Episodes

  • 23.6 Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of the Guardian

    23.6 Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of the Guardian
    Apr 16 2026

    How do you manage the pressure of being in the hot seat, day in day out?

    Viv speaks to Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of The Guardian since 2015, when she became the first woman to hold the position in the newspaper's 194-year history. Under her leadership, the paper has created a successful strategy of reader funding and become an increasingly international business, with Viner overseeing a staff of over 1500 globally.

    Katharine tells Viv how she encourages people to speak up in meetings; how she handles being in the spotlight; and what it was like to collaborate with the late Alan Rickman.

    The Guardian

    The new edition of How To Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking is out now, featuring more in-depth analysis of everyone from Michelle Obama to Virginia Woolf — and extra-practical, actionable advice on honing your own speaker style

    @vivgroskop
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    32 mins
  • 23:5 Amy Poon, restaurant owner and food entrepreneur

    23:5 Amy Poon, restaurant owner and food entrepreneur
    Apr 9 2026
    How do you find the courage to keep changing the course of your career and try something new? Viv speaks to Amy Poon, who grew up in her family's famous Poon's restaurant business, and pursued various careers including art dealing and PR, before settling on her current career as a food entrepreneur. Her Chinese food heritage brand, Poon's London, produces award-winning sauces, while her beautiful central London restaurant, Poon's at Somerset House, has won accolades for its elevated Chinese home cooking. Amy's father Bill Poon was the first Chinese chef to be awarded a Michelin star in 1980 and Amy's first job was as the coat check girl in her parents' restaurant whose customers were people like Mick Jagger and Barbra Streisand. Amy tells Viv how growing up in the restaurant world gave her great communication skills; how she's never had a strategic career plan (and that's ok!); and why her 'magic soup' is always on the menu. Poon's London The new edition of How To Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking is out now, featuring more in-depth analysis of everyone from Michelle Obama to Virginia Woolf — and extra-practical, actionable advice on honing your own speaker style @vivgroskop
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    32 mins
  • 23.4 Maria Semple, novelist

    23.4 Maria Semple, novelist
    Apr 2 2026
    How can you use disappointment to fuel your future success? Viv talks to Maria Semple, who wrote the bestselling novel, Where D'You Go, Bernadette, after bouncing back from the disappointment of her first novel not making it big. Her new book, Go Gentle is the darkly funny story of Adora Hazzard, a woman who thinks she's got it all figured out in later life — she lives in a "coven" with other cool, older women — only to have the past come back to haunt her in the shape of an unresolved MeToo moment in her earlier career. In Maria Semple's own previous life before becoming a novelist, she held her own in TV writer rooms in the 1990s and early 2000s, on shows like Beverly Hills 90210, Saturday Night Live, Arrested Development, Ellen and Mad About You. Maria tells Viv about discovering her true vocation as a novelist; how being raised in a creative Hollywood family made her effortlessly confident around show-business people; and she gives an insider's view of working - often as the only woman on the team - in TV writers rooms in the 1990s. Maria Semple's new novel is Go Gentle @MariaSemple The new edition of How To Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking is out now, featuring more in-depth analysis of everyone from Michelle Obama to Virginia Woolf — and extra-practical, actionable advice on honing your own speaker style. @vivgroskop
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    38 mins
  • 23.3 I.Stephanie Boyce, Solicitor and former president of the Law Society of England and Wales

    23.3 I.Stephanie Boyce, Solicitor and former president of the Law Society of England and Wales
    Mar 26 2026
    How do you cultivate self-belief when barriers get in the way of your goals? Viv talks to I.Stephanie Boyce, a solicitor who went on to become president of the Law Society - the first person of colour to hold that title. Yet, in her early years, she had been told that law would not be an attainable career for her. This year, she was awarded a CBE in the New Year's Honours list, in recognition of her service to the legal profession, to diversity and to access to justice. She now works as a speaker, leadership consultant and strategic advisor, and is a campaigner for justice, inclusion and equal rights. She's a real champion of the underdog, a powerhouse in the field of law and a no-nonsense public speaker. Stephanie tells Viv about how to command authority in meetings; the importance of active listening; and what part a teenage job in a burger restaurant played in her growth as a public speaker. The new edition of How To Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking is out now, featuring more in-depth analysis of everyone from Michelle Obama to Virginia Woolf — and extra-practical, actionable advice on honing your own speaker style. @vivgroskop
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    35 mins
  • 23.2 Sanna Marin, former Prime Minister of Finland

