The Good Listening To Show: Stories of Distinction & Genius

Brand Strand & Founder Story: Raphaela Reeb Ilgenfritz, Creative Director of UK Health Radio & Presenter of 'Stoma4Life' Podcast, on Bowel Cancer Awareness & Beautifully Destigmatizing 'Life as an Ostomate'

September 12, 2024 • Chris Grimes - Facilitator. Coach. Motivational Comedian

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How does a cancer diagnosis transform into a global health movement? Join us as we welcome Raphaela Reeb Ilgenfritz, Creative Director of UK Health Radio & Health Triangle Magazine & Presenter of 'Stoma4Life' Podcast, to share her incredible journey alongside her husband, Johan Ilgenfritz. From Johan's battle with cancer to the creation of UK Health Radio and Health Triangle Magazine, their story is a combined beacon of resilience and community strength. Learn about Raphaela’s unique name, her background in graphic design and how she turned the tsunami of a Bowel Cancer diagnosis into a mission to uplift and inspire through health-focused media.

Raphaela opens up about her life's defining moments, from her South African upbringing to her long career in Air travel, and the profound experiences of living with a colostomy and facing a recent cancer diagnosis. Discover her happy places, the transformative power of meditation, and the role mindfulness plays in her resilience. This episode offers an intimate glimpse into Raphaela’s life, celebrating the artistic passions and family values that ground her, while also emphasizing the importance of gratitude and living without regrets.

In an emotional and empowering segment, Raphaela discusses the best advice she has ever received and highlights the significance of capturing life stories creatively. She introduces us to Caroline Bramwell, an inspiring fellow Ostomate and Triathlete, who will continue the legacy of Storytelling. Reflect on your own journey as you listen to Raphaela's candid reflections and gain insights into how the Good Listening To Show can help you memorialize your own unique life experiences. Don't miss this heartfelt episode, and be sure to subscribe for more transformative stories.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!

Speaker 1:

Welcome to another episode of the Good Listening To Show your life and times with me, chris Grimes. The storytelling show that features the Clearing, where all good questions come to get asked and all good stories come to be told, and where all my guests have two things in common they're all creative individuals and all with an interesting story to tell. There are some lovely storytelling metaphors a clearing, a tree, a juicy storytelling exercise called 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, some alchemy, some gold, a cheeky bit of Shakespeare and a cake. So it's all to play for. So, yes, welcome to the Good Listening To Show your life and times with me, chris Grimes. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we shall begin and begin. We will.

Speaker 1:

Ladies and gentlemen, on LinkedIn and broadcasting live across the world, welcome to another very exciting episode of the Good Listening To Show Stories of Distinction and Genius. And today is a special Brand Strand Founder Story episode and I'm absolutely thrilled and delighted to welcome. Get this full name, rafaela Reeb Ilgenfrits, to the Good Listening To Show. Rafaela is a co-presenter on UK Health Radio. That's just me combining a bit of happy smoke because both of us present on UK Health Radio, but she is the creative director of UK Health Radio and together with her wonderful husband, johan Ilgenfritz, they form the dynamic duo that run UK Health Radio, which has a global audience reach across 54 countries of 1.4 million listeners and growing and I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have you here, raffaella.

Speaker 1:

Your own show and you'll be able to speak in a couple of moments, I promise is Stoma for Life and you're all about bowel cancer awareness as a survivor yourself so lovely to have you here and life as an ostomate, and I hope I've pronounced that correctly. So you're very welcome to the Good Listening To show Raffaella Reeb Ilgenpritz.

Speaker 2:

Hello, Chris. It was so good for you to invite me and thank you for the lovely introduction.

Speaker 1:

And you've got such a beautiful name. I can't help but mention that. First of all, the name to conjure. I know it's a double barrel, based on your maiden name also, and also you're keeping Raffaella Reeb as hostess with the mostess, with Stoma for Life. So just tell us the story behind the story of your wonderful name.

Speaker 2:

Oh well, I mean I kept my maiden name because I was always Reeb and when I got married I thought, okay, this is a new name, I can't identify with it yet, so I just added it on. But looking back now I think it was a good thing because, like you said, I kept it now for my show Stoma for Life as Raffaella Reeb, which is much shorter and sweeter, I think. But if you would call me Mrs Reeb I most probably wouldn't react because I do feel like an Irgen Fritz. Now I've been married for 32 years and it's, but that's just the way it is now.

Speaker 1:

So that's how this name came about and I did deliberately call you the dynamic duo of UK Health Radio. Johan himself has an extraordinary story of survival cancer diagnosis in his case. Story of survival cancer diagnosis in his case. What is so extraordinary is you both find yourself at the forefront of the world's number one talk health radio. But very interestingly and profoundly and I don't know why this happened to you, but it's sort of a good thing that it has, I suppose in terms of what you've done with it all you two have had an extraordinary personal tsunami in your own health of recent years.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes, well, unfortunately, but then again, fortunately, because it's led us to an incredible journey. Now I don't know if I must go into Johan's story, but obviously his path was paved when he had his own cancer diagnosis and that's when he created UK Health Radio. And I've been at his side all this time, obviously watching from the sideline in the beginning and then being involved more and more, because I remember one day he asked me would you be interested in doing a magazine? And I'd been in newspaper design, my professional career as a graphic designer, which was dormant for that time because I freelanced um, but my career was actually I. I flew for um, an international airline, for almost 30 years. So I was juggling the parenthood, the wife, the family life and freelancing and then flying.

Speaker 2:

So when he asked me, I thought, oh, this is a good chance to get back into it, into design as such and also magazine design, because, like I said, I come from newspaper design. So little did I know that this is going to be a monthly magazine. He never said so, he just made it sound as if it was like a one-off or just maybe once a year. So I started doing this and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I must say it's been. It's been really, it's been just so, so great to combine what we both passionate about, because prior to me actually doing the magazine, I'd said to Johan you know, there's so much doom and gloom out there, why, why do magazines always have to portray the negative?

Speaker 2:

Why can't there be stories that are uplifting? Now that's exactly what health triangle magazine tries to belifting, even if the story itself might be one other people's viewpoint. Lemons, for all I know. We try, we try and make lemonade and we try and make the best out of it and we try and not let that define us and that's a beautiful expression.

Speaker 1:

If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And of course, the magazine is called it's health, the triangle magazine. I know you've mentioned it, but I just want to mention that again and it's attached to the extraordinary resource for anyone with practically any ailment. Uk health radio is an extraordinary resource to bring succor and ease, and also a community together of people that may be experiencing life's tsunamis and life's lemons, as you said, and also you said what a few paragraphs ago. You know they were flying. You were literally flying because you were a purser for 30 years. We we had a quick comic exchange yesterday about whether you wanted to name the, the name of the airline, and I don't know where he ended up with that. Where did you land with that?

Speaker 2:

well, I landed with. Yes, I will share. I flew for Lufthansa for 30 years and, yeah, it was a great time. But that chapter of my life is closed now because during COVID I must sadly say that COVID killed my job for me Because the airline industry, as you know, went through a very difficult time.

Speaker 2:

I was at home for months on end not being called up me because the airline industry, as you know, went through a very difficult time. I was at home for months on end not being called up and then, once things started going, it was extremely difficult because I commuted Obviously, I live in London and I commuted to Germany and it was extremely difficult. And then I felt as if I was just being a sheriff telling people to keep their masks up, and it was just not the way. Telling people to keep their masks up and it was just not not the way I wanted to to work anymore and I always said I'll work as long as I like it. And I actually started off in the airline industry only for 18 months. I wanted to just take a break from design because it was.

Speaker 2:

I had a very high power job in Johannesburgburg and then Johanna and myself we moved to Europe and I thought, oh, let me do something completely different, just for a while, just to see. I was still young, we had no children, and then I got this idea of just perhaps being an airster for a short time, just to see what it's like, and I must say I loved it so much. It was almost 30 years, but I combined my passion of art and travel, which I thought was actually a cool life really, and I said to myself as soon as I don't like it anymore, I'll stop. And that's what I did. I took early retirement and just as I embarked on that new journey, I got diagnosed with bowel cancer.

