The Next Stage

Welcome to the first episode of a revamped TNS. No longer The Naked Student, this is The Next Stage. 

My first guest is Suki Sandhu - an absolute honour to have on the pod. 

Our convo starts at 4:00 and we talk about all manner of things: growing up in a religious family, coming out as gay, establishing your own business and much more. A wonderful chat to be a part of!

Find the all new insta page: @thenextstagepod. 

Welcome to the second episode of series 5. Today, I'm joined by Xavi Bull, who co-founded the charity Band Together. We chat about mental health, the challenges of covid for charities and some helpful tips moving forward. A great chat to be a part of.

Find us on insta: thenakedstudent_ and remember to leave a nice review on Apple Podcasts!

Welcome to the first episode of Series 5! We return to a more normal form of TNS, where I'm joined by a guest for longer conversations that can be fun, insightful and often poignant. 

For this first episode, I'm joined by the wonderful Maria to discuss how she balanced elite level sport, studies and her social life. A cracking convo to be a part of... enjoy!

You can find us on Insta: thenakedstudent_ 

Welcome to the final episode of this series on mental health, bitzesized as usual. We have a look at connection and what that can do for our lives. 

If you've enjoyed this series then remember to subscribe/follow on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Also, leaving a nice rating can help us grow in the charts and would be greatly appreciated.

TNS will be back with series 5 later this week. 

Episode 5 in our series tackling mental health. It's only 8 minutes long, so it doesn't take much time out of your day, but hopefully it provides some solace. In this one, Luke examines pain and how it can be the catalyst for positive change. 

Find us on Instagram: @thenakedstudent_ and hit up our blog: www.tnsblog.com.

Also, if you enjoy listening to TNS, then it would be greatly appreciated if you could head over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a nice little review as well!

Welcome to episode 4 of our series on mental health. In this episode, Luke examines the concept of toxic positivity or, in other words, not allowing ourselves to feel negative emotions. This one is only 10 minutes long, as all episodes will be in this series. Hopefully it gets you thinking...

You can find us on Insta: @thenakedstudent_ and our blog: www.tnsblog.com. 

Welcome to episode 3 of our series on mental health. A shorter episode again to make it nice and easy to find time in the day. Apologies for the slight delay in getting this one out, just had SO much uni work going on (as I'm sure many of you will as well). Hope the episode gets you thinking as per.

You can find us on Insta: @thenakedstudent. Our blog: www.tns.blog.com

The second episode of our series examining mental health and hardship. Only 10-minutes long - I hope it helps you think and reflect.

You can find us on Insta: thenakedstudent_ & our blog: www.tnsblog.com

Welcome to episode 1 of series 4! This series will consist of short, 10 minute episodes, so that you don't have to take much time out of your day during this Christmas period. I want to tackle the incredibly important topic of mental health and I hope this first episode helps you to remember that you are never alone. Always reach out. 

Over the coming episodes, I'll be discussing topics such as authentic happiness, toxic positivity, habits, reframing pain and much more. Christmas can be a very hard time for people. So let's be there for each other whenever we can.

You can find us on Insta: @thenakedstudent. Check out our blog: www.tnsblog.com.

Today, I'm joined by Eliza over Zoom for a wonderful conversation. We begin (2:23) by discussing MiC and being a celebrity at university. We then move on to discuss Instagram and Eliza's charity work via the platform. We round off by talking about her plans for the future. Eliza was a wonderful guest - enjoy the episode!

Catch us on Instagram: thenakedstudent_.

After a brief 2 week hiatus, TNS is back! For this episode, I am joined by Izzy to examine the current mental health crisis in the UK. Uni students are having to deal with a lot right now, so hopefully this episode provides some solace. For the last 20 minutes or so, we also discuss body image and the societal pressures on both men and women to conform to a certain stereotype. Lastly, we talk about the importance of having solid relationships in your life. A useful conversation if you're stressing about life. 

