Reign with Josh Smith

It’s not every day we are joined by true royalty on this podcast! Bow down for the Queen of the Pitch and the Queen of the Jungle, Jill Scott! Jill is a true Lioness legend who helped bring football home at the Euros last year, and shortly afterwards announced her retirement from football after playing for an incredible 18 years! In that time Jill went from being an unpaid football player in Sunderland, to a European Champion playing in front of record crowds at Wembley. Jill’s career saw her also play for Everton, Manchester City and Aston Villa, and with 161 England appearances, she is England’s second-most capped footballer, male OR female! She also scored three FA cup titles, was named FA International Player of the Year, AND was awarded an MBE. Not only did Jill solidify her legend status on the pitch, since retiring she’s gone on to win I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and is now the first female captain on the hit Sky show, A League of Their Own. The stories Jill shares today are eye-opening; from being called names at school, being tripped up and breaking her elbow just because she was a girl who played football, to being told as a professional not to show emotions on the pitch, Jill shows just how much women’s sport has changed. I really love what Jill says about how women’s football gave her space to truly be herself and take pride in her identity, and I hope it will inspire you to go into every space and be yourself! If you love this chat or just want a Lioness England World Cup support group, please get in touch across socials on @joshsmithhosts because it’s always great chatting to you! AND if you missed it make sure you catch up on our episode with fellow Lioness, Lucy Bronze earlier in our  special women in sport series! Love, Josh xxP.S. I am BEYOND proud that this series is empowered by Nike, whose ambition - just like Reign - is to champion women and girls and ensure they feel seen and included in sport and beyond. Nike is committed to celebrating ALL women, supporting HER journey by taking action to make meaningful change and coming through with innovative style-led products you will hear all about in this series. I’m sure you will have already seen the game-changing new England women’s football kit - which we talk about in this episode - that includes the new Leak Protection technology embedded in the lining of the Nike Pro Short for athletes. And Nike have also just launched the Phantom Luna - a women-led football boot, backed by Nike’s most meaningful investment in women yet that has taken more than two years of research, trialling, designing and styling to develop. We haven’t even got onto the bras, leggings, Pro Hijabs and their maternity and plus size ranges so make sure you check out all of the latest innovation for HER product at Nike.com and @nikewomen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I love a bit of healthy competition and today’s guest thrives off it too! So, on your marks, get set and go prepare yourself for the record breaking Team GB runner, Keely Hodgkinson.Keely’s big sporting break came when she won Silver in the 800 metres at the Tokyo Olympics at just 19 years old. Since then, she has gone on to obliterate the national 800 metre record multiple times, set a new world indoor 600m record and has taken home medals at the Commonwealth Games, and the European and World Championships. All in the space of two years - busy, much?!?Ahead of the World Championships this Summer, and the Paris Olympics next year, Keely joins us to talk about her journey to the top in athletics, and it hasn’t always been in the fast lane! In this episode, Keely tells me about the harder times that have made her the incredible athlete she is today, how she quit athletics as a teen, the times she ended up crying on the pavement during lockdown, and how she went from not being able to get out of bed, to winning a Commonwealth medal in the space of a week. Now *THAT* is the kind of mentality we all need to take notes from!So many of Keely’s wise words are so relevant to our everyday lives, from her thoughts on failure, to getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, so get ready to take her record breaking mindset into your life! You’ll also hear Keely call for more research into how contraception affects women's bodies in sport and beyond (which is long overdue - RIGHT!!!), plus so much more. AND as always, if you love this chat please get in touch across socials on @joshsmithhosts because it’s always great chatting to you and come back next week for the next episode in our special women in sport series! Love, Josh xxP.S. I am BEYOND proud that this series is empowered by Nike, whose ambition - just like Reign - is to champion women and girls and ensure they feel seen and included in sport and beyond. Nike is committed to celebrating ALL women, supporting HER journey by taking action to make meaningful change and coming through with innovative style-led products you will hear all about in this series. I’m sure you will have already seen the game-changing new England women’s football kit - which we talk about in this episode - that includes the new Leak Protection technology embedded in the lining of the Nike Pro Short for athletes. And Nike have also just launched the Phantom Luna - a women-led football boot, backed by Nike’s most meaningful investment in women yet that has taken more than two years of research, trialling, designing and styling to develop. We