Episodit
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BUSTER BIRCH is an English jazz musician from humble beginnings. Jazz has been Buster's life from before he was born - as you will learn – and he began gigging at 16 years old. Music in the form of teaching and performance have been Buster's only profession, and sole form of income, so when Covid hit in 2020, and all music gigs were cancelled, schools closed, and all face-to-face teaching deemed impossible, Buster’s income stream went to zero in less than 24 hours. Buster’s response? Create and build an online presence fast, learn zoom as quickly as possible, and find a way to reach his audience and re-engage with his students.
In this podcast episode, Buster talks about his journey from offline to online, the opportunities it has created, and how hard work, belief, and the consistent creation and publication of quality content has been key to him finding a presence online from where he has been able to stretch and grow in ways that he could not believe were possible before 2020.
To find out more about Buster, appreciate his FREE content, join his VIP members group, BUY his books and SIGN UP to a course, please go to his WEBSITE: https://www.busterbirch.co.uk/
Or https://linktr.ee/busterbirch and find links to other events, Facebook and Instagram.
YouTube Channel: @BusterBirch
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxAlq7hjO7Zao0a_yfUECIQ
To find out more about Emma - your podcast host and author of Driving Tito: Through The Balkan Backroads with a Celebrity - go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk
Thank you as always to Mariska Martina at: https://www.mariskamartina.com for creating our lovely travelling through podcast jingle!
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"Writing and walking are good ways to live your life."
JOANNA PENN also known as J F PENN is a British author of both fiction and non-fiction. Jo runs a successful podcast called THE CREATIVE PENN, has another podcast called the BOOKS AND TRAVEL podcast - currently on hold but with loads of great episodes - and on top of all this, Jo is an international professional speaker. These collective skills earn her a six figure salary as a creative entrepreneur.
I met up with Jo in Bath for a walk alongside the Kennet & Avon Canal to Bathampton. And as we walk, we talk about writing, pilgrimage, the darker side of life, and Jo reflects on the choices she took to earn herself the freedom to travel and have a career where she would no longer be tied to the office, commuting, and the stress which comes from working in the corporate world. Although Jo's six figure author's income did not happen overnight, Jo refutes "the myth of the starving artist, that’s what some people want it to be, but that doesn’t have to be how it is ..."
Jo talks about writing for therapy and how it can help one process whatever it is that's going on in your head. She loves thrillers and the horror genres. In her words they are "actually about hope and the triumph over difficult circumstances which is what we all face at different points in our life."
Jo's most recent publications are Pilgrimage (a non-fiction memoir taking you on a personal journey across Portugal to Santiago de Compostella in Spain), and Catacomb (an action adventure horror novel set under the streets of Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh).
We hope you enjoy our podcast chat, get inspired, and reflect on how you value your creativity!
"If you value yourself then other people will value you."
To find out more about Joanna Penn, listen to her podcasts and BUY HER BOOKS in whatever format you read or listen, do visit:
Jo's websites: https://jfpenn.com/ AND https://www.thecreativepenn.com/
Instagram: @jfpennauthor
Twitter: @thecreativepenn
"We need to value creative work."
To find out more about Emma - your podcast host and author of Driving Tito: Through The Balkan Backroads with a Celebrity - go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk
Thank you as always to Mariska Martina at: https://www.mariskamartina.com for creating our lovely travelling through podcast jingle!
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Puuttuva jakso?
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This episode is a wake up call for us as humans to consider taking more responsibility for ourselves as individuals, especially when it comes to what foods we are putting in our mouths. For example, if you think fat free products are the healthy choice, you've definitely got to listen to this podcast episode.
My guest REBECCA RIVERS proves that we can reverse ill health through making the right food, exercise and lifestyle choices. She did it and reversed her Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome diagnosis. And now Rebecca shares her story with us in this episode. Through her health and beauty shop Rivers' Remedies, Rebecca is hoping to set up a series of talks and YouTube recordings in the near future to advance the awareness of what we can do to improve our health span through food, exercise and lifestyle wherever we are in the world.
