The Graft Podcast

TRIGGER WARNING: talk of a physical attack that resulted in a death. On 4 April 2012, Jane Openshaw’s husband, Phil Sheriff, attended a corporate event in London. Hours later, he was fighting for his life after being attacked. Four days after that, he was gone.What followed was chaos, shock, the Old Bailey, a national campaign, a brutal appeal, and the daily reality of raising two children while navigating grief in its rawest form.In this powerful conversation, Jane sits down with Ben to share the truth of that week, the courtroom battle, the online abuse, the Bottle Stop campaign, antidepressants, parenting through trauma, and eventually — years later — finding love again with someone who understood loss the way she did.This is a story about survival, anger, resilience, rebuilding, and choosing to move forward, not “on.”🎧 Listen as we discuss…(00:05) The night of the corporate event — and the first calls that didn’t feel right(00:06:30) Searching hospitals, calling colleagues, and piecing everything together alone(00:13:36) The final moments (00:16:10) Facing telling their children (00:19:06) The Old Bailey trial(00:25:11) The appeal, the crash afterwards, and the year she was “on her knees”(00:28:50) Parenting two kids with two entirely different grief responses(00:30:30) What actually helped with her grief(00:35:30) Online cruelty and the moments that cut deepest(00:38:15) Bottle Stop: the campaign to remove late-night glass in bars and clubs(00:44:19) Meeting someone new and learning to love again(00:48:42) Letting go of anger without ever letting go of Phil(00:51:06) Jane’s advice for anyone frozen at the kitchen table with no idea how to continueKEY TAKEAWAYSYou don’t move on — you move forward. Grief leaves scars, not blank spaces.Shock carries you, but it drops you hard. The crash after the trial was the darkest point.Two kids, two griefs. Children don’t grieve the same way — and that’s okay.Campaigning can heal — and wound. Bottle Stop gave Jane purpose, but also backlash.Love doesn’t replace love. You can love the person you lost and love the person you meet.Take life an hour at a time. On the worst days, an hour is enough.GUESTJane Openshaw - mother, campaigner, and founder of Bottle Stop, a grassroots movement calling for the removal of glass in late-night venues after her husband, Phil, was killed in an unprovoked attack with a broken bottle in 2012. Jane now speaks openly about grief, trauma, justice, and rebuilding life while keeping Phil’s memory alive.

From faxing press releases at midnight to leading one of the most profitable arms of the Matchroom empire, Matthew Porter has spent over two decades shaping the business of modern sport.Now Chief Executive of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and Chairman of Matchroom Multi Sport, Matt sits at the intersection of entertainment and elite competition - where numbers, audiences, and brand loyalty drive everything. In this episode, he joins Ben to talk about graft, risk, and the leadership lessons learned under Barry and Eddie Hearn.From his early days as a Leyton Orient press officer to taking darts global, Matt reflects on how Matchroom built a winning culture that rewards initiative over hierarchy, why the company’s best ideas start with a “why not?”, and why failure - when done for the right reasons - is the best teacher there is.🎧 Listen as we discuss… (00:00) – From Leyton Orient press officer to Matchroom HQ (03:00) – Being named football club CEO at 26 — a baptism of fire (06:00) – Barry Hearn’s mentorship: learning by doing (and by failing) (08:00) – Matchroom’s culture of “yes”: ideas, ownership, and accountability(10:00) – From UK events to a global darts empire (13:00) – Breaking misconceptions: transforming darts into a world-class sport (16:00) – Luke Littler’s rise and the next generation of players (18:00) – Why PDC success is built on youth development, not luck (20:00) – Should darts be in the Olympics? Matt’s unfiltered take (23:00) – Lessons from football: why fan experience beats tradition (27:00) – The Matchroom model: entertainment first, ego second (30:00) – The Netflix effect: inside At Home With The Hearns (33:00) – Darts as Matchroom’s most profitable sport — and why that matters (36:00) – What “GRAFT” means to Matthew PorterKEY TAKEAWAYSSay yes, then figure it out. Matchroom’s success comes from action, not committees.Failure teaches faster. You’ll never get in trouble for making mistakes made with the right intent.Hire on attitude, not pedigree. The Matchroom model rewards hunger over hierarchy.Fans come first. Evolve with your audience or risk becoming irrelevant.Graft = sacrifice. True progress means giving more than you take and earning your right to be there.Matthew Porter - Chief Executive of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and Chairman of Matchroom Multi Sport. Having joined Matchroom in 2001, he’s played a key role in taking darts global, shaping one of the most commercially successful sports businesses in the world, and developing the next generation of Matchroom leaders.Follow Matchroom on InstagramWatch At Home with the Hearns on Netflix.

