With spare time on her hands last year, Mary Marshall, who works as the manager of Joyce Young Collections on Haverstock Hill, began to record a weekly podcast, Closet Conversations. Her podcast focuses on everyday issues and she talks to ordinary people about their extraordinary lives, with the intention to inspire her listeners, and herself. Living and working in the area, Mary wanted to give something back to the community.
“I want to encourage ambition, promote self-development, combat anxiety, and create a caring, fun loving and supportive environment that listeners can come to each Friday for their weekly fix.”
Each week Mary discusses a different subject, often with a special guest who is either an expert in the field or has experience in the topic. They talk about the journey, the struggles, future plans, then answer questions from listeners. At the end of the show, there is a ‘confessions’ section where the guest has to reveal a fact that no one would have guessed about them!
It is distinctly different from other ‘interview’ style shows, because Mary’s podcast Closet Conversations also aims to educate people by enhancing their knowledge in subject areas they might not have considered before; and nothing is off limits! From dealing with death to understanding the humble espresso; destigmatising miscarriages to analysing dreams ‒ she covers it all. Closet Conversations wants to recognise the collective achievements of our fellows; to acknowledge our failures so we can learn from them; but most of all to inspire each other. Furthermore, this ambitious podcast wants to normalise some of the perhaps more uncomfortable subject matters by having an open conversation; and also, to act as a friend – so even in lockdown, you are never alone.
“I believe people want to hear stories of hope; to learn how to thrive in difficult times; and to celebrate others’ journeys, while learning something for themselves.”
Recently Mary has been speaking to some of our locals in the community about their work and discovering their stories. She spoke recently with local British film-maker Martin Gooch about his most recent venture, “ARGH”, in which she ended up gaining a couple of character roles. They discussed how he got into the industry and what he plans to do for the future.
Take a listen to the podcast, Closet Conversations, on all the main podcast platforms; the episode ‘Director’s Cut’ featuring the Martin Gooch interview can be heard by clicking on the link below:
www.closetconversations.co.uk//podcast-1/episode/a59274f6/directors-cut