They're All Starting Over: A Music Journalist, a Designer, a Healer and a Food Charity Founder Share What They've Learned

Episode 8 of The Legacy Bench brought together four people from very different walks of life, each at a turning point: music journalist Grace Eccles, graphic designer Alex Kamara, holistic wellness practitioner Tristan Blevins, and Christine Bill, director of Food Nest UK. Our host Princely said it was one of the most unique sessions yet: "Everyone has just got this passion."

Grace Eccles: building a music brand from home

Grace runs Grace Talks Music, where she covers all things music. Since graduating in multimedia journalism she has interviewed artists including Fatboy Slim and Dick and Dom, built around 2,600 followers and racked up around 2.7 million views, and worked with brands on partnerships. Her goal is to become a presenter or podcast host.

Her challenges are practical. She lives with epilepsy, which means she cannot drive, and she is back in her family home in Blackburn without her own space to record. She is also still working out her niche, split between a weekly music news series and Can We Talk, her interviews with musicians.

The bench rallied round. One guest from Liverpool offered to connect her with local bands gaining traction, and Alex offered his network in the Manchester music scene and design support for her branding. Grace was keen: "I like to represent the north of England." Princely's advice was to keep giving smaller artists a voice. "When you give them that voice when they're small, it's very easy for them to give you access when they're quite big."

Alex Kamara: focus after a mental health diagnosis

Alex is a graphic designer and creative practitioner who has been rebuilding his life since being diagnosed with a mental health condition about four years ago. He is growing The Arts Office, an extension of his freelance brand identity and web design work, and developing an idea for a faith-based wellness app. He came to the bench to widen his network and to decide whether to accept a part-time master's place in graphic design.

Princely urged him to narrow his focus and questioned whether he needed the master's unless he wanted to teach. Grace suggested that if the master's was mainly for connections, Manchester's creative networking events could do the same job. Another guest suggested a series of workshops instead. Princely also recommended joining a referral community, taking on every job and outsourcing what he cannot do, until "before you know it, you've got an agency". As he put it, Alex has already "won the hardest part".

Tristan Blevins: mind, body and soul

Tristan, from rural Ireland, is the founder of Conscious Core. He is qualified in sports therapy and holds a degree in nutrition, and has trained in Reiki, sound therapy, breathwork, and mental health and counselling. "Real true health isn't just one-dimensional," he said. He offers one-to-one and group sessions from a room he rents on Rodney Street in Liverpool, along with talks, and is building courses.

His path was shaped by losing his grandfather to cancer at 13, seeing his mum live with fibromyalgia, and his own hard time after university, which led him to discover Reiki. The bench challenged him on how to stand out in a crowded wellness space. His answer: authenticity and going the extra mile. Suggestions included ticketed open days with limited places, before-and-after style videos and testimonials, and burnout sessions pitched to companies.

Christine Bill: Food Nest UK and the cost of living

Christine is the director of Food Nest UK, a community interest company that had launched about a month before filming. It provides affordable top-up food parcels across Greater Manchester with no referral, no proof of income and no judgement. "If you say that you're struggling, we believe you," she said. The idea came from her and her husband's own experience of needing help.

Princely pushed back on the risk of people abusing the service and suggested a simple declaration step at sign-up. Christine explained that you do not need to be in extreme hardship to need a top-up, and that she does not want to interrogate people who are already vulnerable. The bench also suggested corporate sponsorship, which Christine is already building into a three-tier partnership programme; trademarking the name; linking up with organisations such as The Message Trust, whose community groceries Alex has volunteered with; and Tristan's idea of simple healthy-eating classes using parcel ingredients.

The takeaway

• Lift others while they are small, and they will remember you.

• Focus on one thing until it can run without you.

• In a crowded space, authenticity is your edge.

• Dignity can be designed into a service.

Watch the full episode, and tell us whose story stayed with you.