This Girl Is On Fire Andrea McLean

Rosie Nixon is the Creative Brand Ambassador, and former Editor-in-Chief of Hello magazine – a global juggernaut of a publication which attracts over 41 million readers worldwide. She is also the author of three novels (one of which, The Stylist, is being adapted for the screen) and a best-selling collection of essays about Kindness.
In our conversation today, Rosie reveals what life is really like as editor of one of the biggest magazines in the world, and how working at London Zoo, being editor of Barbie magazine, and putting her hand up in a meeting and volunteering to ‘bag a millionaire in 24 hours in Cannes’ all helped on her journalistic quest!
She also shares her unique perspective on Imposter Syndrome – and how growing up as the child of teachers, with no foothold in the shiny upper echelons of publishing, gave her the freedom to feel that she “shouldn’t really be here” so she had nothing to lose.
There aren’t many in this world who make it to the top of their career by keeping their feet on the ground and kindness to others their top priority, but Rosie Nixon has managed it. Let our conversation today inspire you to “give it a go”, whatever your ‘it’ may be.
Instagram: @rosiejnixon 
 

Mika Simmons is an actress, writer, director and host of The Happy Vagina Podcast, covering women’s physical and mental health, in particular sexual health issues. It started as a means to raise awareness of gynaecological health, following her mother’s early death from ovarian cancer, and has since become a global sensation, with A list guests such as Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow and Dirty Dancing actress Jennifer Grey joining Mika to share their thoughts on eliminating shame around sex and intimacy.
Mika joined Andrea to talk about her early life as a child of activists, the damage that woke culture is doing to freedom of speech in the activist space, the power of perspective, and how the one life lesson we can all learn is to loosen our tight grip on what we want, to allow what is meant to be…
Instagram: @missmikasimmons
Podcast: The Happy Vagina
 

Rebecca Humphries is an actress and writer, known for playing a love-struck PA in Ten Percent, the British version of the French series Call My Agent, and Carol Thatcher in the Netflix series The Crown, alongside Gillian Anderson who played her formidable mother, and former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.
However, in 2018 Rebecca became a global sensation not because of her undeniable acting talent, but as the woman who got cheated on by her comedian boyfriend, who got caught snogging his Strictly Come Dancing partner. Her tweeted response to what happened and her refusal to become a victim of the story went on to become the stuff of legend, and led to her writing a Sunday Times best-selling book about toxic relationships and how to survive them, called ‘Why Did You Stay?’ - because it’s the most common question asked of victims of any abusive relationship. 
In today’s conversation Rebecca shares her insights on recognising toxic behaviour and her understanding of why we are drawn to people who treat us so badly. You’ll hear her tools for coping with rejection – both personally and professionally, and how recognising that our job is simply what we do, not who we are was a game changer for her.
Smart, funny and insightful - an hour in Rebecca’s company is an hour very well spent… enjoy!
Instagram: @beckshumps

Kelle Bryan has worked in the entertainment industry for over two decades – something that her 11 year-old self would be pretty pleased with, as she decided at that young age that entertainment – acting, singing, dancing and presenting - was the career she wanted to be known for. 
Kelle grew up in London, an only child of working-class parents with a strong work ethic and positive, but realistic mindset that they ingrained in their daughter. Kelle learned she had to ‘think differently’ from a young age, through experiencing repeated racism, classism and bullying. She gained a scholarship to attend the prestigious Italia Conti Stage School in Central London, where the trajectory of her life changed forever. She bonded with and became best friends with a young Louise Nurding (who went on to become Louise Redknapp), a South London girl also attending stage school on a scholarship. One night out clubbing in London, the girls were approached by a record producer who said he was putting a girl band together. The two teenagers went on to become part of Eternal, one of Britain’s most successful R&B bands. Their debut album became the first album by a girl group in the UK to sell over a million copies. They went on to sell over ten million records, embarking on four world tours and even singing for Pope John Paul II.
Since leaving the band, Kelle has gone to have a successful career as a singer, a West End star, an actress in television and film, and launched her own talent agency Advocate, where she nurtures and represents actors and actresses from stage and screen.
Kelle’s biggest challenge however has been with her health. In 1998 she became ill with the autoimmune disease Lupus, from which she has had a number of relapses – the most serious being in 2014 when it affected her brain. Following a seizure, Kelle had to learn to walk and talk again, and still suffers mentally with occasional short term memory loss.
The living embodiment of resilience and faith in God and herself, Kelle joined Andrea remotely from her home to record this interview after testing positive for and being laid up with Covid 19.
Website: kellebryan.co.uk
Instagram: @kelle.bryan

Emma Gunavardhana is an award-winning journalist, podcaster and public speaker. Her podcast, The Emma Guns Show, is in the Top 10 Self-Improvement shows on Apple Podcasts, with over 15 million global downloads. Emma joins me today to speak, as she always does, from the heart and pass on her learnings and insights in the hope that they can help others. We discuss the impact of growing up as she calls it, “the fat kid of the fittest man in the village”, and how being bullied about her weight at school, then reminded of it at home led to a never-ending spiral of not feeling good enough. It drove her to want to be amongst the shiny and beautiful people of the world, hoping that somehow their success would rub off on her. 
Emma spent ten years working for OK magazine in its heyday, rubbing shoulders with A-list celebrities, attending glamorous parties, weddings and photo shoots, and commanding respect as a Beauty Editor. But it wasn’t until she decided to pivot and strike out on her own, that Emma realised all the glitter in the world can’t make you feel golden if you don’t believe in yourself.
In today’s candid and open conversation, Emma discusses the challenge of losing and gaining the same 40 pounds, the effect her fear of rejection and abandonment has had on both her professional and personal life, and how finally building the mental muscle to let go of her people pleasing ways has set her free.
Emma Guns is one of the smartest, warmest and most articulate women I’ve ever had the pleasure to spend time with, and I know that you are going to love our conversation today.
 
Emma's Website
Instagram: @emmaguns 
Facebook: The Emma Guns Show
Podcast: The Emma Guns Show
 

*TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains detailed discussion of female genital mutilation and abuse, which some listeners may find upsetting.
Hibo Wardere is mother, a wife and a fantastic raconteur. Her mission in life is to empower women to understand that they have a choice when it comes to their bodies and what happens to it; a topic that has become increasingly important in the past few years for a multitude of reasons. 
Hibo’s driving force is deeply and painfully personal, because at the age of just six, she became a victim of Female Genital Mutilation, a traumatising experience which went on to shape the rest of her life. After fleeing Somalia as a teenager when civil war broke out in her country, Hibo made her way to what she calls “the glorious UK”, where she has lived and worked ever since, campaigning and helping to educate police, social workers, healthcare professionals, teachers and children about the practice of FGM, which affects around 200 million girls around the world.
Our conversation today is an emotional one, which some listeners may find upsetting, as Hibo describes in detail what happened to her that day. She also explains how she flips her pain around, and turns it into strength. She talks with warmth and love about the moment her life changed for ever – when she became a mother, and made a promise to her first-born that no harm would ever befall them.
Hibo Wardere is an exceptional human being. Let her story inspire you to find strength and bravery when you feel you have none.
 
Instagram: @HiboWardere