Feeding Others, While Falling Apart, with Adam Smith

Trigger warning: This episode includes honest discussions about suicide attempts, mental illness, domestic violence, and trauma.

Adam Smith’s story is unlike anything you’ve heard - and exactly what so many men need to hear.

Sectioned at 11. In prison by 21. Found unresponsive in a car after trying to end his life. This could’ve been the end - but it wasn’t. Instead, Adam’s journey is one of remarkable survival and a relentless mission to make his pain count for something.

In this episode, Adam speaks with raw honesty about growing up in care, wrestling with addiction, and living with autism and mental illness. But also about rising - becoming a chef, starting The Real Junk Food Project, and then Surplus2Purpose, and feeding millions with food others deemed worthless. He doesn’t sugar-coat any of it. There are no easy answers. Just grit, compassion, and a deep belief that lives - like food - should never be wasted.

You might not have lived Adam’s life. But if you’ve ever felt lost, numb, ashamed, or like you don’t know where you fit in the world, there’s something here for you. This episode is about survival - but also about honesty, connection, and how we begin to move forward, even if we’re still broken.

This is not just Adam’s story. It’s a mirror for anyone who’s ever struggled and needed a way through.

[If you can relate to Adam’s experience and need immediate help, you can call Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK, or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US or Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia. Otherwise, as always, we also recommend that you speak to a GP or mental health professional.

Have you ever felt like you’ve become lost in your own life? 

Many men struggle to talk about their problems and mental health and grew up believing that to do can be perceived as a sign of weakness or failure. There is also a lack of open discussion in society around men’s mental health, especially aimed at mid-life men.  As a result, at times many men can feel alone and lost in their own lives. 

In this podcast series, I talk to mid-life men about their stories; the challenges, the turning points, and the support received to help them find their way so that others who may be suffering in silence or don’t know what to do next, realise that they are not alone and there is help available. 

Stories will cover a whole range of challenges faced by mid-life men mainly relating to the causes of mental health issues including feelings of isolation, depression, job dissatisfaction, addiction, PTSD, and long-term illness.

The podcast is NOT a replacement for professional support and we signpost to organisations and their contact details by episode. 

If you have a story you would like to share or any feedback on the podcasts, please email me: [email protected].

• No. of episodes: 60
• Latest episode: 2025-06-23
• Society & Culture Health & Fitness Personal Journals Mental Health

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