She Dares

This week, I talked to Linda Murphy-Ericsson about how she was forced to take a month off work due to mild burnout, which gave her time to evaluate her role at work and write a new job spec for herself. We chat about the early signs of burnout, how she overcame it, and how important it is to take the time to think about what you can do to be happier at work. Linda is setting up a five-a-side football team at work to get people to socialise more, and her dare for me is to join a roller derby team to challenge myself and experience a full-contact sport with a fantastic team spirit.If you'd like to join me in the dare, please send us your clips and tag @_shedares so we can share them back with the community. Also, if you'd like me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, share it with someone who might benefit, and subscribe to the podcast in your chosen app, so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ruth Feltham joins me for this episode to chat about completely changing her career in her 40s after realising she wasn't happy. She talks about how seeing a life coach helped her decide to leave advertising after 15 years and how she ended up working as an estate agent for woodlands.We chat about the importance of your work matching your core values and how to better manage that elusive work/life balance.Ruth's dare for me is to try forest bathing. No phone (OK, I had to for filming but in aeroplane mode), no music, just being at one with nature while the sun rises and tuning in to the sounds around me.If you'd like to join Mel in the dare, please send us your clips and tag @_shedares to share them with the community. Also, if you'd like Mel to do something, you can contact us via Instagram @_shedares. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, share it with someone who might benefit, and subscribe to the podcast in your chosen app, so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DJ/producer/promoter and vocalist Michelle Manetti is my guest for this episode to talk about female empowerment and creating space and opportunities for other women in the music industry, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community.Michelle talks about how she was stuck in a rut in her DJing career for 10 years and how it took a major health scare to finally get her on the right path to pursue the work she was passionate about. We also discuss how both of us have felt like working in male-dominated industries has spurred us on to do even better.Michelle's dare for me is to learn how to DJ, which – spoiler alert – didn't go too well! If you'd like to join me in the dare, please send us your clips and tag @_shedares so we can share them with the community. Also, if you'd like me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram at @_shedares If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, share it with someone who might benefit, and subscribe to the podcast in your chosen app, so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I chat to my friend and ex-colleague Aurelia Albrecht about taking the huge decision to uproot her whole life in Austria to fulfil her long-held dream of living in Asia. Aurelia moved to Japan 3 years ago, where she faced massive cultural differences, including unexpected gender bias in her first job there, which made things incredibly difficult. We chatted about how that affected her and what she learned from it.Aurelia also talks about having to massively downsize her possessions due to the size of apartments in Tokyo and how freeing she found letting go of her belongings. We also discuss the impact of living on the other side of the world from her family during a pandemic.Aurelia has dared me to go out and do things on my own and speak to people I don't know, as that's what she had to do when she moved to Tokyo and didn't know anyone.If you'd like to join me in the dare, please send us your clips and tag @_shedares so we can share them back with the community. Also, if you'd like me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, share it with someone who might benefit, and follow the podcast in your chosen app, so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mural artist Hazel Oakes is my guest for this episode, and she's got such an exciting story about how she ended up where she is today. We talk about how she completely pivoted her career after studying to be a fashion designer and the fear she felt making that decision.We discuss following your passions, whatever they may be, and the importance of having a support network around you. Hazel is an excellent example of taking a risk to realise your dreams, and it really paying off. If you want to look at her fantastic work, you can search for "Nocciola The Drawer" on social media and YouTube.Hazel's dare for me is to get creative and body paint myself to express myself differently and get outside my comfort zone.If you'd like to join me in the dare, please send us your clips and tag @_shedares so we can share it back with the community. Also, if you'd like me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, share it with someone who might benefit, and follow the podcast in your chosen app, so you don't miss an episode.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this mini episode I just wanted to give you a little update on how I've been getting on with the dares and what I've learned from them all so far. I also wanted to let you know how you could get involved and join in. The next full episode will be released on 18th April. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cathy Karry is my guest on this weeks' episode, and if you're into wellness, this is a great one for you! Cathy is a health and wellness expert, and her company "Strong after 40" offers nutrition coaching and works with women to build healthy lifestyle habits.We chat about following your passions and ensuring your work aligns with your core values. We also discuss how small lifestyle changes can reap big rewards, what perimenopause is, and how we can ease the symptoms.Cathy is a certified fitness trainer and a big believer in strength training to keep healthy. Her dare for me is to incorporate that into my life for a whole week. If you'd like to join in, here's the workout she gave me:+ Squat to overhead press with dumbbells+ Push-ups (on knees if needed)+ Alternating forward lunges with a bicep curl with dumbbells 3 moves, 8-10 reps each, 3x through the circuit.Please make sure you're using weights that challenge you but still allow you to complete all the reps and if you're not sure on form, make sure you watch a YouTube video first to guide you. If you'd like to join me in the dare, please send us your clips and tag @_shedares so we can share them back with the community. Also, if you'd like me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, share with someone who might benefit, and subscribe to the podcast in your chosen app, so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

