Candice Brathwaite shares my belief in consciousness, soul, spirituality – the innate power that exists inside us all. She's used it to overcome personal struggles, and to manifest her ideas into reality. All despite the world trying to silence her.Now a best-selling author of titles such as Sista Sister and Cuts Both Ways, and an influential voice sharing her story of black motherhood – Candice has battled through racism, beauty standards, and colourism. She's also received public backlash when she's broached taboos or fought for those made to feel "other" by society.But she approaches it all – the fun, the light, the complex and challenging – with positivity and joy. And this is because she realised she had "the key" to transformation inside herself all along.Follow Mary Portas on: Instagram: @maryportasofficial Facebook: Mary Portas And to get in touch with team Portas, email us at: beautifulmisfits@portasagency.com and you can subscribe to the Portas POV Newsletter for musings, provocation insights and inspiration.

How do you feel about failure? For many of us, it’s one of the scariest places we can go. But the legendary founder of Pret A Manger and Itsu embraces it. We’re too scared of failure, says Julian Metcalfe. We must use it as an opportunity to learn. In a new episode of Beautiful Misfits, I talk to Julian about everything from the power of empathy to the pursuit of excellence. He talks movingly about the impact of the death of his mother and how striving for excellence inspires him. We need more leaders like him. There’s a shift coming, the world is changing and Beautiful Misfits like Julian can guide us. Follow Mary Portas on: Instagram: @maryportasofficial Facebook: Mary Portas And to get in touch with team Portas, email us at: beautifulmisfits@portasagency.com and you can subscribe to the Portas POV Newsletter for musings, provocation insights and inspiration.

Lemn Sissay is a poet, a thinker, a rebel. His mother thought she was putting him into temporary foster care as a baby. But he was swallowed up by the system. Then aged 12, he was sent back into it when his adoptive parents kicked him out. Lemn grew up alone in so many ways. But alongside this pain there was beauty and light in the form of creativity. Lemn has built an impressive career, but more importantly, he’s a truly soulful man. This conversation hit me powerfully – and Lemn is a true Beautiful Misfit. As he says, the question anyone who identifies as “unique” should ask is, “do you give yourself the permission to explore that?”Follow Mary Portas on: Instagram: @maryportasofficial Facebook: Mary Portas And to get in touch with team Portas, email us at: beautifulmisfits@portasagency.com and you can subscribe to the Portas POV Newsletter for musings, provocation insights and inspiration.

My guest this week has been called “the most influential woman in fashion”. We both met starting out at Topshop in our 20s, before Jane Shepherdson went on to put Topshop at the beating heart of cultural relevance in a way no other high street brand had been before. But then – to the surprise of the outside world – she walked away from it all. To me, Jane is a beautiful misfit because we share something very important – she was not driven by money, or growth, but instead by creative instinct. As fast fashion grew, and the internal culture of the company under Philip Green became too much to bear – Jane needed to find distance from the machine she now saw as a monster, and sought out a new way to channel her creative energy.  She explains the anger she felt at having to let go of her “baby”, the protection she had to put around her team, and why she’s dedicated her career ever since, to doing fashion differently. Follow Mary Portas on: Instagram: @maryportasofficial Facebook: Mary Portas And to get in touch with team Portas, email us at: beautifulmisfits@portasagency.com and you can subscribe to the Portas POV Newsletter for musings, provocation insights and inspiration.

Beautiful Misfits don’t accept the status quo. They know instinctively the way we’re living today is broken. But they believe the world can be a better place. And they fearlessly take the imaginative leap to change it. Join Mary as she talks to the authors and businesspeople, designers and poets, who are using their unique perspective to create a better, more beautiful, future. Their life lessons are sometimes funny, at others moving, but always insightful. And one thing is clear: we’ve never needed these beautiful misfits more. New episodes every week – subscribe now.

