8/2 - So, You Have A Fear Of Flying

‘I have to get back on a plane after all of this. Why am I giggling by the pool?’

Claustrophobia, panic attacks, and hyperventilation can feel even more acute at 35,000 feet. Perhaps that’s why some aviophobics never get as far as buying plane tickets, and spend a lifetime making awkward train journeys instead.

Anna P - Team Leader on Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear course - says she can help passengers with even the most debilitating nerves overcome their fears. And she should know. As she reveals to Olly and journalist Rebecca Gillie in this candid chat, she once herself suffered from extreme anxiety. After one traumatic experience, she didn’t board a flight for eighteen years...

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Olly Mann, Anna P and Rebecca Gillie

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Find out more about Anna’s course at flyingwithoutfear.co.uk, and hear more of Rebecca talking to Olly on The Week Unwrapped, or wherever you find your podcasts.

Elsewhere, in this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart has returned from Europe’s largest VR experience with a spanking new Oculus Go. But the future, he maintains, is not in gaming and synthesised rollercoasters, but instead in Melody VR’s live music experiences and burgeoning social media simulacra.

Down The Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from discovering "open arse-fruit" at Ottolenghi’s new Rovi restaurant - advises a listener who is attempting to conceive about the best lubricants for the purpose. ‘You want those swimmers’, she surmises, ‘to vroom-vroom as if they’re in their Bimmers’. Who could disagree?

If, by contrast, you are keen to avoid a pregnancy, look no further than the exciting emporium operated by our friends at MyCondom.com, proud sponsors of The Foxhole. Just use the code ‘FOXHOLE’ to get an astonishing 15% OFF at Checkout!

This week’s Lifehack comes courtesy of Dr Jessica Barker from Redacted Firm, who offers up her Top 3 tips for staying safe online - protect your passwords, switch on two-factor authentication and be very very wary of public wi-fi!

The Lifehack is sponsored by Podcast Lounge - the new podcatcher app for Windows 10 devices. Get your free trial at the Windows App Store now.

Finally, our Record of the Week is ‘Arc en Ciel’ by Polo et Pan, out now on Universal:

Nice.

Enjoying the show? Support us! Consider taking out a beer money subscription, sponsoring an episode, or leaving us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

And, if YOU have a suggestion for a future guest, a question of sex for Alix or a challenge for Ollie, please fill out our Feedback form. 

See You Next Tuesday!

8/1 - A Restaurant Ruined My Life

"I was Don Quixote. I was chasing a windmill. I didn’t see the obstacles in my way."

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Robert Maxwell, photographed by Dave Gillespie for Toronto Life

With zero experience running a professional kitchen, home cook Robert Maxwell poured his life savings into his passion project: a gastropub-inspired Toronto restaurant. It became a crash-course in coping with stress, managing his cashflow, and curbing his ego.

In this funny, forthright interview with Olly, Robert reveals how chasing a dream led to him selling his house, hitting the bottle and falling out of love with the thing he loved the most... cooking.

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Meanwhile, in this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart considers whether or not he is a B.U.M.M.E.R after reading Jaron Lanier’s new book, Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.

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The Beech Tree, Robert's restaurant, is still open in Toronto - under new management

Elsewhere, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from co-hosting Radio 1’s new podcast Unexpected Fluids - advises a Mann-fan on the best techniques for couples to get jiggy… when you’re both fat.

We’re delighted that, for another series, The Foxhole is being supported by our friends at MyCondom.com - remember to use our discount code ‘FOXHOLE’ to get 15% OFF your basket at Checkout.

Also this week, in the Lifehack, uncover some top meditation tips, courtesy of Zoe from The Refinery, Hackney.

The Lifehack is sponsored by Podcast Lounge - the new podcatcher app for Windows 10 devices. Get your free trial at the Windows App Store now.

Finally, our record of the week is a stonking track for the Summer - ‘Violet City’ by Mansionair, available to stream courtesy of Glassnote Entertainment:

Enjoying the show? Support us! Consider taking out a beer money subscription, sponsoring an episode, or leaving us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

And, if YOU have a suggestion for a future guest, a question of sex for Alix or a challenge for Ollie, please fill out our Feedback form. 

Our thanks to Toronto Life, who first published an article by Robert Maxwell, bringing his story to our attention. 

See You Next Tuesday!

7/10 - Hands-On Dad

Ben Ryan’s two year-old son, Sol, was born with a blood clot in his arm.

Following amputation, the medical advice was to wait until Sol’s third birthday before fitting a prosthetic that grabs. But former psychology teacher Ben saw the developmental benefit of acting much sooner...

In this astonishing interview with Olly, he recalls his rollercoaster of emotions when Sol was born; the sponge ‘arm’ he initially bodged together with cotton wool and Micropore tape; and how he learned to use 3D printing and CAD software to help Sol and other children around the world.

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Ben’s business, Ambionics, involves parents in early rehabilitation and ultimately aims to develop printable hydraulic arms for babies at low clinical cost. He’s a finalist in the 2018 Nesta Inventor Prize, and is currently seeking more funding.

Meanwhile, in this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart investigates the real meaning of his SMS exchanges with Olly, using ‘texting relationship analyzer’ app Crushh; tests out Sandow's fizzy cold brew coffee; and explores the trend for ‘fashion drops’. If you have a challenge for Ollie to try for our next season, reach out via our Feedback form.