You can catch us on Insta: @thenakedstudent_ & Twitter: @TNS_Podcasts.

For this one I am joined by Alex for an honest discussion about homosexuality and his recent experiences of 'coming out' to his family and friends. We also delve into religion, representation and identity. A really important episode and not one to be missed. 

You can find us on Instagram: @thenakedstudent_.

Today, Freya joins me for a very honest and important conversation. We tackle the issue of body dysmorphia, which is something we all struggle with at times. Freya is an established model and she discusses the challenges presented by the modelling world and how she has built resilience to other people's comments. We also examine the impact of social media and finding what you love. 

I hope this episode helps you to think with more clarity and realise that looks are not everything, what matters is who you are.

Find us on insta: @thenakedstudent. 

Today I am joined by Osaro and Claire from the Class of 2020 project. We talk about the current climate and the issues that graduates face. This is a very useful conversation for recent uni grads and generally anyone who is panicking/stressing. Be sure to check out their fantastic website: www.classof2020org.uk.

You can find TNS on Instagram: @thenakedstudent_  & the Class of 2020: @classof2020hq.

Today I am joined by Fithawi over Zoom to discuss his unique and inspiring journey to university. A really fantastic conversation that I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of. 

Find us on Insta: thenakedstudent_, on Twitter: @TNS_Podcasts & give our Facebook page a like to stay updated with all things TNS.

For this episode, I am joined by Catherine over Zoom. In the first part of our chat, we talk about Catherine's decision to drastically change her career path, returning to university to pursue her ambitions. We then move on to discuss the hardships she has had to overcome. Whilst back at uni, she contracted cancer, sepsis and suffered from a collapsed lung. Despite this, Catherine graduated in 2015. 

A really inspiring conversation, that illuminates how a positive mindset can help us overcome anything in our way.

Find us on Insta: thenakedstudent_

Today, I am joined by Hannah from Bristol via Zoom. Hannah established her own company (HYBR) after graduating university, tackling issues within the student housing sector. We start (3:45) by discussing the reasons why she set-up HYBR, the process of launching your own company and the apprehensions Hannah held. Later on, we chat about working through this perplexing period and her hopes for the future of HYBR. A riveting conversation and very useful if you're thinking of setting up your own business. 

Make sure you catch our series on racism if you haven't yet!   You can find us on Insta: thenakedstudent_

This is the final episode of our series on racism. Today, I analyse the hostility towards immigrants, particularly in the UK, with reference to Brexit, nationalism and classism. I will be tweeting out the reports that contained many of the figures I used in this episode, so keep your eyes out for that if it's something you would like to read more about - @TNS_Podcasts. All feedback is welcome!

I hope this series has provided a starting point for you to go and do further research/reading into issues surrounding race. 

Make sure you check out our blog: www.tnsblog.com. You can also find us on Instagram: thenakedstudent_ and Facebook. 

From the heart. I hope this episode inspires you.

Find us on Insta: thenakedstudent_ and Facebook: The Naked Student. 

In episode 3 of this series, I delve into how embedded racism is in the UK media. I go beyond the overtly racist headlines of some newspapers, instead looking at subtle instances of racism that have sinister undertones. In line with the rest of the series, this episode is shorter, so that the content is easily digestible. 

I hope you find this episode insightful. All feedback is most welcome.

Make sure to check out our new blog: www.tnsblog.com. You can also find us on Instagram: thenakedstudent_ & Twitter: @TNS_PODCASTS.  

I pushed this episode forward in our series on racism, as Churchill is a major discussion point at this moment in time. The question I want us to ponder is whether we should judge historical figures by the morals of the present day. 

I hope you find this episode engaging and it helps you gain a new perspective. All feedback is welcome.

Sidenote: if you can hear any sips from a cup, I was drinking coffee as it was an early start for recording! 