Speaker 1:

Yes, which is the main hub and meat of what we're going to be talking about. Just one final thing about LaFance and the fact that you were a person and in researching you, it said that it took you rather exotically to all the corners of the globe. And what the comedian in me thinks, this is a world exclusive. The world is actually square with four corners, but you've been to all four corners, which is lovely.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes, I have. I must say I've only seen about half of the world. If you put it in terms of countries, I think we've got about just over 190 countries in the world and I've been to 81 countries professionally. And I do know, or there was a stage of my life where I knew New York better or Singapore better than my own hometown, because I was there so frequently and it was a great life. But you know, when you look back and you can say, yeah, I did that and I don't have any remorse or any grudges or anything, I had a great time and there's some lovely maths in there.

Speaker 1:

You said 81 countries. I know that UK health radio gets broadcast across 54 countries, so there's a bit of catching up to do, to catch up with where you flew to, yeah absolutely, and yeah, that's what we aim to do every single day to get it out there on all corners of the earth.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and it's my great privilege and pleasure and delight to have you in the Good Listing 2 show Clearing. There's going to be a clearing a tree, a lovely juicy storytelling exercise called 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. There's going to be some alchemy, some gold, a couple of random squirrels, a cheeky bit of Shakespeare, a golden baton and a cake. So it's all to play for, and I know that we're going to talk particularly about you being. Then is the expression ostomate? Have I, have I pronounced that correctly?

Speaker 2:

yes, I'm. I am what you call an ostomate. Now I live in an ostomy because I have a colostomy.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for clarifying that too. So welcome to the show. Here we go. So where is what is? First of all, raffaella Arieb-Ilgenfritz? Where is a clearing? Where is your serious happy place, would you say?

Speaker 2:

You know, there are so many places that I had to feel happy when I flew, because obviously flying was you're always surrounded by people. So for a long time when I was by myself, even on a plane, you do have time to be by yourself. There are break times, especially on long haul flights. Sometimes we'd have like four hours to ourselves where we would actually be able to sleep. Now, you can't always sleep when you get directed to do so.

Speaker 2:

So my happy place was when I learned to meditate and meditate at any time in any given time. So I don't really need a place as such to do that, because I find it's up here in my head in any case. But if you do ask me where is my happy place, I've just redecorated my lounge and every time I walk into my lounge I just go ah, that's my happy place at my home at the moment, because the colors are lovely, the field is great, I can meditate there as well, but I can be there with my family, I I can be there by myself family, friends so that's my happy place at the moment I love that.

Speaker 1:

it's a duality of your, your lounge you just curated, but also the, the mindscape of being at peace whenever you choose to meditate. Yeah, if I may just say that, resonates so well, very sadly, in my own life, my father had his funeral last Monday and interestingly, as a parallel, he too said he doesn't need anywhere physical. He goes into a sort of happy state almost between his ears, and my conclusion and I said part of this in his eulogy was that I think the lovely thing is he never really worried very much. And of course, if you can meditate, that does prevent you from worrying because it means you're able to return to the present.

Speaker 2:

Yes, absolutely, absolutely, and there was a time in my life where I couldn't do it, especially during COVID. I found COVID to be extremely worrying in time and I think that sort of contributed to me being diagnosed as well, because stress and worry does do a lot of damage to your body.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, and I know we're going to get more into that as we now go through the construct. And I'm going to arrive with a tree now, if I may, in your clearing, which always has a slight comedy to it. I'm either going to be in an airplane while you're trying to sleep with a sorry meditate not sleep that's the whole point With a tree as I shake your tree to see which storytelling apples fall out, or I could arrive in your newly curated front room. What would you prefer?

Speaker 2:

Well, let's have the front room, room, wonderful.

