Ctrl Alt Delete

I have something to tell you...

Fri, 24 May 2024 15:50:13 GMT

Announcing a new two book special by me, Emma Gannon, including a free virtual workshop and special intro from Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way. **Books are only on sale until midnight on June 4th**

Get yours here: poundproject.co.uk/shop/a-year-of-nothing

It's been a year since I last posted on this podcast.

Sometimes it’s all a bit too much.

Have you considered doing nothing about it?

For years, I have written about work, wellbeing and productivity. Then I was struck down by chronic burnout and could barely get out of bed. Something had to change.

So I bring you: A Year of Nothing, a moving account of why I had no choice but to switch off, go underground, and find joy and wisdom in mundane pleasures.

Split over two books and four seasons, I write about dog borrowing, dopamine dressing, learning how to swim (again), choosing to be child free, tuning into nature and much more.

Every purchase of this memoir includes three exclusives:

- A foreword by The Godmother of creativity Julia Cameron.

- Five beautiful A6 prints by artist and illustrator Georgia-Maia Oliphant, one for each season and one just for you (pictured).

- An invite to a virtual event on July 4th, where Emma and TPP founder JP Watson will host a Q&A and workshop the book’s central question: when you've worked out how to do the most, how do you learn to do nothing?

** Print books will be published on June 12th **

If you would prefer just to buy the digital edition please click here.

Join me at The Hyphen on Substack, a hub for curious readers: thehyphen.substack.com

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The Success Myth Diaries #5: Tim Clare on Anxiety

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 04:01:01 GMT

Welcome back to The Success Myth Diaries. Today's guest is Tim Clare, performance poet, author of two fantasy novels and nonfiction books including WE CAN'T ALL BE ASTRONAUTS, which won Best Biography/Memoir at the East Anglian Book Awards. His latest book COWARD a brilliant book about why we get anxious and what we can do about it (one of my favourite books on anxiety). His podcast Death Of 1000 Cuts, a podcast for readers, writers, and anyone who fancies being a little bit happier while they do those things. In this episode we discuss his three success myths around anxiety, achievement and the myth of the finish line. Hope you enjoy.

Buy your copy of COWARD here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781838853136

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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The Success Myth Diaries #4: Fiona Arrigo on Spirituality

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 04:30:54 GMT

Welcome back to The Success Myth Diaries! My guest today is the wonderful Fiona Arrigo who is beloved for her ever-evolving wisdom and heart-based living for the changing times: a visionary in her field, she works globally as a Biodynamic Psychotherapist, Intuitive Healer, Mentor and Life Teacher. She runs The Arrigo Programme which is a profound healing system, developed in conjunction with Fiona’s expert team of practitioners, which you can find out more about here: https://thearrigoprogramme.com. It was so wonderful talking to Fiona about her success myths, about how the world is going through massive change, and how we work together, learn how to rest, and use our own intuition more to guide us.

Order your copy of The Success Myth here: https://linktr.ee/thesuccessmyth

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Follow Fiona Arrigo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiona_arrigo
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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The Success Myth Diaries: #3 Jeff Hamaoui on Midlife

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 04:00:50 GMT

Welcome back to The Success Myth Diaries! Today’s guest is Jeff Hamaoui, a seasoned teacher, master facilitator and Chief Innovation and Education Officer for Modern Elder Academy. The Modern Elder Academy is a program for people going through midlife transitions - they are on a mission to reframe midlife from a crisis to a calling. Their purpose is to help you find a renewed sense of purpose and I really love what they do - and how they talk about ageing, success and purpose. I hope you enjoy hearing Jeff’s myths of success - such an interesting episode all about transitions and making the most out of life. Check out the Modern Elder Academy here: https://www.modernelderacademy.com/

My brand new book The Success Myth Diaries is out NOW :) https://linktr.ee/thesuccessmyth

*To listen early and have an ad-free experience, sign up to my Substack page The Hyphen: https://thehyphen.substack.com/

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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The Success Myth Diaries #2: Sian Clifford on Fame

Thu, 25 May 2023 04:40:41 GMT

To accompany the launch of my new book, I have interviewed some of my favourite thinkers on the topic of success, failure and creativity — and the most common success myths. Today’s guest is British actor Sian Clifford, probably best known for playing Claire in Fleabag (the toilet scene! The hair scene! The “the only person I'd run through an airport for is you” line! *chefs kiss*) I have re-watched both seasons of Fleabag so many times and it is Sian who I am totally mesmerised by the most each time. She is also a treasured friend of mine (we’ve seen each other through a lot) and I was so lucky that she even agreed to read the audiobook for my first novel Olive, in the middle of a lockdown, no less!) I am a fan of her work on screen but it’s her writing that also has me feverishly wanting more. I am loving her creative love affair with her Substack, rebooting her project Still Space (first born back in 2015) where she communicates passionately and poetically about culture, art, books, stillness and creativity. I encourage you to have a read. Here Sian discusses her three success myths: the ‘then and when’ theory, the myth of busyness and the myth of perfectionism. Also, how winning a BAFTA doesn’t actually mean you’re on Cloud 9 forever — life and pressures continue on in other ways — aka the arrival myth, which she generously shares with us.

Order your copy of The Success Myth here: https://linktr.ee/thesuccessmyth

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The Success Myth Diaries #1: Chelsea Fagan on Money

Thu, 18 May 2023 13:36:50 GMT

Welcome to the Success Myth Diaries! A brand new mini-series to accompany my new book The Success Myth: Letting Go Of Having It All which is out TODAY. My book unpicks the 8 success myths, from happiness to money to productivity to celebrity to the idea of ‘arriving’, looking at all the different ways traditional success is marketed to us and how it can take us off track to what really makes us personally fulfilled. To celebrate I am interviewing a selection of people I admire about what success means to them, and I’ve asked them to come with their three ‘success myths’ that we will unpick together.

Today's guest is Chelsea Fagan, a writer, home cook, and the founder of The Financial Diet, and author of debut novel A Perfect Vintage. She is currently on the road from “absolutely terrible with money” to “pretty good with money" and in this episode we talk about Chelsea's three success myths: Myth #1: Endless money will make you happy / Myth #2: Traditional publishing is the only way to feel successful / Myth #3 The four-day week doesn’t work.

*To listen early and have an ad-free experience, sign up to my Substack page The Hyphen: https://thehyphen.substack.com/

Order A Perfect Vintage here: https://www.aperfectvintagebook.com/

Explore The Financial Diet here: https://thefinancialdiet.com/

Follow:

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Lena Dunham (Replay): Dealing With Online Life

Thu, 11 May 2023 04:10:01 GMT

Hello and welcome to Ctrl Alt Delete. This is an oldie but a goodie with writer and director, Lena Dunham, recorded in 2017. It was an absolute treat getting to hang out with Lena on an exciting sunny Friday morning in her London hotel room, so I hope you enjoy our conversation.

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Poppy Jamie (Replay): On Being Happy Not Perfect

Thu, 04 May 2023 04:05:32 GMT

Hello and welcome to Ctrl Alt Delete. This is a replay from from 2021 with entrepreneur, author and presenter, Poppy Jamie, a leading voice in the mental wellbeing and mindfulness space. In this episode we discuss flexible thinking, launching the first talk show on Snapchat ‘Pillow Talk with Poppy’ and her first book Happy Not Perfect. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Poppy.

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/

My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast

Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Greta Gerwig (Replay): On Being A Multi-Hyphenate

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 04:03:35 GMT

Hello and welcome to Ctrl Alt Delete. This is a replay with the acclaimed actor, writer and director Greta Gerwig, recorded way back in 2018. We spoke about the release of her debut film, Ladybird and life as a multi-hyphenate.. Hope you enjoy this little trip down memory lane!

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Nick Hornby (Replay): Dealing With Rejection

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 04:20:29 GMT

Hello and welcome to Ctrl Alt Delete. This is a replay episode from 2021 with the iconic Nick Hornby, author of many novels, including High Fidelity, About a Boy, and Juliet, Naked. In this episode we talk about creative advice, thoughts on rejection, and being published. I hope you enjoy our conversation!

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Daisy Buchanan (Replay): When A Job Turns Toxic

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 04:07:32 GMT

Hello and welcome to Ctrl Alt Delete. This is a replay episode from 2022 with Daisy Buchanan, an award winning journalist, author and broadcaster. In this episode we discuss her career as a whole and dig into the themes in her novel ‘Careering’ - all about the toxic relationship we can have with our jobs. Hope you enjoy.

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Tara Brach (Replay): Trusting Your Goodness

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 04:16:07 GMT

Hello and welcome to Ctrl Alt Delete. This is a replay from 2021 with the inspirational teacher Tara Brach, who is known for her work around mindfulness, meditation, emotional healing, and spiritual awakening. In this episode we discussed her book Trusting The Gold: Learning to Nurture Your Inner Light, which I really recommend checking out. Hope you enjoy!

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Catherine Gray (Replay): The Power Of Personal Writing

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 04:00:57 GMT

This is a replay episode from 2021 with award-winning author Catherine Gray, best known for her The Unexpected Joy of books. She’s now back with a brand new book called Sunshine Warm Sober: Unexpected sober joy that lasts which is available in paperback now. The book is all about her eighth sober year and what she’s learned since her last books. We talk about the power of personal writing, setting boundaries and changing the way you live to live a better life for yourself. I find Catherines writing raw, reflective and helps the reader root for themselves. Hope you enjoy this conversation.

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Ian Leslie (Replay): How To Disagree Successfully

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:00:23 GMT

This is a replay for 2021, with writer Ian Leslie. He is the author of multiple acclaimed books on human behaviour. He writes about psychology, culture, technology and business for the New Statesman, the Economist, the Guardian and the Financial Times. He also writes a Substack called The Ruffian with brilliant articles on topics like why you should disagree with yourself. In this episode we are discussing his new book Conflicted: Why Arguments Are Tearing Us Apart and How They Can Bring Us Together. Hope you enjoy this chat on why disagreeing is a good thing, and how we can all disagree better in work and at home.

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Bella Mackie (Replay): On Writing & Jogging

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 05:00:09 GMT

This episode was recorded in 2019, with bestselling author Bella Mackie on her book Jog on. Since this episode aired, Bella’s novel How To Kill Your Family has become a UK bestseller, topping the charts for months, if you haven’t read it already it’s a great holiday read, although potentially awkward if holidaying with your family. Hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane with Bella.

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Ava Duvernay (Replay): "Dare To Be Yourself"

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 05:00:08 GMT

Hello - this is a replay episode with the incredible Ava Duvernay. In 2016 she was named one of Oprah Winfrey's SuperSoul 100 visionaries, and in 2017 she became the first Black woman nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, for her film 13th. This episode was recorded in 2018, around the time the film A Wrinkle in Time came out (starring a mega cast of Oprah, Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon) which she directed. We chatted about her career, the film and how she changed careers later in the life and how there is no rush when it comes to achieving your creative dreams. I hope you love this episode as much as I do.

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Sam Conniff (Replay): How To Deal With Uncertainty

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 05:00:19 GMT

This is a replay episode. I have two very exciting guests for you today, the brilliant Sam Conniff and Katherine Templar Lewis, who are here to talk all about uncertainty, a theme that feels especially prominent right now. Life is uncertain and it feels so difficult to deal with. In this episode we are discussing their brand new project The Uncertainty Experts, a powerful three-part interactive documentary scientifically proven to reduce our fear of the unknown, reduce anxiety, increase empathy and improve decision-making and problem-solving. In our conversation we discuss all these things, how this new research is pushing the conversation on resilience forwards, practical tools to help us deal with uncertainty (in one of the most uncertain times in history) — I felt so energised after this conversation and I hope you do too. If you are intrigued to learn more, make sure to reserve your seats on the Uncertainty Experts website, you’ll join thousands virtually for an immersive experience, scientifically proven to reduce anxiety. https://www.uncertaintyexperts.com/

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Holly Bourne (Replay): How To Keep Writing

Fri, 24 Feb 2023 05:01:08 GMT

My guest today is the brilliant author Holly Bourne (recorded in 2021) who started her writing career as a news journalist, where she was nominated for Best Print Journalist of the Year. She then spent six years working as an editor, a relationship advisor, and general 'agony aunt' for a youth charity - helping young people with their relationships and mental health. (TW: This episode discusses rape and sexual assault.)

Inspired by what she saw helping young people, she started writing teen fiction, including the best-selling award-winning 'Spinster Club' series which helps educate teenagers about feminism. When she turned 30, Holly wrote her first adult novel How Do You Like Me Now?, examining the intensified pressures on women once they hit that landmark age, and the book became a Sunday Times bestseller. She now has her second adult fiction book out called Pretending.

In one review of Pretending a reader says: "the book deals with trauma and sexual violence, there is also heart and humour throughout the pages". I feel like this sums up a lot of Holly's work - dealing with tough subjects through a lighter touch that makes her stories feel more accessible and real.

I hope you enjoy this episode and if you did please leave a lovely rating or review.

Read Holly's books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/holly-bourne
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caitlin Moran (Replay): Middle-age, Marriage and Her New Book

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 05:10:58 GMT

Today's guest (recorded back in 2020) is the brilliant Caitlin Moran! Award-winning columnist, author, scriptwriter. She is the eldest of eight children, grew up in Wolverhampton and she published her first novel at the age of 16. She then became a columnist at The Times aged 18 and has gone on to be named Columnist of the Year six times. Her popular novel How to Build a Girl is now a movie with Beanie Feldstein playing her. She is perhaps most known for her multi-award-winning bestseller How to Be a Woman which has now been published in 28 countries and won the British Book Awards’ Book of the Year 2011. I read How To Be a Woman when I was 21, and like most people it had a profound effect on me and was my first introduction to the world of feminism. Now she has released a follow up book, ten years later, called More Than A Woman, it was so great getting to talk to her about everything thats gone on since HTBAW came out. We talk about the book, why she wrote it, helping a loved one who is struggling and of course some writing tips. Really enjoyed this chat - and hope you do too! If you enjoyed please feel free to leave a review. :) Thank you! xo

Read More Than A Woman: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529102772
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Come and find me on Substack 🗞

Sat, 11 Feb 2023 12:56:31 GMT

Come and join my Substack today! 🔗 https://thehyphen.substack.com 🔗

Ctrl Alt Delete might be no longer publishing new episodes, but I am writing and posting brand new content on all the same themes on my Substack page The Hyphen.

It is £6.50 a month, or free subscription will get you occasional free posts.

If you are struggling financially right now and would like a complimentary 3-month trial, email us at helloATemmagannon.co.uk and we'll see what we can do!

The Hyphen is an online space for thousands of curious readers, you'll receive writing tips, book recommendations and articles that leave you feeling nourished. Plus, it's a fantastic community of brilliant readers, writers, creatives, thinkers. If you love Ctrl Alt Delete, you'll LOVE The Hyphen :)

All the love! xo

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Laura Mucha (Replay): On Love & Attachment

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 05:01:50 GMT

Today’s guest (recorded back in 2021) is with the amazing Laura Mucha, an ex-lawyer, author, award-winning poet, and speaker. Her first book, Love Factually / We Need to Talk About Love is the result of ten years of interviews with hundreds of strangers aged 8-95 years old across every continent, and it is fascinating. The Guardian describes her as “a fantastic nosy parker”. She is such a talented writer and researcher and I think you’ll fall in love with her like I did when you hear this episode. Her debut poetry collection, Dear Ugly Sisters is out now and her debut picture book, Rita’s Rabbit is out in 2021, so keep your eye out for that! We talk about SO much in this episode, I hope you enjoy, if you did, please do leave a review somewhere on Apple podcasts!

- Link to Laura's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781472982438

- My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Martha Beck (Replay): Why You Should Tell The Truth

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 05:01:44 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete. This is a replay episode (recorded in 2021) with brilliant Martha Beck, a return guest! I wanted to invite her back on, to talk about her book The Way Of Integrity. Martha Beck, if you didn’t already know, is a Harvard-trained sociologist, world-renowned coach and New York Times bestselling author. She has published nine non-fiction books, one novel, and more than 200 magazine articles. The Way of Integrity is her new book all about being your full undivided self, coming back to your true nature, it's about not telling lies to yourself or others. Martha tells us about integrity cleanses, something that started years ago when she decided to not tell a single lie for a year. I love Martha’’s work because it's sort of science meets spooky; so much scientific data and spiritual stuff also. It’s also the first self-help book based on Dante's Inferno and It’s brilliant. I loved the episode, definitely go grab a copy of the book!

Buy Martha's book The Way Of Integrity here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780349426020
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meg Mason (Replay): From Almost Binning Her Book, To Bestseller

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 05:00:31 GMT

This was recorded in 2021. My guest today is Meg Mason, author of several books including the recent instant Sunday Times bestseller Sorrow and Bliss. She began her career at the Financial Times and The Times of London and has been a regular columnist for GQ, ELLE and Vogue. I absolutely loved Sorrow & Bliss and reached out to Meg's team as soon as I finished reading it. The quote on the cover from Anne Patchett says: ‘'I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realised that I wanted to send it to everyone I know’ which is how I feel having gifted it to a few friends because I just want everyone to read it so I can talk more about it. It’s a Gen X coming of age, mental health love story that will rip you apart and piece you back together. This was a real treat getting to chat to Meg, I hope you enjoy this chat!

Read Sorrow & Bliss: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781474622998
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Genelle Aldred (Replay): How To Communicate Like a Pro

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 05:00:48 GMT

This episode was recorded in 2021. Genelle Aldred, newsreader, communication expert, and now author who has worked as a journalist at many of the UK largest broadcasting organisations for over a decade, including BBC, ITV and ITN. In this episode we discuss her debut book Communicate for Change: Creating Justice in a World of Bias unpicking some of its fascinating themes: how to make a positive difference, how to think for yourself, how to have better conversations and how to recognise our own biases and blind spots. This book encouraged me to ask better questions and question my own assumptions, breaking away from singular narratives and monolithic thinking. Hope you enjoy this conversation about how it’s OK to agree to disagree in conversation and how it’s important to not shy away from other peoples truth in order to see how other people around us think. Here is the episode with Genelle!

Grab a copy of Genelle's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780281085576
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Goodbye Ctrl Alt Delete! A Final Voicenote from Emma 🎙

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 06:00:56 GMT

A raw and imperfect voicenote to say goodbye. No frills, just a huge heartfelt thanks.

Thank you so much for being here. It's been a wonderful way to spend the last 6 years, making this podcast for you.

Ctrl Alt Delete may have reached its natural end but I'll be back podcasting in other ways one day I'm sure.

In the meantime, come and say hi over on my Substack page where I'll be sharing insights, writing and interviews over there instead.

>>> thehyphen.substack.com <<<<

THANK YOU and love you all. <3

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Samantha Clarke (Replay): Life As A Happiness Consultant

Thu, 05 Jan 2023 05:01:29 GMT

This is replay of an episode recorded in early 2020. My guest today is Samatha Clarke, an author and Happiness Consultant. She is a teacher of Guardian Masterclasses and lecturer at The School of Life and expert on work happiness, culture and relationships. Whenever I speak to Sam, she always says something that makes me reflect on my work life. She has given me amazing advice in the past on setting better boundaries which has therefore grown my business in turn because I'm less likely to burnout when my boundaries are firm. Sam has just released her first book called Love It or Leave It: How to Be Happy at Work, and she wants her readers to find a way to say goodbye to the dread of Monday morning. This guide is full of vital tips and tools that will help you either Love It and find ways to get more out of the job you have or Leave It by working out the skills you have to offer and identify the steps you need to take, whether that's switching jobs, starting a portfolio career or testing a new business idea.

Hope you enjoy this episode and if you did, please leave a little rating or review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you!

Read Sam's book 'Love It Or Leave It": https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781913068080
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Dr Emma Hepburn (Replay): How To Have A Happy Brain

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 05:00:00 GMT

Today's replay episode is the brilliant psychologist Dr Emma Hepburn. She has over 15 years experience of working with and treating mental health difficulties. She is also someone I've followed on Instagram for years (@thepsychologymum on Instagram). In this episode we talk about her book A Toolkit for Modern Life: 53 Ways to Look After Your Mind). She shows how we can understand our own brains better and be more self-compassionate. She is all about about bringing psychology to people beyond the clinic. She is also the author of A Toolkit for Happiness and has a new book out soon called A Toolkit for Your Emotions: 53 ways to feel better which is out inJjanuary 2023. Hope you enjoy this episode!

Emma's Toolkit books here: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/dr-emma-hepburn
@psychologymum Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/thepsychologymum/?hl=en
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Sophie Heawood (Replay): What To Expect When You Weren't Expecting To Be Expecting

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 05:00:38 GMT

My guest today is the brilliant Sophie Heawood. I've followed Sophie's work for years, I've loved her columns and celebrity interviews in the Guardian, VICE and her brilliant newsletter The Sophist. In this episode, we discuss her first book The Hungover Games, a beautiful funny open-hearted memoir about single motherhood and what to expect when you weren't expecting to be expecting. I read it in a day and I think you will also love it. Hope your enjoy!

Read Sophie Heawood's book: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781784707644
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Rana Foroohar (Replay): Are Big Tech Companies Evil?

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 05:00:09 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete this is a replay of my episode with Financial Times columnist Rana Foroohar from February 2020. She is a writer who investigates how today’s biggest tech companies are hijacking our data, our livelihoods, and our minds. This episode is on her book Don't be Evil and The Case Against Big Tech - aka Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google) and how tech has changed and how it's changed us. We discuss the question: can we rebel against tech now or are we just too embedded? I hope you enjoy this fascinating episode.

Read ‘Don't Be Evil and The Case Against Big Tech' https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780141991085
Africa's Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/africabrooke/?hl=en
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Oliver Burkeman (Replay): Productivity Is A Trap

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 05:00:55 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete this is a replay of my episode with Oliver Burkeman recorded in October 2021. He is an award-winning feature writer for The Guardian and writes a popular weekly column on psychology called This Column Will Change Your Life. In this episode we discuss his new book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, an uplifting, engrossing and deeply realistic exploration of productivity and time management, rejecting the society’s obsession with 'getting everything done’ and one of my favourite non fiction books.’ I hope you enjoy this episode!

Four Thousand Weeks: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781784704001
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Naomi Alderman (Replay): Life As A Polymath

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 05:00:08 GMT

My guest today is one of my favourite authors, the incredibly inspiring force of nature that is Naomi Alderman! She is the multi-award-winning novelist of Disobedience and The Power. The film adaptation of Disobedience had just come out starring both Rachael McAdams and Rachel Weisz. The Power is one of Obama's favourite books! It's an incredible sci-fi/dystopian novel about gendered violence and the fetishisation of power. The premise of the book is that women are more powerful than men. God becomes a “she”; and men are frightened to walk alone at night.

We discuss life as a polymath, what it's like having Rachel Weisz ring you up and want to turn your book into a film and how to know whether something is a good or bad idea when it comes to creating stuff. Thank you, Naomi. <3

Read ‘The Power: 'https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780670919963
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Sophie Walker (Replay): How To Be More Activist

Thu, 24 Nov 2022 05:00:50 GMT

This is a replay of my episode with Sophie Walker from April 2020. Sophie is a feminist activist, author and founding leader of the Women’s Equality Party. In this episode we are chatting about Sophie’s new book 'Five Rules for Rebellion' which is an inspiring, five-step journey to incorporating activism into our daily lives. It features stories of new and seasoned activists – from Amika George to Jack Monroe. It's all about feeling less full of despair, and more able to channel your anger, arm yourself with hope, practise perseverance and connect with others more compassionately. Hope you enjoy the episode!

Read Sophie's book: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781785786860
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Emma Forrest (Replay): Terrible First Drafts & Writing Your Life

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 05:03:27 GMT

Today's guest is one of my favourites Emma Forrest – it is a replay episode that we recorded back in December 2019. She is the author of three novels, an essay collection and the memoir Your Voice In My Head, one of my favourite memoirs on mental health. In this episode we discuss her new novel ROYALS and we chat about her career, creativity, meditation, her writing process and even a little story about Adam Driver. Emma has a brand new brilliant memoir out called Busy Being Free “A Lifelong Romantic Is Seduced by Solitude" and will leave a link to it in the shownotes. It is a stunning memoir about divorce, but really; self-love, self-acceptance and romancing yourself. It's beautiful, bold, generous, fragile, strong, sexy, open-hearted with every sentence packing a punch. Hope you enjoy this episode.

Emma's new book BUSY BEING FREE: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781474620628
Emma's memoir Your Voice In My Head: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781408822067
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Natalie Lue (Replay): How To Actually Get Stuff Done

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 05:00:23 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete podcast! Over a series of three episodes I've been chatting to someone whose work I really admire and enjoy, Natalie Lue, author, podcaster and host of The Baggage Reclaim Sessions. She helps people-pleasers, perfectionists and relationship strugglers become more of who they really are and achieve what they want to achieve. In this episode we are discussing how we can find more time to focus and do our 'deep work', inspired by Cal Newport's brilliant book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World and Oliver Burkeman's '3 or 4 hours' rule which you read on his blog here.

Throughout the episodes in this mini series, we’ll discuss how smarter technology can solve problems, create opportunities and transform the way we all live, learn, and work. The tools we use are important, and can empower passionate people who value their own health, wellbeing and the world they live in and impact change for a better world. I’m excited to dig in. Thanks to Lenovo for making this mini-series happen!

Check out more from Lenovo here: https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x1/c/thinkpadx1

*This mini series is in paid partnership with Lenovo

Pre-order Natalie's book here: https://amzn.to/3REVgxB
Listen to the other episode with Natalie herE:
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#368 Does Hybrid Working Help Or Hinder Our Health & Wellbeing?

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 05:00:06 GMT

*This is a SPONSORED episode with Vitality UK*

If you're interested in a discussion around health, future of work and hybrid working this is one for you.

Today I’m in conversation with Dr Katie Tryon, Behaviour Change Expert and Director of Health Strategy at the health insurer, Vitality UK. Prior to moving into various health roles and moving to Kenya, she trained as a medical doctor at Oxford University and Imperial College London. Katie is passionate about sustainability and longevity in healthcare around the world and she is always finding new ways to push this agenda forward through her work at Vitality.

Today we're talking about hybrid working over a year since the so-called Covid ‘Freedom Day’ - how are businesses actually contributing to the health and wellbeing of those that work for them? How has work changed, and how do we make it better? Vitality recently partnered with CBI Economics to survey 350 chief executives, combining this with insights from more than 2,000 workers across the UK - to reveal the priorities, perceptions and experiences of workplace health and wellbeing support in this new working world. We'll be discussing these findings and how we can actually create healthier boundaries at work and at home. If you are interested in reading more about the findings, you can head to the show-notes and follow the link. Hope you enjoy this episode!

To read more about the report, go here: xxx

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Laura Dockrill (Replay): Motherhood, Mental Health & Me

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 05:00:44 GMT

This is a replay of an episode from 2020 with brilliant Laura Dockrill, an award-winning author and illustrator. What Have I Done? an incredibly moving and honest memoir on motherhood, mental health and postpartum psychosis. In this episode, we discuss Laura's mental health journey, recovery, what it's like when a raw blog article goes viral, and why this memoir is a love letter to family and friends. This is Laura's story and I hope you grab a copy of this important book.

My Substack! https://thehyphen.substack.com/

Laura's book What Have I Done?: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529112542

- My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Christine Armstrong (Replay): The Myth Of Work-Life Balance

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 04:00:54 GMT

This episode is with Christine Armstrong, author, researcher and speaker on the future of work. She is known to 'blow up the bullshit about working parenting and dig into the truth about what works and what really doesn’t.' You might have read her piece in the Times that went viral called 'why working mums are being sold an impossible dream about work/life balance — and how to set the record straight' a piece promoting the publication of her brilliant book The Mother of All Jobs: How to Have Children and a Career and Stay Sane(ish). We recorded this episode pre-pandemic, and since then Christine has been researching tirelessly our response to working from home en masse and asking what people want to happen as the world of work continues to change. In this episode, we got into the nitty gritty of parenting, work and why flexible working doesn't always work and how we can try and get it right. Hope you enjoy.

Christine's book The Mother Of All Jobs: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781472956255
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#367 Anisah Osman Britton: On How Tech Can Empower You

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 04:00:21 GMT

*This is a sponsored episode* Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete. Today I have a special episode for you, in partnership with Dell Technologies & Microsoft, who can help you find the right technology and offer advice to help your business grow and succeed – and this conversation is part of their 2022 small business Podference which is a UK podcast-based conference, a place to share advice and inspiration to support all small businesses. :)

SO onto the guest! I’ve been wanting to interview Anisah Osman Britton for a while now having crossed paths a few years back. She is the Founder and CEO at 23 Code Street, a coding school for women and non-binary individuals and Forbes 30 Under 30 Alumni. I love her views and knowledge in this episode on all things tech, coding, networking, community and how to grow in your career by being yourself. I hope you enjoy!

You can find further info about her below and Dell, who provide trusted advisors for one-on-one support, so you can call, talk or chat with someone directly, via this link: https://www.dell.com/en-uk/lp/small-business-solutions#Contact-a-Tech-Advisor

Follow 23 Code Street here: https://www.23codestreet.com/
Follow Anisah here: https://www.instagram.com/anisah_ob/?hl=en
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Africa Brooke (Replay): Why Uncomfortable Conversations Matter

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 04:00:07 GMT

Africa Brooke is a consultant, coach, writer and speaker who specialises in helping many people including public figures. entrepreneurs, teams, and individuals with challenges related to self-censorship and self-sabotage. I really enjoy following Africa’s work, her straightforward (yet compassionate) no BS route to helping people examine what is going on with them, establish boundaries and define their values. There is such a genuine curiosity to Africa’s approach which I love.

In January 2021. Africa published an open letter called ‘Why I’m leaving the cult of wokeness’ which has now been read almost 5 million times. You can read the full thing below. We discuss this, why she invites people 'into the grey', why uncomfortable conversations matter and much much more. I hope you enjoy this conversation!

Read ‘Why I’m leaving the cult of wokeness’: https://ckarchive.com/b/d0ueh0h67mpd
Africa's Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/africabrooke/?hl=en
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Anna Codrea-Rado (Replay): The Carrie Bradshaw Freelance Myth

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 04:00:15 GMT

This is a replay of my episode with the brilliant writer Anna Codrea-Rado from April 2021. She writes about freelancing, business, culture and technology, with a particular focus on work life. I really enjoy her podcast Is This Working on these themes, I especially loved her episode on burnout. In this episode, we discuss her first book, You’re the Business: How To Build a Successful Career When You Strike Out Alone - a handbook for anyone who works for themselves or is curious to know more. Hope you enjoy this conversation!

Anna's book: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780753558652
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Ann Friedman (Replay): Can Work And Friendship Mix?

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 04:00:19 GMT

Today's replay episode is with Ann Friedman, one half of the popular podcast Call Your Girlfriend and now author of the New York Times Bestselling book Big Friendship, a friendship bible on how to keep each other close. This book is authored by both Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow, (Aminatou has also been a guest on Ctrl Alt Delete, episode number #183 if you fancy going back and listening) and Big Friendship is the story of their own ten-year, complex, loving friendship. They share their highs, lows, and wisdom with honesty, hilarity and compassion. They've weathered life-threatening health scares and long-distance living - and they know: the most important part of a Big Friendship is investing in each other again and again. It’s a really fab book on friendship and I recommend grabbing a copy, it’s important that we talk more honestly about conversations about friendship and like all other relationships. Here the episode!

Big Friendship: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780349013039
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Trinny Woodall (Replay): The Art of A Makeover (At Any Age)

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:00:07 GMT

This episode is a replay from 2018 with Trinny Woodall, author, fashion advisor and beauty entrepreneur. You may know her from the hugely popular Trinny and Susannah makeover days. Her and Susannah met in 1994 and wrote a weekly fashion column for The Daily Telegraph. This led to the launch of their own fashion-advice business and first book. They were then commissioned by the BBC to host What Not to Wear in 2001. In total they co-wrote eleven style advice books, many of which became hugely successfully best-sellers in the UK and America. In this episode we talk about the launch of her Trinny London make-up range (since this episode aired, Trinny London has gone from strength to strength and is now one of Europe’s fastest-growing direct-to-consumer startups, with a recent [$250 million] valuation! We discuss the art of a makeover, feeling your best, how your career can move in cycles, and why she doesn’t do sponsored posts on Instagram. Hope you enjoy!

Trinny London: https://trinnylondon.com/uk/
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Julia Quinn (Replay): How She Wrote Bridgerton

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 04:00:20 GMT

This is a replay of my episode with the brilliant Bridgerton author Julia Quinn, recorded in 2021. She is a No.1 New York Times bestselling author of eighteen consecutive NYT bestsellers including Bridgerton. The Duke and I is back in Sunday Times bestseller list in the U.K twenty years after publication and this was of course partly due to the fact that on December 25, 2020, Netflix premiered Bridgerton, based on her novels adapted by Shonda Rhimes. We spoke about writing, believing in your abilities and the moment she got the phone call from her agent about Bridgerton being optioned. Hope you enjoy!

Bridgerton: The Duke & Ihttps://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780349429212
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Alain De Botton (Replay): Life Is Not Meant To Be Perfect

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 04:00:16 GMT

This episode is a replay with the brilliant Alain de Botton. He is a writer of multiple books described as a ‘philosophy of everyday life.’ His first book, Essays in Love, was published when he was twenty-three and went on to sell millions of copies. He is also the co-founder of The School of Life, one of my favourite platforms, which is an education space dedicated to a new vision of education, emotional intelligence and self-knowledge. The School of Life's latest book, is called A Simpler Life: a guide to greater serenity, ease, and clarity and came out in January 2022, which I really recommend. I hope you enjoy this episode!

Alain De Botton's books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/alain-de-botton

The School Of Life books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/the-school-of-life

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/

My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast

Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Glennon Doyle (Replay): Getting Untamed

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 04:00:12 GMT

This is a replay with the amazing Glennon Doyle. We recorded this in the depths of the 2020 lockdown. She is the author of Love Warrior (which was an Oprah Book Club selection), as well as her New York Times bestseller Carry On, Warrior. In this episode, we are discussing her new book "Untamed. Stop pleasing, start living" which then went on to becoming a #1 New York Times bestseller and (a Reese's Book Club selection), and Adele herself endorsed the book on her Instagram, saying “this book will shake your brain and make your soul scream.”

Get your copy of Untamed: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781785043352
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Dolly Alderton (Replay): Everything She Knows About Writing A Memoir

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 04:00:13 GMT

Welcome back to this replay episode of Ctrl Alt Delete. Recorded three(?) years ago, writer Dolly Alderton and I discuss her memoir Everything I Know About Love, writing truthfully, turning thirty and how her life changed when her memoir sky-rocketed her to suddenly being in the public domain.

Dolly Alderton is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and author. I've known Dolly since our freelancing days at places like The Debrief magazine where I worked in 2014 and it's been so fun watching her career blossom in so many different directions over the last decade. Dolly is the author of three books: Everything I Know About Love, now a major BBC drama series which I thoroughly enjoyed watching. For EIKAL she he won a National Book Award back in 2018 and is back in the charts now (in 2022) reaching a new audience through the TV show coming out; her novel Ghosts came out in 2020 and she has a new book Dear Dolly, a book publishing this October in 2022, which is a collection of her Dear Dolly columns plus new material. She also co-created and co-hosted the weekly current affairs and pop culture podcast called The High Low. Hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane with Dolly! <3

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Check out Dolly's NEW book, Dear Dolly: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780241623640
Check out EKIAL: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780241982105
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Cathy Heller (Replay): How To Build A Life You Love

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 04:00:20 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete, this is a replay episode with the brilliant Cathy Heller. Cathy is the host of the popular podcast Don’t Keep Your Day Job, now rebranded as The Cathy Heller show which is one of my favourites, it has had over 20 million downloads and she is a great conversation. In this conversation we talk about her book of the same name Don’t Keep Your Day Job which was released in 2019. It’s a great practical careers book and goes into detail about how to find the work you’re meant to do, find your people, starting off mediocre, grow your business, and wake up to a life you love. I LOVE this episode. This one got amazing feedback when it was first aired, so I’m excited to re-share it now. Hope you enjoy listening :) if you liked it please do leave me a review somewhere!

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Check out Cathy Heller's book: https://amzn.to/3Pd17Kq
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Cate Sevilla (Replay): How To Deal With A Toxic Workplace

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 04:00:49 GMT

This is a replay episode from 2021 with the brilliant Cate Sevilla! She is currently editor in chief of Huffington Post UK and author of How to Work Without Losing Your Mind. The book is a relatable and reassuring guide to the messy, stressful and sometimes bizarre side of work that everyone experiences but no one talks about. I loved this book because it’s for people who don’t necessarily want work to take over their lives, people who don’t necessarily want to keep climbing a ladder or taking over the world, it’s for people who simply would like to be a bit happier at work every day. If you enjoyed this conversation, please do leave a little review somewhere! Thank you!

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Check out Cate's book: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780241988992
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Hashi Mohamed (Replay): The Truth About Luck & Privilege

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 04:00:48 GMT

My guest today is Hashi Mohamed, one of the UK’s leading barristers, a BBC broadcaster and author on social mobility in Britain. His book is out now, called People Like Us. He is one of 12 children, Hashi came to the UK as an unaccompanied child refugee from Kenya in the summer of 1993 when he was just 9 years old. When he arrived he spoke basic English, attended failing school, raised on state benefits in a deprived area of North West London. Today, he is also a published author who attended Oxford University for his postgraduate degree and Bar School on a full scholarship. He is an incredible person, who inspires so many with his story of hope, ambition, success, resilience and adaptability. I’m excited to share this episode again with you. If you enjoyed, please do leave a review and check out Hashi's book.

- Buy People Like Us: What it Takes to Make it in Modern Britain here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781788161138

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#396 Tetyana Denford: Should You Self-Publish Your Book?

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 04:00:32 GMT

My guest today is Tetyana Denford, a Ukrainian-American author, translator, and freelance writer. Her debut novel, Motherland, based on an incredible family secret that was revealed by her maternal grandmother, was longlisted for the Readers Digest Self-Published Book Awards, and has been met with critical global acclaim. She is also the author of a beautiful poetry book series on the topics of hope, magic, empowerment, and love. This episode is about self-publishing, something Tetyana know so much about and we discuss the pros and cons of both self-publishing and traditional publishing, how to keep going with your writing and how to get your work out there plus retaining your creative integrity. Hope you enjoy this conversation!

Join my Substack community and come and say hi! https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Check out Tetyana's self-published books here: https://www.tetyanadenford.com/
Check out The Child of Ukraine, out now: https://geni.us/B0B2S45GSNcover
Buy DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
My favourite 2022 reads: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/best-reads-of-2022

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#395 Matt Bell: How To Enjoy Writing Your Novel

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 04:00:55 GMT

My guest today is author and novelist Matt Bell! Today we’re chatting about his latest book Refuse To Be Done, a guide to novel writing, rewriting and revision. He is also the author of multiple novels included Appleseed which was A New York Times Notable Book and he teaches creative writing at Arizona State University. I absolutely loved this latest book on how to write and rewrite a novel in three drafts and have been using tools from it as I work on my own future fiction projects. We chat all about novel writing a lot in this one, so I hope you enjoy and you can find a link to Matt’s book below, hope you enjoy.

Join my Substack community and come and say hi! https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Check out Refuse To Be Done here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781641293419
Buy DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
My favourite 2022 reads: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/best-reads-of-2022

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#394 Donna Lancaster: Healing Ourselves & Post-Pandemic Grief

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 04:00:16 GMT

My guest today is Donna Lancaster and you are in for a treat. Donna’s work has been recommended to me by so many people, through work of mouth, she is incredible and has worked as a coach and therapist for more than 25 years. She was formerly the head of teaching at the Hoffman Institute UK and she might be perhaps most well known for co-creating The Bridge Retreat, a six-day personal development experience, if you are intrigued, you can check out her website for more information and also the Amazon Prime documentary called Love(d) which shares the stories of 12 people during The Bridge Retreat as they take the leap to overcome grief and loss in their lives: https://loveddocumentary.com

Donna's work has been featured everywhere from Psychologies, Conde Nast and Tatler. She has now released a book called The Bridge. A nine step crossing into authentic and wholehearted living. It’s full of wisdom and I absolutely loved it. I have a feeling you’re going to love this episode, we talk about grief, including post-pandemic grief in all its forms, and I felt very comforted in her presence. Enjoy!

Donna's The Bridge book: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780241513095
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Jamie Bartlett (Replay): The World’s Biggest Crypto Con

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 04:00:56 GMT

This is a replay episode with Jamie Bartlett recorded back in 2019, he is the bestselling author of multiple books including The Dark Net and People vs Tech. In this episode we are discussing his podcast The Missing Cryptoqueen, a BBC Sounds podcast described by The Telegraph as ‘the most gripping podcast since Serial’: the podcast uncovers the mysterious story of Dr Ruja Ignatova who persuaded millions to join her financial revolution, a new cryptocurrency called One Coin that turned out to be a scam. Jamie Bartlett and Georgia Catt made the podcast trying to track her down and present a story of greed, deceit and herd madness. Definitely go and listen if you haven't already - and excitingly, Jamie recently revealed that he has written a book too called The Missing Cryptoqueen and it’s been released in June 2022, one to order now! Hope you enjoy listening to this.

Jamie's BBC Sounds podcast The Missing Cryptoqueen: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p07nkd84
Jamie's new The Missing Cryptoqueen BOOK: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780753559581
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#393 Louise O'Neill: The Problem With Having Online 'Idols'

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 04:00:59 GMT

My guest today is the author Louise O’Neill – today we are discussing her brilliant new book IDOL – a riveting darkly delicious story that interrogates our relationship with our internet heroes asking how well we can ever really know the gurus we look up to and their carefully curated profiles. It is written with Louise’s signature style, reminding me of her much applauded book Asking For It, a novel about the life-shattering impact of sexual assault, which published in 2015 to widespread critical acclaim. I think this is her best work yet, and I love all her books fiercely. I hope you enjoy this episode about the themes in IDOL, I so enjoyed catching up with Louise again!

Join my Substack community and come and say hi! https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Buy IDOL here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781787635333
Buy DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
My favourite 2022 reads: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/best-reads-of-2022

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#392 Vicky Spratt: We Need To Talk About Britain's Housing Crisis

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 04:00:39 GMT

My guest today is Vicky Spratt, the author of TENANTS: The People on the Frontline of Britain's Housing Emergency and journalist whose work regularly shapes public policy. She is also currently the iPaper's Housing Correspondent. Her 2016 campaign Make Renting Fair got letting fees in England and Wales banned, and she has spoken at political conferences, appeared on BBC News, Newsnight, Woman's Hour, Radio 4 and tons more. Vicky is an incredible voice on this issue and I found this episode really galvanising, enraging, inspiring and empowering. Vicky has a way of making people wake up and feel engaged when it comes to issues that feel pretty overwhelming. I hope you enjoy this episode and if you did please consider sharing with a friend or leaving a review - or both! Thanks for listening.

LINKS:

Join my Substack community and come and say hi! https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Buy TENANTS here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781788161275
Check out the work of Kwajo Tweneboa: https://bit.ly/3sXemWq
Buy DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
My favourite 2022 reads: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/best-reads-of-2022

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#391 Francesca Specter: How To Be Alone (and Enjoy it)

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 04:00:26 GMT

My guest today is Francesca Specter, author of Alonement: How to be alone and absolutely own it, and the creator of the Alonement podcast. You guessed it, today we are discussing how to be alone - something I’m really passionate about as someone who values alone time, takes myself on solo trips and loves Julia Cameron’s suggestion of The Artist Date, where you take yourself on a date. Francesca speaks so brilliant about this and coined the term Alonement, which is different from being lonely - we talk about learning to enjoy your own company, what this means in the context of getting through a pandemic, tips and tools on how to embrace alone time if it’s something you feel afraid of and how we can speak about solitude in a more nuanced way. Hope you enjoy this conversation.

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Francesca's brilliant book ALONEMENT: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529412628
The Alonement podcast: https://www.alonement.com/podcast
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#390 Clemmie Telford: What Does "Influencer" Even Mean Now?

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 04:00:31 GMT

My guest today is Clemmie Telford, Creative Director, podcaster and author But Why: How to answer tricky questions from kids and have an honest conversation with yourself and a podcast with the same name. She is also the founder of the blog Mother of All Lists which hit over 1 million reads in 2018 she uses her social channels to enable frank, open and honest conversations, some of her most recent episodes are on domestic abuse to grief to ADHD to debt. She has been praised for showing her vulnerability around the highs and lows of Motherhood, discussing the challenges of mental health and anxiety and most recently the positive impact of being sober. I really enjoyed this honest chat about the word influencer and whether we are now ‘post-influencer’, working with brands as a parent, making it work, setting boundaries online and loads more. Hope you enjoy.

My Substack! https://thehyphen.substack.com/

Clemmie's book But Why? https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781472278807

My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

Books Mentioned On Ctrl Alt Delete Podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast

Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#389 Sheila Heti: Art is the Opposite of an Algorithm

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 04:00:18 GMT

My guest today is the brilliant Sheila Heti, author of Motherhood and How Should a Person Be? In this episode we discuss her latest book Pure Colour, a new novel l about art, love, loss and time. It has been described as a galaxy of a novel: explosive, bright, huge and streaked with beauty. Sheila Heti has also been described as philosopher of modern experience - and I really enjoyed this conversation. Motherhood, her novel which grapples with the question of whether or not to have kids was a huge inspiration on me - and I think Sheila is one of the most talented artists of our time. Enjoy this conversation, I loved it and was on cloud nine after recording!

My Substack! https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Sheila Heti's Pure Colour: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781787302808
Sheila Heti's books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/sheila-heti
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books Mentioned On Ctrl Alt Delete Podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#388 Dr Rafa Euba: The Truth About The "Happiness" Industry

Thu, 26 May 2022 04:00:12 GMT

Does happiness even exist? Dr Rafa Euba doesn't think so. He is a consultant psychiatrist, based in London, born in the Bask Country, Spain and after qualifying in Medicine, he became a psychiatrist in England. He has worked in many different settings, from exclusive clinics to slums, and his work on depression moved him to write a book on how we are not designed to be happy, called "You are not meant to be happy. So stop trying!" It is such an interesting book, looking at the myths of happiness, how our brains are not designed to keep us happy 24/7, the smoke and mirrors of self-help positive thinking industries, and how mixed and contradictory our emotions can be. I hope you enjoy this conversation and feel intrigued to pick up a copy of his book!

LINKS:

Join my Substack community and come and say hi! https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Buy DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127
Buy Dr Rafa Euba's book HERE: https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-meant-happy-stop-trying/dp/1913613038/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
My favourite 2022 reads: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/best-reads-of-2022

Social media:

Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#387 Delia Ephron: Falling In Love Over Email

Thu, 19 May 2022 04:00:34 GMT

My guest today is Delia Ephron: bestselling author, screenwriter and playwright. Her movies include You've Got Mail (starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks) and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, she has written novels and non-fiction, and her journalism has appeared in the New York Times, Oprah magazine and Vogue. She collaborated with her sister, Nora Ephron, on a play, Love, Loss, and What I Wore, which ran for two years off-Broadway, and today we are chatting about her brilliant new memoir called Left on Tenth, A Second Chance at Life - a beautiful book about many things: Delia's second chance at love, her wonderful friendships and a heartfelt account of life after cancer. It’s a book about hope and I really really recommend a read and curling up with Delias words and shutting the world off for a moment. Hope you enjoy the conversation :)

LINKS:

Join my Substack community and come and say hi! https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Buy DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127
Buy Left On Tenth here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780857528834
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
My favourite 2022 reads: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/best-reads-of-2022

Social media:

Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#386 Josh Roberts: Why We're So Bored At Work

Thu, 12 May 2022 04:00:41 GMT

My guest today is Josh Roberts, author of Anxious Man and Generation Drift (Why We’re Up Career Creek and How to Paddle Home). He is a mental health writer, speaker and consultant; and cohost of the Voicemale podcast with Jamie Laing. He started his career as a Strategy Consultant at Deloitte, before moving into advertising. Three years ago, he experienced a rather intense mental breakdown which culminated in being diagnosed with a Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Inspired by comments and stories he received, he resolved to quit his job and devote my time to trying to help others through writing, broadcasting and public speaking on the topic of mental health. I really enjoyed this new book on careers, mental health, comparison, success and why so many of us are ‘drifters’. Hope you enjoy this conversation and definitely recommend grabbing a copy of the book!

LINKS:

Join my Substack community and come and say hi! https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Buy DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127
Buy Anxious Man: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529364927
Buy Generation Drift: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529377248
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
My favourite 2022 reads: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/best-reads-of-2022

Social media:

Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#385 Alex Soojung-Kim Pang: Is It Finally Time For The 4 Day Week?

Thu, 05 May 2022 04:00:19 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete. My guest today is Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, author and consultant devoted to helping companies and individuals harness the power of rest to shorten our workdays, while staying focused and productive. He is the author of four books, including SHORTER, REST and The Distraction Addiction. He speaks so brilliant on the topic of the 4-day week and future of work, and how deliberate rest makes creative careers more productive and sustainable.In this episode we dive into the four day week, will it ever happen? What are the benefits? How the pandemic has changed our working days and how do we be happier and healthier at work? Hope you enjoy.

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Check out Alex's books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/alex-soojung-kim-pang
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#384 Clemmie Burton-Hill: The Power Of Classical Music

Mon, 02 May 2022 04:00:06 GMT

Clemmie Burton Hill on the podcast today. I became friends with Clemmie years ago now when she interviewed me at Hay festival about my book and ever since then we spoke about books, work, life and everything in between. Clemmie is a broadcaster, author, novelist, journalist, violinist and a lover of arts and music. On the morning of January the 20th 2020, only weeks before the pandemic turned the world upside dow, Clemmie suffered a catastrophic brain injury. One moment she was in a meeting in New York where she lives with her husband and two children. She is one of the most inspirational and magical people I know. Today we're discussing her brilliant book, Another Year of Wonder, a fantastic book making classical music more accessible to everyone with a song for every day. She's given me a song for every mood and every feeling that I can't really conjure up with words. I hope you enjoy this episode.

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Clemmie’s book: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781472259370
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk
CHOOSE LOVE: https://chooselove.org/
Max Richter: https://www.maxrichtermusic.com/

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#383 Jamie Klingler: Reclaim These Streets (Part 2)

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 04:00:53 GMT

Trigger warnings for this episode, we discuss Sarah Everard, violence against women, rape and sexual assault in this episode. If you are not in the mood to listen to these topics, please protect yourself and perhaps give this one a miss.

My guest today is Jamie Klingler, writer, activist, keynote speaker and campaigner for women’s safety as co-founder of Reclaim These Streets. This is part two of this full conversation with Jamie (part one available here). In this episode we are discussing her activist work, how Reclaim These Streets started, how to show up and make change and what we can do to help. The group began as a collective of women organising a vigil for Sarah Everard in March 2021, to raise awareness, make change and to stand up for all women who feel unsafe, have been lost to violence, who go missing from our streets and who face violence every day. They campaign, hold vigils, rally together volunteers and speak and act on women’s safety and even recently took on the Met police. They aim to use legislation, education and community action to ensure no woman has to be asked to 'text me when you get home' again. I will leave all the information in the shownotes below, and thanks again to Jamie for coming on the podcast to chat to me about her work.

