Hatrack Heroes!

Take yourself back a number of years, and picture the endless lines and groups of humans as they tried to escape the horrors of their homeland, and embark on a journey into a new country, a safe country. The refugee crisis was in full swing... young men, families with children... all striving for a better life, and in many cases, striving for life.The image captured from this was one that our guest, Rando Wagner, experienced first hand, and really gave him drive and strength. The surreal feel...

Due to the outbreak of the COVID 2019, and the extreme seriousness of it all, we have decided to pause on the podcast for the moment.Further info in the update.

Cats... you might love them or hate them. But, no matter which one of these, a cat is still a beautiful creation put here on earth... for loving, to love, to chase mice, or be chased by dogs, to scratch sofas, to rub up against your leg... or just sit there and be doted on hand and foot until they're satisfied. No matter what, cats have a place on this earth, just like any other creature.Sadly though, many cities or even countries don't have plans or actions in place to control what has becom...

Cats... you might love them or hate them. But, no matter which one of these, a cat is still a beautiful creation put here on earth... for loving, to love, to chase mice, or be chased by dogs, to scratch sofas, to rub up against your leg... or just sit there and be doted on hand and foot until they're satisfied. No matter what, cats have a place on this earth, just like any other creature.Sadly though, many cities or even countries don't have plans or actions in place to control what has becom...

Environment is one of those topics hot on the lips of many people these days... but for Deanna, our next Hatrack Hero, it's more than just this. Cabin crew, also in the Middle East, Deanna is living and breathing a world of recycling and sustainability, trying to raise awareness, educate, and get people to practice the very simple habit of recycling... plastic especially. So much wastage is going towards landfill, which is by no means a solution to the tonnes and tonnes of plastic a...

This episode we look back at our chats with the first 4 of our hatrack heroes! We take stock of all that they've had to tell us regarding their charities or humanitarian organisations. We also discuss the who? and why? of what makes a hatrack hero, and the reasons why we decided to interview them.This episode also offers the listener a chance to provide feedback, and constructive criticism of the episodes so far... all feedback is welcome! We also invite you to share with us any airline ...

Following on from our last episode, we continue our chat with Marcus Azzam, crew with Etihad, and his experiences with 'Impoverished Children' down in a Kenyan slum called Kibera. On the east coast of Africa, these children are born into some of the worst conditions known to man... 'Impoverished Children' run by Katherine, who hails from Australia alongside her husband and some very dedicated human beings, are doing their utmost to change the live of some of these children, and in turn t...

This episode we journey back to Africa, specifically to Kibera, unbeknownst to me, the biggest slum city in Africa. This city is located on the east coast in the beautiful country of Kenya, and is home to an unconfirmed number of people, somewhere in between 250,000 and 1 million people (most reports stating it's closer to the latter figure). We talk to Marcus Azzam about Kibera, and his involvement with the humanitarian organisation called 'Impoverished Children'. Marcus is a captain wi...

They might not be the first people you see, or the first people you think of when you come to the beautiful city of Dubai, but there are thousands upon thousands of men working in the city of Dubai creating what Casie from 'Little People Big Hearts' calls 'The City Of Gold'. Underneath the glitz and glamour of this fast-paced, multicultural city is a magnitude of workers building this city from the bottom up. These men are brought here for this sole purpose, from a mixture of countries i...

Following on from Episode 2, we continue our chat with Eva from The Choice 2 Change. This episode we learn from Eva how she manages to maintain her focus, and keep up her motivation.We'll also hear more about the school, how they are being supported by various organisations, and what they are doing to make sure the charity is run well financially.You'll also find out how best you can support the charity, whether it be sponsoring a child, or by coming in to visit the charity in Dhaka.For furth...

As the title says, every child deserves a future. This is also one of the quotes burned into my mind after speaking with ex-Etihad crew Eva Kernova.Along with co-founder Sunil Baroi, and Mohammed Loch they are transforming the lives of many children within the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh.Many of you might think that the life of airline crew is just glamorous, going from one city to another... shopping, swimming, sightseeing. But, it can also be a whole lot more than this, as we are often thrus...

