BORN HUMAN

Welcome aboard the good ship Born Human for the very last episode of Season 1 where this week I have the privilege of sitting down with the woman who saved my own family, Domini Hooper. Domini is Mum to 3 children and an Arts Psychotherapist who runs a charity called Open Space, which has for the last 20 years been supporting postnatal mothers helping them overcome the challenges of postnatal illness. She also works with children and families looking at behavioural challenges and helping them navigate the complexities of family life.Her journey began with her own experience and with the realisation that pregnancy wasn't what she had hoped for. The confusion and isolation she felt in having these feelings led her to search for answers and the rest as they say is history. The passion she has for helping others now is like nothing I have ever experienced, and so it was a genuine pleasure to spend some time exploring what she has learnt and the pearls of wisdom she was able to share.It is a fascinating insight into perinatal mental health, how our experience of parenthood has changed, and understanding the stigma that still surrounds parental mental health. I couldn't think of a more appropriate way to end season 1 than with the beacon of hope that has changed the future of so many families.It has been a true privilege to have shared all these conversations with you from Season 1 and we can't wait to share a whole load more with you in Season 2! If you have a journey you would like us to consider sharing on the podcast we would love to hear from you - e mail us at hello@bornhuman.co.uk.Stay subscribed, stay safe and we'll see you in a few months for more Born Human Podcast!

Welcome aboard for the penultimate journey of season 1 with a distinctly lovely gentleman, Mr Alex Priddle. Alex has recently become a father for the first time but his journey to acquiring that title has been a little more complicated than he anticipated. Alex has a connective tissue disorder called Loeys-Dietz, a genetic condition that has been responsible for the deaths of several of his family members.Alex and his wife have been on a long journey working with genetic specialists to use modern science to try and eradicate the condition for his children. We had a fascinating conversation learning about how that experience was for him and his wife, what he has learnt along the way and the difficult decisions he and his wife have had to make in starting a family.This was a whole world of things I had never been exposed to before so it was a fascinating opportunity to learn about something entirely new. I hope you enjoy firing up your brain synapses as much as I did with this one.EPISODE LINKSLOEYS DIETZ SYNDROME FOUNDATIONPRE IMPLANTATION GENETIC DIAGNOSIS (PGD)GUYS & ST THOMAS PGD INFO PAGEMORE ABOUT BORN HUMANWWW.BORNHUMAN.CO.UKINSTAGRAM - WE ARE BORN HUMANINSTAGRAM - BORNHUMANPODCASTFACEBOOK - BORN HUMANLINKEDIN - BORN HUMAN CONSULTANCYContact us at hello@bornhuman.co.ukCREDITSProps as ever to LONGY for gracing us with his musical talents for the backdrop to this podcast. Soundtrack was taken from his 2019 track Akecheta

Welcome aboard the good ship Born Human for episode 13 where this week we are talking Modern Motherhood with the wonderful Lucy Burnford. Lucy is Mum to her two boys and I think it's fair to say has never taken a conventional career path. She is a serial entrepreneur who has successfully launched and sold multiple businesses and she really embodies the journey that many of us these days are embarking on.Choosing to embrace our creativity, carve our own path and follow ideas and businesses we are passionate about is becoming an ever increasing feature of society, and doing that whilst taking on the responsibility of raising children is all the more challenging. On this episode I really wanted to explore Lucy's experiences of balancing entrepreneurship with motherhood, and what she's learnt along the way. As someone who has taken that path myself, I've felt the freedom and empowerment of choosing my own path and at the same time have felt the isolation and self doubt that always seems to rear its ugly head so I know it will really resonate with many of you.It may not be the simplest route, but making life what we want it to be. rather than just accepting what we're told it should is worth all the effort. This episode is a journey in identity, resilience and self belief and I truly think you are going to love it.MORE ABOUT BORN HUMANWWW.BORNHUMAN.CO.UKINSTAGRAM - WE ARE BORN HUMANINSTAGRAM - BORNHUMANPODCASTFACEBOOK - BORN HUMANLINKEDIN - BORN HUMAN CONSULTANCYContact us at hello@bornhuman.co.ukCREDITSProps as ever to LONGY for gracing us with his musical talents for the backdrop to this podcast. Soundtrack was taken from his 2019 track Akecheta

