Best Anna Bower Podcasts (2024)

1
Former football player, Jarrett Irons, who is also the son of NFL football legend Gerald Irons discusses the personal impact of brain injury following the loss of his father. 43:33

4d ago43:33

43:33

Writer, journalist, and traumatic brain injury survivor, Christina Brown Fisher speaks with former linebacker Jarrett Irons about the impact of brain injury. His father, Gerald Irons, played in the National Football League for ten years. Gerald was a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders and is listed as one of the top 100 players for the Cleveland Br…

1
Series 5, Episode 9: Dr Ros Gray 27:31

1M ago27:31

27:31

Ros is Reader in Fine Art, Critical Studies and Programme Director of the MA Art & Ecology. Her research and teaching often involves collaborations with artists, scientists and activists, addressing ecological emergency with an emphasis on climate justice. In her spare time, she likes to mend and grow things. In 2023 she founded the Darn It! darnin…

1
Series 5, Episode 8: Matilya Njau, Horticulturalist 26:00

2M ago26:00

26:00

I’m a gardener by trade and have spent most of my waking moments in the last 8 years, tending to and communing with plants. At the heart of my practice is helping people reconnect with their immediate surroundings, creating green spaces in difficult places and using gardening as a vessel to connect with self, ancestors and other human and non-human…

1
Series 5, Episode 7: Dr Georgia Bowers 33:58

2M ago33:58

33:58

Dr Georgia Bowers is a leading Creative Ageing practitioner, academic and pro-ageing activist. Her work explores how theatre making with older adults can tackle ageism and takes place in care homes, hospitals, sheltered housing accommodation, day centres and via online video platforms. Georgia has worked for arts organisations such as Royal Opera H…

1
Series 5, Episode 6: Anna Matthams 27:47

2M ago27:47

27:47

In my role of Arts Manager for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust I am responsible for delivering an arts programme to support the health and wellbeing of our patients, staff and visitors. Our projects encompass all art forms, using music, dance, creative drawing, and arts and crafts to provide individuals with the means for creative expression and t…

1
Series 5, Episode 5: Gaynor Tutani 26:14

2M ago26:14

26:14

Gaynor Tutani (Art Adlib) is a curator, producer and writer who merges her various arts, culture, community and educational passions to produce exhibitions, events and commentaries on art and curating. Her speciality is in Public Programming – of which she extends as part of her practice as the Creative Programing Officer at Museum of the Home. She…

1
Series 5, Episode 4: Dr Megan Vine 31:20

3M ago31:20

31:20

Following a Masters in Applied Theatre at Goldsmiths, Megan completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of Limerick in 2023 and received an Irish Research Council scholarship for her research: "Community Solidarity Initiatives as Spaces for Connection, Resistance and Change". This project investigated how people living in Direct Provision and…

1
Dr. Russell Gore, neurologist, biomedical engineer, and former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, explains why first responders, military service members and veterans, are our nation's "silent sufferers" as ... 1:25:20

3M ago1:25:20

1:25:20

Writer, journalist, U.S. Air Force Veteran, and traumatic brain injury survivor, Christina Brown Fisher speaks with Dr. Russell Gore who is the chief medical officer of the Avalon Action Alliance (www.avalonactionalliance.org). The Avalon Action Alliance is a national network of programs treating mild and complex traumatic brain injury, for first r…

1
Series 5, Episode 3: Arji Manuelpillai 28:05

3M ago28:05

28:05

Arji Manuelpillai is a poet, performer and creative facilitator based in London. He was the Jerwood/Arvon Mentee mentored by Hannah Lowe. Arji’s debut pamphlet ‘Mutton Rolls' was published with Out-Spoken Press in 2020 and his newest book ‘Improvised Explosive Device’ was released in the Autumn of 2022 with Penned in the Margins. This highly acclai…

1
Series 5, Episode 2: Merel Van Der Knoop 27:32

3M ago27:32

27:32

Merel works as a freelance accompanist and vocal coach besides teaching singing and piano. She is choir leader of the Long Covid Choir and the Long Covid Kids Choir. Merel also works as a Supporting Artist for feature tv/film, such as The Crown. In her free time she takes Art Classes with Lucy Freud. Merel fell ill with Covid in 2021 and has been l…

