My guest today is a woman I met a couple of years ago whilst wearing a delicious pair of sequinned dungarees and accepting an award at the International Women’s Podcast Awards. Her name is Annabelle Buckland, and she’s an radio host, podcast pr

Jia Wertz - from Forbes and fashion to film-making and fighting for freedom

Mar 20th, 2023 43m 54s

My guest today has gone from shy wallflower to recipient of international film awards and a column in Forbes. Jia Wertz is a filmmaker, entrepreneur, podcaster, activist and writer, who, like many of our guests, has had a working life with some

Samantha Baines, Part 2 - on starring in Magic Mike Live with Channing Tatum and accidentally writing a children's book

Mar 6th, 2023 41m 1s

This is Part Two of my chat with Sam Baines, my first guest for Season 6 of the podcast, and a woman that I’ve know for a few years after she was shortlisted at the inaugural International Women’s Podcast Awards back in 2021. It’s fitting that

Samantha Baines, Part 1 - on life as a comedian, becoming a deaf activist and the secret bit of Heathrow airport

Feb 20th, 2023 42m 25s

We're back for Season 6!My first guest is a woman that I’ve know for a few years after she was shortlisted at the inaugural International Women’s Podcast Awards back in 2021. Her name is Samantha Baines, and it’s fitting that she’s first this

Trailer

Season 6 Trailer

Feb 13th, 2023 1m 8s

We’ve been away for a little while, but we are back! I’m Naomi Mellor, and I’m delighted to let you know that there’s a new season of Smashing The Ceiling just around the corner, with all sorts of delights awaiting you. In this podcast we chat

Justine Nagaur - on holistic care, spiritual healing and recovering from chronic pain

Apr 8th, 2022 38m 59s

If you’re into meditation and healing, you may know what a Tibetan sound bowl is. If not, you’ve got a treat in store, as we’ll be digging deep into the world of holistic health in this episode. My guest today is Justine Nagaur, a spiritual hea

Caroline Kremer - on healing injuries, unexpected circumstances, and career re-invention

Mar 19th, 2022 50m 41s

How often do you think about your own breathing? I bet you are right now. How fast do you breathe? How deeply? Most of the time it’s completely unconscious. We just do it, and we rarely consider how we breathe unless we’re exercising and out o

Dot Zacharias - on sleep deprivation, life at a tech startup and the power of yoga Nidra

Mar 4th, 2022 48m 44s

This week, we’re talking, amongst other things, about sleep. My guest today is Dot Zacharias, COO and co-founder of Nourish, a wellbeing app designed for busy mums to find a little calm in their lives, which aims to protect maternal mental heal

Sinéad McGrath - on endometriosis advocacy, becoming a golf influencer and women in the law

Feb 17th, 2022 30m 44s

My guest this week is endometriosis advocate, golf influencer and brilliant lawyer Sinéad McGrath - as you might imagine, the subjects we covered in this conversation are many and varied. Sinéad sits on the Executive Committee of the Junior Law

Catie Friend - on unexpected career challenges, solo travel and life in the mountains

Feb 3rd, 2022 50m 2s

My first guest of 2022 is Catie Friend, who says of her adventures that she “will always be a completer rather than a competer”. Given the challenges she’s completed, which include the world’s toughest ski mountaineering race and the half Marat

Siobhan Daniels - from nursing to broadcast journalism to pro-age campaigning, and life in a campervan

Nov 5th, 2021 49m 27s

Siobhan Daniels grew up in a care home as one of eight children amongst the elderly people her family looked after. She's subsequently had an incredibly varied and colourful life, first working as a nurse in the NHS before joining the BBC as a

Vicki Prais - on international human rights and a lifetime of advocating for others

Oct 21st, 2021 38m 24s

When you think about human rights, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe it's the treatment of prisoners overseas, or working conditions and pay in a place of employment, or freedom of speech, or the right of an individual to live fr

Kirsten and Aiyven Mbawa - on the power of imagination, and teen entrepreneurship

