The Courage to Speak

British-Colombian dancer and artist Fernando Montaño is Leonie Mellinger’s guest in the final episode of the series. In Christmas week, Fernando talks about what it is like to perform in The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House. Born and brought up in very difficult financial circumstances in Colombia, Fernando began his ballet journey in Cali before earning scholarships to the Cuban National Ballet School and at La Scala in Milan. Despite having to audition in complete silence, he was next invited to join the Royal Ballet, making his Covent Garden debut in 2006. Fernando became the first Colombian - and one of the few black dancers at the time - to join the company. He performed with them for 15 years, rising to soloist and then principal. He has subsequently danced as a guest principal with leading companies across the world, including major performances in France, USA, Cuba, Italy, Peru and Colombia. And he has expanded his artistic passions with his own fashion and jewellery collections. In this fascinating and thoughtful interview, Fernando tells Leonie about his background and career and why dance and art are so important to his life. He now creates artwork through dance and has become a self-taught sculptor. He speaks about suffering from anxiety about his colour while at the Royal Ballet and how, for several years, even tried to lighten his skin. Fernando reflects on how he’s been able to use his profile to champion causes he’s passionate about, including the work of the Marine Conservation Society. Fernando discusses becoming friends with Vivienne Westwood and making global headlines when flown to Bogota by President Santos to perform an extraordinary private dance for the then Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in the Colombian presidential palace! If you would like to discuss sponsorship or advertising on The Courage to Speak, please email the podcast team: info@thecouragetospeak.com⁠. Follow us: on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@the_couragetospeak⁠⁠ ⁠and ⁠⁠⁠@leoniemellinger⁠⁠⁠⁠ or Leonie’s X and LinkedIn accounts. The Courage to Speak is from Leonie Mellinger Ltd. It is produced by Square Elephant Productions with Danny Garlick. Theme music composed by Guy Pearson.

Journalist, broadcaster and ITV news anchor Julie Etchingham is Leonie Mellinger’s guest in this episode. They discuss the shocking issue of modern slavery, especially the devastating impact it has on victims around the UK. Julie’s reports and documentaries have highlighted modern slavery at home and around the world, in places like Nigeria, Italy and the Philippines. She made a documentary on women kept as slaves in domestic servitude in London. Victims of modern slavery, especially those who are being sexually exploited, might face violence or threats, be forced into inescapable debt, or have their passport taken away. Many fall into this trap when trying to escape poverty, improve their lives or support their families. In this conversation Julie discusses some of the places that modern slavery may occur in plain sight across the country, including nail bars, car washes and in agriculture. Global charity Anti-Slavery International has identified seven categories: human trafficking, forced labour, bonded labour, people who are born into slavery, child slavery, forced or early marriage and domestic servitude. Julie has moderated several conferences on the subject, including at the Vatican with Pope Francis. She is on the advisory board for the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre and she won an award from the Human Trafficking Foundation for her reporting on cuckooing in the UK. As one of our most accomplished and experienced presenters, Julie is best known for anchoring ITV’s News at Ten and co-hosting their coverage at many of the nation’s biggest events. These include prime ministerial debates, royal weddings and funerals, and the coronation of King Charles III. She has twice been named Presenter of the Year by the Royal Television Society and was the first woman to win that award. If you would like to discuss sponsorship or advertising on The Courage to Speak, please email the podcast team: info@thecouragetospeak.com⁠. Follow us: on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@the_couragetospeak⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@leoniemellinger⁠⁠⁠⁠ or Leonie’s X and LinkedIn accounts. The Courage to Speak is from Leonie Mellinger Ltd. It is produced by Square Elephant Productions with Danny Garlick. Theme music composed by Guy Pearson.

This episode is about the national disgrace known as the infected blood scandal. Caroline Wheeler is the political editor of the Sunday Times and for almost a quarter of a century she has been investigating what she describes as “the deadliest man-made disaster in British post-war history.” She joins Leonie Mellinger to discuss her acclaimed book Death in The Blood which exposed the full horror of more than 30,000 people becoming infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products imported from the USA into the NHS. The victims in the 1970s and ‘80s included those who required blood transfusions following routine surgery, childbirth or accidents, plus thousands of haemophiliacs, especially children who died of AIDS. Caroline shares some of the shocking stories she uncovered about individual victims and their families, the politicians and civil servants who turned a blind eye to the emerging scandal, the role of companies who put profit before ethics, and the school where dozens of children were experimented on without their knowledge or consent. She also tells how her passion for justice led to her ‘crossing the Rubicon’ in Parliament when she personally lobbied MPs to vote in favour of a key amendment relating to the campaign. Caroline’s reporting has revealed yet another example of British establishment incompetence, lies, secrecy and cover-ups damaging the lives of tens of thousands of people who have since been seeking justice, compensation and closure. She won journalist of the year, and political journalist of the year, in December 2024 in recognition of her work on this story and her campaigning on behalf of the victims. If you would like to discuss sponsorship or advertising on The Courage to Speak, please email the podcast team: info@thecouragetospeak.com⁠. Follow us: on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@the_couragetospeak⁠⁠ ⁠and ⁠⁠⁠@leoniemellinger⁠⁠⁠⁠ or Leonie’s X and LinkedIn accounts. The Courage to Speak is from Leonie Mellinger Ltd. It is produced by Square Elephant Productions with Danny Garlick. Theme music composed by Guy Pearson.

