Raise The Bar BRICK

For this Christmas special there was no one better to join me than my brilliant friend, and returning guest, Upasna Bhadhal!
Over the past two and a half years or so, Upi and I have shared offices, kept each other sane and generally picked each other up in the hardest of times, especially as covid rapidly affected our businesses and lives in such unexpected ways.
I hope you enjoy listening, and more than that, I hope that you have a really restful and enjoyable Christmas and new year break - whatever that looks like for you. 

As always, thank you for listening to this podcast and for your support - it means a lot to me that you’ve stuck with me during some of the toughest times over the past two years.

And a huge thank you to Beth, Katie and Anna who have worked hard behind the scenes to bring you this podcast - without you all, it wouldn’t be possible. 
Here’s to 2022!

You can join us on Twitter and Instagram and if you love listening to us, please rate review and subscribe wherever you're listening. Thanks so much.

https://raisethebar.world/

Connect with your host, Frankie Cotton
Visit https://www.frankiecotton.com or follow Frankie on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is a Let's Be Frank production.

Hello! I’m really excited to introduce today’s guest to you, Jess Phillips MP.
Jess almost needs no introduction. She is the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley and Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding. Jess has been an MP since 2015 and joined Keir Starmer's Opposition frontbench in 2020.
I’ve hugely admired Jess’s tenacity from afar, but what I saw close up is the tenderness and generosity that makes her a great spokesperson and representative to so many. She was an absolute pleasure to interview. I hope you enjoy listening!
You can join us on Twitter and Instagram and if you love listening to us, please rate review and subscribe wherever you're listening. Thanks so much.

https://raisethebar.world/

Connect with your host, Frankie Cotton
Visit https://www.frankiecotton.com or follow Frankie on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is a Let's Be Frank production.

Welcome back to Raise The Bar! I'm so excited to be bringing you some new episodes with great guests!
Today's episode is with behavioural neuroscientist Katherine Templar.
As we near the end of 2021, burnout is at an all-time high and our resilience is at an all-time low. Two years since the first Covid case was reported in China, we are exhausted, and a large contributing factor is our low tolerance for uncertainty.
In this episode, Katherine sheds light on how our brains evolved to prefer certainty but the complicated lives we lead today require us to be more open to opportunities and lean into uncertain situations. 
Whilst we might feel overwhelmed and anxious, the good news is that neuroplasticity means we can change how we respond, create new habits and thought patterns. Change is possible. 
I hope you enjoy listening!
You can join us on Twitter and Instagram and if you love listening to us, please rate review and subscribe wherever you're listening. Thanks so much.

https://raisethebar.world/

Connect with your host, Frankie Cotton
Visit https://www.frankiecotton.com or follow Frankie on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is a Let's Be Frank production.

Hello! We're back... and we've decided not just to bring you a new series, but a whole new podcast!

That's right; same host, same production team. But this time, focused on green innovation,  uncovering the stories of those who are building our future.

Introducing... What Does Green Really Mean? 

Climate change and environmental damage is our most pressing global challenge.
Right now, greenwashing, eco-anxiety, global politics and misunderstanding are getting in the way of real progress.

What Does Green Really Mean? dives into what sustainability really means, separating fact from fiction and exploring how technology and business innovation can solve the climate crisis.

Follow our new channel to get episodes as they drop, or subscribe to What Does Green Really Mean? here! 

This week meet Imogen Tazzyman, Executive Creative Director at McCann Manchester, a 370-strong marketing and communications agency.

A few months ago, Imogen emailed me about the lack of diversity in the top roles in advertising. Despite the diversity and inclusion initiatives that many companies have rolled out over the past few years, the default leaders still tend to be white, male, straight and able-bodied.

The truth is that that profile doesn’t represent the broad demographic of consumers in the UK and globally. As a result, both brands and advertisers are risking tone-deaf campaigns and potentially isolating the very audience they are trying to target. Bad PR is bad for business, so fixing the lack of diversity in leadership positions is in everyone’s interests.

Imogen sheds light on her path to becoming an ECD, where she is one of just 3% of female talent in this role. We discuss examples of great campaigns that have benefitted from diverse experiences and teams, and on the flip side, campaigns that have been bred in echo chambers.

We also talk about women’s internalised misogyny and that, regardless of gender, we all need to work hard to understand our bias and blind spots. I know from my own experience that just by being a woman, that doesn’t make me the oracle of women’s experiences.

This conversation was recorded on 14th July 2021. Want to share your view on something we discussed on the podcast? Email us podcast@raisethebar.world.
Guest - Imogen TazzymanHost - Frankie CottonSound Editor - Beth Davison
Tweet us https://twitter.com/raisehq_
Join us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/raisehq_
Visit https://raisethebar.world/

Connect with Imogen Tazzyman and McCann Manchester
Website: https://www.mccannmanchester.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mccann_manchester/?hl=enImogen Tazzyman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itazzyConnect with Frankie Cotton
Website: https://www.frankiecotton.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/FrankieCotton_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankiecotton_/

This week meet the founder of Radswan, Freddie Harrel. Freddie’s entrepreneurial journey began as a fashion and lifestyle influencer. A proud shapeshifter, hair is Freddie’s freest and earliest form of self-expression. But she struggled to find great afro hair products, and the market was both biased and constrained.

Seeking to solve this problem for herself, Freddie sought out a supplier in China who could help her to develop a better quality hair product. Not long afterwards, demand was high from Freddie’s online community - her followers wanted it too.

Freddie launched Big Hair No Care in 2017 and quickly experienced the downsides of high demand. Her supply chain couldn’t fulfil orders, and the business needed more resources to deliver the high quality, innovative products that Freddie was determined to bring to the community.

In 2019, Big Hair No Care rebranded to RadSwan and secured £1.5m of investment led by BBG Ventures with Female Founders Fund and Pritzker Private Capital, alongside high-profile industry angels. Recently relaunched, RadSawn is on a mission to disrupt and level up the $7bn black hair beauty market.

This conversation was recorded on 14th May 2021.

Want to share your view on something we discussed on the podcast? Email us podcast@raisethebar.world.

Guest - Freddie Harrel
Host - Frankie Cotton
Sound Editor - Beth Davison

Tweet us https://twitter.com/raisehq_
Join us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/raisehq_
Visit https://raisethebar.world/

Connect with Freddie Harrel and Radswan
Website: https://radswan.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radswan/
Freddie Harrel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freddieharrel/

Connect with Frankie Cotton
Website: https://www.frankiecotton.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrankieCotton_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankiecotton_/