Do you need a mentor? At Google, Yonca Dervişoğlu is Chief Marketing Officer for EMEA and Matt Brittin is President of Business and Operations, EMEA. Together they talk to Viv Groskop about owning what makes you remarkable, owning your instincts, owning your gender - and why you must never ask someone to be your mentor.
Mar 06, 2020•37 min•Season 6Ep. 2
What makes a good ally? Actors Brian Cox and Nicole Ansari talk to Viv Groskop about female oppression, male insecurity, the difficult delight of performing and how the secret to a happy marriage is separate bedrooms. Nicole Ansari is currently appearing in the UK premiere of Joshua Sobol's play "Sinners - The English Professor", directed by Brian Cox.
Feb 28, 2020•30 min•Season 6Ep. 1
What if you don't want to own the room? Author and food writer Sophie Dahl talks to Viv Groskop about making it work even if you don't want to. They talk embracing nuance, deflecting questions and what to do when you're interviewing Philip Pullman and your earpiece falls down your jumper.
Feb 07, 2020•33 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Would you rather be right, or happy? Writer, broadcaster and comic Natalie Haynes talks to Viv Groskop about taking up space, facing your fears, the intoxicating magic of making people laugh - and the liberation of not needing to be liked. Oh, and the kindness of Gyles Brandreth.
Jan 30, 2020•34 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Are you binary enough? Serial entrepreneur Shaa Wasmund talks to Viv Groskop about being poor, making money, cracking Facebook Lives, winning at conferences - and committing everything to what you love. Oh, and the joys of a garden office.
Jan 24, 2020•30 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Are you making the "porridge" mistake? Aline Santos, Unilever's EVP of Global Marketing and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, talks to Viv Groskop about how not to get burnt by business culture. She talks wearing aftershave, never being angry - and how Sigourney Weaver's film Alien transformed her life.
Jan 17, 2020•33 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Do you have an inner hype woman? Entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid talks to Viv Groskop about preserving your energy, knowing your brief inside out, and transforming your inner critic into a hype cheerleader. Oh, and how Jamaican music made her believe she could achieve anything...
Jan 10, 2020•35 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Are you one of the guys? The policy analyst, economist and robotics expert Pippa Malmgren talks to Viv Groskop about body language, advising presidents, the end of expertise and why she stopped trying to look like a man and started wearing killer Louboutin heels on stage.
Jan 02, 2020•37 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Are you a victim? Author Patricia Cornwall talks to Viv Groskop about unlearning the lessons of a childhood that taught her she was a victim. She talks about giving people what they want - but not giving away your power. She talks Kay Scarpetta, Captain Calli Chase, bad reviews and forgetting the name of her own novel on live TV. She talks surfing the asteroid belt in a swimsuit. Please, listen.
Dec 27, 2019•38 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Are you getting enough potatoes? Sandi Toksvig, writer, broadcaster, actor and activist talks to Viv Groskop about owning rooms from the Royal Albert Hall to the QI studio and the Bake Off tent. She talks confidence, social media, being "interruptable" and getting death threats for being lesbian. And reveals the source of her power: a childhood fighting for her share at noisy family dinners.
Dec 20, 2019•32 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Are you keeping it fresh? Writer Margaret Atwood talks to Viv Groskop about tap dancing, cannibalism, puppetry, feminism, the joy of the unexpected and the value of a well chosen quip to defeat your enemies. And Tina Turner.
Dec 20, 2019•32 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Are you owning your individuality? Hillary and Chelsea Clinton talk to Viv Groskop about our narrow notions of what female speech and power should be - and how they must be expanded. They discuss The Book of Gutsy Women (co-authored by the Clintons), plus pant suits, press bullying, Greta Thunberg and Hillary's very first public speaking "trial by fire".
Nov 22, 2019•31 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Have you done your homework? Actress, singer and writer Julie Andrews tells Viv Groskop that you never know when something quite wonderful might happen - so be prepared. She talks being inspired by the excellence of others, being flattened by a helicopter - and how discipline is the foundation that leaves her free to fly.
Nov 14, 2019•23 min•Ep. 11
Would you be paid more if you were a man? BBC journalist and former China Editor Carrie Gracie talks to Viv Groskop about how women should arm themselves against the gender pay gap, about rehearsing the tears out of your voice and about drawing strength from the voices of other women.
Nov 08, 2019•33 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Can you own a room you aren't even in? Monica Galetti can. The chef and Masterchef judge talks to Viv Groskop about making your personality felt even when you aren't there. She recalls being sick with nerves when first filming Masterchef, how the fear of failure drives her - and how vital it is to say no when your gut tells you an opportunity isn't right for you.