Speaker 1:

So here I am, shaking you tree to see which storytelling apples fall out. How'd you like these apples? And this is where you've been kind enough to have taken five minutes, uh, raffaella, to have thought about four things that have shaped you, three things that inspire you, two things that never fail to grab your attention and borrow from the film up. That's where the squirrels will come in. You know what are your monsters of distraction, your squirrels, squirrels that never fail to distract you. And then the one is a quirky or unusual fact about you. We couldn't possibly know about you until you tell us it's not a memory test. So let's go back to curating you through shaking the canopy of your tree as you see fit. So four things that have shaped you, raffaella.

Speaker 2:

Well, I grew up in South Africa. My parents immigrated when I was five years old and I must certainly say that living in a foreign country, growing up completely different to the country that I was born in, has definitely shaped me. So I would say, yes, growing up in a foreign country, growing up in South Africa as well I mean South Africa was politically quite involved and it was a completely different time to what it is now when I grew up there. So that has definitely shaped me. I mean, I met my husband there, I got married there and I still have my parents there. So it has been a big part of my life.

Speaker 2:

I think art school has shaped me definitely, because after school I was not sure what I was going to do. My mom herself is an artist and I've always been very arty, but I never had art as a subject in school. There was just no, there was no subject for art. So she actually said, well, look, if you don't know what to do, why don't you start doing art, because you've always been arty, and that sort of yes, it has definitely shaped my life. And then, of course, air travel flying for 30 years, seeing really so much that other people will not get to see in their lifetime. I'm extremely grateful for that. So travel and working for an airline has definitely shaped my life and, in most recent terms, obviously being diagnosed with cancer.

Speaker 1:

I actually don't like saying that, but my diagnosis obviously has shaped my path that I'm on at the current state of my life Absolutely, and just going back a couple of steps, are you a sibling with other brothers and sisters or are you a sibling with other um brothers and sisters, or are you on your own? No, I still have a brother yeah, yeah, and I love the fact you talked about your mom in the present tense. She's still with us. Is your father still?

Speaker 2:

with us as well.

Speaker 1:

Awesome, yes delighted to hear that and anything else you'd like to tell us about the, the shapeage I mean, you might want to talk. Well, there is a deliberate opportunity later to talk about your wonderful program, stoma for life, and I know that's what you we should properly talk about because how you can help raise awareness in the whole arena of bowel cancer.

Speaker 2:

So talk about that when you like, where you like, however you like um, yeah, I don't, I, I don't, I don't know if I have anything else to add to those elements. I'm sure something might just come to mind, and then I'll let you know.

Speaker 1:

Wonderful. So now we're on to three things that inspire you.

Speaker 2:

Well, being arty. Obviously, art inspires me all the time and I'm really on the lookout for things that could be also turned into art. I think now that I'm not flying anymore, my life's completely different and I see things differently as well. But yes, art always inspires me and nature I absolutely love nature always inspires me and nature I absolutely love nature. I'm I'm a very keen member at Kew Garden. I go to Kew on a regular basis because that's sort of that's also one of my happy places. I'd say there you go, I've got another happy place yes, you've got three now yeah.

Speaker 2:

So because it's it's nature, it's um, you can go for the tropical rainforest, which obviously takes me back to all the tropical places I've been. You can go to the desert, um all the desert places I've been, so it's everything in one for me. Q garden is also my happy place. So nature, obviously, and um, and researching you.

Speaker 1:

Sorry to interrupt you. I noticed that you and Johan love to walk together and you call it imagineering and you thank Walt Disney for that. In the research that I saw as to where you got that expression from. But when you have your greatest ideas, you're doing it outdoors.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we do, and we do go for a lot of walks. I mean, the benefits are obvious for going for walks, but we sort of I don't know we have not stopped talking ever since we got together, which is, yeah, 33 years ago. We always have a lot to talk about, and then we do our image engineering.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and it is a lovely expression and it links to that Nietzsche quote the best ideas happen outdoors and if in doubt, walk it out as a mental health strategy, in any case, to help us all.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely no. That is so, so important, and I challenge you to find a person that hasn't got a smile on their face when they walk outdoors. Outdoors, and you know, even even rain has its beauty. People um in germany, like I grew up in in germany and then I went back to germany after 24 years. So I lived in germany when I was also working for lufthansa, and we lived right in the north of germany, in hamburg, and there we've got the saying you know, there is no bad weather, there's just bad clothing yes, wrong equipment exactly so, um, yes, like I said, I'll challenge anybody to to not have a smile on their face when they go outdoors in nature and your.

