Tinted Specs Podcast

Gregory says, ‘Atlas Accessories got started because at 55 I decided I wanted to do something for myself'. It brings together his love of jewellery design, interest in meaning and symbolism and enjoyment of storytelling. In fact as soon as he'd got some of his designs made into ‘actual proper pieces of jewellery' people were asking him where they could buy the bracelets.The next stage was coming up with the name, Gregory says, ‘the whole concept behind the accessories is meaning and symbolism and the materials all have animal symbolism or stone symbolism… so I wanted the name of the company to embody that and the more I thought about it I had this dog called Atlas he was pretty much my best friend – the most important thing in my life and like in any culture they say if you call out the name of a divinity or an entity…  it's calling on that benevolence or that spirit in some way or that energy'.  Gregory talks about the importance of the leather and stones used in his jewellery and how they are great for storytelling. ‘By combining all these natural materials you can create symbolic meaning in the individual pieces and the reason that's important I think it's great for storytelling. Like when I meet someone, especially if I'm a little nervous, they usually ask about my bracelets and I can point to one and I can tell a little story that just tells a little bit about me and kind of how I view the world'. The interview was recorded on Wednesday 24th November at 12pm GMT.For more info click here

Robert says, ‘I love getting to impact people's lives and being able to share nuggets of gold and clues I've learned from travelling around the world and being able to train people'. He's been lucky enough to travel around the world and taught over half a million students helping them to find out what their passion is and how it is achievable if they follow the ‘6 life changing habits' which are ‘real, relevant and repeatable'.Robert grew up in a close-minded society where he was told, ‘You don't have to like what you're doing. If it's giving you security and it's helping you earn money to take care of your family then you do that job whether it's something you enjoy or not.' However, after being laid off again and again he embraced personal development which he'd initially thought was too ‘woo woo' but says, ‘I've been blown away by ‘woo' things that have taken my life in a totally new direction'.Robert is clear to point out that success doesn't come without ‘practice practice practice' and how important it is, ‘that you surround yourself with growth minded people being willing to be vulnerable enough to say you know what I don't know this or I'm not the best at it who do I know who could assist me on it and be willing to ask for them help'. The interview is full of nuggets of wisdom so make sure you don't miss it. The interview was recorded on Wednesday 17th November at 3pm GMT.To download a free pdf of his book ‘Success Left a Clue' click here

Jennifer is a financial wellness expert who started out helping people with their retirement plans. What she realised was that people struggled with it because, ‘they didn't have the money management today to begin to focus on bigger things like not needing a job someday. She realised a more holistic approach was needed because, ‘It's hard to be well, to be happy and healthy if you don't have a good sense of your finances and a good balance in them'.After financial troubles hit the finance company where she worked, she was left feeling frustrated but soon realised how lucky she was. ‘And in that moment of frustration, I was able to tell myself focus on whatever's important to you like be happy find your happiness – don't worry about the money it's there and that was such a gift and I realised very few people likely would have that same sentiment and that was a gift that I could give other people this habit that just came naturally to me'. It also helps that Jennifer is very approachable and enjoys a more collaborative approach that allows her to help a broad spectrum of people from refugees to financial experts.  She has one piece of advice for all of us start talking about money with your children, your partner, your friends, your work. ‘if you can build up the courage to face your numbers yourself and to start having those conversations not only will you improve your own life but you'll improve the lives of everyone around you'. And… if you're thinking of getting married make sure you ‘marry carefully' and have those uncomfortable chats about money and spending habits early on. The interview was recorded on Wednesday 10th November at 2pm GMT. For more info

Klaudia is a mindset and success coach for women. She says, ‘You will find plenty of people who will talk about mindset recently, and say you need to be constantly happy to attract positive things and you know what that's ok but that comes later'. She explains she helps people to understand where their emotions come from, ‘Whatever you do now, whatever your belief system is, whatever patterns you have, fears maybe creep in every single day and they have come from somewhere. They haven't been there for a couple of weeks; they haven't been there for a couple of months they've been there for at least 30 years or 40 years!'. Klaudia explains we all inherited these emotions when we were young children, and these emotions are what is holding us back. ‘What I'm working on is getting to the root of your problems and trying to shift those beliefs, those patterns from childhood so that they will not bother you anymore and you are ready to live your fulfilled life'. In fact, Klaudia explains we continue to build on these core traumas even when they no longer seem traumatic. For example, if we are going for a job interview, we will feel the same negative emotions we felt as a child trying to answer a question in class and these negative feelings will repeat until we change them. She says, ‘our patterns have been set years ago, that's your default system, and what I'm working on is trying to change your default system create a new one that you are able to live your perfect life without any fears, without any negative patterns and without this emotional exhaustion of where those feelings are coming from what's happening and why am I constantly anxious, angry or I can't sleep'. If this sounds familiar, then check out Klaudia's website below. She runs 12 week individual and group courses so there is something for everyone. In these courses she helps you to work through forgiveness and set up goals. She says, ‘For most of us setting up goals are extremely complicated. I have the way how to make it simpler, how to make it easy and how to create an action plan step by step to get you from where you are and where you want to be'. The interview was recorded on Wednesday 3rd November at 3pm BST.For more info