1
Series 5, Episode 1: Amie Taylor 26:08

3M ago26:08

26:08

Amie is a writer, theatre maker, musical theatre teacher and the Director for Fun Palaces. A Fun Palace is a free event made by local people for their own community. At Fun Palaces people come together to share their skills, passions and interests, and to show the world just how brilliant and packed full of genius their community is. Anyone can mak…

1
As Jamie MoCrazy set her sights on the Olympics, a traumatic brain injury brought her competitive career as a professional slopestyle and halfpipe skier to an end. The first woman in the world to perform ... 1:15:44

6M ago1:15:44

1:15:44

In 2015, at the World Tour Finals in Whistler, Canada, professional skier Jamie MoCrazy suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The elite athlete collapsed into a coma on the mountain as doctors raced to treat multiple brain bleeds. Her recovery meant learning how to talk, walk and ski again. Today, she leads the non-profit, MoCrazy Strong Foundat…

1
Series 4, Episode 8: Camille Dawson and Cristina Ottonello 36:05

8M ago36:05

36:05

Camille Dawson is a critically acclaimed comedy writer, performer and director. She is founder and Artistic Director of Frisky Arts. Camille has a multi art, anarchic and comedic style. The War Inside is inspired by her experience of struggling with autoimmune disease. The show shines a light on invisible illness, and takes the audience on a wild r…

1
Series 4, Episode 7: Maria Amidu 41:04

8M ago41:04

41:04

Maria Amidu is a visual artist and PhD Candidate in the School of Arts & Humanities at the Royal College of Art. Her artistic concerns are influenced by the complexities of the relational – between people and between people and place. Through writing as artistic practice she tries to substantiate what might be going on in collective situations, pay…

1
Series 4, Episode 6: Lee Robb 35:44

8M ago35:44

35:44

Lee is the founder of Positive Carrickfergus and co-founder of Repair Cafe Belfast and Carrick Greengrocers. She has lived in Carrickfergus for most of her life apart from a few years in England and Italy like so many of her generation brought up in Northern Ireland. Lee has worked in the voluntary and community sector for around 25 years mostly in…

1
Series 4, Episode 5: Amahra Spence 45:01

8M ago45:01

45:01

Amahra Spence lives in the UK and works globally. Her practice is one of poetic pragmatism, exploring transformation and iterating change oriented towards liberation. In particular, Amahra engages this through spatial reclamation and social justice, design, performance and storytelling. In all aspects of her work, Amahra contends with Black Imagina…

1
Neuropsychologist and internationally renowned expert on long COVID, James Jackson, Psy.D., explains why “brain fog” in COVID long haulers should be treated as brain injury. 1:04:17

8M ago1:04:17

1:04:17

It is estimated nearly 30-percent of Covid-19 survivors continue to suffer from symptoms following their bout with the illness. Researcher and neuropsychologist James Jackson, Psy.D., is the author of the new book Clearing the Fog: From Surviving to Thriving with Long-COVID, A Practical Guide. The author of more than 90 scientific publications, Dr.…

1
Series 4, Episode 4: Madeline Tanoto 29:45

8M ago29:45

29:45

Madeline Tanoto is a designer-maker & teacher with a 20 year career in fashion & teaching across all things textiles. She is a qualified Mental Health First Aider & combines these skills with her textiles experience to explore the craft of mending within a supportive & inclusive environment. She is the founding Director of Mads do & Mend CIC whose …

1
Series 4, Episode 3: Sally Jaquet 35:38

9M ago35:38

35:38

Sally Jaquet is an Edinburgh-based community musician who believes music is for everyone - a human right that helps us connect, care and cherish each other and ourselves. Her projects include vocal and songwriting teaching; choir leading; music & wellbeing workshops for school groups, businesses; and music research and arts projects evaluation. As …

1
Season 4, Episode 2: Ellen Bassam 32:49

9M ago32:49

32:49

Ellen works as a consultant for Seahorse Environmental, a specialist environmental communications agency. In this role she works with a number of NGOs and businesses on campaigns including the Lost Rainforests of Britain campaign. She has a background in research and is particularly interested in the circular economy, the arts and environment and b…

