Life and Soul by Emma Forbes

I am joined for my final episode of Life and Soul by the culinary queen, Prue Leith. She's a cookery writer, restaurateur, novelist, Bake Off judge and advisor to the government's review on hospital food. In this episode, she tells me how she treated some lucky care home staff to her cooking during lockdown as she couldn't bear to only make supper for two and she explains the reasons why she is so passionate about the campaign for better hospital food. I ask her what it was like to join the Great British Bake Off (spoiler alert: her main concern was working with Paul Hollywood) and how she called Mary Berry for some advice. Prue also tells us about her new Channel 4 show with the gorgeous Dr Rupy Aujla where they attempt to transform the food and shopping habits of four families and tackle our issue with food waste. I couldn't think of two better people to come to the rescue! It was a real honour to talk to Prue - she's an incredibly busy woman and she definitely won't be slowing down anytime soon!  

Today I'm joined by Chloe Brotheridge, a hypnotherapist, anxiety expert, author of the bestselling book The Anxiety Solution and host of the extremely successful Calmer You podcast. In this episode, Chloe recounts her own struggles with self-confidence and talks about how she has dealt with the past year. Chloe discusses why it's important to be kind to ourselves and how we all need to find some way to physically process the anxiety and calm the nervous system. She also provides us with some of her top tips on how to stay balanced and how we need to schedule ourselves breaks in the day. This episode was recorded a little while ago but it is full of helpful tips and advice which I wanted to share with you all! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Chloe: @chloebrotheridge @thecalmeryou We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

Today I'm thrilled to be joined by one of the most established names in British luxury, Anya Hindmarch. She is a true leader in her field, the designer of the most beautiful handbags, a passionate environmental activist and now the author of a brand new book, If In Doubt Wash Your Hair. She is known for using fashion as a force for good. Back in 2004, her £5 white tote bags, with the slogan, “I'm not a plastic bag” written on them, were one of the world's most in demand items. More recently, during the pandemic, she's worked with University College London to design a special 'holdster' for front-line NHS workers to wear, along with thousands of PPE gowns. Anya's recent book, If in Doubt Wash Your Hair, is a part memoir, part self-help book which aims to teach readers how to be kind to themselves and live a little more boldly.  It's an uplifting manual for life offering practical tips and advice on how to make women feel better about themselves. Anya is refreshingly honest and shares her own  struggles and the ways she has managed to tackle her own self-doubt issues. In this episode, we discuss her very exciting new project, The Anya Village, which is set to takeover Pont Street this month and includes a café, a plastic shop and a pop up salon for 'Shampoo and Therapy'. We also talk about how the past year has been a very busy time for her and how her priorities have evolved to reflect the changing times - such as her passion for circularity of materials and reducing plastic going into landfill. I really did learn a lot from this conversation and hope you do too! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Anya: @anyahindmarch We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

I am joined this week by one of the nation's most popular TV doctors and the Government's newly appointed Youth Mental Health Ambassador, Dr. Alex George. Alex won the heart of millions in the 2018 series of Love Island and is about to release a debut book called Live Well Every Day. 2020 was an extremely tough year for Dr Alex, he was working on the front line as an A&E doctor and experienced a very tragic loss when his younger brother took his own life in the midst of the pandemic. However, he remains incredibly positive and is a huge inspiration to thousands of people around the world. Over the past year, he has started to lobby the government about mental health in schools and is on a mission to make health and medicine more accessible to everyone. In this episode, Dr Alex reflects on the events of the last year and speaks so passionately about his new role as Youth Mental Health Ambassador. He discusses the highs and lows of overnight fame and describes how he found his purpose again after Love Island. We talk about how the pandemic has made society more health conscious and the reasons for writing his book, Live Well Every Day which addresses the health challenges of today's world such as anxiety, mental health, sexual health and so much more. Buy Live Well Every Day here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Well-Every-Day-Happy/dp/1783254319 *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Dr. Alex George: @dralexgeorge We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

