THIS WAY UP!

podcast

THIS WAY UP! is a podcast featuring interviews with leading women in the creative industry – sharing the good, the bad and the ugly of their careers. Recent guests have included the famous artists Camille Walala, Malika Favre, Lisa Smosarski (Stylist Magazine Editor), Fiona McDermott (Channel 4 Head of Comedy), Edith Bowman (TV presenter and Podcast host), Caroline Pay (CCO of Headspace), Liv Little (Editor of Gal-Dem), Yomi Adekoge (Writer) and many more.

Recently ranked #5 on the UK career podcast.

For this episode, I interviewed fellow Ad woman Jane Evans. Jane is well known in our industry, she was one of her generation’s most successful advertising women, winning tons of awards for her creative campaigns. BUT and there is a big but here, in her fifties, she was made to feel completely invisible by the advertising industry.

This became a big problem.

She quickly realised that there is a huge issue of unemployment and invisibility for all midlife women. Emails and calls were ignored by every ad agency and personally, she didn’t know how she would make ends meet – she ended up having to go to food banks and even being evicted from her home. This led to her creating the Uninvisibility project. A platform dedicated to highlighting this issue, showcasing brilliant women, and creating opportunities for women to return to the workplace. And god, I thank her for it. We all should. As Jane points out during our conversation, this is a huge societal issue and one that we should all be concerned about. She makes the very good point that we’ve been basing our lives on the fact that we’re going to live to around about 70. Yet we’re probably going to live to 90 or 100. So being in your 50s is not the end, it’s actually the middle of our lives. And women are bearing the full brunt of this neglect, with unemployment at an all-time high.

This is an issue that we discuss at length including the ways in which we can start to bring about change. We also talked about another important issue and that’s how we talk about menopause. Because let’s face it, that’s been and still is taboo. Though Jane attributes her lack of confidence to menopause she also says one thing that women don’t realise is that although you may have a difficult time with it, there is also a huge part no one talks about and that is the surge of energy and confidence you get afterward. Why? because suddenly you have testosterone in your system. There is, of course, a lot more that we discuss, and if like me you are a fan of all of what Jane says then you can continue to hear more about her story through her wonderful book that she co-authored with Carol Russell called ‘Invisible to Invaluable. Unleashing the power of midlife women’

For episode 46, I had the pleasure of interviewing fellow French woman and super talented artist Camille Walala. If you’re a Londoner, you will have probably seen her work around town- that’s because it cannot be missed. Camille uses buildings or any type of man-made landscape as her canvas, using a fusion of bold colours and playful geometric patterns. Whether it’s reviving an entire street in Leyton stone, creating a weird and wonderful house for Lego, taking over a disused petrol station in Arkansas, or most recently creating a pop-up supermarket selling artist-designed foods at the Design Museum. Her work is bold, colourful, and striking to say the least.As you can probably tell, I’m a huge fan of her work so I was so excited to sit down with her to talk about her journey. From growing up in a small town in the south of France, she went to London as a student to work on her English and fell in love with the city and its free spirit. Her biggest struggle, however, was to find her career path. We go deep to understand what it was that made things so hard. She attributes her lack of confidence and being a harsh self-critic as two of her biggest hurdles she had to overcome. Multiple jobs and a textile degree later, out of pure frustration her creative voice was born. It was her hardship and tenacity that led her to be one of the most recognizable artists today and such an inspiration.The thing I love most about Camille is her passion to elicit joy in everything she creates and this conversation is no exception. I hope you enjoy this interview just as much as I Ioved recording it.
This episode features the amazing Sophie Williams. For those who don’t know Sophie, she is a TED Speaker, a leading anti-racism advocate, and the author of two great books. The first, Anti-Racist Ally is an Introduction to allyship at home, work, and in the community, and was published in October of last year. And just this week, I’m very excited as she has just released her latest book – Millennial Black. The book is the ultimate guide to the workplace for black women. It offers empowering, practical, and comprehensive advice for black women to build a career. But not only that it also has inspiring interviews from the likes of June Sarpong, Aja Barber, Candice Brathwaite, Naomi Ackie, and Munroe Bergdorf. I feel extremely lucky to have recorded Sophie’s story as she is one busy lady and this episode brings you not only a great insight into her views but also how she got to where she is today. From a challenging time as a drama student and the all too familiar experience of being the only black person for the majority of her time at uni, to randomly falling into the world of advertising and to writing her book Anti-racist ally in just 9 days after a fateful social post threw her at the heart of an important debate. Regular listeners to the podcast will know that I love nothing more than to go deep and so I could not be more proud of this episode as it’s probably one of the deepest, most emotional, and important discussions I’ve had in a long time.

In this episode, I had a lovely conversation with Sarah Ellis. Sarah is the co-founder of Amazing If, an award-winning career development company with a mission to make work better for everyone. She’s also known for the great career podcast: Squiggly Careers and co-author of a book by the same name.This interview could not be more relevant for our current times. One of the reasons I reached out to Sarah was because of what happened to my best friend. After being furloughed and then made redundant from her job, my friend found herself lacking confidence at the prospect of finding new work – something she had not done in years.

She knew she should take this opportunity to go after her dream job, a career that would be ‘squiggly’ as it was completely different from her old one. Thanks to Sarah and her cofounder’s advice through their book and podcast she was able to not only find her confidence but get her dream job.Unfortunately, my friend’s experience is not unusual. In fact, working mothers were 47% more likely to have permanently lost their job due to the pandemic. So it was great to sit down with Sarah and to understand not only her own career path but also get excellent advice on how to embrace a squiggly career. As well as all the great things we can do or put in place to ensure that we can thrive in the workplace.

For this episode, I caught up with Annie Atkins. You might not have heard of her name but you will certainly have seen her work. She’s the mastermind behind some of the most iconic graphics props and set pieces for multi-award-winning films. Notably and probably one that stands out the most is her work for Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs and most recently the French dispatch. And yes the famous iconic pink patisserie box from the grand Budapest hotel is made by her! She’s also worked on the animated feature The Boxtrolls, Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, and most recently his West Side Story adaptation. And that’s just to name a few! To say I was excited to record this interview is an understatement. Annie is, as expected, fascinating! As usual, I followed her career path, from starting her design course at Ravensbourne to her challenging time as a designer in the world of advertising to her first job on the set of The Tudors and finally her time working as a fully fledge graphic designer for the film industry.

We go deep into the work that makes up her extensive career to date and Annie is full of great stories – from designing the carpet in the grand Budapest hotel to making a spelling mistake on that famous French patisserie box, to constructing maps, Maps, newspapers and dog tags for Anderson’s Isle of Dogs.

