What is it like to truly reinvent yourself? To take the twists and turns of life and turn them into an opportunity for growth and reinvention? Imogen Tinkler did just that. From her unique upbringing in Pakistan, her work in the charities sector, to her leap of faith into food and foraging, Imogen's story is a testament to the power of resilience, hard work and staying true to your values.
In this guest episode of Naomi Mellor's Smashing the Ceiling podcast, Naomi explores Imogen's story of turning personal loss into fuel for career growth. Imogen shares candidly about the loss of her daughter and how the therapeutic benefits of swimming helped her through the darkest of times.
We dive into the significance of finding support and connection in times of tragedy and the role of community in healing. So, if you're in for an inspiring conversation full of courage, transformation and resilience, this episode with Imogen is just the one for you.

Smashing the Ceiling

If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcast through the Support the Show link, or by sending a boostagram , for example in the Fountain app.

CreativityFound.co.uk
Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast
Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group
YouTube @creativityfoundpodcast
Pinterest: @creativityfound
Twitter: @creativityfoun

Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown
Music: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day Trips
Artworks: Emily Portnoi emilyportnoi.co.uk
Photo: Ella Pallet

Find out more about the late summer writing retreat

Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing [email protected], or book a call here.

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound

Support the show

Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here

Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

Rewriting your identity
Ever felt like you've lost yourself along life's journey, and wondered how you could possibly find your way back?
In this episode, Claire chats with Caro Giles, a theatre arts graduate turned actor, teacher, mother, home educator, carer, and now published author. Caro shares her journey of finding and retaining her sense of self amidst the responsibilities of marriage, mothering, and home educating.
Caro explains how writing a book became a way for her to explore her worth beyond being the main breadwinner in the family, and discusses the challenges she has faced as a single full-time carer.
Delving deeper, Caro opens up about the challenges of creating while juggling work and raising children. Her experiences, though trying at times, did not quell her creative spirit. They instead inspired her to write Twelve Moons, a  beacon of hope for anyone who has ever felt isolated or alone.
Caro also shares her plans for the future, including continuing to write and advocating for changes in the education system. Join us in this inspiring conversation with Caro Giles, and let her journey ignite your own path to self-discovery.

You can buy Caro's memoir, Twelve Moons, from the Creativity Found bookshop at Bookshop.org.

CreativityFound.co.uk
Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast
Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group
YouTube @creativityfoundpodcast
Pinterest: @creativityfound
Twitter: @creativityfoun

Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown
Music: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day Trips
Artworks: Emily Portnoi emilyportnoi.co.uk
Photo: Ella Pallet

Find out more about the late summer writing retreat

Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing [email protected], or book a call here.

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound

Support the show

Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here

Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

Art, life and advocacy
In this guest episode of the Narratives of Purpose podcast, Claire Murigande  discusses with editorial illustrator Jean-Philippe Kalonji the role artists and culture play in social change.
JP is an illustrator, comic artist, and painter stationed in the beautiful city of Geneva, Switzerland. We're taking a stroll down memory lane, reminiscing about JP's earliest days of falling in love with art, navigating his way through the practices that he's grown to adore, and recounting the hurdles he's had to leap over. This is a tale of passion merged with practicality as JP shares how his artistry beautifully intertwines with his routine life, and how it has the potential to spark social change.

Narratives of Purpose

If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcast through the Support the Show link, or by sending a boostagram , for example in the Fountain app.

CreativityFound.co.uk
Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast
Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group
YouTube @creativityfoundpodcast
Pinterest: @creativityfound
Twitter: @creativityfoun

Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown
Music: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day Trips
Artworks: Emily Portnoi emilyportnoi.co.uk
Photo: Ella Pallet

Find out more about the late summer writing retreat

Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing [email protected], or book a call here.

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound

Support the show

Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here

Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

Creativity, the learning process, and the mesmerizing world of pottery.
In this bonus episode I’m joined by Creativity Found Collective member Kelly Drewett and friend of Creativity Found Carola Moon, as we visit the pottery studio of fellow Collective member Debbie Page.
You’ll hear about how Debbie makes her moon jars – and what they are – as well as a little pottery history.
We discuss everything from the unique ways people manipulate clay to the often overlooked importance of the table as a creative tool. The power of human hands in shaping clay and eliciting emotion through pottery forms is also explored, leading us to the understanding of how compression can help achieve the perfect texture.
We also start plotting our next Creativity Catchup featuring a few more members and their creative classes.
 