At 12 years old, Mark Long was told he’d be blind by 16. Three decades later, he’s a personal trainer, life coach, and advocate - proving how far resilience, humour, and relentless graft can take you.Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa as a child, Mark spent years pushing the limits of denial and defiance - driving, working as a doorman, and living fast to outrun fear. It wasn’t until a crash in 2021 that he finally faced the truth. Since then, he’s rebuilt his life from the ground up: launching a home gym, becoming an advocate for the visually impaired, and training as a life coach under “One Year No Beer” founder Ruari Fairbairns.In this powerful conversation, Mark sits down with Ben to share the reality of losing his sight, rebuilding his confidence, and finding freedom in acceptance. From shame and breakdowns to guide dogs, TV campaigns, and Joe Wicks’ podcast, this is a story about adapting, evolving, and living without limits.🎧 Listen as we discuss…(00:00) The diagnosis: retinitis pigmentosa at age 12(03:00) “You’ll be blind by 16”: how one sentence shaped everything(06:00) Living recklessly to escape fear and the ticking clock(09:00) Ignoring symptoms, denial, and the crash that changed everything(16:00) Shame, identity, and the fear of being seen as vulnerable(20:00) Building a gym from home and using fitness to save his mental health(23:00) Training vs drinking: choosing the hard road to healing(27:00) Marriage breakdown, loneliness, and rediscovering self-worth(31:00) Guide Dogs UK, Mary the lifesaver, and the £100k it takes to train one(36:00) Working with RNIB, TV ads, and Joe Wicks’ Extraordinary People podcast(40:00) New tech: AI apps, smart glasses, and hope for future treatments(45:00) From personal training to purpose: launching Beyond Limits Life Coaching(50:00) Mark’s message: don’t be ashamed, don’t bottle it up, ask for helpKEY TAKEAWAYSRefusal isn’t resilience. True strength starts when you face the thing you’ve been running from.Fitness is therapy. Training became Mark’s lifeline through depression, divorce, and sight loss.Acceptance = freedom. Shame thrives in silence—owning your story takes its power away.Purpose over pity. Blindness didn’t stop Mark; it pushed him to help others live beyond limits.Help exists. From Guide Dogs UK to community connection—ask, reach out, talk.GUESTMark Long - Personal trainer, life coach, and advocate for the visually impaired. Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at 12, Mark now uses his story to inspire others through Beyond Limits Life Coaching and partnerships with RNIB, Guide Dogs UK, and Joe Wicks’ Extraordinary People podcast.Follow Mark on InstagramSupport Guide Dogs UK

