Advertise on podcast: Chatty Geek, Hidden Dragon

Getting to know Tim Tim currently works with the Portsmouth and Gosport History Group. They are running a Falklands 40 year anniversiary exhibition at the Explosives museum in Gosport. Tim tells us how he was in Northern Ireland at the time of the end of the Falklands war.  PSYOPS - Psychological Operations Tim spent some years in the British Army proving psychological operations. This is the ability to look at a target audience and change an attitude ardor behaviour. In his experience Tim spends just over 10 years with 15 (UK) Psychological Operations Group. He does seven operational tours in the discipline, including two tours of Kosovo, and one in Macedonia, and Kabul. Tim describes how he fell in love with Afghanistan, and how much of a wonderful place it was.  Time as a Unit Welfare Office Then for 8 years, Tim works as a Unit Welfare Officer. He works in a team of 3 people, for London Central Garrison, with three incremental companies of foot-guards - being 9 Company Grenadier Guards, 7 Company Coldstream Guards, and F Company Scotts Guards. This is along with the 5 Foot-guards Bands (Welsh and Irish Guards). As well as this, there is London District Headquarters and London Central Garrison Headquarters.  The work involves looking after the welfare of all persons who operate within these companies, from Housing needs, Medical and Dental Needs, and Mental Health needs.  As well has his extensive experience within the British Army, Tim also has extensive experience in the field of Rugby, American Football, Hang Gliding, Telemark Skiing, and Offshore Sailing!  Tim tells us about his many experiences sailing up to the Baltic, and sailing around Denmark and Sweden. Two Years ago Tim also sails around the UK, and he tells us of the rescue of Artie the Ship's Cat!  Tim learned how to Telemark Ski in Norway in the Wintertime, and he tells us how he learned to do this. In 2005 the Army put a team together to go to Les Menuires to take on the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines in a Telemark Skiing competition. The following year the Army Telemark Association set up a competition called the British Telemark Championships held in Rauris, Austria.  In 1982 Tim got posted to the Army Hang Gliding Centre in Sennybridge, in the Brecon Beacons. On day 1 of turning up at the Centre, Tim is taught how to hang glide. He tells us how he was taught the basics of hang gliding, despite being there as the Storeman Clerk of the Centre. After progressing, he then tells us how he eventually became a hang gliding instructor.  Mental Health Spotlight Tim tells of his experience working in TRIM - this is the Trauma Incident Management Unit. This entails understanding what happens when somebody experiences a traumatic incident. This doesn't have to be a conflict related incident - this could also be a road traffic accident.  When there has been a traumatic incident, a team comes together to assess a number of factors. This includes wether people have been directly involved in the incident or if they were on the peripheries. The team also decides whether an individual requires one-on-one treatment, small group treatment, or treatment as part of a larger group.  The main goal of the group is to explain to people that is okay to experience certain feelings regarding what they have witnessed. Loss of sleep, and reliving the incident in the witnesses mind are all common occurrences for somebody who has been involved in a traumatic incident.  Mentions in this Episode.  The Tim Heale Podcasts - Ordinary People's Extraordinary Stories Tim Heale on YouTube Support the show

