Bristol2Beijing

Josh Day cycled from Bristol to Beijing between 2017 and 2019, an odyssey that saw him cross the Pamir highway in winter and later cycle through Siberia in -25C conditions. In this podcast we go beyond our shared physical journey, discussing self-reliance, our mindsets during difficult periods and the purpose of goals. We also discuss what led Josh to leave his grad scheme for Beijing and how he's adjusted to life back in the UK. See below for Josh's favourite: Place: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kamchatka+Peninsula,+Kamchatka+Krai,+Russia,+684405/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x5904e2b2a6a01f69:0x4cc0fcba86bbb18d?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjNp66opuvtAhWmk4sKHariDDMQ8gEwHnoECC0QAQ (Kamchatka, Russia) Piece of Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jmmHB3K69A (Zvezda Po Imeni (A Star Called the Sun) by Kino) Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Walk-Hindu-Kush/dp/0007367759 (A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby )

"When the ideal is not available the available becomes ideal" Until recently there were only two centres in Ghana that could treat children with cancer. This meant that children from the Central and Western regions of Ghana had to make a journey of up to ten hours to receive treatment; In November 2019, Ella was able to use her expertise to set up a childhood cancer satellite unit at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, as part of World Child Cancer’s shared care programme. Yet Ella is still training as a paediatric oncologist. What difficulties did she encounter in creating a new treatment centre with minimal resources and staffing? To find out more about World Child Cancer, click https://www.worldchildcancer.org/ (here)

When in Moldova I visited Taproom 27 - a craft beer bar - and the Smokehouse in the centre of Chișinău and talked with David Smith about his innovative way of challenging corruption through business. We discussed how corruption manifests itself in Moldova, how his bar and restaurant have defended themselves and what kept Dave going through the darkest moments. See below for Dave's favourite: Place: The Moldovan countryside Piece of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge18n2JCwBs (Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) by Queen) Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Classics-Steinbeck-7-Sep-2000-Paperback/dp/B013IMEEAI/ref=pd_lpo_14_t_0/258-0222061-9335838?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B013IMEEAI&pd_rd_r=15937897-e7c5-4b25-a6be-482f22be063d&pd_rd_w=DqLvs&pd_rd_wg=yBFsI&pf_rd_p=7b8e3b03-1439-4489-abd4-4a138cf4eca6&pf_rd_r=FPQ8YK701FDFYMEK87M9&psc=1&refRID=FPQ8YK701FDFYMEK87M9 (East of Eden by John Steinbeck)

‘The hardest thing I’ve ever done.’  Lucy Palmer describes with honesty the moment she climbed the stairs to be with her husband at the time of his death, the physical pain of his loss, navigating her way through a death-denying culture with three small children, the array of emotions she felt and the courage it takes to stand in that space of pain.   ‘It is very easy to numb out and avoid the things that we don’t want to think about, the things we don’t want to face… When I was brave enough to face those things and to digest and understand those experiences, they were truly the most exhilarating experiences of my life’. See below for Lucy's favourite: Place: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mount+Hagen,+Papua+New+Guinea/@-5.815507,144.1680113,11.37z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x685984c1e73b1e83:0xd990b45306efaa65!8m2!3d-5.8581876!4d144.2429343 (Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea) Piece of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRFw8m2hl9w (Afternoon in Paris by Stephane Grappelli) Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Middlemarch-Wordsworth-Classics-George-Eliot/dp/1853262374 (Middlemarch by George Eliot)

“It was about the person I wanted to be, not so much about the person I actually was” Lucy tells the story of how she escaped from a difficult childhood in the UK to work in Papua New Guinea, how she fell in love and married her unexpected sweetheart and then faced the challenge of becoming stepmother to four teenage boys themselves grieving the death of their mother. She speaks candidly about the difficulties of forming relationships with her stepsons only to then face a double tragedy in the family.