Speaker 1:

Your length of time in germany and south africa does explain your very wonderful accent, because on face value and I'm fascinated and intrigued by accent and dialect I was for a while when I first met you I was guessing whether you were German or South African. But you're sort of both, but I know you're South African.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, well, look. South African, I suppose, at heart, but German in my passport I'd say, and English in my adopted country.

Speaker 1:

Now I absolutely love living in england wonderful and q gardens is the third bonus clearing you gave us. I think that's the three things that inspire you, unless I cut you off before you did the third one. Is that right?

Speaker 2:

no, no, I would put family in there, obviously, because I've got two, two children, and they are just inspiring. To see the world through their eyes is incredible, if I can call it that. It's an absolute blessing to be a mom of two incredible boys.

Speaker 1:

And how old are they both now?

Speaker 2:

16 and 25. Lovely.

Speaker 1:

Mine are 25 and 17, so that's very relatable, very, yes, okay, now we're coming up to two things that what squirrels never fail to grab your attention I call. It's borrowed from the film up where the dog goes oh, squirrels, and it's just distracted.

Speaker 2:

so what are your two squirrels of distraction, would you say raffaella yeah, well, I'd have to put art in there again and also nature, because it you know, if it's just a leave on the floor, I would most probably take out my camera and capture the raindrops on it. Or if it's a sunrise or a sunset, I always, forever, have my phone with me, which obviously is my camera and not my phone. I actually see my phone as not a camera. Funny that things have gone full circle, but, um, yeah, it's so so much easier. When I started my travels, I really had to have a, a proper camera, with me in order to actually take pictures, and ever since we've had mobile phones, I've got thousands and thousands of phones photographs and so much easier so.

Speaker 1:

And, of course, as creative director of UK Health Triangle magazine, it's all about the imagery there. It's a really wonderful magazine, full of the talent that you bring to bear to the pages of SANE. Yeah, and now a quirkier, unusual fact about you. We couldn't possibly know about you until you tell us.

Speaker 2:

Yes, no, you will not. Nobody will really know this, except if they really know me. Well, I am an absolute. I must be the world's biggest sumo wrestling fan.

Speaker 1:

Oh, that's a first Clearing of the Good Listening T-Show. Tell us a bit more about that.

Speaker 2:

It's about 30 years ago that I was introduced to sumo wrestling. I actually saw it on tv and I was totally intrigued because, um, obviously a lot of people say, oh, it's just fat men that are like wrestling. No, there's so much more to it because it's um, it's a very? Um deep rooted, I think, in the shinto religion, um, um of japan. It's rooted in there for literally a thousand five hundred years and, as I said, I love nature and it also combines nature.

Speaker 2:

It combines all these rituals and I really, when I was first introduced to it, I was very intrigued by it because the person that moderated this particular Basho, he gave so much insight and I thought, wow, that is just so fascinating because there's much more to it than just restless. Yes, I got myself a book on it and started reading up on it and, honestly, that is on my bucket list still today. Even though I've been to Japan countless of times, I have not been to a Basho, which is the tournament, and I really would like to go there and see it live and, of course, the law of social proof if you say it out loud, you're much more likely to do it.

Speaker 1:

So this is a world exclusive. You are going to do that and tick that off the bucket list.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 1:

And I'm sure Johan's listening that's your next trip sorted right there. Yeah, he'll join me gladly and we have so much of japanese philosophy and culture to thank for things like ikigai, which is that idea of purpose. You know the intersection point. That's probably got nothing to do with sumo wrestling, but I I love tuning into japanese philosophy about mindfulness, coming full circle.