Today I am so excited to be joined by the mother of small businesses, Holly Tucker MBE. She's the creative mastermind behind one of my favourite online marketplaces, Not On The High Street and is now the founder of Holly & Co, a small business advice and inspiration platform. Holly is just about to release a brand new business book called Do What You Love, Love What You Do packed full of tips and skills any founder needs to help their business thrive. In this episode, we recount Holly's journey into the business world and discuss what an incredible rollercoaster she's been on since. We talk about what inspired her to start Not On The High Street, her top tips for starting a business (my favourite being that you have to be the ‘Duracell battery' of the company) and why running a small business can be the key to happiness. Holly undoubtedly brings colour to business and has brightened up a lot of small businesses during the pandemic. So whether you might be about to start a company or you're finding yourself in a business rut, I truly recommend you read her new business bible. It really is a book like no other. *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. Follow us: https://www.byemma.co/ @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Holly: @hollytucker Find out more about her book, Do What You Love, Love What You Do: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/1119976/do-what-you-love--love-what-you-do/9780753558027.html   We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

Dr Zoe Williams is a NHS GP, media medic, health educator and a clinical champion of Public Health England's Better Health campaign, encouraging people to make healthier changes. Zoe has competed at a high level in a number of sports including Athletics and Rugby Union and appeared as ‘Amazon' on Sky 1's Gladiators where she found that hitting people with giant cotton buds really is as much fun as it looks. In today's episode, we reflect on the first time she was interviewed on This Morning about coronavirus, how exercise is her true passion and how physical activity was given a proper rebrand during lockdown. She also explains the science behind why exercise produces ‘happy hormones' and how it can actually change your brain chemistry. We also speak about her pregnancy and how she has achieved her two ambitions - to become a doctor and a mother! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Dr Zoe: @drzoewilliams We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

Today I'm joined by Aloe Blacc, the chart-topping, Grammy nominated recording artist and singer-songwriter who has worked with an eclectic range of artists, from the late Avicii to David Guetta and more. His international hits include the amazing “I Need a Dollar” and “Wake Me Up”. In October 2020, he released the album All Love Everything and has recently released the deluxe version which includes three additional tracks - how lucky are we?! In this episode, we discuss how lockdown was the most time he's spent at home since his kids were born and how it's taught him to really appreciate precious moments with his family. We chat about how the essence of his new album was perfect for 2020 as it's all about the importance of family and love. One of the things Aloe is incredibly passionate about in this interview is using his voice for positive social change. He wants to use his lyrics, platform and visibility for good which just makes me love him even more. I encourage you all to go and listen to his All Love Everything - I've had it on repeat and love it even more each time! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle https://www.byemma.co/ Follow Aloe: @aloeblacc Listen to Aloe's new album here: https://aloeblacc.lnk.to/AllLoveEverything   We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

This week I am thrilled to be joined by Andrea McLean, the former queen of Loose Women, award-winning TV broadcaster, journalist, radio presenter, a best-selling author and the CEO of the female empowerment site, This Girl is On Fire. In this episode, we talk about her impulsive decision to quit her TV career in lockdown and to start an online space supporting women in mind, body and business. We also speak about her struggles with anxiety and how she overcame a nervous breakdown. She explains that she now knows when to prioritise herself, how to identify her triggers and has finally learnt how important it is to ask for help. Andrea is one of the realest people I know and I'm so glad her online platform is such a success as it's truly deserved! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Andrea: @andreamclean1 Buy Andrea's brilliant book here. Join the waiting list for Andrea's This Girl is On Fire Membership here   We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