Come with us as we begin our brand new podcast in the west of Africa, chatting with Jayna Diallo, cabin crew in the Middle East, and ambassador in the same region for the 'Association Les Racines de l'Espoir' (The Roots of Hope), a charity helping many of the disowned children in Dakar, Senegal.Jayna talks about the plight of the people, and how families from rural villages are somewhat forced to give their children away, for want of a better life. Instead, the children are forced to be...

Having experienced a sometimes tough upbringing back in her home country of the Philippines, we chat with Zen who tells us a bit about her journey from her childhood until now as she enriches the lives of children across the country through her vision of 'Seed', and also enriches the lives of those who are struggling over in the Middle East.A simple memory of a kind-hearted person offering the young Zen a bowl of porridge while playing in the street has manifested a strong drive to want to gi...

Having experienced a sometimes tough upbringing back in her home country of the Philippines, we chat with Zen who tells us a bit about her journey from her childhood until now as she enriches the lives of children across the country through her vision of 'Seed', and also enriches the lives of those who are struggling over in the Middle East.A simple memory of a kind-hearted person offering the young Zen a bowl of porridge while playing in the street has manifested a strong drive to want to gi...

"The more you give, the more you get", mantra we should all live by... as per the quote on Nu Skin's website, and also as per the upbringing of our guest in today's episode.Maria, crew with Emirates Airline, has embarked on a journey taking in her passion of skincare and beauty, and gently blending it with her natural motherly and maternal instinct.Sounds like a strange blend, but in fact this is the unique concept coming from the company she has joined with while on unpaid maternity leave. N...

"Many of you have probably heard of the organisation we chat about today. They are most known for their amazing work with the eradication of Polio around the world, but also for fighting disease, promoting peace, and also disaster relief.Rotary International are a worldwide organisation doing many amazing things around the world, with the help of over one million members... one of whom we are speaking with today.Ana Mihai Schmidt is cabin crew with Emirates, but has been involved with Rotary ...

Have you ever had a moment where you've felt vulnerable? A moment where you've felt uncomfortable and with what feels like a minimal amount of control over a situation?If you have, then you might have a small inkling about what the children of the small town of Senya-Beraku on the coast of Ghana, two hours from Accra feel. However, these children have grown up with this vulnerability staring them in the face every day pretty much from the moment they open their eyes into this world. Whether t...

We've been living in a strange and overall depressing kind of world for a while now... Covid has ripped lives apart, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.Many of us have come to terms with the restrictions, and living our lives the best way we can, and this includes the many thousands upon thousands of airline crew who were made redundant throughout this whole time. Yes, they may have lost their jobs, just like many others, but one such ...

We've been living in a strange and overall depressing kind of world for a while now... Covid has ripped lives apart, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.Many of us have come to terms with the restrictions, and living our lives the best way we can, and this includes the many thousands upon thousands of airline crew who were made redundant throughout this whole time. Yes, they may have lost their jobs, just like many others, but one such ...

Unconditional love is something we get from our parents as a child, no matter how naughty we are... Returning this love when our parents are of an age where they might find it more difficult to complete daily tasks, is something most of us might find tough to do. Yes, we love them... but going that next step and becoming a primary carer might not be our cup of tea.In this episode, we listen to one such son, and previous guest, Heinz Schiedemann who has taken on this role with his father. We t...

Stopping to invest in someone's life could be one of the most magnificent things you could ever do. They could be a stranger on the street, someone you've worked with, or someone you've decided to support on your volunteering journey; But... they could and should also be the people closest to your home.Our guest today, Simon, we will be continuing our chat in this episode about his journeys to varying parts of our world. We reflect some more about the intricacies of his travels in regards to ...

