Reign with Josh Smith Colour It In Studios Ltd.

Have you had a very up and down relationship with exercise? I have! That was until the fitness queen Leanne Hainsby-Alldis came into my life via the Peloton Bike! 

If you have jumped on a Peloton before you will recognise Leanne for her sparkle and pure positivity. But before fitness fame, Leanne spent a decade as a professional dancer (my dream job - shame I don’t have enough rhythm) working with everyone from Taylor Swift to Katy Perry. That all changed when on a 10/10 hangover she was headhunted to become an instructor by Peloton’s very own Cody Rigsby. 

Today Leanne serves us a healthy dose of motivation - no matter where you are at in your fitness journey - and reflects on how career change, milestone anxiety and all the things we experienced in our 20s and 30s have shaped her. 

But it was a change she didn’t see coming that has really shaped Leanne into the person she is today. In August 2022, shortly after losing her best friend she was diagnosed with cancer. 

We recorded this just before her wedding to fellow Peloton instructor, Ben Alldis and Leanne powerfully shares her story with us and just how life changing the last few years have been. Leanne is a role model for resilience and I hope her strength really inspires you. Like Leanne says, energy starts with you - so I hope her words encourage you to nurture and look after your energy no matter what situation you find yourself in. If Leanne’s words resonate with you, drop me a message - I am @joshsmithhosts across social media. Love Josh x

P.S. In this epsidoe you will have heard me talk about my book, ‘Great Chat: Seven Lessons for Better Conversation, Deeper Connections and Improved Wellbeing’ which is out now! You can get your copy here https://geni.us/GreatChat and I really hope it inspires you to start using conversation as a self help practice, empowers you to be a better communicator and helps you build the connections you are deserving of.
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I am serving you an ACE episode today as we are joined by three time grand slam champion, Stan Wawrinka! See what I did there?!? 

In case you can’t tell when you listen to the episode I am beside myself excited that we recorded this at the evian Mountain of Youth VIP suite at *actual* Wimbledon just before the championships kicked off. I had goosebumps all over walking around these iconic grounds. 

Stan or rather Stan The Man or Stanminal - depending on your nickname of choice - is a true sporting great. Not only has he won THREE grand slam titles, the French Open, the US open, the Australian Open Stan has won Olympic gold alongside fellow swiss icon Roger Federer, 31 career titles and double quarter finalist here at Wimbledon, too. And he already has his hands on the Wimbledon trophy as you will find out in this episode…

Today Stan talks about his journey to the top of tennis, reveals the secrets behind his champion mentality, the big loss that actually empowered him (against Novak Djokovic no less) and he serves us the best advice for nurturing our mindset and living a life without regret. 

If we couldn’t love Stan more - he is such a great guy - he also talks about how other sports need to catch up with Tennis when it comes to gender parity!

I hope Stan also inspires you to not only adopt a fresh mindset but embrace failure, too and if he does get in touch with me via social media @joshsmithhosts - I always love talking to you and there is nothing more I love than talking about tennis! And if you love tennis make sure you check out the episode with Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina too! Love, Josh x 

P.S This podcast episode is sponsored by evian and it is an absolute dream come true to have recorded this amazing episode in the evian Mountain of Youth VIP suite at ACTUAL WIMBLEDON to celebrate the start of this iconic sporting event. evian have been keeping players and spectators refreshed at The Championships since 2008 as the official water partner. Keeping hydrated is one of the easiest acts of self care we can all participate in too. Drinking at least 2 litres of fluid, including water, a day can contribute to the maintenance of normal physical and cognitive function so grab your evian bottle and stay hydrated! 

P.PS. In this epsidoe you will have heard me talk about my book, ‘Great Chat: Seven Lessons for Better Conversation, Deeper Connections and Improved Wellbeing’ which is out now! You can get your copy here https://geni.us/GreatChat and I really hope it inspires you to start using conversation as a self help practice, empowers you to be a better communicator and helps you build the connections you are deserving of.
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I am so excited to share this very special bonus episode of the podcast with you, it’s an extract of my audio book, ‘Great Chat: Seven Lessons for Better Conversations, Deeper Connections and Improved Wellbeing’ which is out now in audio and hardback. 

