Reign with Josh Smith

You asked for it and today we make it Reign with Maisie Peters who in her own words, makes music for the quietly unhinged, which is one of the most relatable things I have heard this year TBH. If you’re not familiar with Maisie’s story already, she started independently releasing music before Ed Sheeran signed her as the first artist on his own record label, Gingerbread Man Records. She’s since gone on to release the absolute bops, Lost the Breakup, Psycho and Not Another Rockstar, and this year secured her first number one album with her second album, The Good Witch, which made her the youngest British female artist to go to number one in a decade! Today I catch up with Maisie as she releases the deluxe version of her album and at the end of her worldwide tour to toast her amazing year. It’s safe to say that she is in need of what she calls “a girl rest.”Maisie talks about pushing through a big moment of self doubt after her first album came out, falling into comparison traps, her mental health and how she had to relook at how she defined her self worth. We also chat about dealing with negative comments online and why for her, dating musicians is a red flag! What I really loved most was Maisie’s words on self belief. So I hope you feel inspired to believe in yourself, too, because you should babes, you are amazing! P.S. As someone who has experienced hate and cyberbullying online, I know how it can affect you offline, too. So I am beyond proud to be bringing you four special podcast episodes talking about our digital wellbeing in partnership with Urban Decay to mark their ongoing partnership with The Cybersmile Foundation. Their joint ‘Online Bullying Hurts IRL’ campaign hopes to educate people about how cyberbullying can affect mental health and offer support for those who need it. If you need help or know someone who does, head to https://bit.ly/CybersmilexUDEducationalModules to find Urban Decay and Cybersmile’s educational modules and their digital changemaker toolkit which are designed to allow us to recognise the signs of cyberbullying, responsibly intervene and positively change the conversation.Together we can build a safer online world by learning and talking about how we can make a positive impact through considered social media use. If you are struggling right now, we have got you and make sure you talk to people you trust. You are never alone offline, even if you feel it online. Love Josh x Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of Reign we are joined by someone who knows a thing or two about sudden social media fame, Abby Roberts. Whilst still a teenager growing up in Leeds, Abby started doing makeup tutorials on social media. She went on to gain over 16 million TikTok followers and become the biggest beauty content creator in the world. Casual. But when she hit burnout in 2020, Abby returned to her first love: music. With songsPink Champagne, Imposter Syndrome and Video Girl, she has gone from doing low key shows in pubs to 20 people to supporting her friend Halsey on an arena tour across America. Casual x2. Today Abby walks us through her journey from internet fame to musician and talks powerfully about dealing with imposter syndrome, social anxiety and the bullying she has faced both in real life and online since she was a child. But Abby is a walking, talking example of never letting anything get in the way of your ambition, and making the impossible possible. And as this episode drops on Halloween, I ask Abby about being the queen of halloween looks, too and it turns out she never feels better than when she is dressed up like a skeleton. If you love Abby’s story, let me know, please get in touch as I love chatting to you all! You can find me @joshsmithhosts and I’ll see you next week for another episode of Reign! Love, Josh xxP.S. I am so proud to bring you these special episodes of the podcast which are focusing on our self care and wellbeing with my favourite skincare brand, Elemis. During the change of seasons so many different feelings can come to the surface so it’s important you make positive self care decisions everyday to help your wellbeing. Wellbeing looks different for everyone but it’s the simple things that make the big difference for me, like using Elemis’s Pro-Collagen Green Fig Cleansing Balm every day just to reset. Its formula combines the ripe, green and earthy tones of Fig, Raspberry, and Bergamot for a fresh, calm and uplifting scent which has been used for centuries in aromatherapy to help relieve tension and stress. That's what I love about Elemis’s formulas: they use high performance scientific ingredients with blended essential oils that not only give you visible results but give you a moment of mindfulness, too.So go on, practice self care and treat yourself to a good skin day, it might just make a difference that isn’t just skin deep, head to Elemis.com now.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we are joined by the queen of a banger, actress, and someone who refreshingly laughs in the face of her own misfortune, Paloma Faith.You will of course know Paloma from her mega hits including ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’, ‘Lullaby’ and ‘Changing’, and over her decade-long career she’s had five double platinum albums and won a BRIT Award for Best British Female. Meanwhile her acting career has seen her star in everything from ‘St Trinians’ to the Batman prequel series, ‘Pennyworth’. Her new single, ‘How You Leave A Man’ from her forthcoming sixth album, ‘The Glorification of Sadness’ (out on 16th February) is her most personal yet, and she tells me today that the break up from her partner and becoming a single mum inspired her new music. Strap yourself in for a DMC and a half as she is also refreshingly honest about the grieving process that comes from breakups, body image and the BS labels and pressures placed on women. What I love most about this chat though, is that Paloma is