We Are Power Podcast
The We Are Power podcast is the podcast for your career and your life. A weekly podcast with listeners in over 60 countries worldwide where you'll hear personal life stories, top-notch industry advice, and key leadership insight from amazing role models. The podcast not only aids your personal and professional development but also delves deep into conversations around Gender Equality and Social Mobility. Each week the We Are Power Podcast will bring you a new interview from a leader within the 100,000-strong We Are Power community, hosted by Simone Roche MBE.
We Are Power Podcast
How to Embrace Your Worth, Let Go of Perfection, and Rise into 2025
In this episode of the We Are PoWEr podcast, we explore the transformative power of prioritising self-worth and the impact of saying no to things that no longer serve us. Join hosts Michelle Eagleton and Rupinder Ashworth as they dive into personal stories of growth, empowerment, and collaboration. Michelle shares how mentorship from Ria Hebden reshaped her career, while Ru reflects on her journey towards self-discovery after leaving a toxic work environment and embracing life as an empty nester. Together, they discuss the profound shift that happens when we align our choices with personal well-being and the liberation found in letting go of perfection.
In this episode, we also celebrate the growing movement from competition to collaboration among women, united under the mantra "together we rise." Rupinder shares her decision to prioritise family over career and her involvement with the Esprit Foundation, emphasising the importance of pursuing genuine passions and setting clear intentions for growth. We talk about the small joys, like festive tunes and vision boards, that can enhance our journey towards success and well-being.
The conversation also touches on the courage of asking for opportunities and support, especially for women in leadership roles. We discuss the power of assertive communication, mentorship, and the strength of community support in achieving our goals. As we look ahead to the 2025 Northern Power Women Awards, we celebrate those who champion gender equality and resilience.
Chapters:
- 0:00 Empowering Women in 2025
- 8:16 Embracing Self-Worth and Empowerment
- 16:06 Setting Intentions for the Future
- 26:01 Festive Song Favourites and Time Management
- 34:56 Asking for Opportunities and Support
- 39:45 Celebrating Support and Empowerment
Tune in to discover how these choices can transform your life and how the collective strength of community support can inspire you to thrive.
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Hello, hello and welcome to the we Are Power podcast. If this is your first time here, the we Are Power podcast is the podcast for you, your career and your life. We release an episode every single Monday with listeners in over 60 countries worldwide, where you'll hear personal life stories, top-notch industry advice and key leadership insight from amazing role models. As we Are Power is the umbrella brand to Northern Power Women Awards, which celebrates hundreds of female role models and advocates every year. This is where you can hear stories from all of our awards alumni and stay up to date with everything. Mpw Awards and we Are Power Hello, hello and welcome to the we Are Power podcast. This is our wrap-up edition. Wrapped Wrap-up, whichever it may be, we're joining the whole wrapped gang anyway for the wrap-out. I'm going to wrap out now. There we go Of 2024. I am delighted to be joined by two kick-ass, stellar role models for our late night. Cheers, michelle Eagleton and Ru.
Speaker 1:Ashworth Happy 2024. Now we'll get to that, because it won't always have been happy, but let's be fair. Thank you for joining me in the studio today. How are we?
Speaker 2:Good, what a pleasure, honestly. The sofa is absolutely comfy and gorgeous. I've got Fizz in my hand. Great company. What more do you need?
Speaker 1:I know, I know what more. Now how would you describe yourself in one sentence Twitter Xcom style vibe, oh, in one sentence Passionate, energetic and northern and super stellar broadcaster, by the way, look see undersellage.
Speaker 2:We do this, don't we? We undersell. I'm just going with the vibe, I'm also going with who I am, but yes, yeah, absolutely, and Miss Roo, hello everybody.
Speaker 3:It's gorgeous to be here. It's great, isn't it? It's really lovely, and I missed the memo about the colour matching on the pink.
Speaker 1:Oh, this was the lastminutecom. I'm distraught about that.
Speaker 3:How would I describe myself? Oh, my God, I think this year I just feel old. That's how I'd describe myself Behave. But what do I do? I am fiercely Northern, increasingly more so as I get older Having lived in the South and everywhere else, I just, yeah, I'm absolutely desperately Northern now. I am an empty nester this year for the first time, so that's been a game changer, and suddenly I think we were talking about it before we came on air. I'm going to put myself first, going forward. And that hasn't happened for 21 years.
Speaker 1:So do you think that's going to be your 2025? Look ahead, that's where you're going to go.
Speaker 3:I've given myself goosebumps, just saying that out loud, because I never say it out loud Ever, and yet 2025 is when I discover who I am again.
Speaker 1:And it's interesting because we were talking just before we started rolling. I don't know why I said it like that, but you know, sip a Prosecco. There we go.
