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We are joined by Adele Chaplin, a humanist celebrant who starts every wedding and funeral with a blank page and a very real question: who are these people?

Adele’s journey is anything but traditional. Raised in Dundee, she took a scenic route through sales jobs, BBC web development and the National Archives before landing in what she now calls “the best job in the world.” Along the way, she found humanism — a belief system with no higher power or afterlife, but a deep trust in people, connection and meaning.

We unpack what that looks like in practice: weddings with vows that are genuinely funny or achingly tender, rituals invented from scratch, and ceremonies featuring everything from owl-delivered rings to meadow parties with live bands and fire-breathers. We also talk legal realities (yes, the paperwork bit is still annoying in England and Wales… for now).

On the funeral side, Adele is honest, kind and refreshingly fearless — telling true stories, embracing quirks, and helping families say goodbye in ways that actually fit. From green burials to acid house send-offs (and her own surprisingly upbeat funeral playlist), this is an episode about choosing meaning over manuals — and having a laugh along the way.

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We met a cleaner who built a business with zero experience. A flooring pro radiating full wizard energy. A travel lead, financial advisors, and even a DJ.. because why wouldn't we.

Throw in IT, private investigation, PR, and business consulting, and the show quickly stopped feeling like a podcast and started feeling like a dinner party where everyone has a wildly different job and far too much insight for one table. Somewhere along the way, we also talked menopause and aromatherapy… because leadership lessons show up in unexpected places.

Across six months, we collected amazing guests, big laughs, and more than a few “wait…what?” moments.

There was wisdom. There was chaos. There were stories we’re still unpacking.

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What if the “dream job” isn’t actually the dream?

This week we’re chatting with Emma Propter King, whose career has taken her from conservatoire practice rooms to celebrity contact lists and even a private 737 (casual). On paper, it’s all very glossy. In real life? Exhausting, all-consuming, and quietly wrecking everything else.

Emma tells us about her ultra-disciplined early years, before lifting the curtain on life as a PA to the mega-rich. We’re talking 24/7 availability, wild requests, Christmas-morning emergencies, and fixing couture disasters in Paris. Yes, there are famous names… but the real story is how fast “excess” becomes normal, and how much it costs in sleep, sanity, and missed life.

Then comes the plot twist: Emma steps off the jet, heads back to Suffolk, and builds a calmer, meaningful career as Head of Communications at Churchmanor Estates. Same high standards, zero private planes. She shares how those elite skills actually translate brilliantly to real-world impact—brands, websites, community, and work that ends at a sensible hour!

If you’ve ever questioned whether status is worth the stress, or dreamed about choosing peace over polish, this one’s for you.

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Steve Wright’s career path zigzags so wildly it should come with a seatbelt.

He started out aiming for carpentry, and somehow ended up in a darkroom below deck on 1980s cruise ships, snapping photos and selling memories one slightly forced smile at a time - welcome to the glamorous reality of ship photography.

Then came Casino Royale. One throwaway comment later and Steve found himself launched into a completely unexpected second career as Daniel Craig’s double. What could have been awkward lookalike gigs turned into confident performances after an acting coach taught him how to “walk into a room'

Along the way, there were near-disasters , cinematic moments, and plenty of “how is this my life?” stories. Think blue trunks in Saint-Tropez and Norwegian TV! It’s a story of graft, guts, good timing, and saying yes before logic kicks in!

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One minute she’s an airline professional carving up the ski slopes; the next, she’s watching people drift out of Reiki sessions as if someone’s hit the refresh button on their souls.

Donna dives headfirst into holistic training, sneaks into a fully booked course, and discovers a natural talent for creating aromatherapy “potions” tuned to emotions—fear, frustration, even full-blown chaos.
Add kinesiology wizardry, tapping, eye movements, phobia-busting, yellow filters, and sensory overload, and you get small tools, big shifts, and wonderfully unexpected stories.

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Developer John Howard joins us to spill the real tea on Ipswich’s most argued-about buildings. Also, construction timelines? Think “dog years,” but slower.

Then we head to street level, where things get spicy. Business rates seem designed by someone who’s never met an actual business.

We wrap with skills and leadership: more homes need more plumbers - and a mayor who runs the region like a project, not a popularity contest.

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We skip the clichés and get into the good stuff: growing up between the US and Ipswich, a hairdressing dream that went spectacularly wrong, fast climbs in retail, and the wild days of selling store cards and PPI. Then comes the curveball—launching the Suffolk Wedding Show, moving into hotel business development, and helping flip a struggling property with pure graft and people skills.

Then the pandemic hit. The workload exploded. Mel’s confidence tanked. Anxiety, fog, flushes—then... menopause kicks in!

We cover what actually works, what’s nonsense, and why honesty wins in the wellness world. It’s also a mini survival guide for partners, bosses, and teams: the signs to spot, small tweaks that help people stay brilliant, and why psychological safety isn’t just a buzzword. We even dip into andropause—the quieter male hormone drop that gets renamed “midlife crisis.”

Like the chat? Follow the show, share it with a friend, and drop a quick review.

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We sit down with travel consultant Nathan Rose, whose path runs from bar shifts to optician training to fifteen years of police response—then into crafting highly personal holidays that fit real lives.

What sets his approach apart is the detail: building trips around a clear wish list and honest budget, arranging airport wheelchair assistance without fuss, flagging room access needs in advance, and even sourcing restaurant menus to avoid all-inclusive regret. He explains when DIY booking makes sense and when a personal travel consultant saves you hours, money, and stress—especially with multi-centre itineraries and group travel like destination weddings. And yes, he cuts through TripAdvisor noise by reading what reviews actually say, not just the stars.

If you want less scrolling and more living—tailor-made itineraries, fair pricing, and a real human who has your back from booking to touchdown—this conversation will change how you plan your next escape. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a holiday, and leave a review to tell us where you’re heading next.

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