Show Us Your Bits

Our stylish guest, Lauren Bravo, is known for writing on fashion, food, pop culture, travel, and feminism for outlets including Sunday Times Style, Grazia, Cosmopolitan, Stylist, and The Guardian. Lauren's first book, 'What Would The Spice Girls Do?', is a pop-culture look at girl power and 90s nostalgia. She says they weren't given much credit back in the day, but were so influential for a generation of girls like her growing up. She's always been obsessed with a second hand aesthetic, which she says she inherited from her parents and iconic grandmothers. She's always rocked a flamboyant style and says she was that kid going to sixth form with a vintage pillbox hat with a veil, so it was a natural progression for her to write a book called 'How To Break Up With Fast Fashion' — after taking on a year-long shopping ban in 2019, the book was published in 2020. She shares plenty of her tips for shopping on Vinted and successful charity shop bargain hunting, including looking for natural fibres and seeking out older brands. Learning how to layer is the key, and not being afraid to wear things out of season - a little summer dress with a roll neck underneath, for example. She says she finds that the men's section can often yield better quality jeans and shirts. Her novel 'Preloved' draws on her experience volunteering in a charity shop in London, where she encountered people from all walks of life. She is fascinated with the stories behind objects and the new life they get after they are bought in a charity shop, so this was fertile turf for her characters. She says her glamorous granny and nanny lived opposite each other and were great friends, and it was why her parents met in the first place. She says both of them were style icons and bought great quality pieces from charity shops. Lauren has inherited their coats and jewellery and brought her granny's cocktail ring to show us. It's a knuckle duster of a ring, given to her by her parents and made out of her great-grandfather's tie pin. Lauren wore it on her wedding day and any time she wants to feel fancy. A small round compact mirror from the Dubarry perfume company has a local link. Her parents gifted it to her as a graduation present. Coming from Worthing to Brighton on the train to sixth form, Lauren used to pass the art deco perfumery in Hove, and used to fantasise about living there with her friends, so this thoughtful gift from her Dad, tracked down on Ebay, means a lot to her. A match-box sized little green box revealed a suffragette brooch shaped as a letter 'C'. Her daughter loves to look at it, as her name begins with a 'C' too. It's made with peridot and an amethyst on a white stone background - the colours of the Suffragettes. People used to wear them to signal to other women they were fighting on the same side. Her last piece is from her thoughtful husband, Matt. He made her a book of all of her Worthing Herald columns, which she wrote weekly from the age of fourteen to twenty-six. She says most people commit their embarrassing teenage stories to their private diaries, but hers were all out in public. Still writing as a freelance journalist, Lauren's latest novel is 'Probably Nothing', about a woman named Bryony who gets drawn into her late boyfriend's family drama while dealing with worsening physical symptoms she keeps dismissing, exploring modern wellness culture and people-pleasing. When it comes to life hacks, Lauren says she's a born people pleaser and tries to remember her friend's mantra: "Don't put your name on stupid lists." She says the best piece of advice she ever got was from her granny, which she's passed onto many friends starting their first day at a new job: "Don't be scared. All you need to know is where the toilets are and how to get out." Follow her on social media @laurenbravo and subscribe to her Substack newsletter for her chatty pieces: Nobody Wanted This. To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fresh from the tennis at Eastbourne, Alice and Josie are joined by bestselling author Erin Kelly for a summer special. She talks glossy-mag capers, getting drunk for free five nights a week in nineties London, and writing The Poison Tree in six months once motherhood made freelancing impossible. Plus her new novel The Night Stairs, a chilling tale of fainting, hysteria and secrets at a Yorkshire Moors convent school.And her bits: a nameplate necklace from her mum that made her cry, a silver-and-onyx ring worn smooth since the sixties, an Italian gold cross that captures her love-hate relationship with Catholicism, a bead bracelet made by her thirteen-year-old, and — for the self-confessed Tudor geek — a replica Anne Boleyn necklace, with an E instead of a B. Find Erin on Instagram @erinjelly, www.erinkelly.co.uk and on Substack @mserinkellyTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The entrepreneur who solved the problem of non-biodegradable balloons, CEO and co-founder of Bioloon, Charlotte Melia joins us from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to tell the astounding story of her discovery.Her story starts with humble beginnings on the Isle of Wight. As a child she dreamed of becoming an actress, but after returning from a theatre tour pregnant, she realised she couldn't fulfil that dream and be a mum. Instead, she started a children's party company as a side hustle, dressing up as princesses at weekends. It quickly took off and, by 2018, Dazzle & Fizz had become the go-to company for ultra-high-net-worth individuals, royals and A-listers, with offices in London, New York and Saudi Arabia.She shares some hair-raising stories from parties for the ultra-rich, including transforming The Dorchester ballroom into New York City for two-year-old twins. The average spend on a three-year-old's birthday party? £55,000.Although fiercely environmentally conscious—banning single-use plastics long before it was fashionable, upcycling sets and redistributing food waste—Charlotte says party balloons remained a huge problem. With thousands being used and discarded after just a few hours, she became increasingly troubled by their environmental impact.The latex balloons she bought claimed they would biodegrade as quickly as an oak leaf. Charlotte jokes that, despite only getting a double B in science, even she knew something didn't add up. After conducting some "cowboy science" of her own, she discovered they definitely weren't biodegrading.Digging deeper, she uncovered years of greenwashing and found research proving latex balloons don't biodegrade as claimed. Instead, they contribute to microplastic pollution and are responsible for the deaths of around one million seabirds and 100,000 turtles every year.Determined to find a solution, one of Charlotte's shareholders introduced her to Professor Jason Hallett at Imperial College London, who suggested funding a PhD student to develop an alternative to vulcanised latex.With her party business losing 95 per cent of its revenue during Covid, while raising a son with special needs and going through a divorce, Charlotte risked the last of her money to fund researcher Juliana Cumming. Three years later came the call she'd been waiting for: Juliana had found the winning formula.The result is a material that is both biocompatible and biodegradable, with the potential to replace vulcanised latex across the $40 billion industry—from balloons and gloves to medical devices and condoms.Charlotte also shares the three objects that matter most to her: Rabbit, the soft toy she's slept with since birth; her well-travelled passport, which represents the freedom and purpose she finds in exploring the world; and Terrance, a small turtle attached to her backpack that reminds her every day why she's doing this work.Her life hack? Turning her stubbornness into her superpower and swapping her morning coffee for functional mushrooms.What a remarkable woman.Find out more about Bioloon at @wearebioloon on Instagram and connect with Charlotte on LinkedIn at @charlottemelia.To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Jilly Cooper to Take That what do they have in common? This week’s guest, international bestselling author, entrepreneur and inveterate traveller Tasmina Perry. Long before the bestselling novels and publishing success, Tasmina was a bored trainee lawyer, working in a hot dog caravan at Granada Studio Tours, dreaming of becoming a journalist. Then one day she spotted a group of young dancers outside — “the red shoes”, as she describes them, dancing around in cycling shorts and bright red shoes and decided to pluck up the courage to ask if she could interview them. The nearest boy said yes. His name was Rob. The band was Take That. And Rob was Robbie Williams. That very first interview helped take Tammy from trainee lawyer and hot dog seller to a writer at More magazine, launching the journalism career that would eventually lead her to becoming editor. In this episode, Tammy also takes us behind the scenes of her glamorous new novel, Seven Nights in St Tropez, the ultimate summer page-turner, and reveals why she couldn’t bear to say goodbye to one of her favourite characters, the formidable paparazzi boss Mimi. From luxury mansions to the seedy underbelly of the yacht scene on the French Riviera, she explains how her love of travel inspires her writing, and why creating a vivid sense of place is at the heart of every book she writes. Tammy shares how a honeymoon search for the perfect beach read sparked the idea for Daddy’s Girls, the novel