Today I'm thrilled to be joined by Alexandra Shulman. She is, of course, the longest serving Editor of British Vogue, one of the country's most quoted voices on fashion trends, author of two novels and a columnist for the Mail on Sunday. During the first lockdown, she also published her new book, Clothes and Other Things that Matter that blends memoir with fashion history. For more than 25 years clothes had been an integral part of her professional life. However, she explains that being surrounded by all those clothes made them the stuff of work and not personal pleasure. It was only when she eventually went digging through her cupboards that she thought about what those clothes had meant to her and how specific pieces were emblematic of a time in her life. In this episode, we discuss everything from her lockdown cosmetics obsession to how she's bored of her bubble and longing to get dressed up again. We also discuss how she sees the fashion world changing, how smaller brands will become more ethical and what might happen to the way we shop. This conversation really encouraged me to take a proper look at my wardrobe, there are so many pieces that evoke certain memories and so many I can't bear to get rid of! Well.. maybe my Covid closet will have to go! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Alexandra: @alexandrashulman Buy Alexandra's brilliant book here. We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

Our very special guest today is Heather Dubrow. Heather is a former cast member of the Real Housewives of Orange County, host of the Botched after show and is now conquering the podcast world with Heather Dubrow's World. Not only is she a reality TV star, she's also a very successful entrepreneur, wife and mother. I was incredibly excited to chat to Heather today as she's kept me company through so many things during lockdown. Whether I'm listening to her podcast or finding myself in a Heather's Closet rabbit hole, I just have to get my Heather fix. In this episode, we talk about why it's important to have a healthy lifestyle, why everyone assumes she's had work done and why Goldie Hawn is her idol. We discuss how she has learnt how to give herself a break over lockdown and has stopped obsessing over her body image. Heather also talks about her daughter coming out as bisexual during lockdown and how she encouraged her to take charge of the narrative. Heather is so authentic and was every bit as inspiring as thought she would be. I hope you all enjoy the conversation as much as I did! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Heather: @heatherdubrow   Heather's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heather-dubrows-world/id1055087175 Heather's website: http://heatherdubrow.com/ We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

Today I'm joined for a special bonus episode by the wild and wonderful Susannah Constantine. She is best known for being one half of the famous duo, Trinny and Susannah, and has since gone on to become an extremely successful author and the host of a hilarious podcast called My Wardrobe Malfunction. In this episode, we talk about her love of wild swimming and how it's massively helped her anxiety and how lockdown has given her the chance to look at her environment and fully appreciate nature. We also touch on her life after TV and how she managed to bounce back from a mid life crisis to find her true identity. I also had to ask her how shopping might change post pandemic - her main concern is that she won't recognise herself in the mirror! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Susannah: @susannahconstantine We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

I am so thrilled to be joined this week by Dr Ranj Singh. I was there at the very start of Ranj's career and I couldn't be more proud of everything he's achieved. Not only is he the most gorgeous NHS Doctor, he's also a BAFTA-winning TV presenter, best-selling author, columnist and charity ambassador. He has just released his latest book, How To Grow Up and Feel Amazing! The No-Worries Guide for Boys, which really is needed now more than ever. In this episode, we talk about the ups and downs of the past year and what it was like to be a frontline worker during the pandemic. Dr Ranj explains the mental toll it's had on young people and how the concept of returning to normal is provoking anxiety in many of us. We also highlight some of the positives of this pandemic, like how it revived his sense of duty and made us incredibly grateful for what we have. My mood instantly lifted after speaking with Dr Ranj and I hope this conversation makes your day that little bit brighter too. *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Dr Ranj: @drranj Buy Dr Ranj's Book here: http://hyperurl.co/howtogrowup We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

In this episode, I am talking all things vegetables with the incredibly talented and award-winning cook, Anna Jones. Anna blazes the trail for how we all want to cook now: quick, sustainably and stylishly. She has just released her new cook book, One: Pot, Pan, Planet, full of recipes that celebrate vegetables and knock-out flavour without taking all of your time and energy. We discuss Anna's food and career journey, from working with Jamie Oliver to the moment she found inspiration in vegetarian cooking and never looked back. We talk about her food ethos that includes sustainability, simplicity and sourcing local fresh produce, which is everything I love. We also speak about how she managed to find solace during lockdown by just chopping up vegetables! Her food proves that meat doesn't have to be the centrepiece of cooking and I encourage you all to try out one of her delicious recipes. You won't regret it. *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Anna: @we_are_food We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

