Brave Pants with Vogue and the Viking

It's inevitable isn't it, that this episode had to be about the dreaded C word, the COVID-19. But it's not all doom and gloom, Vogue has had a PT session to bulk up her vagina...

Please meet the multiple award winning Joy Foster, the founder of TechPixies. Joy, a previous Olympic hopeful tells us about how she stalked her husband in to marriage (not quite but it makes a good story), became an accidental entrepreneur in Switzerland and is now on a mission to become the number one online tech course provider for women, worldwide...

The Viking, as a foreigner in the UK, is incensed by the pressure children are put under in order to get into schools at such young ages. Who is the private vs state school system actually benefitting? Amongst this seemingly serious discussion is also some less serious chat, of course. Feel the heat! 

Due to broken body parts, half term and general shoddiness, we do not have an interview this week. You are however served with our dulcet tones once more. We are pretty frickin' excited about our Bank Job.  May we also ask for your requests; events, guests etc. What do you think we should do?

This week it's all about the rage. We are both raging about rude "dietary requirements" and vagina smelling candles. The usual coffee morning chat really. Thank goodness for our "E" rating. 

Helen Carpenter Waters is an award winning Multi discipline Fitness and Dance professional. She has a long list of professional dance and choreography credits in TV, Film, Pop video, including being a Hills Angel on Benny Hill's famous TV show. She is "passionate about working in an industry she doesn't feel she belongs in" and about making choreographed dance available to everyone. We also talk about porn, body dysmorphia and gut health. There's something for everyone!    Dance Your Butt Off: http://dybo.co.uk

We're on the road! Recorded from Vogue's "Party Vehicle", this week we talk about the Viking's parental leave and the need for us all to take some time out from the world to recharge and get back into the game a bit fresher. 

Lucy Standing, business psychologist and founder of Brave Starts is this week's podcast guest. She is on a mission to get people, both employers and employees to understand that, just as much as you wouldn't buy a house without viewing it, or get married without living together first, you probably shouldn't dive in to a job you don't really know anything about before trying it out. Cue job shadowing. She talks a lot of sense....

It's been a birthday-tastic weekend for both Vogue and the Viking.  There is talk about uninvited guests and general birthday etiquette.  Vogue has spent some of the weekend dressed up as a Roman Gladiator, whist the Viking has been bowling at carnage central. 

In hindsight Sarah knew something wasn't quite right as early as her teens, but being super sporty and on the road to becoming a true tennis star she put it to one side. She was finally diagnosed with Early Onset Parkinson's disease in her thirties, after the birth of her first child. A few years down the line and with successful treatment she received another massive blow. Cancer. Relentlessly she soldiers on, body popping, cycling, setting up networks for people in similar situations and running for charity. You may call her Sarah, or Superwoman for short. Early Onset Parkinson's  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V86Lre0hyQ How Parkinson's affects the family https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWs_k11cR3k      

In this episode Vogue and the Viking talk about their "funny turns" over the Christmas period. They also have a slight rant about fads and why January quite frankly is hard enough without unrealistic goals and resolutions. Just take a chill pill man!!

Dr Emma Ross works for the English Institute of Sports and is smashing all sorts of glass ceilings whilst trying to inform sporting elite women and those working with those women, about the impact of hormones during a woman's menstrual cycle. Remarkably interesting work which highlights just how far we have yet to go. 

This week Vogue and the Viking have slightly lost the plot. Vogue is an emotional wreck due to her daughter's hockey match and although we are not sure what the Viking's issues are we suspect it has something to do with her nomination as Shedhead at her school's PTA. The Scummy Mummies are referred to frequently in this episode, but without any spoilers.  Vogue is suffering from body illusion due to her "fun fair mirrors" and the Viking has apparently grown since she was age and size eight.  Questions? 

All is not well in the V&V household this week. Viking's car has been broken into and her laptop stolen, and Vogue is feeling less than sparkly. But we do have a happy, new intro jingle though so it's not all doom and gloom!

Vicki Anstey was a fairly ordinary office worker before she turned her determination on, but boy when she did she turned it up loud and clear. Vicki decided she wasn't happy with the life she was leading and decided to do something about it. She joined the Lotte Berk method - "Exercise that doesn't feel like exercise" and went, literally, from strength to strength. Vicki set up her own BarreWorks studio, went on to do rather well in the TV series SAS - Who Dares Wins and is now training to row the Pacific Ocean as well as practicing for her first TEDx Talk. I mean if that's not a story worth listening to I don't know what is. It's inspiring is what it is!  www.barreworks.co.uk www.thebusinessoffitness.co.uk www.vickianstey.co.uk https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/34358 www.dreamdaredo.org.uk

We have taken a sneaky leaf out of Heart Radio's #yesvember book, well basically we have taken their idea and made it ours. We are talking through a list of things to say YES to in YESvember. From exercise to soup, from treating yourself to saying yes to new friends, put your Brave Pants on and say YES!!   #yesvember #bravepantspodcast @vogueandtheviking