that became her breakthrough international bestseller, and why she later took another leap of faith by leaving traditional publishing behind to launch her own independent imprint. As always, the conversation is brought to life through four treasured possessions: a dazzling brooch gifted to her by her great inspiration and guiding light, Jilly Cooper, shortly before Jilly died; framed handwritten lyrics from her teenage hero Lloyd Cole; a photograph of Sherpa Tenzing summiting Everest; and a gold swan gifted by her husband, reminding her of the magazine where their love story began. Jilly’s encouragement and belief in her had a huge impact on Tammy, inspiring her to keep writing and trust in her own voice. It’s a conversation about creativity, reinvention, friendship, entrepreneurship and the power of simply asking the question: why not you? Tasmina’s message is simple: opportunities are everywhere, most people are kinder than you think and extraordinary things can happen when you’re brave enough to ask. Find Tasmina at tasminaperry.com and @tasminaperry on Instagram.To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re on a health and wellbeing vibe this week talking about being off the booze and our love of Pavari cocktails, plus our secret addiction to the new season of Rivals. We’re also having a very down to earth honest chat with our guest - actor, podcaster, public speaker and coach, Salima Saxton. Salima’s candid talk for The Moth has had millions of views on YouTube and is the story on which her forthcoming memoir ‘The Undoing’ is based. She talks about what happened when her husband, Carl, someone she’d always thought of as her ‘oak tree’ as he was so stable, called time on how they were living. She recalls the surprise of his frank admission about how he wasn’t coping, and her realisation that his mental health was in jeopardy. She sprang into action, dismantling their so-called ‘perfect’ London life, moving their three children out of their private school and back to her childhood home in the countryside. In doing so, she had to confront the ghosts of her past, but says that the upside is that in jettisoning all the ‘stuff’ she considered to be important, she’s reclaimed her younger self and what really matters in life. Despite having alway marketed herself as great in a crisis, Salima was surprised by the way in which she reacted to her unexpected diagnosis of colon cancer last year and the news of the difficult treatment she had to undergo. When one of her friends described her as a ‘bad patient’, her incredibly popular Substack newsletter was born. Salima says that she doesn’t have a filter at the best of times, but she found comfort in sharing everything she experienced - from the silly questions she asked her surgeon, to her deepest inner fears. Unsurprisingly, her fans have deeply connected with her honesty, her humour and her compulsion to help other people.  Salima, who has been in shows such as This is England, Trigger Point and Twenty Twelve says she’s ready to move back into acting. She says her mantra for getting through life is to keep curious and to keep moving forward.The special ‘bits’ she brought to show us included a framed picture of her husband and son in a chippie. It was taken just at the end of her treatment when she’d lost her appetite, but suddenly had an overwhelming urge for big fat salty greasy chips. Her family drove to a chip shop in town and this moment reminded her that life would once again be ‘normal’. When she looks at it she says she feels emotional because she’s so proud of how her family pulled together and got through such a tough time.With her three teenage children growing up fast, she brings a child’s jacket that has gone through her two girls and her son and reminds her of her beautiful moments of their childhood in London. We talk about the nostalgia of motherhood and how we navigate the emotions of our children changing and moving away from us.She also brings a painting of honeysuckle that grew in the thatched cottage in which she grew up. It was painted by her late father, from whom she was estranged. It reminds her of the good parts of her dad and how she’s come to the realisation that he tried his best.If you haven’t discovered Salima’s honest, funny, engaging Substack, find her https://substack.com/@salimasaxton and also on Instagram @salimasextonWatch her emotional talk for The Moth here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA0BBHoMLuM To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a pop of colour this week with flamboyant, fabulous founder Pauline Paterson from Dr. PAWPAW. Pauline founded her company in 2013 with her husband Johnny, when their daughter developed eczema as a baby. The doctors recommended steroid cream but, being a hairdresser, Pauline knew how harsh chemicals could be — and just how delicate a baby's skin was. Back in Australia, the paw-paw fruit (a.k.a. papaya) is widely used for its soothing qualities. Once she put it on her baby's skin, the eczema cleared up straight away. Seeing the huge gap in the market, she created a clinically proven, multi-purpose, paw-paw-infused vegan balm — and Dr. PAWPAW was born. She's since used the same base formula to create a whole range of products, from hair care to lip tints.Pauline talks about working with her husband, how she's grown a huge business from scratch with no formal training, and her passion for developing her products. Intrepid and daring, Pauline is all about saying yes to life — climbing mountains, travelling far and wide, and most recently joining 50 entrepreneurs on a hair-raising tuk-tuk drive coast to coast across India to raise money for girls' education.Describing herself as a maximalist and a compulsive jewellery buyer, Pauline whittled her "bits" down to some fascinating pieces — including a pair of vintage sapphire and silver rings she bought in Egypt on her honeymoon. She also shares the story behind a moonstone ring: how it cracked, and how a woman in a crystal shop told her something evil had come her way — and the crystal had defended her. Down to earth and funny, Pauline also faced most parents' nightmare: losing a beloved cuddly toy and brings a pair of matching toys for each of her kids to show us. She keeps herself grounded amid an all-consuming business by carving out time for exercise and lives by the mantra "Work hard, play hard, be kind". She firmly believes there's rarely a difficult situation that kindness can't solve.Dr. PAWPAW is available in most high street stores — see the full range at www.drpawpaw.com. Find Pauline at @mrspawpaw on Instagram and @drpawpaw. @showusyourbitspodcastTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside! Oh we do like to be beside the sea... Alice and Josie take to Brighton beach for this week's episode, because who doesn't love the British riviera when the sun is blazing down and everyone is in a good mood? Basking on the stones (and looking for hag stones - the special lucky pebbles with holes in), Josie regales Alice with her recent adventures in the Cannes Film festival where she's been talking about her film, The Bright Side Running Club - a story inspired by Brighton beach. Whilst Alice shares her fascinating with seashells and her gorgeous seashell jewellery collection. Do check out their new Substack page - Show Us Your Bits Podcast for the stories behind the bits. And @showusyourbitspodcast on InstagramRead the full transcript here.https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W4GK5aaiHv68jp1numaY_T91rA-ymZn7BaFxuL-TxF4/edit?usp=sharingTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Show Us Your Bits, Alice and Josie are joined by the brilliant Ciara Crossan, founder of Wedding Dates, for a conversation full of adventure, instinct, motherhood, bold decisions and the magic of saying yes. From backpacking around the world with kilos of sand in her suitcase, to just saying 'yes' and flying across the world to LA for the Grammy Awards with a DJ friend after being offered a free ticket, to building a business as a single mum of identical twin boys, Ciara’s story is packed with colour, courage and those extraordinary little moments that change everything. Her bits are just as full of life. She brings sand collected from beaches across the world, a painting she bought after that unforgettable Grammy adventure as a reminder of the moment she stepped out of her comfort zone and said yes, and a beautiful diamond necklace with three stones: one for Ciara and two for her sons. Bought to mark a huge personal milestone, it has become a daily reminder of what she has built, what she has overcome, and the boys at the heart of it all. There are seagulls in Brighton, a psychic twin dream, a wedding dress marathon, Kilimanjaro, imposter syndrome, instinct, and the kind of stories that make you want to look again at the objects you carry through life.A gorgeous, funny and inspiring episode about trusting your gut, backing yourself, and the bits that tell the biggest stories.In this episode- In this episode of Show Us Your Bits, Ciara Crossan shares the story behind the meaningful objects she has collected through travel, motherhood, business and personal growth.Ciara is the founder of Wedding Dates, a wedding technology platform based in Cork, Ireland. She started the business in 2008 after growing up in a hotel family and spotting a gap in how couples searched for wedding venues and suppliers by date. Over the years, Wedding Dates has grown into a platform supporting hotels and