I'm joined by one of my oldest friends and my sidekick from Live & Kicking, Andi Peters. Andi is a television presenter, journalist and is best known for roles on QVC and breakfast TV shows such as Good Morning Britain and Lorraine. I've always said chemistry is something you can't manufacture, and we hit it off from the day we met in a rehearsal room in Acton. This might be why we are constantly reunited on air! Andi looks identical to the day I met him…yet slightly more muscly. We talk about his lockdown loves and the makeshift TV studio he built in his garage. We reminisce about our love for the BBC, that famous baguette with the questionable chicken spring onion filling and how Andi was always the one being sent freebies in the mail bag. Oh and there's a pretty good story about the time we tried to convince Richard and Judy we could fill in for them on This Morning (spoiler alert - we never got the call up)! P.S We are both technically challenged so please excuse the slightly crackly audio. *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Andi: @andipeters We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

I can't think of a better way to mark International Women's Day than with somebody as fabulous as Fearne Cotton. I was so thrilled to be interviewing her and she really is the epitome of a strong woman. Fearne Cotton's voice is familiar to millions, whether that's through television, radio or on her hugely successful Happy Place podcast. Our conversation today revolves around her new book, Speak Your Truth which discusses how important it is to listen to your gut and trust your instinct instead of just following what you think you ‘should' be doing. Fearne reminds us that we can easily make assumptions about people, particularly those on social media, but reminds us that we are all struggling in some shape or form. Fearne is walking proof of how in speaking your truth, you can feel more fulfilled and talks about how she has felt such a comfort in just being herself. She warns us that it's of course not easy and while you may feel a little bit of discomfort in that present moment - it's 100% worth being authentic. Her words really resonated with me as I'm sure they will with all of you and I just wish I could've learnt from her sooner. *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Fearne: @fearnecotton Buy Fearne's book here: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/fearne-cotton/speak-your-truth/9781409183198/ We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

Today I am joined by author, broadcaster, and one of the world's most famous food critics, the wonderful Jay Rayner. Jay has been the restaurant critic for The Observer for the last 20 years and has appeared as a judge in multiple series of Masterchef. From 2009 to 2016 he was also the resident food pundit for The One Show. He now presents his own podcast called Out To Lunch, in which he has interviewed the likes of Stanley Tucci, Richard E. Grant and Paloma Faith, all whilst sitting in a fabulous restaurant or more recently over a takeaway at home. In today's episode, I remind Jay about the last time we saw each other (spoiler alert: I had a cooking disaster on Celebrity Masterchef). I find out how lockdown was for a restaurant critic and hear how he managed to fit in three restaurant bookings in the first 24 hours of restaurants reopening! I also ask Jay for his opinion on the wellness industry…his answer really opened my eyes to just how blindsiding the industry can be. I absolutely loved this conversation with Jay and I'll be forcing him to come round and taste my cooking all over again the next time I'm in the UK! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Jay Rayner:  @jayrayner1 Listen to Jay's podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/out-to-lunch-with-jay-rayner/id1455111316 We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

For today's bonus episode, I am thrilled to be joined by Kelly Noonan Gores. Kelly is best known as the woman behind the well-known Netflix documentary, HEAL. If you haven't seen it, it's definitely one to add to your lockdown list. As a producer, author, director and producer, Kelly explores the body's ability to heal itself, in a way that often challenges modern medicine. She explains how we need to reclaim control over our own health and what we can do to boost our own natural healing resources within. We talk about how mental hygiene is equally as important and how we need to be factoring in time each day to disconnect from technology. I loved every minute of this conversation. It was fascinating to hear about Kelly's journey to making this documentary and how by connecting to the self we ultimately have the power to heal our own bodies. She has inspired so many people and it just proves what an incredible impact thoughts, beliefs and emotions have on our health. *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Kelly Noonan Gores: @kellygores We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

I am thrilled to be joined by a very old friend of mine, Melissa Odabash. Melissa is an incredible fashion designer known worldwide for her swimwear designs that fit all figures and flatter all shapes and sizes. Her swimwear has been worn by the likes of Beyonce, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and so many more. She's designed everything…from cool kaftans to beach bags, swimsuits and has now set her sights on masks! In this episode, Melissa talks about how her cycle tours became a lockdown success and made her fall in love with London. She also guides us through her career, from starting out as a model in Rome, going door to door selling her bikinis, to now becoming one of the most renowned swimwear designers in the world. I also ask how the pandemic will shape the future of the fashion industry and her answer is fascinating. Our conversation almost transported me to a beach holiday and if that's as close as I can get right now…I'll take it! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Melissa Odabash: @melissaodabash We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

In today's episode, I speak to Emma Gunavardhana, popularly referred to as Emma Guns, who is an experienced beauty, health and lifestyle writer and the host of the hugely successful podcast, The Emma Guns Show. Emma was the Beauty Editor at OK! Magazine for 10 years, during which time she interviewed industry experts, fashion designers and celebrities. After leaving her job at OK!, she found herself struggling as a freelancer and decided she wanted to turn her hand to podcasting. Emma encourages her podcast guests to open up about the triumphs, worries and failures that helped them on their path to happiness and success. In this episode we discuss her own struggles with anxiety and how in hitting rock bottom she was able to reevaluate her life. Emma goes on to talk about her lockdown experience and how it's taught her to appreciate her own company. During lockdown, Emma also decided to develop her new podcast format, ‘Feel Good Habits', where she asks guests to share 5 tips and strategies they use to pick themselves up when they might be feeling the world is getting them down, you know, like a pandemic and lockdown. I was blown away by Emma's wonderful outlook on life and admire the way she always finds the positive in everything. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Emma Guns: @emmaguns   We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

I'm joined by the one and only John Barrowman for this week's episode of Life and Soul. John is a singer, writer, entertainer, actor, perhaps best known for playing the immortal Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who.  John is currently a judge on the ITV series, Dancing on Ice. He is a unique talent in the British entertainment industry - there's really nothing he can't do! We talk about everything in this episode, from our lockdown struggles and what we've learnt to reminiscing about when I fell head over heels for him the first time we met. I adore John in every way and can't wait for you all to hear this conversation - I promise you there's a lot of laughs in this one! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow John: @johnscotbarrowman  We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

In this week's episode, I'm joined by the gorgeous Michelle Ogundehin. Michelle is the multi award-winning former Editor-in-Chief of ELLE Decoration UK, writer, author, brand consultant and is now gracing our screens as the Head Judge on the BBC Two series, Interior Design Masters. In April 2020, Michelle published her first book, Happy Inside: How to Harness the Power of Home for Health and Happiness which shares her philosophy on the link between our homes and our wellbeing. There has certainly never been more of a connection between home, health and happiness. In this episode, we talk about how lockdown has changed our vision of home and how we have been forced to recognise all facets of our personality in the one space. We also discuss why it can be empowering to surround ourselves with things that light our soul and why creating healthy environments can, ultimately, create a happy mind. *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing: https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Michelle: @michelleogundehin https://michelleogundehin.com/ Buy Michelle's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Inside-harnessing-health-happiness/dp/1529105552 We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

I am very excited to be joined today by the wonderful Dr Mithu Storoni. Dr Storoni is a medical doctor who also holds a PHD in Neuro-ophthalmology and is the author of Stress-Proof: The Scientific Solution to Protect Your Brain and Body - And Be More Resilient Every Day. In this episode, she explains how the brain reacts to stress and shares some practical tips on how we can reduce the impact of stress on our bodies. Stress can both help and harm us and Dr Storoni helps us understand the ways in which we can use this to improve our mental and physical health and explains how small tweaks to our lifestyles can have a big impact. We are all experiencing more stress as a result of the pandemic so it's very important that we take care of our bodies, now more than ever. I hope all of you benefit from this wonderful bonus episode. *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Dr Mithu Storoni: @mithustoroni www.mithustoroni.com Buy her book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stress-Proof-Scientific-Solution-Body-Resilient/dp/0143130471 We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