Rory Stewart talks about what he learnt from the 500 villages he walked through across Asia, how he stayed calm when his compound in Iraq was shelled and why being an MP was the hardest job he‘s done. He also shares his perspective for what is important for a divided America and his words of advice for Joe Biden. We also delve into society's last taboo, how to balance achievement with contentment and Rory’s favourite fruit! See below for Rory's favourite: Place: https://goo.gl/maps/pMaBcaRXLvpvP7UZ9 (Afghanistan) Piece of music: Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anna-Karenina-Wordsworth-Classics-Tolstoy/dp/1853262714 (Anna Karenina by LeoTolstoy)

"You have to fully embrace yourself before you can fully love someone else. Hard things take time." Meet Zoe Davison, an Olympic hopeful in modern pentathlon, who has already proven herself in junior championships. Talent spotted at just 18 years of age she found herself training with women ten years her senior. Yet her attempts to match their performance and physique led her down a dark path towards eating disorder and depression. Her therapist encouraged her to acquire a dog whose unconditional positive regard was instrumental in her road to self acceptance. Zoe also talks frankly about her own experience of sexual assault, the dangers of making assumptions in relationships and the importance of open conversation around consent. TW: contains references to suicide, sexual assault and eating disorders See below for Zoe's favourite: Place: https://goo.gl/maps/DHVvgY3fg1VRRbiR8 (Font-Remeu, France) Piece of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kua2dDhqzZw (Half a man by Dean Lewis) Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Powerful/dp/0743269519 (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey)

"We were young. The last thing we were thinking in our minds was cancer." John Sloan discusses the challenges of a cancer diagnosis at 24, the importance of support from loved ones, how his life was turned upside down again just as things seemed to be getting back to normal and how he found redemption in physical exercise and living in the moment. "Challenge accepted. Now I’m going to hit this with everything I’ve got...The more I exercised, the more the anxiety would go away…the feel-good endorphins totally overrode everything else that was going on." See below for John's favourite: Place: https://goo.gl/maps/ynEYBtvuFcFFYSB56 (The Amalfi Coast, Italy) Piece of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Y_x30uKQg&list=PLkMJzBrLL0mtHZ4YXxoDxyb8r5BqQ2zWA&index=4&t=0s (The Sharpest Lives by My Chemical Romance) Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Voyage-Antarctic/dp/0753809877 (Endurance: Shackleton's incredible voyage to the Antarctic by Alfred Lansing)

Arctic explorer & ocean conservationist, Pen Hadow, reveals what it took to become the first person to trek solo from Canada to the North Pole, on his third attempt. “This is what the whole challenge is about, it’s not about the easy stuff, it’s about how you deal with the really hard stuff … We are all different … Have confidence in who you are and what you can do and bring to the table, and resist the herd mentality and the need to be like everyone else” See below for Pen's favourite: Place: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pentire+Point/@50.587328,-4.9360756,15.3z/data=!4m8!1m2!2m1!1sPentire+Cove,+north+of+Polzeath!3m4!1s0x0:0x50e4a6e405f115f9!8m2!3d50.5870497!4d-4.9340469 (Pentire Cove, north of Polzeath, Cornwall) Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWoFaPwbzqE (Brahms Piano concerto no. 2 in B flat major ) or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3ixEzKA4k0 (Loaded by Primal Scream ) Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fermats-Last-Theorem-Confounded-Greatest/dp/1841157910 (Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh )

“I just kept talking calmly and pretending not to understand...I’m very happy to be robbed.” Oli started his adventures at a young age, sleeping in a tent in the garden when he was six. Growing up in Cornwall gave ample opportunity to explore the outdoors and this passion has led him to travel to remote parts of the world, including a walk across South India living on just a dollar a day and trekking through Sumatra. In this conversation Oli shares his tips with me on staying cheerful, how he survived an attempted mugging, the challenge of getting started on each expedition, and how he coped with lockdown. To find out more about Oli, check out http://www.olibroadhead.com/ (http://www.olibroadhead.com/) See below for Oli's favourite: Place: https://goo.gl/maps/YE7K7PNVaeRgvj3Y8 (Looe Island, Cornwall, UK) Piece of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8Kv0uNOm2c ("Tales Of Girls, Boys & Marsupials" by The Wombats) Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Empire-East-Three-Journeys-Indonesia/dp/1780601026 (An Empire of the East by Norman Lewis)

