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Viv Groskop is a writer, broadcaster and stand-up comedian. Viv’s brand new 2017 show ANCHORWOMAN: WHEN THE NEWS GETS TOO MUCH was performed at Edinburgh Fringe this year and featured on: BBC R2 and BBC R4. We chat about Viv’s new book, acquired by Penguin The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature. Viv is also a Columnist and agony aunt called Dear Viv at The Pool. She reviews TV for the Guardian and is the author of “stand-up meets mid-life crisis memoir” I Laughed, I Cried. AND she was shortlisted Glamour Woman of the Year: Columnist of the Year 2014, 2015, 2016. We talk about how you shouldn't rush creative projects, how trolling isn’t new, how her new book was in the works for 15 years and how to many projects on the go at the same.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rae Earl is a brilliant author. Her books My Mad Fat Diary & My Madder Fatter Diary have been made into a TV show that is shown in over 50 countries worldwide including the USA, Brazil, South Korea & Morocco. My Mad Fat Diary has been nominated for 2 BAFTAS, 2 RTS awards, an international Emmy award and has won 2 MIND Media awards. Her mental heath guide It’s All in Your Head is out now – and it is a hug in a book. Rae has written articles for The Guardian, Marie Claire, Elle, Elle Australia and Sarah Millican’s The Standard Issue online magazine and has featured in The Telegraph, Heat, Grazia and The Times. In this episode with talk about mental health, the term “snowflakes”, how to have an argument online and how to know what to share online.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Giovanna Fletcher is a Sunday Times bestselling author, actress and vlogger.Her first book, Billy and Me was released in May 2013, and a year later she returned with a second title, You’re the One That I Want, in 2014. Then another book in 2015, and another one in 2016! I was so excited to talk to Giovanna about her writing and creative processes and where she gets all her ideas from. We also chatted about friendship, motherhood and living life online as a parent in the public eye. Hope you enjoy this episode. Her podcast Happy Mum Happy Baby is released on September 5th, make sure you subscribe!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I’m so excited to bring you this episode with Will Young. Obviously I know Will from his Pop Idol success back in the noughties - I was a fan then and I am now too, but for a different reason: his new podcast with his friend Chris Sweeney called HOMO SAPIENS is brilliant. They describe it as “two gay guys talking to people we think are interesting” and were heavily inspired by BBC's Woman's Hour. Episode 1 was released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the start of decriminalisation of homosexuality. Each weekly episode tackles a diverse mix of LGBTQ+ subjects. Of course we all know Will for his pop classics and right now Will is continuing Summer Jazz Sessions with performances at music festivals and BBC’s I Feel Love concert. He is doing a series of talks about mental health at Latitude, Wilderness and Soul Circus and has an upcoming UK tour of the musical ‘Cabaret’. He's been nominated for an Olivier Award and was also nominated for the Guardian Pride Power List 2017. Subscribe to Homo Sapiens on iT

Rebecca Holman is the editor of The Debrief and the author of BETA: Quiet Girls Can Run The World. Rebecca was also my boss when I worked at The Debrief years ago, and so it was nice to catch up with her, especially as she also featured me in her book (which you should all read). Rebecca’s book BETA is published on 24th August '17 and takes a look at the two stereotypes of women in the workplace: the Alpha boss, or the Beta secretary or assistant. Rebecca is self-defined as a straight up Beta and she describes the differences between the two terms on the podcast. Obviously being reduced to two stereotypes isn’t massively helpful and of course there is a sliding scale. What if you’re a Beta who wants to lead and be the boss in the workplace - like Rebecca? Can you be a successful boss who is also quiet, reserved and likes going home on time? BETA celebrates the collaborators and the people who believe that being nice works and getting your own way isn't always the most important thing. It is a call-to-arm

Michelle Kennedy is the CEO and co-founder of Peanut, an app for Mums who want to make new friends. She started Peanut after struggling to meet other mums she could relate to while also working. After finding herself trawling blogs for baby advice at 2am while her friends were still hanging out in clubs, she decided to create a product to make being a mum a little less lonely. Michelle started her career as a lawyer at leading international law firm, she later joined dating app, Badoo, where she transformed the internal legal offering within Badoo, and eventually rose to the role of Deputy CEO. During her tenure at Badoo, Michelle was integral to the the launch of Bumble.                     We talk about friendship, motherhood, competitiveness and being kinder to ourselves.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is a slightly different episode. I interview artist and activist Lily Cole and British fashion designer Henry Holland and a handful of other people who are all behind BRITA’S #SWAPFORGOOD campaign. This campaign is to raise awareness of the 7.7 billion single-use plastic water bottles that end up in seas and landfill every year and the fact that by 2050 there is a good chance there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Pretty horrifying stats. Henry Holland and BRITA have teamed up to create two powerful slogan tees that were made using plastic that might otherwise have ended up in the sea and landfill. The limited edition t-shirts will be sold on HouseofHolland.co.uk from 20th July, at £30, with profits donated to the Marine Conservation Society (@MCS). In this episode we talk tips on how live more consciously, how plastic waste is harming our planet and how something as simple as having a refillable water bottle means you aren’t just using plastic bottles once and then binning them. Hope you fin

Cathy Rentzenbrink is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling memoir The Last Act of Love. She was born in Cornwall, grew up in Yorkshire and she now lives in London, where she works as a writer and journalist. She is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling memoir The Last Act of Love, which was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize and one of my personal favourite memoirs of last year. It tells the story of Cathy and her family coming to terms with a horrific accident involving her younger brother Matty and the heartbreaking aftermath of what happened. It deals with grief, heartbreak, family and the human experience of dealing with something awful that changes your life forever. Her second book is out now, called A Manual for Heartache. It’s taking her experiences told in her first book and giving practical tips to readers. She describes how she learnt to live with grief and loss and find joy in the world again. She explores how to cope with life at its most difficult and overwhelming. It's a book th

Lucy Vine is a freelance journalist based in London, who regularly writes and edits for the likes of Grazia, Heat, Cosmo, Stylist and Marie Claire. She also writes a weekly newsy column for Grazia Daily. She was fed up of seeing the happily-ever-afters in films, so she decided to write her own story and her debut Hot Mess is the result. Hot Mess has been described as the hilarious laugh-out-loud Bridget Jones for a new generation. We talk about female friendship, "Cool Girls", being single, external life pressures, turning 30 and the horrors of 21st century dating.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Haig is a brilliant author who writes for both children and adults. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive was a number one bestseller last year, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children's book A Boy Called Christmas was a huge hit recently, translated in over 25 languages and being made into a film by Studio Canal. The Guardian called it an 'instant classic' and his fans include Neil Gaiman. His novels for adults include the award-winning The Radleys and The Humans. His newest book How To Stop Time is out now - the main protagonist Tom has a secret - he may look like an ordinary forty-one-year-old, but he was born in 1581, this rare condition means he’s been alive for centuries. It’s also being made into a film with Benedict Cumberbatch as Tom - so it’s all been kicking off for Matt Haig, things are very exciting indeed. We talk about his new novel, his relationship with time, how to deal when your memoir is a viral hit and you become a meme, and realistic writing tips.  See acast.c

Excited to bring you today’s episode with the amazing Tavi Gevinson. I’ve followed her career for years, her fashion blog Style Rookie was one of the first blogs I ever read which she founded when she was 11. I also really enjoyed her TED talk she did back in 2012 all about being a teen and figuring stuff out. Tavi Gevinson is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of the Rookie Magazine shifting her focus to pop culture and feminist discussion - it broke one-million page views within five days of launching in September 2011 when she was only 15 years old. She wanted to create a space for teen girls as she "couldn't find a publication for young people that respected its readers' intelligence, honestly addressed what they were going through, and had actual teens writing for it". She has also recently launched the Rookie Podcast in collaboration with MTV where she interviews artists who also answer advice and talk through Rookie type subjects. We chat about growing up online, accepting our past online selves and manag

Otegha Uwagba is the author of The Little Black Book and founder of Women Who.Women Who is a London-based platform she created to connect, support and and inspire creative working women. Besides running Women Who, she is also a freelance writer for places like ELLE and an occasional brand consultant, having spent years working at Vice and huge creative agencies.So in this episode we talk about her first book, Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women which I read last year when she first self-published it on her own. I’m so happy for Otegha that it’s been published this year by the incredible publishers 4th Estate. We talk about design, building your own brand, how to set high standards but how to not let being a perfectionist hold you back.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Chloe Brotheridge is a fully qualified hypnotherapist, nutritionist and the author of The Anxiety Solution, which was published by Penguin earlier this year. She likes to help people with anxiety, confidence, public speaking, stress and sleep issues, and her hypnotherapy sessions helping make changes to people’s thoughts, feelings, habits or behaviours. She aims to get you the best results in the shortest amount of time, using around 3-5 sessions. In this episode, we discuss how anxiety is on the rise, how we deal with it, what to do when we feel overwhelmed, our relationship with social media and we discuss some of the practical advice in her brilliant book The Anxiety Solution.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Vanessa Van Edwards is an author, Huffington Post columnist and behavioural investigator. Sheconsults Fortune 500 companies and is a professional people watcher—speaking, researching and cracking the code of interesting human behaviour for audiences around the world. Vanessa’s groundbreaking workshops and courses teach individuals how to succeed in business and life by understanding the hidden dynamics of people. She has been featured on the Wall Street Journal, the Today Show, CNN, Fast Company and Forbes. In her own words she loves inappropriately intimate questions and eavesdropping on strangers conversations in coffee shops. she loves to figure people out. Vanessa doesn’t believe there are boring people—just individuals afraid to expose who the really are.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Reni Eddo-Lodge is an award winning writer and author of the forthcoming Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race. Her new book Why I'm published by Bloomsbury Books in the UK, Australia & New Zealand on 1st June 2017, and the United States on 5th December 2017. 2015 Man Booker Prize-winner Marlon James writing that it was 'essential'. Her book explores issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, she offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism. It is a searing, illuminating, absolutely necessary exploration of what it is to be a person of colour in Britain today. Her writing can be found at The New York Times, British Vogue, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, Stylist Magazine, The Pool and many more. Her writing achieved a high commendation from Channel 4's Best Young Blogger competition in 2010; she was also listed in the Daily T

Juno Dawson is the multi award-winning author of ten books. In 2014 Juno became a School Role Model for the charity STONEWALL. In 2016, she authored the best-selling World Book Day title: SPOT THE DIFFERENCE. Her latest novel is the beautiful and emotive MARGOT & ME (which came out in January in 2017) and her memoir THE GENDER GAMES is out now. In 2015, Juno announced her intention to undergo gender transition and live as a woman. On the cover of The Gender Games it says "the problem with men and woman - from someone who has been both." This book isn't just about how the conversation around gender is screwing over trans people (which it certainly is), it's messing with everyone. Little girls who are told they can't be doctors, men who can't cry because they feel they shouldn't, exclusionist feminism and the alt-right. Juno is a regular contributor to Attitude Magazine, Glamour Magazine, The Guardian and has been on BBC Woman’s Hour, ITV News, This Morning and Newsnight concerning sexuality, identity and e

Sali Hughes is an author, broadcaster, Guardian columnist and founder of the award-winning salihughesbeauty.com. She is a former magazine editor, has written extensively for Grazia, The Observer, Elle, Stylist, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and is Contributing Editor at Red magazine. She has also written a beauty column for The Guardian for many years. Sali has appeared frequently on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Sky News, BBC2’s Newsnight and This Morning and Lorraine. Her YouTube series of “In The Bathroom With…” interviews won two major beauty industry awards in 2014. Sali’s first book, Pretty Honest: The Straight Talking Beauty Companion, was published in September 2014 by Fourth Estate (Harper Collins) and her second book is called Pretty Iconic: A Personal Look At The Beauty Products That Changed The World. Both are brilliant. We talk beauty and self-care, keeping your integrity, how your career is long so don’t be a dick - and how to cope when social media is too overwhelming to handle sometimes. &

Jen Sincero is a #1 NY Times Bestselling Author, life coach and motivational speaker. She has helped countless people transform their personal and professional lives via her seminars, public appearances and books. Before this, Jen Sincero worked at CBS Records. In her words she “played in several failed rockbands, she had a string of loser boyfriends and never any money in her bank account.” Then she decided something had to change. Jen’s book YOU ARE A BADASS was a No.1 New York Times bestseller staying in the chart for 55 weeks. YOU ARE A BADASS has sold over 1 million copies globally and hit over 10 bestseller lists in 2016. It was published in the UK in autumn 2016 and it immediately sold out 50k copies. You are a Badass at Making Money is the follow up to this crazy successful first book and so this whole episode is about money — our relationship with it, giving our self permission to make money, our fear of it, why it’s still seems like a taboo to talk about it. Hope you enjoy this episode.  S

Deborah Frances-White is the host of podcast The Guilty Feminist, a founding member of The Spontaneity Shop, co-author of The Improv Handbook, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, corporate speaker and executive coach and is passionate about helping women in business to unlock their personal power. On May 22nd Deborah is running a Guilty Feminist ‘Include Yourself’ leadership day at Kings Place, where she’ll be encouraging women to learn how to be more visible and audible and have less apology and self-doubt. To buy tickets, go to guiltyfeminist.com and click on "Include Yourself" section. We talk more about it on the podcast as well as Deborah’s extremely interesting multi-faceted career.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Recorded live at Waterstones, London on May 11th, 2017. Emily Reynolds is a writer and author, based in London, specialising in features and opinion on mental health, tech, science and gender. She has bylines at NY Mag, the Guardian, Times Literary Supplement, New Statesman, BBC and many more. She has appeared on Newstalk, the FiveThirtyEight podcast, Radio 4's Today Programme and Woman's Hour. Her first book, A Beginner's Guide To Losing Your Mind, was released in February 2017. In 2016 she co-founded the Words by Women Awards, the only general UK awards for women journalists. It received thousands of nominations and had press coverage on Radio 4 and in the Telegraph, Guardian, Spectator and more. The Society of Editors formed an advisory group to deal with diversity following the success of the awards.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.