wedding venues across Ireland and the UK, including its venue CRM system, WedPro.The conversation explores Ciara’s journey as a female founder, tech entrepreneur and single mother to identical twin boys. She talks about the loneliness of building a business, the importance of women’s networks, finding confidence in rooms where she once felt she did not belong, and the power of trusting your gut.Ciara’s personal objects, or “bits”, include sand collected from beaches around the world during two years of backpacking, a painting she bought after flying across the world to Los Angeles for the Grammy Awards with a DJ friend after being offered a free ticket, and a beautiful three-diamond Chupi necklace. The painting reminds her of a moment when she stepped out of her comfort zone and said yes to an unexpected adventure.Her Chupi necklace has three diamonds: one larger diamond representing Ciara, and two smaller diamonds representing her twin sons. She bought it to mark completing her postgraduate masters in international selling in 2019 to 2020, after once swearing she would never return to education. She now wears it almost every day as a reminder of what she is building for herself and her boys.This episode touches on entrepreneurship, motherhood, women in business, imposter syndrome, travel, friendship, intuition, meaningful jewellery, personal storytelling and the objects that hold our most important memories.Listen for stories about Brighton seagulls, a psychic dream about twins, running a marathon in a wedding dress, appearing on Dragon’s Den, launching the Irish Wedding Venue Awards, climbing Kilimanjaro with women from the EY Winning Women network, and learning to say yes to life’s unexpected opportunities.@showusyourbitspodcastTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Show Us Your Bits, hosts Alice Rivers Cripps and Josie Lloyd are deep in the Brighton Festival - and in the spirit of May Madness, they have brought on one of Brighton's most distinctive characters to help make sense of it all. Their guest is Jed Novick, veteran journalist, former lecturer at Brighton University and the founder of a brand new Brighton arts and culture magazine called The Beat. Jed started his career as a sports feature writer on The Times after journalism college in 1986, before landing what he calls the best job of his life at The Independent in its earliest days - where he became quietly famous for writing invented TV listings, including entirely made-up soap opera storylines that attracted boxes of letters from readers suggesting plot ideas for characters who didn't exist. He later worked at The Guardian and set up several magazines before moving into lecturing, where he taught journalism at Brighton University until the course's shift away from print made him feel, as he puts it, like a stegosaurus. Taking voluntary redundancy, he has marked the start of his new chapter by launching The Beat - a 48-page print magazine curating the best of Brighton's arts, music, food, and culture scene, starting with a festival special featuring a double-page spread on the band Angine de Poitrine and coverage of The Great Escape music festival. The Beat is available via subscription through its Instagram page @thebrightonbeat_ As for his bits, Jed is one of the most jewellery-laden guests the show has ever had, wearing more rings than fingers - each one a story. A twisted spoon ring given by a friend for his sixtieth birthday; a ring from the National Jewish Museum in Amsterdam; a huge Moroccan silver ring spanning knuckle to knuckle; a black onyx ring bought in Kathmandu during four years of travelling that began when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989; a tiger's eye ring made from two stones he quietly pocketed from his mother-in-law's broken necklace; a matching ring made by the jeweller landlady of his local pub The Eddy in West Hill for Gilly's 60th birthday and a ring he cast himself in a cuttlefish casting course at the Phoenix Art Centre in Brighton - a gift for his wife Gilly Smith (food writer and host of the Cooking The Books podcast and also a previous guest on the podcast). He also wears a leather necklace holding a single surviving batik cow-bone bead given to him by a Dean Moriarty-type figure he met in Tokyo, a keepsake from his Jack Kerouac-inspired years on the road. As for suits, Jed traces his love of tailoring straight back to punk - both, he says, are about refusing to be generic.The episode also touches on his marriage to Gilly: the two eloped on April Fool's Day, told no one, then announced it at a party that evening. He grew up in Hackney, moved to Brighton in 1995 after the arrival of their first child, and once bought a house in the Sussex countryside purely because his wife sent him a photo of its pond.Alice and Josie close the episode buzzing about The Beat and the Brighton Festival, with Josie heading off to a wedding at Dreamland in Margate followed by the Cannes Film Festival to promote The Bright Side Running Club.Topics CoveredThe Brighton Festival and Brighton May MadnessArtists' Open Houses in BrightonJed Novick's career: The Times, The Independent, The GuardianThe Beat magazine -- Brighton's new arts and culture print magazineThe Great Escape music festival and Angine de PoitrineInventing TV listings and soap opera storylines at The IndependentLecturing at Brighton UniversityJed's ring collection and the stories behind each oneThe National Jewish Museum in AmsterdamTravelling from Berlin to Kathmandu after the fall of the Berlin WallJack Kerouac and the On the Road yearsBatik bone necklace from Kenya via TokyoPunk fashion vs bespoke suitsEloping on April Fool's DayJosie heading to Cannes for The Bright Side Running ClubSeason 10 of Show Us Your BitsTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Season 10 of Show Us Your Bits -- and what a milestone it is. In this opening episode, hosts Alice Rivers Cripps and Josie Lloyd reunite after the summer break to catch up on everything that happened while they were apart, before teasing an exciting new season of guests.Alice shares the extraordinary story of a three-day charity walk across the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain, organised to raise funds for Leo's Angels -- a charity set up by her friend Emma after the tragic death of her 11-year-old son Leo from an epileptic fit. Twenty-three female founders walked more than 60 kilometres together through the mountains, raising over £23,000. The walk was not without drama: the group survived a terrifying encounter with a massive swarm of angry bees that had been smoked out of their hive, forcing the women -- including one member with a severe bee allergy -- to silently wade through a river bed surrounded by thousands of bees for two kilometres. Alice came home buzzing with energy and renewed motivation for life and business.Josie, meanwhile, had been travelling in Vietnam. The trip took in Ho Chi Minh City, the island of Phu Quoc, Ninh Binh's stunning inland waterways, the ghost-town tourist developments around Ha Long Bay, and the vibrant old quarter of Hanoi. Josie also did a Vietnamese cookery course, visited a Michelin-starred pho restaurant and came home via a stopover in the futuristic city of Shenzhen. Back in the UK, she celebrated her husband Emlyn's birthday with a full Beatles tourist experience in Liverpool.On the business front, Alice has been appearing on QVC to sell her Posh Totty Designs jewellery collection and is growing increasingly comfortable in front of the cameras. Josie is heading to Cannes to promote her film The Bright Side Running Club.The episode closes with both hosts looking ahead to a packed Season 10 guest line up, including several of the female founders from Alice's charity walk.Topics Covered- Leo's Angels charity and the story behind it- The Sierra Nevada 60km charity walk for epilepsy research- The bee swarm survival story- Travel in Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc, Ninh Binh, Ha Long Bay, Hanoi- Vietnamese food and the Michelin-starred pho restaurant- Shenzhen airport and modern China- Liverpool and the Beatles tourist trail- Selling jewellery on QVC- The Bright Side Running Club film at Cannes- Preview of Season 10 guestsTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Co-founder and CEO of Warners Gin Distillery, Tina Warner-Keogh started off with a mission in 2012 to save the world from mediocre gin. From a farming family, she used her gut as her guide and nature as her inspiration to diversify her husband Tom’s family farm, installing a still and growing botanicals. Tina tells the story of starting a business from scratch to pioneering the world’s first rhubarb gin. From a patriarchal family, she’s had to grow in courage and belief, steering her business through Covid and the cost of living crisis to the success it is today. Sustainability is absolutely at the heart of what she does and her mission is to the world’s leading nature-driven drinks business. She brings some china pea pods, as she’s nicknamed ‘Tina Pod’ and is very close to her Mum. She also brings some colourful ‘wings’ beaded earrings from Tanzania, which commemorate her epic climb up Kilimanjaro as well as a framed picture from her brother with a very special meaning.  