Oct 7th, 2021 32m 26s

To open Season 4, I’ve got two guests with me with this week, and if you’re looking for inspiring women in your life, then these two are it. Kirsten and Aiyven Mbawa are sisters from Northampton, England and they’re 13 and 12 years old respecti

Tigz Rice - on burlesque, boudoir and her unique photography career

Aug 19th, 2021 42m 6s

To many people, the world of burlesque may seem distant, mysterious and unknown. You might have heard of Dita von Teese, but how much do you know about the art of it, the glamour, and the people, who are, by all accounts, a brilliant bunch of w

Hannah Roper - on life as a country musician, teacher, policeman and survivor

Aug 6th, 2021 54m 19s

Hannah Roper is an incredible woman with a varied career forged out of a combination of inspiration and necessity. Not many people can say that they've worked as a teacher, a policeman, a country music singer and an entrepreneur. Hannah has wo

Elizabeth Ogabi - on becoming a changemaker and progressing your side hustle

Jul 22nd, 2021 42m 6s

We hear so much about side hustles and entrepreneurship and it seems that every second person on social media is starting a successful new business and scaling it to 7 figures from their kitchen table. But if you've had an idea, how do you get

Nikki Trott - on conscious business, the value of service and selling umbrellas

Jul 9th, 2021 48m 30s

Have you ever had a moment when you met someone for the first time, but you felt like you'd known them your entire life? It's a weird and rare but wonderful thing. I had that feeling when I chatted to Nikki Trott prior to this interview, and I

Victoria Jenkins - on life as an adaptive designer, disability advocate and unexpected entrepreneurship

Jun 24th, 2021 53m 36s

My guest this week is an incredible woman, whose life and career were turned upside down by circumstances. We talk often on this podcast about how circumstances shape the careers of women, but in the case of Victoria Jenkins, the circumstances

Mira Patel - on learning the value of hard work, and why teenagers need a helping hand

Jun 17th, 2021 42m 12s

We've often talked on this podcast about how our upbringing shapes our attitudes to work, ambition and success. Mira Patel's parents ran a newsagent, and she started working in the shop at an early age, before forging a successful career in HR

Imogen Tinkler - on foraging, fairytales and altered career aspirations

Jun 11th, 2021 52m 28s

When you're in a box career-wise, it can be hard to get out of it. Sometimes it's pressure from others, or from society that keeps you in that box, or sometimes it's your own internal monologue telling you that you can't do anything else. Somet

Caroline Knight - on naked yoga, and the challenges of life in the jungle

Jun 3rd, 2021 46m 1s

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but I love meeting women who’ve done something unexpected, who bucked the career trend and taken a path that others might not expect. Today's guest, Caroline Knight, very much falls into that category

Anita Whittaker - on sex positive parenting, and life as a pirate DJ

May 27th, 2021 52m 49s

Here’s a question for you. Would you describe your mum as sex positive? My guest today, Anita Whittaker, garnered the term “the sex positive mum you all wish you had” after appearing in Channel 4 show ‘Mums Make Porn’. This happened after a te

Monique Hodgson - on a glittering international career, and her mission to redefine motherhood

May 20th, 2021 38m 24s

Sometimes you meet someone whose energy, creativity, and drive just blows you away, and Monique Hodgson is one of those people. Monique is a Latin American trailblazer, on a mission to redefine motherhood through her company, Mumble Forum. Moni

Amanda Ogen - on making it in Hollywood, and why persistence pays off

May 13th, 2021 47m 9s

If like me, you had a misspent youth watching as much Friends, Sex and the City and The O.C. as you could, you’ll probably love today’s guest, Amanda Ogen. Amanda was obsessed with film and TV from a young age and despite being from New Jersey,

Iffat Gill - on creating meaningful social change through digital entrepreneurship

May 6th, 2021 45m 31s

Some people take half a lifetime to discover their passion, but others know their calling from an early age. Iffat Gill was only 25 when she was first invited to speak at a UN Conference, after founding her first not-for-profit in Pakistan at t