Elite ultra runner Carla Molinaro took matters into her own hands when the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to cancel the 2020 racing season. Undaunted she decided to attempt to smash the record for running from Land’s End to John O’Groats and became the fastest woman to do this, running over 800 miles in just twelve days. In this episode Carla reflects on her extraordinary career, how failures lead to success and how she hopes to encourage more women to discover the benefits of getting out and active. See below for Carla's favourite: Place: https://www.chamonix.net/english/summer-activities/trekking/tour-of-mont-blanc (The Tour of Mont Blanc) Piece of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzGwKwLmgM ("Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen) Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Voyage-Antarctic/dp/0753809877 (Endurance: Shackleton's incredible voyage to the Antarctic by Alfred Lansing)

"I shouldn’t be mayor of Bristol. I grew up poor, there was some domestic violence, I’m the first in my family to go to university, I shouldn’t be sitting in the United Nations building… I shouldn’t be addressing the US conference of mayors, I shouldn’t be walking into Downing Street. That’s not my background. I’m at the same table as this person and I started 100 metres behind the start line." Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees describes growing up as a mixed race child, his life defined as a struggle, before finding self-belief through the encouragement of the adults who believed in him and becoming a force for positive change in Bristol and in the lives of its young people. For more information about the City Leadership Programme, look at the link: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/mayor/city-leadership-programme (https://www.bristol.gov.uk/mayor/city-leadership-programme) See below for Marvin's favourite: Place: https://goo.gl/maps/cEy3TLV9JvQcPv3q9 (Spitsbergen, Norway) Piece of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5TmORitlKk (What's going on by Marvin Gaye) Book: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/beyond-vietnam ('A time to break the silence') - Speech by Martin Luther King, 4th April 1967

When Josh Lasky was in his early twenties he saw his father succumb to the ravages of Parkinson’s disease. He became one of his father’s main caregivers, discovering why carers are the unsung heroes of our time. As Josh entered adulthood, he had to grapple with the realisation that is father was human, and flawed. Through Josh's eleven years of experience as a caregiver he relates his journey from bitterness to gratitude, learning the value of time and the power of endurance sports. To find out more about Josh's story and his book 'Every Step is a Gift' go to www.joshlasky.com. See below for Josh's favourite: Place: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Bradley+Beach,+NJ,+USA/@40.2019285,-74.0210317,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c22f89d59842b9:0xe2709a9e4e5c7e41!8m2!3d40.2023354!4d-74.0120814 (2nd Ave Beach, Bradley Beach, New Jersey) Piece of music: Time Machine Invention by Cloud Cult Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meditations-Penguin-Pocket-Hardbacks-Aurelius/dp/0141395869/ref=pd_lpo_14_t_2/258-0222061-9335838?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0141395869&pd_rd_r=1784cbc2-b0df-4026-a75e-525a1e786856&pd_rd_w=tONqy&pd_rd_wg=CZ1li&pf_rd_p=7b8e3b03-1439-4489-abd4-4a138cf4eca6&pf_rd_r=8EJZBTXCGFDV0NZ1PZ3Y&psc=1&refRID=8EJZBTXCGFDV0NZ1PZ3Y (Meditations by Marcus Aurelius) and https://www.amazon.co.uk/Born-Run-Hidden-Ultra-Runners-Greatest/dp/1861978774 (Born to Run by Christopher McDougall)

Imagine swimming more than two miles before cycling over 100 miles and then running a marathon… This week’s guest is disarmingly modest about her extraordinary career as four times Ironman world champion and yet she has achieved far more than this. Before becoming a professional athlete, Chrissie worked for the British government on international development policy and for a NGO in Nepal. Despite all of this, her biggest challenge was not Ironman related but instead one that many of us face. Chrissie talks candidly about the experience of being a mother and the secret behind the success of parkrun. See below for Chrissie's favourite: Place: https://goo.gl/maps/6oL9b2GuRxtcNJ7eA (Hawaii) & https://goo.gl/maps/EAWghJqL4HyzqPQB9 (Nepal)https://goo.gl/maps/EAWghJqL4HyzqPQB9 ( ) Piece of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh7LJDHFaqA (You Are My Sunshine) Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Animals-Emily-Winfield-Martin/dp/055352190X/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/259-9672747-9425229?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=055352190X&pd_rd_r=e4f246cc-35cd-4182-aa70-311720e3567a&pd_rd_w=wHNMi&pd_rd_wg=lRT44&pf_rd_p=dcf35746-0212-418b-a148-30395d107b2d&pf_rd_r=92HK8AV2GBNR5PGS6GVR&psc=1&refRID=92HK8AV2GBNR5PGS6GVR (Dream Animals by Emily Winfield Martin)

"You were asking how the 23 year old Luke thought. He thought in terms of three years...of course I’m going to have that time. I don’t think like that now" The tables are turned in this episode as Luke speaks candidly to family friend Jane Philips of his journey over the past two years, encompassing his own diagnosis with cancer, the loss of his brother John shortly afterwards, and his altered perspective on life. "If you don't have much time to live then surely you want to do as much as possible with that time - because it becomes immensely precious."

