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A podcast with short stories written by ourselves and others, read by ourselves sand others. Also the home for "Hope To BE Hopeful" a non -fiction podcast about hope. Brought to you by Bernadette Russell and Gareth Brierley, plus guests.
Episodes
Monday Oct 19, 2020
Monday Oct 19, 2020
This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Jess Massucco, who manages Trees for Cities London community outreach and volunteer programme for Urban Forests. Which means Jess gets a lot of Londoners planting a lot of trees!
Jess spoke about her journey from University to her current post, and all her amazing experiences along the way including growing food with young offenders.
Hear all about Trees for Cities Edible Playground Projects, and Urban Forest planting plans which "encourage people to access nature... and can be the first step towards environmental action"
Jess speaks about the fact that although Trees for Cities have planted an impressive million plus trees, it is the tree canopy that is really important: " providing a habitat, food and shelter for wildlife... beauty and a sense of place, shelter and cooling and cleaning air.... they prevent flooding and are used in a cool, technical, engineering way, as well as in a warm, symbolic emotional way" and how as an organisation they combine environmental action and social change, inviting action which is good for people and planet.
Jess gives great tips for getting involved with supporting your local trees, and the importance that we face facts "we are investing time, energy and hope into green infrastructure programmes... we are aware of what we are battling but being honest and truthful leads to hope... we say... its not looking good but there is room to be hopeful"
Jess and I discuss the importance of justice, balance and equal opportunity so that "everything has the chance to thrive" and how she is influenced and inspired by the Black Lives Matters movement.
To get involved with Trees for Cities please go here
Jess also recommended
Conservation Volunteers, to find out more go here
RSPB, go here
and Wildlife Trust, go here
and for my local lovely park group Deptford Folk go here
My book "How To Be Hopeful" is out now and is available from all the usual places, including many lovely independents such as Whitstable's newly opened Harbour Books. You can visit them here
Thanks for listening- more soon
Love Bernadette
Saturday Oct 10, 2020
Saturday Oct 10, 2020
Such a treat this week to speak with Melody Brown, actor, horse rider and one third of Wondermare along with C. Amanda Maud and Daniel York " a semi-acoustic trio of middle-aged hapa actors... playing quirky folk-rock originals and eccentric covers."
Mel and I covered so much! We began with her love of Hastings and the hope found in the kindness there, the pleasure to be enjoyed in being kind yourself.
We moved on to her career as an actor and the how live performance can increase empathy, and help us to understand "the complexity of what it is to be human". She speaks about her recent experience as part of the diverse cast at the RSC, full of people of "all cultures, races, colours, disabilities" and the importance and hope of that diversity.
Mel speaks about her experience as a bipolar person in a mental health system which is full of "talented people ... who want to do their best but are let down by this government' and how we need "money money money" for the NHS mental health services.
She speaks beautifully about the healing power of her relationship with Miranda the horse " you can't think about the future, you can't think about the past, when you are with your horse, you are one entity, and it is the most "now" I have ever been"
Mel gives great insight into how we can best help each other at times of mental health crisis " you don't need someone to solve it, you need someone to say that really sucks and I'm sorry.. to listen and not judge"
Mel recommended a book called Fully Automated Luxury Communism by Aaron Batini as a blueprint to a possible utopia, you can find it at Hastings independent bookshop here
We didn't get to chat about the band! But you can listen to the mighty Wondermare here
My book "How To Be Hopeful" is out now and is available from all the usual places, including many lovely independents such as Whitstable's newly opened Harbour Books. You can visit them here
Thanks for listening- more soon
Love Bernadette
Monday Oct 05, 2020
Monday Oct 05, 2020
This week it was a treat for me to speak with my friend Debbi Marco, author, freelance journalist and fellow champion of kindness. Debbi gives great advice on how to succeed in a tough industry "be the helpful and the kind person... it helps get you remembered" We talk about how important it is to actively choose the news we consume, rather than just scrolling though our social media feeds "don't take one news source... especially if it is just telling you what you want to hear". Debbi talks about how and where she has found hope recently in helping refugees and witnessing the kindness of so many people. This was something she wrote about beautifully in her new book "The Power of Kindness" an international collection of stories of kindness that happened during lockdown. We spoke about utopia and Deb's hopes for the future too, in which she imagined a future in which kindness was normal, harnessing the power to change the world for better, for good.
