Voices Abigail Johnston

Anna Devitt is a phenomenal woman of many accolades. 

Taken from her LinkedIn where you can find her.  "Founder of DirectDevitt Comedy & Confidence™ Anna founded DirectDevitt Comedy & Confidence ™ – Supplying the only SCQF SQA Accredited Course in Comedy & Confidence (SCQF Level 3,4, 5 & 6). The Business has been awarded: Most ambitious Woman in Training and Education, Creative Edge Winner, Social Index Entrepreneur, Inspiring Woman, Enterprise in Education, Young Edge Winner and were a finalist at The Scottish Variety Awards 2017 Best New Company in Scotland.  Anna also is a highly sought after keynote speaker for several corporate businesses and third sector organisations, bringing laughter to serious subjects.  Anna has vast experience within her field. Her CV covers creative curriculum, keynotes and previously Theatre, TV, radio and workshops. She is an award winning Stand up comedian (Best New Comic 2013 Scottish Variety, Hackney Empire NATY 2013 finalist). Previously Anna has, producing shows for all major festivals and appeared on Britain's Got Talent."  

During this conversation we discuss 

1. Mental Health  

2. Social media and influencers


Find myself, Abigail Johnston on @abigailjohnston_ on instagram.

This is the 8th episode of Voices. Voices is a platform where we discuss anything and everything. This episode is in relation to gynaecological cancer awareness month (which is a campaign set up by the charity The Eve Appeal, to increase awareness surrounding gynaecological cancers, this happens every September). 

During this conversation, we also discuss the stigma surrounding female reproductive health in general.   Dr Esther McNeill provides a unique experience as a gynaecologist and obstetrician, where she is able to discuss this topic from a medical and female perspective.   

We discuss: - The stigma surrounding female reproductive health  - All things cervical smears  - The importance of getting to know your own body  - Gynaecological cancers - their symptoms and risk factors  AND MUCH MORE  

Thank you for all your support and hope you take something away from this conversation.  

Feel free to find me on Instagram at @abigailjohnston_

Amy is one of my dearest friends, in fact, she used to be my neighbour when we were young. Amy is currently studying Dentistry at Glasgow University and has started an initiative surrounding oral cancer awareness. Today we asked me all about my Miss Universe Great Britain Final Journey.   

During this interview, we discuss: 

1. How did you manage to balance Miss Universe Great Britain and Medical school? 

2. What is the most surprising thing I have learned from competing in Miss Universe Great Britain Final? 

3. What has been the most enjoyable aspect of competing and preparing for the Miss Universe Great Britain Final? 

4. Why did you choose Books Abroad as your charity? How did you get in touch with them?  



If you would like to follow my journey to the Miss Universe Great Britain Final, then please follow me on this channel and on my Instagram: @abigailjohnston_  

If you have any spare books lying at home, please leave a comment and I can be in touch. I have collected over 1000 books so far, and these books will be redistributed to lower-income countries.   

Thank you for all your support and hope you take something away from this conversation.   Feel free to leave a review and any suggestions you have for future episodes. 

Amy is one of my dearest friends, in fact, she used to be my neighbour when we were young. Amy is currently studying Dentistry at Glasgow University and has started an initiative surrounding oral cancer awareness. Furthermore, Amy is one of, if not the most organised individual I have ever met in my whole life. Therefore, I thought it would be better to discuss tips for being productive and organised.   

During this interview, we discuss: 

1. Balancing your studies and other commitments. 

2. Tips for staying organised. 

3. What time are you most productive? 

4. What are your distractions? How can we best minimise distractions? 

5. How do you structure your study time? Breaks? 

6. How do you prioritise what you have to do? 

7. Amy then asks me how I balance being  Miss Universe Great Britain Finalist and studying medicine.  

If you would like to follow my journey to the Miss Universe Great Britain Final, then please follow me on whatever podcast platform you are listening to and on my Instagram: @abigailjohnston_  



Thank you for all your support and hope you take something away from this conversation.

I had an intriguing and honest conversation with Evelyn, where we discussed the challenges of women raising funding in business. Followed by this, the conversation took a different route, and we chatted about the benefits of buying vintage. These topics were chosen because Evelyn feels passionate about them.   Evelyn McDonald is a fantastic woman who possesses numerous accolades. Currently, she is the CEO of Scottish EDGE, a Board Member at Scottish Design Exchange and an assessor for Small Business Charter.



During this conversation, we discuss 1. What challenges do women face in raising funding? 2. Bias that exists towards women in business/raising funding. 3. How can we help women raise funding in business? 4. What can women do themselves to help them raise funding in business? 5. How can we encourage women to enter the business? 6. Why is the word sassy just associated with women and not men? 7. Confidence vs. arrogance? 8. Women criticising other women  9. Do we as women put ourselves in boxes? Do we create our own limitations in our mindset? 10. Do we worry about how people perceive us? 11. Why are women better at raising money through crowdfunding? 12. What other challenges do women face in business? 13. Why should we buy vintage? 14. Best Vintage shops in Scotland? 15. Fast fashion  16. if you could ask a Miss Universe Great Britain Finalist a question, what would you ask them? 17. What is the one message you would give to girls and women? 

If you would like to follow my journey to the Miss Universe Great Britain Final, then please follow me on this channel and on my Instagram: @abigailjohnston_  



Thank you for all your support and hope you take something away from this conversation.

Feel free to subscribe for more content like this, and message me on Instagram for any podcast requests. You can find this video on 'Voices' on youtube if you would prefer a video as well as an audio clip.

An absolute pleasure to interview Margaret Gibson, who was the first woman in Scotland to receive the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion, as well as the Woman of Influence award for her mentoring by Action for Children. 

During this conversation, we covered: 1. Why supporting young women in business/general career is so important  2. The challenges women face in the workplace 3. The shift in attitudes towards women in business now compared to thirty years ago 4. The shift in attitudes of women towards themselves in business  5. How do we support women in business and in the workplace 6. What support exists out there for women starting a business  7. Do you think every woman should have a coach/mentor  8. What is the one message you would give to girls and women   

I am currently competing as a Miss Universe Great Britain Finalist, so if you would like to follow my journey or see more of what I do, my Instagram is @abigailjohnston_

You can also find my youtube channel on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTAdGbw9m1ROQn0m5C3MigA (also called Voices).