In this second part, Graham and I discuss how he dealt with challenges in a robust Naval environment, what makes good leadership and why he thinks 'Generation Snowflake' have it harder than he did. 

"I did feel a duty to look after my mother" In this episode I chat with my grandfather, Graham, about some of his experiences from the earlier part of his life, including his early bomb disposal work during as a child in the second world war, and how he came to join the Navy as a ship's boy and work his way up from the bottom. In this first part we also discuss our respective childhoods and how they shaped who we are today. Continued in part 2.

In this episode, Philip and I continue our discussion. Philip explains to me he does so much more than drive an ambulance, the importance of teamwork and family and his perspective from being on the front line of the COVID-19 response. For different outro music, Philip recommends: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY4l2Xx3crs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY4l2Xx3crs) And Philip also found these two books highly impactful, check them out if interested! https://tinyurl.com/y4nnuhc3 (Leadership and Self Deception: Getting out of the Box) by The Arbinger Institute https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feel-Fear-Anyway-Indecision-Confidence/dp/0091907071/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-p13n1_0?crid=1ZJVZRUQH8DIS&cv_ct_cx=feel+the+fear+and+do+it+anyway&dchild=1&keywords=feel+the+fear+and+do+it+anyway&pd_rd_i=0091907071&pd_rd_r=d9e12438-e518-4fa8-8c1e-03549274c45e&pd_rd_w=GANY4&pd_rd_wg=yjTfq&pf_rd_p=fd5dad59-261a-423d-9e6c-7be719d7fb65&pf_rd_r=88QK9GEW3GHH6QZB62G5&psc=1&qid=1594550963&sprefix=feel+the+fear,aps,241&sr=1-1-91e9aa57-911e-4628-99b3-09163b7d9294&pldnSite=1 (Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway) by Susan Jeffers

This episode I talk with Philip Taylor, who "had it all" as a senior executive at IBM. However, despite the salary and company car, this didn't make Philip satisfied with his work or his life at IBM. We discuss the challenges he faced changing his career from the corporate world to a totally new sphere - the ambulance service. Along the way, we also discuss fear, materialism and the right way to buy. This is the first half of our discussion - it will be continued in part 2.

This week, Facing Up takes a different tack and I discuss with Kate, Kirsty and Miranda what it is to live with a cancer diagnosis. We discuss the similarities and differences in the experiences each of us had, from coping with different treatments, handling uncertainty and how we have decided to continue our lives. We also discuss how having a cancer diagnosis has changed us as people, and to what extent it forms part of our identity.

In this episode, Samuel Asare Twumasi Ampofo tells me about his childhood, describing the challenges he faced growing up in rural Ghana - with career prospects starting and ending at cocoa farmer - and how he defied every difficulty and expectation to study and develop himself. His journey so far has brought him to the University of Oxford, from which he graduated in 2019. We also hear Samuel's thoughts on racism, diversity and why his favourite place in the world is at once one and many.

This week I talk to Leon McCarron - an adventurer, journalist and presenter. He has walked across China, kayaked down Iran's longest river and is now establishing walk trails in Iraq and beyond. We talk about how his adventures were at first a step into the unknown, before he then decided that greater, and more worthwhile, challenges lay elsewhere. For more on Leon check out: https://www.leonmccarron.com/ (https://www.leonmccarron.com/) Watch the short film "How To Save A Tribe" https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Save-Tribe-Leon-McCarron/dp/B083JNL55L (here) on Amazon.

