Lived Experience Lounge - An Imroc Podcast

04 - Who gets to say Madness Part 1

Let's be honest about madness!Join Katie, Emma, and Danny as they swap stories about their "mad selves" not as enemies to overcome, but as protectors, box-smashers, and core parts of who they are. Time to dig into identity, metaphor, the myth of mental illness, and why "getting better" isn't always the win it's cracked up to be. Find out more about Imroc https://www.imroc.org/ [https://www.imroc.org/]

03 - What is Peer Support, Really?

What actually counts as peer support? In this episode of Lived Experience Lounge, we explore the origins, evolution, and tensions within peer support in mental health. From grassroots activism and survivor-led movements to its integration into modern services, we ask: what makes peer support distinct, and what risks emerge as it becomes professionalised? We reflect on peer support as both a philosophy and a practice, rooted in shared experience, relational connection, and intentional storytelling. Is it defined by lived experience alone, or by the skills, boundaries, and values that shape how that experience is used? This becomes a conversation about power, connection, and care, and what happens when something deeply human meets a system that struggles to understand what peer support can offer. We discuss: * The historical roots of peer support, from activism to modern services * What defines a “peer” and who gets to claim that identity * Peer support as relational practice vs professional role * The tension between grassroots values and system integration * The risks of commodification, burnout, and loss of authenticity * Why peer support is hard to measure, yet deeply impactful * The role of training, boundaries, and intentional storytelling * How shared experience creates safety, connection, and possibility Lived Experience Lounge is an Imroc podcast hosted by Emma Watson, Danny Bowyer and Katie Mottram. Imroc is a mental health charity based in England focused on transforming systems and communities by centring lived experience. Its work spans peer support, recovery colleges, research and evaluation, community development, and relational approaches to care. To learn more, visit imroc.org or follow Imroc on LinkedIn.

02 - What Counts as Lived Experience?

What do we really mean when we talk about “lived experience”? In this episode of Lived Experience Lounge, we explore the philosophical roots, political dimensions, and practical realities of lived experience in mental health. Is it simply experience that has been labelled or diagnosed? Is it embodied knowledge? Is it an identity, a role, a form of power, or all of the above? We reflect on lived experience as a way of knowing, the tensions between professional and peer identities, and the risks of hierarchy and competition within lived experience spaces. We also ask what distinguishes lived experience leadership from compassionate, values-based leadership more broadly. This is a conversation about embodiment, power, storytelling, systems, and the responsibility that comes with turning experience into influence. We discuss: * The philosophical roots of lived experience * Embodied knowledge vs objective knowledge * Lived experience as identity and as expertise * Hierarchies and competitiveness within lived experience spaces * The difference between “peer” and “lived experience” roles * Emotional labour and the performance of lived experience * Leadership, power and co-production * How collective change might reduce the need for new lived experience Lived Experience Lounge is an Imroc podcast hosted by Emma Watson, Danny Bowyer and Katie Mottram. Imroc is a mental health charity based in England focused on transforming systems and communities by centring lived experience. Its work spans peer support, recovery colleges, research and evaluation, community development, and relational approaches to care. To learn more, visit imroc.org or follow Imroc on LinkedIn.

01 - What Even Is Recovery?

What does recovery actually mean, and who gets to define it? In this first full episode of Lived Experience Lounge, we explore the history of the recovery movement and the tensions that sit beneath the word. From its roots in the survivor movement to its adoption within services, recovery has meant many different things to different people. We reflect on clinical recovery, personal recovery, collective recovery, and whether the word still feels useful. We also share parts of our own journeys and how our understanding of recovery has shifted over time. This is an open conversation about language, power, systems, identity, and what it means to reclaim autonomy in a world that often feels anything but safe. We Discuss: * The origins of the recovery movement * Clinical recovery vs personal recovery * “Recovery in the Bin” and critiques of the concept * Reclamation, autonomy and collective wellbeing * Resilience, endurance and political context * The relationship between individual distress and social systems * Whether we would return to who we were “before” * Why recovery may be less about certainty and more about conversation Lived Experience Lounge is an Imroc podcast hosted by Emma Watson, Danny Bowyer and Katie Mottram. Imroc is a mental health charity based in England focused on transforming systems and communities by centring lived experience. Its work spans peer support, recovery colleges, research and evaluation, community development, and relational approaches to care. To learn more, visit imroc.org or follow Imroc on LinkedIn.

Who Are We? Meet Emma, Danny, and Katie

In this mini episode of Lived Experience Lounge, we introduce ourselves. Emma, Danny, and Katie share parts of their personal and professional journeys into mental health work, peer support, and lived experience leadership. We reflect on crisis, recovery, identity, and the messy, ongoing process of making sense of it all. This isn’t a tidy origin story. It’s a conversation about becoming, questioning, unlearning, and finding belonging in a field that doesn’t always make space for complexity. We also talk about what we hope this podcast offers: a space for generative conversation, disagreement, curiosity, and permission to explore your own understanding of distress and recovery. We discuss: * Our lived experience journeys * Peer support and recovery work * Questioning the medical model * Identity, crisis and “breakthrough” moments * Learning, unlearning and evolving perspectives * What we hope listeners take from the podcast * Why it’s okay not to have all the answers Lived Experience Lounge is an Imroc podcast hosted by Emma Watson, Danny Bowyer and Katie Mottram. Imroc is a mental health charity based in England focused on transforming systems and communities by centring lived experience. Its work spans peer support, recovery colleges, research and evaluation, community development, and relational approaches to care. To learn more, visit imroc.org or follow Imroc on LinkedIn.