Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Latest Episodes:

Episode 51: Katie Piper Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

My guest this week is Katie Piper, who is a lovely woman. In itself this a massive achievement, considering her life story and the continuing challenges she has faced, since she was the victim of an acid attack in 2008. We spoke over zoom and I felt I got to know and like her immensely - and I hope you will feel the same. Katie talked about her love of being busy, her work on many things including the Katie Piper Foundation and how writing a book with her mum made her feel guilty for what her mum had been through. She also spoke about how her two little girls cope with seeing her go through various treatments, and how you can use every situation to your advantage, as an opportunity to start again. It's a privilege to begin the new series of Spinning Plates with our conversation and how brilliant to see her charity work has been recognised with her recently awarded OBE.

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Episode 50: Stacey Cordery Nov 23, 2021

Show notes

While I was preparing for my Children in Need 24 hour Danceathon, I was lucky enough to visit Bonny Downs community centre in Newham, East London which receives some funding from Children in Need to help local children attend their 3 week summer camp. I met some amazing people there and one of them was the powerhouse that is Stacey Cordery, a woman so full of energy, positivity and kindness that you can't help but have some of it rub off on you. So I thought, who better to speak to, for the last in this series of Spinning Plates?

Stacey is a mum of two who volunteered at Bonny Downs well before she was a mum, then used it herself while on maternity leave with her second baby, before eventually becoming one of the directors there, looking after children and families who use the centre.

She loves the work she does there and the wide range of people she works with. We talked about her journey from leaving school as soon as she could to avoid exams, and working with diamonds in Hatton Garden in London, before motherhood and Bonny Downs became the bedrock of her life. We discussed how to help people while avoiding 'poverty porn', we touched on some of the misconceptions people have about refugees and immigrants, and we talked about the problem of bringing up your family in a country where you are not officially allowed to work. In amongst all of this serious talk though, runs Stacey's joyful nature and her love of a cup of tea and a chat.

Donate to Sophie's 24 hour kitchen disco here: https://donate.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/kitchendisco

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Episode 49: Harriet Gibsone Nov 15, 2021

Show notes

Harriet Gibsone is a freelance journalist and mum of a much-longed-for one year old. She recently interviewed my mum and I for a lovely Guardian feature called Flashback. But even before that meeting I liked her immensely as I had come across an incredible article she wrote about her journey to becoming a mum. At 31 and newly married, Harriet started suffering the symptoms of the menopause and, as soon as she was diagnosed with POI, she was on a race against time to try and have a baby. We talk about the confusing and dramatic symptoms that took her to the doctor originally, and how she went all-out to have a baby with the help of her sister, before having her son through an egg donor.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 48: Polly Morgan Nov 08, 2021

Show notes

This week’s guest is artist Polly Morgan. She's a taxidermist and uses animals in her art. At the moment she's making sculptures using stuffed snakes. So, she's an artist who works in a basement where she has a freezer full of dead snakes (!), but she is also a mum to two little boys, Clifford and Bruce. Polly had her boys through IVF after suffering a burst appendix which damaged her fallopian tubes. She talks to me about her journey to getting pregnant, how working makes her a nicer mum and about the practicalities of having her eggs frozen.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 47: Kate Robinson Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

Kate Robinson is a writer, a speaker and a mother. She’s making it her mission to continue her father’s legacy and finish the book he was writing. It’s a promise she made to him just before his untimely death last year. Kate’s beloved Dad was Sir Ken Robinson, whose TED Talk about education remains the most watched TED Talk nearly 2 decades after he delivered it. Probably because he is so charismatic, funny and wise. And because education touches us all, whether we have children or not. If you haven’t watched it, here’s the link - it’s worth it!

Kate and I talked about her own bumpy road through school and how her parents ‘unschooled’ her at the age of 16. She also shared her hopes and fears as she puts her own 3 year old daughter Adeline onto the first rung of the education system.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 46: Dannii Minogue Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

Dannii Minogue is a woman of many talents. From acting to singing to presenting to fashion designing, Dannii has been honing her craft in the world of show business since she was in single figures. Mother to 11 year old Ethan, she spoke to me from Melbourne (still on lockdown) about her range of clothes for petite women, how much she loves her job and the ‘effortless’ way her son joined her life. Oh - and the fact she’s just had a big birthday. Happy 50th, Dannii! 🥳

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 45: Pallavi Barnwal Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

Pallavi Barnwal is a sex coach and she lives in Delhi with her eight year old son. I first heard about Pallavi when I read about her in an article on the BBC news website. I then watched her Ted Talk and thought her story and perspective on life was fascinating. She was born and raised in a traditional Indian family, and didn’t become a coach until she found herself a single mum and a divorcee, the other side of an arranged marriage. Her experiences led her to be more open with her friends and they started coming to her for advice. She could see there was an opportunity to help more people talk safely and freely about sex. Now she aids lots of women - and men - find their way to being happier and more knowledgable in their intimate lives.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 44: Helen Thorn Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

Helen Thorn is one half of the wonderful comedy duo Scummy Mummies whose stage show and podcast explores all the dirty, grimy, embarassing stuff you never thought was part of being a mum - till you become a mum. She's just written a book called Get Divorced Be Happy, charting the year she split from her ex, which happened to start 3 weeks before lockdown. She told me how difficult it was going through this at the very time we suddenly weren't allowed hugs. But she unexpectedly loves being a single parent to her son and daughter - and is now in fact the happiest she has ever been. By the way, Helen asked if she could swear before we started recording and I said yes - so she does! And she does it well!

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Episode 43: Rachel Ama Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

Rachel Ama is a chef and a vegan, as well as mum to her one year old boy. We talked about the pros and cons of having a 'lockdown baby', about her amazing-sounding home birth, and how living with her mum has helped with the birth of two babies: her son and her new book!

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Episode 42: Jo Tutchener Sharp Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

6 years ago businesswoman Jo Tutchener Sharp underwent brain surgery and was very much afraid she wasn't going to see her family again, including her then 1 and 3 year old boys. Happily surgery was successful, but having looked at her life so far, from the pearly gates, Jo decided she hadn't done enough good with her life. So she came up with superhero sleep buddies - cuddly toys which have a pocket to carry a photo of mum or dad so your parents are with you even if one of you is not well in hospital. She donates one for every one sold. Now she heads up a successful and brilliant clothing company - Scamp and Dude - built from this beginning and with the desire to reach out to others going through similar situations at the heart of it.

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