Making things better and making better things

Matt Pritchard is a diamond. One of life's good guys. He's a professional stuntman, skateboarder, one of the founders of Dirty Sanchez, and author of two vegan cookbooks. His story is as beautiful as it is gnarled. We cover running, growing-up, picking-up rubbish on his morning walks, getting up early, veganism, cooking, finding a different meaning in life, avoiding people, and Wales. One of my favourite chats. Thanks Matt.

Another in my occasional chats with my mate Pete Davies about music. In this one we each pulled together a playlist of the songs we think we play the most (not measured at all) and why. It was fascinating. Particularly the reasons why. We agreed on Stone Roses 'Fools Gold', who wouldn't? I have a PRS licence.

Will and his brother Harry are accidental olive farmers and purposeful entrepreneurs. They bought two fields with 200 olive trees in and now sell the finest olive oil I have ever tasted. But more than that. They are part of a community now. Their feet and hearts deeply embedded in the soil of Zakros. They want to do good and spread good. Their approach is based on traditional soil-improving agricultural techniques. Regenerative agriculture as it is sometime known. This is brilliant. But they are regenerative in more ways than this. They are building social venture into the heart of what they do. Take a listen to find out more.

Wow, I loved this chat. It was like sitting down with a mate from school. A self-proclaimed "useless kid" who sat under the table and drew. Dave died at 14. Properly died. Left for dead by the ambulance drivers until his Mum suggested they try and "get him going again". And boy did he get going. A trailblazer in advertising. Each agency he started was created on the back of a crisis. A serial success, he gave it all up and became an artist. He is now accidentally successful there too. Only, it isn't an accident. Dave is a brilliantly original thinker. He is brave. He trusts his gut-instinct. He goes all-in. This is a brilliant conversation that shines a light on a real talent. His art is bold, collectable and often pink. All the things I love.

Mira Manek is a cook, an author and a wellness consultant. In an earlier life she was a journalist but following a series of trips overseas was able to see herself more clearly. She returned to the UK and changed what she did. She wrote two beautiful books 'Saffron Soul' (a cookbook) and 'Prajna: Ayurvedic Rituals for Happiness'. In so doing changed everyone that reads them. She is owner of chai brand Chai by Mira. This is a gentle and uplifting conversation with a beautiful soul.

Meet my friend Sara. Designer and company builder. Sara started as a marketeer in London before legging it off to Australia. We talk about mid-90s London, changing career, her love of the freedom water brings, what it feels like to submerge yourself in a city after being a dive master, and starting a business that brought pattern to life. After a cancer diagnosis and a move to small-town New Zealand Sara now makes beautiful swimwear "If you cant find what you're looking for I thought fuck it I'll do it". She's back in the water but the cancer is back too. This time it doesn't look good. "There is no stage five". How do you keep on keeping on? This is a beautiful conversation with a pure soul who has dropped beautiful breadcrumbs as she has walked through life. Follow Sara @hakinakina.active @sarac_prints

It's now become a tradition. Pete Davies and I sit down at the end of each year and discuss our favourite new music. This was a great conversation. Pete's choices were all chill and soulful, mine were a little angrier and shoutier. Take a listen to the chat and a snippet of the music. Don't worry we have a PRS licence. There is an accompanying spotify playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1AwX5CNMSKCclrRRnZmbky?si=2DAWQrTZT7anu5s-h6n3Aw The photo is us at 20. We didn't know each other but I think we'd have got on.

Wayne Hemingway started-off selling clothes. He and partner Gerardine sold all their clothes on Camden Market in order to make ends-meet. They had started something bigger than them. Their stall grew and grew and became a shop then a company then a worldwide brand. Now they run Hemingway Design with their children and are the people behind The Good Business Festival https://thegoodbusinessfestival.com/ This is a lovely conversation recorded at the end of last summer.

Charlie Gladstone has built many teams, many teams that have built great businesses. In-fact I'd say that Charlie is the best team-builder I know. It's people that make a business, not a business plan. Charlie has just written a great and concise book on how to build teams. In this podcast we talk about how to do this. Audio engineer: Mark Cotton.