You can buy Debbi's book here , you can also find her on twitter @debbimarco or via her website here
My book "How To Be Hopeful" is also OUT now! Packed full of hopeful stories, ideas, case studies and things to try, I'm happy to say it is getting lovely reviews already! You can buy it here
or in your local independent bookshop
'The perfect book for troubling times. The ideas and exercises in How To Be Hopeful will soothe your soul.' Katherine May, author of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
More stories and chats about hope coming soon
Love Bernadette xxx
Monday Sep 28, 2020
Monday Sep 28, 2020
This week I had the pleasure of speaking with cheeky faced comedian Stevie Gray, AKA "Oldham Guitar Pirate", about his recent gigs in a field in Derbyshire where "the cows were heckling us", how comedy is vital for our positive mental heath, and how lessons learned from a bad gig can help you develop resilience and strength. Stevie tells a story about a gig in Bolton Golf Club which didn't go as well as usual. The organisers told him afterwards "you were by far the worst comedian we've booked in 30 years" and yet he picked himself up (a similar thing, after all, happened to Eddie Izzard among any others, so Stevie knew he was in good company!) He remembered that other people were still booking him, and loving his act, so he got back on stage with hope in his heart and carried on. This amazing strength and humility must have helped him recently when he had a terrifying cancer scare, and in the midst of waiting to hear his test results, whilst still at the hospital, not knowing whether he was about to find out he had a terminal illness, he made an incredible decision: he immediately set up a Just Giving page pledging to donate all his comedy earnings until 2021 to Cancer Research UK. Stevie hoped to raise £500 "but before I'd even got home from the hospital I'd raised £600!..I was humbled at our generous people are... how kind people are"
I'm delighted to say that Stevie has received the all clear in the last couple of days but continues to raise funds for Cancer Research UK
If you'd like to donate please visit here:
If you'd like to see one of Stevie's fab songs please go here:
My book "How To Be Hopeful" is OUT now! Packed full of hopeful stories, ideas, case studies and things to try, I'm happy to say it is getting lovely reviews already! You can buy it here
or in your local independent bookshop
'The perfect book for troubling times. The ideas and exercises in How To Be Hopeful will soothe your soul.' Katherine May, author of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
More soon!
Love Bernadette xx
Monday Sep 21, 2020
Monday Sep 21, 2020
This week I speak with teen activists Sera Aksoy and Neal Brink, who I met on Parliament Square at the beginning of their year's Extinction Rebellion protests. I witnessed them being shouted at by a middle aged man with a camera person in tow," he chose us because we were the most vulnerable people there... it was upsetting because it is our future" After checking they were ok, we got talking about why they were there, where they find hope and what they want us adults to do to help them.
At the end of a week during which young people were being used as scapegoats for the rise in COVID cases, it felt really important to me to listen to young people's hopes and dreams for the future, and what they think we should do to help them make positive change in the world. We talk abut the power of social media (for good and bad), about how empowering being part of a protest has been for them " we were all together, fighting for the same cause.... it gave me so much hope... what made us angry and what made us hopeful was the climate crisis"
I ask them why they choose to be part of the protests " I feel a sense of solidarity with people living in the global south, they're the ones who are going to be the ones hit hardest with climate change... I am standing here for everyone on this planet regardless of whether I know them or not"
They speak about the corrupting nature of a global capitalist system, of the staggering wealth of some individuals who could end world hunger "but every day chose not to" and of the necessity to redistribute wealth to end inequality around the world.
Neal and Sera suggest simple, doable and effective ways we could adjust our lives to make a real difference, and Sera added " I am completely begging adults out there... please do look at who you are voting for because it makes such a huge difference"
They speak abut their involvement in the recent A level results protests and how the clear change that came about following those protest inspired them to continue their activism. "We saw injustice, and thats something to point out, at all times, no matter if it affects us or not, we have to do something"
Listening to these amazing young people talk abut their ideas of a future utopia is inspiring and humbling. Let's support and help them!
