Life Happens by 87%

Andrew Brush has experienced more than his fair share of life's ups and downs. A highly successful businessman, with a track record of developing organisations, he went about his professional career with an enthusiasm for enterprise and for investing in the people that worked with him and for him.

But his life changed when his wife was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease, a degenerative brain disease caused by a faulty gene, for which there is no cure. The illness attacks the brain, affecting the person’s major functions over time.

Andrew’s story of becoming a full-time carer for his wife is one of great tragedy as he struggled with the transition, experiencing anger, resentment, and depression at the unfairness of his wife being slowly taken from him. But it is also an uplifting one as he began to live in the present moment, rather than fearing what the future had in store for him and his young son.

In this moving chat with our marketing and communications director, James Gwinnett, Andrew shares how he was affected by the diagnosis, how he learned to surrender to his family’s situation and how, with an injection of humour into tragic circumstances, his new book, The Cuckoo of Awareness, is a celebration of life.

We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please subscribe to the channel and share it with your friends as this will help us in our mission to improve the mental fitness of society percent by percent.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.

A very special guest on this episode of ‘Life Happens’ because of his standing in the world of mental health, Ben Bidwell has been on a journey of self-discovery and is on a mission to help others understand who they truly are.

From a life in which he ‘once lived uninspired’, struggling with creativity and a sense of purpose, Ben has reinvented himself as a prominent mindset coach, writer, public speaker and vocal campaigner for the need to change the stigma about mental health.

In an open and honest conversation with our marketing director, James Gwinnett, Ben talks about overcoming the pressure to conform and seek acceptance in today’s society. He challenges us to ask ourselves whether there is more we could be doing to connect with our bodies, learning to listen to how we’re feeling and ultimately finding greater fulfilment.

Doing so allows us to move away from the idea of having to ‘do, do, do’ all the time, and find balance. Allowing what Ben calls ‘flow’ and surrendering rather than constantly feeling like we have to work things out, is a much lighter, more natural and less stressful way of being.

It is a powerful conversation that will encourage you to think about your ‘flow’ and how you can better connect with yourself and learn who you truly are.

We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please subscribe and share it with your friends as this will help us in our mission to improve the mental fitness of society percent by percent.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.

In April 2021, NHS worker Rachel Williams delivered a powerful and moving TEDx Talk, courageously sharing her experience of mental health in the context of being a black woman.

In this episode of 'Life Happens' 87% marketing director James Gwinnett speaks to Rachel about her experiences and her belief that we all need to ... pause. We can’t operate at 100% all of the time, yet we impose unrealistic expectations on ourselves to do so. Yet, Rachel explains that giving everything you have, even if it’s not 100% of what you’re capable of, is all anyone can ever ask of you.

Rachel is taking the first step, starting the conversation and being brave in talking about mental health, so that others can do the same, especially within the black community, where more people suffer with mental health issues.

If you like the episode, please subscribe and share it with your friends to help them build mental fitness.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.

When you’re performing aerobatics with the Red Arrows, there’s no room for error. Yet our latest guest on ‘Life Happens’ admits to failing over and over in his pursuit of a childhood dream to become a fighter pilot.

Dan Lowes knew from an early age that he wanted to fly with the RAF. A failed application at the age of 17 set him up to understand the concept of failure and he succeeded in his second application as a more rounded and savvier youngster. As he progressed through training, he continued to experience failure, but in his own words, “It’s not so much the failure that’s the issue. It’s how you learn, how you react and how you adapt.”

Passing his course as the pilot that his instructors would ‘most want to go to war with’, highlighting his dependability, he spent eight years on the frontline before joining the world-renowned Red Arrows as a display pilot.

Listen to the interview to get Dan’s take on high performance and how he brings what he has learned into everyday life. Performance and focus when it matters is key to being the best we can be but it is also crucial to be able to switch off from that focus to help deal with stress.

Most importantly, as someone who has operated at such elite levels, Dan has learned repeatedly that failure is not something to be feared. If we don’t let it knock us, it is something that can prepare us better and ultimately allow us to succeed.

If you like the episode, please rate it, review and share it and help others build mental fitness.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.

Abby Johnston, Kat Cordiner and Charlotte Irving make up Team ExtraOARdinary, an extraordinary rowing crew that will embark on the huge challenge of rowing an ocean later this year.

Taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, they will depart from La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, and attempt to row 3,000 miles to English Harbour, Antigua, across the planet’s second largest ocean. Together, they hope to be the fastest all-female trio to complete the challenge, beating the current record of 49 days, 13 hours and 49 mins.

In the latest episode of ‘Life Happens’, our marketing director, James Gwinnett, caught up with Abby and Kat to find out what is driving them on this incredible journey.

