JUST SAY THE WORD

A podcast series from Alpha CRC

Co-hosted by Paul Mangell and Yuliya Stancheva



Do you ever contemplate on a specific word and ask yourself: Where does it come from and what does it mean? What is my relationship with it? How does it impact my thinking and behaviour? How is it imprinted in our culture and society? Then you are not alone! Just like you, we love words, their complex and diverse meanings, and their power to inspire, nurture and guide us.

About the Podcast


We admit, we are fascinated by words and “Just say the word” is homage to our relationship with them and their transformative power. This podcast aims to educate, entertain, and inspire.


In every episode we invite a special guest- a celebrity, a radical thinker, a creative mind, a change-maker, a high-achiever, and ask them what is the word that defines their successes and achievements; that one special word that relates to their values, beliefs, and life experiences. We then take the conversation a step further; we dig into the semantic background of that word and search for exciting cultural connotations- from music, movies, and books, to travel, food, culture and politics- we cover many grounds in search for exciting cross-references with the chosen word.


Join us every other week on a journey across borders, times and cultures with our guests and their one special word as we investigate its origin, meaning and power to create our world.

S2E5 –Timothy Hedger: History

Show Notes

In episode 05, we reflect on the word “History” with Historian Timothy Hedger.

Why do we need History and what can we learn from it? Is there more to History then just the sole information about past events? What is the difference between a history and a myth or legend? Paul and Tim look for the answers to these and many more intriguing questions.

Following the interview, our guest Language Detective Ethan Barret tells us all about the origin of the word “history” while our producer Yuliya Stancheva takes us on an exciting journey in the world of arts and culture, revealing how “history” is imprinted in famous books, movies and song titles.

Podcast List

About our hosts

Yuliya Stancheva Yuliya Stancheva

Yuliya is a professional voice actor, podcast host and storyteller with 20 years of experience as a radio presenter and producer, who is not a stranger to giving voice to words and playing with them while creating captivating stories.

Paul Mangell Paul Mangell

Paul is a Director at Alpha CRC who has been managing all things localization for more than 20 years. With master’s degree in English and Philosophy and a background in theatre directing and music, he can delve effortlessly in all discussions with finesse and sophistication.