Merlin's Diary Podcast noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)

CLICK HERE TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD PODCAST When Sasha Richardson first volunteered for Winston's Wish back in 1995, little did he know that 20 years later he would be heading up the Family Services programme.    As the first charity to establish child bereavement support services in the UK, Winston's Wish leads the way in providing specialist child bereavement support services across the UK, including in-depth therapeutic help in individual, group and residential settings. In this moving and revealing interview Sasha shares some beautiful stories that will make you laugh and cry, discusses some of the challenges children face in dealing with the death of a loved one and describes how Winston's Wish is making a very real difference in this vital area of family wellbeing. 

CLICK HERE TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD PODCAST Our guest this month is Marina Cantacuzino - founder of The Forgiveness Project, author of the book by the same name and inspiration behind the F-Word exhibition which has toured globally since 2004. The project itself is a UK charity and not for profit org that sets out through storytelling to explore how ideas around forgiveness, reconciliation and conflict resolution can be used to impact positively on people's lives through the personal testimony of both victims and perpetrators of crime and violence. In an absorbing 35 minute interview, Marina shares insights around how the project came to be, what she has learnt along the way as she continues to document stories of reconciliation, and what she would do if she had a magic wand and could make one change in this world. For anyone who has ever been on the wrong end of hurtful or harming behaviour, or for anyone who has done something of which they are not proud, this interview could be the doorway through to seeing things very differently and gaining greater peace.  LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE

CLICK HERE TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD PODCAST    This month Merlin's Diary Podcast hosts Barry Durdant-Hollamby and Neil del Strother have the pleasure of interviewing Hermione Elliott, a leading light in the world of death and dying who founded the charity 'Living Well, Dying Well' which is helping to re-educate people in how to manage the dying process in a fearless and totally loving way. With a background in nursing, midwifery, counselling and palliative care, Hermione has worked internationally and lived in Japan for four years, where her book Gan No Serufu Hiringu, a self-help guide for people with cancer, was published. She is passionate about the care of the whole person – physical, emotional and spiritual – and about upholding dignity and self-determination at every stage of life. In this interview she talks about how she was drawn into this work, explains how a greater understanding of the dying process can help us to live more complete lives and describes why death can be a beautiful process for some.

CLICK HERE TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD PODCAST / This month Merlin's Diary Podcast hosts Barry Durdant-Hollamby and Neil del Strother have the pleasure of interviewing Andy Thomas, one of the UK’s best-known authors and lecturers on unexplained mysteries and global cover-ups. The author of the acclaimed books 'The Truth Agenda' and 'Conspiracies', Andy has carried out over 1500 lectures/seminars and is a brilliant speaker who in the best tradition of investigative enquiry, allows the reader/listener to make up their own mind based on the evidence he presents. In the interview Andy talks about how he first got into the work he does today, the person that has most inspired him, the challenges faced by truth-seekers and whether he checks the brakes on his car every time he goes out! A bit more about Andy Thomas For twenty-five years, Andy has investigated many enduring enigmas, including crop circles, UFOs and other paranormal subjects, together with a multitude of classic conspiracy theories, always finding tantalising middle-ground to evoke animated discussion. He also speaks passionately on history, freedom and liberty issues. Andy has appeared on many popular radio and TV shows including major UK spots on The One Show, Richard and Judy, Esther, GMTV and Sky TV’s hit series Pineapple Dance Studios, and on US shows such as Caught on Camera, with appearances on The History Channel and National Geographic Channel. He also featured in the US cinema-released documentary Crop Circles: Quest For Truth.

CLICK HERE TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD PODCAST This month Merlin's Diary Podcast hosts Barry Durdant-Hollamby and Neil del Strother have the pleasure of interviewing the founder of Piatkus Books, Judy Piatkus, a woman once described by The Times as 'one of the world's leading thinkers' and listed in their top 50 list of 'movers and shakers who define how well we live'. Judy started Piatkus Books from her bedroom in her 20s and built it into one of the UK's most successful publishing houses, making sure she was constantly ahead of trends. She was responsible for introducing many alternative and complementary health titles to the UK market and in the interview she talks to us about how publishing has changed and why publishers are still important. Judy also talks to us about the intriguing circumstances that led to the sale of Piatkus Books in 2008, and her personal move into counselling, coaching and leadership mentoring. She also tells us about her initiative ConsciousCafe, a network of people who have been on a personal and spiritual development path for many years.

CLICK HERE TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD PODCAST This month Merlin's Diary Podcast hosts Barry Durdant-Hollamby and Neil del Strother have the pleasure of interviewing Jamie Catto, a man described by Stephen Fry as ' kind, wise, open, boundlessly energetic, optimistic and passionate'. Jamie has been on our 'target list' for a while so we were delighted when he agreed to come on the show. Jamie describes himself as a 'Creative catalyst, a musician, and a mischief maker'. We'd say he's all that and more... A founding member of Faithless, Jamie was also the inspiration behind the double Grammy nominated '1 Giant Leap' music films (if you haven't seen them then do!) - a project in which he has found himself exploring life, philosophy and music with some of the worlds leading movers and shakers including Eckhardt Tolle, Noam Chomsky, Ram Dass, Michael Stipe, Dennis Hopper, Bono, Stephen Fry, Neale Donald Walsch, Marianne Williamson, Bob Geldof and many many more!  In this fascinating interview Jamie shares his personal story, and talks about the difficult events and inspiring people that have helped him to become the man he is today. Jamie runs regular workshops around the UK and you can find out all you need to know at www.jamiecatto.com