“Come for the hope. Stay for the dogs.”

Welcome to the We Do Hope podcast
With Jessie McDonald and Tilly Reith: Pilot episode
Listen now (26:03)

For our pilot episode, We Do Hope hosts journalist Jessie McDonald and theatre-maker Tilly Reith chat about their hopeful reads, watches and listens; about lockdown hair, farming... and dogs.

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They Do Hope: Journalist Jessie McDonald and theatre-maker Tilly Reith
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We introduce our hosts, journalist Jessie McDonald and theatre-maker Tilly Reith, as they talk about everything from what hope means to them, what excites them in this first season of the podcast, and how they first bonded on Zoom over Tilly’s link to Miley Cyrus, Jessie’s houseboat life and their mutual dog obsession.

Tilly reveals she’s an Archer’s megafan and Jessie recites lines from ‘You Sexy Thing’ in the introduction to our Hope In A Hurry section — which will become a regular feature in each episode — as they share a hopeful read, watch, listen and anthem.
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Jessie McDonald

Jessie is a production editor at the Guardian newspaper in the UK, working on human rights, environmental and global development stories. When she’s not polishing other people’s stories and writing headlines, she enjoys reporting herself, focusing on people creating a more socially and environmentally just world — from ocean protectors replanting coral reefs in Jamaica to a sisterhood of trafficked women singing together in London.

Jessie studied anthropology and is endlessly curious about people’s experiences and how they see the world. She’s a big fan of solo and slow travel (she lived on a houseboat for two years with her now-husband) and is happiest when walking her dog, reading and talking about books, eating well and dancing badly.

She enjoys yoga and lives in South London. You can read her work for the Guardian here and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

Tilly Reith

Tilly does a few things. Sometimes she directs live theatre, and sometimes it’s digital. Recently she has been making films for the Cambridge Literary Festival. She loves festivals (and has worked for a few) and has produced one-off events across the country and online. During the pandemic, she managed the launch of a 10-week e-learning course.

In a former life, Tilly has been a home organiser, worked in a hospital and made cocktails — but not in a hospital. She grew up in London and Cambridge and studied in Sheffield, where she now lives.

Tilly is happiest on a bike, wild swimming, or dancing in a crowd. She is passionate about community, the environment and pop culture. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

Hope In A Hurry

Jessie

Hopeful Read:
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 

Hopeful Watch:
14 Peaks available on Netflix

Hopeful Listen:
Wellcome Collection’s Hello Happiness podcast

Hopeful Anthem:
You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate

Tilly

Hopeful Read:
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Hopeful Watch:
Ted Lasso available on Apple TV+

Hopeful Listen:
The Archers on BBC Radio 4 

Hopeful Anthem:
Beyoncé at Coachella and accompanying Homecoming documentary available on Netflix

Please follow us on the socials at:

• Twitter at @WeDoHopePodcast
• Instagram at @WeDoHope_Podcast
• Facebook at @WeDoHopePodcast

All episodes of We Do Hope can be found at wedohope.org or wherever you listen to your podcasts. To find out more about Amos Trust, please visit our Home page.