Hardback copy:https://geni.us/GreatChat
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1HH55EZsUSYtajczP6yjjJ?si=6ba9bc48f73544a0
Audible: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Great-Chat-Audiobook/B0CVLG18ZC?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp
Apple: https://apple.co/4ajKZkf

I think I might have mentioned I have written a book a few times… maybe…and in case you didn’t know already I LOVE to chat. But when I look around it really feels like in this digital age we have lost the art of real life conversation. We are more lonely and anxious than we have ever been and chatting really is the way to reverse that and I know personally how transformative it can be for your wellbeing. That’s where ‘Great Chat’ comes in! 

‘Great Chat’ uses all the lessons I have learnt from over a decade of interviewing every mood and personality and every celebrity from Oprah to Victoria Beckham, alongside jaw dropping research to give you a practical guide to help you create more meaningful conversation, whatever the situation. That could be on dates or winning someone over at work - you name it Great Chat is your wingman for any conversation or scenario - and it will help you with everything from becoming an active listener to embracing difficult conversations. 

‘Great Chat’ will help you turn chatting into a self help practice to help YOUR wellbeing and I really hope you will build more meaningful connections with the people already in your life and the people you don’t know yet after reading and listening to it. 

So here’s the introduction to Great Chat - I hope you love it and when you listen to the audio book you will also find an exclusive chat with me and the mega babe Emma Willis, where we put some of the ‘Great Chat’ lessons into practice. Trust me - you’re gonna wanna hear this! Let me know what you think - you can get me @joshsmithhosts - can’t wait to have a GREAT CHAT with you. Love Josh x

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As a House of The Dragon fan I am SO excited that we are joined by the show’s stars Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke for this episode! 

If you are not familiar with the prequel series to Game of Thrones already - where have you been babes - it slays in many ways. There’s murder, there’s backstabbing, a whole lot of hot people getting up to hot things, and many storylines to get your head around, so it’s time to take a trip to Westeros if you haven’t already (and you don’t even have to have watched Game of Thrones to love the show). 

At the centre of it all is Princess Rhaenyra played by Emma D’Arcy and her childhood best friend, Allicent Hightower, played by Olivia Cooke who destroy their friendship in the quest for power. If you thought you had had a tough friendship break up, this is NEXT LEVEL. 

Outside of Westeros you may also already recognise Olivia from the Oscar nominated The Sound of Metal, Me Earl and The Girl, Ready Player One and Apple TV’s Slow Horses. And whilst this is Emma’s breakout role they were nominated for a Golden Globe for their scene stealing performance. 

Today as they return to House of The Dragon season two - which is available now on Sky and streaming service NOW - they talk about the moments on the show that had them clutching their pearls, how they are finally finding their power in their roles and the sheer embarrassment of getting smacked in the face (or in Emma’s case being spat in the face by a co-star!). 

What I love most about this episode though is when Emma opens up beautifully about the relief at being able to live their life openly as a non-binary person and just how cute the friendship they have built off screen is. If you love the episode too, get in touch with me via social media @joshsmithhosts - I always love talking to you. Love, Josh x

P.S. In this epsidoe you will have heard me talk about my book, ‘Great Chat: Seven Lessons for Better Conversation, Deeper Connections and Improved Wellbeing’ which is FINALLY out this week! You can get your copy here https://geni.us/GreatChat and I really hope it inspires you to start using conversation as a self help practice, empowers you to be a better communicator and helps you build the connections you are deserving of. 

P.P.S. This episode is sponsored by Bicester Village which I am so excited about as it’s one of my favourite go-to day trips for great chats and great bonding time with my loved ones. If you need a little retail therapy with a pal, Bicester Village is home to more than 150 fashion and lifestyle boutiques, renowned restaurants and five star service - and we all deserve a bit of five star service don’t we?! But luxury doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag, as Bicester Village offers up to 40% off the original retail prices ALL YEAR ROUND. Race you there? It’s only an hour from London Marylebone station if you are based in London!  
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May the force be with you on this week’s episode as we are joined by Daisy Ridley. 

