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The Holiday That Changed My Life

The Holiday That Changed My Life

by What Media

Personal Journals Places & Travel

Season 1

Series 1, Episode 10 – ANGELA LUGER – ‘Dream Caribbean holiday turned into a nightmare in a split second’

Angela Luger is an experienced and well respected FTSE 250 CEO and non-executive director but nothing could have prepared her for what happened in 2022. She’d been enjoying a dream catamaran holiday in the British Virgin Islands with her American husband Michael and two other couples when tragedy struck. The couple had been snorkelling when Michael suffered a heart attack and died despite frantic efforts to save his life. Angela described it as the ‘worst hour of my life’ and a police investigation was launched as it was initially treated as an unexplained death at sea. However, she told The Holiday That Changed My Life podcast, that the tragedy made her realise she owes it to Michael and her family to continue living her best life. · Follow us on Instagram, TikTok and X @THTCML Our hosts Jen Atkinson is a veteran of the travel industry. The former CEO of £90m turnover company ITC Travel Group, she’s now the co-founder and executive chair of Travel Seen. Chris Maguire is an award-winning editor and events host. A journalist for more than 30 years he’s the executive editor of BusinessCloud and TechBlast. Sponsor: Travel Seen Producer: Ellice Street, What Media Studio engineers: James McDonald, Charlie Battson & Olivia Barrens, What Media

Series 1, Episode 9 – APRIL HUTCHINSON – ‘How travel helped me overcome trauma’

APRIL HUTCHINSON is a doyen of the travel industry. She’s the editor and publisher of TTG Luxury and has been a journalist for 30 years. However her devotion to travel has been at tremendous personal sacrifice. She was in a trip to Antarctica when she discovered her mother had died and she couldn’t get back in time to attend the funeral. Then, in 2008, on a short break to Amsterdam her husband told her he didn’t love her anymore and the pair got divorced. During Covid, April’s beloved cat Clio died and then she herself was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. However April has never been defined by her personal setbacks, preferring to find her salvation in travel. In the latest episode of The Holiday That Changed My Life podcast, April recalls listening to bears in Western Canada; driving on the back of a moped through the Cambodian jungle with an anti-poaching unit; meeting the last two Northern White Rhinos in Kenya; and a (brief) trip into North Korea. · We’d love to hear about the holiday that changed your life. Email jen@travelseen.co.uk · We’d also like to send one lucky listener on a life-changing holiday of their own. You can nominate yourself or nominate someone deserving of a lucky break. Just email nominate@travelseen.co.uk with the reasons why. · Follow us on Instagram, TikTok and X @THTCML Our hosts Jen Atkinson is a veteran of the travel industry. The former CEO of £90m turnover company ITC Travel Group, she’s now the co-founder and executive chair of Travel Seen. Chris Maguire is an award-winning editor and events host. A journalist for more than 30 years he’s the executive editor of BusinessCloud and TechBlast. Sponsor: Travel Seen Producer: Ellice Street, What Media Studio engineers: James McDonald, Charlie Battson & Olivia Barrens, What Media

Series 1, Episode 8 – PETER HOPTON – ‘Skiing off a cliff made me a nicer person’

Serial entrepreneur PETER HOPTON may have been successful in business but he admits his people skills left a lot to be desired. As the keen skier stood at the top of the mountain in Lake Tahoe, California, in 2019, his focus was getting to the bottom as quickly as possible. An app recorded his descent at 49mph – but then disaster struck. Peter didn’t see a fast-approaching cliff and skied off the side of the mountain. He fell from the equivalent of a two-storey building and suffered horrendous injuries as he crash-landed. At one point Peter thought he was going to die – but then something amazing happened. After his brush with death Peter vowed to grab his second chance at life with both hands and become a better person and use his unique skillset to help budding entrepreneurs. Peter recalls his life-changing fall on The Holiday That Changed My Life podcast. · We’d love to hear about the holiday that changed your life. Email jen@travelseen.co.uk · We’d also like to send one lucky listener on a life-changing holiday of their own. You can nominate yourself or nominate someone deserving of a lucky break. Just email nominate@travelseen.co.uk with the reasons why. · Follow us on Instagram, TikTok and X @THTCML Our hosts Jen Atkinson is a veteran of the travel industry. The former CEO of £90m turnover company ITC Travel Group, she’s now the co-founder and executive chair of Travel Seen. Chris Maguire is an award-winning editor and events host. A journalist for more than 30 years he’s the executive editor of BusinessCloud and TechBlast. Sponsor: Travel Seen Producer: Ellice Street, What Media Studio engineers: James McDonald, Charlie Battson & Olivia Barrens, What Media