In the meantime, if you are in London, do visit Rivers' Remedies in Lower Marsh, London SE1. Rebecca and her team provide one to one customer assistance with all kinds of beneficial vitamins, potions and organic products at their finger tips for you to purchase. The choices are there, and, as Rebecca says, "if you want a different outcome, you have to make different choices."
The Travelling Through Podcast series continues in 2023 with the theme...
Make new choices. Redefine who you are.
To KNOW MORE ABOUT REBECCA and RIVERS' REMEDIES go to:
Instagram: @riversremedies
Facebook: Rivers-Remedies
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07780 112226
Website: https://rivers-remedies.co.uk/
TO KNOW MORE about EMMA - your podcast host and author of DRIVING TITO: Through The Balkan Backroads with a Celebrity - go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk
THANK YOU as always to MARISKA MARTINA at: https://www.mariskamartina.com for creating our lovely travelling through podcast jingle!
THANK YOU to LAMBETH PALACE LIBRARY for (unknowingly) hosting this podcast episode. https://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/exhibitions/enslavement-voices-from-the-archives/
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This episode is about self-belief and a man who through his love of travel, and particularly walking, set off along a creative writing path away from high finance and from wearing a smart suit in the City of London.
I sat down with author STEPHEN MARRIOTT on the (almost) eve publication date of his third book Diego's Guitar, and through a candid discussion Steve reflects on how easily our choices can build habits both good and bad. He believes that by looking back at the choices we've made, reveals our character and that it's not always easy to break our habits. How about you?
Tune in to get inspired on how you too can redefine yourself and make a choice to do it your way.
Stephen R. Marriott is the author of The Reluctant Pilgrim series, a trilogy set against the backdrop of three camino routes across Spain. The story follows Diego through ten years of his life, from a directionless young man in his early twenties with a talent for playing flamenco guitar and his climb to fame followed by the challenges he faces when it all comes tumbling down.
TO KNOW MORE about STEPHEN MARRIOTT go to https://www.stephenrmarriott.com
To PRE-ORDER DIEGO'S GUITAR go direct to Amazon - where you can find all Stephen's books, ebooks, and audible books OR go to any good bookstore where you live.
Other podcast episodes I have recorded with Steve are 067, 060, 044, 032, 022.
TO KNOW MORE about EMMA - your podcast host and author of DRIVING TITO: Through The Balkan Backroads with a Celebrity - go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk
THANK YOU as always to MARISKA MARTINA at: https://www.mariskamartina.com for creating our lovely travelling through podcast jingle!
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This episode celebrates the determination of one woman to achieve her dreams through the choices presented to her at different times of her life to date. SHOBHA DAS with whom I was fortunate enough to catch up with in London last month, embraces an incredible life-changing challenge to build a house in the mountains above her Keralan homeland in India alongside her husband Chris Collinson - with whom I also recorded a podcast episode (ep. 027) over two years ago.Shobha is straightforward and unflinching in her recollection of choices she has made in life, reminding us that although some choices can be challenging ones to make, it is important to remain realistic yet not afraid of the decisions one takes.
To learn more about Shobha and her housebuilding exploits in India please tune in to her YouTube channel - if this link does not work go to my website podcast page shownotes.
You can connect with Shobha at [email protected]
To learn more about your podcast host EMMA go to my website https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/ or to Instagram for my Sicilian travels @ontheroadwithRhoswyn or @travelling_through
And as always, a big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
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SARAH WOLFERSTAN of ALIVU SICILY grows and produces extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) alongside her Sicilian husband Paulo Guarino. Their olive groves are located in the very centre and heart of Sicily on the opposite hills to Enna. From their land, and very much in the distance, you can sometimes see smoke rising from Mt Etna. I had the privilege of joining Sarah, Paulo, friends and family for this year’s harvest – something I have wanted to do since Sarah and I recorded our first podcast in February 2021 (episode 033).