Emma Jones CBE knows the journey of entrepreneurship first hand – she founded, scaled and successfully sold a home-grown tech company, all before she hit thirty. Ever since she's been on a mission to help other SME's reach their own visions of success. Now running Enterprise Nation – and as a partner of Mastercard's Strive UK platform – she sits at the helm of a vibrant community of small businesses and business advisers that exists to shortcut the route to trusted business support.Speaking with Mary, Emma explains why 'purpose' and 'passion' are crucial factors for anyone looking to start a company that is resilient and can continue to connect with customers through tough times. She also shares tips on how entrepreneurs can stay better connected and share skills in the new landscape of remote and blended working.For more on how Mastercard's Strive UK could help your business, visit www.mastercard.co.uk/striveFollow Mary Portas on: Instagram: @maryportasofficial Facebook: Mary Portas And to get in touch with team Portas, email us at: kindnesseconomy@portasagency.com and you can subscribe to the Portas POV Newsletter for musings, provocation insights and inspiration.

Kelly Devine believes that micro and small businesses are the lifeblood of the UK economy. As part of the team behind Strive UK – an initiative set up by Mastercard as a free resource for small business owners across the country – Kelly is working to help these businesses to navigate the digital economy, build relationships and communities, and ultimately realise their growth ambitions. Alongside Mary, she discusses the huge potential of the sector, and why these entrepreneurs are the changemakers of the future. For more on how Strive UK could help your business, visit www.mastercard.co.uk/striveFollow Mary Portas on: Instagram: @maryportasofficial Facebook: Mary Portas And to get in touch with team Portas, email us at: kindnesseconomy@portasagency.com and you can subscribe to the Portas POV Newsletter for musings, provocation insights and inspiration.

Patrick Grant knows that fashion has the potential to be about far more than the clothes we wear: from supporting disadvantaged communities to the ultimate anti-dote to throwaway consumerism. And he’s working at many levels of the industry to put these ideas into practice: from the Savile Row tailor Norton & Sons to the social enterprise Community Clothing - which works with factories in some of the UK’s most deprived areas. He’s also helped inspire thousands to reconnect with the increasingly lost art of making and repairing clothes – through his work as a judge on the BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee and as the driving force behind The Big Community Sew which saw thousands volunteer to make Covid masks. Join Mary as she talks to Patrick about the huge potential that fashion has for creating a positive impact.Follow Mary Portas on: Instagram: @maryportasofficial Facebook: Mary Portas And to get in touch with team Portas, email us at: kindnesseconomy@portasagency.com and you can subscribe to the Portas POV Newsletter for musings, provocation insights and inspiration.

Dale Vince isn’t your average entrepreneur. After leaving school at 15, he spent ten years living off grid in buses, trucks and underneath tarpaulin. In 1996 he founded Ecotricity with one windmill in Gloucestershire. The company now employs over 600 people and supplies green energy to 117,000 homes. He’s also chairman of Forest Green Rovers - the world’s first vegan and UN-certified carbon neutral football club. And his most recent launch is Sky Diamond – sustainable gems created by taking carbon out of the atmosphere.Dale’s work is inextricably linked with his values. Join Mary as she talks to him about what inspired him to carve his unique path.Follow Mary Portas on: Instagram: @maryportasofficial Facebook: Mary Portas And to get in touch with team Portas, email us at: kindnesseconomy@portasagency.com and you can subscribe to the Portas POV Newsletter for musings, provocation insights and inspiration.

When Yvon Chouinard became a member of the Southern California Falconry Club in 1953, he was taught how to abseil down cliffs to view the birds’ nests and it sparked a lifelong love of climbing and the outdoors. Twenty years later he founded the clothing company Patagonia. Today it’s a billion-dollar business whose mission statement reads: “We’re in business to save our home planet.”Patagonia is at the forefront of a host of initiatives from recycling to renewable energy. It gives money to grassroots environmental non-profits, repairs garments and supports 64,000 workers through Fair Trade. They publish films and books, fund environmentally and socially conscious start-ups, campaign and innovate in organic and regenerative farming practices. Patagonia is a living, breathing embodiment of a values-driven business.In this episode, Mary talks to Patagonia’s environmental action and initiatives director Beth Thoren about the brand’s vision for the future - and just how critical good business is to the fight to save the planet.To get in touch with team Portas, email us at: kindnesseconomy@portasagency.comSubscribe to the Portas POV Newsletter for musings, provocation insights and inspiration.Want to keep up-to-date with all things Portas? Follow us here:Instagram ** Linkedin ** Twitter