Find out more about Extinction Rebellion Youth here:
Find out more about Fridays For Future here
My book How To Be Hopeful is out now! You can buy it here and here or in your local independent bookshop, with lots of stories, science, case studies and practical exercises. Find me at www. bernadetterussell.com
twitter: @betterussell
instagram: @bernadetterussell
Monday Sep 14, 2020
Monday Sep 14, 2020
This week I speak with Kas Darley and Mark Stevenson, co- directors of theatre company Theatre Vivo. Theatre is one of the industries which has been extremely challenged as a result of COVID, and I wanted to speak with them about how they have stayed hopeful in the midst of that . Kas and Mark speak about how they adapted during lockdown , including hosting zoom workshops for actors during lockdown to "give people hope and a chance to play". They speak about how they have been encouraged by " a generosity of spirt going on in the cultural world" with people helping and supporting each other. Teatro Vivo creates "immersive, playful work that engages the audience" - in Hight Streets, supermarkets, parks etc. by making theatre everywhere they discovered that "everything is extraordinary and there is magic to be found everywhere". Another of their projects "Grimms Collecting Agency" involves collecting stories from members of the public : "people need to be heard... every story is about how humans do amazing things... hearing peoples stories help us understand each other and make communities better" . We also discuss their latest show on Zoom "The House That Slipped" a time travelling adventure in which a kind of utopia is discovered and the audience are invited discovered what they hope for the future and how we get there. We talked about what they had discovered as a result of story collecting and speaking with people about their hopes during lock down: "people are looking out for each other and being more community focused- they might feel powerless abut the big things but they can affect their street...you need people to do the little stuff... to be part of that ecosystem of fight and change"
You can find out more about Teatro Vivo here: https://www.teatrovivo.co.uk
My book "How To Be Hopeful" is out now!
You can buy it here
or here
or best of all at your local independent bookshop!
More soon
Bernadette
Monday Sep 07, 2020
Monday Sep 07, 2020
This week I chat with 12 year old climate activist Thierry Spall, who became an environmental campaigner when he was only 8, after watching David Attenborough programmes abut the devastating effects and realising "it was real and I had to do something". I chatted with Thierry abut his campaigns at school, his fundraising and his involvement in Extinction Rebellion, at the beginning of their 2020 October Rebellion- a series of actions and protests to highlight the climate and ecological emergency. He spoke about how "everyones voice does count and should be listened to" but that "I don't think we should bring the full burden down of everything onto people who are still young" We met on Tuesday 1st September at Parliament Square, when Thierry and lots of other children and young people were delivering their letters of concern and demands to the British Government. Thierry's commitment to positive change at such a young age gave me such huge hope for the future, and listening to him is a timely reminder of our responsibilities to ensure all young people and the planet get the future they deserve. Thierry is currently making his own wildlife documentary "Doorstep Nature" encouraging people to find and observe nature close to home. His advice to us grown ups? "listen more to nature.... notice if what we are doing has a drastic effect or a positive impact on the environment... and change"
You can find out more about Extinction Rebellion here: https://extinctionrebellion.uk
My book "How To Be Hopeful" is out this Thursday 10th September!
Monday Aug 31, 2020
Monday Aug 31, 2020
This week I chat with the fantastic Gaylene Gould, cultural ambassador for London, creative director, presenter, cultural critic, interview host and writer. We chat about many things, including how hope and despair can and do exist alongside each other, how important it is for us all to accept "we are flawed... we will always be doing stupid stuff and we will always be doing amazing stuff" and how we must "have love for the fact that we are idiots, truly embracing the dark AND the light in us" ... which can then unlock "a deep well of hope"
We chat about Gaylene's journey as an artist "a black girl from a council estate who didn't leave school with much"- her time at the BFI as head of programming, her love of curiosity "the only thing we should guided by" and her passion for London.
In response to Black Lives Matter, Gaylene with friends and collaborators, began a project called Labours of Love- highlighting and championing black racial justice organisations in the UK, because, as she says "I wanted to give and I wanted to know who to give to."
We conclude by discussing utopia, and Gaylene's hopes for a future whose "chief rate of exchange would be love"
To find out more about Gaylene's work go here
More soon!
Love Bernadette
My book "How To Be Hopeful" published by Elliot and Thompson is out 10th September 2020. This podcast series is a chance for me to chat again to some of the people who I interviewed for the book, as well as some people who I didn't have the chance to. I hope you enjoy it.