all about laughing in tough times, and using humour to get you through. Something I have long tried to do, too. So if you are finding things tough at the moment I hope this episode gives you some comic relief. If it does please get in touch. You can find me @joshsmithhosts across socials. It’s always so great chatting to you! Love, Josh xxP.S. I am so proud to bring you these special episodes of the podcast which are focusing on our self care and wellbeing with my favourite skincare brand, Elemis. During the change of seasons so many different feelings can come to the surface so it’s important you make positive self care decisions everyday to help your wellbeing. Wellbeing looks different for everyone but it’s the simple things that make the big difference for me, like using Elemis’s Pro-Collagen Green Fig Cleansing Balm every day just to reset. Its formula combines the ripe, green and earthy tones of Fig, Raspberry, and Bergamot for a fresh, calm and uplifting scent which has been used for centuries in aromatherapy to help relieve tension and stress. That's what I love about Elemis’s formulas: they use high performance scientific ingredients with blended essential oils that not only give you visible results but give you a moment of mindfulness, too.So go on, practice self care and treat yourself to a good skin day, it might just make a difference that isn’t just skin deep, head to Elemis.com now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This month on the podcast we are serving up honest discussions about our mental wellbeing, so I am so excited on this episode that we are joined by a mental health advocate and the host of one of my fave podcasts, ‘The Real Pod’, Victoria Garrick Browne. Victoria, just like this podcast, is all about destigmatising conversations about mental health after she first started to experience mental health problems at college, when as a division one Volleyball player at USC, she experienced performance anxiety that affected all aspects of our life. She has since gone on to share her story across her incredible social media account (find her @victoriabrowne across socials if you haven’t already), on an incredible Ted Talk you need to check out and Victoria even co-founded her own charity, The Hidden Opponent which aims to help athletes with their mental health. In today’s DMC, we talk about the stigma around loneliness, why we need to put busy culture in the bin and Victoria shares some amazing advice for talking about, and dealing with, your mental health. If you are struggling with your mental health right now, I hope this encourages you to reach out to those around you to share your feelings. Even if you can’t find the words right now, I promise it will help. And if this episode helps you please get in touch. You can find me @joshsmithhosts across socials. It’s always so great chatting to you! Love, Josh xxP.S. I am so proud to bring you these special episodes of the podcast which are focusing on our self care and wellbeing with my favourite skincare brand, Elemis. During the change of seasons so many different feelings can come to the surface so it’s important you make positive self care decisions everyday to help your wellbeing. Wellbeing looks different for everyone but it’s the simple things that make the big difference for me, like using Elemis’s Pro-Collagen Green Fig Cleansing Balm every day just to reset. Its formula combines the ripe, green and earthy tones of Fig, Raspberry, and Bergamot for a fresh, calm and uplifting scent which has been used for centuries in aromatherapy to help relieve tension and stress. That's what I love about Elemis’s formulas: they use high performance scientific ingredients with blended essential oils that not only give you visible results but give you a moment of mindfulness, too.So go on, practice self care and treat yourself to a good skin day, it might just make a difference that isn’t just skin deep, head to Elemis.com now.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I can’t believe I am saying this but we are back babes with season 8 of the podcast, and to celebrate, the dress code for today’s episode is *SEQUINS ONLY*, because we are joined by Strictly Come Dancing judge, Motsi Mabuse! Before Motsi became a judge on our favourite TV show, she had a 30 year professional dancing career, which saw her being crowned Latin dance champion, and if you haven’t seen her dancing yet, sashay to YouTube ASAP, Motsi is mesmerising. Plus, she is also a judge on the German version of the show, where she still lives with her husband and daughter. Aside from spilling the sequins on this season of Strictly, Motsi shares her inspirational journey to the glitterball world, which wasn’t a waltz, growing up in apartheid-era South Africa and leaving for Germany to follow her dreams with only 50 euros to her name. Motsi also tells me about the discrimination she has faced and continues to face and how she deals with it. I LOVE what Motsi says about never giving up on yourself, looking after the relationship with yourself and that one of her greatest learnings in life is: when things are bad they don’t stay bad forever. Plus she loves the gays almost as much as I do! If you find Motsi as joyful as I do, get in touch! You can find me @joshsmithhosts across socials. It’s always so great chatting to you! Love, Josh xxP.S. I am so proud to bring you these special episodes of the podcast which are focusing on our self care and wellbeing with my favourite skincare brand, Elemis. During the change of seasons so many different feelings can come to the surface so it’s important you make positive self care decisions everyday to help your wellbeing. Wellbeing looks different for everyone but it’s the simple things that make the big difference for me, like using Elemis’s Pro-Collagen Green Fig Cleansing Balm every day just to reset. Its formula combines the ripe, green and earthy tones of Fig, Raspberry, and Bergamot for a fresh, calm and