Badass Womens Hour

Imagine your dream is to be a star of the stage known around the world and then your sibling beats you to it, what is it like to live right next to the lime light, but not quite in it?Nicola Wren has witnessed the ups and downs of stardom from the sidelines because her older brother is the lead singer of Coldplay, Chris Martin. Stemming from an Edinburgh Festival Show Nicola has written a play about growing up with a dream of being a superstar but then.... your older sibling goes and does it before you! Nicola shares her love of comedy and play writing and working toward creating her vision and passion.Her one woman show "Superstar" is on at the southwark playhouse from the 26th November, find out more info here.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

1-7 couples will struggle to have a baby, is it becoming harder for women and men to have children? Or should we just be conceiving earlier?Harriet Emma and Natalie are getting into all things fertility and baby making! Dr Ippokratis Sarris is talking about why couples are finding it harder to conceive even with amazing advances in technology and the ladies learn about the “Andreno-pause” the name for the male menopause and everything that comes with it.Lee Cockburn is a police woman and former Rugby player and now crime thriller writer. Lee played rugby for 29 years and for her national team of Scotland of 15 years, and saw many victories during her time.She is now the frontline, although she’s seen it all in her time in the police, from getting black eyes to dealing with dead bodies, Lee talks through how she deals with some of the sadder says she has at work.Lee is now an author, she is penning some of the more interesting tales from her years working to inspire parts of her 4 novels. Her new book is

54’000 women face pregnancy discrimination at work every year, so how do we go about changing this and just how easy is it?The Badass ladies are talking to Joeli Brearley who is the founder of “Pregnant Then Screwed”, it started as a campaign after Joeli herself was fired from her job working at a children’s charity whilst 4 months pregnant. Pregnant then screwed is now a force for good supporting women all over the country in similar situations.They’re holding employers responsible for their actions toward pregnant employees, injustice’s that pregnant women face include being made to sign non-disclosure agreements to force silence, Joeli is giving voices to these women and their stories, aiming to change legislation by creating preventive laws like longer paternity leave, flexible working and childcare issues.For information on all your hosts you can click on their names:Harriet MinterNatalie CampbellEmma Sexton If you want to get in touch you can find us on all the socials under this name: @badasswomen

This week we’re talking all things pain, pills and health with Radha Modgil and asking what can glittery boobs do for body image? with artist Sophie Tea.Dr Radha is an NHS GP who is sharing stories and trying to spread the message of preventative methods for physical and mental health.The badass ladies are discussing what women are going to the doctors for and the health problems that are bothering women more than men. They’re also tackling the UK’s addiction to prescription drugs that we may be overlooking to fix a problem that’s creating a much bigger one for our health.And where did the glitter boobs trend come from? Meet Sophie Tea the artist who was the first to take off her bra and get glittery for art!She wanted to help women’s body image by painting lots and lots of bodies, so she took to instagram and asked her followers for their nudes…… the next day she woke up to 1000 pictures of naked bodies, hear what she’s been doing with these images.For information on all your hosts you can click on

Journalist, author and TV presenter Dawn O’Porter is chatting to Harriet, Natalie and Emma about her new book, social media identity, and her experience with the gender pay gap and being a woman in the media landscape.Hear as Dawn talks all about the themes of her new book; Being honest about who you are, in the times of filters and social media “perfection”. This is her 6th book! And Dawn tells us about her writing process and how she crafts the stories for her fiction novels, she thanks her roots in journalism for being able to delve deep into peoples stories and personalities when interviewing for her characters. "So Lucky" is out now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mum and author Elena Holmes is telling Harriet, Emma and Natalie about The process that her and her partner went thought to adopt their children, she addresses things that may have never even crossed your mind when thinking about brining children into your family and the overwhelming decisions that come with adoption, as well as the rewards of adoptive parent-hood.Having started a blog at the beginning of this journey Elena has now penned all of her thoughts and advice on becoming an adoptive parent into her new book “AdoptyMum: A Survival Guide To Life With Adopted Kids”In anticipation of the “Sports Women of the Year Awards” the Badass ladies are chatting to the nominee of the “Vitality Grassroots Award” Jacqueline who is the head of the Thames Valley Kings wheel chair basketball club, she started the club at age 19 for her friend who is in a wheel chair and didn’t have a club near to her, now 15 years later they’re still playing and as “gung-ho” as ever!For information on all your hosts you can click

Imagine if Juliet had never killed herself after finding Romeo dead? One of the most tragic endings of all time has been re-written! Miriam Teak-Lee is the star of the brand new Westend musical: "& Juliet" which is all about the aftermath of Romeo of and Juliet’s lovestory, expect that, for Juliet this is just the beginning of it all. As Miriam explains the sound track to the musical is all iconic pop music from Britney Classics to Katy Perry. Find more info here.What makes you a free range human? Lots of space and organic food? Or is trying to create an alternative career for yourself, stepping out from the 9-5 office space and exploring what else you can deliver to the world? Marianne Cantwell she tells us about her new book “Be a Free Range Human: Escape the 9-5, Create a Life You Love and Still Pay the Bills”.For information on all your hosts you can click on their names:Harriet MinterNatalie CampbellEmma Sexton If you want to get in touch you can find us on all the socials under this n

