The Dangerous Women Podcast

Sophy Norris
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Welcome to Series 6 of the Dangerous Women Podcast hosted by me, Sophy Norris. This podcast claims the Dangerous Women mantle one incredible dangerous businesswoman at a time. Here we have created a space to reclaim the word dangerous, not as something reckless or destructive — but as something powerful, composed, and often misunderstood. I started this podcast after hearing women like Nicola Sturgeon and Shami Chakrabati described as “the most dangerous women in Britain.” And I remember thinking — if she were a man, we’d call her formidable. So here, dangerous is reframed to something clear. Grounded. Unapologetic. Integrated. And formidable describes our Dangerous Women Collective cohort perfectly. We are a community of professional women, and together we celebrate our achievements, support our successes and champion our contributions to the world of work. This podcast gives a voice to those who break boundaries. In this series we will be interviewing care advocates, black entrepreneurs, champions of career education, financial experts and more. Every story is raw, real and fearless. Dangerous Women share their tales of derring do to inspire and engage everyone who recognizes the power of zig versus zag. This collective is not anti men. It is 100% pro women, pro power, pro progress. If you are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with women who are rewriting the rules, then this is where you belong. This is what you should be listening to. Why be old when you can be dangerous? We dare you to listen.

  1. 5d ago

    SERIES 6 LAUNCH, Episode 1. "Put Yourself on your own To-Do List." Lucy Taylor, Partner, Evelyn Partners

    Today we are delighted to speak to Lucy Taylor, Partner at Evelyn Partners and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. She has 25 years' experience managing portfolios for private clients, pensions, charities and family trusts and was a finalist at the Women Investment Awards. Lucy is passionate about demystifying finance, particularly for women who still have to navigate their way through a financial universe often aimed at men. She empowers clients to make confident decisions and helps them achieve long-term goals. Her ultimate goal is to make people’s, especially women’s, financial futures more secure.    And, like so many Dangerous Women, Lucy is expansive and shares her talents. Her investment interests extend into her personal life, where she is also a wife and mother of two school-age kids. Since 2010, she has been a Trustee and Investment Committee member for a Charity and is a specialist adviser to schools and educational charities regarding their bursary programmes.  In this episode we cover so much, from women and their finances to women working in the financial sector. The need for the financial narrative to change when it comes to women, but not exclusively, and how trust, relationships, and vulnerability will help shift the rules of money and finance, which, let's face it, were carved by men.  And, interestingly, how these qualities transcend the world of finance and are found in so many spaces created in a different time for a different dynamic.  This Episode touches on so much, including: How bravery and danger are interlinked, but also need personalised safety nets (for Lucy spreadsheets and support)How we as women need to be more selfish, self-advocate more and put ourselves on our own to-do lists We need to communicate differently with women when engaging them with their finances, from the pace of meetings, to the stories we tell, the relationships we build, and the follow-ups delivered.  This is a fundamental rewriting of the rulebookNaturally, women are better at engaging with finances, as we are more likely to be vulnerable, ask questions and seek answers (not know them)JAW DROP FACT - most women instigate divorce, and of those who do, 68% are perimenopausal! Women control 60% of wealth in the UK - they are a critical audience.  Especially women often inherit twice (divorce and death).Discomfort doesn't equal danger; conquering fear is empoweringResearch shows that of 147 women who left the financial industry, 82% did so because of poor behaviourThe modern family, where women are the main breadwinner, and partners 100% support that: what this role-modelling teaches our childrenHow women manage being "too much" (or too anything) in the workplace, and how being 100% yourself is keyLINKS https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucytaylorinvestment/www.evelyn.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sophy-norris/https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/the-dangerous-women-collectivehttps://www.linkedin.com/company/the-alligator-pi-agencyNatalie Abou-Alwan on Dangerous Women Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0fPDqqoIE6ytCOFUI9G8CI?si=8lpVlKMNQE6h08pYeZOhKwMaike Currie on Dangerous Women Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/41ByV5OBOouGBtpko19B7Y?si=2-HOc24TRxeQFeE2GwxzfQ DISCLAIMERS The views expressed in this podcast are those of Lucy Taylor and are for general information purposes only. They do not constitute financial, investment, legal or tax advice and should not be relied upon when making financial decisions. Investments can fall as well as rise in value, and you may get back less than originally invested. Tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in the future.   '68% of women who initiate divorce are perimenopausal or menopausal' Sources: Family Law Menopause Project/Newson Health Research and Education survey, reported by The Independent and Sky News; Office for National Statistics divorce data and methodology. The precise 68% figure is a composite used in the podcast and is not reported as such in any single source.   ‘60% of UK wealth will be in female hands’Source: Centre for Economic and Business Research projection, reported by Evelyn Partners and the Financial Times. The 60% figure was a projection for 2025 and should not be treated as an OECD statistic or as a verified current estimate.