IIn this episode, I'm joined by journalist, action sports photographer and mother Alba Pardo to chat about how her nomadic lifestyle had to change when she had her baby. Alba is really honest about the highs and lows of motherhood and how she feels, reflecting back on the 4 years since her daughter was born, including raising her alone throughout the pandemic.Alba has been determined to not let motherhood change her passions in life, one of which is snowboarding. She used to strap her daughter onto her back and carry on down the mountains until she was old enough to snowboard herself, and with this in mind, her dare for me was to strap something heavy onto my back and go snowboarding.If you'd like to join me in the dare, please send us your clips and tag @_shedares to share them back with the community. Also, if you'd like me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, share with someone who might benefit and make sure to subscribe to the podcast in your chosen app, so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back for series 2, and in the first episode, my friend Mignon Van Weeren joins me to chat about what happened when her mum bought her a one-way ticket to New York when she was 18 and where that led her. Mignon is an Executive Producer and has worked in many different jobs worldwide. She shares the lessons she's learned along the way, including the importance of being your truest, most authentic self.Mignon's dare for me is a really difficult one; I'm not allowed to buy anything – even food, for a week. I'm allowed to swap, barter and borrow things but not spend any money. This is going to feel like a very long week!If you'd like to join me in the dare, please send us your clips and tag @_shedares so we can share it back with the community. Also, if you'd like me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, share with someone who might benefit and make sure to subscribe to the podcast in your chosen app so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the final episode in the series, and it's a personal one for me as I'm joined by my wife Sam and her friend Tara to talk about their very different experiences with breast cancer. With Sam opting for a double mastectomy and Tara having a lumpectomy, their journeys to recovery haven't been the same at all, and they've got quite differing outlooks on what's happened to them.Both Sam and Tara are incredibly honest about what they've been through in the hope it will raise awareness of the most common cancer in women and help anyone listening who might be going through the same thing. If you're struggling with any of the issues in this episode, you can get in touch via Instagram and Sam and Tara would both be happy to chat with you. I also give tips on how to check your breasts at the end of the episode.My final dare for the series comes from Tara, who decided to get topless photos taken after she received her initial diagnosis as she wasn't sure where her journey would lead her. So that's what I'll be doing too in an effort to celebrate my body and show how incredible all women's bodies really are, even if we don't always feel like it! Luckily Sam is a photographer, so she'll be doing the shoot and I'll be as comfortable as possible.If you'd like to join me in the dare, please send us your clips and tag @_shedares so we can share it back with the community. Also, if you'd like me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, share with someone who might benefit and make sure to subscribe to the podcast in your chosen app so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I'm joined by semi-professional runner Megan Taylor. We talk about how she went from being a complete novice to recently finishing 26th out of 23,000 female runners in The Great North Run. How running is excellent for your mind and your body and how it's helped build her confidence. She also gives tips on how to start if you're a complete beginner.Megan talks about the Reclaim Your Run movement set up by Women's Health and Runner's World magazines after 60% of women surveyed said they'd been harassed while out running. You can find out more by following #reclaimyourrun on social media or join this campaign https://www.ourstreetsnow.org/our-mission which was founded by the girls in Lewes Running Club. She also mentions Couch to 5K as a great way to start running. You can get involved here www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-week-by-week/Megan's other passion is food, and her dare for me is to bake a She Dares themed cake. The last time I attempted to bake something it completely fell apart, so this should be fun!If you'd like to join me in the dare, please send us your clips and tag @_shedares so we can share it back with the community. Also if you'd like me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, share with someone who might benefit and make sure to subscribe the podcast in your chosen app, so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emma and I chat about her big decision to emigrate during the pandemic to be with her husband, how not having her usual support network affected her mental health and how she came up with the idea for her new business The Happy Flock.Emma has had to borrow clothes from friends and family (including her 70 year old mother!) due to travelling between the UK and Canada regularly so she's dared me to spend a day wearing someone else's clothes in a totally different style to my own to see how it makes me feel.You can find Emma on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-davies-58a18022/I mention in the episode that Emma and I met doing some business coaching. You can find out more here: https://www.becomeuntamed.com/If you'd like to dare me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedaresIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and make sure to follow the podcast in your chosen app, so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I'm joined by my friend Catina Filardo who speaks honestly about the highs and lows of being made redundant in a worldwide pandemic. We discuss how she dealt with being out of work for nearly a year and how a painting of the Last Supper scuppered her chances in an online interview!Catina, who lives in Australia, started donating blood and plasma last year due to the devastating fire season, which caused nationwide shortages. Because of this, she's dared me to do the same in Austria, and I'm more than happy to get involved if a little apprehensive.If you'd like to dare me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedaresIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and make sure to follow the podcast in your chosen app, so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My long-time friend Beth Davies joins me for this episode to chat about her wild 20's and the lessons she learned from that period in her life. We talk about going against her family's expectations and carving out her own path in the hospitality industry. We also delve into financial problems that many of us face, and Beth gives her advice on not falling into the credit card trap she did.The dare that Beth gives me is to learn to say basic phrases in a new language and report back with how I get on. For someone who's lived in a German-speaking country for 9 years and still can't speak fluently, this may turn out to be quite a challenge! If you'd like to dare me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedaresIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and make sure to follow the podcast in your chosen app, so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, my friend and neighbour Eva joined me for an episode that's slightly different from the others so far. Eva gives her honest and brave account of how burnout through work caused her to have a breakdown 5 months ago. She talks us through the build-up, techniques she's using to make sure it doesn't happen again, and why breaking out of your comfort zone isn't always a positive thing.Eva gives me the dare because one of her new mottos is ‘just do you' and to not be concerned about what other people think of you. Eva's assured me I can pull it off if I just have confidence in myself and own it, so… I'm getting a mullet!You can watch me getting it done on Instagram @_shedaresIf you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and make sure to follow the podcast in your chosen app so you don't miss an episode She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna Spindler and I chat about her story of moving from Austria to the UK and setting up her screen-printing business, Zimzala. We talk about how she started the company, what support she received and how she manages her work/life balance whilst being so busy. She also talks about the importance of saying yes and grabbing every opportunity that comes your way.The dare this week is a creative one. Anna wants me to create a piece of art to share with people. I'm really looking forward to giving this one a go!If you'd like to dare me to do something, you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares.Unfortunately just after we recorded this episode, Anna's studio was flooded by the flash floods that hit Europe and most of her stock and equipment was damaged. Luckily no one was hurt but of course it's devastating to entirely rebuild the last 3 years of work. That's why we've set up this Go Get Funding page to make it a little easier for Zimzala to get back on track! Please, if you can spare just 1 euro, you'd be helping a small business keep going! Thank you to everyone who listens!https://gogetfunding.com/help-anna-get-zimzalas-studio-back-up-and-running/If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and make sure to follow the podcast in your chosen app so you don't miss an episode. She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dom Granger joins me for this episode to talk about her incredible journey from being terrified of stepping in the water to becoming a kite surfing instructor and then an action sports photographer – both jobs require spending a lot of time in the ocean. Dom tells us why she decided enough was enough and how she manages the occasional panic attacks that sometimes still happen while working in the water. Her story is such a positive, motivational example of feeling the fear and doing it anyway!  This week's dare is an interesting one. Dom asked me to take a cold shower every day for a week after massaging my skin with nut oil to see what benefits I felt at the end of it. It's making me feel cold just thinking about it! If you'd like to dare me to do something you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares If you enjoyed this episode please leave us a review and make sure to follow the podcast in your chosen app so you don't miss an episode  She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I chat to Rebekah Pantaléon, founder of Andaluz Skincare. Rebekah took a massive leap of faith and moved across Europe to be with the man she loved, and in the process started her own natural, sustainable skincare line using local Spanish ingredients from Andalusia where she now lives. From emigrating, to starting a brand from scratch, Rebekah's story shows that you don't always need a plan to create something you are passionate about. This week's dare is a tough one. Rebekah wants me to go out and busk, singing Take on Me by a-ha. As a self confessed TERRIBLE singer this is way out of my comfort zone! If you'd like to dare me to do something you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares If you enjoyed this episode please leave us a review and make sure to follow the podcast in your chosen app so you don't miss an episode  She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first episode of the She Dares podcast I'm joined by my friend Claire Murphy, a guitar tech for various bands including Vance Joy. We chat about the times she's taken leaps out of her comfort zone, including fulfilling her life long dream of working in the music industry, and leaving her life behind in the UK to move to California. Her story is a brilliant example of how taking a big risk can reap huge rewards both personally and professionally. At the end of each episode the guest, or you the listener, will dare me to do something that pushes me out of MY comfort zone. This week Claire dares me to go vegan for a week and keep an audio diary of how I get on. Not an easy feat for a steak lover who can't cook!  If you'd like to dare me to do something you can get in touch via Instagram @_shedares If you enjoyed this podcast please leave us a review and make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode  She Dares is a community for women encouraging and supporting each other to overcome our fears, learn from each other and achieve personal greatness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, my name is Mel Cheng. In this brand new podcast I speak to inspiring women from all over the world who have pushed themselves out of their comfort zones. Sometimes, this even completely changed their lives. The She Dares community is all about female empowerment and supporting and encouraging each other to be the best versions of ourselves. I hope that by listening to this series you will feel as inspired and uplifted by my guests as I do. At the end of each episode I will be given a dare – either by the guest or by a listener. If you'd like to dare me to do something to push me out of MY comfort zone and overcome some of my fears, you can send me a DM on Instagram @_shedares! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.