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Back to school can bring excitement – but also anxiety about money, friendships, exams and faith. The hovernment has announced new measures to ease the financial burden on families, but what difference will they actually make? Headteacher Miriam Manderson joined Esther to discuss the reforms and how parents and pupils can prepare for the year ahead, before former Young Preacher of the Year Grace Keir shared her advice for young people wanting to be bolder with their faith at school.
Released on 2 Sep 2026
Could you fake your way into faith? That’s what New York influencer Brian Guan set out to discover. Fed up with life, he challenged himself to spend 30 days living out Christianity, without the faith — and documented it all online. Within weeks, he’d gained over 100,000 followers, including Christians encouraging him on. But after just 20 days, something happened. Producer Jamie Pratt caught up with him to find out the whole story.
Inspirational Breakfast meets the Life in the Uni-verse podcast as Esther welcomes graduates Lucy Robinson and David Colwill for an honest conversation about following Jesus as a student. Despite the stereotype that university can be a faith killer, surveys suggest most Christian students actually thrive. So what does it look like to pursue Jesus amid the pressures and opportunities of Freshers’ Week, flat life and studying — and avoid the clichés of being an over-partied, underslept and homesick student?
What’s your earliest memory? Those early experiences can shape who we become. Experts say the first 1,001 days, from pregnancy to age two, are crucial for our physical, mental and spiritual development. Dame Andrea Leadsom, founder of 1001 Critical Days, joined Esther to explain why it matters — and how you can help ensure this stage gets the recognition it deserves.