“At the heart of every olive there is a wild olive.”
As we picked olives, I wired up Sarah for sound and I recorded our discussion about olive tree varieties, growing olives, the importance of olive oil, and choosing quality EVOO (ensuring its three main qualities are present). Sarah talks generally about Sicily, the necessity to farm regeneratively, and the importance of us all to consume food and olive oil conscientiously. By the end of our conversation you could be lured to this land to grow olives and live a different kind of life full-time or part-time, or at least pay Sicily a visit.
Alivu Sicily aims to help and educate people about olive oil, food, heritage, the environment, nature and sustainability through what they are doing in Sicily.
Sarah advises that generally “the best olive oil is fresh and local.”
If you want to get in touch with Sarah and Paulo you can find out more here:
Website: https://www.alivusicily.com/
Instagram: @alivusicily https://www.instagram.com/alivusicily/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alivusicily
Email: [email protected]
Some of the other organisations and people mentioned in this podcast are:
Anna Tasca Lanza Sicilian Food Culture – cook the farm in Sicily https://annatascalanza.com/Farm-Ed – olive oil talks. https://www.farm-ed.co.uk/Women In Olive Oil, UK - https://www.womeninoliveoil.org/ Citizens of Soil. https://www.citizensofsoil.com/“Olive oil is not a silver bullet but do eat as much good evoo as you can. Put it on your soups, dip your bread in it, pour it over salads and reap the health benefits.”
In the UK we consume (per head) 1 litre a year whereas in Italy it is 15 litres. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do!
To learn more about your podcast host EMMA go to my website or to Instagram for my Sicilian travels @ontheroadwithRhoswyn or @travelling_through https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
And as always, a big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
p.s. this is the third and final recording from my recent travels in Sicily
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DANNY McCUBBIN is the founder of The Good Kitchen an inspiring social enterprise project in Mussomelli, Sicily. Danny has a background in digital consultancy, he is a speaker, and a food campaigner. He worked for the chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver for 17 years while also spending much time for “promoting food-focused social enterprises and helping diverse businesses create social value, with the belief that food has the power to transform lives.”
Away from the busy world of London, here I am podcasting with Danny in his new home, Sicily. We are sitting in a small hilltop town in the centre of Sicily talking about food, community, and purpose and Danny has plenty to say on all these subjects. This podcast episode will inspire anyone searching for their own purpose or indeed interested in visiting Sicily to taste its food, meet its people, and absorb the very special and unique layers of culture and history that all contribute to making this a fascinating land.
This is the second of three podcast episodes recorded while travelling in Sicily. Enjoy!
To learn more about DANNY go to https://www.goodforgood.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannyforgood/?hl=en @dannyforgood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danny.mccubbin
Learn more about your podcast host EMMA go to my website or to Instagram for my Sicilian travels @ontheroadwithRhoswyn or @travelling_through https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
And as always, a big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
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GABRIELLA BECCHINA is an educator, a Sicilian tourism expert, a forager, a chef and an all round encyclopaedia of knowledge relating to the history, culture and food of Sicily. She studied art history in Basel, and worked in New York but her formative years were in Switzerland with school holidays in Sicily visiting family. It was only when her Sicilian father retired to his Sicilian roots in Castelvetrano - establishing an olive grove and trailblazing the way to producing a more sophisticated and polyphenol rich extra virgin olive oil production – that Gabriella decided to come and join him and get involved. She founded a food and tourism venture, which blossomed and has now morphed into Gabriella’s Key To Sicily in which she takes her guests back to the heart of healthy eating, pairing foods, cooking, and foraging amongst other activities. It was with huge delight that I had the opportunity to meet and podcast with Gabriella over two days. This is an inspiring introduction in to a Sicily that many will not normally see, so get those headphones on and tune in!
