Ep 8: Phyll Opoku-Gyimah

For the final episode of the series Simon caught up with long-time friend, activist, writer and the &aposQueen of Kindness&apos Phyll Opoku-Gyimah.

Phyll, who you may know as Lady Phyll, is the Co-Founder and Director of UK Black Pride, and currently the Executive Director of the Kaleidoscope Trust, an international charity working to uphold and advance human rights for LGBT+ people. Before that, Phyll spent years working for trade unions fighting for equality in the workplace and beyond.

Phyll and Simon had an honest and emotional chat about:

The power of kindness and how to really listen to someoneWhy Phyll no longer uses the word &aposnormalise&aposThe journey of UK Black Pride from 200 to 10,000 attendeesWhy equality and mental health and wellbeing go hand in handThe best advice Phyll has ever been given

Make sure to stay right to the end for a bonus story about the time Phyll met Whoopi Goldberg!

We&aposd love to know what you think! If you could take a moment to rate and review wherever you get your podcasts we would very much appreciate your feedback. You can do this on most platforms including:

Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsStitcherTuneIn

Don&apost forget to get involved on social media using #JACPodcast!

More on Lady Phyll: twitter.com/MsLadyPhyll
UK Black Pride: ukblackpride.org.uk
The Kaleidoscope Trust: kaleidoscopetrust.com

More on Simon: twitter.com/Simonablake
Simon Blake OBE is the Chief Executive of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England. His mission is to improve the mental health of the nation and help build an inclusive and  society where attitudes and behaviours around mental health are normalised. Simon received an OBE in 2011, is Deputy Chair at Stonewall, and enjoys running, equestrian eventing, and walks with his dog.

More on #JACPodcast:
MHFA England: mhfaengland.org
Email: media@mhfaengland.org