Positive News is bringing its uplifting journalism to the airwaves for the first time, through a new podcast that opens with a six-part series on mental health solutions
One request that we often get from readers here at Positive News is for a podcast. Well, this week, we are delighted to announce the launch of one.
Available from today, The Positive News Podcast opens with a six-part series titled Developing Mental Wealth. The series uncovers the fascinating ways that communities are dealing with mental health issues in parts of the world where circumstances are often the most challenging.
Hosted by medical doctor Radha Modgil and journalist Seyi Rhodes, the podcast travels from Guatemala to Nigeria, Peru to Zimbabwe and beyond, to meet those on the ground who are coming up with practical solutions to support people’s wellbeing. The series unearths some powerful projects that are low-cost, community-based and tailored to local cultures.
“There’s so much more we need to do as a global society to ensure mental health is a priority,” says host Dr Radha Modgil. “This series shows how big and impactful change often begins with individuals who have compassionately transformed their own personal trauma and challenge. The solutions they’ve found are something to hold on to in these uncertain times.”
The first episode reports on hairdressers in Ivory Coast, who are training as mental health ambassadors and offering accessible support to their clients in a country where mental illness remains taboo. Other episodes explore inspiring interventions such as a movement to empower neurodivergent people in Peru, climate cafes that are helping Africans manage eco-anxiety, and a unique form of therapy that’s helping to free women from gender-based violence in South Africa.
Seyi Rhodes says: “I’ve spent over a decade travelling the world and immersing myself in communities who are experiencing social upheavals due to conflict, climate change and natural disasters. One thing they have in common is their need to process grief, uncertainty and rapid change in ways that make sense to them. In presenting The Positive News Podcast, it’s fascinating to be able to delve into some of the solutions people have come up with – often in response to challenges I’ve witnessed and reported on over the years.”
This series shows how big and impactful change often begins with individuals who have compassionately transformed their own personal trauma and challenge
The podcast launch comes at a time when news avoidance is on the rise globally as bad news overwhelms people. Research by the Reuters Institute has shown that 41% of people in the UK actively avoid the news.
“The Positive News Podcast brings an exciting new dimension to our uplifting journalism, helping us to reach more people with the good news that matters,” said Positive News CEO Sean Wood. “Plus, our community of supporters told us they wanted a podcast, so we’re really pleased to be delivering this for them.”
Positive News partnered with podcast production company Crowd Network to create the audio series, which builds upon the Developing Mental Wealth written series published earlier in the year. Funding for the series was awarded to Positive News by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. The fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Main image: Radha Modgil and Seyi Rhodes, photographed by Sam Bush.
