Meg Skinner
    Jan 9 2026
    In episode 321 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Meg Skinner. Meg is a communications professional and currently works as Deputy Director of Communications at Barts Health NHS Trust, where our Founder Freddie worked in her team from December 2020 to August 2022. Barts manages five East London hospitals, including The Royal London, St Bartholomew’s, Newham University Hospital, Mile End Hospital and Whipps Cross Hospital. When it comes to Meg’s career, she started with a university degree in Psychology, and always had a desire to work with people in some way, shape or form. After meeting someone who worked in marketing, it piqued her interest and she then completed a Masters degree in marketing and communication. From there she embarked on her communications career. In this episode we chart that career, which includes working in a carer’s organisation, her NHS career, a period travelling, joining Barts Health and her drive and ambition which has got her to this point. We then discuss the Covid-19 pandemic and her experience of it, and we give you an insight into the things she saw, and how it changed her forever. Across Meg’s career and her personal life, we also discuss her use of coaches to support her career and shape that journey, which includes confidence issues she has always had to some degree. We finish by discussing how important her family, friends and colleagues have been in supporting her mental health. As always, #itsokaytovent You can connect with Meg on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganskinner/ You can also follow Barts Health NHS Trust on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhsbartshealth/ Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk
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    1 Std. und 5 Min.
  • JCIP #320 - Jordain Dawkins

    JCIP #320 - Jordain Dawkins
    Jan 7 2026
    In episode 320 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Jordain Dawkins. JD, as he is known to his friends, is the co-founder and co-host of the ‘You Good Bro?’ Podcast, which he started with his childhood friend and journalist, Jahmal. Their podcast is relatively young, with their first episode published in October 2024, but they have already covered a range of issues including mental health, relationships, racism, young people and current events. In this episode we discuss the genesis of the YGB podcast, JD and Jam’s friendship and relationship as it’s evolved through the podcast, the issues they cover and their plans for it going forward. For JD’s mental health journey, it centres around his diagnosis of dyspraxia, which he was diagnosed with at 13 years old. According to the NHS website, dyspraxia is also known as developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), and affects movement and co-ordination. JD struggled with the traits of dyspraxia throughout his childhood and adolescence and was in denial about it for a long time. He desperately wanted to be ‘normal’ and fit in, and adopted a class clown persona to mask his own insecurities. We talk about this journey of self-awareness, denial, acceptance and ownership of his dyspraxia, how he wants to inspire others with the condition and provide a blueprint to follow. We also discuss why conditions like this are descriptors, and his views on labels across the wider conversation for similar and different neurological conditions. As always, #itsokaytovent You can listen to You Good Bro? on streaming platforms here: https://www.yougoodbro.co.uk/ You can follow YGB on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yougoodbropodcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yougoodbropodcast Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk
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    1 Std. und 9 Min.
  • JCIP #319 - Caroline Roodhouse

    JCIP #319 - Caroline Roodhouse
    Jan 4 2026
    In episode 319 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Caroline Roodhouse. Caroline is an Internal Communications professional, mother, mental health advocate and Founder of Daddy Blackbird Communications. Caroline was brought into the world of mental health advocacy when her husband Steve and the father of her two children, tragically took his own life on Monday 12 November 2018. Steve had no history of prior mental illness and the suicide and the violent method of it turned Caroline and her children’s world upside down. Broken by grief, Caroline started the journey of putting her life back together, navigate her journey of suicide loss and become a single mother to her two daughters. She also began her education on suicide and suicidality, which culminated in the publication of her incredible book ‘Daddy Blackbird: The True Story of A Family Surviving and Thriving After Loss by Suicide’ in 2024. In this episode we talk about the story of how she and Steve met, how they fell in love, and starting a family together. We talk about the man Steve was, the factors which may have led to his suicide and the day he took his own life. We explore how this suicide grief affected her mental health, all of the emotions she felt towards Steve, including some natural but stigmatised ones and how she moved forward following his death. With her two children, Caroline talks about the ‘strength of a triangle’ in representing their family unit now. We then discuss how she took this grief and channelled it into starting Daddy Blackbird Communications, writing the book and the advocacy work she does now. We finish by discussing the work she is doing to remove outdated language like ‘committed suicide’ from the Oxford Dictionary and her work with the charity Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS). As always, #itsokaytovent You can purchase a copy of Daddy Blackbird here: https://shorturl.at/jC0y7 You can follow Caroline on social media below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-roodhouse-mcipr-a5948622/ Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk
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    1 Std. und 9 Min.
  • Behind The Decks - DJ Flame Jade

    Behind The Decks - DJ Flame Jade
    Dec 29 2025
    In this episode of Behind The Decks we checked in with Drum & Bass DJ and producer, DJ Flame Jade. Flame got into D&B when she was going to squat parties underage because she was too young to go to club nights and raves. From there, she began to listen to artists in the scene like Optical, Brocky, Mampi Swift, DJ Hype, Hive, Cause for Concern and Dillinger. In Flame’s music journey, we chart this journey through D&B, DJing, producing and getting her career to where it is now. For industry issues, we also discuss dark elements of the industry which persists to this day. This includes female DJs and producers like Flame being asked for sexual favours in return for collaborations from male DJs which continues to this day, even post-#MeToo. We also talk about the challenges she’s had from her female peers, for example some female DJs have deliberately broken her headphones before she’s due to start her set. We finish by discussing the general flakiness of the industry which is a story across the board and the broken promises and let downs which permeate it and why. For Flame’s mental health journey, she experienced a lot of childhood trauma which has shaped her mental health from childhood, through to adolescence and adulthood. Her mum was domestically abused multiple times by Flame’s dad and other male partners after she separated from him. Flame and her sister witnessed this abuse, which was extremely violent. Flame’s mum became addicted to alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with the abuse, which was projected onto Flame, and she ran away from home at just 10 years old and many times afterwards to escape that home environment. Her father died when she was 13 years old, and her mum died when she was 20 years old, and we explore the grief she felt from both their deaths and how she navigated life beyond that point. Flame is diagnosed with multiple diagnoses, including ADHD, CPTSD and Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, which is another name for borderline personality disorder. We finish by her journey to becoming a qualified Reiki yoga practitioner, and her use of something she calls ‘sound healing’, which combines music and yoga together. As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about Flame or book her for your event here: https://djflamejade.com/ You can listen to and purchase Flame's music here: https://djflamej.bandcamp.com/track/shots You can follow her on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djflame.j/ Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk
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    49 Min.
  • JCIP #318 - Eric Frydman - Part 2

    JCIP #318 - Eric Frydman - Part 2
    Dec 27 2025
    In episode 318 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Canadian lawyer Eric Frydman. We first checked in with Eric in January 2024 in JCIP #222, which formed part of two episodes we did covering the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Eric providing the perspective from a Jewish perspective. Since that date, Eric founded the Canadian Jewish Lawyers Association in the summer of 2024, which has grown to over 1,000 members in that time. Through that role, he has also run several public events and created a cultural exchange programme with Ethiopian Israeli young people. For Eric’s continued mental health journey, it centres on the death of his father, who died on New Years Eve in 2024. His father had been diagnosed with cancer several years ago, but he was also diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) a year and a half ago at time of recording, which accelerated his decline. In this episode we discuss his continued professional journey, the life and death of his father and how the grief impacted his mental health, having to navigate 'death admin' and family politics at the same time, and where his mental health is now. As always, #itsokaytovent You can listen to Part 1 of Eric's journey here: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/jcip-222-eric-frydman Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk
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    45 Min.
  • JCIP #317 - Russell Payne - Part 2

