Ministry of Change
By Marcus Pibworth
Ministry of ChangeMar 06, 2018
Story: Depression and a Cat Called Doris
In this short episode I tell an autobiographical story about depression and a cat called Doris.
As humans we like to share stories, and when it comes to mental health and wellbeing being able to share our stories is so valuable. When we can discover the gift in seemingly negative experiences (trust me, there is always a gift buried in there somewhere) and share our story it becomes a powerful healing tool, not only for us as the storyteller but also for those listening. It stops being our own story and reenters the sea of human experience. It helps people to feel less alone in their experience and to realise that we all experience life in a different way.
I hope you enjoy the story...
If you enjoy the podcasts then please do support me on Patreon to enable me to continue to create.
The music during the intro and outro was made especially for me by the very talented Graeme Walker
To find out more about my journey with storytelling and mental health visit the Ministry of Change website
You can now also leave me voice mails directly through the Anchor App - if you'd like to share a short story about yourself, some feedback or anything else relating to the show then please do. I'd love to feature some on the show if all goes well.
Liz Slade: Spirituality, Community and Collective Wellbeing
In this episode I chatted with Liz Slade - the Chief Officer of the Unitarian Churches in the UK - about different interpretations of spirituality, being supported to find our own way in the world and the power of mixing with people with different beliefs to your own.
If you enjoy the podcasts then please do support me on Patreon to enable me to continue to create.
The music during the intro and outro was made especially for me by the very talented Graeme Walker
To find out more about my journey with storytelling and mental health visit the Ministry of Change website
You can now also leave me voice mails directly through the Anchor App - if you'd like to share a short story about yourself, some feedback or anything else relating to the show then please do. I'd love to feature some on the show if all goes well.
Ani Lhamo: Buddhism, Compassion and Loving Kindness
This episode features a conversation I had with Ani Lhamo, who has been a Tibetan Buddhist nun for over 30 years and who is also the secretary of Lama Yeshe the abbot of the Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Scotland (featured in the previous episode - I'd recommend listening to that one first if you haven't already). We talk about Ani Lhamo's path from Glaswegian Computer Programmer to Tibetan Buddhist Nun, the importance of training the mind and the importance of the down as well as the up parts of life.
If you enjoy the podcasts then please do support me on Patreon to enable me to continue to create.
I first heard the spider story from the fabulous storyteller Janet Goring
The music during the intro and outro was made especially for me by the very talented Graeme Walker
To find out more about my journey with storytelling and mental health visit the Ministry of Change website
You can now also leave me voice mails directly through the Anchor App - if you'd like to share a short story about yourself, some feedback or anything else relating to the show then please do. I'd love to feature some on the show if all goes well.
Lama Yeshe: Tibetan Buddhism and Compassionate Change
For this episode I traveled up to Scotland to meet Lama Yeshe, the head abbot of the Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery to talk to him about the role of Buddhism and spirituality in connection with mental health, environmental and social change.
Read the transcript here
To find out more about my journey visit the Ministry of Change website
Thanks to the talented Graeme Walker for making the music for the show.
Please do leave voice messages for me via the Anchor app, with your personal stories - I'd love to feature some in future episodes if all goes well
with love,
Marcus
Radha Mohan Das: Hare Krishna and Social Change
In my on going exploration into how we can navigate the difficult bits of life and what it means to be human, I have been searching out people who have dedicated their lives to answering these questions through walking a spiritual path. This episode is a conversation I had recently at the Hare Krishna Bhaktivedanta Temple with Krishna Devotee Radha Mohan Das.
If you like what I'm doing then please do support me via Patreon
To stay up to date with my journey visit the Ministry of Change website
Thank you to Graeme Walker for creating the background music for me, visit his bandcamp page for more excellent audio adventures
Read the Episode Transcript
38 Remembering Polly Higgins: Ecocide and Protecting the Earth
37 Sally-Anne Airey: How To Be A Mindful Leader
#36 Anneli Roberts (Pigletish): You Are Not Alone
#35 James Arnoldi: The Messiah Complex & Growing into the Unknown
#34 Lucy Purdy: Positive News and How To Change The World
2019 Update: What's Next For Ministry of Change?
#33 A Year On The Road: Ministry of Change 2018 Review
#32 Kai Brouwer: What Happens When Adults Forget to Play
#31 Chrissy Kelly: No One Is Broken
(Interlude) Is this the real life or is this just fantasy?
