13/9 - The Countdown

“He’s made a decision about going ahead. It’s a week from today.”

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Medically assisted dying is legal in Canada, where over 10,000 people end their lives through euthanasia each year, and over 80% of applications are approved.

Robin Farr, from Calgary, watched as her Dad, Mike, developed a rare lung disease that limited his breathing, massively impacting his quality of life. Then he decided to make use of the MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) laws.

In this honest, unsparing conversation with Olly, Robin explains how it felt to manage the last couple of days of her father’s life - and reveals the flaws in the system that left her and her family unsupported in a time of anticipatory grief...

Robin volunteers with Canadian support groups Bridge4You and Bridgec14, and recommends the resources at dyingwithdignity.ca and the Swiss organisations Pegasos and Dignitas.

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Ollie’s socks-and-sandals style crisis

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart sees if he can be the one to break the socks-and-sandals taboo… and tries his hand at becoming a mystic.

Is there any scientific basis to astrology? Has technology transformed horoscope delivery? And how did the Covid pandemic inspire millenialls to turn to this ancient ‘entertainment’?

With the help of veteran astrologer Sally Kirkman, Ollie attempts to find out - and, based on Olly’s date, place and time of birth - delivers our host an unforgettable reading…

The Zeitgeist is sponsored by Manscaped, who are now offering their Ultra Smooth Package for sale in Europe. Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code ‘Mann’ at Manscaped.com

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Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox ascends Bear Mountain (not a euphemism), and assists a listener who thinks he might have contracted Strep B from giving his partner oral sex.

Can this really be possible? What’s the difference between Strep A and Strep B? And how should he brave the conversation with his other half? Alix, as always has the answers…

If YOU have a relationships question for Alix, or a trends challenge for Ollie, please submit it via the Feedback form. You can remain anonymous if you wish.

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Finally, our record of the month is the fist-pumping fun of ‘How Will I Know?’ from British four-piece The Amazons. It’s the lead track from their new album, ‘How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me’, out now. 👇

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This episode is sponsored by:

• Stitch Fix, the personal styling site that sends you great clothes to try on at home. Get started today and get 20% off when you keep all five items at at StitchFix.co.uk/mann

• Beer52, the UK's No. 1 Craft Beer Club. For a FREE case of their delicious beer, visit beer52.com/modern and just pay for the postage - and they’ll chuck in TWO EXTRA BEERS just for you!

• LISTENERS LIKE YOU. If you can afford to buy us a beer each month to say thank you for making you a free 1hr+ magazine show each month - please do. We rely on your support.

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… And we’ll see you again on October 10th!

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13/8 - How To Be A Dad, Part 8

“They learn from the mortar, not the bricks”

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Videogames, testosterone and triage - it’s all in day’s work when you’ve got a six year old boy, as Olly explores with fellow Dads Tom Price and Stuart Goldsmith in this eighth installment of our annual ‘How To Be A Dad’ series. 

Along the way, our trio consider ‘the joy’ of morning routines, how to play ‘child Carcassonne’, and the environmental ethics of party bags…

To catch up on the story so far, visit modernmann.co.uk/Dads.

And check out Tom and Stu’s podcasts, ‘My Mate Bought A Toaster’ and ‘The Comedian’s Comedian’, wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart tries his hand at writing the ultimate Best Man’s Speech - with some help from professional comedy writer, Marc Blakewill.

What are his top tips to win over the room? How should a great wedding speech be structured? And should you even mention the Stag Do? Ollie reveals all…

If YOU would like to challenge Ollie to test out a trend on a future edition of the show, submit it via our feedback form.

The Zeitgeist is sponsored by Manscaped, the only men’s brand dedicated to below the waist grooming. Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code ‘Mann’ at Manscaped.com

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Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox considers the kinky uses for biodegradable tattoos, and investigates the new female contraceptive Phexxi.

Cleverly maintaining the pH level of the vagina during contact with sperm, could this product offer a life-line to women who don’t want to take hormone-changing pills and want to avoid pregnancy? Alix finds out…

If YOU have a question of sex for Alix, submit it via our feedback form. You can remain anonymous if you wish.

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Finally, our record of the month is an infectious slice of Summery pop from Lauv. It’s called ‘Stranger’, and it’s out NOW on his album All 4 Nothing 👇

This episode of The Modern Mann is only possible thanks to the generosity of listeners LIKE YOU.

If you can afford to, please buy us a beer once per month - or as often as you like - using our secure, customisable form here. Thanks!

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… and we’ll see you again on September 10th!

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13/7 - Out Of The Fog

“I wanted to understand why I am the way I am.”

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When adults adopted as children feel lost or incomplete - even if they had a happy childhood - they often describe themselves as ‘being in the fog’.

For Vicky Sandison, who was told her mother’s birth mother’s name at the age of nine, it was the internet that spurred her on to investigate who she really was.

First via Friends Reunited, then MySpace and now 23&Me, Vicky has been piecing together her birth family - and, as she explains to Olly in this month’s interview, coming out of the fog…

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart takes an 18-hour military flight to the Falklands to uncover a world of dark tourism.

Are sites like Goose Green, Pebble Island and Mount Tumbledown, where hundreds of people lost their lives, appropriate stop-offs on a tourist trip of the islands?

