Winning the fight within is what Hazel Gale's story is all about. As a former champion boxer and kick-boxer turned therapist, turned tech start-up founder, Hazel shares how she re-wrote her self-limiting narratives to overcome a deep-rooted fear of weakness and failure.

At the prime of her fighting career, Hazel's body unexpectedly shut down, forcing her to confront her deepest fears and childhood-ingrained beliefs about herself. Exploring cognitive hypnotherapy helped her reframe these inner demons and reconnect with her inner child, and eventually she returned to the ring, stronger than ever. Today, Hazel is a tech entrepreneur - inspired by her own therapy journey, she created Betwixt, a mental health app that uses the power of interactive storytelling and metaphor to help hundreds of thousands of users reframe their own self-narratives.

Our conversation touched on wider issues of societal conditioning, self-perception, and the complexities of purpose and achievements - a must-listen for anyone navigating the intersection of mental health, personal growth, and professional success.

@hazel.gale.therapy on insta

@betwixt.app on insta

@lifeworkingpod on insta - follow us for more episodes and bonus video content!

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Hosted by Vicky Clarfelt

Produced by Taqwa Sadiq

Mixed by Talia Augustidis

Artwork by Poppy Newman

Video by Nada Smiljanic

Brought to you by Clarfelt + Co, a people consultancy. Find out more and say hello at www.clarfeltandco.com

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Chapters

(00:00) Introducing Hazel Gale

(01:03) Childhood Narratives

(05:45) Needing to Win and Prove Strength

(07:10) Struggles with Identity and Self-Worth

(11:30) Women and Social Conditioning

(16:39) Therapy and Cognitive Hypnotherapy

(20:58) Inner Child

(21:15) Mind Monster Solution

(24:22) Final Fight and Inner Peace

(27:26) Achieving Flow State

(30:38) Betwixt: A Mental Health Adventure

(37:42) Purpose and Making a Difference

(39:02) Conclusion

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonny Sweet is a screenwriter, novelist, and comedian - you might know him from his film Wicked Little Letters, starring Olivia Coleman, or from one of his many TV/radio performances, such as When Boris Met Dave, Chickens, and Together, or The Kellerby Code - his debut novel out now in paperback!

Jonny shared his journey from being in the Cambridge Footlights with Joe Thomas and Simon Bird, skiving off his job and winning Best Newcomer at Edinburgh, to now writing screenplays for national treasures like Jesse Buckley and Timothy Spall. We chatted about where his 'funniness' comes from and social anxiety, what makes work 'fulfilling', the creative process, perfectionism and defining success for yourself, as well as vomiting at live shows, having kids, and stress ulcers at Christmas.

Find Jonny's books here

@lifeworkingpod on insta, follow us for more episodes and bonus video!

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Hosted by Vicky Clarfelt

Produced by Taqwa Sadiq

Mixed by Talia Augustidis

Artwork by Poppy Newman

Video by Nada Smiljanic

Brought to you by Clarfelt + Co, a people consultancy. Find out more and say hello at https://www.clarfeltandco.com

Chapters

(00:00) Meet Jonny Sweet

(01:08) Cambridge Footlights

(06:34) First time skiving work

(08:19) Working with friends

(11:35) Where does the 'funny' come from?

(14:19) Changing course

(15:40) Healthy relationship with work

(18:54) Novel-writing and creative process

(20:31) The Kellerby Code

(21:45) Creativity as career

(24:35) Juggling family and work

(25:34) Wicked Little Letters

(28:37) Defining success

(29:56) Conclusion

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From side-hustling in her teens to bootstrapping a seven-figure beauty and Ed-Tech company in her twenties, Oyin Adebayo is an entrepreneurial force with an incredible backstory.

The founder and angel investor shared how her childhood in Nigeria, unusual upbringing and difficult transition to the UK, all gave her the resilience, resourcefulness, perspective, and inner steeliness that make her successful in the worlds of tech, business and social impact today. Oyin is the founder of Niyo Group, a global tech company that combines beauty and education whilst uplifting and up-skilling marginalised communities.

Find Oyin at her website here, on LinkedIN, and @oyinadebayo_ on insta

@lifeworkingpod on insta, follow us for more episodes and bonus video!

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Hosted by Vicky Clarfelt

Produced by Taqwa Sadiq

Mixed by George Powell

Artwork by Poppy Newman

Video by Nada Smiljanic

Brought to you by Clarfelt + Co, a people consultancy. Find out more and say hello at https://www.clarfeltandco.com

Chapters

(00:00) Meet Oyin Adebayo: Tech Entrepreneur and Angel Investor

(00:49) Entrepreneurial Childhood

(03:33) Cultural Shifts: From Nigeria to the UK

(07:40) Identity and Activism in a New Environment

(13:02) Immigration Battles

(14:59) Overcoming Funding Challenges

(15:22) Entrepreneurial Beginnings

(15:42) Niyo Group Origin Story

(16:22) Celebrity Hair

(17:32) Hair to Tech: The Evolution of Niyo

(19:16) Up-skilling and Empowering Women in Tech

(22:38) Philanthropy and Business

(24:43) Balancing Personal and Business Goals

(26:06) Future Political Aspirations

(26:33) Intuition

(27:45) Scaling Niyo Group

(28:39) Conclusion and find out more

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fresh off his award-winning debut feature, 'Last Swim', film director Sasha Nathwani reflects on what it takes to make your creative dreams come true - the answer: a lot of personal sacrifice, intentionality, purpose, and extraordinary perseverance.

Sasha shares his journey from his Persian grandma introducing him to Italian-American cinema, to going to same film school as Spike Lee and Scorcese in New York, to eventually finding his authentic creative voice back at home in London. He talks about the reality of finances as a creative, how comparing yourself to others holds you back, and the challenges of staying true to artistic integrity while navigating commercial projects. A relatable conversation for any creative!

@sashanathwani on insta and find out more about Last Swim

@lifeworkingpod on insta - follow us for more episodes and bonus video content!

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Hosted by Vicky Clarfelt

Produced by Taqwa Sadiq

Mixed by Talia Augustidis

Artwork by Poppy Newman

Video by Nada Smiljanic

Brought to you by Clarfelt + Co, a people consultancy. Find out more and say hello at https://www.clarfeltandco.com

Chapters

(00:00) Meet Sasha

(01:03) Sasha's film 'Last Swim'

(02:33) A-level results day

(03:40) Falling in love with film

(06:05) Italian-American cinema

(06:45) New York film school

(09:10) Identity and perspective

(10:21) Creative collaboration

(11:50) A difficult start

(13:00) Comparing with others

(13:49) Perseverance

(14:49) Moving home at 30

(17:15) Pitching

(19:50) Authenticity

(22:27) Sudden success

(23:49) Festivals and BFI premiere

(26:13) Family and healthy relationships

(28:05) Conclusion

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A near death experience led Dwayne on the adventure of a lifetime - an expedition to the North Pole. Today he is a professional explorer, TV presenter and the Chief Scout.

Dwayne moved from Jamaica to North London aged six, after experiencing childhood depression and a violent, life-threatening experience in adulthood, Dwayne decided to walk to the North Pole - becoming the first black Briton to do so. His adventures inspired him to support a new generation of young and underprivileged kids to connect with the outdoors.

We spoke about resilience, defying others' expectations, developing self-confidence, courage and imposter syndrome, male role-models and parental influence, and how to avoid getting eaten by a polar bear!

@dwaynefields on insta

@lifeworkingpod on insta - follow us for more episodes and bonus video content!

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Hosted by Vicky Clarfelt

Produced by Taqwa Sadiq

Edited and Mixed by Talia Augustidis

Artwork by Poppy Newman

Video by Nada Smiljanic

Brought to you by Clarfelt + Co, a people consultancy. Find out more and say hello at https://www.clarfeltandco.com

Chapters

(00:00) Meet Dwayne Fields: Adventurer and TV Presenter

(01:48) Life in Jamaica

(04:42) Adjusting to London

(05:57) Childhood Depression

(06:40) Relentless Violence

(07:22) Life-Threatening Encounter

(10:39) Defying Others' Expectations

(12:30) Rediscovering Nature

(13:52) Turning Point

(15:08) The North Pole

(15:27) Financial Barriers

(17:05) Matthew Henson

(17:37) Defying Expectations

(18:41) Journey of a Lifetime

(20:16) Another World

(21:45) Escaping a Polar Bear

(24:26) Mental and Physical Journey

(26:43) Balancing Family and Working Abroad

(27:54) Chief Scout

(29:08) Kids and Self-confidence

(32:08) Find Dwayne Online

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From a micro-bakery and a newborn in her tiny flat, to make-shift bakeries catching fire and getting rejected by potential investors, to an iconic chain of unforgettably pink bakeries across London with queues down the street - Sourdough Sophia is an unusual story of family legacy and traditional craft intersecting with business acumen, entrepreneurial grit, and working professionally with family.

We had an honest, relatable chat about the challenges and rewards of running a family business, sacrifice, resilience, validation and coming back from failure, managing stress, the value of community, and Sophia's German heritage and mission to bring real bread to the UK.

Sophia Handschuh - @sourdoughsophia on insta

@lifeworkingpod on insta - follow us for more episodes and bonus video content!

