Travelling Through... London, the World and Life

BUSTER BIRCH is an English jazz musician from humble beginnings. Jazz has been Buster's life from before he was born - as you will learn – and he began gigging at 16 years old. Music in the form of teaching and performance have been Buster's only profession, and sole form of income, so when Covid hit in 2020, and all music gigs were cancelled, schools closed, and all face-to-face teaching deemed impossible, Buster’s income stream went to zero in less than 24 hours. Buster’s response? Create and build an online presence fast, learn zoom as quickly as possible, and find a way to reach his audience and re-engage with his students. In this podcast episode, Buster talks about his journey from offline to online, the opportunities it has created, and how hard work, belief, and the consistent creation and publication of quality content has been key to him finding a presence online from where he has been able to stretch and grow in ways that he could not believe were possible before 2020. To find out more about Buster, appreciate his FREE content, join his VIP members group, BUY his books and SIGN UP to a course, please go to his WEBSITE: https://www.busterbirch.co.uk/ Or https://linktr.ee/busterbirch and find links to other events, Facebook and Instagram. YouTube Channel: @BusterBirch https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxAlq7hjO7Zao0a_yfUECIQ To find out more about Emma - your podcast host and author of Driving Tito: Through The Balkan Backroads with a Celebrity - go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk Thank you as always to Mariska Martina at: https://www.mariskamartina.com for creating our lovely travelling through podcast jingle!

This episode is a wake up call for us as humans to consider taking more responsibility for ourselves as individuals, especially when it comes to what foods we are putting in our mouths. For example, if you think fat free products are the healthy choice, you've definitely got to listen to this podcast episode. My guest REBECCA RIVERS proves that we can reverse ill health through making the right food, exercise and lifestyle choices. She did it and reversed her Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome diagnosis. And now Rebecca shares her story with us in this episode. Through her health and beauty shop Rivers' Remedies, Rebecca is hoping to set up a series of talks and YouTube recordings in the near future to advance the awareness of what we can do to improve our health span through food, exercise and lifestyle wherever we are in the world. In the meantime, if you are in London, do visit Rivers' Remedies in Lower Marsh, London SE1. Rebecca and her team provide one to one customer assistance with all kinds of beneficial vitamins, potions and organic products at their finger tips for you to purchase. The choices are there, and, as Rebecca says, "if you want a different outcome, you have to make different choices." The Travelling Through Podcast series continues in 2023 with the theme... Make new choices. Redefine who you are. To KNOW MORE ABOUT REBECCA and RIVERS' REMEDIES go to: Instagram: @riversremedies Facebook: Rivers-Remedies Email: hello@rivers-remedies.co.uk Phone: 07780 112226 Website: https://rivers-remedies.co.uk/ TO KNOW MORE about EMMA - your podcast host and author of DRIVING TITO: Through The Balkan Backroads with a Celebrity - go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk THANK YOU as always to MARISKA MARTINA at: https://www.mariskamartina.com for creating our lovely travelling through podcast jingle! THANK YOU to LAMBETH PALACE LIBRARY for (unknowingly) hosting this podcast episode. https://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/exhibitions/enslavement-voices-from-the-archives/

This episode celebrates the determination of one woman to achieve her dreams through the choices presented to her at different times of her life to date. SHOBHA DAS with whom I was fortunate enough to catch up with in London last month, embraces an incredible life-changing challenge to build a house in the mountains above her Keralan homeland in India alongside her husband Chris Collinson - with whom I also recorded a podcast episode (ep. 027) over two years ago.Shobha is straightforward and unflinching in her recollection of choices she has made in life, reminding us that although some choices can be challenging ones to make, it is important to remain realistic yet not afraid of the decisions one takes. To learn more about Shobha and her housebuilding exploits in India please tune in to her YouTube channel - if this link does not work go to my website podcast page shownotes. You can connect with Shobha at virtualshobha@hotmail.com To learn more about your podcast host EMMA go to my website https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/ or to Instagram for my Sicilian travels @ontheroadwithRhoswyn or @travelling_through And as always, a big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!

DANNY McCUBBIN is the founder of The Good Kitchen an inspiring social enterprise project in Mussomelli, Sicily. Danny has a background in digital consultancy, he is a speaker, and a food campaigner. He worked for the chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver for 17 years while also spending much time for “promoting food-focused social enterprises and helping diverse businesses create social value, with the belief that food has the power to transform lives.” Away from the busy world of London, here I am podcasting with Danny in his new home, Sicily. We are sitting in a small hilltop town in the centre of Sicily talking about food, community, and purpose and Danny has plenty to say on all these subjects. This podcast episode will inspire anyone searching for their own purpose or indeed interested in visiting Sicily to taste its food, meet its people, and absorb the very special and unique layers of culture and history that all contribute to making this a fascinating land. This is the second of three podcast episodes recorded while travelling in Sicily. Enjoy! To learn more about DANNY go to https://www.goodforgood.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannyforgood/?hl=en @dannyforgood Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danny.mccubbin Learn more about your podcast host EMMA go to my website or to Instagram for my Sicilian travels @ontheroadwithRhoswyn or @travelling_through https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/ And as always, a big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!