Jamie Klingler: https://twitter.com/jamieklingler

Reclaim These Streets: https://reclaimthesestreets.com/

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#382 Jamie Klingler: A Year of Intense Transformation (Part 1)

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 04:00:39 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete! (Just a heads up in this one we talk about weight loss, alcohol dependency, mental health and big life changes.) My guest today is Jamie Klingler, born and raised in Philadelphia and has lived in London for almost twenty years working in publishing and events. She is a writer and speaker/campaigner for women’s safety. In December she was named #9 in the UK Communicators of 2021 by PR Week for her work with Reclaim These Streets. In this part one of the episode we discuss Jamie’s life transformation over the lockdown period where she gave up drinking and overhauled her life. In her words in the Guardian, she "gave up booze, took up running and found the strength and stamina to fight for a better future”. In part two of this episode we discuss her brilliant work as co-founder of Reclaim These Streets, a group formed to remember Sarah Everard and campaigns for women’s safety. I am fascinated by Jamie’s story and how she speaks so openly about how a big lifestyle change enabled her to do more work in a space she is passionate about. Hope you enjoy listening.

Reclaim These Streets: https://reclaimthesestreets.com
Jamie's YOU magazine article: https://www.you.co.uk/jamie-klingler-i-was-always-the-drunk-party-girl/
My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Jamie's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamieklingler
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A message from Emma

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 10:41:41 GMT

Come and have a look here >>> https://thehyphen.substack.com

Introduce yourself here >>> https://thehyphen.substack.com/p/shall-we-introduce-ourselves/comments

Hello, listeners of Ctrl Alt Delete!

First of all, thanks so much for being a regular listener of this podcast, I really enjoy making it for you! This podcast gets hundreds of thousands of downloads every month and I always wonder who you are, where you are listening from? What the episodes resonate the most with you? I know that this is a really warm and welcoming bunch of people who tune in every week and basically I’d love to hear from you and say hello! :)

I now have the perfect place for us to chat in a two-way dialogue. Recently I have launched a community based newsletter on Substack called The Hyphen and it’s my place to write, share links, books, podcasts, all sorts of recommendations, and it’s already a wonderful community of like-minded people. It is a paying advertising-free community of $7 a month, the price of a couple of coffees, to access the community threads (every Tuesday we discuss a new topic which each other), Q&A columns from me where I write an answer on a specific reader question and tons more. There is a thread called ‘introduce yourself’ (see link above) where you can tell us a bit about you and what you do and what you like to do! I will also donate a portion of each month’s revenue to Choose Love, in particular at the moment I’ll be donating to the Ukraine Crisis Fundraiser.

So come and say hi! I'd love to hear from you!

E xo

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#381 Fearne Cotton: Finding Meaning in a Messy World

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 04:00:26 GMT

Fearne Cotton is one of the best-known and most popular broadcasters in the UK and is most recently known as the founder of the wellbeing brand and podcast, Happy Place. This came off the back of her first book Happy in 2017 which was a Sunday Times Bestseller. This was the first in a series of books talking about her own positive, and some of the not so positive, experiences with happiness. Happy Place Podcast now has over 40 million downloads and had over 10,000 people attending two Happy Place Festivals in the UK. I really enjoy Fearne's laid back, warm and approachable vibe and I love her curiosity. In this episode, we discuss her new book Bigger Than Us, which brings insight and wisdom from lots of different teachers, from intuition and energy to manifesting, ritual, prayer and star signs. It covers so much and it is really intriguing, bringing some of the magical bits to us in a more accessible way. I went to Fearne's home studio to record this one and it was really fun, I hope you enjoy our conversation!

My Substack! https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Fearne's book 'Bigger Than Us': https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780349415376
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books Mentioned On Ctrl Alt Delete Podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#380 Jamie Varon: How To Set Boundaries On Social Media (Part 2)

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 04:05:53 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete, my guest today is Jamie Varon: writer, designer, digital course creator, and creative consultant living in California. Today we are talking about her book Radically Content - Being Satifisied in an Endlessly Dissatisfied World. If you enjoy Jamie’s musings, vignettes and writing that she posts on her Instagram to thousands of people you’ll absolutely love having a physical copy of this book. Jamie and I crossed digital paths years ago in the blogging space and I thoroughly enjoyed this chat for the podcast as this topic of defining our own inner value system and ideas of success is something I’m writing about at the moment too with my next book. So this was a great chat and I hope you enjoy it.

Social media:

Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk
Jamie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamievaron/

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#379 Jamie Varon: How to Be Radically Content With Your Life (Part 1)

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 04:00:10 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete, my guest today is Jamie Varon: writer, designer, digital course creator, and creative consultant living in California. Today we are talking about her book Radically Content - Being Satifisied in an Endlessly Dissatisfied World. If you enjoy Jamie’s musings, vignettes and writing that she posts on her Instagram to thousands of people you’ll absolutely love having a physical copy of this book. Jamie and I crossed digital paths years ago in the blogging space and it’s just so great that we got to have this chat for the podcast as this topic of defining our own inner value system and ideas of success is something I’m writing about at the moment too with my next book. So this was a great chat and I hope you enjoy it.

Social media:

Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk
Jamie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamievaron/

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#378 Clover Stroud: Writing About Life & Death (Part 2)

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 09:41:29 GMT

Welcome to part 2 of this conversation with writer and journalist Clover Stroud, as we discuss her third memoir The Red Of My Blood: a brutal, bold and brilliant artistic piece of life writing about family, survival, death and grief. I really felt like I lived this book as opposed to reading it, as Clover really goes deep and invites the reader in to experience it all with her. Just a reminder to make sure you listen to part one first, as this is part two of the conversation! Hope you enjoy Clover's wise and beautiful words.

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Clover's book The Red Of My Blood: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780857527738
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#377 Clover Stroud: Writing About Life & Death (Part 1)

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 09:41:01 GMT

My guest today is writer and journalist Clover Stroud. I adore her writing and outlook on the world. Her first book, The Wild Other, was shortlisted for The Wainwright Prize. Her second book, My Wild & Sleepless Nights: A Mother's Story was rated one of the 'best books of the year, 2020' by the Observer and the Telegraph and was a Sunday Times bestseller. And her third memoir The Red Of My Blood might just be my favourite of them all. In this book, Clover is looking at life, death and grief. She is asking the question: can death bring something good to my life? A few weeks before Christmas, Clover's sister died of breast cancer, aged forty-six. Her sudden death broke Clover's life into pieces. The Red of My Blood charts Clover's surreal and fearless journey through the first year after her sister's death. This is a really special book and really recommend you pick up a copy. This is part one of our conversation, and part two will be released right after it so if you enjoyed go and check out part two now :)

My Substack page, come and say hi: https://thehyphen.substack.com/
Clover's book The Red Of My Blood: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780857527738
My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
Books mentioned on Ctrl Alt Delete podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#376 Madeleine Dore: Letting Go Of Productivity Guilt

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 04:00:28 GMT

Madeleine Dore is my guest today, a writer and interviewer exploring how we can broaden the definition of a day well spent. Her book I Didn’t Do The Thing Today is gentle wise and insightful look at letting go of productivity guilt and it is out now. It’s a truly wonderful look at how we unravel the relationship between our output with inner self worth. With Madeleine’s excellent writing interspersed with lots of other wise voices, this book helps the reader feel less anxious, stressed or disappointed and takes productive routines off a pedestal and helps us embrace the messy middle bits. For the past five years, Madeline has been asking creative thinkers how they navigate their days on her popular blog Extraordinary Routines and podcast Routines & Ruts which I highly recommend you check out. Hope you enjoy this conversation!

- Buy I Didn’t Do The Thing Today here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781922351500

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Sarah Ellis (REPLAY): What is a 'Squiggly' Career?

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 04:00:52 GMT

Today's episode is a replay with Sarah Ellis. PART TWO on 'squiggly motherhood' is already live btw!

Sarah is the co-founder of Amazing If, an award-winning career development company with an ambition to democratise career development. They are the co-hosts of the UK’s no.1 careers podcast, Squiggly Careers and the book The Squiggly Career out now. In January 2021 they recorded their TEDx talk at Abbey Road Studios in London. Their work has lots of parallels with mine, they recognise that the world of linear and predictable career ladders are disappearing. Instead, careers are now much more 'squiggly'. I love their stuff. Hope you enjoy!

Buy your copy of The Squiggly Careers here! https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780241385845

Buy your copy of The Multi-Hyphen Method here! https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781473680128

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#375 Farrah Storr: Are Newsletters the New Magazines?

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 05:00:06 GMT

Come and say hello to Farrah and I on my Substack The Hyphen'! https://thehyphen.substack.com/p/a-conversation-with-farrah-storr?s=w

Today we are talking about writing, career changes, magazines and Substack newsletters! Some exciting news also that I have launched my very own SUBSTACK newsletter! Check it out here: https://thehyphen.substack.com/ If you sign up, Every month, you’ll receive my Hyphen round-up for free, and for paying subscribers, you’ll gain access to the full archive, a monthly book recommendation that we can all read together, a regular Q&A instalment and book giveaways. You’ll also be supporting all the work I do and give away for free! :)

My guest today is Farrah Storr, the new Head of UK writer partnerships at Substack. She is the former editor in chief of Cosmopolitan & Elle UK and the author of the book The Discomfort Zone: How to Get What You Want by Living Fearlessly. I interviewed her for this podcast back in 2018 and I’m excited to invite her back on to discuss what’s changed, what she is up to, including her new role at Substack. She also has her own newsletter: Things Worth Knowing where she covers a wealth of different topics from friendship to love to career - which lots of wisdom in there. We talk about why she left magazines, the current landscape for creators, the power of newsletters and having paying subscribers, and how to navigating an evolving digital world. Hope you enjoy!

My Substack! https://thehyphen.substack.com/

Farrah's Substack: https://farrah.substack.com/

Farrah's book: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780349415376

- My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Seth Godin (REPLAY): Do You Have A Creative Practice?

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 05:00:44 GMT

Today I’m replaying one of my favourite episodes with one of my favourite people, Seth Godin! He is like an unofficial mentor to me, I follow his work religiously and he continues to have a huge impact on me. He is the author of 20 books, and his blog, which you’ll find at Seths.blog is one of the most widely read blogs on the Internet and he blogs every single day. He helps people find dignity and motivation in their creative work, and he has been a huge influence on me over the years. We talk about his incredible new book The Practice which I think is his best book yet. It’s also brilliant on audiobook if you need a pep talk with your creative project. As always, if you enjoy this podcast please do consider leaving a review somewhere. And I'll see you again next week! :)

- Buy The Practice here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780241470046

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#374 Julia Hobsbawm: Do We Still Need Offices?

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 05:00:27 GMT

My guest today is Julia Hobsbawm: entrepreneur, writer, and consultant who addresses the challenges of this hyper connected age. She is Chair of the content and connection business Editorial Intelligence. She is the author of six bestselling books including The Simplicity Principle and Fully Connected. Today we are discussing her latest book The Nowhere Office, a book that proposes a radical new way of thinking about work both now and in the future. This isn’t an anti-office book but more a look at what the world now looks like: are offices not needed in the same way? What does the future look like? It covers the new challenges of remote working, repurposing offices for more creativity, managing WFH teams and how to work with purpose and greater work/life balance. I really enjoyed it, it reminded me of so much I was writing about in The Multi-Hyphen Method pre-pandemic, so i found it fascinating speaking to her. I hope you enjoy it :)

- Buy The Nowhere Office here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529396522

- Buy The Multi-Hyphen Method here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781473680128

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#373 Daisy Buchanan: When A Dream Job Turns Toxic

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 05:00:40 GMT

My guest today is Daisy Buchanan, an award winning journalist, author and broadcaster. She has written for every major newspaper and magazine in the UK and hosts the brilliant bookish podcast You're Booked, where she interviews legendary writers from all over the world about how their reading habits shape their work. She is the author of How To Be A Grown Up, The Sisterhood and the novels Insatiable and Careering. I’ve known Daisy for a long time so it was really fun to sit down in person and have a chat. In this episode, we dig into her career as a whole and also into the themes in Careering her new novel - all about the toxic relationship we can have with our jobs. I hope you enjoy!

For World Book Day today, you can get 30% OFF my Writer's Journal with MishMash, just use my exclusive discount code EMMA at checkout: https://mishmash.pt/shop/writers-journal

- Buy CAREERING here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780751580204

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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JoJo Moyes (REPLAY): On Both Rejection and Success

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 05:00:53 GMT

This is a replay of an old episode with JoJo Moyes, recorded back in 2018 at the Penguin offices! A trip down memory lane! Jojo Moyes is a novelist, best known for her bestselling book Me Before You which has sold over 8 million copies worldwide, she has been a full time novelist since 2002, before that she was a journalist for 10 years. Me Before You has since gone on to sell over 8 million copies worldwide. The film adaptation of Me Before You starring Sam Claflin & Emilia Clarke was released in June 2016 and was a huge box-office success with the screenplay also written by Jojo. since this interview, she’s published the Giver Of Stars which has been a huge success, in this episode we spoke about dealing with rejected manuscripts, changing jobs, her new book Still Me, the power of listening to feedback and the excitement of being on a film set when you wrote the main characters. Hope you enjoy!

Me Before You: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780718157838

Still Me: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781405924207

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Rebecca Seal (REPLAY): Do You Ever Feel Lonely?

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 05:00:50 GMT

My guest today is Rebecca Seal, an episode all about loneliness and working from home. Rebecca is the author of Solo: How to Work Alone (and Not Lose Your Mind). It’s a fantastic book absolutely filled to the brim with wfh advice and tips and anecdotes. It's a science and evidence-based exploration of what working alone does to your brain and well-being, and how to cope with the more difficult aspects of solo work. She doesn’t shy away from talking about her own tough times in her own freelance life which I personally found super helpful. Initially, she thought it was a book for freelancers and self-employed people...and then 2020 happened.

If you enjoyed this episode, definitely check out The Solo Collective, her brilliant podcast all about solo work: https://www.howtoworkalone.com/solo-collective-podcast

Hope you enjoy!

Link to Rebecca's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781788164856

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#372 Elizabeth Uviebinené Interviews Me About (Dis)connected

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 05:00:46 GMT

This is a re-post of Zoom conversation I had with the brilliant Elizabeth Uviebienene, author of Slay In Your Lane, The Reset and the forthcoming The Offline Diaries for Papier’s Book Club. I love Papier, every time I have a book out I buy their personalised notecards and feel very fancy, so I’m thrilled that I get to share the conversation with you on here. I hope you enjoy this conversation we mainly discuss my new book Disconnected, staying sane online, personal brands, career envy and more. Hope you enjoy!

Buy your copy of (DIS)CONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127

Elizabeth's book THE RESET: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529347432

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#371 Melanie Eusebe MBE: What is Financial Wellness?

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 05:00:26 GMT

Melanie Eusebe is a creative entrepreneur and a director. She is also a co-founder of The Black British Business Awards and founder of the Money Moves financial empowerment programme. Melanie was a judge for the 2020 Women's Prize for Fiction, and in the same year she was awarded an MBE for services to diversity in business. She is a powerhouse of pep talks and knowledge and brilliance and I’m thrilled to be talking to her today about her book Financial Wellness and how to find it. This is not just another money book, it goes deeper than that showing us that the way we think about money has a lot to do with the way we think about ourselves, and the stories we believe about what we deserve. I really enjoyed this conversation and hope you get a lot from it because I definitely did!

You can buy Melanie's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781398702691

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#370 Grace Beverley: What Is Creative Flow State? (BONUS)

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 05:00:04 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete, this episode is brought to you by HP and their new Spectre x 360 laptop. (AD)

In this bonus episode, we are focusing on creative flow, especially The Creative Flow State - what is it? How do we get into our best flow, and do our best work? This isn’t about productivity per se, but how we can be our best creative selves at work.

My guest today is entrepreneur Grace Beverely, founder of sustainable style brand TALA and fitness tech brand Shreddy. By the age of just twenty-three, Grace had been named in Forbes' 30-under-30 retail and e-commerce list, graduated from Oxford University, and attained a Sustainable Business accreditation from Harvard Business School. She is the author of Working Hard, Hardly Working, a guide on achieving more with less stress.

This episode is full of tips and tricks on how to unleash your creativity, reduce distractions, find your flow and how the HP Spectre’s thoughtful design and features can help facilitate this. To find out more, you can visit here: www.hp.com/thoughtfullaptop (AD)

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#369 Christina Crook: Meet The Digital Marie Kondo

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 05:00:13 GMT

My guest today is Christina Crook, digital mindfulness thought leader, speaker, and host of the JOMO(cast) podcast. She is also the author of Good Burdens and The Joy Of Missing Out and has been called "the Marie Kondo of digital" by Harper’s Bazaar which sums up her work really well. Christina’s own battle with digital overwhelm and balance led her to write these books and her advice around mindfulness, live joyfully and prioritising our wellbeing is really powerful and practical. In today’s episode we are discussing her latest book Good Burdens which I absolutely loved, it’s all about taking a step back from our screens, realigning our energies, increasing intentionality, and prioritising our well-being in the digital age. There are lots of synergies with my book (Dis)connected which I loved, so I hope you enjoy this conversation!

Get your copy of Good Burdens here: https://amzn.to/3HBDB5L

Get your copy of (Dis)connected here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127

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#368 Sarah Ellis: How To Coach Yourself Through Tricky Times

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 05:00:33 GMT

Sarah Ellis is my return guest today! She is one of the founders of Amazing If, alongside Helen Tupper, which is an award-winning career development company. They are the co-hosts of the book and podcast, Squiggly Careers. Today, Sarah is back on the podcast to talk about her new book You Coach You, which I really enjoyed because it’s all about how you can help yourself during those knotty difficult times during life and work. Sarah and Helen are really brilliant at giving really practical advice on supercharging your confidence, playing to your strengths and setting yourself up for success. So I hope you enjoy this conversation with Sarah, I definitely did! :)

You can buy You Coach You here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780241502730

You can buy (Dis)Connected here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127

Check out this survey from The Post Office, a current sponsor of Ctrl Alt Delete!

https://survey.euro.confirmit.com/wix/5/p299364423555.aspx

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#367 Abigail Bergstrom: How To Write A Novel In Secret

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 05:00:55 GMT

Abigail Bergstrom is a Welsh writer, editor and agent, who has worked in publishing for over a decade. She is an industry leader and an expert and has edited some of Britain's most prominent feminist voices, she was nominated for Literary Agent of the Year 2020 and has helped build some of today's biggest book brands. But today, we are here to talk about her debut novel What A Shame! A brilliantly fresh novel with blistering humour reminiscent of Emma Jane Unsworth and the raw vulnerability of I May Destroy You. It is a book about female shame, friendship, grief, about trying to heal yourself, about trying unorthodox remedies to go deeper into yourself and explores both the beauty and the pain of figuring hard things out. We talk about burnout, the downsides of pushing yourself to the limit, writing a novel in secret, how to deconstruct your working life and how to reshape it. I loved this conversation and it was a treat getting to chat to Abbie :)

Abbie's book What A Shame: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529367065

Check out this survey from The Post Office, a current sponsor of Ctrl Alt Delete!

https://survey.euro.confirmit.com/wix/5/p299364423555.aspx

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Candice Brathwaite (REPLAY): Visualising Your Dreams

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 05:00:33 GMT

This is a replay episode with the brilliant Candice Brathwaite, it is one of my favourite episodes from 2020. She is the Sunday Times Bestselling author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother and Sista Sister. Her first book was called 'an urgent part-memoir, part-manifesto' about Black British motherhood. Her new book Sista Sister has been described by Cosmopolitan as "like the old sibling you wish you had growing up". She is a whip-smart, philosophical and inspirational writer, I absolutely love her work and was lucky enough to interview live recently at the Southbank Centre (thanks for having me, Candice and team!) This episode is differently worth a re-listen.

Candice's books:

I Am Not Your Baby Mother: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529406283

Sista Sister: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529415315

PRE-ORDER Candice's YA debut novel: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781786541833

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Venetia La Manna (REPLAY): How To Slow Down

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 05:00:33 GMT

This is a replay episode with the brilliant Venetia La Manna, broadcaster, slow fashion campaigner. On her platforms she discusses issues relating to the fast fashion industry and climate crisis. I always learn a lot from her, especially on the topic of how to support garment workers and hold the fashion industry to account. In the first half we talk about her work in the slow fashion space and the second half is about how she ditches her phone at the weekend to enjoy a slower pace, so basically an episode on how to slow down. Enjoy! xo

If you're interested in more tips and tricks on setting digital boundaries, my new book (DIS)CONNECTED is out now: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127

Check out Venetia's podcast here: https://play.acast.com/s/talkingtastebuds

Follow me on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/emmagannonuk/

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Rachel DeLoache Williams (REPLAY): The Story of Anna Delvey

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 05:00:05 GMT

This is a replay episode! My guest today is Rachel DeLoache Williams, Vanity Fair photography editor and now author of My Friend Anna: The True Story Of The Fake Heiress Of New York City (all about her relationship with NYC scammer Anna Delvey. One of TIME magazine's must-read books of 2019. This book is the true story of Anna Delvey through her friend Rachel's eyes, someone you might have read about in the news, the fake heiress whose deceit and elaborate con-artistry deceived the Soho New York scene before her lies were dramatically exposed. This is Rachel's story who is still dealing with the consequences of being so betrayed.The pair met through mutual friends, and became inseparable. But after Anna’s debit card was declined in a Morocco whilst on holiday in a five-star luxury resort, Rachel began to suspect that her increasingly mysterious friend was not all she seemed. This book has been called Catch Me If You Can meets Gossip Girl with Instagram filters. Between Anna Delvey, Fyre Festival’s Billy McFarland (Anna even tried to scam Billy) and Elizabeth Holmes, whose start-up app duped the high and mighty of Silicon Valley, 2019 seems to have be the year of the scammer.Hope you enjoy this interview with Rachel and please do leave a rating or review if you did!Check out the book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781787478305

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#366 Julia Cameron (NEW): Navigating Worries, Doubts & Fears

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 05:00:17 GMT

My guest today is the wonderful Julia Cameron - again! She is a third time guest on this podcast and that’s because I just love her wisdom so much. She is a huge inspiration of mine when it comes to creativity and wellbeing, and she has a new book out, called Seeking Wisdom: A Spiritual Path to Creative Connection, which is a comforting, brilliant guide to stepping back and finding faith in your creativity again, and yes, in some cases a higher power. In the new book, she recaps on her recovery from alcoholism and addiction, its a deeply personal account of pain, healing and growth, showing the reader how to harness prayer (in whatever form that takes for the individual) to overcome our lives challenges and obstacles, and forge ahead towards becoming the person we are meant to be. It’s inviting and welcoming: she embraces her reader to believe in something again, and you of course don’t have to use the word God if you don't want to, you can use whatever word or concept you like. I also really recommend her memoir Floor Sample which is one of my favourite ever memoirs. So, here is a brand new episode with Julia and I really hope you enjoy it!!

Pre-order Floor Sample here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781800811959

Buy Seeking Wisdom here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781788168250

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#365 An Interview With Me(!): My New Book Disconnected: LIVE at BookBar

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 05:00:23 GMT

I’m excited to share this episode with you, this time it’s an interview with me! All about my new book Disconnected, which is out TODAY (January 13th 2022). I did an in person event at BookBar in London, a gorgeous independent bookstore that I recommend you visiting if you are ever in the area, and I was interviewed by the founder of the bookstore Chrissy Ryan. It felt amazing to be in person with people again after launching projects on Zoom for so long. We discussed many themes in the book; how to unplug without going cold turkey, why I don’t believe in guilt-trips or intense digital detoxes and why I think there’s a better way to create a healthy distance with your phone. We discuss our Internet selves, how to stay true to who we are online, what an e-personality is, how to slowly step away from society’s productivity obsession, how to realise when your devices are making you anxious and prompts on how to create space for yourself again. So I really hope you enjoy this conversation, and if you’d like to buy the book, in hardback, audio or e-book I have left the links below in the show-notes. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for listening!

Order yours here!

Hardback: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127

Audio: https://adbl.co/336s13H

E-book: https://amzn.to/336lYfv

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Dame Stephanie Shirley (REPLAY): On Learning To Love Change

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 05:00:00 GMT

This is a replay of an episode with Dame “Steve” Stephanie Shirley. I recorded this one in 2019, it was a sunny summer’s day in London and we recorded it in a meeting room at Penguin’s offices. Dame Stephanie is tech pioneer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She also goes by the name "Steve" which she used to sign business letters to potential clients when they were not responding to her. If you haven't already, go and watch her Ted Talk "Do ambitious women have flat heads?" it is funny and moving and super interesting to hear what it was like being a woman in tech during the 60s. In this episode, we talk about her brilliant memoir Let It Go. In this episode we talk about workplace misogyny, making money, resilience, giving back, and why it's important to always keep learning. Hope you enjoy x

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Finding Myself Again (Disconnected Audiobook Sample 4)

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 08:01:43 GMT

Thanks for listening! I have a NEW BOOK out! The audiobook narrated by me for DISCONNECTED is available through Audible.

You can get yours here: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Disconnected-Audiobook/B09KW5DXHY

Check out the hardcover of DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127

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Falling Out of Love with The Internet (Disconnected Audiobook Sample 3)

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 12:58:58 GMT

Thanks for listening! I have a NEW BOOK OUT! The audiobook narrated by me for DISCONNECTED is available through Audible.

You can get yours here: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Disconnected-Audiobook/B09KW5DXHY

Check out the hardcover of DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127

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Who Are You Online? (Disconnected Audiobook Sample 2)

Sun, 02 Jan 2022 05:00:40 GMT

Thanks for listening! I have a NEW BOOK OUT! The audiobook narrated by me for DISCONNECTED is available through Audible.

You can get yours here: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Disconnected-Audiobook/B09KW5DXHY

Check out the hardcover of DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127

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The Trees And Us (Disconnected Audiobook Sample 1)

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 05:00:54 GMT

Thanks for listening! I have a NEW BOOK OUT! The audiobook narrated by me for DISCONNECTED is available through Audible.

You can get yours here: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Disconnected-Audiobook/B09KW5DXHY

Check out the hardcover of DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127

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Philippa Perry (REPLAY): How We Internalise Our Parents' Voice

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 05:00:00 GMT

This episode is a replay from 2019 with the wonderful Philippa Perry. Since this episode aired she has started a new role as agony aunt for the Observer, answering reader questions and her responses are of course wise and wonderful. Her most recent book, The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did), was a number one Sunday Times bestseller and continues to dominate the charts, a book all about what really matters and the vital dos and don'ts of parenting. Hope you enjoy re-listening to this!

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Poorna Bell (REPLAY): Quit Your Job. Go Travelling.

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 05:00:15 GMT

This is a replay episode! Poorna Bell is award-winning journalist of 15 years and a digital expert having worked as UK Editor and Global Lifestyle Head for Huffington Post. Her debut non-fiction book Chase The Rainbow came out last year; a moving memoir about how Poorna's life was affected —but not defined—by the suicide of her husband Rob. Poorna's second book In Search Of Silence is out now, all about her deeply personal journey which asks us all to define what 'happiness' truly means to each of us. In this episode, we discuss the inspiration behind this second memoir, her wariness of self-help books, and what she's learned along the way. Since this recording she has also released the brilliant book Stronger: Changing Everything I Knew About Women's Strength which is part memoir, part manifesto. Stronger explores old-fashioned notions and long-held beliefs about getting strong. Hope you enjoy this conversation :)

Check out Poorna's books here: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/poorna-bell

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Sophia Amoruso (REPLAY): The Original Girlboss Reflects On Work

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 05:00:00 GMT

This is a replay with Sophia Amoruso. It was recorded back in Jan 2020 when I was in LA, back when we could fly around the world and interview people in person. Sophia Amoruso is the author of the 2014 New York Times Bestseller #GIRLBOSS, a book that chronicled her early life as the founder of fashion empire Nasty Gal — it was also adapted into a scripted TV series that premiered on Netflix in 2017. Reading Girlboss in 2014 was a real moment for me as its when I first made steps towards starting my own business. Since this episode aired, she has founded a new venture called Business Class, a brilliant toolkit for founders - I will link to it in the shownotes. In this episode we discuss all sort of things, the evolution of the #girlboss brand, taking risks as a brand builder, and how her idea of success has changed. If you liked this episode please do rate and review ♡ Thank you for listening!

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Steven Bartlett (REPLAY): Ripping Up The Career Rule Book

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 05:00:00 GMT

This is a replay episode from 2019. Steve Bartlett is the founder of Social Chain, a global, social-first marketing agency and production house. He first built his business from his bedroom in Manchester after dropping out of university. He is also as a speaker, investor and hosts the hit podcast 'Diary Of A CEO' and since this recording he has released his debut book ‘Happy Sexy Millionaire’ which was a number 2 Sunday Times best seller it’s opening week. We chat about the influencer marketing world, how to grow a business from scratch, what to do if your parents don't get what you do / family don't support you, the problem with the 'you can do whatever you want" mentality, and why millennials are burning out. Enjoy!

Check out Steven's debut book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529301496

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Sara Tasker (REPLAY): Building A 6-Figure Business At Home

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 05:00:37 GMT

This is a replay episode with the brilliant Sara Tasker from late 2018, a while ago! She is a photographer, writer, business coach and author. She left her NHS day job six years ago to take a leap into the unknown to turn her passion for the Internet into a 6-figure business where we gets to work from home. She also has a fascinating podcast called Hashtag Authentic with online creatives and now she also has a book with the same name, out now, with so many incredible pieces of advice on how grow and build your own online platform with specific tips on Instagram. Hope you enjoy this conversation! xx

Buy Sara's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781911127611

Follow Sara on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/me_and_orla/

Follow me on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/emmagannonuk/

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Emma Dabiri (REPLAY): On Her Debut Book, "Don't Touch My Hair"

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 05:00:00 GMT

This is a replay of a fascinating conversation I had in 2019 with the amazing Emma Dabiri, presenter, social historian and Sunday Times Bestselling author. She has been listed as one of the BBC’s broadcasting stars of the future, and one of The Observer's 2019 rising stars. In this episode we discuss her debut book Don’t Touch My Hair published by Penguin, a brilliant book about why black hair matters. Since this episode aired, Emma’s second book What White People Can Do Next which went on to be a Sunday Times and Irish Times bestseller. In this book she draws on years of research and personal experience to challenge us to create meaningful, lasting change. She is an incredible voice and I really recommend picking up a copy of both of her books! I hope you enjoy this episode and please don't forget to leave a rating or a review on iTunes, it really helps! :)Buy your copy of What White People Can Do Next: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780141996738And Don't Touch My Hair: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/don-t-touch-my-hair/9780141986289

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Emma Jane Unsworth (REPLAY): Finding Your Writing Voice

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 05:00:00 GMT

This episode is from last year (2020) with the brilliant Emma Jane Unsworth, award-winning novelist and screenwriter. Her latest novel, ADULTS, is a comedy about a thirty-something woman whose life is falling apart and her strange relationship with social media and the paperback is out now. Her previous novel, ANIMALS, was adapted into a film and Emma wrote the screenplay and she is currently adapting ADULTS for television. Since this episode aired, her memoir After The Storm was published, an incredible piece of writing breaking the silence on postnatal depression. I really recommend it! Hope you enjoy re-listening to this episode!

Order a copy of After The Storm here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008334635

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Dame Jacqueline Wilson (REPLAY): How She Wrote Over 100 Books

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 05:00:43 GMT

This is a replay from last year with one of my biggest writing inspirations: Dame Jacqueline Wilson! Her 111th novel Love Frankie is out now which we talk about in this episode, we also talk about her journey into being one of the nation's most loved writers, her writing process, why she's always wanted to discuss deeper issues, her trouble with computers and why she loves meeting her readers in person. I remember being so excited about this and getting to meet her in person in between the first lot of lockdowns. Hope you enjoy and if you did please do leave a rating or a review! xo

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#364 Martha Beck: The Healing Power of Not Telling Lies

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete. This is a brand new episode with the brilliant Martha Beck, a return guest! I wanted to invite her back on, to talk about her book The Way Of Integrity. Martha Beck, if you didn’t already know, is a Harvard-trained sociologist, world-renowned coach and New York Times bestselling author. She has published nine non-fiction books, one novel, and more than 200 magazine articles. The Way of Integrity is her new book all about being your full undivided self, coming back to your true nature, it's about not telling lies to yourself or others. Martha tells us about integrity cleanses, something that started years ago when she decided to not tell a single lie for a year. I love Martha’’s work because it's sort of science meets spooky; so much scientific data and spiritual stuff also. It’s also the first self-help book based on Dante's Inferno and It’s brilliant. I loved the episode, definitely go grab a copy of the book!

Buy Martha's book The Way Of Integrity here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780349426020

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#363 Africa Brooke: Are You Self-Censoring Yourself Online?

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 05:00:00 GMT

In January 2021. Africa published an open letter called ‘Why I’m leaving the cult of wokeness’ which has now been read almost 5 million times. You can read the full thing here: https://ckarchive.com/b/d0ueh0h67mpd

We discuss this, why she invites people 'into the grey', why uncomfortable conversations matter and much much more. I hope you enjoy this conversation!

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#362: Emily Ratajkowski: Feminism, Sexuality & Power

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Hello, my guest today is Emily Ratajkowski, a model, actress, entrepreneur, and writer. She has starred in David Fincher's Gone Girl, among other films and has appeared on the covers of multiple magazines and walked the runway for numerous high fashion brands. Her 2020 essay for New York magazine, "Buying Myself Back," garnered over one million views within twenty-four hours and was the magazine's most-read piece of the year. My Body is her first book, and it’s out now, which we discuss the book in this episode. If you enjoyed her piece for New York magazine, you will absolutely love the book. It explores feminism, sexuality, power, men's treatment of women and women's rationalisations. These essays chronicle moments from Ratajkowski's life while investigating the culture we live in and its obsession with and contempt for women's sexuality and the dynamics of the fashion and film industries, and the grey areas when it comes to discussing such topics. Hope you enjoy this conversation!

Get your copy of My Body here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529415896

Say hello!

- My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-books-90e08b32-dafc-4517-843a-a7c0cecde865

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#361 Pamela Paul: The Things We've Lost To The Internet

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 05:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Pamela Paul, the editor of The New York Times Book Review. She oversees all books coverage at The New York Times and is also the host of the weekly Book Review podcast there too. Dream job alert!! She is also the author and editor of six books: including My Life with Bob, and By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and Vogue. Today we are discussing her new book, 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet. In one hundred glimpses of that pre-Internet world, Pamela presents a captivating record of the world before cyberspace—from voicemails to blind dates to punctuation to bad photos. It’s a nostalgic, analytic, warm and funny book about the things we tend to forget were a part of our lives, and the things we miss and the things we dont. It’ll have you reminiscing with friends and also feeling grateful for what the internet has brought to our lives. Hope you enjoy this episode :-)

Get your copy of 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780593136775

Say hello!

- My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-books-90e08b32-dafc-4517-843a-a7c0cecde865

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#360 What’s Holding Back Brilliant Women in Business?

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 04:00:47 GMT

Welcome to this special episode of Ctrl Alt Delete! This episode was recorded live at Samsung KX in Coal Drops Yard in front of a live audience which was very exciting! It was a brilliant venue and it’s been a while - it felt good to be in person again. A wonderful panel of women got together to discuss the “brilliance bias”, the myth that still sadly pervades our society and work culture, where ‘brilliant’ is often seen as a male trait. I am grateful to Samsung for being so transparent and honest in this conversation, they are looking ahead to where they want to be when it comes to these kinds of discussions and that transparency is key. Many studies (research from New York, Harvard and Denver Universities) state that 75% of people implicitly and unknowingly associate high levels of intelligence (or intellectual “brilliance”) with men more than women.

It seems slightly crazy to be discussing this but the statistic was so intriguing - I really enjoyed chatting to the panel about the myths and stereotypes around a certain type of person being heralded as ‘brilliant', when actually obviously it comes in all shapes and sizes. So, unpicking this topic, I have a brilliant line-up: Annie Ridout, the bestselling author of SHY; and Chloe Findlay-Walker and Nida Choudhary who both offer interesting perspectives from Samsung, who I'm super excited to be partnering with for this episode as part of its Samsung Pioneers programme. I hope you enjoy this theme, and to find out more, please head to the show notes for more information! Hope you enjoy the conversation.

Samsung Pioneers is part of Samsung UK’s commitment to championing gender equality within business – highlighting the challenges facing women, and creating a platform which powers advocacy and drives positive change.

Twitter and Instagram: @SamsungUK

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/samsung-electronics-uk/

To learn more about careers at Samsung UK, visit here.

#SamsungPioneers

*This episode is in PAID PARTNERSHIP with Samsung*

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Marie Forleo (REPLAY): How To Get Unstuck & Figure Things Out

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 04:00:00 GMT

This is a replay from 2019. Marie Forleo is an entrepreneur, writer and online coach. She has been named by Oprah as 'a thought leader for the next generation'. I first discovered Marie's work via her award-winning online show, Marie TV and podcast where she interviews inspiring creatives such as Brene Brown. Today on the podcast, we are discussing her New York Times bestselling book 'Everything Is Figureoutable' - a phrase and attitudinal discipline that activates your spiritual and emotional strength. It's a rallying cry to tackle impossible tasks, heart-breaking challenges and daring dreams.

It will give you the courage to act in spite of your fears, the confidence to start and complete meaningful projects and the conviction to keep going - no matter what. Hope you enjoy this episode!

Grab your copy here! https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780241341056

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#359 Genelle Aldred: Cancel Culture, Communication + Context

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Genelle Aldred, newsreader, communication expert, and now author who has worked as a journalist at many of the UK largest broadcasting organisations for over a decade, including BBC, ITV and ITN. In this episode we discuss her debut book Communicate for Change: Creating Justice in a World of Bias unpicking some of its fascinating themes: how to make a positive difference, how to think for yourself, how to have better conversations and how to recognise our own biases and blind spots. This book encouraged me to ask better questions and question my own assumptions, breaking away from singular narratives and monolithic thinking. Hope you enjoy this conversation about how it’s OK to agree to disagree in conversation and how it’s important to not shy away from other peoples truth in order to see how other people around us think. Here is the episode with Genelle!

Grab a copy of her book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780281085576

Say hello!

- My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-books-90e08b32-dafc-4517-843a-a7c0cecde865

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#358 Oliver Burkeman: Embrace Your Limits. Change Your Life.

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is the award-winning writer Oliver Burkeman, award-winning feature writer for The Guardian and writes a popular weekly column on psychology called This Column Will Change Your Life. Today we are discussing his new book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, an uplifting, engrossing and deeply realistic exploration of productivity and time management, rejecting the society’s obsession with 'getting everything done.’ It introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing rather than denying their limitations. It’s a big dose of reality, and after reading the book you might think differently about your endless to-do-list with a slightly different perspective, I absolutely loved the book, recommending it to anyone who will listen, and loved chatting to Oliver all about it. I hope you enjoy this episode! x

Get your copy of Four Thousand Weeks here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781847924018

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#357 Mel Robbins: How To Be Your Own Friend (This Is Part 2!)

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 08:45:52 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete, this is part TWO of a conversation with author and motivational speaker Mel Robbins! She is the author of the bestselling 5 Second Rule and The High 5 Habit and in this episode we discuss how one simple mindset change can change your life. We discuss where the inspiration for this new book came from: the fact that even though Mel is one of the most booked motivational speakers in the WORLD she also struggled with the nagging critic in her head, and so she shares with us how she overcame it, giving us practical tools on how to be a better friend to ourselves. Go back and listen to part 1 if you haven’t already before listening :). I hope you enjoy.

Get your copy of The High 5 Habit: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781788174107

Get your copy of The 5 Second Rule: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781682612385

Say hello on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emmagannon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagannonuk/

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#356 Mel Robbins: How To Be Your Own Friend (Part 1)

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is one of the world’s most booked motivational speakers, Mel Robbins! She's an international bestselling author whose work includes the global phenomenon The 5 Second Rule and now she’s back with a brand new book called The High 5 Habit, a simple yet profound tool that changes your attitude and combat self doubt. Lots of people talk about the power of being your own best friend, and in this book Mel gives tangible advice on how to do so. Hope you enjoy this episode!

Get your copy of The High 5 Habit: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781788174107

Get your copy of The 5 Second Rule: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781682612385

Say hello on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emmagannon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagannonuk/

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#355 (BONUS) The Science Behind Manifestation (with The Uncertainty Experts)

Sun, 26 Sep 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete, in this short bonus episode, Sam and Katherine from the Uncertainty Experts projects are going to give us a taste of what’s in store if you sign up to their three-part immersive documentary experience. In this little taster, we are going to be walked through interoception, a powerful way to sense the inner body from signals beneath the skin, but I'll let the guests explain properly what it is and show us how powerful our minds are. I hope you enjoy and see below a link to get your tickets for the full thing!

More info on The Uncertainty Experts: https://uncertaintyexperts.com/

Follow Sam here: https://www.instagram.com/samconniff/?hl=en

Follow Katherine here: https://www.instagram.com/katherinetemplarlewis/?hl=en

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#354: Are You Feeling Uncertain? Meet The Uncertainty Experts

Sat, 25 Sep 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete! I have two very exciting guests for you today, the brilliant Sam Conniff and Katherine Templar Lewis, who are here to talk all about uncertainty, a theme that feels especially prominent right now. In this episode we are discussing their brand new project The Uncertainty Experts, a powerful three-part interactive documentary scientifically proven to reduce our fear of the unknown, reduce anxiety, increase empathy and improve decision-making and problem-solving. In our conversation we discuss all these things, how this new research is pushing the conversation on resilience forwards, practical tools to help us deal with uncertainty (in one of the most uncertain times in history) — I felt so energised after this conversation and I hope you do too. If you are intrigued to learn more, make sure to reserve your seats on the Uncertainty Experts website, you’ll join thousands virtually for an immersive experience, scientifically proven to reduce anxiety. I am personally super excited about this and have got my tickets, I've included the link to purchase your tickets in the shownotes - you can select a time that works for you in November and have three viewing sessions put into your diary at times that suit you. Enjoy the episode, I learned so much from this one!

Grab your tickets before they run out: https://theuncertaintyexperts.uscreen.io/pages/buy

More info on The Uncertainty Experts: https://uncertaintyexperts.com/

Follow Sam here: https://www.instagram.com/samconniff/?hl=en

Follow Katherine here: https://www.instagram.com/katherinetemplarlewis/?hl=en

**This episode is in paid partnership with The Uncertainty Experts**

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#353: Nova Reid: What Makes A Good Ally?

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Nova Reid, a Ted speaker, activist and author. Nova uses her past experience working in mental wellbeing to encourage meaningful change from the inside out in many areas of how we live our lives including anti-racism work. Her work is really powerful, energising and moving and I really admire and respect everything she creates. In this episode, we also discuss Nova’s new book The Good Ally: A Guided Anti-Racism Journey, an urgent call to arms to become better allies to each other. She provides such a thoughtful approach that centres around collective healing, encouraging all of us to embrace what makes us fully human and dig deep into self discovery.

If you only listen to one of my Ctrl Alt Delete episodes, please make it this one! We talk about fear, shame, joy, boundaries, rest, healing, anti-racism and how to connect more deeply with each other. We laugh and we also get emotional. I loved speaking to her and going deep into the conversation about being fully human and getting to spend time together in person to record. I hope you enjoy this episode with Nova and please find the link to her book. The Good Ally below!

Nova's book The Good Ally: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008439484

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Julia Cameron (REPLAY): Rediscover Your Passions

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 04:00:00 GMT

This is a replay of the first time I interviewed my writing idol Julia Cameron, the bestselling author of The Artist's Way. She is a poet, playwright, fiction writer and essayist, she also has extensive credits in film, television and theatre, and is an award-winning journalist. Her groundbreaking books on creativity have become international bestsellers.

In this episode, we talk about The Artist's Way which has a new revamped cover which is very exciting. The book first came out in the early 90s and provides a twelve-week course that guides you through the process of recovering your creative self, it'll transform your life, overcome any artistic blocks you may suffer from, including limiting beliefs, fear, sabotage, jealousy and guilt, and replace them with self confidence and productivity. It’s helped millions of people and I continue to turn to it whenever I’m feeling a bit lost. Since then her new book The Listening Path has come out and she has a new book out in January 2022 called Seeking Wisdom. Hope you enjoy! xo

Julia's books:

The Artist's Way: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781788164290

The Listening Path: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781788167796

Seeking Wisdom: https://www.waterstones.com/book/seeking-wisdom/julia-cameron/9781788168250

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#352 Jessie Burton: The Writing Life (Medusa, The Miniaturist & More)

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 23:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Jessie Burton, the author of the Sunday Times bestselling novels The Miniaturist (which sold over a million copies in its first year of publication), The Muse, and The Confession, the children's book The Restless Girls and the modern feminist retelling of Medusa which is out now. Her novels have been translated into 38 languages, and she is a regular essay writer for newspapers and magazines and she is one of my favourite authors to follow on Instagram, for her writing advice, colourful interiors (and pictures of her cat of course)

We discuss her bringing alive Medusa for a new generation, her wonderful novels, her relationship with success and social media and so much more. I absolutely loved this conversation and hope you do too!

Get your copy of Medusa now: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781408886939

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Martha Beck (REPLAY): Reconnecting To Your True Nature

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 04:00:00 GMT

This episode is a replay of my episode with the brilliant Martha Beck from last year! She is a Harvard-trained sociologist (she has three degrees from Harvard!) and a world-renowned coach (most famously she's been Oprah's life coach) and New York Times bestselling author. She has published 9 non-fiction books, one novel, and more than 200 magazine articles having been a monthly contributor for O, The Oprah Magazine for 17 years. Since this episode aired she has released a new new bestselling book called The Way Of Integrity which I have become slightly obsessed with, an incredible book where she presents a four-stage process helping anyone find their integrity, a sense of purpose, emotional healing, and a life free of mental suffering. I got so much from the book and really recommend it. Hope you enjoy, listening to this replay xo

Get your copy of The Way Of Integrity here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780349426020

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#351 Elizabeth Lesser: Having A "Guru" B*llshit Detector

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Elizabeth Lesser is the author of several bestselling books, including Cassandra Speaks: When Women are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes; Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow and Marrow: Love, Loss & What Matters Most. She is the cofounder of Omega Institute internationally recognised for its workshops and conferences in wellness, spirituality, creativity, and social change. She has given two popular TED talks, and is one of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100, a collection of a hundred leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity. In this episode we discuss all her books, being a spiritual teacher, working with Oprah and Eckhart Tolle, being a feminist, women & power and her incredible talent for bringing memoir and research together in some of the most powerful books I’ve ever read.

Hope you enjoy the conversation!

Cassandra Speaks: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780062887184

Broken Open: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781844135615

Marrow: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780062367655

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#350 Meg Mason: The Sorrow & Bliss of Writing Novels

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 04:00:00 GMT

*FYI don't think there are spoilers, but if there are, it's in the second half of the interview.* My guest today is Meg Mason, author of several books including the recent instant Sunday Times bestseller Sorrow and Bliss. She began her career at the Financial Times and The Times of London and has been a regular columnist for GQ, ELLE and Vogue. I absolutely loved Sorrow & Bliss and reached out to Meg's team as soon as I finished reading it. The quote on the cover from Anne Patchett says: ‘'I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realised that I wanted to send it to everyone I know’ which is how I feel having gifted it to a few friends because I just want everyone to read it so I can talk more about it. It’s a Gen X coming of age, mental health love story that will rip you apart and piece you back together. This was a real treat getting to chat to Meg, I hope you enjoy this chat! xo

Order your copy of Sorrow & Bliss: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781474622974

Order your copy of OLIVE: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008382735

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#349 Tom Chatfield: How To Think (& Make Sense Of The World)

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Dr Tom Chatfield is a writer, broadcaster and tech philosopher. He is a columnist for the BBC and TED Global speaker, he has worked as a writer and consultant with some of the world's leading technology firms. His books exploring digital culture have been published in over two dozen languages. I first read Tom’s work when his book How To Thrive In the Digital Age published by The School Of Life back in 2012 and have followed his work ever since. His latest non-fiction book, Critical Thinking, is a bestselling textbook in its field; and he’s back with a new textbook called How to Think which I thoroughly enjoyed and we discuss in this episode.

(The Oliver Burkeman article we discuss: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/so/14NZw7Z67?languageTag=en&cid=51b6978e-c2af-4d65-a12e-82fc8941cc96#/main)

Order Tom’s book How To Think here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529727418

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#348 Jenn Romolini: Embracing Your Inner Weirdo

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Apologies for the sound quality of this one you guys! We had a bit of a 'mare but I'm so excited to share this conversation with you! Jenn Romolini is an award-winning editor, writer, speaker, and thinker on the topic of modern work. Her 2017 book "Weird in a World That's Not: A Career Guide for Misfits, F*ckups, and Failures" was named one of the best leadership books of the year by Fast Company. I loved it, a really refreshing read about being yourself and being good at your job.

She has had a really interesting career and has been the former Chief Content Officer of Shondaland.com, a digital content site created by producer Shonda Rhimes. She was the Vice President of Content for Zooey Deschanel's HelloGiggles website and the deputy editor of Lucky Magazine. Her recent work has appeared in The New York Times, Audible for Business, Catapult, ELLE, and many others.

Her recent appearance on the “Everything Is Fine” podcast was named one of Spotify’s “Best of the Week and excitingly she is also the new co-host of the show. I really recommend listening, it’s one of my new favourite podcasts - a podcast for women over 40. Hope you enjoy this episode, I loved recording it!

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#347 Tara Brach: Trusting Your Goodness

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Excitement alert! Tara Brach is an internationally known teacher of mindfulness, meditation, emotional healing, and spiritual awakening. I'm a huge fan. She is the author of Radical Acceptance, Radial Compassion and True Refuge, and her weekly podcast and meditation is listened to by over 1.5 million people each month. We discuss her new book Trusting The Gold: Learning to Nurture Your Inner Light. Her work has had a profound impact on me and I really recommend checking out her work if you are interested in letting more calm and compassion into your life! Enjoy.