1
Season 4, Episode 1: Kay Adekunle Rufai 38:27

9M ago38:27

38:27

Kay Rufai is a Photographer, Poet, Filmmaker, Author, Mental Health researcher and founder of the internationally acclaimed S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys projects. He is currently the first Artist in residence for West Midlands Police Artist as part of Coventry City of Culture, using creative arts to improve relationships between police and marginalised young…

1
Neuroscientist Steven Broglio, PhD., one of the world's leading experts on the management of sports concussion, and co-author of the international Concussion in Sport Group (CISG) consensus statement breaks ... 1:00:13

9M ago1:00:13

1:00:13

Whether amateur or pro, the international Concussion in Sport Group (CISG) consensus statement impacts the care received by players if hit in the head during a game. Steven Broglio, PhD. is the director of the Michigan Concussion Center, the Neurotrauma Research Laboratory, and co-author of the CISG consensus statement. He is also a professor of at…

1
A crash almost ended the career of race car driver Anna Kouba Bowers. The resulting traumatic brain injury nearly cost her, her life. The scion of a legendary racing family recounts her road to recovery ... 1:14:35

10M ago1:14:35

1:14:35

Former Division I soccer player turned race car driver, Anna Kouba Bowers, comes from a long line of professional racing drivers. Her family's legacy in American car racing dates back to the 1930s, beginning with her grandfather Earl Kouba. In 2018, her dreams of continuing to follow in the family's footsteps nearly came to an end following a traum…

1
Former MMA competitor Emily Fisher is married to retired UFC fighter Spencer Fisher. When lesions were discovered on her husband's brain the couple braced for a new challenge, combating traumatic brain ... 30:07

12M ago30:07

30:07

Former mixed martial arts competitor Emily Fisher found her way into the octagon, in part, because of her husband Spencer Fisher, a popular UFC fighter. After his crushing defeat to Hermes Franca, in 2007, Spencer changed in ways Emily couldn't understand. Five years later an abnormal brain scan showed lesions on Spencer's brain, bringing his caree…

1
Spencer ‘The King’ Fisher paid a heavy price as a MMA fighter. He fought in the UFC, but now faces a new battle as he wrestles with the consequences of brain injury. 1:10:43

12M ago1:10:43

1:10:43

After a scan revealed lesions on the brain, the UFC career of Spencer Fisher would soon come to an end. But the instincts of the popular MMA fighter, once called 'The King' weren't to seek treatment, but to find a doctor who'd clear him to fight again. Spencer Fisher shares his story of denial, his loss of identity as a fighter, and his daily fight…

1
Series 3, Episode 8: Yvonne Field & Immy Kaur 59:27

1y ago59:27

59:27

Yvonne Field is a serial social entrepreneur and change agent who has spent more than four decades working with grassroots organisations, front line staff, senior managers and policy makers in local, national and international government and civil society organisations. Yvonne has worked across more than 20 European countries, the English-speaking …

1
Series 3, Episode 7: Sarah Pimenta 34:43

1y ago34:43

34:43

Sarah Pimenta is an experienced artist, illustrator and facilitator and has worked in education for over twenty three years including in over 250 primary and secondary schools nationally and two in Africa. She previously co-directed Arts Charity Cloth of Gold and is now known as Social Fabric. Sarah is highly experienced at leading, coordinating an…

1
Series 3, Episode 6: Chris Finch 37:22

1y ago37:22

37:22

Chris Finch is an NHS Mental Health Worker. He has a passion for repair, fixing bikes from his garage, and many more things from his cellar, which is packed with tools, spare parts, and objects waiting to be mended. Chris appears in The Breaks & Joins film. "My name is Chris and I am in my mid 60s. I have many interests and enjoy using my practical…

1
Series 3, Episode 5: Jo Cook 26:21

1y ago26:21

26:21

Jo Cook is the founder and creator of Meet and Mend and runs sessions and projects within the West Yorkshire county of England. Meet and Mend focuses on textile activities that encourage sustainable methods, such as re-purposing and recycling wherever possible. Meet and Mend ran the Cost of Living Quilt Project in January and February 2023 and is c…

1
Series 3, Episode 4 Yomi Sode & Chloe Osborne 40:23

1y ago40:23

40:23

Award - winning writer Yomi Sode, and artist/activist Chloe Osborne together run 'The Grief Lab' an opportunity to explore, playfully, riotously, experimentally, grief and loss. In this episode they discuss their approaches, the development of this work, and how to continually move the expectations of others and ourselves about how to deal with dif…