Speaker 2:

Back to meditation that you've already talked about yes, and, and that sort of encompasses it all, and it is the oldest, one of the oldest, still practicing um sports, uh in the world.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, so presumably you're spectating, not wanting to participate just spectating and, um, it's actually quite funny because, um, honest, obviously I don't speak japanese, but there are there's so much terminology that I already have picked up, so I, I could. I could help somebody who has not no idea of sumo. I could explain a lot by just sitting in the audience, so and I've just realized I've never thought anything.

Speaker 1:

For is there a female? Sorry, this is a really stupid question, culturally ignorant, but is there a female equivalent of sumo wrestling? Because you don't see, if I made fat women doing the same thing no, no, no, no, I know it's not just that.

Speaker 2:

Sorry, I was just riffing on what traditionally kept uh, with the male and and and it. Actually there are hardly any western wrestlers because, um, I think there might be one or two, a bulgarian one, um, argentinian one, and I mean the biggest Yokozuna, the one in modern times, is Hakoha, which was, he was from Mongolia, so, but usually it is kept in that in those nations there are hardly any Westerners doing it.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and what's so lovely, by the way, is I know how wonderfully slight johan is, so it would be hugely ironic if, on the trip, you go any volunteers and you hold your hand into the arena. Anyway, we've shaken your tree and we did that deliciously. Thank you so much. Now we're going to stay in the clearing, move away from the tree and next, in the construct of the show, we talk about alchemy and gold, rafaela, when you, when you're at purpose and in flow and this could be a deliberate place, obviously to talk about Stoma for Life, which is your current thing, that you're very passionate and engaged in the center of. By the way, congratulations for the culmination of season one for you. You've done your first 25 episodes of season one, thank you, and I know you did biweekly. Anyway, you don't have to talk about that specifically but alchemy and gold, when you're at purpose, talking about ikigai, as we did just now. Um, what are you absolutely happiest doing in what you're here to reveal to the world?

Speaker 2:

yeah, well, happiest, obviously, art, creating art. I have just discovered that very close to where I live, there is an art hub and they actually have live drawings once a week. So I'm happiest when I can draw be it live drawing, be it any kind of drawing I'm happiest and I can actually switch off. I'm in my own meditative world. That's when I'm happiest, but obviously that's just me and I'm not an island, even though I might live on an island and I also want to obviously bring something more to the world. And I'm happiest when I also can share with what I've gone through with other people for them, perhaps to to not have so many questions going into life-changing surgery that I had.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and I know that the cut and thrust of Stoma for Life is to demystify debunk, I suppose, destigmify and normalize the idea of wearing a colostomy and you're a very sort of beautiful trailblazer in that regard, if I might say. To make it more not so unusual, because there's some very profound statistics that I know you unpack as well about there's there's much more prevalence of people with colostomy bags than we truly appreciate yeah, I mean, there are so many out there.

Speaker 2:

You might just have met somebody that has one and you don't even know it. It's something that you will actually not really share or talk about, and I actually, for a long time after having received my permanent colostomy, thought I would not share it. But then I thought, well, why not share it, because there's nothing to be shameful about, it's a fact and it saved my life and it might just help other people that are in the same situation to perhaps decide. Decide for it, because a lot of people still cannot imagine living like that. Um, stoma doesn't always happen overnight. With me, it was very sudden, I had only six days to put my head around it. But some people might have a chronic illness which really might just rob them of the quality of life, and an ostomy does give that back to you.

Speaker 1:

And the title that you have is very clever. I know you've thought it through stoma for life almost like a burdensome thing, but actually it's stoma for life, because it's not the end. It's the beginning of just a new path for survival exactly.

Speaker 2:

It saved my life and I have it for life. So, um, yeah, I I, to be very honest, I did not know what a stoma was until I sat in my consultant's um office and he presented me with my diagnosis. I had no idea idea.

Speaker 1:

I knew then, obviously, when he explained it, what it is, but I'd never heard the terminology stoma used before and in fact, I hadn't heard life as an ostomate if I've still pronounced that correctly until I spoke to you a couple of days ago. So it is extraordinary and unknown unknown until you know it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely, and that's where Stoma for Life comes in. I want to help people that, like I said, either presented with a diagnosis or know anybody that is going through this just to demystify it, help them understand it and make it not as taboo to talk about.

