1823 Podcast

Long-distance runner Jonny Mellor joins former athlete and LJMU lecturer Kelly Massey to discuss his preparations for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

From the beginning of his professional running career as one of the first Sport Scholars at LJMU, to being signed with Team New Balance Manchester and qualifying for the Games, Jonny offers a fascinating insight into his preparations as the only male runner selected to represent Team England in the marathon.

In conversation with, Kelly Massey, the latest edition of the 1823 podcast delves into the minds of elite athletes.

From crying during physiotherapy sessions to encounters with Usain Bolt, Jonny and Kelly – a Commonwealth silver and bronze medal holder - share a half hour window into their lives ahead of the beginning of the highly anticipated Birmingham Games.

In this episode, a group of LJMU sport science experts preview the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

How does the home advantage really benefit athletes? From familiarity with venues to having no jet lag to contend with and tried and tested nutrition readily available.

What are the final stages of preparation for any athlete on the eve of competition? How do you combat the panic?

Leading the conversation is Professor Greg Whyte from the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences. Greg is well known for optimising performance not only to help students and elite athletes, but for high profile charitable challenges, most recently supporting Owain Wyn Evans and Sophie Ellis Bextor’s 24-hour Children in Need challenges.

Joining Greg is Professor Graeme Close, a professor of human physiology who provides nutrition and physiology consultancy alongside academic research to some of the world’s leading sports organisations, including England Rugby.

Dr Amy Whitehead adds her expertise in the field of sport psychology and coaching, having worked for organisations such as St Helens RLFC, British Cycling and the FA.

Head of Elite Sport and Athlete Management, Dave McDermott, who manages LJMU’s Sport Scholarship programme, completes the fab four with his oversight of the performance sport arm of LJMU where elite athletes from jockeys to boxers have benefitted from specialist research and hands-on support.

Intrepid engineering students (and soon to be graduates) are hoping to become the first LJMU team to get an electric racing car around the world-famous Formula 1 track at Silverstone.

In this episode, we find out more about the Formula Student competition, as well as discussing the challenges around the transition to electric vehicles.

Dr Christian Matthews from the School of Engineering is guiding and advising the team taking part in this year’s competition. He’s joined here by LJMU e-Racing Head of Team 2022, MSc student Cameron Reedy, and former Head of Team, Rhian Griffith, who now works as a mechanical engineer at the Small Robot Company.

Formula Student is Europe’s leading university motorsport competition.

What needs to happen now in our fight against the climate crisis?

World leaders gathered in Glasgow this month for COP26. Debates were had and agreements were reached but are they enough and how will they translate into real action?

LJMU academics Dr Colm Bowe and Dr Stephanie Evers reflect on COP26 and discuss the next steps in the greatest challenge facing the world.

As Disability History Month begins (18 November – 20 December), this episode discusses what disability means in 2021? How does hidden disability fit into this and what are the challenges for the future?

Our guests on this episode are:

Phil Vickerman, LJMU Pro-Vice Chancellor (Strategic Initiatives) & Professor of Inclusive Education and Learning

Keren Coney, LJMU Careers and Employability Consultant and member of LJMU Disability Staff Network

Jack Fitzpatrick, 3rd year Education Studies and Inclusion student and co-founder of Inclusive Environments

Laura Knowles, 3rd year Student Mental Health Nurse and former JMSU Disability Part-Time Officer

Our speakers discuss their own lived experiences of disability plus what we can do next in the workplace and as a society to be more inclusive.

In this episode, we discuss the COP26 summit being held in Glasgow.

It is bringing nations together to accelerate action against climate change.

But what actions do we need to take to save our planet and how serious is the climate crisis we face?

Discussing those questions and more besides are Dr Tim Lane (programme leader for BSc Climate Change at LJMU), Dr Celine Germont-Duret (senior lecturer in Human Geography at LJMU) and Emma Wood (third year Geography student at LJMU).

Show notes: Dr James Crossland and Peter Williams reflect on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. 

They discuss the attacks, the history of al-Qaeda and the impact of 9/11 on global security, policing and counter-terrorism.

James is a Reader in International History at LJMU.

Peter is a senior lecturer at LJMU in the Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies.