This week the Badass Woman's Hour was bumped for Brexit, as the coverage of the debates took place on the station, but don't worry you can escape the Brexit chaos here as Harriet is giving you her favourite interviews from the last six months.We'll hear from leader of the Equality Party Mandu Reid who want's to shake up the political system and rethink the way women are placed in society and we are reminded of the time the amazing Carrie Gracie was in the studio a few months back, Carrie was the whistle blower on the BBC pay gap issues, she stood up and gave her own case as the leading example to show that women working for the BBC were underpaid compared to their male counterparts, really inspiring stuff, Harriet, Emma and Natalie will be back as normal next week but we ho you like this reminder of some amazing women.For information on all your hosts you can click on their names:Harriet MinterNatalie CampbellEmma Sexton If you want to get in touch you can find us on all the socials under this name: @bad

How do Instagram and Feminism relate to each other?American business woman and former fashion model Caprice Bourret is in the studio talking all things Dancing On Ice, from shin splints to big lifts, she is sharing all of her excitement about starting the show and learning a skill she has never tried before. And Caprice tells is what she has learnt from getting older and how the entertainment industry has responded and how her career has evolved.And also joining the badass ladies is Eliza Batten Made in Chelsea star who is currently writing her dissertation on Instagram and Feminism, within 12,000 words she’ll be delving into the social media platform, how it works and the impact it has on women and the view of the female body.Eliza tells us how the reality show is trying to change it’s ways by being more aware of the way it is portraying the female characters and aiming to be more supportive of the stars by offering therapy and counselling.For information on all your hosts you can click on their names:H

A sanitary towel that disappears in water? Wondering how that would even work, that's what we're finding out.In the studio this week is Global branding expert Kubi Springer. She has been driven by the gender pay gap, as she wants to give people the tools to build their personal brand and to monetise their personal brand through her book which is an accumulation of advice from the past 24 years of her career and life working with some of the biggest names and brands in the world.And Kubi tells us, why branding is much like dating….And the ladies talk to Olivia Ahn who is the founder of the worlds first water soluble or “flushable” sanitary towel. After challenging her flatmate at uni to create a superior sanitary product, Olivia was amazed when he actually did!Polipop is looking to launch in summer next year, Olivia’s is creating change and its on it’s way! The pad that will breakdown in water preventing pads that are flushed from sitting in sewers and ending up in the ocean and rain fall on land-fill means th

Writer, performer and muslim drag queen Amrou Al-Kadhi is telling us all about his new book “Unicorn”.In his work Amrou is aiming to bring together queer images and the middle east. He tells us how his relationship with his mum inspired his new show and parts of his book, and how his family have struggled with his career and drag act, as we hear, writing this in his book was a cathartic experience for him.And Amrou shares how fish and aquatic life helped him with his identity as a queer person.For information on all your hosts you can click on their names:Harriet MinterNatalie CampbellEmma Sexton If you want to get in touch you can find us on all the socials under this name: @badasswomenshrAnd for more about the podcast head here: https://www.badasswomenshour.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Harriet, Emma and Natalie are joined this week by Sabrina Washington, former member of 90’s girl group Mis-teeq, she is delving deep into what life was like as a rising star in an a girl group, talking about the differences between being a pop star in the 90’s compared to how the industry works now, how the girl group came to split and being put in a “box” for her race when working in the music industry. And we hear all about Sabrina’s transition from music making and song writing to home interiors, and her love for creating clam and serenity in the home.Funmi Fetto, has been a fashion and beauty writer for years, long enough to realise how rubbish the industry is for women of colour, she is aiming to help in the change.She has created a book which breaks down all of the misunderstanding of beauty for women of colour, as Funmi explain women of colour for years have had poor choice of make-up as the industry hasn’t really catered for anything other than Caucasian skin up until recent years. Her new b

Times are changing in the world of advertising, the advertising standards agency have put an end to stereo typical advertising, so cleaning brand Method have launched a new campaign "Drag Cleans" aiming to get more diverse faces into the media.Drag Queen Tete Bang is involved in the campaign and is in the studio talking to the badass ladies about all things drag, how it aims to include and offer a safe space for queer people and celebrate personality in all its glory! She tells us about the prejudice she has faced for being an open queer person in her small home town, Tete shines a light on the issues that still exist around pride and attitude toward LGBTQ+.Tete is in a new TV show "Drag SOS" which helps people break out of their shell through the confidence that drag can bring. If you want to get in touch you can find us on all the socials under this name: @badasswomenshrAnd for more about the podcast head here: https://www.badasswomenshour.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out in

Lets prioritise the things in our life, stop trying to do it all and fix our sh*t!Christine Armstrong is sharing her tips on how we can set up things in our life so that we don’t get overwhelmed with all of the responsibilities we give ourselves. As more and more of us are trying to juggle parenting, home life, a social life and a working life, are we trying to do too much? Christine is busting the myth that it’s possible to do it all in her book Mother Of All JobsAnd bringing some of her positive energy to the studio Shaa Wasmund, the best selling author is telling the ladies about her new book How To Fix Your Sh*t which is providing you with the tools so that you can help yourself, she’s not telling you what to do, but how to get out of your own way!For information on all your hosts you can click on their names:Harriet MinterNatalie CampbellEmma Sexton If you want to get in touch you can find us on all the socials under this name: @badasswomenshrAnd for more about the podcast head here: https://ww

The amount we are buying is rising and rising and fast fashion is only benefiting from our consumeristic habits but somewhere in the system someone is paying the price. So is lab grown leather the answer?As Harriet takes a week off Claudia-Liza Armah is taking the job of hosting this week and is joining Natalie and Emma.Dana Thomas is talking all things fast fashion and sustainability in her new book “Fashionopolis” Having been fashion writing for 30 years she admits she wasn’t that aware of the state of fashion industry and the truth of sweat shops until she began digging and researching, she shares exactly what she found.With the Sportswoman of the Year Awards approaching the ladies are joined by journalist Rebecca Myers together they are reflecting on what a year it has been for women sports, with both the football and cricket world cups they are debating who will win.For information on all your hosts you can click on their names:Harriet MinterNatalie CampbellEmma Sexton If you want to get i

Did you know that it was a women who made electricity in the home possible... why isn't she a household name? The badass ladies are finding out.As Harriet takes a week off Claudia-Liza Armah is taking the job of hosting this week and is joining Natalie and Emma.In the studio is Henrietta Heald who is educating the ladies on the history of the female engineers who changed the way we do things everyday, but who we're silenced and forgotten about and their stories that were lost in history! All of which is detailed in her new book: Magnificent Women and Their Revolutionary Machines.Henrietta is telling the ladies about the amazing creations of the women employed in the first world war to work as engineers, their amazing creations and the trails and tribulations they faced as 1920’s laws meant that the women who worked whilst the men were at war had to return to homemaking life once the troops were back. As Henrietta explains it is the centenary year of the Women’s Engineering Society, and how even in 2019 we sti

Is there racism toward pregnant Black Women in the UK? recent investigations would suggest so!Black women are 5x more likely to die from child birth than white women in UK, Sowda Ali a BBC Stories Producer created a shocking video to spread this vital message, she shares what she found in the process of researching for this piece.And the ladies also talk to Candice Brathwaite who has experienced the effect of systemic racism within the medical sector in the UK, She suffered very badly as part of the fallout from the dismissive responses she received from midwives after giving birth to her baby and having c-section that wasn’t cared for properly, it left Candice’s wound infected and she was separated from her newborn for 5 weeks. Candice is also the founder of "Make Motherhood Diverse Campaign”Candice says: “We are not seeing each others as equal” and the statistics reflect this, Emma and Natalie are asking why?Find the video here.And the founder of the sexier, and more feminist answer to Willy Wonka

Monthly sore boob episodes are one of the things bothering Hannah Witton - Badass Women's Hour's guest. Hannah reveals all about how hormones affect us beyond our period, and talks candidly about life with a stoma bag. Her book "The Hormone Diaries" is out now.Find her on all the socials: @hannahwittonFor information on all your hosts you can click on their names:Harriet MinterNatalie CampbellEmma Sexton If you want to get in touch you can find us on all the socials under this name: @badasswomenshrAnd for more about the podcast head here: https://www.badasswomenshour.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Big, small, white, however big the lie, is it true that they’ll always come back to haunt you?Author Adele Parks returns to the Badass Woman’s Hour studio to share a vit about her new book “Lies, Lies, Lies”.When the main character finds out his family isn’t what he thought was, it leaves his wife with a lot of explaining to do, and this only the beginning of the string of lies he is yet to find out.And the ladies ask, what role does truth telling play in our relationship, is it all negative? Adele shares how she builds her deep and sometimes and dark characters, taking her inspiration from the most interesting aspects of people personalities.And Harriet, Emma and Natalie are exploring what gaslighting in the work place is and what the signs are, Natalie shares her recent experience of being undermined in the work place. The ladies get the option of Alex Holder a journalist who wrote an article introducing the concept.And Harriet asks is this term a bit too harsh for a work environment, considering it's stron

Would you be willing to risk your whole career and financial stability in the name of equality? This week's guest did!We've got all three badass women back together this week, Harriet, Natalie and Emma are joined by Carrie Gracie, the BBC reporter who blew the whistle on the gender pay gap by coming out about the pay gap she experienced working for the BBC for 30 years.Her story shows how inequality was being swept under the carpet, and as she explains she was willing to put her self on the line and go public with her story and salary to help get women equal pay as Carrie says she worked with the intention of “no woman left behind”. She has documented every detail of her journey with this issue in her book “Equal”.And the ladies are looking at recent claims that men are not as willing to work with women after the fall out of the gender pay gap, and the #metoo movement, have they been scared off? For information on all your hosts you can click on their names:Harriet MinterNatalie CampbellEmma Sexton&