1
Series 3, Episode 3: Professor Hartley Jafine 33:00

1y ago33:00

33:00

Professor Hartley Jafine is an improviser, clown nose enthusiast, and Survivor superfan. He is on the faculty at McMaster University and University of Toronto, where he facilitates theatre and arts-based courses. As a health humanities artist-scholar his teaching and research focuses on the intersection between applied theatre, improvisation and he…

1
A brain injury nearly ended the career of cover girl Claudia Mason. From supermodel to stroke survivor, Mason talks about recovery, resilience, and life off the runway. 47:47

1y ago47:47

47:47

Christina Brown Fisher, journalist and traumatic brain injury survivor, speaks with former supermodel Claudia Mason. A fashion icon who’d graced the covers of Vogue, Elle, and Cosmopolitan, Mason found herself under a different spotlight after suffering a brain injury.By Christina Brown Fisher

1
Series 3, Episode 2: Molly Syrett 33:30

1y ago33:30

33:30

Molly Syrett is a costume supervisor and buyer, currently training in millinery. Molly has worked with a range of theatre and dance companies on UK tours, site specific and immersive productions including for London Borough Of Culture, The National Theatre and on Harry Potter & the Cursed Child. Molly also works with Goldsmiths University of London…

1
Series 3, Episode 1: Toby Peach 33:16

1y ago33:16

33:16

Toby is an Award-Winning theatre maker & Associate Director at interactive theatre makers, Coney, where he focuses on making work with, and for, young people & families that spark change through play. He has made pieces that live on National Trust grounds, at The National Archives and landed in schools across the UK. In 2020, he created Beyond Arts…

1
Real talk: more traumatic brain injuries occur because of domestic violence. Associate professor, Eve Valera, PhD, from Harvard Medical School, sounds the alarm on intimate partner violence and traumatic ... 59:47

1+ y ago59:47

59:47

Christina Brown Fisher, journalist and traumatic brain injury survivor, speaks with Harvard Medical School associate professor in psychiatry, Eve Valera, PhD. Dr. Valera is a research scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and has been investigating the impact of brain injury among those affected by domestic violence for more than 25 years.…

1
The sister of Michael Hutchence says traumatic brain injury stole her brother, and contributed to the death of the INXS rock star. 44:09

1+ y ago44:09

44:09

Christina Brown Fisher, journalist and traumatic brain injury survivor, speaks with the sister of Michael Hutchence. He was the lead singer of the Australian rock band INXS until he died by suicide in 1997. Tina Hutchence says her brother kept a secret from their family, the band, and his fans. Five years before his death, Michael Hutchence suffere…

1
Life after football and traumatic brain injury with Ben Utecht, former NFL player and Super Bowl champion. 51:25

1+ y ago51:25

51:25

Christina Brown Fisher, journalist and traumatic brain injury survivor, talks to brain health advocate and former NFL player Ben Utecht. By the time Utecht was 30-years-old he’d suffered at least five diagnosed concussions and was already experiencing memory loss. The former Super Bowl champion discusses his road to recovery, how the game has evolv…

1
Series 2, Episode 7: Devon Goodrich and Michael Breakey 30:39

1+ y ago30:39

30:39

For this episode we made a site visit - a first for us. We spoke to Michael Breakey and Devon Goodrich who host and manage the Rotherhithe Shed, but also to some of the people who had popped in that afternoon to make, mend, paint and chat. Rotherhithe Shed, just south of the River Thames, was set up by Time & Talents and London Bubble Theatre Compa…

1
Series 2, Episode 6: Olivia Namutebi and Rebecca Hayes Laughton 39:38

1+ y ago39:38

39:38

Rebecca Hayes Laughton has supported the Women for Refugee Women drama groups for 7 years, hosting a space for women who are refugees and asylum seekers, where creativity, laughter, and finding words for the unspeakable come together. Part of the wider campaigning organisation, W4RW, the group regularly perform at events, conferences and celebratio…