You can find me here www.bernadetterussell.com
twitter @betterussell insta @bernadetterussell
facebook https://www.facebook.com/bernadetterussellwrites/
Monday Aug 24, 2020
Monday Aug 24, 2020
(warning: contains strong language only suitable for adults)
In this week’s episode I discuss grief and hope with co-artistic director of arts organisation Fevered Sleep David Harradine from his home in Yorkshire.
David spoke beautifully about where he found hope “on Tuesday …. I saw a rose coloured starling … about a mile from where I live in a cherry tree eating unripe cherries... so when you asked me about hope I thought about the possibility of something tiny and incredibly fragile can have somehow got thousands and thousands of miles away from home… and that its arrival was a source of joy.. “
David spoke about the death 8 years ago of his beloved sister Julie, and of his and his parents experience of grief and other people reactions to their grief. This led to the beautiful project “This Grief Thing” in which David and his fellow co-director Sam Butler created a space for people to come and be and talk about grief, in a shop where people could also buy t shirts and cards things saying things like “Don’t Panic if I Cry” or “Grief Equals Love” . David speaks about their intention to spread the message that the experience and expression of grief is both normal and heathy. He speaks about the joy he found in the oak tree planted on his sisters grave, which contains her, sustains life and maintains her as a physical presence in his life.
We discuss how hope can co-exist with grief, as can joy, happiness and anger. We talk also about the transformative power of art and imagine an alternative reality in which RuPaul appears to cave people in ancient times and tells them “Good luck and don’t fuck it up”!
There is always hope says David, because “the default setting of the world is beauty… like the rose coloured starling… and what is bad can always be recycled into good… on an atomic or on a global level…. even bad wicked and stupid people can turn into oak trees…given time”
You can find out more about Fevered Sleep here: https://www.feveredsleep.co.uk
More soon!
Love Bernadette
My book "How To Be Hopeful" published by Elliot and Thompson is due out September 2020. This podcast series is a chance for me to chat again to some of the people who I interviewed for the book, as well as some people who I didn't have the chance to. I hope you enjoy it.
You can find me here www.bernadetterussell.com
twitter @betterussell insta @bernadetterussell
facebook https://www.facebook.com/bernadetterussellwrites/
Monday Aug 17, 2020
Monday Aug 17, 2020
How To Be Hopeful Episode 19: “How can we make the world better? Start small”.
In this week’s episode, I speak with Trina Lynskey, early years education consultant , London Green Spaces Commissioner and Chair of DeptfordFolk park users group.
We speak about the about the power and effectiveness of taking action for positive change in your neighbourhood, and about the impact of the coronavirus on children.
Trina speaks about where hope lies for her: “ I am hopeful …that there is a huge cohort of very professional people who are looking out for children and will do their best to make it good”
She speaks about how impressed she is by the way that schools and teachers have responded to the situation: “they’ve done an incredible job, the way the school was organised …everything felt really relaxed and chilled, and I thought we have to come out of this in a better place “
Trina added that it “ made me really happy … that in the most extreme difficult circumstances, especially at the start when we didn’t know the extent of what we were facing.. that those teachers went to school and made it safe “
Trina speaks about how DeptfordFolk park users group came about, and how much has been achieved by them since. She encourages anyone to do the same, however small, “Tiny interventions can make a huge impact and difference. How do we make the world better? … you can find a little nook in your local area and make a huge difference … it could be as simple as watering a street tree or planting some flowers around that tree pit or… something to improve that very small bit of where you live “
We consider the fact that some things you have to “fight fight and fight for” and the importance of self-care and resilience to avoid burn out.
We also speak about the future of cities, and Trina quotes Enrique Peñalosa (Former Mayor of Bogota) who said, “children are a kind of indicator species, if we can build a successful city for children, we will have a successful city for everyone.”
Information about DeptfordFolk can be found here:
twitter: @deptfordfolk
facebook: facebook.com/deptfordfolk/
Instagram: @deptfordfolk
More soon!
Love Bernadette
My book "How To Be Hopeful" published by Elliot and Thompson is due out September 2020. This podcast series is a chance for me to chat again to some of the people who I interviewed for the book, as well as some people who I didn't have the chance to. I hope you enjoy it.
You can find me here www.bernadetterussell.com
twitter @betterussell insta @bernadetterussell
facebook https://www.facebook.com/bernadetterussellwrites/