She says that her six minute diary helps her process her emotions and makes her focus on gratitude every day and that her dogs keep her grounded and happy. Find Warners gin in good clubs, bars and restaurants, as well as supermarkets near you. To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Internationally best-selling author Gill Paul has written plenty of non-fiction, but has turned her love of history into writing ‘what-if’ novels, taking real historical figures and weaving stories around them. It was her experience of teenage heartbreak that led to her write about the Romanovs in The Secret Life and The Lost Daughter, but she’s tackled all sorts of eras, from Jazz age New York, to the juicy rivalry of Jackie Onassis and Maria Callas, along with the sexist world of publishing in Scandalous Women, to name but a few. A romantic at heart, Gill shows us her very personal mementos including a LOVE sign from her current partner, a beaded doll gifted by her nephew after a school trip, her grandmother’s wedding ring and her late mother’s lipsticks, still bearing the shape of her lips.  Gill swims outside every day in the Hampstead pond, but as well as the efficacy of cold water, she says her life hack it to talk to strangers. She says it’s a Scottish thing, but striking up a conversation with a stranger has the power to completely change your day. Follow Gill on all the socials and on instagram @gill.paul1 To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our funny, down-to-earth guest this week is a PR adviser, marketing expert, author, podcaster and business coach who started out helping small businesses in the equestrian and rural space, but has picked the brains of a host of ‘rock-star’ entrepreneurs for her podcast and book, ‘You’ve Got This - How to Supercharge your business and conquer your goals’.  Rhea says that even the most successful business people feel overwhelmed and lack confidence occasionally. Passionate about growing social media organically, she says the key to success is getting your face out there, but that showing up is doesn’t mean being perfect, in fact far from it. Being human and a bit rough around the edges is the key to connecting with customers. She lives in the country with her family, four sheep and a dog and says she’s not sentimental about ‘stuff’, but she shows us her diamond-studded engagement ring made out of a farrier’s nail, a Posh Totty necklace with a ‘C’ and and ‘O’ which she never takes off and links her to her twin sons and her Astrid & Miyu crystal earrings reminding her of her love of small businesses. She says her life hack is to let go of the idea of perfection and to just give it a go. Find out more on instagram @rheafreemanpr www.rheafreemanpr.co.uk--To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Customer-focussed Hayley joins us to talk about her fabulous brand Eleven Loves. Having spotted the gap in the market for stylish everyday-wear, she started with printed T-shirt and sweatshirts, but what started as a side-hustle has grown into a serious business, focussed on sustainability. In a world where we’re bombarded by choice, she’s developed a tool for customers to identify their style personality, asking them ten questions, people choosing two of their main style personalities, then gives outfit suggestions on the result. She’s quite sentimental and tells us the stories behind a beautiful memento picture she made for her husband, the china turtles that remind her of her grandparents, a gold reef knot ring from her dad and a sapphire ring to remind her of her blue-eyed boys. Family-focussed, Hayley says she manages her busy life by ‘remembering the why’ and what it’s all for. Find out more at www.elevenloves.co.uk and join Hayley for Insta live @elevenloves.co.ukTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re all about female empowerment this week and we’re delighted to be joined by the founder of the UK’s first eco-friendly period underwear brand. Ruby talks about how she started WUKA to provide sustainable alternatives to traditional menstrual products and to break the stigma surrounding menstruation. Growing up in Nepal, periods were never spoken about and during them, she was separated from her family and stigmatised. Moving to London when she was twenty, founding a cool brand was the last thing on her mind, but it was when she was talking to girls in schools about reusable period products and they all said they thought the idea was tacky, she had an epiphany moment, bought a second-hand sewing machine and, with the help of a YouTube video set about solving the problem herself. Starting small and perfecting the product has been key to her success, but she’s now a B-corp business and is on a mission to end period poverty, as well as tackling the issue of girls dropping out of sports at a grass roots level. A collector of things, Ruby shows us a beautiful blue sari, a sentimental Mulberry bracelet from her husband, as well as her handmade jewellery from Nepal including her gold sun pendant that reflects the incredible energy she puts out into the world. Get her products and find out more at wuka.co.uk To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re joined by the internationally bestselling author of Broken Country, (Amazon’s book of the year), an incredible book about a passionate love triangle in set in Dorset in the 50’s and 60’s. Clare tells us about the genesis of the book, the rocky writing process, and what it feels like to ride the wave of international success, and how readers have connected with her themes of first love and long love. She tells us about her research for the book, including learning to milk on a farm and how important the natural world has become to her and how it inspired her main character, Beth. She shows us her talisman, a bust of Peabody that was on her grandfather’s desk. She shows us the miniature cage with an acorn made by Somerset artist, Richard Howell, as well as framed print of the final poem in her book. Having had a surprise renewal of her vows with her husband in Cornwall, Clare shows us a beautiful necklace he gifted her. In an honest chat about her road to success, Clare says her life hack is to not take things too seriously and to remember to be grateful. She says that for her, walking every day in nature without a phone first thing is life-changing. Broken Country is available everywhere in all book formats. Find out more about Clare’s work www.clarelesliehall.com or on insta @clarelesliehallTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for a fascinating chat about the psychology of clothes with our special guest. Dahlia was stressed but well dressed herself in a big corporate career, when her job came to an end, she felt she’d lost her identity and was all dressed up with nowhere to go. She set up her podcast to share her story and she realised that everyone had a clothes story and were using their clothes for confidence. We talk clothing faux pas, the joy of Golden Goose trainers and the power of strategic dressing. Dahlia shows us her treasured Gucci disco handbag, a lego figure with a mortar board which was gifted to her by her children as a reminder of her MBA graduation and a picture that helped her manifest a new future. She says rather than a life hack, her advice is to stop and take the time to appreciate what you have.Listen to Stressed But Well Dressed wherever you get your podcasts.To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We welcome Jules Acton, author of Oaklore, Adventures in a World of Extraordinary Trees. We’ve all been affected by the oak trees we’ve encountered in our lives and they feature hugely in our culture, not least of all the 400 Royal Oak pubs in the UK. In addition, Jules reveals that over two thousand species are supported by the oak tree and how oak trees, worshipped by the druids, can become immortal. As well as her lovely story behind her wedding ring and her weird family heirloom, she shows us a tiny gall, home to the marble gall wasp, a tiny object that for a thousand of years was used to make the ink that was used to write everything from the Magna Carta to the works of Shakespeare. Jules, gives some great tips for getting into nature and how to visit a woodland. If you’re like us and you’re inspired to get out and about into ‘the green gym’, find out more at JulesActon.com and follow Jules @JulieBlowfish and for more information on the woodland trust go to https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re joined this dry January with the founder of Noughty, the delicious alcohol-free fizz. Having had a career in fine wine, Amanda pivoted be a pioneer and now a market leader in alcohol-free wine, fuelled by a desire to feel the buzz without the hangover. Trained in champagne and fine wines and having worked with the world’s top sommeliers, award-winning Noughty is a game changer. She tells us about her journey from being a journalist to becoming a single-minded entrepreneur, developing a thick skin and learning to say ‘No’ along the way. Travelling all over the world, she’s a minimalist, but shares her lovely wedding ring story, the amazing drinks business Entrepreneur of the Year award her husband had to receive on her behalf, as well as the story behind her limitless tattoo. What an inspiration. We’re converts. Noughty for life, not just for January. Find out more @noughtyaf and @noughtyamandaTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for our 75th episode with our round up of our favourite moments from another fabulous year of podcasting as we discuss how our guests have inspired our Christmas present list. We reminisce about the wonderful and often poignant keepsakes our guests brought along to show us, like the picture Illirana Gashi from Women For Women International showed us from her son, when she got her family to safety from a war zone, to the delightful book i360 owner and BBC Dragon’s Den, Sarah Willingham made for her husband, as well as piece of genuine space rocket from tailor-to-the-stars, Gresham Blake. Our entertaining literary guests included Veronica Henry who said her flashy diamanté earrings were the jewellery equivalent of a line of cocaine, whilst Lulu Taylor told us the thrilling story of how she came to own Nancy Mitford’s pearls.  