Explore every episode of the podcast Lived Experience Lounge - An Imroc Podcast

What do we really mean when we talk about “lived experience”?

In this episode of Lived Experience Lounge, we explore the philosophical roots, political dimensions, and practical realities of lived experience in mental health. Is it simply experience that has been labelled or diagnosed? Is it embodied knowledge? Is it an identity, a role, a form of power, or all of the above?

We reflect on lived experience as a way of knowing, the tensions between professional and peer identities, and the risks of hierarchy and competition within lived experience spaces. We also ask what distinguishes lived experience leadership from compassionate, values-based leadership more broadly.

This is a conversation about embodiment, power, storytelling, systems, and the responsibility that comes with turning experience into influence.

We discuss:

• The philosophical roots of lived experience
• Embodied knowledge vs objective knowledge
• Lived experience as identity and as expertise
• Hierarchies and competitiveness within lived experience spaces
• The difference between “peer” and “lived experience” roles
• Emotional labour and the performance of lived experience
• Leadership, power and co-production
• How collective change might reduce the need for new lived experience

Lived Experience Lounge is an Imroc podcast hosted by Emma Watson, Danny Bowyer and Katie Mottram.

Imroc is a mental health charity based in England focused on transforming systems and communities by centring lived experience. Its work spans peer support, recovery colleges, research and evaluation, community development, and relational approaches to care.

To learn more, visit imroc.org or follow Imroc on LinkedIn.

What does recovery actually mean, and who gets to define it?

In this first full episode of Lived Experience Lounge, we explore the history of the recovery movement and the tensions that sit beneath the word. From its roots in the survivor movement to its adoption within services, recovery has meant many different things to different people.

We reflect on clinical recovery, personal recovery, collective recovery, and whether the word still feels useful. We also share parts of our own journeys and how our understanding of recovery has shifted over time.

This is an open conversation about language, power, systems, identity, and what it means to reclaim autonomy in a world that often feels anything but safe.

We Discuss:

• The origins of the recovery movement
• Clinical recovery vs personal recovery
• “Recovery in the Bin” and critiques of the concept
• Reclamation, autonomy and collective wellbeing
• Resilience, endurance and political context
• The relationship between individual distress and social systems
• Whether we would return to who we were “before”
• Why recovery may be less about certainty and more about conversation

Lived Experience Lounge is an Imroc podcast hosted by Emma Watson, Danny Bowyer and Katie Mottram.

Imroc is a mental health charity based in England focused on transforming systems and communities by centring lived experience. Its work spans peer support, recovery colleges, research and evaluation, community development, and relational approaches to care.

To learn more, visit imroc.org or follow Imroc on LinkedIn.

In this mini episode of Lived Experience Lounge, we introduce ourselves.

Emma, Danny, and Katie share parts of their personal and professional journeys into mental health work, peer support, and lived experience leadership. We reflect on crisis, recovery, identity, and the messy, ongoing process of making sense of it all.

This isn’t a tidy origin story. It’s a conversation about becoming, questioning, unlearning, and finding belonging in a field that doesn’t always make space for complexity.

We also talk about what we hope this podcast offers: a space for generative conversation, disagreement, curiosity, and permission to explore your own understanding of distress and recovery.

We discuss:

• Our lived experience journeys
• Peer support and recovery work
• Questioning the medical model
• Identity, crisis and “breakthrough” moments
• Learning, unlearning and evolving perspectives
• What we hope listeners take from the podcast
• Why it’s okay not to have all the answers

Lived Experience Lounge is an Imroc podcast hosted by Emma Watson, Danny Bowyer and Katie Mottram. Imroc is a mental health charity based in England focused on transforming systems and communities by centring lived experience. Its work spans peer support, recovery colleges, research and evaluation, community development, and relational approaches to care.

To learn more, visit imroc.org or follow Imroc on LinkedIn.

In this mini episode of Lived Experience Lounge, we explore the story, values and purpose behind Imroc.

From its beginnings as a recovery-focused consultancy to its evolving role in supporting community development, peer support, recovery colleges and system transformation, we unpack what makes Imroc distinct.

We talk about lived experience leadership, relational care, working inside and outside systems, and why change requires both challenge and compassion.

This conversation also introduces the spirit behind the podcast itself – creating space for complexity, dialogue and learning without pretending to have all the answers.

We discuss:

• How Imroc began and why it still exists
• Recovery-oriented practice and Imroc's “ten organisational challenges”
• The role of peer support and recovery colleges
• Why lived experience leadership matters
• Working with communities as well as services
• Trauma-responsive and relational approaches to care
• The balance between challenge and collaboration
• Why a podcast feels like the right space for these conversations

Lived Experience Lounge is an Imroc podcast hosted by Emma Watson, Danny Bowyer and Katie Mottram.

Imroc is a mental health charity based in England focused on transforming systems and communities by centring lived experience. Its work spans peer support, recovery colleges, research and evaluation, community development, and relational approaches to care.

To learn more, visit imroc.org or follow Imroc on LinkedIn.