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The Next Chapter by Ellie Barker
From Fashion Journalist to Founder, Nails Inc: Thea Green MBE
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Thea Green MBE created Nails Inc at the age of wait for it...23 (!) after she spotted nail bars in New York and wanted to create the same here. She sold it in 2024 for a reported £30million but still remains very much involved with the company today.
I can't deny, I was a little nervous when I was due to interview Thea, but she was so down to earth, helpful and encouraging. It was a huge reminder we all face the same hurdles - doubt, juggling responsibilities, guilt but then finding the courage to carry on.
And some exciting news: since recording this podcast, Nails.INC, the UK's leading nail brand, will launch a limited-edition suffragette collection in partnership with Centenary Action on 2 July 2026 to mark the anniversary of the 1928 Equal Franchise Act, which gave womenin the UK the right to vote on equal terms to men.
The collection is inspired by the colours of the suffragette movement: white, green and purple; white representing purity, green: hope, and purple: loyalty and dignity.
Suffragettes understood that style could be defiance, a quiet act of independence. You can find all the details and learn moe about Thea and her wonderful work here: https://nailsinc.com/
And if you'd like to download your free uplifting romantic novella Could We Just Do That Again? and sample my writing you can download it here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/
And to sign up to my 3 Pieces of Next Chapter Inspiration letters (and I'd love to keep in touch) you can also do that here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/
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From Farm Vet to Award-Winning Nutritionist: Dr Lucy Williamson.
01:15:06|Lucy grew up surrounded by nature and always wanted to be a vet. When she was told she couldn’t, she was determined to prove them wrong — and she did.She went on to work as a farm vet for many years, but becoming a mum made her rethink what she wanted from her life.So, Lucy made the brave decision to change direction.Today she’s an award-winning nutritionist, combining her experience of farming and food to help people make healthier choices. And she’s just written a book, Soil to Gut.She talks honestly about changing direction, changing our identity and listening to those little instincts that tell us there might be another way.Because perhaps we’re not meant to stay the person we once thought we would be. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that Maybe it’s a simple sign we need to try something new. To learn more about Dr Lucy Williamson and her new book Soil to Gut: How to Regenerate Your Health With Food click here: https://lwnutrition.co.uk/To download your free novella Could We Just Do That Again? Click here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/And to keep in touch (and we’d love that) you can sign up to my 3 pieces of Next Chapter Inspiration notes at: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/
From Simon Fuller & Talent Management to Changing Our Children's CVs: Joe Woodward
01:09:38|From Simon Fuller & XIX Management to changing our children's CVs: Joe Woodward Joe Woodward loved sport at school and thought he wanted to be a lawyer. But he soon learned what he thought he wanted wasn't right at all. Instead he started working with sporting stars at Simon Fuller's XIX Management company - learning from people like Sir David Beckham, Andy Murray and Sir Bradley Wiggins. He went on to work with the Rajasthan Royal FamilyBut when he lost his job due to the pandemic, he realised the CV was out of date. He couldn't showcase who he really was and he wanted more for our next generation. So with his sister and brother-in-law they created Vizzy. 120,000 people have signed up with them all over the world and companies like Virgin, EY and Burberry are using them to find their next generation of talent. If you think the world of work is full of doom and gloom I really, really encourage you to listen to Joe. To learn more about Joe and his work at Vizzy click here: https://home.vizzy.com/To download my free novella Could We Just Do That Again? click here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/To keep in touch and join my 3 Pieces of Next Chapter Inspiration click here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/
From Doncaster to Managing Music Stars: Marc Connor
01:24:04|Marc Connor grew up in Doncaster and describes his upbringing as proudly working class. As a child, he loved architecture and was told he should become an engineer. But alongside that, he had a real passion for music.What Marc didn’t know then was that this love of music would not only take him all over the world, doing work he loves, but would also help other people make their dreams come true.Marc is an artist manager and, over the years, has worked with stars including Mark Morrison and Shane MacGowan. He later founded his own company, Rockstar Management.Then one day, someone told him about a musician called Jamie that he simply had to see. That musician was Jamie Cullum — and they’re still working together today.Alongside his partner, Jenny, Marc also manages incredible artists including Ferris & Sylvester and Billy Lockett.If, deep down, you believe it’s impossible to find work you truly love, Marc has some wonderful advice. He’s down-to-earth, humble and incredibly generous with his wisdom.Marc genuinely believes we can all discover what lights us up — and in this conversation, he shares how.To learm more about Marc you can find his wonderful work and artists here: https://www.rockstar.management/aboutTo download your FREE copy of my novella Could We Just Do That Again? click here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/And you discover more of my novels all about second chances, life lessons and lots of behind the scenes in TV click here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/