Welcome to part 2 of this weeks Born Human podcast. Neither Chris or Eric have children themselves yet but for the last decade or so they have both been on a colossal journey parenting their own parents as a result of Alzheimers and Dementia. Parenthood is quite logically considered as caring for younger children but as we are all living longer we are increasingly witnessing people caring for their own parents as they age, creating what is now known as "The Sandwich Generation".What I wanted to explore in this episode were the experiences Chris & Eric have had on their journeys and it was astounding to see the parallels they shared with conventional parenthood. In this episode we consider coming to terms with these terrible conditions, how their relationships have evolved with their parents, the impact it has had on their own lives, self care, the healthcare system and the challenges that come with caring for an elderly parent.What this episode really demonstrates is that the emotional and physical strain for carers is relentless and yet is often taken for granted. This is an eye opening account, which gives a genuine insight into life living with these terrible conditions and the ripple effect it has throughout families.EPISODE LINKSDEMENTIA UKALZHEIMERS SOCIETYALZHEIMERS RESEARCH UKDEMENTIA FRIENDSAGE UKCARERS UKCARERS TRUSTMORE ABOUT BORN HUMANWWW.BORNHUMAN.CO.UKINSTAGRAM - WE ARE BORN HUMANINSTAGRAM - BORNHUMANPODCASTFACEBOOK - BORN HUMANLINKEDIN - BORN HUMAN CONSULTANCYContact us at hello@bornhuman.co.ukCREDITSProps as ever to LONGY for gracing us with his musical talents for the backdrop to this podcast. Soundtrack was taken from his 2019 track Akecheta

Welcome aboard this weeks episode of the Born Human podcast where this week we say thank you to modern technology for helping us go international! We are joined this week by the incredible Regina Townsend. Regina lives in Chicago and experienced more than a decade of battling infertility. She overcame hypothyroidism, PCOS, blocked Fallopian tubes and Type 2 diabetes before finally being blessed with her son Judah through IVF in 2016. In her quest to become a mother she learnt that black women experience infertility at almost 2x the rate of their counterparts and yet everywhere she looked nobody was talking about it and she couldnt understand why?So in 2009 she founded The Broken Brown Egg, which began as a blog documenting her own journey to give black women a voice, and has since grown into an infertility advocacy blog connecting thousands of African American women with similar struggles. Regina is now an active campaigner for better representation, information and education on a mission to change the face of black infertility.Her passion for what she does is beyond incredible. I learnt so much from our conversation and I hope you'll take the time to fill your ears with this fascinating journey in parenthood. I promise you won't regret it!EPISODE LINKSTHE BROKEN BROWN EGGUNFERTILITY PODCASTWHY THOUSANDS OF WOMEN ARE MISSING OUT ON FERTILITY TREATMENTMORE ABOUT BORN HUMANWWW.BORNHUMAN.CO.UKINSTAGRAM - WE ARE BORN HUMANINSTAGRAM - BORNHUMANPODCASTFACEBOOK - BORN HUMANLINKEDIN - BORN HUMAN CONSULTANCYContact us at hello@bornhuman.co.ukCREDITSProps as ever to LONGY for gracing us with his musical talents for the backdrop to this podcast. Soundtrack was taken from his 2019 track Akecheta