The idea was a simple one - delve deeper in to the minds of the people and their processes behind the music. We asked each artist to select one of their own tracks to go under the microscope. Our third and final colab podcast with the Reasons To Be Cheerful crew features Sarah Cosgrove from Low Girl. Sarah started writing songs at the age of 12 using the process as a coping mechanism during what she describes as “lonely teenage years”. In the time since, she has been busily honing her craft, with a focus on writing about universal themes and emotions from a singularly feminine perspective. Citing artists ranging from Brockhampton to The Beatles, to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, King Princess and Phoebe Bridgers as inspiration, the breadth of Low Girls’ influences is clear to hear on her debut EP but never detracts from her own unique identity and innate song writing ability. A seamless collection of 5 tracks, it is a body of work that exudes talent, confidence and personality. With recent airplay on 6Music, RadioX and Radio 1, we'll be keeping a close eye on the burgeoning career destined for Low Girl.

Back in March 2021, we pulled together a line up of three artists to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Morning Communion hosted by the Reasons To Be Cheerful Crew and now we're making these available via three special colab podcasts. The idea was a simple one - delve deeper in to the minds of the people and their processes behind the music. We asked each artist to select one of their own tracks to go under the microscope. This episode features Lee Vernon - the front-man from Pearl Handled Revolver. The band have travelled a long way over the last decade and have thankfully had the decency to send regular updates of their escapades. Four EPs, two live albums and four studio albums chart a journey from the limits of primal blues, via unlikely liaisons between bare-bones stoner rock to blackened psych soul music. The underlying aim has always been to move the feet while the head slowly succumbs to a barrage of ideas regarding states of madness induced by the modern world. They have an uncanny ability to achieve this with freakish regularity.

This is the first of three collaborations with Blenders. We talk to musicians about the music they may, why they make it and how. The first is with the marvellous ENNE. ENNÈ [N] is a Soul Singer & song creator with mixed cultural influences that blends sounds of Reggae, Soul, Jazz, Funk and whatever else can be thrown in the mix. Enne will captivate and enthral you with her high energy, uplifting vibes & always brings an abundance of Joy. ENNE celebrates life and art relentlessly, and wants to share it with you.

2020 was a year to remember. but what were you listening to? What were your stand-out tracks? My mate Pete Davies and I belatedly sat down and discussed out favourite tracks of last year. Then I belatedly sent to to my good friend Mark Cotton to clean up. So, four months into 2021 I present to you the best tracks of 2020 plus a load of chat. PRS Music Licence number: LE-0021472

Tony is a professional school chef with a passion for quality local British produce in schools. This started in Northern Ireland through the necessity to shop frugally. Short on money but rich in love Tony was sent to get a bone for the dog, they didn't have a dog. Tony took the lessons learnt and applied them at scale. He is changing school dinners that change students.

Finian Makepeace had a dream. It was more of a nightmare and it changed what he did. Finian spent the next seven year developing a film, an education program and a campaign to change the way that we farm. He started Kiss the Ground with his friend Ryland Engelhart and they have produced one of the most impactful films about agriculture, ever. Along with Dan Barber's book The Third Plate it has brought regenerative agriculture to the fore. Finian grew up rooted in activism and surround by love. Conditions to help you grow. His job is to create conditions for growth for plants, people, the planet.

Pete Davies and I sat down over Zoom to discuss our Christmas playlists. Here is our discussion with short snippets of the songs we discussed. We have a PRS licence for music in podcasts. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0WY1JFk40SD4LaFE0K0wMv?si=IYS33J2mS4GCxIMSWLl9Vg

Ashtin Berry is incredibly articulate. With her words and with flavours. She's a bartender, one of the best. but more than that, an entrepreneur, a campaigner, and a leader. This is an unbelievably powerful conversation. We talk about flavours in the deep South, her family, the Great Migration, levels of racism, fairness, activism and equity. We talk about the racism inherent in financial systems, red-lining, wealth accumulation, and legislation. This is one of the most powerful and awakening conversations I've had. It was recorded before the murder of George Floyd. It was recorded over Zoom and is subject to a couple of delays and wifi dropouts.

Naomi is a self-taught chef. She is a teacher and chef at River Cottage. She grew up in a commune. She grew up in a collective. She grew strong as a result. Ity takes a village to raise a child - literally. This is a lovely conversation that travels from the edges of society to the centre and back again. She is an author and has written about gut health and gluten free baking, amongst other things. RECORDED OVER ZOOM SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PAUSES AND GLITCHES - APOLOGIES.

Simon talks us through his journey, from poverty trap to strategist. Simon's childhood was free-range. Climbing trees and riding bikes. He helps people up trees (metaphorically) and occasionally gets stuck up them (metaphorically and physically). Simon's life changed with a diagnosis of lung cancer. In his own words, this, and the birth of his daughter, turned him into a nice man. Such a gentle, lovely and wide-ranging conversation. We talk about music, the darkside of pop songs, the '70s, vertigo, and so much more. Make a cup of tea, headphones on, settle-in. Recorded over Zoom so the usual occasional blip.

