The Just Checking In Podcast

The Just Checking In Podcast by VENT

The Just Checking In Podcast is another step in VENT’s mission to give people a voice, change the conversation around mental health and provide an outlet where everyone, but especially men and boys, can express themselves.Each pod we check in with a special guest. We have a natter and a chat about all things mental health as well as anything and everything else they're passionate about. If it helps that person with their mental health, we'll discuss it!

  1. JCIP #352 - Tom Festa

    8 HR AGO

    JCIP #352 - Tom Festa

    In episode 352 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Tom Festa.  We came across Tom through friend of the pod Mark Ferris as Tom was fundraising for Mark’s stepson Callum and his treatment for brain cancer through his ‘Race Around The World’ journey. Initially starting it as a personal journey for himself, Tom came across Callum’s GoFundMe page.  He didn’t know Callum or his family but after finding out about Callum’s love for education, as a teacher himself, he chose Callum's story to fundraise for. In May 2025, he took his mum out to Canada with him and he ran his first half-marathon. From there, he travelled to Brazil and ran his first marathon on August 31st 2025. Then, in October 2025, he travelled to China and did a 7-day trek up and down the Great Wall, walking over 65,000 kilometres.  And finally, he flew to Perth in Australia, where he completed an ‘ironman’ in December 2025 and visited some family members. His friends also flew out and joined him out there too. Tragically, in-between the time we organised this podcast and recorded it, on 26th January 2026, Callum died from the cancer he had been getting treatment for, with his funeral held on Friday 13th February 2026.  In this episode we discuss the origins of Tom’s fitness journey, which came following the end of a 10-year-relationship. We discuss the aftermath of it, the crisis it provoked and how he used the campaign to give him a new purpose of raising money for Callum for the time he did. For Tom’s mental health journey, we discuss the grief of losing his grandfather on his mum’s side, which brought on a form of cleaning OCD and health OCD which became permanent in him.  We unpack the traits this presented in his mental health back then and why, why it carried on beyond the grief and into adulthood and whether it presented in him prior to that point under the surface. We then discuss how he's managed the OCD, navigated a healthy life alongside it, and how running has quietened these traits for the period of time he’s been doing it for. As always, #itsokaytovent You can follow Tom on social media below:  InstagramSupport Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise

    59 min
  2. JCIP #351 - Stephen Hall

    4 DAYS AGO

    JCIP #351 - Stephen Hall

    In episode 351 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Stephen Hall. Stephen is a qualified therapist and a Member of the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society, providing walk and talk as well as online therapy for his clients.  Based in Cumbria, Stephen is also the Founder of Stand Tall Empower C.I.C, a social enterprise which organises events and activities outside in nature and helps men step out of survival mode and reconnect with themselves and others. Prior to becoming a therapist, Stephen had a very different career in teaching, where he spent over 20 years as a secondary school English teacher and housemaster.  11 years ago in 2014, Stephen left teaching after having a mental health crisis. He had an identity crisis after no longer being able to do his job as a teacher, which had shaped most of his adult life, and tried to take his own life. At his lowest point, he was sectioned and placed in an in-patient facility.  However, his mental health state did not improve and he experienced delusional psychosis. The turning point came when he was able to access EMDR therapy, which helped start his recovery and he used it to address decades of suppressed childhood trauma.  After this, Stephen began his recovery. He tried starting several businesses, which unfortunately failed and then during the Covid-19 pandemic, he was spending time online in several men’s groups and doing a lot of mentoring to fill the void left by teaching. One of the men in that men’s group encouraged him to become a therapist, and the rest as they say, is history.  In this episode we chart his professional journey across teaching, therapy and everything in-between.  We also discuss his mental health crisis, the pain of having to leave teaching, carving out a new career and landing as a therapist, building the business, and why looking back, he needed a male therapist to suit where his mindset was and to make him feel comfortable.  We finish by discussing how and why he operates walk and talk therapy sessions in the nature of Cumbria and North Yorkshire, and the Empower events for men to reconnect with nature outside of a traditional therapy setting too. As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about Stephen's work here. You can follow Stephen on social media below:  InstagramSupport Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise

    1hr 14min
  3. JCIP #350 - Dr James Nuzzo

    28 APR

    JCIP #350 - Dr James Nuzzo

    In episode 350 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with academic Dr James Nuzzo.  James is an Exercise Scientist and Men's Health Researcher.  He also runs his own SubStack called 'The Nuzzo Letter'. In this episode we discuss his academic journey and how he got to where he is today, his academic cancellation from Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia, how it impacted his mental health and how he rebuilt his career after that point. We also discuss why there is a life expectancy gap between men and women globally, across the West and the factors behind it. We then discuss the research bias he argues that exists against men and boys in academia. For James’s mental health journey, we discuss his move from America to Australia, the impact on his mental health, and self-development. As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about James's work here: https://www.jameslnuzzo.com/. Support Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise

    58 min
  4. JCIP #349 - Jessica Nguyen

    24 APR

    JCIP #349 - Jessica Nguyen

    In episode 349 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Jessica Nguyen.  Jess is an entrepreneur and the Founder of Oh Tuesdays! Microbakery.  Based in Bristol, Oh Tuesdays was launched in August 2025 after Jess sat in a café on her way home from work and had a very expensive cookie and thought she could create one just as delicious but at a much more competitive cost!  We came across Jess through her interview with friend of the pod JD on his platform ‘What’s On Your Mind?’, where she spoke about her journey in creating the business and giving up a corporate job which wasn’t giving her fulfilment. In this episode we discuss her professional journey and how she created the idea of the bakery, balancing growing the business alongside a second job as a barista, social class and the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. We discuss what she's learned along the way, the importance of taking yourself out your comfort zone and following your dreams, wherever it may lead.  For Jess’s mental health journey, we discuss a breakdown she had in 2021, her experience of depression and being prescribed anti-depressants, specifically Sertraline, an SSRI, which she was on for a year and came off it two years ago at time of recording. We finish by discussing the importance of her friends in believing in her and the business, supporting it and giving her the belief that she can make it a success. As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about Oh Tuesdays! here: https://ohtuesdays.sumupstore.com/. You can follow Oh Tuesdays on social media below:  InstagramSupport Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise

    1hr 2min
  5. Reel Stories - Jude Vause-Walsh

    21 APR

    Reel Stories - Jude Vause-Walsh

    In this episode of our Reel Stories series, we checked in with Jude Vause-Walsh.  Jude is a voiceover actor and coach. Jude’s career started out after she completed her university degree, where she began carving out an acting career.  She landed some roles in small films and TV work and then she saw an advert looking for traffic and travel radio presenters. She applied and became a radio presenter for 15 years, working at Virgin Radio, Real Radio and Century Radio, in what is now known as Greatest Hits Radio.  She mainly worked on the Breakfast Show so had to have a regular 3am alarm clock set. However, she had plans to start a family, and wanted to adjust her work life to match her new life as a working mum, and voiceover work seemed like a natural fit. In this episode we chart that journey, her favourite roles she’s done and ones she’s seen others perform, the stigma that can exist around voiceover work compared to on-screen work, the art of being a voiceover artist and the creative process behind inhabiting a character that no one can ‘see’. We also talk about the mental health impact of seeing her clients thrive after working with her and landing voiceover work themselves.  For Jude’s mental health journey, we discuss the solitary life that comes with being a voiceover artist, her mother’s dementia which she was diagnosed with three years ago at time of recording, and Jude’s diagnosis of breast cancer five years ago, which was thankfully caught early, treated with surgery and she has recovered from it.  We discuss how the breast cancer has shaped her attitude towards gratitude and given her greater perspective on life, career and family.  As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about Jude's work here: https://www.voiceovercoach.uk/. You can follow Jude on social media below:  InstagramSupport Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise

    1hr 2min
  6. JCIP #348 - Nick Isles

    17 APR

    JCIP #348 - Nick Isles

    In episode 348 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Nick Isles.  Nick is the Director of the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys (CPMRB). The Centre was established in May 2025 and is a research organisation and charity dedicated to understanding and addressing issues that uniquely affect men and boys in the UK. Their vision is a world where men and boys of all backgrounds can thrive in their families and communities, and one where the sexes can rise together by supporting each other. CPRMB focus on seven key policy areas as their focus: Health (suicide, mental and physical); Education, Fatherhood and Family, Economy, Employment and Skills, Criminal Justice, and the Portrayal of Men in Media and Culture.  In this episode we do a deep dive into the work of the Centre and how Nick came to be its Director, the work they do across these seven areas, their impact, where they aim to sit within the men’s space and the wider conversation around men's mental health.  For Nick’s mental health journey, we discuss his upbringing and how it shaped his early attitude towards mental health, fatherhood as he is the father of five daughters, 4 of which are biological and he is the stepfather of one as well.  We also discuss what turned him towards the space of men’s mental health and how this helps fuel his mission at CPRMB now and going forward. As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about CPRMB's work here: https://www.menandboys.org.uk/. You can follow CPRMB on social media below:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cprmenandboys/ Support Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise

    1hr 3min
  7. JCIP #347 - Karen Sykes

    15 APR

    JCIP #347 - Karen Sykes

    In episode 347 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Karen Sykes.  Karen is the Co-Founder of the Yorkshire branch of suicide grief awareness charity, Speak Their Name.  Karen co-founded the Yorkshire Speak Their Name Community Interest Company alongside a woman called Anna Scott. Both of them connected as they have both lost family members to suicide.  SInce its inception, the Yorkshire Speak Their Name Suicide Memorial Quilt has toured across the region of Yorkshire in a variety of settings, including sporting venues, hospitals and conferences to raise awareness about suicide grief. In this episode we first chart Karen’s mental health journey, where we discuss three periods of grief. The first was the death of her father in 2001. Then, on October 3rd 2015, her husband Ian tragically took his own life. Four years later, on 22nd April 2019, Karen’s youngest daughter Beth, also tragically took her own life. Beth was just 26 years old at the time.  We dive into these periods of grief, how Ian’s and Beth’s deaths turned Karen's world upside down, how she tried to carve out a new life alongside the grief and her recovery.  We also explore how she's connected with other mums who have gone through suicide grief, including friend of the pod and Bags for Strife Founder Angela Allen, and how Karen's channelled the grief into this new world of suicide grief awareness and post-vention support. As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about Speak Their Name and submit your own Memorial Quilt here: https://speaktheirname.org/. TRIGGER WARNING: this podcast contains a deep discussion about grief, loss and the impact that losing a loved one to suicide can have, so please listen with caution. Support Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise

    1hr 25min
  8. JCIP #346 - Sophie Temple

    9 APR

    JCIP #346 - Sophie Temple

    In episode 346 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with academic Sophie Temple. Sophie is currently Doctoral Researcher in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University, specialising in eating disorders, disordered eating and body image pathology during the menopausal transition. She is also part-time Research Fellow in the School of Education, Department of Disability, Inclusion and Special Needs, College of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham. Sophie's academic expertise is in the subject of menopausal disordered eating, and how it affects women during all stages of the menopause.  In this episode, we discuss Sophie’s academic journey, how and why she landed on this subject within EDs, the lack of research on these women and why, and the work she is doing to shine a light on it and give medical professionals better tools to treat these women too.  We also talk about the comparison between how EDs manifest in teenagers and young women vs menopausal women and the different internal and external factors which may contribute to these women developing one.  For Sophie’s mental health, we discuss her own experience of disordered eating traits during her undergraduate university degree when she was a sprinter at Loughborough University, the factors in her childhood and adolescence which contributed to those traits, and how her own perception of what someone with an ED looks like changed over time and education. As always, #itsokaytovent You can follow Sophie's work on social media here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-h-temple/. Support Us: PatreonPayPalMerchandise

    1 hr
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4.9
out of 5
62 Ratings

About

The Just Checking In Podcast is another step in VENT’s mission to give people a voice, change the conversation around mental health and provide an outlet where everyone, but especially men and boys, can express themselves.Each pod we check in with a special guest. We have a natter and a chat about all things mental health as well as anything and everything else they're passionate about. If it helps that person with their mental health, we'll discuss it!

Information

  • Creator
    The Just Checking In Podcast by VENT
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    457
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Just Checking In Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Just Checking In Podcast