LUKE RICHARDSON is a thriller writer, DJ, and podcaster. He studied journalism at Nottingham University but DJ-ing became his central profession for a while before he changed direction into English teaching within a secondary school and the longer holidays allowed Luke to indulge his passion for travel from which came the inspiration to write. Luke writes thriller novels and has just launched a much awaited new series entitled The Ark Files – an archaeological thriller trilogy. His books are all based in exciting places around the world to inspire the reader while enjoying some armchair escapism. Luke has a podcast The Travel Now Podcast and continues to DJ to a lesser extent than before but with just as much enthusiasm. "The reader completes the process of writing. You don’t often see the other side. I am in control of writing the best I can. It’s an intimate thing sharing 6-7hours with someone through one’s writing. Readers are investing their time in reading something you’ve created, and that’s a real privilege, and an honour, and it’s something I don’t take lightly at all. It’s important that the stories are complete and as good as they can be." Learn more about Luke Richardson by going to his author page on AMAZON (type in Luke Richardson) OR go to https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mystery-Luke-Richardson-Crime-Thrillers/s?rh=n%3A270408%2Cp_lbr_books_authors_browse-bin%3ALuke+Richardson OR BUY his latest books by clicking here: Luke's website is: https://www.lukerichardsonauthor.com/ Luke’s Instagram address: https://www.instagram.com/lukerichaa/ Luke’s podcast The Travel Now Podcast is on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0U8MgHTK3M8HamD9AVvOyc Learn more about your podcast host EMMA here: https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/ And as always, a big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!

SIMON CALDER is a travel broadcaster, journalist and podcaster in the UK. He writes and podcasts regularly for The Independent. I do quite a lot of coverage of travel turmoil. Simon reports from travel strewn locations which has made him a recognisable figure on UK television and as he and I podcast walked and talked our way through central London on the last Saturday in July during a national rail strike, it became very clear that people love to say hello to him, and enjoy his down to earth style and willingness to chat. I think we might be in for a transportational recession which is very dispiriting. During this episode, we talked with people, heard their stories, in amongst me hearing his own thoughts on hitch hiking, UK cities, beach cities, his first day trip to “exotic” Dieppe, why Italy means so much to him, the importance of tourism, why going to Maastricht might now be on his agenda for December, the closest he’s got to riding in a Bentley and what he believes are the three key things we can all do to help our flying carbon footprint when we travel a lot. I fly a lot, so every time I fly, I must hitchhike at least once. Some would say that’s a lame excuse for an offset. If you have to fly, Obviously only travel in economy class, Only carry cabin baggage, And fly direct Except when travelling a long way when you would increase the damage. To find out more about SIMON go to: https://www.simoncalder.co.uk/ On Twitter: @SimonCalder On Instagram: @simon_calder On TikTok: @caldertravel On You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CalderTravel On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Simon.Calder.58 In Print/Online: The Independent; The Evening Standard On the Radio: National & Regional BBC Radio; LBC; Talk; Times; World Service On Screen: BBC Breakfast; Good Morning Britain; Sky News; ITV News; Channel 5; BBC News; CNN You Should Have Been There (a podcast show with Simon and Mick Webb): https://anchor.fm/youshouldhavebeenthere A huge thank you to Paul for sharing his story and travel wisdom with us when our paths spontaneously crossed during our podcast walk and talk. To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/ And as always, a big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!

In this, Part 2 of my chat with Richard Lapper, we walk from Wapping to Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park and back to Wapping via King Edward VII Park, the Regents Canal, Mile End Park and Limehouse Basin talking about history, politics, London, and Brazil. Tune in to be inspired by London’s east side, understanding more about Brazil, and how farming, religion and security can play such an important part in the making and breaking of a country. And why the Amazon has become so threatened by a policy that changed the region forever: People without land for a land without people. Richard talks about the influence of British journalist Norman Lewis raising awareness of the indigenous communities in the Amazon and how their way of life was being threatened brought about the rise of Survival International; and through reporting for insurance companies the change of weather patterns brought about the world’s first environmentalist movements. Richard talks about why Brazil goes off the rails, the impact of the discovery of oil in Brazil in 2006, the car wash scandal and the rise of the two biggest gangs in Brazil, the First Command of the Capital in Sao Paulo and The Red Command in Rio de Janeiro. “Organised crime is becoming more and more powerful in Brazil, as the State becomes weaker, and policing becomes less effective.” Like episode 63, this episode is dedicated to (Dominic) Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira who were murdered in the Amazon in June 2022 while using their skills as journalist and advocate for indigenous people respectively, to defend the Amazon against further destruction and to protect the indigenous people who live there. This podcast chat has been recorded in two episodes. This is Part 2. Part 1 can be heard in the previous podcast episode - 63. To find out more about Richard Lapper go to: Twitter: https://twitter.com/onlatinamerica Email: richard.lapper@gmail.com https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-people/richard-lapper Instagram: @richard_lapper YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVfaQIUcXmU To BUY Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beef-bible-bullets-Brazil-Bolsonaro/dp/152614901X OR https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526149015/ To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/ And, a big thanks as always, to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!