Getting to know Theron and Hermes Auslander Theron and Hermes Auslander make up 2 thirds of the Scuttlebutt Crew. The third member of the Scuttlebutt crew is also Morpheus - who is out on duty currently so couldn't be with us.  Hermes Infiltrated the US military 5-10 years ago. The Scuttlebutt Crew occasionally discuss topics relating to the aspects of the military that might upset "Uncle Sam". For this reason Hermes remains anonymous and we are unable to show any identifying features. Hence why if you watch the video you will only see the "Hand of Hermes!" (more on that later!).  Theron introduces us to the Scuttlebutt podcast.  About the Scuttlebutt Podcast The Scuttlebutt Podcast is a podcast that talks about anything and everything. It started out as a place for people to get real, and talk about topics in a frank and honest way. Theron lists one of the mottos of the Scuttlebutt:  Openly HonestlyEarnestlyA safe place to talk Hermes talks about how there is a universally desire to be able to talk honestly and openly. He explains that there are some environments where talking openly and honestly is controlled, i.e. there are some topics that may be restricted. Also, it maybe only be able to talk about a topic if you are in agreement with the entity that controls the forum.  The Scuttlebutt Podcast provides a 10/10, no holds barred forum where people can talk about whatever they want and have whatever opinion they want. He describes how you will sometimes see a person in Uniform appear on the show with a pen-name avatar. After a few drinks it is nice to be able to give the guest the feeling that they can get things off their chest and give their opinion without worrying about repercussions.  So, What is it you're drinking on or smoking on?...The Scuttlebutt Crew Twisted Tea..... Theron describes his love of Twisted Tea - a selfless act that surely deserves the support and sponsorship deal that Theron works so tirelessly to achieve. Come on, Twisted Tea - show a bit of love for these wonderful people! It's all a bit Alien to me! Hermes presents himself to the world as an alien that came down to Earth many years ago. For most of his life, Hermes felt like a bit of an outsider, outside of Theron's companionship. This started at time of the beginning of his Art journey, and he expressed this through his amazing works which you can find and admire here. When did you land?  Hermes explains that the "landing" process can be likened to a coming of age, of starting to figure out who you are. He describes the difference between this period, and being a younger being - where you have not yet collected enough data to really start to learn who you are. Theron was around at this time, and this is when they made their lifelong bond and formed their friendship.  You realise it's easier to figure out the kind of person you DON'T want to be, [rather] than the person that you want to. Sort of setting an aspiration - I'll just cross things off the list until by process of elimination I'm left with the person I want to be. Theron, Translator of Aliens.  Hermes expresses his gratitude for having Theron as his translator.  Mentions in this Episode The Scuttlebutt Podcast - where you can find links to the podcastsScuttlebutt Patreon Page - where you can contact the Scuttlebutt Crew any time of the day Support the show

Journal Lifestyle My main thing I’ve been looking at is my diet. I’ve been struggling with not taking enough food into work, and then I get absolutely starving, and then eat too much of the wrong foods. So, I’ve made a commitment to myself to make sure I take enough food in to work. Learning Tomorrow is my Open day at Northern Guild – so I’m going to be talking to some of the lecturers and students about pursuing some sort of education and qualification in therapy / counselling. I’m really looking forward to that. Future Guests As of today, we have 2 confirmed guests, and about 3 that are not far off being confirmed. The confirmed one will be on the 10th of June and that will be our good friend Hermes Auslander, and Theron too, both from the Scuttlebutt Podcast. Do check that podcast out. You’ll see details of the other upcoming ones as and when I am able to confirm dates. The second guest we have will be the wonderful Tim Heale on the 16th of June. Tim is ex-forces and has extensive experience with relation to the welfare of officers and helping people deal with traumatic events. He also has a podcast himself called Ordinary people’s extraordinary stories – as part of the Tim Heale podcast. So do check that out! Guesting I am also going to be a guest on a couple of episodes. Two confirmed dates now are the 20th of June I’ll be guesting on the Saving Brothers podcast, so shoutout to those. Saving Brothers is a mental health podcast so be sure to check that out.  On 1st July I am going to be on a comedy podcast called the True Crime Podcast – which I think is going to be a lot of fun. I’m going to be talking to Eric about my naughtier times as a younger more stupid person, so I’m really looking forward to that. On 8th July I’ll be guesting on GEMS with Genesis Amaris Kemp which is a lovely little 30minute podcast which pretty much chats about anything and everything so be sure to check that out. My Mental Health I’ve had a good week this week. The long weekend was of great benefit to me, I did a nice walk at Gibside with the wife which did me a load of good – and we also painted the back yard wall – which made the Wife happy. And as they say: happy wife, happy life! Which is true! I can see a bit of wobbliness with my worrying about taking too much on, but I’m just keeping a close eye on that for now. Physical Health Last week I said I was aiming to do some morning exercised coupled with some meditation sessions before work. Full disclosure I only managed one day, but I’m going to take that as a victory, and maybe aim for more than one day this week. I also managed to go over some of my senior forms which was great as they are still fully absorbed in the muscle memory so I’m happy about that ESO on Xbox. ESO I’m doing good. Currently level 41! And still loving it. Still think it’ll be a while before I’ve gone through enough of the story to catch up with everybody who is currently going to be exploring the High Isle, but I’m getting there. I’m currently in Grahtwood for the Aldmeri Dominion faction. I’ve completed all the Anchors in that area but haven’t got any dungeons done yet. What am I watching? Currently me and the wife are going through Gilmore Girls, which is quite pleasant to watch and nice and easy viewing after Becky and myself have finished watching the Friends, on Netflix.  Also, on Disney+ we are obviously going through Obi-Wan, and I noticed that another episode has dropped so really looking forward to watching that probably with my tea after this stream. Stranger things – we haven’t started watching this one yet, but we’ll be getting into that at some point.  We also watched the Adam Project on Netflix. This was fantastic highly recommended.  Support the show

