Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge

With a career spent fighting for the rights of over 110 wrongly convicted Death Row inmates, my guest this week is criminal defense attorney, David R. Dow. Author of multiple award-winning memoirs and novels, and the former litigation director for the state of Texas, David gives us an in-depth look at his journey to exonerate and seek justice for the wrongly convicted and to shine a light on this violent practice that is still prevalent in the U.S today.

My guest this week is former United States Secret Service Special Agent, Evy Poumpouras. Throughout her 12 years of service, Evy has spent time in the Presidential Protective Division, was an undercover and criminal investigator, is specialized in polygraph interrogation and holds a U.S. Secret Service Valor Award for her heroic efforts as a first responder in the 9/11 terror attacks. Recounting her previous experiences and talking about her current efforts in multi-media journalism, being an educator and an author, Evy shares how she learnt to read people, acknowledge fear, strengthen her resilience, and become "bulletproof".

Your restrictions don't define you, and my guest this week at the young age of 21 has already proved just that. Diagnosed with one of rarest forms of dwarfism, on this week's episode Brandon Farbstein shares with us how through courage, determination and strength, his condition has become his progressive force, and how your adversities can too. Working to inspire, create awareness, elevate empathy and break social barriers, Brandon shares with us the importance of changing your own perception as your key to success, and as a catalyst to drive you forward.

Trigger warning: This episode includes conversations about child trafficking and abuse. A story that truly emphasizes the power of hope, this week I had the honor of speaking with the incredible and courageous child sex trafficking survivor – Anneke Lucas. Sold by her mother at the age of 6 into an abusive and murderous pedophile network, Anneke recounts her horrific and heartbreaking experiences and shares how she has found healing through psychotherapy, writing, yoga and meditation. Anneke also shares with us her journey on breaking through feelings of shame, turning some of the darkest moments of her life into a passion for advocacy and strength. Anneke's book "Seeds Beneath the Snow: Uncovering the Divine Feminine on the Path to Global Equality" is scheduled to be released in 2020.

This week I am thrilled to bring you an interview with Britain's most respected hypnotherapist and the creator of Rapid Transformational Therapy – Marisa Peer. Her therapy method is world-renowned for its ability to create lasting change, without the need for ongoing sessions. Marisa has devoted her life to helping people resolve childhood trauma, find love, and lead happier lives. Through her public speaking, therapy training course, and best-selling books, award-winning therapist Marisa Peer has profoundly changed the lives of countless people. In this episode of The Spencer Lodge Podcast, Marisa shares her wisdom on transforming negative self-talk, how to accept that you are enough, and explains how to overcome the programming that's holding you back.

I am thrilled to bring you this week's episode as I am chatting with one of the only people on Earth to have lived in space AND at the bottom of the ocean! Today I am in conversation with the one and only Colonel Ron Garan - a decorated NASA astronaut, fighter pilot, test pilot, humanitarian, and social entrepreneur. Ron has a remarkable story as he has spent 178 days in space and has traveled more than 71 million miles during 2,842 orbits of our planet. He flew on both the US space shuttle and the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, where he accomplished four spacewalks. Ron also spent eighteen days at the bottom of the ocean during a research mission held in the world's only undersea research lab, Aquarius. Ron and I discuss how he made an 'impossible dream' become reality, the training it took to become an astronaut, why he is so passionate about improving life on Earth, and his upcoming book launch, Floating in Darkness. If you find this interview as fascinating as I did, then you'll want to be among the first to get a hardcover copy of Ron's new book Floating in Darkness, launching in May 2021. Floating in Darkness, the sequel to Ron's critically acclaimed first book The Orbital Perspective, adds the perspective of inner space to take the reader on a profound journey of discovery. It addresses fundamental aspects of the evolution of society and humanity and serves as a call to action to help steer the trajectory of our society toward a future we would all want to be a part of. As a 'thank you' to my listeners, simply use promo code "SPENCER" at checkout to get 10% off your pre-order copy of Ron's book here: https://www.rongaran.com/spencer

This week I sit down with Jihyun Park, a North Korean Defector, who tells me about her harrowing escape from North Korea in 1998. Jihyun reveals her experience of fleeing the darkest place on Earth, being human trafficked in China and forced into a marriage with a Chinese farmer with whom she had baby boy, and being separated from him for years. Jihyun highlights her experience of being reported to Chinese authorities and being sent back to North Korea, the torture she faced in a forced labour camp, and her brush with death while in captivity. Today Jihyun lives in the UK; she is a Human Rights Activist that campaigns for the rights of all North Koreans and helps North Korean refugees in the UK rebuild their lives. Note: I encourage listeners to head to my YouTube channel where you can experience Jihyun's story with visuals and subtitles, to fully immerse yourself in her story. Head to: http://bit.ly/Jihyun-Park-Video-Interview

This week's episode is a story of incredible resilience. I am speaking with Tulsi Vagjiani, an airplane crash survivor whose parents and brother perished, along with 89 others, after their plane crashed in Bangalore in 1990. At just 10 years old, Tulsi was dragged from the wreckage and flown to England where she was treated for 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 45% of her body. To date, Tulsi has endured more than 50 operations to repair her face, chest and legs, yet the severity of the burns meant she grew up feeling like "a freak." In our chat, we discuss her determination to overcome unimaginable loss, undergoing a life-changing kidney transplant and how she began to accept her appearance.

My guest this week is none other than Natasha Hamilton - former bandmate of the British girl group Atomic Kitten. At the tender age of 16 Natasha signed a £1.5M record deal with Virgin Records to form one of the UK's most successful girl bands - quickly becoming a global sensation with their single "Whole Again". With the girls' overnight success came intense pressure, paranoia, loneliness and anxiety. After 5 years as the lead singer, Natasha left the band at the height of her career to seek treatment for postpartum depression. In this episode, Natasha and I discuss the struggles she faced with sudden superstardom, leaving the limelight to raise her family and the loneliness she experienced after fame. We also touch on her experience with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and her journey to becoming a Holistic Therapist.

I watched a viral video a few years back of this week's guest delivering a heartfelt talk to a room full of students. It was a truly moving, emotional talk about the loss of his mother that had the entire audience in tears. That man is Marc Mero - a Former WWE Professional Wrestling Champion, motivational speaker and the founder of the non-profit organization, Champion of Choices. Today, he is America's number 1 school presenter, regularly speaking about anti-bullying, substance abuse, and suicide prevention. The tragic loss of more than 30 of his close friends and family members – largely due to substance abuse and poor lifestyle choices – is what inspired Marc to teach children about the consequences of their choices. He shares his powerful story of tragedy and triumph, speaking candidly about where his good and bad choices took him, his faith, and what he'd say to his mother if she were still here. His passion for reaching youth with his Champion of Choices School Program saves lives, encourages youth to achieve their goals and helps them become the Champions they are destined to be.