Reign with Josh Smith

Get ready for Reign with Pride: a special four-part mini-series, where Josh talks in-depth with some the LGBTQ+ community's biggest trailblazers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pop queen Anne-Marie joins me for the first ever live recording of Reign! I think the clapping, the screaming and the laughter show just how much I loved recording this episode. Anne-Marie's honesty both in her music and on social media about her battles with anxiety, body image and being perfect make her the kind of role model we all need in our lives - plus she has the infectious laughter to match! If you didn't know already Anne-Marie has nine Brit Award nominations to her name, 4 million album sales and 5 UK top ten singles (CASUAL) and now she is about to release her second album, the aptly titled Therapy on 23rd July. So, in this episode we delved into her mental health journey, how she dropped to rock bottom during lockdown, how resorting to therapy last year saved her and she reveals just how close she was to quitting music. Anne-Marie's words about becoming her own ally, how lockdown made her review her definition of success and failure and how she has defined 'perfect' on her own terms are so powerful and needed - especially now - so I hope you love this episode just as much as I do. Anne-Marie and I recorded this episode LIVE at the LiveNow studios in London. AND, it was live streamed, so you can head to www.live-now.com to watch it back! This is actually the last episode in season two - I can't believe we got to this point when Make It Reign was only launched in January - so I just wanted to thank you for listening. Thank you for your messages saying how much the podcast has helped you and I hope Reign continues to be a place you come to hear stories that help you find your own power and wear your crown with pride. Love Josh xxxP.S. You can follow me at @joshsmithhosts across social media and please get in touch as I love to hear from you! Thank you to our sponsor this week, Aurelia London who are, not only, THE experts in Probiotic Skincare but using their Probiotic Concentrate with my Aurelia London Day Moisturiser has bought back my glow, just in time for me to re-enter civilisation! Yay! FYI - Aurelia London's probiotic skincare is effective for skin conditions from dullness to ageing to rosacea and pigmentation to acne. And as a treat for you, you can get 20% off the entire range by heading to aurelialondon.com and using the code JOSH20 at the check out! Hope you love it as much as I do! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nathalie Emmanuel, star of Game of Thrones and The Fast and The Furious is our guest queen on this episode of Reign with me, Josh Smith! I first watched Nathalie back in my university (very hungover) days when I was addicted to Hollyoaks as she starred in the show for four years playing Sasha Valentine - remember that?! But after quitting the soap and finding it difficult to find work, Nathalie took on a zero hours contract - something she powerfully opens up about in this episode. But soon the world of Westeros came calling, and for seven seasons, Nathalie starred as Missandei in Game of Thrones before meeting a brutal and controversial end. She went on to star in Mindy Kaling’s TV reimagining of Four Weddings and a Funeral (available via Amazon Prime). And now, she is taking things up a gear for a third time in The Fast and The Furious franchise - which is now in its NINTH film! In this chat we talk about diversity in casting after THAT debate following her Game of Thrones exit, the resilience she gained from being bullied as a teenager and where she draws the line about nudity on screen. There are so many amazing words about working out what your boundaries are, and sticking to them, too - something I could learn from as we step into post lockdown life! Hope you love this episode as much as me and let me know what you think as I LOVE hearing from you! Josh x P.S. You can follow me at @joshsmithhosts across social media and please get in touch as I love to hear from you! Thank you to our sponsors this week: Aurelia London who are, not only, THE experts in Probiotic Skincare but using their Probiotic Concentrate with my Aurelia London Day Moisturiser has bought back my glow, just in time for me to re-enter civilisation! Yay! FYI - Aurelia London's probiotic skincare is effective for skin conditions from dullness to ageing to rosacea and pigmentation to acne. And as a treat for you, you can get 20% off the entire range by heading to aurelialondon.com and using the code JOSH20 at the check out! Hope you love it as much as I do! We are also proud to be working with the leading CBD beauty brand CBII. Their products can change people’s lives through better quality sleep and managing symptoms of stress and anxiety. CBII products come in so many different forms – you can choose between an oil, a capsule, a skincare range or candle so you are spoilt for choice! And if you’ve never used CBD products before, CBII have a 7 Day Discovery Duo starter kit of their two best-selling CBD oils to get you going. You can get it for half price at just £8! Just head to www.cbii-cbd.com and use the code MAKEITREIGN and you can experience the feel good difference for yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coming live from her childhood bedroom, Ginny and Georgia