In this powerful episode of Wild Card -Whose Shoes?, Gill Phillips talks with Aurora Thompson - a remarkable young woman whose story of trauma, survival, and resilience will stop you in your tracks.

Aurora shares her lived experience of abuse,, bullying, mental health crises, and being sectioned as a teenager.

She talks about her diagnosis with autism and what difference it has made.

But at the heart of her journey is a message of hope: a force she breaks down into four vital elements — connection, love, opportunity, and purpose.

🍋 All behaviour is communication - don’t judge, listen.

🍋 How is it okay to restrain but not hug?

🍋 The cost (emotional and financial) of crisis care versus the value of early intervention

🍋 The role of “golden people” — those rare professionals who bring honesty, humour, and humanity

🍋 From despair to purpose: how a photo of a therapy dog sparked hope, and how participation work with Barnardo’s became a lifeline

🍋 “Aim for the stars and you might just land near the moon” - Aurora’s call to dream big.

We also explore diagnostic overshadowing, the importance of holistic care, and why systems must stop lazily labelling children as “complex” and start seeing them as whole people.

Aurora is now studying philosophy, working with young people, and speaking out with passion and clarity to help change the system for those who come after her. Her voice is brave, authentic, and unforgettable.

🎧 Listen in for a story that is painful, inspiring, and ultimately hopeful - and perhaps take away your own lemon lightbulb or two. 🍋💡🍋

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Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

🎙️ Wild Card – Whose Shoes? with Gill Phillips
Episode: An #IntentionalCoffee with Dr Ben Allen

In this episode, Gill Phillips speaks for the very first time with Dr Ben Allen - transformative GP, former ICB leader, and curious explorer of how the NHS can work better for staff, patients, and communities.

Ben and Gill have connected through LinkedIn where Ben describes himself as: "GP, NHS leader, convener and innovator. Releasing potential, creating joyful and effective teams. Supporting large scale improvement."

On the podcast, Ben shares his bold decision to step away from a formal leadership role to pursue a two-year “personal learning experiment” - visiting teams, shadowing people across the NHS and beyond, and testing new ways of connecting, leading, and learning.

✨ Ben and Gill dive into:

• Building trust and psychological safety in teams.
• Why creativity (perhaps a RAP or a ball of wool!) can shift culture.
• The power of connections and ripples in complex systems.
• How social media can be more than noise - a space for learning, challenge, and collaboration.
• The hope found in unlocking the untapped potential of human beings.

It’s a rich, hopeful, and energising conversation about leadership, curiosity, and finding new ways to make change happen.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs

🍋 “Make everything work harder” – capture, share, and amplify learning so others can benefit.

🍋 Psychological safety is built when we stretch people’s vulnerability just enough – trust grows through human connection.

🍋 Creativity in healthcare (a poem, a musical, a ball of wool!) can feel radical because our systems are so rigid – yet these moments are what people remember.

🍋 Impact in complex systems is messy and hard to measure – but ripples matter.

🍋 Relationships are as vital as evidence; systems are only as strong as their connections.

🍋 Social media isn’t just a hobby – it’s an underused engine for ideas, learning, and collaboration.

🍋 Hope comes from recognising untapped potential in people and organisations – not just from more money or resources.

🍋 Stepping out of your comfort zone to explore and learn can bring rich rewards.

Useful links

Find out more about #CYPWhoseShoes:
'Whose News?' Edition 14

BRAND NEW - The #CYPWhoseShoes story so far, told with a ball of string!

Ben's Youtube channel

#MatExp the Musical

Listen to the episodes around #UniversalHealthcare (Episodes 56-62) - explore further some of the issues and people mentioned in this conversation:

56. Becky Malby – Universal Healthcare
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1838805/15239449

57. Tom Holliday - Children get less
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1838805/15363315

58. George Winder – Don’t medicalise poverty
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1838805/15461390

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I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

🎙 “You’re amazing!” But what if hearing that doesn’t feel amazing at all?

In this powerful and deeply moving episode, Gill Phillips meets awesome Benedicte Symcox – parent carer, founder of Tugboat SEND Navigation, and passionate advocate for children and adults with complex needs.

Benedicte’s story is breathtaking. From the moment they met at Yvonne Newbold’s wedding (!), Gill and Benedicte struck up an instant connection – and this podcast brings it to life. With wisdom, humour, brutal honesty, and astonishing lived experience, Benedicte takes us on a journey through parenting three very different children – each with their own profound challenges and triumphs.

