A Life Less Ordinary with Sophie Elwes

For this epsiode Sophie is interviewed by her good friend Sarah Orr (who appeared in series two of A Life Less Ordinary with Sophie Elwes). Sophie tells her story from when she sustained her spinal cord injury back in 2011 after falling from a roof terrace. They discuss the aftermath, from spending nearly six weeks in an induced coma with 40% chance of survival, to going to Stoke Mandeville spinal injuries unit to be rehabiltated and learn how to live independently again. 

Sophie talks about the challenges found in the outside world after leaving hospital and about the life-changing experience she had on a Back Up ski course in Colorado a year post-injury. She shares how she got into ski racing and the challenges and learnings that came with that.

As the host and producer of this podcast Sophie shares her highlights and her favourite pieces of advice from across the series, finishing off with a piece of advice of her own.

Jambo Truong is a practitioner of integrative medicine with a specialism in complimentary medicine and therapies who has impressive credentials and a vast knowledge and repertoire of different practices.

Growing up in South Wales and feeling like an outsider as being from an ethnic minority, as well as being queer, he faced a lot of bullying and had to learn to defend himself. Witnessing his sister passing away from an asthma attack at a young age set him on a path to wanting to help others, as well as introducing him to meditation.

As a student he volunteered at a drug and alcohol centre which we talk about in some depth and he shares a strong commonality found amongst service users, ways to help people 'find their spark', and an intimate understanding of the root of substance abuse issues.

Jambo is a bodyworker and talks about the diagnostic tools he uses from looking at the positives in a person and what he can tell from a person's face alone.

He has some incredible advice around what we can all do to help ourselves and a profound philosophy about trauma.

Follow Jambo on Instagram here and learn more about him via his website here.

Sophie Dear is a yoga teacher and self-worth coach who struggled with insomnia and undiagnosed anxiety since the age of 15. 

She appeared to have a thriving career in the TV industry but it wasn't until reaching a point of burnout that she had a conversation with a doctor who encouraged her to question her self-critic by interacting with her 'inner child' that led her on a path of healing and learning which would eventually lead to her helping countless others with their own self-worth.
 
Now living in Bali, Sophie tells her story of how she got to this point.  She shares her learnings about identifying what low self-worth looks like, we speak about people pleasing and why boundaries are so important and she shares some of the invaluable tools she coaches her clients with.
We talk about our collective need for external validation, she shares her advice for successfully navigating social media and she explains why having cheerleaders is everything.
You can find out more about Sophie from her website here where you can learn about her Bali retreats, group coaching and workshops. You can also follow her on Instagram here.

Raquel Siganporia is the Director of Business Development and Senior Solicitor at Aspire Law and she sustained a spinal cord injury following surgery to correct the curvature of her spine, or scoliosis,  which went wrong when she was aged 11.

She tells me about the immediate aftermath of such a life-changing event and about what it was like starting secondary school in the '90s as a person with a disability. She shares how she learned to use her disability as an advantage which served her well into adulthood.

We talk about working with a disability, the challenges faced, but also the advantages that can accompany it; and Raquel shares the approach she takes when explaining what her needs in the workplace might be in order to manage expectations and ensure that she has what she needs in order to carry out her role to the best of her ability.

Raquel is a real master at asserting herself and shares her tips and tricks to manage tricky situations and people, as well as to get what she wants from a situation.

We speak about sex and dating with a disability and Raquel talks about what she wishes people knew. She also shares her advice on navigating dating apps and 'tuning your radar' when dating.

Follow Raquel on Instagram here.

Huge thanks to the sponsors of this series By Sarah London. Get 20% off at bysarahlondon.com with the code LIFE20 and find them on Instagram here.

Adam is the founder of Togetherness which is a social enterprise whose purpose is to make meaningful connection more accessible in our culture.

Having been a people pleaser and studied it in depth, Adam has a great understanding of his own behaviour patterns and we unpick what it means and why awareness is key to working through feeling the need to please others and putting their needs before one's own.

We chat about intimacy and vulnerability and how we can show up more authentically in our lives and in our relationships and he shares how the Wheel of Consent can help us discover new ways of relating with other people.

We discuss personal sovereignty, 'touch hunger', silent dating and Adam shares a great story about being playful with absolute strangers on the Tube.

Thanks to our sponsors By Sarah London. Get 20% off at bysarahlondon.com with the code LIFE20 and find them on Instagram here.