Speaker 1:

And of all the people to be married to in all of the world. You're married to the man who started uk health radio because of his own health diagnosis, and how wonderful that your own portal, uh, is there for you to be side by side as the dynamic duo of uk health radio, and a sincere thanks from me again at this point for having me as one of your hosts within it. I love the fact that it gives me a huge global audience to amplify what I'm up to as well, which I'm really grateful for. And now we're going to award you with a cake, hurrah. So you get to put a cherry on the cake, raffaella. And this is stuff like now in this storytelling suffused final metaphor what's a favorite inspirational quote that's always given you sucker and pulled you towards your future?

Speaker 2:

Happiness is an inside job. I think that is sort of where I think, wow, that is really good, because it makes you think a little bit about what is happiness to start off with, and you can be happy with anything in life as long as you let it be. You have to let yourself be happy.

Speaker 1:

I'm thinking of a burst of let it be by the Beatles, suddenly there as well. That was lovely, absolutely lovely quote. Happiness is an inside job, beautiful quote. What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given, raffaella?

Speaker 2:

You know it's a difficult one because there are so many things you pick up during your life, but I think my best piece of advice, if I think back now. My mother-in-law always used to say everything happens for a reason, and I was totally annoyed when I heard that because I thought, at the moment I don't want to hear that. At know, at the moment I'm stuck in some or other crisis and I don't want to hear that that is. You know, there's a reason for it, but there are reasons for things, and I think that would be not an advice, but it would be something that I picked up over the years and have listened back to in my head, because she was right.

Speaker 2:

You know, there are things that happen to you for a reason and it's up to you to make it either good or bad. It's your internal dialogue that's so important. And so I would actually add something else to this, because I think, obviously, gratitude sort of defines your altitude. Gratitude is something that is so important, and I try and give that to my children as well, because I think when you realize how many things you're grateful for and should be grateful for, then magic actually happens.

Speaker 1:

Wow, wonderful, and, if I may, that resonates that triggered in, because of my acting background, the Hamlet line nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. I love that. Happiness is an inside job and everything you've said since about gratitude as well Beautiful philosophy. This is the pass the golden baton moment, please. So now you've experienced the show from within, who would you most like to pass the golden baton along to, in order to keep the golden thread of the storytelling going?

Speaker 2:

Now, this might just be very fitting because it's a baton, but I had the absolute good fortune to interview Caroline Bramwell on one of my recent episodes and she is a ostomate like myself, but she is also a triathlete and an ironman participant and she actually, after diagnosis, said no more couch potato, I'm going to change my life. And she actually learned how to swim properly and, yes, she does multiple triathlete, triathlons and ironmans throughout the year. So, yes, caroline bramwell would be my choice.

Speaker 2:

Caroline Bramwell did you say yes, she was also featured in Lewis Minchin's book Fearless. Ah, yes, yes so she's featured in that book and she works with Greg Wallace as well because obviously he's on the health part with recipes and all that, and she makes recipes ostomy friendly. So she does a lot for us in the ostomy community so I'd pass the baton on to her.

Speaker 1:

Lovely and how appropriate, because Louise Minchin has also been in the Good Listening To show as one of my previous guests as well. Wonderful. So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to furnish me, as I'm sure you will, with a warm introduction to Caroline Bramwell. Thank you very much. Okay, so now, inspired by Shakespeare and all the world's a stage and all the bedded women barely players. Because of my acting background, I can't help but introduce a bit of Shakespeare. We're going to talk about legacy now and how, when all is said and done, rafaela Reeb Ilgenfritz, you would most like to be remembered.

Speaker 2:

I think the thing that I would like to be remembered by is that I lived fully. I lived a full life. I don't necessarily have to leave anything behind. I journal almost every day and those journals are deeply personal. So even if I leave them behind for my children to read, they won't mean anything to them, most probably unless they would like to read it. It's nothing that I'd. It's deeply personal, I'd say. But I think I would like to be remembered that I had a good ride, I had a good life and I did it all because I always said to myself I want to one day sit back when I'm old and gray. Okay, I'm gray now already and I'm not so old, but still I want to be remembered, or I want to not have any regrets either. So, yeah, I think that if that could be put in that aspect, yes, I would like to be remembered as being happy and living with no regrets.

