The Wild Mind with Jad Steel, A University Podcast

Today is a first on The Wild Mind Podcast as we are joined by Bath Spa Senior Creative Writing Lecturer, Dr Steve Hollyman. He is the second year leader for Undergraduate study (which somehow I forgot when we were recording even though he was my year leader when I was in second year), and his first book 'Keeping Britain Tidy' was published in 2010. He also has two novels, 'Lairies' and 'Esc&Ctrl', which will be published in 2021 and 2022.  He also has qualifications in Creative Writing (MA), English Literature and Philosophy (Joint Hons), and a PhD thesis entitled 'The Self-Begetting Novel: Metafiction in the 21st Century'. It was really a great experience to have Steve on the podcast, as the first lecturer he offered an interesting insight into how for him these changes have effected his life. We talked about how our literature work has changed in response to the lockdown, the effect literature can have on you at a young age, obsessive tendencies and how they can be beneficial, and of course I asked him if he is going to shave his head. I'm grateful to Steve for coming on the podcast, he was a great guest and shared a lot of invaluable advice. Go have a listen To Steve's wild mind! Music Credit: LAKEY INSPIRED Track Name: "Better Days" Music By: LAKEY INSPIRED @ https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired Original upload HERE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXLzv... Official "LAKEY INSPIRED" YouTube Channel HERE – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOmy... License for commercial use: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported "Share Alike" (CC BY-SA 3.0) License. Full License HERE - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Music promoted by NCM https://goo.gl/fh3rEJ

This week we are joined by three guests! Split into three segments, we talked with each guest about how COVID-19 and lockdown has impacted their uni life, mental health and wellbeing. Matt, a Creative Writing and Drama Student, talked about the impact on his course being practical. Nina, a Music Student, discussed how her transition has been moving back home. And Jack, a Media and Society Student, offered some fantastic advice on meditation, breathing, and mindfulness. In such a crazy time, it was great to be able to talk to these students and find ways in which we can cope going forward. Go have a listen! Music Credit: LAKEY INSPIRED Track Name: "Better Days" Music By: LAKEY INSPIRED @ https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired Original upload HERE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXLzv... Official "LAKEY INSPIRED" YouTube Channel HERE – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOmy... License for commercial use: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported "Share Alike" (CC BY-SA 3.0) License. Full License HERE - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Music promoted by NCM https://goo.gl/fh3rEJ

Today we have Issy Brown, a third year food and nutrition student at Bath Spa. As somebody who suffers from OCD, she talked in great detail about how it affects her University life. As someone who has struggled with this at times in my own life, this was a great conversation, and something I initially wasn't comfortable with discussing. However, over the course of the conversation, through Issy's incredibly brave attitude when talking about her own struggles, I found it easier and easier to open up about it.  Go have a listen to  Issy's wild mind, you won't regret it!

Today we have Charlie Penfold, a third year business student at Bath Spa. This was a special episode, recorded it just a few hours after I actually met Charlie for the first time. We had a great chat about tackling loneliness at University, what it's like to go on a placement year, and the importance of music. We recorded in Sam's living room this time so my audio was a little quiet but I really wanted to publish this one anyway, as there were some really great things said! Go have a listen to  Charlie's wild mind!

Today we have two guests, Rose Baker and Ricardo Graca, both third year web technology students at Bath Spa. We talked about what it was like for Ricardo to move from Portugal and study in the UK. Both were incredibly open about their bisexuality and how their experiences differ from a male and female perspective. We talked about creating a healthy balance between a job and university, and how that can impact your mental health. We talked about just how shit it is to work at McDonalds, and much more.  Go have a listen to both their wild minds!