For this Christmas special there was no one better to join me than my brilliant friend, and returning guest, Upasna Bhadhal!Over the past two and a half years or so, Upi and I have shared offices, kept each other sane and generally picked each

EP88 How Feminist is Parliament? with Jess Phillips MP

Dec 13th, 2021 48m 49s

Hello! I’m really excited to introduce today’s guest to you, Jess Phillips MP.Jess almost needs no introduction. She is the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley and Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding. Jess has been an MP since 2

EP87 Leaning Into Uncertainty with Katherine Templar

Dec 6th, 2021 45m 33s

Welcome back to Raise The Bar! I'm so excited to be bringing you some new episodes with great guests!Today's episode is with behavioural neuroscientist Katherine Templar.As we near the end of 2021, burnout is at an all-time high and our resilie

Introducing... What Does Green Really Mean?

Sep 28th, 2021 1m 46s

Hello! We're back... and we've decided not just to bring you a new series, but a whole new podcast!That's right; same host, same production team. But this time, focused on green innovation, uncovering the stories of those who are building our

EP86 The Business Case for Diversity in Advertising with Imogen Tazzyman

Jul 26th, 2021 33m 58s

This week meet Imogen Tazzyman, Executive Creative Director at McCann Manchester, a 370-strong marketing and communications agency.A few months ago, Imogen emailed me about the lack of diversity in the top roles in advertising. Despite the dive

EP85 When Demand Is Greater Than Your Supply with Freddie Harrel

Jul 19th, 2021 34m 31s

This week meet the founder of Radswan, Freddie Harrel. Freddie’s entrepreneurial journey began as a fashion and lifestyle influencer. A proud shapeshifter, hair is Freddie’s freest and earliest form of self-expression. But she struggled to find

EP84 Building For A Circular Economy with Emma Shaw

Jul 12th, 2021 34m 51s

This week meet the founder of Library Of Things, Emma Shaw. Library of Things is a women-led social enterprise on a mission to make borrowing better than buying. Alongside her co-founders Rebecca and Sophia, Emma is building a circular economy

EP83 From Business of One to Business of Fifty with Cathi Harrison

Jul 5th, 2021 34m 31s

This week meet the founder and director of the Verve Group, Cathi Harrison.Over twelve years, Cathi has built four businesses under the group, repeatedly launching and scaling service-based businesses that now employ over 50 experts. The group

EP82 How Can You Trust Brands’ Sustainability Claims? with Abbie Morris

Jun 28th, 2021 24m 30s

This week meet Abbie Morris, the founder helping consumers make ethical and sustainable choices by verifying claims made by brands and retailers.Abbie founded Compare Ethics in 2018 and has since raised a pre-seed round of £441,000 through vent

EP81 Making The Internet Safer with Sasha Haco

Jun 21st, 2021 30m 9s

This week, meet the founder who is tackling the enormous problem of harmful content online, Sasha Haco.Along with a First Class Honours in Natural Sciences, Sasha was awarded the Institute of Astronomy Prize and the Queens’ College Natural Scie

EP80 How Can We Divorce Better? with Samantha Woodham

Jun 14th, 2021 38m 45s

This week; how can we divorce better? I talk to family law barrister and founder of The Divorce Surgery, Samantha Woodham, about how they’re helping couples to divorce differently. 42% of marriages in the UK end in divorce, but both the stigma

EP79 MIXED/OTHER with Natalie Morris

Jun 7th, 2021 39m 47s

My guest this week is journalist and author Natalie Morris.Natalie is an online Senior Lifestyle Writer at the Metro, covering race, mental health, women in sport and women in the workplace. Her landmark weekly series ‘Mixed Up’ spotlighted und

EP78 Revolutionising Breastfeeding Using Visual Effects with Dr Chen Mao Davies, founder of Latch Aid

May 24th, 2021 38m 43s

My guest this week is Dr Chen Mao Davies, founder of Latch Aid.In 2002, Chen came to the UK from China with two suitcases, minimal spoken English, and no personal network. But she was armed with the courage and commitment to succeed.Since then,