Marie is a chef. She uses food to create soul, to bring people together, and she gave away a part of her to someone else. A kidney. This is one of the most beautiful and moving conversations I've had. It oscillates from adidas pop-up trousers, to Caribbean fruits, to dancing. Marie is one half of the Island Social Club a pop-up food and drink club that fills the void left by the erosion of London's Caribbean culture. Before that she ran a supper club called Pop's Kitchen that healed wounds in her family and brought the light back to her parent's eyes. Listen, it's a belter.

Libby glows. She shines with possibility and hope. She is an aspiring pilot, a wannabe international DJ, and is considering midwifery.Growing-up in Connecticut it took a spell in Ireland and the smell of a horse stable as a teenager for her to become comfortable with herself. A truly remarkable woman who has embraced not quite fitting in.

Grace has an amazing story. She left a silicon valley tech start-up to reimagine the high-street curry house. Not a fancy curry house, but the curry house remembered from her youth, but healthier. This is a charming conversation about growing-up, music, testing ideas fast and being brave. Watch this space, she's going places.

I first heard Mike Garry on his beautiful ode to Anthony H Wilson. You know the one - Saint Anthony. It made Number 1 in the charts. It featured Manchester's finest, it features strings, it was beautiful. At that point I didn't know Mike. I met him a year or two later at one of the best festivals I've been to, The Good Life Experience. I stood and watched as Mike wove emotions and images with words. He started a poem about his son and the tears started with me. I won't tell you why, suffice to say that I missed my son who was off to University. Over the next few years I got to know Mike. He is a lyrical genius. He comes from Manchester and we share a youth. we share a love of the same bands. We share an era. We share a decade-defining movement. we are also both open and vulnerable, but not weak. This podcast is exactly that: open and vulnerable. We talk about Mike's youth in Manchester, caring for his dad, and the chaos of a beautiful big family. I absolutely loved recording it. Mike is a great man and this is a great conversation

Alex Lawrence is a bartender, a drinks brand owner, a rebel, a funny and inspiring man, and he shines so brightly. This conversation swings from his time in a band, rebelling in private school, living in Aberdeen and being a young "trash-bag", moving to work in the World's best bar, mental health and bartending, and ultimately becoming the World's best bartender. He was born in Scotland, raised in Scotland and is totally from London. He talks so beautifully about anger, art and music, his parents and authenticity. Leaving Aberdeen for an initially lonely London. His career began at Dandelyan and it continues there. I'll type no-more. This is a great listen.

This is a belter of a podcast. Sadly marred by poor sound: acoustics, differential volumes of interviewer and interviewee, and some weird distortion. But the conversation is too good not to go out. Lucy is a truly great artist and one of the kindest people i've spent time with. We cover some creative ground and we cover some crunchy ground. Her strength shines through and what she sees in others is beyond the ordinary. Trigger warning: in the middle of the conversation Lucy mentions something that may trigger some of you. She does so in passing with no detail at all. It floored me and i just about held it together. But if you have experienced sexual violence then maybe this isn't the one for you.

The second part of my conversation with the visionary Jonathan Smales. We pick-up as he left Greenpeace and hatched a plan to build the Earth Centre on an old coalfield in South Yorkshire. Not too far from where Jonathan grew-up.

Jonathon is a leader in sustainability and always has been. One of the heavyweights of sustainability and was there from the start. We met nearly three decades ago and he continues to inspire me and everyone he has contact with. we talk music, fashion, sustainability and so much more. We travel from coal to an old open-cast coal mine in South Yorkshire. Part one of a two-parter.

I love that Gil Scott Heron track “Running”. The one that says “I always feel like running, never away because there’s no such place”. All the way through this talk with Matt of Seven feet apart that track was running through my head. This is a lovely conversation about shoes, making stuff to last, and the benefits of running. Never away, but towards enoughness.

Mills set up Ustwo with his best mate. It's boomed. Mills is a beautiful man. The way he expresses himself, the way he talks, the love that shines from him is unique. This conversation oscillates from weight-loss and strength, to hyperactivity, to yoga, to dyslexia, to shame, to identity, to extremes. This is a lovely conversation that ebbs and flows from subject to subject. It is very honest, from both of us. I hope you enjoy it. Any comments please get in touch.

Sophie Thomas is a designer with a business brain or a business person with a designer's brain - i'm not sure which but it really doesn't matter. She pioneered thinking on circular economy and how designers are the solution to so many things. We also talked about what defines us, how school can lift us or bury us, and how good will always float to the top.