She is also open about the type of mindset that is required to make it in this highly stressful job. And as a woman, we talk about how things seem to be finally changing in the film industry, where the importance of flexibility at work is starting to be recognised.

I could go on about how much I enjoyed this conversation but instead, I will let you hear it for yourself. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did recording it!

For this episode, I spoke to Olimpia Zagnoli. An Italian illustrator known for her incredible bold, colourful and sometimes ‘naughty’ illustrative style. She is prolific, her work has featured everywhere from the cover of The New Yorker to the shopfronts of Uniqlo, to a series of illustrations for Prada and she even has her very own line of homeware. It is not just her style that stands out, it’s her witty observations and effective execution that makes her so recognisable. What struck me during our conversation is her ‘Che palle’ as they say in Italian. Literally translated as ‘She’s got some balls’! Whether it was deciding to dress up as a punk in her conservative high school, to tracking down top Italian art directors home addresses in order to deliver her portfolio. Or deciding to leave everything behind for the bright lights of New York and getting work from editors of her favourite magazines. Finally and maybe my favourite story is when she got asked to work for Dior by its famous creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri and for deciding to abandon her fail-proof art direction to try something new and totally different – and of coursed it worked! This for me encapsulates Olimpia. A great illustrator who not only has found her voice but isn’t afraid to use it and is now rightfully reaping the rewards.

In this episode, I interview the artist Jade Purple Brown. If you don’t know Jade, you may have come across her work if you use Adobe illustrator as her work is the splash card that comes up when the application is loading. That’s how talented she is and so I was excited to capture her story. And what a story it is. I actually reference during our conversation that her life is akin to a movie. From being fired from her first job as an art director to rising up and working hard to finding her voice as an artist and all the challenges that come with this arduous path. Her ethos is to bring messages of optimism to create new, dynamic worlds of individuality and empowerment. And it shows, it’s hard to quickly pass her work without being mesmerized by her bold lines and punchy colours. Along with pushing herself to create 2 pieces of personal work every week, she also creates work for some pretty big brands including Nike, Refinery 29, Sephora and Apple. Jade also imparts some really important practical advice – whether that’s how much you should charge for your work or how to build a strong portfolio or following on social. Our hour-long conversation flew-by and for good reason as Jade is fascinating and being in her 20s, I suspect this won’t be the last we hear of her.

For this episode, I interview Yomi Adegoke. I first came across Yomi through her amazing book ‘Slay in your lane’ which she co-wrote with Elizabeth Uviebinené. Slay in your lane is an absolute must-read, from education to work to dating, this inspirational, honest and provocative book recognises and celebrates the strides black women have already made, while providing practical advice for those who want to do the same and forge a better, visible future.

The book is filled with stories from both Elizabeth and Yomi’s own lives, as well as interviews from dozens of the most successful black women in Britain – including BAFTA Award-winning director Amma Asante, British Vogue publisher Vanessa Kingori, Karen Blackett OBE CEO of Group M and Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis. 

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook describes the book as “a gift for anyone who wants to better understand what Black women and girls are up against – and the tremendous resources they draw upon as they make their way in the world” 

Yomi is a busy lady. Alongside her book, she also writes for the Observer and The Independent and hosts her own podcast with Elizabeth. So, as you can imagine, during our conversation we cover a lot.

Yomi opens up about the importance of putting herself first and taking a year out of Uni due to depression. We also discuss how during that same year she struggled to find work placements so instead decided to create her own magazine. It was through this significant year that she found her passion as a journalist. Finally, she gives some really inspirational and practical advice on how she launched her book ‘Slay in your lane’.

I’m not going to reveal too much about our conversation as it is much better if you hear it straight from Yomi.

For this episode, I interview the super inspiring Anna Ginsburg. Anna is a filmmaker who specialises in traditional hand-drawn and stop-motion as well as live-action videos.

Her films have earned her a lot of well-deserved accolades over the years, including a Bafta for the Bombay Bicycle Club‘s for the music video ‘How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep?’, ‘Private Parts’, a film that features, you guessed it, women and men’s private parts, which was screened at film festivals worldwide. And most recently Anna has directed a short film called ‘What is Beauty?’, released for International Women’s Day in 2018, which has received over 15 million views.

Her work stands out and so does she. From the get-go, I was hooked by her story, especially how it was thanks to a tutor at university that she ditched the world of architecture; for the somewhat uncertain world of illustration and motion graphics. It was then that she saw the value of taking risks, something that she goes back to over and over with her work.  

We also talk about how she made it as one of the few female film directors and the disappointments, anger and misogyny she encountered along the way. It was not easy but she unashamedly; and rightly so; credits her self-confidence and ability to speak up as skills that were key to getting her where she is today. 

Finally, we discuss her work processes and the importance of feeding the ‘creative’ flame so to speak that makes your work stay relevant and stand out from the crowd – I’m not going to give it away now but it’s really good so you’ll have to hear it from Anna!

You’ll hear the occasional train noise coming from above her studio which is based in a railway arch in London. I had an absolute blast and I urge you to listen to the full hour, it is well worth it as Anna is full of great advice and is really fun to listen to! 

For this episode, I interview Hong Kong restaurateur Lindsay Jang, who is behind some of Hong Kong’s hottest restaurants. 

I’ve always been fascinated by restauranteurs. Simply because to be a successful one you need to combine a lot of different and varied skillsets – from branding to creating an atmosphere and of course making sure you serve up delicious food.  It’s also notoriously super hard to make a success of it. And with Lindsay I got someone who’s done exactly that, she talked me through her entire journey into the restaurant business – co-creating not one but three successful restaurants – YardbirdRonin and Roti Tori. And having eaten at Yard bird I can say first hand how amazing the experience is.

Originally from Canada, we discussed Lindsay’s upbringing and her different influences including working at her parents’ restaurant and how it led, albeit much later, to finding her passion as a restauranteur. She also credits working everything single job there is at the super-exclusive and world-famous restaurant, Nobu, for teaching her everything she needed to know about the restaurant business. It was there she started creating the master plan for setting up her own restaurant and after a few years of fine-tuning, she took the plunge and hasn’t looked back.

What strikes me with Lindsay is her ability to learn from the best around her but also her confidence to pick and choose what would work best for her restaurants; which she successfully managed by creating fun, exciting and unique restaurants that has certainly resonated with the Hong Kong scene. 

And as usual, we go through a lot more than what she is doing now, we discuss how she travelled the world with a newborn before starting her restaurants in Hong Kong, the benefit of going to drama school in order to learn the art of bullshitting and why competitiveness with others is a complete waste of time. 