uplifting scent which has been used for centuries in aromatherapy to help relieve tension and stress. That's what I love about Elemis’s formulas: they use high performance scientific ingredients with blended essential oils that not only give you visible results but give you a moment of mindfulness, too.So go on, practise self care and treat yourself to a good skin day, it might just make a difference that isn’t just skin deep, head to elemis.com and find out more about their wellbeing work here: https://uk.elemis.com/blog/world-mental-health-day?utm_campaign=reignpodcastmind&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I am so excited to share this live episode we recorded at Selfridges with my new hero, Sabrina Elba! Think you know who Sabrina Elba is? Think again, because she cannot be boxed in! Sabrina is the co-founder of her well-being brand, S’able Labs with her husband Idris Elba, she’s a model, the host of her podcast Coupledom with Idris, AND above all she is an incredible activist. You will not believe how much inspiring work Sabrina does to help diversity, equality and the climate as a UN Goodwill Ambassador and beyond. So get ready to feel inspired as she shares some incredible thought provoking words on FGM and more - a topic which is close to her heart after her own mother experienced FGM in her homeland of Somalia. As this live recording was part of Jamz Supernova Selects events at the iconic Selfridges which were all about celebrating culture, music, fashion and expression and we got into all of those topics in this episode, too, so big thanks to Jamz for having us. And I am thrilled that Sabrina is just as much of a Spice Girls fan as I am! It was AMAZING to be surrounded by so many people in the REIGN family to record an episode which is all about celebrating community and family. One of the most beautiful moments in this episode is where Sabrina says she has subconsciously been trying to create a better world for the little girl her mum was. So, I hope this inspires you to use your voice and help build a better world for yourself and others. If it does, get in touch! You can find me @joshsmithhosts across socials. As always it’s so great chatting to you! Love, Josh xx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hands up if you can barely do a handstand or a forward roll? Just me?!? Well today we are joined by a set of twins who have flipped and flew their way into the Olympic history books and I’m sure they could teach me a thing or two about flexibility: Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova. The twins made Olympic history when at 16, they were part of the Team GB gymnastics team who took Bronze at the Tokyo games. It was the first medal in the event for Team GB in 95 years, and they haven’t stopped making history since. Still only 19 years old, Jessica has become World Champion on the floor, claimed an all-round Bronze medal at the World Championships, and has five European Championship titles to her name along with a further three European medals. Jennifer also has a World and European Championship silver, too and multiple British Championship medals. If you haven’t seen their jaw dropping routines run to YouTube whilst listening to this episode! Your jaw will be on the floor! It is remarkable that twin sisters can make it all the way to the top of gymnastics together, and today they talk about the secrets of their success, from climbing on furniture as kids, to practicing in their garage to prepare for their first Olympics. I’m sure you are going to feel so inspired by the sheer determination of Jessica and Jennifer, and what I love the most about them is how they can continually show up in the face of failure. As they say, failure is part of their process every day, so hopefully this might encourage you to reframe when things don’t go right too! If you are inspired by Jessica and Jennifer please get in touch across socials on @joshsmithhosts and let me know your thoughts, because it’s always great chatting to you! AND if you missed it make sure you catch up on the other episodes in our special series celebrating women in sport as we have been joined by World Cup Lioness Lucy Bronze, Lioness legend Jill Scott, the new athletics queen Keely Hodgkinson & more! 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 podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s guest knows a thing or two about endurance, both in and out of the world of swimming. Get ready to meet the inspirational marathon swimmer, Alice Dearing. Alice has been swimming since the age of four, and at the Tokyo Olympics became the first Black woman to compete in an Olympic swimming event for Team GB. It has taken 125 years from swimming’s Olympic debut in 1896 for this to happen, so let’s just let that sink in for a second and ask why? Well in this episode, Alice shares some insight on the racism that has prevented black people from accessing the world of swimming. Alice isn’t just a game-changer in elite sport, she is also trying to change swimming at grassroots level too, by co-founding The Black British Swimming Association, which she hopes will reverse the statistics that 95% of black adults and 80% of black children do not swim. It doesn’t stop there, Alice has co-created the very first swimming hat designed specifically for Black hair, something that is vital for representation in swimming, a place which hasn’t always made space for Alice. But why wait to take a seat at the table when you can build your own, like Alice has done, right? I really hope you will be inspired by Alice's story, as she talks about the racism and mental health hurdles she’s had to overcome to participate in sport, as well as the sheer endurance it takes to just keep swimming. 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 podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 podcastchoices.com/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 podcastchoices.com/adchoices