Episodes
What Does Tourette’s Really Feel Like?
In this episode of Believe in People Extra , Bea Wood joins us to challenge one of the most common myths about Tourette’s - that it is simply about swearing. Bea explains the difference between coprolalia and the more common ...
Finley Worthington: Ketamine Addiction, Blood Jelly, Bladder Deterioration and the Ketamine Education Service
Finley joins Believe in People to share his lived experience of ketamine addiction and recovery, and how a substance that first felt functional and harmless became physically and psychologically destructive. We explore how ea...
Recovery vs. Recovered?
This episode of Believe in People Extra explores one of the most debated ideas in addiction: being recovered rather than simply in recovery . Young Lee unpacks the difference between cured and recovered, explaining the “twist...
Lucy Rocca: Soberistas and Grey Area Drinking - The Spectrum of Alcohol Use Disorder
Lucy Rocca joins Believe in People to share her candid story of alcohol misuse, trauma, and recovery, and the creation of Soberistas , one of the earliest online sobriety communities for women. Lucy takes us back to the 1990s...
Stronger Without Steroids?
This short episode of Believe in People Extra features a focused clip from our conversation with Adam Maxted - UK wrestling star, personal trainer, and two-time Love Island contestant. Adam speaks openly about steroids, testi...
Paula McGowan OBE: Oliver's Legacy - Autism, Addiction & Safety in Care
Paula McGowan OBE joins Believe in People for a full, in-depth conversation about her son Oliver, whose death led to the introduction of The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training across health and social care in England. Paula ex...
Why Tier 2 Oliver McGowan Training on Learning Disability and Autism Matters
This short episode of Believe in People Extra shares an exclusive preview from our upcoming full conversation with Paula McGowan OBE , whose son Oliver’s death led to the introduction of The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training ...
Chiedu Oraka: The Black Yorkshireman. Culture, Identity, Drugs and Prison to Supporting Coldplay
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Chiedu Oraka, one of the UK’s most distinctive emerging voices in rap, also known as The Black Yorkshireman, joins Matt to discuss dual identity, stigma, an...
Questioning Your Drinking? One Simple Shift That Helped Amy Jo Johnson Live Sober
In this episode of Believe in People Extra , Amy Jo Johnson shares why she chose to stop drinking - not because her life had fallen apart, but because alcohol was making her anxiety louder and everyday life harder to manage. ...
Joe Sealey: Cocaine Addiction, Alcohol and Recovery Behind the Real Housewives Of Cheshire
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Joe Sealey joins us to discuss cocaine addiction, alcohol misuse, grief, and recovery. Known to millions as a cast member on The Real Housewives of Cheshire...
Struggling to Stop Drinking? What Michelle Heaton Learned About Recovery
In the first episode of Believe in People Extra , our new spin off miniseries, Michelle Heaton speaks openly about what it feels like to want to stop drinking and not be able to. She explains the medical dangers she didn’t un...
Patti Clark: Alcohol, Relapse, Women’s Recovery Spaces & Breaking Generational Patterns
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Patti reflects on a lifetime shaped by silence, trauma, and survival. Growing up in a dysfunctional home in 1970s San Francisco - marked by alcoholism, emot...
Andy Woodward: Trauma, False Accusation, Alcohol Recovery and Rebuilding Life After Collapse
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , we conclude our two-part conversation with Andy Woodward , who reflects on the long-term psychological effects of childhood trauma and how those experiences...
Andy Woodward: Childhood Trauma, Football Abuse and the Silence That Hid a Predator
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , we begin the first of a powerful two-part conversation with Andy Woodward , the former professional footballer whose bravery exposed one of the biggest safe...
Taz Hussain: Racism, Culture, Trauma and Addiction Recovery as a British-Pakistani Muslim
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , we are privileged to sit down with Taz , whose life story spans racism, identity conflict, culture, trauma, addiction, and the long path to redemption. Born...
Katie Price & Kerry Katona: Cocaine Addiction, Recovery, Motherhood and Surviving Fame
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Katie Price and Kerry Katona sit down for a raw, unfiltered conversation about cocaine addiction , recovery, motherhood, mental health, and the double stand...
Mel Barrett: Alcohol Misuse, Cocaine, Identity, Boxing and Building a Recovery Toolbox
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Mel shares a powerful and deeply honest account of her journey through alcohol misuse , escalating substance use, mental health struggles, and the non-linear...
Emma Hardy MP: Ketamine Harm, Mental Health, Flood Risk and Community Recovery in Hull
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Emma Hardy MP returns to the podcast to discuss some of the most urgent challenges facing Hull and the wider UK – including rising ketamine harm , worsening...
Elly Mortimer: Harm Reduction, Hepatitis C Elimination and 30 Years of Public Health Experience
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Elly returns for her third appearance to share more than 30 years of insight from frontline harm reduction and public health work, with a particular focus o...
Henry Beercock: Sobriety, Binge Drinking Recovery and Building the AlcoHull Free Movement
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , we meet Henry Beercock , founder of Hull’s rapidly growing sober movement Alcohull Free . After nearly two decades of heavy binge drinking, Henry made a bol...
Alexis Ffrench & Matthew Butler: Trauma, Recovery and the Story Behind “Believe” for Apple Music
In this special episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , we present a unique collaboration with Apple Music and the Radio Academy Award-winning podcast Classical Connections , hosted by world-renowned pian...
Young Lee: Life After Addiction, Spiritual Recovery and Rebuilding a Self That Lasts
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Young Lee returns to explore what happens after the chaos of addiction — when the substances are gone, the dust has settled, and the real internal work begi...
Ross McAndrew: Suicide Bereavement, Alcohol & Cocaine Recovery and the Power of Men’s Peer Support
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Ross shares an extraordinary journey from personal tragedy to public advocacy following the suicide of his father - a traumatic event that deeply shaped his...
Woody Albrow: Addiction, Spiritual Recovery and Leading with Lived Experience at Change Grow Live
In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Matt speaks with Woody Albrow , the National Connecting Communities Lead at Change Grow Live, who shares an open and deeply personal account of his journey ...