    23.2 Sanna Marin, former Prime Minister of Finland
    Mar 19 2026
    How can you develop a leadership style that is calm and non-forceful? Viv talks to Sanna Marin, the former Prime Minister of Finland, who was the youngest ever elected female leader of a country, when she took that position at the age of 34. One of her major achievements when in power was overseeing Finland joining NATO in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and she lead Finland's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her premiership was also marked by a lot of media attention on her personal life. Sanna tells Viv what it's like to cope under extreme pressure; how to manage public speaking in a second language; and what advice about leadership she would pass on to others. Sanna Marin's book is 'Hope in Action: a Memoir About the Courage to Lead'. The new edition of How To Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking is out now, featuring more in-depth analysis of everyone from Michelle Obama to Virginia Woolf — and extra-practical, actionable advice on honing your own speaker style. @vivgroskop
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    33 mins
  • 23.1 Cariad Lloyd, actress and comedian

    23.1 Cariad Lloyd, actress and comedian
    Mar 12 2026
    How do you build the confidence to risk being more off-the-cuff in professional life? Viv talks to Cariad Lloyd - the actress and comedian - about making things up on the spot whilst being both in control and really, really funny. Cariad has acted in Peep Show and Inside No 9 and is a regular on shows like QI and Have I Got News For You. One of the creative forces behind the hit Jane Austen improv show, Austentatious, she's also written several children's books as well as a brilliant book about grief, You Are Not Alone. She's known for Weirdos Bookclub - the podcast she presents with Sara Pascoe - and her own hit podcast Griefcast, a series of in-depth conversations about grief. Cariad tells Viv about being a good listener; believing in positive feedback and learning to fail with joy! The new edition of How To Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking is out now, featuring more in-depth analysis of everyone from Michelle Obama to Virginia Woolf — and extra-practical, actionable advice on honing your own speaker style. @vivgroskop
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    37 mins
  • How to Own the Room - Series 23 Trailer

    How to Own the Room - Series 23 Trailer
    Mar 9 2026

    Welcome back to How to Own the Room with Viv Groskop: the podcast where inspirational women reveal the secrets of brilliant speaking.

    Yes! A new series of How to Own the Room is about to land. So make sure you're subscribed, clear your diary and get ready for a brand new set of tips and tricks from women who have been there, done that, and kept a spare T-shirt in the dressing room for spillages!

    The first guest is actress, improviser and comedian Cariad Lloyd: she cut her teeth on The Alan Partridge Show before launching her own hit podcast Griefcast.

    Viv will be sharing more ideas, revelations and insights in a series packed with excellent guests, who really know what they're talking about. This is the place to tune in for a confidence boost and some moral support.

    And don't forget to order your copy of the new paperback edition of How to Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking, featuring more in-depth analysis of everyone from Michelle Obama to Virginia Woolf — and extra-practical, actionable advice on honing your own speaker style.

    @vivgroskop
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    1 min
  • 22.6 Carrie Sun, author

    22.6 Carrie Sun, author
    Feb 9 2024

    How do you swap a soul-crushing job for one that sustains you?

    Viv talks to the writer, Carrie Sun, whose new memoir, Private Equity, is about to be released in US and UK. The story draws on Carrie's own experience of being headhunted to be Executive Assistant to a billionaire. The competitive role was glamourous but 24/7, unrelenting and led to burnout in the face of a pitiless boss.

    Carrie critiques capitalism and systems of misogyny, giving extraordinary insight into extreme hustle culture within a closed world.

    Viv and Carrie unpick these complex threads and counsel keeping a sense of perspective and plotting a way out when you need to escape.

    Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is out now.

    Find out more about Private Equity.

    @vivgroskop
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    32 mins