Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Sophie Ellis-Bextor
  • 4.6 (24)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

Hello I’m Sophie Ellis-Bextor and this is my podcast: Spinning Plates where I speak to busy working women, who also happen to be mothers, about how they make it work. I am a singer and have released 8 albums in-between having my 5 sons who are aged between 7 and 22 so I spin a few plates myself. Being a mother can be the most amazing thing.. but it can also be hard to find time for yourself and your own ambitions. I want to be a little bit nosy and see how other people balance everything. Join me while I speak to a host of interesting and inspirational women who’ve really made me think - and laugh, and sometimes cry. Welcome to Spinning Plates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 6d ago

    Episode 191: Caroline Hirons

    Caroline Hirons is a skin care expert, author and founder of Skin Rocks. She has just pulished her 4th book 'Skin Rules: Expert Advice You Can Trust'. She told me that she hates writing books becuase of her ADHD but that she is extrememly proud of her books and feels this is the best one yet. It includes advice on looking after your skin through some of life's huge changes including pregnancy, GLP-1s, cancer treatment and the menopause. Caroline has 4 grown up children: two in their 20s and two in their 30s. She built her career alongside motherhood, as she wanted two children before she was 25 and says she planned her pregnancies 'like a machine'. We talked about how she kept a priority space for the thing she really cared about, in amongst having such a young family. Caroline told me how she's still parenting (about 25 times a day onthe phone!) even though her children are now aged 34 to 22. In fact she took a call from one of them mid interview! She describes being the parent of adult children as being a bank teller, taxi driver and consultant! Caroline now has three granchildren and has talked with great passion about the new level of love to which granchildren take you. She made me laugh talking about her love for her own children now being downgraded by the arrival of her granchildren! The love she feels for her grandkids does sound pure magic! Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 191: Caroline Hirons

  2. Jul 13

    Episode 190: Martha Keith

    Martha Keith has run her stationery business ‘Martha Brook’ for over a decade, and started the Business Secrets Club two years ago, to help small business owners with things she wishes she’d known when she started out.  Martha told me about her 10 year fertility journey and her two IVF daughters aged 8 and 3. We also talked about how she’d had a late diagnosis of endometriosis, a very difficult birth with her first daughter and how she’d lost her beloved Dad Philip just before she became pregnant for the second time.  I really valued Martha sharing all those things, and her takeaway advice for listeners is so valuable: 1. never assume what you see on social media is real 2. ask for help if you need it and 3. don’t neglect your health. If you’re in pain that’s a sign that something is wrong. Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 190: Martha Keith

  3. Jul 6

    Episode 189: Catherine Anne Davies aka The Anchoress

    Catherine Anne Davies is better known by her stage name The Anchoress.  She is a musician, producer and a former academic, which results in her providing a fascinating reading list with her art pop albums, of poems and other writing that inspired her. After many losses, Catherine had a successful 7th pregnancy and her daughter is now 5 years old.  She told me how becoming a mum radicalised her, and also how she kept her new motherhood a secret for two and a half years.  Catherine told me how work offers became less when people knew she had a child, inspiring one of her new album’s tracks to be called ‘I Had a Baby, Not a Lobotomy’!  Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 189: Catherine Anne Davies aka The Anchoress

  4. Jun 29

    Episode 188: Honey Spencer

    Honey Spencer is a wine expert who has two little boys aged 6 and 1.  She and her husband Charlie run a neighbourhood restaurant called ‘Sune’ in Hackney in East London, which she describes as feeling ‘wholesome and right’. Honey told me that Georgia is the birthplace of wine, and how she is a fan of ‘skin contact’ wine. She also described how vineyards are like the ‘canary in the coal mine’ of climate change. Honey has written a book about natural (organic) wines and is the wine director of Eurostar. She told me how pregnancy gave her a superhero palate, and we debated the wisdom of eating ginger biscuits during wine tasting… Listen to the podcast to come to your own conclusion! Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 188: Honey Spencer

  5. Jun 22

    Episode 187: Lisa Oxenham

    Lisa Oxenham is a mum to Eliza who’s 10 and to Wolfgang who’s nine and a half months old.  She started out as beauty editor at More magazine and then worked for Marie Claire magazine for 20 years concentrating on beauty and, later, on wellness too. Lisa became a mum for the second time at the age of 50 and she now has her own YouTube channel concentrating on wellness and motherhood. She told me how she hit fertility problems in her 40s but her determination to have a sibling for Eliza meant she continued with her IVF journey through her 40s, and eventually had her much-longed for son Wolfgang as she entered her 50s.  She told me how she’s experienced trolls telling her she’s too old to be a new mum, and will be too tired to bring up her baby, but she says she’s never had so much energy - or confidence - in her life before. Lisa certainly radiates joy in her new motherhood - and fittingly baby Wolfgang refused to be parted from her for this interview. So please excuse the background noises in this chat, as he explores the nooks and crannies of my living room during the recording!  Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 187: Lisa Oxenham

  6. Jun 15

    Episode 186: Nadine Merabi

    Nadine Merabi is a British-Lebanese clothes designer. She is the founder of the brand which shares her name and is based in Manchester. She is mother to two little girls aged 4 and 5. Nadine says at the heart of the brand is a desire to instil confidence in young women and make them feel great about themselves.  Nadine played hockey for England for 10 years and always felt she struggled to fit in. She says it took until the age of 29 to stop worrying about what everyone thought about her. Post-hockey, Nadine explored other career options and I loved her story about how she reframed a lowly bar job as a glass collector, as being a chance to network.  She taught herself how to sew by watching YouTube tutorial videos, and built the Merabi clothes business because she couldn’t find anything to wear. Her brand is now over 10 years old, and in 2025 she won the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the World Retail Congress. She loves it when her daughters see ‘one of mummy’s dresses’ on Strictly. They are certainly part of my go-to touring wardrobe too. They are fun, they make me feel supported, and often - the icing on the cake! - they have pockets!!  Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 186: Nadine Merabi

  7. Jun 8

    Episode 185: Becky Barnicoat

    Becky Barnicoat is a cartoonist who has recently published the paperback version of her memoir ‘Cry When The Baby Cries’. It’s a cartoon depiction of new motherhood and it makes me laugh out loud. Sleep deprivation; the tricky time-consuming bedtime routine; the body after birth with deflated stomach and huge boobs; and perky youthful-looking parents pre-birth compared to the same couple with their new baby, but now looking haggard and baggy-eyed. Brilliant obsevations! Becky started out as a journalist writing horoscopes for Bliss magazine and then junior editing at The Guardian, but drawing cartoons was always her first love and she’d get up an hour early every day to draw before work. Becky told me about her journey to motherhood, going through fertility problems, and then how she chose to enjoy every minute of her pregnancy rather than worry all the way through it. She now has two boys age 6 and 8.  Becky and I went to the same school and I’m pretty sure I know exactly which teachers she honed her cartoon skills on - and they very much deserved it in my opinion!  Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 185: Becky Barnicoat

  8. Jun 2

    Episode 184: India de Beaufort

    India de Beaufort @indiadebeaufort is a British actress who lives in Los Angeles. She is also an influencer who shares my passion for vintage and antique clothing. I love her natural flowing posts because the strands of her life will be woven in as she’s snipping a dress with a scissors while wearing it!  India has an 8 year old son Crosby. She shared with me how she had terrible postpartum depression. She told me how medication and the unshakeable support of her husband helped her recover, and she said that she intentionally looks for the joy in life.  India and I have very similar tastes in vintage clothes so we tentatively plan to go shopping together one day - but realise we’ll have to share any items we buy!  Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 184: India de Beaufort
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4.6
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

Hello I’m Sophie Ellis-Bextor and this is my podcast: Spinning Plates where I speak to busy working women, who also happen to be mothers, about how they make it work. I am a singer and have released 8 albums in-between having my 5 sons who are aged between 7 and 22 so I spin a few plates myself. Being a mother can be the most amazing thing.. but it can also be hard to find time for yourself and your own ambitions. I want to be a little bit nosy and see how other people balance everything. Join me while I speak to a host of interesting and inspirational women who’ve really made me think - and laugh, and sometimes cry. Welcome to Spinning Plates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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