Believe in People Podcast

27/07/2025

🚨 NEW EPISODE OUT NOW 🎧

We're joined by harm reduction expert and ReNew Hull's very own Elly Mortimer

Elly has spent over three decades working face-to-face with people affected by substance use and blood-borne viruses and brings deep professional insight and a fierce commitment to making Hepatitis C history. This is her third time on the podcast and she’s more fired up than ever

🎙️ In this episode:

• Why Hep C is still widely misunderstood
• How a simple 8-week tablet course is changing everything
• The real risks behind tattoos abroad and cosmetic procedures
• Why some people don’t finish treatment
• What learned experience looks like in practice

Elly cuts through the noise with clarity and purpose. You don’t need to inject to be at risk. You don’t need symptoms to get tested. And you don’t need to wait

📢 Whether you're in recovery, in healthcare or just want to stay informed this episode is a must

🎧 Listen now on Spotify and Apple or directly from 👇

www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com/elly

🩸 Please listen, share and get tested if you haven’t already

Change Grow Live The Hepatitis C Trust

Elly returns for her third appearance on Believe in People to share insight from over 30 years working in harm reduction, with a focus on eliminating Hepatitis C. S…

30/06/2025

🎧 Apple Music x Believe in People Podcast

We’re proud to announce that our host Matthew Butler features in a special new episode of Classical Connections - The Radio Academy award-winning podcast hosted by Alexis Ffrench.

Together, they explore the role of music in recovery, storytelling, and breaking the stigma around addiction in a conversation that’s honest, moving, and deeply human.

🎬 Trailer out now | Series below ⬇️
🔗 apple.co/ClassicalConnections

🎙️ Catch up on past episodes of Believe in People:
👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com

📡 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻

06/06/2025

Believe in People Podcast x Passenger Radio WHCK collab 🤝🏻🔥 we love the transatlantic connection ♥️

01/06/2025

🎙️ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸? 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

Here are 5 powerful takeaways from Adam Carle Maxted’s story that might just reframe what strength really means:

💉 Steroids won’t fix your self-worth - and they come with consequences no one talks about
💭 Building a big body to hide your pain doesn’t make it go away
📸 Fame won’t heal you - especially when it’s built on a version of you that isn’t real
🧠 Masculinity is not aggression - it can be kindness, reflection, service, and stillness
🛠️ You don’t need to be perfect to grow - just willing to start again, and do it honestly

From the spotlight of Love Island to the grind of UK wrestling, Adam Maxted has lived through extremes - of praise, pressure, and personal reckoning. In this wide-ranging conversation, he talks candidly about steroid use, body dysmorphia, lost contracts, public expectations, and finding peace outside the glare of celebrity.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 — 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 👇

🎧 Listen now:

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/episode/2s0J3GzAm4D3QAMvgGjbR0

Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/48-adam-maxted-life-after-love-island-steroids-wrestling/id1617239923?i=1000663444827

30/05/2025

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘃𝘀. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱? A must listen episode 🎧

The most requested return guest to date! Here are 5 powerful takeaways from Young Lee’s return to Believe in People:

🧘‍♂️ There’s a difference between being in recovery and being recovered — and Young lives that truth daily
🧒 Fatherhood after addiction takes time, humility, and action — not empty promises
🧠 Emotional sobriety means learning to live from the inside out — not letting fear rule your head
💬 Speaking fears out loud stops them from growing — it’s the antidote to shame and anxiety
🛐 Spiritual practice, presence, and service aren't extras — they are the foundation of his freedom

Back by overwhelming demand, Young Lee returns to share the deeper work that begins after the chaos of addiction ends. In this unflinching and quietly powerful conversation, he reflects on how spiritual discipline, emotional responsibility, and daily routines help him stay grounded. This isn’t just a story of getting clean — it’s a story of how to stay free.

Young opens up about rebuilding trust with his children, navigating guilt without ego, and finding peace not through achievements, but through usefulness. Whether he’s challenging the myth of “once an addict, always an addict” or reflecting on the cost of self-delusion, his honesty lands hard. If you’ve ever wondered what being recovered actually looks like — this is it.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽.