Denise started making granola and muesli for her family during the pandemic in 2020. She explains, ‘It started out of pure necessity just for my own consumption and my families' consumption – we love to eat granola and muesli'. After getting the thumbs up from her family she started to give her gourmet granola and muesli to a few friends and neighbours to see what they thought and that's when it took off and Engrained was born. Denise says, ‘I did not set out to start a business at all but somehow it has turned into one and I'm the first one surprised to be honest'. Denise says she wanted to make her granola and muesli recipes appealing because, ‘it was initially intended for my children and myself so it had to be something that I was happy to dig into every day and that I knew they would get excited about as well'. The recipes also needed to be healthy and nourishing, ‘because I didn't want to be running around preparing snacks all the time, so it sort of had to tick a few boxes but yes I definitely put a huge emphasis on the flavours'. She won't be pushed into picking out her favourite flavour and with names like ‘Très chocolat' Granola, Carrot Halwa Granola and Almond Cinnamon Crunch Granola I don't blame her! Sustainability is also very important to her, ‘I see small businesses are really the ones leading the change and really putting change in consumers hands' which is why you can get refills of her recipes at select refill shops (see www.engrained.co.uk for details). The interview was recorded on Wednesday 20th October at 12pm BST.For more info

David works in financial services, but he says, ‘outside of my 9 to 5 I spend as much time outdoors on the water doing whatever that I possibly can'. He is also the County Training Manager at South London Scouts and I wanted to talk to him about how he felt the last 18 months had impacted the young people he works with. ‘On a positive note, I think the last 18 months have been great in that there's been worldwide connections which would have never happened, we've met people, made new friends got people interested in different things that would never have happened. But on the flip side to that there's a massive gap in the socialization of young people. There's a lot of anxiety that's come in that definitely wasn't there before.' David recognises, ‘Covid is a big restriction at the moment and obviously whilst we need to be mindful… I think we should be pushing to get young people outdoors doing different activities'. That said he says, ‘I generally find that every activity that we [South London Scouts] run will be pretty much sold out instantaneously because they're so keen at the moment to get back doing things which is so great'. In fact, there is something for everyone at the Scouts for both girls and boys from 4 years old upwards to adult volunteers. David explains, ‘We've got Squirrels starting off super young, we've now got Cubs coming in, we then got Cub Scouts and really there's a place in scouting from every age really up to adults'. What is he looking forward to in the future, ‘Just getting back into the proper outdoors. We have a general saying in scouting that there's no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing'. The interview was recorded on Monday 18th October at 12pm BST.For more info

When Wishes Change is about how Tricia and her family navigated the miracle birth of her daughter Annabelle and her death 6 days later. It's about grief and about how life can change but it is also about hope. After falling pregnant Tricia and her husband Jonas decided to have a test to find out the gender of the baby but they also found out she had Trisomy 18 and were recommended to have an abortion. After much thought and prayers they decided, ‘we wanted to keep the pregnancy and just give it our best'. She explains Annabelle defied the odds and was born despite them being told, ‘there was probably only a 10% chance of meeting her alive'. Tricia says, ‘I think even though it was a tragic situation… we were just so lucky to get to meet her and to hold her.' She talks about when her eldest child Cameron met Annabelle, ‘I remember the moment when my son got to meet her and say hello to her... Every time Cameron came in the room her little head would pick up a little bit when he started talking'.Tricia also talks about her job as a head volleyball coach at a high school being a positive outlet during her pregnancy. She is very proud and full of respect for her team who ended up winning the state championship. ‘I think these young athletes were so beyond their years to just see that I was going through something that was a really difficult situation... They had told me early on that this was for Annabelle and… they wanted to win state for her which was extremely humbling right'. Her coaching experience also helped her during this difficult time. She reflects, ‘You teach kids that it's not about the winning and losing it's about getting better and feeling like you have done everything… And for me, as I processed all of this I felt like… if I chose to continue with the pregnancy that I would do everything I could to keep myself healthy and the baby inside of me healthy and if I got to meet her alive I would do everything I could to make her comfortable'. This is a wonderful honest hopeful episode talking about how we can all navigate difficult times and grief. The interview was recorded on Friday 8th October.www.whenwisheschange.com

Maria is a relationship coach who coaches codependents, ‘women and men that are in recovery from codependency to attract and manifest that relationship'. And by that relationship she means helping them to find, ‘a healthy loving relationship'. She goes on to explain, ‘40 years ago they could tell that if you grew up with addiction… you'd have some of the characteristics of codependency but the conversation has moved on and today we know that one of the hallmarks of codependent behaviour is you just grew up in a dysfunctional family'.This is an area close to Maria's heart as she married an addict and then slid into workaholism because of her codependency.  She says, ‘I'd work round the clock 12 hours a day with maybe 20 minutes break because I didn't have to feel I could be just a human doing and I think it's important to recognise that. But what's underlying codependent behaviour is shame and low self-esteem.' Over 20 years later she is now a trained coach and in a healthy nurturing relationship and wants to provide the help she wishes she'd been able to get when she was younger. Maria explains, ‘without any work if you have codependency, or you identify with it by the time you're in midlife you'll either be divorced maybe twice. Or, you'll maybe not do a relationship because it's too painful to be intimate with somebody… or jump from relationship to relationship.' That's why more education schools would lead to much better satisfying lives for younger people. Afterall, ‘the quality of our lives depends on our relationships with ourselves and with others'. The interview was recorded on Thursday 7th Oct at 2pm BST. For more information go to