Series 1, Episode 7 – RORY O’HARE – ‘I owe everything to £28 silent retreat’

RORY O’HARE is today a high-flying partner with Primas Law but looks back on a £28 silent retreat in North Wales as the holiday that changed his life. At the time Rory was living in London and routinely punching out 13-hour days but admits he’d never felt more alone. Then he saw an advert for a £28 silent retreat in North Wales and found the answers to the questions that would change the direction of his life forever. Instead of burning the midnight oil at work he slept solidly for 36 hours and woke up with a different view of the world. Rory describes the experience on The Holiday That Changed My Life podcast as the life-changing ‘reset’ that he desperately needed. It not only provided him with the clarity he needed in his career but it helped him find the love of his life · We’d love to hear about the holiday that changed your life. Email jen@travelseen.co.uk · We’d also like to send one lucky listener on a life-changing holiday of their own. You can nominate yourself or nominate someone deserving of a lucky break. Just email nominate@travelseen.co.uk with the reasons why. · Follow us on Instagram, TikTok and X @THTCML Our hosts Jen Atkinson is a veteran of the travel industry. The former CEO of £90m turnover company ITC Travel Group, she’s now the co-founder and executive chair of Travel Seen. Chris Maguire is an award-winning editor and events host. A journalist for more than 30 years he’s the executive editor of BusinessCloud and TechBlast. Sponsor: Travel Seen Producer: Ellice Street, What Media Studio engineers: James McDonald, Charlie Battson & Olivia Barrens, What Media

Series 1, Episode 6 – PHILIP WALSH – ‘I survived avalanche that killed my pal’

Keen skier Philip Walsh couldn’t wait to celebrate his 30th birthday by going skiing in the Canadian Rockies with some friends. However ecstasy turned to tragedy as he waited to be picked up by a helicopter in one of the most beautiful places in the world after completing his ski. His instructor suddenly pointed to an avalanche in the distance after hearing a ‘woof’ sound and within seconds the group was hit by a wall of snow. “It was like being hit by a wave the size of a Ford Transit doing 70mph,” he recalled. “I was tumbled over and over like a pebble being rolled by a wave against the seashore.” He was only rescued because his hand was sticking out of the snow but two of the party were trapped under the snow and tragically died. In ‘The Holiday That Changed My Life’ podcast, Philip reflects on his brush with death and why he was determined not to pass on his fears to his children when they started skiing. · We’d love to hear about the holiday that changed your life. Email jen@travelseen.co.uk · We’d also like to send one lucky listener on a life-changing holiday of their own. You can nominate yourself or nominate someone deserving of a lucky break. Just email nominate@travelseen.co.uk with the reasons why. · Follow us on Instagram, TikTok and X @THTCML Our hosts Jen Atkinson is a veteran of the travel industry. The former CEO of £90m turnover company ITC Travel Group, she’s now the co-founder and executive chair of Travel Seen. Chris Maguire is an award-winning editor and events host. A journalist for more than 30 years he’s the executive editor of BusinessCloud and TechBlast. Sponsor: Travel Seen Producer: Ellice Street, What Media Studio engineers: James McDonald, Charlie Battson & Olivia Barrens, What Media