EP77 Balancing Impact and Profit with DAME founder Celia Pool

May 17th, 2021 33m 2s

My guest this week is Celia Pool, founder of multi-award winning sustainable period product company DAME. Celia tells us how DAME measures success against its sustainability efforts, standing out as a carbon-negative business in an industry tha

EP76 Reflecting on the Pandemic with Employment Minister, Mims Davies MP

May 10th, 2021 43m 32s

My guest this week is Mims Davies. Mims is the Employment Minister and Mid Sussex Conservative MP. In this episode, we reflect on the past year for the minister and the impact of the pandemic on the Department for Work and Pensions. Before Covi

EP75 How Do You Reach 999 If You Can’t Make A Voice Call? Innovating In The Public Sector with Becca Hume

Apr 26th, 2021 37m 15s

This week, how do you contact emergency services when you can’t make a voice call?999 was introduced in 1937, 84 years ago, and it’s been voice-based ever since. Not only does this cause challenges for the deaf community, but there are also man

EP74 The Global Sex Recession And How Pleasure Combats Stress with Chloe Macintosh

Apr 19th, 2021 44m 57s

This week, I’m thrilled to have Chloe Macintosh as my guest. Chloe is the co-founder of made.com, former Chief Creative Officer of Soho House Group, and founder and CEO of Kama, a new sexual wellness app launched in 2020 that was built as a res

EP73 How Can Financial Institutions Help Close The Gender Investment And Pensions Gap? with Maike Currie

Apr 12th, 2021 35m 30s

Maike Currie is an Investment Director at Fidelity International, an investment firm responsible for over £500 billion of client assets under their management.Following on from my recent podcast episode with Laura Farris MP where we explored th

EP72 How do you start when employers want someone who already started? A jobs platform for Gen Z

Apr 8th, 2021 35m 41s

Zara Ransley is the co-founder of MyPocketSkill, a tech platform connecting young people to money-earning tasks and enabling them to save.In this episode, Zara tells us how financial education is behavioural, and the key to “getting good with m

Bonus! How Can I Save Money On My Tax Bill? And Other Money Saving Questions (Recorded Live)

Mar 31st, 2021 59m 7s

This week we’re interrupting our regular schedule to bring you a special live recorded episode all about tax - just in time for the end of the tax year on 5th April. Before you go anywhere, I promise that it’s informative, accessible and not at

EP71 Financial Coaching vs Financial Advice: What’s The Difference And Why Is It Important? with Stacey Lowman

Mar 22nd, 2021 47m 5s

Stacey Lowman is a financial coach at Claro, the new digital financial coaching app and partner of ours here at Raise The Bar.Due to the high costs of financial advice which is inaccessible to many of us, the advice gap is a trend that has trig

EP70 How Can We Invest More Sustainably and Ethically? with Georgia Stewart

Mar 15th, 2021 32m 13s

Georgia Stewart is the CEO and co-founder of Tumelo, a startup fintech platform giving everyday investors a transparent view of the companies they own and a shareholder voice on issues they care about.Starting as an activist campaign at Cambrid

EP69 How Fragile is Women’s Progress Toward Economic Equality? with Laura Farris MP

Mar 8th, 2021 40m 5s

Laura Farris is the Conservative MP for Newbury and co-chair of The Women and Work All-Party Parliamentary Group.Following the Chancellor’s 2021 budget announcement on Wednesday, I ask Laura how her party’s government plans to support women who

EP68 Facing Fear, Dragons’ Den and Coaching Conspiracies with Jess Ratcliffe

Mar 1st, 2021 43m 53s

Jess Ratcliffe is an entrepreneur and creator of ‘Unleash Your Extraordinary'.Jess had the idea for her first business, a video game swapping website when she was just 15, which Jess subsequently launched after dropping out of University aged 1

EP67 Productivity, Mindset and Alleviating Loneliness for Freelancers and Entrepreneurs with Sarah Townsend

Feb 22nd, 2021 38m 30s

Sarah Townsend is the author of the bestselling guide to self-employment, Survival Skills for Freelancers.Sarah has been self-employed for over 20 years and since publishing her book has been on a mission to raise awareness of the importance of