Nov 01, 2019•27 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Can I touch your hair? Tech entrepreneur and inclusion campaigner Abadesi Osunsade talks to Viv Groskop about diversity, confidence tricks, the power of your personal story - and why you must never believe that the problem is you.
Oct 25, 2019•31 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Ever seriously considered pretending you'd died? TV chef and writer Nadiya Hussain tells Viv Groskop how she begged her husband to tell Bake Off producers she was dead. She talks learning to accept her anxiety, how a teacher squashed her ambition, and the moment her child said his mum "lives her dreams". Oh, and the vital importance of coconut oil moisturiser.
Oct 18, 2019•33 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Do you know your "Why"? Choir conductor Karen Gibson talks to Viv Groskop about intention, spirituality and making a mark in people's hearts. Oh, and owning the room when performing at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle...
Oct 11, 2019•34 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Are you ready to walk through the door of opportunity? Writer Jessica Fellowes talks to Viv Groskop about seizing the moment, putting on a show, owning the room when you are deaf - and the wonderful world of Downton Abbey.
Oct 04, 2019•35 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Are you putting limits on yourself? Actress, director and writer Olwen Fouéré inspires Viv Groskop with her refusal to accept limitations. They talk mastering non-verbal communication, the power of the in-between and the way fear can be poetry. Oh, and the vocal benefits of (whisper it) cigarettes...
Sep 26, 2019•40 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Have you got your rubber head on straight? Writer Ann Patchett talks to Viv Groskop about dressing up as your better, braver, more confident self when you go on stage. And even channelling someone else entirely. And the strange comfort of knowing that, actually, noone cares. This special bonus episode is part of #PODSTRIKE, a coalition of podcasts supporting the Global Climate Strikes by helping spread the word. More here: https://globalclimatestrike.net/ https://www.podstrike.net/...
Sep 20, 2019•35 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Are you trying to sell something you wouldn't buy? Marcia Kilgore (Beauty Pie, Fitflop and more) talks to Viv Groskop about being driven by loss, the fearlessness that comes from knowing what makes you happy, and being so devoted to what you do that criticism is irrelevant. Oh, and how Beauty Pie was born from a desire to bring Christmas to us all...
Sep 20, 2019•35 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Writer Ann Patchett and How to Own the Room endorse #PODSTRIKE, a coalition of podcasts supporting Greta Thunberg and the young people behind the Global Climate Strikes starting this Friday 20th Sept, by helping spread the word. Ann will feature on a special edition very soon. Have your favourite shows signed up yet? https://globalclimatestrike.net/ https://www.podstrike.net/
Sep 18, 2019•2 min
Are you over-thinking it? Musician Cerys Matthews talks to Viv Groskop about the dangers of thinking too much, the myth of the tortured artist, the responsibility to conjure magic on stage and the importance of wearing a REALLY BIG COAT. Oh, and she does a cracking impression of Tom Jones...
Sep 13, 2019•35 min•Ep. 4
Are your clothes holding you back? Viv Groskop talks to Kenya Hunt, deputy editor at Elle UK, about Karl Lagerfeld; the performance secrets of being a professional dancer and how to own the room on different sides of the Atlantic. Oh, and why you should visit a tailor. Now.
Jul 18, 2019•31 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Do men think you're soft? Viv Groskop talks to entrepreneur, CEO and author Margaret Heffernan about how confidence comes from confronting yourself (and others) with concrete achievements, why she won't do International Women's Day and why change always involves sacrifice.
Jul 12, 2019•34 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Are you relentlessly authentic? Viv Groskop talks to Sarah Hurwitz, speechwriter to Michelle Obama (and her husband) about why it's a waste of time to memorise speeches, why improvising is bad, why women can't be angry and why, if you wouldn't say something to one person, you really shouldn't say it to lots of people.
Jul 05, 2019•33 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Are you trying to own all the rooms all the time? Viv Groskop talks to writer, poet and performer Chimene Suleyman about picking your battles, embracing your nerves and finding your cheerleaders.
Jun 28, 2019•30 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Are they laughing with you or at you? Viv Groskop talks to performer Petra Massey about embracing failure, the importance of rehearsal and the richness of play.
Jun 20, 2019•34 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Are you being fair to yourself? Viv Groskop talks to the novelist Elif Shafak about how we learn self doubt, how anger is sexy but dangerous, why she is wary of certainty - and why you really shouldn't cut your own hair.
Jun 14, 2019•34 min•Season 3Ep. 3
