WHEN Dan Ramsden lost his mum Trudy to cancer aged 46, it caused him to think about and appreciate his own good health.

Along with his cousin Matt, to whom Trudy was a “second mum”, he felt the family would have benefitted from knowing more about the condition and its possible origins.

“My auntie, Dan’s mum, died from a brain tumour. We were given no real answers on how this could possibly have been prevented,” says Matt, who grew up in Birkenshaw and, like his cousin attended Whitcliffe Mount School in Cleckheaton.

“She was like my second mum. I used to have sleepovers with her and we’d stay up all night watching DVD’s. She was a real influence on me not only because she great fun and could be the life and sole of the party, but because she also had very strong values that stuck with me. She was taken away far too young.

After Trudy’s death the cousins became closer. Both wanted to search for more answers as to why she died.

“This started our journey of learning more about human health and wellbeing,” says Matt.

It made the pair, who both work hard to keep their bodies and minds in peak condition, think about how they could help to spread the word and encourage others to look after themselves too.

Matt, a TV and stage actor and fitness coach, and Dan, a personal trainer and massage therapist, set up Rich in Success, a podcast in which they interview inspirational, well-known guests to talk about mental health, mindset, nutrition, fitness and general success in all areas of life.

So far the pair have interviewed a number of celebrities including rugby league legend Robbie Paul, BAFTA nominated actress Ruth Madeley, Footballers Wives and Coronation Street actor Peter Ash and 911 boyband superstar Lee Brennan.

Among the local stars they have interviewed is former Bradford Bulls and England rugby league player Leon Pryce who speaks about overcoming adversity when on trial for GBH and faced losing his career and reputation.

They also talked about the pressures facing young athletes today. Leon talks of how he battled with depression and suicidal thoughts and found help to get through.

Says Bradford-born Dan: “The death of my mother had a huge impact on my life. She was a very strong character and was well thought of within the West Yorkshire Fire Service where she worked for 28 years.

“I felt I had to honour her memory by helping as many people as possible, like she did.

My passion has always been in the fitness industry so I feel this is my platform to help prevent illness, disease and depression.”

Adds Matt: “Our mission is now to help millions of people worldwide gain knowledge into how to live healthier and happier lives and stay away from such debilitating illnesses.”

The cousins believe that many people take their health for granted, and take action only when they become ill.

“Sometimes that’s far too late,” says Matt, who as an actor has appeared as Scott Mackay in Heartbeart, Sam Myserson in The Royal and Rufus Ingram in Unforgiven, as well as numerous stage plays including When Both Sides Surrender and From Heaven To Hell.

“Through what we’ve learnt along the journey of recording this podcast and speaking to many different people, I now massively value the importance of looking after ourselves before we become ill.

“Getting adequate amounts of sleep, taking time out to rest and refocus your mind, eating healthy foods and exercising regularly are all key ingredients to preventing serious illness. We should all be doing this.”

The cousins carry out their interviews at their small studios in Bradford or sometimes travel to a guest if necessary. “We are lucky that the industries we’ve worked in have allowed us to get in contact with some great guests as we are already friends with some great people,” says Matt. “My acting background has enabled us to get some top actors and singers on the show and Dan’s rugby league and fitness background has helped to bring top sports people and health professionals on board allowing for a great mix of personalities, advice and insights.

“As the show grows in popularity we hope to continue to get even more influential and well known guests. But whether high profile or not, each guest brings either a fantastic story of motivation or expertise level of knowledge to help others.”

The pair are in no doubt that the show will inspire others. “People will always take note to a person of influence. We hope to entertain but more importantly to help our listeners learn a few things to help them live happier, healthier and more fulfilled lives.”

Says Dan: “In my profession I have to stay current with knowledge in all areas of fitness, strength, nutrition and lifestyle. As this is my business I take pride in my health. My body is my business card so this inspires my clients to follow my path. I’m very passionate about this subject and even more so since the loss of my mother.”

Adds Matt: “We are not preaching. Our Podcast sets out to be entertaining, interesting and educational. We’re two cousins on this journey together. Neither of us are perfect and we are still learning each day. But we invite our listeners to join us each week and hopefully we can all figure out this puzzle together and then enable ourselves to live a better quality of life that works for all of us in our own individual way.”

A positive mindset can make a difference, the cousins agree. “We talk a lot about mindset on the show,” says Matt. “If you’re a happier, more positive type of person, you’ll find that you tend to attract more like-minded individuals in your life. People are much more likely to want to work with you and therefore more opportunities will come your way. Positivity isn’t something that I find comes naturally though - it’s something I have to work on every single day. But that’s the key to it - we all have the choice. We can choose to feel negative or equally we can choose to look at something with a positive mind.

“Learning to change your state of mind to being more optimistic and proactive in a negative situation on a regular basis can improve your life for the better. Daily self-development work is the key to success in my opinion.”

Rich in Success is on iTunes, Castbox, Google Play or via other popular podcast platforms.