In this week’s episode we are talking grief, trauma, terrifying experiences in the Sri Lankan jungle, PTSD, life in conflict zones and the unusual experience of lockdown on a small island.

Meet my friend John Drake. We went to school together on the Isle of Mull on the west coast of Scotland; hung out as unsure teens. John is a wonder; one of the most intelligent people I know, and also kind, empathetic and self-deprecating, with a wicked sense of humour.

Since we left school, John has lived a lot of life. After studying Politics and Arabic, he settled in London working with ex-SAS guys and intelligence analysts, before becoming a Head of Intelligence. He travelled from conflict zone to conflict zone, and spent extended periods of time in locked-down countries such as Iraq.

During his university years, he spent time in the Sri Lankan jungle during the civil war, where he was attacked by an aggressive elephant that had killed six villagers, a sad result of human communities encroaching on wildlife habitat. John developed PTSD after this terrifying experience, a legacy that would stay with him for years. Then, five years ago, John lost his Dad suddenly and traumatically and was thrown into a new normal, grief characterising his every day, coupled with a resurgence of PTSD.

We got into a conversation on grief and life that felt more like a chat over coffee than a recorded podcast. John shared his perspectives, with a good slice of humour thrown in, about everything from lockdown life, martini-making and sea baths on a small island to the trauma of his Dad's death and the immeasurable importance of talking therapies and CBT. Please share with others in your world.