Many of you will know Daisy from her breakout role playing Rey in three blockbuster ‘Star Wars’ movies and now she’s back in the legendary Jerry Bruckheimer’s new movie, ‘Young Woman and The Sea’, playing Trudie Ederlee, the first woman to swim the English Channel who not only had to deal with life threatening situations, she had to face a host of 1920s misogyny too. 

It is already one of my favourite movies ever (bold statement but wait until you see it) and you are going to LOVE it too because it’s everything we love on Reign: sticking two fingers up at the patriarchy and proving the haters wrong! 

I LOVED talking to Daisy and she joins us post going out OUT (she’s a bit of us) to talk about the incredible physical and mental challenges the film presented her, the sexism she has faced in her own life and how creating her next movie ‘Magpie’ with her husband Tom Bateman was a huge moment of overcoming self doubt. 

Daisy also teases her return to ‘Star Wars’ but what I love most about this episode is Daisy’s words on how powerful finding your people and having the right people around you is. So I hope this inspires you to lean on those around you or to go out there and find your people! 

If you love this chinwag with Daisy or you head straight to watch ‘Young Woman and The Sea’ and wanna compare notes get in touch with me via social media @joshsmithhosts - I always love talking to you. Love, Josh x

P.S. You will also have heard me mention my book in this episode. ‘Great Chat: Seven Lessons for Better Conversation, Deeper Connections and Improved Wellbeing’ - you can pre-order it here: https://geni.us/GreatChat ahead of its release on 20th June. 

P.P.S. This episode is sponsored by Bicester Village which I am so excited about as it’s one of my favourite go-to day trips for great chats and great bonding time with my loved ones. If you need a little retail therapy with a pal, Bicester Village is home to more than 150 fashion and lifestyle boutiques, renowned restaurants and five star service - and we all deserve a bit of five star service don’t we?! But luxury doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag, as Bicester Village offers up to 40% off the original retail prices ALL YEAR ROUND. Race you there? It’s only an hour from London Marylebone station if you are based in London!  
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This is such a special episode as we are joined by the star of Baby Reindeer, Jessica Gunning, who shares her coming out story for the very first time publicly. 

I felt so honoured to be able to help Jessica tell her story, and I hope as we start Pride Month, no matter how you identify, or how you are currently feeling about your identity, Jessica’s story will inspire you to embrace yourself and celebrate YOU.

As you will hear in this episode Jessica is every bit as incredible off screen as she is on screen and the entire world has now woken up to her talents in Netflix’s Baby Reindeer. If you are one of the few who hasn’t watched the show yet, it was created by, and stars Richard Gadd, who brings his own life story to screen as his character Donny is intensely stalked by Jessica’s character, Martha. It’s one of the best TV shows not just of the year, but ever, as it goes from comical to heartbreaking in just a few seconds. 

But this is no overnight success, as Jessica talks us through her epic career and the incredible lessons she has learnt along the way from her first big role in one of my favourite movies of all time, Pride, to playing the hilarious parole officer Dianne in the BBC comedy, The Outlaws, which is back for a third season. 

Along with our emotional chat about coming out, Jessica serves the comedy too as we talk about our failure to grasp the French language and her hilarious run in with The Outlaws co-star, Christopher Walken. 

If you love this chat as much as I do please get in touch with me via social media @joshsmithhosts - it is always great hearing from you. Love, Josh x

P.S. You will also have heard me mention my book in this episode. ‘Great Chat: Seven Lessons for Better Conversation, Deeper Connections and Improved Wellbeing’ - you can pre-order it here: https://geni.us/GreatChat ahead of its release on 20th June! 

P.P.S. This episode is sponsored by Bicester Village which I am so excited about as it’s one of my favourite go-to day trips for great chats and great bonding time with my loved ones. If you need a little retail therapy with a pal, Bicester Village is home to more than 150 fashion and lifestyle boutiques, renowned restaurants and five star service - and we all deserve a bit of five star service don’t we?! But luxury doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag, as Bicester Village offers up to 40% off the original retail prices ALL YEAR ROUND. Race you there? It’s only an hour from London Marylebone station if you are based in London! 

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