Order your copy of Trusting The Gold here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781846046995

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#346 Poppy Jamie: The Personal Brand vs Reality

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Poppy Jamie, entrepreneur, author and presenter. She is a leading voice in the mental wellbeing and mindfulness space, and she’s on a mission to democratise conversation and provide accessible tools for emotional and mental health. She is the founder of the award winning Happy Not Perfect app, host of the chart topping Not Perfect podcast and author of the new book that’s out now Happy Not Perfect: Upgrade Your Mind, Challenge Your Thoughts and Free Yourself From Anxiety. The Happy Not Perfect brand was created to help the stress and anxiety levels of young people. With her mum being a neurotherapist, Poppy decided something needed to be created to help everyone manage their mental wellbeing better. I really enjoyed this conversation all about flexible thinking! xo

Order Poppy's book from an independent bookstore today! https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529339161

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#345 Eric Zimmer: Act Your Way Into Right Thinking

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Eric Zimmer is a behaviour coach, author and hosts the award-winning podcast, The One You Feed, one of my favourite podcasts, based on an old parable about two wolves at battle within us. With over 300 episodes and over 13 million downloads, the show features conversations with experts across many different topics, authors, psychotherapists, doctors, teachers, really fascinating people who know a lot about their field about how to create a life that has less suffering and more fulfilment and meaning. His story of finding a way to recover from addiction and build a life worth living for himself is incredibly inspiring, and has been featured in the media including TedX, Mind Body Green, the BBC and Brain Pickings. I am so grateful to Eric for coming on Ctrl Alt Delete - hope you enjoy our conversation!

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#344 Mo Gawdat: Engineer Your Path to Joy

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Mo Gawdat, serial entrepreneur and former chief business officer of Google [X]. Through his twelve-year research on the topic of happiness, he created an algorithm for happiness, regardless of circumstance in life. He is the author of Solve For Happy - a book about his mission to deliver his happiness message to one billion people around the world. We also talk about his upcoming new book in this episode so you’ll hear some of what’s next and it was so great to talk to him about his work, his career to date and his perspective on how we can all live a life we enjoy and genuinely helpful tips for dealing with life overwhelm. He also has a brilliant podcast called Slo Mo which I recently guested on, I recommend checking it out! Here is the conversation. <3

Check out Solve For Happy here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781509809950

Pre-order Scary Smart here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529077186

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#343 Caroline O'Donoghue: The Joy Of Writing For Young Adults

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Caroline O’Donoghue, an Irish author, journalist and host of the award-winning Sentimental Garbage - a brilliant podcast where she talk to authors, fans and cultural critics about the chick-lit books that are often overlooked. I’m sure listeners of this podcast will also have been hooked on the recent Sentimental Garbage mini series with Dolly Alderton called Sentimental In The City where they unpick every season of Sex And The City 'for the great American novel it truly is'. Caroline has contributed to Grazia, The Irish Times, The Irish Examiner, Buzzfeed, Vice and The Times. Her first novel, Promising Young Women came out in 2018 she was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards’ Newcomer of the Year and other awards. Her second adult novel, Scenes of a Graphic Nature, was published in 2020 and today we are discussing All Our Hidden Gifts, a novel for young adults out now, a story of tarot, magic and teen friendship. Hope you enjoy our conversation. <3

Buy Scenes Of A Graphic Nature out in paperback now: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780349009971

Buy All Our Hidden Gifts here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781406393095

Listen to Sentimental In The City here: https://play.acast.com/s/sentimentalgarbage/introducing-sentimentalinthecity-withdollyalderton

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#342 Ian Leslie: How To Disagree Better

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Ian Leslie is a writer and author of multiple acclaimed books on human behaviour. He writes about psychology, culture, technology and business for the New Statesman, the Economist, the Guardian and the Financial Times. He co-hosted the podcast series Polarised, on the way we do politics today, and created and presented the BBC radio comedy series Before They Were Famous. In today’s episode we are discussing his new book Conflicted: Why Arguments Are Tearing Us Apart and How They Can Bring Us Together Conflicted draws essential lessons on how to disagree well from world-class experts: interrogators, hostage negotiators, divorce mediators, and many others. It tells inspiring stories of productive disagreements, from the invention of the aeroplane to the success of The Rolling Stones, and combines them with fascinating insights from the science of human communication. I loved this book and found it genuinely helpful in reflecting on how I can disagree better in work and at home. I think you’ll enjoy this conversation.

You can buy CONFLICTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780571346943

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Bruce Daisley (REPLAY): Do We Have To "Love What We Do"?

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 12:04:15 GMT

(This is a replay of an old episode from 2018. My book The Multi-Hyphen Method had just come out, and Bruce's book The Joy Of Work).

Bruce Daisley is the former European Vice-President at Twitter and host of the business podcast Eat Sleep Work Repeat. He has been one of the Evening Standard’s 1,000 Most Influential Londoners for four years and is one of Debrett’s 500 Most Influential People in Britain and according to Campaign magazine Bruce is ‘one of the most talented people in media’. He is the author of 'The Joy Of Work: 30 Ways to Fix Your Work Culture and Fall in Love with Your Job Again' and writes a newsletter on Substack called Eat Sleep Work Repeat.

He is obsessed with making work better. He's dedicated his last few years to chatting to the leading experts in workplace culture - and using evidence to find a way to improving it.

It's a practical, uplifting, helpful book all about making the workplace a bit better, which is important considering we spend so much time there.

- We mention this piece "Why ‘Do What You Love’ Is Pernicious Advice: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/08/do-what-you-love-work-myth-culture/399599/

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#340 Alex Holmes: Masculinity & Mental Health

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Alex Holmes is an award-winning podcaster and writer from London. He has been hosting and producing podcasts since 2016 including Mostly Lit, which was named by the Guardian and the BBC as one of the top podcasts of 2017 and won the Best British Podcast award at the 2018 British Book Awards. He now hosts the Time to Talk podcast, which focuses on mental health. His new book Time To Talk: How Men Think About Love, Belonging and Connection. The book debunks lingering myths around masculinity, love and connection by exploring what causes this sense of loneliness. Sharing his experiences as a young Black British man, Time to Talk is a love letter to all the men who have lost their way and to the women that love them. He encourages us to open up and share, moving from Ignoring to Acknowledging, Being Closed to Opening Up, Avoiding to Embracing. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Order Alex's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781789562217

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#339 Catherine Gray: The Power of The Very Personal

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 23:00:00 GMT

Catherine Gray is the award-winning author of the The Unexpected Joy of books. Catherine's debut book, The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, was a hit becoming a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller within a fortnight of publication, she is also the author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Single, and The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary. She’s now back with a brand new book called Sunshine Warm Sober: Unexpected sober joy that lasts. This book is all about her eighth sober year and what she’s learned since the last book. We talk about the power of personal writing, setting boundaries and changing the way you live. I really enjoyed it - I found it raw, reflective and a book about rooting for yourself. Hope you enjoy this conversation!

Get your copy of Sunshine Warm Sober: Unexpected sober joy that lasts: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781783253395

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#338 Natalie Lue: How Do We Achieve "Deep Work"? (3 of 3)

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 04:03:00 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete podcast! This is the third and final in a mini series in partnership with Lenovo! Lenovo provide some of the latest cutting-edge technology, which I've been using myself recently including the ThinkPad X1 Nano (it's extremely light and easy to chuck in a bag which I'll definitely be bringing with me on my next staycation soon!) Over a series of three episodes I've been chatting to someone whose work I really admire and enjoy, Natalie Lue, author, podcaster and host of The Baggage Reclaim Sessions. She helps people-pleasers, perfectionists and relationship strugglers become more of who they really are and achieve what they want to achieve. In this episode we are discussing how we can find more time to focus and do our 'deep work', inspired by Cal Newport's brilliant book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World and Oliver Burkeman's '3 or 4 hours' rule which you read on his blog here.

Check out more from Lenovo here: https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x1/c/thinkpadx1

*This mini series is in paid partnership with Lenovo*

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#337 Natalie Lue: Making Your Own Career Ladder (2 of 3)

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 04:01:00 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete podcast! This is episode 2 in a mini series in partnership with Lenovo! Lenovo provide some of the latest cutting-edge technology, which I've been using myself recently including the ThinkPad X1 Nano (it's extremely light and easy to chuck in a bag which I'll definitely be bringing with me on my next staycation soon!) Over a series of three episodes I've been chatting to someone whose work I really admire and enjoy, Natalie Lue, author, podcaster and host of The Baggage Reclaim Sessions. She helps people-pleasers, perfectionists and relationship strugglers become more of who they really are and achieve what they want to achieve. In this episode we are digging into building your own career ladder and questioning what even *is* a career ladder nowadays? Natalie starting doing her own thing 17 years ago, and has continued doing so, and I loved hearing all about her life lessons along the way.

Check out more from Lenovo here: https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x1/c/thinkpadx1

*This mini series is in paid partnership with Lenovo*

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#336 Natalie Lue: The Myths Of Being Your Own Boss (1 of 3)

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete podcast! This is episode 1 in a mini series in partnership with Lenovo! Lenovo provide some of the latest cutting-edge technology, which I've been using myself recently including the ThinkPad X1 Nano (it's extremely light and easy to chuck in a bag which I'll definitely be bringing with me on my next staycation soon!) Over a series of three episodes I've been chatting to someone whose work I really admire and enjoy, Natalie Lue, author, podcaster and host of The Baggage Reclaim Sessions. She helps people-pleasers, perfectionists and relationship strugglers become more of who they really are and achieve what they want to achieve. In this episode we are digging into the topic of how be your own boss and get things done in your own time - including using a pen and paper (shout out to the ThinkPad X1 Titanium which has a pen you can use on the screen) plus how to block out time in the day, how to be more creative and how to prioritise ourselves.

Check out more from Lenovo here: https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x1/c/thinkpadx1

*This mini series is in paid partnership with Lenovo*

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#335 Sam Baker: On Finding Yourself After 40

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete! My guest today is Sam Baker: journalist, broadcaster, author and former Editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan and Red magazine in the UK. She has written for countless publications and co-founded The Pool. Sam has also judged the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Costa Novel award and the British Book Awards. In this episode we are discussing her brilliant book The Shift: How I (lost and) found myself after 40 – and you can too (out now in paperback) for any woman staring the second half of their lives in the face and wondering, what the hell is going on? I really enjoyed reading it as Sam peels back the layers on her own life, tackles topics such as perimenopause, sexism and ageism as well as interviewing other brilliant women over 40. She also has a fabulous podcast called The Shift on life over 40 with guests like Phillippa Perry, Emma Freud and Jojo Moyes. Hope you enjoy this conversation! I loved it.

Buy your copy of The Shift here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529329780

Listen to Sam's podcast The Shift on Acast here: https://play.acast.com/s/the-shift

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#334 Gaby Roslin: Genuine Positivity vs Faux Positivity

Mon, 31 May 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Gaby Roslin is one of the country's most popular presenters. She rose to fame as co-presenter with Chris Evans of Channel 4's The Big Breakfast, between 1992 and 1996. Her radio career includes sitting in for Alan Carr on BBC Radio 2, co-hosting BBC London's breakfast show, and her own weekly show on BBC London radio on Sunday afternoons.

She also has a new podcast called That Gaby Roslin Podcast – where Gaby’s chats are all about having a good time, celebrating positivity, spreading kindness and being shy. Gaby is a patron of many different charities, and is a real joy to follow online for her uplifting stories and posts. I really enjoyed this conversation about not apologising for your own positivity and finding joy in the smaller moments. Hope you enjoy listening!

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#333 David Speed: Creating For Yourself First (Not Social Media)

Thu, 27 May 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Today’s guest is with David Speed! He defines himself as a professional graffiti artist, accidental public speaker, creativity ambassador and co-owner of Graffiti Life. He is also the host of the 'Creative Rebels' podcast which debuted at #1 on the iTunes business chart, a fab podcast I’ve been on 3 times now, so really excited to interview David this time about all things art, social media and creativity and how he’s built his projects over the last ten years or so. Hope you enjoy this episode, lots of wisdom and practical advice in this one about maintaining your flow, trying new things, Tik Tok, growing a new social media account and how to stay true to yourself and to the art itself. Enjoy!

David's Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/davidspeeduk/?hl=en

Creative Rebels podcast: https://www.instagram.com/rebelscreate/?hl=en

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#332 (BONUS) Maggie Alphonsi & Nick Read on the Healthy Hybrid Workplace

Wed, 26 May 2021 04:00:00 GMT

This episode is a special one brought to you in partnership with Vitality with a focus on their latest report developed with the RSA, all about healthy hybrid working. Vitality is a leading UK health and life insurance and investment business. Their Vitality Programme helps people to live healthy lives through positive behavioural nudges, which not only leads to improved health and tangible benefits for people but it has a positive impact on business and society on the whole. This report explores the impact of successive lockdowns on our health and how we can work towards a healthy hybrid working environment.

I'm excited to be talking to Maggie Alphonsi MBE, Director of Vitality Champions Programme, former Rugby World Cup Champion, and Inspirational Speaker. Maggie plays a key role on Vitality’s workplace wellness team with qualifications in areas such as physiotherapy, personal training, positive psychology, and nutrition. As a former England rugby player she understands the challenges around managing stress and working in tense environments. I'll also be talking to Nick Read, who oversees the Vitality Programme. He was part of the original team that set up Vitality and I'm looking forward to talking to him all about some of the really interesting findings about the future of our modern workplace - something I'm always keen to explore on this podcast.

Hope you enjoy this branded episode in partnership with Nick and Maggie talking all about healthy hybrid working. Make sure you go and read the full report at bit.ly/3vlscku

Thanks for listening! xo

*This episode is a paid partnership with Vitality**

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#331 Adam Brazier: Comparison Can Be A Good Thing

Thu, 20 May 2021 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Adam Brazier, a photographer, film maker & creative expert who co-hosts the brilliant creative podcast 'Creative Rebels' alongside David Speed. Adam and David had me on their show three times now so it’s great to turn the tables finally. He has co-founded numerous successful creative businesses including The Graffiti Life company and his photography under Adam Brazier Portraits is thriving.

In this episode, we cover how to be more creative, trying new things, how comparing yourself can sometimes be useful, snobbery in art work, getting more confident and Adam gives the most amazing changing lanes analogy.

I really enjoyed this chat and hope you do too!

Check out Creative Rebels podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/creative-rebels/id1448695774

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#330 Nick Hornby: Getting Published, Dealing With Rejection

Thu, 13 May 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Nick Hornby is the author of many novels, including High Fidelity, About a Boy, Juliet, Naked and others, and now he has a new book Just Like You which I thoroughly enjoyed and is out in paperback.

He is also the author of Fever Pitch, a book on his life as a devoted supporter of Arsenal Football Club and many of his books have been turned into iconic films. In 2009 he wrote the screenplay for the film An Education, in (2014) the screenplay for Wild — and in (2015) the screenplay Brooklyn. In this episode we talk about creative advice, thoughts on rejection, being published, why he wanted to write diverse characters in his new novel Just Like You, a book about connecting with each other despite how polarised the world seems to be right now. Thanks for being here, I hope you enjoy our conversation!

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#329 Selina Barker: Help, We Are All Exhausted

Sun, 09 May 2021 10:21:07 GMT

Selina is a career and life design coach, writer and podcaster who is dedicated to helping people unlock their dreams, step into their power and create lives and careers they love. Today on the podcast we are talking about burnout, because Selina's brilliant new book BURNT OUT is here. This episode is actually a snippet from the recording of Selina's virtual launch event for the book! We were joined by lots of lovely faces live on Zoom, so it's very exciting that we share an edited version (minus the Q&A bit sorry!) for today's listen.

Over the past 12 years she has coached a long list of clients from Google directors, to recording artists, best-selling authors and leaders in the creative and music industry. She is creator of the Project Love ‘Goodbye, Hello’ end-of-year journal (‘Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021’ is currently on sale world-wide) and the Audible Series ‘The Career Change Coach’. And her first book ‘Burnt Out: the exhausted person’s guide to thriving in a fast-paced world’ is out NOW!

She co-hosts the Project Love podcast, diving deep into conversations on life and love with her co-host Vicki Pavitt and guests (where they’ve had almost half a million listens since they began). And every Monday you can tune in to her weekly Monday Crew mini-podcast (which I love!) where she’s on a mission to get as many people as possible designing a life that they love, one Monday at a time.

Buy Burnt Out from an Independent Bookstore today! https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781783254002

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#328 Elizabeth Uviebinené - Pressing The Reset Button (On Work & Life)

Thu, 06 May 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Elizabeth Uviebinené is a multi-award winning author. She is a columnist at The Financial Times and co-author of Slay In Your Lane her debut bestseller which Vogue said “gave a voice to the next generation of young black British women’. Elizabeth has worked as a brand strategist such as Nike, Google and Bumble. She has been listed as one of the most influential people in London by the Evening Standard and a Marie Claire Future Shaper award. Her new book, The Reset: Ideas To Change How We Work and Live explores the impact of resetting our approach to work in society for which she has interviewed some of the most exciting business leaders and thinkers working in the UK today. We discuss the book in this episode and I thoroughly enjoyed it, here is our conversation!

Click here to buy The Reset from Bookshop (and support Independent Bookshops): https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529347432

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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Elizabeth Day (REPLAY): On Creating 'How To Fail' Book & Podcast

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 04:00:00 GMT

This is a replay of an episode recorded in 2019 with the brilliant Elizabeth Day around the publication of her book How To Fail, a brilliant memoir slash manifesto she published off the back of her incredibly successful podcast How To Fail with Elizabeth Day, a celebration of the things that haven't gone right. A podcast that keeps on growing and giving us such brilliant guests and food for thought. Since this episode, Elizabeth has written another book called Failosophy: A Handbook For When Things Go Wrong and also been announced as a new presenter on Radio 4's Open Book. She also has a new novel out soon called Magpie which you can pre-order now In this episode we talk about personal writing, success 'triggers', fertility, friendship, failures and why having your own personal definition of success is super important.

How To Fail: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008327354

Failosophy: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008420383

Magpie: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008374952

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#326 Grace Beverley: Working Hard + Hardly Working

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Today’s guest on the podcast is author and entrepreneur Grace Beverley. She was voted London's Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is the founder of sustainable style brand TALA and fitness tech brand Shreddy. Her first book is out now, Working Hard, Hardly Working: How to achieve more, stress less and feel fulfilled. By the age of just twenty-three, Grace has been named first in Forbes' 30-under-30, graduated from Oxford University, and has a Sustainable Business accreditation from Harvard Business School. I found her book really interesting, looking into what the working landscape looks like especially to Gen Z and younger millennials, and all the confusing signals on productivity and success we keep being fed especially online. Her book is a close look at how to find your own balance, own definition of success and lots of helpful tips along the way, and business lessons from things going right and wrong for Grace.

Hope you enjoy this episode!

You can buy Grace's book and support independent bookshops here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781786332851

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#325 Emma Reed Turrell: Are You A People Pleaser?

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is psychotherapist Emma Reed Turrell. She read English at Cambridge University, worked in business, sales and marketing for 10 years, and then returned to her earlier passion for psychology and mental health. That took her on the path to becoming a psychotherapist and she now runs a busy private practice alongside writing. Her first book Please Yourself: How to Stop People-Pleasing and Transform the Way You Live is out now, and as a recovering people pleaser. I absolutely loved talking to her all about the book, which I highly recommend, it will help you get better at being disliked, help you speak up, set boundaries, re-establish friendships and help you grow instead of staying small. I loved this conversation and hope you enjoy!

Buy your copy of Please Yourself here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008409371

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#324 Anna Codrea-Rado: Losing Your Job + Going Freelance

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is Anna Codrea-Rado is a journalist, author and podcaster. She is The Queen Of Freelancing. She writes about business, culture and technology, with a particular focus on working life. and I also really recommend her brilliant podcast Is This Working. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, BBC, Wired, the Paris Review, New York Magazine, the Atlantic, Refinery29, Monocle and many others. Her first book, You’re the Business: How to build a successful career when you strike out alone is out now. It’s a handbook for anyone who works for themselves. It really is a one stop shop for all your freelancing needs: from tricky clients, to managing your finances, the positives and the negatives, why it can be amazing and also really quite awful sometimes and how to find more joy and opportunities as a freelancer and how to stay sane. We discussed lots! Hope you enjoy this conversation!

Order Anna's book from an independent bookseller: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780753558652

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#323 Christie Tate: The Power Of Group Therapy

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Today on the podcast is the New York Bestselling writer and essayist Christie Tate. She has written for the New York Times (Modern Love), The Rumpus, The Washington Post, among others. Now she has an incredible memoir out called Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life which was picked by Reese Witherspoon's book club. We discuss writing memoir, the grief that follows publishing a book that took 5 years and how the kindness of strangers really can save us. I really loved this conversation, hope you do too.

Order your copy of GROUP here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781471197871

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#322 My OLIVE Book Launch! (Me Interviewed by Ann Friedman)

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 10:38:30 GMT

This episode is a replay of the virtual launch event I did to release my debut novel OLIVE in America in March 2021! OLIVE is my debut novel about a group of four friends, with different ideas and expectations of motherhood. The novel begins with Olive having just broken up with her boyfriend of almost a decade in which he decides he’s ready for kids, and she is not. Her decision to be child-free impacts her friendships too as they navigate their 30s. The wonderful Strand Book Store put on this virtual event for me (one of my absolute favourite bookstores in New York) and one of my favourite multi-hyphenate writers Ann Friedman interviewed me! Ann is a previous Ctrl Alt Delete guest (number #271 if you’re interested).

In this conversation we discuss why I wrote OLIVE, why I wanted to write about child-free-by-choice character, my writing process, some of the challenges and my writing inspirations. Hope you enjoy this episode and thanks to everyone who tuned into the event and bought a copy of OLIVE, your support has been incredible. If you’re in the UK, Olive is out in paperback in June. So here is the conversation between Ann and I - all about Olive.

PRE-ORDER the OLIVE paperback here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008382735

Purchase the American version here: https://publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/book/olive/

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#321 Penny Wincer - The Imperfect Art Of Caring

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is Penny Wincer, a Melbourne born, London dwelling author, speaker, podcaster and freelance photographer. In this episode we discuss her experience as a mother and carer, her writing about work life and creativity, and raising a neurodiverse family. Penny’s first book Tender published is out now. She has also just launched a new podcast called Not Too Busy To Writ‪e‬, alongside author Ali Millar. Listen in as they navigate the world of writing, publishing and creativity whilst juggling the demands of motherhood, caring and other paid work, without losing themselves in the process. Hope you enjoy this episode!

You can order a copy of Tender here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529331226

Listen to Not Too Busy To Writ‪e here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/not-too-busy-to-write/id1550576952

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#320 A Deep Dive Into Cryptocurrency: Nick Jones, CEO of Zumo

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 05:00:00 GMT

*This is a sponsored episode with Zumo.* I've wanted to do a deep dive episode on the topic of cryptocurrency for ages. Nick Jones, the CEO of Zumo (a new cryptocurrency wallet app) was a great person to speak to about this. Zumo are doing great things in this space and I've always wanted to know more but I've never known where to start, where to go or what to trust. For any newbies out there like me who are interested in finding ways to make their money work harder for them, or learn more about crypto, then I think you'll enjoy this conversation. I'm asking Nick all the questions I've always wanted to know about cryptocurrency: what to look out for, where it's headed and how we can get involved in a way that makes us feel safe and secure in the process. For more information on Zumo, just go to http://short.zumo.money/download.

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Dawn O'Porter (REPLAY): The Freedom of Writing Fiction

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 05:00:00 GMT

This is a replay of a previous episode with Dawn O’Porter. Dawn has actually come on this podcast 3 times, but this is a replay of the latest conversation we had in 2019, about her brilliant novel So Lucky. She is the author of 6 books including the award-winning YA books Paper Aeroplanes and Goose, her first adult novel The Cows was a Sunday Times Bestseller and her latest book "SO LUCKY" is also a Sunday Times bestseller. The novel is about three women and how life really isn't as perfect as it looks. Ruby is feeling like she's failing as a mother, Beth is in a sexless marriage and online influencer Lauren is not telling the truth on Instagram. We talk about writing fiction, finding inspiration and the power of saying no. Also wanted to take this opportunity to mention that since this interview Dawn has launched a Patreon page where she says writing, videos, competitions, it’s really fun and a great place to hang out if you’re a fan of Dawn’s work. Hope you enjoy this episode re-run!

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#318 Julia Cameron (New): How To Listen

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is the amazing Julia Cameron - a return Ctrl Alt Delete guest! Her brand new book The Listening Path is out now. If you are a fan of The Artist's Way, you will LOVE it. It was so great getting to chat to Julia all about the power of listening. Over six weeks, readers will be given the tools to become better listeners: to their environment, the people around them, and themselves. Award-winning writer Julia Cameron is the author of twenty-four books, fiction and nonfiction, including The Artist's Way, Walking in This World, The Vein of Gold, The Right to Write and The Sound of Paper. A novelist, playwright, songwriter and poet, she has extensive credits in theatre, film and television. I hope you enjoy this episode!

Order The Listening Path on Bookshop here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781788167796

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Lycett (REPLAY): Building A Career In Comedy

Sun, 14 Mar 2021 19:16:50 GMT

This is a replay of an old episode with the brilliant Joe Lycett. This was first recorded in 2017 at the Hodder & Storton offices which is the publisher Joe and I both share for our books! This was when his hilarious book Parsnips, Buttered first came out - we chatted about the book and his career to date - and since this interview 4 years ago, it’s been so amazing watching Joe’s career has gone from strength to strength - he’s also a firm favourite on instagram - in 2018 he hit the road with his biggest tour to date I’m About To Lose Control and I Think Joe Lycett over 90 shows performed and in 2019 he become the new host of BBC2’s The Great British Sewing Bee and hosting the his own comedy consumer affairs show, Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back on Channel 4. He has has been confirmed as the new host of Channel 4’s long-running travel documentary series, Travel Man. Hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane! Enjoy!

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#316 Julia Quinn: On 'Bridgerton'

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is Julia Quinn, the No.1 New York Times bestselling author of eighteen consecutive NYT bestsellers including Bridgerton. Last week The Duke and I was number 8 in the paperback Sunday Times bestseller list in the U.K. This was the first time any of Julia’s books have been in the Sunday Times bestseller list, partly due to the fact that on December 25, 2020, Netflix premiered Bridgerton, based on her popular series of novels about the Bridgerton family, adapted by Shonda Rhimes and Chris Van Dusen. We spoke about writing novels, believing in your abilities and the moment she got the phone call from her agent about Bridgerton being optioned.

You can buy Bridgerton here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780349429212

- My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#315 Abigail Dean: From Bookseller To Biggest Debut Author of 2021

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 09:41:40 GMT

My guest today is the excellent Abigail Dean, author of Girl A. Formerly a Waterstones bookseller, she spent five years as a lawyer in London, and then took the summer of 2018 off to work on her debut novel, Girl A, ahead of her thirtieth birthday, which is now a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller. She now works as a lawyer for Google, and is currently writing her second novel called The Conspiracies. Hope you enjoy this episode! (This was recorded as a live event with Waterstones to celebrate the launch of Abbie's book, so very pleased to re-post it here for you all to enjoy. Thanks for organising, Waterstones!)

You can buy GIRL A here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008389055

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#314 Priyanka Chopra Jonas: An Unfinished Memoir

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 05:00:00 GMT

My guest today is the wonderful Priyanka Chopra Jonas, multi-award-winning actor and producer. A former Miss World, she made her movie debut in 2002 and has appeared in more than sixty films produced in India and the United States. For all the work in association with UNICEF, she was awarded the prestigious Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award in 2019. In February 2021, Priyanka published her first book, a memoir called Unfinished which she wrote during the 2020 lockdown and we discuss the book in this episode: her reflections, her multi-hyphenate life, stories about her family and career, how she met her husband, how her relationship with social media has changed, and how she became the person she is today. I really enjoyed chatting to her and if you liked this episode, please do consider leaving a review somewhere, very much appreciated!

You can order Priyanka's memoir here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780241512845

- My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#313 Dan Murray-Serter: On Burnout & Brain Nutrition

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Dan Murray-Serter is the co-founder of brain health and mental wellness company Heights. He is also the host of the UK's #1 business podcasts Secret Leaders and Braincare, and previously co-founder of Grabble, the UK's top shopping app. He is a thought-leader on topics such as mental health, spirituality & entrepreneurship and also writes about these topics for Forbes and Entrepreneur magazine. It was so great getting to chat to him about these topics - we talk about start-up founder burnout, brain nutrition, why he wanted to create a smart supplement to look after our brains, and the importance of breaks and naps. I hope you enjoy this episode!

Dan has been VERY generous and given Ctrl Alt Delete listeners a code to use if you are interested in trying the smart supplement! Just use 'emmagannon' at checkout for £10 off a quarterly subscription of Heights! https://www.yourheights.com/products/the-smart-supplement/

Check out Dan’s Secret Leaders podcast here: https://www.secretleaders.com/

Check out Dan’s Braincare podcast here: https://www.yourheights.com/blog/podcast/

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#312 Yasmine Cheyenne: Self-Care, Joy & Healing

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Yasmine Cheyenne is a writer, speaker, author of the poetry book SALVE and self-healing advocate, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She helps people create and strengthen their individual self-care practices by teaching them the tools that empower lasting positive changes in their lives. She hosts self-healing workshops as well as focusing on her writing. She is also the podcast host of The Sugar Jar which is discuss in this episode - it was so wonderful getting to talk to Yasmine about self-care, healing, burnout, boundaries, and looking after ourselves, during this pretty rocky time in everyones lives. Hope you enjoy this one!

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#311 Georgina Lawton: On Her Book 'Raceless'

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Georgina Lawton is a twenty-something journalist, weekly Guardian columnist, travel writer and host of Audible's DNA podcast, The Secrets In Us — a series that looks into 'do-it-yourself' DNA testing kits and Georgina follows the stories of those learning to live with the results.

Georgina’s debut book Raceless is out now, a stunning family memoir exploring race, identity and the devastating effect of long-held secrets within a happy family. It is a moving examination of how racial identity is constructed—through the author’s own journey grappling with secrets and stereotypes, having been raised by white parents with no explanation as to why she looked black. The memoir investigates the question: what constitutes our sense of self? In this beautifully written memoir she grapples with difficult questions about love, shame, grief, and prejudice, and reveals the nuanced and emotional journey of forming one’s identity. Hope you enjoy this conversation.

Buy Raceless here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780751579383

Listen to Georgina's Audible original series here: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Secrets-in-Us-Audiobook/B08LLHGGF4

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#310 Cate Sevilla: How To Deal With a Bad Boss

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Cate Sevilla is my guest today, author of How to Work Without Losing Your Mind. She has led and managed editorial teams for some of the world's largest media and tech companies including Google, BuzzFeed and Microsoft. She was a founding member of BuzzFeed UK. She later became editor-in-chief at The Pool, at the helm when the company collapsed (which we talk more about in this episode), and we discuss how Cate is using these difficult experiences in her own career to help others with advice.

In this episode, we focus on her brilliant book, which draws from loads of lessons learned in Cate’s career and interviews with other women, it is a relatable and reassuring guide to the messy, stressful and sometimes bizarre side of work that everyone experiences but no one talks about. Whether you're drowning in a toxic work environment, battling burnout, recovering from redundancy, suffering from comparison, or just struggling to figure out what you actually want from your career, Cate Sevilla is here to help coach you through the shitty bits and get you back on your feet. She has launched a podcast to accompany the publication of her debut book called The Heart Of It. If you enjoyed this conversation, please do leave a little review somewhere! Thank you!

Cate’s book: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780241439661

Cate's podcast: https://catesevilla.com/podcast

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#309 Kate Elizabeth Russell: Writing Fiction & Setting Boundaries

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Kate Elizabeth Russell is a writer, based in Oregon. Her debut novel, My Dark Vanessa, was published in 2020 and has been translated into thirty-five languages. It’s been both a Sunday Times Bestseller and a New York Times Bestseller. Stephen King himself described it as ‘a hard story to read and a harder one to put down … a package of dynamite’. The story alternates between Vanessa’s past and present, juxtaposing memory and trauma - its been described as an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects our shifting culture that is transforming our relationships and society itself.

Here is a link to My Dark Vanessa on Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008342241

Just a quick mention that Kate’s book My Dark Vanessa touches on sexual abuse and trauma which we do talk about in this episode - just a heads up before you continue listening.

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#308 Cathy Heller: Turning Passion Into Profit

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 05:00:50 GMT

Cathy Heller is the host of the popular podcast Don’t Keep Your Day Job, which has had over 16 million downloads - in this episode we talk about her book of the same name Don’t Keep Your Day Job which was released in November 2019 with Macmillan. It reminded me of all the advice I would have benefitted from a few years ago when I first knew I wanted to quit my job and do my own thing. The book goes into detail about how to find the work you’re meant to do, grow your business, and wake up to a life you love.

Her book also tells her own story of her experience in the music industry, song writing, building a licensing business and running workshops showing others how to do it. She has been featured in Billboard, LA Weekly, Variety and tons more for having licensed her songs over hundreds of times to film, TV and ads.

I have really enjoyed Cathy’s podcast during these lockdowns - they’re really lovely soulful interviews with people like Matthew McConaughey, Malcolm Gladwell, Bobbi Brown, Adam Grant and lots more.

Check out Cathy’s course: Here's the link for Made to Do This http://madetodothis.com/

Check out Cathy’s book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Keep-Your-Day-Job/dp/1250193605

Hope you enjoy this conversation!

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#307 Laura Mucha: Love, Relationships & Attachment Theory

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete! Today’s guest is with the amazing Laura Mucha, an ex-lawyer, author, award-winning poet, and speaker. Her first book, Love Factually / We Need to Talk About Love is the result of ten years of interviews with hundreds of strangers aged 8-95 years old across every continent, and it is fascinating. The Guardian describes her as “a fantastic nosy parker”. She is such a talented writer and researcher and I think you’ll fall in love with her like I did when you hear this episode. Her debut poetry collection, Dear Ugly Sisters is out now and her debut picture book, Rita’s Rabbit is out in 2021, so keep your eye out for that! We talk about SO much in this episode, I hope you enjoy, if you did, please do leave a review somewhere on Apple podcasts!

Link to Laura's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781472982438

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ruby Warrington (REPLAY): Sober Curious: Is Life Better Without Alcohol?

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 05:00:00 GMT

This is a replay of a January 2019 episode. Ruby Warrington is a lifestyle writer and former features editor of the UK's Sunday Times Style. In 2013, she created The Numinous, an online magazine that bridges the gap between the mystical and the mainstream. I wanted to invite Ruby onto the podcast to discuss her bestselling and hugely popular book Sober Curious which has been described as a bold guide to choosing to live hangover-free.

Her bestselling book Sober Curious is a radical take down of the myths that keep so many of us drinking. Inspiring, timely, and blame free, Sober Curious is both conversation starter and handbook essential reading that empowers readers to transform their relationship with alcohol, so we can lead our most fulfilling lives. As you'll see from our conversation there is a nuance to the sober curious movement, it's not that you can never drink again, nor is it a book necessarily for anyone with a problem, it's really for anyone who wants to be more curious about their drinking habits.

Link to Sober Curious here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780062869043

Ruby's NEW book The Sober Curious Reset: Change the Way You Drink in 100 Days or Less is an upbeat, practical new guide from Ruby Warrington, author, journalist and leading voice of the 'sober curious' movement. Link to buy here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780762472703

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#305 Rebecca Seal: Solo Work & Loneliness

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 15:10:33 GMT

My guest today is Rebecca Seal, an episode all about working from home. Rebecca is the author of Solo: How to Work Alone (and Not Lose Your Mind) it’s a fantastic book absolutely filled to the brim with wfh advice and tips and anecdotes. It's a science and evidence-based exploration of what working alone does to your brain and well-being, and how to cope with the more difficult aspects of solo work. She doesn’t shy away from talking about her own tough times in her own freelance life which I personally found super helpful. Initially, she thought it was a book for freelancers and self-employed people...and then 2020 happened.

She also specialises in food, drink, travel, lifestyle and human interest stories and has written or co-authored eight cookbooks, many with the LEON restaurant group, including her latest, LEON Happy Fast Food, which came out in May 2020.

Hope you enjoy this one!

Link to Rebecca's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781788164856

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gillian Anderson (REPLAY): Playing Margaret Thatcher & Winser Clothing Collection

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 05:00:00 GMT

This is reply of my episode with the wonderful Gillian Anderson! You might remember my episode from two years ago when Gillian came on the podcast as a guest with her friend and co-author Jennifer Nadel; they wrote the bestselling book We: The uplifting manual for women seeking happiness.Today, Gillian is back in the Ctrl Alt Delete studio.

Stay tuned for the second half of this episode to hear about Gillian in THE CROWN where she will join the cast in season 4 as UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher and SEX EDUCATION, Gillian has also collaborated with WINSER. After a successful first collection last Autumn, she has collaborated again with Winser London’s design team again to create her second womenswear capsule collection for the brand, which includes a unique fundraiser jumper featuring a design of her lips with 20 percent of sales going o Gillian's chosen charity, @womenforwomen which helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives. Gillian’s collection is now live online at winserlondon.com.

We spoke about turning fan art into charity merchandise, dipping a toe into another industry, trying new things, being a homebody, how TV has changed since the 90s, mental health anxiety, living with chronic pain and the joy of being in bed by 9. I love this quote from the episode:'It should be become so natural for people to talk freely [about mental health] without it making headlines. It's still in the press slightly mocked in headlining it. Ultimately, it should be discussed as easily as what we eat for breakfast. The majority of human beings on this planet do struggle with some form of fear, anxiety, depression and there are constant contributors in our world that are making those numbers grow." I hope you enjoy this episode, I absolutely loved recording it!

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#303 Adrienne Herbert: Finding Your Power Hour

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 05:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Adrienne Herbert: speaker, podcast host of The Power of Hour and trainer at the UK’s leading fitness app Fiit. She delivers talks and workshops to companies such as Adidas, Google and Apple and is passionate about helping people change up their lives. She now an author too, of the book Power Hour: How to Focus on Your Goals and Create a Life You Love, which we dig into in this episode. We discuss finding motivation, reclaiming your time, and lots of helpful bits of advice in the book about creating a life you love. You can buy Adrienne's book here, out now: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781786332691

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#302 Hashi Mohamed: On Luck, Privilege, Talent

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 05:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Hashi Mohamed, one of the UK’s leading barristers, a BBC broadcaster and author on social mobility in Britain. His book is out now, called People Like Us. He is one of 12 children, Hashi came to the UK as an unaccompanied child refugee from Kenya in the summer of 1993 when he was just 9 years old. When he arrived he spoke basic English, attended failing school, raised on state benefits in a deprived area of North West London. Today, he is also a published author who attended Oxford University for his postgraduate degree and Bar School on a full scholarship. He is an incredible person, who inspires so many with his story of hope, ambition, success, resilience and adaptability. and I’m SO excited to share this episode with you! If you enjoyed, please do leave a review. You can buy Hashi's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781788161138

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#301 Kenya Hunt: GIRL: Essays on Black Womanhood

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Today’s guest is Kenya Hunt, Fashion Director of Grazia UK and author of GIRL: Essays on Black womanhood. She has worked at some of the world's most influential women’s titles on both sides of the Atlantic from being an Assistant Editor at Jane, to her years as Deputy Editor of ELLE UK. Today we are discussing her new book which I absolutely loved. It has been described as “a provocative, heartbreaking and frequently hilarious collection of original essays on what it means to be black, a woman, a mother and a global citizen in today’s ever-changing world.” I loved this conversation all about sisterhood, social media, culture, friendship, activism and fashion. We cover lots. Hope you enjoy!

You can buy Kenya's book GIRL: Essays on Black womanhood here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008371975

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#300: 300th SPECIAL Episode: Answering YOUR Voicenotes!

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Hello hello it is my 300th episode of Ctrl Alt Delete, so I wanted to do something a little different to celebrate YOU for being here. I answered a selection of listener voicenotes: on advice to my younger self, starting a creative projects, favourite guest moments, building community, how to read for work and leisure, please loads more. I hope you enjoy this one, and if you did let me know because then I'll know to do more! HAPPY HOLIDAYS and I hope 2021 is a brighter year for everyone. All my love. Emma xo

- My books:.https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon

- My favourite 2020 books: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-favourite-reads-of-2020-9bf19342-f535-4856-ab1a-d523f5ecd98a

- My 2021 picks: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2021-books-i-m-excited-about-619ab32f-f22e-4282-a0e7-71732055e3c7

- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon

- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk

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#299 Selina Barker: End Of Year Exhaustion & Overwhelm

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Winter lockdown emergency episode! This episode was recorded Live on Zoom with an audience! I chatted to the brilliant life design coach Selina Barker as a sort of emergency winter lockdown episode on self-care, burnout and overwhelm.

It's the end of the year, and a lot of us are feeling low on energy, sad, depleted and overwhelmed. In this episode we discuss the importance of acknowledging our anxiety, how to plan when we can't plan, the myth of "the perfect balance", how to switch off when we can't go on a proper holiday, how to nurture yourself, the act of tender discipline, and designing a life you love, even in the hardest of times.

You can pre-order Selina's book BURNT OUT now: https://amzn.to/2IL4MC8

And a huge thanks to Natasha Russell who helped run this live event with me, if you are looking for help with virtual events, visit her website here: https://natasharussell.co.uk/

Hope you enjoy, and if you did, please consider leaving a review somewhere :)

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#298 Rhonda Byrne: Discussing The Greatest Secret

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 10:00:46 GMT

Today’s guest is Rhonda Byrne, most famously known for her book and film: The Secret, viewed and read by millions across the world. The Secret was a global bestseller, published in over 50 languages, with 35 million copies sold. We’re here today to discuss her new book The Greatest Secret - a truly fascinating book about our minds and ridding ourselves of negative thoughts. The book reflects Rhonda’s own journey - and is filled with accessible practices for us to end our suffering, revealing the greatest discovery a human being can ever make, and shows you the way out of negativity, problems, and what you don’t want, to living a life of happiness and your true nature. I found the book really interesting, and I loved getting the chance to ask Rhonda all about it.

Link to The Greatest Secret here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008447373

Link to SABOTAGE here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529340013

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#297 Tori Tsui: On Activism & Climate Change

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 13:53:12 GMT

Hello and welcome to this episode of Ctrl Alt Delete! This is a branded episode sponsored by VistaPrint, they offer personalised and unique products that are perfect for gifting at this time of year. I love offering personalised gifts at Xmas, as they have a little bit more thought involved. You can get everything from personalised mugs, calendars, photo books, even face coverings. Check out their Christmas confession campaign via the #MyXmasConfessions hashtag for more festive inspiration.

My guest today is Tori Tsui, influencer, climate change activist and mental health advocate, with a previous career in photography, she is a woman of many skills . Last year Tori worked with Stella McCartney as a model in their campaign as a climate activist. She is a consultant for global brands who are seeking expert advice on topics spanning climate activism, environmentalism, mental health and inclusivity. Recently, Tori launched a podcast called Bad Activist, in which she co-hosts with her two friends, discussing how to navigate the pressures of perfect activism in an imperfect world.

I hope you enjoy this episode, and if you did please consider leaving a review, thank you - and enjoy!

More information here: http://www.vistaprint.co.uk/ctrl-alt-delete

A portion of revenue of this episode will be donated to: https://yacap.org/relief/

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#296 Seth Godin: It's Time To Trust Yourself

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Welcome back! My guest today is Seth Godin. Seth first came on the podcast in 2017 so it's nice to have a refresher episode! He is the author of 20 books, and his blog, which you’ll find at Seths.blog is one of the most widely read blog on the Internet and he blogs every single day. In his own words: “for more than thirty years, I’ve been trying to turn on lights, inspire people and teach them how to level up.” And that is the best way to describe Seth Godin, he helps people find dignity and motivation in their creative work, and he has been a huge influence on me over the years. We talk about his incredible new book The Practice, which I think is his best book yet. As always, if you enjoy this podcast please do consider leaving a review somewhere. And I'll see you again next week!

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#295 Venetia La Manna: How To Slow Down

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 06:00:00 GMT

Venetia La Manna is a broadcaster, slow fashion campaigner and the co-founder of Remember Who Made Them - a six part podcast series, digital campaign and fundraiser that aims to help energise a new solidarity economy in fashion. She is the creator of the brilliant podcast Talking Tastebuds, a series about food, wellbeing and the planet. She is the Sustainability Ambassador for The Body Shop and discusses issues relating to fashion and the climate crisis across all her platforms and on various radio shows. She is a brilliant voice in this space and it was so good to talk to her about her various projects. In the first half we talk about her work in the slow fashion space and the second half is about how she ditches her phone at the weekend to enjoy a slower pace. Enjoy!

Get in touch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/emmagannon

Email: hello@emmagannon.co.uk

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#294 Patricia Bright: Money Talk

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Today I'm chatting to wonderful Patricia Bright, a YouTube sensation with a background in financial consulting. Patricia brings much needed entrepreneurial finance conversations to the fore - she offers up her experiences and knowledge across her multi-award winning YouTube channel which has attracted over 4 million subscribers over the last 10 years. This year she launched The Break, an online channel to share tips and classes on business, personal development and personal finance.

She also has a brilliant podcast called Caught Off Guard which explores business, personal development and personal finance through a series of candid interviews in both an audio and video format. Season 2 is out now and I will definitely be tuning in.

In this episode, we talk about not quitting your job straight away, how she got started on YouTube, how we take the shame around money away, how to avoid financial mistakes, and chats about investing and saving.

Hope you enjoy <3

Books mentioned:

Heart & Hustle: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9780008263102

The Multi-Hyphen Method: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781473680128

Get in touch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagannonuk

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/emmagannon

Email: hello@emmagannon.co.uk

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#293 Dr Emma Hepburn: Dealing With Life Overwhelm

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is the brilliant Dr Emma Hepburn. She is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist with over 15 years experience of working with and treating mental health difficulties. She is also someone I've followed on Instagram for years (@thepsychologymum on Instagram). She uses the platform brilliantly, and recently won a Lovie award, as well as a Peoples’ Choice Lovie for her social media work as well as being shortlisted for the mind Media Awards. This is due to her brilliant online presence where she posts illustrations on mental health (some of which feature in her book A Toolkit for Modern Life: 53 Ways to Look After Your Mind). She shows how we can understand our own brains in an engaging and information way. She is passionate about bringing psychology and evidence-based mental health information beyond the clinic room and is helping people get a handle on managing our mental wllbeing which is a life long process. Hope you enjoy our chat here about her book, mental health and dealing with general life overwhelm. If you did, please do considering leaving a review :)

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#292 Caitlin Moran: How To Be A Woman, 10 Years On

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 05:00:30 GMT

Today's guest is the brilliant Caitlin Moran! Award-winning columnist, author, scriptwriter. She is the eldest of eight children, grew up in Wolverhampton and she published her first novel at the age of 16. She then became a columnist at The Times aged 18 and has gone on to be named Columnist of the Year six times. Her popular novel How to Build a Girl is now a movie with Beanie Feldstein playing her. She is perhaps most known for her multi-award-winning bestseller How to Be a Woman which has now been published in 28 countries and won the British Book Awards’ Book of the Year 2011. I read How To Be a Woman when I was 21, and like most people it had a profound effect on me and was my first introduction to the world of feminism. Now she has released a follow up book, ten years later, called More Than A Woman, it was so great getting to talk to her about everything thats gone on since HTBAW came out. We talk about the book, why she wrote it, helping a loved one who is struggling and of course some writing tips. Really enjoyed this chat - and hope you do too! If you enjoyed please feel free to leave a review. :) Thank you! xo

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#291 Sharon Walters: Art as Therapy

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 15:57:01 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete, my guest today is Sharon Walters: a London-based artist, speaker & freelance educator who creates hand-assembled collages celebrating Black women. The series, entitled 'Seeing Ourselves' explores under-representation in many arenas in particular, the arts, magazines and western media. The work encourages us to take up space, be seen and create our own spaces.

I first discovered Sharon's art on Instagram and she is someone who has uses the platform brilliantly to celebrate and share her work, as well as grow it as a business. In this episode we talk about how to turn a passion project into a sustainable business, when you know its right to quit a job, how creating art and doing things with your hands can be a brilliant form of self-care and therapy during hard times, plus a discussion about setting boundaries on social media.

To check out more of her beautiful work, follow along on Instagram @London_artist1 or visit her shop here.

If you liked our chat please do leave a review! xo

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#290 Jacqueline Wilson: The Joy Of Writing For Young Adults

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 04:00:15 GMT

This week’s episode is with one of my biggest writing inspirations: Dame Jacqueline Wilson. Her 111th novel Love Frankie is out now. We talk about her journey into being one of the nation's most loved writers, her writing process, why she's always wanted to discuss deeper issues and themes within her books for children, her trouble with computers and why she loves meeting her readers. It was such a thrill to also record this one in person. A real 'moment' for me and the podcast. Hope you enjoy and if you did please do leave a rating or a review! xo

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#288 Dr Pragya Agarwal: How Do You Judge Other People?

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is Dr Pragya Agarwal, a behavioural and data scientist, and the bestselling author of SWAY: Unravelling Unconscious Bias which came out this year. Her writing on bias and prejudice, motherhood, gender and racial inequality and mental health has appeared in The Guardian, Independent, Huffington Post,, Forbes, and many more.

Her next book ‘Wish we knew what to say: Talking with children about race’ is a manual for parents, carers and educators of all backgrounds and ethnicities to talk to children about race and racism - out with Dialogue Publishers (Hatchette) this month!

Pragya also has a mini podcast series ‘Outside the boxes’ which I recommend checking out which examines how the labels and stereotypes affect us as a society, the science behind it, and what we can do about it.

This episode is all about discovering our conscious and conscious bias, how we can notice them and what we can do to make the world a bit better.

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#287 Martha Beck: How To Reconnect With Yourself

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Martha Beck is a Harvard-trained sociologist (she has three degrees from Harvard!) and a world-renowned coach (most famously she's been Oprah's life coach) and New York Times bestselling author. She has published nine non-fiction books, one novel, and more than 200 magazine articles. She has been a monthly contributor for O, The Oprah Magazine for 17 years.

I discovered Martha Beck properly during lockdown and have been inhaling everything she's ever written. I really recommend reading Steering by Starlight, Finding Your North Star and The Joy Diet. I find her thinking extremely comforting and interesting and her podcast Bewildered which she records alongside her friend Rowan Mangan shows us that a lot of our lives are shaped by culture and we need to get back in touch with our true nature.

In this episode we talk about her background, life as a coach, her new book, how her love of nature & animals led her back to her true self, how to analyse dreams and how we can all have a bit more magic in our lives.

Hope you enjoy xo

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#286 Dr Soph: Self-Sabotage & Seeking Safety

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete! Today's guest is clinical psychologist Dr Soph where we discuss the topic of self-sabotage and how it can be a useful thing that tells us about ourselves and what we want.

My new book SABOTAGE is out TODAY and to celebrate I am publishing this conversation with the brilliant Dr Soph about the topic and about her career as a therapist. I recently discovered Dr Soph and her brilliant Instagram presence and am so glad I have. She also contributed some wise nuggets to SABOTAGE which I am very grateful for!

Dr Soph is registered Clinical Psychologist with 8 years experience. She offers one-on-one online therapy and coaching to support her clients in ways that fit around their lifestyle - and we talk all about how she helps people overcome anxiety and low self-esteem.