This week I am thrilled to be joined by my good friend, Kelly Hoppen. Kelly is a world-renowned interior designer, entrepreneur, former Dragon, prolific author and GREAT ambassador. Kelly started her interior design career at the age of 16 and is now globally recognised for her signature designs. Having been at the top of her game for over 40 years, Kelly shares her tips on how to keep a positive mindset. In this episode, we discuss the power of manifestation, the benefits of an exercise routine and what lockdown has taught her to appreciate. Spoiler alert - her grandson is top of this list! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Kelly: @kellyhoppen We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

My guest this week is the inspirational Catherine Gray. Catherine is an award-winning writer and editor and her debut book, The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, was a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller. Since then she has published two more books, The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary and the critically acclaimed Unexpected Joy of Being Single. This episode is all about alcohol, the social constructs that exist around our drinking culture, the rise of sobriety and our fear of being seen as boring. We learn all about Catherine's journey from alcoholic to teetotaller and she proves that we don't need alcohol to be happy. She lets us all in on how sobriety has transformed both her mental and physical health. So for those looking to start 2021 in a mindful way, this might be just what you need to hear. *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Catherine: @unexpectedjoyof Catherine's book: The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

Today I am thrilled to be joined by the wonderful Dr Rupy Aujla, an NHS medical doctor and founder of The Doctor's Kitchen, a project which strives to inspire and educate people about the beauty of food and medicinal effects of eating well. He is also a Sunday Times bestselling author, with two cookbooks The Doctor's Kitchen and Eat To Beat Illness and he has recently released his third book, 3-2-1. Dr Rupy is a passionate advocate of the ‘food as medicine' approach, harnessing the power of ingredients to ramp up vitality, health and wellbeing. In this episode, he explains why the food we choose to put on our plate is the most important health intervention we can make, why nutrition is essential in building a strong immune system and why a diet with lots of colour nurtures your gut. Dr Rupy also shares the inspiring story of how he managed to heal his own heart condition through food and lifestyle intervention. Oh and of course we talk about his fantastic new cookbook, 3-2-1, which he hopes will change the way we cook and eat forever.   *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle   Follow Dr Rupy: @doctors_kitchen https://thedoctorskitchen.com  

I am so excited to be kicking off 2021 with my fantastic guest today. She is a comedian, bestselling author, actress and mental health campaigner. It is of course, Ruby Wax. Ruby started out her career as an actress at the RSC, took a detour into the world of comedy which was followed by a hugely successful television career, interviewing the likes of Madonna and Donald Trump. After a series of breakdowns, she turned her attention to her lifelong fascination with psychology and how the brain works, gaining a masters in mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy at Oxford University. She has since gone on to write books on mental health and now runs the wonderful Frazzled Cafe: an online space for people to connect when they're not feeling ok. Ruby joins me today to talk about the impact lockdown has had on our mental health, the dangers of social media and how she uses comedy as a vehicle for truth. Plus we discuss the impeccable timing of her latest book ‘And now for the good news: To the future with Love' which is filled with hope and empowers us all to to make the world a kinder place. Her latest book ‘And now for the good news: To the future with Love' is available to buy now. If you find yourself struggling in this strange time, head to Frazzled Cafe: frazzledcafe.org   ***   Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen.   If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing: https://www.byemma.co/   Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle   Follow Ruby: @rubywax We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