She has an amazing career story that is different to most for sure – I found this conversation fascinating and I hope you do too.

Other mentions: Restaurants: MasaZumaSweetgreen   

For this episode, I recorded Liv Little, the founder and CEO of gal-dem -an award-winning online and print publication committed to sharing perspectives from women and non-binary people of colour. Here is a scary stat for you – the current journalistic landscape is 94% white and 55% male. What I love so much about gal-dem is that they are actively trying to redress this imbalance through both their editorial and commercial work. And in this interview, I got a real understanding of the magazine and how Liv came to start it at the age of just 21! We chart the different influences in her life from how her mum’s social enterprise work influenced her growing up to going to Bristol Uni and how hard she found it not seeing people like herself with the same background and experiences. It is through this isolating experience that Gal Dem was born – a chance for Liv to carve out her space and create a community. She credits her ambition and sheer determination for making it all possible. She talks about the many skill sets she had to develop quickly to become CEO and the importance of surrounding yourself with experienced mentors that can help you with all the different aspects of your business. It’s not about following in their footsteps but instead have access to a pool of knowledge that can help you make better decisions. There is a huge amount we can all learn from Liv’s amazing story.
For this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing the incredible French artist Malika Favre. Malika is as one of the most sought-after graphic artists in the UK with renown clients including The New Yorker, Vogue, BAFTA and Penguin Books, amongst many others. She uses positive and negative space to create bold, minimal artwork– often described as Pop Art meets OpArt. Like me, Malika was born in Paris and during our conversation, we reminisce about what it was like growing up in France and how it influenced her in both her creative work and her life. As per usual we go through her career – how she left Paris to continue her university studies in the UK and how her artwork was influenced by working at top agencies in London. Malika says the recipe for her success is down to her positive work values. From determining when she is at her most productive, in her case it’s all about waking up late, to prioritising work that fulfils her and most importantly ensuring she doesn’t burn out – an experience she knows all too well. She also describes the fascinating process behind her artwork, how she is able to reduce complex briefs from her clients into something visually simple, yet striking with a clear message. You’ll hear from the excitement in our voices just how enjoyable this conversation was, and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

For this episode, I interviewed Lisa Smosarski. Lisa is the Editor in Chief and Board Director of Stylist magazine. Stylist is a free weekly magazine for women, known for its fashion, beauty, people and careers news. Over the years, it has featured Hollywood stars such as Angelina Jolie, Penélope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston on the cover as well as Hillary Clinton, comedian Tina Fey, activist Emma González and classicist Mary Beard.

I’ve always been a big fan of this magazine, from the very moment they started in 2009 they have set out a very different vision to other women’s magazines. As Lisa explains during our conversation, their aim is to treat women differently; intelligently. With no paparazzi photos, no gossip, no diets, no mumbo jumbo. It’s all about creating well-researched, thought-provoking articles for multifaceted women.

11 years on, the magazine continues to live up to that motto, and you can see why with Lisa at the helm. She says the answer for this success is that they listen and constantly try to adapt to their audience needs. She’s also not afraid of her gung-ho attitude and she is prepared to break the rules of publishing, however with a hint pragmatism and a great team to help support her vision.

As usual with the podcast, we chart her entire career journey from when she fell in love with journalism as a teenager to landing in the magazine world and being made editor at the age of just 25. Finally, I get to hear the fascinating story behind Stylist and what it’s like to run – she even shares her story on how she got to work directly with Hilary Clinton on an exclusive Stylist edition.

In this episode, I catch up with a previous guest of the show, the amazing Caroline Pay. I originally recorded Caroline’s story in 2018 just before she relocated to California to take up her role as Chief Creative Officer of Headspace.

This time, we discussed how her role at headspace is going as they go from strength to strength, with over 1m global subscribers. And as we recorded this Headspace were preparing to launch their amazing new initiative to make Headspace free for anyone who has lost their job in America due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

You’ll hear in this interview I am a big fan of Headspace as I use their guided meditation on a daily basis and recommend it to anyone I know. It was great to get an understanding from Caroline about the inner workings of such a successful and creative tech company.

We covered many topics during our conversation including Caroline’s challenge to adapt to a new way of working, so different from the world of advertising in the UK she was used to. At Headspace, it’s all about learning to relinquish control and letting the user dictate what to put on the app. We also talked about the importance of boundaries between work and home and ensuring you look after yourself in order to be better at your own job.

It was really great catching up with a past guest and especially to see how well she was getting on. If you haven’t listened to her first episode then it is really worth taking a listen, so you can get an idea of her full and varied career in advertising. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation, I hope you do too!

“Kids are usually described as the citizens of the future, but instead, in my opinion, they are citizens of the present, and they should be treated as such… this is why it is important to expose children to stories that are based on what is happening around them, rather than just fantasy stories…if you treat them as citizens, from the moment they are born, with rights, according to their age. It is much easier I think, to cultivate a society of individuals who feel the responsibility that comes from citizenship.” Francesca Cavallo.

In this episode, I recorded Francesca Cavallo. Francisco is a bestselling Italian author, entrepreneur and activist. She is the co-creator of the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series. These books tell the stories of 100 great women, from Freida Kahlo to Elizabeth I to Serena Williams, illustrated by female artists from around the world. The series has sold over 4 million copies worldwide, been translated into 48 languages and sparked a global movement with more than 500,000 fans on social media. 

However, the idea for the books didn’t happen overnight. We discuss all the experiences in Francesca’s life that led to creating these inspiring books – from having parents that were always supportive of her choosing her own career, to her experience working with children and understanding the importance of empowering them rather than imposing our view of the world. And most importantly, the importance of having real women as role models to young girls to break gender stereotypes. 

At the time of recording this, Francesca has recently released a free e-book for children entitled ‘Dr Li and the Crown-Wearing Virus’. The short story, about the Doctor who first issued warnings about the new virus, has been a huge success around the world. We talk at length about the importance of having discussions about difficult topics with children including this pandemic and this book is a great example of how this can be done. 

Spotify and iTunes link for this episode can found via the bio. I hope you enjoy this conversation, I really did!

And if you would like to download Francesca’s free e-book ‘Dr Li and the Crown-Wearing Virus’, I’ve also included the link in my bio

“Imposter syndrome? Absolutely. How you deal with that is by being graceful and empathic and supportive, and not protecting. Owning up when you don’t know something? So majorly important. You don’t have to know everything.” Fiona McDermott 2020

This is a very special episode recorded live on stage at the APA future of advertising conference earlier this year – and features the fantastic Fiona McDermott. 