To learn more about/connect with Gabriella go to links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keytosicily/
Instagram: @gabriellasicily https://www.instagram.com/gabriellasicily/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabriellasicily/with_replies
Email: [email protected]
We were visiting the beautiful Azienda Agricola Carbona for the olive harvest (the land of which was once managed by Gabriella’s grandfather in the 1950s. It is now owned by the wonderful Vito Di Benedetto. A big thank you to him for hosting one part of the podcast chat. To find out more go to https://www.agriturismocarbona.it/
Learn more about your podcast host EMMA go to my website or to Instagram for my Sicilian travels @ontheroadwithRhoswyn or @travelling_through https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
And as always, a big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
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LUKE RICHARDSON is a thriller writer, DJ, and podcaster. He studied journalism at Nottingham University but DJ-ing became his central profession for a while before he changed direction into English teaching within a secondary school and the longer holidays allowed Luke to indulge his passion for travel from which came the inspiration to write.
Luke writes thriller novels and has just launched a much awaited new series entitled The Ark Files – an archaeological thriller trilogy. His books are all based in exciting places around the world to inspire the reader while enjoying some armchair escapism.
Luke has a podcast The Travel Now Podcast and continues to DJ to a lesser extent than before but with just as much enthusiasm.
"The reader completes the process of writing.
You don’t often see the other side.
I am in control of writing the best I can.
It’s an intimate thing sharing 6-7hours with someone through one’s writing. Readers are investing their time in reading something you’ve created, and that’s a real privilege, and an honour, and it’s something I don’t take lightly at all. It’s important that the stories are complete and as good as they can be."
Learn more about Luke Richardson by going to his author page on AMAZON (type in Luke Richardson)
OR go to https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mystery-Luke-Richardson-Crime-Thrillers/s?rh=n%3A270408%2Cp_lbr_books_authors_browse-bin%3ALuke+Richardson
OR BUY his latest books by clicking here:
Luke's website is: https://www.lukerichardsonauthor.com/
Luke’s Instagram address: https://www.instagram.com/lukerichaa/
Luke’s podcast The Travel Now Podcast is on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0U8MgHTK3M8HamD9AVvOyc
Learn more about your podcast host EMMA here: https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
And as always, a big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
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While on the Isle of Skye recently with my partner Stephen Marriott enjoying a bit of van-life freedom, we happened upon the inaugural Hebridean Whisky Trail Festival. Never known to say no to a dram now and again, I was fortunate enough to take part in a whisky tasting from the distilleries involved, and to have a chat with NEIL MATHIESON – CEO of the Isle of Skye’s youngest distillery, Torabhaig.
I also cajoled Steve to take ten minutes out of his time to reflect on our trip to the Isle of Raasay and its equally young distillery plus his overall impressions and thoughts on our trip to Scotland.
Get those headphones on and raise a dram to the Hebridean Whisky Trail. Perhaps you’ll join it next year! In the meantime checkout the links attached...
Learn more about the Hebridean distilleries here: https://hebrideanwhisky.com/
Learn more about Neil Mathieson here: https://mossburndistillers.com/
Learn more about Stephen Marriott here: https://www.stephenrmarriott.com/
Learn more about your podcast host EMMA here: https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
And as always, a big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
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SIMON CALDER is a travel broadcaster, journalist and podcaster in the UK. He writes and podcasts regularly for The Independent.
I do quite a lot of coverage of travel turmoil.
Simon reports from travel strewn locations which has made him a recognisable figure on UK television and as he and I podcast walked and talked our way through central London on the last Saturday in July during a national rail strike, it became very clear that people love to say hello to him, and enjoy his down to earth style and willingness to chat.
I think we might be in for a transportational recession which is very dispiriting.
During this episode, we talked with people, heard their stories, in amongst me hearing his own thoughts on hitch hiking, UK cities, beach cities, his first day trip to “exotic” Dieppe, why Italy means so much to him, the importance of tourism, why going to Maastricht might now be on his agenda for December, the closest he’s got to riding in a Bentley and what he believes are the three key things we can all do to help our flying carbon footprint when we travel a lot.
