YES SHE CAN PROJECT

Join the conversation with the gorgeous Andrea McLean!   Join me as we go on a journey with Andrea, from studying journalism at University and accidently falling into television!  Fiercely independent in her Mum's old Fiesta, she talks me through packing up the car and setting off to London alone, living in a bedsit whilst applying for every journalism job going. Writing travel articles and constantly applying for jobs in the days where there was no internet, it was a paper filled hustle!  Fast forward a few years and Andrea tells me about a phone call she received asking her to be a weather presenter (a job she scarcely remembers applying for!) and ending up boarding a plane to Atlanta to train.   We chat about the funny stories behind her journey into GMTV, being mistaken for the editors girlfriend and cinching the deal for her stint on the channel following hard graft and determination!  Andrea talks passionately about her belief in the universe, always steering her in the right direction, continuing to be herself, show kindness and her natural desire to help others. Talking about her anchor job on Loose Women, she takes me through the realities of juggling motherhood, LONG days and travelling up and down the country at a moment's notice.  Delving into the world of reality TV with shows such as Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins, Tumble and the iconic Dancing On Ice, Andrea talks me through another funny story about appearing on the show following a weather segment on ice skates, catching the eye of Christopher Dean! Although joining late and not having a lot of training, Andrea took this in her stride and ended up suggesting herself for the spin off show DOI Extra, which in turns she says directly led her to doing Loose Women!
 

Join me as I chat to this inspiring Hellen Ward, Co Founder of Richard Ward Hair & Metro Spa and BAWE. Hellen talks openly about the difficulties they faced and the huge risks they took in the early days to get the business off the ground. Named as the highest grossing independent salon in the UK, Hellen is an utter inspiration to women in business and specifically in the Hair & Beauty industry.   

Come on a journey as we chat about the beginnings of her entering the industry in her teens, her Mum being a hairdresser and Dad being the MD of a chain of department stores.  Hellen undertook an apprenticeship following her parents separation and a financially difficult time, hilariously admitting to me that she was a "dreadful hairdresser"! Through her exceptional people skills and self proclaimed gift of the gab, she built herself a strong client base and became intrigued with the business side of salons.  Hellen talks me through her love for the industry, however not keen on being a hairdresser, she knew that her skills and experience could take her into a managerial role, something that she relished.   Becoming a salon manager at the tender age of 20, Hellen was quickly promoted to Regional Manager, travelling up and down the country and thrived in her role, constantly soaking up the ins and outs of the business side of salon management.  Upon meeting her husband Richard, it made perfect sense for them to combine their minds, experience and skillsets to embark on a business venture of their very own. Not the most traditional start however, they bravely took the plunge on a salon that had gone bankrupt!
 

Join the conversation with the amazing Cat from Little Folk Nursery Rhymes. If there's one thing that's clear about this gorgeous lady, it's plain to see how much she absolutely adores her work! Coming from a background of working in Music Television, Cat tells me that she's always enjoyed music, been in bands and even ended up marrying a musician too!  She opens up about the struggle of juggling her work in the music industry when her children came along, having seen fellow female colleagues facing issues when it came to retaining their place in the industry whilst trying to raise a family. Seeing the impact it had on others, Cat was met with a difficult decision and frankly tells me about the financial guilt that she felt when deciding to stay at home to raise her boys, then the all consuming guilt that we all know being a Mum that no matter what we choose we never feel like we can win!  It was this difficult decision that actually set her on her path to doing what she does today! The first steps (although she had no idea at the time!) in her Little Folk Sing journey came about after seeking out musical groups to take her little ones to. It was one of these groups in particular that she found that was due to close as there was no one to take over the group. Cat was desperate not to let the legacy of the group dwindle and stepped up to take over it herself!  As the years passed, she was encouraged by some lovely people in the local community that she should take the plunge and start it as her very own business! She slowly built it up and made such a positive impact on families along the way. 