  2. Jun 17

    Series 5 Finale, Episode 8 "None of this is Surprising". Sophy Norris in Conversation with Clare Willetts, CEO and Founder of Not Only Pink And Blue

    In this eye-opening finale of Series 5, Sophy Norris speaks to Clare Willetts, the CEO and Founder of Not Only Pink and Blue, on how and why gender stereotypes that start in the playground continue into the workplace.  Clare began her business after noticing how starkly children’s products were divided into pink and blue, and recognised the same patterns reappearing later in workplaces and boardrooms. Not Only Pink and Blue works with organisations to uncover and change the hidden beliefs that start in the playground to shape culture, unlock talent, engagement, and retention. Clare goes beyond policy to tackle the root causes of gender bias, so culture, people, and performance can thrive.   Her work has been featured on the BBC, The Independent and Business Matters, and recognised by Theo Paphitis’s Small Business Sunday. And now on The Dangerous Women Podcast, where we find out that gender stereotypes are not only deeply entrenched, but pervasive, and at times insidious. Even down to the clothes we buy our children; animals on boys’ t-shirts are often predatory and on girls they are prey. Pretty dark stuff.  The conversation is wide ranging, at times jaw dropping, and always enlightening. Discussions cover: Gender stereotypes start as early as eight, when girls lose confidence and boys empathy; and we take this gap with us from the playground into the workplaceMale and female confidence is different; for women is tends to centre around being proud of achievements, for men it is the feeling of being able to do anything Confidence does not mean being the loudest person in the room, or the one that takes up the most space We need to be clear, down to granular detail, what we mean when we ask people to be confident, or a leader etc. Empathy and kindness are vastly underrated skills The language we use with girls and boys is very different Bias is embedded from the get-go - in the book we read, the clothes we wear, the programmes we watch, the heroes we reference, the way we are taught The gender pay gap starts young, there is a 20% disparity between boys and girls’ pocket money Our brains are capable of change, and we can relearn, remove limits, and challenge stereotypical normsChildren need to be taught the power of critical thinking Paternity leave is a necessity not a perk Gender division is not a PHSE module, it should be systemic change across our education system The Hobbit has 1900 "hes" to every one "she"The importance of sport in redressing gender stereotypesLinks: Clare Willetts LinkedInNot Only Pink and Blue Sophy Norris LinkedInThe Alligator Pi Agency LinkedInThe Gendered Brain by Gina RipponInvisible Women by Caroline Criado PerezCareless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

  3. Jun 3

    Series 5, Episode 7 - "Positive Deviant." Sophy Norris in conversation with Nonie White, Positive Psychology Practicioner

    In this Episode, we are channelling positivity, something we could all do with in such a chaotic world.   Nonie White, former documentary Director, turned Founder, turned ICF ACC Executive Coach and accredited Positive Psychology Practitioner. She is a BAFTA-nominated storyteller who works with the science of flourishing to help ambitious entrepreneurs step into their next level of leadership and impact. Her clients are award-winning founders scaling service, tech, and product-based businesses. And Nonie helps ambitious - dangerous women - lead powerfully, calmly, and sustainably by building unshakeable performance, confidence and leadership from who they are at their best.  She has co-authored the Forbes-featured report, The True Cost of Female Entrepreneurship, the result of interviews with hundreds of women, and that showcases patterns that lead to burnout or breakthrough. What separates those who thrive is not more strategy. It is deeper self-knowledge and stronger internal foundations.   In this podcast our host Sophy speaks to Nonie about what drives her, how positive psychology has helped her, and how this evidence-based practice helps the leaders she coaches. They discuss some of the biggest issues facing entrepreneurial women as we ride this period of immense business transition, including: Getting to know ourselves better and how that shapes our lives and taking the appropriate action.Understanding what makes us thrive. Radically putting ourselves as the centre of our own livesIf psychology is getting us to 0% (even) then positive psychology is getting us to +5%Understanding who we are at our best and not performing a version of ourselves.Just knowing our character strengths means we perform 9% better, and if act on then we can perform 18% better.Entrepreneurship is one of the most challenging things we can do, and when we are women, which comes with a new set of challenges.It is important to experience joy at work, and to know we do not have to be our thoughts. Successful female entrepreneurs rewrite the rules and do things differently. They flourish despite the challenges, and they get better results. These are the Positive Deviants. And there is an emerging blueprint to do things differently (The True Cost of Female Entrepreneurship is linked below) Links: Nonie White LinkedInSophy Norris LinkedInThe Alligator Pi Agency LinkedInNonie's Website Nonie's Leadership TestVIA Institute Character StrengthsThe True Cost of Female Entrepreneurship Martin SeligmanBarbara FredricksonEmmie Faust LinkedIn

  4. May 13

    Series 5, Episode 6 - "Human Flirtations". Sophy Norris in conversation with Monica Chadha, Strategic Advisor, Board Member, Coach, Speaker

    In this Episode, Sophy talks to a woman who defines the meaning of a portfolio career, a carefully crafted series of roles and services that enable her to share her expertise, support and lift those she works with and lean into the industries she is passionate about. Monica Chadha's story is one of grabbing opportunities, following instincts, harnessing mentorship and sometimes stepping into the unknown. This is a woman who knows her value and shares it. Today, she is the Chair of a PwC Advisory Board; sits on the Advisory Board for the 30% Club, a Non-Executive Director of the British Film Institute; and a Senior Advisor to Digital Entertainment Group International (DEGI); British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE); and the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC). She is a member of the British Screen Forum and a voting member of BAFTA.  Of course, she didn’t begin with such an illustrious portfolio, but she did start making waves early on.  She started her career at Technicolor Distribution in supply chain management and was appointed to the Board of the British Video Association aged 24. She became Production Director of Prism Leisure Corporation PLC aged 25. Since then, she has held several roles including CEO of MyMovies.Net; Non-Executive Director of Obviously Creative; Chair of the British Independent Film Awards Advisory Board; a member of the BAFTA Digital Communications Board; Advisor to Marlow Film Studios; a member of the Bias in AI Research Group at Durham University; and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for AI; and Vice Chair of Queen Mary University of London. Monica is a faculty member of the Financial Times Board Director Programme and a confidential thinking partner and coach for senior executives. In 2019, she was named as one of the top 50 Women to Watch in the UK Female FTSE Board Report.  It's an impressive list, daunting even.  But, as you will hear as you listen to this podcast, Monica is anything but daunting. She is fun, mischievous, insightful and generous.  She shares her experiences and wisdom widely, and there is much to learn from her discussions with Sophy.   Just some of the MANY takeaways include: Managing success at a young age, and how people respond to that success, "the most important relationship is the one with yourself."  The importance of turning confrontations into conversations.  Understanding that what is dangerous for some feels safe for others.  Knowing what your values are early on and being able to articulate them.  The crucial power of relationships, of holding on to them, and letting go of them and the absolute importance of egalitarianism (aka human flirtations). You are the CEO of your own career. Curate your own personal boardroom of advisors, and know the expanse of your network, and who to tap into for different scenarios and advice.  Remembering that leadership needs a phenomenal network.  Hope is harvesting opportunities and seeing possibilities everywhere.  Sometimes we have to manage the difficult stuff, so understanding how is key.  Why humour is a superpower.  Always be careful what you say yes to and remember to think about what you want your exit to look like. Progress is a series of tiny wins built on years of experience. Remember that!  LINKS: Monica Chadha LinkedIn Sophy Norris LinkedIn The Dangerous Women Collective LinkedIn The Alligator Pi Agency LinkedIn

  5. Apr 29

    Series 5, Episode 5 - "The Motherhood Penalty". Sophy Norris in conversation with Maike Currie, VP of Personal Finance at PensionBee, Author and Award-Winning Financial Commentator

    In this episode we are talking money, or at least how we, as women, need to become more financially literate and future-focused. We are, as we all know, living longer, sometimes much longer, lives. I suspect many of us are preparing for financial security until we are 85, but the truth is, many of us will live well past that. What happens then? These are the sort of questions the smarter amongst us are preparing for now. Which is why our host Sophy Norris is speaking to an expert on personal finance, and pensions in particular, and someone who happens to be pretty dangerous! Maike Currie is an author, award-winning financial commentator, and advocate for improving women’s financial resilience. With more than two decades of experience in markets, money, investments, and pensions, she has held senior roles across the investment industry. She is a familiar voice in the media, regularly appearing on TV, radio and in national newspapers to explain what’s happening in the economy - and what it means for your money.  In particular, Maike specialises in helping women take control of their financial futures, with a particular focus on pensions, investing and closing the gender wealth gap. She is also a working mother with two children, an expat living far from home and like so many of us, juggles work and life!  Sophy and Maike discuss all of this and more in an educational episode.   Just some of the areas they cover include:  The importance of women taking control of their own finances; it empowers us and enables us to make our own choices  Women can create wealth; we just need to get comfortable talking about it , especially as we live longer! Investment has been, and still is, male-dominated - there is no female Warren Buffett  The Gender Pay Gap remains at 18%, while the Gender Pension Gap is 37%. On average, women have £100,000 less in their pension pots than men.  And this is thanks to the career breaks women find they have to take How genders think about wealth differs: women think about what they have to share, whereas men think about how it defines them  The insidious nature of the "pink tax"  Women are far more likely to inherit 2x, once from parents and once from partners, so it is to our advantage to take control, even when it means moving outside our comfort zone, or into what can feel awkward  The power of global citizenship, and the broader perspective it gives us  Financial education and literacy should start as early as 7, once a child knows they can spend, and must be baked into school  Links: Maike Currie LinkedIn PensionBee UK Sophy Norris LinkedIn The Alligator Pi Agency LinkedIn Romi Savova LinkedIn The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel Untamed by Glennon Doyle

  6. Apr 15

    Series 5, Episode 4 - "Curiosity, Reflection and Kindness." Sophy Norris in conversation with Birthe Mester, Organisational Culture Expert and Founder of Culture Dividend

    In this week's Episode, our host Sophy Norris speaks to Birthe Mester, board advisor and award-winning organisational development and culture change expert. She is also a thought leader, facilitator, conference speaker, accredited mediator and coach with a 30-year cross sector track record and deep expertise in transforming performance, engagement and culture of complex global organisations. As with so many dangerous women, Birthe’s career has been expansive. Before launching her current business Culture Dividend, she was a Senior leader at Deutsche Bank for 15 years, working closely with the board and leadership team on the employee effectiveness agenda. Responsible for embedding significant enterprise wide behavioural and culture change in a sustainable manner and in line with strategic and commercial objectives as well as corporate values. We have talked on this podcast before about riding the transformation wave, and how exhausting battling every wave can be, finding a way to skim across the crests seems to be the trick, Culture change is part of our everyday lives now, whether it is complex, matrixed, enterprise organisations, or the solo worker finding a fresh path and everything in between, and Birthe and Sophy explore this across their conversation. In this Episode we cover:  How dangerousness in the eye of the beholder Not pleasing everyone all the time, the power of difficult questions and the importance of inconvenient truths  Knowledge is power, but so is experience  Why businesses, like leopards, don't change their spots; the DNA is always there. But it is possible to adapt DNA to modern thinking  Meeting people where they are; listen; channel everyday behaviours to push change  If you want to survive as an organisation, diversity of thought is key  Culture is linked to performance, and performance is critical  Businesses that engender trust have more accountable and more collaborative employees Increading the size of the pie is more important than increasing the slice  Think penguins and flamingos - corporate change is not one size fits all  Links:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/birthemester/ culture-dividend.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophy-norris/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-alligator-pi-agency/ Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kayhneman Brian Eno - Oblique Strategies

  7. Mar 25

    Series 5, Episode 3 - "Early, Ugly and Often". Sophy Norris in conversation with Sarah Thomas PhD, Group CMO and EVP Capgemini

    This week's guest is Sarah Thomas PhD, Chief Marketing Officer and EVP of Consultancy giant Capgemini. Sarah is an experienced B2B marketing and communications leader with a passion for innovation, creativity, and technology. She has spent her marketing career in global roles within the business services and technology sector.  Before her role at Capgemini, Sarah led the Brand-led Employee Experience practice for award-winning brand consulting, design and experience agency, Landor and spent a significant part of her career at Accenture, where she held senior Marketing and Communications leadership roles, including Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for the Accenture Operations business. Sarah has a scientific background, gaining a PhD in molecular biology at Warwick Uni, becoming a virologist, and specialising in the HIV virus in the 90s, at the height of the epidemic, and fear. It is unsurprising that Sarah is a passionate advocate for STEM education for girls and is a champion for growing the next generation of innovators. In this episode, we cover what it means to become and be a leader, and how to craft our own careers.  Areas we discuss include:  The importance of leaving every door open as we work our way up our careers Perusing our passions and leaning into intuition to discover what is right for us  Proactively running towards something, instead of running away  Why speed is as vital as perfection, "good enough" is so important  Don't be all things to all people Learning by doing and curating mentorships Being curious, rolling our sleeves up, owning our careers  Support  bold decision-making and always have your team's back  Why a low boredom threshold is a good thing  Telling people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear  Why hiring for mindset is important, and defines an ambitious career Why it's so important to be inspired, and the flywheel of work and hobbies Work should be fun The power of cheerleading Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsarahthomas/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophy-norris/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/capgemini/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-alligator-pi-agency https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryambanikarim/  TED Talk - Life's an obstacle course - here's how to navigate it https://www.themessypartspodcast.com/ Instagram - @nickd_rebelcoach

  8. Mar 11

    Series 5, Episode 2 - "Unconventionality." Sophy Norris in conversation with Michelle McCann PhD. Senior Advisor, CMO, Author and visiting scholar at Queen's University Belfast.

    In our latest Episode, Sophy Norris interviews a dangerous woman who has done that most dangerous of things; she has followed the opportunities.  So much so that she now has a dual career as a marketer and a published historian.   Michelle McCann PHD has an Irish/American heritage and has lived in the UK for over thirty years. She has created a dual portfolio: on the one hand, a senior advisor and CMO; on the other, a passionate academic and visiting scholar at Queen's University Belfast.  From a marketing point of view, Michelle is a B2B Marketing/Propolis Expert and Senior Advisor at M&A advisory company Collingwood. She specialises in delivering innovative and tailored GTM solutions to founder-led and PE-backed companies with ambitious growth targets and focuses on driving value by building award-winning, high-performing teams. She has worked for enterprise businesses in the US, Ireland, and the UK. Michelle is also an accomplished professional historian and published author, specialising in nineteenth and early twentieth century Irish social and political history, with expertise in topics ranging from death investigation and the Great Famine to gender studies and the Irish Civil War. As an enthusiastic speaker, she shares her knowledge on diverse subjects, including administrative history, art history, innovation, and Irish estate life and management. Her published works, Melancholy Madness, published in 2003 and The Irish Coroner: Death, Murder and Politics in Co. Monaghan, 1846-78, released in 2023, unite Michelle’s passion for Irish social history, rigorous research, and storytelling. In this Episode Sophy and Michelle discuss how to take the road less travelled, crafting a career that works for each of us individually, and the power of being unconventional.  Amongst other things, they discuss: The importance of chosing place, where is right for us personally?  How following your passion should mean making the right choices Starting over and reinvention Finding our tribes The well-being a hybrid/dual career can bring  Spending time outside work differently How not to say in our lanes  Why telling the truth is the hallmark of a dangerous woman Seeing it through to the end:  "I can do this. I have got to make this work"  The skill of getting agreement and buy-in Living in an ageist world  Trying everything and doing it for the joy  Remembering that underneath it all, we are all just naked humans  Taking the gang on your journey  Why being a contrarian is so important    Links and References Michelle McCann LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mimccann/ Sophy Norris LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophy-norris/ The Alligator Pi Agency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-alligator-pi-agency/ Collingwood LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/collingwood-advisory-ltd/ Melancholy Madness (A Coroners Casebook) by Michelle McCann: https://bit.ly/3MUR40B The Irish Coroner: Death, Murder and Politics in Co. Monaghan by Michelle McCann  https://bit.ly/40RqzfE  The Rest Is Entertainment: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRestIsEntertainment Olwen Perdue, Queen's University Belfast: https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/persons/olwen-purdue/

    Series 5, Episode 2 - "Unconventionality." Sophy Norris in conversation with Michelle McCann PhD. Senior Advisor, CMO, Author and visiting scholar at Queen's University Belfast.
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About

Welcome to Series 6 of the Dangerous Women Podcast hosted by me, Sophy Norris. This podcast claims the Dangerous Women mantle one incredible dangerous businesswoman at a time. Here we have created a space to reclaim the word dangerous, not as something reckless or destructive — but as something powerful, composed, and often misunderstood. I started this podcast after hearing women like Nicola Sturgeon and Shami Chakrabati described as “the most dangerous women in Britain.” And I remember thinking — if she were a man, we’d call her formidable. So here, dangerous is reframed to something clear. Grounded. Unapologetic. Integrated. And formidable describes our Dangerous Women Collective cohort perfectly. We are a community of professional women, and together we celebrate our achievements, support our successes and champion our contributions to the world of work. This podcast gives a voice to those who break boundaries. In this series we will be interviewing care advocates, black entrepreneurs, champions of career education, financial experts and more. Every story is raw, real and fearless. Dangerous Women share their tales of derring do to inspire and engage everyone who recognizes the power of zig versus zag. This collective is not anti men. It is 100% pro women, pro power, pro progress. If you are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with women who are rewriting the rules, then this is where you belong. This is what you should be listening to. Why be old when you can be dangerous? We dare you to listen.

Information

  • Creator
    Sophy Norris
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Dangerous Women Collective
  • Show Website
    The Dangerous Women Podcast