Emma Sky has led an extraordinary life. Having worked hard to bring about peace between Palestine and Israel she then volunteered to help Iraq, post invasion, in 2003. Within weeks she running a province and later went on to advise the most senior American generals in Iraq. Emma and I discuss the challenges - internal as well as external - of her position as governor coordinator of Kirkuk, working with the American military, and refinding her purpose. Emma is also the author of two books: the first, The Unravelling is an insightful account of her experiences in Iraq, explaining what went wrong; A Time of Monsters deals with Emma's post Iraq travels, including the heady optimism and then crushing disappointment that followed the so-called Arab spring. Emma is now the director of Yale's World Fellows Programme and is the co-founder of the Good Society Forum: https://www.goodsocietyforum.com/ (https://www.goodsocietyforum.com/)

Ryan and I chat about his life as an adventurer and TV producer, which has taken him all around the world, yet is a lifestyle that has challenges along with the glamour. We also discuss how he had to forge a new career after the financial crisis of 2008, and his favourite whiskey. Click for Ryan's new podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6NyyE3IGnlqOudSL605iaM (https://open.spotify.com/show/6NyyE3IGnlqOudSL605iaM) Watch Ryan’s “Tough Rides” series on YouTube Tough Rides China: https://bit.ly/YT_TRC (https://bit.ly/YT_TRC) Tough Rides India: https://bit.ly/YT_TRI (https://bit.ly/YT_TRI) Tough Rides Brazil: https://bit.ly/TY_TRB (https://bit.ly/TY_TRB) And head to Amazon Prime for his Extreme Treks

In this episode, liberally laced with anecdotes, Charlotte Roach and I discuss her complex relationship with sport: its role as a powerful formative experience; and with a goal of racing at the 2012 Olympics, which took primacy over all others - only for it to leave her fighting for her life. We also discuss how Charlotte left elite sport and came to set up Rabble, the organisation, which exhorts "stop exercising, start playing". Check out Rabble: https://joinrabble.com/ (https://joinrabble.com/)

"I think celebrity is one of the most ironic phrases. What do you want to be celebrated for?" This week, I chat to Joseph Daniels, one of the most dynamic and exciting people I know. He has come to success the hard way; homeless during his teens before setting up Project Etopia at the age of 23. He's now on his way to change the world for the better: increasing living standards and tackling climate change. This is 50 minutes of your time well-spent.  More about Joe: https://placetech.net/analysis/big-interview-project-etopia/ (https://placetech.net/analysis/big-interview-project-etopia/) More about Project Etopia: https://www.projectetopia.com/ (https://www.projectetopia.com/)

Gemma and I discuss her journey, beginning in the elite athletic environs of Loughborough University, and taking her to Nike, before receiving life-changing news at 24. From fighting for her life, she then achieves the remarkable: gaining an England running vest and setting up a charity, Move. For those interested in the work of Move: https://movecharity.org/ (https://movecharity.org/) That uber-inspirational video I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbkZrOU1Zag (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbkZrOU1Zag)

'How to make friends and not intimidate people' Jeremy is one of my best friends, but we only met relatively recently, at Oxford; he as a dynamic and outgoing uber-networking American, me as a shy guy, with no hair, going through chemotherapy. In this episode, we discuss the challenges of becoming friends, from both Jeremy’s perspective – who is this guy and what can I say to him? – and mine:  I don’t really want to talk right now. Tune in for an exploration into friendship. Jeremy mentions a podcast on lonely adult American males. Find it here: https://tinyurl.com/y6rnsf3v (https://tinyurl.com/y6rnsf3v)

Sehar Naz Janani speaks with an intensity and depth uncommon amongst students. I met Sehar at the University of Central Asia, and was struck hard by her story then. In this episode I am frequently speechless listening to the challenges she has faced growing up as a girl in Pakistan. Sehar set up Sapiens of Abuse, a community challenging the status quo in Pakistan and refusing to accept the unacceptable. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/sapiensofabuse/ (https://www.facebook.com/sapiensofabuse/)

Lucy Gossage is a thirteen times Ironman champion, an oncologist, and the founder of 5KYourWay, an organisation that helps those with cancer get active. Lucy and I discuss the challenges of turning from PhD student to pro triathlete, the difficulties of the consultant-patient relationship and the power of exercise in treating cancer. Inspired by hearing Lucy talk about 5K Your Way? Want to get involved? Check them out here: https://5kyourway.org/ (https://5kyourway.org/)

About Facing Up and me: what the podcast is about; what I'm about; and what I hope you'll gain from listening.