The Big Chat

It’s the last Friday of the month which can only mean one thing - our Big Chat Word Up Collab! Hannah and Dan welcome Naomi Hutchison into the studio to share her experience of spoken word and Word Up! Naomi first wrote poetry over lockdown and has even more recently begun taking to the stage to read aloud. We’re lucky enough to hear a couple of Naomi’s poems and learn more about what inspires her. Naomi loves the creativity that poetry brings to communication and how Word Up gives a platform for those that want to be heard.Word Up! takes place on the first Wednesday of each month at The Forum. It costs just £5 entry and speaking slots are available on a first come first serve basis.This episode of The Big Chat is proudly sponsored by the TW Soapbox Stars Kart Race. The TW Soapbox Race, raises serious cash for local charities while bringing businesses and community groups together for a hilarious family fun day out in the heart of the town. The event has raised more than £84,000 for charities to date!Buy your tickets for the big race at: https://www.twsoapboxrace.com/buytickets

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco speaks with Scott Walker - detective, kidnap negotiator and author! Scott was a detective at Scotland Yard for 16 years working counter-terrorism, homicide, domestic abuse, organised crime, and kidnappings. He left the police in 2015 to work as a kidnap negotiator in the commercial sector and ended up helping to resolve over 300 cases including other perils such as cyber-extortion and piracy.  Scott has now written a book, ORDER OUT OF CHAOS, which is out on 25th May 2023. The book takes everything he’s learnt about that world; how to communicate effectively, develop a resilient mindset, thrive in a crises, and how people can apply these tools and techniques to their personal and professional lives. To purchase the book head to: https://amzn.eu/d/cIvJEO9

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco chats to Malachi, host of the growing podcast, Malavision. Malachi is a remarkable young man, who at the age of 15 has already been thrown so much in life - with having an inoperable brain tumour when he was only baby that caused him to be blind, to battling mental health issues, he wants to create a platform for others to learn from those that are willing to share their own struggles. Massive thanks to Polly from the Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre for introducing Coco and Malachi.As Malachi himself says: anything is possible if you put your heart, soul and mind to it!

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco chats to Lynne Meek, owner of online shop The Meek Boutique. Lynne shares how she started the shop in the summer of 2018 and how it quickly grew beyond what she could have ever imagined! Originally only intending it to be a small add on to her personal styling business, Lynne and her husband have now put all their focus on the boutique, employing many others including their son. Lynne wants to ensure that women at whatever stage in their life can feel comfortable and confident in the clothes that they are wearing.If you’d like to shop some of Lynne’s carefully curated clothing, head to https://themeekboutique.co.uk/

It’s the last Friday of the month which can only mean one thing - our Big Chat Word Up Collab! Coco and Hannah welcome David Smith into the studio, who has been regularly attending Word Up since day one. He’s seen poetry as a hobby since a child and loves taking inspiration from poets like Spike Milligan, making his poetry more often than not, incredibly fun! He’s also one of the brains behind the Tunbridge Wells musical, and we’re lucky enough to hear one of the brilliant extracts!David also helps to create the Tunbridge Wells Poetry Festival, which runs from 1st - 18th June, including many incredible artists performing at a selection of wonderful venues. To find out more, head to: twpoetryfestival.comThis episode of The Big Chat is proudly sponsored by the TW Soapbox Stars Kart Race. The TW Soapbox Race, raises serious cash for local charities while bringing businesses and community groups together for a hilarious family fun day out in the heart of the town. The event has raised more than £84,000 for charities to date!Buy your tickets for the big race at: https://www.twsoapboxrace.com/buytickets

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco chats to Tim Laurence, the founder of the Hoffman Process in the UK. The Hoffman Process is a week long intensive retreat which enables you to let go of old baggage and create space for new opportunities in your life. Tim was the last person to be trained under Bob Hoffman who founded the process in the US in 1967 and then Tim bought it to the UK in 1995. Coco herself completed the process in 2019 under Tim and her and Tim reflect on how the retreat provides so much insight into so many areas of life. The Hoffman process helps you discover who you really are, freeing you to make conscious choices that will improve your relationships with the people around you.

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco speaks with Divorce Doula Farhana. A Divorce doula is someone who provides hand-holding and information throughout the divorce process and can compliment the services of a solicitor. Farhana shares how she changed her career during the pandemic in order to not only transform her own life, but the lives of others too. She feels called to help those going through separation who are reaching for a life they desire but can’t quite seem to get there. Farhana believes in the power of healing your own generational trauma to not only improve your own life, but better the life of future generations too.If you’d like to find out more about Farhana and the services she offers as a divorce doula, head to her Instagram @farhana_l_hussainThis episode of The Big Chat is proudly sponsored by Berry & Lamberts Solicitors.Berry & Lamberts Solicitors has been serving the local West Kent community for over 270 years. With offices in Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and Paddock Wood, they have a longstanding reputation for being personable, approachable and friendly. The teams draw on a wealth of experience to provide dependable advice in a relaxed, professional environment. They work as a team with their clients on a full range of business and individual legal matters to help them achieve the results they seek in their professional and personal lives.Get in touch with the Berry & Lamberts team at www.berryandlamberts.co.uk

It’s the last Friday of the month which can only mean one thing - our Big Chat Word Up Collab! Coco, Hannah and Dan welcome the lovely Lee into the studio today, a regular at the monthly spoken word event that takes place at The Forum. We learn a bit more about this amazing community event in our much loved town, with the aim of giving voices to people and ensuring they are heard. We are also lucky enough to hear some incredibly powerful poetry from Lee.