For those who don’t know, Fiona she is Channel 4’s head of comedy. After joining Channel 4 in 2011 as Commissioning Editor she has worked across some amazing award-winning shows such a Derry Girls, Catastrophe, The Windors and Home, just to name a few. And before that she was a Producer at Zeppotron, working on shows such 8 out of 10 Cats, Would I Lie To You and Screenwipe.

During our conversation, we speak about Fiona’s introduction to the world of TV  and the different roles she has had along the way. We also talk about what it was like working with some of the best comedians in the UK including Jimmy Carr, Franky Boyle, Charlie Brooker and Sean Pye. And of course, how she became the Head of Comedy and the day to day work that entails. 

She talks openly about often feeling like she has a lot to prove and how the all too familiar imposter syndrome often rears its ugly head. We also talk about the amount of responsibility she has to face on a daily basis, such as having to work out and evolve Channel 4’s comedy taste and the difficult job of knowing when to turn down new scripts and formats – with the all-important question – has she ever turned down a show that goes on to be a smash hit!

P.S. She also gives an insight into the best way to pitch your idea to Channel 4 but keep it to yourself… 😉

For this episode, I interviewed Lillian Ahenkan aka Flex Mami – she is a DJ, Presenter, Influencer, Podcaster, Model, and Author. I got the chance to record this interview at her amazing colourful house in Sydney, Australia earlier this year. 

I had an absolute blast recording this – Flex is fun, vibrant and the biggest go-getter I’ve ever met! In fact, at the age of just 26 she has already achieved more than many of us could dream of in a lifetime. And the great thing about this interview is that she recounts exactly how she managed to achieve it all – leaving nothing out. 

What’s great with Lillian is that she is super eloquent and self- analytical, and we go through the real back story behind all her different achievements. 

She also gives some great advice at the end so stay tuned all the way through!

In this episode, I got to interview the brilliant Vicki Maguire. Vicki is the Chief Creative Officer of ad agency Havas and she is one of the most awarded creatives in the industry today. Her work includes the ‘Hands Only CPR’ ad for the British Heart Foundation starring Vinnie Jones – which has now saved over 50 lives – and The Angina Monologues, which earned her a British Comedy Award. A vocal advocate of diversity and inclusion, Vicki was the first female chair of Creative Circle and helped set up its foundation; a charity that helps fund students from diverse backgrounds enter the industry.

What can I say about this episode! I had such a laugh! Why? Because Vicki is a force of nature who tells it exactly how it is. That might be to do with her working-class background, her ability to blag her way into any job or just simply her infectious laughter.

As usual we chart our way through her career from being fired from every job imaginable in the fashion industry to landing in advertising and recently becoming Chief Creative Officer at Havas London. 

I don’t want to reveal too much about this interview instead I’ll tell you some of the things you’ll learn from her story – the art of blagging, when to tell it’s time to move on from your job, the value of having a 3 months fuck off fund and how to negotiate your salary – plus much much more.

“I think there was definitely a negative aspect (to my ambition) that I think is still happening now where there’s the ambition but when you take something so seriously, then if something doesn’t got right or if you miss a deadline, and then there’s the stress and the anxiety that comes with that. And I think that’s something that I’ve always struggled with.” Gemma O’Brien

This time I talk to the super talented Gemma O’Brien @mrseaves101. Gemma is a world renowned artist based in Australia known for her beautiful hand-lettered murals, illustration and typography. She has created work for clients like QANTAS, The New York Times, Smirnoff, Kirin and a lot more brands too.

I got the pleasure to interview Gemma in her amazing studio in Sydney and go to really find out how she became a world-famous artist. As usual we chart her career – from the moment she went viral with her artwork whilst still studying at university, to being commissioned by famous brands.

What was very interesting to me was the fact that Gemma talks so openly about her ambition and how sometimes it can take away from really enjoying the process of it all. You know that dilemma between wanted to push yourself forward but also wanting to enjoy the now.

So have a listen to hear about her fascinating story as I can assure you there is a lot to learn!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Moreblessing in downtown Melbourne, Australia earlier this year. Moreblessing is an actor, activists and writer.

I first came across Moreblessing through her amazing TED talk which I’ll put a link to in the show notes. If you’ve got a set second, I really encourage you to take a listen.

Moreblessing is an immigrant from Zimbabwe who came to Sydney when she was just eight years old. We talked about how that has influenced her writing and acting but also how she is trying through her activism to shape the theatre space within Australia, no mean feat to say the least. You can tell that from the very second we started this interview we got on like a house on fire, exploring some pretty deep topics from the way Australia is currently behaving towards black origin immigrants 

To how permanently white theatre is and how we don’t need to agree with and that we’ve got a choice.

Finally, we talk about her creative process and the things that have influenced her from not only the inspiration behind her plays and also within her acting itself. This is a very wide-ranging conversation and we go all over the place but it’s a fascinating ride and I hope you enjoy it.

Photo credits: Kristina Yenko
Moreblessing’s Ted Talk: https://youtu.be/PlrduXFtUQk

“The perfect body does not exist, as there are no two humans on this planet that are the same. So you have to aspire to be the best version of yourself and not someone else.”

In this episode, I interview the inspirational Felicity Hayward. Felicity is a model, activist and a true ambassador for body positivity.
 
She was first scouted to be a model whilst dancing to Diana Ross in an East London pub, which says a lot about her personality! Since then she became one of the first plus-size pioneers in the UK promoting body diversity in many high-end fashion editorials. She’s also done campaigns for leading brands such as ASOS, Adidas, Mac Cosmetics, TK Maxx and many more. She’s also been on Channel 4’s acclaimed body positivity program naked beach. 
 
 And we had an absolute blast. I’m in absolute awe of Felicity, not only for what she’s done in her modelling work but her infectious personality and the passion for helping more women to accept their bodies. In fact, we discuss at length how their no such thing as the perfect body, as there are no two humans on this planet that are the same. 

We cover a lot of topic as per usual, including some pretty shocking behaviours in the fashion world, the one that stood out was Felicity being asked to go to the prestigious British Fashion award and being given only one outfit to try on whilst other women who were a smaller size got to have the ability to choose different outfits. 

I don’t want to give any more away so please enjoy the fantastic Felicity Hayward.

“The first couple of years in business were really tough, and there’s no end, just chasing the I’m never going to be done and feeling so anxious and so stressed by it all. I think a lot of women of our generation are just adding things into our to do list. So now I’m going to run a business and now I’m going to have children and now I’m going to write a book or and we’re not taking anything out. And at the same time a lot of us are trying to emulate our mothers by being the good friend, the good wife, the good sister, the good mother. I just think it’s prime for disaster” – Steph Douglas

In this episode I talked to Steph Douglas, founder of alternative online gift company Don’t Buy Her Flowers.