Veterans of the ‘high seas’, Abby and Kat met whilst taking on the famous Round the World Clipper Race in 2017, spending 31 days together sailing across the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, life hasn’t been ‘plain sailing’ for Kat since then; she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in early 2019. She went into remission but, despite chances of recurrence of around 5%, was told in July 2020 that the cancer had returned, and has since undergone heart surgery.

Currently navigating treatment while continuing her training for the row, Kat’s strength – and the commitment of her crewmates – is an example to all of us of how to overcome setbacks.

If you like the episode, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and share it with your friends to help them build mental fitness.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.

Ollie Phillips’ CV makes for pretty impressive reading.

After graduating from Durham University, he made the leap to professional rugby, playing for the Newcastle Falcons and making a name for himself on the international Rugby Sevens circuit, as a prolific try-scorer in this fast-paced version of the game. Over a remarkable career that spanned more than a decade, he captained England, played at three World Cups and, in 2009, claimed the prestigious award of World Player of the Year.  

But if he has experienced his fair share of highs, it’s fair to say that he has also been hugely affected by the lows, as hitting his peak was followed by injury that forced him into retirement. Unwilling to accept the finality of this situation, and with an Olympic Games potentially on the horizon, he threw himself into intrepid adventure pursuits as a distraction and to give himself time to recover. After sailing round the world and setting a Guinness World Record at the North Pole, it was a full two years later that he had to resign himself to the idea that his rugby-playing days were over.

A senior role with PwC beckoned but with it came severe imposter syndrome at having to transition from the rugby pitch to the boardroom. Watch the interview for Ollie’s insights into what it takes to develop the mindset of a professional athlete and how he overcame the setback of his career ending prematurely and having to face the challenge of the corporate world.

We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please make sure you subscribe and share it with your friends, and check back for more great interviews coming soon.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.

Dan Keeley is one of the UK’s most powerful motivational speakers and mental health activists, encouraging us ‘to have courageous conversations together about the things that really matter’. In 2012 he suffered from a bad episode of poor mental health and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In this interview, we chat to Dan about stripping his life back to the bare essentials in order to build it back up, and reassessing his priorities. In the process, he learned to give himself permission to put himself first, focus more intentionally on his health, passions, relationships and growth, and do so in a balanced way.

Since then, he has been on a journey of self-discovery, using those experiences to fuel a passion for helping others through his #AREWEOKUK mission, which is a game-changing social movement that aims to inspire everyone to speak up.

Dan is also a champion of active lifestyles and the power of the outdoors to improve our wellbeing. An endurance runner, in 2017 he ran 1,250 miles from the Colosseum in Rome all the way to the London Eye to raise over £15,000 for the Campaign Against Living Miserably.

We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please make sure you subscribe and share it with your friends, and check back for more great interviews coming soon.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.

Stella Smith has made a name for herself in innovation across the business world, from a series of high-profile positions in trading and investment to founding the wellbeing benefits disruptor pirkx. With so much energy and positivity, it is no wonder she is as successful as she is and her insights into prioritisation to go after the things you want are incredibly important in today's fast-paced society.

Confessing that she still hasn't got everything figured out, Stella's modesty despite her triumphs, and her admissions to her failures in her personal life, are deeply touching. She understands the importance of actively thinking about your mental health, analysing it and taking the time to destress and think through problems, giving us food for thought in our own mental fitness journeys.

We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please like it and rate it and make sure you subscribe for more great interviews coming soon.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.

Imagine the pressure of having to brief US Presidents and NATO Generals on war zone strategy. That was exactly the role of our latest guest on the ‘Life Happens’ podcast.

As a CIA Intelligence Officer, Rupal Patel faced some highly pressurised situations and had to be absolute and resolute in believing in her ability. In the latest episode of 'Life Happens' she shares how she had to develop resilience, mental toughness and self-belief to succeed in highly-pressurised, high-octane, alpha-male environments.

Across a remarkable career, now as a successful businesswoman, Rupal has experienced many ups and downs, successes and failures, and we can all learn from her lessons of focusing on being the best you can be and making the most of the chances that present themselves.

We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please subscribe for more great interviews coming soon.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.

CONTENT WARNING – contains references to sexual abuse, violence, drugs and crime – if you are affected by any of the topics in this video, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or by emailing jo@samaritans.org and you can contact the mental health charity Mind by calling 0300 123 3393 or visiting mind.org.uk. 

In this remarkable episode, we chat to Michael Maisey, who is living proof that you can build a positive mindset no matter the circumstances.  During a troubled childhood, Michael was exposed to sexual abuse, drugs and crime. Gang culture led to a heroin addict and crime, which saw him served a series of prison sentences in his teens. After a failed suicide attempt in prison, it was the early stages of sobriety for his mother that set him on his own journey to recovery. 

