Why Women Grow

Alice Vincent
  • 5.0 (51)
  • Home & Garden

'These rich and intimate conversations offer new perspectives on our interactions with nature' - The FT I’m Alice Vincent and I’ve been on a quest to understand why women go to ground when there’s so much else to do. In Why Women Grow I have inspiring conversations with designers, chefs, entrepreneurs, and writers in their gardens. This isn’t a podcast about gardening. Sure there’s bit of that but we discuss resistance, motherhood, spirituality, saving the planet and much more. These stories made me think differently about what it is to grow, and I think they’ll do that for you, too.

  1. 16h ago

    Yazmin Lacey on gardening as muse

    When singer-songwriter Yazmin Lacey found herself adrift after the release of her first album, Voice Notes, she discovered an unlikely muse in the earth. And she decided to study for her RHS Level 2 qualification in horticulture at the Walworth Garden in London. What started as an unlikely affinity bloomed into a new way of living and creativity  - and in turn inspired others to stop and listen. Teal Dreams, her second album, is a testament to growth - literal and personal. And so we meet Yazmin at the place where she uncovered gardening. We are so grateful to Yazmin Lacey and the team at the beautiful Walworth Garden. Teal Dreams is out now and makes for a gorgeous summer listen. You can also find Yazmin on Instagram @yazminlacey.  This podcast is inspired by my book, ⁠⁠Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival⁠⁠, which is available in all good bookshops. We’ve also been photographing our guests and their gardens and you can see the beautiful images captured by India Hobson ⁠⁠on my website⁠⁠ and instagram account @⁠⁠⁠⁠alicevincentwrites⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thank you to our friends at ⁠⁠Niwaki⁠⁠. You can get 10% off your order with the code WHYWOMENGROW. We’ll be back later in the year with more episodes.  If you’re new to the Why Women Grow podcast, do check out our previous episodes, including guests such as Michelle Ogundehin and Daisy Johnson. And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you could rate and review the podcast on whichever platform you’re listening in on, or share it with someone you think may enjoy it. This episode was produced by Holly Fisher. The theme music is by Maria Chiara Argiro.

    29 min

  2. 16h ago

    Maggie O'Farrell on gardening for stories

    I’ve long been fascinated by roots - and the crossover between our families and the land that we are raised on. And it seems I’m not alone: Maggie O’Farrell was drawn to the Wild Atlantic Way after hearing stories about her heritage. Years later, and her latest novel, LAND, is inspired by her own family history and the potent mythology of the Irish landscape.  Maggie O’Farrell has sold more than four million novels internationally over a 25-year-long career, winning The Costa Novel Award and the Women’s Prize along the way. Earlier this year she earned an Oscar nomination for the screenplay of her novel Hamnet, which is also preoccupied with women, growing and the powers of the earth.  And it’s in the midst of this career-defining year that we meet Maggie, on the morning of her  book launch, in between sunshine and showers in a woodland, to talk about writing, womanhood and what keeps luring her back to the soil.  Thank you to Maggie O’Farrell. Land is out now, and I heartily recommend you read it. This podcast is inspired by my book, ⁠⁠Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival⁠⁠, which is available in all good bookshops. We’ve also been photographing our guests and their gardens and you can see the beautiful images captured by India Hobson ⁠⁠on my website⁠⁠ and instagram account @⁠⁠⁠⁠alicevincentwrites⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thank you to our friends at ⁠⁠Niwaki⁠⁠. You can get 10% off your order with the code WHYWOMENGROW. If you’re new to the Why Women Grow podcast, do check out our previous episodes, including guests such as Michelle Ogundehin and Daisy Johnson. And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you could rate and review the podcast on whichever platform you’re listening in on, or share it with someone you think may enjoy it. This episode was produced by Holly Fisher. The theme music is by Maria Chiara Argiro.

    30 min

  3. Season 7, Episode 5 Trailer

    Season 7: summer trailer

    The sun is high, the ground is warm, and we’re inviting you to take a moment to pause this summer with the Why Women Grow podcast. This season, we’re speaking to women who have boldly ventured beyond what’s expected of them - and made incredible things happen in the process. From writing to floristry, soul music to garden design, our guests have trodden new paths to do things the way they want. Join me, Alice Vincent, for all-new episodes of the Why Women Grow podcast, with Maggie O’Farrell, Yazmin Lacey, Mary Keen and Cynthia Fan, launching on 23 June. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

    1 min

  4. Apr 7

    Olia Hercules on gardening for survival

    For many around the world right now, the green spaces that hold so many memories are caught in conflict.  This is the case for the activist, writer and chef Olia Hercules, who has seen the garden her mother made occupied by Russian soldiers during the invasion of Ukraine.  Now based in East London, Olia has built a garden of her own that she feels has an ancestral connection to the one she knew as a child. Together we drink tea brewed from the plants that Olia has grown here and talk about how, after war has affected every generation in your family, the earth can point to a kind of future. Olia's memoir Strong Roots is out in paperback now. Olia is also on Instagram @oliahercules.  This podcast is inspired by my book, ⁠Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival⁠, which is available in all good bookshops. We’ve also been photographing our guests and their gardens and you can see the beautiful images captured by India Hobson ⁠on my website⁠ and instagram account @⁠⁠⁠alicevincentwrites⁠⁠⁠. Thank you to our friends at ⁠Niwaki⁠. You can get 10% off your order with the code WHYWOMENGROW. We’ll be back later in the year with more episodes.  If you’re new to the Why Women Grow podcast, do check out our previous episodes, including guests such as Michelle Ogundehin and Daisy Johnson. And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you could rate and review the podcast on whichever platform you’re listening in on, or share it with someone you think may enjoy it. This episode was produced by Holly Fisher. The theme music is by Maria Chiara Argiro.

    39 min

  5. Mar 31

    Pollyanna Wilkinson on designing a life-proof garden

    With a clutch of medals from RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows, a bestselling garden design book and more than half a million social media followers, Pollyanna Wilkinson has gained a well-earned reputation for making elegant, contemporary and liveable gardens accessible to all. But while hundreds of thousands of people look to Polly’s approach for inspiration and guidance, her own garden is a retreat for a scant few: her family, her design team and herself.  We meet Polly on a clear, crisp morning in her studio garden in Surrey, to talk about how her life, career and motherhood have intertwined with her design practice in ways that might surprise her fans.  Pollyanna Wilkinson's book, How to Design a Garden, is one of my go-tos, so do check it out. Find out more about her design practice at Studio Pollyanna. She’s also on Instagram, @pollyanna_wilkinson, substack and TikTok. Next up, we speak to activist, author and chef, Olia Hercules.  This podcast is inspired by my book, ⁠Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival⁠, which is available in all good bookshops. We’ve also been photographing our guests and their gardens and you can see the beautiful images captured by India Hobson ⁠on my website⁠ and instagram account @⁠⁠⁠alicevincentwrites⁠⁠⁠. Thank you to our friends at ⁠Niwaki⁠. You can get 10% off your order with the code WHYWOMENGROW. If you’re new to the Why Women Grow podcast, do check out our previous episodes, including guests such as Claire Ratinon and Robin Wall Kimmerer. And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you could rate and review the podcast on whichever platform you’re listening in on, or share it with someone you think may enjoy it.  This episode was produced by Holly Fisher. The theme music is by Maria Chiara Argiro.

    25 min

  6. Mar 25

    Milli Proust on building a garden

    When you become known for your garden - and what you grow there - what does it mean to up peasticks and move? ⁠Milli Proust⁠ is a gardener, writer and floral designer based in a remote corner of West Sussex. She spent a decade transforming her garden, but when we visited her she was just about to leave it. We met Milli - and her gorgeous whippet Jimmy - under the shade of an enormous oak tree to reflect on what has been, and imagine what is still to come.  Milli’s latest book, ⁠How Does Your Garden Grow⁠, is available now and shares practical guidance and encouragement for anyone wanting to grow flowers. She can also be found posting wisdom and inspiration on Instagram: @⁠milliproust⁠. This podcast is inspired by my book, ⁠Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival⁠, which is available in all good bookshops. We’ve also been photographing our guests and their gardens and you can see the beautiful images captured by India Hobson ⁠on my website⁠ and instagram account @⁠⁠⁠alicevincentwrites⁠⁠⁠. Thank you to our friends at ⁠Niwaki⁠. You can get 10% off your order with the code WHYWOMENGROW. Next up, we hear from author and columnist India Knight.  If you’re new to the Why Women Grow podcast, do check out our previous episodes, including guests such as Jamaica Kincaid and Sarah Raven. And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you could rate and review the podcast on whichever platform you’re listening in on, or share it with someone you think may enjoy it. This episode was produced by Holly Fisher. The theme music is by Maria Chiara Argiro.

    29 min

  7. Mar 24

    India Knight on making home in a garden

    There’s a school of thought that believes the garden to be an extra room of the house - albeit, outside. If that’s the case, then India Knight is a masterful host. The author and columnist, who has written 13 books, is a homemaker with an unabashedly joyful approach to how we make our lives beautiful. In the days when the quinces are beginning to ripen, sitting in the doorway between her green and pink house and abundant garden, India tells us about how coming to gardening as a total beginner transformed how she lives. You can read more warm and witty insight into homemaking in India’s latest book, HOME, as well as on her substack as India Knight.  This podcast is inspired by my book, ⁠Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival⁠, which is available in all good bookshops. We’ve also been photographing our guests and their gardens and you can see the beautiful images captured by India Hobson ⁠on my website⁠ and instagram account @⁠⁠⁠alicevincentwrites⁠⁠⁠. Thank you to our friends at ⁠Niwaki⁠. You can get 10% off your order with the code WHYWOMENGROW. Next up, we hear from garden designer Pollyanna Wilkinson. If you’re new to the Why Women Grow podcast, do check out our previous episodes, including guests such as Paula Sutton and Anna Jones. And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you could rate and review the podcast on whichever platform you’re listening in on, or share it with someone you think may enjoy it. This episode was produced by Holly Fisher. The theme music is by Maria Chiara Argiro.

    26 min

  8. Season 7 Trailer

    Season 7: trailer

    It's been a bleak old winter, but spring is upon us and with it comes a brand new season of the Why Women Grow podcast. This Spring, we’re exploring what it means to leave behind a garden that changed your life, how can we start again, and how can we connect with lost loved ones in a time of war?  Once again, we’ve been talking to brave, inspiring and witty women about their lives and gardens. Join Alice Vincent for all-new episodes of the Why Women Grow podcast, with Olia Hercules, Milli Proust, India Knight and Pollyanna Wilkinson, launching on the 24th March. Made in partnership with Niwaki.

    2 min
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Trailers

5
out of 5
51 Ratings

About

'These rich and intimate conversations offer new perspectives on our interactions with nature' - The FT I’m Alice Vincent and I’ve been on a quest to understand why women go to ground when there’s so much else to do. In Why Women Grow I have inspiring conversations with designers, chefs, entrepreneurs, and writers in their gardens. This isn’t a podcast about gardening. Sure there’s bit of that but we discuss resistance, motherhood, spirituality, saving the planet and much more. These stories made me think differently about what it is to grow, and I think they’ll do that for you, too.

Information

  • Creator
    Alice Vincent
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Alice Vincent
  • Show Website
    Why Women Grow

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