I fly a lot, so every time I fly, I must hitchhike at least once.
Some would say that’s a lame excuse for an offset.
If you have to fly,
Obviously only travel in economy class,
Only carry cabin baggage,
And fly direct
Except when travelling a long way when you would increase the damage.
To find out more about SIMON go to: https://www.simoncalder.co.uk/
On Twitter: @SimonCalder
On Instagram: @simon_calder
On TikTok: @caldertravel
On You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CalderTravel
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Simon.Calder.58
In Print/Online: The Independent; The Evening Standard
On the Radio: National & Regional BBC Radio; LBC; Talk; Times; World Service
On Screen: BBC Breakfast; Good Morning Britain; Sky News; ITV News; Channel 5; BBC News; CNN
You Should Have Been There (a podcast show with Simon and Mick Webb): https://anchor.fm/youshouldhavebeenthere
A huge thank you to Paul for sharing his story and travel wisdom with us when our paths spontaneously crossed during our podcast walk and talk.
To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
And as always, a big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
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STEVEN MOORE is a writer of action thriller books. He is proudly self-published and has written 25 books. Since this podcast episode was recorded, Steve has just launched another book in his compelling Hiram Kane action thriller series entitled The Oak Island Enigma to find out more and buy your copy, click on the links below.
During our walk and talk around Waterloo and the South Bank area of London, Steve talks about self-publishing and why this is his preferred method of reaching his audience of readers. We talk about the Self Publishing Formula format and forthcoming LIVE show and how Steve’s natural skills have led him in to creating an editing business and how this helps to support his life as a writer.
Steve is well travelled spending large swathes of time in Asia and South America. He currently lives between America and Norfolk while his American wife of seven years struggles to secure a visa to live with her husband in the UK.
Steve also talks a little about his commitment to Mental Health Awareness Week and why after many years suffering from severe social anxiety, he sought help to identify his condition and learn to consciously cope with his symptoms in a more positive and productive way as well as reaching out to others who are suffering.
To connect with STEVEN MOORE go to: https://www.stevenmooreauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HiramKane
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenmooreauthor/
Email Steve: [email protected]
To find out about the Self Publishing Formula go to: https://selfpublishingformula.com/
To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
Our podcast chat began and ended at https://www.thekingsarmslondon.co.uk/
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In this, Part 2 of my chat with Richard Lapper, we walk from Wapping to Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park and back to Wapping via King Edward VII Park, the Regents Canal, Mile End Park and Limehouse Basin talking about history, politics, London, and Brazil.
Tune in to be inspired by London’s east side, understanding more about Brazil, and how farming, religion and security can play such an important part in the making and breaking of a country. And why the Amazon has become so threatened by a policy that changed the region forever:
People without land for a land without people.
Richard talks about the influence of British journalist Norman Lewis raising awareness of the indigenous communities in the Amazon and how their way of life was being threatened brought about the rise of Survival International; and through reporting for insurance companies the change of weather patterns brought about the world’s first environmentalist movements.
Richard talks about why Brazil goes off the rails, the impact of the discovery of oil in Brazil in 2006, the car wash scandal and the rise of the two biggest gangs in Brazil, the First Command of the Capital in Sao Paulo and The Red Command in Rio de Janeiro.
“Organised crime is becoming more and more powerful in Brazil, as the State becomes weaker, and policing becomes less effective.”
Like episode 63, this episode is dedicated to (Dominic) Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira who were murdered in the Amazon in June 2022 while using their skills as journalist and advocate for indigenous people respectively, to defend the Amazon against further destruction and to protect the indigenous people who live there.
This podcast chat has been recorded in two episodes. This is Part 2. Part 1 can be heard in the previous podcast episode - 63.