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Hosted by Vicky Clarfelt

Produced by Taqwa Sadiq

Artwork by Poppy Newman

Video by Nada Smiljanic

Mixed by George Powell

Brought to you by Clarfelt + Co, a people consultancy. Find out more and say hello at https://www.clarfeltandco.com

Chapters

(00:00) Meet Sophia: Founder of Sourdough Sophia

(01:31) A Rustic Childhood and Family Traditions

(03:52) Escaping to the UK

(05:24) The Bread Crisis in the UK

(07:48) The Origin Story of Sourdough Sophia

(10:24) Closing the Business in Covid

(14:11) Balancing Work and Personal Life

(14:33) Marriage and Work Stress

(15:55) Fire!

(17:37) A Rough Start

(19:40) Success, Resilience, Validation

(23:18) Doing Business as a Couple

(26:24) Expanding the Business

(27:04) Rejected by Investors

(27:37) Community Funding and Investment

(28:07) Family Legacy

(29:38) Future Plans and Conclusion

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back!! Starting off S2 with Becky Barnicoat, acclaimed cartoonist for The New Yorker, Guardian, BuzzFeed, The New Statesman and more.

Becky shares her long journey to cartooning professionally —from facing discouragement as a child, feeling isolated in formal institutions, and chronic insomnia, to her success as a cartoonist and the launch of her new book 'Cry When the Baby Cries.'

We chat about the struggles of creative expression, being true to yourself at work, flow state and finding your unique creative voice, and the challenges of new parenthood!

Becky Barnicoat - @beckybarnicomics on insta

Get Becky's book - Cry When The Baby Cries

@lifeworkingpod on insta - follow us for more episodes and bonus video content!

Hosted by Vicky Clarfelt

Produced by Taqwa Sadiq

Artwork by Poppy Newman

Video by Nada Smiljanic

Mixed by George Powell

Brought to you by Clarfelt + Co, a people consultancy. Find out more and say hello at https://www.clarfeltandco.com

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

01:25 Becky's Childhood Interest in Cartooning

03:00 Unspoken Rules and feeling Isolated

04:19 Not Being Naturally Talented at Drawing

05:45 Fighting to Pursue Art at School

09:38 Identity Struggles and Creative Voice

12:40 Not Being True to Yourself at Work

13:50 Insomnia and Rediscovering Drawing

17:00 Waking Dreaming and Flow States

18:34 Professional Cartooning

19:05 Pressure, Self-Doubt and Creative Process

23:20 Infantilised at Work, Fear of Being Fired

25:20 Cry When The Baby Cries

25:40 Struggling at Work

27.12 Wardrobe Woes and Ballet Flats

28:55 Parenting and Cartooning

29:48 Loneliness

30:47 Consumerism and Parenting

32:37 Conclusion

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An extra special season finale - we're joined by Harriet Minter, the award-winning broadcaster, writer, coach, sex therapist-in-training and workplace revolutionary... this episode truly has it all!

Harriet has spent decades writing about and changing the future of work. She famously launched the Guardian's Women in Work section, has appeared on the BBC, Sky News, and sparring with Piers Morgan on the GMB sofa. She hosted a top ten business podcast, has two TED talks and two books on leadership and hybrid work.

Harriet and I went behind the scenes of her illustrious career, exploring how her childhood shapes her views about women and work, her mid-life-crisis, and how she overcame childhood traumas and fears about money. She shared how her diabetes diagnosis shifted her approach to work and how looking at our personal relationship styles can actually tell us a lot about improving our work relationships.

Brought to you by Clarfelt + Co, a people consultancy. Find out more and say hello at https://www.clarfeltandco.com

Harriet Minter - http://harrietminter.com/ and @harrietminter on Instagram and LinkedIn

Harriet's Book - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/57302763-wfh-working-from-home

Harriet's TED talks on women and work and what yoga taught her about failure

Chapters

(00:00) Meet Harriet Minter

(02:04) Harriet's Childhood and Struggles with Asthma

(05:32) Impact of Parents' Business on Harriet's Career Views

(11:54) Launching Women in Leadership at The Guardian

(14:50) Realisations and Milestones

(21:41) The Courage to Quit

(23:50) Reframing Financial Fears

(26:00) Overcoming Childhood Traumas

(28:43) Sickness and Work

(39:28) Rethinking Work Structures

(42:29) Personal and Workplace Relationships

(44:12) The Gottman Institute and Toxic Work Relationships

(49:15) Leadership Styles

(51:24) Final Thoughts

Hosted by Vicky Clarfelt

Produced by Taqwa Sadiq

Artwork by Poppy Newman

Socials and Content by Zina Wilkins

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.