Trigger Warning: alcohol misuse and self-harm

"OCD is a constant battle of feeling you’re a horrendously bad person. It’s very easy to self-punish."

I have long admired Duke Al’s work, and after listening to this episode I can almost guarantee you'll have an even more powerful appreciation of his words, as well as the man behind them.

Duke is a spoken word artist and rapper from South Wales, who began writing as a young child to try and make sense of the intrusive thoughts that were occupying his brain, later diagnosed as OCD. Using writing as a coping mechanism, he says, has saved him.

“I kept it hidden for years. I felt like the pen and page was the only thing I could tell.”

Afraid of the stigmas around OCD, Duke kept quiet, increasingly turning to negative behaviours as a way to cope until a traumatic experience led to him getting professional help. A type 1 diagnosis at the age of 23 affected his mental health further as the two conditions catastrophically collided.

The pen, again, became his saviour, and Duke continued writing rhymes as self-therapy, until a trip to Zambia prompted him to start sharing his poems publicly via Instagram. Now, just a few years on, Duke has published his first collection of poems, Bittersweet, with a second book on the way. He also now writes and teaches poetry and music full time, inspiring others with his words and ‘making an impactful change, one rhyme at a time.’

“We’re all given challenges, but we’re also all given choices,” he tells me. There is SO much light in this episode, as well as two very special performances. I hope this episodes moves and ultimately inspires you as much as it did me.

FIND DUKE:
Say hi to Duke on Instagram.
Discover Duke’s music.
Buy Duke's book, 'Bittersweet'.

SPONSOR MESSAGE:
Thanks to my episode sponsors Insulet, the founders of Pod Therapy - only found with Omnipod.

Pod therapy uses a tubeless, wearable and waterproof Pod that continuously delivers insulin for up to three days. Controlled wirelessly by its handheld companion, the personal diabetes manager, it allows you to personalise your insulin doses according to your own daily needs - no multiple daily injections and no tubes.

Head to https://www.omnipod.com/ to find out more.