What is ‘My Black Dog'? Niki says, ‘it is a peer-to-peer support service for people who are struggling with their mental health'. With two big differences, ‘all our volunteers have a lived experience which means they've been through it before - they totally get it - they know how you feel' and instead of calling you text. Deciding to make the service text only was done to make it easier for people to communicate how they were feeling. Niki says the fear of saying how you are feeling out loud… ‘suddenly becomes really real, and you've now said this thing and it's out there and you can't get it back'. Niki explains she wanted to set up this service to make it easier for people to get help when they needed it. She points out that the benefits of seeing a professional face-to-face are clear but waiting lists are long and sometimes it's just not possible or appealing. Niki talks about her own experiences of how she felt after going to an appointment. ‘You just go there, and you release the kraken and all these things come out and its really emotional and I remember once I had a session, and I was just devastated by the end of it.' She set up My Black Dog so that this way people can, ‘talk to someone in [their] jimjams at home somewhere that it's comfy and cosey and you feel mentally safe'. Like with many new initiatives over the past two years My Black Dog was there just when people needed it. As Niki says it meant they had to be very adaptable and grow very fast, finding new tech and getting more volunteers to be able to provide a high-end service for people getting in touch. Niki reminiscences about the first few months of the pandemic, ‘not only are we ideally placed… for people to get help for their mental health, but we don't have any money and we're going to be busier than we've ever been before, and we were it was a 2,030% increase in a year!'. The interview was recorded on Monday 27th Sept at 2.30pm BST.To donate or volunteer go to

Petter Erik and Maria set up AweSM to help ‘freedom-seeking coaches, consultants and experts reach millions of people, and grow their business with the Nordic No-Nonsense Approach'. Maria says for them the pandemic was a blessing ‘because what we do is help... people who want to create online courses or are coaches and consultants and we help them to build businesses online. And of course, when the pandemic hit what happened was that a lot of our potential clients just lost everything… and people were freaking out, so they came to us. So, our business has grown actually quite a lot because of the pandemic because of what happened in the market, and everyone had to go online to actually have clients at all.'Petter Erik explains that it wasn't all smooth sailing, ‘we were like do we have anything to sell, do people appreciate what we're doing – is it working or maybe it's just an illusion.' What helped them breakthrough was ‘mindset' ‘when things like this happen you can just lay down and just start to cry and think… I can't do anything or you can step up and figure out how can I make a winner'. Petter Erik likens starting a business to playing a video game and stresses the importance of having fun with it and enjoying it. He also says getting advice and talking to people who have more experience is vital. Maria points out that when you play a video game there is a different strategy to win level 1 than level 2, so you always need to learn new strategies. That's why it's really important to embrace and enjoy new challenges because this will enable you to grow.For more of their 'Nordic No-Nonsense Approach' you can join AweSM's virtual event starting on Thursday 4th November 2021 (link below). Petter Erik says, ‘growing a company is a mindset – the skills you can buy but the mindset you can't buy.' The event is set to be lots of fun and very interactive. Maria says, ‘We love to make people come together and be inspired and get energy and talk together and build community. And, it's very often very lonely to be an entrepreneur so it is so important for people to actually have this place to meet.' The interview was recorded on Monday 27th September at 12 pm BST.https://awesmevent.com/Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Kirsten set up the personal and business advisory service The Next Half in March 2021 after she saw a need that she knew she had the expertise to fill. ‘This one person had a great business model, but she didn't have the confidence to present it and she started to cry… that's when I had my epiphany that my business experience can help women who are my age that might not have had my business expertise but have fantastic ideas'. There is no doubt Kirsten has the business expertise with 30 years of experience working in the business sector most recently advising business leaders on investment viability. But, she says, ‘I had this nagging sensation that I wasn't quite doing what I wanted to do in my life, or I needed to do or hoped to do'. Fast forward to her ‘bang' moment during the lockdown and The Next Half was born to help primarily women aged 45 plus to work out their next path. ‘I passionately believe that we all can refocus, re-spark and reach for our dreams. And, I think we all deserve to be excited about our futures, but sometimes we just need starter fluid to figure out that next path. That's where I come in.' There is no doubt she speaks from the heart and totally gets the issues facing women about their future, ‘I get it when you don't know what the path is but you know there is some path out there. And, I get that so let me help you.' The Next Half has made quantum leaps since the launch and recently Kirsten was approached by Darling magazine to do an interview where they labelled her ‘inspiring and inspiring women'. Kirsten says, ‘I couldn't be more fulfilled or more happy and I'm chuffed to bits that the business is resonating with lots.' As for the future Kirsten says, ‘I want to focus on really doing the business advisory in equal portion of my week as the personal coaching'. Either way, she is clearly in her element helping women to achieve their dreams, ‘I just get such pleasure and fulfilment out of supporting other midlife women to thrive both personally and professionally'. The interview was recorded on Wednesday 15th September at 12 pm BST. www.the-next-half.org/Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Pauline is an editor and historian, part-time tour guide and single mother of three young children who is based in Reims France. I wanted to talk to her about what the past 18 months have been like. France has had much stricter restrictions than the UK so what was it like juggling a busy freelance editor job and looking after three children of 14, 11 and 3 ½ years old. Pauline says, ‘the last 18 months has been very tough but also very interesting in terms of organisation'. Having a routine was key but the suddenness of schools closing was a shock. ‘And then suddenly I happened to be shut in my own flat with my three kids, no more school and still work to do because as a freelancer I need to work there is no other solution'. That said, you can't help but chuckle when you hear of her 11-year-old son not being very cooperative and how ‘I had to keep an eye on the little one because she was tempted, very seriously, to paint the whole flat with these pens'. Pauline's humorous anecdotal stories of her children demanding ‘sushi' and ‘real pizza' show how incredibly demanding but also rewarding this time was. Looking back, she feels this whole experience has been very positive for herself and her children. ‘This adventure has been hard but for me it's been very positive because I had to do something that I would never have thought I was able to do so - it was a big challenge actually.' The interview was recorded on Thursday 1st September at 1 pm CEST.Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Sam is a textile artist and designer who has been working in the creative industry for 25 years. Three years ago, she decided to start ‘Child Of Project'. Sam says, ‘It was born from grief, from the death of my father, but it's kind of turned into the most beautiful creative project which is all about resilience and human strength'. I'll let her explain more, ‘The project… is all about opening up the conversation around addiction and recovery but in a really creative and contemporary way'. In fact, just a few weeks ago Sam had a meeting with the head of education and learning department at Saatchi Gallery who invited Child Of to do workshops and host an exhibition in December. Sam reveals, ‘it is an art project but it something we see long-term as a creative platform that's going change the way we look at addiction and also feed people with great information about creativity, art and technique and introduce them to different artists who are from all over, from all disciplines'.The exhibition will include ‘an ever-growing tapestry' which everyone can get involved with. All you need to do is join the crowdfund and as your reward you can send in a word or phrase to remember someone, a song lyric, or a secret you are ready to tell which will be made into ‘small pieces of art' and added to the tapestry. The exhibition will also include work Sam is doing with kids from the London East Alternative Provision School where they will produce designs which will be embroidered by @handandlocklondon. Plus, visual art she has been working on over the past few years based on conversations with people who have experienced addiction like ‘I was present for the first time'. The last piece of the exhibition is a film explaining all about the project. The interview was recorded on Monday 6th September at 9 am BST.www.crowdfunder.co.uk/child-ofwww.samdcruze.com/blog/child-of Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Tom is Head Coach and founder of Be Fearsome an outdoor fitness company based in central London with an online arm developed over the last 18 months helping those who live further afield. BFO, as it is known by those that go regularly, offers all types of outdoor fitness: boot camps, personal training and team building you name it. There are around 20 trainers who use vans as mobile gyms which are stuffed with all the equipment you might need. The story behind how he decided on the company name Be Fearsome is interesting. Often, Tom would have his surname ‘Frearson' mistaken for ‘fearsome' – even when going through passport control! So, when he was setting up the business his brother-in-law suggested ‘fearsome' would be a great name because not only was it similar to his surname but also means ‘empowerment and sort of ownership and just not being scared of anything'. There is no doubt the brand slogan ‘Be Fearsome in fitness and in life' is what people are looking for now more than ever before.  Tom is also lucky enough to witness some amazing achievements from members and his coaches. One member recently completing his first triathlon and one of the BFO female coaches is a GB athlete who regularly smashes it. But he says, ‘it's best when I see the underdog story' and he says it ‘really touches my heart when I see… people actually using what they've learnt from us to help other people.' To hear lots of interesting insights into how he adapted the business during the pandemic and how important his team are then don't miss this episode. The interview was recorded on Thursday 19th August at 2 pm BST. www.befearsome.com/Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