Speaker 3:I'm suddenly a rap star anyway, um, or Dolly Parton, who?
Speaker 1:knows um. Go with Dolly? I think so. But the reason we talked about this before we, you know, not always putting the light on ourselves and we're in a studio full of fabulous lights was mentoring. You know, we all mentor. We'll give back, but sometimes we don't allow ourselves. And you've got a graduation coming up soon, haven't you? I?
Speaker 2:have. Yeah, I have been on a year-long mentoring programme. So, for the first time in my life, I have had a mentor. It's only got until my mid-40s for me to get to that stage, because I have helped other people along the way, but no one's really been there for me and I've never really asked. So, yeah, I've had help from a lady called Ria Hebden, who is a presenter on ITV. Yeah, she is super wonderful. So giving and I think it really has changed my outlook on my career Just little tweaks have made so much more of a difference. It makes you more accountable and it gives you that drive to put yourself forward, which is what you're going to do in 2025.
Speaker 1:And now you've got the accountability here because, to be honest, that's where it started, just having a conversation here. Rue I have known for many years, 10 years.
Speaker 3:The first time I met Rue was at the Peace Hall in Halifax, where I was a trustee and you were on a podcast and I was on a podcast and I was on a, I was a trustee. So with Nikki Chance Thompson, who's the CEO, and it's really interesting, I think you were saying, was it? You've been going for 10 years? Yeah, 10 years, which is exactly how long I've been going. I had just come out of the most awful situation with work and I'd literally you know that image that they have in action movies where someone's walking out of the flames having sort of thrown a match over their shoulder.
Speaker 3:That was me. That was how I left my last place of employment because it had got so awful, so toxic. When you're on the floor and you're, you know, rocking in a corner because it's so awful. And then one day someone I think it was my husband actually just said sometimes you've got to know when it's okay to quit. You don't always have to fight, fight, fight. Sometimes, you, you've got to know when it's okay to quit. You don't always have to fight, fight, fight. Sometimes you just gotta go.
Speaker 2:This is unsalvageable do you know what that is really interesting, though, that you've said that, because this year, I think, one of the lessons that I have learned is that to say no to the things that don't serve me. Yes, for the very first time in my life, you know it's not a failure. No, it isn't, and I think what it can be is really empowering when you do say no, because you've taken that control back and it kind of flips it and asking for help.
Speaker 3:it's okay to ask for help and that was the again goosebump moment um Rear Admiral Jude Terry last week and she said there was a moment in her life where she just went I need help and she sort of jokingly referred to one of her senior officers as dad. But sometimes you do have to ask for help and go. It's time to move on.
Speaker 1:So yeah, 10 years I've been doing this, as long as I've known you and we met only this year, whereby you were recommended, you were linked in with us and all of a sudden, I'm on a call with this ray of sunshine, this ray of sunshine who then came and hosted our purple carpet First time we've ever done a purple carpet at the Northern Power Women Awards and you aced that carpet with your sequins and your smile and your just calmness, because it's a crazy night and you brought calm and I thought this woman is going to be part of our world now and it feels like I've been part of the world for more than that time.
Speaker 2:I think when you meet people and you connect like we did and you have the same values and the same drive and I love kind of being around women that just make you feel positive and are very can-do attitude it's just brilliant, you know, and it was interesting because one of the first things you you talked about when we connected was well, I could bring some of the students along that I'm a you, you know, I'm a teacher of, or you know at Salford University, and you brought them along to be part of it.
Speaker 1:And again, that's something that just goes back to that, isn't it? And is this something for 2025? We've already talked about. You've got your graduation for mentoring. You're going to put yourself first, going to ask for help. You know, it's so natural for us, isn't it, to go, go through this door, come this way have this be part of this.
Speaker 3:How are you going to ask for help? Oh, she asks the questions, doesn't she? I?
Speaker 2:think it's putting yourself amongst those people that allow you to feel that you can Do. You know what I'm saying. It's kind of like people who are supportive, because I think you know we get to a certain age in our lives and you do filter out the ones that maybe aren't those type of people the weeds that you want to pull out, energy feeds and then you think to yourself do you know what?
Speaker 2:There are lots of people out there who are willing to help you when you ask for it, and I think the more that we open up to people, the more that that becomes the norm, doesn't?
Speaker 1:it really and you know.
Speaker 2:Ria, my mentor actually. She has this saying which I absolutely love. She says together we rise. And I think as women we are now starting to do that more and more. We've kind of gone past that era where, you know, I think women were a bit guarded about giving you know their secrets and their knowledge away, because, oh, they might not get further. You know, it's like, oh, I'm not going to help anyone. But now it's like we realize that there's a place for us all and if one person rises, then the other person will rise with them. It's not like pie.
