Women Disrupting

In this episode, I’m joined by Hannah Wilson, founder of The Belonging Effect, formerly known as Diverse Educators.With over 20 years’ experience in education and inclusion work, Hannah supports organisations across sectors to move beyond good intentions and create cultures where people genuinely feel they belong.In this episode, we talk about why belonging is the outcome, not the starting point of the work she does, the importance of building confidence and consciousness before changing policies or curriculum, and how to navigate fear, resistance, and uncomfortable conversations with compassion and courage.Hannah brings deep insight, honesty, and practical wisdom to this conversation, and I’m really excited to share it with you.

Poet and educator Peju Abuchi joins me to explore how creativity can disrupt corporate culture for the better. From performance poetry to boardroom conversations, Peju reveals why real leadership starts with humanity, reflection, and giving people permission to show up as their full selves. Featuring a powerful live reading of “We Are Not a Colour”, Peju sparks the questions, ‘Do we really need to speak to the global majority about pain and trauma all the time?' and 'What if we also spoke to our lineage, brilliance, and royalty, our ability to rise, lead, and claim our crowns as Kings and Queens, powerful by birthright, not narrative?' This episode will leave you thinking differently about identity, belonging, and what modern leadership really needs.

In this episode I welcome Charlie Kram to the podcast! Charlie helps professional women step into their full potential and own it—authentically and in harmony with every part of themselves through virtual coaching.She’s especially passionate about supporting working mums and mums-to-be, guiding them to create their best lives with the balance and wholeness they truly deserve.As Charlie puts it: “To find and keep our balance, we need to get clear on what that really means for us and then take the actions that allow us to become the best version of ourselves.”In this episode, Charlie and I explore the power of Frequency Imprinting, a unique coaching approach that unlocks deeper access to the subconscious mind. She also shares how she uses the practice of quantum leaping to help women create lives beyond anything they thought possible.To learn more about Charlie’s work, visit her coaching website: Life Coaching | Into Your Element

What if beauty isn’t about self-expression, but about power? In this episode, I revisit Naomi Wolf’s groundbreaking 1990 book The Beauty Myth and explore its relevance today.I share my own conflicted response to the book, unpack Wolf’s argument that the real issue is a lack of choice, and connect it to Pamela Anderson’s recent makeup-free appearances. What does it mean when a 56-year-old woman is called “brave” for showing her natural face? And why do wrinkles still provoke trolling in a culture that claims to celebrate “authenticity”?In this episode:The core argument of The Beauty Myth and its lasting impactMy personal reflections on choice, adornment, and self-esteemPamela Anderson as a modern case study in beauty politicsWhy the act of going makeup-free is still perceived as courageousTune in to explore beauty, power, ageing, and the ongoing struggle for women’s freedom.

This episode’s guest is someone who’s been shaping the leadership landscape for over two decades. Katy Mason is a pioneering leadership coach who’s been on the frontlines of coaching since the early 2000s—well before it became a mainstream leadership tool. She helped create one of the UK's first corporate coaching cultures at O2, where she built a 54-strong coaching team and later transformed how leadership development was delivered across the business.Katy is the founder of Another Way, her own coaching consultancy, and she also works with the CVP Group as a skills coach—training leaders to become qualified coaches themselves.A passionate advocate of the "challenging coaching" methodology by Ian Day and Dr. John Blakey, Katy believes in striking a powerful balance between empathy and accountability—what she calls the yin and yang of leadership. Her mission is to normalize coaching as a superpower for high performers and to create more inclusive, self-aware leadership cultures across industries.Get ready for a conversation packed with insight, honesty, and practical tools you can use right away.You can reach out to Katy via her website here.

In this episode I speak with Jo Howard, Primary Teacher & Leader turned Certified Coach, Therapist & Business Strategist.Jo gets it! She understands the toll of burn out because she’s been there. When she looks back on her teaching career she can see how there were very few weeks (even days) where she wasn't suffering with incredibly high levels of stress and like many normalised this way of living - the reactiveness, the dis-regulation, the lack of time to recover before starting again.Jo talks about how she turned pain into power by setting up her business Adventures After Teaching, helping 100s of teachers to understand how to use their transferable skills and walk away from the classroom - without the guilt! This episode is not just for burnt out teachers. It’s for anyone who is in a career that is causing burn out, maybe you think this is your lot? But it’s not. Jo shows us how any career change at any time of life is possible.To find out more about Jo's work visit her website here.