Rebecca Weef Smith was an incredibly shy child who would literally hide in a cupboard under the stairs, but her love of dancing and the arts opened her up to a different life. It took many years until she finally found her voice but boy when she did she did it with a bang! Enter GOLDIE magazine.  Rather than continue moaning about the lack of magazines for someone "like her", Rebecca set up her own!  Listen to Rebecca's story - from the cupboard under the stairs to the front cover of a glossy magazine!  Goldie on Instagram  Goldie on Facebook 

Fran went from being the lawyer she thought she should be to setting up her own business with a mum she barely knew from the daily school run.  Many years down the line Fran is now able to look back and give advice to people just starting out with their own small businesses.  We also talk "Beating the Barrier" and #jobsforjeff   @stamptastic_limited @vogueandtheviking  

This week Vogue and the Viking are preparing for yet another school holiday. We are evoking happy thoughts and talk about what makes them both happy right now.  The BBC tv series Motherland is most definitely up there as one of the things that are making us howl with laughter right now. Watch it.    Viking is excited about wearing her new winter coat soon.  Vogue is looking forward to an English beach holiday with sea, sand and fresh air.  Viking admits to eating nearly a whole jar of Gü chocolate spread whilst Vogue is a dream in Green!    

Natasha Chiverton Bulstrod, aka Honestly Gorgeous, a highly experienced make up artist on family tragedy, teenage rebellion and Dolly Parton.  "You can't be old and wise without being young and stupid."  @honestlygorgeous_ @vogueandtheviking #bravepantspodcast  

In this episode Vogue and the Viking have a recap chat about the past 10 episodes and the fabulous guests so far on the podcast. We realise we have learnt so much from these amazingly inspiring women.  There is continuous chat about holiday prep (again? so soon??)  And the Viking is going out out, AGAIN! @bazmoffatstrongtothecore @laramilward  @_vixstarella_ @mummysocial @the_bias_cutcom @sarahavsavage   Tune in, download, review, follow etc etc  

Sarah Savage is a brilliantly funny, raw and full on brainiac Mancunian who talks to us about her degrees, teaching, writing a book about her upbringing, crazy challenges, therapy and her Brave Pants moments. 

There is a distinct difference between Going Out in your youth, and Going Out Out as a parent; The planning, the tiredness, the guilt, did we mention the tiredness?! And when we do eventually find the time and the group of friends to go out with and a clean outfit, do we feel the need to stay out all night because who knows when this will ever happen again, or are we Brave enough to go home when we feel enough probably is enough?   Vogue and the Viking discuss this and more....

As a 13-year old Jacynth Bassett decided she wanted to be a tax barrister and study at Cambridge. She made that happen but realised it wasn't quite what she had in mind. Instead, following several shopping trips with her mum, she found a gap in the fashion market for an age inclusive fashion brand. Listen to Jacynth talk very frankly about she deals with suffering from anxiety and the pressures of running your own business as well as her passion for age inclusivity.   

Becoming a parent is one of the most mind-blowing things ever! Sure, people do it all the time, all over the world, but nothing prepares you for how lonely becoming a mum can be. You are on your own with a tiny actual human that YOU need to keep alive. What you need is some mummy friends to hang out with, but where do you find them?  Vogue and the Viking talk about their own experiences of becoming new mums and how overwhelming it can all seem.  This episode is brought to you in collaboration with MummySocial (not an AD!) who are doing a brilliant #socialseptember campaign to help new mums find mummy friends. 

School holiday survival. We are still working on it, but essentially we need a holiday from the school holidays. Everyone is tired of each other's company and everyone is bored despite endless activities and snacks. So many snacks.  We propose a Vogue and the Viking Holiday Resort. Who's in?   

Vix Scott, aka Vixstarella, is taking us on a journey around the world and back again to being an ex ex-pat.  Topics covered: Being "diagnosed" with twins Being homesick for a foreign country Adding even more children to the clan Being the new girl wherever you go Adjusting to being home again, but feeling like a foreigner in your own country Connecting the dots to create the new Vixtarella London version   Check out Vix on Instagram on @_vixstarella_

Vogue just got back from holidays in the mountains and has practiced her Franglais. She talks "just in case" packing while the Viking believes in packing a "capsule" wardrobe (what even is that?!) How do you prepare for going on holiday? 

LARA MILWARD, exercise guru extraordinaire talks about her highs and lows including:  Adult PE Cycling the length of Italy, running multiple marathons and climbing the Matterhorn for the Branson Family's Thrive charity Finding her way out of some seriously low places I her youth Smashing the glass mirror!

In this episode Vogue and the Viking talk about some of their own Brave Pants moments. They include going on public transport, giving birth and sliding down a very high pole in from of millions on tv. You know, the usual really. 

Listen to a starstruck Viking and a much cooler Vogue talk to ex GB rower and current women’s health practitioner BAZ MOFFATT about her Brave Pants moment - hint: it involves female genitalia - and how she manages to run a business whilst raising children and have a healthy relationship with her husband. FIND OUT MORE: Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Visit Baz's website     

Find out who Vogue and the Viking are and what the Brave Pants podcast is all about.  Spoiler alert: It is going to be all about women (mostly) putting on Brave Pants and doing stuff they have always wanted to do.  In the series we will be having a good old natter with some fabulous women about their Brave Pants moments.  There will be laughter, no subject matter is taboo. Hold on to your Brave Pants, join the Brave Pants revolution!