In July 2019 Bethan walked out of her job wanting a new challenge. Fast forward one month later and she is on holiday sat in her Mum's favourite bar Erics in Marbella surrounded by beautiful displays of bottles and colour plus lots of macarons. Suddenly the sparks of creativity started to go off fuelled by her background as an artist and her determination and discipline honed as an athlete. ‘We don't have this in the UK there's nowhere that you go to that has this sophistication, and colour and absolutely heavenly taste. It tickles every sense - I love going there. So, I said to Mum this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to learn to bake macarons and I'm going to do this in Ascot.' And as the story goes that's exactly what she did as soon as they returned to the UK @siixteen.macarons was born. ‘Everybody thought I was joking and I was like right that's it - I set up my business there and then!'. What's even more amazing is that she had never baked one macaron in her life. Whilst the reality of baking these ‘tantalising little pillows of sweet-tasting deliciousness' was harder than she thought. ‘It took me every single day – blood sweat and tears failure after failure after failure' she finally succeeded and the rest, as they say, is history. Things have gone from strength to strength since then and by adapting production during the quieter months of the pandemic she ensured the brand stayed alive. Watch this space Siixteen.macarons is stronger than ever. This interview was recorded on Thursday 19th August at 11 am BST.www.siixteen.co.ukWhere to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Maria decided to change her life in 2019. She says, ‘I felt that I really need profound change in my life. I felt like my soul was screaming for change'. Initially, she had no idea what she wanted to do so turned to astrology because she wanted to find out what her mission in life was. After sharing some of the things she had learnt from astrology with friends and getting positive responses she realised she was destined to be an astrologer to help people find their mission in life.Maria talks about how astrology helped her understand what was happening in 2020. She explains that this apocalypse is a good thing, ‘every soul needs this deep change' without it ‘your life goes sterile'. In fact, she says: ‘In this time of crisis … many people discovered I actually have this talent I can do something else. Why didn't I do this 10 years ago?' Well, 10 years ago the planets weren't in the right place to allow this change.Maria explains ‘we live in a very important time of history… and we need to be brave and just be bold because that's why we are here.' Embracing life and not being afraid of change is very important as she thinks the level of fear last year caused more disasters: earthquakes, fires and floods. She says, ‘trust and believe in the universe' and when we all start to embrace change we will start to notice a positive shift. This interview was recorded on Friday 6th August at 12 pm BST.www.astromaria.co.ukWhere to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Javier is a firefighter in the London Fire Brigade and a personal trainer specialising in outdoor training. I wanted to talk to him about training to be a firefighter during the pandemic. When he first applied to be a firefighter, it was 2019 and we had no idea about what was going to happen. Jump to 8th June 2020 when he started the training course, and the world had changed. One of the first implications was that his cohort couldn't go in to get measured for their uniforms… Yes, you guessed it the first day of training was quite amusing with people wearing shirts far too long and massive trousers. Laughing aside, Javier talks about how demanding the training was. He says, ‘I am almost 40 years old, and I've done many different things in my life, and some of them I consider were quite tough or difficult. None of it was as difficult and challenging like this'. After completing the training course, he started at Ealing Fire Station as a firefighter underdevelopment or for those in the know ‘a sprog'! He says ‘nothing prepares you for station life' as there was so much to learn, and it is very important to show you can do the job and not do anything stupid. Working as part of a team is vital he says, ‘we are all little cogs, and if any of the little cogs don't spin properly you are going to have problems'. The interview is full of insights into what it's like being a firefighter, plus how important it is to look at the positives even when the situation looks grim. This interview was recorded on Thursday 5th August - 7pm BST.Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Charlotte @funkymakers is a multi-crafter and has crafted since she was knee-high. She comes from an Irish family of crafters who taught her to knit and crochet. Charlotte recently coordinated the family to create a heritage blanket as a wedding gift for her cousin. It was made up of '70 squares of Irish Aran knitting and crochet contributed by members of our family' and she even managed to include some squares from a cardigan that had been knitted by her grandmother. This was a huge achievement and one she feels especially proud of. She wanted them to feel ‘wrapped in the love and support of a large Irish family'.Charlotte launched @funkymakers after she was asked to run after school crafts clubs where she teaches children knitting, crochet and many other crafts. Sadly, since the pandemic, Funkymakers hasn't been back into schools. The impact of this on young children is something Charlotte is acutely aware of, ‘when you look at the benefits of crafting… for young children fine motor skills, dexterity, problem-solving… the whole ideas that crafting generates they've lost all of that'.The benefits of crafting are also clear for adults, not only to help with mental health but also to highlight how we can upcycle and recycle clothing to help do our bit to reduce climate change. Charlotte recently attended #stitchitdontditchit Street Stitching organised by Suzi from @twistedtwee in Bromley Town Centre. Looking after the planet is top of Charlotte's agenda and you can even find instructions on how to make crochet make-up remover pads on her Instagram page. This interview was recorded on Monday 5th July at 2 pm BST.Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Huia lives with her partner Sander, their two children and a dog in Marlborough where 75% of New Zealand's wine is produced. She's busy working as a naturopath specialising in herbal medicine as well as doing several forms of massage and being a yoga and Zumba teacher. Oh, and that's on top of being a mum and helping her partner Sander run Karaka Kitchen. I wanted to talk to Huia to find out what happened in NZ at the beginning of the global Covid-19 pandemic in February 2020. She says, ‘I remember the country stood still – there's a person in that hospital and covid is here in New Zealand'. The speed with which it spread was ‘ferocious' and she describes how ‘events started being cancelled just one by one by one like dominoes'. This directly impacted her and Sander's business Karaka Kitchen. Keeping on top of last-minute cancellations was difficult as it happened just as they were starting to prep the food. Huia also talks about how her Zumba classes were ‘freakily gaining ridiculous popularity which once upon a time would have been really fun... but it was petrifying!'. When the lockdown was announced Huia says, ‘we all sat on the edge of our seats… it's something like I've never known in New Zealand'. The speed with which NZ went from level 2 lockdown to an emergency level 4 lockdown sent shockwaves through everyone. She describes her kids being sent home from school and how she couldn't get back as there had been a bad accident on the main highway. ‘People were running around like headless chooks (chickens) not understanding in 48 hours it's a crime to meet up with your friend or to leave your house even'.By huge coincidence this was also the time for picking the grape harvest and ‘fruit was sitting there plump and ripe and with the best-tasting fruit profiles that we've known'. Vineyards went into lockdown with fruit pickers staying on-site in RV's. Meanwhile, Huia was making sure they had covered all the bases and Karaka Kitchen would be allowed to stay open and continue catering. This was vital for the business as ‘our chillers were rammed with food which would go off'. Whilst life is now almost back to normal when the covid alert system goes off everyone still freaks out. This interview was recorded on Monday 6th July @ 7 am NZST time.https://karakakitchen.co.nz/https://huiaholistic.co.nz/ Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Tanvir lives in Corsham, Wiltshire and is an author, researcher and disability activist. She currently works as an associate research fellow for D4D (http://d4d.org.uk/), which is a project exploring disability and how disabled people experience community. Tanvir feels especially passionate about this as she started to lose her sight at 21 years old and has experienced first-hand how differently society treats disabled people She talks about ‘coming out' as a blind person when she got her first guide dog Grace in 20 09. Grace sadly died a few months ago. They had the most incredible bond and she was by Tanvir's side when her father died and whilst she was studying for her MA and PHD – in fact Grace is a doctor too!Since starting to lose her sight, the discrimination against the disabled community has shocked Tanvir to the core so to try and ‘reach across the divide' she decided to write a book ‘Cull' (https://bit.ly/3hQAOdg). After all, she says, ‘1 in 4 people has a disability that they talk about … and every single group of people… every tribe will have disabled people' so how come they are treated differently and often made to feel repugnant. ‘Cull' is about a visually impaired journalist Alex and her guide dog, Chris (based on Grace). Alex starts to investigate a link between missing homeless people and the government's new Care and Protect Act. You might think ‘Cull' will be a heavy read think again! It is one of my favourite books, empowering for women, full of superheroes, an amazing guide dog and many twists and turns. I couldn't put it down!When the Covid-19 pandemic hit our shores, Tanvir describes how scary it was for the disabled community. Herd immunity was terrifying for them and left them feeling very vulnerable. She also talks about how, if she had contracted Covid-19 at the beginning of the pandemic and been taken to hospital unconscious she may well have had a DNR (do not resuscitate) placed on her because of her disability. In her own words that is ‘utterly terrifying'. In fact, whilst I don't want to give too much away about her book ‘Cull' the similarities between fiction and ‘real' life are clear.Now that the worst of this pandemic is over (fingers crossed) Tanvir talks about having to ‘gird her loins and go back out into the world'. This will take time as she'll have to re-train her guide dog Mitzie to tackle buses, trains and travel again. Another difficulty for Tanvir will be noise as she has hyperacusis (noise sensitivity) and finds loud noises very stressful and disorientating. This episode is a must for everyone. Tanvir talks passionately and to the point about the difficulties and disparities the disabled community struggle through on a daily basis as she says, ‘what is key is a common humanity, respect for everyone'. This interview was recorded on Wednesday 16th June at 2pm BST. Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Thessa lives in Amsterdam and works as a digital marketeer. She's also a keen traveller and surfer. I wanted to talk to her about how the pandemic had impacted her life in Amsterdam. From photos on social media it looked like life was good full holidays and lots of fun. However, there was one photo of her with her Dad that caught my attention and made me realise that life in Amsterdam had not been as carefree as I'd thought.Early on in the conversation it is clear that lockdown life in Amsterdam was just as hard as everywhere else. As Thessa says she didn't put everything on social media! The Netherlands had a curfew of 9pm and then 10pm until the end of April.  This means that you see a stream of people biking home as fast as possible just before ‘night clock' to avoid getting a €95 fine.Thessa also talks about how hard it was working from home with limited interaction with people. How in the winter when it got dark early, and the weather was ‘shitty' it felt like ‘groundhog day'. It makes sense then that when she was allowed to travel to Tenerife on a surfing holiday she jumped. She talks about how freeing it was to go to the beach and rent a board. Returning from Tenerife to hail and cold weather was hard but Thessa found ways to look after herself and focussed on activities that gave her joy such as cycling and running.As Thessa says ‘she's a positive person' and that is clear even when she talks about having to change jobs in lockdown and embracing her Dad for the first time in months wearing an old festival waterproof poncho on backwards. Here's hoping she got to wear her high heels at her first party with ‘more than four people' a few weeks after we spoke. The interview was recorded on Wednesday 9th June @ 5pm CEST. https://www.instagram.com/thessaplevier/Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Flora owns Flora's Food and Kitchen which is a catering business based in Exmoor on the border of Devon and Somerset. She caters for ‘lots of lovely celebrations' weddings, dinners and parties as well as doing work for holiday let companies going in with her team to cater for guests. She is very passionate about her business and it's clear she loves catering for people providing seasonal, local and sustainable meals and helping people to learn how to cook which she sees as a little gift she can share.Ironically, Flora expanded the business in 2019 and had her best year so when the pandemic arrived she says ‘I was poleaxed I was in shock actually I had never not worked or been able to work in my life'. Once she got over the shock she realised she had to diversify and started providing vegan and vegetarian meals to The Blue Pantry a zero-waste shop. She also decided to upskill and did a digital marketing course with @TechPixies. This helped her to gain confidence online and she now gives 'live' cooking lessons on instagram @florafoodandkitchen and also gives group cooking lessons on Zoom where you get to learn how to make sushi and lots of other delicious meals. Whilst doing these things helped the last year has been very hard. Christmas was particularly tough as Christmas celebrations were all called off a few days before. This left Flora with loads of food that had been prepared for guests but was no longer needed. Determined not to throw it away she found out about a food project called The Wivey Food Project and was able to give them meals which they could distribute. This is an ongoing food project which she now volunteers for providing meals to support the local community.  This past year has shown Flora she can do far more which means she now has an online presence and a space to provide 'live' lessons and group cooking classes. January 2022 also sees her hosting her first retreat at Berry House. The interview was recorded on Wednesday 9th June @ 10 am BST.https://florasfoodandkitchen.com/Flora's retreat - the information will go live this week, ready for people to sign up…;) https://bit.ly/3hjNKIuWhere to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️#podcastingwomen #podcastaddict #movingstories #humanstories #covidstory #covidstoryproject #lockdown #liveinthemoments #meetingfriends #itsnothejourneyitsthedestination #realstories  #realreflections #techpixies #techpixiesinstagramchallenge #onlyliveoncemakeitcount 