Steph used to be in the world of marketing and advertising, from working in PR for a government department all the way to being a Marketing Manager for EDF Energy and running their London 2012 Olympic Sponsorship.

BUT one day she decided to leave it all behind and follow her dream – setting up her own company called Don’t Buy Her Flowers. It all started from an idea she had after having her first son, when everyone bought her flowers. She had gone through what was a demanding 9 months where not only was she pregnant with her first child, but her husband was diagnosed with cancer. So, when the doorbell kept ringing with flowers she thought it wasn’t really the most appropriate thing to give a new mum – something else to look after! 

She was feeling extremely overwhelmed at the time and thought there must be a way of giving more thoughtful gifts. Firstly, she started a blog to build her audience before roping in family members to help run the business, it’s now going from strength to strength. 

What I loved about this episode is that we really got deep and personal. We talked about the importance of talking about emotions and empathy and doing that through thoughtful presents. Unfortunately, we live in a society where we don’t talk enough about how we feel, and we do not know how to be there for people.

And of course, we talked about the more business side of things including what it is like being an entrepreneur starting on your own and the kind of fears that come with it.

And you’ll see we laugh a lot, and there is just so much that you can learn from her story. 

“I’ve thought about my career over the years, and there have been a number of situations where it’s got tough, it’s got really, really tough and I probably gave up on things way too soon. Whether that’s been a job, a role or a client relationship. But since having my own business, you realise you can’t walk away. And it’s because you can’t walk away that you realise that you can come out the other side, you come out often better with a better perspective.” – Rania Robinson

In this episode, I talk to Rania Robinson, CEO and Managing Partner of the award-winning ad agency Quiet Storm.

Rania who was born in Cairo Egypt and arrived in the UK at 3 years old, starting primary school without knowing a word of English. She lists her ability to get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable as one her superpowers, something she attributes to this experience. And unknowingly, this set her up perfectly for the volatile world of advertising.

We talk at length about how she felt directionless and going from job to job after leaving school at 16. That was until she got her first proper break at big ad agency Billington Cartmel. But things weren’t easy, as she joined an industry that at the time was adamant you must have the correct qualification to succeed. However, that didn’t deter Rania who went on to successfully work her way up the ranks, progressing through different planning, strategy and production roles.

We also talked about how having children helped her gain a different perspective, recognising that the industry wasn’t compatible with being a mother and deciding instead to go freelance so she could be in charge of her hours.

And of course, we talked about the dynamic of working with her husband Trevor Robinson OBE who originally founded Quiet Storm 25 years ago. She was only supposed to help out for a pitch and thought because of their relationship it wouldn’t work long term. However, she found this relationship to be a huge strength. It means there’s no bullshit, they go straight to the point to get to decisions made, meaning they can concentrate on creating memorable work for their clients.

So much to learn from this conversation, I hope you enjoy listening to it as much I did recording it!

“I always I think it’s inevitable that in certain music videos and certain artists they want to be sexy and that’s just always been the way music has gone on…but I’ve also felt very much that I am responsible for not exploiting the artist and so I think I’ve just listened to my instinct, followed my taste and tried to keep it tasteful. I mean with Katy Perry “I kissed a girl” could have been really inappropriate and crass. I tried to keep it sexy but also feminine and sensual rather than sexual. I never actually wanted to see girls kissing, that would just be taking it too far. I think the idea of the fantasy element of it was so much more interesting.”

In this episode, I talk to Kinga Burza. Kinga is a Polish-Australian music video director who has directed over 35 music videos, combining over 750 million YouTube views for artists such as Katy Perry, Calvin Harris, Lana Del Rey and Dua Lipa, just to name a few. And she’s won a few awards along the way as well. In between, shooting music videos she’s also directed a few fashion films and commercials for brands such as L’Oreal, Special K, Vogue, and iD magazine. So a talented woman to say the least! 

During our conversation, she talks openly about the importance of following your own internal voice. She recalls that when she first started out, she had a lot of people around her who were negative about her abilities – from her parents who would push for her to ‘settle down and get married’ to an ex-boyfriend who would belittle her abilities to make it as a film director. 

So how did a young woman from Australia managed to create and direct some of the most iconic music videos of the last decade?  We talk at length about all her different achievements and how she managed to make it in such a competitive industry. For her it was simple, she had to focus on the things she could control which was getting her head down, persevere and just work really hard. She also had another disadvantage, she was practically the only female music director at the time, something she said she had to ignore, with the result being some of the best music videos around. 

I got to really uncover what the world of music video making is really like, all the different stakeholders and how it’s never as glamorous as it seems. 

As usual, my guest was super honest, and I thank her for it! I hope you enjoy this insightful and entertaining conversation.

“I think there’s a lot of time, I totally feel out of my depth. This weekend being a prime example, I had to do three different events with the ‘Irishman’ film lot, so you know – Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel and it’s just like literally A. Someone pinch me and B. What the hell am I doing here?”

In this episode, I talk to Edith Bowman. Edith is a broadcaster and writer and has been working in TV and Radio for nearly 20 years. Formerly a host on BBC Radio 1 and Virgin Radio, she has also presented many music and film-related TV shows like The Baftas and Glastonbury.

Recently, she has successfully created her own podcast called ‘Soundtracking’, a weekly half-hour show where she interviews renown filmmakers about their musical influences and their choice of music in films. 

So, as you can imagine, I was super eager to talk to her and find out what it’s like to have such a varied career. What stood out for me was Edith’s passion for her job and her relentless pursuit to do the things she loves: Music & Film. It’s her strong internal guiding voice that’s clearly helped her navigate the world of showbusiness, which as she confesses has not always been easy. 

In fact, she is refreshingly honest about all the different types of rejections she’s received over the years and how she’s overcome them. We talk about the fact that when she first started out, she was told she could never be a radio host because of her thick Scottish accent.  And of course, that’s not the case and Edith has gone on to interview countless famous celebrities, including Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro just to name a few. Her accent is now her trademark and often breaks the ice with the people she interviews, with Joaquin Phoenix recently attempting to imitate it.

We also chat about her feeling nervous and blagging it, to my surprise Edith confesses that she still gets extremely nervous and sometimes even feels out of her depth when doing interviews – who would have thought it! But of course, this doesn’t show and she reveals her tricks on how she is able to use that nervous energy to push on with the interview. 