Series 1, Episode 5 – MARIAM ASLAM-DIGGER on why success didn’t make her happy

Mariam Aslam-Digger thought she could find happiness chasing the corporate dream but found peace closer to home. The youngest of five Muslim daughters Mariam always knew she was different. In her first trip back to her parents’ homeland of Pakistan she admits she acted like a spoilt teenager and the disastrous holiday ended with her being bitten by a scorpion. As she grew older, she threw herself into her career but despite enjoying the trappings of success she wasn’t happy and was close to burn-out. In desperation she went back on holiday to Pakistan for a second time and found some of the answers to the questions she’d spent much of her life looking for. The slower pace of life gave her time to reflect and appreciate that her parents were a lot happier in a less materialistic world than she was in her Manchester flat. When she got back to the UK she made a series of life changes – quitting her job and setting up a new business. · We’d love to hear about the holiday that changed your life. Email jen@travelseen.co.uk · We’d also like to send one lucky listener on a life-changing holiday of their own. You can nominate yourself or nominate someone deserving of a lucky break. Just email nominate@travelseen.co.uk with the reasons why. · Follow us on Instagram, TikTok and X @THTCML Our hosts Jen Atkinson is a veteran of the travel industry. The former CEO of £90m turnover company ITC Travel Group, she’s now the co-founder and executive chair of Travel Seen. Chris Maguire is an award-winning editor and events host. A journalist for more than 30 years he’s the executive editor of BusinessCloud and TechBlast. Sponsor: Travel Seen Producer: Ellice Street, What Media Studio engineers: James McDonald, Charlie Battson & Olivia Barrens, What Media ‘The Holiday That Changed My Life’ podcast is a What Media production and is recorded at the Ministry of Work, in Swinton, Manchester.

Series 1, Episode 4 – EMMA SQUIRE ‘I nearly died on my birthday’

Emma Squire had been planning a relaxing beach walk in Sri Lanka with her family to celebrate her 20th birthday. However her excitement was rapidly replaced by blind terror as the island was hit by the devastating Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami on Boxing Day 2004 that killed 230,000 people. The waves separated her from her family and carried on her on a terrifying journey that brought her face-to-face with death. Amazingly, Emma survived and was found by her dad but she faced an agonising wait to see if her siblings and her mum had survived. In ‘The Holiday That Changed My Life’ podcast, Emma reflects on how a Christmas holiday to Sri Lanka changed her approach to like forever. · We’d love to hear about the holiday that changed your life. Email jen@travelseen.co.uk · We’d also like to send one lucky listener on a life-changing holiday of their own. You can nominate yourself or nominate someone deserving of a lucky break. Just email nominate@travelseen.co.uk with the reasons why. · Follow us on Instagram, TikTok and X @THTCML Our hosts Jen Atkinson is a veteran of the travel industry. The former CEO of £90m turnover company ITC Travel Group, she’s now the co-founder and executive chair of Travel Seen. Chris Maguire is an award-winning editor and events host. A journalist for more than 30 years he’s the executive editor of BusinessCloud and TechBlast. Sponsor: Travel Seen Producer: Ellice Street, What Media Studio engineers: James McDonald, Charlie Battson & Olivia Barrens, What Media

Series 1, Episode 3 – SOPHIE BROWN ‘I married a stranger’

Sophie Brown could have been forgiven for having a few nerves when she flew to Saint Lucia on her honeymoon with her new husband, Jonathan Wileman. That’s because the stars of the hit show ‘Married At First Sight’ had just met each other and their every move was being followed by a TV crew. Sophie tells The Holiday That Changed My Life podcast how she appeared on the show looking for love but found herself at the centre of a bizarre experiment watched by a TV audience of millions. However, the scrutiny didn’t end when the camera crews stopped filming as she found herself being targeted by cruel social media trolls over her weight. · We’d love to hear about the holiday that changed your life. Email jen@travelseen.co.uk · We’d also like to send one lucky listener on a life-changing holiday of their own. You can nominate yourself or nominate someone deserving of a lucky break. Just email nominate@travelseen.co.uk with the reasons why. · Follow us on Instagram, TikTok and X @THTCML Our hosts: Jen Atkinson is a veteran of the travel industry. The former CEO of £90m turnover company ITC Travel Group, she’s now the co-founder and executive chair of Travel Seen. Chris Maguire is an award-winning editor and events host. A journalist for more than 30 years he’s the executive editor of BusinessCloud and TechBlast. Sponsor: Travel Seen Producer: Ellice Street, What Media Studio engineers: James McDonald, Charlie Battson & Olivia Barrens, What Media The Holiday That Changed My Life podcast is a What Media production and is recorded at the Ministry of Work, in Swinton, Manchester.