SARAH PENNER is the author of The Lost Apothecary, which, on its release in the USA in 2021, immediately flew to the heady heights of the New York Times Top Ten Best Seller List. Published by Park Row Books/HarperCollins in the US and by Legend Press in the UK, the book is now in paperback and her readers are eagerly awaiting Sarah’s second book due to be released in April 2023 entitled The London Séance Society. As Sarah and I walk and talk through the streets of London, Sarah reveals why London is the setting behind her book, her love of London, and particularly her curiosity in history, the past and the many untold stories that she feels are just waiting to be re-imagined into historical fiction. Sarah’s fascination with women’s roles in the past and present, potions and poisons, intrigue and empowerment are influential themes that drove Sarah to give up her 13 years in the American finance world and become a full-time writer. “I love to work… When I’m tired I rest. I take my mental health really seriously.” “Maintaining a sense of belief in your own creative work...(is so important)...we’re the most critical (of it)... Is this good enough? Will it ruin my name? Will my editor like it?" "Believe in your own work.” To find out more about Sarah Penner go to https://www.sarahpenner.com/ Instagram: @sarah_penner_author Twitter: @sl_penner Facebook: @Sarah Penner Author To find out more about Legend Press go to https://www.legendpress.co.uk/ To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/ A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!

San Miguel de Allende in Central Mexico is one of the most popular towns to where Mexicans, Americans, Canadians and many others are drawn to eat, live, marry, paint, hear good music and generally seek out a good life. The climate is agreeable most of the time and likewise the people. This is a town which attracts expats but not in such large numbers that they outweigh the Mexican population. The surrounding areas produce good wines, and are agriculturally rich, and although San Miguel de Allende considers tourism to be its main source of income it is done elegantly and with panache. Everyone seems proud of their town and every evening the main square, El Jardin, throngs with families and visitors enjoying the music, the food and bonhomie. On a whim, I began recording my walkabouts with my partner Stephen Marriott, in the hope of conveying to you some of the sights, sounds and tastes of this magical town in the middle of Mexico. Enjoy your armchair trip to this fascinating and hugely friendly part of Mexico. To find out about Stephen Marriott go to: https://stephenrmarriott.com/ or @stephenrmarriott To learn more about some of the places and people we met check out this list: Instagram: @Megatanoz with guitarists Alejandro Camarena and Almitri Tzigane @miguelandrade752 with artist Miguel Andrade @carinito.tacos in Roma District, Mexico City @kennysplacesanmiguel @casacarly_bnb Facebook: @Wcantina with chef J.J. Castaneda and owner Irving Barraza @Kenny's place sma - great bar in Guadalupe District of San Miguel @The Duncans - with Mike Duncan, Tony Duncan, Rodrigo RV and Sergio Carrillo @casacrayola - we stayed at Casa Carly in San Miguel - highly recommend. To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/

MARI WILLIAMS is a trained coach, therapist and mediator. Her business, The Mind Architect, attracts clients from all walks of life and includes many at the top of their professional game looking for solutions to be better leaders. Mari believes this leadership comes from within you, and in her mind is based on five guiding principles, which she explores in an accessible way in her book It Begins With You – Transform Your Mind To Excel As An Alternative Leader. “Is your life the life you want to lead? And if it isn’t, why isn’t it?” Mari sees herself as a girl who reads. She is an optimistic realist and believes when we are stressed that we can manage this by finding the inner version of ourselves that is always calm. A number of years ago Mari challenged herself to interview 100 leaders in 100 days. Leaders and entrepreneurs who themselves had had challenges. She reached 57 interviews and realised this was enough. She used her own principles of being an Alternative Leader, to lead from within, lead authentically, and be consciously aware of her life. Are you leading with intention in your life? Mari Williams' book carefully develops five succinct but inter-related principles: Understanding how you think. Clearing your past - our past creates us. Finding self-worth - which can be mistaken for confidence. Understanding the nuances of control. Understanding how to make great decisions. Your unconscious brain is running you most of the time. Your conscious brain makes up only five percent of your decisions. The core you should be the same. Ninety percent of whom you present to the world should be you. So staying authentic is key and the goal is getting yourself to that true honesty place of I am, who I am. “I love it, When I see people, who have influence, Using it for greater good.” To find out more about Mari Williams go to her website: www.mari-williams.com To BUY her BOOK, eBOOK, AUDIBLE go to her website or Amazon. Facebook: Mari Williams Twitter: @WilliamsThinks LinkedIn: Mari Williams Search also Mari Williams, The Mind Architect, for more information. To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/ A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!

