Shoulder to Shoulder by With-you

In Episode 2 of "Shoulder to Shoulder," Cate Munro engages in a heartfelt conversation with Mark, who bravely shares his transformative journey from a traumatic childhood marred by abuse to a life of recovery and purpose.

Mark's candid narrative delves into the profound impact of childhood abuse on his mental health, offering an intimate look at the struggles he faced throughout his teenage years. 

This episode unveils the pivotal ...

In Episode 3 of "Shoulder to Shoulder," Cate Munro engages in a profound conversation with Jacqui, a resilient individual who shares her life's journey from enduring childhood abuse to finding renewed purpose as an adult.

Jacqui's story is a testament to the enduring impact of trauma and the transformative potential of peer support.

Listeners will be captivated as Jacqui candidly discusses how her early experiences of abuse deeply ...

In this gripping episode of Shoulder to Shoulder Cate Munro explores Sharif's incredible life journey. 

As a young survivor who escaped East African genocide and settled in London's gritty East End, Sharif's story is a testament to resilience and hope. 

He shares a life-changing encounter in a recovery house that set him on a path of transformation and explains how he now harnesses the prin...

In Episode 5 of Shoulder-to-Shoulder, Cate Munro engages in a poignant conversation with Anita K - a suicide survivor, mother, grandmother, peer, and activist. 

Anita's narrative is one of resilience in...

Charlotte Crowl is an author, cancer survivor, and project lead for the Black Women Rising project that supports women of colour who have cancer. 

Charlotte shares:

"Peer support is a very powerful thing. Most of our support is done through group work, bringing together Black women in a setting where they can speak and be open. It's an amazing experience to watch their journey to empowerment." 

"A lot of the time in the Black commu...

Alex Enahoro now works as a peer supporter in the hospital he was once a psychiatric patient in.  

Alex has struggled with his own mental health since childhood, experienced intense racism and struggled with intersectionality around race, sexuality, and religion.  

He now uses his experiences to help others: 

"Growing up we just didn't discuss mental health enough...I've been on my own journey to recovery and now I want to take as ...

Iris-Nur Noor, a mental health peer coach in the Camden & Islington Trust who identifies as a trans Asian woman and believes in the potential of peer support to change lives.  

She shares insight into her own challenges as a trans woman of colour and how her journey has taken her from a background in fine art into education and then into peer support:  

"When I was growing up in the 80's there was no such thing as peer support ...

In this deeply moving episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, we share the inspirational recovery story of Byron, a former recruitment consultant living in Dubai with his wife and two children. When the pandemic struck, Byron suffered a devastating stroke, forcing him to leave his family behind and return to England alone to begin a long, gruelling stroke recovery journey.

Amid the physical and emotional challenges, Byron di...

In this deeply personal and inspiring episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, we sit down with Jenny, whose journey of resilience began in a childhood marked by mental and emotional trauma. The pain and struggles of her early years followed her into adulthood, shaping her experiences and challenges. But through the power of peer support, Jenny found the strength to embark on a long and difficult journey of self-discovery and healing.

Dete...

In this compelling episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, we hear the powerful story of Gary, whose early years were shaped by the challenges of being a military child. Growing up in a constantly shifting environment—moving from base to base as his father served in the RAF—Gary struggled with the emotional toll of repeatedly breaking friendships, adjusting to new surroundings, and dealing with the instability of military family life.

As ...

In this insightful episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, we speak with Tooba, a dedicated psychology student who discovered the power of peer support while working in a secondary school. Passionate about mental health advocacy, she recognized that young people struggling with their mental well-being often find it easier to open up to peers rather than adults.

Through her experience as a peer supporter in schools, Tooba discusses: ✔️ The...

In this compelling episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, we meet Charli, who built a demanding career in British Aerospace while privately battling mental health challenges. After a long and transformative healing journey, Charli made the bold decision to switch careers and dedicate herself to peer support—using her lived experience to help others facing similar struggles.

Now a perinatal peer supporter, Charli works with mothers, famil...

Imagine starting your career at 16, climbing the corporate ladder for over 20 years, only to pivot completely in search of a more meaningful path. That’s exactly what Nicky did.

After the birth of her daughter in 2006, she built a career that revolved around creativity, flexibility, and supporting others—whether through running her own businesses, coaching women, or helping small business owners amplify their voices.

But behind the...

Welcome to this special two-part episode, where Nicky shares her deeply personal journey into Peer Support training.

In this first episode, Nicky takes us through the pivotal moments of her life—ones filled with love, loss, resilience, and self-discovery. Born in Sheffield as the middle child of three, she always felt she had to work harder to achieve her dreams. From childhood imaginings of owning a rock shop on the east coast...

In this episode, we’re shining a light on something truly transformative — The Peer Worker Apprenticeship, delivered by Paragon Skills in partnership with With-you.

As someone who has lived through life’s toughest challenges and come out the other side with empathy, strength, and a fierce sense of purpose, Nicky brings not just experience, but lived experience to the forefront of everything she does.

You’ll hear about how this appr...

In Neurodivergent Voices, peer specialist William Gallini-Pool brings his lived experience of ADHD and Autism, along with years of frontline work in youth mental health, into powerful and thoughtful conversations.

From psychiatric units to classrooms, William has worked across the mental health system to centre young people's voices, challenge outdated practices, and advocate for neurodiverse-friendly support.

This podcast explores...

In this inspiring episode of the podcast, we sit down with Ruth Hannan and Hannah Webster, co-founders of Care Full Economy, to explore how personal experiences as carers shaped their mission to transform the UK’s approach to care. 

Ruth and Hannah share their personal journeys into the world of unpaid care, opening up about the emotional, practical, and political realities of supporting loved ones. From there, we dive into the ori...