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 If you enjoyed this episode, please click follow - we have so many great guests like this one, you won't want to miss out! -- You can also follow us on: Instagram |   / greatcompanypodcast   TikTok |   / greatcompanypodcast   -- If you or anyone you know has been affected by suicidal thoughts, you can head to CALM to find support: www.thecalmzone.net -- THE CREDITS Exec Producer: Jemima Rathbone Assistant Producer: Gurlina Heer Video: Jake Ji Video Editor: Ryley Kirby Social Media: Laura Coughlan -- Great Company is an original podcast from JamPot