Does holidaying at Anne Frank Huis, Auschwitz or the Cambodian Killing Fields diminish the terrors that happened there - or keep them alive in our collective memories?

The Zeitgeist is sponsored by Manscaped, creators of the anti-chafing, silky-soft Boxer 2.0. Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code ‘Mann’ at Manscaped.com

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Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox has been on the hunt for celebrity foreskins at the 40th annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade.

And, in our listener question of the month, Foxy assists a listener who wants to know how to recycle her rampant rabbit.

Can old sex toys be accepted as small electrical devices by British recycling centres? Can they instead be re-sold? Or made into ART? Alix, as ever, has all the answers - and takes a look at a brand new eco-friendly toy.

The Foxhole is sponsored by ExpressVPN, a great way to view adult material in hotels and other places where you don’t want to be tracked. Head to ExpressVPN.com/Mann to get an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package!

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Finally, our record of the month comes courtesy of Max Pope and the summery vibes of his new tune, Better Late Than Never. Enjoy 👇

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This episode is sponsored by:

• Stitch Fix, the personal styling site that sends you great clothes to try on at home. Get started today and get 20% off when you keep all five items at at StitchFix.co.uk/mann

• Tiege Hanley, who offer simple, effective skincare for men. Get 30% off your first box, plus a free gift, at tiege.com/MANN

• Beer52, the UK's No. 1 Craft Beer Club. For a FREE case of their delicious beer, visit beer52.com/modern and just pay for the postage - and they’ll chuck in TWO EXTRA BEERS just for you!

• Athletic Greens, the ultimate daily nutritional supplement. To get a FREE one-year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D, and 5 free travel packs with your first purchase, visit athleticgreens.com/mann

• LISTENERS LIKE YOU. If you can afford to buy us a beer each month to say thank you for making you a free 1hr+ magazine show each month - please do. We rely on your support.

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… And we’ll see you again, with our annual How To Be A Dad special, on August 10th!

LISTEN: Apple // Spotify // Google // MP3 // RSS // TuneIn

Webinar: How To Make A Hit Podcast

In June 2022, Olly, Alix and Producer Matt got together with Auddy for a live webinar about how we put together the show, modestly entitled ‘How To Make A Hit Podcast’.

If you’re interested in starting up a show of your own, the session should give you a few tips, from structure and rhythm to research and sustainability.

You can browse our top tips here, or watch the whole one-hour video below 👇

13/6 - The Blueprint

“You saw rich gangsters, and you saw poor graduates.”

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Reggie Nelson grew up on an East London council estate to alcoholic parents.

With drugs and violence all around him, he underperformed academically, and felt the only career options available to him were “music, football or crime”.

Quintin Price grew up in India, with a cook, butler, and driver.

His father was an international banker; his mother a committed philanthropist.

After boarding school and University, he went into banking himself, and became an executive at BlackRock.

Then, one afternoon in 2014, their lives crossed paths. 

In this eye-opening interview, they tell Olly what happened next.

Reggie’s book, Opening Doors, is out now, and is also available as an audiobook.

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Reggie Nelson, Olly Mann and Quintin Price, June 2022

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart investigates self-publishing sensation Substack.

Can he master the platform and become a blogging billionaire?

With the help of music recommendation newsletter Flowstate.fm, he attempts to decode the ingredients to create the perfect Substack crowd-pleaser.

But are his views ‘controversial’ enough?

The Zeitgeist is sponsored by Manscaped, creators of the anti-chafing, silky-soft Boxer 2.0, engineered to be the most comfortable boxers in your underwear drawer. Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code ‘Mann’ at Manscaped.com

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Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox has been unpicking the complex intersection of faith and sexuality with muslim comedian Sadia Azmat, whose memoir, Sex Bomb, is out now.

Then, she answers our listener question of the month, courtesy of Mann-fan Craig in Baltimore, who is TTC* with his wife, and wants to know whether the underwear he is wearing could be affecting his fertility.

(*’Trying To Conceive’. You can have that acronym on us.)

With the help of Joshua Shoemake, founder of cooling underwear company Snowballs, Alix discovers how scrotal temperatures can make all the difference to procreation - and comes up with a novel suggestion to make the whole process a little more… romantic.

The Foxhole is sponsored by Handy - the willy-thrilling sex toy that can be controlled by your lover from anywhere on the planet. For free express shipping, use our code ‘Foxhole' at TheHandy.com.

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Finally, our record of the month is the anthemic I’m Insecure, from Lauran Hibberd’s debut album ‘Garageband Superstar’. Enjoy!

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This episode is sponsored by:

• Wine52, the wine discovery club. For a FREE case of their delicious wine visit wine52.com/mann and just pay for the postage

• Tiege Hanley, who offer simple, effective skincare for men. Get 30% off your first box, plus a free gift, at tiege.com/MANN

• ExpressVPN, Business Insider’s #1 rated VPN. Head to ExpressVPN.com/Mann to get an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package

• Athletic Greens, the ultimate daily nutritional supplement. To get a FREE one-year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D, and 5 free travel packs with your first purchase, visit athleticgreens.com/mann

• LISTENERS LIKE YOU. If you can afford to buy us a beer each month to say thank you for making you a free 1hr+ magazine show each month - please do. We rely on your support.

————————————

… And we’ll see you again on July 10th!

LISTEN: Apple // Spotify // Google // MP3 // RSS // TuneIn