"I've stood on the cliff tops and considered death. I've been there. But they're not worth it.” In Lee Castleton’s first in-depth interview since announcing his new legal action, the former Bridlington sub-postmaster talks to Leonie Mellinger about becoming the first victim of the Post Office scandal to sue both the Post Office and Fujitsu. Lee believes that the Post Office's lawyers are still making compensation as difficult as possible for those who had their reputations destroyed by false accusations, despite the massive outrage prompted by Mr Bates vs The Post Office and despite the then Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, introducing legislation to quash convictions, calling the scandal “one of the greatest miscarriages in our nation’s history.” But Lee was the only sub-postmaster pursued by the Post Office though a civil action and that court’s judgment still stands. He explains why he continues to fight to clear his name, what has and crucially hasn’t happened since being portrayed by Will Mellor in the ITV drama, and how both he and his family survived having their lives wrecked by the scandal. It is a powerful and often shocking conversation. 21 years after their nightmare began, is this the start of The Post Office Scandal: Part 2? If you would like to discuss sponsorship or advertising please email the podcast team: info@thecouragetospeak.com⁠.Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@the_couragetospeak ⁠and⁠ @leoniemellinger⁠. The Courage to Speak is from Leonie Mellinger Ltd. It is produced by Square Elephant Productions with Danny Garlick. Theme music composed by Guy Pearson.

Paul Sinha joins Leonie Mellinger to discuss his decision to publicly reveal his Parkinson’s diagnosis, and to chat about life with the disease, his comedy career and being part of ITV’s hugely popular quiz show The Chase. As well as being Chaser ‘The Sinnerman’, Paul is one of the UK’s best known stand-up comics and a qualified GP. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2019, at the age of 49, and immediately decided to use his public profile to raise awareness of the disease and help the charity Parkinson’s UK. In this moving and inspirational interview, Paul tells Leonie how he had already deduced that his symptoms likely pointed to Parkinson’s before being told by doctors, about the difficult job of informing friends and family, and the impact of the disease on him and others. Paul reveals his philosophy on life, chats about his comedy shows, and tells the story of how he became involved in The Chase. There’s also news of a forthcoming stand-up tour and a rather surprising ambition! “What I want to prove, and this is something I feel very strongly about, is that Parkinson's is not the end of a story, it's just the beginning of a more difficult story. I think to myself, right, it's now my Parkinson's years. It's that chapter of the story, and I realise that it's going to be tough, and I realise it's going to be difficult, but I realise that it's going to be an adventure as well.” For more information about Paul, his stand-up gigs and his autobiography One Sinha Lifetime, visit www.paulsinha.com or @paulsinhacomedian_official on Instagram. For more information about Parkinson’s UK visit www.parkinsons.org.uk. Follow us on Instagram @the_couragetospeak and@leoniemellinger. The Courage to Speak is produced by Square Elephant Productions with Danny Garlick for Leonie Mellinger Ltd. Paul Sinha will be appearing at Cadogan Hall in London on Monday October 6th 2025 as part of Parkinson’s UK’s annual fundraising night of stand-up comedy Shake with Laughter. Tickets are available at https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/shake-with-laughter/. If you would like to contact the team to discuss sponsorship or advertising on this podcast, please send an email to info@thecouragetospeak.com. Theme music composed by Guy Pearson.

Leonie speaks to bestselling novelist Kathy Lette, the self-described 'mouth from the south', about her landmark books and record of speaking out on a range of issues.

Leonie speaks to a revered figure in the world of public health, who reflects on her outstanding medical career, as both clinician and scientist, and long record of speaking up.

Leonie speaks to actress Juliet Stevenson about her early life, acclaimed career and fearless dedication to speaking out on a number of issues.