Lifestyle Last week I sold my big, inefficient car and I picked up the much cheaper and efficient hybrid. I absolutely love it! So that’s going to be saving me some money which will help towards my Diploma in Therapy / Conselling.  Studywork I’ve recently been going through the prospectus for my local college, and I’ll be attending the open day next Thursday so I’m really looking forward to hearing what they’ve got to say.  Discord Discord is very slowly building we got one new member last week, but I think it’s going to be a while before people are able to take full advantage of it.  Future Guests As of today we have 1 confirmed guest, and about 3 that are not far off being confirmed. The confirmed one will be on the 10th June and that will be our good friend Hermes Auslander and possibly Theron too, both from the Scuttlebutt Podcast. Do check that podcast out. You’ll see details of the other upcoming ones as and when I am able to confirm dates.  Guesting I am also going to be a guest on a couple of episodes. Two confirmed dates now are the 20th June I’ll be guesting on the Saving Brothers podcast, so shoutout to those. Saving Brothers is a mental health podcast so be sure to check that out.  On 8th July I’ll be guesting on GEMS with Genesis Amaris Kemp which is a lovely little 30minute podcast which pretty much chats about anything and everything so be sure to check that out.  My Mental Health On the whole I’ve been mostly fine this week. I had a bit of high following the changeover of cars. Yesterday I had a mini-slump where I’d got myself worked up about trying to fit everything in, but Tuesday is my training day and THAT SEEMED TO HELP A LOT. Plus I got a pretty good bill of health from my GP saying I’m in fairly good shape so that was good to hear. I think yesterday and today though I’ve been experiencing a bit of anxiety with relation to my physical health which is interesting so maybe I’ll have to keep an eye on that.  Also it’s now Jubilee time so were enjoying having the Thursday and Friday off so no doubt I’ll be able to squeeze some ESO streaming in – but as a priority I think I really want to go out on a nice walk with the wife or do something nice with her to get out a bit. Maybe visit our local National Trust site Gibside for a nice walk along the river, something like that. Also Ingram Valley has been recommended so maybe we’ll try that.  Physical Health This is something that I really want to turn around now and do some more things with. My physical training has been on the back burner for a while other than my weekly training class, just getting pre-occupied / obsessed with the CGHD stuff and re-hashing things. So I really want to get back into that and maybe start doing some bitesize portions of daily training again – perhaps some yoga or just my QiGong or breathing excercises. I really feel like that’s been lacking recently.  ESO on Xbox. ESO I’m doing good. Currently level 39 and just about to hit the level 40 mark. Pretty much got all my skill points that I wanted for my warden, so I’m investing most things now in my crafting and sneakiness etc. Remember I’ll be streaming from time to time and if you want an update for when that is you can always join the Discord server or keep an eye on the Twitter or FB page.  What am I watching Currently me and the wife are going through Gilmore Girls, which is actually quite pleasant to watch and nice and easy viewing after Becky and myself have finished watching the Friendses on Netflix. Also on Disney+ we are going through Obi-Wan, and I noticed that another episode has dropped so really looking forward to watcing that probably with my tea after this stream.  Support the show