Now 13 years sober, he is a loving husband and devoted father to three daughters who have never seen him drunk or take drugs. His story of redemption is simply incredible and he tells how he turned his life around to become a successful businessman, a mentor to young offenders and addicts and the host of transformational retreats that advocate the power of change. He is also the author of a best-selling book, Young Offender’, which chronicles his journey. 

We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please like it and comment below and make sure you subscribe for more great interviews coming soon.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.

In this incredible episode, we hear the story of Esmee Gummer, who, despite being paralysed at the age of 18, has become a renowned personal trainer. From being told she would never walk again to taking on a series of extreme fitness challenges, including being a recruit on the brutal Channel 4 show SAS: Who Dares Wins, she is now the Head of Exercise Wellness at Virgin Active.

Esmee's story is one of true inspiration and she talks passionately about the power of the mind in helping her overcome her hurdles. It is a compelling conversation with someone who has come through adversity with a positive mindset and we can all take something from it.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.

In this episode of Life Happens, we speak with James Gwinnett. James tells us about his life as a semi-professional rugby player and the chaotic and at times toxic lifestyle that he adopted during this period. His world was totally turned upside down when he broke his neck, stopping him from playing rugby or doing any exercise at all. This spiraled him into a deep and secretive depression leading to alcoholism. After months of this double life he created for himself he decided a change had to happen. James then poured his obsession into fitness, as his neck healed and he grew stronger physically and began to push himself to both physical and mental limits. This led to him appearing on the 2019 series of SAS Who Dares Wins. James discusses all of the above with us and much more, he is the embodiment of mental fitness by showing how anyone is capable of bouncing back from tough times. Thank you, James, enjoy everyone! 

In our latest episode of Life Happens, we speak with author Kate Swindlehurst. After being diagnosed with Parkinson's, Kate decided that she wasn't going to let that affect the things she loved doing, including her passion for Argentine Tango. Kate speaks candidly about how much her life has changed since her diagnosis and what it has taught her about living life to the full. Kate's book The Tango Effect tells her in-depth tale, and how much dancing has made a difference to her life both mentally and physically. This podcast was recorded during the crisis, as a single woman Kate discusses the isolation she has been feeling and how she counteracts this. Hear Kate's story today...

In this episode of Life Happens, we are joined by the wonderful Simon Blake OBE. Simon is the current CEO of Mental Health First Aid England and has held numerous positions in leadership throughout his career. Leading through change and uncertainty is no easy feat - today we are talking to Simon about the ever-changing nature of now and how we can all mentally comprehend it. 

Thanks for joining us Simon….

In this episode of Life Happens, we are joined by video producer and adventurer, Thomas Palmer who has been doing all sorts and all in the name of mental health. He’s been hiking active volcanos, plummeting into freezing temperature and had his fair share of altitude sickness, and him and his team even found themselves on the verge of a kidnapping at one point during this challenge. Thomas is a huge mental health advocate, he talks candidly about his own experiences and why he has gone to such extremes both physically and mentally to strengthen his resilience and mental wellbeing. Thanks for your time Thomas, enjoy everyone! 

In our latest episode of Life Happens, we speak with Dee Jas, founder of colourfull (a D&I consultancy/media platform that focuses on the inclusion of LGBTQ and people of colour). He talks candidly about his experiences of coming out as an Indian man and going against the preconceived ideas his family and community had mapped out for him. Beyond this, Dee speaks about gender fluidity and the beauty of life beyond the binary where the possibilities to fully be oneself are to be celebrated, looking beyond gender as we know it and race. After waiting for 30 years to share his true self with those he loved, Dee now says he feels empowered and worthy which infiltrates all aspects of his life today.  Dee, you're awesome, enjoy everyone!

At 87% we believe in empowering every single person’s mental wellbeing, be it in work or wider society. We have the strong belief that both physical health, and mental health work in tandem to make up our overall holistic health, and one simply doesn’t work effectively without the other. Which is why we are thrilled to say that isoshealth is a trusted partners of ours. Like us, isoshealth has an extremely holistic approach when it comes to health. They call their approach the ‘power of 3’. It’s called this because they facilitate consultations with dieticians, psychologists, and physiotherapists ensuring that your dietary, mental and physical wellbeing is cared for. This power of 3 concept, is what works for athletes, as they also have these three areas of support, so we explore this and how successful this can be when supporting overall holistic health.

On this episode of Life Happens we speak with Lieutenant General Andrew Graham CBE. Andrew discusses his long and colourful career in the army detailing the life lessons he learnt, what it really means to be a good leader and impact mental ill-health left on his fellow colleagues. 

