What Matters With Alex Reads

This week in our first Black History conversation is with a living cricket legend, Michael Holding. Michael Holding is an elder, a wise connection, and leader of our experience as Black people in this country. We talk about his long career in cricket, his experience post-George Floyd and what he remembers about his career. He retired in September 2021. He wrote Why We Kneel, How We Rise - a sober, densely researched account of racial discrimination, partially told through discussions with leading athletes including Usain Bolt, Thierry Henry, Michael Johnson and Naomi Osaka. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trigger Warning: Conversations on Drug Use, Suicide, and Depression. --------------------------------------------- David Poses is a writer. His book The Weight of Air: A Story of the Lies About Addiction and the Truth About Recovery, is a book I will continue to go back to in my own self-development as I progress on my own journey. He is also a speaker and activist. After twenty years of hiding his struggle with depression and opioids, he started opening up and challenging the disregard of science and evidence in drug treatment, prevention, and policy.  We discuss: Shame and drug addiction Breaking down the stigma of addiction How to rethink policies relating to drugs Books that might help Not one to miss! This episode is brought to you in partnership with Trigger Hub. For 15% off ebooks, to support authors and mental health charity Shaw Mind with your purchase, use discount code: AlexHolmes15. Go deeper: Subscribe to the Heart To Heart Letters Submit your questions to Anxiety Letters Join the Time

Trigger Warning: Suicide and Depression. --------------------------------------------- Today is #WorldSuicidePreventionDay. I have a conversation with Josiah Hartley about his book 'The Boy Between' where he speaks about his experience with depression that he wrote with his mum. We discuss: Writing with your parent Breaking down the stigma of depression The signs of depression Feelings of shame Before this, I start a heartfelt conversation about how we can be better for one another and the importance of conversations about mental health. Not one to miss! This episode is brought to you in partnership with Trigger Hub. For 15% off ebooks, to support authors and mental health charity Shaw Mind with your purchase, use discount code: AlexHolmes15. Go deeper: Subscribe to the Heart To Heart Letters Submit your questions to Anxiety Letters Join the Time To Talk Book Club sign up to get the newsletter. Join Masteri Academy to join a group of committed readers and self-healers. Follow me on Instagram and

David Harewood joins me this week, as we discuss the background to his new book, Maybe I Don't Belong Here. We discuss: 'Becoming' Black Earliest memories Racialised mental health issues His father's psychosis and his mental breakdown Grief and the Windrush Generation Stereotypes in acting And cultivating a sense of belonging. Not one to miss! Go deeper: Subscribe to the Heart To Heart Letters Submit your questions to Anxiety Letters Join the Time To Talk Book Club sign up to get the newsletter. Join Masteri Academy to join a group of committed readers and self-healers. Follow me on Instagram and VERO. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe. Credits: Website: alexholmes.co Production, Music and Edit: Pure Creation Media/Ryan Nile (@ryan.nile.show) Executive Produced: Alex Holmes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writing and mental health - how do you use therapy? Jason Mott speaks to me this week about the importance of therapy while writing. We talk about his new book - Hell of a Book. The book is uncategorizable and fizzing with playful invention and intelligence, and Mott's story centers on an author and a young black boy who may or may not be the child whose recent murder by a police officer has sparked protests across the country. What a show. Check out his new book Hell of a Book, here, it came out on August 10th. Community: Join the Time To Talk Book Club: tune in next week for a discussion on August's selection - The Happiness Trap. My Book: Time To Talk: How Men Think About Love, Belonging and Connection Write your letters to me via Heart To Heart Letters Credits: Hosted by Alex Holmes Co-Produced by Alex Holmes and Ryan Nile Audio Engineering: Pure Creation Media  Executive Produced by Alex Holmes  Get in touch: Facebook Instagram VERO Email: tttalkpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m