🎧 Listen now

Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/67-young-lee-recovery-vs-recovered-fatherhood-identity/id1617239923?i=1000709996629

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/73A5jN7eetBSMQ45FfJow3

In this gripping return to Believe in People, Young Lee opens up about what happens after the chaos of addiction — when the drugs are gone, the dust has settled, an…

28/05/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗹? 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

Here are 5 powerful takeaways from Amy Jo Johnson’s story that might just shift your perspective:

🍷 You don’t need to hit rock bottom - choosing to stop is strength, not weakness
🏷️ Labels aren’t required - “I just don’t want to drink” is a full sentence
🧠 Alcohol might be numbing what actually needs attention - grief, trauma, anxiety
🙅‍♀️ You’re not boring because you’re sober - but you might outgrow the rooms you used to thrive in
🧬 What you inherit isn’t your destiny - Amy broke the cycle of addiction in her family, and so can you

Best known as the original Pink Ranger, Amy Jo was a global icon - but behind the fame was a lifetime of quiet battles. From growing up in a religious cult to losing her mother and watching her father’s drinking spiral, Amy’s story is one of grief, survival, and deep personal transformation.

In this raw and deeply personal episode, she opens up about her choice to go alcohol-free - not as punishment, but as a radical act of self-care and clarity. This one is honest, funny, heart-breaking, and full of power.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗹 — 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 👇

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3jRTw9T2wR4Sk4khd2tefg

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/43-amy-jo-johnson-alcohol-free-loving-life-pink-power/id1617239923?i=1000653697345

🎙️ https://www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com/amy

26/05/2025

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲?

In this powerful episode, you’ll hear:

⛓️ Addiction & 31 Years Inside – the true cost of substance use, grief, and impulsive decisions
⚔️ Gang Violence & Survival – navigating prison politics, racial segregation, and violence
🕯️ Spiritual Awakening – the moment Andre realised he had to change — or die trying
📖 Journaling, Education & Purpose – building a recovery routine from inside his cell
🤝 Mentoring from the Inside – how self-directed recovery can ripple out to help others
🗣️ Redemption Through Accountability – facing the past without excuse or performance
✈️ Deported Upon Release – returning to the UK after 31 years away, with nothing but resilience
🧱 Reintegration Challenges – learning smartphones, public spaces, and trust again
🎯 Now a Mentor & Advocate – using lived experience to guide young people today
🕊️ Recovery is Real – a reminder that change doesn’t require perfection — only honesty

Andre got clean in prison. He found meaning in service. And today, he continues that mission — mentoring young people and showing others that it's never too late to change.

This episode was instrumental in winning the British Podcast Award for Best Interview in 2024. It stands as a reminder that the loudest stories don’t always come with noise — they come with truth.

If you’re worried about addiction — in yourself or someone you care about — please listen. Then share 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/51-andre-edmund-murder-addiction-31-years-inside-gang/id1617239923?i=1000675370994

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0MmFqTRKLzuGIaZuN9FmHM?si=7WchSmQ9TRqdtblkc_Gsfw

Change Grow Live |

24/05/2025

We’re excited to unveil the new look for the 2025/26 ReNew Hull Recovery Football Team ⚽️

Believe in People Podcast is PROUD to support this year’s team kits - bold, meaningful, and made for people telling their story through recovery.

⚽️💜 This is more than football - it’s second chances, shared purpose, and the power of lived experience.

Custom-made by the incredible Lammy Sports, this kit tells a story of resilience and honours the official colour of recovery 🟣💪🏻

🟣 For us, it’s about people in recovery stepping back into community, finding confidence on and off the pitch, and building each other up every step of the way.

More info coming soon on how YOU can get involved this summer - whether you're playing, supporting, or just want to be part of something powerful.

🎵 It’s coming home 🎵
🎵 It’s coming to the home of recovery. 🎵

Change Grow Live |