Andrew is now the Chairman of Combat Stress, a charity that supports the mental health of veterans. For a century, Combat Stress has helped former servicemen and women with mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We discuss how PTSD can be the result of any form of trauma, not only army related incidents. 

Thank you Andrew, for such an in-depth and truly fascinating conversation from a military perspective. 

 Thursday 10th Oct 2019 is World Mental Health Day, this year the theme is urging people to discuss suicide, and try to avoid it happening at all. In this episode of Life Happens, we spoke with Adam Land, who tells us his story. As we are all aware life throws us continuous curveballs but sometimes the extent of sadness they bring with them in unfathomable. Our guest, Adam, has had to deal with one of the most heart-wrenching things to happen in life, twice. Adam shows us what real strength lies in humanity, and how to turn a truly devastating situation into a way of helping others. Thank you, Adam.

In this week's podcast we speak with 22-year-old, Leaders of Tomorrow board member, Emmy Hawker. Emmy tells us about her first hand experience of leaving a previous role due to the lack of support she received when it came to her mental wellbeing, and why this subject is a great passion of hers. We discuss the pressures the younger generation face when entering the UK workforce, and the impact this could also be having on this generation as a whole. Emmy gives her personal insight into what changes ought to be made, and how these can be rolled out. 

We are delighted to present 87% in conversation with Jonny Benjamin MBE. Jonny is currently one of the UK's biggest mental health advocates, and talks candidly about his own personal experiences. Jonny was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in 2007, when he was 20 years old. He discusses the turbulent aftermath that followed his diagnosis which resulted in him on Waterloo bridge with the intention of jumping off it, until the stranger on the bridge (Neil Laybourn) came along and literally saved his life. Now over a decade later, Jonny and Neil work as an extremely impactful mental health advocacy duo, focusing on all areas including workplaces, youth and many more. Jonny talks about the need for more men to talk openly about their mental health, along with his involvement with the young Royals, the changes that need to be made when it comes to mental health waiting lists and he tells us about his new venture intended to give grants to companies who are making waves in mental health but have had funding taken away. Jonny, thank you. Enjoy everyone! 

We had a chat with Katie Tucker, who along with her partner and young two children decided last year to take a once in a lifetime trip around the world. As well as being a fabulous trip into the unknown, we also spoke about the mental strains of not having a fixed abode and the ample resilience needed for the unpredictability of the trip. Let's meet her...

In this episode of the 87% podcast we spoke with Jo Hooper, founder of the Mad and Sad Club. Jo had a successful career in communications, and like many others worked her way up a career ladder which resulted in her bagging her (what she thought) 'dream job'. Jo says that work is one of her main triggers for mental ill health, and expands upon experiences she has been though which led to her entirely changing her career path. Being made redundant from a role, or ending a job drastically can appear daunting and understandably scary, but sometimes it leads to wonderful new beginnings. Listen to Jo's story here...

In this 87% podcast we speak with Che Donald, Vice Chair of The Police Federation for England and Wales. Che discusses how this notorious 'macho' culture that runs throughout the police is changing when it comes to the predominant male workforce (29% of the police workforce in the UK are women) talking about mental health. Che talks about how in 60% of cases, the police are the first port of call when it comes to mental health issues, and how they regularly work with mental health professions when assessing those in custody. Che also opens up about his personal mental health experiences which led to him taking 6 months leave from work. Thanks Che for a fascinating discussion!

In the latest episode of the 87% podcast we spoke to mental health campaigner and author, Hope Virgo. Hope suffered with anorexia for over 4 years, which then led to her being admitted to a mental health hospital in 2007, where she lived for a year. Hope talks to us about her recovery and her new relationship with food, as well as her love for running. Hope says she originally became obsessed with running and saw it as a form of punishment, but after a long time she began to include running into her wellbeing routine. Thank you for your honesty Hope - as Hope said in the podcast, we need to keep the conversation going, even if it's a tough conversation to have. 

This week we spoke with comedian and writer Steve Bugeja. Since winning the BBC New Comedy Award in 2013, Steve has gone on to host the BBC Radio 4 series Economics with Subtitles, and has appeared on Love Island: Aftersun (ITV2), Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central (Comedy Central). Steve has also performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for the past two years, appearing on the Opening Night Comedy Allstars Supershow (ABC1) and on Comedy Up Late (ABC1). In this episode, Steve talks to us about working in a highly pressured environment, how he has recently started to have therapy and how perfectionism can sometimes get the better of him, as well as gives us a hilarious insight into his up and coming show 'Single Mum' debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival later this year! Thanks Steve, enjoy everyone!  

When we use the phrase 'mental health' what words conjure in your mind? Are they ones of strength, or weakness? Now do the same with the phrase 'physical health', what words do you think of now?