1
Series 2, Episode 5: Tony Cealy 37:03

1+ y ago37:03

37:03

Tony Cealy is an Arts Development Practitioner, Consultant, Trainer & Producer Founder, Director & Producer of 492 Korna Klub the UK's only weekly improvised radio drama exploring social issues amongst the black community Artistic Agitator Fellow Brixton House - connecting strangers & beginning difficult conversations in shared spaces about Brixton…

1
Series 2, Episode 4: Parisa Wright 35:49

1+ y ago35:49

35:49

Parisa Wright is is the founder and CEo of Greener & Cleaner, a sustainable living charity. She left her 20 year career in law to focus fully on addressing the climate crisis by making sure that susatinable living is accessible and inclusive for all. Greer and Cleaner runs The Hub inThe Glades Shopping Centre in Bromley, running classes and worksho…

1
Series 2, Episode 3: Gail Babb and Alex Evans 34:38

1+ y ago34:38

34:38

Gail is an award-winning theatre maker who specialises in creating new work that centres and celebrates Black British experiences. As a dramaturg and director, she has created shows for theatres, found sites (including museums and a derelict school), as well as national and international touring. Recent credits include work with Brixton House, Fuel…

1
Series 2, Episode 2: Molly Martin 44:08

1+ y ago44:08

44:08

Molly is an artist who lives and works in London. Her art work looks at negative space with a considered colour palette, and a delicate approach to the drawn line. Drawing from life as well as memory, dreams and imagination, Molly creates work around a sense of place, belonging and time. Molly is also a professional textile repairer and researcher,…

1
Series 2, Episode 1: David Labi 27:33

2y ago27:33

27:33

David is a London-born storyteller, founder/director of ethical agency Good Point, and an artist who writes, makes films, and performs. Currently he's developing and touring a tragicomic one-man show about fatherhood called Pieces of a Man, along with an interactive workshop to help people reconfigure their internal relationships with their parents…

1
Episode 8: Rachel Ho 37:10

2+ y ago37:10

37:10

Rachel trained as a potter in Belfast and Kilkenny and has developed a unique ceramics practice that explores concepts such as Hope, Grief and Scars. Based In Macclesfield she exhibits in galleries but also in public spaces, entering into a dialogue with those who view and pick up her work. HOME | RachelHoCeramics Explore more Breaks & Joins podcas…

1
Episode 7: Sudip Chakroborthy and Ali Campbell 38:19

2+ y ago38:19

38:19

Sudip Chakroborthy recently gained his PhD at Goldsmiths, University of London. he is an experienced theatre director who has worked extensively in Bangladesh, Canada and the UK. He teaches at the University of Dhaka Ali Campbell is Professor of Applied Performance at Queen Mary, University of London. A specialist in collaborative theatre making, h…

1
Episode 6: Suzi Warren 30:35

2+ y ago30:35

30:35

Designer and Maker Suzi Warren is a co-founder of Twisted Twee, designing, making and upcycling clothes with a satirical twist. Suzi created 'Stitch it Don't Ditch it', initially by setting up a chair outside a fast fashion shop and sitting and mending, to start conversations. This gentle protest has now grown, with lines of menders snaking down hi…

1
Episode 5: Amanda Mascarenhas and Mo Sumah 28:17

2+ y ago28:17

28:17

Amanda Mascarenhas is a Theatre Designer and Visual Artist. She specialises in immersive and sensory design, and also works extensively in participatory settings. She is Associate artist with Kazzum Arts a member of the Breaks & Joins team https://www.amandamascarenhas.com/about Mo Sumah runs Mend it with Mo, a repair cafe, at the Telegraph Hill Ce…

1
Episode 4: Liz Honeybone 32:25

2+ y ago32:25

32:25

Liz Honeybone is in the textile department at the National Theatre. She has always sewn, making and adapting her own clothes, and she shares her expertise on dye, on making costumes speak through their colour and texture, on responding to furlough by making scrubs for the NHS and learning about natural dyes. Her infectious energy and enthusiasm mak…

1
Episode 3: Sylvan Baker 37:19

2+ y ago37:19

37:19

Sylvan is a neuro diverse care leaver, practitioner and researcher who has been working across the fields of applied theatre, socially engaged arts and education for the past 30 years. His practice has taken place across the UK and globally in sites in Brazil, and the USA, More recently my work has centred around developing research that allows its…

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