Welcome aboard the good ship Born Human for episode 9. This week we are humbled to have the opportunity to share a journey that every parent prays they never have to experience. This week we are joined by the inspirational Murray Hambro. Murray is father of 3 children, an army veteran and a double amputee who has been dealt more adversity than most and faced it with both courage and positivity.In this episode we explore how Murray coped with his life changing injuries, his journey in losing his son and how he has learnt to let life back in, his journey in adoption and why his mind set has played such an important role in surviving.*This episode contains potentially triggering content*EPISODE LINKSSANDSTHE LULLABY TRUSTTHE GOOD GRIEF TRUSTCHILD BEREAVEMENT UKWINSTONS WISHYOUNG MINDSWHITEHART FITNESSINSTAGRAMMORE ABOUT BORN HUMANWWW.BORNHUMAN.CO.UKINSTAGRAM - WE ARE BORN HUMANINSTAGRAM - BORNHUMANPODCASTFACEBOOK - BORN HUMANLINKEDIN - BORN HUMAN CONSULTANCYContact us at hello@bornhuman.co.ukCREDITSProps as ever to LONGY for gracing us with his musical talents for the backdrop to this podcast. Soundtrack was taken from his 2019 track Akecheta

Welcome aboard the good ship Born Human where this week we are privileged to be joined by Wes Johnson Ellis. Wes is one half of Two Dads UK and co founder of My Surrogacy Journey and The Modern Family Show. This week we explore Wes's incredible journey in parenthood. Wes has 3 children, a daughter from his previous heterosexual marriage and more recently two children through surrogacy with his now husband Michael. Wes shares his candidly honest experience of finding his true sexuality, their complicated journey in surrogacy, the challenges of same sex parenting and how their own experiences made them realise they needed to create My Surrogacy Journey.This episode was a truly fascinating conversation which gave me the opportunity to really experience parenthood through an entirely different lens. Wes's attitude to overcoming adversity and changing perceptions is inspirational and together with Husband Michael they have become one of the leading advocates for LGBTQ+ parents around the world. Wes is a shining example of how as humans we are capable of amazing things if we want them enough, and it gives me great hope for aspiring families to know that Wes and Michael are stepping forward to share their experience and help others on those journeys.An eye opening episode that shines a light on the changing landscape of parenthood and serves to remind us that we are all Born Human.EPISODE LINKSMY SURROGACY JOURNEYTWO DADS UKMODERN FAMILY SHOWMORE ABOUT BORN HUMANWWW.BORNHUMAN.CO.UKINSTAGRAM - WE ARE BORN HUMANINSTAGRAM - BORNHUMANPODCASTFACEBOOK - BORN HUMANLINKEDIN - BORN HUMAN CONSULTANCYContact us at hello@bornhuman.co.ukCREDITSHuge thanks to LONGY for gracing us with his musical talents for the backdrop to this podcast. Soundtrack was taken from his 2019 track Akecheta

Welcome aboard for episode 8 of the Born Human podcast where this week we are privileged to take a journey in perinatal mental health. Holly Reynolds is a mother to two children and now supports new mothers struggling with perinatal mental health issues but her journey to becoming a mother was far from straightforward.In this episode, she shares her experiences of Hyperemesis, postnatal anxiety, postnatal depression, how she overcame those challenges, what she has learned in the wake of her experience and why that experience gives her a unique ability to help others in similar situations.This conversation with Holly was a real privilege for me to have. With her honesty, Holly shares a narrative that many other women will be able to relate to on different levels, and it is that vulnerability that empowers others to have the courage to face their own challenges when they realise they are not alone. This conversation is the epitome of why we created Born Human and it is an honour to be able to share it.*This episode contains potentially triggering content*EPISODE LINKSMIKES STORYPERINATAL POSITIVITYHEARTS & MINDS PARTNERSHIPPANDASBLUEBELL CAREDADS IN MINDMORE ABOUT BORN HUMANWWW.BORNHUMAN.CO.UKINSTAGRAM - WE ARE BORN HUMANINSTAGRAM - BORNHUMANPODCASTFACEBOOK - BORN HUMANLINKEDIN - BORN HUMAN CONSULTANCYContact us at hello@bornhuman.co.ukCREDITSProps as ever to LONGY for gracing us with his musical talents for the backdrop to this podcast. Soundtrack was taken from his 2019 track Akecheta