 Join the conversation with the INCREDIBLE Samantha Tradelius from The Sparkle Foundation ✨  "Living A Life Of Purpose"  Well, where do I start with this episode!!!!  First of all let's celebrate the fact that it's both of our first EVER across the pond missions! Samantha's first British podcast and my first American guest!!   We packed in SO much! Samantha tells me about her history in Risk Management in the Insurance Industry for the past 25 years, finding herself gravitating towards women organically in her line of work from the beginning. She actually started building her business at only 18 years of age!!   We go through the journey of Santa letters, fulfilling children's Christmas wishes and later expanding into helping single parent families.   Her passion quickly grew into her purpose and fast forward to now she has helped over 10,000 families in the last 7 years alone, raised over a MILLION dollars and pumped every penny back into the community.  We chat about The Sparkle Foundation at its roots, Sparkle Biz, Holiday Gift Drives and Enrichment Scholarships, it is just unbelieveable how amazing this lady is! 

Join the conversation with the gorgeous Ella Kenion!  Ella is a seasoned actress with a career spanning 30 years! Best known for playing Mrs Cakeworthy in Green Green Grass, Captain Sinker on CBeebies, and various characters in The Catherine Tate Show. Ella not only appears on our screens but she does voiceovers for commercials, animations and countless theatre productions.  Although Ella tells me she is rarely recognised, giving her the perfect amount of fame! Mostly people thinking she's served them in Asda, or is a distant cousin that they'd met at a wedding once 🤣 However she recalls one time in particular when flying out to visit her good friend Derren Litten (writer & creator of Benidorm, co writer of The Catherine Tate Show) where she had an encounter with a HUGE fan of hers after being instantly recognised! 🤣
 

Join the conversation with the gorgeous Charlene Ashong!  What an inspirational and eye opening episode, join me as I chat to Charlene about her journey into the world of plant based cuisine, travel, appearing on Lorraine and her passion for mentoring the next generation of music industry talent.  Charlene takes me on a journey with her as she tells me of her time in Italy, discovering the joy of celebrating simple ingredients and elevating them to new heights! She adapted to a lifestyle of bringing her diet back to basics and how food can nourish your way of life.  Able to watch older generation Italian families take the organic plant based ingredients and make them into delicious meals, Charlene's creativity and passion was inspired to bring the idea to life on her return to the UK.
 

Join the conversation with the gorgeous Dee Gibson!  Dee is a London based Interior Designer, founder of  Velvet Orange, Owner of the beautiful Kalukanda House in Sri Lanka and co founder of the Hera Project.  Join me as we head back to Dee's formative and inspirational early years, spending time with her civil engineer Grandfather. Soaking in all the design and architectural elements (and kneecap views!) even from a young age spurred a childhood passion in her.   Dee tells me about growing up in a traditional Sri Lankan family, with a real focus on education, being directed towards a career in medicine, law or accounting, enabling her to stand her in good stead for the future. Putting her creative side on the back burner, Dee pursued a career in accounting and continued for ten years until a chance moment directed her to a course in Interior Design!  Her love for design, the beauty and emotions of spaces lit that fire within her once more and she thrived throughout her course. Soaking up elements like a sponge, Dee knew she was where she was supposed to be!  

Join the conversation with the amazing Dr Meg Arroll.  Dr Meg is a Chartered Psychologist, Scientist and Author. Dr Meg chats to me about her brand new book Tiny Traumas and explains what exactly Tiny Traumas are, how they differentiate between what is considered a major trauma and what we can do daily to be aware when things don't feel quite right.  She gives us an amazing insight into the impact that these Tiny T Traumas can have on our daily lives, slowly trickling through and we find ourselves perhaps feeling numb, not being able to pinpoint exactly what is wrong.   Dr Meg chats to me about how proactive we can be in regards to the things that we take in daily, for example what we are observing online, perhaps we are pushing our low grade traumas under the carpet and not taking action when they start to affect us. 

Join the conversation with the gorgeous Faye Barker!   Listen as we chat about the beginnings of her career, from watching Blue Peter as a youngster and wanting to be just like the fun presenters,  then becoming a runner, earning her stripes and being given her first live broadcast!  Faye is grounded, humble and passionate about the culture at ITV. Viewer focused, she tells me about their desire to report the news in a clear and concise way, and leaving their viewers with positivity, in the section "And Finally", showcasing wonderful, heartwarming stories from around the country.   We chat about the pressures of having a career and raising a young family, and the ever changing juggle to get that balance just right. Faye tells me how much she loves her job, it's in her heart and she's been in the broadcasting industry since the 90's.  A woman of many talents, she chats so casually about being in films, and TV dramas!! A passion for singing since her teens, Faye was lucky enough to be a part of charity singles, raising money for some fabulous causes.