Traditional ideas of masculinity are dead, and now men struggle to find their place in the world. In Stories of Men, Alex Melia speaks to men who’ve overcome challenging circumstances to find out what they’ve learned about being a man in today’s world. Each guest shares a story from their life that has had a big impact on them. Alex Melia is a businessman and podcaster from Atherton, Greater Manchester. He has built a business which now employs over 30 people. Ten years in, and the company s ...
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Education Father Involvement Podcasts
Oral histories of Myanmar - life stories; some starting as far back as the late 1920’s.From my years of involvement in Myanmar I have become aware of the increasing scarcity of the generation of Myanma citizens who were born during the colonial period and have lived through the tumultuous years since that time. For me, these men and women are "national treasures" whose experience, perseverance and wisdom gained during their long lives will be lost unless we capture their stories in some way. ...
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Linda Lewin - Episode 2 - the adventurous life of her great uncle San Po Thin and the sad end of her grandfather, San Po Lwin's life
38:25
38:25
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38:25Linda Lewin, using the recollections of her 94 year old father, Boh Lay Desmond and other family members and friends, has written the story of her family covering a number of generations. In this episode we hear how her grandfather's life ended in Bassein (now Pathein) during the Japanese invasion in 1943 and also hear of the adventurous life of he…
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U David Maung Nyi was born in Kyaukse on 15 April, 1936. He was educated in Kyaukse, Mandalay, Yangon and Otago (New Zealand). He worked in senior roles in the Government's mining companies but resigned ...
48:56
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48:56This interview was first published in 2021 and received many downloads. U Maung Nyi (commonly known as David) was born in Kyaukse on 15 April, 1936. He was educated in Kyaukse, Mandalay, Yangon and Otago (New Zealand). As a mining engineer he spent many years working at Bawdwin, Myanmar's famous lead, silver and zinc mine which during colonial time…
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U Nay Oke was born into a prominent Burmese family in 1943 and is the founder of a well known English language school.
1:08:46
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1:08:46This interview took place in 2018 and I am republishing it now as there was a lot of interest when it was first published. U Nay Oke is the founder of a well known English language school and was born in 1943. There is a short short postscript where U Nay Oke told me the story of how as a very young man, as a result of a bizare circumstance, he end…
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The moment a man decided life was worth living again
25:53
25:53
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25:53Luke was at a party with his girlfriend surrounded by his closest friends. He was smiling and laughing and appeared to be having a great time. But, after this moment of celebration, it was his intention to say goodbye. Nobody else knew it but he wanted to take his life that same night. Before taking his life, Luke is driven to make a phone call to …
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How to confront violent people when they almost killed your father
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22:01Daniel Collins was a slight 18-year-old boy who was travelling around the country clamping cars. He hated the job but his father seemed to relish it. One day, they clamped the car of a man that showed up with confrontation in his mind. The man was with 14 of his friends and started to scream and shout. In a split second, the whole situation turned …
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William was 21 years old and working on a superyacht travelling from Malta to the Maldives. He was living a young man’s fantasy, the life he’d dreamed of since being a young boy. His shift had just come to an end when the shrill ringing of the fire alarm went off. Will’s first response was irritation at having to perform another drill; that was unt…
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When a dreaded hangover can have nasty effects you didn’t expect
26:55
26:55
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26:55Ross was the life and soul of the party. Working as a national radio presenter, he was able to hang out with the rich and famous at awards ceremonies and red carpet events. But he was hiding a secret: his struggle with social anxiety. For years Ross had attempted to deal with his anxiety by masking it with alcohol, but he knew that this was only go…
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Growing up without a father: what type of man do you become?
21:40
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21:40It was a day out with the family. Despite not knowing where they were going, Paul and his brother were extremely excited to be taken out by their relatives; they didn’t usually get taken out at all. Like two “coiled springs” they leaped out of the car as soon as it pulled up. Soon after they were bundled into a Victorian, stone building. They march…
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Linda Lewin - My Faraway Country Myanmar - Episode 1 - the marriage of her Karen grandfather and French grandmother and the flight from Myanmar of her grandmother and her children (including Linda's father ...
44:51
44:51
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44:51Linda Lewin, using the recollections of her 94 year old father, Boh Lay Desmond and other family members and friends, has written the story of her family covering a number of generations. In this episode we hear a little about her great grandparents U Tun Hla and Daw Bu Ma and learn how her grandparents, Sa Po Lwin and Lucienne Auberhoffer met and …
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What we think about when we think about dying
24:14
24:14
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24:14He was lying in bed, restless, in a fever, struggling to catch his breath. He was shivering one moment and then attempting to kick off his duvet the next. He saw a woman coming through the door. She switched on the light. It made him feel confused, anxious. The expression on her face was grave. She told him that what she saw in front of her was a p…
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Don't ignore your body's signals - It might just save your life
29:43
29:43
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29:43Darren openly discusses the plethora of negative feelings that contributed to his emotional breakdown on his way to work. He was working in finance. It was an industry that had provided him with the good life. However, he knew that something deep down was not right. He had been drinking too much and struggling to sleep at night. All of this came to…
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You'll stop complaining about your life after you hear this man's story
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26:07
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26:07The air was so chillingly cold that he could feel it in his bones. The billowing and the roaring around him was so loud that he was unable to hear. As he stood there waiting for the inevitable, his nerves prevented him from being able to speak. He had travelled thousands of miles for this moment and there was no question of turning back now. Isaac …
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How a man's excessive focus on work almost ruined his marriage
22:20
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22:20For David, the dream was just beginning. He and his wife were in their early 20s and had just moved from Canada to Switzerland to start a new adventure. At work, David was also having the time of his life. At the end of one of his first projects, he went to lunch with a client. The restaurant boasted breath-taking views and the client treated him t…
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The decision that still haunts this man 30 years later
24:42
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24:42It was Cup Final day against the school’s most fierce rivals. Andy was 12 years old and nervously waiting to hear if he would be included in the team. He looked to his dad watching from the sidelines, hoping his name would be announced. Finally, the team was revealed and Andy would be playing in defence. The game kicks off. In the first minute the …
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Do men thrive more living in the city or in the countryside?