star, Antonia Gentry is the latest guest on Reign! Not familiar with Ginny and Georgia? Well prepare to become obsessed! It focuses on a mother-daughter relationship between Georgia and Ginny, who have to navigate a 15 year age gap, relocate to a New England town, deal with everyday discrimination and avoid a mysterious past. Antonia was born and raised in Atlanta, and after getting her her start in a small Netflix film, Candy Jar in 2018, she was in the middle of graduating when she landed her lead role in Ginny and Georgia. She since gone on to be nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance - so deserved! In this episode we talk about the intersections of Antonia’s identity, the trials and tribulations of growing up and rediscovering some of her hilarious childhood diaries from said childhood bedroom.I literally loved talking to Antonia as she has so many wise AF words about sitting back and listening to others which I think we could all learn a lot from. So I hope you love this episode too. Love, Josh xxP.S. You can follow me at @joshsmithhosts across social media and please get in touch as I love to hear from you! Thank you to our sponsors this week:Aurelia London who are, not only, THE experts in Probiotic Skincare but using their Probiotic Concentrate with my Aurelia London Day Moisturiser has bought back my glow, just in time for me to re-enter civilisation! Yay!FYI - Aurelia London's probiotic skincare is effective for skin conditions from dullness to ageing to rosacea and pigmentation to acne.And as a treat for you, you can get 20% off the entire range by heading to aurelialondon.com and using the code JOSH20 at the check out! Hope you love it as much as I do!We are proud to be working with the leading CBD beauty brand CBII. Their products can change people’s lives through better quality sleep and managing symptoms of stress and anxiety. CBII products come in so many different forms – you can choose between an oil, a capsule, a skincare range or candle so you are spoilt for choice!And if you’ve never used CBD products before, CBII have a 7 Day Discovery Duo starter kit of their two best-selling CBD oils to get you going. You can get it for half price at just £8! Just head to www.cbii-cbd.com and use the code MAKEITREIGN and you can experience the feel good difference for yourself! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hold on tight to your magic carpet, because in this episode of Reign I am joined by a real life Disney Princess; Princess Jasmine herself, Naomi Scott! I loved her and her commitment to wing eyeliner in a lockdown.Naomi (who has also starred in Power Rangers and the latest Charlie's Angels reboot) is currently lending her voice to the new dramatic podcast, Soft Voice, which is about a London estate agent who navigates two very different voices inside her head. Naomi is also about to star in Netflix's new series, Anatomy of a Scandal where her character is involved in a sexual assault allegation, which she talks about so powerfully in this episode.If like me, you fell in love with Naomi showing us a whole new world and new feminist Disney Princess you are going to love this episode as she is the LITERALLY best friend we all wished we had!Naomi opens up about her changing relationship with her Christian faith - after growing up with her pastor parents - how marrying her husband, footballer, Jordan Spence at 21 years-old has enabled them to grow together (and forced Naomi to *actually* tidy up) and how not fitting into the ‘English rose' demographic of female actors has affected her.The way Naomi talks about her faith and her identity has really stuck with me so I hope you love listening to her as much as I did! Love, Josh xxP.S. You can follow me at @joshsmithhosts across social media and please get in touch as I love to hear from you!Thank you to our sponsors Aurelia London who are, not only, THE experts in Probiotic Skincare but using their Probiotic Concentrate with my Aurelia London Day Moisturiser has bought back my glow, just in time for me to re-enter civilisation! Yay!FYI Aurelia London's probiotic skincare is effective for skin conditions from dullness to ageing to rosacea and pigmentation to acne.And as a treat for you, you can get 20% off the entire range by heading to aurelialondon.com and using the code JOSH20 at the check out! Hope you love it as much as I do! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you are as obsessed with Netflix's new smash hit TV show, Shadow and Bone as I am you are going to LOVE this episode of Reign with it's star, Jessie Mei Li. But if you haven't watched it already (where have you been?!?) Shadow and Bone is basically Netflix’s answer to Game of Thrones. It follows Jessie’s character - Alina; a young woman with unique powers who has overcome her fair share of monsters, hot boys and the fold. Think of it as just another day socialising at the park, then! Before she found the power within her on screen, Jessie had dropped out of university and was working as a special-education teaching assistant. She enrolled in some acting lessons, and went on to land an agent and a role in the West End production of All About Eve before Netflix came calling! In this episode Jessie opens up about how the rise in anti-asian hate has affected her, her and her family's experiences of racism and how she navigated feeling like an 'outsider' growing up. There are so many amazing words about defining your identity on your own terms and refusing to adhere to the labels society can place on you, so I hope you love listening to Jessie just as much as I did chatting to her! Love, Josh xxP.S. You can follow me at @joshsmithhosts across social media and please get in touch as I love to hear from the queendom! Thank you to our sponsors Aurelia London who are, not only, THE experts in Probiotic Skincare but using their Probiotic Concentrate with my Aurelia London Day Moisturiser has bought back my glow, just in time for me to re-enter civilisation! Yay!FYI Aurelia London's probiotic skincare is effective for skin conditions from dullness to ageing to rosacea and pigmentation to acne. And as a treat for you Queens, you can get 20% off the entire range by heading to aurelialondon.com and using the code JOSH20 at the check out! Hope you love it as much as I do! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Come on Barbie, let’s go party! Radio 1 host, Strictly Come Dancing star, podcast host of This City and *official* Barbie doll, Clara Amfo joins me for this episode of Reign.Since joining Radio 1 in 2015, Clara went on to host the iconic Live Lounge and has done everything from interviewing Jay-Z, to playing basketball with Justin Bieber at his house.After the death of George Floyd in June 2020, Clara showed just how powerful her voice is when she delivered an anti-racism speech in her radio show, concluding that “You cannot enjoy the rhythm and ignore the blues. And I say that with my chest.” It went viral, and she was included in British Vogue's activism issue, and was made a 'Barbie Role Model’ by Barbie who created a doll version of her!Since we chatted, it’s been announced that Clara will step into Annie Mac's headphones to present the Future Sounds show from September. Go on, Queen!In this episode Clara opens up about finding, and staying true to her voice, the grief she continues to experience after the death of her father and why it is MORE than ok to be single. All the women, who independent, throw your hands up at me, because I couldn't agree more!I hope you love listening to Queen Clara just as much as I did chatting to her! Love, Josh xxP.S. You can follow me at @joshsmithhosts across social media and please get in touch as I love to hear from the queendom!Thank you to our sponsors Aurelia London who are, not only, THE experts in Probiotic Skincare but using their Probiotic Concentrate with my Aurelia London Day Moisturiser has bought back my glow, just in time for me to re-enter civilisation! Yay!FYI Aurelia London's probiotic skincare is effective for skin conditions from dullness to ageing to rosacea and pigmentation to acne.And as a treat for you Queens, you can get 20% off the entire range by heading to aurelialondon.com and using the code JOSH20 at the check out! Hope you love it as much as I do! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are activists and then there is Munroe Bergdorf, who joins me for the second episode of season two! With over half a million followers on Instagram alone, Munroe has become one of today's most powerful voices, continuously standing up for marginalised people, diversity, feminism, the queer community and transgender visibility.So it’s no wonder that she's a UN Women UK Changemaker, that Time Magazine called her a Next Generation Leader on their cover last year, and British Vogue named her as one of the 25 most powerful women in Britain.Munroe is one of my favourite people to talk to, as she’s beyond open and always promotes new ways of thinking, and this conversation shows just that. We talk about how we both came out at 14 years old, and how lockdown reminded us both of the isolation we experienced as a teenager. We talk about filters and photoshopping, the price of being a prominent Black Transgender activist on social media, labels, and our mutual appreciation for the icon that is Martine McCutcheon! This episode truly has it all so I hope you take away just as much from this chat as I did. And if you are feeling alone or isolated (I’ve been there!) reach out and talk, I promise it will help. Love, Josh xxP.S. You can follow me at @joshsmithhosts across social media and please get in touch as I love to hear from the queendom! Thank you to our sponsors Aurelia London who are, not only, THE experts in Probiotic Skincare but using their Probiotic Concentrate with my Aurelia London Day Moisturiser has brought back my glow, just in time for me to re-enter civilisation! Yay!FYI - Aurelia London's probiotic skincare is effective for skin conditions from dullness to ageing to rosacea and pigmentation to acne. And as a treat for you Queens, you can get 20% off the entire range by heading to aurelialondon.com and using the code JOSH20 at the check out! Hope you love it as much as I do! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vanessa Kirby, a genuine Oscar nominee who played Princess Margaret on 'The Crown,' joins Josh Smith to discuss managing anxiety, the portrayal of grief and loss in 'Pieces of A Woman,' and the power of friendships and reflections. They also explore sexism in the media and the importance of LGBTQ+ rights and allyship.

Hey Queens, we're back for Season 2! New episodes coming at you from next week, so I'll see you there! Love, Josh x Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices