#5 Ashley Belal Chin – Seeking fame, Tupac Shakur and finding inner peace

The talented Ashley Belal Chin rose to fame in 1999 BBC film Storm Damage and has enjoyed success as an actor, screen-writer, rapper and spoken word poet. Having thought happiness was found in success and material possessions he realised, after converting to Islam in 2002, where it was really to be found. We speak about his upbringing on a council estate in London where he spent his youth mixed up in gang culture, how he won his first acting role and how he found peace in his faith. Ashley shares some profound thoughts about inner peace, and how many of us are looking for happiness in the wrong places. Following the tragic homicide of George Floyd along with many others due to racism this felt particularly pertinent to release this week. I believe we need to be actively anti-racist and educate ourselves about the systemic racism that exists within our country. There are many resources out there - I can recommend Reni Eddo-Lodge's book 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race' as a great place to start. 

Om Podcasten

Hosted by Sophie Elwes, who knows a thing or two about overcoming difficulties, after sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2011. Each episode Sophie will interview an extraordinary guest who has faced and overcome enormous challenges and adversity and is achieving incredible things in spite of what they've had to deal with. She'll be finding out their story, about their greatest struggles and triumphs, and asking them what advice they would share with other people dealing with challenges of their own.