Have you ever just thought 'stuff it, time to just be spontaneous and dive into the deep end'? If YES, then you know the risk, the excitement, the scariness, the fun. If NO, then you've come to the right place.Our guest today, is a man of many talents... he's ex-cabin crew, ex-airline dispatcher, ex-ex-cabin crew, a drum teacher, currently works for the council, a husband, and a father of four. He's also someone who has taken risks in the sense of jumping into volunteer and humanitarian work ...

Close your eyes for just a moment, whisk yourself away to a beach on the tropical island of Zanzibar, in the Indian Ocean. The wind is lightly blowing through your hair, you smell a fresh saltiness in the air as your feet gently sink into the sand as you walk. You hear the innocent laughter of the children playing in the distance and feel such freedom and joy as these moments are ones to treasure in times to come. Then comes a gentle touch on your leg as you walk, you turn and see a pair of b...

The age of technology is upon us! Everywhere we go, everything we do just about involves us using some kind of technology to survive. Whether it be the supposed simplicity of sending an email, or the more intricate and perhaps vital tasks of online banking or shopping.It seems, most of us in the Western world have grasped the change in the way we do things, and the majority take it for granted, and think that this is just the norm for everyone. But this is not the case, as we find out in this...

As parents/guardians, we have a duty to set our children on a path of growth, of learning, of realising their full potential; The potential we see in them, but more importantly, the potential they see in themselves.We give our children opportunities to help guide them, including the choice of school, but also extra-curricular activities, whether it be sports or perhaps youth groups.One organisation in particular, who have been going strong for over 100 years is Girl Guiding UK, an organisatio...

It's just one day of every year, one extra special day that we look forward to... maybe not the number attached to it, but a day where we look forward to being spoiled, to spending time with friends, to enjoying some nice food, to having a cake WITH of course candles, and maybe to a cheeky drink. We look forward to a celebration... no matter how old we are.Imagine this though... you have a child, it's their birthday in a week, but you've recently lost your job and you're finding it tough to p...

They say that learning a language is much easier for those at an early age... fewer inhibitions, more time to learn, less to learn, and a brain designed for language learning. If you're like me, you would've also found learning a language to be a difficult task too (due to being an adult), and that has been in normal circumstances. But can you imagine being 'forced' to move to a foreign country as a refugee, and NEEDING to learn a new language, but as an adult... where you have maybe the...

From people to animals to nature to climate, our world is one of delicate and natural beauty. Something precious that we all need to look after and to take care of for the generations to come.Our guest in this episode is Shiela, Mrs Eco International 2019, and ex-crew with Emirates Airline. Her journey has taken her from the Philippines to Dubai and then on to the US, and through this journey she has really taken on board a responsibility of giving back to the world around us, and to the peop...

It's 6am, you're waking up to another normal day, if you celebrated Christmas, you are probably getting over the festivities of the day before.You have your breakfast with your family, and say goodbye to your husband as he heads off to work.You hear on the radio some news of goings on around the world, including an earthquake many thousands of miles away off the coast of Sumatra. You don't think much of it as it's now time to get on with your tasks for the day... making the children's beds, h...

Charity work comes in many forms... from taking care of children to animal welfare to refugees. But, had you ever thought that it could involve fashion (besides of course your run of the mill op shop). Well, I for one had never thought about this, until I met ex-Emirates crew Shiela Teodoro DeForest. Based in Colorado, US, Shiela is putting her skills to perfect use, predominantly with two fantastic organisations... both of which are helping to enrich the lives of women through fashion. Bella...

Philotimo! A Greek noun translating to 'love of honour', but a word almost impossible to translate completely due to its complexity of nature. However, our guest Lena seems to portray the use of this word perfectly for us, as she talks about her Greek background and the somewhat natural draw to living up to a love of honour.Lena takes us on a journey of growth and discovery as she realises a desire to volunteer, and maximise her giving nature in a school in Zambia, called Simoonga Thandizani ...

Who would've ever thought i'd be reaching the end of a second season!! Least of all me, that's for sure. As soon as Covid hit, I was at a loss as to how i'd manage to get more Hatrack Heroes, as I wouldn't be flying anywhere. But, it all came to be over the few months following, as I slowly began to get more interviews done, and get things rolling again. A lot of the drive came from the fact that I was approached by Mandy from Crew Radio to be a guest on the station (www.crewradio.c...