From Genealogist to Author, Victorian Murder Mysteries: Jacqueline Beard
01:02:44|Jacqueline Beard says she grew up everywhere as a child. Perhaps all these different locations were planting the seeds of her curiosity to discover where she came from because later on she became a genealogist. It was when she discovered a murderess in her ancestry she realised there was a story she wanted to write. Today she writes fictitous Victorian murder mysteries, based on all her discoveries of the stories she uncovers. She’s now written 20 novels and they are enjoyed all around the world.Now if you’ve ever thought you’d like to write a book but don’t know how or where to being Jacqui is going to tell you everything you need to know. Jacqui says this was her first podcast interview – but I think you’ll agree she’s warm, humble and has learned how to follow her own heart. She believes in the power of tiny steps taking you to where deep down you know you want to go.To learn more about Jacqueline Beards novels and work you can find her here: https://jacquelinebeardwriter.com/To download your free copy of my novella Could We Just Do That Again? click here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/And if you'd like to stay in touch and sign up to my 3 Pieces of Next Chapter Inspiration (and I'd love that) click here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/
From Estate Agency & Investment Banking to Founder, Childs Farm
01:23:29|Imagine this - you have a brilliant idea, you're brave enough to make it happen then you overhear some mean school mums talking about you in the loos - saying who does she think she is? This is what happened to Joanna Jensen. I'll let her tell you what happened next but this is a story all about resilience. She created a cream for her baby daughter who suffered from eczema and went on to create Childs Farm - a brand loved around the world. She eventually sold her business for £40 millionOn outside looking in – you could think it all came easily to Joanna. But it really didn’t. Joanna was in debt, her marriage broke down and she met people who were really unkind. But she believed in her dream and eventually she found the magical people who helped it come true. Today she's an Angel Investor helping other people do the same.Joanna believes there is always someone who will help you make your dream come true - they are always there - you just have to keep looking. To learn more about Joanna and her brilliant work and book, 'Making Business Child's Play - How to build a winning brand' you can find her here: https://www.joannajensen.co.uk/And to discover more about my uplifting women's fiction novels which are all stories of love and life lessons - and to download your free copy of my novella Could We Just Do That Again you can find me here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/
From Street Performer to Climate Comedian: Stuart Goldsmith
01:17:53|Stuart Goldsmith is an award-winning Climate Comedian who entertains audiences all around the world. He's been on huge shows like Live at the Apollo, Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central and Conan over in the US and his Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows are among the best-reviewed. He’s also the creator and host of the Comedian’s Comedian podcast which has had more than 25 million downloads.https://www.stuartgoldsmith.com/https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/
From Crime Journalist to Author of book inspiring drama 'Gone' (& also my husband!)
01:30:42|Now for those of you who don't know, not only is Robert Murphy one of my colleagues where I work as a journalist at ITV West Country, he is also my husband too. And I'm not going to lie - this was a step out of our comfort zone - putting him (and a little bit me) under the interviewee spotlight. But I've known the story behind Rob's book and I wanted him to share it with you. Because in a world obsessed with the number of followers we have or algorithms or needing to have big plans and huge teams of people - this is a story of trust. It's the story of a small number of close relationships which created one of the most watched dramas of the year - at the time of recording it's had more than 23 million views. "Just try something quietly, it doesn't matter if it doesn't work, sometimes it doesn't, but sometimes it does." To learn more about Rob you can find him at: https://www.robertmurphy.net/aboutTo download your FREE novella, Can We Just Do That Again? click here:To join my 3 pieces of Next Chapter Inspiration Newsletter click here
From Coronation Street to Award-Winning Photographer: Bill Ward is back
01:03:41|Now, today’s guest is someone I’m delighted to welcome back. The wonderful Bill Ward.Bill started his career in advertising with Saatchi & Saatchi before following his passion for acting. You’ll know him as Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street and James Barton in Emmerdale, and he’s currently touring in The Shawshank Redemption.But there’s another side to Bill we didn’t fully explore last time—his photography. He’s an award-winning photographer and was named Landscape Photographer of the Year. His latest book, Immersive, captures the raw beauty and power of the ocean—a project four years in the making.It’s a joy to have him back—and he shares some brilliant insights on building a life around your passions.If you'd like to listen to Bill's first episode which is where he talks about moving from Advertising to Acting you can listen here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/billwardIf you'd like to download my FREE novella Could We Just Do That Again you can do that here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/And if you'd like to join my 3 Pieces of Next Chapter Inspiration newsletter including more of these conversations (and I'd love that) you can sign up here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/