We talk to remarkable New Zealand based businesswoman, and solo mother of two, Jennifer Del Bel. We hear how a meeting with a father and his daughter Emma, a young woman with Down’s Syndrome, would change everything and lead to the launch of a whole new business called Downlights. We also hear how, through that business, Jennifer is setting a powerful and inspirational example to others for the introduction of more inclusion and diversity into the workplace.

We talk to former NFL player and founder of the Adaptive Training Foundation, David Vobora. We hear how a career curtailing injury, and a chance meeting with a man who had lost parts of both arms and both legs, altered the trajectory of David’s life. We also hear how that chance meeting led to David developing ground-breaking work that builds physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual strength in those who need it most.

We talk to Tokyo-born, London-based artist and graphic designer, June Mineyama-Smithson (aka Mamimu), a true creative soul on a mission to inject optimism into the world through her art. We hear about June’s collaboration with neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart on a project for ITV Creates that is designed to mark Mental Health Awareness Month.

We talk to Andy Young, founder and inspiration behind ‘My Outsourced IT’ and a man with a noble vision to equip disadvantaged homes with free laptops and tablets. We hear how Andy is connecting the disconnected by repurposing donated equipment, and at the same time looking after the planet by off-setting his carbon footprint.

We talk to Dutch designer, innovator and nature lover Matilde Boelhouwer. We hear how she has merged creativity with entomology and engineering to develop ‘Insectology: Food for Buzz’. We also hear how her awareness of a declining insect population has motivated Matilde to create a stunning collection of artificial flowers that also act as emergency feeding stations for our all-important pollinators.

We talk to Marie, founder and CEO of ‘The Choir With No Name’, and with Sal, Liverpool choir member and ambassador. We hear how their work is giving many homeless people a much-needed sense of identity, community and belonging. We also hear how the choir has grown since first founded in London, with the successful model now replicated in Birmingham, Liverpool, Brighton, and soon to be Cardiff.

We talk to local gym owner and community-driven philanthropist, Adam McCreevy. We hear about the life stories and personal experiences that have inspired him to make a life-changing impact on other people’s lives, including moving from his family home in Ireland to the Wirral at the pivotal age of 11, and losing his idol to suicide. Adam tells us about why he started the Wirral Health CIC Project, how he managed to help feed 2,000 children during lockdown, and why he believes it’s so...

We talk to best-selling author and keynote speaker Marc Wallert. We hear how Marc and his parents were taken at gun point and held hostage by a terror group for 140 days in the Philippine jungle. We also hear how Marc survived this ordeal through a strategy of positive visualisation, self-efficacy, gallows humour, and the strength gained from helping others.

We talk to plane crash survivor, motivational speaker, humanitarian and spiritual guru, Tulsi Vagjiani. We hear about the tragic incident that took the lives of Tulsi’s family and left her with 45% burns to the face and body at such a young age. We also hear how discovering spirituality and realising her purpose lead Tulsi to becoming an advocate for others with a visible difference. We learn more about how she plans to change the dialogue of the future around beauty and self-acceptance.

We talk to Will and Denia, two members of an exceptional organisation, Free Movement Skateboarding. We hear how Will, Denia and this Athens based team are using skateboarding to support and integrate refugees and marginalised young people. We also hear how they reach isolated communities in the city and around the outskirts of Athens by packing a portable skatepark into the back of their van

We talk to a remarkable young woman who is paralleling her studies with a project to combat loneliness. We hear how Nina Andersen is connecting pupils in schools with care home residents through ‘Community Senior Letters’. We also hear how this fabulous initiative has now reached far and wide, with students from all around the world sending letters to residents of more than 230 UK care homes.

We talk to Trewin Restorick, founder and CEO of environmental change charity ‘Hubbub’. We hear how he is revolutionising the way environmental messages our communicated to all of us, in our everyday lives. We also hear about three of Trewin’s favourite campaigns, and how they are putting smiles on people’s faces as well as tackling problems like litter, plastic pollution and food waste. Creative campaigns and everyday inspiration for greener living. If you’re looking for inspiration and...