haven’t even got onto the bras, leggings, Pro Hijabs and their maternity and plus size ranges so make sure you check out all of the latest innovation for HER product at Nike.com and @nikewomen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BONUS EPISODE ALERT! Come on Barbies (and Kens) let’s go party because not only are we dropping a bonus episode of the podcast today, but we are joined by President Barbie herself, Issa Rae! The Reign team have been high key obsessed with Issa since we watched her TV show, Insecure. If you haven’t watched one of the greatest TV shows ever made yet, it’s about a directionless millennial woman and it’s not only highly relatable, but it changed the landscape of TV, as Issa became the first Black woman to create and star in a premium cable series. That’s right, not only did Issa star in the show, she created it, wrote it and produced it, too! Issa IS everything and she’s proving that yet again by taking on the role of President Barbie, in the most anticipated movie of the year, Barbie - created by fellow genius, Greta Gerwig, and alongside Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Trust me when I say this movie is worth every inch of the hype! There are many reasons I am SO excited that Issa is joining us today, but one of them is because she has done everything off her own back and on her own terms. She started out making shows on YouTube, got a HBO contract, created two incredibly successful TV shows, and joins us today in her ‘mogul era’, with her own production company, Hoorae Media and a forty-million dollar contract with Warner Media. Issa is a true role model for making your dreams a reality in the face of huge obstacles, and I can not wait for you to hear her talk in this episode about everything from tackling the patriarchy to leaning into vulnerability. This President certainly gets my vote and I know she will get yours too… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There aren’t many athletes who make Olympic history with Union Jack space buns, but there aren’t many athletes quite like weightlifter Emily Campbell, who is as hilarious as she is strong, as you’re gonna hear in this episode! You might remember watching Emily at the Tokyo Olympics, weightlifting her way to history by winning a silver medal, which made her the first British female weightlifter to win a medal at the Olympics. Alongside being a Commonwealth Games champion she is now also a European champion, and double World Champion medalist and Emily has been snatching and raising the bar ever since!After winning her Olympic silver medal, Emily said, ‘“I don't look like a typical athlete, but what my body does is amazing,” and Emily’s success at the bar is matched by her success in changing the game for body positivity in sport. She is doing it for the strong gals, and this episode is a reminder to everyone that no matter what your body may look like, you are capable of anything! It’s not been an easy journey for Emily to become an Olympic athlete - as you will hear in this episode. Not only has she had to overcome outdated societal standards about strong women, she had to self-fund her way to Olympic trials whilst living at home with her parents. Emily’s story is the definition of inspirational and I hope her words about embracing and celebrating her body make you love yourself a little bit more. AND if you didn’t think weightlifting was for you - think again - I am off to give it a go.  If you love this chat please get in touch across socials on @joshsmithhosts because it’s always great chatting to you and come back next week for the next episode in our special women in sport series! Love, Josh xxP.S. I am BEYOND proud that this series is empowered by Nike, whose ambition - just like Reign - is to champion women and girls and ensure they feel seen and included in sport and beyond. Nike is committed to celebrating ALL women, supporting HER journey by taking action to make meaningful change and coming through with innovative style-led products you will hear all about in this series. I’m sure you will have already seen the game-changing new England women’s football kit - which we talk about in this episode - that includes the new Leak Protection technology embedded in the lining of the Nike Pro Short for athletes. And Nike have also just launched the Phantom Luna - a women-led football boot, backed by Nike’s most meaningful investment in women yet that has taken more than two years of research, trialing, designing and styling to develop. We haven’t even got onto the bras, leggings, Pro Hijabs and their maternity and plus size ranges so make sure you check out all of the latest innovation for HER product at Nike.com and @nikewomen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To kick off our special series celebrating one of my favourite things, women's sport, and ahead of the Women's World Cup this summer, we are joined by a real sporting game changer: England and Barcelona defender Lucy Bronze! As part of the EURO winning England team last year, Lucy truly changed the game for the visibility of women's sport, and for future generations. But being part of a winning team is just a part of Lucy’s legacy. Alongside more than 100 caps for England, she has won every domestic cup in England, the domestic title in France, the Champions League, a bronze medal in the Olympics, the SheBelieves Cup, the Arnold Clark Cup in 2022, been named FIFA’s World Player of the Year AND she just received an MBE! In today’s