Series 1, Episode 2 – DERRY GREEN ‘I owe my life to garden camping trip’

When Derry Green was trapped at home with his kids in 2020 during the Covid lockdown he made a decision that would change his life. Unable to fly to Florida for their planned holiday to Disney he told his kids to pack their bags as they were going on an alternative holiday - in their bag garden in Skelmersdale! With Derry’s European transport business facing an uncertain future he built a glamping pod in his garden and posted photos on Facebook – and immediately became a viral media sensation. He decided to post images of his glamping pod on Airbnb and was deluged with so many bookings he decided to turn it into a business. In ‘The holiday that changed my life’ podcast, Derry reveals how he now has 12 glamping pods, a £3m business, millions of followers on social media, he appeared on Dragons’ Den and has a new partner. · We’d love to hear about the holiday that changed your life. Email jen@travelseen.co.uk · We’d also like to send one lucky listener on a life-changing holiday of their own. You can nominate yourself or nominate someone deserving of a lucky break. Just email nominate@travelseen.co.uk with the reasons why. · Follow us on Instagram, TikTok and X @THTCML Our hosts: Jen Atkinson is a veteran of the travel industry. The former CEO of £90m turnover company ITC Travel Group, she’s now the co-founder and executive chair of Travel Seen. Chris Maguire is an award-winning editor and events host. A journalist for more than 30 years he’s the executive editor of BusinessCloud and TechBlast. Sponsor: Travel Seen Producer: Ellice Street, What Media Studio engineers: James McDonald, Charlie Battson & Olivia Barrens, What Media ‘The holiday that changed my life’ podcast is a What Media production and is recorded at the Ministry of Work, in Swinton, Manchester.

Series 1, Episode 1 – DOMINIC McGREGOR ‘Terrorists made me confront my demons’

Series 1, Episode 1 – DOMINIC McGREGOR on how surviving the 2015 Paris terror attack forced him to confront his own demons. ‘The holiday that changed my life’ podcast with Jen Atkinson and Chris Maguire Friday November 13th, 2015 could have been the last day of Dominic McGregor’s life – but it turned out to be the start of a new one. In the space of a few hours the entrepreneur went from the euphoria of closing a £1m investment deal with his business partner Steven Bartlett to finding himself at the centre of a terrorist attack that left 130 people dead. In ‘The holiday that changed my life’ podcast, Dominic chats about the ‘work hard, play hard’ culture at Social Chain, his relationship with alcohol and his fateful decision to fly to Paris to watch a football match between France and Germany at the Stade de France. However surviving the suicide bombers and gunmen wielding semi-automatic rifles on that dramatic night in Paris wasn’t the end of his ordeal as the night forced him to face up to his problems of alcohol. Amazingly Dominic returned to Paris to propose to his now wife and remarkably can look back on Friday November 13th as the day that changed his life. · We’d love to hear about the holiday that changed your life. Email jen@travelseen.co.uk · We’d also like to send one lucky listener on a life-changing holiday of their own. You can nominate yourself or nominate someone deserving of a lucky break. Just email nominate@travelseen.co.uk with the reasons why. · Follow us on Instagram, TikTok and X @THTCML Our hosts Jen Atkinson is a veteran of the travel industry. The former CEO of £90m turnover company ITC Travel Group, she’s now the co-founder and executive chair of Travel Seen. Chris Maguire is an award-winning editor and events host. A journalist for more than 30 years he’s the executive editor of BusinessCloud and TechBlast. Producer: Ellice Street, What Media Studio engineers: James McDonald, Charlie Battson & Olivia Barrens, What Media ‘The holiday that changed my life’ podcast is a What Media production and is recorded at the Ministry of Work, in Swinton, Manchester.