Novelist Louis de Bernières was born into a military family, and flown out to Jordan in a bomber. At the age of eight he was sent to Grenham House in Kent, a prep school run by two headmasters, one of them a paedophile and the other a sadist. He became fluent in Latin. Then he went to Bradfield College in Berkshire where he spent a lot of time fishing, and working for a local farmer when he was supposed to be doing sports. He then spent four months failing to become an army officer at Sandhurst, when what he really wanted to do was grow his hair long and play the guitar. In disgrace, he fled to Colombia where he worked as a tutor on a ranch belonging to an Englishman who also turned out to be a paedophile. He learned to ride western style, use a lasso, and round up cattle.

He came home and studied philosophy at Manchester University, financing it by working as a landscape gardener. Afterwards he worked variously as hospital porter, landscape gardener, mechanic in a bent Morris Minor garage in East London, philosophy tutor, carpenter, motorcycle messenger, and English and Drama teacher in Ipswich. He trained to be a teacher in Leicester, and won a masters with distinction at the Institute of Education in London. He worked with truants in Battersea until his third novel was published and he was earning the same by writing as he had been as a teacher.

Summary Louis de Berniere-Smart discusses his experience of boarding school and the emotional impact it had on him. He shares the harsh realities, including physical abuse, poor living conditions, and emotional bullying. Louis reflects on the emotional detachment and stoicism that he learned as a coping mechanism, as well as the difficulty of forming attachments and relationships later in life. He also discusses his unconventional path after leaving school, including his time in Colombia and his diverse range of jobs. Louis values connecting with people from all walks of life and has a deep interest in understanding others. In this conversation, Louis discusses his diverse work experiences and how they have influenced his writing. He shares stories from his time working in a garage , highlighting the importance of meaningful connections with people. Louis also talks about his experiences as a father and the impact it had on his life. He discusses the process of writing and how it allows him to explore different kinds of love and escape from self-obsession.

Novelist Louis de Bernières was born into a military family, and flown out to Jordan in a bomber. At the age of eight he was sent to Grenham House in Kent, a prep school run by two headmasters, one of them a paedophile and the other a sadist. He became fluent in Latin. Then he went to Bradfield College in Berkshire where he spent a lot of time fishing, and working for a local farmer when he was supposed to be doing sports. He then spent four months failing to become an army officer at Sandhurst, when what he really wanted to do was grow his hair long and play the guitar. In disgrace, he fled to Colombia where he worked as a tutor on a ranch belonging to an Englishman who also turned out to be a paedophile. He learned to ride western style, use a lasso, and round up cattle.

He came home and studied philosophy at Manchester University, financing it by working as a landscape gardener. Afterwards he worked variously as hospital porter, landscape gardener, mechanic in a bent Morris Minor garage in East London, philosophy tutor, carpenter, motorcycle messenger, and English and Drama teacher in Ipswich. He trained to be a teacher in Leicester, and won a masters with distinction at the Institute of Education in London. He worked with truants in Battersea until his third novel was published and he was earning the same by writing as he had been as a teacher.

Summary Louis de Berniere-Smart discusses his experience of boarding school and the emotional impact it had on him. He shares the harsh realities, including physical abuse, poor living conditions, and emotional bullying. Louis reflects on the emotional detachment and stoicism that he learned as a coping mechanism, as well as the difficulty of forming attachments and relationships later in life. He also discusses his unconventional path after leaving school, including his time in Colombia and his diverse range of jobs. Louis values connecting with people from all walks of life and has a deep interest in understanding others. In this conversation, Louis discusses his diverse work experiences and how they have influenced his writing. He shares stories from his time working in a garage , highlighting the importance of meaningful connections with people. Louis also talks about his experiences as a father and the impact it had on his life. He discusses the process of writing and how it allows him to explore different kinds of love and escape from self-obsession.

In this conversation, David and Naomi talk with Dr Brian Richardson, a communications expert at the University of North Texas, who has conducted research on whistleblowers and the impact on their families. Brian explains that his interest in this subject began when he observed the negative response faced by a college basketball player who blew the whistle on his coach's abusive behaviour. This led him to question why individuals who speak the truth and raise concerns are often punished instead of celebrated. Brian's research focuses on the communication dynamics within families of whistleblowers and how they cope with the challenges they face. He highlights the importance of communal coping and negotiating how much conversation should be dedicated to the issue. Brian also discusses the use of metaphors by whistleblowers to describe their experiences and the need for families to maintain connections with outside support systems. He emphasizes the traumatic impact whistleblowing can have on families and the importance of providing resources and support for them.

Dr. Richardson is still interviewing whistleblowers and family members. If you are able to participate his email address is brian.richardson@unt.edu

Dr. Brian Richardson earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001, where he then joined the faculty in Communication Studies at the University of North Texas. Specializing his research in organizational whistleblowing, crisis/disaster communication, and sport communication, Dr. Richardson was promoted to Associate Professor in 2008 and then recently to the level of Full Professor. His research has been published in prominent venues including Management Communication Quarterly, Human Communication Research, International Journal of Business Communication, Communication and Sport, and the Journal of Applied Communication Research. Dr. Richardson’s whistleblowing research has examined whistleblowers in the collegiate sport industry, within K-12 educational contexts, and how whistleblowing impacts families. He has also led Study Abroad programs in Peru, Nicaragua, and Panama, and most recently, he won awards for Excellence in Graduate Teaching (2022) and for Excellence in Mentoring via the Ulys and Vera Knight Faculty Mentor Award (2023). He has conducted communication training for a variety of organizations including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Houston office, Texas Association of Fire Chiefs, UNT System, UNT Health Science Center, Texas Association of County Auditors, and the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services.