Our love of food shone through with culinary guests including young-at-heart food writer and illustrator Elisabeth Luard and the hilariously funny and irreverent Valentina Harris. A theme of connection came out in this latest season and Sahar Hashemi OBE really set the tone when she set up By Women Built to unite female founders and to highlight how many of our amazing brands and business are made by women. We had style and flair from  influencers including Zoe de Pass @dresslikeamum, Paula Sutton @hillhousevintage and  Michelle Barrett @capsuleclosetstylist and learnt about the power of red lipstick from make up artists Donna May and went on tour to meet Alice and Will from Audrey’s chocolates. We’ve heard stories of courage and resilience and people who set out to change the world and make it better, yet our guests’ life hacks were simple. They were about kindness, connection and gratitude. We hope you’ve been inspired too, and we look forward to bringing you another series in the new year. In the meantime, a huge thank you to our guests and listeners. We wish you all a very happy Christmas. To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

International best-selling author Lulu Taylor joins us to talk about her latest novel, The Legacy of Secrets. With her trademark elements of a winter setting, a spectacular country house and a family riddled with secrets and complexities, this must-read page-turner has us gripped. Lulu shares stories from her writing life and shares the mystery behind her grandmother’s diamonds, as well as the spectacular tale of getting Nancy Mitford’s pearls. Utterly riveting! Find out more @misslulutaylorTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Resourceful Michelle Ford is a ray of sunshine on the podcast this week. Having lived all over the world, it was whilst in America that she cashed in on the novelty of her English accent and became a voice-over artist. After a successful career, she pivoted in midlife after her Covid lockdown chats with her neighbour inspired them to start a podcast. Two Women Chatting is full of midlife wisdom with guests ranging from Anthea Turner to Dame Judi Dench, but today Michelle gives us her personal tips on filling in the gaps behind your kids, keeping a long-term relationship alive and how humour is essential. Michelle shows us her mother’s ring, her granny’s cup and saucer, which reminds us all of the importance of connection over a cup of tea, as well as a favour from her wedding in 1992.  Michelle has recently re-discovered her love of music and has her own radio show on Brooklands Radio available DAB and online and on smart speaker. She says her life hack is learning to be brave. Check out her podcast Two Women Chatting wherever you get your podcast, or go to the website  www.twowomenchatting.com Follow her on instagram @michelleford_twc #poshtottydesignsTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re discussing essential fashion tips for transforming your wardrobe with down to earth influencer, Michelle Barret. She tells us about her extraordinary career, talking her way into working in costumes on big movies to being a stylist for celebrities like Katy Perry. As a single mum, juggling it all hasn’t been easy, but after the pandemic, Michelle’s career pivoted when she did a wardrobe challenge on Facebook Live, and her business, The Capsule Closet Stylist took off. Her no-nonsense practical advice has blown up online and her packages offering style advice and wardrobe edits are all the rage. She shows us her treasured keepsake, including a Posh Totty Designs  ‘Brave’ necklace gifted to her by a friend, her daughter’s special Bee toy, a homemade teddy bear made out of her granny’s wool coat and her grandfather’s military silk medals.A self-proclaimed ‘blagger’ Michelle says she’s been successful  just ask and see what happens. Check out capsuleclosetstylist.com  at and see her videos on Youtube @capsuleclosetstylist and on Insta.To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Never Give Up – with Jo Godden from Ruby Moon  It’s publication day for Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency  – Josie’s cosy crime is out in the world! We’re chatting about new projects, including Alice’s gorgeous NEW dinky charm bracelet collection  This week’s guest, Jo Godden from @rubymoon.uk, is pure inspiration  She’s the founder of an ethical, sustainable swimwear brand — and now she’s launching the world’s first fully recyclable swimsuit  After seeing the harsh realities of factory work during her fashion career, Jo created Ruby Moon to make a difference. During lockdown, she went even further — teaming up with scientists to invent a process to recycle lycra!  Total game-changer for the fashion industry. Jo isn’t a “things” person, but she brought along a beautiful beaded evening purse from her stylish grandmother Ruby (who taught her to sew) and a stunning silver clip purse from 1817 from her other grandmother Nancy  Plus, some amazing memorabilia from their trip on the Cunard Line to New York   Support Jo’s incredible journey and grab your own sustainable swimsuit here  "https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/circ-suit-the-worlds-first-recyclable-swimsuit-1" (https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/circ-suit-the-worlds-first-recyclable-swimsuit-1)  Tune in to Show Us Your Bits – stories behind the special things we hold dear  #ShowUsYourBits #RubyMoon #SustainableFashion #EthicalBusiness #NeverGiveUp #FemaleFounders #RecyclableSwimsuit #PodcastLove #EcoFashion #WomenInBusinessAlice Rivers-CrippsTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Halloween Special, Alice and Josie join forces to share some of their own special ‘bits’ that mean the most to them. Full of anecdotes and laughter, their chat includes the story behind Alice’s sky-scraping unwearable Manolo Blahnik black stilettos on display in a glass case, as well as the story behind Josie’s tube poster of her first novel, It Could Be You. Alice, who says she’s a keeper rather than a hoarder describes all the fun she’s had with her large hat collection and Josie shares her love of music, and how it led to her buying her husband a juke box. Alice reveals the story behind the ‘Pickle’ orange lifebuoy and how much the word means to her and James, as well as Josie’s Mamma Bear bangle from her girls, and her Morano glass bead necklace. As they’re both obsessed with the Celebrity Traitors, Alice shows a fabulous signed menu from the legend, Alan Carr. All this as well as a discussion about Halloweens past and present. If you're inspired to share some of your own keepsakes, then please do get in touch with the show @showusyourbitspodcast on Instagram and Facebook,To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alice tells the emotional story behind her favourite ‘Share A hug necklace’ which created when she went to Kosovo with the charity Women For Women International nine years ago. Iliriana Gashi, the Director of the charity in Kosova, joins us to tell us about the  extraordinary work she does to make sure that womens stories are heard, especially those who have been sexually violated.  A medical doctor by training, Iliriana has found her calling working with women in need, by teaching them about income generation, their health and how to network and build their community. She’s helped over 35,000 women since 1999 to rebuild their lives after war. In this emotional chat, Ilirana shares her own experience of being a refugee and how it feels to lose your identity and how we all need more empathy for people who are displaced. Having seen so much hardship and the horrors of war, she truly shines a light of hope. She shares the special pieces that mean the most to her, including the ring her parents gave her when she qualified as a doctor, a card her son made her for mother’s day when her family had found safety in Switzerland, a dried rose and a necklace, both presents from inspirational women. She says that living with love is the thing that has seen her through. If you’re inspired by this chat, (as we certainly were) head to @womenforwomenTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Style icon Paula Sutton from Hill House Vintage joins us from her incredible house in Norfolk. An author, podcaster, TV presenter and lifestyle influencer, Paula had a big London career in the fashion industry, but with three children under three, something had to give. She sold up in London and moved her family to Hill House where set about furnishing the house with vintage pieces. She started selling the curiosities she loved on Ebay, which then became a blog, a big instagram following, then YouTube, and now a podcast all about the joy of home with Susannah Hawkins. She works with brands and sees her instagram content as like being in charge of her own magazine where she gets to be the photographer, model, stylist and art director. She says the trick is to be authentic and don’t overthink it and to talk about what you want to hear and see. She gives us her top tips for getting a bargain at a car boot sale, how to revamp old furniture by using paint and simple reupholstering and inspires us to be as bold and flamboyant in our clothing choices in midlife.She loves her quiet Norfolk country life with dog walks and home baking, gardening, writing her cozy crime novels in her writing hut. She shows us a precious brooch from her late mother bearing her name, Lydia which she keeps on her desk as a talisman, a brass pocket watch that she wears with her tweed waistcoats and some silver paste glamorous 1930’s earrings.  