Believe in People EXTRA: Listening Without Judgement

In this special episode of Believe in People: EXTRA, we present a unique collaboration with Apple Music and the Radio Academy Award-winning podcast Classical Connections, hosted by world-renowned pianist and composer Alexis Ffrench.

Originally broadcast as part of the celebrated 60-Second Sonata segment, Alexis invited host Matthew Butler to share a deeply personal reflection on trauma, addiction and stigma. In response, Alexis composed an original piano piece that can be heard at the end of this mini episode - a bespoke composition capturing the emotional weight, hope, and humanity within Butler’s story and why non-judgemental listening remains one of the most powerful tools in recovery.

In an extraordinary gesture of support for the recovery community, Apple Music has donated both the composition “Believe” and the full interview audio for wider public use - helping bring conversations about stigma, compassion, and addiction recovery to new audiences.

Listen to the full conversation with Alexis and Matt here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4qpy20dulem9zFfDc6R1Fh

#believeinpeople #believeinpeoplepodcast #believeinpeopleextra

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Believe in People is a platform for lived experience, recovery insight and honest conversation. Whether you’re in recovery, supporting someone who is, or working on the frontline, this podcast exists to inform, challenge stigma and inspire change.

If you or someone you know needs support with drugs, alcohol, housing, domestic abuse, or mental and physical wellbeing, free and confidential help is available via Change Grow Live:

📩 Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” - Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)

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🎙️ Facilitator: Matthew Butler
🎛️ Producer: Robbie Lawson
🏢 Network: ReNew 

Transcript

Welcome To Believe In People Extra

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is a renewed original recording. Hello and welcome to Believe in People Extra, the companion miniseries to our award-winning podcast about all things addiction, recovery, and stigma. I'm Robbie Lawson, the show's producer, and each week I'll bring you highlights, exclusive recordings, extended cuts, and powerful moments from our archive. This series brings together the most impactful conversations and recovery-focused insights, condensed into short episodes to support and inspire those on their journey. In today's episode, we're sharing a powerful moment from when we were invited to speak with internationally celebrated pianist and composer Alexis French. Alexis is one of the most listened-to classical musicians in the world, with over a billion streams to date. Today's conversation forms part of the program's popular 60 Seconds Sonata segment, where Alexis creates a completely improvised piano composition inspired by a guest's personal story. In support of the recovery community, Apple Music has donated Alexis' original composition to our series and for public use, helping bring conversations about stigma, compassion, and addiction recovery to new audiences. The discussion that follows explores the emotional story behind the piece titled Believe, which you'll hear at the end of the episode, as well as the importance of listening without judgment and why stories of recovery truly matter.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Joining me this week is a wonderful broadcaster and host of a really special podcast called Believe in People, which you can find on Apple Podcasts. I think you're really going to connect with him.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Classical Connections Radio with Alexis French.

SPEAKER_02 1:32

Delighted to say that joining me today for 60 Second Sonata is the wonderful Matthew Butler, who's one half of the creative team behind the amazing podcast Believe in People. Where do I start? Is there a personal experience that has inspired your personal journey in helping people to rediscover the essence of themselves?

Recovery Stories When Meetings Stop

Harm Reduction And Rock Bottom

SPEAKER_01 1:55

I think it's seeing and that stigma that people face. And I think knowing myself for years, being someone who judged people as well. I remember going to my previous job that I had and I'd see people drinking, you know, super strengthful agar at such an early time in the morning. I thought nice for some people to enjoy a drink at this time of day and to, you know, party all night sort of thing. And I think it was that understanding of actually, no, that isn't the case. The the the main reason for this podcast, I will share this story, was as part of my original role, we all used to have to take turns working on the reception desk. We didn't have a set receptionist, so we we all got to do it. And in my naivety and maybe a lack of understanding of where appropriate conversations are meant to meant to be had, a woman had come in and she had a black eye and she looked rially in a in a bad way. And I hadn't been working the service very long at the time when I asked her, Why do you take drugs anyway? And that's when she shared a story of the trauma that she'd faced of sexual abuse at the hands of not just her, her dad, but her dad's friends, her uncles. And it broke my heart so much to think that the person that should be protecting this this woman was actually causing her harm and seeing her in a completely different light. And it goes back to that, okay, that's that is what happened to you. And I think now when I walk through the town centre, for instance, and I see a homeless person, it used to just be, oh, that's just another casualty of society. But now my my brain thinks what happened to you in your life to find yourself in that situation and realising that everybody has a story to tell. Everybody, you know, you walk through the city centre, you'll walk past hundreds of people, every single person has a story to tell. And I think using that as the ethos of the podcast to share those stories and hopefully to inspire change in others. I think during the lockdown, for instance, people couldn't attend mutual aid meetings. It wasn't how we connect now over FaceTime and and and you know Zoom and and Teams. There wasn't this uh connection there in the way that we have it now. I think that's something that's come on a lot in the last five years. But people weren't going to these mutual aid meetings where their recovery was so dependent on. And I think creating a recovery on the go model was another thing. Like, yes, maybe you can't go there in person, maybe you you're too anxious to go there in person, but you still need to hear these stories to inspire you. And that is where the ethos of let's let's make this podcast and let's get this story out there. And I think now we can officially say that we're one of the, if not the biggest recovery podcast in the UK.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

It's so important for so many different reasons. And I know that your podcast has had such a major effect on the local communities.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Yeah, absolutely. So I I I work in a drug and alcohol treatment service in Hull. We, you know, worked with the people of Hull, and I think being a relatively deprived city, we do have a high number of people that use the service. I mean, I can't give you the population of the city, but I know there's uh up to 3,000 people that use our drug and alcohol treatment service for help with various substances, whether that be alcohol, heroin, ketamine, cocaine, cannabis, and we're not here to tell people don't use drugs, drugs are bad for you. I think it's having that real understanding that if someone is in addiction, if someone is a is an addict, that they're going to use those substances regardless of what we say. Our main job is to keep those people safe whilst they are using substances and motivate them to make changes. And I think, like anything, if you see a, I don't know, maybe it's just me, but if I see a sign that says wet paint, do not touch, I want to touch it. Now, if I say to someone, stop using drugs, they're probably going to, you know, rebel against that idea. So the idea is working with them where they're at and waiting for that penny to drop with them. And it could be the experience of a rock bottom moment. I think that's the interesting thing that we explore in our podcasts, are people's rock bottom moments when life couldn't get any worse for them. And that's when they decide to make the changes. And the rock bottoms are always interesting. I I know an individual who had their leg amputated from injecting into their groin. That was the only vein they could get. Eventually they they lost their leg. You'd think that'd be enough, but that wasn't their rock bottom moment. They carried on injecting into the other leg and eventually lost that leg as well. And I think that is that is the power that addiction has. But alternatively, I've worked with a woman who had alcohol problems, and for her, the rock bottom was she forgot to pick her kids up from school because she was too intoxicated for all the day. Now, very, very different rock bottom moments, but that was the moment for her when she wanted to get help for the other person. Again, two legs amputated and still not that rock bottom moment. And that for me shows the difference in where people are in terms of what does it take to make changes. And that in itself is something that I found incredibly interesting. And again, when people do make those changes, incredibly inspiring to hear those stories as well.

Alexis Begins The Improvised Sonata

Share Subscribe Review And Links

SPEAKER_02 6:58

Wow. Amazing. I'm gonna turn to the piano, and thank you so much for sharing that with me, Matt, so eloquently. I'm gonna turn to the piano. There are always keys and tonalities and shades and I guess shards of sound that come through words that are communicated with words, but also through aura and present. It's a lovely key. There's a very major, but there's also this if you introduce these qualities into the key, it turns into something. But also this is where I'm gonna start for this story. And thank you so much for your powerful words. Really appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 10:05

And if you've enjoyed this episode of Believe in People Extra, we'd love for you to share with others who might find it meaningful. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode, and leaving a review will help us reach more people and continue challenging stigma around addiction and recovery. For additional resources and to listen to this episode in full, explore the links in this episode description. And to learn more about our mission and hear more incredible stories, you can visit us directly at believinpeoplepodcast.com.