HELLO and happy September! This week’s guest is radio and television presenter Vick Hope a.k.a ‘The New Voice of a Generation’ (to quote a recent Sunday Times Style article).

My conversation with BBC Radio 1's new addition meanders from Nigerian cooking journey during lockdown to love languages and the joy of dancing like no one's watching while alone at home. 

During this recording, Vick also reminded me of a beautiful word, 'sonder', meaning the realisation that everyone else lives a life just as rich and vivid as your own. She describes it the sensation of 'souls intermingling', which is just gorgeous.

I hope you enjoy listening to this as much as I enjoyed recording with Vick. 

P.S. This is the ManRepeller article Vick referenced during the podcast about always returning to a certain ‘happiness set point’.

P.P.S. We also discuss Gary Chapman's Love Languages theory – also referenced in the Daisy Buchanan episode in season one. 

Twitter: @ChezSpecter @vicknhope

Instagram: @alonementofficial @vickhope

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I’m calling it – this podcast should be compulsory listening for all single people. Scratch that – all people. Shani Silver, host of the A Single Serving podcast, radiates sunshine and NYC cool girl vibes (she's based in Brooklyn) in this episode. She’s a woman with a mission; a key voice, and a lovely one, within the single positivity movement, redefining the way we see being single. In her words: ‘You can choose how you feel about your own single life, and I hope you choose to enjoy it, to live it fully and in validation, rather than let it pass you by in an endless search for someone else.’ It’s clear, from talking to her, what choice she has made.

You can listen to Shani’s brilliant podcast, A Single Serving, on Apple Podcasts.

Twitter: @ChezSpecter @shanisilver

Instagram: @alonementofficial @shanisilver

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So – pinch me. If you'd told eight-year-old me that I'd one day get to interview 'Blue Peter' presenter Konnie Huq when I grew up, it would have been way too exciting to process. As it happens, 28-year-old me managed to keep it together (just about) in order to interview the lovely presenter-turned-children's author about alone time, finding genuine happiness away from the spotlight and why she's never, ever felt lonely.

Thanks to a social-distancing friendly video chat, I also got to meet Huxley, the youngest of Konnie's adorable sons (she has two under the age of nine with her husband, 'Black Mirror' creator Charlie Brooker). Huxley makes his cameo right at the end of the episode, turning out to be the unexpected star of the show and also proving Konnie's assertion that she gets ZERO alone time as the mother of two young children.

Konnie's latest book, Cookie and the Most Annoying Girl in the World, is available now from Amazon and from all good booksellers. Perfect for any little people in your life!

Twitter: @ChezSpecter @Konnie_Huq

Instagram: @alonementofficial

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Alonement gets tremendously highbrow this week. Fans of comedy and Philip Larkin alike will love this episode with radio presenter and stand-up comedian John Robins. Since winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2017 with his show, ‘The Darkness of Robins’ – and performing the show on the Live at the Apollo stage the following year – John has become a household name.

In this episode, we discuss everything from Philip Larkin’s solitude-inspired poetry – John drops a line into every comedy show – to John’s engagement to fashion designer Coco Fennell (and the somewhat astonishing revelation that they’ve never even had an argument). Later on, we get on to the downsides of liking alone time too much (apparently this can be a hazard if you’re an introvert, like John) and the best ways to balance your alonement with seeing others, particularly when you live alone.

This conversation really made me think, and introduced me to some fascinating new perspectives – I hope it has the same effect on you.

As for the poems discussed on this episode, John (whom, I later discovered, read English at Oxford) references ‘Vers de Société’ and ‘The Importance of Elsewhere’ by Philip Larkin, together with ‘Luck’ by Raymond Carver.

Twitter: @ChezSpecter @nomadicrevery

Instagram: @alonementofficial @nomadic_revery

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So, you know when you’re *supposed* to be interviewing someone professionally and you end up just chatting away like mates? Such was my experience of interviewing this week’s guest, Sophia Money-Coutts – the former features director at Tatler and now a thrice-published author – resulting in a laughter-filled episode which covers everything from egg freezing; solo travel; Zoom fatigue; and what happens when you become newly-single in your 30s. 

P.s. Sophia also shared the best (or indeed worst) songs on her break-up soundtrack, including Tracy Chapman’s ‘The Promise’ and Passenger’s ‘Golden Leaves’. Broken hearts, steer clear. 

Sophia’s latest novel, The Wish List, is out now, available from Amazon and Waterstones. 

Twitter: @ChezSpecter @sophiamcoutts

Instagram: @alonementofficial @sophiamcoutts

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Introducing my joint first guest of season two, mental health activist Jonny Benjamin MBE! I laughed and I cried in equal measure while producing this episode, which has themes ranging from Jonny’s mental health journey; his experience of growing up gay in the Jewish community; and the perils of hiding your phone from yourself when you live alone. Jonny was SO funny and easy to talk to – qualities that make him ever the more inspiring in the wake of what he’s been through. In 2008, Jonny stood on the edge of Waterloo Bridge ready to take his own life – but was saved thanks to a chance intervention from a stranger. Since then, Jonny has dedicated his life to raising awareness surrounding mental illness and suicide. Even the Duke of Cambridge is a fan, providing the foreword to Jonny’s book, The Stranger on the Bridge. 

Jonny Benjamin’s book, The Stranger on the Bridge, is available from Amazon and Waterstones. 

If you enjoyed this episode – I’d LOVE it if you could leave a written review. It’s the absolute best way to help others discover the show.

Twitter: @ChezSpecter @mrjonnybenjamin 

Instagram: @alonementofficial

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Florence Given is an illustrator, Instagram sensation and now a debut author, with the release of her bestselling book, Women Don’t Owe You Pretty. It’s not hard to understand why she was voted Cosmopolitan’s Influencer of the Year ‘19. Famous for slogans such as ‘Dump Him’ and ‘Don’t Raise Him He’s Not Your Son’, Florence is an intelligent and refreshingly original feminist voice. 

While speaking to Florence, I couldn’t help thinking – how is someone so wise at just 21? But then, why should there be a minimum age to learning these things? In this podcast episode, Florence doles out the sage advice many women wish they had as a teenager. She also introduced me to the cake and crumbs theory – to work on fulfilling your own needs – or 'bake your own cake' so you don't feel hungry enough to accept 'crumbs' of attention (like Instagram 'likes') from other people. Game-changer.

Florence Given’s debut non-fiction title is available now from Amazon, Waterstones and all good booksellers.

Twitter: @ChezSpecter

Instagram: @alonementofficial @florencegiven

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It’s the SEASON FINALE! Meeting Daisy Buchanan earlier this year for this recording felt strangely familiar. I’ve been reading Daisy’s wonderful words for years, and when she arrived at my flat it felt like she had leapt straight out of the page: thoughtful, funny and with superhuman levels of emotional intelligence.

In this episode – the season finale for first ever Alonement series – we discuss everything from the trap of people pleasing to the difference between a drain and a radiator (don’t know what I’m talking about? Keep listening!).

We also reflect on Daisy’s happiest solo memories, and how she’s used the love languages theory to help connect with her husband Dale (forgive the part where we BOTH draw a blank over naming the fifth love language – which is, of course, quality time!).

Below, I’ve listed the wonderful cultural references peppered through this interview by Daisy.

I’d like to thank each and every one of you lovely listeners for tuning in to the podcast. I can’t thank you enough for your support and kind words over the last couple of months – I can’t wait to share the second series with you all! In the mean time, if you’d like to leave an Apple Podcasts review to let me know what you thought that would be appreciated so much.

Bye for now – and see you all on the other side. Stay healthy and happy!

***UPDATE*** Daisy's brilliant debut novel, Insatiable, is now out – buy it now from Waterstones and all good booksellers.

Book: The Five Love Languages – Gary Chapman [For reference: touch, words of affirmation, acts of service, gifts and quality time]

Quote: ‘I’ve learned to talk to myself instead of listen to myself.’ - Dr James Gills

Podcast: The Life Coach School podcast - Brooke Castillo

Social media:

Twitter: @ChezSpecter @NotRollerGirl

Instagram: @ChezSpecter @alonementofficial @thedaisybee

Get in touch: [email protected]

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One of the great perks of recording this podcast is the chance to chat to some of my career idols. This week’s guest, former British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, is not only someone I’ve looked up to for years, but also my former boss. I began my career as a Vogue intern – where I picked up many of the skills that have seen me through my journalistic jobs, and got to see Alexandra – the longest-standing editor in Vogue’s history – in action.

In this episode, Alexandra reveals how her natural independence of thought and unflappability helped her succeed as a leader – ‘I’ve always had opinions’. She also shares honest anecdotes from her time at the magazine’s helm, including the time she got tongue-tied while sitting opposite Benedict Cumberbatch on a plane. It’s an anecdote about as far from The Devil Wears Prada – a film based on her US counterpart – as you can get.

We discuss everything from the myth of ‘having it all’ and single parenting to the role clothing plays in influencing your sense of self – a key topic at the heart of Alexandra’s latest book, ‘Clothes… and Other Things That Matter’ – available now on Amazon.

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Instagram: @chezspecter @alonementofficial @alexandrashulman

Twitter: @chezspecter @AShulman2

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It’s official: scientists are the new celebrities – which is why I’m so delighted to have one as my remote guest for the second special COVID-19 episode of the Alonement podcast.

British-born nanotechnologist Dr Michelle Dickinson, a long-term friend to Jacinda Ardern, has been working with New Zealand’s Prime Minister to help communicate the science behind COVID-19 to the public.

Day to day, Michelle runs Nanogirl’s Lab – under her alter-ego of Nanogirl – to teach children STEM skills. Self-identifying as ‘a weird socially-awkward introvert’, Michelle has nevertheless established herself as a household name and shared with me how she has harnessed her quiet superpowers in order to effectively communicate the science behind the COVID-19 virus to the public.

Michelle is also, believe it or not, loving lockdown: an opinion that has been whispered by some introverts over the past few weeks. Despite this – she also speaks about the huge toll that the health crisis is taking on the public’s mental health, and why it’s important to her to communicate the psychological toll on those feeling scared and alone at this time.

Whether you’re an introvert, an extrovert, or you haven’t made your mind up yet, I hope you find our conversation just as fascinating and eye-opening as I did.

Did you enjoy this episode? Let me know what you think with a written review on Apple Podcasts. You can also get in touch on [email protected].

Twitter: @ChezSpecter @medickinson

Instagram: @ChezSpecter @alonementofficial @medickinson

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