From being outed by the press in the 1990s to becoming one of the UK’s leading voices in equality and culture change, Jacqui Gavin BEM has lived through the headlines, the backlash, and the breakthroughs, and turned it all into purpose.Honoured by Her Late Majesty the Queen for services to gender equality, Jacqui has spent her career transforming inclusion across the UK Civil Service and beyond. But her story started long before that - as a young trans woman navigating prejudice, resilience, and a determination to be seen for who she truly is.In this episode, Jacqui joins Ben to talk about humanity, not labels. She reflects on her journey through the public eye, the painful experience of being “outed” without consent, and how she rebuilt her life to help others feel safe in theirs. From the weaponisation of diversity to her call for a return to respect and empathy, this is a conversation about truth, courage, and what inclusion should mean today.🎧 Listen as we discuss… (00:00) – Receiving the British Empire Medal for services to gender equality (03:00) – What “inclusion architecture” really means and why DEI needs rebuilding (05:00) – The good, the bad & the ugly of 20 years in diversity work (08:00) – Why “weaponising” inclusion is dividing us instead of uniting us (11:00) – The lost art of respectful debate and authentic conversation (13:00) – Humanity over characteristics: why everyone must be in the conversation (17:00) – Building equality in the UK Civil Service after the financial crash (21:00) – Finding belonging through service after years of feeling like an outsider (25:00) – The devastating workplace experiences that shaped Jacqui’s resilience (31:00) – Turning trauma into purpose: the press intrusion that changed everything (38:00) – Rebuilding after public humiliation and helping drive legal reform (43:00) – The danger of extremes and why balance is the only way forward (47:00) – The evolution of diversity: from awareness to humanity (51:00) – Breaking echo chambers and rejecting identity competition (55:00) – Why respect must be earned - not demanded (59:00) – “You matter”: Jacqui’s final message on hope, humanity & rebuilding trustKEY TAKEAWAYSDiversity isn’t broken - people are disconnected. We’ve forgotten how to talk, debate, and respect difference.Weaponisation divides. True inclusion means bringing everyone into the conversation - not boxing people out.Resilience is a daily act. The hardest experiences can become your greatest contribution if you stay open.Humanity first. Titles, traits, and identities matter less than empathy and shared responsibility.You matter. Every person has a story, a voice, and a right to be heard with dignity.GUESTJacqui Gavin BEM - Cultural strategist, inclusion architect, and speaker. Honoured by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for services to gender equality, Jacqui helps organisations build cultures of trust, truth, and humanity. Former UK Civil Service diversity leader, author, and lifelong advocate for fairness and respect.Connect with Jacqui on LinkedIn Follow Jacqui on ⁠Instagram⁠

When public speaker Dar Barrow went on holiday to Menorca, the last thing he expected was to come home with bowel cancer. Fit, healthy, having just ran an ultra marathon(!) he had no symptoms, no family history, and no warning signs... just a pain in his stomach that turned out to be life-changing.In this powerful and unfiltered conversation, Dave sits down with Ben to talk through his diagnosis, surgery, and recovery - and how he found purpose through writing his brutally honest book “Oh Sh*t, I’ve Got Bowel Cancer.” From humour on the ward to moments of raw fear, this episode is about facing the unthinkable, finding light in dark places, and the importance of speaking up before it’s too late.🎧 Listen as we discuss…(00:00) – The steak that started it all: how a stomach ache became something more(04:00) – Hearing the words “We need to get you tested”(06:10) – Men’s health: why we don’t go to the doctor soon enough(09:15) – Facing the unknown: from fitness to fear(12:00) – The colonoscopy, the moment of truth, and seeing the tumour on scree(16:10) – Switching mindset: from panic to preparation(18:30) – Training for surgery and finding strength through movement(21:00) – The operation: risk, recovery, and waking up without a stoma bag(25:00) – Finding perspective in pain — and gratitude on the ward(31:00) – Why movement matters in healing (and why he was home in 48 hours)(38:00) – The silence after the storm: life after surgery(41:00) – Journaling, Reiki, and the mental recovery no one talks about(44:00) – Writing “Oh Shit, I’ve Got Bowel Cancer”: from diary to lifeline(48:00) – Friendship, perspective, and the gift of still being here(52:00) – The fear of recurrence and the real mental battle post-cancer(56:00) – Dave’s advice: speak, trust the experts, and don’t Google itKEY TAKEAWAYSIt can happen to anyone. Cancer doesn’t care how fit you are — listen to your body.Don’t wait. Men, especially, delay seeing the GP — and it costs lives.Mindset matters. Once you know what you’re facing, shift gears from fear to action.Movement heals. Walking, training, and small wins speed recovery and boost confidence.Talk, write, share. Expression — not suppression — is the real act of resilience.GUESTDave (Dar) Barrow: Author, public speaker, and endurance runner. After being diagnosed with Stage 3B bowel cancer, Dave documented his journey with brutal honesty in “Oh Sh*t, I’ve Got Bowel Cancer.” His mission now is to break the stigma around men’s health, encourage early diagnosis, and help others find light in their darkest moments.FOLLOWDar on Substack, Instagram and LinkedIn.Buy Oh Sh*t, I’ve Got Bowel Cancer here.