Big Fish with Spencer Matthews - podcast cover

Big Fish with Spencer Matthews

From battling issues with drinking to founding the world's leading independent non-alcoholic spirits brand CleanCo, my story is one of resilience and reinvention. Now I'm on a mission to uncover the secrets of success from inspirational people who have made an incredible name for themselves. If like me you’re fascinated by how other people have developed a mindset for success, tune in each week so you can be inspired to unlock your full potential and become the best version of yourself. To contact us: bigfish@global.com For advertising opportunities, please email: dax@global.com
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Episodes

Chris Van Tulleken: Why ultra processed food is harming you, and why you can't stop eating it

Today’s bonus guest is Dr Chris van Tulleken, he's the author of the bestselling book Ultra Processed People, an infectious diseases doctor and broadcaster. Now for anyone who’s been listening to Big Fish for a while, you’ll know that this book absolutely changed my life. It’s an eye-opening exploration into ultra processed food and why we can't stop eating it. He looks at how this industrially processed food is designed and marketed to be addictive, why exercise and willpower can't save us and ...

Sep 12, 202454 min

Frankie Bridge: The reality of being the 'perfect' popstar

Frankie Bridge is best known for her pop career - she was a member of one of the UK’s most successful girl bands, The Saturdays, and pop group S Club Juniors, which she joined at just 12-years-old. She’s also the Sunday Times bestselling author of OPEN: Why Asking for Help Can Save Your Life and GROW: Motherhood, Mental Health and Me. In this episode we talk about the power of self-belief, her experience of being a child star and its impact on her life, and the challenges of comparison when you'...

Sep 10, 202451 min

24/30 marathons done and my toughest run yet

Hi all - a quick update from Jordan! Thanks so much for your support, words of encouragement and donations. A slightly delayed update from me due to lack of signal - but please keep donating if you can: www.makesomenoise.com/spencer-matthews-challenge

Aug 22, 20242 min

Bryony Gordon: ‘Run for the way it makes you feel, not for the way it makes you look’

Welcome back to this mini series which follows me as I attempt to complete a world record of 30 marathons in 30 days on sand in the Jordanian desert. This week’s guest is Bryony Gordon. She’s a bestselling author and mental health campaigner who runs marathons in her underwear. In this episode we talk about what running has given her and how it's changed her life. If you'd like to donate, please head to: www.makesomenoise.com/spencer-matthews-challenge

Aug 21, 202426 min

Jasmin Paris: A gruelling 60 hours with no sleep: The first woman to complete the Barkley ultramarathon

Welcome back to this Big Fish mini series! I'm so nearly half way through. Today I’m joined by Jasmin Paris, an ultra-runner who made history after becoming the first woman to complete the Barkley Marathons - one of the hardest ultramarathons in the world. Only 20 people have ever made it to the end of the race within the allotted 60 hours. In this episode we discuss how she physically and mentally completed this gruelling race with only a couple of minutes sleep.

Aug 13, 202425 min

11/30 done - 19 marathons to go!

Hi all - a quick update from Jordan! Thanks so much for your support, words of encouragement and donations. A slightly delayed update from me due to lack of signal - but please keep donating if you can: www.makesomenoise.com/spencer-matthews-challenge

Aug 08, 20242 min

Rose Harvey: I joined a run club to meet friends, now I’m running for Team GB at the Olympics

Welcome back the The Great Desert Challenge mini series. Today I'm joined by Rose Harvey, who's running for Team GB at the Olympics - despite only taking up running professionally in 2020 after she was made redundant from her job as a corporate lawyer. She's utterly talented and inspiring, so whether you’re a runner or not - I know you will absolutely love Rose’s story and be inspired by the idea that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. If you'd like to donate, please head to: www.mak...

Aug 06, 202425 min

An update from Jordan...

The Great Desert Challenge is underway - so I wanted to give you an update on how the team and I are doing. Please donate if you can! makesomenoise.com/spencer-matthews-challenge

Jul 30, 20242 min

Vogue Williams: How I really feel about Spencer’s world record attempt

Welcome back to this mini series which follows me as I attempt to complete a Guinness world record of 30 marathons in 30 days on sand through the Jordanian desert. By the time you're listening, I will have likely started my first marathon. This episode is with my wife Vogue Williams where we discuss how we're both honestly feeling about the challenge and whether she thinks I’ll be able to actually complete it. If you'd like to donate, please head to: www.makesomenoise.com/spencer-matthews-challe...

