The Couch to 5K Podcast

Exercise, motivation and inclusivity are at the heart of this conversation with Javeno McLean. He talks about staying driven, why running can become a battle with the mind, and responds to a moving story from runner Katie Stevenson.

John Robins talks with Giovanna Fletcher about addiction recovery, mental health, and how running became part of his life after giving up alcohol. It’s an honest conversation about sobriety, setbacks, injuries, and why beginning matters even when you don’t love the process.

Harry Judd charts his leap from tour-bus junk food, smoking, and no exercise to chasing a sub-3-hour marathon. Izzy Judd brings a different perspective, talking about movement, mindfulness, fertility struggles, and finding a sustainable relationship with running.

Running with chronic illness is at the heart of this conversation, as Reece Parkinson and Sally Chambers talk about life with type 1 diabetes and stage 4 bowel cancer. It’s a hopeful, grounded episode about friendship, resilience, and the way Couch to 5K can open a path back to movement.

Jodie Ounsley talks about growing up profoundly deaf, becoming a professional rugby player, and taking on running despite finding 5K a real struggle. The episode also explores how the NHS Couch to 5K app has added features like transcriptions and haptics to better support deaf users.