Carole Wright is the founder of Blak Outside a multi-disciplinary creative collective providing culturally diverse and inclusive events for the community both online and in person. This collective had its beginnings in the Peabody Blackfriars Estate also known as Peabody Square where Carole has lived for many years. Through her extensive knowledge and management of community gardening, she has been able to combine and integrate the collective - whose central theme is about feeling “rooted” - with their involvement in this shared activity which goes well beyond gardening itself. Carole takes me on a tour around the community garden at the Peabody Blackfriars Estate and talks about the More Than A Shed Project, plus plans that are underway for a forest garden at the Brookwood community garden just two minutes walk away. Carole strongly believes in promoting the community gardens for after school activities for the children on the estate, as well as inter-generational activities, and Saturday morning events, creating a space “where people can hang out and feel safe”. Carole talks about the challenges of living on the estate during the lockdown, the increased police presence and, in response, the creation of Blak Outside by the community, for the community. “We like the mash up of cultures here… We’ve got to have music and food… People, sharing, is so important.” Presently, there’s a cultural block around gardening and horticulture. Carole believes this is changing and is therefore very excited for the next generation and the opportunities it may bring for them. “A community gardening project isn’t just about gardening, It’s about the conversations around it.” To learn more about Blak Outside go to https://blakoutside.org/ Instagram: @blak_outside Facebook: @Blak Outside Twitter: @blak_outside To find out about your podcast host EMMA go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/ A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!

“I think gender and identity are different things. My identity is not related to my gender.” CHARLOTTE HARKER is an artist, writer and performer. She wrote A Species of Trees; collaborated with Tamar Yoseloff with Nowheres; has written The Wear and Tear of Conversation; The Poetry of Lost Landscapes. She is currently completing The Novel and Other Incidents this will be published in the autumn. Charlotte’s style of artwork is wide ranging and includes giclee and dry point, to studies of both trees and buildings. She has recently been experimenting with collage. Charlotte has been involved in a number of art residencies across London, the most recent being at the Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner. She will also be involved in an exhibition at St Pancras’ Churchyard in central London in the Autumn - the result of a creative collaboration – she will be posting more information on her social media sites check these out below. To learn more about Charlotte Harker go to: charlotteharker.wordpress.com Email Charlotte at: charker2001@hotmail.com Charlotte is on Instagram @charker2001 Charlotte is on Facebook @CharlotteHarker Charlote is also on www.charlotteharker.net “Writing and making art, That’s the most important thing. The question of my identity is not, That comes deeply from within me." To find out about your podcast host EMMA you can go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/ A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!

“We had to call them Soviets, not to anger the large bear next to us.” HELENA HALME is a self-published author of contemporary fiction. She is the Nordic Ambassador for the Alliance of Independent Authors. Helena has written two box sets, the Nordic Heart series and the Island series. One of her recurring themes is displacement and the human condition, isolation and discrimination. Her book Coffee and Vodka reflects her own experiences of displacement as a child when moving with her family to Sweden from Finland - an experience which would in some ways prepare her for life when she moved to the United Kingdom as the wife of an Englishman in the Royal Navy. Helena’s writings are all based on life experiences and those of situations around her. She is a creative and believes you need to be near people, and live in creative areas to write. In the self-publishing world marketing is such a big part of the process and she believes, “you ignore it at your peril… being self-published is hard work, you run a small business, you have to think of market forces.” She laughingly adds, “We are vampires don’t forget. We suck the life out of everybody we know, And, our own.” In our podcast chat, Helena reflects on being Finnish and growing up in Finland, a country bordered by Russia, Sweden and Norway. “We had to call them Soviets, not to anger the large bear next to us.” She misses Finnish rye bread and herring marinated in spices. Helena hates running but it does bring inspiration and can help her to work out plot lines. “My Achilles heel is that I can’t churn out books to a template.” To find out more about Helena go to: https://helenahalme.com Helena is also a self-publishing coach: https://www.selfpublishingcoach.co.uk/ To BUY her most recent books go to https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09924KFBD To find out about your podcast host EMMA you can go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/ A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!