She says it’s important to remember that you will get through dark times and says her life hack is that ‘this too shall pass’. Follow Paula @hillhousevintage and find her unputdownable cosy murder mysteries ‘The Potting Shed Murder’ and ‘The Body In the Kitchen Garden.’ Her podcast Joy of Home.To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're joined by inspirational entrepreneur, author and campaigner Sahar Hashemi OBE. Full of wit and wisdom, Sahar says the key to success in business is to dream big, but start small. She describes her own journey from a discontented solicitor to setting up Coffee Republic, the hugely successful coffee chain.Having written a book called Anyone Can Do It, it was during the Covid lockdown that a simple tweet provided the catalyst for her to champion female entrepreneurship and find a way to educate people about brands built by women. Buy Women Built is now a thriving network for female founders, with 160 Buy Women Built brands on Ocado, 100 in Wholefoods, and growing every day. Alice is proud to be a member of this incredible movement, which includes some of the best and most recognised brands in the UK today.Disciplined and organised, Sahar is a fan of decluttering in the summer and winter, but has some special sentimental pieces she holds close, including her father’s reading glasses, a chunky gold Celine bracelet she bought in Paris, and a miniature angel gifted by her mother. The angel sits by her bed as a daily reminder that her mother is watching over her.She says that if anything is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly — just give it a go. After all, we’re here for such a short time, we might as well go at a hundred miles an hour with our hair on fire.For more of Sahar’s wise words and business tips follow her on Instagram and LinkedIn @saharhashemiOBE.To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brighton buddies Alice and Josie are back for another season of the podcast and are embracing the Autumn. Yes, they're chucking out the flipflops and discovering the joy of digging out the winter jackets - especially when that involves finding a lost lippy, or money in the pocket. Hey! It's all about the little things. With a debrief about their summer travels, they're both feeling that life human connection is more important than ever. If you're also reeling from how fast the world is changing, then join them as they share the wisdom of their guests, their stories about their keepsakes and jewellery and the often surprisingly simple life hacks that have seen them through. Funny, lighthearted, full of anecdotes and home truths, the podcast that has been described by a listener as "The Antiques Roadshow crossed with Desert Island Discs". Join Alice and Josie every Friday wherever you get your podcasts.To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re having a touching talk about the things that money can’t buy with our special guest, Donna May. Make-up artist to the stars, she’s worked on Loose Women and a host of ITV shows, but after a foot operation left her with some time on her hands, a business was born after she made a make-up bag with her trademark red lips on it for a friend. A make-up mat followed and, after meeting a web designer, who became her business partner, Donna May London was up and running. Inspired by her 12,000 strong Facebook community, she makes things women actually want at an affordable-luxury price-point, from travel mirrors, to a perfect red lipstick. Inspiring and down-to-earth, Donna maintains that the difference between someone who succeeds and someone who doesn’t is that the first one just keeps on going, even when things get tough. She says she’s utterly sentimental and the only thing that really matters to her are memories, photographs and telling her family how much they’re loved. She shows us the jewellery that has particular sentimental value, including a keepsake from her Dad and her twenty-first birthday present from her Nan, still with the note inside. To choose your perfect shade of red lippy and much, much more visit donnamaylondon.com www.poshtottydesigns.comTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Time to ruffle your skirts, get your dancing shoes on and listen in, as we welcome Deidre Guthrie to the podcast. Born in Edinburgh, Deidre tells us the thrilling story of how she became Candela Flores, a renowned flamenco dancer in Spain. She tells us about her dance mentor who spotted her talent, as well as her passionate love affair with her guitar-playing accompanist and bull-fighter, Jaime Santos. A go-getting business woman, Deidre has lived all over the world, taking us from the clubs of Madrid, to Mexico to South America after she got involved in the wine trade. Talking to us from her home in Cyprus, she’s still living life to the full having retired from running a guest house and restaurant. She shows us the stunning ruby and pearl necklace gifted to her mother from the ruler of Kuwait and a dramatic black and white charcoal sketch of Mary Queen of Scots, depicting the moment just before she was executed, as well as some earrings from her travels when she was young. Looking back on her remarkable life, she says that everyone should have a dream and work towards it. Hers was to become a flamenco dancer, but she’s also found great satisfaction in writing her recent memoir ‘Becoming Candela.’  To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bespoke tailor to the stars, Gresham Blake is our special guest this week. With his iconic shop in Brighton, Gresham tells us about his journey into tailoring and how he’s grown his business, diversifying  into corporate wear for big hotels like The Standard Hotel group, Fortnum and Mason, The Grand in Brighton to name but a few.  He hates ornaments, but is a collector of antique curiosities and brings a piece of a space rocket to show us. He also tells us about his pride and joy - an antique petrol pump which is the centrepiece of his house. Sporting a huge signet ring  with a rose gold sovereign made by Jeremy Hoy, Gresham says it was a gift from his friends for his 50th business. Championing customer service and loving hearing people’s stories, Gresham says that the life hack that has seen him through is to just be honest. Dapper, irreverent and funny, find out more about Gresham's fabulous work at www.greshamblake.com www.poshtottydesigns.comTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Screenwriter, radio script writer and best selling author, Veronica Henry joins us from North Devon to discuss her career, her life and her special pieces of jewellery. Having written well over twenty novels, her latest 'One Night At The Château', is out in paperback today. Warm-hearted and page-turning, it has all the hallmarks of her writing that has earned her a legion of loyal fans. Refreshingly honest and down-to-earth, Veronica talks about her writing process and how, having been through a divorce, covid, bereavement and the menopause in her fifties, is now in a new phase of her life. She says she feels simultaneously super-wise and sorted and then bewildered, but she says there comes a time when you can't be shy anymore. She shows us her the beautiful art deco ring that belonged to her flamboyant grandmother, a lobster necklace from her sons, a mushroom necklace that represents friendship and some glitzy earrings which she says are her armour at any party. She calls them the jewellery equivalent of a line of cocaine. She says her life hack is to get yourself a signature dish. Hers is crab linguine, but she's passed on some wisdom from Anthony Bourdain and has taught her sons to make a great omelette. Find her latest novel at all good bookshops and supermarkets and online on Facebook and Instagram @veronicahenryauthor www.poshtottydesigns.comTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chelsea Green’s ‘Felt’ is one of London’s original mini boutiques. Founded by our guest Eliza Poklewski Koziell and fashion director Jayne Pickering, Felt is favourite of editors and celebrities alike. Eliza curates an eponymous collection that is a must for magpies searching for fabulous costume jewellery,fine jewellery both contemporary and vintage and even ditsy diamond studs.  Eliza talks candidly about the challenges of running an independent small business and keeping control. The trick is to recognise your skillset and to get people on board for your weak areas. Also, not to over-think it. She loves working and says she’ll be dealing until she drops.  