Find us on insta: thenakedstudent_ & Twitter: @TNS_Podcasts 

Welcome to the first episode of our series on racism. Today, I analyse the term 'white privilege' - what it is and what it is not. I hope you find it insightful & it inspires your own research. I would love to know listeners' thoughts on all of the topics covered, so feedback is encouraged! Tune back in mid-week for episode 2.

Find us on insta: thenakedstudent_ & twitter: @TNS_Podcasts 

Welcome to series 2 of TNS. In this series, I want to analyse and educate listeners on racism and its manifestations in easily accessible episodes. We will focus on a number of issues, such as slavery, white privilege, the current state of the US and the UK, the pillaging and subsequent partition of India and many more. 

I want people to listen, learn and do their own research into these topics. Together, we can tackle this issue, and the world will be better for it.

Series 2 starts this Sunday.

Follow us on insta @ thenakedstudent_

Today I am joined by Alexis to discuss a prevalent issue in society: sexual harassment. Alexis is a committee member of the Not Cool Club, a student-led society at UCL aiming to tackle the issues surrounding sexual harassment both on campus and in wider society. We explore common misconceptions about sexual harassment, how to call out inappropriate behaviour and systematic problems of sexual harassment in the workplace.

This is an issue we all need to care about and hopefully this conversation inspires your own research into the topic.

Today I bring you a special episode, one which I want all listeners to truly absorb. I am joined by my dear friend Sam, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer in the past few months. We discuss what gives life meaning, how we all need to embrace our feelings and the importance of talking about our issues. We also highlight how practicing gratitude can alter our perspective and, in turn, our everyday lives.

We hope this episode has a profound impact on you and it helps you think about your own life. 

Find us on insta at thenakedstudent_ and email at thenakedstudent@kloodle.com 

Over the past decade or so, the internet and smartphones have transformed how we meet potential romantic partners, leading to a broad debate about the impact of online dating on society. Frankie joins from London via FaceTime for an exploration of this phenomenon. We start off by discussing the questionable chat that many people have on these apps, as well as its increased use in isolation. After Pointless Facts (16:31), we delve into the more negative aspects, such as racial stereotyping and sexual harassment.

We hope you find it engaging! Find us on insta at thenakedstudent_.

Friends, amigos, hombres... whatever you call them, we all have them, and they continue to shape our lives. Tom joins me today to discuss what friendship means in the modern age, and in the context of lockdown. A really important episode and one we hope you enjoy listening to! Stick till the end to here some really touching words of wisdom from Tom. 

Find us on insta at thenakedstudent_ 

A landmark episode for TNS, the half-century! It's been quite a journey so far and we hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have. Today brings one of the most in-depth discussions we've had so far. Raife joins Luke over FaceTime to discuss what life could look like after this pandemic, and lockdown, subsides. In the first half, we look at the  negative connotations in the short and long-term, delving into issues surrounding surveillance, a police state and, of course, the economy. In the second half, we look at the positives this lockdown period could have, such as flexible working, greener living and the potential to bring us all together for the greater good. We hope you find this engaging!

All feedback is welcome - you can email us: thenakedstudent@kloodle.com or find us on insta: thenakedstudent_ 

Today, Eimear joins me on FaceTime from her barn for the first episode of the lockdown period. For many of us, self-isolation brings feelings of uncertainty to the surface, and I imagine people will turn to a self-help book at some stage. So, we want to demystify this phenomenon, delving into the positive and negative connotations of the self-help movement. A compelling chat awaits!

Books mentioned: Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell; The Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton; Feel Better in 5 - Dr Rangan Chatterjee; Waking Up - Sam Harris 

Podcast: How to Fail - hosted by Elizabeth Day (and of course your weekly dose of TNS). 

Today, TNS tackle an important topic that has received wider recognition in recent years. Sasha joins me to openly discuss her personal experience with an eating disorder. We delve into her headspace at the time and the internal pressure she had to face. We also touch upon the importance of friendship and parents in helping one to change their outlook. After some Pointless Facts, we look at body dysmorphia and how that affects so many people, male and female. A recurring theme in our chat surrounds social media and the harmful ideals that it often promotes, particularly of superficial perfectionism.