🎧 Expect to hear:

• The rollercoaster of navigating health, education, and social care systems
• Teenage mental health, neurodiversity, and diagnostic overshadowing
• Raw conversations about suicide, resilience, and “extreme parenting”
• How Benedicte’s lived experience powers her work supporting other families through Tugboat
• Why kindness, curiosity and valuing every life are non-negotiables in a broken system

This episode goes live in #CoProductionWeek - the week that #MPFTWhoseShoes, the extraordinary Whose Shoes journey to better support children and families, is showcased in Staffordshire.

With her signature wit and passion, Benedicte reminds us why real voices matter.

This is one for the ninja parents, the professionals trying to do better, and anyone who wants to understand what truly matters.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs

🍋 Every life matters – regardless of age, ability, or achievements.

🍋 Stay curious, be kind

🍋 No one’s coming to save you – a tough truth from Yvonne Newbold that hits hard but empowers families to take action

🍋 Value doesn't come from capability – our culture must stop measuring people’s worth by what they can do or produce

🍋 You can't fix what you don't truly see – honest, raw stories like Benedicte’s open eyes and hearts

🍋 Children with complex needs are not always ‘inspirational’—they’re human.
They get stroppy, funny, scared, brilliant... just like any child

🍋 Diagnostic overshadowing destroys lives – assuming one label explains everything leads to devastating gaps in support

🍋 We need to talk about suicide – actually talk about it – no euphemisms, no sidestepping. Say the word. Save lives.

🍋 Professionals are often also parent carers : dual perspective

🍋 Honesty matters more than heroics – saying “this is hard” is more powerful than pretending to cope

🍋 Sometimes kindness means saying uncomfortable things

🍋 Honest conversations are vital – especially around 'taboo' topics : sex, disability, parenting, mental health

🍋 Parenting doesn’t come with guarantees – ‘success’ can mean just surviving another day

🍋 Systems should support families, not punish them – blaming parents, gatekeeping support, and making people fight for help is not acceptable.

🍋 Hope lives in connection – whether through a podcast, a wedding, or a kindness conversation, real change starts with human stories

Links

Tugboat SEND Navigation – Steering you through SEND waters

Please visit the episodes with Cath Crock, Bob Klaber and Steven Russell

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I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

🎙 Episode 67: Dulcie Matthews and Dorothy Hall – Hope, Resilience, and the Spirit of Coventry

This very special VE Day episode of Wild Card – Whose Shoes? is a real treat. 🕊️

Join me, Gill Phillips, as I welcome two extraordinary women: Dorothy Hall, familiar to listeners from Episode 64, and her equally inspirational friend Dulcie Matthews, aged 88.

Dulcie grew up in wartime Coventry, and shares her moving memories of a city scarred by bombs but brimming with resilience. Her evocative memoir From Paradise to Eden brings the 1940s vividly to life — and today, she brings that world to us through her words, wit, and warmth. 🌸

In a beautifully candid conversation, Dulcie and Dorothy reflect on ageing, creativity, and retaining a sense of identity and purpose when society would often rather render older people invisible.

✨ From Dulcie’s lockdown poems and fairy tales for her great-granddaughter to their joyful adventures searching for "fairy doors," this episode is packed with wisdom, hope, and humour.

We talk about social prescribing, the healing power of music and nature, grief and resilience — and dreaming up a bold new vision for compassionate care in later life.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs

🍋 You are still you
Despite how society treats older people, identity, creativity, and inner fire do not fade with age

🍋 Stay curious and always say yes
Dulcie has stayed open to life’s opportunities, even through deep grief and loss

🍋 Creativity is an escape — and a lifeline
Nature, writing, fairy stories, and music offer not just escape, but deep healing.

🍋 Invisible no more
Calling out the way healthcare systems often marginalize older people — and fighting to be seen and heard.

🍋 Rediscover your roots
Dulcie rekindling her love for Coventry reminds us that reconnecting with our past can offer hope for the future

🍋 The world changes — and we adapt
From wartime Coventry to lockdown Britain, Dulcie’s reflections show resilience as a constant thread through life

🍋 Music unlocks memory, joy, and connection
The powerful role of music in both healthcare and daily life — lifting spirits and bridging generations

🍋 Imagination is ageless
Whether it's fairy tales or reimagining community care, creativity thrives at every age, so support people to use their skills and feel they can contribute

🍋 Challenge stereotypes by living fully
Wearing jeans, playing piano, creating stories — refusing to be boxed in by other people’s ideas of ‘old age.’

🍋 Reimagine care: people first, not conditions
A visionary idea: flexible, creative care communities inspired by the hospice model but open to all

_______________________________________________________

Dorothy's key message? "Be more imaginative about how care is offered "

Dulcie’s key message? "Stay curious. Always say yes!"