Speaker 1:There's an amazing um, I don't remember, call across stacy, stacy copeland, the boxer and you know, she always talks about, you know proper mancunian, you know.
Speaker 1:You know it's not like cutting pie up. It's not like you get that and you all get less. It's not like that. No, you know and I love the quotation that it always get wrong every year when I try and say it at the awards or wherever I am. It's you know, on your own you can go fast, but together you can go far. You know, it's the same, it's the same ethos of this, isn't it? So of 2024, what's the thing that you've learned most? What about yourself? And I think in two lenses. One, what is hell? Yeah, it's in the rear view and I'm glad it's out the way.
Speaker 2:And what's the one that you've still got? You're waving the flag over. It's not mission easy. This is it, I know, I think, for me the one that I'm waving away. I think I have learned, I am enough.
Speaker 2:This year. I think I've waved away the pressure on myself to be perfect, which you can have, that pressure a lot. You think, oh, I have to be the best at this and have and actually perfect's a bit boring who is completely perfect? You know, would you want to be completely perfect? If you stand back and actually let yourself appreciate what you are achieving on a day-to-day basis, my God, you're doing really well. So actually, I feel that this year I have waved goodbye to the feelings that I'm not enough and realizing I'm pretty kick-ass. I am, I'm enough, I've done this, I've done that, rather than going on that hamster wheel and going well, I've got kick-ass. I am, I'm enough, I've done this, I've done that, rather than going on that hamster wheel and going well, I've got to go further, I've got to do this. And it's like, why put the pressure on yourself? You know what will happen, will happen, but just give yourself that gratitude of I've done that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:What about you, rue? I think for me this year. I think what you said. You know I am enough, but like Simone's, known me for 10 years and I think my enoughness, which is not even a word.
Speaker 1:Take it, we're going to make that up in the dictionary.
Speaker 3:next, year has always been about, I think, because when you've come up through the 80s and 90s, it was about have you got the right title, have you got the right pay packet, are you working for the right company? Are you wearing the right clothes Big hair, Marching around in your big hair.
Speaker 3:I'm so glad big hair is back. I can do big hair and have you got the right heels and all the rest of it. And actually this year, as Simone knows, we had turmoil after turmoil in my family for various reasons, which meant I had to absolutely turn my world on a massive pivot and become something that I didn't think was enough really, which was I needed to be the best mother, I could be the best wife, I could be the best daughter-in-law, I could be the best daughter, because I had all these responsibilities that I had to look after people, and so the thing that fell off the bottom was my work, my career. But actually that's been good for me, I think, because now I'm at this end of the year, I've gone. Actually, what is it that I actually like doing, what is it that I enjoy doing?
Speaker 3:And the things that fell off the radar were the things that I did for various other reasons. Maybe I did them for money, maybe I did them for status, but the things that I really love doing is the helping 18-year-old me that didn't, you know, the help that I didn't get when I was 18 or 21 or 30 or 40 or even 50, which is, as Simone very well knows, you know, I'm part of a foundation called the Esprit Foundation in London. It's been set up by a 40-year-old 40-year-long friend of mine, stuart Chapman. He's a venture capitalist. He set up this foundation. He wants to use his powers for good, so he's putting his own personal money and getting all the businesses that he's invested in to front up as well, to go.
Speaker 3:How do you get equity and equality for the people that haven't got friends in high places or uncles and aunts in the right job who can open doors for internships, who can help you go? I can belong again, just like they were talking about on board um ship last week with Jude going. I can belong, I, I could be here. That's the stuff I've realized I love, I enjoy, I don't mind working late into the night to do, and so I've just gone. Next year I am going to prioritise the stuff I enjoy and it isn't about titles and all of those things actually and I'm going to put myself first. So I'm going to go to the gym when I want to and I'm going to eat what I want to.
Speaker 3:Drink Prosecco when you want to, oh my God, I have to tell you just quickly. So my husband and I went on our very first holiday in October, for the first time without children, for a whole two weeks in 21 years, 22 years, and it was brilliant.
Speaker 2:Did you feel like teenagers again?
Speaker 3:Yeah, and we absolutely annoyed the pants off our children, sending them constant photos of us. This is us at 11am drinking. This is us at 3pm drinking. This is us going out for dinner because we can. It was just like I can't believe you're doing that and I'm like, yes, we are, and that's going to be me. I'm going to put behind the sadness, put behind the turmoil. Grasp the diamonds of positivity that have come out of this year, because there have been, because death does that, doesn't. It does that. It makes you go hold on a second. Why are you here? And so I'm taking the sadness, leaving that behind and, yeah, I am enough and it's all right to be selfish selfish.
