Our guest this month is Liverpool writer, storyteller and recovery worker PJ Smith — also known through his writing and performances as Roy.

PJ was a talented young footballer who signed for Everton, but as his home life became less stable, football, school and eventually any sense of direction began to slip away.

By his late teens, alcohol and drugs had replaced football as a way of finding confidence, connection and identity. What followed was a decade PJ describes as repetitive, chaotic and increasingly hopeless.

In 2007, with his life reduced to getting through each day and the possibility of suicide becoming very real, PJ finally asked for help.

During treatment, he was asked to write his life story. A member of staff told him he could write and that he should nurture it. A few weeks later, a slightly dishonest attempt to get an afternoon away from rehab led him to an open audition in front of playwright Willy Russell and another person telling him to keep writing.

He did.

PJ’s first collection, Algorithm Party, introduced Roy: part character, part alter ego and part collection of the men, voices and contradictions PJ had grown up around.

His new book, Boomerang Process, returns to those lives and asks what happened next.

We talk about growing up anxious, his father’s absence, football and belonging, addiction, recovery, creativity and the uncomfortable period when an old identity has disappeared but a new one has not yet formed.

PJ also tells us about his work at Damien John Kelly House, a recovery living centre in Liverpool where men rebuild their lives through honesty and accountability, but also through football, cycling, books, art, music and community.

This is a conversation about wasted potential, second chances and why recovery has to become about far more than simply not drinking or using drugs.

It’s also about what makes a good man: consistency, honesty, responsibility and being prepared to live by the things you ask of others.

PJ’s work

Buy Boomerang Process
https://www.tncbooks.co.uk/store/p/boomerang-process-by-roy

Find out more about Algorithm Party
https://roughtradebooks.com/pages/authors

Damien John Kelly House
https://hubofhope.co.uk/service/835359ba-59f3-42d5-badd-53be0754d932

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In Episode 6 of Och, Brothers! Where Art Thou?, Pietro and Ross sit down with Tim Bowles, founder of Campwell and co-founder of Icebreakers, two projects rooted in nature, connection, cold water, fire, and the simple but powerful act of men gathering together.

Tim grew up as the fifth generation on his family farm near Bath, where childhood meant open fields, rugby, bonfires, and a deep connection to the land. But after years working in advertising in London and wine distribution in Hong Kong, he felt the pull back home, not just to a place, but to a way of life that felt more honest.

Together, we talk about fatherhood, anxiety, the courage to step away from a “successful” path, and why so many men are carrying things they do not quite know how to name. Tim shares how the loss of friends, his own battles with anxiety, and a need for deeper male connection led to the creation of Icebreakers: a free men’s cold-water community built around nature, ritual, and brotherhood.

This is a conversation about fathers and sons, self-care without self-obsession, the difference between listening and fixing, and why sometimes the thing we need most is not another answer but a fire, a river, and a few good men willing to show up.

This week on Och, Brothers! Where Art Thou?, we sit down with John Arthur. A community activist, recovery coach, yoga teacher and long time friend of Rosco’s, John has spent decades working with people on the edges and quietly helping build better ways forward.

John talks about growing up in a tough part of Edinburgh, living in fear, learning to fight, and how early trauma can shape the nervous system, relationships and identity. We hear about addiction, relapse, and the moment things finally shifted for good, when he stopped trying to do it alone and became willing to accept help.

The conversation moves through recovery and responsibility, ACEs and attachment, men and vulnerability, and why practices like yoga, singing in choirs and strong male friendships became central to John’s life. We also hear how organised communities can genuinely change outcomes, from campaigning for services to creating spaces that help people stay well.

This is a thoughtful, funny and deeply honest conversation about masculinity, healing, and what it means to live with purpose after chaos.

We cover: addiction and recovery, childhood trauma, asking for help, men’s mental health, community action, nervous system regulation, friendship and finding joy later in life.

This week on Och, Brothers! Where Art Thou? we’re joined by the other David Cameron, educator, keynote speaker, podcaster, and a proper warm, thoughtful presence from Fife.

What starts as a bit of festive chat and name based mischief quickly turns into a big one: masculinity, role models, community, and what happens when society quietly stops giving young boys decent examples of what “being a man” can look like.

David takes us back to growing up in Campbeltown with a single mum, a gentle grandfather, and a head full of books and music. We talk about the older versions of masculinity he was handed, hardness, fighting, bravado, and why it never really fit. From there we get into the modern pressure cooker: algorithms, Andrew Tate, Trump style posturing, and a culture built on dissatisfaction.

We also dig into the shortage of men in primary teaching, what that means for boys (and everyone), and why this isn’t just a “role models” chat, it’s also about pay, status, and what neoliberalism has done to community life.

And finally, we land where the heart is: adverse childhood experiences, trauma, recovery, meaning, and the idea that we’re shaped by our past, but we don’t have to be its prisoners. A proper end of year conversation about values, healing, and trying to live like you mean it.

A long overdue check-in and catch-up between Pietro and Rosco, celebrating Scotland's qualification for the World Cup, and their trips to Africa.

This week on Och, Brothers! Where Art Thou? we sit down with Colin Kirk-Potter, former Royal Marine Commando, ultra-runner, writer, endurance coach, postman, husband, and father of five, for a raw, funny, and deeply human conversation about identity, recovery, and what masculinity really looks like when the bravado falls away.

Colin takes us from growing up in Derbyshire to life in the Royal Marines, serving across conflict zones and discovering the intense camaraderie of a brotherhood forged under pressure. He speaks honestly about how that structure gave him purpose, and what happened when a PTSD diagnosis in 2013 forced him to confront life beyond the uniform.

We talk about alcohol, denial, counselling, EMDR therapy, and the slow, difficult work of putting memories back into order. Colin reflects on rebuilding himself through running, the wild landscape of Dartmoor, and creating community through Run Venture, a business born from generosity and passion, and the pain of watching it fail in a world that values convenience over connection.

Along the way, we explore modern masculinity: strength without shouting, discipline without domination, kindness backed by action. From ultra-marathons and military downtime to parenting, community loss, and learning when to be tough, and when to kneel down and listen, this is a conversation about resilience that doesn’t flinch from vulnerability.

A powerful episode about service, survival, failure, and choosing not to be a dick, even when life gives you plenty of reasons to be one.

In our first full episode of Och, Brothers! Where Art Thou?, we sit down with JJ Middleway for a deep, moving and often unexpected conversation about manhood, belonging and what we have quietly lost along the way.

JJ is a poet, musician, druid elder and mentor who has spent decades working with boys and men through rites of passage, outdoor ritual and community based work. He joins us fresh from a powerful weekend spent helping young men step towards adulthood in a world that rarely shows them how.

What unfolds is not a neat how to guide on masculinity, but something richer and more human. We talk about the hunger for male role models, the importance of men only spaces, vulnerability and strength existing side by side, and why discomfort can be just as necessary as safety. JJ shares stories of grief, initiation, nature, song and service, alongside reflections on fatherhood, responsibility and forgiveness.

We explore spirituality without dogma, tradition without nostalgia, and the idea that being a man is not about dominance or silence, but about courage, humility and showing up for others. From ancient wisdom and campfire songs to modern fatherhood and social media burnout, this is a conversation about slowing down, reconnecting and remembering what really matters.

A thoughtful, generous and challenging opening chapter for the podcast, and a reminder that becoming a man is not a moment, but a lifelong practice.

In Episode Zero, Rosco and Pietro properly kick things off and lay down what this pod is trying to be. An open and honest space for men to explore what it means to be a man today, without the posturing, the grift, or the culture war noise.

They talk about why “masculinity” has become such a hard question to answer out loud, and why that hesitation is exactly the point. This is not about having perfect definitions. It is about asking better questions, finding the middle ground, and learning in public.

Along the way they get into purpose and duty, contentment versus chasing happiness, and how you build a small circle of mates who tell you the truth without co signing your nonsense. There is talk of education, temper, second chances, saying yes more than no, and the simple stuff that keeps you steady like exercise, meditation, and a bit of perspective.

No gurus. No gotchas. Just two pals setting the tone and starting the conversation.