#30 Bipolar Barbie: Mental Illness, Social Media & Your Authentic Self
#29 My Story: Depression, Anxiety & Learning that I am Enough
#28 Kitty's Story: A Change of Perspective
#27 Dara Blumenthal: What Does it Really Mean to Be Human in the 21st Century?
#26 Kitchen Table Chat: On Anxiety with Steph, Charlie, Dave and Marcus
“Anxiety is trying to tell you something I think. I think that's why it's so different for everyone. It's not this one size fits all ‘this is an illness’. It's about what's behind it.”
Earlier in the year I was sitting at my friend Steph’s house in Bristol, having a cup of tea and a chat with here around the kitchen table. The conversation naturally flowed into talking about anxiety, something that is a part of both of our lives. I realised then that this was the kind of conversation I wanted to record. A friendly chat around the kitchen table, over a cup of tea. The intimacy of the situation and the familiarity of the setting just seemed to work so well. Both Steph and I know a lot of people with anxiety, so we hatched a plan to invite some friends around the next time I was in Bristol to record a conversation on anxiety. So a few weeks ago Steph, myself, Dave and Charlie boiled the kettle, brewed the tea and switched on the recorder… here is the result.
View the TRANSCRIPT here
To find out more about my mental health journey around the UK check out my website: www.theministryofchange.org
To fund this project I’m using Patreon, for as little or as much as you would like each month, your support gives you access to extra content I’ve made, as well as the warm, fuzzy feeling of knowing you are helping me to make more spaces to talk about mental health.
And if you like the podcast, it would be wonderful if you could take a few moments to rate and review it on iTunes. It would mean SO much to me
With love,
Marcus
#25 On Anxiety and Wild Swimming with Joe Minihane
#24 Mark's Story: A Powerful Story of Addiction, Recovery and Transformation
#23 Transforming the Way We Live and Learn with Nadežda & Justus
#22 Charles Eisenstein: Mental Health and Interbeing
#21 Reclaiming Cornwall From Depression (an audio adventure)
#20 Kim Brown's Story: Wolf Medicine and Connecting with Nature
#19 Bethan Christopher's Story: Grow Your Own Gorgeousness
#18 The Neanderthal Bard's Story: Borderline Personality Disorder and the Spoken Word
#17 Esther's Story: Addiction, Recovery and Yoga
#16 Scott's Story: Depression and the Journey of Self Discovery
#15 Sian's Story: Alcohol Addiction and beyond
#14 Monique's Story: Growing Up with a Bipolar Parent
#13 Mental Health Stories: Living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DiD)
#12 Simon's Story: Acute Anxiety Following a Car Crash
#11 Depression, Confronting our Fear of Death and Grieving for our Planet with Simon Medhurst
#10 Qigong and Connecting with Your Self with Max St.John
#9 Finding Strength in Grief with Toby Moore
#8 Finding Your Own Rhythm in Life with Henrietta Jadin
#7 How To Go Slow And Avoid Burnout with Rik Turner
(Bonus: Walking Interlude) The Importance of Space and How to Use it
#6 How to Build a Happy Business with Laurence McCahill (The Happy Startup School)
#5 The Importance of Sharing the Difficult Bits with Dave Perrins
#4 Permaculture: Reconnecting With What Being Human is All About (with Shift Bristol)
#3 "Helping Young People Talk About Mental Health" with Off The Record Bristol
#2 Mental Health In The Work Place with Sanctus founder James Routledge
Anxiety Interlude: It's Okay to Cry in Screwfix
This is a link to the original blog post: medium.com/ministry-of-change/dont-cry-in-screwfix-a-glimpse-inside-my-head-21bcb6643822