Elsewhere, in an especially NSFW edition of The Foxhole, Alix Fox provides an erotic review of podcasts and audiobooks designed for aural foreplay. On the menu: Rose Carraway’s ‘Kiss Me Quick’; Girl On The Net’s audio hub; Peach Booth podcast ‘Sugarcast’; Bijoux Indiscret’s Orgasm Sound Library, and the Reddit Gone Wild collection. If you have a question of sex for Alix, submit it via our Feedback form today - you can remain anonymous if you wish.

Many thanks to MyCondom.com for their sponsorship of The Foxhole throughout this series. They have an incredible range of toys, lube and contraceptives at great value prices, and they dispatch in discreet packaging. Remember, you get 15% OFF your entire order if you use our discount code, ‘FOXHOLE’.

For this week’s Lifehack, food and drinks journalist Johanna Derry offers up her Top 3 tips on how to get the best meal when eating out - check the quality of the ingredients, don’t put up with a snooty atmosphere, and ignore the hype! 

Our record of the week, 'Next Day' from solo artist Inner Tongue, is out soon on Mount Silver Records. But you can check out his other great work now... here's the video for 'Teeth', also off his forthcoming debut album:

If you would like to sponsor a future edition of the show, or if you have a suggestion for a future guest, please be in touch via the Feedback form.

And, if you enjoy the show, please consider buying us a beer - you can do it monthly, as a one-off amount or via PayPal. Your donations keep us going, thirty episodes per year. Thanks!

That’s it for this season of The Modern Mann - we’ll be back for our eighth season on June 26th.

7/9 - The Declutterer

‘You can’t organise around clutter. It’s impossible.’

Former investment banker Nicola Lewis likes to organise. Which is just as well, because the demand for decluttering has never been higher.

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Her clients might be coping with a bereavement, and the resultant truckload of unwanted furniture; or just moving house after decades of unintentional hoarding.

As she explains to Olly in this laid-back chat, Nicola's skills lie in helping folks decide what to keep, what to donate, and what to throw out…

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* NEW: You can now also listen to the show via our new Alexa Skill on your Alexa-enabled device. Get it here.

Ollie Peart on stage at Spark London

Elsewhere this episode, Ollie Peart returns from trying his hand at a spoken word evening to flag up this week’s trends in The Zeitgeist. To wit: the return of the bucket hat, and a revival for passive-view telly… in your internet browser.

Meanwhile, in this week’s Foxhole, Alix Fox considers the internal workings of the clitoris, and whether a trans-man’s clit might continue to expand inside his body as a result of taking testosterone.

(The Foxhole is, as ever, proudly sponsored by our friends at MyCondom.com. Remember to use our discount code ‘FOXHOLE’ to get 15% OFF).

In this week’s Lifehack, Natasha Lombe from RemyHairClub reveals her Top 3 tips for choosing a wig: select your material carefully, bear the climate in mind and scan social media for inspiration! (Speaking of which, you can check out Natasha @remyhairclub on Instagram.)

Finally, our record of the week is by rising LA producer Hoodboi. It’s called Long Distance, and it’s the third single from his upcoming EP, out May 22nd on Fool’s Gold records:

That's it for this week - but, if you have a question for Alix, a challenge for Ollie or would like to suggest a future interview for Olly, just fill in our Feedback form.

And, if you enjoy the show, please vote for us to win the Listener Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards: BritishPodcastAwards.com/Vote.

Thanks!

See You Next Tuesday.

7/8 - Cloudspotting

‘I just feel like there’s lots of spaces where I don’t belong, and I’m not welcome’

Professional dancer Raquel Meseguer had back surgery at the age of thirty, to treat chronic neuropathic pain. But, it didn’t alleviate her symptoms.

In this insightful interview with Olly, she explains how this bombshell has impacted upon the daily practicalities of her life, why she doesn’t feel welcome in our ‘vertical culture’, and how well-meaning members of the public have repeatedly shamed her for committing the cardinal sin of... lying down.

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* NEW: You can now also listen to the show via our new Alexa Skill on your Alexa-enabled device. Get it here.

If you’d like to find out more about Raquel’s quest to establish a network of public resting spaces, visit uncharteredcollective.com

In this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart ponders the emergence of trendy ‘microbrands’ on Instagram, reveals a surprising sensitivity to salt, and undertakes a challenge to test the best recipe boxes on the market. (On the list: Hello Fresh, Gousto, Mindful Chef, Born And Bred and Bakedin)

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox is back on Bumble but avoiding ‘The Tinder Trance’, and ready to advise a listener keen to explore the world of tantric sex.

The Foxhole, as ever, is sponsored by our friends at MyCondom.com - visit their store to get your mitts on an astonishing range of condoms, lubes and toys; and remember to use our code ‘FOXHOLE’ to get 15% OFF.

In this week’s Lifehack, Jenni Gwiazdowski of the London Bike Kitchen offers up her Top 3 tips on keeping your bike happy - pump your tyres, clean your chain, and take your bike into the shower (really). To hear more from Jenni, check out her podcast ‘Wheel Suckers’.

Finally, our record of the week is ‘Glue’, by Toronto-based band Bernice:

If you’d like to offer your services as a sponsor or Mannbassador, or you'd like to propose a trend challenge for Ollie, a question of sex for Alix, or a guest suggestion for Olly, just fill in our feedback form. 

This week’s show is supported by Harrys. Alix Fox uses their razors on her muff. To get started shaving with Harry’s today, claim your Trial Set for £3.95. It includes a razor handle, 5-blade cartridge, foaming shave gel and travel blade cover – all delivered to your door.

See You Next Tuesday!