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The Enoughness with Melanie Rickey
Fast fashion addiction, embracing discomfort and how to be good with Aja Barber
How does feeling not good enough as a kid impact us when we’re older? What can we do to wise up to a culture that sells us crappy stuff to make us feel better? Does finding the sweet spot of enoughness help?
Enter Aja Barber, a writer with 237,000 Instagram followers, a critically acclaimed book, Consumed, and a fearless attitude when it comes to telling the unvarnished truth about how fast fashion really works.
Aja Barber doesn’t sugar coat it. In this conversation Melanie and Aja talk about why most people resist the uncomfortable truth and lean into how Aja got the fire in her belly, why it matters, and how she found enoughness for herself.
Guest: @ajabarber
Mentioned in this episode
Aja Barber on Patreon
Consumed: The need for collective change; colonialism, climate change & consumerism, by Aja Barber
Further reading
The Enoughness with Melanie Rickey
Produced and edited by Steve Hankey
Additional production is by Sophie Smith
It’s recorded at 1 Warwick in Soho, a welcoming club for members and visitors alike, and the home of The Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.
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4. Tiffanie Darke: How to be in fashion now, finding purpose, the joy of being less greedy
35:56||Season 2, Ep. 4Mink lined yachts! Designer handbags! Spa holidays in the Maldives! Fashion editor-in-chief Tiffanie Darke covered - and sometimes lived - a billionaire lifestyle for 18 years, until, one day, none of it made sense any more. In this episode Tiffanie tells Melanie how a surreal moment involving Louis Vuitton bags and yachts - in Harrods of all places! -changed everything. And why by swapping excess for learning about what was going on in the world, she found renewed purpose in her career, a brand new way to love fashion and wrote a book about it too - What to Wear and Why.Her realisations will give you goosebumps. You’ll learn her Brilliant Benchmark, brands and people to discover, and why science is the new luxury. Above all you’ll hear from someone who’d had enough, but instead of stopping there, Tiffanie got curious and discovered that beyond saying “enough” is the magic of enoughness.Guest: @tiffdarke Tiffanie's Substacks: It's Not Sustainable by Tiffanie Darke Join The Rule of FiveBookWhat to Wear and WhyMentioned in this episodeTiffanie’s Everyday EnoughnessThe Five Tibetans (There are a lot of options online, but this one is cute.)Tiffanie’s Luxury EnoughnessNavy Grey - Navy British Wool SweaterOtiumberg - Diamond earrings The Agora in IbizaCurated by Tiffanie Darke & Daniella AgnelliTiffanie’s Jumper RepairBy Restoration London - via Save Your Wardrobe Tiffanie’s Jeans CustomisationBy Fanfare The Label Tiffanie's Labels to LovePANGAIA - science led everyday clothesMover - plastic free sportswear Tech to KnowColorfixDiscover Smart WorksThe Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.Produced and edited by Steve Hankey. The podcast is recorded at 1 Warwick in Soho, a welcoming club for members and visitors alike, and the home of The Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.3. Josh Connolly: Tricky parents, Building self-worth, Checking the bin
32:56||Season 2, Ep. 3How did Josh Connolly flip his script from addiction to sobriety, football violence to self-expression, and low self-worth to helping other men find emotional resilience? In this conversation, Josh shares the impact of having an alcoholic father, and why he wrote his taboo-busting book It’s Them, Not You about managing difficult family relationships by prioritizing yourself. We explore how unmet childhood needs shape our sense of safety and why learning to feel and trust emotions in the body—not rationalizing them in our mind (guilty!) —helps us better connect with who we truly are. Josh is a resilience coach, breathwork facilitator, community builder and passionate ambassador for NACOA, the National Association for Children of Alcoholics. By sharing the impact of addiction on his childhood, and his own recovery from addiction and low self-worth, he helps thousands of men lean into their emotions and find community. Plus, we discuss The Laundry List, the traits common to children of alcoholics and share the little daily anchors that keep us in our sweet spot for everyday happiness… Oh, and we discover why Josh checks his bin every day… Josh’s book, It’s Them, Not You – How to Break Free from Toxic Parents and Reclaim Your Story, is out now. This episode contains a trigger warning, time codes below. TW: suicide ideation17:51 - 20:04 Guest: @josh_ffw Josh’s brilliant DO Lecture:Josh Connolly: How to Develop Emotional Resilience in Today’s World Mentioned in this episode: The Laundry List – Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional FamiliesNACOA – information, advice and support for anyone affected by a parent’s drinking. The Uncommon Man – with Josh Connolly, Rob Smith and Matt Briant Little AnchorsKeith’s CacaoJo Malone – Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne NMN – is short for Nicotinamide Mononucleotide, a compound that naturally occurs in your body and plays a key role in maintaining health. This is the one I take.The Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.Produced and edited by Steve Hankey. The podcast is recorded at 1 Warwick in Soho, a welcoming club for members and visitors alike, and the home of The Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.1. Clare Seal: Money Empowerment, ADHD Tax and Cringe Mantras
