Ruby Wax on not passing on ‘the baton of madness’ and the constant of change

Our first guest of the series is the phenomenally popular author Bella Mackie. Bella’s debut novel ‘How To Kill Your Family’ was a #1 Sunday Times Bestseller and lined the top 10 book charts for a staggering 47 weeks. It has just been announced that Netflix will adapt the book with Anya Taylor-Joy starring as Grace Bernard.  Bella is back with a brand new novel ‘What a Way To Go’ which comes out on 12th September. It’s a story that indulges Bella’s fascination with slapstick murder and the mega rich, something Annie and Bella discuss. Bella is, like her books, funny and raw, in a way that feels so relatable. In this refreshingly honest conversation, Annie and Bella talk about Bella’s life living with anxiety disorder and OCD since her childhood and how running and writing about it in her memoir ‘Jog On’ have helped her through some of the most challenging times. Bella speaks openly about her short-lived first marriage, her relationship with Greg James (Radio 1’s Breakfast host) and the personal growth that is often born out of romantic relationships. They also discuss privilege, not having children and Bella’s passionate hatred for wellness. Hope you enjoy!  Order Bella's new book 'What A Way To Go' here: https://smarturl.it/WAWTG GET IN TOUCH Contact us at changespod@gmail.com with your emails and voice notes. Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes Please Note: The transcript is automatically generated in case you come across any typos or misquotes during your reading. Enjoy the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final Changes Focus of the series we are focusing on Bodies, one of the topics from our popular mini series earlier this year which seemed to resonate with so many of you. With that in mind we’ve pulled out some of the highlights.  You’ll hear from the brilliant musician (and fellow Dubliner) CMAT, who gives her refreshing perspective on body image and being a female pop star. We’ve also got the fantastic writer Marian Keyes who talks about her journey with self acceptance and brings some home truths around being honest about ageing and botox. Journalist and author Afua Hirsch shares some shocking revelations on the origins of when and why we started to remove our body hair, and the internets go to gynaecologist and author Dr Jen Gunter answers one of our listener questions on sex after giving birth and cultivating desire in a relationship.  You can find all the featured episodes in full wherever you get your podcasts. Vote for Changes at the British Podcast Awards!  Voting is open until 29th August. Just click this link and search for Changes.  https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting GET IN TOUCH Contact us at changespod@gmail.com with your emails and voice notes. Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes Please Note: The transcript is automatically generated in case you come across any typos or misquotes during your reading. Enjoy the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This weeks episode of Changes Focus is a celebration of Trans lives.  On this podcast we try to build empathy and connectedness through sharing people’s personal stories and the only way we can understand what it’s like to be a Trans person is by actually listening to those people who are living it every day.  In this episode we’ve got Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. Army intelligence analyst and whistleblower, who discusses her journey of transitioning while in military prison, the incredible poet and musician Kae Tempest shares their thoughts on going through puberty as a Trans teenager and the importance of being your authentic self. Performance artist and author of ‘None of The Above’ Travis Alabanza shares their definition of transness and talks about how they got to the point of feeling able to come out as gender non conforming. And finally, activist and author of ‘The Transgender Issue’ Shon Faye shares her experiences of transphobia and her thoughts on why people are so scared of change when it comes to gender.  You can find all the featured episodes in full wherever you get your podcasts. Vote for Changes at the British Podcast Awards!  Voting is open until 29th August. Just click this link and search for Changes.  https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting GET IN TOUCH Contact us at changespod@gmail.com with your emails and voice notes. Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes Please Note: The transcript is automatically generated in case you come across any typos or misquotes during your reading. Enjoy the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Changes Focus we’re zooming in on a big change that we will probably all experience at some point - grief.  Grief shapes us in different ways and hearing other people’s experiences of how they have coped with their loss can help in moving through our own. In this tender and insightful episode, Annie revisits conversations with Cariad Lloyd, comedian and creator of the podcast 'Griefcast', who shares her reflections on how therapy helped her with the grieving process after losing her dad aged 15. Food critic and podcaster Grace Dent talks about her experience of losing her parents, returning home to care for her mum in the final period before she died and how this shaped her feelings of grief. Grammy award winning singer-songwriter Yebba (real name Abigail Smith) opens up about the heartbreaking death of her mother and how it influenced her music. And comedian and writer of the BAFTA winning ‘Big Boys, Jack Rooke, discusses his experience of losing his dad as a teenager and how he has channelled his grief into creativity and comedy. Trigger Warning: This episode contains mention of suicide. You can find all the featured episodes in full wherever you get your podcasts. Vote for Changes at the British Podcast Awards!  Voting is open until 29th August. Just click this link and search for Changes.  https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting GET IN TOUCH Contact us at changespod@gmail.com with your emails and voice notes. Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes Please Note: The transcript is automatically generated in case you come across any typos or misquotes during your reading. Enjoy the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to a new series of Changes Focus where we focus on a specific area of change and hear multiple perspectives from some of our incredible guests. In this episode the focus is on Changemakers - people who are working hard to drive meaningful, positive change in the world. In this powerful episode, Annie revisits her conversation with poet and advocate for prison reform Lady Unchained. She talks about her own experience within the criminal justice system and how this led her to work with other ex offenders. We hear from Baroness Beeban Kidron - documentary filmmaker turned member of the House of Lords - who talks about her tireless efforts to change and update the laws around child safety online. Ex right wing group leader Nigel Bromage shares his story of life after leaving the far right and how this inspired him to help others to do the same. And finally we’ve got actor Rose Ayling Ellis, who’s memorable appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 paid tribute to the deaf community and was responsible for a huge rise of interest in British Sign Language. Rose talks to us about how important being a part of this community is for her.  You can find all the featured episodes in full wherever you get your podcasts. Vote for Changes at the British Podcast Awards!  Voting is open until 29th August. Just click this link and search for Changes.  https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting GET IN TOUCH Contact us at changespod@gmail.com with your emails and voice notes. Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes Please Note: The transcript is automatically generated in case you come across any typos or misquotes during your reading. Enjoy the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.