Jamie Oliver: Changing The Way We Eat Didn't Make Me Popular!

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Sep 18, 2025

Jamie Oliver, a world-renowned chef, cookbook author, and public health campaigner, shares his inspiring journey from a dyslexic child in a pub kitchen to a culinary icon. He discusses the mission behind his mentorship-driven restaurant, Fifteen, and reflects on the challenges of fame and activism, particularly in school-dinner reform. Jamie also opens up about his deep connection to family life and how these experiences fueled his latest cookbook, aiming to empower healthier living. Passionate and honest, he reveals the heart behind his calling.

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ANECDOTE

Kitchen Childhood Shaped His Path

Jamie grew up literally in a pub kitchen and considered it his normal childhood environment.
That early kitchen work gave him belonging, skills, and rescued him from negative school outcomes.

INSIGHT

Ownership Is The Core Of Cooking Confidence

Confidence in cooking is partly personality plus learning a set of principles and processes.
Teaching kids to 'own' cooking unlocks creativity, resilience, and better life choices.

ANECDOTE

Dyslexia, School Struggles, And The Kitchen

Jamie was dyslexic and felt resentment toward school but found safety and identity in kitchens from age ten.
Working weekends and holidays gave him independence and proved he wasn't worthless.

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In this episode of Begin Again, world-renowned chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver shares the real reason he has fought so hard to change the way we eat and live.

Telling his life story in full, Jamie reflects on growing up in a pub kitchen, navigating school with dyslexia, and rising to fame as a young chef whose cookbooks would go on to sell millions of copies around the world. He opens up about the highs and lows of his career, from building his mentoring restaurant Fifteen to taking on the government with his school dinner campaigns.

Jamie also speaks movingly about family life, his enduring relationship with wife Jools, fatherhood, and the emotional moments that have shaped him most.

With honesty, insight, and passion, Jamie reveals how food became his purpose, how activism became his calling, and why creating change has always been personal.

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(00:00) Intro
(00:01:00) 30 Years of The Naked Chef
(00:02:00) Forming a Relationship With Food
(00:04:43) Jamie the Activist: How It All Began
(00:07:16) Jamie’s School Years and Dyslexia
(00:10:30) Where Jamie’s Confidence Comes From
(00:11:55) Finding Value in Pain and Failure
(00:14:58) From Public Figure to University: Studying Nutrition
(00:17:24) Jamie on Choice, Food Culture, and Unlocking Potential
(00:20:54) Fifteen: Jamie’s Mentorship-Driven Non-Profit Restaurant
(00:33:36) Adobe Ad
(00:34:45) Fifteen’s Legacy and the Power of Human Connection
(00:44:08) Fame at 23: TV Stardom and Loneliness
(00:47:40) School Dinner Activism and Jamie’s Support Team
(00:54:38) Jamie on Jools and Family Life
(00:59:01) A Memorable Moment at Fifteen
(01:00:16) 25 Year Marriage
(01:03:16) Surprise Letter From Jamie’s Daughter
(01:06:19) Turning 50: Emotional Intelligence and Personal Growth
(01:08:16) Jamie’s New Cookbook and TV Show: Eat Yourself Healthy