Advertisement
For £35 you can help a vendor keep themselves warm, dry, fed, earning and progressing
BUY A VENDOR SUPPORT KIT
Life

Big Issue founder Lord Bird shares his remarkable journey for wellbeing app Soaak

Lord Bird hopes that by sharing his story of overcoming adversity he can inspire others to take on life's challenges

Lord John Bird

Lord John Bird, founder of the Big Issue

The Big Issue’s founder Lord John Bird has partnered with mindfulness app Soaak to share his journey from “Prison to Parliament” to inspire others to overcome adversity.

Wellbeing and mindfulness app Soaak offers “sound frequency therapy” alongside recordings of motivational speeches to “enhance mental strength and resilience”.

Explaining why he partnered with Soaak to record his experiences, Lord Bird described his frustration with the “complications and intricacies that often surround basic helpful advice”.

“I wanted to be useful to people because people have been useful to me,” he continued. 

Lord Bird experienced homelessness as a child and was jailed as a young offender, slept rough on the streets of London and returned to prison in his late twenties. He went on to found The Big Issue in 1991, and in 2015 was appointed to the House of Lords for his work supporting people experiencing homelessness into enterprise.

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

Advertisement
Advertisement

A Soaak spokesperson told The Big Issue: “Soaak’s collaboration with Lord John Bird brings forth a unique blend of transformative experiences and scientific advancements, revolutionising the way we approach holistic wellbeing. Together, we empower individuals to unlock their full potential and embark on journeys of growth and self-discovery.”

With Lord Bird’s guidance, Soaak wants to encourage listeners to “view challenges from different perspectives, say ‘yes’ to the seemingly impossible, and stand strong in the face of adversity”.

Your support changes lives. Find out how you can help us help more people by signing up for a subscription

The Soaak app also offers listeners sound frequencies that claim to address a wide-range of mental and physical health issues including, stress, anxiety, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), tooth and gum issues, male sexual health and self-confidence.

Advertisement

Change a vendor's life this Christmas

This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.

Recommended for you

View all
giffgaff and Big Issue Partner to Bridge Digital Divide
Advertorial

giffgaff and Big Issue Partner to Bridge Digital Divide

IVF pioneer Jean Purdy made parenthood possible for millions. We must celebrate this unsung hero 
Parenting

IVF pioneer Jean Purdy made parenthood possible for millions. We must celebrate this unsung hero 

Letters: Disabled people live in constant fear we will lose our benefits – which we need to survive
Letters

Letters: Disabled people live in constant fear we will lose our benefits – which we need to survive

This is why your Christmas turkey costs more this year
Food

This is why your Christmas turkey costs more this year

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know