____________________________________________________

This is a celebration of courage, creativity, and connection — the spirit that saw Coventry rise again after WWII, and the same spirit that Dulcie and Dorothy embody today ❤️

🌟 A heartfelt thank you to Dulcie and Dorothy for sharing their stories so openly. A perfect listen to inspire you this VE Day.

We LOVE it when you leave a review!
If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

In this electric, soul-stirring conversation, Dr Guddi Singh joins me to explore what it truly means to radically reimagine health. From the frontline realities of paediatrics to the bold edges of creative health and social justice, Guddi brings her full, vibrant self — and invites us all to do the same.

We talk about what’s broken in our health system, why simply fixing sickness isn’t enough, and how real health is built in homes and communities, not hospitals.

We shine a light on creative co-production, interdisciplinary approaches, and the untapped power of arts, storytelling and relationships to transform healthcare.

Guddi describes herself as a closet creative and lifelong learner, and you’ll hear exactly why — from training citizen scientists to founding WHAM (Wellbeing and Health Action Movement) and leading the Powering Up project.

This episode is bursting with energy, honesty, hope¦ and a few well-placed mic drops.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 Health is not built in hospitals – it’s built in our homes and communities

🍋 A child cannot be healthy if the context they live in is sick - we have to treat the context – hunger, poverty, poor housing – not just the symptoms

🍋 “I’m a closet creative trapped in the body of a doctor” : Guddi’s mission blends creativity, academia, activism, and medicine to drive meaningful change

🍋 The system doesn’t work for patients — and it doesn’t really work for staff

🍋 There’s no KPI for what actually matters — to patients or professionals

🍋 Maybe the most powerful KPI is: Will you remember this? Did it change you?

🍋 Human connection doesn’t fit in a spreadsheet – but it’s what makes the work meaningful.

🍋 Fixing health inequalities starts with ordinary clinicians and patients, and creative approaches

🍋 Powering Up isn’t a project – it’s a movement

🍋 It’s hard to lie to kids - Powering up unearthed the real issues

🍋 The system may be blind, but our stories can open its eyes

🍋 Dance saved my life. Why isn’t creative health part of the NHS mainstream?

🍋 We’re lighting up little patches of the world. What if we joined the dots?

🍋 We’re not alone — it’s time to bring our lemon lightbulbs together

Links:

Wellbeing and Health Action Movement (WHAM)

Powering Up Project

National Centre for Creative Health

Episode 54: Dr Mary Salama - connecting across boundaries

Episode 57 : Dr Tom Holliday - children get less

Join the Movement

This is more than a conversation It’s a call to action. Whether you’re a clinician, creative, policymaker or passionate citizen, this episode will leave you asking:

What’s my role in radically reimagining health?

#coproduction

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please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

This special episode of Wild Card – Whose Shoes? is part of The World Podcastathon, a global celebration of podcasts that spark conversation, challenge perspectives, and inspire change.

I’m thrilled to welcome the incredible Nicola Enoch, founder and CEO of Down Syndrome UK, a powerhouse advocate who is transforming perceptions, challenging outdated maternity care practices, and empowering families. Nicola’s journey is extraordinary—one that began with fear and stigma when she learned her son, Tom, might have Down syndrome, and evolved into a mission to support parents, shift mindsets, and tackle inequalities head-on.

We explore the power of language in maternity care, the importance of early development, and how health inequalities continue to impact people with learning disabilities. Nicola also shares how her organization is training healthcare professionals and educators to see the person first and break down barriers that still exist today.

This conversation is raw, real, and packed with lemon lightbulb moments—insights that challenge us all to think differently.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 Words shape experiences – Describing Down syndrome as a “risk” or “abnormality” impacts how parents feel about their child. Language matters.

🍋 Breaking bad news? Or sharing unexpected news? – How healthcare professionals frame a diagnosis makes all the difference.

🍋 Assume competence – Expecting less from a child with Down syndrome limits their potential. High expectations open doors.

🍋 Health inequalities are real – Diagnostic overshadowing leads to preventable health issues. Parents must advocate fiercely.

🍋 Community is everything – Peer support groups are lifelines. No parent should feel alone.

This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about maternity care, inclusion, and human stories that challenge stereotypes.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation!

Links:

We hope you will donate to this important charity - here is how you can find out more!

#WildCardWhoseShoes #WorldPodcastathon #DownSyndromeAwareness #ChangingTheNarrative #CoProduction

We LOVE it when you leave a review!
If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

In this powerful episode, Gill Phillips chats with her long-time friend Dorothy Hall, a former social worker and fierce advocate for fairness. They explore the realities of ageism in healthcare.