Always on the move and gardening, Eliza shows us her robust ring with her family crest which has brought her love and support. She says people commission it off her hand. She also shows us cherished heirloom rosary and a classic watch.Dressed head to toe in vintage clothes, Eliza loves a knitted hat as well as her apron which she says is her comfort blanket. Visit Eliza at Felt London at 53 Godfrey Street (Tues-Sat) and online @feltlondon and www.feltlondon.comTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Brighton-based healer Georgia Morse who is passionate about women’s health. A trained nurse, Georgia talks about her fascinating journey into energetic and somatic healing, via a youth initiative programme in Sweden, and her work with refugees in Calais. After graduating as an NHS nurse on a respiratory ward during Covid left her burnt out, Georgia became an apprentice of The Boulderstone Technique. She found her path into women’s health when working with Afghan Refugees, helping the women to process their trauma. Now, a new mum, she’s interested in holistic approaches to healing conditions such as hay fever and working with women’s hormone imbalances. Georgia shares her wisdom on the menopause and the importance of pausing and to create space and breathing-room in midlife. If we sit still l, we tend to know what we need she says. Not a ‘things’ person, Georgia shows us her ancient citrine quartz crystal which her Dad found in an antiques auction, which helps her feel grounded in her clinic.  Bees are very precious having after a bee-keeping course in her teens changed her life and Georgia shows us her beautiful bee necklace and earrings as well as a handmade silver bracelet. For more information on Georgia’s work, find her on instagram @sistersofthemoon_uk and at www.sistersofthemoonuk.com To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Will and Alice Crone, the new owners of luxury chocolatier Audrey’s, the biggest supplier of English handmade chocolates to Fortnum and Mason.The husband and wife team are passionate about preserving the traditions of their chocolate factory and shop in Hove which has been there since 1948 and is much-loved by its loyal clientele. Alice and Josie enjoy a mouth-watering tour of the building, seeing how the flavoured creams, fondants, caramels, pralines, and nut clusters that make up the beautiful selection boxes are lovingly hand crafted by their artisans, so that each box of chocolates really is like opening a box of jewels. Settling their young family into Hove, Alice and Will talk about working together and share their keepsakes associated with their romantic engagement in Cornwall, plus a very funny reason why they collect elephants. For something very special, visit Audrey’s chocolates in Holland Road, Hove, or online at audreyschocolates.co.uk or follow their insta @audreyschocolates. poshtottydesigns.com #poshtottyTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spring is here and Alice and Josie are on the beach, with a natter about their latest beach antics and are getting excited about the Brighton festival. Josie is fresh from a Spring cookery course in the old kitchen at Parham House with friend-of-the-podcast Valentina Harris, whilst Alice has given her shop an entire makeover, thanks to a colour scheme invented by her new best friend, Chat GPT. Join us for a lively debate about AI, and a look forward to our fabulous guests this season from the world of fashion, beauty, the environment and, of course, the festival. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, or know anyone who would like to be, please do get in touch with us @showusyourbitspodcast on Instagram and Facebook. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes each Friday. @poshtottydesigns @josielloydwriterTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Easter upon us, Alice and Josie wrap up Season Six with a look back at the fabulous guests they've had on the podcast, and talk about some of the special bits they brought along. There was a bit of a foodie theme, with season highlights including the fabulous chef and cookery writer, Elisabeth Luard, as well as Valentina Harris, whose life hack - "just don't ever give up sex, girls" - was the best. There were some adventurers too. Nick Pulley described his journey from Brighton Pavilion to the Taj Mahal by train, whilst Dragon's Den star and hugely successful entrepreneur Sarah Willingham talked about rescuing Brighton's icon i360 and her plans to put the heartbeat back into the middle of the prom. Check out all the photos and highlights @showusyourbitspodcast on Instagram. To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Straight-talking, inspiring entrepreneur Sarah Willingham tells us about being a curious child, but when her Dad wouldn’t let her have a gap year, she set off to pursue her love of food and international travel in business. After learning the ropes at Pizza Express, she realised she wanted a large family and  that she’d have to create her own career to make her life work with small children. She says she loves chaos and having four children in four years has meant she’s had to accept that having it all has to be a giant compromise. After recording Dragon’s Den she took off around the world with her kids and Michael her husband for three years and found clarity once the adrenalin had left her system. She says her life hack is to get back to nature and she walks to empty her mind.Now settled in Brighton, she runs Nightcap, a big hospitality business, with Michael, but when the opportunity came just before Christmas to buy the i360, she stepped in at the last moment and bought the iconic landmark, saving it from being dismantled.  Sarah is passionate about regenerating the i360, particularly the building beneath the tower and she’s buzzing with plans. Fresh from the amazing Brighton marathon weekend, Sarah says the middle of the prom deserves to be activated and we couldn’t agree more. Whilst she’d be happy living in a caravan herself and not being at all materialistic, Sarah shows us a special ring that reminds her of her soul mate, Richard, and a romantic small red book she made for Michael. Follow her on instagram @sarahwillingham @poshtottydesignsTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chef, broadcaster, food judge, teacher and prolific writer with 56 cookbooks to her name, Valentina Harris joins us for a mouth-watering chat about her extraordinary life and career. Full of wit and wisdom, Valentina shares her love of regional Italian food, the importance of not serving an Italian an incorrect dish and her fury at the current trend of frying gnocchi. Called the ‘Queen of Risotto’, she shares her secrets of Italy’s iconic rice dish, as well as answering many other foody questions, although her experience with roasted stuffed horse penis was somewhat hair-raising! Her special keepsakes include her first award for cookery writing, her grandmother’s jade balls used for hand exercises, a note from Stanley Tucci with his recommendation of a recipe for the spectacular ‘Timpano’ dish as well as her mother’s unusual silver bangle. We were ready to pack our bags for Italy straight after our chat. Fortunately, Valentina runs cookery courses closer to home in the old kitchen at Parham House. For more details join her on instagram @chef_valentina@poshtottydesignsTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Mothering Sunday upon us, we’re talking about our mums today. We’re joined entrepreneur and mum of two, Georgie Harris who describes how she had a fantastic job at Burberry, but then her world changed when her son was born with a rare genetic condition, Russell Silver Syndrome which affects growth. After a harrowing pregnancy and birth, Georgie then discovered herself navigating the SEN system and becoming a primary carer, negotiating support for her child’s complex needs. After her second son was born in 2023, she started looking for jobs, but couldn’t find one, let alone one that could fit in with her life. Then, at a kids birthday party, she met Bex who suggested a skills swap and Mums Who Build was born. With a non-mumsy vibe, Georgie and Bex’s networking organisation has the aim of closing the wealth gap and reducing the impact of the motherhood penalty. The MOB (for short) helps Mums at all stages develop skills and confidence through workshops, events and meet-ups based on the three pillars of wellbeing, connections and financial education. With new found sense of purpose and having been on a healing journey through the connections she’s made at The Mob, Georgie says her ambition is to have Mums Who Build around the country. She says she wears her jewellery the whole time, including some personal bangles from her family and shows us her inspirational late grandmother’s engagement ring, who she describes as the glue of the family. She also shows us a dainty gold child protection charm from her husband’s Kurdish heritage. If anything has seen her through, Georgie says it’s not overthinking things and seizing the day. Find out more on Instagram @mumswhobuildTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All aboard for this week’s guest, Nick Pulley founder and CEO of Selective Asia a tailor-made travel business specialising in responsible, focussed travel from India to Japan. A born adventurer, Nick fell in love with Thailand and South East Asia on his year abroad after school when traveling around the world. After an injury thwarted his dreams of being a rugby player, he pivoted and was at the forefront of internet travel. He’s passionate about sustainable travel and how it’s so much more than just the carbon and flight problem. A lover of logistics, he’s a natural at planning and recently embarked on an epic train two-month journey from Brighton Pavilion to The Taj Mahal. He tells us about his astonishing and emotional trip, including his eye-opening train journey across Iran and a blessing from the Dalai Lama. Nick has brought back all sorts of souvenirs from his travels, but brings his two most precious keepsakes - some gorgeously tactile chopstick holders from Japan and a beautiful hand-made paper book from his girlfriend, Sarah depicting their first year together. Nick says he loves the early morning, but having fun in work and life is the key to happiness. https://www.selectiveasia.com https://www.selectiveasia.com/blogTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest this week is legendary food writer, illustrator and broadcaster Elisabeth Luard. Joining us from London, Elisabeth candidly recalls adventures from her extraordinary life, describing how, after growing up in Uruguay and boarding school, she was a young journalist on Private Eye, when she met her husband, Nicholas Luard. Marrying at 21 and having four children in quick succession, Elisabeth decamped to rural Andalusia, finding a way into food writing and the traditional recipes via the locals at the school gates where her kids learnt to trap and skin rabbits. After a couple of shows in a top wildlife gallery exhibiting her natural history paintings, she started writing about food in 'The Field' magazine accompanied by her own illustrations, but her passion was to write a book about real peasant cookery and the importance of knowing the land, the limitations of fresh produce and only using what's seasonal and local. A concept that seemed transgressive at the time, but has, as she says, come full circle. Full of wisdom and wit, Elisabeth has travelled all over the world and enlightens us about some of the foods she's encountered along the way, such smoked reindeer tongue, as well as making a case for bringing back salep, a powdered dried orchid root. She doesn't 'do' jewellery as she's always cooking, but she shows us two of her treasured rings - a sapphire ring belonging to her late daughter, Francesca, as well her welsh gold wedding ring. Writing regularly on Substack ([email protected])Elisabeth's fascination with the natural world as well as the world of food and its interconnectivity with culture continues. She says that like the wood-wide-web, we're all connected and that to forget that would be a terrible mistake. Wise words indeed.To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brighton maker, artist, business woman and entrepreneur Sophie Darling joins us for a fascinating chat about sustainability and slow fashion, describing her creative process and how she creates her signature hand-printed jackets, which are all art pieces in themselves. Sophie describes how a surprise trip to Mississippi nurtured her creativity when she was young, but that it wasn’t until she’d done a screen-printing course that she found her passion, leading to a  hugely successful label Kimchi with her friend Holly Atelier. Now running a creative hub in her Brighton studio, Sophie does workshops and feels passionately about nurturing younger creative talent. Unable to wear rings anymore, Sophie shows us her lovely necklaces. A (possibly Tiffany) silver locket bottle for perfume on a chain gifted by her father to her mother and now has been passed onto Sophie’s daughter. The funny story behind her wedding ring with braille on the outside because ‘Love is Blind’, as well as a beautiful ‘Darling’ necklace, which is a collaboration with a local tattoo artist and self-taught jeweller James Robinson. She says that it’s her resilience, determination and passion that has seen her through. Inspiring, funny, lively and yet very down to earth, Sophie continues to thrive creatively. Find out more on her website, sophiedarling.com, catch her on Insta @sophie_darling_. She runs an open studio once a month and will be part of the open studios in May for Brighton festival.  To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're thrilled to welcome top ten best-selling author, Elly Griffiths. Fresh from her UK tour promoting her latest book, The Frozen People, Elly gives us a fascinating insight into her writing life and her journey to becoming one of the UK's most cherished crime writers. She talks about the inspiration for her books, the amazing research she does and her writing process. She shows us the lucky crime-themed necklace gifted to her by a friend when she won the prestigious Crime Writer's Association dagger award, the highest accolade in crime writing, as well as her mother's ring which she wears to allow her to 'absorb some of her calm'. Elly talks about her love of Italy and her Italian heritage and says that not being a perfectionist is what's seen her through. Delightfully warm and down to earth, Elly is full of great advice and also shares her reading and writing tips. To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brand expert Zoe de Pass says she was at the 'right time and in the right place' to become an influencer when she set up hugely successful 'Dress Like A Mum'. The name came after someone told her, whilst she was going to a meeting with her newborn baby, that she didn't look like a mum at all. Having been at the forefront of influencers online for the last decade, she talks about how she's seen influencing change over the years and the importance of setting boundaries. Her latest project, Zoe de Pass eyewear showcases Zoe's funky, colourful style. She says she's 'never worn beige' and her funky sunglasses are in hot demand, embraced by celebrities like Sophie Ellis Bextor. Zoe shows us her engagement ring, which she's redesigned herself twice, her tiffany ring from her cool Canadian Godparents, her heart shaped locket with pansies and pearls, as well as a family heirloom charm bracelet. Listen to Zoe's inspiring tips for business how to embrace your own styleTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alice and Josie are back in the new podcasting studio introducing season six and love is in the air. They have a catch up and natter about all things to do with Valentine’s Day, from first crushes to fancy food. Alice tells the story of her very long first crush and how he unknowingly inspired her to make personalised jewellery. As well as talking about love tokens and Alice's soul mates collection of charm animals who mate for life, they embrace the love of friends in this jolly, uplifting chat.To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Christmas approaching and Alice and Josie are in a festive mood as they discuss their family traditions, including the tat that goes into stockings for the kids, Christmas wreath making (Alice only does it for the free fizz) and come up with a podcast festive ditty. Josie talks about her appearance on Woman's Hour this week and the announcement of her new book deal and the buzz around You & Me & You & Me & You & Me, whilst Alice talks about the Posh Totty Designs pop-up in Westfield and the trends in personalised jewellery for Christmas. Along the way they give lots of recommendations and inspiration for presents from the guests on this series - including Freya North's Book Lovers Journal, the gorgeous La Pochette bags, Mama Shrooms, Gilly Smiths cookery book retreats and the fabulous spiced mead from local bee-inspired restaurant and bar, Apiary. Wishing all the listeners a very jolly festive season.To view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready for a truly sweet episode of Show Us Your Bits! This week, we’re joined by Noemi and Alistair Bell, the brilliant minds behind The Apiary, Brighton’s honey-inspired restaurant that’s creating quite the buzz. What began as a lockdown passion for beekeeping has transformed into a thriving business, complete with honey-infused cocktails, delectable dishes, and mead that’s gone from medieval to marvelous—think posh bottles and modern flair! In this episode, we’ll explore their incredible journey from hive to table, uncover the art of beekeeping, and learn fascinating bee facts, including the secrets of royal jelly and the antics of fiery Italian queen bees. Oh, and of course, we’ll be sampling their glorious mead and local honey along the way! Whether you’re a die-hard bee fan or just curious about how honey can work its magic in food and drinks, this episode is bound to delight and inspire. Tune in now for a sticky-sweet adventure! and Join the Hive apiary.co.uk #apiary_ukTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is a true advocate for the healing power of food and community. We’re joined by Gemma Ogston, a Brighton-based plant-based chef, author, and the creator of Gem’s Wholesome Kitchen. Her journey is remarkable, from her beginnings as an addiction counselor to becoming a voice for health and healing through food. Gemma has penned two game-changing cookbooks—The Self-Care Cookbook and The Healing Cookbook—one of which was used by Queen-to-be Kate on her own path to wellness. She’s also a familiar face on Saturday Kitchen, where she shares her passion for vibrant, plant-based cooking with the nation. As if that weren’t enough, Gemma has recently launched Mama Shrooms, a new venture celebrating the healing properties of mushrooms. From her work with Soho House to her community workshops, Gemma’s dedication to nourishing the mind and body is unparalleled. So, let’s jump into this inspiring conversation about life, food, and the magic of mushrooms! Find her on Instagram @gemma.ogston and @mamashrooms_ and at linktr.ee/gemswholesomekitchenTo view our guests' special bits, please follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.