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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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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 iTunes or Acast. Hope you enjoy this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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-arms that explores the unsung workforce of BETA women who are being great bosses, great leaders and are still living their own lives: having relationships, making time for friends, having families. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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 find this episode interesting and maybe even some food for thought. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 that will help to soothe an aching heart and assure its readers that they're not alone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.