43:10||Season 2, Ep. 1Most of us don’t talk about debt, we live in FOFO – Fear of Finding Out; something Clare Seal did until, £27k in debt, she turned financial rock bottom into rocket fuel for change, not just for herself but tens of thousands of others.In this episode, Clare opens up to Melanie about how her desire to fit in led to mounting debt and how reflecting on the impact of ADHD helped her redefine her relationship with money. She shares the practical steps and mindset shifts that helped her climb out of debt and how she now empowers others as a Financial Wellbeing Coach and bestselling author.Clare’s strategies—on talking to the bank, using budgeting apps, understanding hedonic adaptation, and shifting from net-worth to self-worth—are pure gold. Her journey to discovering her own Enoughness offers powerful insights for anyone searching for their financial “just right.”Because rich or poor, if you’re messy with money, the issues stick around until you face them head-on.Guest: @clareseal BooksReal Life Money by Clare SealFive Steps to Financial Wellbeing by Clare Seal Mentioned in this episodeDraw Your Future by Patti Dobrowokski TedxRainierADHD Tax – by Monzo Bank & You Gov Methods for paying debtAvalanche vs Snowball Method Money management appsSnoop – helps track spending, set budgets, cut bills and control financesJam Doughnut – cashback app for deals in real timeWealthify – money management keep track of investments, ISAs, pensionThe Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.Produced and edited by Steve Hankey.Podcast Artwork by Rachel Macintosh & Orla Drury. The podcast is recorded at 1 Warwick in Soho, a welcoming club for members and visitors alike, and the home of The Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.1. Yotam Ottolenghi: Comfort food, Kitchen essentials, Vegetable rehab
43:22||Season 2, Ep. 1First, pinch me time — because we’ve got the REAL-LIFE LEGEND that is Yotam Ottolenghi on the show! If anyone has ever wondered what the celebrated chef, writer, restaurateur, and veggie rehabilitator Yotam Ottolenghi is truly like, this episode is the perfect introduction. You’ll meet a clever, driven, and utterly charming person whose life mission is to make people happy through food.We dive into a career that began with unexpected fame and evolved into him becoming one of the world’s most influential chefs, with over 11 million books sold globally. We decode the “Ottolenghi Effect”—or why so many of us actually know what sumac and tahini are—and explore the family ties and global collaborations behind the 100 recipes in his latest book, Comfort.The conversation also touches on the joy and realness of gay parenting, why he created the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, and his personal take on what "Just Right" means, both in life and in the kitchen. And of course, there are surprises—including the kitchen tools and essentials he uses (and those he doesn’t!).Above all, this episode will leave anyone hungry—hungry for the comfort food that feels like home and inspired by Yotam’s ability to stay creative under pressure. His secret? Collaborating closely with others. As Yotam says, that’s where the real magic happens.Comfort, by Yotam Ottolenghi and co-authors Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley is out now. Guest: @ottolenghi The Enoughness with Melanie RickeyProduced and edited by Steve Hankey The podcast is recorded at 1 Warwick in Soho, a welcoming club for members and visitors alike, and the home of The Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.8. Self belief, hug mugs and instant success, twice! - with Henry Holland
40:20||Season 1, Ep. 8This episode is a masterclass on how to rebuild when a dream career ends, and how to start again and do it better.Henry Holland is a fashion designer turned ceramicist renowned for his quintessentially British style, but beneath his playful image lies a belief system and mindset that’s taken him from a chip shop in Ramsbottom to the catwalks of London, and beyond. In this episode Melanie and Henry explore his two ‘instant success’ stories, how a mental health crisis at university set him up for life, and why his second career is where he found fulfillment. Find out how Henry sets goals, measures success and stays on an upward trajectory - and prepare for some lessons in Henry Holland’s secret magic! This conversation shares a refreshing perspective on the ups and downs involved in finding your just right and why sitting still for long enough to know what to do next, shows us how to do the next right thing and succeed, better. Guest: @henryholland @henryhollandstudioMentioned in this episode@henryhollandstudio@marni @libertylondon@londonfashionweekThe Enoughness with Melanie RickeyProduced and edited by Steve HankeyAdditional production is by Sophie Smith It’s recorded at 1 Warwick in Soho, a welcoming club for members and visitors alike, and the home of The Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.6. Fashion, sustainability and influencing influencers with Rachel Arthur
