Listen again - James
We won Silver in the British Podcast Awards. This listen again section is to share the particular episodes we got judged on.
What does it mean to “do everything right” and still come up short? We sit with James, a support worker caring for adults with learning disabilities and autism, to trace the real maths of modern poverty: long shifts, term‑time childcare gaps, energy and rent hikes, and the slow erosion of a family’s “nice time” pot. James talks candidly about budgeting in pots, living on beans so his son could eat well, and the relief he found through The Bread and Butter Thing—affordable, nutritious food close to home that stretches cash and eases stress without stigma.
Across the conversation, we unpack why care work—so essential during COVID—remains underpaid, and how that collides with childcare economics that can penalise families for taking extra hours. We challenge the myth that phones and laptops are luxuries, showing how digital access underpins benefits, rota changes, school updates, and everyday life admin. We also ask the tough question: does James consider himself poor? His answer opens a bigger idea—poverty as a spectrum—capturing the difference between crisis and the constant grind of just-about-managing.