Jul 28, 202427 min

30 in 30: Gruelling terrain, 3am starts and the threat we didn’t see coming: What lies ahead of my biggest challenge yet

Welcome back to this Big Fish mini series which follows me as I attempt to complete a Guinness world record of 30 marathons in 30 days on sand through the Jordanian desert. If you're listening on release, I'm flying to Jordan right now and the enormity of this challenge is really dawning on me. This is part two of this episode with my running coach Chris Taylor and my trainer Shaun Stafford as we take you through how we’ve been training and planning for this world record attempt. Please donate a...

Jul 25, 202433 min

Have I picked an impossible challenge? A reality check ahead of my world record attempt

Welcome to this Big Fish mini series which follows me as I attempt to complete a Guinness world record of 30 marathons in 30 days on sand through the Jordanian desert. I fly out on Saturday, and start the race on Monday 29th July. Many people think this challenge isn't even possible; but I disagree. In this episode I'm joined by my running coach Chris Taylor and trainer Shaun Stafford to go through all the details of the race, including the route, how I've been training and all the challenges we...

Jul 23, 202427 min

S4 E16: Richard Whitehead: The four time world champion and Paralympic athlete with no legs

Richard Whitehead is a world-class athlete. He’s a double gold and double silver Olympic medalist, a four time world champion and four time European champion. All this success with no legs. Richard runs with prosthetic legs as he has a double knee congenital amputation - but this never stopped Richard from becoming the best in the world. In 2004, aged 27, he dreamt of running a marathon and signed up for the New York Marathon having never run a mile. With pure determination and discipline, Richa...

Jun 18, 202447 minSeason 4Ep. 16

Big Fish Extra Catch: Make these three changes for a healthier life

We’ve reached the end of the series, and I’ve absolutely loved recording these bonus episodes with my friend and personal trainer Shaun Stafford. Our aim was always to give you a quick deep dive into popular health trends to help you understand them better or change your perspective. I wanted to take a look at some of the top facts and tips I’ve learned in this series, which can help you to make small changes to live a healthier life. In this episode, we’re looking at sleep, caffeine and alcohol...

Jun 13, 202424 min

S4 E15: Paul Chowdhry: Surviving racist abuse and childhood grief to become a bestselling comic

Paul Chowdhry is an acclaimed and multi-award winning stand-up comedian, actor, writer and podcaster, he hosts The Paul Chowdhry PudCast for Global Player. He’s renowned as the most successful British Indian stand-up comedians in history, and has sold out Wembley Arena, putting him in the top 10 bestselling comics in 2017. His comedy is known for being outspoken and sometimes shocking, tackling subjects like race, sex culture. But in this interview we see a much more serious side to Paul. He tal...

Jun 11, 202439 minSeason 4Ep. 15

Big Fish Extra Catch: All you REALLY need to know about fasting, cold plunging and clean eating

We’re coming to the end of the series, and I’ve absolutely loved making these bonus episodes with Shaun. I wanted to take a look at my personal highlights from the series. So I’ve rounded up the best evidence-based tips on the most popular topics we’ve covered in this series. We’re looking at f asting, cold plunging and clean eating - it’s a quick lowdown on the benefits and drawbacks of each, plus how you can get started.

Jun 06, 202426 min

S4 E14: Deborah Meaden: Confidence, self-belief and self-reliance: Becoming one of the UK's most famous businesswomen

Deborah Meaden is one of Britain’s best known business names - and I’ve been wanting her on the podcast ever since we launched. She’s a highly successful entrepreneur and has been an investor on Dragons’ Den since 2006. Her new book, Deborah Meaden Talks Money has been described as an unmissable book about money and finance for young people - and it’s out now. In this episode we talk about how to nail a Dragons’ Den pitch, whether she regrets any of her investments on the show and why money shou...

Jun 04, 202453 minSeason 4Ep. 14

S4 E13: Gordon Smart: Abuse, acid attacks and f*cked up celebrities: My time as a tabloid editor

Gordon Smart is a broadcaster and journalist. His impressive rise to one of the jobs at the Sun newspaper at such a young age is absolutely remarkable. He became the showbiz editor at just 26 years old, and was appointed editor of the Scottish Sun at just 32. But at 36 he decided to pack it all in - telling me he couldn’t handle it, could no longer sleep at night and very nearly had a nervous breakdown. After leaving newspapers, he now presents on Radio 5 Live , co-hosts the Global podcast Restl...