24:12
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24:12When it comes to idyllic childhood’s one would be hard-pressed to think of a more harmonious one than James’. He was raised in Villefrance, a town in the Alps located along the French and Italian border. There he spent quality time with his father who taught him about the nurturing power of nature. It was with a sense of horror and disbelief that o…
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The high risk gambler that bet with his own life
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25:41Speeding along the motorway listening to music from his youth, Andy was reflecting on happier times. He was thinking about a holiday in Ibiza when he was 19 years old and hadn’t a care in the world. He’d been genuinely happy then. Now he felt angry, destructive. He saw nothing ahead of him except struggle and pain. He put his foot on the accelerato…
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The moment a soldier unexpectedly broke in tears
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24:46
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24:46You’re a soldier driving through a warzone. You pass through a deserted village. Later you see a lonely crucifix in a field. You find out what it symbolises: one night all of the people in the village were dragged outside of their homes and executed. How do you react? Do you dare to show emotion? Do you dare to show compassion? Jed Irving was a man…
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This man's wallet hid a secret that almost ruined his friendships
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25:01It was his first summer holiday with the boys in Spain. Alan and his mates were bragging about all the money they’d brought with them for their two weeks in the sun. Yet, while his mates all seemed to be expressing genuine excitement, Alan felt anxious about the days to come. After the first night out, all of the lads returned in a drunken state. T…
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Staying in a job you hate for reasons you wouldn’t expect
21:13
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21:13After the previously independent company that he’d worked for had been bought up by a much larger one, Anuj had begun to lose his passion for his job. The one benefit that had remained was his team, who he thoroughly enjoyed working with. But even that would come under threat as Anuj was told that he needed to make two of them redundant. Anuj decid…
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U Than Htay, born 1932, views on colonial and Japanese occupation of Burma, geologist, retired as Deputy Director General of Department of Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration in Ministry of Mines ...
59:27
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59:27This interview was originally made on 8 December 2017. U Than Htay made some interesting comments about the colonial and Japanese occupation of Burma. Send us a text Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected]. Thank you for listening . Peter ChurchBy Peter Church
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Dr Than Oo, born 1928, prominent educator, former DG of Basic Education, the key player in raising the literacy rate in Burma in the 1960's and for the re-establishing of the teaching of English to primary ...
1:04:26
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1:04:26Dr Than Oo, born 1928, prominent educator, former DG of Basic Education, the key player in raising the literacy rate in Burma in the 1960's and for the re-establishing of the teaching of English to primary school children after a gap of many years, former Chairman of the Academy of Arts and Science. This interview was first published back on 5 Marc…
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U Myint Thein, born 1937, former Myanmar Deputy Minister of Mines 1992 to 2006 -life story
1:58:59
1:58:59
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1:58:59This was the second interview I made for Myanmar Oral History back on 4 December, 2017. Many of you have signed up in recent years and I hope you will find some of these earlier interviews of interest. Send us a text Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected]. Thank you for listening . Peter Church…
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The professor who applied this winning mindset to show that nothing is impossible
23:28
23:28
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23:28Jonathan was daydreaming while his chemistry professor was putting chalk to blackboard. He’d snuck his NME magazine into the lecture theatre and was reading about an upcoming gig: Alice in Chains, a world-famous band, were coming to perform in his city! The news got even more exciting; the band’s bassist would soon be leaving. This gave Jonathan a …
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The surprising secret to improving the relationship with your siblings
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23:00It was cup final day and Sumit and his brothers were dreaming of victory. They had all travelled to Kiev to watch Liverpool play the final match in Europe’s premier competition. All the brothers had to do was navigate their way past the burly, gun-toting security guards and find their seats. Once the brothers had entered the stadium, they were dism…
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The worst thing you can do if you're feeling depressed
26:37
26:37
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26:37*Content warning: This episode contains graphic details of suicide* George had been struggling with anxiety and depression for a while and he was beginning to lose hope that he would ever feel better again. He was living with his parents and had sworn both of them to secrecy about his current state of mind. But one evening his secret was revealed. …
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Are we as men battling a silent war with food?
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23:00It was as ordinary a situation as you could imagine: Steve and his girlfriend were in Subway purchasing a sandwich. Steve had decided to go for the healthiest option available: a sandwich which was under 3g in fat. He’d chosen roast chicken, no sauces, no cookies and a diet coke. But as Steve was eating the food in front of him, he began to get ner…
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Can men really let go of always wanting to control?
22:21
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22:21Adam is driving his teenage daughter to Oxford. During the 1-hour journey, a few meaningful looks are exchanged. He is trying to be strong, but he feels nervous about the future, nervous about the prospect of relinquishing control. Eventually they arrive in a leafy suburb and are directly outside of a large building. Adam knows that this is the pla…
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Mark was outside the door, his brother was locked in. The student apartment they were in was rat-infested and in complete disarray. All Mark’s brother had access to was 20 sausage rolls, a bottle of ketchup and a bucket. It was Mark who had access to the keys. His brother began by pleading with Mark to open the door. Then he started to threaten and…
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Want to own a business? You have to think this way
21:35
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21:35It was March 2020 and Brad had just received confirmation that his current business model had become unworkable. A lockdown had been ordered following the pandemic, and the vast quantities of money that had been flowing through Brad’s account were set to disappear overnight. Brad’s wife was in tears as she learned the news. But Brad knew that tears…
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