I hope you found this chat engaging and honest.

Find us on insta at thenakedstudent_ and on Twitter @TNS_Podcasts

A really riveting episode today! Luke is joined by Tom to discuss all manner of things. In the first half, the focus is primarily on determination and work ethic, which Tom has in abundance. As a part of this, we discuss our shared experience attending to an academic, all-boys school, and the challenges it presented. We also touch on issues surrounding ego and arrogance, and how they can prevent us from growing as human beings. Finally, we openly discuss how we dealt with our respective failures. After some outstanding Pointless Facts (approximately 40:00-44.00), we move our attention on to the workplace. Tom, who works for Deloitte, talks about dealing with imposter syndrome when entering the world of work. In the final half an hour,  we examine the recent changes in work culture and the developments in the working landscape that we may witness in the coming decades. We firmly believe that a more flexible, target-based approach should be adopted.

A thoroughly enjoyable and insightful chat. Enjoy!

Follow us on insta at thenakedstudent_

After a 2 week break, TNS are back with a hugely important episode! Luke is joined by Lola, who is the Yorkshire Ambassador for the Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform. In the first half, we discuss Labour's policy on this subject and the shifting political perspectives in the current climate. We then examine the clear evidence that the War on Drugs has failed, demonstrated most prominently through county lines. We also touch on the Portuguese model, which offers an example of a successful shift in drug reform policy. After some enthralling Pointless Facts, we delve into the debate on cannabis and whether it should be legalised. This is a very complex issue, but the need for government intervention is ever-growing. 

The UK needs to take a public health approach to drug abuse, rather than it being a criminal justice matter. How long before real, practical change occurs? 

Follow the Labour campaign on Twitter: @LabourDrugRef to see all the great initiatives they undertake and see how you can get involved. We hope you enjoyed listening! 

Find us on insta at thenakedstudent_ 

Today, Tom joins Luke on the pod for the first episode 0f 2020. This is a big episode - one we've been wanting to bring you for some time. We cover the taboo topic of grief, which both of us have experienced growing up. We each reveal our respective tales of loss, something that we usually bury quite deep inside, and how it has affected us. We also delve into what we've learnt along the journey and how subjective the whole process is. 

This was challenging for both of us and we wanted to keep it raw. We hope you find it thought-provoking and insightful, and that it helps those going through difficult times. 

We would love your feedback on this episode. Find us on insta at thenakedstudent_.

Our final episode before Christmas! Today, Eddie joins Luke on the pod to discuss why he decided to drop out of uni at the end of first year. This is a conversation we've been wanting to have for a while, as it's imperative that people realise you do not have to stay at uni if you're not enjoying it. Eddie stuck out the whole of first year, applied to jobs whilst studying for exams and, upon receiving a job offer, decided go into the world of work instead. There are so many paths one can take and, as with most of our chats, we want to get listeners thinking about what they want to do. 

Due to the popularity of our TNS quiz 2 weeks ago, we decided we would do another (smaller) quiz in the second half of today's episode, which makes for some easy listening over the Christmas period. Hopefully you beat Luke's feeble attempts! 

Merry Christmas to all our listeners! We will be back soon and we have some very exciting plans.

Catch us on insta at thenakedstudent_ 

Today, we are joined by Mike on TNS! In the first half, we discuss his journey from school to his job now. Mike did not sit his AS levels due to injuring himself by falling off a ledge, something he now views as a defining moment. Mike talks candidly about his decision to join Deloitte and his emotions after being asked to leave. Rather than dwell on this, Mike threw himself back out there, and has been working at the same company in London for the past 3 years. After Pointless Facts, we delve into what it's like living in London as a young person - a topic that lots of our listeners have asked us to cover again! From 50 minutes onwards, Mike shares some entertaining tales from his time on super yachts around the world!

This was a real corker of an episode.