episode Lucy looks back on her epic career, the sexism she has had to overcome, how she has learnt to thrive under pressure, managing her mental health and how one chat with fellow icon Jill Scott helped make her into the team player she is today. Lucy also shares some never before heard tales from winning the Euros from the pitch and also as they wrote a letter to the government to campaign for all girls to be allowed to play football at school. And as we look forward to (hopefully/crossing everything) England bringing football home again at the World Cup, Lucy talks about how empowering the new Nike England kit with game changing blue shorts are! I love what Lucy says about the work that still needs to be done for true gender parity in sport and hopefully normalising talking about periods in sport and beyond might get us one step further to that! If you love this chat too, please get in touch across socials on @joshsmithhosts because it’s always great chatting to you and come back next week for the next episode in our special women in sport series! Love, Josh xxP.S. I am BEYOND proud that this series is empowered by Nike, whose ambition - just like Reign - is to champion women and girls and ensure they feel seen and included in sport and beyond. Nike is committed to celebrating ALL women, supporting HER journey by taking action to make meaningful change and coming through with innovative style-led products you will hear all about in this series. I’m sure you will have already seen the game-changing new England women’s football kit - which we talk about in this episode - that includes the new Leak Protection technology embedded in the lining of the Nike Pro Short for athletes. And Nike have also just launched the Phantom Luna - a women-led football boot, backed by Nike’s most meaningful investment in women yet that has taken more than two years of research, trialing, designing and styling to develop. We haven’t even got onto the bras, leggings, Pro Hijabs and their maternity and plus size ranges so make sure you check out all of the latest innovation for HER product at Nike.com and @nikewomen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am SO excited for season two of Netflix’s ‘Heartstopper’ and I know you are too! So I am thrilled that we are joined by the latest addition to the cast, Bel Priestley, for the final special episode of this series which has been celebrating all things Pride! You may have already seen Bel before all over TikTok as she has emerged as one of the UK’s leading young transgender voices. From sharing her transition journey to shutting down trolls, Bel’s honesty has garnered her an epic 1.2 million followers and 84.9 million likes! Today Bel tells me about her transition journey that began at 13 years old, and now at 20, she looks back at the lessons she’s learnt along the way and shares stories of the eye opening prejudice she has faced. At a time when trans people are facing hate in record numbers, and governments across the world are trying to undo their rights - including right here in the UK - it's more important than ever to listen, learn and celebrate our trans community. So, I hope Bel’s story inspires you to be a true trans ally. Because now is the time for true allyship. If Bel’s story resonates with you or inspires you, please get in touch across socials on @joshsmithhosts because I love chatting to you and come back next week for the next episode in our special pride series! Love, Josh xxP.S. I am beside myself excited that this episode, which is celebrating Pride month, is brought to you in partnership with The GelBottle, who just like Reign, are all about inclusivity and individuality, helping people express themselves and be who they really are - right down to their nail colours!The GelBottle not only have created over 500 colours, but are famous for their game changing BIAB technology, which leaves your nails looking stunning, whilst increasing your nail growth too! Their at-home formula for sister brand, Peacci, also gives your nails that salon quality feel. AND here’s the exciting bit: they’ve given me my very own edit, called the REIGNBOW edit which has a Peacci colour to represent every single stripe of the pride flag - from the banana yellow, Clueless to the summer green of dreams, Serena because no matter how you identify, everyone is welcome inside the REIGN-bow! Check out the collection here: www.thegelbottle.com Plus 25% of the proceeds from now until the end of August from the Peacci REIGNBOW Edit and the 90’s baby collection will go to Switchboard, a charity that has been listening to and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community since 1975! So go forth and express yourselves however you want and support our LGBTQIA+ community. X Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beat that face and prepare your fabulous self for today’s episode as we are joined by Miss Benny, the star of Netflix’s epic new show, ‘Glamorous’, which is giving Ugly Betty-meets-Devil Wears Prada. I have not been this obsessed with a TV show in ages because Glamorous is pure queer joy from start to finish. The story follows Marco, a young gender non-conforming queer person who is obsessed with beauty, when one day a lucky run in with the makeup mogul, Madolyn Addison played by THE icon, Kim Cattrall sees Marco landing his dream job: becoming Madolyn’s second assistant. The show is packed full with the best one-liners - including my personal fave, ‘I am a twink on prep, I can do anything’ - camp drama and tons of hot men. What more do you want from a TV show?!? Despite this being Miss Benny’s first leading role in TV, you may recognise them from starting out on YouTube, and a music career that is one big middle finger up to gender norms and heteronormative culture! But today Miss Benny talks about the sheer amount of rejections they faced before landing their dream role in Glamorous. They tell me about their journey to accepting their queer identity from growing up in Texas and facing prejudice to navigating relationships as a feminine queer person. This conversation means so much to me as a feminine gay man who has long struggled to truly embrace themselves in the face of prejudice both outside and inside the LGBTQIA+ community, so if you’ve ever felt something similar, I hope this episode makes you feel not just seen and heard but ATTRACTIVE AF, because you are babes! It’s not all about masc 4 masc… IYKYK! If this episode does speak to you please get in touch across socials on @joshsmithhosts because I love chatting to you and come back next week for the next episode in our special pride series! Love, Josh xxP.S. I am beside myself excited that this episode, which is celebrating Pride month, is brought to you in partnership with The GelBottle, who just like Reign, are all about inclusivity and individuality, helping people express themselves and be who they really are - right down to their nail colours!The GelBottle not only have created over 500 colours, but are famous for their game changing BIAB technology, which leaves your nails looking stunning, whilst increasing your nail growth too! Their at-home formula for sister brand, Peacci, also gives your nails that salon quality feel. AND here’s the exciting bit: they’ve given me my very own edit, called the REIGNBOW edit which has a Peacci colour to represent every single stripe of the pride flag - from the banana yellow, Clueless to the summer green of dreams, Serena because no matter how you identify, everyone is welcome inside the REIGN-bow! Check out the collection here: www.thegelbottle.com Plus 25% of the proceeds from now until the end of August from the Peacci REIGNBOW Edit and the 90’s baby collection will go to Switchboard, a charity that has been listening to and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community since 1975! So go forth and express yourselves however you want and support our LGBTQIA+ community. x Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Pride month and it really couldn’t get queerer than this, as today we are joined by the Eurovision icon Loreen! I have been the biggest Loreen fan since she first won Eurovision in 2012 with her song Euphoria. And I have been screaming it in the shower/in the back of taxis on the way OUT OUT, and in Gay clubs across the world ever since - anyone else?!?! This year Loreen returned to Eurovision with the power ballad Tattoo and became the first woman to win the competition twice. But it hasn’t all been a euphoric journey for Loreen, as she tells me about her journey to making history in this episode. Loreen also chats about coming out as bisexual, what pride means to her, those Eurovision nails which double up as weapons, and whether she will mark the 50 year anniversary of Abba winning the Eurovision song contest next year in Sweden with a collaboration to end all collaborations. LET’S ALL PRAY TO ALL THE (GAY) GODS TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN! What I really loved about this chat was hearing Loreen’s empowering outlook on life and she really does seem like the philosopher of our time (move over Socrates). I hope her advice for cutting negative energy out of your life and overcoming pain to build your mental strength will help you out, too! If it does, get in touch I’m @JoshSmithHosts on socials - I love to chat to you! And don’t forget you can catch some of the video highlights from this episode over on my YouTube channel, just search Reign with Josh Smith. Love, Josh xxP.S. I am beside myself excited that this episode, which is celebrating Pride month, is brought to you in partnership with The GelBottle, who just like Reign, are all about inclusivity and individuality, helping people express themselves and be who they really are - right down to their nail colours!The GelBottle not only have created over 500 colours, but are famous for their game changing BIAB technology, which leaves your nails looking stunning, whilst increasing your nail growth too! Their at-home formula for sister brand, Peacci, also gives your nails that salon quality feel. AND here’s the exciting bit: they’ve given me my very own edit, called the REIGNBOW edit which has a Peacci colour to represent every single stripe of the pride flag - from the banana yellow, Clueless to the summer green of dreams, Serena because no matter how you identify, everyone is welcome inside the REIGN-bow! Check out the collection here: www.thegelbottle.com Plus 25% of the proceeds from now until the end of August from the Peacci REIGNBOW Edit and the 90’s baby collection will go to Switchboard, a charity that has been listening to and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community since 1975! So go forth and express yourselves however you want and support our LGBTQIA+ community. x Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I am joined by Reneé Rapp, and if you’re feeling a little bit sluggish or unmotivated, I promise this episode is the pickup you need because Reneé is a ball of