Do you know how to be human? This is the question I am sitting on with today's guest clinical psychologist, Dr. Sophie Mort. We have a chat about emotions and how we manage them. Check out her book A Manual For Being Human here. Community: Join the Time To Talk Book Club: August's Book is The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. My Book: Time To Talk: How Men Think About Love, Belonging and Connection Write your letters to me via Heart To Heart Letters Credits: Hosted by Alex Holmes Co-Produced by Alex Holmes and Ryan Nile Audio Engineering: Pure Creation Media  Executive Produced by Alex Holmes  Get in touch: Facebook Instagram VERO Email: tttalkpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Natasha Lunn is the features director at RED magazine and the creator of a popular and acclaimed bi-monthly email newsletter, Conversations on Love. After years of feeling that love was always out of reach, Natasha Lunn set out to understand how relationships work and evolve over a lifetime. She turned to authors and experts to learn about their experiences, as well as drawing on her own, asking: How do we find love? How do we sustain it? And how do we survive when we lose it? In Conversations on Love, she began to find the answers. Her book: Conversations On Love is out now. Playlist: For You - Laura Marling Time To Talk Book Club: Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout All About Love - bell hooks Credits: Hosted by Alex Holmes Co-Produced by Alex Holmes and Ryan Nile Audio Engineering: Pure Creation Media  Executive Produced by Alex Holmes  Get in touch: Join Facebook Group Instagram VERO Email: alex@alexholmes.co Book: Time To Talk: How Men Think About Love, Belonging and Connection Blog: timetotalk.s

Ciaran Thapar is a youth worker, social activist, and writer based in London. His journalism on serious youth violence, austerity politics, British multiculturalism, and contemporary music culture can be found in the Guardian, British GQ, Vice, and Pitchfork. He has experience developing and delivering charity programmes in secondary schools, youth clubs, and prisons. As Founder of RoadWorks, music, and social education charity, Ciaran has advocated on behalf of young people in both Houses of Parliament, on national television and radio, and in legal court proceedings His book Cut Short: Youth Violence, Loss and Hope In The City is out now. Playlist: Glassy Riddim - Raf Saperra Hold Up - Tolu Shorts Time To Talk Bookclub: Hero of A Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell The Corner - David Simon Credits: Hosted by Alex Holmes Co-Produced by Alex Holmes and Ryan Nile Audio Engineering: Pure Creation Media  Executive Produced by Alex Holmes  Get in touch: Join the Facebook Group. Instagram VERO Email: alex@alex

Welcome back to another episode of Time To Talk, the home of conversation around mental health, masculinity, and healing. This week, I am speaking to my esteemed guest, Riaz Megjhi. Riaz is a human connection expert, based out in Canada.  We talk about all things human connection, journalism, and what it means to have a good and wholehearted conversation to get the best out of the person as well as learn something new about ourselves. After the year that we have had behind screens, in isolation, and away from family and friends, I'm sure we would find it hard to disagree. Credits: Hosted by Alex Holmes Co-Produced by Alex Holmes and Ryan Nile Audio Engineering: Pure Creation Media  Executive Produced by Alex Holmes  Get in touch: Become a member: steadyhq.com/alexholmes Instagram VERO Email: alex@alexholmes.co Book: Time To Talk: How Men Think About Love, Belonging and Connection See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to another episode of time to talk the home of conversation around mental health, masculinity, and healing. This week, I'm exploring the conversation around empire with the one and only Professor Kehinde Andrews. Andrews is a Professor of Black Studies in the school of Social Sciences at Birmingham City University. He is the founder and director of the center of critical social research founder of the Harambe organisation of black unity, which houses, the blog - Make It Plain. We come together to chat about his new book, New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule The World. Today, we chat about the psychosis of whiteness and global psychology, the intersections of mental health, masculinity, and racism, and what we can learn about Western racism from the enlightenment and traditional philosophical thinkers. Credits: Hosted by Alex Holmes Co-Produced by Alex Holmes and Ryan Nile Audio Engineering: Pure Creation Media  Executive Produced by Alex Holmes  Get in touch: Instagram VE

This week, I speak to Eugene Ellis. He is the founder of The Black, African, and Asian Therapy Network, which has been an amazing resource for me and my own mental health. However, this conversation is focused on his new book The Race Conversation: An Essential Guide To Life-Changing Dialogue. We have a chat about how the body holds trauma, healing, and what we can learn about this to become better people going forward. We also speak about his time as a practicing Buddhist, and his experience working with Soul II Soul in North London in his twenties. Get his book: The Race Conversation Credits: Hosted by Alex Holmes Co-Produced by Alex Holmes and Ryan Nile Audio Engineering: Pure Creation Media  Executive Produced by Alex Holmes  Get in touch: Become a member: steadyhq.com/alexholmes Instagram VERO Email: alex@alexholmes.co // tttalkpod@gmail.com Book: Time To Talk: How Men Think About Love, Belonging and Connection Newsletter: alexholmes.co See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. L

Today's guest is Justin Baldoni.  He is an actor, director, producer, and co-founder, and co-chair of both Wayfarer Studios and the Wayfarer Foundation, and the heartthrob star of Jane The Virgin. Over the last ten years, Justin has been on a journey to explore masculinity and reimagine what it means to be a man, and human, in the world today. He has spoken about his journey with masculinity in his wildly popular TED Talk and in his series, Man Enough. We talk: Enjoy the episode!  Get the book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/644/9780063055599 Credits: Get in touch: Become a member: steadyhq.com/alexholmes Instagram VERO Email: alex@alexholmes.co Book: Time To Talk: How Men Think About Love, Belonging and Connection Newsletter: alexholmes.co --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/timetotalkwithalexholmes/message See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, I am speaking to Paul Mendez. We discuss all things Jamaica, growing up Jehovah's witness in the Black Country and his debut novel Rainbow Milk. Rainbow Milk is a beautiful novel about love, belonging and the Black, Queer experience that we don't often see from Black men. Dive in, it's a beautiful conversation with an icon. Catch me on: Vero: Vero.co/alexholmes Website: alexholmes.co Instagram: @byalexholmes Email: alex@alexholmes.co Production, Music and Edit: Pure Creation Media/Ryan Nile (@ryan.nile.show) Executive Produced: Alex Holmes --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/timetotalkwithalexholmes/message See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week...it’s time to talk about sobriety and intentions with Africa Brooke. Africa Brooke is a globally recognised Mindset Coach, NLP practitioner, sobriety advocate, and explorer of the subconscious mind. In her work as a Mindset Coach, Africa uses her training in NLP and various other mind technologies to help coaches, entrepreneurs, change-makers, and spiritual seekers overcome self-sabotage so they can create fuller and more nourishing lives and businesses. I have deep admiration for my guest today. Africa Brooke is an empowered woman, beautiful human and inspired friend. We sit down together this week and discuss what success and failure mean, we also talk about her journey through sobriety and self-sabotage, as well as her understanding of what it means to live an intentional life. Her journey to sobriety is amazing. Getting sober (after 7 relapses) has to be the most courageous and fear-inducing thing she has ever done in her entire life. We speak about it all today. Check out her stuff here. Don’t

Malachy Dunne is a counsellor and educator situated in Cornwall.  He is the founder of Lifetime Therapy, a humanist, people-centred practice. They believe that, given the appropriate conditions, every individual has limitless capacity to heal, to come to new thoughts and beliefs and to change the way they view the world, others and themselves. We talk about resilience, shame and anxiety as well as the importance of therapy in today's society. Get in touch with Malachy over on Instagram and the Lifetime Therapy website! Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe - and share among as many people as you can. Let’s get the word out that here is the place for confident, wholehearted and compassionate conversation. PRE ORDER MY BOOK: TIME TO TALK: HOW MEN THINK ABOUT LOVE, BELONGING AND CONNECTION SUPPORT THE PODCAST ON STEADY] Sponsors: BetterHelp.com/timetotalk21 - You can get 10% off your first month. Let them know I sent you. BetterHELP start living a happier life TODAY. Catch me on: Vero: Vero.co/alexreads Web

Dr Nicole LePera is known as the Holistic Psychologist online.  As a clinical psychologist, she grew tired of the limitations of traditional psychotherapy - and so, wanting more for her clients and herself, she embarked on a mental, physical and spiritual journey which saw her picking up the tools to heal and do her work. She began to share that with the world and so, the Holistic Psychologist online, amassing a community of over 3million people! In this conversation, we discuss her new book ‘How To Do The Work’ which came out yesterday, and this is a piece of work that explores the way we think about mental health and self-care, and about how we can take the power into our own hands. PRE-ORDER MY BOOK: TIME TO TALK: HOW MEN THINK ABOUT LOVE, BELONGING AND CONNECTION - OUT 1ST APRIL Thank you to the sponsors this week:  Beardfluence - Head over to Beardfluence.com and use TIMETOTALK2021 to get 15 per cent off SITE WIDE on the new Kensington Set and the bestselling Night Oil. BetterHelp.com/timetotalk21 - You

