Blethered

First published in January 2024, but it’s worth a share for those who may benefit from it.

I speak to men's sobriety coach Liam about the relationship that society - especially in Scotland - has with drinking… 

We reflect on our own personal dynamic with booze and the heavy effects of drinking too much, too frequently...

And we get into some uncomfortable territory about the darker overhang and aftermath of binge drin...

Part 1 of Blethered Live at SWG3 in Glasgow, with former MI6 Spy Aimen Dean.

Aimen talks about his early life in Saudi Arabia and how religious clerics shaped his young mindset...

His decision to go and fight in Bosnia at 16 years old, in defence of Bosnian Muslims, and the horrors that he saw...

And about when his path first crossed with Osama bin Laden.

And as always, there's plenty more.

Contact: seanmcdonald,pod...

The pervasive, mendacious and downright malevolent diatribe directed towards immigrants in the UK – or those wrongly categorised as such – irrespective of their social, economic or citizenship status, is at what feels like an all time high. 

So who better to hear from than someone who’s experiencing this continuing embarrassment to Britain. Step forward, Aarti Joshi. 

Aarti is a good friend of mine and was previousl...

We all know someone who brags about never stopping, but what looks like productivity is often burnout – and it quietly erodes health, relationships, and enjoyment of life.

Dr Aisan joins me to explain what burnout really is, how to recognise it before it takes hold, and why recovery starts with reframing rest as strength, rather than weakness. We discuss practical steps for spotting the signs, breaking the cycle, and building a ...

In this follow up episode, I chat with expert pharmacist Sehar Shahid about the recent UK price increase of weight-loss drug Mounjaro, the consequences of turning to the black market, and how she aims to help people in the way that's best for them, and not solely for business profit.

Price increases will see a spike in counterfeit medicine, meaning a spike in people suffering adverse side affects, ranging from serious health iss...

Sally is an SNP candidate for the upcoming Scottish Elections in May next year, for Edinburgh Southern, and is currently Head of Office for SNP MP Graham Leadbitter.

In this episode we get into the detail of why Sally has decided to put herself in the firing line of frontline politics, and the volatile nature of the political landscape in general…

We get into her credentials as a party staff member and all that she’s achieved...

Lee’s star in the world of comedy is rapidly rising and has been for quite a while. If you haven’t seen him on stage, then you’re very likely to have seen one of his many viral videos, online. To quote the man himself: Only Slags Use Plastic Bags.

In this episode we talk about Lee’s early days growing up in Grimsby, before going to university in Manchester. He explains his first steps in comedy and how that very quickly tur...

Paddy’s sold out the SSE Arena in Belfast multiple times, and he’s back again in October to the same level of demand. The SSE’s about the same capacity as the Hydro in Glasgow – so that’s a good gauge of where he’s at.

He’s got that acerbic wit and ruthless humour that’s typical of Belfast, and just as common in Glasgow – something we get into in detail.

Paddy talks about growing up in the middle of an active civil-war zone, ...

Alfie’s Edinburgh Fringe Show ‘Dropped’ intimately tells his very personal tale of being picked up by Chelsea Football Club’s prestigious academy, before being unceremoniously discarded after a routine medical uncovered a congenital heart defect. After then moving on to North West London side Barnet, he remarkably found himself in and around the first team at only 15 years old, and at one point playing in midfield with Champions Le...

Expert pharmacist Sehar Shahid talks to me about weight-loss injections.

Their existence and use generates headlines nationwide, but how many of those are accurate, and how many are misrepresented in the name of generating ad-revenue, via online clicks?

Well we’re cutting through the conjecture, the marketing, and the media noise to get to the facts — the good, the bad, and the in-between.

These drugs are being hailed as a...

This conversation is with Jamie McGuire, a councillor for Renfrew North and Braehead, who made headlines recently after leaving the Labour Party and joining Reform UK—becoming the first Labour councillor in Scotland to do so. At just 24, Jamie’s political journey has already seen him involved with Labour, and now Reform—two parties that many would see as ideologically incompatible.

I've taken the time to sit down and understand ...

Nicola used to be a police detective. Now she’s one of Scotland’s most sought after wedding photographers.

It’s not the kind of career change you hear every day — but once you know what she’s lived through, and what drove her decisions, it all makes perfect sense.

Nicola is a survivor of child sex abuse, and at a young age, decided that she wanted to go after people who cause harm.

And she did exactly that — but over t...

Satinder is an integrative psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and author who specialises in working with trauma, particularly in the aftermath of child sexual abuse.

In this conversation, we discuss the long and debilitating shadow that kind of abuse can cast into adulthood, and how the damage often goes unseen or unspoken, for decades.

We also explore the idea of therapy - when it works, when it doesn’t, and the lesson...

This episode is about how justice and humanity can intersect, and what happens when you treat people like they can still be more than the worst thing they’ve ever done.

I’m viscerally aware of how serious crimes affect victims - I’ve felt that pain myself, but every conversation needs space for nuance.

And in this episode, you’ll hear former Barlinnie prison officer Frank and I have a very detailed one.

We discuss his expa...

Dr Kevin is a writer and researcher whose work looks at where data meets identity - basically, where hard facts and statistics collide with the more personal, subjective sides of who we are.

Sexuality shouldn’t ever need to be a focus, but it 's relevant in the context of our conversation, because our identities shape how we see the world. 

Kevin and I are the same age, from the same country, working in similar fields - ...

In Part 1, I got a good sense of John as a man, his connection to his family and how politics became his vocation. In Part 2, we get into the here and now, and some of the issues that are affecting people in Scotland, particularly young men and the concept of masculinity.

We consider the concept of radicalisation and extreme ideologies masquerading as benevolent influences...

We examine the disparity between the gravity of do...

This is the start of an ongoing mini-series on the topic of masculinity in the modern world, and who better to launch it than the man at the highest position of political influence in our country.

This is part 1 of 2, and focuses on John Swinney the man, his formative years and how his family shaped him, and what inspired him to get involved in politics.

This whole topic is about being human, and how easy it is to be influenc...

*WATCH ON YOUTUBE*

I love having expansive and unpredictable conversations and that’s exactly what this is.

This is probably the opposite of what you’d expect to hear based on your preconceptions about the guest, but as you’ll hear, those will prove to be quite inaccurate.

We discuss the congruity between materialism and spirituality, in pursuit of a happy and fulfilled existence…

We talk about Brian’s devotion to Islam...