Find us on insta at thenakedstudent_ 

Welcome to our second interview of the Christmas period - Episode 40! Today we welcome back Emily to the podcast. Emily joined us for episode 34 to discuss the human impact on the environment (make sure to give it a listen if you haven't already) - something we build upon in today's episode. However, before we delve into that, we first explore Emily's path from school to uni and beyond. She tells us why she cares so passionately about the environment and making a difference, and how this came primarily from developing a real sense of empathy whilst at university. After our Pointless Facts, we then hone in on how we can all make our Christmas' more sustainable in little ways, so as to not spoil any of the fun. We raise issues such as pouring fat down the drain, food waste, wrapping paper & even the issue with Christmas trees. Christmas is a time of excess and thus, if we all made one small eco-friendly change each, it could make a real difference.

Stay to the end to hear some cool initiatives taking place around the world that are tackling environmental issues! 

We absolutely loved this episode and we hope you do as well.

Find us on insta at thenakedstudent_ & twitter at TNS_Podcasts. 

Hello dear listeners! This is the first episode in our festive extravaganza that we have coming up before Christmas. Today, we are joined by our dear friend Richard to do an episode in the fashion of the wildly popular Desert Island Discs, as clamoured for by some of our fans. We have altered it slightly, so we each choose 5 songs each, a book & and a celebrity/book character we'd take with us to the mystical island. Before we delve into that however, we do analyse the shock results from the election yesterday, as it's a topic that weighs on all our minds. 

Rather than list 15 songs on here, we have made a playlist on Spotify with all the songs mentioned - TNS playlist. We would love listeners to add songs that our personal to them... so get in contact with us if you want a song to be added! 

We hope this episode brings you much joy (with our array of chat) - we certainly loved doing it!

Find us on insta at thenakedstudent_ & Twitter at TNS_Podcasts. 

We wanted to bring you a light-hearted episode, following on from the slightly heavier one we did on politics. Thus, we have devised a wonderful quiz! Grab a pen and paper and join us in this 36 question extravaganza. There are 6 rounds that include: general knowledge, history, geography, sport, music and TV & Film - see how many you can get right!

We want you to comment under our latest post on Instagram with the score you get - anything over 24 is quite the achievement. We hope you enjoy!

Follow us on insta at thenakedstudent_ & Twitter at TNS_Podcasts. 

Today, we bring you a significant episode. In light of the general election next week, we wanted to make the political world more accessible to our listeners, especially those who may feel disillusioned with it all. This is by no means a political debate and we remain very much objective throughout - we simply want to get people thinking. In the first half, we discuss the policies of the main political parties', which aims to cut through the noise. We also talk about why we all need to stop "headline grabbing" and the importance of voting in our democracy. After some short but sweet Pointless Facts, we touch on the issue of the NHS in an interactive manner. We also delve into tactical voting and what it entails. Then, for the final half an hour, we critique our democracy, examining the issues that are inherent in our current voting system. We way up the positives and negatives of Proportional Representation and compare it to F-P-T-P. Stay to the end to hear our articles of the day and read more on our Twitter: TNS_Podcasts. 

Make sure you all check out "Vote for Policies" on their website to stay as informed. We wanted this episode to be as engaging as possible and we would love your feedback.

We urge everyone to go and vote next Thursday!

Follow us on insta at thenakedstudent_. 

Today, we bring you a joyous episode, from which you can go and enjoy the rest of your day. We want to talk about smiling and why it's so important. In the first half, we talk rather aimlessly about why a confident smile is not only good for yourself, but also for those around you. We share some personal tales from the days of braces and Luke shares some rather interesting impressions. In the second half, we delve into some of the science and psychology behind smiling and how research has demonstrated how it can be indicative of a person's well-being and longevity! 

Make sure you stay to the end for this one for a wonderful finishing segment. 

We hope you find this episode amusing and it makes you smile. 

