"The van lets me take real, human conversations on the road and show when stories are captured where life actually happens." – Catherine Williamson

A world of adventures awaits for a 'driven' Leamington entrepreneur who is taking her hit podcast on the road – the first destination leading her back to where it all began. 

Catherine Williamson's new mobile recording studio will take her podcast around the country, including return visits to previous guests who were interviewed for Gobsmacked! Ordinary People With Extraordinary Stories.

This week the first of those episodes airs for her new Gobsmacked After The Podcast series, as Catherine catches up with Hampton Magna's Zelda Wilson, believed to be one of the area's longest cancer survivors.

At the age of just 41, Zelda, whose name translates as 'warrior,' was handed what she thought was a death sentence. A breast cancer diagnosis gave her a 50 percent chance of surviving past one year. It marked the start of an 18-year journey involving a gruelling treatment programme, double mastectomy and hysterectomy and subsequent brain tumours, one of which temporarily robbed her of her speech.

Her mission today is 'simply' to not just stay alive but, as far as possible, thrive, as she makes plans between her three-monthly oncology appointments.

Those plans more often than not involve her new-found lust for adventure, including numerous marathons, pilgrimages, cycling expeditions and Iron Man (twice!) And just last weekend saw her taking part in a 10k walk in Lanzarote, soon to be followed, after Christmas, by a return to her native South Africa to paddle the Orange River – despite a recent hip replacement! 

Catherine invterviews Zelda (image supplied)

It seemed fitting then that Zelda was invited to officially open Nuffield Health Warwickshire Hospital's new state-of-the-art MRI machine earlier this month. Over the years she has been a regular patient at the hospital for imaging and chemotherapy.

Zelda is one of over 50 Gobsmacked guests to appear since its successful launch in 2022, a passion project that has driven Catherine's selfless desire to champion others.

She is incredibly proud that it has now been heard in 147 countries around the globe and her newer Cumbrian variant, Assa Marra, has already reached 53 countries in its first year, including Nepal, Costa Rica, Japan, Bhutan, Ghana and Turkey. She is also fronting her own show on Big Ear Radio, an equal ability community radio station where, true to form, she turns the spotlight onto other people's remarkable stories. 

From navigating the treacherous waters of terrorism and counterterrorism to gangland revenge killings, from heroic endeavours to the sheer determination to live against all odds, a host of inspirational guests share the experiences and the wisdom they've mined from the darkest corners of their lives.

Now the van will enable more stories to be told from all corners of the UK. Kitted out with all the latest broadcasting technology, it signals the start of an exciting new direction taken in the Gobsmacked! journey, with ten interviews so far lined up across Warwickshire, Cumbria, Somerset, London and the North East.

Catherine said: "The van is the next stage. It gives me agility, adventure and the freedom to visit guests anywhere without studio costs. It gives me consistency. And I have hardly scratched the surface with YouTube, which is why the 'After the Podcast' series will grow into a YouTube project too. The van lets me take real, human conversations on the road and show when stories are captured where life actually happens."

All of the kit in the van has been provided by AXIOM Joint Venture, who also support the Assa Colours Podcast Studio in Whitehaven and, as part of the agreement, Catherine is launching six youth-led podcast.

Catherine and Zelda in the Gobsmacked! van (image supplied)

Catherine explained: "By using the appeal of podcasting, young people learn sensitive listening, curiosity, and production skills in a real studio environment. It signals a deliberate shift, giving younger talent the chance to take the chair and develop as the next generation of podcasters.

"Their support also means I can take podcasting into schools, into communities, and operate as a small outside broadcast facility. I am genuinely grateful to them."

She added: "One of the things people do not always realise about podcasting is how hard it is to keep going. Most podcasts only make it to three episodes. A few get to seven. Hardly any reach ten. It takes consistency, a bit of guile leveraging networks, and money. 

"People sometimes assume you are earning every time you post a link. The truth is the opposite. Maybe one day. But right now this is a labour of love.

"And now I am crossing into a different space. I am not just a podcaster. I am helping corporates build their own podcasts, which brings together my coaching work and my love of conversation."

That conversation continues from Monday 9 December with Zelda. Her latest episode can be heard here.

Catherine said: "I have always felt a deep connection to Zelda. We travelled the Camino together. Not long after that, she launched her Zelda Warrior Princess podcast. That trip was powerful for both of us. Eighteen years of defying death - that alone makes her a total standout warrior. 

"Her courage, honesty, humour, and ability to keep going mark her out as a woman not easily forgotten. Plus she is one of the most charismatic women I have ever met.

"Her first Gobsmacked episode was listened to in 39 countries and genuinely changed everything for me. So this revisit mattered. I always knew I would come back to her. Her story has travelled further than almost any other guest I have ever had. It feels like the right beginning for what the van can do."

You can follow Catherine's Gobsmacked! podcast here.

Catherine with Zelda on one of their adventures (image supplied)