We cover so many different subjects and to say that I enjoyed my conversation would be an understatement. In fact, our chat goes on for a tad longer than usual but completely worth it.

Just be confident and brave and just trust yourself and jump and go with it. Because if you don’t, no one else will. And as I said, if you just stay on the safe side, then it’ll be safe, and nothing will happen. So, jump and trust yourself. Your mind can do amazing things.” Morgane Polanksi

This episode was recorded Live on stage at the Design and Advertising New Blood festival in London in July 2019. I had the pleasure of interviewing actress and film director Morgane Polanksi.

You may recognise the name and for good reason, Morgane is best known for acting in films and TV series such as Vikings, The Ghost Writer, The Pianist and The Wife, just to name a few. Daughter of film director Roman Polanksi and French actress Emmanuel Seigner, she is also following in her father’s footsteps and carving a career as a film director with her recent directorial short ‘The Stroke’ already earning her critical acclaim. 

I was extremely lucky to share the stage with her as I got to uncover some great insights during our conversation – including an understanding into the acting world and the ups and downs that come with such a demanding career. Highlights for me were talking about her short ‘The Stroke’ and Morgane’s creative process, getting an understanding of what goes into her acting work on the TV Series The Vikings, the background story into her directional work for The Love Magazine and Dior; but also her experience working alongside big film directors such as Wes Anderson.

Morgane is wise beyond her years, listen out for her very sound advice as she has plenty! As you can imagine the film world is not an easy one and I thank her for being so honest and open with her vulnerable moments and the lessons she drew from them.

I hope you enjoy this honest and wide-ranging conversation.

If you’d like to watch Morgane’s film The Stroke, you can view it here: https://vimeo.com/363799036

“I looked around and I thought, if I stopped to think about what I’m here to do, launch an English agency brand into this market. If I thought about that, I would just go home, get into bed, pull the covers it never come out again.” 

In this episode, I had the privilege to interview Cindy Gallop at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity earlier this year. Cindy for those who don’t know, is the founder of Make Love Not Porn – an entirely user generated crowdsource video sharing platform that celebrates real world sex. A start-up that rose to fame after Cindy’s most talked about presentation at the 2009 TED conference. 

Cindy wasn’t always in the start-up world, before this she had a very successful career in advertising, culminating with setting up the US division of the famous ad agency BBH. As usual I go through her entire career and the key themes within her journey that we can learn from. 

And of course, being Cindy there is plenty to learn from.  Cindy tells it like it is and I love for her it. For example, we talk about sex and society’s reluctance to talk openly and honestly about it. The danger of porn becoming sex education when it’s simply manufactured entertainment. This is why she started her company ‘Make love not porn’ to try and combat that very problem. 

We also talk about the advertising industry as a whole, Cindy is very vocal on social media about trying to really change this industry. We talk at length about how sexual harassment is such a big problem and how we need this industry to do a whole lot more to fix its damaging effects.

We discuss some really important topics that hopefully we can all learn from.

*Warning this episode contains explicit language*

In this episode, I talk to Maruska & Donna-Marie Mason. A couple who have built their very own successful photography studio.

Working for big fashion titles such as @marieclairemag, @Vogue, @elleusa, as well as big brands such as @jomalonelondon and @spacenk – just to name a few.

The Masons (@themasonsofficial) are two photographers who are together in work and in marriage and what I found fascinating is how this duo work to complement each other in every way. We discuss in great depth their relationship and how that has become part of their unique creative process.

One example of this is that they pride themselves in really getting under the skin of their clients. Unlike the well-known stereotypes in the fashion industry, they see women being more than just ‘clothes hangers’. For them, it’s not about egos, but about finding out the true person behind the camera and capturing them. It’s in no surprise that this genuine way of working also means that the Masons give better representation of women – ensuring a more diverse cast and genuine story captured through their camera lens.

I was lucky enough to have my picture taken by them for Pitch magazine’s recent 100 Superwomen cover, witnessing first hand their unique creative process and talent. We talk about the importance of women feeling comfortable behind the camera, a place sometimes that we can feel so uncomfortable, I know I did! Yet, it so important to own who we are in order to really shine in this world.

A truly fascinating conversation and an insightful look into not only the world of photography but also how to build your own creative business.

We know that pay gaps, all pay gaps, whether it’s race or gender can’t thrive in a transparent world. But also, I found talking about money, really, has helped my friendships and my relationships, because…it doesn’t get in the way of having a proper conversation. We learn from each other; we share our tips and knowledge. And also, you learn about yourself in conversation by hearing yourself speak out loud.  

In this episode, I talk to Alex holder. Alex worked in the world of advertising for 12 years before dramatically deciding to just quit one day. We talk about this at length in this episode and what led to her finding her voice, so to speak, becoming a freelance writer and consultant for well-known magazines such as Elle and Stylist, and most recently publishing her first book ‘The Money Book’ an important look at how we need to destigmatizes the way we talk, think and feel about money.

As usual with the podcast, we look at key themes within her journey that we can all learn from. And there is plenty to draw from. Subjects such as the importance of quitting your job when you are unhappy, really listening to yourself and having confidence in your own abilities and skills and more importantly knowing those skills can be transferrable for any job.  

We talk, of course, about Money. The subject of her first book and her passion to get more people to talk more openly about it.  She rightly points out that the more transparent we are with money, the more that we can understand each other’s circumstances as well counteract pay gaps at work. By being open, the powers at the top of businesses with big pay gaps will have no place to hide. 

Alex is wonderfully honest throughout, she even divulges how much she earns because if you preach it, you must practice it. This is why this whole episode is so compelling to listen with plenty to learn from along the way!

“And then you have to sell work to clients, and guess what? They are men, and then you have to get it made by directors. And they are men. And then, if you want your career to progress, you need to win awards. And largely in the past, all the juries are men and then you look back and you go, historically, the work that’s winning awards is sport, beer, football, technology, cars. So you see, it’s not that it’s innately against women, it’s just nature’s way. So until we’ve addressed that balance, and thank goodness it’s finally happening, it’s very hard as a woman to get on [in this world]… and I did struggle, if I’m honest, I look back and go, my portfolio of work should be better.”

In this episode, I talk to Rosie Arnold. Rosie is an icon in the world of Advertising. She joined the world-famous ad agency BBH straight from art school in 1983. And she stayed there 33 years, learning her craft and working closely with its founder John Hegarty. After the passing of her husband, she decided she needed a change and went on to work for another acclaimed ad agency AMVBBDO.  But before too long, she felt it was time to leave agency life to pursue personal projects. 

