Raymond Tannor
Founder of Peace of No Mind
Raymond Tannor
“Peace of mind gives me the freedom to laugh harder and smile wider. It’s a short and long-term goal. Short term, you can achieve it by getting lost in meditation or something instantly rewarding; longer term when our basic need to feel secure and sheltered is met. What often creates a lack of peace is our shifting between the two states. The objective should be to create a harmony between the two.”
Raymond Tannor starts his podcast, Peace of No Mind with the same question: What does peace of mind mean to you? The vision for the show is as open ended as the question. The podcast explores the lived experience of guests and the ways they have mobilised their experiences and transformed them into universal lessons.
A strength of the show is its diverse guests from a range of creative backgrounds. Raymond has featured the unique worldviews of musicians, life coaches and body image activists. Special guests have included trans activist Kenny Jones, Dope Black Dads creator Marvyn Harrison and Sade Brown, founder of leadership programme Sour Lemons. “The idea that someone from a completely different walk of life, might have a similar outlook on life with listeners is important. I want listeners to have faith that peace of mind exists, irrespective of the person expressing it,” he explains.
When it comes to the importance of people in the industry discussing mental health, he says: “Conversations are important but so are the points of entry. Some people don’t respond well to probing or terminology. The show’s open question allows individuals to interpret it the best way they can, giving a platform to voices who may not otherwise engage.”
The podcast brings together Raymond’s personal curiosities and creative aspirations. As a Psychology graduate, he was fascinated by human interaction and how this fostered his own understanding of the world. After missing the opportunity to join his student radio station, Raymond was encouraged by fellow presenter Ross Buchanan to look around and find a way. “I found out about radio drop-in sessions at the Roundhouse,” he explains, “I enrolled and met some great people who helped me hone my idea and introduce me to audio producing and editing.”
What he didn’t anticipate, was that the meaningful conversations he was capturing, would lead to a career. After completing the multitrack audio production programme, he went on to produce Radio 4’s documentary Pause the Plié about the transferability of creativity after a life-changing event. Today, Raymond works across production and editing for Russell Kane’s weekly podcast Boys Don’t Cry as well as the BBC Radio 1xtra Talks series.
He adds: “I care deeply about all of the episodes. I believe that in order to serve a purpose not everything can be rushed. Episodes are evergreen - the idea that you can revisit an interview without it feeling dated is something I strive for.”
When it comes to growth, he says he’s working steadily towards his goals and a second season. “I’m building a virtual space, filled with audio, writing and art, that encapsulates different relationships to peace of mind. It will be a space where we can share our learnings. Everyone is important, everyone is a teacher and everyone has a story.”
Interview by Tega Okiti