A day in the life of one of these children has possibly never been so special. A day where they are without worries, a day without illness or disability, a day they will never forget, a day where they are literally as free as a bird.Wouter, from Stichting Hoogvliegers, gives us an insight into this special organisation based in The Netherlands. An organisation that caters to children aged 6-17 who are sick or disabled, giving them the extremely amazing opportunity of flying a plane for the da...

What would you do? What would you do if you were asked by your Government to shoot without care into a crowd of innocent citizens. Citizens that you swore to protect... Citizens you chose to serve... Citizens who trusted you? This is just one of the stories that came to mind for our guest Pepe, as he tells us of his journey with the Notre Dame Refugee Centre based in Leicester Square, London!Pepe, other airline crew, plus many other amazingly giving people have been a part of this c...

The great Nobel Prize Laureate Kofi Annan once said “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope", and this is a quote that our guest Mandy also believes in as she discusses the work she's done with the children of St. Nicholas School.A small town on the coast of Ghana, and part of the bustling capital of Accra, Tema New Town is home to this school, and sadly to many underprivileged children. The kind of life these children lead, is not something you'd ever wish for any child... but with the hel...

The inspirational Casie Martin from 'Little People Big Hearts' shares some remarkable stories of the journeys she has taken across the world. From Ethiopia to Afghanistan, Casie has put herself out there in order to help those in need. Whether it be children who don't have the necessary shoes to wear, or who are having to make 30km round trips on bicycles for water, or men working in salt mines doing extreme labour without the necessary face wear to shield their eyes firstly from the sun...

Have you ever struggled to come to terms with how to look after your money? I know i've been in that situation before... and I know this is the case for many many other people out there. Cabin crew Mae and two of her colleagues also new this was the case, but especially came to realise that there was a huge need in the Middle East for educating their fellow Filipino's living in the region. From first hand experience, they knew that the community in general were brought up in a certa...

They might not be the first people you see, or the first people you think of when you come to the beautiful city of Dubai, but there are thousands upon thousands of men working in the city of Dubai creating what Casie from 'Little People Big Hearts' calls 'The City Of Gold'. Since our first chat with Casie, we had the outbreak of Covid, which obviously didn't skip past Dubai. This however, didn't stop Casie and her team from doing their utmost to make sure the people that they supported ...

Water... where would we be without it? It's unthinkable... something we would never even contemplate. It's our life source!In 1st world countries, water is something most of us take for granted, something we drink, shower in, wash our clothes with, our dishes... and it's more often than not, clean enough to drink from the tap. Put it this way, we don't have too much care about how much is used, unless of course the Government puts restrictions on it due to drought or something like that... wh...

Water... where would we be without it? It's unthinkable... something we would never even contemplate. It's our life source!In 1st world countries, water is something most of us take for granted, something we drink, shower in, wash our clothes with, our dishes... and it's more often than not, clean enough to drink from the tap. Put it this way, we don't have too much care about how much is used, unless of course the Government puts restrictions on it due to drought or something like that... wh...

Have you ever tried to make a stranger smile? Or had a stranger smile at you?Well, it might seem a little odd to do this or have this happen to you, but I tell you, no matter which end of the smile you are, it can make you feel a million dollars.This is exactly the kind of thing that our guest Divine likes to be involved in, not just a smile, but an overall concept of making someone's day.Her initiative MYDI (Make Your Day Initiative) is something growing, and growing into something so amazin...

Have you ever tried to make a stranger smile? Or had a stranger smile at you?Well, it might seem a little odd to do this or have this happen to you, but I tell you, no matter which end of the smile you are, it can make you feel a million dollars.This is exactly the kind of thing that our guest Divine likes to be involved in, not just a smile, but an overall concept of making someone's day.Her initiative MYDI (Make Your Day Initiative) is something growing, and growing into something so amazin...