TALKING MATTERS WITH NICK HALKES

S1 EP 8 : Oggi Tomic : From life in orphanages during the Balkan civil war to becoming a BAFTA winning filmmaker.

The final episode of this series covers multiple thought provoking areas. Oggi Tomic was abandoned as an infant with a potentially fatal health condition and spent his childhood in multiple orphanages during the Balkan civil war. After rebuilding his life in the UK, Oggi went on to become a double BAFTA-winning filmmaker, also receiving the BHFF NYC Award for his acclaimed documentary Finding Family, which follows his emotional return to Bosnia in search of his long-lost biological family. Special thanks to Mike Swaine for his production work on the series.

S1 EP 7 : Simon Mason : From heroin addiction, begging and homelessness to 19 years sober

As Britpop exploded and Oasis became the talk of the town for the first time ,life was pretty good for Simon Mason who found himself moving in interesting and dynamic circles – whether backstage, on stage or at the after party. As time went by however he spiralled into crack and heroin addiction, he became homeless and hit rock bottom in the searing heat of Spain fearing that he was about to be murdered. In this conversation we talk about how he managed to become clean , stay clean and document that journey in his excellent book ‘ Too High, Too Far, Too Soon’. Simons subsequent work as a songwriter and performer with Hightown Pirates and solo has won him appreciative reviews and his work helping guide others through their post addiction journeys has changed lives in other more profound ways. This conversation was recorded several years ago but the topics covered remain as important as ever today . Simon is now 19 years sober.

S1 EP 6 : Mark Wilkinson : Shaping life beyond bankruptcy and an incurable disease diagnosis

From life as a successful globe trotting DJ/producer to bankruptcy and an incurable disease diagnosis Mark Wilkinson has certainly experienced some highs and lows. From rock bottom he embarked on a journey that would see him evolve into a very different phase as a life coach ,author ( do check out his Life Remixed ,Money Remixed and Personalities Remixed publications) and motivational speaker. We spoke some years ago but there is plenty here that is just as resonant today.

S1 EP 5 : George Bullard : The record breaking explorer talks running out of food, getting robbed at gunpoint and why humans need to re-connect with nature.

In our last episode I talked to someone who unexpectedly found themselves in a very challenging and life threatening physical environment. This time I talk to a record breaking and globe trotting explorer who has put himself in extreme environments by choice and dealt with more than one alarming set of circumstances. Whether it’s dealing with running out of food in the arctic ,getting robbed at gun point in India or moving through a particularly dark phase of life George Bullard has learned from everything that life has shown him. We talked some years ago but I think the lessons learned resonate as much today as on the day that we talked. Today George advocates with passion for the importance of and therapeutic value in humans re connecting with nature. In the conversation he also shines a light on the need to develop more knowledge about the changing planet . You can keep up with his thoughts , experiences and initiatives at @georgebullardexplorer

S1 EP 4 : Viv Bird : What to do if you're on a plane that crashes....

Following some glamorous and colourful experiences working in the aviation industry Viv Bird and her fellow crew members experienced an air crash and 22 hours in freezing temperatures surrounded by icy tundra before they were rescued by the military. Viv's attitude to life surely helped her to cope with such a dramatic turn of events and perhaps there may be some useful aspects of this enjoyable conversation for us all!