We talk to Sarah Common, co-founder of ‘Hives for Humanity’. We hear how this Vancouver based not-for-profit society is connecting people to nature, community and themselves, through bees and the culture of the hive. We also hear from two members of this diverse community, Ali and Horace, about how for them ‘Hives for Humanity’ is a source of human connection they treasure most deeply.

On this episode we do things a little differently by talking with our own team to bring you our review of the first year of ONEOFTHE8 and the real-life stories we’ve shared from 28 inspirational guests from all across the globe. Artists, artisans, adventurers, creatives, makers, philanthropists, thinkers, travellers, seekers, survivors, warriors, winners – we share the valuable lessons we’ve learned from them and discuss the many ways in which they have inspired us.

We talk to a man whose appetite for new cultures and fresh experiences led him from Europe to Australia, where he began to combine his passion for people and their human stories with his love of photography. We hear how Dino Serrao is making the invisible visible, through his stunning street photography, capturing the portraits of ordinary people and helping us to see the extraordinary within them.

We talk to a man whose love of the natural world means that he is dedicated to giving something back to his beloved ocean. We hear how Naude Dreyer is doing this by rescuing hundreds of injured Cape fur seals in his native Namibia. We also hear how Naude and his wife have now set up a non-profit organisation to support their incredible work, and how worldwide interest in their social media and videos is helping to raise the funds that they need to continue.

We talk to a gifted sportsman whose talent for tennis not only shaped his childhood, but also led him to venture from his loving family home in Germany to take up a university scholarship in Atlanta, Georgia. We also hear how he overcame his struggles with the mental health issues that affected him, and how his six years in the USA amongst a melting pot of different cultures, taught him many of his life’s most valuable lessons.

We talk to a man who has endured untold setbacks and even tried to take his own life, yet David Tovey has come through it all to become an independent artist, campaigner and founder of One Festival of Homeless Arts. We hear how a chance meeting with a man on a bench changed the course of David’s life, and how he went on to exhibit his work in the Tate Modern and on the covers of The Pavement Magazine and The Big Issue.

We talk to London based businessman, and one of the small number of people to have walked to the North Pole, Joey Worlidge. We hear about his epic adventure, and how he prepared for it mentally and physically. We also hear how Joey and his team mates on the walk, including international rugby player Will Greenwood, raised over £1 million for premature birth prevention charity ‘Borne’.

We talk to Dubai based mental health warrior Anna Marie Lopes. We hear how she became drawn into a controlling and abusive relationship that was impossible to escape without the help and kindness of others. We also hear how that help came, and how it has transformed Anna’s life from being one of needing help, to one of helping others.

We talk to a young man who became the best in the world at his sport at the tender age of just 16. We hear how Alex Mason turned his hobby into his profession and became crowned Slackline World Champion. We also hear how Alex believes fear and excitement are the same thing, and how by internalising both, he has been able to reach such incredible heights.

We talk to director, designer, animator, filmmaker, author and speaker Gavin Strange. We hear how his love of toys, his fascination with characters, and his belief in ‘side-projects’ are living proof that with true dedication, passion can become profession. We also hear how popping into Aardman Animations for a chat and a ‘cup of tea’ led to something much more permanent and the title sequence of A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.

We talk to former US college tennis player, now writer, rapper and musician Ravi Patel. We hear how the sound of his native London resonated with the young Ravi, and how after his spell in the US, he returned home to launch his career in music. We also hear how his love of tennis, and his love of music, came together brilliantly when he wrote and performed a rap as part of BBC TV’s coverage of Wimbledon.

We talk to International Divers Hall of Fame member, cave diver, photographer, writer and speaker Jill Heinerth. We hear how this intrepid explorer became one of the first ever to dive inside an Antarctic iceberg, and how she almost didn’t live to tell the tale. We also how her passion for exploration has led to Jill discovering secrets of the ancient Mayan civilisation that could influence a better future for our planet and the people on it.