Speaker 1:

Thank you. Sorry, that's very because of the death of my father very recently. That was so resonant, thank you. I talked in his eulogy about the fact we all wish for an exhilarating roller coaster ride, with a sort of handbrake slide into your grave going. What a ride. And although there's never enough time. But 87 was my dad's path and he pulled it off. But anyway, sorry, I got a tiny bit emotional there, but on with now. Where can we find out all about you and your wonderful show on the internet?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's under my website stomaforlifecom. That's S-T-O-M-A, digit four, L-I-F-Ecom, and there you'll find all the links to my social media and also, if you would like to get in touch and perhaps share your other bowel cancer story or ostomy story or whichever type of health condition you would want to share on there, if there's a link on there.

Speaker 1:

And wonderfully it's part of the scape of UK Health Radio's Healthscape, where there, at last count, there were 42 presenters maybe there are more now of which I'm one, but you're definitely one and yes, you can find out, it's the world's number one talk health radio. An extraordinary resource, and congratulations for you and johan for trailblazing that. Thank you as this has been your moment in the sunshine, in the good, listening to show rafaela rieb ilgenfritz. Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Speaker 2:

um, you know, I I love your format. I like the way you you did this and actually animated me to think about things that might just be hidden, because, yeah, how often do you think about things that define you or that shaped you? So that was really nice. I really want to thank you for that, because it sort of makes you evaluate and look within in a different way.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much. It's been such a privilege interviewing you and also just to share with you all. There is a series strand within the show which is called Legacy Life Reflections and very profoundly and I'm so happy I did this three years ago, just before my father dipped into, I suppose, a bit of a crater of declining health. I got him in his halcyon days of his 80s and I did an episode of legacy life reflections with my dad, the cut and thrust being to capture the story of somebody near, dear or close to you for posterity before it's too late.

Speaker 1:

And I used exactly this format. And what was really lovely about that was I got my dad to talk about his epitaph and I know how he most wants to be remembered and indeed I was able to say talk about that very profoundly in the eulogy. I also found out what his deepest regret was never learning to play the piano and also what his greatest thing he also wishes he could have done, which is learn to be a pilot. And, of course, there you are as the purser of glory with Love Fancy for 30 years. Thank you, you so much, raffaella. Just in case I hogged a bit of limelight there, is there anything else you'd like to say?

Speaker 2:

No, as I said, I just wanted to thank you for the format and also for being part of the UK Health Radio family. It's an amazing show and congratulations on all of them.

Speaker 1:

Wonderful. Thank you so much for watching on LinkedIn. The website for the show is thegoodlistening2showcom. I always say tune in next week for more stories for the recurring. There are seven different series strands about how you too can be my guest to get involved using the versatile format of the show. So thank you very much indeed. I've been Chris Grimes, but most importantly, this has been Rafaela Reeb Ilgenfritz from UK Health Radio and wwwstomaorlifecom website, and one of these series strands is called legacy life reflections.

Speaker 1:

If you've been thinking about how to go about recording your life story or the life story of somebody close to you for posterity, but in a really interesting, effortless and creative way, then maybe the good listening to show can help. Using the unique structure of the show, I'll be your host as together we take a trip down memory lane to record the five, four, three, two, one of either your or their life story, and then you can decide whether you go public or private with your episode. Get in touch if you'd like to find out more. Tune in next week for more stories from the clearing and don't forget to subscribe and review wherever you get your podcasts. So, raffaella, you've just been in the show. Can I get your immediate feedback on what it's like to be curated through this journey. How is it for you being in the good, listening to show?

Speaker 2:

it was so absolutely amazing because, as I as I realized, there are so many things that one takes for granted, doesn't even know about oneself, and you sort of yes, you actually let or made it easy for me to think about and actually get those questions answered that are hidden.

Speaker 1:

Yes, lovely.