What if taking a breath was the most radical thing you could do? Chandrika’s story— from state-school kid in Preston to advising the likes of Chanel, Soho House and Sony—shows that calm confidence can be a quiet act of defiance against the odds.A first-generation graduate who speaks three languages, Chandrika sits in the rare 5 percent who rise from her starting point to earn a degree. Yet her greatest insurgency isn’t the résumé; it’s choosing to move through elite rooms relaxed, refusing to shrink or tense up for anyone. In this episode, she explores how “relaxed” becomes a form of rebellion—especially for women expected to hustle, apologise, or over-prove.We dive into:The Relaxed Woman mindset – why ease, presence and boundaries are power tools for people from under-represented backgrounds.Social mobility in action – leading Teach First’s Socio-Economic Affinity Group and coaching creative-industry giants through the Creative Mentor Network to build equitable policies and mentoring systems.Psychotherapy meets boardroom – how Chandrika’s clinical training helps brands foster inclusive environments where everyone can exhale.Mindsets that let you keep the shoulders down while smashing glass ceilings—and how that very poise invites others in.Listen for a fresh take on resilience: not white-knuckling your way forward, but claiming the radical right to relax, succeed and pull more chairs up to the table.Chandrika’s Recommended Reads on social mobility:Inheritocracy: It's Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad by Eliza FilbyNatives by AkalaPeople Like Us by Hasi Mohamed

Yamina Bibi is the author of ‘The Little Guide for Teachers: Thriving in Your First Years of Teaching’, Project Specialist for the Chartered College of Teaching and Chiltern Learning Trust, a former Deputy Headteacher, English teacher, Coach and Consultant in East London.Yamina has vast experience within education.She is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, a Diverse Educators’ Associate as well as a network leader for WomenEd.In this powerful episode Yamina explores how, as a hijabi South Asian woman, she is on a mission to empower women from the global majority to lead boldly and unapologetically.We dive into race, intersectionality, and how the language we use can shape — or shift — our path toward social equity.Follow Yamina on X: @msybibiorConnect with her on LinkedIn here.

Money isn’t just about numbers—it’s about mindset. And for many business owners, deeply ingrained beliefs about wealth and worth can hold them back from true financial freedom.In this episode, we’re joined by Debbie, a Chartered Management Accountant and Certified Financial Coach with over 16 years in the finance world. After spending 11 years thriving in corporate finance, she realized her true passion wasn’t just in the numbers—it was in helping business owners overcome the mental and emotional barriers keeping them from financial success. It was a money mindset shift that finally allowed her to break free from her own limiting beliefs. Debbie supports clients whose fear and self-doubt are holding them back from charging what they are truly worth. Now, as a Certified Money Mindset Coach, she helps business owners:✅ Reframe the money stories that are holding them back✅ Unlock their full earning potential to create a life they love✅ Combine financial strategy with mindset work for lasting changeIn this conversation, we dive into why so many women feel uncomfortable talking about money, how societal conditioning influences our financial beliefs, and what steps you can take to shift your money mindset today.🎧 Ready to break free from limiting beliefs and step into financial confidence? Hit play now!Connect with Debbie on LinkedIn here.Visit her website here.

I recorded this episode with, Olympic Weightlifting Coach, Erann Royle during the 2024 Olympics and it was inspiring to hear her talk about an Olympic sport that positively changes the way we feel about our bodies.Women have been tirelessly chasing the low numbers on those scales for too long so it's refreshing to hear of a sport that focuses on a more empowering mindset: women are encouraged to be stronger, healthier and increase weight rather than shrinking themselves into waif-like figurines.Erann is an Olympic Weightlifting Coach and competitive Olympic Weightlifting athlete. She has been weightlifting for the last 12 years in Crossfit and focused Olympic Weightlifting. Erann has competed at English and British championships.Her ambition for her coaching, especially women, is to spread knowledge that weightlifting can be for everyone. It’s not all about competition. Erann wants women to know, in what has been traditionally a male dominated sport, that Olympic weightlifting can also be about future proofing your body and mind and having some fun in the process.You can follow Erann on Instagram for more weight lifting inspiration: @erannroyle

Kate Waterfall Hill isn't your typical leadership coach and it’s fair to say she is a woman disrupting.Through comedy Kate challenges leadership paradigms that are no longer serving us. While she holds the expected credentials (ICF and ILM qualifications) and brings over 30 years of business experience, she’s mastered the rare art of blending sharp leadership acumen with engaging humour.In this episode, we discuss her newly released book, 'How to Lead', how she’s used her signature blend of humour and expertise to create a huge following on Tiktok, her alter ego ‘Linda the Bad Manager’ and how one of her most viral TikTok videos ended up back firing.Watch some of Kate's skits on Tiktok hereFind out more about Kate's work on her website here.

I am delighted to speak with Transformational Coach, Emma Eldershaw, today. Emma is a certified NLP coach and also runs her own business as a Tropic ambassador. As a Transformational Coach Emma helps women in business overcome the anxiety and limiting beliefs, that are holding them back from having the business and life they deserve and desire.But Emma hasn’t always been in this line of work; earlier in Emma’s career she worked as a Telecoms engineer.When Emma first started in this industry it was even more male dominated than it is today. Emma had to navigate gender stereotypes and prejudice for just being a woman.Listen to Emma talk about how she challenged sexist behavior and made her mark as woman in the world of telecoms.You can find Emma on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram: @emma_eldershaw_coaching

Does the thought of networking make you feel nervous?For some, the idea of networking even feels a bit cringe!I certainly felt this way before I experienced a networking space designed by women for women.Let me introduce you, in this episode, to the wonderful woman who ripped up the old rule book for networking and started her own: Sarah Hulme.Sarah is proud mother of three and the founder of the Ladies Empowerment Circle™.Her goal has always been to empower women, create a safe community for those in business, or for those thinking of starting a new chapter in their life, or for those who want to spend a couple of hours as part of an inspiring group of like-minded individuals.She is a positive ‘networking’ disruptor, challenging the status quo in the world of networking.The Ladies Empowerment Circle has flourished since 2023 and, in this episode, Sarah busts some myths about networking for women. She talks about how she has created a networking space for women that is underpinned by abundance, collaboration, community and connection.You can find more about the Ladies Empowerment circle on their website here: www.ladiesempowermentcircle.co.uk

In this episode, Laura McDermott, Women’s Fitness Coach, talks about a new paradigm for Women’s Fitness.Through her work coaching women, Laura helps women disrupt unhealthy fitness norms so women can lead more healthy and empowered lives.Laura encourages her clients to prioritize getting stronger over hours of endless cardio.She encourages her clients to eat to be strong and lift weights for better well being, both physically and mentally.Paris Olympics 2024 saw the first ever Gender equal Olympic Games.How inspiring it was to see women doing their thing at the games: female athletes proudly breastfeeding on the sidelines, Simon Biles advocating seeing her therapist hours before showtime and male athletes like Adam Peaty unafraid to share their tears with the world in post-performance interviews.This episode's Woman Disrupting, Laura, embodies this Olympic mindset, talking to me about how she handled push back in relation to her own performance as a female athlete with higher than average muscle mass. As well as challenging unhealthy fitness norms for women, Laura also talks about her fantastic recent achievements in qualifying for the English Championships in Olympic weightlifting.You can find Laura on Instagram: _lmcoaching_

I am delighted to have Lisa Adams on today’s Women Disrupting podcast episode today. Lisa worked as a nurse for a large part of her career and now works as a Holistic Midlife Mentor. She helps women uncover their super powers by awakening their womb wisdom. She specialises is womb healing, menstruation and menopause. Part of Lisa’s work includes facilitating women’s circles, yoga classes, retreats and 1:1 support sessions for women at difference stages of their lives.In this episode we discuss societal conditioning, patriarchy, witches, menstruation, menopause, stress, energy, trauma, her work in womb healing and much more.You can find out more about the work Lisa does on her website Midlife Mentor (lisaadamsmentoring.com)Follow Lisa on Instagram for regular updates and inspiration for women: @lisaadamshomebodyhealing

When I first met Jane, I was so intrigued by her journey in both her personal and professional life, I just knew it had to be shared with others. That’s why I invited her on my podcast because if we hear the stories of women who subvert gender norms that are no longer serving them, then we too, can find the courage to do the same.Jane has had a career in HR spanning 20 years and she is as passionate now about people as she was on day one. Fully CIPD qualified, she worked for most of that time at TalkTalk, leading teams specialising in HR Operations, Property Management, Health & Safety and Internal Communications & Employee Engagement. It was there that she also studied and gained a qualification in Professional Coaching. She now works as People COO at Skipton Building Society. It is fair to say her roles have been high powered and like many women in such roles, when it comes to planning a family, some big questions need to be asked like:‘Who is going to look after the kids?’Traditionally, it was women who made the sacrifices, taking the whole of the parental leave and often changing to part time hours or even giving up her job all together to care of the children. In more modern times, it is more common for the role of caretaker to be split evenly between the two parents; however, very rarely do we see the father making sacrifices in their career to take on the role of full-time care giver and the mother taking on the role of main bread winner.Well, this is exactly what happened with Jane and her husband when they had their two children. It wasn’t easy. When a woman decides to disrupt the status quo and do things her way, she is bound to face challenges. In this episode she talks about how she navigated some of these challenges.I hope Jane’s story inspires courage in you to subvert gender norms that are no longer serving you.If you know of any groups to support stay at home Dads or working Mums, I would love to hear about them. Email the details: [email protected] you a disruptive woman or do you know any? If you are and would like to feature on my podcast let's connect and arrange a date: [email protected] you would like to find out more about the work I do coaching women you can visit my website here.

Welcoming Stef McLoughlin as a guest in this episode.Stef Mcloughlin is Commercial Manager at Lewes Football Club based in East Sussex, the first gender equal football club in the world.One thing Stef made me realise in this conversation is that if we are going to create more equity for women in the world of football, paradigms need to shift and that means not just looking at how female players are treated but serving the female fan base as well.Stef talks me through how she and the team at Lewes are disrupting the status quo in football to pave the way for women - from breastfeeding facilities in the stands to serving up more healthy vegan options at half time, the team at Lewes FC are revolutionary in their approach.I hope you are as inspired by this episode as I was when I spoke to Stef.You can access a transcript of this episode here.If you would like to find out more about Lewes Football Club visit the website here.I am always looking for disruptive women as guests; if you think you’d make a great guest or know anyone who would, then please email me with the details. You can email [email protected] you would like to find out more about the work I do coaching women you can visit my website here.You can sign up my newsletter here.Remember to show up and share your truth because:‘The world is hungry for women who show up and tell the truth, unafraid and free, expanding to the very edges for who they were meant to be.’ – Jen HatmakerTimestamps for this episode:1:24- About Stef2:36 – Football norms and how Lewes are disrupting these4:32 – About Lewes FC6:02 – How Lewes came to be the world’s first gender equal football club10:00 – Push backs and barriers12:39 - Approaches to leadership and coaching at Lewes14:35 - Nurturing Players’ minds15:15 - Great wins at Lewes18:00 - How to get involved with Lewes Football Club19:15 - How to get in involved in playing women’s football20:46 - Women leaders in football

Welcoming Emma Sheppard as a guest in this episode. Emma is founder of the Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher Project, the UK’s charity for parent-teachers.Emma recognized that there was a lack of support for teacher parents in the Education sector and set up this charity to offer a range of support services which range from networking, coaching, professional development as well as support and entitlements for pregnant and expectant staff.With Emma’s visioning and innovation she is paving the way for more family and life-friendly schools, making teaching a sustainable career choice.Regardless of the sector you work in, everyone can learn something from Emma on how to create more cohesive workplaces that are family and life-friendly.You can access a transcript of this episode here.If you would like to find out more about MTPT, visit the website here.I am always looking for disruptive women as guests; if you think you’d make a great guest or know anyone who would, then please email me with the details. You can email [email protected] you would like to find out more about the work I do coaching women you can visit my website here.Remember to show up and share your truth because:‘The world is hungry for women who show up and tell the truth, unafraid and free, expanding to the very edges for who they were meant to be.’ – Jen HatmakerTimestamps for Episode 2:1:28 – About Emma05:00 – How MTPT started07:47 – What is MTPT08:22 – Can teaching be a sustainable profession for parents?10:55 – What schools are doing well to support parents14:26 – Reasons why some schools aren’t supporting parents18:35 – Challenges along the way23:29 – Challenges and barriers parents face26:00 – The power of coaching in supporting parents30:00 – How to support parents in other sectors outside of Education33:30 – Becoming a parent in an inflexible system36:49 – Changing your career whilst becoming a parent39:57 – Role model leadership – who would you want as Prime Minister?41:06 – The importance of female representation

My guest in this episode is Vivienne Porritt. Vivienne is currently one of the Co-founders and Strategic Leaders for WomenEd, a global not-for-profit community that supports and empowers aspiring and existing women leaders in education.Vivienne has co-authored several books on women in leadership and in 2022 she was honoured with an OBE recognising her amazing work in education in particular her dedication to women’s rights in the sector.I don’t think Vivienne knows this but she re-instilled a sense of hope in me. When I reached out to her to propose a potential partnership between WomenEd and the business I run with my brother, she was nothing short of supportive, really modelling that extended hand to bring other women on board with your own success. She really is an inspiration and when you have listened to my interview with her you will understand why.You can access a transcript of this episode using this link.If you would like to find out more about WomenEd, visit their website here.I am always looking for disruptive women or men as guests; if you think you’d make a great guest or know anyone who would, then please email me with the details. You can email [email protected] you would like find out more about the work I do coaching women, you can visit my website here.Remember to show up and share your truth because:The world is hungry for women who show up and tell the truth, unafraid and free, expanding to the very edges of who they were always meant to be**quote from writer, Jen Hatmaker