To find out more about Richard Lapper go to:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/onlatinamerica
Email: [email protected]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-people/richard-lapper
Instagram: @richard_lapper
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVfaQIUcXmU
To BUY Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beef-bible-bullets-Brazil-Bolsonaro/dp/152614901X
OR https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526149015/
To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
And, a big thanks as always, to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
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RICHARD LAPPER is an independent journalist and consultant. Originally from Sheffield, Richard is the author of Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro. Originally published in 2021, the paperback is now available and comes at a time when the spotlight is on Brazil with respect to the alarming depletion and destruction of the Amazon and why it is happening at such an uncontrolled pace.
Richard spent many years living and working in Central and South America, particularly Brazil. He now lives in Wapping and I caught up with him to walk and talk about writing during the lockdown, Brazil, the Amazon, and the horrific murders of his good friend and journalist Dominic (Dom) Phillips, and advocate for the indigenous people Bruno Pereira. Both men were raising awareness of the need to protect the Amazon forest and its indigenous people from lawlessness and a relentless onslaught of destruction, to ensure the survival of these important interlocking eco systems for the future.
Podcast episodes 63 and 64 are dedicted to DOM PHILLIPS and BRUNO PEREIRA for their commitment, bravery and beliefs in adversity.
This is Part 1 of 2 podcast episodes with Richard Lapper.
To find learn more about RICHARD LAPPER go to:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/onlatinamerica
https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-people/richard-lapper
Instagram: @richard_lapper
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVfaQIUcXmU
To BUY Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beef-bible-bullets-Brazil-Bolsonaro/dp/152614901X
OR https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526149015/
To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
And finally, a huge thank you to Fatima for preparing a delicious impromptu Brazilian influenced light lunch for us.
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SARAH PENNER is the author of The Lost Apothecary, which, on its release in the USA in 2021, immediately flew to the heady heights of the New York Times Top Ten Best Seller List. Published by Park Row Books/HarperCollins in the US and by Legend Press in the UK, the book is now in paperback and her readers are eagerly awaiting Sarah’s second book due to be released in April 2023 entitled The London Séance Society.
As Sarah and I walk and talk through the streets of London, Sarah reveals why London is the setting behind her book, her love of London, and particularly her curiosity in history, the past and the many untold stories that she feels are just waiting to be re-imagined into historical fiction.
Sarah’s fascination with women’s roles in the past and present, potions and poisons, intrigue and empowerment are influential themes that drove Sarah to give up her 13 years in the American finance world and become a full-time writer.
“I love to work…
When I’m tired I rest.
I take my mental health really seriously.”
“Maintaining a sense of belief in your own creative work...(is so important)...we’re the most critical (of it)... Is this good enough? Will it ruin my name? Will my editor like it?"
"Believe in your own work.”
To find out more about Sarah Penner go to https://www.sarahpenner.com/
Instagram: @sarah_penner_author
Twitter: @sl_penner
Facebook: @Sarah Penner Author
To find out more about Legend Press go to https://www.legendpress.co.uk/
To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
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Stuart Duncan Bastow was born in Newfoundland, Canada. Along with his jazz collective, The Johnny Favourite Swing Orchestra, he initially rose to fame in Halifax. Throughout the 1990s they played to audiences across Canada, America and Europe, front-lining bands such as Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and many more.
Johnny, as he became known, recorded two albums with his Swing Orchestra and two solo albums. These can all be found online and are in order of recordings
The Life Desire; Holiday Romance; Tonight; and Troubadour.
Alcohol and drinking played a significant part in Johnny’s life as he toured year in year out performing 320 shows a year. He reflects that when you “add in alcohol, things are going to be a blur.”
Johnny spent time in Portugal in the early 2000s from where he joined numerous cruise liner tours as a singer, and then one day he found San Miguel de Allende, stayed, and set up his own bar from where live music would flow every evening into the early hours of the morning. Seven years on, Johnny’s body and mind called time on this lifestyle. He quit drinking and closed the bar, and on reflection he believes that,
“The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it’s connectivity.
And I feel more connected with everything.”
Johnny is Canadian but at root an Irish, Scottish, Norwegian. He doesn’t feel the heat and wearing a kilt seems second nature to him. “Basically I’m a very white guy. I live in Mexico, but I dress like its Canadian September.”
Johnny was inspired from an early age by the music of Frank Sinatra, Donald O’Connor and Duke Ellington. David Bowie came later as did many more. Johnny considered himself a bit of a purist for a long time but now he sings what he likes from jazz to rock and roll and everything else in between. Having lived in San Miguel de Allende for over a decade, he is seeing many changes happening, one of which is the rising numbers of vehicles into the town. He is in the early stages of a pilot project to persuade the Mayor to introduce tuk-tuks into the streets and reduce the number of polluting SUVs and taxis which are grid-locking the narrow cobbled lanes. He admits that San Miguel is a bubble and if you don’t plan to stay, he advises you should visit with an exit strategy in place or you will get charmed into staying.
“San Miguel is the only place as an adult, where you can make friends as you made friends as a kid; my friends here are like family.”
To find out more about Johnny Favourite go to: Facebook: Johnny Favourite and/or Johnny Favourite Musician/Band Page
Tuk-tuk pilot project for San Miguel de Allende: http://catarinatuktuks.com/
Thanks to Café Lula, Jesus 27, San Miguel de Allende for hosting us for the podcast recording. Find them on Facebook for food, drinks and music including Johnny Favourite's next gig.
To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
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San Miguel de Allende in Central Mexico is one of the most popular towns to where Mexicans, Americans, Canadians and many others are drawn to eat, live, marry, paint, hear good music and generally seek out a good life. The climate is agreeable most of the time and likewise the people. This is a town which attracts expats but not in such large numbers that they outweigh the Mexican population. The surrounding areas produce good wines, and are agriculturally rich, and although San Miguel de Allende considers tourism to be its main source of income it is done elegantly and with panache. Everyone seems proud of their town and every evening the main square, El Jardin, throngs with families and visitors enjoying the music, the food and bonhomie.
On a whim, I began recording my walkabouts with my partner Stephen Marriott, in the hope of conveying to you some of the sights, sounds and tastes of this magical town in the middle of Mexico. Enjoy your armchair trip to this fascinating and hugely friendly part of Mexico.
To find out about Stephen Marriott go to: https://stephenrmarriott.com/ or @stephenrmarriott
To learn more about some of the places and people we met check out this list:
Instagram:
@Megatanoz with guitarists Alejandro Camarena and Almitri Tzigane
@miguelandrade752 with artist Miguel Andrade
@carinito.tacos in Roma District, Mexico City
@kennysplacesanmiguel
@casacarly_bnb
Facebook:
@Wcantina with chef J.J. Castaneda and owner Irving Barraza
@Kenny's place sma - great bar in Guadalupe District of San Miguel
@The Duncans - with Mike Duncan, Tony Duncan, Rodrigo RV and Sergio Carrillo
@casacrayola - we stayed at Casa Carly in San Miguel - highly recommend.
To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
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ELISABETH BLANCHET documents the world through photography. She has travelled widely and her interest and patience in getting to know communities who live differently have resulted in her being able to capture peoples’ worlds beyond the ones in which we ourselves live. Elisabeth’s photography takes us to the Normandy beaches, the worlds of the Irish travellers and Romany, an orphanage in Romania from Ceaușescu’s era, and to the world of Britain’s post war prefab communities.
As well as photography, Elisabeth is a writer and a filmmaker. She is the author of several books one of which was in collaboration with Historic England on the social and architectural history of Britain's prefabs.
Lieberland is a place forgotten, but not to be forgotten. Situated on the Danube River in a disputed area between Serbia and Croatia, it became a place for libertarians to dream of another world with its President Vit Jedlička at the helm. Elisabeth spent some time documenting the early stages of Vit’s political adventure.
Elisabeth believes her role in documenting involves observing and making a link between the outside world and those worlds where people live differently.
“So people see that they live normally,
They eat, they love their children, or not, like everyone else.”