I met Jonathon 20 years ago this year. At about this time. At an incredible building in Austria where the Sound of Music was filmed. Jonathon has lead on sustainability from the beginning. From when the first roots of the "green" movement began to poke through. This shows extraordinary foresight and bravery. He has both. This bravery was supremely evident when he went on anachronistic buffoon Jeremy Clarkson's TV chat show and not only held his own but destroyed Clarkson's arguments. A joy to watch. We talk about many things including what it feels like now that the world has caught-up with his thinking. This conversation covers the first part of his career and as we were in danger of a) Having too much of a good time and b) Going on too long; we have arranged to do a second part. There are some lovely gems in here and Jonathon's warmth radiates through.

I went to school with Graham (or Wiggy as we called him). He was two years younger than me but we usually played in the same rugby team. We both played county rugby and both got trials for Leicester Tigers youth team. One of us got in and the other is me. 12 years on from those trials I played a game of Rugby League for Yorkshire Water against Yorkshire Electricity. My opposite number was the Featherstone Rovers first team centre. I got marmalised. I split my lip in a friendly "cuffing" incident, damaged my hand in a retaliatory incident, and took a kick to the knee. I hobbled home and turned the TV on only to see Wiggy playing for England and shaking hands with my hero Nelson Mandela. We didn't play in the same team anymore. I sat and wondered at how far he'd come. I shouldn't have wondered. He was dedicated to this. There was no way he wasn't going to succeed in Rugby. He spanned the professional and amateur eras, he played for Tigers 398 times, played for England 54 times and played for the British and Irish Lions 3 times. He was forwards coach for Tigers, England, the British and Irish Lions and now Georgia. Fierce on the pitch, funny in the changing room, and one of the most humble people I know. I'm proud to have played with him, and to call him my mate. This is a long one, well it would be - it's two old school mates having a chat 32 years after they last played together.

How do you know when to clap? Rob Ryan is an artist, a poet, a Northern Soul aficionado, and a totally human being. He's also one of my best mates. I loved this conversation that lists and lurches from why punk was dead before it was dead, getting late night buses to Wigan for soul all-nighters, why scarcity isn't a good thing, why the thing that keeps him going is the thought that there is something else out there that he hasn't seen or heard yet. This appetite and drive is about curiosity. It runs through Rob like "BLACKPOOL" through a stick of rock. He embraces "never quite knowing what he is doing" in terms of the media he is using, as do I. He says he has "kind of made it work". I think that's an understatement. One of the most humble and nicest people I know.

Recording this podcast was an absolute joy. James is one of my mentors, a great friend and a massive inspiration to me. I utterly loved this conversation. James is an artist, a teacher, an author, a fighter, a lover. He teaches you how to think for yourselves and how to find who you are. This conversation starts in Wales, rushes through the 70s, praises solitude and loneliness, reflects on the use of the word "creative" as a criticism, and ultimately what sets us apart from other. A rich and beautiful conversation. James has a new book out and it is a belter. It is called Feck Perfuction and you can get it at the all the usual places.

A lovely and funny conversation about so many things. From the challenges of running a company single-handedly, designing sex toys, growing up a hippy, measuring up to herself, how dyslexia has shaped her and how we can create a better world. Sam is a joy to be with and this was a fab conversation. My boots squeak a bit - sorry.

Duncan runs Dalston Sodas. They make great soft drinks, they make great soft drinks with no and low added sugar. They make the best cherryade I have ever had. They are on a mission. Duncan set the business up in a nightclub in 2012 and they have gone from strength to strength. They use the best natural ingredients and this focus on provenance comes from Duncan's time working as a chef. He is utterly charming and driven to do things better. It's a great listen.

Andrew Paynter is an incredible photographer. One of the best. He sees inside the subject. There are ancient peoples who fear having their photograph "taken" as they feel it steals their soul. I don't know about that but I do know that the best photographers see inside the soul. Andrew is one of those. He describes the camera as giving him the chance to meet people and talk about their lives. He grew up looking West to California (for skateboarding), and East to the UK for music. I grew up looking the other way. He sat on the edge of everything, never quite fitting in. This is a skill. This living on the edge is magic. Change happens at the edge and Andrew is adept at capturing it unnoticed. One of the nicest people I have spent time with. The podcast is beautiful and imperfect. We lose the audio through skype for a minute or so but like a great photograph it is important to capture the imperfections. I hope you like listening to this one half as much as i liked recording it.