    JCIP #317 - Russell Payne - Part 2
    Dec 19 2025
    In episode 317 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Russell Payne. Russ is the Founder of The Talking Tradesman (TTT) podcast and also a qualified painter and decorator. Since he started the podcast in November 2023, TTT aims to entertain, connect and raise mental health awareness for tradespeople throughout the UK. Since we first checked in, in JCIP #241, the podcast has gone from strength to strength. In November 2024, he took a huge risk and bought a plot on his local high street with the aim of refurbishing it and turning it into a brand-new studio for the podcast. In January 2025, the studio was finished and he sat down to record with his first guest in it. The podcast is now in the top 250 podcasts in the world, and has over 12,000 followers on Instagram and over 10,000 on TikTok, with brands across the trades sector approaching him for sponsorship opportunities now. In Part 1 of Russ's journey, we discussed the genesis of the podcast, the origins of his journey of self-development and mental health education, the stigma that exists in the trades sector and how Russ is tackling it. We also discussed his own mental health journey, which included his parents’ divorce, his own divorce from his first wife, fatherhood, his relationship with his father and his goal to become a therapist in the future. In Part 2, we discuss: the explosion in growth TTT has had and what’s been key to it, how he’s developed as a presenter and editor, adjusting to the role of gamekeeper on the podcast, and the weight of responsibility he now feels as the pod has grown to where it has. For Russ’s continued mental health journey, we discuss how he’s become hyper self-aware of his own mental health, how he sometimes struggles to switch off, and navigating the reality when people now come up to him and disclose their mental health history, often unprovoked. In June/July 2024, his wife also went through severe mental health difficulties after she had to close her business, and we discuss how Russ and his wife navigated it, the guilt he felt when he didn’t spot the red flags in his wife straight away, and how they both came out the back of it and moved forward. We finish by discussing the ‘Climb from Darkness’ he did with 20 men and women in May 2025 when they climbed Snowdon Mountain in Wales. They set off at midnight and summitted the mountain at sunrise, as an analogy for overcoming a mental health crisis by climbing out of the darkness. The group raised over £7,000 for the charity The Lost City, who help provide funding for therapy sessions for construction workers. As always, #itsokaytovent You can listen to The Talking Tradesman on streaming platforms below: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7kgT8QKfW4xzBG8U6XC57m YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTalkingTradesman You can follow The Talking Tradesman on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_talking_tradesman/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.talking.tradesman You can listen to Part 1 of Russ's journey here: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/jcip-241-russell-payne Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk
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    1 Std. und 9 Min.
  • JCIP #316 - Brian Kapuku - Part 2

    JCIP #316 - Brian Kapuku - Part 2
    Dec 12 2025
    In episode 316 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Brian Kapuku. Brian Kapuku is the man behind ‘Read with Kapz’, a book review social media platform he runs, which has amassed over 33,000 followers on TikTok and over 41,000 followers on Instagram in just a year and a half, when he set it up in January 2024. We first checked in with Brian all the way back in July 2020, in JCIP #44! We discussed his experience of being bullied in secondary school, racism and his journey in law up to that point. In Part 2, we discuss the incredible rise of Read with Kapz and how he’s grown the platform, his favourite books he’s reviewed, what he loves about reading and some of his favourite pieces of feedback he's had from his followers. For Brian’s continued mental health journey, we discuss how he adjusted to the new world after the Covid-19 pandemic and his engagement to his fiancé in August 2025. As always, #itsokaytovent You can follow Read with Kapz on social media below: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@readwithkapz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readwithkapz/ Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk
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    49 Min.
  • JCIP #315 - George Mycock - Part 2

    JCIP #315 - George Mycock - Part 2
    Dec 5 2025
    In episode 315 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with George Mycock. George is the Founder of MyoMinds, a platform which aims to bring awareness of a form of BDD called Muscle Dysmorphia (MD), demystify mental health for exercisers and athletes and to create an understanding future for the exercising community. He is also currently finishing his PHD at the University of Worcester, studying muscularity oriented psychosocial issues in men. We first checked in with George in JCIP #228 in February 2024, before checking in with him and another great friend of the pod, Danny Bowman in JCIP #266, in November 2024. In this Part 2, (and unofficially Part 3) we have an update about George’s PHD, including the results of a study he conducted about men with EDs and what he discovered about the ED services in the UK and what they do and don’t do for men. We also discuss the stresses and all-consuming nature of a PHD, comparison culture he’s experienced to other academics in his position, the lack of work-life balance in academia and why he doesn’t give himself enough credit for his own work and how far he’s come with it. For George’s continued mental health journey, we reflect on his journey since his pod with Danny, how he aims to move forward once his PHD has completed and that chapter of his life closes. We also discuss his struggles in social settings, how his PHD has impacted that, panic attacks he has been having, at their worst on a daily basis and how talking therapy has helped alleviate them. As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about MyoMinds here: https://linktr.ee/MyoMinds You can follow MyoMinds on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myo_minds/ You can listen to Part 1 of George's journey, and his episode with Danny Bowman below: Part 1: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/jcip-228-george-mycock Danny & George: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/jcip-266-danny-bowman-george-mycock Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk
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    1 Std. und 5 Min.