We thought it was fitting to see the year out in style…so in this episode I speak to one of my icons, the fashion designer and Queen of Pink, Dame Zandra Rhodes. Her designs, textiles and jewellery have graced catwalks, wardrobes and museum collections around the world. Even via Zoom, Zandra was full of colour with her unmissable fuchsia bob and bold blue eyeshadow! I was happy to hear that she has no plans to retire and we discuss what she has been up to - setting up the Zandra Rhodes Foundation, and collaborating with Ikea, for starters. We discuss what it was like to dress some of the biggest stars and how she attributes her strong work ethic to her mother. Zandra is also full of advice for the younger generation and explains why you should never shy away from being your true self. I can't wait to see what she gets up to in 2021!   *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Zandra: @zandra_rhodes_ We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

My guest today is part of the Strictly furniture, he's also a singer, comedian, author and television presenter. His comical dance pairings in Strictly are what he is best known for: having been partnered with both Nancy Dell'Olio and former MP Ann Widdecombe. I am of course talking about the one and only, Anton Du Beke. Anton is an all-round entertainer and I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with him about how Strictly brought the nation together during such a challenging time, my own Strictly faux pas, fatherhood and how he will tour forever. This was such an uplifting conversation and I'm so excited to share it with you all. A bit of light relief is what we all need right now! Make sure to read Anton's new book, A Christmas To Remember.   *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing: https://www.byemma.co Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Anton: @mrantondubeke We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

I'm so excited to be joined by Richie Bostock A.K.A ‘The Breath Guy' for our special BONUS episode this Christmas. Richie is a breathwork coach, author and speaker and he's made it his mission to spread the life changing possibilities of breathwork to the world. We've certainly needed his breathwork exercises this year! On the episode today, Richie explains his journey into breathwork, the impacts masks may be having on our breathing and he talks us through some effective breathing techniques such as the power of the ‘yes' breath and ladder breathing to help with sleep. I felt that my breathing improved just by speaking to Richie so I hope you find this episode just as helpful as I did!  Find out more about Richie here: https://www.thebreathguy.com/   *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Richie: @thebreathguy We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

My guest this week is a British cultural icon and someone who's face (and hair) has graced the covers of fashion magazines across the world. The name ‘Twiggy' was synonymous with the look of the 1960s - thin build and doe-eyed. Today, she is just as beautiful and is now a successful podcast host herself having started ‘Tea with Twiggy' during lockdown. In this episode, Twiggy spills the beans about those early days, how her iconic pixie haircut was a happy accident, her love of singing and how becoming a Grandmother has changed her outlook on life. Twiggy also discusses the skincare and lifestyle rules she lives by which I think we should all be following considering she's still agelessly cool at 71. Check out Twiggy's brilliant podcast ‘Tea with Twiggy'. *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing: https://www.byemma.co Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Twiggy: @twiggylawson We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

On today's episode I'm joined by actress, singer and devoted mother, Martine McCutcheon. Martine is best known for her role in Eastenders playing Tiffany, the on-off love interest of Grant Mitchell. After Eastenders, Martine went on to change her career path and started singing, landing herself a chart topping hit with Perfect Moment in 1999. Many of us will also know Martine as Hugh Grant's gorgeous love interest, Natalie, in the Richard Curtis romcom, Love Actually. Life hasn't been plain sailing for Martine and things got complicated when she started struggling with her health back in 2011. However, she's now fighting fit and has just released her new Christmas EP, Home For Christmas - which is just fantastic by the way! In this episode, we discuss her time in isolation and how we've all been encouraged to be kinder as a nation, her struggles with pregnancy and her health and how she has become a stronger and more positive person as a result. Martine also talks about her greatest love which is her passion for creativity and how she hopes the arts will bounce back stronger than ever!   ***   Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen.   If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/   Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle   Follow Martine: @martinemccutcheon   We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to hello@byemma.co