Show notes: For the first episode of LEXICON The Liverpool John Moores University Creative Writing podcast, host John Maxwell is joined by Liverpool-born producer Sarada McDermott, producer of #1 Netflix series Bridgerto n.

Sarada discusses a long a distinguished career in film, crossing over to streaming television and she advises students on how to build a career in the industry.

Show notes: Is it finally coming home?

Dr Francesca Champ and Dr Gillian Cook reflect on England’s Euro 2020 semi-final victory against Denmark and look ahead to the nation’s first appearance in a final for 55 years.

In the final part of this ‘Mental Edge’ mini series of the podcast, Fran and Gill talk about different aspects of sports psychology in the build up to the showdown between England and Italy.

They discuss gamesmanship, redemption and followership.

Dr Francesca Champ and Dr Gillian Cook are lecturers in sport and psychology in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University.

Show notes: Dr Francesca Champ and Dr Gillian Cook reflect on the dramatic matches played so far in the knockout stages of Euro 2020.

They look ahead to the huge match at Wembley between England and Germany. Of course, no discussion about matches between these two nations would be complete without talking about penalties – Gill and Fran talk about the psychology of the shootout.

Dr Francesca Champ and Dr Gillian Cook are sport psychologists at Liverpool John Moores University.

Show notes: As the group stages of Euro 2020 come to a close, it’s time for the big game players to step up as we enter the knockout phase.

But what makes a big game player?

In the third part of The Mental Edge mini-series, Dr Gillian Cook and Dr Francesca Champ from Liverpool John Moores University look at why some players thrive on the biggest stages.

In this episode, Gill and Fran are joined by Dr Lisa O’Halloran from Coventry University.

Show notes: In this second episode of ‘The Mental Edge’ mini-series, Dr Francesca Champ and Dr Gillian Cook reflect on the big issues from the opening few matches of Euro 2020 and look ahead to a clash between the game’s oldest rivals.

They discuss the shocking collapse of Denmark’s Christian Eriksen during the match against Finland and the likely psychological impact on his team mates.

Fran and Gill also cross swords ahead of the big match between their respective nations as England face Scotland. They talk about the enhanced motivation of playing against your greatest rivals.

Dr Francesca Champ and Dr Gillian Cook are lecturers in sport and psychology in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University.

Show notes: This is the first episode of ‘The Mental Edge’, a mini-series looking at the psychology behind elite performance at this summer’s football European Championships.

Dr Francesca Champ and Dr Gillian Cook are lecturers in sport and psychology in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University.

In this first episode, they discuss some of the factors that will shape a team’s performance at the Euros, from motivation and relationships, to home advantage and the impact of COVID.

In the final part of our #1823Podcast series on ‘the new normal’ Dr Samantha Cooke discusses the politics of the pandemic. She talks about leadership, global relations and the political implications of the decisions made during the crisis.

Dominique Aspey from LJMU’s Centre for Entrepreneurship discusses the impact of COVID-19 on business and how firms can adapt to the ‘new normal’.

Dr Ariel Edesess, from the Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory, talks about the impact of lockdown on carbon emissions and our environment and whether these changes are sustainable.

Along with a number of colleagues from LJMU’s School of Nursing and Allied Health, Dr Colin Jones returned to work in the NHS during the pandemic. In this episode, Colin tells us about his experience on the frontline and discusses whether the crisis may change how we value key workers in the UK.

This mini-series from 1823 Podcast explores a world living with COVID-19 and takes a look at ‘the new normal’.

In this first episode, Dr Mark Forshaw, subject leader in Psychology at LJMU, discusses the mental challenge of adapting to our new ways of living.

As the Metropolitan Police starts using live facial recognition software on the streets of London, we discuss whether we should fear the creep of surveillance or welcome it as a tool to keep us safe. Our first guest is Karen Cummings from the Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing.

We then ask whether humans are as effective as machines when it comes to recognising faces. Dr Sarah Shrimpton and Dr Jessica Liu from LJMU’s Face Lab talk us through the fascinating world of facial identification, recognition and age progression software.