More recently, Elisabeth bought a camera in a flea market in Moscow. Inside the camera was an undeveloped film that she got developed. The black and white photos depicted a young boy’s first day at school. It was 1990 in the then USSR. The images inspired Elisabeth and set her on a mission to find this Russian boy and to return the photographs. The events that follow are currently influencing one of Elisabeth’s latest projects.
Finally, if you have a prefab or know someone who lives in one, do get in touch with Elisabeth she would love to hear from you – the details are below.
To know more about Elisabeth Blanchet go to: www.elisabethblanchet.com
Where you can BUY her BOOKS and PHOTOGRAPHY.
Instagram: @elisabethblanchet_photography
Facebook: @ElisabethBlanchetPhotography
Twitter: @BlanchetElisa
To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
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MARI WILLIAMS is a trained coach, therapist and mediator. Her business, The Mind Architect, attracts clients from all walks of life and includes many at the top of their professional game looking for solutions to be better leaders. Mari believes this leadership comes from within you, and in her mind is based on five guiding principles, which she explores in an accessible way in her book It Begins With You – Transform Your Mind To Excel As An Alternative Leader.
“Is your life the life you want to lead?
And if it isn’t, why isn’t it?”
Mari sees herself as a girl who reads. She is an optimistic realist and believes when we are stressed that we can manage this by finding the inner version of ourselves that is always calm.
A number of years ago Mari challenged herself to interview 100 leaders in 100 days. Leaders and entrepreneurs who themselves had had challenges. She reached 57 interviews and realised this was enough. She used her own principles of being an Alternative Leader, to lead from within, lead authentically, and be consciously aware of her life. Are you leading with intention in your life?
Mari Williams' book carefully develops five succinct but inter-related principles:
Understanding how you think.Clearing your past - our past creates us.Finding self-worth - which can be mistaken for confidence.Understanding the nuances of control.Understanding how to make great decisions.Your unconscious brain is running you most of the time. Your conscious brain makes up only five percent of your decisions. The core you should be the same. Ninety percent of whom you present to the world should be you. So staying authentic is key and the goal is getting yourself to that true honesty place of I am, who I am.
“I love it,
When I see people, who have influence,
Using it for greater good.”
To find out more about Mari Williams go to her website: www.mari-williams.com
To BUY her BOOK, eBOOK, AUDIBLE go to her website or Amazon.
Facebook: Mari Williams
Twitter: @WilliamsThinks
LinkedIn: Mari Williams
Search also Mari Williams, The Mind Architect, for more information.
To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
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ABIGAIL TRIPP has lived in London Waterloo for almost 25 years. She is an avid swimmer, cyclist and traveller and loves searching out the wild swimming and lido spots in and around London.
“Being in touch with the water is so important to me.”
Abigail is also a huge cycling fan and cycles all around London. Her idea of finding peace and quiet is going on early morning urban solos, a concept she first discovered while on a silent walking retreat on the west coast of Scotland near Inverie.
Closer to London, one of Abigail's favourite camping and swimming destinations is to Brightlingsea Lido and to Mersea Island.
Abigail is a founding member of Flux Soup, a collective musical and artistic group who initiate creative events around theatre, music and song. At last year’s Waterloo Festival, they collaborated with writer Sarah Gray in a production of Sarah's written work, entitled Heartwood.
On our walk from Archbishop’s Park in London SE1 she took me to the Thames and along the path between Lambeth Bridge and Westminster Bridge passing the Covid Memorial Wall of red and pink hearts. Where our discussion turns to cycling and Abigail's involvement in Wednesday morning cycle rides for women, as well as the plans she has for community building at St John's Waterloo through art, and collective creativity.
To contact Abigail at St Johns, Waterloo go to: https://stjohnswaterloo.org/
To go cycling with Abigail or others go to: https://www.letsride.co.uk/
To know more about Flux Soup go to: https://fluxsoup.weebly.com/
Facebook: Flux Soup ; Instagram: @fluxsouparts
To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!
- Näytä enemmän