So as you can imagine we covered a lot, from landing at BBH where she got to see this hot creative shop grow from 11 people to over 400 staff, and with agencies across the world.

We discussed what it was like to work with her mentor John Hegarty as well as some of her iconic ads including her favourite work for Pretty Polly tights and Levi’s Jeans. 

What stood out for me was her ability to paint me a picture of this ‘Mad Men world’ as she puts it. Because of course, Rosie saw it all – the highs and the lows this industry has to offer. 

One incident that stood out for me was incidents along the way and one that particularly stood out for me was when she was promoted to a bigger role, they tried to pay her less than her male predecessor. Fortunately, he had very helpfully shared how much he was paid so when they offered her less, she was able to demand what was rightfully hers. 

It was such a lovely conversation, full of important stories that we can hopefully all learn from.

“I was able to do things very differently that year [her year long gardening leave imposed by Sir Martin Sorrell], I spent a lot of time outside of the industry. Purposely, I wasn’t trying to look at the industry. I was trying to explore how other people, other creative industries, and the world sees coms. As a result, I came back with renewed vigour as to where it is we can add value and what’s exciting about it, but also where we waste a lot of our life. You know, there’s so much faffing. And there’s quite a lot of complicity between clients and agencies that use each other as a bit of a crutch.”

In this episode, I talk to Natalie Graeme who famously founded the creative studio Uncommon 18 months ago with partners Nils Leonard & Lucy Jameson, one of the UK’s only majority female-founded creative studios. 

As per usual with the podcast we go in deep, discussing a variety of subjects and advice from how to avoid burn out to the importance of creating headspace in order to come up with ideas.

We also go through her amazing career journey and how she landed at the advertising agency Grey managing and leading over 550 people, along with the importance of putting a structure in place so you can let your team thrive and avoid micro-managing. 

But most importantly, we talk about why it was so important for her to start her own agency. Starting with the famous year-long gardening leave imposed by Sir Martin Sorrel before her and her partners could open up shop. Uncommon is already a successful creative studio that has a different, and some might say unconventional, approach to creating better work.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did recording it!

Something I did, [when looking for investment] is that I made a list of all the asshole investors that I heard about in town. And for the first month, I pitched them first. And it was horrific. I was pitching all these awful alpha males [and] I was literally coming home to my husband in pieces. But what was great about that process is by the time I got to the investors I really wanted; I was pitch ready – Pip Jamieson, CEO of The Dots 

This episode of This Way Up was recorded live on stage at the famous Design and Advertising festival in London in May 2019 and features the amazing Pip Jamieson.

Pip is the founder of The Dots, a platform dubbed “LinkedIn for creatives” – that is all about connecting, supporting and championing the people, teams and companies that make ideas happen. Pip has been named one of the Top 50 Leaders in the UK by Creative Review and The Sunday Times Top 100 Disruptive Entrepreneurs. 

During our conversation, I delve into Pip’s fascinating career. From embracing her crippling dyslexia from a young age and turning it into her superpower. She points outs during our conversation that everyone from Sir Richard Branson, Holly Tucker, Jo Malone to Steve Jobs had dyslexia – proving in the process an important stat: 35% of entrepreneurs have dyslexia, and 40% are self-made millionaires. 

She also talks about some big milestones in her journey – from ‘blagging it’ as the Head of Marketing for MTV, in New Zealand – “I’d never done marketing before in my life…I didn’t have a traditional marketing education, because it was just as things were shifting digitally. And somehow, serendipitously, Facebook launched at the same time. And because I didn’t have that traditional marketing background, I just sort of just did it. I just tried it and see if it was going to succeed or fail”

To starting her company ‘The Dots’ as a “non-tech, tech founder” and the highs, the lows, and what comes with being a female entrepreneur – from learning how to pitch in a room full of male VCs, responding to negative criticism, being ambitious and wanting to take on the goliaths of this world – she famously says during our conversation she fully intends to overtake Linkedin in 10 to 15 years – you heard it here first!

So whether you are embarking into the start-up world or just want to make the most out of your career, there’s something for everyone in Pip’s journey – if nothing else her infectious energy is just worth listening to and will make you feel like you can achieve anything!

“It’s a tough world, it’s not easy. Everyone’s battling with something. But my battles definitely come from feeling I’m not where I want to be, but I need to look back because it’s just like climbing a ladder” – Chelcee Grimes

I’m pleased to announce another special episode of This Way Up. I was very privileged to talk with singer/songwriter, footballer and presenter Chelcee Grimes at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. 

Chelcee has written songs for the likes of Dualipa and Kylie Minogue to name just a few. She’s also a professional footballer playing for Fulham FC ladies and a presenter for BBC Sport and Copa 90. And she is currently covering the Women’s World Cup with her own show on BBC Sport #chelceeaway.

It’s during our conversation that Chelcee opens up about the ups & downs of football life as a young women, how she went from unknown artist to writing songs for Dua Lipa and Kylie Minogue and releasing her own singles but also the creative process behind her songs and how being a footballer has prepared her from the brutal world of music.

We talk about not fitting into boxes and following your own path and how Chelcee is such a positive example of exactly that.

Please enjoy this empowering and honest conversation with the kick-ass Chelcee Grimes.

“We’re all striving, looking to make something of ourselves. And when we do make something of ourselves, then we worry that we’re going to lose it or that we’re not going to be able to sustain it” – Debbie Millman

I’m pleased to announce an extra special episode of This Way Up (www.thiswayup.io). It was recorded Live on stage at the famous Design and Advertising festival in London in May 2019 and features the amazing Debbie Millman.
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Debbie Millman (@debbiemillman) is a true design icon – she has helped design some of the most recognisable logos on the planet including  Burger King, Hershey’s, Haagen Dazs, Tropicana and Gillette to name just a few. She has been named “one of the most creative people in business” by Fast Company, and “one of the most influential designers working today” by Graphic Design USA.

As the founder and host of Design Matters, one of the world’s first and longest running podcasts, Millman has interviewed nearly 600 artists, designers and cultural commentators over the past 14+ years including Tim FerrisRoxane GayPaula ScherDavid Lee RothStefan SagmeisterMassimo Vignelli , Milton Glaser to name a few.

Debbie is also President Emeritus of AIGA, one of only five women to have held the position in the organization’s 100-year history.  She also an educator and co-founded with Steven Heller the world’s first masters program in branding at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, which has received international acclaim.

Finally, she’s currently working with Law & Order SVU actor and activist Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation to eradicate sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and the rape-kit backlog.