In this conversation we talk about how we don't love the word self-sabotage but it is a useful phrase to sum up why we do what we do, how to spot our behaviours and the tools we can have in our back pocket to help us get out of own way. Self-sabotage can actually be useful and help us re-route, or show us what we really want, or show us the conflicts in our life. It's us "seeking safety" basically.

Hope you enjoy this conversation!

And you can buy SABOTAGE here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/sabotage/emma-gannon/9781529340013

And you can pre-order Soph's book A Manual For Being Human here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-manual-for-being-human/dr-soph/9781471197468

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#285 Quieten Your Inner Critic: A Sneak Peek of SABOTAGE (Audiobook)

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete. I am excited to share a snippet of my SABOTAGE audiobook here for you! (Out on Sept 24th!)

I wanted to give you lovely listeners a sneak peak of my SABOTAGE audiobook! SABOTAGE: How to Silence Your Inner Critic and Get Out of Your Own Way is my newest non-fiction book publishing on the 24th September (in both UK and US), available to pre-order now! (Links below!)

The book is a personal exploration of my own journey of self-sabotage, and more broadly, how most of us have a tendency to put barriers in the way of our progression and our happiness - at home and at work, both on and offline. SABOTAGE is a book about challenging these behaviours, digging a little deeper into why that unhelpful voice can creep up on us. Procrastination, jealousy, perfectionism, inner critic: the book explores how we can overcome these obstacles and how we can stop getting in our own way. This book is about how to (at the very least) be on our own side.

The book explores real-life stories of success and setbacks from leading cultural voices, and a deep dive into what's really holding us back. Hope you enjoy this snippet and you can pre-order the audiobook from all good book stores now in the UK and the US! Or, the print version which is a lovely, and pocket-sized.

UK audiobook version:

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Sabotage-Audiobook/1529340020?qid=1599773690&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=c6e316b8-14da-418d-8f91-b3cad83c5183&pf_rd_r=9WZ2HB7XMJVYNXM0N7SZ

US audiobook version:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Sabotage/Emma-Gannon/9781524865368

UK print version:

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sabotage-Silence-Your-Inner-Critic/dp/1529340012/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

WATERSTONES: https://www.waterstones.com/book/sabotage/emma-gannon/9781529340013

US print version:

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Sabotage-How-Get-Out-Your/dp/152486241X/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=emma+gannon&qid=1599774255&sr=8-3

BARNES & NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sabotage-emma-gannon/1136997623?ean=9781524862411

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#284 Seyi Akiwowo: The Rise Of Online Abuse & What We Can Do

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is with the brilliant activist and entrepreneur Seyi Akiwowo: the Founder and Executive Director of Glitch, a young not-for-profit organisation determined to end online abuse. Seyi travels the globe developing practical solutions with Governments, NGOs and companies to protect our online public spaces from hate and abuse.

In 2018, she was named Stylist Magazine’s Woman of the Week, she is also Amnesty International’s Human Rights Defender and is part of the #ToxicTwitter campaign to end online abuse against women.

Aged 23, Seyi was elected as the youngest black female Councillor in East London and has had nine successful years working in politics and the charity and policy sectors both in the UK and Europe.

In this episode, we discuss the rise of online abuse (especially in lockdown), gender based abuse, how to be a good online ally online and offline, action we can take, and all the amazing work Seyi and Glitch are doing to stop such harmful online behaviour becoming so widespread.

More information on GLITCH: https://fixtheglitch.org/

DONATE to GLITCH: https://fixtheglitch.org/donate/

https://blacklivesmatter.com/

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#283 Zoe Sugg: Life Online, Offline & in Lockdown

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is the brilliant Zoe Sugg: author, entrepreneur, content creator and business owner.

Zoe was one of my first ever guests back when I started this podcast in 2016, so I thought it would be really fun to invite her back on to talk all about what she's been up to in that time (aka a lot!). In this episode we talk about life in lockdown, her journey with anxiety, her mental health digital detox campaign with Lush and I Am Whole, why she decided to separate her Zoe Sugg and Zoella channels on social media, how to run a business, how to switch off and how to structure your day when you're working on multiple things. Plus her new YA book series The Magpie Society which is out in October. We had lots to talk about and I hope you enjoy this one!

And why not join in Zoe's Digital Detox day! The campaign raises awareness about the negative impact social media can have on our mental health, and helps people to form healthier relationships with their devices. Digital Detox Day will take place in over ten countries worldwide on 5th September, when they will be inviting people to step away from their phones for one whole day. Together with LUSH, Zoe has created a bespoke Digital Detox Day bath bomb, raising vital funds for grassroots mental health charities. Why not join in and switch off, on 5th September! <3

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Seth Godin (REPLAY): When Reassurance Doesn't Work

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Hello and welcome back. I'm replaying some old favourite episodes this week while I am on holiday. This episode was recorded in April 2017 (three years ago, WHAT). Seth Godin is a legend. The author of 18 books that have been bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than 35 languages. He is something spreads ideas and writes about marketing, leadership and change. Some of his most well-known books are Linchpin, Tribes, and Purple Cow which I mention on this podcast in conversation. It's a book that has really inspired me - it's all about how to be remarkable and stand out. His blog (which you can find by typing "Seth" into Google) is one of the most popular in the world. Seth is well-known in the publishing industry, mainly since launching a series of four books via Kickstarter. The campaign reached its goal after three hours and ended up becoming the most successful book project ever done this way. His newest book, What To Do When It's Your Turn, is already a bestseller. We talk about personal branding, fear, education, making decisions and teaching yourself. I hope you enjoy this episode.

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June Sarpong (REPLAY): Diversify Your Life

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Hello and welcome back. I'm replaying some old favourite episodes this week while I am on holiday. This episode with the wonderful guest June Sarpong was recorded in November 2017.

We discuss her new book Diversify backstage at Stylist Live. I've wanted to meet June for ages, so this was a VERY exciting episode! June has enjoyed a 20-year career which has already seen her become one of the most recognisable faces of British television, as well as being one of the UK’s most intelligent and dynamic young hosts. June has also taken on the world’s most challenging live audiences, hosting 2005’s major Make Poverty History event in London’s Trafalgar Square and presenting at the UK leg of Live Earth in 2007. In 2008 alongside Will Smith she also hosted Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday celebrations in front of 30,000 people in London’s Hyde Park.

We talk about how to lead a more inclusive lifestyle, why it's important to have difficult conversations and how to get out of your own 'bubble'. Hope you enjoy this episode!

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Greta Gerwig (REPLAY): On Choosing Not To Be On Social Media

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Hello and welcome back. I'm replaying some old favourite episodes this week while I am on holiday. This episode was recorded in February 2018. I met Greta in the Soho Hotel for the interview to talk about the release of her film Ladybird. Since then, of course she's gone on to make the incredible masterpiece that is her own version of Little Women that she wrote and directed. The film received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and it also received nominations at the BAFTAs and Golden Globe Awards. Hope you enjoy this little trip down memory lane!

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Jameela Jamil (REPLAY): 'I Weigh' & Cancel Culture

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete! I'm replaying some old favourite episodes this week while I am on holiday. This episode was recorded in March 2019. Since then Jameela's 'i Weigh' movement has blossomed and grown - it originally started as a hashtag and has now turned into a media company with her own podcast called i weigh which I highly recommend listening to, plus a website and newsletter.

You may know Jameela from her 2008 days as co-host of Channel 4’s Freshly Squeezed and T4. In 2013 she became the first female solo presenter of Radio 1’s The Official Chart Show and an award-winning columnist in Company magazine too.

In 2016 Jameela made her move to the US, where she was cast to play the role of Tahani on NBC’s THE GOOD PLACE. The show has won both an AFI Award, a Critics Choice Award and even nominated for a Global Globe.

Hope you enjoy this episode! I interviewed her at her home in LA and it was a really refreshing, interesting conversation.

You can follow i WEIGH here: https://www.instagram.com/i_weigh/?hl=en

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#278 Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey: Breaking The Harvey Weinstein Story

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey are the Pulitzer Prize winning journalists who broke the Harvey Weinstein story. They are also the bestselling authors of She Said, the book all about how they did it.

I managed to catch up with them before their flight back to New York before lockdown when they were in the UK to promote the book. It was so incredible to meet them.

On 5 October 2017, the New York Times published an article by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey that helped change the world. Hollywood was talking as never before. Kantor and Twohey outmanoeuvred Harvey Weinstein, his team of defenders and private investigators, convincing some of the most famous women in the world - and some unknown ones - to go on the record. Three years later, it led to his conviction. This is how they did it.

Hope you enjoy this episode and if you did please rate the episode on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. See you next week!

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#277 OLIVE series: Natalie Lee on Motherhood & Me Time (#4)

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 04:04:00 GMT

Hello and welcome to this special OLIVE mini series — all around the topic of my debut novel OLIVE which is out TODAY! In lieu of a launch party, I’ve decided to release this 4-part series on 4 different women’s varying experiences and attitudes towards motherhood, based on the topics within the book.

The novel centres around Olive and her three best friends, Bea, Cecily and Isla. Bea is a mum of 3 who loves her busy chaotic home, Cecily is newly pregnant feeling apprehensive and excited, Isla is struggling with her fertility and undergoing IVF treatment. Olive knows that having children is not for her and recently broke up with her longterm boyfriend because he wanted to try for a baby and she didn’t — and this book explores the obstacle course of adulthood, navigating key life milestones, and how their friendships grow and change as they each figure out their own paths.

Natalie Lee is a fashion blogger, former midwife and body positivity advocate. In this episode we talk about getting creative during maternity leave, how friendships can change & grow, how to set boundaries and having time for yourself.

Follow Natalie on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/stylemesunday/?hl=en

Thanks for listening and you can now buy OLIVE from your favourite retailer.

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/olive/emma-gannon/9780008382728

Hive: https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Emma-Gannon/Olive/24224499

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olive-Emma-Gannon/dp/0008382727/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1570034665&sr=1-5&tag=smarturl-gb-21

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#276 OLIVE series: Clover Stroud's Wild & Sleepless Nights (#3)

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 04:02:00 GMT

My guest is Clover Stroud is an author and journalist and mother of 5 - who writes for the Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph and Conde Nast Traveller among others. She lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and five children. Her first book, The Wild Other, was shortlisted for The Wainwright Prize. Her second book My Wild and Sleepless Nights — which examines what it means to be a mother — the joy and the wonder, the loneliness and despair which we talk about it all in this episode.

You can order Clover's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Wild-Sleepless-Nights-Mothers/dp/0857525905/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1595429479&refinements=p_27%3AClover+Stroud&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Clover+Stroud

Thanks for listening and you can now buy OLIVE from your favourite retailer.

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/olive/emma-gannon/9780008382728

Hive: https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Emma-Gannon/Olive/24224499

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olive-Emma-Gannon/dp/0008382727/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1570034665&sr=1-5&tag=smarturl-gb-21

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#275 OLIVE series: Jessica Hepburn on Life After IVF (#2)

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 04:01:01 GMT

Today's guest is Jessica Hepburn is author/ arts producer, adventure activist — and one of the UK's leading patient voices on fertility, infertility, the science of making babies and modern families. Having been through eleven rounds of IVF, she has become a pioneer in raising awareness of what it means to struggle to create the family you long for, and how to live as big and bravely as possible when life doesn't go to plan. I absolutely love this episode and hearing about Jessica’s story.

You can find out more about Jessica on her website, and order both her books here: https://www.jessicahepburn.com/books

Thanks for listening and you can now buy OLIVE from your favourite retailer.

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/olive/emma-gannon/9780008382728

Hive: https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Emma-Gannon/Olive/24224499

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olive-Emma-Gannon/dp/0008382727/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1570034665&sr=1-5&tag=smarturl-gb-21

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#274 OLIVE series: Emma Sexton on Being Child Free By Choice (#1)

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is Emma Sexton, talking all about childfree-by-choice life. She is a design entrepreneur, creative strategist, speaker and coach - and founder of her own creative agency in 2013. We talk about her figuring out her own path, the things people still comment on, why it’s something she’s always known from a young age, and why we should talk about it more!

You can follow Emma here: https://www.instagram.com/misssexton/?hl=en

Thanks for listening and you can now buy OLIVE from your favourite retailer.

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/olive/emma-gannon/9780008382728

Hive: https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Emma-Gannon/Olive/24224499

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olive-Emma-Gannon/dp/0008382727/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1570034665&sr=1-5&tag=smarturl-gb-21

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#273 Sophie Heawood: The Book Single Mothers Have Been Waiting For

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is the brilliant Sophie Heawood. I've followed Sophie's work for years, I've loved her columns in the Guardian, VICE and her brilliant newsletter.

Sophie has written for many publications including The Times, Guardian, Observer and Vogue and writes the most incredible profiles of A-Listers — she doesn't just interview celebrities she tells incredibly stories while doing so, and crafts features in such a compelling interesting way that makes you feel like you are in LA or in the fancy hotel lobby with her. Her first book The Hungover Games is out now, it is a beautiful memoir about single motherhood and what to expect when you weren't expecting to be expecting. I read it in a day, and I think you will also love it. If you enjoyed this conversation, please do leave a rating or a review! :)

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#272 (BONUS EPISODE) Sophie Butler: Self-Love In Lockdown

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is one of the British Gymshark athletes, the wonderful fitness influencer Sophie Butler — someone I thoroughly enjoy following on Instagram and find extremely inspiring on every level. I jumped at this chance to collaborate with her for the podcast. (Apologies in advance for the patchy audio — lockdown issues!)

*This episode is brought to you by Gymshark.* Gymshark is a sportwear brand who focuses on fitness and conditioning. They have released a whole new range of sports bras for all training styles and support levels. Going from low support for low impact activities to high support for higher impact activities, each bra is available in 5 different sizes and multiple colour-ways. You can check them out at gymshark.com/cal

Sophie is an award-winning content creator (she won Best Health & Wellbeing Influencer at the Cosmo Awards last year!) and a personal trainer who shares her passion and knowledge about health and fitness on her multiple social media platforms. She is passionate about fitness since she was 19 and qualified PT for two years now, Sophie’s goal is to help people get stronger and healthier, and following an injury in the gym, she is supporting other people with spinal injuries in their journey to recovery. She shares inspiring and educating content and aims at bringing together an uplifting community of positive and open-minded people.

In this episode she shares with me her personal journey through self-empowerment and how health and fitness has played a key part into becoming the women she is today. Hope you enjoy! <3

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#271 Ann Friedman: What Is 'Big Friendship'?

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is Ann Friedman, one half of the popular podcast Call Your Girlfriend and now author of the forthcoming book Big Friendship, out this month (July 2020). It is a friendship bible on how to keep each other close.

This book is authored by both Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow, (Aminatou has also been a guest on Ctrl Alt Delete, episode number #183 if you fancy going back and listening) and Big Friendship is a the story of their own ten-year, complex, loving friendship. They share their highs, lows, and hard-won wisdom with honesty, hilarity and compassion. They've weathered life-threatening health scares and long-distance living - and they know: the most important part of a Big Friendship is investing in each other again and again.

I absolutely loved the book! I think we need to have more honest conversations about friendship and like all other relationships, it takes work.

I hope you enjoy this episode and make sure you buy a copy of Big Friendship! https://www.bigfriendship.com/

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#270 Julia Cameron: Creativity, Criticism & The Artist's Way

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 21:59:58 GMT

Julia Cameron is the bestselling author of The Artists' Way. She is a poet, playwright, fiction writer and essayist, she also has extensive credits in film, television and theatre, and is an award-winning journalist. Her groundbreaking books on creativity have become international bestsellers.

In this episode we talk about The Artist's Way which has a new revamped cover which is very exciting. The book first came out in the early 90s and provides a twelve-week course that guides you through the process of recovering your creative self. It aims to dispel the 'I'm not talented enough' thoughts that hold so many people back and helps you to unleash your own inner artist. Its step-by-step approach enables you to transform your life, overcome any artistic blocks you may suffer from, including limiting beliefs, fear, sabotage, jealousy and guilt, and replace them with self confidence and productivity. The Artist's Way will demystify the creative process by making it a part of your daily life.

From Alicia Keys to Elizabeth Gilbert to Russell Brand, The Artist's Way has helped thousands of people around the world to discover their inner artist. Whatever your background or career path, this book will give you the tools you need to enable you to fulfil your creative goals. Hope you enjoy! xo

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#269 Glennon Doyle: Envy & Jealousy Are Useful Emotions

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 04:00:07 GMT

Glennon Doyle is someone I've wanted to have on the podcast for years, ever since I read her book LOVE WARRIOR (which was an Oprah Book Club selection), as well as her New York Times bestseller CARRY ON, WARRIOR. An activist and thought leader, Glennon is the founder and president of Together Rising, an all-women led nonprofit organisation that has revolutionised grassroots philanthropy – raising over $25 million for women, families, and children in crisis. She lives in Florida with her wife and three children.

In this episode we discuss Glennon's new book "Untamed. Stop pleasing, start living" which has gone on to become a #1 New York Times bestseller and (a Reese's Book Club selection).

For many years, Glennon Doyle denied feeling unhappy in her life and marriage. Then, while speaking at a conference, she looked at a woman across the room (Abby Wambach) and fell instantly in love. the voice she had buried beneath decades of numbing addictions and social conditioning.

Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanising wake-up call. It is the story of how she learned that a responsible mother is not one who gives up who she is for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is also the story of how each of us can unleash our truest, wildest instincts.

We talk about how she got the book out to so many people during lockdown, how to spot our desires beneath the desires, how jealousy is a useful emotion and I ask Glennon about some of my favourite bits in the book and how we can be a little bit braver, and wilder in the lives we live. ENJOY!!!

Glennon's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Glennon-Doyle/e/B073C6SQY1/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

You can pre-order OLIVE here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emma-Gannon/e/B07CNBMD9B/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

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#268 Renay Richardson: Equality in Audio & Broccoli Content

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Renay Richardson is the founder and CEO of Broccoli Content, a company she founded in 2018.

Broccoli is a new multi-genre podcasting joint venture between Renay and Sony Music and is focused on the development and distribution of original programming. Renay is a producer who has previously worked for podcast platforms including Acast & Audible and a successful independent podcast creator in her own right - her credits including About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge and The Receipts on 1xtra from BBC Radio 1Xtra.

In this episode we talk about Broccoli's recent brilliant initiative called The Equality in Audio Pact - which the Guardian and BBC have just signed among many others - there are the 5 points:

1 . Pay interns / No longer use unpaid interns.

2. Hire LGBTQIA+, black people, people of colour and other minorities on projects not only related to their identity.

3. If you are a company that releases gender pay gap reports, release your race pay gap data at the same time.

4. No longer participate in panels that are not representative of the cities, towns, and industries they take place in.

5. Be transparent about who works for your company, as well as their role, position and permanency.

You sign the pledge here: https://www.broccolicontent.com/equality-in-audio-pact

Hope you enjoy this episode! I loved talking to Renay about her career, the future of podcasting and making the audio space more equal. Plus, getting into podcasting; first jobs; being a CEO; sharing the mic, what 'Broccoli' means; working on Reni Eddo-Lodge's podcast, racism in audio, working in podcasting in the UK and the US.

On making About Race: "we were right, we were ahead, you get punished for having vision and for seeing the future and what is actually needed. We were held back and restricted in what we did."

Please go and follow Broccoli Content and check out their amazing podcast series ANTHEMS: http://hyperurl.co/anthemspodcast

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#267 Candice Brathwaite: Motherhood, Business & Taking Up Space

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is the brilliant Candice Brathwaite, Sunday Times Bestselling author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother. The book has been called 'an urgent part-memoir, part-manifesto about Black British motherhood' in Red magazine. When Candice fell pregnant and stepped into the motherhood playing field, she found her experience bore little resemblance to the photos of women in glossy magazines and Mumsnet and she found herself wondering: "Where are all the black mothers?".

Candice started blogging about motherhood in 2016 and is the founder of Make Motherhood Diverse – an online initiative that aims to encourage a more accurately representative and diverse depiction of motherhood in the media.

Candice's book I am Not Your Baby Mother is urgent, inspirational, funny, and very very important. It talks about her own childhood, pregnancy, how Black British women are 5 times more likely to die in childbirth, (and lots of eye-opening statistics that you will never forget), and the reality of living with racial micro-aggressions and unconscious bias at every point. It's one of the most important books I've read all year and I think it should be in schools. Candice writes with such humour, poignancy and depth - I love her straight-talking style and everyone should read it. Please do buy a copy. Hope you enjoy this episode, if you did please leaving a rating or review, thanks!

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#266 Layla F Saad: Doing The Anti-Racism Work

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is Layla F. Saad, #1 bestselling author of Me And White Supremacy and globally respected writer, speaker and host of the Good Ancestor Podcast. She speaks on the topics of race, identity, leadership, personal transformation and social change. As an East African, Arab, British, Black, Muslim woman who was born and grew up in the West, and lives in Middle East, Layla has always sat at a unique intersection of identities from which she is able to draw rich and intriguing perspectives. Me And White Supremacy is Layla's first book. Initially it was self-published online for free following an Instagram challenge and hashtag under the same name, and was downloaded by close to ninety thousand people around the world in the space of six months. It is now a New York Times Bestselling book. Layla's work has been brought into homes, educational institutions and workplaces around the world that are seeking to create personal and collective change.

It is worth mentioning this conversation was recorded on 4th May, before the news of George Floyd. The advertising revenue for this week's episode will be donated to the Black Lives Matter Fund.

To read:

Do the work: an anti-racism reading list: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2020/jun/03/do-the-work-an-anti-racist-reading-list-layla-f-saad
"I need to talk to spiritual white women about white supremacy" by Layla Saad: http://laylafsaad.com/poetry-prose/white-women-white-supremacy-1
The Millions of Amy Coopers https://www.thecut.com/2020/05/why-amy-cooper-called-the-cops.html
Reni Eddo-Lodge's tweets: https://twitter.com/renireni/status/1266674554283401216
Fighting the racism that killed George Floyd requires more than hashtags https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/02/white-people-racism-george-floyd?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
We Need To Rethink Our “Pics Or It Didn’t Happen” Approach To Activism https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/performative-grief-online

To donate:

Minnesota Freedom Fund
BLM
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund
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#265 Julia Ebner: Going Undercover On The Internet

Thu, 28 May 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is Julia Ebner, bestselling author and Research Fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, where she leads projects on online extremism, disinformation and hate speech. She has acted as a consultant for the UN, NATO, and the World Bank. Her journalism has appeared in the Guardian, Independent, Prospect and Newsweek, and she was a key contributor to a documentary for ITV on militant responses to Brexit, and a Radio 4 piece on women in the far right. Her first book, The Rage: The Vicious Circle of Islamist and Far-Right Extremism, was a bestseller and shortlisted for multiple awards. In this episode, we discuss her new book Going Dark: The Secret Social Lives of Extremists. We touch on how Julia went undercover into online hate-groups; how to deal with trolls and how to improve education for young people in regards on online extremism. If you enjoy this podcast please do leave a rating or review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen!

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#264 Jess Evans: Classism In Journalism

Thu, 21 May 2020 04:00:14 GMT

Hello! Today's guest is journalist and consultant Jessica Evans. She has previously written for the likes of Stylist, Refinery29, Elle and all the top magazines. She is also the founder and CEO of The Freelance Sessions, which is an indie organisation that helps both aspiring writers become freelance journalists and established journalists in their career. The heart behind the one-to-one sessions is to help more northern, working class women break into the elitist world of journalism. I came across Jess when I read a piece she wrote for The Independent called "The journalism industry is abysmal for working class women like me" (link below). In this episode we discuss freelancing, classism, the issue with "Londonising" and how to get more talented individuals into the industry.

Jess's piece in The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/class-discrimination-journalism-women-working-class-2020-london-a9264146.html

More info on PressPad here: https://presspad.co.uk/

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#263 Emma Jane Unsworth: From Novel To Screenplay

Thu, 14 May 2020 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Emma Jane Unsworth - the award-winning novelist and screenwriter. Her latest novel, ADULTS, a comedy about a thirty-something woman whose life is falling apart and has been described as a "witty" and "virtuoso" satire by The Guardian and "sharp and funny" by The Times. Her previous novel, ANIMALS, was adapted into a film, for which Unsworth wrote the screenplay. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2019 and Unsworth won the award for Best Debut Screenwriter at the British Independent Film Awards 2019. She also writes for television and various magazines. She is currently adapting ADULTS for television.

In this episode we discuss novel writing, script-writing, social media addiction, jealousy of other women, postpartum mental health - we cover it all. If you enjoyed this episode, please do rate and review!

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#262 Kate Hamilton: What Do We Now Expect From Brands?

Mon, 11 May 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Kate Hamilton is my guest today. For five years she worked at SUITCASE magazine and for two of those years she held the position of Editor-in-Chief. She is also Co-Founder and Content Director at Sonder & Tell, a new agency that helps brands find their voice and express themselves. Their practice involves bringing an editorial approach to brand content, applying storytelling techniques to creates work that cuts through the noise. I've worked with Sonder & Tell in the past on the book Comfort Zones that raised money for Women For Women International last year, and they also helped me rebrand my newsletter as The Hyphen which has now expanded into The Hyphen Book Club. In this episode we discuss how brands are responding to Covid-19, crafting a tone voice, storytelling, how to add value and what branding will look like in the future.

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#261 How AI is Changing The Whisky Industry

Thu, 07 May 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is Angela D’Orazio, master blender and chief nose officer at Mackmyra – a multi-award-winning Swedish whisky distillery, and the producer of the world’s first AI-created whisky. Really excited to bring you a special bonus episode in partnership with Microsoft all about how AI is changing the whisky industry. I loved hearing about how us humans can work with AI to achieve a different kind of creativity. We spoke about how she got into her job as a master blender; AI adds a new layer of creativity to her job; the things she's learned over the years and what she's looking forward to next.

Thanks to Microsoft for making this one happen. If you liked this episode, please do rate and review it on your favourite podcast app.

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#260 Laura Dockrill On Postpartum Psychosis

Mon, 04 May 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Laura Dockrill is an award-winning author and illustrator. What Have I Done? is Laura's first book for adults. I have loved Laura's fiction and poems for years, and now this. I can already say it's one of the best memoirs I've ever read on mental health. It's about postpartum psychosis. It's moving, incredibly vivid and well written. Laura made me feel like I was standing in the corner of the hospital room with her when giving birth and then in her living room afterwards as she embarked on her road to recovery. The topic is so so important and it still feels so shrouded in secrecy, until now. I'm so glad this book exists. In this episode we discuss Laura's journey, recovery, what it's like when a raw blog article about your mental health goes viral, and why this book is a love letter to family and friends.

If you'd like to read the article on Clemmie Telford's blog that we discuss in the interview, it is here: https://motherofalllists.com/2018/08/13/2018-08-13-postpartum-psychosis/

And if you'd like to buy Laura's book 'What Have I Done?' you can do so here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-have-i-done/laura-dockrill/9781529110210

Thanks for listening, and if you enjoyed this episode please do consider leaving a rating or review! xo

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#259 Christine Armstrong: The Truth About Work & Parenting

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Christine Armstrong is an author, researcher and speaker on the future of work. She is a contributing editor of Management Today, She is known to 'blow up the bullshit about working parenting and dig into the truth about what works. And what really doesn’t.' You might have read her piece in the Times that went viral called 'why working mums are being sold an impossible dream about work/life balance — and how to set the record straight' a piece promoting the publication of her brilliant book The Mother of All Jobs: How to Have Children and a Career and Stay Sane(ish. We recorded this episode pre-lockdown, and Christine is now researching our response to working from home en masse and asking what people want to happen next. I really hope you enjoy this episode we got into the nitty gritty of parenting, work and why flexible working doesn't always work - and how we can try and get it right.

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#258 Dani Dyer: Work, Life & Social Media

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 09:54:37 GMT

[This episode was recorded in January 2020.) My guest today is the lovely Dani Dyer who won ITV2’s Love Island with a landslide 80% of the vote and captured the hearts of the nation. Trained as an actor, Dani has appeared in a number of films, as well as making her stage debut in Nativity! The Musical in 2018. Since leaving Love Island, Dani has raised money for Comic Relief, launched her own successful record-breaking fashion range and and has starred in her own hit reality show with ITVBe.

In this episode we discuss Love Island, growing up, her bestselling book What Would Dani Do (out NOW in paperback), and her relationship with social media.

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#257 Gemma Milne: Are We Being Fooled Online & How Do We Spot It?

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Gemma Milne, the science/tech writer and author of Smoke & Mirrors: How Hype Obscures the Future and How to See Past It . Her works have been featured in the BBC, The Times and she is the co-founder of Science: Disrupt – a media outlet covering advances in science startups, research processes and industries such as space, energy, health and advanced computing. She works with the World Economic Forum as one of their Global Shapers, and is also an advisor to the European Commission and Innovate UK, helping them decide which scientific innovations should be funded with government money. So she's pretty impressive basically.

Her book is all about the smoke and mirrors of many different industries, and how we can spot 'hype' and 'illusions' especially online. The book encourages critical thinking, the nuance of conversations and why we should be taught to scrutinise things more. I found her book and this conversation super interesting, hope you do too! xo

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#256 Vex King: How To Have Good Vibes

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Vex King is an author, mind coach and entrepreneur. He experienced many challenges when he was growing up and we talk about this within this episode; his father died when he was just a baby, his family were often homeless and he grew up in troubled neighbourhoods. Vex talks about how he has turned his life around through his popular Instagram account (@vexking) which has become a source of inspiration for thousands of young people.

His book Good Vibes Good Life has been on the Sunday Times Bestseller lists for weeks now, and the book discusses things like how to practice self-care and overcome toxic energy; cultivate positive lifestyle habits, including mindfulness and meditation and finding your higher purpose. Hope you enjoy this episode if you did please do leave a rating or review!

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#255 Sophie Walker: Let's Change the World Ourselves

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 09:08:50 GMT

Sophie Walker is a feminist activist, founding leader of the Women’s Equality Party, and recently-appointed chief executive of Young Women’s Trust, the charity representing and supporting women who are living on no or low pay. She is passionate about rebuilding society for and with (extra)ordinary women. You can follow her on Twitter under @sophierunning.

Today I'm chatting to Sophie about her new book 'Five Rules for Rebellion' which is an inspiring, five-step journey to incorporating activism into our lives. Featuring stories of new and seasoned activists – including Amika George and Jack Monroe – campaigning on a range of issues from reproductive rights and poverty to the environment and access to education; the book shows us how to see activism not as a series of pitched battles but as a positive, lifelong learning experience. It's all about feeling less full of despair, and more able to channel anger, arm yourself with hope, practise perseverance and connect with others compassionately. She teaches us how we can convert our confusion and impatience into a powerful force for change. Hope you enjoy this episode :) If you did please do leave a review!

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#254 Holly Bourne on Writing Teen & Adult Novels

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is the brilliant author Holly Bourne who started her writing career as a news journalist, where she was nominated for Best Print Journalist of the Year. She then spent six years working as an editor, a relationship advisor, and general 'agony aunt' for a youth charity - helping young people with their relationships and mental health.

(TW: This episode discusses rape and sexual assault.)

Inspired by what she saw helping young people, she started writing teen fiction, including the best-selling award-winning 'Spinster Club' series which helps educate teenagers about feminism. When she turned 30, Holly wrote her first adult novel How Do You Like Me Now?, examining the intensified pressures on women once they hit that landmark age, and the book became a Sunday Times bestseller. She now has her second adult fiction book out called Pretending.

In one review of Pretending a reader says: "the book deals with trauma and sexual violence, there is also heart and humour throughout the pages". I feel like this sums up a lot of Holly's work - dealing with tough subjects through a lighter touch that makes her stories feel more accessible and real.

I hope you enjoy this episode- and if you did please leave a lovely rating or review!

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#253 Selina Barker: How To Stay Sane When Working From Home

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 17:41:55 GMT

This episode is dedicated to all things Working From Home with the brilliant life coach Selina Barker. Selina is a life design and career change coach, writer, podcast host, co-founder of Project Love and creator of the Goodbye Hello journal. She is someone who gives very practical advice around designing your day and avoiding burn out so I thought she'd be the perfect guest for this week. She saved the day.

Right now she is working on her first book - all about how to break out of the burnout cycle and learn how to thrive in a fast-paced modern world. Due to be published by Octopus in early 2021. If you enjoyed this conversation you can also listen to her every week on the Project Love podcast!

In this episode, we dig into how to stay sane when working from home; how to set psychological boundaries when our physical boundaries have temporarily gone, and how to get a new routine on the go. I loved Selina's tips: the permission to unplug, step away from Zoom, setting up morning routines, working a shorter day, having breaks, setting boundaries, how to notice when anxiety is triggering old habits, and being kind to yourself.

If you enjoyed please leave a rating or a review - see you next week! :)

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#252 Anna Mathur on Reframing Our Anxiety

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 16:48:49 GMT

My guest today is with psychotherapist and anxiety expert Anna Mathur. I wanted to do a special episode on how to deal with anxiety and anxious feelings, especially circumstantially around what is happening right now with Covid-19 and our daily lives looking very different right now.

Anna is passionate about taking therapy out of the therapy room and into general accessible spaces, empowering people to use simple techniques that will help them reframe the way that they think on a daily basis, and she has run hugely popular online courses on Reframing Anxiety - so wanted to bring you an episode with some accessible mental health advice during this tough time we're all going through.

I apologise about the audio quality of my side of the conversation, it turns out my mic wasn't plugged into properly, and I am still adjusting to this new set up of remote recording, so I hope you don't mind too much as I think it was a valuable conversation and I loved Anna's tips on how staying calm and staying present during stressful times.

Anna's book Mind Over Mother, Every Mum’s Guide to Worry and Anxiety in the First Year is out on May 14th), and here is the link to the Reframing Anxiety course that we discuss within the episode.

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#251: Samantha Clarke: Life As A Happiness Consultant

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 08:56:53 GMT

*Please note this episode was recorded in early March.* My guest today is Samatha Clarke, an author and Happiness Consultant. She is a teacher of Guardian Masterclasses and lecturer at The School of Life and expert on work happiness, culture and relationships.

Whenever I speak to Sam, she always says something that makes me reflect on my work life. She has given me amazing advice in the past on setting better boundaries which has therefore grown my business in turn because I'm less likely to burnout when my boundaries are firm.

Sam has just released her first book called Love It or Leave It: How to Be Happy at Work, and she wants her readers to find a way to say goodbye to the dread of Monday morning. This guide is full of vital tips and tools that will help you either Love It and find ways to get more out of the job you have or Leave It by working out the skills you have to offer and identify the steps you need to take, whether that's switching jobs, starting a portfolio career or testing a new business idea.

Love It Or Leave It has been described being a book for anyone who is...stuck in a job they hate; thinking about a career change; someone who may have landed their dream job but is struggling with a toxic workplace.

Hope you enjoy this episode and if you did, please leave a little rating or review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you!

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#248 BONUS: How To Make a Self-Care Podcast (with Forever35)

Sun, 08 Mar 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete! When I was in LA earlier this year, I did a little podcast swap with one of my favourite podcasts across the pond called Forever 35 at Kate's house in sunny California. It’s hosted by friends and writers Doree Shafrir and Kate Spencer who dive into the self-care practices that we all text our friends about — from which serums they’re using right now to finding a great therapist, navigating the challenges of friendship, and what they’re making for dinner. No topic is off-limits, and Doree and Kate get into it with humour, honesty along with great guests. It’s one of those podcasts I listen to if I’m travelling solo, having a bath or want something comforting on in the background.

So I hope you enjoy this little bonus episode. We recorded at Kate’s house and had a natter. We discussed everything from starting a self-care podcast, beauty, feminism and why Kate has decided to quit Twitter.

And if you want more, I appeared on their podcast too, so check out my episode on the Forever35 podcast, we discussed everything from making a podcast into a business to solo travel to mental health practices when working freelance.

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#246 Frankie Bridge: An Open Book

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 05:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Frankie Bridge, best known as one fifth of 'The Saturdays'. Frankie has been really open about her mental health issues over the years and has been an ambassador for MIND after opening up about her experiences of anxiety, depression and panic attacks, following her hospitalisation in May 2012. Having initially dealt with these issues in silence, Frankie has been keen to support MIND in making sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone. Recently, she's been a key player in helping to launch the MIND partnership with Heads Together, as well as lending her support to Time to Talk Day. Frankie launched her first podcast series OPEN MIND focussing on mental health in 2019 and which debuted in the top ten podcasts upon release. I hope you enjoy this episode and if you did please do leave a rating or review. <3

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#245 Rana Foroohar: The Rise of Big Tech

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Rana Foroohar is an author, Financial Times columnist and CNN analyst, writing and investigating into how today’s biggest tech companies are hijacking our data, our livelihoods, and our minds. I really wanted to do an episode on Big Tech - aka FANG - Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google). How tech has changed and how it's changed us. Her book Don't be Evil looks into how big tech has lost it's way over the past two decades. Through her skilled reporting and unparalleled access to these topics—won through nearly 30 years covering business and technology—Foroohar tells the story of how giddy idealism turned to greed, how a world where “information for free” became one in which we, the users, are the product being monetized, and how the “democratized” internet we were promised can threaten the very fabric of our democracy. In her book she lays out a plan for how we can resist and slightly rebel against tech. I wanted to ask that question: can we rebel against tech now or are we just too embedded? I hope you enjoy this fascinating episode. If you enjoyed, please do leave a rate or review!

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#244 Ann Napolitano: From 80 Rejections To A Global Bestseller

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is New York Times Bestselling novelist Ann Napolitano. In this episode we are discussing her new novel Dear Edward. Unlike a lot of big new titles publishing in 2020, this isn’t the big debut push. Dear Edward is Ann Napolitano’s third book, her first novel was rejected 80 times, and her second novel hardly sold. And yet Dear Edward is set to be one of 2020’s biggest new novels. I absolutely loved this book. Here's the blurb: one summer morning, a flight takes off from New York to Los Angeles. There are 191 passengers aboard: among them a young woman taking a pregnancy test in the airplane toilet; a Wall Street millionaire flirting with the air hostess; an injured soldier returning from Afghanistan; and two parents moving across the country with their adolescent sons, bickering over who gets the window seat. When the plane suddenly crashes in a field in Colorado, the younger of these boys, 12-year-old Edward Adler, is the sole survivor. Dear Edward depicts Edward's life in the crash's aftermath as he struggles to make sense of the meaning of his survival, the strangeness of his sudden fame, and find his place in the world without his family. I really recommend buying this book and loved chatting to Ann about writing fiction. Please do rate and review if you enjoyed :)

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#243 Ruby Warrington: What Does It Mean To Be "Sober Curious"?

Thu, 06 Feb 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Ruby Warrington is a lifestyle writer and former features editor of the UK's Sunday Times Style. In 2013, she created The Numinous, an online magazine that bridges the gap between the mystical and the mainstream. I wanted to invite Ruby onto the podcast to discuss her bestselling and hugely popular book Sober Curious which has been described as a bold guide to choosing to live hangover-free.

Drawing on research, expert interviews, and personal narrative, Sober Curious is a radical take down of the myths that keep so many of us drinking. Inspiring, timely, and blame free, Sober Curious is both conversation starter and handbook essential reading that empowers readers to transform their relationship with alcohol, so we can lead our most fulfilling lives. As you'll see from our conversation there is a nuance to the sober curious movement, it's not that you can never drink again, nor is it a book necessarily for anyone with a problem, it's really for anyone who wants to be more curious about their drinking habits.

Hope you enjoy this episode and if you did please do rate and review on iTunes!

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#242 Kiley Reid: When Fiction Does What A Thinkpiece Cannot

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 05:00:00 GMT

CORRECTION: In the intro I said Kiley Reid has written 'a number of novels and stories'. Such A Fun Age is actually her DEBUT novel. Apologies for this error.

Kiley Reid is a New York Times Bestselling writer, earning her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she won a fellowship award and taught undergraduate creative writing workshops with a focus on race and class. Kiley has written a book of short stories but her DEBUT novel Such a Fun Age is a very big book for 2020. The story is about a babysitter called Emira and her white employer Alix. This book is about race and the messy dynamics of privilege.

Here's some of the press it's picked up already:

Reese Witherspoon's Book Club Pick for January 2020

The Sunday Times One to Watch

A Times Best Book of 2020

A Stylist Best Book of 2020

A New York Times Book to Watch

A Vogue Best Book of Winter

A Marie Claire Best Book of Winter

if you liked the episode please don't forget to rate and review :)

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#241 Gillian Anderson: TV, Time Out & Trying New Things

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 18:51:27 GMT

My guest today is the wonderful Gillian Anderson. You might remember my episode from two years ago when Gillian came on the podcas as a guest with her friend and co-author Jennifer Nadel; they wrote the bestselling book We: The uplifting manual for women seeking happiness.

Today, Gillian is back in the Ctrl Alt Delete studio. She doesn't really need an introduction but I will do it anyway! She is the award-winning film, television and theatre actor who achieved international recognition for her role as ‘Special Agent Dana Scully’ on the American

TV series THE X-FILES. Gillian won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards for the series.

She has tons of other brilliant television credits and earlier this year Gillian starred in Netflix’s hit series SEX EDUCATION and will return to play sex therapist, Jean Milburn in the second series out now. Gillian is currently filming THE CROWN, where she will join the cast in season 4 as UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.

Gillian has also collaborated with WINSER. After a successful first collection last Autumn, she has collaborated again with Winser London’s design team again to create her second womenswear capsule collection for the brand, which includes a unique fundraiser jumper featuring a design of her lips with 20 percent of sales going o Gillian's chosen charity, @womenforwomen which helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives. Gillian’s collection is now live online at winserlondon.com.

'It should be become so natural for people to talk freely [about mental health] without it making headlines. It's still in the press slightly mocked in headlining it. Ultimately, it should be discussed as easily as what we eat for breakfast. The majority of human beings on this planet do struggle with some form of fear, anxiety, depression and there are constant contributors in our world that are making those numbers grow."

I hope you enjoy this episode, I absolutely loved recording it!

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#240 Sarah Ellis (Part 2): Confidence Gremlins & Squiggly Motherhood

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is Sarah Ellis who spent the first part of her career working in Marketing & Corporate Responsibility for brands including Boots, Barclays and Sainsbury's. She co-founded Amazing If - as a side-hustle - with her friend Helen Tupper. They describe their path as being accidental entrepreneurs and they recognise that the world of linear and predictable career ladders are disappearing. Instead, careers are now much more 'squiggly', where changing roles, industries and careers frequently and fluidly is becoming the new normal. Together they wanted to help everyone to develop the skills to succeed in a squiggly career in a way that is useful and relevant for today's world of work. Sarah has an MBA with distinction from Warwick Business School and has studied at both London and Harvard business schools.

In this episode we discuss confidence gremlins, getting comfortable with disagreements, and the highs and lows of motherhood.

This is part two of our Squiggly Career conversation, check out part one if you haven't already!

I deffo recommend getting a copy of the Squiggly Career! It's a fantastically helpful book. You can also listen to their weekly podcast 'Squiggly Careers' - I've also been on as a guest recently. If you liked this episode please do rate or review so others can find it :)

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#239 Sarah Ellis (Part 1): Embrace The Squiggly Career

Thu, 09 Jan 2020 05:00:00 GMT

This part one of our Squiggly Career conversation, check out part two next week!

I deffo recommend getting a copy of the Squiggly Career! It's a fantastically helpful book. You can also listen to their weekly podcast 'Squiggly Careers'. If you liked this episode please do rate or review so others can find it :)

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#238 Lucy Sheridan: The Comparison Cure: Be Less ‘Them’, More You

Thu, 02 Jan 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is with Lucy Sheridan, the world's first and only comparison coach. She has helped thousands of people go from compare and despair to #ComparisonFree, and now she has condensed all of that insight and knowledge into her new book The Comparison Cure. Lucy came on Ctrl Alt Delete a few years back to talk about her passion in breaking down comparison triggers and it was so great to catch up again and to promote her brilliant book. The book is for anyone who has struggled with comparing yourself to others, which of course it a totally human thing, but sometimes it needs a bit of attention if/when it starts to take over your life. Lucy has a three-step tried and tested methodology to help you improve your self-worth and self-confidence (#1 recognise the symptoms; #2 start practising the remedies; and #3 keep your good new habits going), you will soon be able to let go of procrastination and start living a comparison-free life. Packed full of tips, examples and exercises to help you take back control of who you are and what you want, this positive and empowering book is the timely and necessary antidote we all need to the toxic comparison culture we're living in.

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#237 Emma Forrest: Writing & Transcendental Meditation

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 10:43:28 GMT

Today's guest is with Emma Forrest, one of my favourite writers of all time. She has published three novels, an essay collection and the memoir Your Voice In My Head, one of my favourite memoirs on mental health ever. She also recently wrote and directed her feature debut, Untogether. Today we're here to discuss Emma's new novel ROYALS which out now - which was a Radio 2 Book Club Pick and A Grazia Book of the Year.

Royals has been described as devastating, dazzling, queer and radical, and a love story between unlikely friends from completely different worlds. It's about the power of art to transform lives and the power of families to destroy them. It's about working out who you are and what you want. It's a tale of giddy happiness, crushing lows and, ultimately, the fragility of lives lived too fast.

I loved chatting to Emma about her career and creativity - if you like this episode please do leave a rating or a review!

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#236 Rachel DeLoache Williams: My Friend Anna, The Scammer

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 11:48:01 GMT

My guest today is Rachel DeLoache Williams,Vanity Fair photography editor and now author of My Friend Anna: The True Story Of The Fake Heiress Of New York City. One of TIME magazine's must-read books of 2019.

This book is the true story of Anna Delvey through her friend Rachel's eyes -- someone you might have read about in the news, the fake heiress whose deceit and elaborate con-artistry deceived the Soho New York scene before her lies were dramatically exposed. This is Rachel's story who is still dealing with the consequences of being so betrayed.

The pair met through mutual friends, and became inseparable. But after Anna’s debit card was declined in a Morocco whilst on holiday in a five-star luxury resort, Rachel began to suspect that her increasingly mysterious friend was not all she seemed.

This book has been called Catch Me If You Can meets Gossip Girl with Instagram filters. Between Anna Delvey, Fyre Festival’s Billy McFarland (Anna even tried to scam Billy) and Elizabeth Holmes, whose start-up app duped the high and mighty of Silicon Valley, 2019 seems to have be the year of the scammer.

Hope you enjoy this interview with Rachel and please do leave a rating or review if you did!

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#235 Ayesha Hazarika: on Online Tribalism & Multi-Hyphening

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Ayesha Hazarika is a columnist, journalist, comedian and broadcaster who is known for her insightful and witty opinions and observations on current affairs and politics. Having started her career as a stand-up comedian in comedy basements across the country, she then took what she thought was a natural diversion into politics as a Special Adviser for the Labour Party, helping politicians on their speeches, media and policy as well as heading up initiatives on topics such as Women and Equality.

In 2018, she took her new show Girl on Girl – The Fight for Feminism on tour across the UK including a week’s run at the Soho Theatre which followed a successful two week run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show looked at the current state of feminism with humour and honesty and tackled topics such as Weinstein, #MeToo and Kavanagh as well as looking at the medias obsession with pitting women against women.

In 2019, Ayesha took over as Editor of The Londoner, the Evening Standard’s Daily Diary section, plus she writes a popular weekly column for the Evening Standard as well. She was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2016 Queen's New Years Honours List for her services to political service.

She was such a brilliant guest, I really enjoyed this conversation - we spoke about refusing to be put in one box, her fascinating career, and how she makes it all work. Please rate or review if you liked it <3

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#234 Emily Weiss: On Building Glossier

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 14:43:11 GMT

My guest today is the wonderful Emily Weiss, founder of Glossier, who, after cultivating a passionate community on her website Into The Gloss, saw an opportunity to create a new beauty experience that celebrates and speaks to the customer directly. Founded in 2014, Glossier is a digital-first beauty company with a mission to give voice through beauty. Glossier has a "skin first, makeup second" philosophy, Glossier creates modern essentials (skincare, makeup fragrance, body) that intuitive, easy-to-use, and don't hide or cover you up. Since launching, Glossier has introduced 36 products, opened two permanent stores (NY and LA), brought temporary retail to over 6 cities, raised $186 million in venture capital funding, and has welcomed 3 million customers the Glossier community.

I recently popped into the NYC flagship store which averages 50K visitors per month and it was buzzing. They have also this year brought temporary retail to Miami, Seattle, Boston, and Austin. Most recently, they've opened Glossier London, on 13 Floral Street in Covent Garden - definitely go and check it out and top on your Boy Brow and Milk Jelly Cleanser!

It was a really highlight having Emily on the podcast, hope you enjoy this conversation and her insights! If you did please leave a rating or a review - thanks! x

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#233 Eva Chen: On Building A Brand On Instagram

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is one of my most requested — it's Eva Chen! Instagram’s head of fashion partnerships. She's an avid user of Instagram herself with over 1 million followers and works closely with representatives from across the fashion industry to strategise different ways of storytelling on a platform that is becoming absolutely key for fashion labels and retailers.

In this episode I chat to Eva about The Instagram Edit pop up shop at Selfridges in London which is open now - I went along after interviewing Eva at Instagram HQ and it was a really fun experience — getting to browse an Instagram feed IRL. The pop-up is a curation of eight loved fashion, jewellery, beauty and homeware brands that were born and built on Instagram — including Amme London, Atelier Stella and The Frankie Shop. As part of this campaign, Instagram has also taken over one of the iconic Selfridges Christmas windows, partnering with a 3D artist Antoni Tudisco.

We talk about how Instagram has always been a great place to discover businesses of all sizes and also support smaller independents — after all 90% of people now follow a brand on Instagram.

So why not go check out the pop-up? If you can’t get down to Selfridges in person, you can also buy the items featuring in The Edit through the @Selfridges Instagram grid, by tapping on the shopping bag icon on the pictures and videos. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Eva about the future of all things Instagram, why they are trialling hiding 'likes' and Eva's inspiring career backstory.

if you liked it please leave a rating/review, it really helps the podcast grow!

(ps: this episode was arranged by the team at Instagram, but it is not paid for or sponsored.)

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#232 BONUS: How Do We Make Work Better? (with Investors In People)

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 05:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People. Paul Devoy has been heading up Investors in People since 2011. Paul led the buyout of the organisation from UK Government ownership into it becoming a Community Interest Company in 2017. In a previous life Paul was Head of Organisational Development at the Scottish Prison Service and during his time there all prisons in Scotland were awarded Investors in People accreditation. This podcast is all about finding a career you love and making pivots along the way, so it was a joy to chat to Paul about the work Investors in People are doing. Their products have made work better for over 11 million people across 75 countries since 1991. They are a community Interest Company, for purpose not profit.

Most of us will spend 80,000 hours at work in our lifetime. For something that takes up that much of our time, Investors in People think people should get more out of it than just a pay cheque which I totally agree with. They help organisations put people first by turning them into communities and by bringing brilliant people closer together, it helps retain the talent within the company.

Moving away from Government has allowed Investors in People to significantly redevelop and expand their products, and now they offer various accreditations as well as a free platform that supports organisations to focus more on people.

In this episode we discuss the problems in the workplace today, what makes us truly happy at work, and what managers and bosses can do to make positive change.

To find out more check out investorsinpeople.com/ to find out more on how to make work better. **This is a paid partnership**

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#231 Elaine Welteroth: On Quitting Your Job & Carving Out A New Path

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Elaine Welteroth is an award-winning journalist, author, judge on the new Project Runway TV show and now author of memoir More Than Enough. I quoted her in my book The Multi-Hyphen Method because she is a thriving multi-hyphenate who I often looked to as an inspiration along the way. She was most recently held the iconic position of editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue -- where she in 2017 became the youngest person ever appointed editor-in-chief and in 2012 had been the first African American ever to hold the post of beauty and health director at a Condé Nast publication. Prior to Teen Vogue, she was the senior beauty editor at Glamour and beauty and style editor at Ebony magazine. She’s now a leading expert and advocate for the next generation of change-makers and she is one of my favourite people to follow on Instagram. She has written for the hit show Grown-ish and has appeared on-camera for a range of media outlets including ABC News and Netflix. In this episode we discuss her career pivots and her brilliant book. if you liked it please rate / review!

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#230 Jennifer Pastiloff: On Hearing Loss & Listening For A Living

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Jennifer Pastiloff travels the world with her unique workshop On Being Human which now also a self-help memoir published by Penguin Random House. Her workshops are a hybrid of yoga-related movement, writing, sharing aloud, tears, and the occasional dance party. She has been featured on Good Morning America, New York Magazine, Health Magazine, CBS News, and others for her unique style of teaching. She has taught thousands of women in sold-out workshops all over the world and recently lead a sold-out workshop with previous Ctrl Alt Delete guest Elizabeth Gilbert in Philadelphia. She is also the founder of the online magazine The Manifest Station and @nobullshitmotherhood on Instagram. Jen and I found each other somehow on Instagram and I knew this would be a really interesting and honest conversation because the way Jen lives her life is fascinating and she makes her own rules which I love. I hope you enjoy this conversation. Please do rate and review!

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#229 Jamie Bartlett: The Missing Cryptoqueen

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Jamie Bartlett is the bestselling author of The Dark Net, Radicals Chasing Utopia and People vs Tech. He is the Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at the think-tank Demos. His Ted Talk on the Dark Net is fascinating and definitely worth a watch. He also writes on technology for the Spectator, the Telegraph and for several other publications on how the Internet is changing politics and society. In 2017, Jamie presented the two-part BBC Two documentary series The Secrets of Silicon Valley. And the reason we are speaking today is because I have recently become totally addicted to his new podcast The Missing CryptoQueen, a gripping BBC Sounds podcast that has been at the very top of the iTunes charts for weeks now. Warning: there are spoilers in this episode!

So what is the Missing Cryptoqueen about? It is a podcast uncovering the mysterious story of Dr Ruja Ignatova who persuaded millions to join her financial revolution, a new cryptocurrency called One Coin. Then she just totally disappeared off the face of the earth. Jamie Bartlett and Georgia Catt have made a podcast trying to track her down and present a story of greed, deceit and herd madness. The weekly episodes are addictive and get stranger and stranger. I emailed Jamie one weekend after binging the entire thing asking him to come onto this podcast to chat, and I really enjoyed it! if you did too, please do consider leaving a review, and definitely go and listen to The Missing Cryptoqueen if you haven't already.

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#228 Marie Le Conte: Gossip, Power & Politics

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 14:09:03 GMT

Marie Le Conte is a journalist living in London. She was previously the Evening Standard's political diarist, BuzzFeeds' media and politics correspondent and went freelance in June 2017. Since then, she has written for a wide variety of newspapers and magazines and has also appeared on the Today programme, Newsnight, Chatham House, and the House of Commons.

She was named one of MHP's 30 To Watch, and Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2018. Her first book is out now called Haven't You Heard? where Marie looks at the role of gossip in politics - the whispers and tittle-tattle that play out in all areas of politics - from the MPs and their advisers, the press who cover them and the civil servants in the middle of it all. From policy rows which aren't about policy at all and boozy nights with dramatic consequences, to people spinning their way to the top and dark secrets never seeing the light of day, Marie explores in great and entertaining detail the human side of the people running the country against a backdrop of political mayhem.

It was really interesting to chat about the way politics is covered in the British media and why people are still so interested in Westminster gossip. Tune in, and please do leave a review if you liked it.

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#227 Dawn O'Porter: Is Anyone's Life As Perfect As It Looks?

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 05:00:46 GMT

It's been a Dawn O'Porter themed week! I hosted Q&A event with Dawn at Foyles which was so fun, we then recorded the podcast, and then her launch party!

Dawn is the author of 6 books including the award-winning YA books Paper Aeroplanes and Goose, her first adult novel The Cows was a Sunday Times Bestseller and her latest book "SO LUCKY" is totally fantastic. The novel is about three women and how life really isn't as perfect as it looks. Ruby is feeling like she's failing as a mother and woman, Beth is in a sexless marriage and online influencer Lauren is not telling the truth on Instagram.

We talk about writing fiction, finding inspiration and the power of saying no and quitting something that is making you miserable. If you enjoyed this chat please do rate/review!

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#226 Scarlett Curtis: It's OK To Feel Blue

Sun, 03 Nov 2019 12:33:16 GMT

Scarlett Curtis is a 23 year old English writer, journalist, and blogger. She is the curator of the Sunday Times Bestseller and National Book Award winning Feminists Don’t Wear Pink & other lies; a collection of essays by 52 women on what feminism means to them, published by Penguin in 2018. She is contributing editor at The Sunday Times Style and has had work published in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, Vogue and more. In 2017 Scarlett co-founded The Pink Protest; a feminist activist collective committed to helping young people take action online and IRL. To date they have been a part of campaigns that have changed two laws; a bill to help end period poverty and a bill to get FGM into the Children’s Act. Scarlett’s second book It’s Not Okay to Feel Blue & other lies will be published by Penguin in October 2019.

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#225 Leandra Medine Cohen: Love, Life & Turning 30

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 10:07:53 GMT

Leandra Medine Cohen is my guest today! The author and founder of Man Repeller, a fashion website with a unique voice and concept. Manrepeller's whole thing is about trends that women love and men hate, but it's also the way Leandra combines fashion with humour.

I have been following Leandra and her work since 2013 (when she released her first book, Man Repeller: Seeking Love, Finding Overalls) so I am thrilled to have sat down with her all these years later. I went to the Man Repeller HQ in New York, and I also did an event with her the following day and got to meet some amazing Man Repeller readers. Thank you Leandra, for being so welcoming! Leandra attended College at The New School for Liberal Arts in New York, and then had a fact-checking job at New York Magazine. She then started Man Repeller in 2010. Today, Man Repeller clocks millions of page views a month and she has collaborated with a long list of fashion brands and retailers, including Mango (new collection out now) Saks Fifth Avenue, Amazon and others. She really is fascinating, and I hope you enjoy this episode!!!

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#224 Helen Whitaker: How To Find The Time To Write When You're Busy AF

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 11:29:40 GMT

Helen Whitaker is a journalist and author living in London. She was formerly the Entertainment Director of British Glamour. Her day job now is currently Deputy Editor of High Life magazine and she writes books in her spare lunch hours, evenings and any free time she has around parenting. We discuss finding the time to write (or work on any side project) when you just feel like you have NO time. We also chat about her brilliantly observational and funny debut novel The School Run which came out this year, and her new novel that is on the way soon.

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#223 Marie Forleo: Figuring Stuff Out & Dealing With Trolls

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 20:32:45 GMT

Marie Forleo is an entrepreneur, writer and online coach. She has been named by Oprah as 'a thought leader for the next generation'. I first discovered Marie's work via her award-winning online show, Marie TV and podcast where she interviews inspiring creatives such as Brene Brown. She is the founder of B-School, an online business school and she has mentored young business owners at the Richard Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship. MarieForleo.com is one of Forbes magazine's Top 100 Websites for Entrepreneurs, a fantastic free online resource. Today on the podcast, we are discussing her New York Times bestselling book 'Everything Is Figureoutable' - a phrase and attitudinal discipline that activates your spiritual and emotional strength. It's a rallying cry to tackle impossible tasks, heart-breaking challenges and daring dreams.

Everything is Figureoutable will give you the courage to act in spite of your fears, the confidence to start and complete meaningful projects and the conviction to keep going - no matter what. Hope you enjoy this episode!

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#222 Jess Phillips MP: Truth To Power

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Jess Phillips is a Labour Party politician and MP for Birmingham Yardley since 2015. An alumna of the University of Leeds and the University of Birmingham. Prior to becoming an MP, Jess worked within the charity and community sectors and was selected to be the Victims’ Champion for Birmingham, working with police and support groups. Her new book Truth To Power is out NOW. Her previous works include Everywoman: One Woman’s Truth About Speaking the Truth which was shortlisted for The Parliamentary Book Awards in 2017. In this episode we talk about standing up for yourself, the brave case studies in Jess's book, and why Jess believes silence will not save you.

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#221 Susan Wokoma: Life On and Off Stage

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 04:01:05 GMT

Today's guest is the brilliant Susan Wokoma, an actor and writer. Best known for comedies such as Crazyhead on Netflix, Year of the Rabbit and Chewing Gum, Susan can be seen next year in both the feature film Enola Holmes (starring alongside Millie Bobbie Brown, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter and Fiona Shaw) and the new Amazon comedy Truth Seekers also starring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg.

Susan is also a seasoned stage actress having work in theatres such as the Royal Court, Bush Theatre, Almeida, and The Royal National Theatre. This summer she played the iconic role of Bottom to rave reviews in the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Susan will next appear on stage in ‘Teenage Dick’ this December through to next feb at the Donmar Warehouse in London.

As a writer Susan is currently developing 3 tv shows and is currently writing a feature film with BBC Films called ‘Three Weeks’ - a comedy drama about abortion. Susan’s short film Love The Sinner (which also stars her longtime friend Daisy May Cooper, co-creator of This Country) will be screened at London Film Festival this month. Susan is also a regular co-host of The Guilty Feminist podcast. She was a member of The National Youth Theatre as a teenager before going on to train at RADA. We discuss acting, stand up, finding yourself and why it's OK to say out loud that you love what you do.

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#220 JP Watson: The Art of Crowdfunding A Book

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 08:18:58 GMT

PRE-ORDER SABOTAGE HERE: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/poundproject/the-pound-project-part-six-emma-gannon/description

My guest is JP Watson, a writer, editor and the founder of The Pound Project, an independent publisher based in Birmingham. I've been following The Pound Project since pledging for previous books launched on the platform: including Jordan Stephens, Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes. JP started the company from a simple premise: is a good story worth something?

I am really excited to announce that I have a launched a special limited edition pocket-sized book, with the Pound Project called Sabotage. It's a book all about a topic close to my heart (self-sabotage!) and in the book I investigate my own relationship with it and ask some experts too. Why do so many of us succumb to its temptation. Procrastination, jealousy, negativity, guilt: how can we overcome the obstacles that keep getting in our way? It's the evil stepsister to imposter syndrome and I couldn't find much on the topic so I decided to write something myself.

So why did I partner with JP and the Pound Project?

JP believes that reading and writing are incredibly valuable, and he set up an affordable, sustainable, democratic platform where content is paid for (starting from just £1) where writers receive an equal share.

How does it work? To get involved and back SABOTAGE you pay just £1 if you want to read or hear my piece online. Or, if you would prefer it in print, for a mere £5 we will send you a beautiful pocket-sized book. You can also get signed copies, tote bags, t-shirts and personalised content if you want to invest a little bit more.

Importantly, all of the company's output is made using ethically sourced and environmentally friendly materials. The company only produces what it is sells for a limited time while campaigns are live. Nothing is wasted.

It all contributes to a movement dedicated to the power of storytelling.

For more info and to back the current project, head to www.poundproject.co.uk

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#219 Emma Barnett: The Politics of Periods

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 04:00:03 GMT

Emma Barnett is an award-winning broadcaster and journalist. By day, she presents The Emma Barnett Show on BBC Radio 5 Live in which she interviews key figures shaping our times, from the Prime Minister to those who would very much like to be. By night, she presents the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, Newsnight, on BBC Two and hosts Late Night Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4. Emma was named Radio Broadcaster of the Year by The Broadcasting Press Guild for her agenda-setting interviews. Previously, she was the Women’s Editor at The Telegraph. She now writes a weekly agony aunt column, ‘Tough Love’ in the Sunday Times Magazine and is a proud patron of Smart Works. 'Period' is her first book and we discuss all the ins and the outs. Enjoy!

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#218 Lotte Jeffs: The Art of Soft Power In A Harsh World

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Lotte Jeffs - author, journalist and previous acting Editor of ELLE magazine. She writes for a wide variety of publications including The Times, The Telegraph and The Guardian covering topics from fashion and style to sexuality and gender to social trends, memoir, and observational humour pieces. As well as writing award-winning columns, she writes colourful and newsworthy celebrity interviews and has in the past two years written cover profiles of Kristen Stewart, Karlie Kloss, Lana Del Rey and Victoria Beckham, to name a few.

Her new book How To Be A Gentlewoman: The Art of Soft Power in Hard Times is out now and in this episode we discuss book writing, failure and career pivoting.

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#217 Alain de Botton: Life As A Process

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 09:41:25 GMT

Today's guest is Alain de Botton, which is very exciting, I've been a huge fan of this work for years.

He is a writer of essayistic books that have been described as a ‘philosophy of everyday life.’ He’s written on love, travel, architecture and literature. His books have been bestsellers in 30 countries. He started writing at a young age. His first book, Essays in Love was published when he was twenty-three and went on to sell millions of copies.

He is also the co-founder of the brilliant The School of Life, a platform and in real life space in London dedicated to a new vision of education, emotional intelligence and self-knowledge. It shows us a path to the better lives we all want and deserve. I really recommend checking out the youtube channel, it's an incredible resource of inspiration and I always come away having learned something new.

The School of Life's latest book, published on September 2019 is a collection of essays, titled The School of Life: An Emotional Education.

I hope you enjoy this episode as I much as I enjoyed recording it - thanks for tuning in each week!

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#216 Rhik Samadder: Life Writing & Truth Telling

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Today's guest is Rhik Samadder: a writer, actor and broadcaster. He has a regular column with The Guardian and created their cult ‘Inspect a Gadget ’ feature. He has written for The Observer, Men’s Health and Prospect magazine, as well as being a guest, presenter and host on various radio shows. Rhik studied acting at Drama Centre London and appeared on HBO, BBC, ITV, Channel 4 (credits including Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Doctors) as well as a lead role with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In this episode we discuss his bestselling debut memoir I Never Said I Loved You which is out now. Please rate and review if you enjoyed it.

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#215 Chelsea Kwakye: On Taking Up Space

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Chelsea Kwakye is the author of the book Taking Up Space co-authored with author and friend Ore Ogunbiyi. She is also a history graduate from Cambridge University and Taking Up Space tackle issues of accessibility, unrepresentative curriculums, race and discrimination within university spaces. This is the second title from #Merky Books, a partnership between Penguin and Stormzy, who has also announced that he is funding two Cambridge scholarships for black students in the UK. Whilst at Cambridge, Chelsea was the only black girl in her year group of around 200 people studying History, making it a very difficult environment to navigate - this is what we discuss in this episode of the podcast. She is currently studying at the University of Law in preparation for her training contract with a city law firm in London starting in 2020. She is one busy woman. Hope you enjoy this one and as usual please leave a rating or review if you enjoyed it. <3

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#214 Sofie Hagen: Comedy + Boundaries

Thu, 29 Aug 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Today's episode is with Sofie Hagen, a voice you many recognise from many of your fave podcasts, including The Guilty Feminist when it first launched. She also hosts her own brilliant podcasts Made of Human, Secret Dinosaur Cult and Comedians Telling Stuff. First and foremost though, she is an award-winning stand-up comedian, author of the book Happy Fat, a fat activist and a blogger.

She has been named one of British comedy's most exciting talents, as well as the winner of the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer, and her show this year The Bum Swing and has had rave reviews.

If you missed her show in Edinburgh, then you can still catch it at The Soho Theatre 10th - 14th September, and the rest of the tour!

Go see it and buy her book! Hope you enjoy this episode and if you did, please do rate and review on iTunes :)

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#213 Leah Hazard: Burnout In The NHS

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 04:00:53 GMT

Today's guest is Leah Hazard, bestselling author and a NHS midwife. We recorded this episode on a sunny day in Edinburgh, in a lovely brand new suite in the Market Street Hotel - so a huge thank you to them for kindly letting us use it to record!

Leah studied at Harvard and then left a career in television to pursue her lifelong interest in women’s health after the birth of her first daughter. She soon began working as a doula, supporting women in pregnancy and attending numerous births in homes and hospitals across the country. The birth of Leah’s second daughter prompted Leah to make the leap into midwifery.

Her book Hard Pushed is a Sunday Times bestseller published by Penguin. Her book paints a realistic picture of what happens behind the scenes in labour wards, and informs the reader on the many different roles midwives take on. Leah explains why the midwives we often see on TV or in pop culture sometimes create a simplistic and unhelpful impression of what actually goes on. In this episode we mainly talk about her book and the important topic of burnout within the NHS. Please rate and review if you enjoyed it!

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#212 Lauren Mahon: The Story Of Girl Vs Cancer

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Lauren Mahon is a broadcaster, presenter, writer, influencer, charity campaigner and founder of Girl vs Cancer. She is a co-host of the number one iTunes podcast You Me & The Big C, a podcast all about 'kicking cancer’s arse' on BBC 5Live with Deborah James. Lauren won this year’s Inspirational Founder Of The Year award at the Stylist LIVE Retail Awards and the Triumph Award at the Inaugural Stylist Remarkable Women Awards 2019.

In the last two years, she has masterminded the design and distribution of a range of boobie emblazoned slogan t-shirts aka TIT-TEES, raising over 60,000 for her chosen charities, culminating in a special collaboration with Miss Selfridge. She has featured on BBC Breakfast, Stand Up To Cancer and The One Show, talking to millions of television viewers about her life experiences; from cancer, to dating, to fashion and everything in between.

Hope you enjoy listening to Lauren's inspiring story. Check out Girl Vs Cancer here: https://girlvscancer.co.uk/

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#211 Otegha Uwagba & Polly MacKenzie on Self-Employment, Managing Your Money & Mental Health (Recorded LIVE with NatWest)

Thu, 08 Aug 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete. This episode is a special live recording in partnership with Natwest (#ad). I recently featured in a video with NatWest and Refinery29 looking at the challenges the modern workforce faces, with a spotlight on finances. We discussed mental health, late payments and how to prepare to quit your job. So this time I wanted to ask two very knowledgeable people their thoughts on these topics. Recorded Live with Natwest at RocketSpace in London, Polly, Otegha and I discussed some of the insights from the early stages of a piece of research NatWest and Demos have been undertaking into the financial lives of the modern liquid workforce. The aim of the research is to identify what changes or solutions the financial services industry could make to improve the financial lives of people like myself and I’m sure many of you listening to this podcast. The 'liquid workforce' is an umbrella term for a variety of jobs that don’t fit the 9 – 5 (I hadn't actually heard of it before) consisting of gig-economy workers, partial-freelancers and different types of self-employment. In many ways it's a great time to be going it alone, running a side-hustle or working flexibly, but there's also many challenges we still face as our working lives and working cultures continue to change and evolve. This is particularly true as some sectors are still slightly behind the curve in catering for us, be that childcare services, housing or banking. In this episode I chat to Otegha Uwagba (founder of Women Who and author of forthcoming book We Need To Talk About Money) and Polly Mackenzie (CEO of Demos and founder of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, a charity working to break the link between financial difficulty and mental health problems). Hope you enjoy!

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#210 Liz Ward: Do You Want To PIVOT?

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 22:20:42 GMT

Liz Ward is a personal/business coach with over 12 years experience developing and mentoring high performing individuals, from entrepreneurs in the start up world to people in corporate management roles. With a background in brand, digital and business development, her career history includes the rebrand of the Millennium Dome to The O2, then London 2012 Opening Ceremony campaigns and global digital strategy for spirits giant, Bacardi-Martini.

After a case of severe burnout, Liz pivoted her career in 2013 and left the 9-5 corporate world. She led marketing and product strategy for disruptive tech startups and then launched Slick Pivot in 2016, a new mission to help people to pivot their careers and businesses for more happiness and growth.

Liz now helps new and seasoned entrepreneurs get good at change and supports their pivot journeys through one to one coaching, team workshops, and events. Whether that is quitting that 9-5, starting that business and developing the right mindset for success.

"The common theme for these pivotal moments is that they all started with a feeling of pain or something needing to change."

We have ALL had those moments where we realise we want to make a change, for me it was quitting my job three years ago to write my books and do this podcast, but it can be really hard to make such big decisions and craft a plan.

I loved chatting to Liz and hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

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#209 Jehane Noujaim: On Her Netflix Exposé of the Cambridge Analytica Scandal

Thu, 25 Jul 2019 04:00:00 GMT

This week's guest is Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, who alongside her husband Karim Amer, directed the new Netflix documentary THE GREAT HACK which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. It's out now, and the Guardian has already given it five stars.

The documentary uncovers the dark world of data exploitation online. It follows the personal stories of some key players on different sides of the explosive Cambridge Analytica/Facebook data scandal. Carole Cadwalladr from the Guardian who has spend years investigating, Brittany Kaiser who went from interning on the Barack Obama campaign to working on the Cambridge Analytica Trump campaign. It's informative, entertaining with some pretty scary revelations. Even if you know a bit about the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it's fascinating to see the people behind it, and their individual motivations.

Data has surpassed oil as the world’s most valuable asset. People and companies everywhere are in a battle for control of our most intimate personal details. THE GREAT HACK forces us to question the origin of the information we consume daily. What do we give up when we click the yes box on the T&Cs on social media apps? It is available to watch now on Netflix, I recommend a viewing.

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#208 From The Archives! Lucy Sheridan: On Social Media Comparison

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 04:00:00 GMT

While I am on a very short podcast hiatus, I hope you don't mind that I will be re-posting some of my favourite episodes from over the three years. (I'm back with a bang in August!) This episode was a popular one, with Lucy Sheridan: the world’s first and only Comparison Coach.

Lucy is an author and life coach who specialises in her helping her clients get over the ~compare and despair~ that can be heightened via social media (*cough* Instagram)

She has a new book coming out called the Comparison Cure, and it is out in December 2019 so get pre-ordering. it's packed full of tips, examples and exercises to help you take back control of who you are and what you want, this empowering book is the necessary antidote we all need to the toxic comparison culture we're living in.

The Times’ calls Lucy “one of the UK’s most successful coaches”, she was also recently listed in the Sunday Times Style in an article called “Meet The New Wellbeing Coaches”, and she’s been featured on Oprah’s ‘Life Class’ series multiple times.

In this episode Lucy and I discuss what our own personal comparison triggers are, what to do when *you’re* the trigger for someone else’s comparison, online mental health, and setting your own personal and professional boundaries. I’m proud to be sharing this very honest episode on comparison, and I hope you enjoy it!

You can find Lucy Sheridan here proofcoaching.com or on Instagram @lucysheridan <3

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#207 From The Archives! Will Young: On Setting Boundaries

Thu, 04 Jul 2019 04:00:00 GMT

While I am on a very short podcast hiatus, I hope you don't mind that I will be re-posting some of my favourite episodes from over the three years. Here is my episode with the brilliant Will Young. We all know Will from this Pop Idol success back in the noughties -- I was a fan then and I am now too -- but now for a different reason: his new podcast with his friend Chris Sweeney called HOMO SAPIENS. They describe it as “two gay guys talking to people we think are interesting” and were heavily inspired by BBC’s Woman’s Hour. Each weekly episode tackles a diverse mix of LGBTQ+ subjects He’s been nominated for an Olivier Award and was also nominated for the Guardian Pride Power List 2017.

Subscribe to Homo Sapiens on iTunes or Acast. Hope you enjoy this episode!

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#206 Elizabeth Gilbert: The Weather Forecast In Our Minds

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 11:27:31 GMT

My guest today is the incredible Elizabeth Gilbert, one of my biggest inspirations of all time. I turn to her work whenever feeling a bit lost. She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love, Big Magic and The Signature of All Things (plus many others). Big Magic is the book I recommend to anyone struggling with a creative project. It is really practical, fun and helps creatives understand how to work alongside fear.

Elizabeth's NEW book is already a #1 bestseller and is called City Of Girls, a delicious novel of glamour, sex, and adventure, about a young woman discovering that you don’t have to be a good girl to be a good person. We discuss all sorts: the weather forecast in our minds; how being a relaxed women (not a strong women) is a radical move; why we should check in which people more often; how creativity changes everything (and us) and how to break the habit of negative self talk. Hope you enjoy this one :)

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#205 Dame Stephanie 'Steve' Shirley: How To Let It Go

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 04:14:00 GMT

Dame Stephanie Shirley is tech pioneer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She also goes by the name "Steve" which she used to sign business letters to potential clients when they were not responding to her. If you haven't already, go and watch her Ted Talk it is funny and moving and super interesting to hear what it was like being a woman in tech during the 60s.

In 1939 Steve arrived in Britain unaccompanied, as child refugee during the war, and when she was 29 she started what became her multimillion-pound IT software consultancy, from which she made a £150m fortune - on her dining room table with £6 in 1962.

She retired in 1993 to concentrate on philanthropic work, since then she has given away at least £65 million via her charity Shirley Foundation. She continues to give to a range of causes including autism research, a cause she was drawn to through her late son Giles who had autism. Her Damehood in the Millennium honours was for services to IT.

She was awarded the Order of Companions of Honour in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 2017.

Aged 85 she remains married to her first husband Derek.

In this episode, we talk about her brilliant memoir Let It Go. In this episode we talk about workplace misogyny, making money, resilience, giving back, and why it's importance to keep learning.

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#204 Scott Harrison: From Nightclubs To Social Entrepreneurialism

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 14:48:54 GMT

*Please go to charitywateruk.org/emma*

My guest today is Scott Harrison, founder of Charity Water, and New York Times Bestselling Author of Thirst.

Really excited for you to hear Scott's story behind setting up this incredible charity that has now raised more than 360 million dollars, provided over 9.5 million people with clean, safe drinking water.and funded over 35,000 water projects in 27 countries.

Scott set up Charity Water in 2006, having seen the effects of dirty water firsthand. The organisation set out on a big mission, to bring clean water to every person living without it, and an even bigger vision - to reinvent charity with an innovative 100% model and radical transparency, proving every single water project funded.

And I'm SUPER excited to also share that I am doing a Charity Water fundraiser for my 30th birthday. I am 30 this week!

so if you enjoy this podcast, I'm asking you for a small gift for my birthday, to go to charity water...it would absolutely amazing if you could do this one small thing and donate to my fundraiser. You can give anything.

Go to charitywateruk.org/emma

Why am I asking you to do this? Over 600 million people in the world are still living without clean water. Every day, about thousands of children die from diseases caused by unsafe water. It's not okay. But we can all do something to help.

What I love about charity: water, is that 100% of the money will be used to build clean water projects, and when they’re complete, they will send us photos and GPS link so we can see the exact community we helped and the water points they build.

Just a reminder that it's charitywateruk.org/emma

Hope you enjoy listening to this episode and thank you so much in advance!!!

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#203 Dustin Lance Black: On Storytelling & Building Bridges

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 16:56:43 GMT

Dustin Lance Black is my guest today! Lance has been named as one of the 50 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in America for the last decade. He is an Academy Award® winning filmmaker, writer, and social activist. He won the Oscar and two WGA Awards for his screenplay MILK, the biopic of activist Harvey Milk starring Sean Penn. He was also a founding board member of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which successfully led the federal cases for marriage equality in California and Virginia. Lance's memoir MAMA’S BOY is out now, an absolutely incredible book, about

growing up in a conservative Mormon household outside San Antonio, Texas. The book is about his relationship with his mother, Anne, who sadly contracted polio when she was two years old and endured many surgeries throughout her life. Lance came out to his mother at twenty-one, and Mama's Boy explores what it took to remain a family despite such division of belief. Mama's Boy is the story of building bridges, of family, foundations, turmoil, tragedy, elation, and love. It is a story needed now more than ever. There is so much more I could say about Lance, but most of all, he was so lovely, and warm and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting him and going to his home in London to record. <3

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#202 Jess Pan: Living As An Extrovert For A Year

Thu, 30 May 2019 10:12:50 GMT

My guest today is Jessica Pan, author of Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: An Introvert’s Year of Living Dangerously. This is an incredibly funny and frank book all about how Jess decided to drastically change her life for a whole year. An introvert by nature, she decides to live like an extrovert for a year with the help of some experts and mentors along the way. She embraces some horrors. She takes on a series of challenges: improv, a solo holiday, public speaking and talking to strangers on the tube. Jess reports back, and it's laugh out loud, but also rather inspiring.

We talk about getting out of our comfort zones, how talking to strangers actually makes us happier, how at a certain age we lose friends and how to make new ones and much more. Hope you enjoy this one!

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#200 Poorna Bell: In Search Of Silence, Not Self-Help

Thu, 16 May 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Poorna Bell is award-winning journalist of 15 years and a digital expert having worked as UK Exec Editor and Global Lifestyle Head for Huffington Post. She currently writes for Grazia, The iPaper, The Guardian, Red magazine, and Stylist. She was recently named one of Balance magazine’s top 100 wellness personalities, a Stylist magazine Rising Star, a judge for the Mind Media Awards and British Book Awards, plus so much more.

Her debut non-fiction book Chase The Rainbow (Simon & Schuster) came out last year; a moving memoir about how Poorna's life was affected —but not defined—by the suicide of her husband Rob. Ariana Huffington said about the book: ‘Chase the Rainbow is a game-changing book. Poorna Bell’s moving account of the pressures on modern men could be a life-saver." Poorna's second book In Search Of Silence is out now, all about her deeply personal journey which asks us all to define what 'happiness' truly means to each of us. In this episode we discuss the inspiration behind this second memoir, her wariness of self-help books, and what she's learned along the way.

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#199: Philippa Perry: The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read

Thu, 09 May 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Philippa Perry is an author, psychotherapist, factual presenter for radio and television and someone I've been a fan of ever since I read her book called How to Stay Sane back in 2012. After volunteering with the Samaritans, Philippa trained as a psychotherapist and worked in the mental health field for several years before writing her graphic novel, Couch Fiction which lays bare the process of psychotherapy, published in 2010.

Philippa is also an agony aunt for Red Magazine and contributes to The Guardian. She has presented several documentaries including The Truth about Children Who Lie for BBC Radio 4, Being Bipolar for Channel 4 and How To Be A Surrealist with Philippa Perry for BBC Four.

Her most recent book, The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did), was a number one Sunday Times bestseller - a book all about what really matters and what behaviour it is important to avoid - the vital dos and don'ts of parenting.

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#198 Rachel Cargle: Instagram, Activism & White Privilege

Thu, 02 May 2019 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is the hugely inspiring activist, writer, and lecturer Rachel Cargle. I recorded this episode at The Wing in New York, which was fun. I first came across Rachel's work on Instagram. She was recently on Red Table Talk a US roundtable show streamed on Facebook and hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith and Rachel's clip on white privilege went viral, and I really wanted to spread her message on this podcast.

Her activist and academic work are rooted in providing intellectual discourse, tools, and resources that explore the intersection of race and womanhood. Her social media platforms now have a community of over 250k people which have grown pretty quickly since one of her signs at the Woman's March in 2018 went viral. Rachel guides conversations, encourages critical thinking and nurtures meaningful engagement with people all over the world. She is one busy woman, currently teaching and attending Columbia University where she is studying anthropology and women's studies. I am thrilled we got a chance to sit down and talk, hope you enjoy the episode!

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#197 Elizabeth Day: The Myth Of Shiny Success

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Elizabeth Day is an author, journalist and broadcaster. She has written 4 critically aclaimed novels, including The Party which was a Richard and Judy bookclub pick. Elizabeth is a currently columnist for You magazine on the Mail on Sunday and a feature writer for numerous publications in the UK and US including The Telegraph, The Times, the Guardian, New York Magazine, the Observer, Vogue, Grazia, Elle, The Pool and Vanity Fair. Her chart-topping podcast, How To Fail With Elizabeth Day, is a celebration of the things that haven't gone right. Every week, in a one-on-one interview, a guest discusses what they have learned from failure. Interviewees have included Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lily Allen, Alastair Campbell and Dolly Alderton. Her book How To fail, based on the podcast, is out now, a brilliantly honest memoir about celebrating the things that go wrong.

We talk about personal writing, success 'triggers', fertility, friendship, failures and why your own definition of success is super important.

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#196: Candice Carty-Williams On Writing and Promoting "Queenie"

Thu, 18 Apr 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Candice Carty-Williams is an author, culture writer and journalist based in London. Her book Queenie came out recently in the UK and US, about a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London called Queenie Jenkins, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. Oprah has called it 'brazenly hilarious" and it's been called The Black Bridget Jones. She writes regularly to i-D, Refinery29, BEAT Magazine, and more, and her pieces, especially those about blackness, sex, and identity have been shared and read globally. Candice created and launched the Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, before moving to Vintage Books. We discuss writing Queenie, the universal topics within it, how to get published and why you should proactively ask for criticism, however hard that might be.

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#195 Anna Newton: How To Streamline Your Life (LIVE in Brighton)

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 18:56:07 GMT

My guest today is the brilliant Anna Newton (aka @TheAnnaEdit) who is an award-winning online content creator and author. Her first book, the life organisation manual ‘An Edited Life’, was published in January 2019. She is the Millennial Marie Kondo in my eyes. She resides by the sea in Brighton, and this episode was recorded at the Komedia as part of Brighton's First Podcast Festival. It was really fun to record with a live audience with a local Brighton resident! She has fronted her blog and YouTube channel ‘The Anna Edit’ since 2010. Her blog is ranked as the 5th biggest in the world in the lifestyle category and she’s been featured in Grazia, Stylist, YOU, Metro and The Guardian. She co-hosts the chart-topping podcast, At Home With… , alongside fellow blogger Lily Pebbles and has collaborated with brands such as Space NK, Estée Lauder and Selfridges. We chatted about how to streamline your life online and offline; why it pays off to have less stuff; how to say no more and how to make day-to-day life that little bit more manageable.

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#194 Mrs Hinch: How To Hinch Yourself Happy

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 21:48:10 GMT

Today's guest is Mrs Hinch (real name Sophie Hinchliffe) who became an overnight sensation by sharing her cleaning tips and tricks on Instagram last year, growing from 1k to 1m followers in six months. She's now at 2 million with no sign of slowing down. Her witty and entertaining Instagram Stories are part advice, part entertainment and absolutely brilliant. Sophie coined the term 'Hinching' making cleaning genuinely a lot of fun, and she's opened a conversation about how cleaning can be quite relaxing and much needed 'me time'.

Her book Hinch Yourself Happy is out today (on the day of this podcast release) and is packed with lots of tips to help shine your sink and soothe your soul. Hope you enjoy.

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#193 Sarah Thompson: Taking On The Male-Dominated Skate World (California Innovation Tour #6)

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 06:10:00 GMT

My guest today is a slightly different one. It’s with Sarah Thompson, a 21 year pro-skater in Huntington Beach who I interviewed on International Women’s Day 2019. She campaigns for helmet safety and raises awareness of head injury after two serious consecutive concussions in 2017. No one had warned her about it or told her what to do if it happened. In the male-dominated skate community it's not "cool" to wear a helmet so Sarah wants more people to make sure they wear one. A few weeks before this interview Sarah also broke her pelvis and is recovering before a skate competition in Sweden.

You might know by now if you’ve listened to the other episodes but I am thrilled to have partnered with Visit California for this special six part mini-series, The California Innovation Tour. I’ve worked with them for a few years now, and they’re doing some incredible things in the tourism landscape and it’s been really exciting to work with them on this podcast mini-series with a variety of different California-based guests. Over the course of my trip I met with some of California’s most forward thinking dreamers and pioneers, and I’m really excited bring you this mini-series. Make sure you check out all six episodes and start from number one!

For more information on things to do Huntington and to help plan your own California road-trip check out www.visitcalifornia.co.uk, and surfcityusa.com, both have loads of information and travel guides, as well as a loads of content to inspire you if you’re thinking of booking a trip, including California Now, which is the tourism boards own podcast blog and their tv channel Dream365. Have a look online and on their Instagram page for more inspiration. Thanks for listening and please make sure to rate and review on iTunes!

Also check out Visit California’s own podcast, ‘California Now’, where listeners can learn more inspiring travel tips about California. https://www.visitcalifornia.com/podcast

*This a PAID PARTNERSHIP with Visit California*

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#192 Caroline Kepnes: On Writing 'YOU' (California Innovation Tour #5)

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 06:08:00 GMT

My guest today is bestselling author Caroline Kepnes. I first met the amazing @carolinekepnes in 2016 when I first interviewed her about her books YOU and Hidden Boddies aka "the Joe books". In 2017 we met up again and the casting had began for YOU to be a TV show on Lifetime! Then, Netflix wanted it too and now 40 million people have now watched it. I chatted to her about this crazy year, her books, her career and her life in LA.

You might know by now if you’ve listened to the other episodes that I am thrilled to have partnered with Visit California for this special six part mini-series, The California Innovation Tour. I’ve worked with them for a few years now, and they’re doing some incredible things in the tourism landscape and it’s been really exciting to work with them on this podcast mini-series with a variety of different California-based guests. Over the course of my trip I met with some of California’s most forward thinking dreamers and pioneers, and I’m really excited bring you this mini-series. Make sure you check out all six episodes and start from number one!

For more information on things to do LA and to help plan your own California road-trip check out www.visitcalifornia.co.uk, and www.visitwesthollywood.com, both have tones of info and travel guides, as well as a loads of content to inspire you if you’re thinking of booking a trip, including California Now, which is the tourism boards own podcast blog and their TV channel Dream365. Have a look online and on their instagram page for more inspiration. Thanks for listening and please make sure to rate and review on iTunes.

Also check out Visit California’s own podcast, ‘California Now’, where listeners can learn more inspiring travel tips about California. https://www.visitcalifornia.com/podcast

*This a PAID PARTNERSHIP with Visit California*

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#191 Erica Williams Simon: How To Avoid Activist Burnout (California Innovation Tour #4)

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 06:06:00 GMT

Today's interview is with Erica Williams Simon (we recorded it at The Mondrian hotel in West Hollywood). She is the host of one of my favourite interview podcasts The Call, hosted currently on the Man Repeller website. She is a full blown multi-hyphenate: head of the Creator’s Lab at Snapchat, podcast host, author of the forthcoming book You Deserve the Truth, published in May, which unpicks the lies we are constantly told. Prior to that, she worked in politics in Washington, leading Generation Progress among other roles, and was named one of POLITICO’s youngest Top 50 To Watch. We talk about why California is a great place to be an activist, what she knows about burnout and how her family have shaped her.

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete.You might know by now if you’ve listened to the other episodes but I am thrilled to have partnered with Visit California for this special six part mini-series, The California Innovation Tour. I’ve worked with them for a few years now, and they’re doing some incredible things in the tourism landscape and it’s been really exciting to work with them on this podcast mini-series with a variety of different California-based guests. Over the course of my trip I met with some of California’s most forward thinking dreamers and pioneers, and I’m really excited bring you this mini-series. Make sure you check out all six episodes and start from number one!

For more information on things to do West Hollywood and to help plan your own California road-trip check out www.visitcalifornia.co.uk, and www.visitwesthollywood.com, both websites have tones of info and travel guides, as well as a loads of content to inspire you if you’re thinking of booking a trip, including California Now, which is the tourism boards own blog and their tv channel Dream365. Have a look online and on their Instagram page (@visitcalifornia) for more inspiration. Thanks for listening and please make sure to rate and review on iTunes.

Also check out Visit California’s own podcast, ‘California Now’, where listeners can learn more inspiring travel tips about California. https://www.visitcalifornia.com/podcast

*This a PAID PARTNERSHIP with Visit California*

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#190 Taylor Jenkins Reid: A Hollywood Special (California Innovation Tour #3)

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 06:04:00 GMT

This episode is with Taylor Jenkins Reid, recorded at the Mondrian hotel in West Hollywood, all about her new book Daisy And The Six (one of the most hotly anticipated book for 2019). It's a novel all about the rock-scene in California in the 70s. Excitingly, Reese Witherspoon's company @hellosunshine is turning it into an Amazon TV show. We talk about her love for Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills, how she defines success, how she writes a book a year, how she went from casting assistant in Hollywood to author, how her friends inspired her to write after reading her funny long emails, and how our career shouldn't be the only definition of success.

I am thrilled to have partnered with Visit California for this special six part mini-series, The California Innovation Tour. I’ve worked with them for a few years now, and they’re doing some incredible things in the tourism landscape and it’s been really exciting to work with them on this podcast mini-series with a variety of different California-based guests.

Over the course of my trip I met with some of California’s most forward thinking dreamers and

pioneers, and I’m really excited bring you this mini-series. Make sure you check out all six episodes and start from number one!

For more information on things to do West Hollywood and to help plan your own California road-trip check out www.visitcalifornia.co.uk, and www.visitwesthollywood.com both websites have tons of info and travel guides, as well as a loads of content to inspire you if you’re thinking of booking a trip, including California Now, which is the tourism boards own blog and their TV channel Dream365. Have a look online and on their instagram page for more inspiration. Thanks for listening and please make sure to rate and review on iTunes!

Also check out Visit California’s own podcast, ‘California Now’, where listeners can learn more inspiring travel tips about California. https://www.visitcalifornia.com/podcast

*This a PAID PARTNERSHIP with Visit California*

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#189: Dr Megan Jones-Bell: How To Invest In Yourself (California Innovation Tour #2)

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 06:02:00 GMT

This episode is with Dr Megan Jones Bell, the Chief Science Officer at Headspace. I went to go to the Headspace HQ in Santa Monica and it was just as cool as I’d imagined. Megan's work is all about making mental healthcare more effective, more affordable, and more accessible while changing the culture around mental health and wellness. This conversation is about why she moved to California and all the exciting stuff Headspace is going, plus tips on welcoming more mindfulness into your life.

This episode is in collaboration with Visit California. I am thrilled to have partnered with Visit California for this special six part mini-series, The California Innovation Tour. I’ve worked with them for a few years now, and they’re doing some incredible things in the tourism landscape and it’s been really exciting to work with them on this podcast mini-series with a variety of different California-based guests. Over the course of my trip I met with some of California’s most forward thinking dreamers and pioneers, make sure you check out all six episodes and start from number one!

For more information on things to do Santa Monica and to help plan your own California road-trip check out www.visitcalifornia.co.uk, it has really in-depth travel guides, as well as a loads of content to inspire you if you’re thinking of booking a trip, including California Now, which is the tourism boards own podcast blog and their TV channel Dream365. Have a look online and on their Instagram page (@visitcalifornia) for more inspiration. Thanks for listening and please make sure to rate and review on iTunes.

Also check out Visit California’s own podcast, ‘California Now’, where listeners can learn more inspiring travel tips about California. https://www.visitcalifornia.com/podcast

*This a PAID PARTNERSHIP with Visit California*

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#188 Ruth Whippman: What Actually Makes Us Happy? (California Innovation Tour #1)

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 06:00:10 GMT

I am thrilled to have partnered with Visit California for this special mini-series for Ctrl Alt Delete. I first started working with Visit California a few years ago, and they’re doing some incredible things in the tourism landscape and it’s been really exciting to work with them on this podcast mini-series which we’ve called ‘The California Innovation Tour.”

There is something about the place that keeps drawing me back: the positive mind-set of the people who live there, the laid-back lifestyle, the incredible diversity and beauty of the landscape and so much more. For years California has been the inspiration for songs, films, and novels, as well as the birthplace of emerging trends, from the tech world and fitness and health. So together with Visit California I got to meet a handful of incredible minds to cover these topics. Megan Jones-Bell from Headspace, bestselling thriller author Caroline Kepnes, happiness expert Ruth Whippman on happiness, activist Erica Williams Simon - just to name few.

If you’ve been following my Instagram (@emmagannonuk) you’ll see that I spent the first two weeks of March road-tripping around California. I started in the Bay Area with a few days in San Francisco and Oakland, where I met some of the series’ guests that you’ll hear from, before travelling down the coast to LA and then onto Huntington Beach for International Women’s Day. Over the course of my trip I met with some of California’s most forward thinking dreamers and pioneers, and I’m really excited bring you this mini-series.

This episode is with Ruth Whippman, and we recorded it in a room at Hotel Zephr on Fisherman’s Wharf. The Sunday Times has called Ruth: "A whip-sharp British Bill Bryson"and she is a writer and cultural critic from London, now living in the California. She writes for the New York Times. She is the author of America the Anxious (US edition) /The Pursuit of Happiness (UK edition). Her book is about when Ruth moves to California, and notices that there is an American obsession with finding happiness - and she unpicks why this is and why chasing constant happiness might not be the answer.

For more information on things to do San Francisco and to help plan your own California road-trip check out www.visitcalifornia.co.uk, it has really in-depth travel guides, as well as a loads of content to inspire you if you’re thinking of booking a trip, including California Now, which is the tourism boards own podcast blog and their tv channel Dream365. Have a look online and on their Instagram page (@visitcalifornia) for more inspiration.

Also check out Visit California’s own podcast, ‘California Now’, where listeners can learn more inspiring travel tips about California. https://www.visitcalifornia.com/podcast

Thanks for listening and please make sure to rate and review on iTunes!

*This a PAID PARTNERSHIP with Visit California*

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#186 Steve Bartlett: Business, Brands & Burn-Out

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Steve Bartlett is the 26-year-old CEO of Social Chain Group - a global, social-first marketing agency and production house. He first built his business from his bedroom in Manchester after dropping out of university and he now runs the group’s two flagship companies - Social Chain and Media Chain which continue to grow, now with an office space of almost 300 people. He is also as a speaker, investor and hosts the podcast 'Diary Of A Ceo'.

We chat about the influencer world, how marketing can shrink your soul, how to grow a business from scratch, what to do if your parents don't get what you do/ if your family don't support you, the problem with the 'you can do whatever you want" mentality, and why millennials are burning out.

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#185: WIRED's Vicki Turk: On Digital Etiquette

Thu, 07 Mar 2019 05:22:27 GMT

Vicki Turk is a senior editor at WIRED magazine, working across print and digital. She has just written a book called Digital Etiquette all about modern manners. It's described as 'an indispensable guide to minding our manners in a brave new online world.' In this episode we discuss how to email better; how our friendships have changed and the future of technology. Digital Etiquette is out now, published by Penguin, in all good bookshops.

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#184: Aminatou Sow (Part 2) Shine Theory And Why Do Men Not Listen To Female Podcasts?

Sat, 02 Mar 2019 06:05:07 GMT

This episode with brilliant Aminatou Sow was recorded live with an audience at WNYC's The Greenespace event space in New York. This episode includes the recorded audience Q&A in which Aminatou explains what 'Shine Theory' is (and how she came up with it); why men don't seem to consume female podcast content, and why reading the Harvard Business Review is a feminist move. ICYMI: make sure you check out part one (episode #183) which is the FULL interview! <3

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#183 Aminatou Sow: On The Future Of Tech & Imposter Syndrome (LIVE from The Greenespace in New York)

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 23:22:51 GMT

Thrilled to bring you today's guest, one of my favourite New York-based podcasters, Aminatou Sow! She is a true multi-hyphenate: a digital strategist, writer, influencer, co-host of wildly popular podcast 'Call Your Girlfriend' and co-founder of Tech LadyMafia. She was recently named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in tech. This episode was recorded live at WNYC's The Greenespace in New York City! Huge thank you to the team at WNYC for making this happen: Clemency Burton-Hill, Cameron Thompkins, Chase Culpon and Jennifer Sendrow and everyone at New York Public Radio. I had such a brilliant evening! Part two will be uploaded soon, which includes the audience Q&A. What a special evening. We discuss tech, mental health, imposter syndrome and how we all need to get better at rooting for ourselves (and we should trust nobody.)

Quotes from this episode that I love:

- "The truth is, no one knows anything."

- "Patriarchy is a scam. Whiteness is a scam."

- "Everybody lies about being an expert."

- "You should trust yourself more, and other people less."

- "Your podcast doesn't need to be perfect."

- "Young people are idiots. We live in a culture of 30 under 30, or 5 under 5 or whatever."

- "There is no shame, there is truly no shame in needing help."

- "We've never at a president who's been open about mental health. you have the worst job in the world and you're telling me you don't get a little bit depressed?"

- "I hope we can get to a point where the people who represent us in politics actually understand how technology works. They're still figuring out how to attach pictures to email, and the rest of us are getting eaten by robots."

- "Instead of saying 'why does that person have that??' think 'how do I get that for myself?"

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#182 Sara Tasker: On Building A Six-Figure Business At Home

Sat, 23 Feb 2019 14:55:50 GMT

My guest today is Sara Tasker. Photographer, writer, business coach and author. She left her NHS day job six years ago to take a leap into the unknown to turn her passion for the Internet into a business. Now, three years on, she's been awarded runner up for Natwest’s Creative Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and won Content of the Year in the Cosmopolitan Influencer Awards in April 2018. Her work has been featured in The Guardian, The Independent, Buzzfeed, Stylist Magazine, Mother & Baby and on BBC Radio 4.

She has a podcast called Hashtag Authentic, and now she also has a book with the same name, out now, with so many incredible pieces of advice on how grow and build your own online platform with specific tips on Instagram.

She lives in rural Yorkshire with her husband and her daughter, Orla. Her website (meandorla.co.uk) is her online journal; a record of thoughts, revelations, recipes, shopping lists and opinion pieces.

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#181 Felicity Jones: On Playing Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 14:03:06 GMT

Today's guest is the brilliant actor Felicity Jones, known for her previous roles in The Worst Witch, Spiderman 2, Rogue One and The Theory Of Everything which won her an Oscar nomination. Her newest role is playing the "Notorious RBG" Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in On The Basis Of Sex which is out now.

As the Guardian said recently on RBG: "At 85, she remains one of the few progressive hopes on what’s set to become an increasingly Trumpian supreme court and after the documentary RBG was a surprise box office hit this summer, timing couldn’t be better for its narrative counterpart."

Ginsburg was one of the few female lawyers at Harvard and her professors were awful and sexist to her. She worked so hard and then became one of only female justice on the Supreme Court and the gender-based laws she has changed means we can live the lives we do, so many parts were deeply moving: her relationship with her daughter, her supportive loving husband. She has spent her life fighting for social radical change and demanded laws be updated. I definitely want to try and channel even 0.1% of her levels of determination.

The script was written by RBG's nephew Daniel Stiepleman and it was directed by Mimi Leder. I recommend you going to see it immediately!

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#180 Ellen Page: On Speaking Out & Standing Up For Yourself

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 19:33:44 GMT

Today's guest is the brilliant actor and activist Ellen Page. She first acted age ten, and at 17, she was cast in the 2005 movie Hardy Candy. It won praise for "one of the most complex, disturbing and haunting performances of the year." She has appeared in X-Men, the 2007 film Juno (in which she was nominated for an Oscar), Inception, and the amazing LGBT movie Freeheld, starring alongside Oscar-winner Julianne Moore, and many other films.

Ellen is now starring in the Netflix Original Series 'The Umbrella Academy'. The eccentric new series is set in 1989, where 43 women around the world suddenly find themselves 9-months pregnant and immediately give birth. The inexplicable phenomenon piques the interest of an eccentric, reclusive billionaire named Reginald Hargreeves, who sets out to adopt as many of these babies as possible. He ends up getting

seven of them—seven children with extraordinary abilities who form a family of superheroes.

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY will be released globally on February 15th in the UK.

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#179: Dolly Alderton: On A Very Busy And Exciting Whirlwind Year

Sun, 10 Feb 2019 20:23:25 GMT

Dolly Alderton returns to Ctrl Alt Delete, again! 2018 was quite the year for Dolly with the release of Everything I Know About Love, which stayed in the Sunday Times bestseller chart for 32 weeks. She also won the Specsavers National Book Award Autobiography of the Year Award was one of six authors shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year Award. Her book is out in paperback today (go buy it!), and she is celebrating the opening night of the launch with book tour, starting at the London Palladium, performing to an audience of more than 2000 people. It also sold out within 24 hours. She’s a judge for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019, and her own podcast The High Low and Love Stories continues to grow in popularity.

Dolly has been on this podcast twice before and I am thrilled to have caught up with her again for this episode reflecting on her whirlwind year. We talk about how to carve out time to write; online dating; supporting other women and the crazy success of her book.

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#178 Sarah Knight: How To Give Less Of A F*ck

Sun, 03 Feb 2019 20:58:35 GMT

My guest today is Sarah Knight, the New York Times Bestselling author of the "No Fucks Given Guides". Before writing and releasing her own books, she spent 15 years as a top editor, working with authors such as Gillian Flynn and Jessica Knoll.

In her books, she gives tough love and honest advice on setting goals, boundaries, mental health, making big decisions, and getting organised. Her book was called The Life Changing Magic Of Not Giving A Fuck, then Get Your Shit Together, then You Do You. Her fourth book, all about dealing with anxiety called Calm The Fuck down.

We talk about her decision to quit her publishing job, why she moved to the Dominican Republic, how to say no, how to stop comparing and why you shouldn't care what about people think.

Some favourite quotes from the episode:

"Marie Kondo's books are about unburdening yourself from ~stuff~ - I thought, 'I could do this for your mind.'"

"I just don't care if people don't like me. I think I'm pretty awesome."

"I'm the pied piper of not giving a fck"

"I'm not out here advising anyone to be assholes or sociopaths, I'm just saying it's OK to live your life the way you want to live it."

"If you are choosing to punch yourself in the gut each morning by looking at stuff [online] that makes you feel bad about yourself, then stop doing it. I have very little patience for that kind of self-sabotage."

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#177 Richard E Grant: On His Career, Spice World & The Oscars

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Today's episode is with the brilliant Oscar-nominated actor Richard E. Grant. He is best known for his roles in Gosford Park (2001), Withnail & I (1987) and Hudson Hawk (1991) and my personal FAVE Spice World: The Movie (1997). He has worked with some of America's greatest directors, such as Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese.

He will appear in Star Wars in 2019 in a currently undisclosed part. In this episode, we chat about Richard's part in the fantastic film Can You Ever Forgive Me? where he plays the real-life character Jack Hock alongside Melissa McCarthy which has earned him an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, as well as winning a New York Film Critics Circle Award. The film is based on the book of the same name by Lee Israel and well worth a read.

Apologies that this episode is a little shorter than usual, but I hope you enjoy this episode!

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#176 Poppy Jamie: On Being Happy, Not Perfect

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 08:00:00 GMT

My guest today is the brilliant Poppy Jamie, a wellbeing entrepreneur, TED speaker and founder of two popular brands Happy Not Perfect and Pop & Suki. This episode was recorded LIVE in London as part of #HereForYouLive with Twinings to celebrate the Twinings SUPERBLENDS range. I’m so pleased to be partnering with Twinings, my favourite tea brand! Thank you to everyone who attended the live event #HereForYou LIVE on 21st Jan in London’s Marylebone, and for contributing to the Q&A. I had a wonderful time and hope you did too. In this episode we discuss mental wellbeing, the power of small breaks, how to deal with Internet overwhelm and how to stay more grounded and grateful each day, with lots of practical tips from Poppy. Hope you enjoy this episode. *This episode is sponsored by

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#175 Bella Mackie: Why You Should Jog On

Tue, 22 Jan 2019 19:15:38 GMT

Bella is a freelance journalist from London. She has written for The Guardian, VICE and Vogue among other publications. In 2017, she wrote a brilliant piece on being happy being single at the age of 30 for Vogue. This year, she wrote the hit bestseller "Jog On: How Running Saved My Life" and she married BBC breakfast host Greg James.

In Jog On, Bella explains with hilarious and unfiltered honesty how she used running to battle crippling anxiety and depression, without having to sacrifice her main loves: booze, cigarettes and ice cream. With the help of a supporting cast of doctors, psychologists, sportspeople and friends, she shares a wealth of inspirational stories, research and tips that show how exercise often can be the best medicine. This book will encourage you to say ‘jog on’ to your problems and get your life back on track – no matter how small those first steps may be. We discuss running, mental wellbeing and how to help a friend who is struggling.

Hope you enjoy this episode!

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#174 Rachel Khoo on Cooking & Confidence

Thu, 17 Jan 2019 13:59:21 GMT

My guest today is the lovely Rachel Khoo - chef, food writer, broadcaster and founder of Khoollect which she describes as "a creative studio based in London and online community celebrating inspiration found in unlikely places".

At 26, Rachel left her London job working in PR to move to Paris and learn to bake and follow her gut (and heart). According to The Times, she contacted Penguin with the idea for the Little Paris Kitchen cookbook in 2012, which has since gone on to be translated into 12 languages, which also led to a BBC Two series, pulling in almost 2million viewers.

She's just released her sixth cookbook, called The Little Swedish Kitchen and Rachel is currently filming her eighth television series. She co-hosts Zumbo’s Just Desserts which aired in during summer 2016 and is now screening around the world on Netflix.

In this episode we talk about her interesting career path, why she loves living in Sweden, her newest cook book The Little Swedish Kitchen and why it's OK to be proud of your work and be different.

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#172: Joanne McNally: On Comedy, Political Correctness & Storytelling

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 17:05:12 GMT

The comedian Joanne McNally is one of my favourite new discoveries from the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She burst onto the Irish comedy scene in 2014 and in less than a year became the co-host on RTÉ 2’s flagship comedy show Republic of Telly, co-wrote and starred in the stage show Separated At Birth a comedy about her adoption and performed sold out solo stand up shows all over Dublin. She's been nominated for multiple Dublin Fringe Festival awards including Best Performer and Best Production and been a guest on many late night TV shows.

Now, she's signed with famous comedy management Off The Kerb, and moved to London! We sat down in her offices to have a chat about everything, from how she got into comedy, how she finds inspiration for her shows, how to handle tough crowds, and her struggles from body image to break ups.

I love this episode and hope you do to!

Quotes:

"i don't want to be very PC. I'm not a worthy comic. I'm not trying to make a massive point about anything. I just want to have a good time, and I want my audience to have a good time."

"I have earnest fatigue."

"i don't want to be one of those tragedy tourists who are just constantly rolling out their sad stories to get likes."

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#171 Bruce Daisley: How To Fall Back In Love With Your Job Again

Wed, 26 Dec 2018 19:16:01 GMT

Bruce Daisley is the European Vice-President at Twitter and host of the business podcast Eat Sleep Work Repeat. He has been one of the Evening Standard’s 1,000 Most Influential Londoners for four years and is one of Debrett’s 500 Most Influential People in Britain. according to Campaign magazine Bruce is ‘one of the most talented people in media’. He's just written a book 'The Joy Of Work: 30 Ways to Fix Your Work Culture and Fall in Love with Your Job Again' comes out in January on Blue Monday.

He is obsessed with making work better. He's dedicated his last few years to chatting to the leading experts in workplace culture - and using evidence to find a way to improving it.

It's a practical, uplifting, helpful book all about making the workplace a bit better, which is important considering we spend so much time there.

We discuss:

- The story behind 'Love Where You Work' signs inside Twitter HQ

- The power of laughter at work

- Why 'crisp Thursday' is genius

- Why you should cut all meetings in half

- We discuss this piece "Why ‘Do What You Love’ Is Pernicious Advice

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/08/do-what-you-love-work-myth-culture/399599/

- The importance of boredom when it comes to creativity

Quotes:

'I'm convinced people don't read books, so I made 30 things. If all that happens is that someone is rips out one chapter and gives it to their team then it's been successful. Arm people with facts."

"In truth, most people in work are probably more exhausted than they'd like to admit."

'if you look at the science, if you are stressed, you can't be creative."

"Unlike the iPhone, no one is going to unveil the new version of work"

"50 hours a week is all that human brain can do."

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#170: Deborah James: F**k You, Cancer.

Wed, 19 Dec 2018 16:58:09 GMT

The amazing Deborah James is a campaigner and co-presenter of the top-charting podcast You, Me and the Big C, which takes listeners through every twist and turn, showing how you can still live your life and be yourself with cancer.

Deborah was a deputy head teacher before at the age of 35, being diagnosed with bowel cancer and her life with her young children and husband was thrown upside down. She’s had 4 major operations including bowel and lung resections and multiple rounds of chemo – and is still undergoing treatment at the Royal Marsden. She started a blog called 'Bowel Babe’ to debunk the myth that young women don't get bowel cancer and writes a weekly column for the Sun online, "Things Cancer Made Me Say". She campaigns alongside major UK cancer charities, writes and presents the popular podcast ‘You, Me & the Big C’ for BBC’s Radio 5 Live, and has a built up a strong following on Instagram, please follow her: @bowelbabe.

Debora's book 'F**k You Cancer' is out now, an inspiring cancer guide that encourages you to shout #F*CKYOUCANCER.

I found this episode so inspiring and moving and informative and I hope you do too.

You can find Deborah on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/bowelbabe/

Her book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Cancer-face-still-yourself/dp/178504205X

Podcast 'You Me & The Big C": https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0608649

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#169 Selina Barker: Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019

Fri, 14 Dec 2018 16:14:58 GMT

My guest today is the brilliant Selina Barker who is a life design coach, author of the Goodbye Journal, and co-founder of Project Love - a mission to help busy women to create lives and relationships they love.

Over the past 12 years she has coached the brightest minds and talent from Google, Apple, UN Women and MySpace, A-list musicians and leaders in the creative and music industries, helping them to create lives, careers and businesses that they can thrive in.

Over the past 5 years her focus has been on Project Love with her business partner, Vicki Pavitt. It is a go-to platform for people looking for heartfelt, practical guidance on love and life. they offer a mix of online courses, coaching and life design tools, including the Goodbye Hello journal. with is one of my favourite journals and we discuss it in detail on the podcast. It helps you reflect and look ahead in the best possible way.

Through a series of questions and exercises, you’ll be guided to get clear on the life you want to live in 2019, the dreams you want to bring to life and a simple plan for how you’re going to make it all happen. Your Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019 will then become your guide for designing a life you love in 2019, with quarterly check-ins to help you keep on track throughout the year.

Hope you enjoy this episode with Selina.

Here's all the links you need to stay in touch with Project Love!

https://loveprojectlove.com/

https://thegoodbyehellojournal.com

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/project-love-podcast-show/id1131056164?mt=2

https://www.instagram.com/loveprojectlove/

I love this quote from Selina: “Designing your life is about putting yourself as a top priority, not always THE most important thing, but a top priority.”

Whether you’re a first time listener or OG listener please take a few seconds to rate and review – means I can carry on making this as it boosts me in the charts etc!

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#168: Alex Loizou (Cofounder, Trouva) On Shopping Small

Sun, 09 Dec 2018 22:04:08 GMT

Today's episode is with the brilliant Alex Loizou, co-founder of Trouva. Trouva is one of my absolute favourite online sites that helps you to shop independently and access a huge range of brilliant shops all over the UK. Trouva helps independent fashion retailers find online customers and drive them to physical stores.

Thank you to iZettle for sponsoring this episode!

With Black Friday having just happened and Christmas just around the corner, I thought it was a good time to celebrate independent shopping and chat to Trouva about the future of retail.

According to an interview in the Evening Standard Trouva is an "antidote to chain-dominated, identikit high streets and busy, hard to navigate websites". The team curates unique gifts, fashion and homewares only found in independent shops.

In this episode we discuss future of shops and tech, how the high street isn't dead, the importance of sustainability and the power we ALL have as consumers.

This episode is brought to you by iZettle, their mission is to help and fight for small independent businesses in a world where the giant businesses are taking over. iZettle cuts down the barriers of entry to take part in the economy by offering innovative, easy-to-use and affordable tools to meet small business needs. You should definitely check them out.

So, here is the episode!

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#167 Daniele Fiandaca: On Masculinity, Diversity & Creativity (Dropbox Series Part 4)

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 06:04:00 GMT

I am very excited to bring to you a mini series of four episodes in partnership with Dropbox around the topics of creativity and collaboration. As you know on this podcast I interview interesting creatives about the internet, their work, and how to get more done in less time. Dropbox is a collaborative platform for teams, enabling creativity through their product suite of tools which helps team's all over the world stay in flow and move work forward.

In these four special episodes, I interview the co-authors of Creative Superpowers, a book published by Penguin about re-learning key traits often forgotten from childhood, such as adaptability, curiosity, empathy and fearlessness by the authors Laura Jordan Bambach, Scott Morrison, Mark Earls and Daniele Fiandaca. Each author shared some fascinating stories and anecdotes with me, and have some seriously wise advice about how to live a more creative and fulfilled life. I felt super inspired after chatting to each of them and I hope you do too.

In this episode I speak to Daniele Fiandaca - we discuss gender diversity, being the 'token man', building inclusion in the workplace, how to make sure you are connecting with people outside your social bubble, how to connect with others and the tools used to build a new initiative.

*This episode is sponsored by Dropbox*

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#166 Mark Earls: How Creativity Can Solve Difficult Problems (Dropbox Series Part 3)

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 06:02:00 GMT

In this episode I speak to Mark Earls how creativity can solve difficult problems. We discussed tips and tricks on rewiring your brain to get you look at things differently, plus tools and practical tips from Mark’s long and successful career as a creative.

*This episode is sponsored by Dropbox*

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#165: Scott Morrison: How To Lose The Ego And Make Great Things (Dropbox Series Part 2)

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 06:01:00 GMT

In this episode I speak to Scott Morrison. We discuss how to collaborate with others in an authentic way, how to lift up others in your team, why removing ego is crucial when being creative and the tools Scott uses when on the move.

I liked this quote from Scott: "Always hire people smarter than you."

*This episode is sponsored by Dropbox*

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#164 Laura Jordan Bambach: How To Get Those Lightbulb Moments (Dropbox Series Part 1)

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 05:00:00 GMT

(Dropbox Series Part 1) I am very excited to bring to you a mini series of four episodes in partnership with Dropbox around the topics of creativity and collaboration. As you know on this podcast I interview interesting creatives about the internet, their work, and how to get more done in less time. Dropbox is a collaborative platform for teams, enabling creativity through their product suite of tools which helps team's all over the world stay in flow and move work forward.

In this episode I speak to Laura Jordan Bambach about how creativity isn't something that happens to you at your desk. How to get good ideas, why you should keep a dream diary, how diversity is still an urgent matter, how to gather all sources of your creativity, and how to not take things too personally as a creative.

I liked this quote from Laura: "You didn't get here by accident. That doesn't mean you should be pig-headed, but your ideas have value."

*This episode is sponsored by Dropbox*

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#163 Naomi Alderman: How To Tell If You Have A Great Idea

Thu, 29 Nov 2018 21:02:18 GMT

Welcome to Ctrl Alt Delete! My guest today is one of my favourite authors, the incredibly inspiring force of nature that is Naomi Alderman! She is the multi-award-winning novelist of Disobedience and The Power. Disobedience has been adapted into a film directed by Sebastián Lelio, based on the novel of the same name by Naomi and stars both Rachael McAdams and Rachel Weiz. It is out in cinemas now. And The Power is one of Obama's favourite books! No big deal.

Speaking of cinemas: I'm excited that this episode is in partnership with Curzon Cinemas. http://bit.ly/2P1WwKZ

For nearly a century, Curzon has been pioneering ways to bring audiences exclusive access to a brilliant selection of award winning, classic and contemporary independent films from around the world. I'm excited to tell you about Curzon Home Cinema. By registering you get access to a selection of the latest cinema releases available now to watch from the comfort of your own home. I love going to the cinema but I also love staying in (especially during this dark winter months). So wherever you are in the UK and Ireland, you can watch new films at home! So the choice is yours: watch your films at the cinema, or instantly at home, Curzon offers you both choices. Why not try out watching Disobedience at home?

So, a bit more about the iconic Naomi Alderman. Her literary début came in 2006 called Disobedience, a well-received yet slightly controversial novel about a North London rabbi's lesbian daughter living in New York, which won her the 2006 Orange Award for New Writers, the 2007 Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, and a feature as one of the Waterstones 25 Writers for the Future.

Her other novel, The Power, won the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction in 2017. The Power was THE book of the year last year, an incredible sci-fi/dystopian novel about gendered violence and the fetishisation of power. The premise of the book is that women are more powerful than men. God becomes a “she”; and men are frightened to walk alone at night.

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#162: Hari Nef: How To Survive The Dark Side Of The Internet

Mon, 26 Nov 2018 14:18:50 GMT

My guest today is the wonderful Hari Nef: model, actress, activist and first trans woman signed to IMG Worldwide, one of the biggest model management firms in the world. She has graced the covers of publications such as Elle UK, Love Magazine and Interview, and has appeared in editorials in Vogue and Wonderland Magazine, among others. She may be currently best known for her role in the Emmy award-winning series TRANSPARENT. Hari currently lives in LA and is currently starring in the Gucci Bloom fragrance campaign alongside Dakota Johnson and Petra Collins.

Most recently Hari has starred in black comedy thriller Assassination Nation (also starring Suki Waterhouse) which is out now in UK cinemas. It is about a group of best friends live in a world of selfies, emojis, snaps and sexts. But when their town of Salem is besieged by a massive data hack, resulting in half the citizens’ private info spewed into the public view, the community descends into anarchy. The Times have called it "The Crucible for the Instagram era" and critics at The Guardian have said it "feels like the product of a one-night stand between Spring Breakers and The Purge."

In this episode we chat about the film, dealing with internet storms, how to follow your gut when choosing which projects to work on and why she loves working on thrillers that centre around social media.

Hope you enjoy!

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#161 Pandora Sykes: On Choosing What To Share

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 22:23:55 GMT

Pandora Sykes is a journalist and co-host of The High Low podcast. Pandora is a former colleague of mine; we were part of the launch team of the now defunct website The Debrief back in 2014. She was the fashion editor, I was the social media editor. She then went on to hold the iconic position of Fashion Features Editor and Wardrobe Mistress columnist of The Sunday Times Style magazine.

Now, Pandora is now doing many different things; she is a journalist, brand consultant, podcast co-host and speaker.

She is a Contributing Editor at Man Repeller and ELLE, she has written for titles including The Guardian, Marie Claire, Vogue, Red magazine, i-D, The Cut, Vogue Australia, The Spectator and The Sunday Times.

Pandora is the co-host of an iTunes No.1 weekly culture podcast, The High Low (one of my faves) which she created with author and journalist, Dolly Alderton which has a major cult following.

We discuss sharing, multi-hyphenate careers, career evolution, writing, authenticity and sticking to what feels right for you.

This is Pandora's Manrepeller piece about online sharing that we discuss: https://www.manrepeller.com/2018/09/maintaining-selective-privacy-online.html

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#160: E.Lockhart on How To Write A Novel

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 13:36:23 GMT

E. Lockhart is a New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, including We Were Liars, which was a New York Times bestseller and Zoella Book Club pick, and the novel Genuine Fraud, soon to be a film produced by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner of HBO series Girls.

In this episode we talk about writing, writing writing! The art of writing novels, how to keep your momentum when writing, how to study the books you love and how to manage your ego and ignore reviews, good and bad.

Favourite quote from the episode:

"The me who can write a novel is not the same me who goes to the grocery stores and swimming pool and does things with my family. That person doesn't know how to write a novel."

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#159 Scott Harrison & Joshua Coombes: On How To Do Good

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 20:53:06 GMT

This episode is with Scott Harrison, founder of Charity:Water and Joshua Coombes, founder of Do Something For Nothing.

I had the best time getting to know two amazing entrepreneurs last week when I hosted a master class called "Passion to Purpose" at the WeWork Creator Awards in London. Scott has the most interesting story and has helped millions get access to clean water. Joshua is probably best known for the haircuts he offers to homeless people all over the world and whose stories he shares shares their stories to encourage people to connect with others. These two guys essentially created their own opportunities in social entrepreneurialism using cultural norms like water and grooming to serve marginalised communities. I learned a lot and I hope you find this episode as inspiring as I did. Thank you to WeWork for having me host this.

If you're an entrepreneur, you're going to want to know more about the Creator Awards pitch competition - check out the WeWork London Creator recap to learn more. In the episode I mention the WeWork London Economic Impact Report which has a ton of interesting stats surrounding entrepreneurs. Stay up to date with WeWork on IG and Twitter.

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#158 Estée Lalonde: Catching Up On Life

Fri, 02 Nov 2018 05:17:32 GMT

Estée Lalonde is a returning guest! Estée is a U.K.-based lifestyle vlogger, author and fellow podcaster, who shares her beauty and fashion expertise with more than 1.2 million subscribers on her YouTube channel every week. She has served as a brand ambassador for the likes of Lancôme, Garnier, and Adidas, and last year, she launched a podcast called The Heart Of It, in which she explores subjects that close to her heart — including feminism, travel, and tattoos — alongside guests. This year she launched a new podcast called On The Line, and she has also brought out a jewellery collection with DAISY London. We catch up on life, work, dates, crystals and everything in between.

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#157: Jodi Picoult: A Spark Of Light

Sat, 27 Oct 2018 16:18:12 GMT

Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of 25 novels. Her books have sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into almost 50 languages.

In this episode -- (recorded live at Foyles Charing Cross as part of Jodi's UK tour) -- we discuss her newest book A Spark Of Light, which centres around women, choice and abortion rights in America. It unravels backwards, with characters held hostage in an abortion centre in Mississippi. As the novel goes on, you start to realise what brought all the different characters there.

Jodi has always centred her novels around important topics. In her novel Nineteen Minutes, she wrote about the aftermath of a school shooting in a small town, and it was her first book to debut at number 1 on the New York Times best-seller list. Her book Change of Heart, published on March 4, 2008, was her second novel to debut at number 1 on that list. One of the books she might be also best known for is My Sister's Keeper, which was made into a film starring Cameron Diaz. In her book, Small Great Things, she tackled racism and white supremacy.

In 2016, Jodi joined the advisory board of Vida: Women in Literary Arts, which is a "non-profit feminist organization committed to creating transparency around the lack of gender parity in the literary landscape and to amplifying historically-marginalized voices, including people of color; writers with disabilities; and queer, trans and gender nonconforming individuals."

Quotes from the episode:

"When women don't tell their stories, narratives are written for us. And they are narratives of blame and shame."

"Women's rights are universal rights."

"We have to reach across the aisle. We have to speak to people who think differently to us. Instead of judging and talking, you have to sit back and listen, and hope they will give you the grace to do the same thing."

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#156 BONUS Episode: Should We Be Able To Vote Online?

Wed, 24 Oct 2018 06:00:00 GMT

This episode is with Areeq Chowdhury, founder and chief executive of the voluntary, youth-led, think tank WebRoots Democracy. I wanted to do an episode of Ctrl Alt Delete all about online voting. Can it happen? Will it happen? When will it happen?

Other countries are already experimenting with online voting and we do everything with our phones, so I wanted to explore the pros and cons for this conversation. We discuss the benefits (research says online voting would make more people more likely to vote) and the push-backs, including security concerns, privacy and hacking and clicktivism. One thing that stood out from chatting to Areeq was that the people who would benefit the most from this would be people living with disabilities. For a lot of people, it's not a case of 'can't be bothered' it's a case of 'can't physically get there'.

Areeq Chowdhury was born and brought up in Manchester and studied Economics and Political Science at the University of Birmingham where he began researching the relationship between the internet and political participation. After graduating in 2013, he moved to London and has worked at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the London Assembly, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and KPMG.

At the age of 21, he founded WebRoots Democracy which has been leading the campaign for online voting and has been working with politicians, charities, thinktanks, and technology companies on researching the benefits and challenges of a digital democracy. He has authored and edited two reports on the topic: Viral Voting (2015) and Secure Voting (2016).

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#155 Katherine Ormerod (Part Two): Is Social Media Ruining Your Life? (Recorded Live At Waterstones)

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 20:42:48 GMT

This is the second part of this interview, recorded live, which focuses on the audience Q&A! Katherine Ormerod is a journalist, influencer and author. She has worked as a journalist for over a decade, starting her career as a fashion assistant at Sunday Times Style, moving to Grazia to become Senior Fashion News & Features Editor then on to Glamour where she was Fashion Features Editor at Large. Prior to her career, she graduated with a MA(Hons) in History from the University of Edinburgh and went on to get a Master's in Fashion History & Theory from the London College of Fashion. Katherine has written for the FT, the Telegraph, Harper's Bazaar and the Mail on Sunday.

In January 2017, she launched workworkwork.co, an anti-perfectionism platform where high-profile social media stars and women with aspirational careers share stories from their 'unedited' lives.

She's now written a book 'Why Social Media Is Ruining Your Life' a no-holds-barred, no-filter look at what social media is doing to us as a society, and how we can deconstruct the online fantasy to change our own attitudes about modern womanhood.

Quotes from the episode:

"Social media takes all the WORK out."

'Social media has to be ONE of the pans frying in our general life, it can't be the only pan frying. It can't be every part of the way you validate yourself. It can't be the only way you promote your career."

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#154 Katherine Ormerod (Part One): Is Social Media Ruining Your Life? (Recorded Live At Waterstones)

Sat, 20 Oct 2018 05:00:00 GMT

Katherine Ormerod is a journalist, influencer and author. She has worked as a journalist for over a decade, starting her career as a fashion assistant at Sunday Times Style, moving to Grazia to become Senior Fashion News & Features Editor then on to Glamour where she was Fashion Features Editor at Large. Prior to her career, she graduated with a MA(Hons) in History from the University of Edinburgh and went on to get a Master's in Fashion History & Theory from the London College of Fashion. Katherine has written for the FT, the Telegraph, Harper's Bazaar and the Mail on Sunday.

In January 2017, she launched workworkwork.co, an anti-perfectionism platform where high-profile social media stars and women with aspirational careers share stories from their 'unedited' lives.

Quotes from the episode:

"Social media takes all the WORK out."

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#153: BONUS Episode: Let's Talk About Periods

Thu, 18 Oct 2018 20:44:51 GMT

This is a special live recording of Ctrl Alt Delete focused on all things periods, from cramps to menstrual mishaps, bloody good anecdotes, mind-boggling facts and incredible stories as we delve into a raw discussion about all aspects periods around the world.

This was recorded at Hoxton Square Bar & Grill in collaboration with Project Period, a campaign bringing together activists to maximise momentum on efforts to put period poverty onto the global agenda.

On the panel were three brilliant women talking about periods: gynecologist and Instagram influencer Anita Mittra “The Gynae Geek”, period poverty activist Holly Bantleman, and social entrepreneur Tasha Bishop of “The Pants Project’.

The aim of this conversation is to raise awareness (and money) for women affected by period stigmas and the lack of access to sanitary products and relevant information related to menstruation around the world. We want to change perspectives and attitudes on periods, and drive any one listening to take action to end period poverty and put stigmas to an end.

Want to take action?

We are uniting our voices under www.thisisourperiod.org. Please click the link and sign the period promise, where you can find out more about organisations and activists working on the issue. You can follow recent events and projects by signing the period promise and following the latest on Instagram @thisisourperiod.

**100% of proceeds from the live recording will support Juliana's project in Kenya; a hub to create jobs for women and ensure a steady supply of sanitary pads in rural Kenya**

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#152 Amy Thomson: Why It's Okay To Be Moody

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 10:12:08 GMT

My guest today is the incredible entrepreneur Amy Thomson. She was the founder of SEEN, a global marketing agency working with brands such as Nike, Microsoft and RBS. She is also the co-founder of a business school for future female leaders called Future Girl Corp (alongside Sharmadean Reid, another Ctrl Alt DElete guest), which has a simple mission to inspire the new generation of female leaders. Now, she, alongside her team, has launched the Moody Month App. The mission of the app is to empower every woman to harness their moods through understanding their hormonal and emotional selves. The Moody Month App will allow you to track your monthly moods and cycle, along with plugging straight into your calendar and giving you mood forecasts for your month.

The message behind the app is that being moody is your biggest asset, it's what makes you human not a robot. By having more awareness of your moods, means you can optimise your happiness. Let’s all re-connect and embrace the things that make us humans.

Amy has shared her story and inspiration behind the app so honestly and openly in this episode. In 2015, when her periods stopped due to stress, she started a diary, and began to see patterns linking her bad moods and her hormonal imbalance. She then sold her agency, broke up with her boyfriend and set out on a mission to build this new technology which has turned into Moody. The site and app offers advice, from books recommendations, to articles to superfood tips. There’s an online shop, too. I found this conversation SO inspiring and I hope you do too.

My favourite quote from the episode:

"I'm getting Ubers, I'm ordering food, I'm using Nike Plus to track my running, but I'm a writing an analogue diary for my periods??"

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#151 Helena Morrissey: How To Invest In Your Future

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 05:00:00 GMT

Helena Morrissey who is one of the best-known women in the City.

She handles billions of pounds worth of assets for many years and is now Head of Personal Investing at Legal and General Management, a new role aimed at engaging the nation to save and invest more.

In 2010, Helena founded the 30% Club, a cross-business initiative to achieve better gender-balanced UK company boards. She wrote a book earlier this year called A Good Time to be a Girl: Don’t Lean In, Change the System. The Ft said about her book "At its heart is a conviction that diversity in any workplace will lead to a better, fairer and more prosperous society". She was named one of Fortune Magazine’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders. She has twice been voted one of the 50 Most Influential People in Finance globally by Bloomberg Markets. she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Cambridge University in 2016. She was appointed CBE in the 2012 New Year’s Honours list for her contribution to the role of women in business. In 2017, she was made a dame.

Helena is married to a Buddhist meditation teacher and they have nine children, six girls and three boys whose ages range from 8 to 26.

In this episode we talk about the importance of investing your future in this episode, how you don't have to be like a man to be successful and what it's like having 9 kids and making your career work.

Quotes from the episode:

"You don't have to be formidable to be a successful business woman."

"I have a Dame-hood, but actually I'm no better or worse a person than before that. I want to use any influence I have for good."

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#150: Chloe Milligan: How Do You Become An Online Florist?

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 04:00:00 GMT

Chloe Milligan runs a florist company called MUD Urban Flowers. Unlike a traditional florist, MUD operates solely online and this innovative, contemporary take on the trade soon became a great success. MUD Urban Flowers has now expanded into Edinburgh and has plans to continue growing UK wide via franchises from early 2019.

In a landmark year celebrating 100 years since women were granted the vote, I teamed up with Royal Bank of Scotland to bring together Scotland’s most inspiring, like-minded and motivated women at a series of four networking events across the country to encourage businesswomen to connect, support one another and thrive together. The events were held in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The events come on the back of a report commissioned by Royal Bank of Scotland that revealed the challenges facing women in business and what they do to overcome them.

*This episode is part of a paid partnership with Royal Bank Of Scotland.*

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#149: Farrah Storr: Find Your Discomfort Zone

Thu, 27 Sep 2018 08:58:30 GMT

Farrah Storr is the award-winning editor-in-chief of the UK's Cosmopolitan magazine. She took over the brand in 2015 where she was tasked with reimagining it for the millennial woman. The October issue of Cosmo magazine has model and body-positivity advocate Tess Holliday on the cover. It was celebrated across the internet by many who lauded the magazine for championing body positivity and embracing larger bodies but it was also battled out on Good Morning Britain (by Piers Morgan) arguing that it glorifies obesity. Over her 17-year career as a journalist Farrah has done everything from undercover investigations in the world of cut-price cosmetic surgery to reporting from inside some of the world’s most luxurious fashion houses. She was also the founding editor-in-chief of Women’s Health magazine – the most successful women’s magazine launch of the decade.

In 2017 Farrah was cited as one of only 36 BAME leaders in The Guardian UK’s 1000 Most Powerful list.

Her first book is out now called The Discomfort Zone all about the power of discomfort, published by Piatkus, which we discuss a lot in this episode.

Quotes from the episode:

"Being vulnerable is what you have to do as a writer, that is your job.. sometimes that means putting yourself up for scrutiny from other people, but that's what makes the best writers."

"You can have it all....ish. It's naive to think you can have everything."

"True heroes are never that popular."

"Most of success is the climb; the grind to actually get to success. The grind should be the enjoyable bit."

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#148: BONUS episode: How Connected Will We Be In The Future?

Mon, 24 Sep 2018 05:00:00 GMT

This episode of Ctrl Alt Delete is in collaboration with CityFibre, talking all about connectivity and the future of tech. I wanted to do an episode on the future of work, tech, modern cities and Internet connection. Chatting to me on these topics is Laura Osborne who works with CityFibre. Laura’s background is in public affairs, government communications and more recently consumer campaigning. She was Which?’s first Head of Corporate Affairs, working with businesses to improve the banking, energy and telecoms markets for consumers.

Now she is helping to lead the campaign calling on the Advertising Standards Authority to change the rules on how “fibre” is used in broadband adverts, so that consumers are no longer misled. In this episode we talk about the impact of smart technology in our homes, online doctors, digital assistants who can pick up on your mood and health data, how the internet connection you have matters, how connectivity affects or can improve the way we work and lots more. We also discuss how in 2016, only 5% of engineering modern apprenticeships were taken up by women, and how only 24% of those in digital technology jobs in the UK are women and what can be done about that. We discuss the future of modern connected cities too, as in cities like Tallinn, people engage with their government effortlessly via digital platforms that enable them to sign contracts, file their taxes, and vote. Can the UK follow? In general, we discuss what’s in store of the future of our technology as we become more and more connected. For more info on the campaign to change the broadband advertising rules visit www.coppersaurus.com. #ad

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#147 Fearne Cotton: On Motherhood & Her Multihyphenate Career

Sat, 15 Sep 2018 22:21:49 GMT

Fearne Cotton is a TV presenter, podcast host and author. Fearne has been presenting live TV since the age of 15 when she was spotted by ITV’s ‘Disney Club’ Her warmth, natural interview skills and ability to make presenting live TV seem effortless and has given her the opportunity to present a variety of shows over the years.

In 2005 she joined Radio 1 where she spent 10 incredible years, initially co-hosting morning shows with Reggie Yates and then moving onto the UK Top 40 show before taking over the prestigious weekday morning slot in 2009; here she mixed big celebrity interviews with exclusive acoustic performances in the Live Lounge. The show attracted over 4 million listeners and in 2012 she won a Sony Gold Award for the show.

An enthusiastic cook, Fearne released her first cookbook in June 2016. She is also the author of Calm, Happy, Yoga Babies and Hungry Babies.

Fearne is a mother of two and continues to find time to support a range of charities with seemingly no challenge too big for her, whether it be climbing Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief, or trekking the Inca Trail for Breast Cancer Care. Fearne is an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust and also a patron for Post Pals, Tyler’s Trust and Coppafeel!, the latter of which she curates the charity’s music festival, FESTIFEEL.

In this episode we talk about Fearne's multi-hyphenate career, being a mum, mental health, writing and how social media can help further positive conversations.

Favourite quotes from the episode:

"There are less taboo subjects these days and if there are taboos there's definitely someone out there trying to break them."

"Sometimes I feel like I'm nailing it, and other times it's all falling apart." On juggling multiple projects and being a mum.

"in my twenties [success] was purely work-based - that's all I cared about. It was about being on a big TV show and being seen. Whereas now, that really doesn't factor into what I'm doing."

"When I left Radio 1, I'd had a second child and literally had no work lined up, I was quite scared at that point."

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#146 Yasmin Khan: When Passion Leads To Burn-out

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 16:00:38 GMT

Yasmin Khan is an award-winning author, campaigner and cook.

In 2013, after suffering a debilitating burnout and having to step back from her human rights work, Yasmin switched careers and turned to food as a tool through which to share people’s stories. She ran a Kickstarter to write a book that would offer a window into Iran, the result of which is her best-selling debut book The Saffron Tales: Recipes From the Persian Kitchen (Bloomsbury, 2016). The book was chosen by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the BBC Food Programme as one of the best cookbooks of 2016.

Yasmin’s second book, Zaitoun: Recipes and Stories from the Palestinian Kitchen was published in July 2018 and immediately became a number 1 best-seller on Amazon. The book is a collection of recipes and stories gathered from her travels through Israel, the West Bank and Gaza and was heralded by the late, great, Anthony Bourdain as “A moving, hugely knowledgeable and utterly delicious book”.

In this episode we talk burn-out, Kickstarter, career changes, micro-communities and how to manage multiple projects.

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#144 Justin Myers (The Guyliner): From Anonymous Blog To Book Deal

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 14:18:32 GMT

Justin Myers is a journalist who for a long time wrote under his pseudonym The Guyliner. I first started reading his hilarious writing back in 2012 when his blog posts started getting published on the Huffington Post. He has written for Gay Times, GQ and the Guardian. His first novel, The Last Romeo, was published by Little, Brown in Spring this year.

We talk about writing non fiction and how his fiction has some similarities to his journalistic career.

His book The Last Romeo tells a story of the character James - his long relationship with Adam ends, decides to try out the dating scene for the first time, writing about his exploits for a small, loyal audience under a secret identity: the Last Romeo. An account of a date with a closeted celebrity boosts the blog’s popularity, not to mention its notoriety, and soon James finds himself reluctantly internet-famous, and dealing with the associated perks and pitfalls; the fans, trolls, and haters, who all want to know one thing: who the hell is Romeo?

We talk about what it's like coming out as your real self from behind an anonymous blog and how to use your experiences for a novel. We also talk about age and I like this quote from Justin: "There is no new rule that once you hit 35 or 40, you are suddenly no longer interested in new things around you or new stuff."

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#143 Sharmadean Reid: On Productivity & Distraction

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:43:27 GMT

Sharmadean Reid founded WAH Nails as a side project in 2009 – now it is a huge global well-known business.

In this episode I chat to Sharmadean about productivity and distraction. She has a brilliant Guardian column called Bossing It where she answers modern work questions.

She wrote two WAH nails books, delivered global pop up nail salons for 100s of brands, created a product line with Walgreen Boots Alliance and was awarded an MBE for services to Beauty.

So now she is building a new way to book beauty online with her new company Beauty Stack.

We talk about what she’d learned from starting businesses. Sharmadean’s also working on a new campaign with NatWest which is all about helping small businesses be the best they can be. A big focus is on helping small businesses do more with less and improve their productivity through the NatWest Productivity Blueprint.

The medium article I reference in the opening section of the interview is called “Growing Up Too Fast — Or Why I Closed WAH Nails Topshop”.

Soundbites I love from this episode:

“Why not write a completely new rule for how we determine success?”

“Create your own pic ‘n’ mix from other people’s successful bios”

“You can’t copy someone else’s path”

“Being productive doesn’t mean being chained your desk the whole time.”

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#141 Charly Cox: On Poetry, Success and Mental Health

Thu, 02 Aug 2018 16:50:58 GMT

Charly Cox is a 22-year-old writer, producer, poet and author of She Must Be Mad.

Her writing focuses on destigmatizing mental health and the coming-of-age of a young woman surviving the modern world. In January 2017, she published her first poem on Instagram, showing her internet followers her poetry for the first time; since then she’s been asked to be Virgin Radio’s poet in residence, she’s been published on Refinery29, hosted poetry nights to raise money and awareness for MQ Mental Health and been named by ELLE magazine as one of their 20 power players to watch out for in 2018. She Must Be Mad is Charly’s first book.

She Must be Mad explores coming-of-age: the pain and beauty of love, the relief and the agony of turning from girl to woman, the isolation of an untethered mind and the power and subjugation of the body.

We discuss writing, success, mental health, how as a poet, people might worry they are "fodder" for your work, the insanity of being alone for long periods of time when writing, crying for two weeks over book covers and the importance of the phrase "I have a mental illness but I have really good mental health".

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#140 Gemma Arterton: On Escaping And Creating

Mon, 23 Jul 2018 13:46:43 GMT

My guest today is the actress Gemma Arterton.

We spoke about the new film she's in called The Escape, which she also executive produced. Her breakthrough role was in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008), playing Bond Girl Strawberry Fields, which won her an Empire Award for Best Newcomer. She played the lead role in the film Their Finest (2017). She was the title star of the film The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009). She is known for her roles in the fantasy films Clash of the Titans (2010), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), Byzantium (2013), and as the character Gretel in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013). She played Joan in Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan at Donmar Warehouse, December 2016.

The Escape is an intimate portrait of a married woman who seemingly has it all. Married young, she

has all the trappings of a successful life: a house, a husband, children and a nice lifestyle. But she is unhappy and yearns for more, something that she is unable to put her finger on.

We discuss escapism, acting, social media, relationships, improvising on set and why the topics in this film are close to her heart.

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#139 Rose Cartwright: On Turning Her Book On OCD Into A TV Series

Tue, 17 Jul 2018 12:11:54 GMT

So excited to interview Rose, a writer & creative director and author of PURE.

This episode was recorded at the BFI Southbank for my live mini series there called From Book to Screen.

I first came across Rose’s work in 2014 when I pledged for the book on Unbound called PURE – about Pure ‘O’ a type of OCD – in Rose’s case she would get intrusive sexual thoughts.

Pure is the true story of her life with intrusive sexual thoughts – a rampant but little-known symptom of the disorder. It tracks her journey from when she was first seized by graphic mental images to her eventual recovery through therapy, acceptance and love.

At its core, Pure is about uncertainty and insecurity- it’s about finding beauty in greyness, and embracing the unfathomable weirdness of the human mind.

I wanted to ask her about the process of how her book PURE is being turned into a TV show as part of this mini series I'm doing called #FromBookToScreen. It is being adapted into Channel 4 adaptation of her memoir on the story of her life with intrusive sexual thoughts. It’s produced by Drama Republic (who have made Mad Fat Diary, The Honourable Woman, Doctor Foster) and adapted by the very talented Kirstie Swain) and airing on Channel 4 soon.

She has fingers in pies, currently writing a film for FKA Twigs. Past projects include the relaunch of Channel 4’s Random Acts; writing the world’s first OCD chatbot; and developing This Girl Can – Phenomenal Women. Rose used to publish under her mother’s maiden name, Bretécher. Hope you enjoy this episode!

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#138: Yomi Adegoke & Elizabeth Uviebinené: How to SLAY IN YOUR LANE

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 19:12:43 GMT

My guests today are authors and best friends Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené. They are the authors of SLAY IN YOUR LANE.

SLAY IN YOUR LANE is the long-awaited, inspirational guide to life for a generation of black British women inspired to make lemonade out of lemons, and find success in every area of their lives.

It was included in top Elle’s 12 addictive books of 2018, Metro’s best new books in 2018 and BBC’s hotly anticipated debut authors for 2018.

Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené searched for a book that addressed the challenges for young black women and they realised none existed. So Slay in Your Lane – the lovechild of exasperation and optimism – was born. From education, to work, to dating, to representation, money and health, this is an inspirational, honest and provocative Black Girl Bible – the book offers advice and encouragement from the authors and interviews with dozens of the most successful black women in Britain – including Charlene White, Jamelia, Denise Lewis, Malorie Blackman and Dawn Butler MP.

Yomi is an award-winning journalist and senior writer at The Pool. She writes about race, feminism, popular culture and how they intersect, as well as class and politics.

Elizabeth is a former Marketing Manager and has a degree in Politics and International relations degree and specialises in creating marketing campaigns that are both culturally progressive and commercially relevant.

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#137 Amika George: On Being A Teen Activist

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 17:40:48 GMT

Amika George is an 18-year-old student from North London. She started the #FreePeriods campaign, which calls on the government to give free menstrual products to children from low-income families.

This episode was recorded at #SheInspiresMe Live, a feminist festival put on by Women For Women International. Sorry that it's a bit echoey, it was a really large room and the mics sadly weren't perfect for podcasting.

Women for Women International are a charity passionate about empowering the world’s most marginalised women. For 25 years, we’ve worked with women in countries affected by conflict, equipping over 472,000 women with skills, confidence and connections to advocate for their rights and make their voices heard.

The first #SheInspiresMe Live Feminist Festival aims to capitalise on recent momentum around women’s rights, and get more people involved and empowered to build a more equal future. Women for Women International is built on solidarity and sisterhood. They are committed to strengthening and connecting this global movement, and want every woman, everywhere, to know she can be a part of it.

I hope you enjoy this episode, we talk digital activism, how to maintain a campaign online, how to use your voice and how to juggle multiple projects.

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#136: The Queen's Young Leaders Ft. Nicola Adams OBE & Caspar Lee

Wed, 27 Jun 2018 14:58:22 GMT

Welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete Podcast – this is a very special one! I got to record a very special episode at the Queen’s Young Leaders Ceremony from Buckingham Palace…(and I got meet the Queen!)

I was there to celebrate the Queen’s Young Leaders Award. It’s a real honour to be there for the final ever Queen’s Young Leader Award ceremony and celebrate the amazing work these young people are doing all over the Commonwealth. Collectively, they’re tackling a huge range of issues, from climate change, to mental health stigma, to gender based violence. These guys really show just how important young people are to tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems.

I chatted to Siposetu Sethu Mbuli from South Africa. Siposetu is developing new ways to end the stigma of albinism in South Africa. Growing up with albinism herself, and mindful of the misconceptions that still exist around it, Siposetu co-founded Love, This Skin. I also chatted to Harry Phinda, who promotes the rights of women and girls through education. He is the co-founder of Youth for Change (YFC), which is a global youth led organisation that works in partnership with organisations and governments to tackle gender-based violence and to create positive change. You will also be inspired by Alexia Hilbertidou, who is inspiring young women in New Zealand to become leaders in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (also known as STEM), leadership and entrepreneurship.

In the Green Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, I chatted with YouTuber Caspar Lee, Nicola Adams OBE and some more of the Queens Young Leaders themselves.

The young people dedicated to changing the world received a Queen’s Young Leader Award from Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace. This year’s group of Award winners are from 38 Commonwealth countries and work across a wide range of issues and are finding solutions to global issues such as climate change, food scarcity, gender-based violence, mental health, and access to education.

Now in its fourth and final year, the Programme has created a powerful network of 240 Award winners who have incredible leadership potential and passion to make the world a better place.

The now complete Queen’s Young Leaders network is a lasting legacy to Her Majesty The Queen, as they connect, collaborate and continue to change lives for years to come.

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#135 Adam Kay: This Is What Being A Junior Doctor Is Like

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 09:40:37 GMT

Adam Kay is a best-selling and award-winning author, script writer and performer.

We recorded this episode as part of Independent Book Shop Week in Lutyens & Rubenstein in Notting Hill to a live audience, thanks to everyone who came along!

He writes extensively for TV and film. He is author of the number one bestselling and multi-award-winning book "This is Going to Hurt", about his former career as a junior doctor, which was an instant Sunday Times number one bestseller, topping the charts for five months. It has been translated into 20 languages.

Adam first achieved success as frontman of Amateur Transplants, with 20 million hits (including the iconic London Underground Song), and as a solo performer has had multiple sell-out Edinburgh Fringe and West End seasons as well as sell-out international tours.

Hope you enjoy this episode!

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#134 Esther Perel: On Being A Therapist and Modern Relationships

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 13:16:43 GMT

My guest today is Esther Perel, a psychotherapist of 35 years, and New York Times bestselling author.

Esther Perel is recognised as one of today’s most insightful and original voices on modern relationships. Fluent in nine languages, she has a therapy practice in New York City and is an consultant for Fortune 500 companies around the world. Her celebrated TED talks have garnered more than 20 million views and her international bestseller Mating in Captivity which became a global phenomenon translated into 25 languages. Her newest book The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity (HarperCollins) is also a New York Times bestseller . Esther is also an exec producer and host of the popular podcast Where Should We Begin? It is an incredible podcast where you can listen into live therapy sessions. Learn more at EstherPerel.com or by following @EstherPerelOfficial on Instagram.

Favourite quotes from the episode:

"Today you don't choose between 2 people in the village, or 6 people at school, you choose between 1,000 at your fingertips. That swiping culture gives you a dizzying level of options."

"How do I know I've found ~the one~? You're going to delete your dating apps."

"The burdens of the self have never been heavier. Today all the big decisions are on us."

"Friendship is one of the most beautiful relationships. You cannot be friends with someone that isn't friends with you. You can love someone who doesn't love you back, but friendship is a reciprocal relationship."

"We can't only use longevity in relationships as a marker of success."

On her podcast Where Do We Begin: "It's so raw and intimidate, it's almost scary."

On giving advice to friends: "What works for me, might not be what works for you."

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#133: The Slumflower and Louise Troen: On Carving Your Own Path

Thu, 14 Jun 2018 15:14:50 GMT

This is a special live episode recording live at Waterstones Tottenham Court Road as part of my Multi-Hyphen Method book tour.

I spoke to the amazing Chidera Eggerue aka The Slumflower, author of WHAT A TIME TO BE ALONE, viral sensation and inspirational speaker who makes the Internet a better place. We were also joined by Louise Troen, VP of International marketing at Bumble (one of the sponsors of my UK book tour!)

In this episode, I discuss topics from my book The Multi-Hyphen Method - we discuss confidence, self-promotion, new definitions of success, creativity in the workplace, flexi-hours and how to foster diverse thought at work. I absolutely loved recording this episode, and hope you enjoy listening!

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#132 Abbie Bergstrom: I Ask My Literary Agent About Her Side Hustles

Sat, 02 Jun 2018 18:52:48 GMT

What's your side-hustle? I chat to my literary agent Abbie Bergstrom (head of Gleam Titles) about her side hustles. I ask Abbie her thoughts on each section of my new book The Multi-Hyphen Method (success, motivation, money, life) as a bonus episode of the podcast. Abbie worked at the publisher Simon & Schuster for 5 years before launching an exciting literary agency called Gleam Titles. Normal author/guest interviews resume next week! The Multi-Hyphen Method is available to buy now.