Today I am joined by the fabulous David Furnish for an extra special episode to mark World Aid's Day. David is a tireless campaigner and a leading voice in the worldwide fight against HIV and AIDS. David serves as the chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), a non-profit organisation established by the musician in 1992 to help fund frontline partners to prevent infections, fight stigma and provide treatment to the most vulnerable groups affected by HIV around the world. This year marks the 27th anniversary of the Foundation and while 2020 has certainly faced extra challenges, the foundation has worked hard to maintain momentum and support. In this episode, we discuss lockdown life, the importance of human connection, how the Foundation has continued to raise awareness around AIDS during a pandemic and David makes it very clear that they will not stop until they have achieved their goal. Please take a look at the Elton John AIDS Foundation website for more information on how you can make an impact and help end AIDS by 2030: https://www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org/   ***   Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen.   If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/   Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle   Follow David: @davidfurnish   Follow the Elton John Aids Foundation: @ejaf

Emma is joined by Welsh superstar Katherine Jenkins OBE for this week's episode of the Life & Soul Podcast. Katherine is officially the world's most famous classical singer, having 13 number one albums in 12 years since signing to Universal Classics at the age of 23. While live audiences have been put on pause during recent months, Katherine has kept us entertained with live concerts from home and she even teamed up with the late Dame Vera Lynn to release a historic duet of “We'll Meet Again” to mark VE Day. In this episode, we talk about the juggling act that is lockdown, her first major acting role in her husband's film and I find out all about her magical Christmas Spectacular at the Royal Albert Hall. It was such a delight talking to Katherine and this episode will definitely help to get you in the festive spirit...if you aren't already! Find out more about Katherine's Christmas Spectacular here: https://www.katherinejenkins.film/home/   ***   Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing: byemma.co Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Katherine: @katherinejenkinsobe

I am so thrilled to be joined in this episode by entrepreneur, writer, presenter, mother and all-round beauty guru, Trinny Woodall. You may remember her from the days of Trinny & Susannah, maybe your a member of the Trinny Tribe or maybe you swear by your Trinny London stacks. Trinny has kept so many of us entertained with her instagram videos and lives during lockdown and I've been so in awe of her positivity during this weird time. In this episode, I chat to Trinny about how COVID has changed her day to day routine, the importance of being able to press the reset button and of course we talk about Trinny's booming make-up business. While beauty may not feel like a priority right now, Trinny expresses how crucial it is to put aside time for self care in order to feel your best. Her life advice really is second to none. So have a listen and definitely take a moment to explore the Trinny London website trinnylondon.com as we all deserve a bit of retail therapy!   *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and edited by Steve Campen. If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing: https://www.byemma.co Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Trinny: @trinnywoodall @trinnylondon

For my first ever Life & Soul podcast episode, I am absolutely honoured to be joined by a bona fide national treasure, the wonderful Dame Julie Walters. Julie is one of the most loved English actresses, a comedienne and a star of countless film and TV productions including Billy Elliot, Harry Potter, Paddington and the much-loved Mamma Mia films. Julie was also an extremely close friend of the late Victoria Wood and worked with her on many TV shows like Dinnerladies and the soap spoof Acorn Antiques. Julie has most recently been seen in the heart-warming remake of The Secret Garden (currently on Sky Cinema) playing the prickly Mrs Medlock. Julie joins me to talk about her lockdown experience, her incredible recovery from bowel cancer and the joys of tree hugging. Oh, and I ask her whether this really is the end of her acting career. This will certainly be one of the highlights of my career and I hope it provides you with some light relief during this incredibly challenging time.   ***   If you enjoyed this episode, Julie's new film, The Secret Garden is out now and definitely worth a watch!   Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, Produced by Georgie Rutherford and Georgie Futong and Edited by Steve Campen.   If you're looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing: https://www.byemma.co   Social Media: Emma Forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Life & Soul @byemma.forbes  

Health, happiness and what makes people feel good in life. I'm Emma Forbes and my “Life and Soul Podcast” is all about the new normal world that we are all living in. (Although I hate the word new normal) Along with my wonderful guests we will talk about life and of course soul, - health, views, remedies and much more. Find out more about Emma Forbes: http://byemma.co/