Links

Case study: Aric Austin age progression images

Case study: Jaycee Dugard age progression images

As the Senate trial gets under way, we discuss the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Dr Matthew Hill, Programme Leader of International Relations and Politics at LJMU, talks us through the impeachment process and what impact it may have on the 2020 presidential election.

We ask if impeachment is shaping Trump’s decision-making and take a look at his approach to the current tensions with Iran.

We also reflect on previous impeachments and the White House controversies of Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon.

LJMU was proud to host the Liverpool City Region’s first ever Environmental Summit.

As part of the Year of the Environment 2019, ‘Towards a Green Future’ brought together 300 representatives from organisations across the city region.

The 1823 Podcast team went along and chatted to:

• Dr Avril Rowley, from LJMU’s School of Education
• Steve Rotheram, the Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor (and LJMU alumnus)
• Clare Olver from the Mersey Forest
• Steven Connolly, Estate Director at Liverpool One

Links

Liverpool City Region Year of the Environment 2019

In this episode, we’re celebrating Black History Month.

Our guests are:

• Cllr Anna Rothery talking about becoming the first black Lord Mayor of Liverpool
• Phyll Opoku-Gyimah discussing how she co-founded UK Black Pride
• Dr Andre Keil telling the story of black Germany
• Plus, we revisit a previous conversation with Dr Andrea Livesey about Liverpool’s role in the slave trade

In this opening episode of our second season, we discuss the rise of deep fake videos, the history of fake news and the impact of propaganda on world events.

Our guests on this episode are:

• Dr Dave Ellis, Senior Lecturer at LJMU’s Media Technology Group
• Dr James Crossland, a reader in International History at LJMU
• Paul French, PhD researcher at LJMU

Links

Deep fake video – Bill Hader channels Tom Cruise
‘The quickness of the hand?’ by Dr Dave Ellis
‘Trump's Britain First retweets challenge us to fight his fake news habit’ by Paul French

With just a few tense weeks remaining in the Premier League title race, in this episode we’re talking mind games and the importance of psychology in sport.

Our guests in this episode are:

• Dr Rob Morris, Senior Lecturer in Sport Social Science at LJMU
• Alice Stratford, PhD researcher at LJMU
• Jansen Moreno, Senior Analyst at Huddersfield Town Football Club and LJMU alumnus

As it’s Wellbeing Week at LJMU, we’re talking about striving for positive mental and physical health wherever we live, work or study.

In this episode, we'll hear about different approaches to staying healthy and happy.

Our guests in this episode are:

• Angela Samata, LJMU Honorary Fellow
• Rosie Steele, President of LJMU Student Minds
• Andy Keegan LJMU Rewards, Recognition and Engagement Manager

Useful links:

• Zero Suicide Alliance
• Hub of Hope mental health support

“If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.” Sir David Attenborough.

In this episode, we discuss the need for a new deal for nature. We explore how we are tackling environmental challenges at global, regional and local levels.

Our guests on this episode are:

• Dr Celine Germond-Duret, senior lecturer in Human Geography at LJMU (@CGermondDuret)
• Zia Chaudhry, director of the Foundation for Citizenship at LJMU (@JustYAMuslim)
• Rachael Harrison, LJMU student and volunteer at LJMU’s Forest School (@ljmu_FSRangers)
• Pupils from Liverpool College

The photograph of ‘Earthrise’, taken from Apollo 8, is one of the most iconic images of the last century. It has been credited with changing our perception of our own planet and our attitude towards the environment. Exactly 50 years since it was taken, we explore the significance of the photograph, its impact on the environmental movement and discuss other influential photographs.

As The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ turns 50 years old, we discuss its musical and cultural significance, explore the origins and Liverpool links of one its most enduring songs and find out more about The Beatles’ interest in meditation.

Do we do enough as a nation to remember everybody affected by the First World War? We commemorated the fallen on Armistice Day, exactly 100 years since the end of WW1. Our guests on this episode argue that more should be done to remember others, such as war widows and conscientious objectors.

A number of recent studies show that loneliness is increasingly felt most strongly by young people, particularly 16-24 year olds. In this episode, we talk about the feelings associated with loneliness and how we can overcome them. We ask how young people can feel lonely in the social media age and explore some of the life events that can trigger loneliness.