Journal Got Married   1st May. It was an incredible day.  I had some time off after the wedding and as always with me and a bit of time off, it actually gave me the opportunity to recenter and come up with ideas as to how I can do more for the community. So there’s quite a few things I’ve wanted to do off the back of some of the ideas that I’ve had, so I put the podcasts and interviews on hold for a bit. But I’m just about ready to get started again and so I thought I would tell you about those today.  HDDD are back! HDDD’s are back, they are going to be weekly, but are also going to be much shorter – I don’t want the Hump Day episodes to disrupt your listening of the other shows, but I think it’s going to be important for me to share my own progress and have a means of providing you with updates – without making guests on the main CGHD streams to be waiting around whilst I read a load of stuff out.  Mental Health Careers I’ve done some soul searching over the last few months, and I’ve come to the conclusion that my calling is definitely mental health. When I’m doing mental health stuff whether through CGHD or whatever, I feel like I’m contributing something with my life. So I’ve decided that I’m going to be on a transition from my current career in the construction industry to have more involvement with mental health.  As I do manage to get into some form of study work I’ll also use the HDDD podcasts to keep you updated of how I’m getting on. How I’m coping with the transition, and the workload. How that’s effecting me mentally, what I’m learning etc. Hopefully this might inspire others who are thinking of also making a change who knows.  The CGHD Discord Server The Chatty Geek, Hidden Dragon Discord Server is now up and running. You can find a link for that on the website, and I’ll be dropping in most days to catch up with you all and check in, see how you’re all doing etc – please join and feel free to use that.  On the Discord server, there is also a hidden section for our Patreons. So in an effort to make sure that I remain financially okay, for a bit of help I’ve started a Patreon site. This site will be going live over the weekend and there’ll be an announcement when that does go live.  Patreon The patreon site is there to give you the opportunity if you want to show you support for the podcast and other content to do that. It’s set in a similar theme to the rest of our content, very light hearted and fun, but with a serious message. So there are three tier options if you want to support us on Patreon, and they are priced at £3, £6 and £12 per month. And these memberships are called the Chatty Chickens, the Welcome Warriors, and the Friendly Dragons respectively.  Finally, you’re going to see the hashtag #TalkingSavesLives at the bottom of my posts. I think this is an important message to get out there.  #talkingsaveslivesFacilitating conversations around mental health, and allowing them to happen without any feelings of discomfort for either talker or listener is essential and the way that we keep moving forward in our attempt to improve social health and how as decent people we can work toward a healthier community.  Links: Discord Server Patreon Support the show

Corey Laine Hilton is a well respected, Amazon bestselling author and Certified Authenticity Coach. He has entertained thousands of clients internationally over the span of a 25 year career in the male exotic dance industry, laying the groundwork for his raw, mission driven message through his unique and colourful perspective.  With life experience and dedicated research on the subject of self-worth, he reveals his 10 strongest personal values and the emotional feelings attached to them in a career most cannot comprehend.  His insights have been seen on multiple social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram and Youtube as well as podcasts focusing on mental health, spirituality and authenticity. As an authenticity coach, he has the ability to help men over 30 lacking emotional expression overcome subconscious blocks by utilizing his unique perspectives while providing his "Naked Truth" through his journey of self-discovery. He exposes his struggle between his authentic self and his onstage alter-ego in a foregone industry providing his audience with a view of the reality of what it was like being on the other side of the "Velvet Rope". Mentions in this Episode Take it Off WebsiteCorey's Book: Take it Off: Revelations of a Male Exotic Dancer (Amazon UK)In this Moment - BandINXS - BandSupport the show

Chatty Geek, Hidden Dragon is a fun and unique podcast where we share jokes, stories, hobbies, interests, and most importantly - we discuss mental health!  Support the show

Lee Hopkins (he/him/his) is a transgender man who helps people create lasting friendships. After struggling with loneliness most of his life, he's tried various ways to resolve it— including moving across the US twice, then creating his own successful American Idol-style karaoke club to transitioning from female to male. He’s learned the only way to create meaningful connections is through loving himself. As we get to know more about Lee, it isn't long before we come to learn that this is an individual who hasn't been a stranger to loneliness for the majority of his life. Throughout his life, Lee has travelled across the country to try and overcome his loneliness and meet new people. He explains how it can be okay to be vulnerable, which he feels is a necessity to be able to make a connection.  Mentions in this episode: Patterns of Possibility websiteMore possibility!Squeek and Sausage - a card based escape room game. Nerd Herd Discord serverWall-EBreath of the WildSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chattygeekhd)

Emily describes her self as a spiritual seeker, a tarot reader, a story telling strategist, and a deep believer in the power and importance of community. For a long time, Emily had a singular ambition of working on Broadway, and being in and around the broadway community. She explains that she did actually do this for a long time, working as a broadway publicist and an entertainment publicist.  Pre-pandemic, Emily had worked for a number of different companies and started her own company. She explains however how she got to the point where she didn't really understand how she got where she was, and wasn't completely happy with where she was.  It wasn't long after this that the pandemic hit. Emily tells us how this was a fortuitous time as it allowed her the opportunity to deeply consider what she wanted to do with her life. Mentions in this episode: Emily's instagram account: emilyannemcgPlaybill MagazineEmily's links page.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chattygeekhd)