energy! If you’re not already a superfan like I am, get ready to be one! If you’ve caught The Sex Lives of College Girls, you’ll recognise Reneé as Leighton, and if you’ve been lucky enough to see Mean Girls on Broadway, she played the original iconic Regina George - a role she’ll be revisiting in the movie adaptation of the musical - which she teases in this episode and I am SO excited for that!And as if her stunning acting resume wasn’t enough for you, Reneé is an incredible singer and songwriter as well. I went (alongside THOUSANDS of others) to her first ever London gig back in January which sold out so quickly they had to upgrade the venue TWICE! I have Reneé’s song Too Well constantly on repeat since the launch of her EP so I am so excited that she has new music coming and she has just announced the title of her upcoming debut album Snow Angel and the single of the same name is out right now! We cover off so much in this episode - from talking about Reneé’s incredible career (and she’s just getting started), to navigating queer identity and biphobia to dealing with heartbreak. I really love Reneé’s enthusiasm for life and how she does not apologise for being ambitious. I guarantee this episode will brighten any dark day and as always if you want to get in touch I’m @JoshSmithHosts on socials - I love to chat to you! And don’t forget you can catch some of the video highlights from this episode over on my YouTube channel, just search Reign with Josh Smith. Love, Josh xxP.S. I am beside myself excited that this episode, which is celebrating Pride month, is brought to you in partnership with The GelBottle, who just like Reign, are all about inclusivity and individuality, helping people express themselves and be who they really are - right down to their nail colours!The GelBottle not only have created over 500 colours, but are famous for their game changing biab technology, which leaves your nails looking stunning, whilst increasing your nail growth too! Their at-home formula for sister brand, Peacci, also gives your nails that salon quality feel. AND here’s the exciting bit: they’ve given me my very own edit, called the REIGNBOW edit which has a Peacci colour to represent every single stripe of the pride flag - from the banana yellow, Clueless to the summer green of dreams, Serena because no matter how you identify, everyone is welcome inside the REIGN-bow! Check out the collection here: www.thegelbottle.com Plus 25% of the proceeds from now until the end of August from the Peacci REIGNBOW Edit and the 90’s baby collection will go to Switchboard, a charity that has been listening to and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community since 1975! So go forth and express yourselves however you want and support our LGBTQIA+ community. x Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I cannot quite believe I am saying this, but on today’s episode, we are joined by one of my idols, Dannii Minogue! I was totally obsessed with Dannii when she was a judge on the X-Factor, I spent my Saturdays working at Topshop and discussing with the girls what outfit we thought she was going to wear! And let’s not forget all of her bangers like ‘Put The Needle on It’ and ‘I Begin to Wonder’, which were literally on repeat on my CD player! We'll talk about Dannii's epic career, from becoming the most successful act on the UK dance charts EVER, to quitting X Factor, to presenting the UK’s first ever gay dating show, I Kissed A Boy, which is out now on BBC3. It is SO good, the casting is excellent, and I’m not gonna give away too much, but I will say this… watching potential couples meet for the first time with a full-on snog is EXCELLENT television!!We also chat about some of the toxic press Dannii has had to overcome throughout her career, she shares what it’s like to date in the public eye, and what being a true ally to the LGBTQIA+ community looks like. Even if you weren't a fan of Dannii Minogue back in the day, which is HIGHLY UNLIKELY - you are going to LOVE this episode! Dannii is MOTHER. So I hope you enjoy the Minogue pep talk coming your way… If you love this episode, LET ME KNOW! I LOVE to chat with you. I’m @JoshSmithHosts on socials. And don’t forget you can catch some of the video highlights in my NEW STUDIO (yay!) over on my YouTube channel, just search Reign with Josh Smith. Josh xxP.S As someone who is always thirsty and loves to hydrate, I am so excited that this episode is brought to you in partnership with Air Up.Air Up is a water bottle that flavours ordinary water with scent. You just put plain water into the Air Up bottle, slot your chosen ‘flavour pod’ around the straw at the top of the bottle and as you sip through the straw, the smell of the pod tricks your brain into thinking it’s flavoured. There’s no sugar, no sweeteners, no nothing, just plain water and the power of scent!The flavour pods trick your brain into thinking the water is flavoured without any sugar, sweeteners or additives involved - it’s just plain water and scent!There are so many flavour pods to choose from too, my current fave is Wild Berry but there’s something for everyone from Cola to Mango & Passionfruit and Watermelon. The bottles are super cute, too and come in a range of styles, colours and sizes,You can check out the full range of bottles, pods and accessories at air-up.co.uk and you get 10% off full priced items using my code REIGN at the checkout. Hydration just got more EXCITING babes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices