“Regardless of the job or industry, inclusion is everyone's work. Every job I've had has always been about serving others. And I think that actually the work of inclusion is serving others and helping people achieve more than what they really thought they were ever capable of.”

This week’s guest on ‘Pause. And Rewind… is one of the kindest, most generous & patient humans I’ve ever met & that’s Jon-Paul Vicari (he/him). I’m so fortunate that I get to call Jon-Paul, or JP, my colleague, manager & friend. He’s the Managing Director at We Create Space as well as being a massive champion for inclusion & volunteering. We get to work together & chat every day but it felt a bit different to sit down & record an episode of the podcast…

Little Jon-Paul wasn’t too different from the JP we know & love now - loving everyone & always making friends with strangers. He describes his younger self as a teacher’s pet & “the-pleasure-to-have-in-class kid”.

Growing up, Jon-Paul’s experiences of bullying, loss & a suicide attempt at 15 years old led to a lot of masking & therapy. Whilst difficult to talk about at the time, he feels this is an important topic to shine a light on and it has shaped his mental health & wellbeing advocacy which he is known for.

There’s so many touching moments during this conversation. Jon-Paul shares the impact of his mother & grandfather, his obsession with Dumbo & some solid parting words of wisdom. We also dive into the topic of vulnerability and chat about Jon-Paul’s two years of travelling - plus how he’s looking forward to settling into London life. Which I’m also super excited about on a personal level.

When I ask JP what brings him joy, his reply is simply “What doesn’t?” And that says so much about him which I know you’ll take away from this conversation. ENJOY!

PLEASE NOTE | We do cover some challenging topics during this conversation around bullying, mental health & suicide. Please take care of yourself whilst listening.