37:50||Season 1, Ep. 6Are we doing enough to change the way we shop for clothes? Is the sustainable fashion movement making any progress? Find out the reality in this episode of The Enoughness. Melanie talks to Rachel Arthur, one of the most influential women in fashion you may never have heard of. Why? Rachel created the United Nations Sustainable Fashion Playbook, a guide for influencers and fashion communicators to inspire us all to buy less crap, and love and appreciate clothes more.In this episode we trash fashion headlines, dig into influencers on the shill, discuss the joy of renting Ganni, throw shade on Edward Bernays, and share why knowing all this stuff matters.Rachel also talks about the legislation that could change everything for fast fashion, why she nearly gave it all up, and how, like Goldilocks, she carefully worked out her version of “just right” and changed her life in inspirational ways. Guest: @rachelarthur Mentioned in this episodeThe Sustainable Fashion Communication PlaybookUnited Nations Environment Program and Rachel ArthurGanni rental on Hurr CollectiveEdward Bernays, the founding father of modern Public Relations Further readingOwning It with Rachel Arthur, on SubstackEarth4All by Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Owen Gaffney, Jayati Ghosh, Jørgen Randers, Johan Rockström and Per Espen Stoknes. Less is More by Jason HickelThe World is on Fire But We Are Still Buying Shoes by Alec LeachThe Enoughness with Melanie RickeyProduced and edited by Steve HankeyAdditional production is by Sophie Smith Its recorded at 1 Warwick in Soho, a welcoming club for members and visitors alike, and the home of The Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.5. Social media satire, women of colour in wellness & three ways to good enough with Giselle La Pompe-Moore
38:05||Season 1, Ep. 5Giselle La Pompe-Moore is an inspirational author who writes about how to live a successful, hustle-free life, often with a side order of brilliantly blunt social media commentary.For this conversation Gigi tells Melanie how she achieved her dream career only to find it wasn’t what she wanted. Then shares how that realisation informed her excellent book, Take It In, a handbook for finding everyday happiness and living your best life.Gigi shares her experience as a woman of colour in her career and her mission to bring more black women and men into the wellbeing space. She talks openly about her MS diagnosis, and experience of sexual assault, and the inner work she’s done to heal, sharing what she has learned with us.Gigi’s enoughness gem is gold standard - three easy ways to stay firmly in our good enough, every single day.This episode contains two trigger warnings, time codes below.TW: Sexual Assault, realisation, understanding, support received.16:08 - 21:18 TW: Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, Dr. Google, managing the condition.21:18 - 25:09 Guest: @gisellelpmMentioned in this episodeBe Difficult Darling. Giselle La Pompe Moore’s inspiring Substack.Take It In, Do The Inner Work and Live Your Best Damn Life, by Giselle La Pompe-MooreNia Ending Violence, a charity that delivers cutting edge support to end violence against women and children, and help those affected by it. Further support:Shift MS, offers support and advice from others living with Multiple Sclerosis.Further reading:The Philosophy of Doing Less, Being Present, Doing More Supported by:@1warwicksohoThe Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.Produced and edited by Steve Hankey. Assistant Producer Sophie Smith.4. Patrick Grant: Sewing Bee, Welsh knickers and the war against cheap crap
36:39||Season 1, Ep. 4How did Savile Row entrepreneur Patrick Grant become Britain’s best-known advocate against crappy plastic clothes and the owner of an affordable clothing factory in Blackburn? And why did an exploding oven tray and dodgy plug socket result in Less, his 2024 bestselling book about how we can all live happier lives with less but better stuff? In this conversation, Melanie and Patrick leap from the philosophy of Marcus Aurelius to £1 lunches, why he properly loves a factory, and how making things went from a decent everyday job for millions of people, to a pursuit mainly for those with wealth. Along the way Patrick shares why every twist and turn of his life and varied career - expert on Savile Row tailoring, TV Judge on the BBC’s Sewing Bee, author, and founder of Community Clothing - feeds into his true purpose, to challenge us to reframe what we want, and why we want it. Guest: Patrick Grant @patrickgrantism. Mentioned in this episode@community_clothing@nortonandsons @sewingbee @pashleycycles @vans @zojirushi_officialGarry’s TV Repairs https://www.yell.com/biz/garry-s-t-v-repairs-barnoldswick-1177234/Patrick’s brilliant book: Less, Stop Buying So Much Rubbish How Having fewer Better Things Can Make Us HappierSupported by:@1warwicksohoThe Enoughness with Melanie Rickey.Produced and edited by Steve Hankey. Assistant Producer Sophie Smith.