Today, TNS delve into the issue of sleep. Sleep is such an important pillar of our health - both the physical and mental sides. In the first half, we discuss how hard it can be to be well-rested whilst at uni, due to either the social aspect or work. We also discuss the personal experiences we've had with sleep and set our listeners a challenge for the week ahead (which we hope you join us in doing). After a magical Pointless Facts segment, we examine sleep in more detail, especially the science behind it. Matthew Walker is at the forefront of this scientific research. His book: "Why We Sleep", as well as his 3-part podcast on The Peter Attia Drive, heavily informs this episode. Sleep is the "swiss-army knife of health" and it's time we all started to prioritise it. We also pose some questions about the nature of our society and why work/school has to start so early? Finally, we provide a few suggestions on how to improve our sleep. 

This is an episode we really enjoyed doing and we hope it gets you thinking!

Find us on insta at thenakedstudent_ & Twitter at TNS_Podcasts 

Hello lovely listeners! Today, we tackle a big issue - the human impact on the environment. Emily joins us for this discussion, as she is both knowledgeable and passionate about this issue. In the first half, we delve into the ambivalent attitudes humans have towards recycling and general environmental issues.  We also ponder whether recycling is the way forward or whether we need to simply reduce our plastic usage. Are we, as a society, addicted to plastic?After some *interesting* and interactive Pointless Facts,  we examine how humans are destroying the natural world. Humans and nature need synergy for the world to be saved and, right now, this is far from the case. We provide examples of how coral reefs are being eradicated all over the world and how natural disasters are becoming more frequent. 

We hope this conversation engages you and gets you to think about how you can alter small behaviours that are better for our planet.

Part 2 will be out in a couple of weeks, so join us then to hear us talk more about how we can make sustainability sustainable... 

In episode 33, we wanted to focus on a topic that has been partly explored in early episodes of TNS. The North-South divide is prevalent within the UK and we think it isn't spoken about enough, especially amongst young people. In the first half, we discuss our personal experiences with some light prejudice at university towards our 'northern-ness'. After easing us into the debate, and after some superb Pointless Facts, we get into the real meat of the discussion in the second half. Having read extensively on this topic, we debate the need for HS2 in the North and whether this really redresses the imbalances that are so apparent. We also highlight the disparities in education between Northern schools and those in the South, and why this urgently needs to change. Get ready for hella stats! 

Stay to the end to hear our choices for Favourite Northerner.

We hope you find this as engaging as we did. We would love to address this topic again in the future, so any feedback is much appreciated.

Hello dear listeners, welcome to episode 32 of TNS. Today, Luke is joined by Will to discuss his journey since leaving college. Will decided to throw himself into the world of work, rather than rack up large amounts of student debt on a course that he didn't really want to do. After a year of one job and an 18-month apprenticeship, Will decided to travel the world on his own, even reaching Hawaii on his trip. After Pointless Fact of the Day, Will discusses his current job, one that he worked incredibly hard to get. This chat offers fresh perspective on why uni isn't for everyone and why seeing the world is so important!

Stay to the end, as Will and Luke list their top 3 albums of the day (although Will did steal one of Luke's!) - let us know your thoughts! 

Will: 1) Don Mclean - American Pie, 2) My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye, 3) Abbey Road - Beatles

Luke: 1) Psychodrama - Dave, 2) DAMN - Kendrick Lamar, 3) Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys 

An eclectic mix! 

Hello lovely listeners! Welcome to episode 31, where Jake joins us on the pod. This is a captivating conversation, with Jake speaking candidly about the difficulties he faced at school , being formally asked to leave at 16. However, rather than going down the wrong path, Jake decided to take the path less travelled. He got to work. Jake is hard-work personified, often travelling the world for business, and rising every morning at 5am. This is a necessary conversation for those who may not have got the grades they wanted or don't believe in themselves. Jake reveals that with the right mindset, which takes years to build, we can all do the things we dream of. Hard-work and dedication is the key.

We hope you enjoyed this chat as much as we did.

Catch us on insta at thenakedstudent_ & Twitter at TNS_Podcasts