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#131 Emma Gannon (me!) On My New Book, The Multi-Hyphen Method

Mon, 28 May 2018 04:00:00 GMT

A special one-off episode where I AM THE GUEST on my own podcast! I am interviewed in this episode by my literary agent and head of Gleam Titles, Abigail Bergstrom, about my new book.

We talk about my brand new book The Multi-Hyphen Method: Work less, create more and design your own career.

The first question on the back of my book is: world of work is changing – so how do you keep up?

In this episode we talk about multi-hyphenate careers, the new definitions of success, flexible working, the work-life blend, talking about money, unconventional careers and how to design your own career.

If you’ve been itching to convert your craft into a career, or your side-hustle into a start up, then The Multi-Hyphen Method is for you.

The internet and our phones mean we can work wherever, whenever and allows us to design our own working lives. Forget the outdated stigma of being a jack of all trades, because having many strings to your bow is essential to get ahead in the modern working world. We all have the skills necessary to work less and create more, and The Multi-Hyphen Method is the source of inspiration you need to help you navigate your way towards your own definition of success.

Listen to the podcast below and pre-order the book HERE.

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#130 Sam Conniff Allende: Why We Need To Rewrite The Rules

Fri, 18 May 2018 19:24:15 GMT

Sam Conniff Allende is a multi award-winning serial social entrepreneur, acclaimed public speaker, consultant and author of Be More Pirate.

Be More Pirate (or How To Take On The World and Win) is out now by Penguin Random House and is a manifesto for radical action and change based on the true and untold strategy and success of the Golden Age of Pirates as agents of change, leadership and social innovation.

Sam is a brilliant public speaker on a range of topics and has worked with clients ranging from Netflix to PlayStation, Facebook and Google.

He is on board of Livity, a youth-led creative network and has helped thousands of young people across the world.

In this episode we discuss trusting your instinct, defining success, how success is a mess, why you should break rules and how to take back power into your own hands.

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#129 Louise O'Neill: A Feminist Reimagining Of The Little Mermaid

Sun, 13 May 2018 15:33:44 GMT

This episode is with Louise O'Neill, the award-winning Irish novelist. Louise has written a feminist retelling of The Little Mermaid which has just been published by Scholastic. A spokesperson for the publisher said ofThe Surface Breaks: “Christian Andersen’s dark, original fairy tale is reimagined through a searing feminist lens, with the stunning, scalpel-sharp writing that has won Louise her legions of devoted fans.” In the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, Ariel changes her body to please a man, is at the beck and call of her father and she even has her voice taken away from her. I got to interview Louise O'Neill at Waterstones Piccadilly in May (2018) about the book as part of a live podcast recording. We discussed feminism, writing fantasy literature, her inspirations and why Mermaids are back on trend again.

"It's funny once you become a feminist you can't enjoy any pop culture, everything is fucking ruined"."

On her main character Gaia: "I just wanted to see her as a girl who wanted to take up more space in the world."

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#128 Holly McGlynn: How To Be A Photographer

Fri, 04 May 2018 04:00:00 GMT

Holly McGlynn is an award-winning fashion photographer.

Her clients include Chanel, Mulberry, Louis Vuitton and she's been shortlisted for Irish Fashion Photographer of the Year twice and won a gold medal in the Prix de la Photographie Paris 2015.

We talk about how photography is a competitive industry, how to get into it, how it is a male-dominated industry still, the intimacy of the job and taking someone's picture. There's also lots of honesty in this episode about having a baby and going back to work, especially when you have a very physical job and are self-employed. We also discuss having inclusion riders on your set when working on a project.

Hope you enjoy this episode, don't forget to rate and review!

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#125: Harriet Hall: On Getting A Book Commissioned vs Pitching

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 12:38:44 GMT

Today's guest is Harriet Hall is Stylist's Head of Digital Features and Author of SHE: A Celebration of Renegade Women.

Harri specialises in fashion and feminism, and edits the Stylist Ask a Feminist column. Her book SHE: A Celebration of Renegade Women is available on Amazon and all good books shops. SHE is a love letter to all the women who have thrown out the rulebook and threatened the status quo. It's a toast to the brave, bold and brilliant women who make us proud.

We talk about the process of what happens when an editor commission you to write a book without a literary agent, dealing with trolls and branded feminism.

Hope you enjoy this one!

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#124: Reni Eddo-Lodge (Live at Waterstones) On Boundaries & Owning Your Creative Output

Fri, 13 Apr 2018 13:08:07 GMT

Reni Eddo-Lodge is an award winning journalist, author, and podcaster.

Her debut non-fiction book, Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race was published in summer 2017 to critical acclaim.

She also has a new podcast out which you can find on iTunes! You can listen to it now, it’s called About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge and launched in March 2018.

Her book instantly became a Sunday Times bestseller and won the 2018 Jhalak Prize. It has also been shortlisted for a British Book Award in the category of narrative non-fiction. The book earned a spot on the longlist for the prestigious Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction, and was shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards (non-fiction). It was voted non-fiction book of the year for 2017 by booksellers at both Foyles and Blackwells , and selected by actress Emma Watson as an Our Shared Shelf book pick.

We forgot to reference a few names when quoting, so here they are:

-Reni quoted Malcolm Gladwell "3 people" in the Tipping Point.

-I quoted Lauren Bravo's "quotas analogy are like Invisalyn braces" tweet.

Huge thank you to producers Shola Aleje and Marcus Hessenberg and Mark and Elizabeth from Waterstones Gower St for being amazing.

Enjoy!

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#123 Clover Stroud: On Love, Loss & Memoir

Sun, 08 Apr 2018 13:33:28 GMT

Clover Stroud is a journalist and award-winning author.

We chatted a lot before the episode, I felt like I'd met Clover before. I think that's what happens when you read so much about someone's life in a book. We met at Hodder (our shared publisher) and we really did just jump straight into it from the minute I pressed record. Clover is such an articulate, warm, brilliant person in person. Her unique and beautiful voice shines all the way through her memoir.

Clover’s book The Wild Other is my favourite memoir of last year. A memoir that stays with you with so long afterwards, it is warm, it is sad, it is hopeful.

The book is about Clover Stroud's idyllic childhood in rural country - which was then shattered when Clover was 16 a horrific riding accident left her mother permanently brain-damaged.

The memoir is Clover’s journey to dealing with everything. It’s a memoir of travel and adventure too - travels to Ireland, to the rodeos of Texas and then to Russia's war-torn Caucasus, Clover eventually found her way back home.

The Wild Other is a grippingly honest account of love, loss, family and the healing strength of nature.

“Clover Stroud is a force of nature, and a woman who is fearless in the face of life and death. I loved it." - Elizabeth Gilbert

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#122 Stacey Dooley: On Getting Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Fri, 30 Mar 2018 10:38:45 GMT

Stacey Dooley is one of Britain’s most loved documentary presenters. In her series Stacey Dooley Investigates she has looked at a variety of topics from sex trafficking and underage sex slavery and the dark side of tourism in Thailand and Kenya – all of which have had amazing reviews. In 2015 Stacey presented a BBC3 documentary looking at domestic abuse in the UK in Beaten By My Boyfriend and prime time, three-part series for BBC3 lifting the lid on the global war on drugs culminating in Cannabis Smugglers.

Stacey immersed herself in different groups with extreme ideologies and beliefs in her most recent two part series Brainwashing Stacey Dooley for BBC3 last year and in 2016, Stacey travelled to Syria and presented the critically acclaimed documentary, Stacey Dooley on The Frontline: Gun Girls and ISIS, also for BBC3.

Many of Stacey’s docs have won the title of ‘Most Watched Documentaries’ on BBC iPlayer. And if she doesn't sound busy enough, she also released her debut Sunday Times Bestselling book this year called On the Front Line with the Women Who Fight Back which documents just some of the amazing women she’s encountered in the past ten years of her career. We talk about the book and her career making documentaries in this episode. Love this episode! I fell even more in love with Stacey and you will too.

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#121 BONUS episode: Discussing The First Ever Contraceptive App

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 10:38:35 GMT

Today's guest is Elina Berglund, a particle physicist and app entrepreneur.

She was part of the Nobel Prize-winning team that discovered Higgs Boson particle, an amazing achievement. After that, she left her job to co-found and develop the NaturalCycles algorithm and app - a prototype she had already been using herself.

I've been quite intrigued by Natural Cycles "the first ever contraceptive app" and wanted to interview Elina for the podcast all inventing an algorithm and also being a scientist. I haven't used the app myself, but the link between contraception and tech got me very intrigued.

Natural Cycles is the only certified contraceptive app personalised with data from your unique cycle. It has has been certified in the EU to be marketed as a contraceptive device like the pill or the coil.

You measure your temperature first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. This reading is an indirect measure of your hormone levels and the information the app needs to effectively analyse your cycle and calculate your red or green day.

Natural Cycles is backed by a unique algorithm that takes your temperature and many other factors like sperm survival, temperature fluctuations and cycle irregularities into account. It not only detects ovulation, fertility and the different stages of your cycle, it also calculates accurate predictions for upcoming cycles. It has been clinically tested to be highly accurate in detecting and predicting ovulation.

Just worth keeping in mind that Natural Cycles does not protect against Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in any way.

Hope you enjoy the episode! As Elina is based in Sweden, this episode is over the phone.

*This bonus episode is in collaboration with Natural Cycles*

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#120 Trinny Woodall: Fashion, Instagram & Career Chapters

Sun, 25 Mar 2018 04:00:00 GMT

My guest today is Trinny Woodall, author, fashion advisor and beauty entrepreneur.

You may know her from the hugely popular Trinny and Susannah makeover days. Her and Susannah met in 1994 and wrote a weekly fashion column for The Daily Telegraph. This led to the launch of their own fashion-advice business and first book.

They were then commissioned by the BBC to host What Not to Wear in 2001. The following year they released their second book with the same name as the show What Not to Wear. In total they co-wrote eleven style advice books, many of which became hugely successfully best-sellers in the UK and America.

They co-hosted What Not to Wear for five series and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show as style and make-over advisors, Trinny still makes regular appearances on ITV’s This Morning show as their fashion style expert.

In this episode we talk about the launch of her Trinny London make-up range, her new Facebook show, how your career can move in cycles, and why she doesn’t do sponsored posts.

(ps. I am loving the Trinny London make-up, they come in little metal pots that you can stack together and it’s super simple. If you’re a fan of Glossier, you’ll really like Trinny’s range. It’s creamy, effective and easy to use. I love it because I can use it quickly when I’m running late!)

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#119: Charly Cox, Serena Guen, Lucia Wood: How To Survive & Thrive In The Creative Industry (Recorded Live in Jigsaw's Piccadilly Store)

Fri, 23 Mar 2018 13:07:59 GMT

This is a live recorded one-off episode, hosted in Jigsaw's London Piccadilly store, all about working in the creativity industries from the perspectives of three generations of creative women. I invited Charly Cox (poet, Gen Z), Serena Guen (founder of Suitcase, Millennial) and Lucia White (Head of design at Jigsaw, Gen X) to talk abut the highs, lows and lessons of getting paid to be creative.

This month, Jigsaw is launching their “creativity doesn’t discriminate” campaign, to champion women leaders in the creativity industry, through film, photography, prose and art. Government statistics show that women are still under-represented in the creative industries in the UK - there's never been a more important time to champion creative women.

In collaboration with Kodak, Jigsaw are re-launching a 125 year-old campaign – Kodak Girl – into the modern era to celebrate new creative talent. The collaboration - now called Kodak Woman (she has grown up!) - will be supported by a capsule collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts.

Check out Jigsaw's blog, where they are showcasing young female talent across the UK: https://www.jigsaw-online.com/blog

Thanks to those who came along to listen to this special in-store recording, shopped, and had prossecco!

Here are some things we spoke about:

- How does social media impact our creativity?

- How can a branded campaign stand the test of time?

- How do you deal with people who don't believe in you?

- How can we make money and still remain creatively pure?

- How can be help the younger generations to get into the creative industry?

- How commercially-minded do you want to be?

- How do you switch off from an all-encompassing creative role?

*This was event was in partnership with Jigsaw*

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#118: Ava Duvernay: It's Never Too Late To Change Career

Sun, 18 Mar 2018 05:00:00 GMT

Ava Duvernay is an Oscar-nominated film director. Ava made her feature film debut with the documentary This in the Life (2008), a history on the hip hop movement in Los Angeles in the 1990's. This was followed by series of television music documentaries and her first narrative feature film, I Will Follow (2010), secured her the African-American Film Critics Association award for best screenplay. Her follow-up, Middle of Nowhere (2012) won the Best Director Prize at the 2012 Sundance film festival, making her the first African-American woman to receive the award.

Fast forward to the last few years, she is best know for her work directing Selma (2014), Ava was the first black female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award. With Selma, she was also the first black female director to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2017, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for her film 13th

Her latest film, out now, is the 2018 fantasy film A Wrinkle in Time, which has a mega cast of Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Oprah, and had a budget exceeding $100 million. She is amazing. I hope you love this episode as much as I do.

Some of the favourite quotes from the episode:

“I didn’t pick up a camera until I was 32 years old.”

“I had made 13th and I had made Selma, and that was really dark subject matter, and just to make something about lightness and joy and black girls flying, and designing talking flowers, brought me joy.”

“What do we treat each other so poorly? How broken are we?”

“I reject the word workaholic. I work all the time but I love what i do, and to not do it would make me less happy.”

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#117: Jerico Mandybur: On Working At Girlboss Media, Imposter Syndrome & Astrology

Sat, 10 Mar 2018 06:03:00 GMT

Jerico Mandybur is the editorial director at GIRLBOSS MEDIA. We recorded it in LA in the GIRLBOSS offices. You might have read the book GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso (the original founder of Nasty Gal) which was a New York Times bestseller in 2014. Jerico is currently the editorial director of Girlboss media.

I had the best time in LA! thank you to Air New Zealand for my flight and Visit California for the most amazing trip. There's lots of content going on my site in the next few weeks.

So back to Girlboss Media - it was founded for women redefining success on their own terms. It was also founded by Sophia Amoruso. Girlboss Media was born from the Girlboss book that inspired a generation of women to take action in their own lives.

We talk about Jerico's career journey up to now: she previously held senior positions at sites like Mashable (a huge online tech magazine), Oyster Magazine, MTV and ASOS.

Jerico also hosts of the podcast Self Service, and weekly guest on Girlboss Radio. Self Service is the second show to launch on Girlboss Radio. It’s described as your cosmic comfort zone where self-care is celebrated, they get real about emotions, have thoughtful, funny conversations, and astrology is discussed in a fun way.

We have a great chat about podcasting, work, astrology and imposter syndrome.

Fave quotes from the episode:

“I think there’s a huge tradition in Western Culture of dismissing anything that goes against materialist rationalist White Male Thought.”

“We really want to give equal weight to work and wellness.”

“Why hustle if you feel like shit? You need to feel good, to do good.”

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#116 Dawn O'Porter: On Not Following The Herd

Sat, 03 Mar 2018 16:48:36 GMT

Dawn O'Porter is a novelist, columnist and broadcaster who lives in Los Angeles with her husband Chris, two songs, cat Lilu and dog Potato. She has made numerous documentaries about all sorts of things: polygamy, childbirth, Geisha, body image, breast cancer and even the movie Dirty Dancing. She is the critically acclaimed author of Paper Aeroplanes and Goose and The Sunday Times Bestseller The Cows.

Dawn helped launch ‘Help Refugees’ in 2015, a charity that sends urgent care to refugees across Europe. She is also the host of ‘Get It On’, a weekly podcast where she interviews interesting people about why they wear what they wear.

The Cows is a powerful novel about three women – judging each other, but also themselves. In all the noise of modern life, they need to find their own voice. Tara, Cam and Stella are strangers living their own lives as best they can – though when society’s screaming you should live life one way, it can be hard to like what you see in the mirror.

When an extraordinary event ties invisible bonds of friendship between them, one woman’s catastrophe becomes another’s inspiration, and a life lesson to all. The book is all about how it’s sometimes OK to not follow the herd.

In this episode we talk about writing novels, motherhood, growing up, the power of quitting and the importance of knowing yourself the best out of everyone.

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#114 Gina Martin: On Changing The Law On Upskirting

Sat, 24 Feb 2018 06:00:00 GMT

Gina Martin is a writer and activist in London and currently campaigning to change the law around "upskirting", the act of someone taking a photo up someone's skirt.

Gina recently partnered with Refinery 29 UK and created the hashtag #stopskirtingtheissue. In a nutshell, Gina was watching The Killers perform at a music festival last summer, when two guys kept hitting on her and wouldn't take no for an answer. After this happened and after she told the police, she later learned that taking pictures up skirts is not legally classed as a sexual offence under UK law.

Taken from Refinery29UK: "Martin threw herself into research and found out that there is no specific legislation against upskirting. Upskirting is already illegal in Scotland after the law was changed by the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. But, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003—a law which pertains to the whole UK—upskirting is not considered a sexual offence."

In this episode we discuss how to start a campaign from scratch, the power spreading the word on social media, small acts of activism and how the people around you really matter.

A favourite quote from this episode: “I can sound pushy, I can sound bossy, I can sound like I’m being cheeky, but at the end of the day I’m trying to change the law.”

If you were inspired by this episode PLEASE do sign the petition to make this illegal under the Sexual Offences Act of 2003: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/en-gb/takeaction/887/239/401/

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#113: Greta Gerwig: On Being a Multi-Hyphenate

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 01:45:54 GMT

I know I say “exciting episode” every week but this really is. I’ve been a huge fan of Greta Gerwig for years. I fell in love with her in the film Frances Ha, 20th Century Women, Mistress America and her brilliant supporting role in Jackie. Now she's nominated for an Oscar for her amazing directorial debut called Ladybird. I saw Ladybird last year at a special press screening and cried and laughed and loved it. Universal then asked if I wanted to interview Greta for my podcast and honestly, I nearly cried again when I got the email. I love her! Ladybird is a comedy-drama written and directed by Greta with a seriously amazing cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein. Set in Sacramento, California, it is a coming-of-age story of a high-school senior played by Saoirse and her turbulent relationship with her mother. The story of female friendship is also really lovely throughout.

Go and see LADYBIRD! It’s out in the UK now.

Favourite quotes from the episode:

“I do not want to perpetuate the myth that I’m a superior being. I do not have gifts outside of the realm of a normal ability to work. I’m super distractible, I can be really lazy."

“The older you get, the better you feel.”

"I'm not on social media. I was told ‘You have to get on Twitter for your career’."

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#112 Emily Hill: Anti-Valentine's Episode: On Being Single & Crowdfunding

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 01:49:51 GMT

Emily Hill is journalist and author of Bad Romance. In 2016, she was the commissioning editor at The Spectator. Last August, she was responsible for the magazine’s first ever all-female cover. She has written comment for The Guardian, books reviews for the New Statesman and features for the Mail on Sunday, as well as gathering gossip for the Evening Standard and profiling cult figures for Dazed & Confused. Emily is also a collage artist and she gave me a beautiful collage when we met to record the podcast!

This is going live around Valentine's Day and I wanted to dedicate it to talking about being single and what that means right now. Bridget Jones seems outdated and a bit patronising at times, and she ends up with the man in the end, like most literature and film.

Emily's book Bad Romance is dark, funny and feminist debut short story collection and I totally loved it. They tell of defiant single women in all shapes and sizes - of career girls, sisters, mothers and lovers, battling through sleepless nights, never-ending parties, grotesque flat shares and office nightmares.

These are super-short stories, ideal for anyone on the run who wants to be distracted from the daily commute by plunging into a vivid fictional world. This is a collection made for snatched moments – to be flicked through between deadlines, scrolled through in the bus queue on the screen of a smartphone, devoured along with lunch. Or, like a classic bedtime story, finished in that precious time between putting on pyjamas and collapsing into sleep. Each comic vignette may be read fast but will linger long in the mind.

This is a book for fans of Roald Dahl, Saki, Fleabag and Sex in the City.

We talk about writing, getting your confidence back (Emily was rejected by lots of literary agents at the beginning) and why getting married or getting engaged aren't necessarily the only big achievements that need celebrating, lots of other parts of our lives deserve parties too.

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#111 Kate Leaver: Moving Cities & Moving On (LIVE Episode at Soho Hotel)

Mon, 05 Feb 2018 20:58:22 GMT

Welcome to a bonus episode of Ctrl Alt Delete, recorded live at the Soho Hotel after a screening of Home Again, a film with the amazing Reese Witherspoon playing the main character Alice Kinney. Recently separated from her husband, (played by Michael Sheen), Alice decides to start over by moving back to her hometown of Los Angeles with her two young daughters. During a night out on her 40th birthday, Alice meets three aspiring filmmakers who happen to be in need of a place to live. Alice agrees to let the guys stay in her guesthouse temporarily, but the arrangement ends up unfolding in unexpected ways. Alice's unlikely new family and new romance comes to a crashing halt when her ex-husband shows up, suitcase in hand. It's the perfect escapism film, to watch with mates and have a night-in. I also loved how unexpectedly funny it is.

The film was written and directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer and produced by Nancy Meyers (who directed The Holiday and The Intern, both so good). The film is a modern romantic comedy about love, friendship, and the families we create - themes I wanted to explore further on the podcast.

So after the screening, I interviewed my friend and author Kate Leaver, who's book The Friendship Cure comes out in March. She moved from Sydney to London post-break up and knows a lot about friendship, so I wanted to theme this episode around moving away from home, moving to a new place and starting afresh. Thank you to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for making this live recording happen, and just so you know, the DVD and Blu Ray of Home Again is available now, from Feb 5th! Thank you also to the brilliant Shola Aleje who produced this live episode.

*This episode is sponsored by Sony Pictures at Home*.

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#110 Jayne Hardy: Self-Care, Depression & Recovery

Fri, 02 Feb 2018 12:50:00 GMT

Jayne Hardy is the Founder and CEO of The Blurt Foundation – a Social Enterprise dedicated to helping those affected by depression. She lost most of her twenties to depression. At the height of her illness she was unable to work, leave the house or even undertake the most basic acts of self-care – in her book she talks about how she lost a tooth because she didn’t feel worthy enough to clean them. She has spoken, and written, about her experiences of depression and self-care, on BBC Radio 2, at TEDxBrum, and in publications such as Huffington Post, Grazia, Virgin.com, to name a few - and now her book is out called The Self-Care Project. She won the TalkTalk Digital Hero Award in 2011, and in 2014 was included in Marketing Magazine’s list of Top 10 Digital Mavericks. Jayne has been mentioned as one of 19 inspirational women leading the way in mental health by Rethink as part of their International Women’s Day celebrations. In 2016, Jayne led the viral #whatyoudontsee Social Media campaign.

Hope you find this episode informative - I definitely did talking to Jayne. We talk about self-care, how it can be other word of ‘recovery’ when you are ill. We talk about how to help friends who might be pushing you away, the loneliness epidemic, how to be kinder to yourself, and how dismissing the ~self-care trend~ as being fluffy and self-indulgent is kind of missing the point.

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#109: Jojo Moyes: How To Respond To Failure and Feedback

Thu, 25 Jan 2018 20:00:00 GMT

Jojo Moyes is a novelist, best known for her bestselling book Me Before You. Jojo has been a full time novelist since 2002, before that she was a journalist for 10 years. Her first book Sheltering Rain was published in 2002 Since then she has written a further eleven novels, all of which have been widely critically acclaimed. Jojo has won the Romantic Novelist’s Award twice, and Me Before You has been nominated for Book of the Year at the UK Galaxy Book Awards. Me Before You has since gone on to sell over 8 million copies worldwide. The film adaptation of Me Before You starring Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games) and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) was released in June 2016 and was a huge box-office success. The screenplay was written by Jojo. We spoke about dealing with rejected manuscripts, changing jobs, her new book Still Me, the power of listening to feedback and the excitement of being on a film set when you wrote the main characters.

Favourite quotes from this episode:

“My publishing career was in such a perilous state at that point I just wanted a book that sold enough for me to keep going as a writer.”

“You can only do so much as an author, so much of it depends on timing, it depends on retailers, it depends on whether people like the cover, it can be a million different factors that you have no control over.”

“It’s not about how you fail, it’s about how you respond to that failure.”

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#108 Anna Hart: On Travel, Writing & Self-Discovery

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 13:59:00 GMT

This episode of Ctrl Alt Delete is all about travel and self-discovery. Anna Hart is my guest today, who is one of my favourite travel writers, and she has just written a book called Departures. Anna Hart writes for The Telegraph, Grazia, GQ, The Guardian and Conde Nast Traveller, Sunday Times Travel and is contributing travel editor of Stylist magazine. Her book Departures, is published by Little Brown this year exploring the world as a traveller, drawing on 10 years experience of travel writing, and she writes about the highs and lows travelling alone as a woman, showing that even the experts get it wrong (sometimes) and advice on how to get it right. I love this episode. We talk about the importance of unfiltered, non-airbrushed travel stories in a world of glossy travel on Instagram. The truth is travel arrangements can go horribly wrong, things might not go to plan, it can be scary on your own, especially a young woman with a backpack. We talk about the responsibility in only promoting brilliant places: "there's a special place in hell for people that send readers on the wrong holidays". How she wrote her book on paper, to get away from a screen, tips for overcoming travel anxiety if you're a nervous flyer and why luxury is NOT everything. I loved this quote from Anna too: "Your career in your 20s is about what you say yes to, your career in your 30s is really about what you say no to." Hope you ENJOY!

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#107: Lucy Sheridan: How To Stop Comparing And Despairing Online

Fri, 22 Dec 2017 05:00:00 GMT

Lucy Sheridan is the World's first and only "Comparison Coach". She came on the podcast last year to talk about a book she co-authored with fellow lifecoach Jo Westwood. This time, we discuss the dreaded act on social media comparison in all it's ugliness.

Lucy is a Hay House author and life coach who specialises in her helping her clients get over the compare and despair that can be heightened via social media. She uses the #comparisonfree hashtag online spreading awareness of how to find the tools to live a comparison free life. She coaches her clients with unique, specialist coaching experiences and events. The Times' calls Lucy "one of the UK's most successful coaches", she was also recently listed in the Sunday Times Style in an article called "Meet The New Wellbeing Coaches", and she’s been featured on Oprah's 'Life Class' series multiple times.

I wanted to release this episode about comparison around Christmas time as I think it's a time when we have more time to play around online and maybe part of that means looking at what other people are doing, imagining their perfect lives and scrutinising ourselves. In this episode Lucy and I discuss what our own personal comparison triggers are, what to do when *you're* the trigger for someone else's comparison, online mental health, and setting your own personal and professional boundaries. I’m proud to be sharing this very honest episode on comparison, and I hope you enjoy it!

You can find Lucy Sheridan here http://www.proofcoaching.com/ or on Instagram @lucysheridan.

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#105: Tom Chatfield: How To Spot Bullsh*t

Sat, 02 Dec 2017 15:52:00 GMT

Tom Chatfield is a leading writer, thinker and speak on technology and digital culture. We sat on a panel together a few years back and I loved what he had to say. He’s consulted for firms ranging from Google, Coca Cola to Time Out, he is interested in improving our experiences of digital culture, with a special interest in A.I., the psychology of human-machine interactions and the ethics of tech.

He’s a TED Global speaker (with ver 1 million of his talk “7 Ways Games Reward the Brain”) and a prolific author. Tom’s 7th book CRITICAL THINKING has just come out with Sage publishing and it's a brilliant book full of tools on how to think more clearly in this age of digital overwhelm. He is a columnist for BBC’s worldwide technology site and BBC Future and guest lectures at universities in the UK and all over Europe. He has written for the Financial Times, Guardian, Observer, Independent, Sunday Times, New Statesman, New Scientist and Wired. He took his doctorate at St John’s College, Oxford, and was named one of the world’s 100 leading thinkers by think tank LSDP. He knows his stuff. We talk about the word ‘expert’ and what that actually means, how to sniff out bullshit online, the future of tech and how to deal with incessant emails. Hope you enjoy this one.

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#104 Lauren Laverne: On The Joy & Intimacy Of Audio

Thu, 23 Nov 2017 04:00:00 GMT

So excited to have Lauren Laverne on the podcast today! Lauren Laverne is a radio DJ, television presenter, author and co-founder of the award-winning digital platform The Pool. She has presented TV shows including 10 O'Clock Live for Channel 4, and The Culture Show and coverage of the Glastonbury Festival for the BBC. She currently presents a radio show on BBC Radio 6 Music and also Late Night Woman's Hour. We discuss the fact that Late Night Woman's Hour podcast has it's own dedicated podcast (very exciting), why she started the award-winning digital platform The Pool, some advice for young women, the evolution of audio, the joy of radio and why privacy matters in the social media age.

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#103 Why Is Talking About Money So Awkward? (Live Podcast at Starling Bank)

Wed, 15 Nov 2017 15:04:00 GMT

I did a live podcast recording of Ctrl Alt Delete at Starling Bank offices where we spoke about the awkwardness of money and the taboo that surrounds it. How often do you check your bank account? What keeps you up at night? Why don't we talk about these things?

It's a weird, emotional, vulnerable topic. We all have our own personal relationship with money and we all keep a lot hidden in the depths of our own minds. For this very special one-off live recording of Ctrl Alt Delete, hosted at Starling Bank offices, I wanted the whole episode to be around this topic and open up a wider conversation.

We spoke about all sorts of different areas of money awkwardness: asking for it, not having it, having a lot of it, social sitchs when you have more than your friends, or less than your partner, or wanting a raise at work, or saving for a child, or late-night worries in bed and wtf is an ISA and oh shit moments when you realise you don't have a pension. We covered a lot and the aim of the night wasn't to financially advise but to get us simply *talking* about money in an open non-awk way. Sarah who works at Starling shows her colleagues her bank balance most days as they work on the live app. That level of transparency scares me, but I also want to be more open, with myself and others.

The panelists for this event were Michelle Kennedy from Peanut app, Serena Guen the founder of SUITCASE, Otegha Uwagba founder of Women Who and best-selling author of The Little Black Book and Sarah Guha from Starling Bank. Thank you to my amazing panellists for for wearing your hearts on your sleeve for the recording. Think it was the most vulnerable live recording I've personally done. And the questions from the audience were ace. And thank you to those that came and people who listen to the podcast. I started it at home with minimal DIY tools and so to partner with brands I respect and admire is just amazing. I frigging love this community.

PHOTO CREDIT: Marcus Hessenberg / Audio producer: Shola Aleje

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#102 June Sarpong: How To Diversify Your Life

Sun, 12 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Welcome to my exciting episode with the incredible June Sarpong. We discuss her new book Diversify backstage at Stylist Live. I've wanted to meet June for ages, so this is a VERY exciting episode! June has enjoyed a 20-year career which has already seen her become one of the most recognisable faces of British television, as well as being one of the UK’s most intelligent and dynamic young hosts. June has also taken on the world’s most challenging live audiences, hosting 2005’s major Make Poverty History event in London’s Trafalgar Square and presenting at the UK leg of Live Earth in 2007. In 2008 alongside Will Smith she also hosted Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday celebrations in front of 30,000 people in London’s Hyde Park.

June has worked extensively with HRH Prince Charles for ten years as an ambassador for his charity the Prince's Trust. June was awarded an MBE on the Queens 2007 new years honours list for her services to broadcasting and charity, making her along with Princess Anne’s daughter Zarah Phillips one of the youngest people to receive an MBE.

We talk about how to lead a more inclusive lifestyle, why it's important to have difficult conversations and how to get out of your own 'bubble'. Hope you enjoy this episode!

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#101 Hannah Jewell: A Nasty Woman Special

Mon, 06 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Hannah Jewell is a pop culture host at The Washington Post, and a former senior writer at BuzzFeed, where she became known for her humour writing - she presented BuzzFeed's live 2016 election night show, which was watched by nearly 7 million people.

She has also now written a book called 100 Nasty Women of History. All about brilliant, badass and completely fearless women everyone should know.

The book is about women in history who were deemed too nasty for their times. When you learn about (the very few) women in history, it's hard not to wonder: why do they seem so prim and proper? The truth is, (mostly male) historians keep glossing over the real details, or leaving out the women who threatened their idea of what a woman should be like. They’re intelligent, ahead of their time, some overthrew empires, and some just wanted to have a good time – obviously none of which were acceptable at the time.

It’s sort of history the way you’d tell it to your friends at the pub – full of the salacious, the mind boggling and downright brutal happenings, as well as plenty of modern day judgement.

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#100: A Special 100th Episode Rewind

Sun, 29 Oct 2017 16:51:00 GMT

Today my 100th episode has gone live! That’s 100 guests, 100 locations, 100 different topics, over 1 million downloads and whole load of listening, from me as the host, and listeners all around the world. I think this calls for a digital celebration and some trip-down-memory-lane reflection. I wasn’t really going to do anything for my 100th episode, until I realised that no-one is responsible for shouting about anything for you – it’s up to you! If you want to say “WOO HOO” about something then do it. And hey, that’s what having a blog is for. This 100th episode is a compilation-style medley of some of my favourite interviews and some behind-the-scenes chat in between each clip about what I’ve learned and enjoyed along the way, including snippets from Lena Dunham, Gillian Anderson, Will Young, Deborah Frances-White and Nimko Ali.

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#99 Will Storr: Selfies, Self-esteem & Our Environment

Sat, 21 Oct 2017 17:10:47 GMT

This episode is with Will Storr, journalist and author of many books including his most recent work of non-fiction called SELFIE. We talk about his new book Selfie: how we became so self-obsessed and what it’s doing to us. He unpicks our society’s longing for self-esteem and where this came from – and how we are products of our own environment. Why do we have to be confident extroverts to be successful? Truth is, we don’t. He writes that the perfect self is propaganda and doesn’t actually exist. It’s rather liberating to hear Will’s thoughts on how you don’t have to be the person the media wants you be. We also chatted a bit about the future of work, we have a friendly conversational debate and seeing it from each other’s perspectives. We live in a world where people are so one-sided most of the time, and Will gives some tips at the end on how to spot if you are holding an idea too sacred and how to be more self-aware. Hope you enjoy this one!

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#98 Anne Boden: Money Isn't A Taboo Subject

Sat, 14 Oct 2017 11:22:47 GMT

Today’s episode is with Anne Boden, CEO of Starling Bank. I’m proud to have partnered with Starling to talk more about money, a topic I don't think we talk enough about. Starling is a mobile-only bank, and they believe everyone should be able to enjoy a healthy financial life. I love that Starling is spear-headed by a woman and Anne’s passion for helping me manage their money better. I feel its important we talk about money more, especially when pay gaps still exist and money is such an emotional subject that is often felt like a taboo. I am working with Starling on some exciting things coming up - keep an eye on my Twitter or Instagram for more news. You can get it on Android and Apple and just visit Starlingbank.com for more info and to download it. Can I also recommend their blog post called Women in Finance Charter talking all about how to get more women into senior tech positions. As CEO Anne overseas everything at Starling. After graduating in computer science and chemistry, she started her career at Lloyds Bank, where she helped implement the UK’s first real-time payments system. She worked at UBS, before becoming Head of EMEA for RBS across 34 countries. After the financial crisis, Anne spoke to people around the world about the changes in banking and technology and works to find solutions to the restrictions still imposed by outdated technology. in 2014 Starling was founded and Anne’s vision for Starling is to build the best bank account in the world.

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#97 Viv Groskop: Even Tolstoy Got Trolled

Fri, 06 Oct 2017 19:07:57 GMT

Viv Groskop is a writer, broadcaster and stand-up comedian. Viv’s brand new 2017 show ANCHORWOMAN: WHEN THE NEWS GETS TOO MUCH was performed at Edinburgh Fringe this year and featured on: BBC R2 and BBC R4. We chat about Viv’s new book, acquired by Penguin The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature. Viv is also a Columnist and agony aunt called Dear Viv at The Pool. She reviews TV for the Guardian and is the author of “stand-up meets mid-life crisis memoir” I Laughed, I Cried. AND she was shortlisted Glamour Woman of the Year: Columnist of the Year 2014, 2015, 2016. We talk about how you shouldn't rush creative projects, how trolling isn’t new, how her new book was in the works for 15 years and how to many projects on the go at the same.

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#96 Rae Earl: "Snowflake" Is A Bullsh*t Word

Wed, 27 Sep 2017 15:45:59 GMT

Rae Earl is a brilliant author. Her books My Mad Fat Diary & My Madder Fatter Diary have been made into a TV show that is shown in over 50 countries worldwide including the USA, Brazil, South Korea & Morocco. My Mad Fat Diary has been nominated for 2 BAFTAS, 2 RTS awards, an international Emmy award and has won 2 MIND Media awards. Her mental heath guide It’s All in Your Head is out now – and it is a hug in a book. Rae has written articles for The Guardian, Marie Claire, Elle, Elle Australia and Sarah Millican’s The Standard Issue online magazine and has featured in The Telegraph, Heat, Grazia and The Times. In this episode with talk about mental health, the term “snowflakes”, how to have an argument online and how to know what to share online.

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#94 Giovanna Fletcher: Motherhood & The Internet

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 14:59:48 GMT

Giovanna Fletcher is a Sunday Times bestselling author, actress and vlogger.

Her first book, Billy and Me was released in May 2013, and a year later she returned with a second title, You’re the One That I Want, in 2014. Then another book in 2015, and another one in 2016! I was so excited to talk to Giovanna about her writing and creative processes and where she gets all her ideas from. We also chatted about friendship, motherhood and living life online as a parent in the public eye. Hope you enjoy this episode. Her podcast Happy Mum Happy Baby is released on September 5th, make sure you subscribe!

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#93 Will Young: On Boundaries & Redefining Success

Sun, 20 Aug 2017 17:01:49 GMT

I’m so excited to bring you this episode with Will Young. Obviously I know Will from his Pop Idol success back in the noughties - I was a fan then and I am now too, but for a different reason: his new podcast with his friend Chris Sweeney called HOMO SAPIENS is brilliant. They describe it as “two gay guys talking to people we think are interesting” and were heavily inspired by BBC's Woman's Hour. Episode 1 was released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the start of decriminalisation of homosexuality. Each weekly episode tackles a diverse mix of LGBTQ+ subjects. Of course we all know Will for his pop classics and right now Will is continuing Summer Jazz Sessions with performances at music festivals and BBC’s I Feel Love concert. He is doing a series of talks about mental health at Latitude, Wilderness and Soul Circus and has an upcoming UK tour of the musical ‘Cabaret’. He's been nominated for an Olivier Award and was also nominated for the Guardian Pride Power List 2017. Subscribe to Homo Sapiens on iTunes or Acast. Hope you enjoy this episode.

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#92 Rebecca Holman: Are you an Alpha or a Beta?

Fri, 11 Aug 2017 10:17:24 GMT

Rebecca Holman is the editor of The Debrief and the author of BETA: Quiet Girls Can Run The World. Rebecca was also my boss when I worked at The Debrief years ago, and so it was nice to catch up with her, especially as she also featured me in her book (which you should all read). Rebecca’s book BETA is published on 24th August '17 and takes a look at the two stereotypes of women in the workplace: the Alpha boss, or the Beta secretary or assistant. Rebecca is self-defined as a straight up Beta and she describes the differences between the two terms on the podcast. Obviously being reduced to two stereotypes isn’t massively helpful and of course there is a sliding scale. What if you’re a Beta who wants to lead and be the boss in the workplace - like Rebecca? Can you be a successful boss who is also quiet, reserved and likes going home on time? BETA celebrates the collaborators and the people who believe that being nice works and getting your own way isn't always the most important thing. It is a call-to-arms that explores the unsung workforce of BETA women who are being great bosses, great leaders and are still living their own lives: having relationships, making time for friends, having families.

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#91 Michelle Kennedy: On Friendship & Motherhood

Mon, 31 Jul 2017 18:08:38 GMT

Michelle Kennedy is the CEO and co-founder of Peanut, an app for Mums who want to make new friends. She started Peanut after struggling to meet other mums she could relate to while also working. After finding herself trawling blogs for baby advice at 2am while her friends were still hanging out in clubs, she decided to create a product to make being a mum a little less lonely. Michelle started her career as a lawyer at leading international law firm, she later joined dating app, Badoo, where she transformed the internal legal offering within Badoo, and eventually rose to the role of Deputy CEO. During her tenure at Badoo, Michelle was integral to the the launch of Bumble. We talk about friendship, motherhood, competitiveness and being kinder to ourselves.

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#90 Lily Cole & Henry Holland: The Problem With Plastic

Mon, 24 Jul 2017 16:10:29 GMT

This is a slightly different episode. I interview artist and activist Lily Cole and British fashion designer Henry Holland and a handful of other people who are all behind BRITA’S #SWAPFORGOOD campaign. This campaign is to raise awareness of the 7.7 billion single-use plastic water bottles that end up in seas and landfill every year and the fact that by 2050 there is a good chance there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Pretty horrifying stats. Henry Holland and BRITA have teamed up to create two powerful slogan tees that were made using plastic that might otherwise have ended up in the sea and landfill. The limited edition t-shirts will be sold on HouseofHolland.co.uk from 20th July, at £30, with profits donated to the Marine Conservation Society (@MCS). In this episode we talk tips on how live more consciously, how plastic waste is harming our planet and how something as simple as having a refillable water bottle means you aren’t just using plastic bottles once and then binning them. Hope you find this episode interesting and maybe even some food for thought.

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#89 Cathy Rentzenbrink: How To Deal With Heartache

Sat, 22 Jul 2017 17:49:42 GMT

Cathy Rentzenbrink is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling memoir The Last Act of Love. She was born in Cornwall, grew up in Yorkshire and she now lives in London, where she works as a writer and journalist. She is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling memoir The Last Act of Love, which was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize and one of my personal favourite memoirs of last year. It tells the story of Cathy and her family coming to terms with a horrific accident involving her younger brother Matty and the heartbreaking aftermath of what happened. It deals with grief, heartbreak, family and the human experience of dealing with something awful that changes your life forever. Her second book is out now, called A Manual for Heartache. It’s taking her experiences told in her first book and giving practical tips to readers. She describes how she learnt to live with grief and loss and find joy in the world again. She explores how to cope with life at its most difficult and overwhelming. It's a book that will help to soothe an aching heart and assure its readers that they're not alone.

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#88 Lucy Vine: Hot Messes vs Cool Girls vs Bridgets Joneses

Wed, 12 Jul 2017 10:03:53 GMT

Lucy Vine is a freelance journalist based in London, who regularly writes and edits for the likes of Grazia, Heat, Cosmo, Stylist and Marie Claire. She also writes a weekly newsy column for Grazia Daily. She was fed up of seeing the happily-ever-afters in films, so she decided to write her own story and her debut Hot Mess is the result. Hot Mess has been described as the hilarious laugh-out-loud Bridget Jones for a new generation. We talk about female friendship, "Cool Girls", being single, external life pressures, turning 30 and the horrors of 21st century dating.

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#87 Matt Haig: Twitter, Time and Mental Health

Sun, 09 Jul 2017 13:35:48 GMT

Matt Haig is a brilliant author who writes for both children and adults. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive was a number one bestseller last year, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children's book A Boy Called Christmas was a huge hit recently, translated in over 25 languages and being made into a film by Studio Canal. The Guardian called it an 'instant classic' and his fans include Neil Gaiman. His novels for adults include the award-winning The Radleys and The Humans. His newest book How To Stop Time is out now - the main protagonist Tom has a secret - he may look like an ordinary forty-one-year-old, but he was born in 1581, this rare condition means he’s been alive for centuries. It’s also being made into a film with Benedict Cumberbatch as Tom - so it’s all been kicking off for Matt Haig, things are very exciting indeed. We talk about his new novel, his relationship with time, how to deal when your memoir is a viral hit and you become a meme, and realistic writing tips.

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#86 Tavi Gevinson: Our Past Online Selves

Sat, 24 Jun 2017 17:00:07 GMT

Excited to bring you today’s episode with the amazing Tavi Gevinson. I’ve followed her career for years, her fashion blog Style Rookie was one of the first blogs I ever read which she founded when she was 11. I also really enjoyed her TED talk she did back in 2012 all about being a teen and figuring stuff out. Tavi Gevinson is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of the Rookie Magazine shifting her focus to pop culture and feminist discussion - it broke one-million page views within five days of launching in September 2011 when she was only 15 years old. She wanted to create a space for teen girls as she "couldn't find a publication for young people that respected its readers' intelligence, honestly addressed what they were going through, and had actual teens writing for it". She has also recently launched the Rookie Podcast in collaboration with MTV where she interviews artists who also answer advice and talk through Rookie type subjects. We chat about growing up online, accepting our past online selves and managing multiple different platforms.

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#85 Otegha Uwagba: How To Build Your Own Brand

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 13:54:57 GMT

Otegha Uwagba is the author of The Little Black Book and founder of Women Who.

Women Who is a London-based platform she created to connect, support and and inspire creative working women. Besides running Women Who, she is also a freelance writer for places like ELLE and an occasional brand consultant, having spent years working at Vice and huge creative agencies.

So in this episode we talk about her first book, Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women which I read last year when she first self-published it on her own. I’m so happy for Otegha that it’s been published this year by the incredible publishers 4th Estate. We talk about design, building your own brand, how to set high standards but how to not let being a perfectionist hold you back.

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#84 Chloe Brotheridge: Let's Talk About Anxiety

Mon, 12 Jun 2017 05:00:00 GMT

Chloe Brotheridge is a fully qualified hypnotherapist, nutritionist and the author of The Anxiety Solution, which was published by Penguin earlier this year. She likes to help people with anxiety, confidence, public speaking, stress and sleep issues, and her hypnotherapy sessions helping make changes to people’s thoughts, feelings, habits or behaviours. She aims to get you the best results in the shortest amount of time, using around 3-5 sessions. In this episode, we discuss how anxiety is on the rise, how we deal with it, what to do when we feel overwhelmed, our relationship with social media and we discuss some of the practical advice in her brilliant book The Anxiety Solution.

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#83 Vanessa Van Edwards (Behavioural Investigator): On First Impressions & How To Be Memorable

Fri, 09 Jun 2017 14:44:44 GMT

Vanessa Van Edwards is an author, Huffington Post columnist and behavioural investigator. Sheconsults Fortune 500 companies and is a professional people watcher—speaking, researching and cracking the code of interesting human behaviour for audiences around the world. Vanessa’s groundbreaking workshops and courses teach individuals how to succeed in business and life by understanding the hidden dynamics of people. She has been featured on the Wall Street Journal, the Today Show, CNN, Fast Company and Forbes. In her own words she loves inappropriately intimate questions and eavesdropping on strangers conversations in coffee shops. she loves to figure people out. Vanessa doesn’t believe there are boring people—just individuals afraid to expose who the really are.

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#82 Reni Eddo-Lodge: Books, Privilege, Feminism & Structural Racism

Mon, 05 Jun 2017 19:47:58 GMT

Reni Eddo-Lodge is an award winning writer and author of the forthcoming Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race. Her new book Why I'm published by Bloomsbury Books in the UK, Australia & New Zealand on 1st June 2017, and the United States on 5th December 2017. 2015 Man Booker Prize-winner Marlon James writing that it was 'essential'. Her book explores issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, she offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism. It is a searing, illuminating, absolutely necessary exploration of what it is to be a person of colour in Britain today. Her writing can be found at The New York Times, British Vogue, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, Stylist Magazine, The Pool and many more. Her writing achieved a high commendation from Channel 4's Best Young Blogger competition in 2010; she was also listed in the Daily Telegraph’s "Women to Follow on Twitter" in December 2013. In January 2014, The Voice newspaper named her in their list of Ones to Watch. Reni has appeared on Sky News, BBC Radio 4's Woman’s Hour, and BBC Radio 3’s Night Waves, discussing feminist issues. In April 2014, she was a judge in the BBC Woman's Hour Power List 2014.

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#81 Juno Dawson: The Gender Games

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 05:00:00 GMT

Juno Dawson is the multi award-winning author of ten books. In 2014 Juno became a School Role Model for the charity STONEWALL. In 2016, she authored the best-selling World Book Day title: SPOT THE DIFFERENCE. Her latest novel is the beautiful and emotive MARGOT & ME (which came out in January in 2017) and her memoir THE GENDER GAMES is out now. In 2015, Juno announced her intention to undergo gender transition and live as a woman. On the cover of The Gender Games it says "the problem with men and woman - from someone who has been both." This book isn't just about how the conversation around gender is screwing over trans people (which it certainly is), it's messing with everyone. Little girls who are told they can't be doctors, men who can't cry because they feel they shouldn't, exclusionist feminism and the alt-right. Juno is a regular contributor to Attitude Magazine, Glamour Magazine, The Guardian and has been on BBC Woman’s Hour, ITV News, This Morning and Newsnight concerning sexuality, identity and education.

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#80 Sali Hughes: Saying No & Keeping Your Integrity

Sat, 27 May 2017 05:00:00 GMT

Sali Hughes is an author, broadcaster, Guardian columnist and founder of the award-winning salihughesbeauty.com. She is a former magazine editor, has written extensively for Grazia, The Observer, Elle, Stylist, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and is Contributing Editor at Red magazine. She has also written a beauty column for The Guardian for many years. Sali has appeared frequently on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Sky News, BBC2’s Newsnight and This Morning and Lorraine. Her YouTube series of “In The Bathroom With…” interviews won two major beauty industry awards in 2014. Sali’s first book, Pretty Honest: The Straight Talking Beauty Companion, was published in September 2014 by Fourth Estate (Harper Collins) and her second book is called Pretty Iconic: A Personal Look At The Beauty Products That Changed The World. Both are brilliant. We talk beauty and self-care, keeping your integrity, how your career is long so don’t be a dick - and how to cope when social media is too overwhelming to handle sometimes.

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#79 Jen Sincero: Let's Talk About MONEY

Wed, 24 May 2017 06:00:00 GMT

Jen Sincero is a #1 NY Times Bestselling Author, life coach and motivational speaker. She has helped countless people transform their personal and professional lives via her seminars, public appearances and books. Before this, Jen Sincero worked at CBS Records. In her words she “played in several failed rockbands, she had a string of loser boyfriends and never any money in her bank account.” Then she decided something had to change. Jen’s book YOU ARE A BADASS was a No.1 New York Times bestseller staying in the chart for 55 weeks. YOU ARE A BADASS has sold over 1 million copies globally and hit over 10 bestseller lists in 2016. It was published in the UK in autumn 2016 and it immediately sold out 50k copies. You are a Badass at Making Money is the follow up to this crazy successful first book and so this whole episode is about money — our relationship with it, giving our self permission to make money, our fear of it, why it’s still seems like a taboo to talk about it. Hope you enjoy this episode.

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#78 Deborah Frances-White: Guilty Feminists! Include Yourself

Tue, 16 May 2017 05:00:00 GMT

Deborah Frances-White is the host of podcast The Guilty Feminist, a founding member of The Spontaneity Shop, co-author of The Improv Handbook, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, corporate speaker and executive coach and is passionate about helping women in business to unlock their personal power. On May 22nd Deborah is running a Guilty Feminist ‘Include Yourself’ leadership day at Kings Place, where she’ll be encouraging women to learn how to be more visible and audible and have less apology and self-doubt. To buy tickets, go to guiltyfeminist.com and click on "Include Yourself" section. We talk more about it on the podcast as well as Deborah’s extremely interesting multi-faceted career.

