AMOL RAJAN: NOTHING CAN PREPARE YOU FOR THE DEATH OF A PARENT

Amol Rajan is a master of tough conversations - from conducting Phillip Schofield’s first interview to speaking to the likes of Novak Djokovic, Richard Branson and Greta Thunberg. However, I never imagined that I would find my conversation with Amol so challenging for myself, effortlessly opening me up.

Having become the editor of the Independent aged 29, Amol’s hard work ethic has seen him take over from Jeremy Paxman as host of University Challenge and presenting Radio 4’s Today Programme. But behind the glamour of an illustrious career, Amol and his wife were living through the rollercoaster of IVF and grieving the loss of his father. We talk about our relationships with our fathers and cherishing the time we have together.

This conversation went a direction I did not foresee but am so thankful for - it reminded me of the power of conversation and connection to unlock parts of ourselves perhaps we didn’t realise we had inside.

00:00 Intro from Jamie
00:25 Coming up on this week’s episode…
01:00 Why my male friendships are so important
02:30 How gaming can connect people
03:40 Believing true happiness comes from connection
06:50 My biggest worry is that I prefer being young
10:10 My rollercoaster IVF journey with my wife
13:35 Why Jamie was so scared of having kids
14:50 Male fertility fears
15:25 I’ve had to sacrifice a lot for my kids
17:00 I work harder at my relationships than my career
18:15 Losing my dad made me cherish the time we had
20:20 My experience of grief
22:20 Experiencing thoughts surrounding death when my dad passed
24:50 Time really helped me get through grief
29:10 I didn’t get the chance to say bye to my dad
30:45 I recite the poem I read at my dad’s funeral
33:30 The realisation that our parents aren’t invincible
34:40 Grief made me reexamine my spirituality
35:50 Why Jamie has started praying
39:00 Jamie gets emotional about his relationship with his dad
40:50 Why Jamie hasn’t said sorry to his dad yet
43:00 Jamie regrets blaming his dad when younger
44:10 Not having any regrets before someone passes away
45:00 How I felt when interviewing Phillip Schofield
47:20 My mad night of anxiety before interviewing Novak Djokovic
49:50 Richard Branson was the hardest interview I've ever done
50:40 What I first thought of Jamie when I saw him on MIC
52:15 Final eight questions

#AMOLRAJAN #GREATCOMPANYPODCAST #JAMIELAING

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THE CREDITS
Exec Producer: Jemima Rathbone
Assistant Producer: Gurlina Heer
Video: Jake Ji
Video Editor: Ryley Kirby
Social Media: Laura Coughlan
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Great Company is an original podcast from JamPot