At 82 and a half, Dorothy brings a wealth of lived experience—as a professional, a family carer, and now as someone navigating the NHS as an older person.

She highlights the stark contrast between systems that dismiss patients based on age and those that embrace co-production and shared decision-making.

Dorothy shares two shocking yet inspiring stories:

• How she was abruptly denied essential treatment for a genetic condition upon turning 80—without warning, discussion, or a clear clinical rationale
• Her journey to access an innovative light therapy treatment for macular degeneration, which remains largely unknown and unavailable on the NHS despite its life-changing potential

Instead of accepting the system’s failings, Dorothy took matters into her own hands—seeking a second opinion, finding more compassionate healthcare providers, and ultimately reclaiming control over her own care.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 Co-production doesn’t stop at 80 - see the person

🍋 Healthcare should be about needs, not numbers – age alone should never determine whether someone gets treatment

🍋 Patients shouldn’t have to be experts in NICE guidelines or fight for info

🍋 Don’t push people into complaints—listen first – most patients don’t want a fight, they just want fair treatment

🍋 The complaints process takes a huge toll on people

🍋 Empathy transforms healthcare

🍋 Joint decision-making rocks!

🍋 Short-term cuts create long-term costs – and unnecessary suffering

🍋 Rigid NHS systems fail real people – bureaucratic barriers, arbitrary cut-offs, and poor communication leave people helpless

🍋 Being 'outside the system' can be a nightmare

🍋 Seek a second opinion

🍋 Vision loss is life-changing - NHS should embrace this proven, non-invasive macular degeneration preventative treatment

🍋 It’s not just about vision - age-related sight loss affects independence, mobility and mental health

🍋 Patient advocacy is powerful – knowing your rights, pushing back, and seeking alternatives can change everything

🍋 Honest communication matters!!!

Links:

Encouraging results from light therapy study for dry age-related macular degeneration - study published by the Macular Society

#WIGO - When I Get Old campaign - Gill Phillips chats with Angela Catley

✨ A must-listen episode for anyone passionate about health inequalities, patient advocacy, and how we can build a healthcare system that truly listens to people—at every stage of life. 🎧

We LOVE it when you leave a review!
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please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

🎙️ Wild Card - Whose Shoes? Podcast 🎙️
🎉 Episode 63: Celebrating 10 Years of #MatExp! 🎉

Join us for a festive and heartfelt episode as we celebrate a decade of the groundbreaking #MatExp campaign, born from the Whose Shoes? co-production movement!

This special Christmas edition revisits the vibrant energy of our 10-year anniversary event held on October 17th, 2024, blending highlights from the session with moving testimonials, joyful moments, and powerful reflections.

🍋💡🍋 Why listen?

• The Evidence Base: Hear live testimonials and stories that showcase the real impact #MatExp has had on maternity care, as shared by parents, healthcare professionals, and changemakers during the celebration.
• Moments to Remember: From lithotomy challenges and Mexican waves to the iconic #MatExp the Musical, we relive the creativity, courage, and co-production that have defined this journey.
• Hope for the Future: Reflect on the challenges facing maternity services today and the enduring hope for change, inspired by our community's dedication and innovation.
• Interactive Fun: Experience the joy of reconnection through breakout room anecdotes, graphic visuals, musical interludes - and even a live rap!

🍼 Special shoutouts to the incredible #MatExp community who’ve co-created resources, challenged traditional hierachies, and sparked “lemon lightbulb moments” that continue to improve maternity experiences worldwide.

🎄 Whether you’re a Whose Shoes “addict” or discovering us for the first time, this episode is an inspiring celebration of what’s been achieved—and what’s still to come. Together, let’s keep the #MatExp banner flying high!

✨ Listen now and feel the festive spirit of co-production in action! ✨

Links to some resources mentioned in the podcast:
🍋 Celebrating 10 Years of #MatExp - highly visual. Watch on Youtube!
🍋 Whose Shoes comes to Brighton - song and dance and CAKE!
🍋 The Robin Hood midwives in Sherwood Forest
🍋 #FabObs Flo's TED talk
🍋 Nottingham Whose Shoes event
🍋 The new neonatal unit being built at Alder Hey
🍋 Jo Minford and Mary Salama #IntentionalCoffee
🍋 Young parents - Birmingham Families - Whose Shoes event
🍋 #MatExp the Musical
🍋 Fab NHS Stuff - #MatExp collection
🍋 Whose News? - our #MPFTWhoseShoes project - children and families

We LOVE it when you leave a review!
If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.