Amy Stevens is a Canadian but has lived and worked abroad as a hotelier for many years. For the last 7 years, she has been based in UAE and more recently moved from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. Ironically, she chose to live in the UAE as it is an easy six-hour flight to many interesting destinations like Sri Lanka and the Maldives. However, the pandemic had other ideas and she has been grounded for the past year.Amy talks about how the UAE went into a short strict lockdown very early on in April 2020 just when the rest of the world was realising the gravity of the situation. She describes watching the pandemic roll out across the world from the relative safety of her apartment in Dubai as like watching a bad movie again and again!Things may sound a bit dreamy in Dubai compared to the rest of the world but as it is a key tourism destination how the pandemic is fairing globally is very important. Like everywhere else jobs took a huge hit initially and Amy talks about there being a mass exodus from Dubai with moving trucks everywhere. Dubai has been open to tourism since July 2020 though and hotels have been busy since then with a surge in demand for staycations.Amy is a huge supporter of animal welfare and has four rescue cats and a fifth at the moment which is up for adoption - she is not a crazy cat lady though! She talks about one of the joys and one of the challenges of living in Dubai as being the condition of the animals. This episode gives you a great insight into how the pandemic impacted people living in the UAE and what is happening right now. Everyday life is almost back to normal but one thing Amy is desperate to do is travel - she's planning her first trip outside the UAE to Santorini this summer. The interview was recorded on Thursday 27th May @ 7 pm UTC.Website and Facebook page about adopting cats from UAE:thefurs.aehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/Dubaicats Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast…  Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspod Instagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️ Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Esther is a frontline worker who works as an occupational therapist so has a unique perspective of the pandemic and how working on the frontline impacted her and her family. She also has a special interest in mental health and is a wellbeing practitioner – she has also experienced postpartum psychosis. In fact, she was on the road to recovery from postpartum psychosis and had just started to come off her medication when the pandemic hit in early 2020. This was not great timing and as the general public started clapping for frontline workers every Thursday the seriousness of the situation really started to hit home. This pushed Esther to come up with a self-care plan and she decided to only focus on committing to her job, her family and her own wellbeing. Looking back now Esther feels that what she has gone through this past year has really made her stronger.Esther also talks about getting Covid-19 and how it affected her mentally and physically. How incredibly supportive her work colleagues were and what additional support there is out there for frontline workers (www.dutytocare.info/). Esther's advice to us all is ‘don't forget the importance of resting and sleeping. This really is an emotive episode and made me think about how I coped with the pandemic and how different it must have been for frontline workers. Esther shares so much about what she went through personally and how it has helped her grow as a person. Esther recently changed jobs and moved to Wiltshire from London and is enjoying wild swimming and having fun and living in the moment. The interview was recorded on Friday 14th May @ 11 am BST.Instagram: @estherlintonWebsites mentioned are: www.ways2-wellbeing.com and www.dutytocare.info/Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcast… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcast

Jana Bakunina is an inspirational go-getter, writer and intrepid traveller who doesn't allow much (except total lockdown) to get in the way of her love of travel. When she is not travelling she is always busy cooking up delicious food, feeding her cacti and writing – she has already written a book ‘Bird's Milk' and a play the title of which she is keeping under wraps and now she has started on a book of short stories. Don't be fooled though her real love is travel and she managed to continue doing this when the rest of us were hiding in our houses even when lockdown started to ease. When she couldn't travel abroad she was inspired by a book she'd read to travel in the United Kingdom and has started to walk the entire South West Coast Path – what is a bit of rain when you get these amazing views! Joking aside Jana has great inner strength and suffers from CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) sometimes referred to as ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis). Some days are very tough but this doesn't stop her and she continues to explore and push herself to travel or be more creative by setting herself new challenges.What will happen next? Well, I can tell you you don't want to miss out so make sure you follow her Instagram page as I can guarantee there will be more adventures to come. This is a great episode to tune into she's funny and is full of aspirational stories believe me I've only told you the tip of the iceberg and there is lots more to hear so you don't miss out! Jana grew up in Russia but is now based in London with her travel proof cacti collection. The interview was recorded Thurs 5th may@1pm BST. Instagram: @janabakuninaWebsite: www.lifetonic.co.uk/articles and www.lifetonic.co.uk/articles/may-13th-2021 (specific article on the South West Coast Path) Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcasts… Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/tintedspecspodInstagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcasts

Kirsty set up Opening Doors Consultancy a year ago – before the first lockdown - after a family move to the Netherlands didn't happen. She found herself unexpectedly unemployed, but she didn't panic instead she looked at her skillset and realised helping people speak with confidence was something she was passionate about which would also fit around school hours.Ironically though lockdown meant she had to put everything on hold as her 3-year-old daughter needed her – this meant the business didn't start up again until January this year. Kirsty looks on the positive side though as she had time to work out how to move her business from face to face to online. This is something she has successfully done, and you can get lots of tips on how to feel more confident speaking on camera or video conferencing.As a child, she had to have speech therapy after an operation, and this led her to study at drama school and become a working actor. After a ‘lightbulb realisation' that might never be able to afford to buy a house on what she earned, she went back to study at university. But, after working hard on an essay it was returned with red pen all over it – this caused Kirsty to have a dyslexic breakdown and led her to get officially tested for dyslexia and dyspraxia. She was 37 years old!These life experiences explain why Kirsty is so caring and an all round confidence booster. She knows her stuff and I have certainly benefited. There are some really useful tips in the interview so get listening! I wish I'd practised with my new bit of tech before the interview too as… yes you've guessed it there was a malfunction just at the end of the interview. The lesson is always to listen to Kirsty she has great advice…;) The interview was recorded Thurs 6th may@11.30am BST.Website: www.openingdoorsconsultancy.co.uk/ Instagram: @ openingdoorsconsultancyFacebook: @www.openingdoorsconsultancy.co.uk Where to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcasts… Instagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcasts

Ola started her podcast @unpolishedmum about the trials and joys of motherhood during the pandemic and hasn't looked back. I was blown away by her content and how she's developed it over the past few months. To be honest she was very aspirational in why I decided to take the plunge and start my podcast. Those who want to hear from someone who talks honestly about life in a funny and upbeat manner while giving some great advice must check this episode out. Ola is now based in Sussex but was brought up in Poland. She also has another business called The English Owls also set up and launched during the lockdown. The interview was recorded the day after my birthday (I was feeling a little tired) on Friday 23rd April @2.30pm BST.Website: theunpolishedmum.com/Instagram: @unpolished_mumFacebook: @unpolishedmumWhere to find more info about Tinted Specs Podcasts… Instagram: @tintedspecspod⚡️Facebook: @tintedspecspod - Tinted Glasses Podcasts

Georgina chats to Bali-based modern bohemian and founder of sustainable fashion company ‘Eco Gypsy' Electra Gillies about her unique experiences of living in Bali and running a fashion business during the pandemic. The interview was recorded on Wednesday 12th May 2021 at 4.30 pm SGT. 

Georgina chats to Canadian MBA student and ex-Londoner Marisa about her unique experiences of living in London and then going home to study during the pandemic. The interview was recorded on Wednesday 21st April 2021 at 10 am EST.#podcasting #covid_19 #podcast #pandemic #england #londonlife #mbastudent #bicycle #lifeline #friends #sistersfromanothermother #cycling #friendsforlife #carrotcake #baking #pubquiz  #sociallife #hugs #sociable #faceshields #neighbours #giveback #community #workouts #snow #snowshoes #crosscountryskis #thermals #nurturefriendships

Georgina chats to London based founder of Turn Wild Ian about his unique experience of running an outdoor travel company specialising in wilderness expeditions during the pandemic. The interview was recorded on Friday 16th April 2021 at 8.45am BST.www.turnwild.com/www.facebook.com/turnwildexpeditionswww.instagram.com/turnwild/#podcasting #covid_19 #podcast #pandemic #england #turnwild #wildcamping #mountainrescue #beefpie #adventuretravel #dragonsden #rewarding #wilderness #dukeofedinburghaward #escapetothemountains #connectingwithnature #gettingfitter #homestraight #getoutinnature #springwatch #winterwatch #countryfile #litterpicker #leavenorubbish #impactonnature #vikings 

Georgina chats to Newcastle based university student and artist Amber Bruzzi about her unique experiences of finishing school and starting university during the Covid-19 pandemic. The interview was recorded on Friday 16th April 2021 at 2pm BST.www.instagram.com/amberbruzzi.art/#podcasting #covid_19 #podcast #pandemic #england #newcastle #graphicdesignstudent #newcastlefreshers #northumbriuni #unistudents #nowifi #painting #studentlife 

Georgina chats to Hitchin based author of ‘The Night We Met', mother and runner Zoë Folbigg about her unique experiences of juggling home schooling and writing. The interview was recorded on Wednesday 28th April 2021 at 8pm BST.  Instagram: zoefolbigg Website: https://www.zoefolbigg.com/ #podcasting #covid_19 #podcast #pandemic #england #hitchin #zoefolbigg #author #TheNote #ThePostcard #TheDistance #TheNightWeMet  #justdance #zumba #befearsome #gratitude #running #writing 

Georgina chats to Maharashtra based Indian linguist, journalist and blogger Tejaali Shahasane about her unique experiences during the pandemic and what she learned about herself. The interview was recorded just before Maharashtra went into strict restrictions on Sunday 11th April 2021 at 6.30pm IST.#podcasting #covid_19 #podcast #pandemic #india #pune #delhi #friends #techpixies #news #liveinthemoment

Georgina chats to Bangkok TV presenter and artist Clare Patchimanon about her unique experiences during the pandemic and how it made her stockpile lots of noodles. The interview was recorded on Thursday 8th April 2021 at 5pm BKK.

Georgina chats to New Yorker Matt Timms about his unique experiences during the pandemic and how it affected his businesses All The Bad Cats and The Takedowns. The interview was recorded on Tuesday 30th March 2021 at 2pm NY. Instagram: @allthebadcats @thetakedownsWebsite: www.allthebadcats.com/ 

Georgina chats to New Zealander Yvette Adams now based in the Sunshine Coast Australia about her unique experiences during the pandemic and how it affected her three social media businesses The Creative Collective, The Training Collective and Awards Hub. The interview was recorded on Wednesday 7th April 2021 at 7pm QLD. www.thecreativecollective.com.auwww.thetrainingcollective.com.auwww.awardshub.com

Georgina chats to Londoner Amanda Thorpe about her unique experiences of the pandemic as a mother, recording artist and music therapist. The interview was recorded on Saturday 27th March 2021 at 3pm GMT.https://amandathorpe.bandcamp.com/album/blue-doorsBandcamp.commusic.apple.comitunes.apple.comspotify.com