This week...it’s time to talk about choices with Emma Gannon. Emma Gannon is a Sunday Times bestselling author, speaker, novelist and host of the no. 1 career podcast in the UK, Ctrl Alt Delete, with over 9 million downloads, nearing 10mill last I checked! She has blogged since 2009; podcasted since 2016 and is the author of five books, including the novel OLIVE.  We talk about choices. What choices do we have when we turn 30? Are we conforming, making our lives somewhat tormented by living up to expectations? In her debut novel, OLIVE Emma’s protagonist is childless by choice. We have a chat about this, and the stigmas we face as very...very new adults. PRE ORDER MY NEW BOOK: TIME TO TALK: HOW MEN FEEL ABOUT LOVE, BELONGING AND CONNECTION. Steady: steadyhq.com/alexholmes Thank you to our sponsors: Better Help: BetterHelp.com/timetotalk21 - You can get 10% off your first month. Let them know I sent you. BetterHELP start living a happier life TODAY. Herby Box: Herby Box - Head over to herbybox.com and use ALEX

Welcome to Time To Talk. Where I speak to life seekers, healers and leaders in their fields, to break down the stigmas of mental health, heal and become emotionally courageous by having one compassionate conversation at a time. This week...it’s time to talk about grief and masculinity with Guvna B. Guvna B is an East London rapper, who has written a memoir called Unspoken, which details his experience with grief, faith and mental health. We have a deep dive into what grief taught him, the relationship he had with his dad before his passing as well as also talking about love, fatherhood and marriage. It’s a great conversation, with a legend. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe - and share among as many people as you can. Let’s get the word out that here is the place for confident, wholehearted and compassionate conversation. Want to support the show with exclusive packages? Get over to Steady: steadyhq.com/alexholmes Thank you to our Sponsor: BetterHelp.com/timetotalk21 - You can get 10% off your first

Eddie S. Glaude Jr is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton. He joined me on the show this week to discuss his book, Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Today, but we spoke about so much more. Colourism, masculinity, forgiveness and healing. We go through it all. Want to join the compassionate community, while supporting the podcast? Pick your plan.  Thank you to our sponsors: Herby Box - Head over to herbybox.com and use ALEXHOLMES10 to get 10 per cent off your one-time purchase of herbal tea blends. Beardfluence - Head over to Beardfluence.com and use TIMETOTALK2021 to get 15 per cent off SITEWIDE on the new Kensington Set and the bestselling Night Oil. Want to start podcasting? Check out Pirate Studios at Pirate.com and use code: Alex7135 for £10 off your first session. Catch me on: Vero: Vero.co/alexreads Website: alexholmes.co Instagram: @byalexholmes Email: tttalkpod@gmail.com Production,

Public philosopher Roman Krznaric talks to me about what it means to be a good ancestor. He wrote a book called The Good Ancestor, and I have to credit Roman with helping me to think a lot more about legacy, and the way we show up for future generations - especially in these times of Black Lives Matter, Coronavirus, Trump (and a severely divided America) and Brexit - need I say more? Support the show by using Steady. Pick the plan that works for you (ps, it's like Patreon, but better!!) Thank you to our sponsors:  Herby Box - Head over to herbybox.com and use ALEXHOLMES10 to get 10 per cent off your one-time purchase of herbal tea blends. Beardfluence - Head over to Beardfluence.com and use TIMETOTALK2021 to get 15 per cent off SITE WIDE on the new Kensington Set and the bestselling Night Oil. Want to start podcasting? Check out Pirate Studios at Pirate.com and use code: Alex7135 for £10 off your first session. Catch me on: Vero: Vero.co/alexreads Website: alexholmes.co Instagram: @byalexholmes Email: tttalkp