Ctrl Alt Delete

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 memoi

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 parti

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 wi

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 recorde

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!  See acast.

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.htmlMore info on PressPad here: https://presspad.co.uk/  See acast.com/privacy

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!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 t

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.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

[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.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 &nb

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. ​H​ope you enjoy this episode if you did please do leave a rating or review!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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

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 fe

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, h

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 prese

*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 test

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