Speaker 3:It's so well we talked about it's such a negative thing. Self-care is not selfish, right? You know, and sometimes you know in a world where we won't put ourselves, we'll put everyone else Selfish.
Speaker 2:Well, we talked earlier about.
Speaker 1:self-care is not selfish right, and sometimes in a world where we won't put ourselves, we'll put everyone else first. And you've suffered bereavement this year, but it's an awful, awful, awful situation, but you found the diamond to give you that sign to go. Actually, this is about me now, because actually, if I'm my best version of me, then I can benefit more people, including myself.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, it's that realisation, isn't it? And it's like taking that realisation and running with it.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes and being unapologetic, but, like Simone's question was where will you ask for help? And it is, I think, once you have that moment of oh, that that's me. That's where I think I should be focusing. You then find safe spaces, don't you? Where you it's okay to be vulnerable because you find like-minded people and go. I'm not sure about this, or what do you think about it. Could I ask for your help, whereas I think in the uber commercial worlds that I have worked in and still do work in and enjoy to a degree, when you were coming up through the 80s and 90s, you know it wasn't that, it was shoulder pads out at dawn, wasn't it?
Speaker 2:Well, I've got to say I've got the shoulder pads on today, ladies, so you know, still got them.
Speaker 1:Do you know what? And everything comes full circle. What are you most looking forward to next year?
Speaker 2:I am looking forward to, I think, doing more stuff career-wise. I dabbled my toes in daytime television. This year I've been on Morning Live on the BBC. I've got some more Morning Live hits coming up in 2025, so watch this space. And there is a particular ITV daytime show that has screen tested me twice this year and I'm determined that third time is the charm for 2025.
Speaker 3:Is it the one?
Speaker 2:I'm thinking of Keep your fingers and toes crossed so crossed. So, yeah, I think I want to drive that forward. Daytime is something I've always had as the dream and tell it. You know I've worked in radio before but I do have the passion for TV. I don't know if I've got the face for the TV, but yeah, it feels you closer than ever. So that's kind of what I'm really looking forward to, kind of reaching out, manifesting and grabbing with both hands.
Speaker 1:It is the manifesting, though, isn't it? I think sometimes we're very I think I've been guilty of this. You know, the business is kind of I'll just carry on driving, and you know, ped, carry on driving and you know peddling and stuff, but sometimes, when it's about you, it's hard to go. I want to do that, yes, does that feel vain? Or do I feel braggy or about that? Well, actually, no, I want to do that. Yes, you know, but we love this studio, this studio being able to have conversations like this. I could do this every day. Yes, you know, not on the telebox, but you know, doing this it's like amazing, it's getting those people to share those great stories, and you know the different adventures. So I think we have to say it out loud, otherwise people won't know we need that help or that door to open, and not that we all need a door to open, but sometimes, actually, we've opened enough. It's nice for, sometimes, people to be kind, right? Yes, definitely. Now do we believe in New Year's resolutions? Oh heck, I don't.
Speaker 2:I don't. No, I'm glad you say that I thought I was strange?
Speaker 3:I don't. We don't usually do that. We normally say what are we thankful for?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Which is a bit American, I suppose. But New Year's Eve, if we're with the kids normally which we are, because we give them forced quality time on New Year's Eve Normally we take them out of the country so they're forced to be with us on New Year's Eve. But it's more. What are you proud of? And it can be a little thing, and I remember this time last year my little thing was that I had never been able to swim front crawl and my little thing was that I could swim 50 metres front crawl and I was like I did that.
Speaker 2:That is brilliant. I can't do that. I can just do breaststroke.
Speaker 3:So let's throw in there. And I used to do breaststroke like a little nana.
Speaker 1:Because I've never done news resolutions. It doesn't make sense for me because there's so much going on and you have the downtime and then you're getting.
Speaker 2:it's not realistic, but do you not think that the resolution is there to break the resolution? It's really negative.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Because it's like when's that moment going to come, where you fall off the diet wagon or you kind of like break the habit, and then you feel really bad about yourself. It's designed to make you feel bad about yourself.
Speaker 1:Is it Blue Monday? Yes, there's all these things that, like you say, it's almost pitted against Now not being the most sort of strict Catholic in the world, but I've always done Lent. You know Liverpool family always done Lent and I ate Ace Lent, I Ace Lent so well, because it's. I think it's a different time of year, like January is unrealistic.
Speaker 3:It's like I think why would I give up having a glass of wine in January?
Speaker 1:It's the most miserable month I need that glass of wine To get you through. To.
Speaker 3:February. I mean, maybe not for breakfast. I think you've got to tone it down in January?
Speaker 1:Well, wait a minute. Didn't you say 9 o'clock when you had a holiday the other week, I'm sure?
Speaker 3:that came out there. That's international date. Rules don't apply To be fair. International date rules.
Speaker 2:Going back to, though, I think with Lent we tend to kind of just do choose one thing. With New Year's resolutions, it's almost like you feel obliged to make a list of things that you're really bad at. That you need to be good at. What I've started doing the past couple of years is, on the first first of December, I sit down and I do a vision board just for the year ahead, and that's it's just great, because it is the positivity that you're putting out there that you just think, oh, this is what I would like to do and this is what I'm going to, you know, strive to do, and it's all in a positive vein. It's not saying, oh, I'm going to be the worst person if I don't achieve it. It's just kind of setting those intentions.
Speaker 1:Where's my post-it notes? Now I can feel it all right, okay. So we've got yes, daytime telly, okay. We've got mentoring yes, okay. What else is going up? What else is going up on these boards here?
Speaker 2:oh, do you know what I think me?
Speaker 1:daytime drinking. There we go. I'm bringing that back for those of you watching today. This is in the morning. No, it's not sponsored by prosecco um, no're going to. Let's go ambitious. Let's go Moe.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, come on, lauren Perrier. Lauren Perrier, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:All the brands are available, all welcome by the way, all welcome and some very lovely, lovely Belvoir, la Corde, but.
Speaker 2:I do think Quality time Should be up there On a post-it note, because I think you know we do go 100 miles an hour and I think actually the people that matter are the friendships you make the family. We need to spend more time appreciating that. I know it's difficult sometimes because life does go quickly. This year's gone like that completely but we need to value that because life is short. Yeah, life is short and you know there was a documentary I saw this year and it really resonated with me Chris Helenga, who was the founder of Copper Feel.
Speaker 2:She passed away earlier this year, and her motto was live fully, love deeply and make today count. Yes, and that, for me, is what I want to take forward, because I just think we should just do that would that be your tattoo?
Speaker 1:see, I haven't got any tattoos. I'm too, like you know, and I don't know if it's because I was in the navy all those years ago and and back in it now. I always resonate tattoos with, with, with, with sailors, uh kind of thing. But what would you have on your tattoo? Because I remember the very first interview we did on here was an amazing woman called Sophie Storm Roberts, uh, and she talked about um, uh, a safe harbour. Um is a ship in a safe harbour, but actually a ship isn't meant to be safe in a harbour, it's meant to be out there exploring the waves. And that quote is really all the way around the wrong, but it's the whole, the sentiment, and that was her tattoo.
Speaker 2:I like that.
Speaker 1:And I loved it because we've talked a lot about purpose today you know, intimated about purpose. What would yours be?
Speaker 2:Mine would. It's come to me quite easily, actually, because I had a diary that I personalised. You know you send off and you can't like I've done anything on the front of it and I had write your own story and I think for me that is my ethos. It's like, if it's not there, create it. It's like, and I feel like I've written my own story all the way. It's not been just kind of straight, it's been in lots of different ways. I started out as a child actress and then I you, I spent years doing that. Then I moved into presenting and you know, can you be a presenter and a lecturer? Well, of course you can, because you can write your own story. You know, I learned sign language this year.
Speaker 3:I've done, level one British Sign Language.
Speaker 2:You know, at some point I may take that further and become an interpreter, and why not? You know, it's like there shouldn't just be one direction, so I think for me it's yeah, right, right, your own story.
Speaker 1:oh, I like that like that Rue?
Speaker 3:what's yours? It's interesting, isn't it? Because I reckon I'm like you. At different stages of my life I thought I fancy a tattoo, but then I've gone. But what if I don't like it in the future?
Speaker 1:but then there's a sharpie pen. Let's say, you've got a sharpie, so it's a sharpie pen right.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, my 30s version would be different to my 40s. And now I'm in my sort of my mid-50s really, and there's a children's book that we always used to read with the kids and it was called Augustus. Augustus Finds His Smile, and it's lovely. It's about this tiger who's forgotten how to smile, and I was looking through old photos of myself and I always had this ridiculous smile and I was just like ridiculous. I was always just like, ah, you know, just on, you know 11 out of 10 all the time, and that seems to have ebbed away. But this year, exactly that.
Speaker 3:But again, what I found this year was I found that book because I was tidying up my son's room and I found the book and I've kept it and I put it in my office and it is something to I don't know what the words would be, but it is something like don't forget to smile, find your smile, find your smile on the inside and the outside, you know, because I think if you look at photographs of women as they go through their 30s, 40s and 50s and if you've got the same sort of dinner table and photographed them, you can see it ebb away. You can see that lack of confidence come in, I think, and there's something about that 50s, mid-50s where if you photograph a load of women around a table, unless they've been on the Prosecco since nine o'clock, they've all got that slight. I'm not sure about how to smile, or should I smile, or can I smile anymore, and I just want to bring that freedom back.
Speaker 1:They've not been on one of my selfies. That's what it is.
Speaker 2:We need to get in shot with you absolutely.
Speaker 3:That's what it is.
Speaker 2:Do you know what it's reminding me?
Speaker 3:of we need to clone you is what we need. Good God, no, and tap one of you at every table.
Speaker 2:I'm going to take us back to the noughties, or was it the late nineties? Shanice, I Love.
Speaker 3:Your Smile.
Speaker 2:Shanice that song.
Speaker 1:Every time you say that I'm like yes, well, let's talk about songs then. Favourite festive song what's your sing-along?
Speaker 2:There's two, you know, and they are kind of the iconic ones, I mean Mariah Carey.
Speaker 1:I knew it. I knew it. I've got money on that one, can you?
Speaker 2:hit those notes Only in the shower or maybe at the traffic lights, and then the lights turn red and people think, yeah, she's not Mariah Last Christmas, because I love the bit when he like the lights turn red. And people think, yeah, she's not Mariah last Christmas because I love the bit when he goes happy Christmas and I'm like I want to be in that video. In fact there's a documentary out at the moment about the making of that video that I need to watch.
Speaker 2:I just wanted the clothes all like wrap up, like oh on a ski holiday. I am bizarre though it's kind of like I know you shouldn't, in July or June, play Christmas songs.
Speaker 1:No, but I would be very happy to play them.
Speaker 2:I just love the vibe. Oh, bless you, it's the cheese in me. I know that it is cheese yeah.
Speaker 1:It is cheese, and cheese is good, cheese is good. What's your go-to? I mean Mariah Carey. Can I tell you one?
Speaker 2:that I absolutely hate. Yeah, is it Shaken Stevens? Oh, what's that one now? Is that Merry Christmas?
Speaker 1:Let's not sing, or let's do it. Let's do it. No, you don't. Come on. Where's the lyrics on the screen?
Speaker 3:We're just down the road from Liverpool. I think we need to get our stunt doubles in to do the actual singing.
Speaker 2:Oh, mariah Carey's singing all the way to the bank, though. Isn't she every Christmas Ka-ching? Absolutely Good for her, good for her, good for her.
Speaker 1:Smart woman. Smart woman If you put a tree up at home or you have that night. Is there a movie Like I? Have to wait till Rob goes out and does his thing and the holiday's on right, it's a Wonderful Life. But then someone told me, who told me yesterday that the Holiday was the worst film they'd ever seen. What they're acting people?
Speaker 2:Come on, that is so so wrong, right, but what I will say about the Holiday? That's going to kill it for you. Stop it.
Speaker 1:Oh no, are you going to tell me it's not a real house? Yeah, it's not.
Speaker 2:You're always on the radio. We were talking about films of Christmas that I will do while I'm up the tree, if the kids are around. Yes, it's gonna be kid-friendly, so it's like home alone.
Speaker 1:If it's not and I'm saying like kid-friendly, like love actually- funniest thing this afternoon, before we came down here to the studio, was my team in the office doing a TikTok version of POV. You know they're all so cooler than I am to love. Actually, anna Davey, jasmine go where they are.
Speaker 2:They're over here somewhere, but they're doing the cardboard. Yes, they're doing it.
Speaker 1:And all I could hear was them giggling and laughing and you're just like it's brilliant, it's just love it. But yeah, love a good thing. So what? So you did your front crawl moment last year. Yes, We've already established the mentoring. What else? What are you?
Speaker 3:going to do next year.
Speaker 1:What else am I going to do? I don't mean what else, and that's not meant to be a pressure.
Speaker 3:Yeah, what else, simone, yeah, what else.
Speaker 1:What else am I going to do? I am going to rebrand my personal consultancy Because you did a whole piece of work around coaching, didn't you?
Speaker 3:You qualified, you did all your coaching qualifications I did too, because we were doing sort of the speed mentoring and coaching activities with the 18-year-olds in schools. We were doing it online and I was just like this is really interesting, and so I went away and did the ILM qualification and then I've got some brilliant clients that I work with at sort of C-suite level but also at the starter end so sort of both ends of that story arc, if you like, of people's careers, which I love, and it was kind of like a side bit of my branding and marketing consultancy. I would say that now is the thing that gives me most joy and I get most out of because I'm always learning. It's not just about sharing, it's about taking in as well. It's a conversation, isn't it? It's like this, and most of my coaching conversations are like this and I do a walk and talk.
Speaker 3:I've got one client where he and I always go for a four-hour walk. We take some sandwiches, we eat and a mug of coffee, and we just walk and talk for four hours. What's on the sandwiches?
Speaker 1:Depends.
Speaker 3:Depends, but I'll check in with you next time we go, fine, thank you. And it doesn't matter where we are. So, like tomorrow, we're going for a four-hour walk around Manchester because he happens to be in Manchester.
Speaker 2:Sometimes it's in the countryside and it's just get away from the desk get away from a screen, get away from the post-its, let's just have a conversation. That is what are you thinking so good, isn't it?
Speaker 1:so we'll do more of that. And just just away, like you say, getting out into the space. So how do we advise our fantastic community out there? So, whether it is daytime telly, front crawl, whether it's, you know, um, whatever we want to do, give more people platform stages. What do you say people out there to people out there Haven't got time, they haven't got time. That's our biggest, I think, one of the things I've learned this year, my big learn. I was speaking on a panel and someone asked me what my superpower was, and I was like my superpower is I love giving people platform stages. And then I stopped and I went. You know what my superpower is? Not that, my superpower is damn impatience, because I can't wait. So therefore, I'm going to crack on and do it right. And then I said you know what I think our biggest enemy is? It's a four-letter word time. Haven't got time. Yes, there is no time to do it. We can't, but it is, isn't it? So how do we?
Speaker 2:how do we? Yeah, I think you're, I think you're right, I think you're right, but I think we put that again, that pressure on ourselves to make big time. So we think that it's kind of like we haven't got time because it's going to take ages. And this is what I was doing with the sign language. It's like my life is so packed with loads of things that I've got going on and I would wake up. I'd put 15 minutes aside to do the practice of the signing every day. That's not a big commitment if you think about it, but that 15 minutes builds up over time.
Speaker 2:Instead of me going, you know I've got to give myself two hours on a Monday to do it. Oh, it's not going to happen. It's not going to happen because something's going to come up. I haven't got the time. I haven't, but actually I've had my breakfast, I've got that 15 minute window. It's my moment. It could be 15 minutes doing the emailing to those jobs that you want to secure. That's going to push your career further. It's just 50 minutes or 15 minutes of connecting with people on LinkedIn that morning. I think we can commit to that. It's just managing the time. Make it bite-sized, right.
Speaker 3:Yes. Make it bite-sized Fitness, right. So these are probably the same people that would make time to go to the gym, go for a walk, skip along the corridor, whatever it is I could skip Big things, little things, right. And so my other half is a fitness coach on the side. That's his hobby, that's what gives him pleasure. He's a crossfit coach and his is. His motto is always it's 10 minutes is better than no minutes yeah, that's all you've got to think about he says 10 minutes is better than no minutes.
Speaker 3:You can do something in 10 minutes. You can do, you know, a load of crunchies and squats and crunchies.
Speaker 1:That's what I thought. That's what I thought he was talking about apparently not no well do you know what? That's all good, I'm all for that 10 minutes is better than no minutes.
Speaker 2:You're more likely to commit to something like that than you are if you put it into this big thing because your mind is gonna go. I'm just I can't do it. But yeah, you can if you break it down. Yeah, it's like anything. It's like I used to do do lists on a Monday that were as long as my arm You're never going to get to the end of the list, are you? So why are you making that list, if you just can say, if? I tick off two things from that list.
Speaker 2:I've done well today. Winner winner chicken dinner. It's true.
Speaker 3:Or not, that could be your tattoo.
Speaker 2:I've got to have that done for 2025. There we go.
Speaker 1:We've designed our tattoos. We've now got our whole tote bag moments and T-shirt moments. So the final sort of out is like you know, what have we learned from this year that we're going to take into and I know we've gone round this We've kind of talked about, but what did we learn most about ourselves this year? Oh God, that sounds rubbish talking about in the third person or whatever. What did we learn?
Speaker 2:most about ourselves. Well, what? Just do it, I think. Just do it. Seize the moment, buy the dress, send the email, have that awkward talk. What's the worst that's going to happen? You know in life Exactly that. Don't be afraid of failure.
Speaker 3:Don't be afraid of failure. Who cares? If it works, brilliant. If it doesn't work, move on, Rather than thinking about it and bellyaching about it and then thinking, oh, I shoulda, coulda, woulda, Just do it. I think the other thing I've learned about certainly myself is which is something that wasn't allowed when we were coming through our early careers, which is ask. Ask for what you want, Don't shimmy around the edges about it, Just go. This is what I want to do next year.
Speaker 1:And how are you going to do it? Because that's where we started. So how are you gonna do? Because that's where we started. So how are you gonna not mariah around it? Because she shimmies? Right, she does shimmy, yes, she does shimmy. So where are we going to ask? We're going to ask right now, isn't it like my? You know, we all have an ass, don't we? Yes, we all have an ass. Daytime, telly this woman, for love of god, like amazing right. Like amazing right, need a mentor.
Speaker 3:I would like a mentor and I would like to coach more people. I would especially like to coach senior women or women trying to get into that top bit. Who wants to go for a walk and a talk? Who just wants a 10-minute chat? Just hit me up.
Speaker 2:And we're not going to be apologetic about it either.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 2:We want it Absolutely. We're great at it. Yes, and why?
Speaker 1:not. Why not? I did it. I must admit. I did it today. I was on part of my side hustle Royal Navy duties and I, you know, we've had an amazing worship in and I apologise to go. Oh God, I think I've outstayed my welcome Because I'm so into you. I'm a bit of an all-in girl kind of thing and I'm like gosh, you get paranoid sometimes, don't you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, and you start going oh, I'm terribly sorry, oh, could I just. Oh, and it's just like stop, stop with that language.
Speaker 2:Stop overthinking. Two things that I learned this year from my mentor was don't say just take that out of your vocabulary. Exactly.
Speaker 1:Replace it with especially, oh, I like especially. That has been one of our. Our big things is like, don't say just replace it with especially, oh, it just did this. No, I especially did that. I especially did a four-hour walk with my mentee. I especially by this 100. So I'm gonna put out a task for everyone out there. We're asking here and we're squirming and a bit awkward and shimmying around the edges and I said please make your ask. Yes, make your ask, because people are always surprised. They think you're all over it. They think you're super. Yes, nailing it. Yes, they do, really successful, doing everything. Because that's what our social media says. And you know, and even though we're vulnerable on our social media as well, sometimes we're just going to ask because guess what? People want to help. Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 3:It's the Yorkshire phrase you don't ask, you don't get and over in Newcastle the other week.
Speaker 1:Translate that into Newcastle shyburns getting out one of my favourite phrases. I've never heard that, but I love it so I'm really excited for 2025. We've got the 9th Northern Power Women Awards. We've got an amazing project oh my god, I'm nominated you'll be back on our purple carpet.
Speaker 2:I honestly cannot wait, do you know what? It is just full of the most inspiring women. The atmosphere is so buzzing you just want to soak it up and there are women who are just there cheerleading other women and men yeah, we've got male advocates that are really there for us women, and I just love it. It's brilliant and I can't wait and I'm going to dance my socks off oh dancing after show we're loving it.
Speaker 1:We cannot wait. Uh, we've got a massive year ahead, in 2025. You know it's. It's one of my fabulous team, anna um, interviewed me earlier today. She's never done a podcast before, but we used this amazing studio for her to interview me and that, I think, was kind of one of my proudest things of this year. We talk about creating opportunities. She said, yes, she was, she was nervous, but she was, and she doesn't know, but she's over there, don't tell her. But it was amazing. But it's saying yes to those opportunities, giving people those opportunities and I think, but asking for help, I think, is one of our, our big things that we all have to do. So, if you've got something that you want to ask, yes. If you've got something, naturally. If you want to gain something, you want to ask. If you've got something, naturally. If you want to gain something, you want to give something, then use this as a platform to do that. Absolutely, we're in it together, everybody. Together, we rise.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, and the Power Platform is brilliant for that, because it's like having a personal directory of women who want to help each other, men who want to ally you. It's just, yeah, it's excellent, and that's what we've got.
Speaker 1:We are powernet side hustle plug over there, but we've got a great project that we're working on this year. We've got the awards, we've got the Power Pack which is going to be supporting amazing young people from across the further education industry to be able to create advantage out of disadvantage.
Speaker 2:And we're doing that with the esprit foundation.
Speaker 1:So you know what our, our train, our, our swan legs keep sort of flapping away, but we keep moving and we keep going and we keep asking because people want to help. But I thank you, two amazing humans. Keep front crawling, keep dave time tallying, thank you, keep mentoring Shall we drink to that? And cheers, cheers, thank you guys. That's been brilliant. Happy 2025. Thank you so much for joining us. Please don't forget to ask. There's so many amazing people out there who want to give back, they want to pay it forward, they want to support. It doesn't matter what level you're at. It doesn't matter what part of your experience, your adventure you're at. Here's to a 2025. We Are Power. Extravaganza. Cheers. Subscribe on YouTube, apple, amazon Music, spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review or follow us on socials WeArePower underscore net on Insta, tiktok and Twitter. Wearepower on LinkedIn, facebook and WeAre underscore power on YouTube.