CreativityFound.co.uk
Debbie Page at creativityfound.co.uk
Kelly Drewett at creativityfound.co.uk

Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast
Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group
Pinterest: @creativityfound
Twitter: @creativityfoun

Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown
Music: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day Trips
Artworks: Emily Portnoi emilyportnoi.co.uk Photo: Ella Pallet

Find out more about the late summer writing retreat

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound

Support the show

Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here

Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

Ever found yourself scrambling to manage your time, juggling motherhood while nurturing a creative career?
In this episode of the Mother of All Solutions podcast, Laura Broderick chats with  Leona Fensome, remarkable mum of three, owner of an independent production company, and a Heritage Projects and Partnerships Officer at the University of Bedfordshire.
This episode is a deep dive into her journey, her lessons, and how she gracefully manoeuvres the tightrope between nurturing her family and nurturing her dreams.

Mother of all Solutions

If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcast through the Support the Show link, or by sending a boostagram , for example in the Fountain app.

CreativityFound.co.uk
Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast
Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group
YouTube @creativityfoundpodcast
Pinterest: @creativityfound
Twitter: @creativityfoun

Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown
Music: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day Trips
Artworks: Emily Portnoi emilyportnoi.co.uk
Photo: Ella Pallet

Find out more about the late summer writing retreat

Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing [email protected], or book a call here.

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound

Support the show

Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here

Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

Navigating the UK criminal justice system and healing through creativity
What happens when creativity and a desire for social reform collide with the harsh realities of the UK criminal justice system? Ella and Harriet of Glasshouse Theatre share their candid experiences of becoming prison officers, revealing the challenges they faced, and the impact the role had on their mental health. They discuss how their initial motivations were fuelled by a white saviour complex and a desire to bring creativity to the prison environment, but the training they received left them woefully unprepared for the job.
Throughout the conversation, we explore the complexities of working in a gendered environment, the naivety and ego that motivated Ella and Harriet to stay in their roles, and the ways they dealt with the trauma of the job.
Harriet and Ella describe the difficult process of leaving the service and transitioning to life 'off the landings' after experiencing extreme trauma and being in a constant state of high adrenaline, and how that can lead to feelings of detachment, isolation and shame.
But, as with all Creativity Found stories, there is a silver lining, and we find out how therapy, lifestyle adjustments and writing the show Cell Outs – originally not intending it to be produced – helped Harriet and Ella begin to live ‘normal’ lives again, and learn to manage their own expectations in the future, be aware of trauma in themselves and others, and provide a safe space for those in similar situations now through their outreach theatre programs.

CreativityFound.co.uk
Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast
Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group
YouTube @creativityfoundpodcast
Pinterest: @creativityfound
Twitter: @creativityfoun

Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown
Music: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day Trips
Artworks: Emily Portnoi emilyportnoi.co.uk
Photo: Ella Pallet

Find out more about the late summer writing retreat

Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing [email protected], or book a call here.

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound

Support the show

Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here

Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

The Creative Brain is a catalyst for change
For many years Anna Stoecklein believed that creativity was limited to traditional forms of art, such as painting or drawing. However, after watching the Netflix documentary The Creative Brain, she realized that creativity is everywhere, and that everyone is creative in their own way. This realization was a game-changer for Anna, as it allowed her to see her own creativity and potential.
Anna had a creative childhood, but that took a back seat during her teenage years and early adulthood.
Anna studied nursing, and after three years of working in a clinical setting, she realized it wasn't for her. She couldn't see herself climbing the management ladder or going back to school to become a nurse practitioner.
Other career roles followed, along with a move from the US to the UK. The lessons Anna had learnt from that documentary percolated, until a few years later she was able to put them to good use as she turned the idea for The Story of Woman podcast into a fully-fledged show.
In this episode Anna and I discuss how she was able to challenge and reframe her self-perception as a "non-creative" person, as well as the amazing experiences she's had with her podcast guests, including conversations with Hillary Clinton and Cherie Blair.

If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcast through the Support the Show link, or by sending a boostagram , for example in the Fountain app.

CreativityFound.co.uk
Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast
Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group
YouTube @creativityfoundpodcast
Pinterest: @creativityfound
Twitter: @creativityfoun

Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown
Music: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day Trips
Artworks: Emily Portnoi emilyportnoi.co.uk
Photo: Ella Pallet

Find out more about the late summer writing retreat

Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing [email protected], or book a call here.

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound

Support the show

Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here

Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

Making time for art.
Jackie Sanders primarily works with abstract, geometric shapes, and bold colors using acrylic paint on panels. She creates visually interesting pieces that can be taken at surface value or can communicate deeper concepts and symbolism, allowing viewers to choose what they want to see in the art.
As a child, Jackie was supported and encouraged creatively by her family, who even helped her turn her bedroom closet into a mini studio.
She studied art at Virginia Tech, where she also took advantage of internship programs to learn outside of her subject. Post-graduation, Jackie experienced a dip in energy and confidence while attempting to navigate a competitive job market – fitting creativity in at the time was difficult, so her art took a back seat.
Having moved to North Carolina with no job offers and working multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet, Jackie eventually landed a full-time job at an awards company, which was enjoyable but demanding on her time and energy.
After a while something had to give. Jackie realized she needed to make space to allow creativity back into her life.
Find out how she did that in this episode.

If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcast through the Support the Show link, or by sending a boostagram , for example in the Fountain app.

CreativityFound.co.uk
Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast
Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group
YouTube @creativityfoundpodcast
Pinterest: @creativityfound
Twitter: @creativityfoun

Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown
Music: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day Trips
Artworks: Emily Portnoi emilyportnoi.co.uk
Photo: Ella Pallet

Find out more about the late summer writing retreat

Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing [email protected], or book a call here.

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound

Support the show

Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here

Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

A printmaking class helps me to get over my fear of 2D.
When Gerry Coles invited me to one of her printmaking workshops my initial reaction was that there was no way I would go because I would be rubbish.
Regular listeners will have heard me saying that that should not be a reason for not trying a new creative activity, so of course I told myself off, and told Gerry I'd love to go.
Find out how I got on, and hear from a few of the other students about their attitudes to getting creative in adulthood.

Find out more about Gerry's workshops here.

If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcast through the Support the Show link, or by sending a boostagram , for example in the Fountain app.

CreativityFound.co.uk
Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast
Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group
YouTube @creativityfoundpodcast
Pinterest: @creativityfound
Twitter: @creativityfoun

Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown
Music: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day Trips
Artworks: Emily Portnoi emilyportnoi.co.uk
Photo: Ella Pallet

Find out more about the late summer writing retreat

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound

Support the show

Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here

Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

I've caught Maria Ramsey at a reinvention stage, having made the decision to stop teaching music and to explore other avenues that feel more creatively fulfilling.
Maria is a multi-talented artist who has explored various creative outlets including visual art, poetry, and floral design.
Growing up in a family that valued creativity and the arts, Maria was encouraged to pursue music, taking lessons in violin, piano, and singing.
Despite having aspirations to study art, Maria eventually majored in music, and fell into teaching after college.  However, she has since realized that teaching classical music does not fulfill her creative desires.
In this episode we delve into Maria's interest in herbalism and Feng Shui, and how these have influenced her art and poetry. Maria talks about her organic approach to various creative pursuits, and how her work carries themes of playfulness, self-trust, and nature.

If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcast through the Support the Show link, or by sending a boostagram , for example in the Fountain app.

CreativityFound.co.uk
Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast
Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group
YouTube @creativityfoundpodcast
Pinterest: @creativityfound
Twitter: @creativityfoun

Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown
Music: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day Trips
Artworks: Emily Portnoi emilyportnoi.co.uk
Photo: Ella Pallet

Find out more about the late summer writing retreat

Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing [email protected], or book a call here.

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound

Support the show

Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here

Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout