Liberté - Free to Be

Rachel Peru

Welcome to Liberté-Free to Be, hosted by Rachel Peru, join me as I share a fortnightly dose of midlife inspiration. Where you get to hear from some amazing people who are embracing life and breaking down midlife stereo types. Proving it’s never too late to find new passion and purpose. From health, happiness, mindset to menopause, reinvention to rebelling, no subject is off limits! Living a life of Liberté- Free to be! If you love listening to the podcast and I leave you feeling inspired then please feel free to how your support and Buy Me a Coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/RachelPeru1

  1. Apr 18

    How Following Your Passion Can Lead to Unexpected Success with Rachel Hill

    What makes someone wake up one morning and buy a model village? Rachel Hill is an entrepreneur, businesswoman, and owner of Bondville Model Village on the Yorkshire coast. She built her first business from the ground up, growing a childcare company over 16 years from just two children on roll to 4 separate sites with 800 families on roll and employing 85 staff.  She successfully sold it in 2023.  Rachel is now the owner of Bondville, Yorkshires only Model Village, which she has brought back to life with creativity, storytelling, and a strong sense of community. Alongside running the village, Rachel is also a public speaker who shares her journey through business, resilience, and motherhood, including raising her son Tommy, who has a disability. Through her work and storytelling, Rachel speaks honestly about overcoming adversity, reinvention, and the experiences that shape who we are’   Key  topics ·      Career pivot at 45 to buy a model village ·      The importance of networking and community support ·      Overcoming imposter syndrome and self-doubt ·      Storytelling through the model village to share real stories ·      Balancing personal life, health, and entrepreneurship   "Trust your gut and go for it."   Rachel Hill's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rachel_mary_hill/ Bondville Model Village on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@bondvillemodelvillage Bondville Model Village on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bondvillemodelvillage  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rachel_mary_hill/ keywords women in business, career change, networking, model village, personal growth, overcoming self-doubt, entrepreneurship, passion, life pivot, storytelling

  2. Apr 5

    Mindset Matters: The Key to Success with Olympic Gold medallist Sally Gunnell

    I had the pleasure of talking with Sally Gunnell about her journey from being an elite athlete to navigating life after retirement. Sally is still the only woman to hold the World, Olympic, European, and Commonwealth Gold Medals  at the same time, a phenomenal acheievement. We discussed the importance of mindset, body image, motherhood, and the challenges women face in maintaining health and fitness. Sally shares her insights on how to inspire women to embrace their bodies, the significance of mental wellbeing, and lots of practical advice for staying active. What I love about Sally's approach is how simple it is, just starting with small daily changes can make a huge difference to how you feel. "Starting simple is key to maintaining fitness" If you'd like to find how you could Improve your health and fitness with Sally visit www.lifehurdle.com Chapters 02:15 Mindset and Transition from Athletics 06:50 Body Image and Motherhood 10:14 Inspiring Women and Health 14:22 Practical Fitness Advice 19:34 Mental Wellbeing and Exercise 21:25 Sleep and Its Importance 23:34 Holistic Approach to Health 24:58 Redefining Success 28:10 Future Goals and Community Building @sallygunnell body confidence ,athletics, mindset, body image, motherhood, women's health, fitness advice, mental wellbeing, sleep, holistic health, community support Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share with a friend. Your support means these conversations will reach even more women who need to hear them. Keep being fabulous Rachel

  3. Mar 28

    Body Confidence, Reinvention and Finding Your Voice with Danielle Broadbent

    This week I'm joined by the brilliant Danielle,Broadbent, a broadcaster, body confidence coach and campaigner, and someone whose energy is as uplifting as it is grounding. From the moment we met a couple of years ago, I knew we shared the same passion for helping women feel more at ease in themselves and this conversation really reflects that. Danielle opens up about her journey with body confidence and how a life changing TV experience on CH4 Naked Beach completely shifted the way she saw herself. Not her body, but her mindset. And that’s where everything started to change. We talk about the years we both spent worrying about how we looked, the moments we held ourselves back, and the freedom that comes when you finally let that go. There’s also a really honest conversation about social media, the good and the bad, and how to keep showing up even when it feels hard. And alongside all of that, Danielle shares the work she’s doing to create change within the education system, something that comes from a deeply personal place and affects so many families. This is a conversation about perspective, resilience, and learning to trust yourself again. 💫 What We Cover Danielle’s journey from self doubt to self acceptance How mindset shifts can change everything The reality of diet culture and breaking free from it Social media, confidence, and handling negativity Finding your voice and stepping into new opportunities Starting something new in your 40s Letting go of people pleasing and learning to say no Why lived experience is your strength Danielle’s campaign to support children with additional needs in education The importance of alternative pathways and being seen as an individual 🔥 Key Takeaways The way you look is the least interesting thing about you Confidence comes from how you think, not how you look You don’t need everyone to understand you It’s never too late to try something new Even one message saying “this helped me” makes it worth it Being yourself is enough 💬 A Moment to Remember “The way I look is the least significant thing about me.” 🌿 About Danielle Danielle is a radio presenter, body confidence advocate and campaigner. She uses her voice to support women in feeling more confident in themselves, while also working to raise awareness and push for change in education for children with additional needs. 🎧 Listen & Subscribe If you're enjoying these conversations I’d love you to share it with someone who might need to hear it too, and leave a review if you can. It really does help these conversations reach more women. Keep being fabulous Rachel x body confidence for women over 40, self acceptance, confidence in your 40s, body image podcast, women empowerment, mindset shift, starting over later in life, authentic living, social media and confidence, women supporting women, SEND support UK, alternative education pathways, functional skills vs GCSE.

  4. Mar 7

    Self-Love, Healing and Choosing Joy: One Woman’s Story of Starting Over

    Some conversations just leave you smiling the whole way through, and this was definitely one of them. In this week's episode I’m joined by the wonderful Ami Yeasmin @ami_bisbrooke_artisans. If you already follow Ami online, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say she brings so much joy into the world. Her energy is infectious. But behind that joy is a story of resilience, heartbreak, healing and learning to truly live in the present moment. Before COVID, Ami and her husband were running a thriving sourdough bakery together after leaving their previous careers. Life was busy, exciting and growing quickly. But in a short space of time everything changed. Her marriage broke down, and soon after Ami was diagnosed with cancer. What followed was one of the most difficult periods of her life. But it also became the beginning of something new. During her recovery, Ami began thinking deeply about joy. Not the big, once in a lifetime kind of happiness we’re often told to chase, but the small everyday moments that remind us we’re alive. The kind of joy we can choose, even when life feels messy or uncertain. One symbol that carried her through that time was a pair of red boots she promised herself she would wear when she was strong enough again. Those red boots eventually led to something unexpected… dancing. What started as a spontaneous moment dancing in public after cancer treatment has become Ami’s way of spreading joy and reminding people that it’s never too late to express yourself, take up space and live fully in the moment. This conversation is honest, uplifting and full of beautiful reminders about self-acceptance, forgiveness and learning to shine as you are. ​Ami’s journey from teacher to running a successful sourdough bakery• The impact COVID had on their lives and relationship• Navigating separation later in life• Receiving a cancer diagnosis and the emotional toll of treatment• Letting go of people pleasing and learning true self-acceptance• Why Ami believes joy is something we can choose every day• The story behind her red boots• How dancing in public became a powerful act of healing• Why shining as yourself gives others permission to do the same“When you shine from the source of yourself, you give other people permission to shine too.” If you enjoy this episode, please do share it with someone who might need a little reminder that joy can still be found, even in the most unexpected places. Keep being fabulous Rachel x

  5. Feb 27

    Why We Must Do Better for the Next Generation with Mina Kumari

    This week I’m reflecting on my powerful conversation with Mina and honestly, there was so much food for thought. Mina Kumari is a body-inclusive confidence coach and personal stylist who helps women embrace their bodies, build confidence, and feel truly free in their own skin. Her work spans one-on-one coaching, transformative talks, and practical styling advice — all aimed at helping women feel empowered at every stage of life.  We talked about the importance of doing more work with younger women. Because when I look back, I can’t help but think… What if we’d had role models like Mina when we were growing up? What if we’d seen women speaking openly about body confidence, self-acceptance, and freedom? Would we have wasted fewer years being hard on ourselves?Would we have stepped into our lives sooner without apology? This episode is a reminder that the work we do now matters. Not just for us, but for the women coming after us. ✨ In This Episode We Talk About: ​Why representation and visible role model’s matter​The long-term impact of body criticism on confidence​How we can support younger women differently​The reality of this stage of life (yes, including losing your train of thought mid-sentence thanks to menopause brain!)​Why these honest conversations are so importantThere’s something beautifully freeing about just saying it as it is.  Why This Conversation Matters If even one woman hears this and decides to be kinder to herselfIf one younger woman grows up seeing more freedom and less shame Then the work is worth it.   Connect with Mina Mina is doing incredible work , from powerful talks to meaningful advocacy.Follow Mina- @minakumari_bodyconfidencecoach You can find out more about her work at www.minakumari.com. If You’re Enjoying the Podcast… Please like, subscribe and share it with a friend. Every review, every share, every conversation helps us reach more women with these stories and messages. I’ll be back next week with another inspiring guest Until then, Keep being fabulous Rachel x

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About

Welcome to Liberté-Free to Be, hosted by Rachel Peru, join me as I share a fortnightly dose of midlife inspiration. Where you get to hear from some amazing people who are embracing life and breaking down midlife stereo types. Proving it’s never too late to find new passion and purpose. From health, happiness, mindset to menopause, reinvention to rebelling, no subject is off limits! Living a life of Liberté- Free to be! If you love listening to the podcast and I leave you feeling inspired then please feel free to how your support and Buy Me a Coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/RachelPeru1