Listening First: The Podcast on Rehabilitation and Recovery
Hosted by Patrick Boyd and Ben Marram, Listening First is a podcast dedicated to exploring the journey of rehabilitation and recovery. Taking a not-knowing position, Ben and Patrick approach each conversation with openness and curiosity, creating space for genuine dialogue and new perspectives. Each episode dives into the challenges, breakthroughs, and personal stories that shape the path back to health and independence.
With a focus on empathy, expertise, and collaboration, Listening First brings listeners thoughtful conversations that inspire hope and highlight the human side of healing. Whether you’re a professional in healthcare, social care, law, someone on your own recovery journey, or simply curious about how people rebuild their lives, Listening First offers insight, support, and encouragement every step of the way.
Patrick Boyd
With nearly a decade of experience as a specialist case manager and a background in social work, Patrick brings a grounded, client-focused perspective to conversations about recovery and rehabilitation. He has experience working in a range of social work contexts including care management, adult safeguarding, mental health and children’s services, giving him a broad and nuanced appreciation of what recovery can mean to people in different contexts, and the many forms rehabilitation can take.
As Clinical Director and co-founder of BPJ Case Management, Patrick has worked extensively with individuals navigating complex recoveries, coordinating multidisciplinary teams and designing rehabilitation programmes that are both structured and compassionate. His work has earned him recognition for his practical approach, attention to detail, and ability to translate clinical complexity into meaningful support for clients and families.
In Listening First, Patrick draws on his frontline experience to ask thoughtful questions, highlight underrepresented voices, and unpack the realities of recovery - beyond the textbooks and mainstream takes. Whether speaking with clinicians, researchers, or those with lived experience, his aim is to foster dialogue that is honest, hopeful, and rooted in the belief that listening is the first step toward learning, and healing.
Patrick is also a Trustee of Headway Teesside and the Brain Injury Social Work Group, and a visiting lecturer in Social Work at Teesside University. His commitment to professional development and advocacy continues to shape his work both in practice and on the podcast.
Dr Ben Marram
Dr Ben Marram is a Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist and Chartered Occupational Psychologist with specialist expertise in acquired brain injury, neurological conditions, and psychological rehabilitation. He is an associate of Clarity Psychology, a practice providing neuropsychological therapy, consultation, and rehabilitation services across the UK. Ben also works with the Lily Foundation, the leading charity in the UK supporting people affected by and living with mitochondrial disease.
With a career spanning NHS, independent, and medico-legal contexts, Ben has extensive experience supporting individuals and families affected by traumatic brain injury, stroke, and progressive neurological disorders. His clinical approach integrates evidence-based neuropsychological assessment with tailored therapeutic interventions, drawing on cognitive behavioural, systemic, and third-wave psychological models.
Alongside direct clinical practice, Ben works closely with interdisciplinary teams—including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech and language therapists—to deliver holistic, values-based rehabilitation. He also provides supervision, training, and consultation to clinicians and organisations seeking to develop neuropsychological services.
More recently, Ben has joined Headway UK to support with the design and delivery of their national training programme.
Ben is committed to advancing compassionate, person-centred care, with a focus on helping people rebuild their lives after neurological illness or injury. He hopes to share these experiences and to amplify the voices with lived experience as a co-host of the Listening First podcast.