May 28, 202451 minSeason 4Ep. 13

Big Fish Extra Catch: Is taking supplements actually worth it?

In this episode, the lowdown on supplements and whether they can really benefit your health and lifestyle. Multivitamins, omega 3, vitamin D, protein powders and creatine... Shaun and Spencer bust some of the myths that surround them.

May 23, 202430 min

S4 E12: Angela Scanlon: How I manifested my TV career

Angela Scanlon is a presenter and author. She’s presented huge shows for the BBC including The One Show, and has just taken over Graham Norton as the weekend breakfast presenter on Virgin Radio . She’s also the co-founder of the jewellery brand frkl. In this interview we talked about how she manifested her hugely successful TV career, how being a self-confessed workaholic nearly led to burnout and the impact of battling a 15-year eating disorder. If you've been affected by anything in this episo...

May 21, 202451 minSeason 4Ep. 12

S4 E11: Jax Jones: Abandoned as a baby to generating 10 billion streams

Timucin Lam, known professionally as Jax Jones, is a DJ, record producer and remixer. He rose to prominence in 2014 by featuring on Duke Dumont's number-one single "I Got U". Jax Jones is a trailblazer in the music industry - he has 8 UK Top 10 singles, 8 UK platinum singles, over 60 million single sales and a staggering 10 billion global audio streams. He’s also been honoured with multiple Grammy, Brti and Ivor Novello nominations and has worked with legends like Whitney Houston, Ed Sheeran, Di...

May 14, 202444 minSeason 4Ep. 11

S4 E10: Jason Fox: 'It wasn’t the military that fucked me up, it was normal life’

Jason Fox, usually known as Foxy, is a television personality, adventurer and former UK Special Forces soldier and Royal Marine Commando. He joined the marines at just 16 - serving for ten years, after which he passed the gruelling selection process for the special forces. After leaving the military he’s become a bestselling author and is probably best known for presenting SAS: Who Dares Wins. His new book Embrace the Chaos is out now - it’s all about challenging your limits and changing your ha...

May 07, 202454 minSeason 4Ep. 10

Big Fish Extra Catch: Why women need to lift weights

Are you scared to lift weights out of fear you'll get too muscly? Do you want to give it a go but haven't a clue where to start? In this episode of Extra Catch with Shaun Stafford, we're giving the lowdown on why women should strength train: weight loss, increased metabolism, improving bone and joint health and hormonal balance. PS: You won't end up looking as big as Shaun, it's taken him 20 years to look that hench.

May 02, 202426 min

S4 E9: TJ Power: Neuroscientist on why your phone, porn and ultra-processed food is ruining your mental health

TJ Power is a neuroscientist, co-founder of Neurify and author of The DOSE effect, which is out later this year. TJ has gained a huge following online for his groundbreaking approach to mental health - particularly in the face of the challenges posed by our modern, digitally-driven lives. In this episode, TJ breaks down how we can all optimise our brain chemistry to rewire our thinking for happier, healthier and more productive lives. DOSE stands for the four key chemicals that rule are thinking...

Apr 30, 202453 minSeason 4Ep. 9

Big Fish Extra Catch: Am I addicted to caffeine?

How much caffeine is too much? In this episode of Extra Catch with Shaun Stafford, we're taking a deep dive into caffeine. Is it actually bad for you? How can I optimise it for performance? And when does its overuse become too dependent?

Apr 25, 202426 min

S4 E8: Christine McGuinness on autism, celibacy and her father’s heroin addiction

This episode contains discussion around suicide and eating disorders. If you are affected by anything you hear in this episode and need support, please see the suggested helpline and website links below. Christine McGuinness is a television personality, former beauty queen and most recently, an influential advocate for autism awareness. A few years ago, her three children were all diagnosed with autism and shortly after, Christine discovered she was autistic herself - being diagnosed at 33-years...

Apr 23, 202442 minSeason 4Ep. 8

Big Fish Extra Catch: How I'm preparing for my toughest challenge yet

What is the secret to endurance training? I've completed multiple extreme challenges - most recently an ultra marathon in the Amazon jungle and another in the Sahara, Marathon des Sables. In this episode with Shaun Stafford are giving you the lowdown on how I train for such events and how I keep focussed. I'll also reveal how I'm currently training for my toughest challenge to date.

Apr 18, 202432 min
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