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#77 Emily Reynolds: The Internet & Mental Health

Fri, 12 May 2017 16:08:54 GMT

Recorded live at Waterstones, London on May 11th, 2017. Emily Reynolds is a writer and author, based in London, specialising in features and opinion on mental health, tech, science and gender. She has bylines at NY Mag, the Guardian, Times Literary Supplement, New Statesman, BBC and many more. She has appeared on Newstalk, the FiveThirtyEight podcast, Radio 4's Today Programme and Woman's Hour. Her first book, A Beginner's Guide To Losing Your Mind, was released in February 2017. In 2016 she co-founded the Words by Women Awards, the only general UK awards for women journalists. It received thousands of nominations and had press coverage on Radio 4 and in the Telegraph, Guardian, Spectator and more. The Society of Editors formed an advisory group to deal with diversity following the success of the awards.

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#76 Daisy Buchanan Q&A [BONUS]: Femvertising, Freelancing & Feminism

Wed, 03 May 2017 03:15:11 GMT

I interviewed Daisy Buchanan for episode #71 and we also did a Twitter Q&A around her book How To Be A Grown-Up which is out NOW. So, enjoy this bonus extra episode from that interview! We talk about the phrase "real women", femvertising, activism as a trend, male feminism, freelancing advice and more. Daisy Buchanan is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and author. Last year she won the Words by Women Lifestyle Journalist award and Dating Journalist of the Year at the UK Dating Awards. She was Grazia’s agony aunt and is the author of How To Be A Grown Up which is out now with Headline. She writes regularly for the Debrief, Esquire, the Guardian, the Sunday Times and The Telegraph.

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#75 Gemma Cairney (Recorded With Live Audience): Toxic Friends & Heartache

Mon, 24 Apr 2017 06:00:00 GMT

This episode was audio produced by Shola Aleje and Marcus Hessenberg. In this episode, I sat with Gemma Cairney in the basement of Tottenham Court Road Waterstones and we talked about the ups and downs of *life* and all the important themes in Gemma's new book. We discuss how to deal with toxic friendships, how to work professionally with friends, how to deal with life and work "overwhelm", how to create boundaries, GIRL POWER, period leaks, heart-ache and heartbreak, mental health, empathy, anger management, how we can look after our bodies, teens, activism...THE LOT. Hope you enjoy the episode. It was a big open-hearted chat and I loved it.

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#74 Seth Godin: Educating Yourself & False Fear

Mon, 17 Apr 2017 07:10:00 GMT

Seth Godin is a legend. The author of 18 books that have been bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than 35 languages. He is something spreads ideas and writes about marketing, leadership and change. Some of his most well-known books are Linchpin, Tribes, and Purple Cow which I mention on this podcast in conversation. It's a book that has really inspired me - it's all about how to be remarkable and stand out. His blog (which you can find by typing "seth" into Google) is one of the most popular in the world. Seth is well-known in the publishing industry, mainly since launching a series of four books via Kickstarter. The campaign reached its goal after three hours and ended up becoming the most successful book project ever done this way. His newest book, What To Do When It's Your Turn, is already a bestseller. We talk about personal branding, fear, education, making decisions and teaching yourself. I hope you enjoy this episode. He's a real hero of mine.

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#73 Lilly Singh: How To Be A BAWSE

Fri, 14 Apr 2017 17:44:02 GMT

Lilly Singh is an extremely popular and talented entertainer who has found worldwide fame through her YouTube channel which currently has over 11 million subscribers. She has interviewed everyone from Michelle Obama to Bill Gates and makes amazing weekly videos. She was featured in Forbes' 2016 30 Under 30 and in 2016 was named the top earning female YouTuber in the world. Lilly’s book teaches readers how to be their own bawse, a person who exudes confidence and reaches goals. Inspired by hilarious and honest stories from Lilly's own experiences and life achievements, this book proves that becoming a bawse requires hard work and dedication – and that there are no shortcuts to success.

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#72 Victoria Magrath (In The Frow): Getting a PHD, Brands & YouTube

Sun, 09 Apr 2017 21:30:00 GMT

Victoria is one of the top bloggers and YouTubers in the luxury fashion space - her blog In The Frow is an award-winning blog which has a huge global audience. Victoria has a PHD in fashion, started her career as a Fashion Marketing Lecturer at the University of Manchester and is now a L’Oreal Paris hair ambassador. She was also in a huge Princes Trust L’Oreal campaign alongside people such as Helen Mirren, Katie Piper and Cheryl Cole. In 2016, Victoria was also nominated for a Glamour Woman of the Year Award and won Best UK Fashion Blog in the Vuelio Blog Awards. Victoria has worked with a huge number of established fashion and beauty brands, including Burberry, Dior, Armani, Coach, Clarins, Net-A-Porter, Selfridges. In this episode we break some YouTuber myths, talk work life balance, self doubt and how having your own platform can give you so much opportunity.

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#71 Daisy Buchanan (Author): How To Be A Grown-Up (Or At Least Try)

Wed, 05 Apr 2017 18:25:50 GMT

Daisy Buchanan is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and author. Last year she won the Words by Women Lifestyle Journalist award and Dating Journalist of the Year at the UK Dating Awards. She was Grazia's agony aunt and is the author of How To Be A Grown Up which is out now with Headline. She writes regularly for the Debrief, Esquire, the Guardian, the Sunday Times and The Telegraph. We talk about book writing, jealousy, creating boundaries, why quitting can be a good thing and whether or not any of us ever feel like a grown-up.

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#70 Melissa Hemsley: On Home-Cooking + Meditation

Wed, 29 Mar 2017 15:43:01 GMT

Melissa is a food lover and one half of the Hemsley+Hemsley sisters.She is a cookbook author with a London cafe ‘HEMSLEY + HEMSLEY at Selfridges’ and a Channel 4 TV series that celebrates great ingredients and easy home cooking.Melissa’s new book ‘EAT HAPPY: 30 minute Feelgood Food’ is out Jan 2018 and she is committed to bold, simple, healthy food based around accessible ingredients and innovative recipes that everyone can cook. Melissa is passionate about cutting down on food waste, transforming leftovers and spreading love through food and is proud to have worked with CookforSyria.com, Headtalks.com a place where you can find inspiring talks on mental health and wellbeing and is a judge for the YBFs (Young British Foodies).

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#69 Bryony Gordon: Mental Health & Marathons

Thu, 23 Mar 2017 17:42:51 GMT

Bryony Gordon is a writer and columnist at the Telegraph and a Sunday Times bestselling author of two memoirs, The Wrong Knickers and Mad Girl. The Wrong Knickers came out in 2014, a memoir of "hedonistic antics" during her single life and Mad Girl picked in the most recent Richard and Judy Book Club is an honest account of life living a mental illness specifically OCD. Last year, Bryony founded Mental Health Mates a regular meet-up for people with mental health issues, where they could walk and talk without fear of judgement. It’s grown hugely and is now situated in several locations around the UK and in America. We talk about how running has helped Bryony’s mental health, how she works and writes, what it means to have a book about mental health in mainstream book clubs, and why it’s OK to have bad days, weeks or years sometimes.

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#68 with Lena Dunham: Dealing With Life Online & Offline

Mon, 20 Mar 2017 07:00:00 GMT

I met Lena Dunham in 2014 when I interviewed her for an online magazine about her book and since then we’ve kept in touch. She has been a huge supportive influence, also having generously given me a quote for my book. She needs no introduction really but here it is. It is safe to say she is one of the most successful women in the biz right now. Lena Dunham is a Golden Globe winner, best known for writing, directing, producing and acting in Girls HBO. Her first big break was in 2010, when her film Tiny Furniture and won the South by Southwest Film Festival's best narrative feature award. In 2014 she released her book Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's Learned which went on to be a New York Times Bestseller (no surprises there.) In 2015 she founded the online feminist Lenny Letter with her creative partner Jenni Konner. They have an advertising partnership with Hearst and they now have their own imprint at Penguin Random House. Her podcast Women of the Hour is also one of my favourites which you should definitely go and listen to. She is an outspoken advocate for Planned Parenthood and speaks honestly and openly about her struggles with endometriosis. It was an absolute treat getting to hang out with Lena on a fun sunny Friday morning in London in her hotel room. Love this episode.

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#67 Alice Lowe (Filmmaker) - Recorded at The BFI with a live audience

Fri, 17 Mar 2017 12:25:49 GMT

Alice Lowe is a director, actress and writer, mainly in comedy. She is best known for her roles in the Garth Marenghi series and as the lead and co-writer of the 2012 film Sightseers. Her new film is out NOW (in UK and now America) called Prevenge, a comedy-slasher film about a pregnant woman seeking revenge. Alice appeared in the action comedy film Hot Fuzz, and took a lead role in the 2012 film Sightseers, the third production from director Ben Wheatley. Sightseers was written by Alice with Steve Oram, with additional material by Amy Jump. Alice also had a role in the Edgar Wright-directed film The World’s End. We recorded this podcast at the BFI with a live audience which was so much fun. It’s a little longer than my usual episodes. We LOVED recording it with a crowd and thank you to the BFI for hosting Ctrl Alt Delete.

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#66 Imrie Morgan: Building A Platform For Black British Millennials

Sun, 12 Mar 2017 20:00:00 GMT

Imrie Morgan is the Co-Founder and CEO of the ShoutOut Network and the Co-host of the Melanin Millennials podcast. This podcast is one of the first UK podcasts to be made by and for black British women - it’s been covered by places like The Debrief and Refinery 29 and is expanding into live events and sponsorship with big brands. All the podcasts on the Shout Out next work are hosted by people from underrepresented backgrounds - it now has 5 podcasts on the roster, covering pop-culture, history, books, comedy, philosophy, theatre, film and music and it’s growing. The books podcast is called Mostly Lit and was one of iTunes best podcasts of 2016. I really love and respect what Imrie is doing and wanted to talk to her about how she founded the network, the power of podcasting, the challenges along the way and why it’s so important to have a platform and a voice online.

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#65 Gillian Anderson & Jennifer Nadel: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere

Fri, 10 Mar 2017 13:35:45 GMT

Today's episode is with Gilllian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel. Gillian is an actress, activist and writer, probably best known for her iconic roles in the X Files and The Fall. Jennifer is a qualified barrister who, after reporting for the BBC and Channel 4 News, became ITN’s Home Affairs Editor. She has also written a non-fiction book which was made into a channel 4 documentary and a novel called Pretty Thing. They’ve together written a book called WE: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere. Gillian and Jennifer are two good friends who for the last decade have stumbled along together, figuring stuff out, learning, failing, crying, laughing and trying – WE is a not a big heavy theoretical read but instead a rallying cry to create a life that has greater meaning and purpose. It combines tools which are practical, psychological and spiritual, to find a more fulfilling way of living life. It’s a really wonderful book which lots of advice that I feel the authors are passing on to their selves.

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#64 Elan Mastai: Dystopian Worlds & Winging It

Sat, 04 Mar 2017 20:25:16 GMT

Elan has worked in the film industry for years and is best known for writing the award-winning screenplay for What If? starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan and Adam Driver. All Our Wrong Todays is Elan’s debut novel and the film rights for the adaptation have been secured by Paramount and producer Amy Pascal (who produced the female Ghostbusters). Elan is currently writing the screenplay for film development. So the premise of the book? It’s 2016 and in Tom’s world, technology has solved all of humanity’s problems – there’s no war, no poverty, no under-ripe avocados. Unfortunately, Tom isn’t happy. He’s lost the girl of his dreams. And what do you do when you’re heartbroken and have access to a time machine? Something very stupid indeed. Want to know more - you'll have to buy the book.

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#63 Liv Purvis (Bonus Episode): Comparing and Despairing

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 22:13:21 GMT

Liv is a popular YouTuber, blogger, Instagrammer and is currently nominated for a GLAMOUR Woman Of The Year Award. Her blog ‘What Olivia Did’ has grown into an outlet for everything from personal style, travel, food, music and beauty, as well as interviews with inspiring women who she admires. Mixing ethereal photography with her instinctive style and beautiful attention to detail. Olivia has recently collaborated with Lancôme at the Bafta’s, Boden, Miss Selfridge, Kate Spade, Estee Lauder to name a few and is represented by Storm Models. In this episode we talk about comparing ourselves to other people online and how to deal.

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#61 Tiffanie Darke: Generation X vs Millennials

Wed, 22 Feb 2017 19:00:00 GMT

Tiffanie Darke is someone I've admired for years. She was the editor of Sunday Times Style for 12 years, then the creative content director at News UK. She has a new book that has just come out called "This is 40: whatever happened to Generation X", where she has interviewed some of the most iconic Gen X’ers such as Pearl Lowe, Richard Reed and Blur’s bassist Alex James to look at how Gen X live their life in between being young and old. She's also written two novels - her first novel, MARROW, was shortlisted for the WH Smith Fresh Talent award. In this episode we talk about the myth of "having it all", burn-out, the differences between Gen X and Millennials and how to go after the life you want.

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#60 Grace Victory: On Building Confidence & Staying In Your Own Lane

Mon, 20 Feb 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Grace Victory is an award-winning blogger, YouTuber and TV presenter and soon to be author. She was voted best YouTuber for Cosmopolitan Magazine and was awarded Most Inspiring Role Model by InStyle Magazine. Grace is an inspiration to thousands of young people around the world and hailed as the “most inspiring person on the net” and the “Internet's Big Sister”, being one of the only mainstream fashion and beauty bloggers to cover mental health issues. Last year Grace made her BBC 3 documentary debut called Clean Eating’s Dirty Secrets. The documentary was one of the most watched shows on BBC Three Online, achieving over 1.5 million views. Grace's second documentary for BBC Three, The Cost of Cute: The Dark Side of The Puppy Trade is a hard hitting look at the designer dogs industry. Grace has exclusively presented London Fashion Week and has worked with brands including Clinique, L'Oreal, ASOS, Rimmel and New Look, the list goes on. She speaks about bullying, anxiety and body image and i respect her hugely and her debut book NO FILTER is out with Headline is out July 27th which you can now pre-order.

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#58 Sophie Kinsella - A Not So Perfect Life

Sun, 22 Jan 2017 16:11:52 GMT

Sophie Kinsella is an international bestselling author - she has sold 7 million copies of her books worldwide and is a household name after finding fame with her hugely popular Shopaholic series in 2000. Her novels have been translated into 30 languages and her Shopaholic novels were made into films starring Isla Fisher. Last year, she made her first foray into the YA world with Finding Audrey - which was chosen by Zoella in her WHSmith 2017 book club. Her new book, My Not So Perfect Life is about the way that social media makes us feel. The way we look at other people’s Instagram feeds and think ‘god, their life is perfect’ and comparing ourselves to others and have “perfect” role models on the other side of a computer screen. In this episode we talk about our addiction to social media, Sophie’s writing process, how to find and commit to new ideas and the temptation of online comparison.

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#57 Scarlett Curtis - Collaboration, Campaigning & Taking Action

Wed, 18 Jan 2017 14:08:15 GMT

We talk about campaigning, collaboration and the influence of having parents who are very active in the charity space - the filmmaker Richard Curtis and script-writer Emma Freud - they play a big role in not-for-profit organisations such as Project Everyone and the Global Goals. Although they are many dark corners of the Intenet, we talk about the positives: how communities you create via Internet and blogging can help save your life.Scarlett has launched an initiative recently called Un-Idle Collective. They will be hosting meet ups to discuss political and personal issues affecting the world and this week was the first one, we discussed things such as intersectional feminism, the refugee crisis, sustainability, politics, working parents and lots more. It’s about doing something, however small, and about incorporating activism into your daily life.

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#55 Bridget Minamore (Poet & Journalist) - How Much Would It Cost To Delete Your Twitter Account?

Mon, 09 Jan 2017 14:56:28 GMT

Bridget Minamore is a writer. She has written for the Guardian, The Pool, The Debrief, Pitchfork and others. She writes about pop culture, race, and feminism – and the intersections between them. She is part of the creative team behind Brainchild Festival and works with the charity My Body Back, a project to empower women who have experienced sexual violence. She also a poet and runs poetry workshops – mostly for young people – around the UK. Her poetry book called ‘Titanic‘ came out last year. She has worked with the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House, and read her poems at places including the Roundhouse, Latitude Festival, the Bristol Old Vic and the Southbank Centre. She was chosen as one of The Hospital Club’s Emerging Creatives in 2015. We talk about pitching ourselves, using Twitter to further your career, changing your mind and the importance of forgiving yourself. The title of this episode "How Much Would It Cost To Delete Your Twitter Account?" is inspired by a tweet from @NotAgainBen.

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#54 Laura Dockrill (Poet & Author) - You Don’t Have To Be One Thing

Mon, 02 Jan 2017 11:43:55 GMT

Laura Dockrill is a performance poet, author, illustrator and short story writer. She is the author of the Darcy Burdock series and a YA novel, Lorali with a follow up book coming out this year. She has also written a number of adult poetry collections. "My Mum is a Grown Down" is her first poetry collection for children about a wild, hysterical and hilarious Mum, which is coming in July this year. The Independent calls her “A poet for the iPod generation” and Red magazine's “literary girl crush”. We met up at the Hoxton Hotel, lay on a bed chatting about creativity, comparison, finding new ideas, writing and being in love with your work.

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#53 Alice Tams (Illustrator) - Birds, Hats & Potential Copycats

Mon, 19 Dec 2016 16:07:06 GMT

Alice Tams is a full-time illustrator, running her own business from a studio in London. She is the creator of a popular series of illustrations of birds wearing a variety of hats (#BirdsInHats)- which I have hanging on my bedroom wall, given to me as a present from my boyfriend. You can find her products online at her stop alicetams.com - or in the Etsy shop - and physically at one of her stockists. In December 2013, Alice drew a penguin in a christmas hat and jumper and had used it on a Christmas card. In December 2014, Alice was contacted by several friends that a jumper on sale in supermarket featuring a penguin in a hat and Christmas jumper. They all thought that Alice had licensed her penguin design because it looked identical to Alice’s design. So we talk about this and Alice’s learnings along the way. Hope you enjoy listening to our conversation and follow Alice online @alicetams across most of the social medias.

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#52 Estée Lalonde (YouTuber & Author) - Dealing With Stress & Practicing Self-Care

Mon, 12 Dec 2016 15:06:09 GMT

Estée is a blogger, author and founder of a very successful YouTube channel with over a million subscribers. I enjoy watching her channel for her series FemTalk where she discusses stuff from periods, to sex, to how to stand up for yourself but I also follow her for her beauty expertise. (I’m obsessed with face masks.) Estée has worked with a huge range of brands from Burberry to the Body Shop to Adidas. She recently won InStyle UK's Best Beauty Reviewer Award and was nominated last year for a Glamour Woman Of The Year Award. Earlier this year I interviewed Estée at Waterstones as part of the launch around her book called "Bloom — Navigating Life and Style," which was cool because we had so much to discuss and our books both share the same publisher which is Ebury. Bloom covers everything from moving to a new country, dealing with stress, #girlboss inspirations and learning how to be yourself on and offline.

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#49 Zanna Van Dijk (Fitness Blogger & Author): Business, Body Confidence & Bullying

Tue, 29 Nov 2016 14:48:20 GMT

Zanna is a blogger, fitness model and author with over 130,000 followers on Instagram. She has walked in London Fashion Week and has starred as the face of the Tommy Hilfiger sports capsule collection and the face of the most recent Adidas series of workout videos. She also has her own line of activewear which is available in places like Sports Philosophy and Active in Style. She is the co-founder of the Girl Gains movement a community which brings together hundreds of women at huge events and educates, empowers and inspires them. Her first book STRONG is out in December this year and gives practical advice and solutions on how to live a balanced life. Earlier this year she was on the cover of the Sunday Times Style magazine with an accompanying spread, she’s also been featured as one of Women's Health magazine’s top fitness bloggers and one of Women's Fitness magazines "Ones to watch in 2016".

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#48 Nimko Ali - On Protecting & Empowering Girls and Young Women

Mon, 21 Nov 2016 16:26:14 GMT

Nimko is the co-founder of Daughters of Eve - alongside Leyla Hussein - a non profit organisation, that works to advance and protect the physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health rights of young people from female genital mutilation practising communities. They recognise that (FGM) is a form of gender-based violence. Daughters of Eve believe that young people need to be supported holistically and work with women and girls and give them specialist support. In 2014, Daughters Of Eve received an award at the Red Magazine Woman of the Year awards for their work. They were also placed sixth in the Woman's Hour Power List. We recorded this is quite a busy coffee shop in Notting Hill and Nimko shares a lot about her life and work. We chatted for well over an hour so I’ve split this episode into 2 parts so this is the first part.

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#47 Lucy Sheridan and Jo Westwood (Life Coaches): Talking About Modern Day Spirituality

Mon, 21 Nov 2016 16:15:14 GMT

Lucy Sheridan is the world's first and only 'Comparison Coach' focused on helping millennials go comparison free. She’s appeared on Oprah’s lifeclass to discuss comparison and her work has been featured in Grazia, the Daily Mail, Stella magazine and the Evening Standard and more. Jo Westwood goes by the name The Spirit DJ and she coaches 30-something creatives and change makers who have successful 6 figure+ careers on how to invest in financial, energetic and emotional happiness. Her work has been featured in Psychologies, Look, ES Magazine, The Best You and Women's Health. Together they founded a movement called Higher Selfie which aims to bring spiritually to the digital age. Their book called Higher Selfie came out earlier this year and is a modern guide to love, healing and connection for Gen Y spiritual seekers who have their hearts set on creating a life they love, but are unsure how to do so.

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#46 Catherine Allen & Cherry Healey - Has Social Media Killed Good Conversation?

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 18:56:00 GMT

Today’s guests are Catherine Allen, the CEO of Lyristic and executive producer of No Small Talk and Cherry Healey, TV presenter and documentary maker. No Small Talk is a new kind of virtual reality talk show commissioned by the BBC for millennial women, co-produced by two leading independent VR companies Lyristic and VR City and produced by Dorothea Gibbs and directed by Darren Emerson. This 10 minute episode is designed for viewing on Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR. The first episode has launched now and I’m in it alongside Cherry Healey. It’s a space to explore and discuss the big ideas that underpin our daily lives, and the changing world around us. No Small Talk has been produced with the clear goal of creating a VR experience that is accessible to women. U.S research shows that male VR usage is almost double that of female VR usage (YouView, 2016). It’s live now and it can be found at bbc.co.uk/taster. We talk about technology, virtual reality, being the CEO of your company and art of a good conversation.

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#45 Lliana Bird (Founder of Help Refugees): Social Media And The Refugee Crisis

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 19:39:15 GMT

I interviewed Lliana Bird at Cheltenham Literature Festival in October about her new book alongside Ella Mills (Deliciously Ella) so it was nice to catch up again and chat more about what she's up to. Lliana Bird is a radio presenter, writer, actress and co-founder of Help Refugees, currently presenting the Friday and Saturday evening shows on Radio X. She has also previously contributed to Capital Radio, Virgin Radio, and the BBC Local Radio service. Lliana also presents a weekly podcast entitled Geek Chic's Weird Science which was selected as iTunes Best of 2014. This year she released a book, The Mice Who Sing for Sex with podcast co-host Dr Jack. Lliana co-founded Help Refugees, a charity providing aid to refugees across Europe and beyond which is the most incredible organisation and we chat lots more about it on the podcast.

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#44 Anna Whitehouse (Founder of Mother Pukka) - How To Parent The Sh*t Out Of Life

Fri, 04 Nov 2016 02:16:00 GMT

Anna Whitehouse is a journalist, editor and founder of the brilliant Mother Pukka empire. MotherPukka.co.uk is a blog for ‘people who happen to be parents’. Her Instagram feed has grown to 50,000 followers in a year. She’s previously worked at Stylist magazine, and at Time Out Amsterdam before writing for fashion labels such as Tommy Hilfiger. We talk about starting your own business, flexible working, sponsored content, the parenting Instagram community and the importance of looking after yourself and taking a break.

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#43 The Step Up Club - Discussing Work Life Balance & Mentorship

Tue, 01 Nov 2016 14:00:00 GMT

Alice Olins and Phanella Mayall Fine are the driving force behind Step Up Club; the platform championing the success of career women and have now published a book with Ebury called Step Up, full of practical advice for stepping it up in your career. Alice Olins spent a decade at The Times as its Senior Fashion Writer, then Marie Claire’s Fashion Features Director. Today, Alice is the Fashion Features Director-at-Large at Red magazine, and continues to write on a freelance basis for publications including, The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail on fashion, lifestyle and careers. Phanella began her career as an international finance lawyer working on multi-billion dollar transactions in London and New York. Now she is an executive coach and development consultant. She coaches and trains professionals on topics including women’s leadership and advancement, self-presentation, maternity and return to work. We talk the differences between being an "integrator" vs a "separator" at work and achieving work life balance, how to choose the right career for you, anxiety, overwhelm and the jitteriness of our overusing our phones. We discuss launching a book alongside another job, overcoming difficult times and the importance of mentorships.

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#42 Miranda Sawyer (Journalist & Music Critic): What's A Modern Midlife Crisis?

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 20:04:00 GMT

Miranda is a writer and broadcaster. She writes regularly for The Observer and The Mirror. Her first writing job was at Smash Hits, in 1988. Then Select magazine, where she won a PPA award for Writer of the Year. During the 90s, she had a column in Time Out and she wrote for The Face. She makes documentaries for Radio 4 and interview musicians and artists for The Culture Show. She wrote a book called Park and Ride, about Britain’s relationships with its suburbs and her most recent book is called Out Of Time which is a very modern look at the midlife crisis – delving into the truth, and lies, of the experience and how to survive it - and how a midlife crisis doesn’t necessarily mean running off with a Pilates teacher, or spending thousands on a trip to Bali to find yourself. I have had the pleasure of attending a Bug event in London hosted by Miranda and she is brilliant and funny and I loved recording this episode so much. We talk life, family, careers, money and what a quiet subtle midlife crisis looks like.

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#41 Lisa Owens (Author): So What Do You Do?

Sat, 22 Oct 2016 06:00:00 GMT

Lisa Owens is a writer who quit her job as an editor at independent publisher Profile Books to study creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Her debut novel Not Working was published last year by Picador about a girl called Claire who quits her job to “find herself”. We talk about her writing process, the importance of writing down your observations, how to self-edit and how to go about getting your first book published. We also talk about the potential narcissism of only reading non-fiction and why it’s sometimes awkward introducing yourself as a writer at dinner parties. AND *that* annoying question: “so what do you do?”

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#40 Laura Bates (Founder of Everyday Sexism) - Do We Need An Internet Police?

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 22:01:58 GMT

I interviewed the amazing author and The Everyday Sexism Project founder Laura Bates at Cheltenham Literature Festival on 9th October 2016 for a very special live episode of this podcast. Laura's new book GIRL UP tackles body image, relationships and social media pressures. It's a no-nonsense survival guide to growing up as a 21st century, empowered girl. We talk about sex education, body image, social media, feminist societies, educating boys and the power of speaking up. For this episode we are on stage at Cheltenham Ladies' College, Parabola Arts Centre and engaged with a lovely and warm audience of 300 people. It was such a special evening and I hope you enjoy this extra special 40th episode which is an hour long.

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#39 Megan Gilbride (Blogger) - The Business of Blogging, Brands & Body Image

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 10:44:56 GMT

Meg is my friend and the founder of the Wonderful You blog and YouTube channel where she aims to change the traditional blogging industry with her unique art direction. She covers topics such as fashion, lifestyle, beauty, and travel, not afraid of speaking out on issues such as body and self confidence. She’s worked with loads of brands including Levi's, ASOS, Clinique, Wonderbra and Selfridges and she was one of The Media Eye’s - Rising Stars in June this year and is represented by Milk Management. We talk about the future of blogging, body image, sponsored content, collaborating, and how sometimes it feels overwhelming keeping up with all the technology thrown in our faces daily.

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#38 Cindy Gallop - Why You Should Work For Yourself & The Future Of Sex

Mon, 26 Sep 2016 17:15:39 GMT

Cindy Gallop is an advertising consultant, founder and former chair of the US branch of advertising firm BBH . She is the founder of the IfWeRanTheWorld and MakeLoveNotPorn. Cindy’s TEDTalk "Make Love Not Porn" was one of the "most talked about presentations" at the 2009 TED conference and has been watched over one and a half million times. We talk about the future of sex, what “social sex” means, her company Make Love Not Porn, why people (women especially) should work for themselves and why we shouldn’t believe a lot of the random sex surveys out there. Cindy is the fountain of knowledge for each things porn related and I found talking to her very very inspiring indeed. Hope you enjoy this epiosde, feel free to tweet us afterwards your thoughts @emma gannon and @cindygallop or @makelovenotporn. “I really urge women to aspire to much more than flexible working. To aspire to starting and designing your own business to be the business you want it to be.” - Cindy Gallop

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#36 Mara Wilson - On Growing Up & Accidental Fame

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 08:00:00 GMT

I’ve been a fan of Mara Wilson since I was 7 years old. She is the star of my favourite film from when I was little, the 1996 film "Matilda" based on the book by Roald Dahl. She’s also known for her roles in Mrs. Doubtfire and the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street. Nowadays, she’s an author, a playwright and occasional actress. I caught up her with her to talk about her new book, out TODAY (13th SEPTEMBER) called “Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame.” I loved this conversation - Mara is one of my favourite people to follow online and on Twitter and I’ve loved reading her writing on her blog and her musings on life. \ \\\\\\\\\

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#35 Heather Havrilesky (Columnist "Ask Polly") - On Writing, Giving Advice & Not Being A “Guru”

Sun, 04 Sep 2016 17:39:49 GMT

She is the sweary big sister of the Internet who gives brilliant and thought-provoking weekly advice via her column “Ask Polly” for New York Magazines “The Cut”. She answers all sorts of questions from “How do I dump my crappy best friend?” to “I’m broke and I hate my job” to “My sister has cancer and I can’t go on.” It’s my favourite weekly column and every week I’m excited to read it. I always learn something important. She has a book that’s just come out called “How To Be a Person In The World” which has a whole load of #AskPolly columns in there, both new and old ones and has had amazing reviews including the New Yorker. She is also the author of the memoir DISASTER PREPAREDNESS (published by Riverhead, 2011) and she was Salon.com's TV critic for 7 years. We talk about writing, standing out from the crowd, writing a column, what advice we take and why being "guru" doesn't appeal.

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#33 Hannah Witton (YouTuber) - On Sex Education & Contraception

Tue, 30 Aug 2016 12:00:00 GMT

Hannah Witton has popular YouTube channel with over 200,000 subscribers and likes to spread positive messages about sex, relationships, body image, gender & sexuality and doesn’t take herself too seriously.She’s worked with the likes of MTV & Durex – In 2013 she was shortlisted for Young Person of the Year at the Sexual Health Awards and Her short film on the History of Homosexuality was a finalist in the Guardian and Oxford University Press’ Very Short Film Competition in 2013. in 2014 she was shortlisted for Best Vlog at the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards.Hannah was also the first ever YouTuber to present Radio 1’s hour long show ‘The Internet Takeover’.We talk feminism, hormones, contraception, periods and MORE!

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#32 Cariad Lloyd (Performer & Actress) - The Power of Improv

Thu, 25 Aug 2016 10:31:28 GMT

Cariad Lloyd is an award-winning actor, improviser, comedian and writer. She has appeared in Peep Show, Have I Got News For You and Qi. She has been improvising for ten years and is one of the creators of Austentatious: The Improvised Jane Austen Novel, who have had four sell-out Edinburgh Festivals. Visit austentatiousimpro.com for all the upcoming tour dates.

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#30 Lucy Lendrem (Gleam) - On Managing The UK's Biggest Social Talent

Tue, 16 Aug 2016 16:49:11 GMT

Lucy Lendrem started off as an account manager at Gleam Digital in 2013 which created social strategies for brands like Chanel and Unilever - it later turned into Gleam Futures (a social talent agency that manages the most influential social talent in the world.) She now heads up the UK talent as a group talent manager. She was recently on The Drum’s 50 under 30 which highlighted 50 of the most impressive digital pioneers shaking up the industry. We discuss what it's like behind the scenes working at Gleam managing the top tier social talent like the lovely Zoella, how we need to lift each other up to make the industry do better as a whole, and what goes into being an "agent" in a new-ish industry.

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#29 Gemma Cairney (Radio Presenter) - On Being Yourself And The Joy Of A Zig-Zag Career

Fri, 12 Aug 2016 07:00:00 GMT

Gemma Cairney is a radio presenter who currently presents The Surgery on Wednesday evenings at 9.00pm on BBC Radio 1. In January 2015, Gemma started a production company called Boom Shakalaka Productions. The company produces various types of content, including podcasts and theatre. Boom Shakalaka produced a show about depression at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015 called 'My Beautiful Black Dog'.Since 2008 Gemma has presented the BBC’s Glastonbury festival coverage and in 2015 she co-hosted BBC1’s New Year’s Eve coverage alongside Nick Grimshaw.In 2013, Gemma launched the Fox Problem alongside Georgia LA and Georgie Okell which was an entertainment show live-streamed via YouTube.A few weeks before recording this podcast Gemma announced her first book called guide for life called Open: A Toolkit for How Magic and Messed Up Life Can Be which comes out March next week.

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#28 Sheri Scott (Blogger) - On Sponsored Content & Running Your Own Business

Wed, 10 Aug 2016 09:28:21 GMT

Sheri Scott runs the blog Forever Yours Betty which started as a pop-up vintage shop and went on to becoming one of Scotland’s most well respected Fashion & Lifestyle blogs. She’s worked with brands like Boden, Topshop, GAP, Radley and Accessorize and was shortlisted for UK’s Top Stylist voted by Stylist Magazine. She also runs her own creative PR and events company specialising within the fashion, beauty and lifestyle industries. We talk personal branding, sponsored content, standing out from the crowd and the highs and lows of running your own business.

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#27 Rosalind Jana (Model & Author) - Talking Fashion, Body Image & Teenage Advice

Sun, 07 Aug 2016 07:00:00 GMT

Roz Jana runs the blog Clothes, Cameras and Coffee which she started in 2009 as outlet to express her writing and style - talking literature, body image, fashion and photography. She recently graduated from Oxford University and released her debut book Notes On Being Teenage in June this year. Her work has been featured in publications including The Observer, Evening Standard, Sunday Times Style, Teen Tatler, Grazia, TeenVogue, Vogue.co.uk and Guardian.co.uk. She won the Vogue Talent Contest for young writers in 2011, and as part of the prize worked for a month as a paid features intern at the magazine. In 2013 Roz was announced as one of the Hospital Club 100 as one of the most innovative creatives working today, in the Publishing and Writing category.

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#26 June Eric-Udorie - On Writing Creative Essays & Why We Need Less Talk, More Action

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 14:03:57 GMT

June is an 18 year old writer and campaigner. She has been published in the Telegraph, The Guardian, The Pool, and a regular blogger for New Statesman. She was recently nominated for the Smart Women of the year award by Red magazine. She is the young press officer for Integrate Bristol, a charity that works towards equality and integration. She got 50,000 signatures on a petition that made feminism a part of A-level politics curriculum for students.She has recently earned a place on Penguin Random House UK’s entry-level programme, The Scheme, designed to find the most creative, thoughtful and exciting talent to be the editors of tomorrow.

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#25 Laurie Penny - On Freelancing, Online Life & The Power of Reading

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 13:14:23 GMT

Laurie Penny is a journalist, feminist and author of five books including Unspeakable Things (Bloomsbury 2014), Cybersexism (Bloomsbury 2013) and Meat Market (Zer0 2011). She is a contributing Editor at New Statesman and writes and speaks on social justice, pop culture, gender issues and digital politics for The Guardian, The New York Times, Vice, Salon, The Nation, The New Inquiry and many more. She is also on the judging panel for the 2016 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. We talk about reading, freelancing, the glamourization of writing and our public and private selves.

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#24 Caroline Kepnes (Fiction Author) - On Writing Crime Fiction, Technology Addiction & Friendships

Mon, 25 Jul 2016 16:40:34 GMT

Caroline Kepnes is an author of YOU & Hidden Bodies. She's also a journalist, having covered pop culture for Entertainment Weekly, Tiger Beat, Teen Machine, E! Online, and Yahoo! TV. She has also written for the television shows and lives in Los Angeles. We talk about Internet addiction, obsession, writing crime fiction, how to be "authentic" and controlling friendships.

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#22 Luisa Omielan (Comedian) - Why Art & Comedy Can Save You

Sat, 16 Jul 2016 18:49:45 GMT

Luisa Omielan is a comedian based in London. In 2012 Omielan performed her debut stand up solo show, What Would Beyoncé Do?! as part of the free fringe at the Edinburgh Festival. The show has since had seven sell out runs at London's Soho Theatre, it then continued to have a week run in the London West End at the Leicester Square Theatre. A 4-minute clip where Omielan discuses the ‘Thigh Gap’ went viral and has since amassed over 35 million views on Facebook. Her follow up show Am I Right Ladies?! has had a UK tour, received critical acclaim and five star reviews. What Would Beyonce Do?! by Luisa Omielan is published today by Century, priced £14.99. We talk about why the arts need more funding, the reality of trying to "make it" in the online world and why comedy can save lives.

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#21 Ryan Holiday - Ego, Idols & The Dangers Of Workaholism

Mon, 11 Jul 2016 20:44:54 GMT

He is a media strategist, the former Director of Marketing for American Apparel and a media columnist and editor-at-large for the New York Observer.Holiday has also written for Forbes, Fast Company, The Huffington Post, The Columbia Journalism Review, ThoughtCatalog, Medium.com and the New York Observer, where he is the media columnist.In July 2012, Holiday's first book Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator was released by Portfolio/Penguin. It debuted on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list. Holiday’s second book was Growth Hacker Marketing. The book attempts to show how traditional marketing efforts (billboards, press releases) are no longer the most effective, and why growth hacking is cheaper and more effective in today’s market. It was named one of Inc. Magazine's top 10 marketing books of 2014. Holiday’s third book The Obstacle Is The Way was published in 2014, The book has sold more than 100,000 copies. Now, i’m here to talk to Ryan about his 4th book, Ego is the enemy.Ryan has a monthly newsletter where he gives 10 amazing book recommendations which has over 55,000 subscribers currently.

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#20 Melissa Broder (@sosadtoday) - Is Social Media Like Drugs?

Sat, 09 Jul 2016 14:19:46 GMT

Melissa Broder is the author of four poetry collections. She is also the author of the new essay collection, SO SAD TODAY (Scribe 2016). The book is of the same name as the extremely popular account @sosadtoday which has amassed nearly 400,000 followers to date, including celebrity fans such as Sky Ferreira, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry. In May 2015 Broder went public as the creator of the account in Rolling Stone magazine (so rock and roll). Her book, So Sad Today speaks about her former addiction to drugs and alcohol, her eating disorders, love/relationships and therapy. Melissa is also a part time astrologer and creates the brilliant horoscopes for Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner’s Lenny Letter.

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#19 Bella Younger (Deliciously Stella) - From Instagram to Book Deal

Mon, 04 Jul 2016 19:13:45 GMT

I first discovered Deliciously Stella on Instagram last year and over the past year she’s attracted fans such as Davina McCall and getting mainstream attention in Grazia, the Daily Mail, The Times, Buzzfeed and interviewed by the BBC. Deliciously Stella is a parody account created by comedian Bella Younger that gently mocks the #EatClean movement. She now has 125,000 followers on Instagram and growing - some magazines have called her the Instagram “Anti Hero”. She now has a book deal, a TV pilot in the works and a show at Edinburgh Fringe festival this year all about her beloved character Deliciously Stella. We talk about all sorts of things: what it's like bringing a show to Edinburgh Fringe, the cliques in comedy, sponsored content, how her Instagram turned into a book deal and building your own personal #brand.

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#17 Louise O'Neill - How To Hustle For Success While Looking After Your Own Wellbeing

Sun, 26 Jun 2016 19:54:13 GMT

Louise O'Neill is one of the most inspiring generous people who I've befriended on Twitter. She is an Irish author and columnist, with a strong focus on feminism in her writing. Her first book, Only Ever Yours was published in 2014 and earned the title "Newcomer of the Year" of the Irish Book Awards and was the winner of the inaugural YA Book Prize in 2015. Her second book, Asking For It, was named Irish Times Book of the Month in September 2015. Rights of both books have been sold - film and TV rights for Only Ever Yours and TV rights for Asking For It. HOW VERY EXCITING.

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#16 Anne T Donahue - On Being A Writer & Not Caring What People Think

Wed, 15 Jun 2016 20:22:22 GMT

Anne T Donahue is one of my favourite funny writers. She is also my email pen pal after becoming pals on Twitter. She is a columnist for MTV, writes for Buzzfeed, The Guardian, Canadian Living, Hello Giggles, Refinery29, Thought Catalog and so many more - and her newsletter "That's What She Said" is my one of my all-time favourite weekly reads. We talk about our Ghosts Of Our Teenage Past, how to become a writer and build a contact list and that moment Anne learned she No Longer Gave A Fuck when an old high school friend tried to give her some "advice".

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#15 Olivia Purvis - Talking Social Media Comparison & The Evolution of Blogging

Sun, 12 Jun 2016 17:51:38 GMT

My pal Liv! We are slightly hyper in places, this one was so much fun to record. And she is a wise owl for her young age of 23. Olivia Purvis is a lovely online soul who is always delivering useful and aesthetically pleasing nuggets of advice and recommendations on her blog "What Olivia Did". She has recently signed to STORM models (HELLO!!) all starting from her blog which has grown into an outlet for everything from style, travel, food, beauty lifestyle and music - as well as interviews with inspiring women who she admires. Olivia has collaborated amazing brands such as Lancôme at the Bafta’s, Boden, Miss Selfridge, Kate Spade, Estee Lauder to name a few and is regularly featured in publications such as Grazia, Cosmopolitan UK, Atlas and Get The Gloss.

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#14 Jessica Valenti - Talking Feminism & How To Deal With Online Abuse

Thu, 09 Jun 2016 17:08:59 GMT

Jessica Valenti is an awesome woman. She has been called one of the Top 100 Inspiring Women in the world by the Guardian and is a daily columnist there. She is the author of six books on feminism, most recently Sex Object: A Memoir (2016) which came out this month. She founded Feministing.com in 2004, Her writing has appeared inThe New York Times, The Washington Post, Ms. magazine, Salon = and she has won many awards for her work. We talk about feminism, writing an honest memoir and how to deal with online abuse.

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#13 Amanda De Cadenet - On Using Your Voice & Supporting Young Girls Online

Thu, 02 Jun 2016 11:15:37 GMT

Amanda De Cadenet is a photographer, actress and talk show host (and a huge inspiration to me). We talk about the incentive behind Amanda’s popular interview series TheConversation (theconversation.tv) - she’s interviewed amazing women - from Gwyneth Paltrow to Sarah Silverman to Hillary Clinton. She has recently launched the #GirlGaze project looking for the next generation female photographers. The project is backed by Amanda, the editor of Teen Vogue, Sam Taylor Johnson and so many other cool women. Through the hashtag #GirlGaze work will be selected to appear in Teen Vogue as well as the GirlGaze zine and an exhibition showing the work. We discuss sexism, online porn, how to build a career in photography and how to support young girls online. Also how to juggle a busy life and accepting that nothing is ever perfect.

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#12 Stevie Martin - On Writing Comedy, Taking Risks & Getting Noticed

Mon, 30 May 2016 19:36:28 GMT

Stevie Martin is a very very funny lady and my friend. She writes for women's publications such as Broadly, The Debrief, Refinery29 and others. She's also an actress and comedian (both writing and performing) and one third of the hilarious sketch group Massive Dad, represented by United Agents. We speak about creative careers, how to label yourself at work, improvisation, the competitiveness nature of the comedy and TV industry, and working in a writer's room.

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#11 Sarah Powell (Heat Radio Presenter) - Talking Radio Careers, Cheese &

Wed, 25 May 2016 15:10:24 GMT

Sarah Powell is a ray of golden sunshine and her chirpy friendly voice will be your new best friend. She's a radio and TV presenter who hosts her own on heat radio every weekday 4-7PM, chatting and interviewing schlebs. She has appeared on This Morning on ITV with silver fox Schofe, singing, cackling and generally just entertaining the nation. She has a weekly podcast with her friend Jules called Jules and Sarah The Podcast. Check out her writing in heat magazine and online for Standard Issue. HOPE YOU ENJOY. We're a bit hyper in this one.

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#10 Tyler Ford - On Being Agender & Protecting Yourself Online

Sat, 21 May 2016 18:58:48 GMT

Tyler Ford is a writer, activist and model living in NYC. In Tyler’s own words: “being Agender means not being confined by expectations or by labels”. They have written for New York Times, Rookie, the Guardian, MTV - as well as being one of Dazed’s 100 visionary talents in 2016. Tyler has also worked with Miley Cyrus on the Happy Hippie Foundation and gives constant advice and support to the LGBTQA youth community. We discuss Tyler's experiences being trans and queer, how to protect yourself online, how to make friends as an introvert and how to be the best possible version of yourself, online and offline.

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#9 Paulette Perhach - Talking Money & What It's Like To Go Viral

Tue, 17 May 2016 15:50:23 GMT

An essay went viral earlier this year: a moving story about a woman and the money she may need at any given moment to escape from a job, a sleazy colleague or an abusive partner - it was called A Story Of The Fuck Off Fund. Did you read it? You probably did. It was published on the Billfold, it got retweeted and picked up by Jezebel, Stylist, Refinery 29, the Observer and Salon - some publications even wrote Think Pieces in response, questioning it, praising it, you name it. You know something has really gone viral when old friends from school start posting it on Facebook. I’m here today with the author of this piece Paulette Perhach, a wonderful writer and thinker from Seattle.

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#8 Julia White - Working at Twitter HQ & Getting The Most Out Of The Platform

Sun, 08 May 2016 17:10:27 GMT

Julia is a very cool lady in tech. She studied at the Uni of Birmingham before starting out at the Express Newspapers, before being the deputy online editor of OK magazine, then the editor Yahoo’s celebrity channel. She now heads up the media partnerships at Twitter HQ, helping magazines such as ELLE, GLAMOUR, RED magazine to use Twitter in the most interesting way.. We talk about Twitter (0bvs), emojis, tweeting from Space, online journalism and the power of social media.

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#7 Cheryl Strayed - On Writing, Quotes & Online Tribes

Sun, 01 May 2016 07:00:00 GMT

This is a very exciting episode for me. A bit about Cheryl: her first book Torch in 2006, her second book, the memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail was published in 2012, and has been translated into more than 40 languages. It debuted at number 7 on the New York Times Best Seller list and was chosen by Oprah as her first selection for Oprah's Book Club 2.0. Reese Witherspoon plays Cheryl and Laura Dern as Cheryl's mother, Bobbi in the amazing film adaptation of WILD. The film's screenplay was written by Nick Hornby. In July 2012, Vintage Books published Strayed's third book: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar, a selection of Strayed's popular "Dear Sugar" advice column, which she wrote for the web site The Rumpus from 2010 to 2012. The book debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list at number 5. Strayed's 4th book, Brave Enough debuted in the advice and self-help category on the New York Times Best Seller list at number 10. SHE IS SO AMAZING, AM I RITE? We talk money, success, fame, finding friends online and no matter what: doing the work we love.

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#5 Dawn O’Porter - Launching A Business & A Charity Using Social Media

Sat, 23 Apr 2016 17:07:11 GMT

Dawn O’Porter has been my career crush for YEARS. I loved her first non-fiction book Diaries Of An Internet Lover back in 2006, and in 2007 I fell in love with her TV series (Super Slim Me and then Dawn Gets Naked, Dawn Gets A Baby and lots of others). Since then Dawn’s career has really evolved in many ways, with her best-selling novels: Paper Aeroplanes and Goose and now an adult novel series published by Harper Collins. Last year she also launched BOB a vintage clothing line, and has been a helping hand in launching @HelpRefugeesUK which is now the main registered group helping the refugee crisis.

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#4 Rowan Blanchard - Talking Social Media Etiquette & Finding Creative Hobbies

Sun, 17 Apr 2016 06:00:00 GMT

Rowan Blanchard is one cool 14-year-old. She plays Riley Matthews in the hit Disney Channel series Girl Meets World, is an outspoken feminist and activist and has written for the likes of Rookie Magazine. We chatted about escapism via acting, our favourite movies, the empowering music we listen to and how our creative hobbies can be like free therapy. We also discussed how it’s great thing to enjoy your own company & being happy with yourself. Rowan recently called out cat-calling in a recent issue of Interview magazine which we also chatted about - and how women should be asked more interesting questions at film junkets.

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#3 Ashley C Ford - Talking Permission, Productivity & Asking For More

Thu, 14 Apr 2016 07:30:00 GMT

Ashley C Ford is one of my favourite people to follow on Twitter. You might recognise her voice from a very popular episode discussing Friendship on Lena Dunham's podcast 'Women Of The Hour'. She left her job at Buzzfeed a year ago to work on multiple different projects. She’s writer, editor, speaker, and professor at The New School in New York. She is currently writing a memoir (among other things), and co-editing the anthology Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture with the author of Bad Feminist Roxane Gay. She writes essays in many places from ELLE to The Guardian to BuzzFeed, and is someone with brilliant opinions, never afraid to share her truth in many different forms — she’s a really inspiring person who constantly emits positive energy online. I hope you love listening to her as much as I do.

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#2 Zoella - Talking Internet Fame & Being Your Own Boss

Sat, 09 Apr 2016 10:25:51 GMT

Zoe Sugg AKA Zoella is one of the most famous YouTubers on the Internet. She is a fascinating 26-year-old #girlboss running her own online empire pretty much from her bedroom. She launched her YouTube channel back in 2009 and started connecting with other people and uploading "hauls" for anyone who might want to watch it. Fast-forward seven years later and she has over 10 million subscribers, two best-selling books under her belt and her own range of beauty products in Superdrug, sung on the Band Aid 30 single, and has a LOT of awards. We chatted at her Brighton home about all sorts of things: work, life, switching off, working for yourself and busting the myth of what a "proper job" is. Every time I speak to her I find her an inspiring, interesting and incredibly incredibly down-to-earth person. Hope you enjoy!

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#1 Elizabeth Gilbert - Talking Creativity & Finding Your Voice

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 11:34:39 GMT

We spoke about the 10th anniversary of Eat Pray Love and what that journey would have been like if Liz had an Instagram account at the time(!). We discuss the new book from Riverhead books called "Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It". Also how to switch off from social media and how your own online community can help you come up with new ideas and feed your curiosity. We spoke about finding the courage to work on new projects and leaving old ones behind; how to write in our different voices and how the clothes we choose to wear can give us strength.

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