This episode we were blessed to have the wonderful company of... Laura Boanas!Laura is owner of her own business, "Hello Moon Creative" Getting to know Laura.. Laura is a tattoo artist based in Redcar, Cleveland UK. She is massively into anime and all things nerdy. She is also a massive fan of Lord of the Rings. She loves dogs and cheese, but hates pies! She likes to travel, and has an affinity for Japan, and hopes to be able to travel there again some day.  Lauras main focus of tattoos are anime, but she also provides a mix such as Disney, pop culture and traditional Japanese styles - specialising on colour and dot work. She finds that providing a tattoo session can be a bit like a therapy session - possibly due to the intimate nature of being tattooed.  Before being a tattoo artist, she used to work as a legal secretary in a criminal defence law firm. She describes it as the worst job she's ever had - absolutely destroying her mental health. Generally this involved working with suspected criminals on a daily basis, and being spoken to very poorly with zero respect.  She has always loved tattoos, but making the leap into being a tattoo artist was a difficult process. Laura has always struggled with confidence, and the pressure of providing a good piece on somebody was a massive challenge for her.  As well as the online business where Laura sells various merchandise, she also collaborates with another artist to sell custom pins.  When asked how she manages to do all this, she says that unfortunately how she does this is that she doesn't sleep much. She describes this as something she is currently working with. She is currently trying to do more work on her social life and spend less of her energy on her work. When you listen to her daily day routine, it's no surprise that she intends to do this! Give it a Go! For Give it a Go, Laura recommends bubble baths, long walks, and good cardio sessions.  Laura currently still uses the treadmill and cross trainer, but explains how she will dance on the cross trainer.  Laura is kind enough to explain her bubble bath technique:  Run the hot tap until it is at its hottest. When filling, pour in a "good slug" of bubble bath. "Gjush" it really aggressively until you have a good level of water (about up to wrist level)Swill the water to make sure you have a good spread of bubbles, and that the bubbles aren't just forming under the tap.Continue the Gjush/Swill technique repeatedly so that fresh bubbles continue to form under the taps. Note that as the bath fills, the Gjush/Swill needs to also rise to keep agitating the higher level of the water. Another fantastic tip for good vibes and lifting the soul is a good bit of dancing. Laura explains how she will "aggressive dance to anything" whether it is a bit of Seal, or Savage Garden, another of her favourites.  Mentions in the Episode Laura's Instagram Account: Hello_Moon_CreativeSailor MoonSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chattygeekhd)

Francesca was born in California. She was brought up in an affluent part of California in a place called Palo Alto, home to Stanford University and part of Silicon Valley. It was during 8th Grade at school that she starting to get the feelings that she didn’t look how she felt she should. This resulted in the decision to get a treadmill and go on the treadmill for hours after school. This led to a loss of 50lbs over the course of 3 months – which Francesca points out is a very dangerous amount of weight to loose over such a short space of time, especially as a 13 year old. After graduating from high school early, Francesca moved to Seattle and pursued a degree in the Art of Cooking, which she completed. Francesca has always found food interesting, from eating and cooking, but also its ties to culture and politics amongst over things.  From the Art of Cooking, Francesca decided to then study International Business studies.  It was during this time that Francescas eating habits changed from compulsive exercise and restricted eating, to binge eating. At the time, although she felt something was maybe wrong with her eating habits, she was reluctant to accept this as she didn’t feel she was ticking the boxes that would typically be signs of any official eating disorder. This is something she wouldn’t talk to anybody about and hid it from her friends.  Se completed her studies and begun work in Corporate Finance. After three years of work, she quit her job in consulting – right before the start of the Pandemic.  At this time Francesca begun working with a dietitian, as she starting working and studying macros. It was when she was working with this dietician, that the dietician started to notice the indicators of an eating problem. At the end of the six weeks of working with this dietician, she was referred to a specialist.  It was while she was working with this specialist that she started working on something called intuitive eating. This process is what allowed her to heal. Mentions in the Episode KaleidoscopeFM - a podcast by Francesca MeffertIt's Not About the Food - a podcast by Stefani ReinoldThe Dear Body Podcast - a podcast by Jesse JeanInuyashaSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chattygeekhd)

with Jared Altic Jared's day job is for the Church where he works as a preacher. He also serves voluntarily on call as a Police Chaplain, whereby he has a pager and is required to attend as a first responder when there has been a death on the scene. He describes his role as a "Mental Health Paramedic", and his primary concern is to care for the mental health of victims, family of victims, witnesses and also his own Police officers and colleagues following a traumatic event.  Jared talks about his experiences as a Police Chaplain. He describes it as a shock to the system, having to meet people who are probably having the worst day of their lives, and see that over and over again. The job of a Chaplain is to provide support and information for the family of victims, and to explain the process. Police officer are unable to do this all the time because many times at a crime scene they need to be checking for danger.  Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chattygeekhd)