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Above all this what makes this talk so special is Debbie’s openness to talk about the bumps in her career. From the outside, it looks like she has had a smooth ride has achieved all she has set out to do. The truth is far more interesting. She faced challenges at every step of the way and it is her ability to walk headlong into these and be prepared to put herself out there is the key to her success.

There are a lot of fascinating stories in Debbie’s career and I was privileged to really dig into and draw out some really good lessons for all us to learn from. Stories such as how to recover from shame and rejection, ‘the slugfest’ as Debbie’s calls it, why she needed to start her podcast design matters to nourish her creative soul. We looked at how to handle bad bosses and the devastating impact it can have on your self-confidence, how desperation can sometimes be the best catalyst to push yourself over that difficult threshold and how to give ultimatums at work in order to get a promotion.

I really hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did and find it as useful in your own journey.

In this episode, I talked to Margaret Johnson, Chief Creative Officer of the famous Ad Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners – known for producing big ads for the likes of Doritos, Pepsi and much more. There are a lot of great lessons that Margaret imparts during our conversation, including the fact that she sees having children as THE best thing that enriched not only her life but her career too. She also talks about her favourite motto to ‘stay scrappy’ and not look for inspiration in the traditional places but instead to go out, read books and experience life.

This is a special recording all the way from the South by South West Festival in Austin where I interview AJ Hassan, the VP Executive Creative Director at R/GA Chicago. In this interview, I uncover the stories behind her success. We talk about a multitude of things including the inspiration behind the Always ‘LikeAGirl’ campaign, the importance of giving a meaningful value to a brand and why female creatives bring such a great balance to the creative departments. Thank you to Inc Magazine who hosted me at their Founders House. The house was the first live event of the Founders Project, a multi-platform initiative in which Inc. and partners combine to inspire and guide entrepreneurs to be the next wave of innovators. You can check them out here: https://foundersproject.inc.com/

In this episode, I talked to Caitlin Ryan the Regional Creative Director EMEA at Facebook. During our conversation, I got the chance to really dig into the big demanding roles she’s had across her career. The good, the bad and the ugly and everything in between. Her advice could not be more valuable for anyone at any stage of their career – from how to use meditation to block out negative voices, to knowing how to handle someone who is trying to oust you from your role and much more…
In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Caroline Pay. Caroline is Chief Creative Officer at Headspace and sitting in her kitchen over a cup of tea, we discussed her captivating career- from her humble beginnings at Kessel and Krammer, to working at Mother with famous director Kim Gehrig, to her last UK role as CCO of Grey London, finishing on the serendipitous meeting that led to her new job at Headspace. Throughout these anecdotes and stories what stood out was Caroline’s unquenchable thirst for being challenged, her self-confidence and ability to play to her strengths to be the best at her role.
In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tasha Cronin. Tasha is the co-head of interactive at Droga5 New York and during our conversation I got to really uncover Tasha’s amazing career as producer. Starting in the film industry, she developed scripts and acquired films for the likes of Samuel Goldwyn Films before working at Google creative labs and finally landing at Droga5. But what makes our conversation so special is what her career has taught her over the years, including how to stand up for yourself when a cup of coffee is thrown at you (true story), how to ask the right questions in order to get to the crux of the problem and finally how as a producer being a yes person helps creative ideas flourish.

In this episode, I talk to Tea Uglow. Tea is the Creative Director of Google Creative Lab, Asia Pacific. She is also known as ‘Experimental person in charge’, which perfectly describes her personality and the way she thinks.

During our conversation, we discuss the importance of exploring ideas through culture rather than through profit, how to create safe spaces for creatives to flourish and the best way to problem-solve.

You can find more information about Tea on her website: http://teau.me/

In this special edition of the podcast, I recorded my conversation with Clemmie Telford, in front of a live audience at General Assembly in London. We discussed her fascinating career- from her humble beginnings as a creative in advertising to becoming an Instagrammer/Consultant. I was hooked from the first few seconds of our interview. We talked about the benefits of pursuing your ‘side hustle’, the importance of developing your own voice, how to conserve your own identity when becoming a mum, and so so much more!
In this episode, I talk to Sophie Robison. Sophie is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. In this interview, we discuss her amazing career, how she learned the ropes of documentary filmmaking at the BBC and the obstacles she came across being a woman in the field. We also delve into two amazing documentaries she directed – the Emmie nominated Netflix documentary ‘My Beautiful Broken Brain’ produced by none other than David Lynch and her latest project “Me, My Mouth and I”, a BBC documentary shining a light on Tourette syndrome.
In this week’s podcast, I talk to Film Director Sara Shelton. Sara is real tour de force. She is perceptive, creative, funny and doggedly determined when it comes to the things she is passionate about. In this episode, we discuss Sara’s journey from writer for big agencies like Johannes Leonardo and Droga5 to her taking the massive leap to become a successful Film director. We focus specifically on the confidence it takes to make those leaps of faith and the importance of listening to that inner voice to follow your passion.
In this episode, I talk to the amazing @rosieyakob. Rosie is a strategist and together with husband Faris Yakob (@farisy) they form the company Genius Steals, a strategy and innovation consultancy. What makes Rosie’s story so unique is that she is a nomad. Rosie and Faris left their last permanent home in New York 5 years ago to travel the world, working with leading brands and agencies on various projects for just a few weeks at a time before jetting off to a new location, soaking up different cultures as they go. We talk about the various roles Rosie mastered as a young strategist, how to deal with people trying to rip you off and how she made the transition to a nomadic life on the road.
In this episode, I interview Katy Sumption. Katy is not only a creative director but also the co-founder of The Elephant Room. Katy has had an interesting journey, to say the least. From far, it might seem like your usual advertising path but for a young female creative rising up the ranks of old boys clubs nowhere near easy. We go through her journey and discuss how she went from a successful role, as senior creative at Iris to co-founder of her own advertising agency. Including, the importance of building a diverse team to create meaningful work.
In this episode, we have another special from Cannes Lions where I interview Aaisha Dadral. Aisha is the CEO of Crave. An advertising agency that she founded at the tender age of 26. In this interview, I uncover the stories behind her success and what it takes to start your own agency. We talk about the importance of staying true to yourself, the art of asking the right questions and how to be heard in a business meeting when you might be the youngest and the only female in the room.
THIS WAY UP is a podcast featuring interviews with leading women in the creative industry. Sharing the good, the bad and the ugly of their careers. It’s those valuable insights that make the journey up a little less hard. In this episode, we have a special from Cannes Lions where Rebecca Rowntree interviews Katy Alonzo. Katy is a Group Strategy Director at Droga5 and she talks honestly about her fascinating career journey, her Cannes Lions talk and the importance of showing your vulnerable side at work.