Devita is one of the most powerful people i have ever met. Her parents were part of the Great Migration, the mass movement of the black population in the USA from the south to the industrial north looking for a future. The Great Migration built Detroit and Detroit built cars and music. Then Detroit collapsed. Devita is at the heart of its rebirth. She is leading a food and health revolution. She is quite simply extraordinary. We cover everything from the civil rights rebellion, to plant-based eating, to New Edition, to building businesses that sustain a body, a community and a city.

Steve Chapman is an artist. He's also many more things. This is a beautiful conversation about the value of the outsider, about art and why it matters, about how school sometimes isn't good for you. About hope. One of my favourites. So good that i'm planning a second with him soon.

Ande Gregson is a pioneer in the way we produce food. He runs Greenlab which incubates, grows, educates, and stimulates new food organisations. Ande's journey is not linear. He got here via 3D printing and the Marathon des Sables.

Sandra Schembri is the big cheese at the House of St Barnabus in Soho, this is a Member's Club with a big old difference. Every bit of profit goes to fight homelessness, goes to help people back into work. The club is amazing. The people are more amazing. Sandra is an inspiration. She runs a great team who in teurn run a great employment academy. I'm a member and it has become sanctuary for me in the heart of Soho but it also provides sanctuary for others in a different way. I talk to Sandra about this and so much more.

Anna Jones places vegetables at the heart of every meal. She also places cooking at her own heart. We talk about how cooking helped define her as a kid and then redefine her as an adult. We talk about vegetables. And i bravely give her advice on how to poach an egg.

This is a lovely conversation with Jemma and Ella who are launching a plastic-free toolkit on kickstarter. We cover a load of stuff: why this generation care more; why science matters but you need heart to get going; why mental health is everyone's concern; why these two amazing and busy women stopped what they were doing to start something that matters. Their intentions are pure, their idea simple, the problem is complex. Find out more about their kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/109818337/backtobasics-a-plastic-free-toolkit-for-busy-peopl?ref=creator_nav

I'd forgotten that I'd recorded this. It is a conversation with my Nan a few months before she died. Ostensibly it is about her biscuit barrel, but it is about so much more. I was collecting her biscuit tin to repair it. It is at least 65 years old and should last another 65 years. I miss my Nan but i did get the biscuit barrel.

Ben from Seedlip wants to change drinks forever. He also wants to change the way we do business. "Being a nature company is the fucking best recruitment tool ever". This episode stretches from peas to alzheimer's, from soil to soul. A fantastic discussion with someone who is fired up and yet still learning what he's good at.

Sundog make astonishing TV in an era when what we watch, how we watch it and why we watch it is changing. They are brave and honest in a sector that is not famous for either. This conversation explores why Sundog do what they do, how they do it and what the future of broadcast/narrowcast/media is. A great conversation with a great company.

Natalie is better known as stylemesunday on Instagram. She started her career as a midwife then became a blogger, then a blogger with a mission. Her mission is important. The work she does is essential. Natalie's journey and her story is beautiful and incredible. She's one to watch, she's going places and doing great work.

Amanjot Johl runs an astonishing gin bar in Birmingham. It is an oasis for gin lovers; it is a temple for taste and flavour, and; it is a community. The way Amanjot describes flavour will make you want a drink, will conjure technicolour images in your head, and will make you rethink the way you taste things. Amanjot is on a mission to do gin better, I have no idea where his journey will take him but i feel lucky to know him.

Holley Murchison is exceptional. She helps people find their voice. More than that she helps people own their voice and in that process helps them look at who they are and what they are capable of. Holley talk here about why this matters and a little of her story. Her full story can be seen on the Do Lectures website. She is one of the most amazing people I have met and has been my friend for around five years. We do the same thing in beautifully different ways. Holley teaches people how to unlock who they are, to become who they are meant to be. Her book "Tell me about yourself" is a beautiful process to unlock the real you and find your voice.

Having an idea is one thing. Acting on that idea; believing in that idea; encouraging others to believe in that idea and growing something good, something beautiful, is not easy. Pip Murray from the brilliant Pip and Nut talk with me about what she does (a little bit), why she does it (a lot), and why her. This is a beautiful conversation with one of the stars of the start-up world; one of the stars of healthier food; and an incredible entrepreneur.

Michelle Morgan is a powerhouse of creativity. She set-up the first youth marketing agency in the UK, she grew it and made it shine. Then she lost her shine. Through time in her pyjamas she ended up where brilliance meets madness. This podcast looks at how mental illness is both taboo and wide-spread at the same time. Michelle is a breath of fresh air.