Free and Figuring It Out

Nicole Crentsil is a London-based Ghanaian born cultural curator, creative consultant and entrepreneur. In 2018, Forbes listed Nicole as one of 100 women to follow on Twitter and LinkedIn. In the same year, TimeOut named Nicole as 1 of 50 Londoner’s shaping the city’s cultural landscape. Nicole is the CEO of Black Girl Festival - a creative community and arts festival for Black women, girls and non-binary people. She’s also the founder of BIG SIS, a platform dedicated to supporting the personal development of creative working women. Nicole is passionate about connecting women, young people and underrepresented groups to art, culture and events.

We discuss with Nicole…

• the creative industry and potential roles available

• being a Black girl and woman in the creative industry

• entering an industry dominated by white men

• feeling excluded when following your passion

• understanding the one thing you are good at

• why qualifications aren’t everything

• internships and socio-economic status

• being Black and discriminated against when applying for internships

• the true cost of doing internships

• getting into debt to afford to learn

• the rich side of fashion degrees

• developing side hustles

• importance of mental health as a creative

• bringing Black women together

• the Black British experience vs the US one

• Black history and school curriculums

• supporting Black women in the creative industry

• lockdown and its effects

• Black Lives Matter rise during COVID19

• Lack of Black blood donors

• Lack of representation of Black women.

Resources mentioned

Taking up space

Give Blood NHS

Slay In Your Lane

Find Nicole at

Instagram

Black Girl Fest

Unmasked Women

Big Sis

Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 32, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 5 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle on Instagram.

Verity Brown, 34, is a northerner and the founder of The Authentic DatA Revolution and is currently living in the Lake District, UK. She is bisexual, was single for 3.5 years and is in a relationship with a woman. Connect with Verity on Instagram.

This week we have been figuring out and filling our time with...

Vegan chocolate milkshake 

Premium Bonds  

I May Destroy You  

Your Money Or Your Life 

Wanna Be podcast 

Disclosure 

Lewis Howes podcast 

Your Figuring It Out task for this week....

What have you always wanted to do that you haven't yet done?

Drop us a DM on Instagram and let us know!

Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 32, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 5 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle on Instagram.

Verity Brown, 34, is a northerner and the founder of The Authentic DatA Revolution and is currently living in the Lake District, UK. She is bisexual, was single for 3.5 years and is in a relationship with a woman. Connect with Verity on Instagram.

In this first episode back we discuss all the things we got up to over the past 6 weeks. We also let you know about the future of Free and Figuring It Out. We are coming back fresher, better and truly focused on supporting millennial women who are figuring out life.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Sober curious by Ruby Warrington - https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9780062869043

Your dream life starts here by Kristina Karlsson (Founder of Kikki K) - https://www.bookdepository.com/Your-Dream-Life-Starts-Here-Kristina-Karlsson/9780648317203

Dead to me - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_to_Me_(TV_series)

The Bold Type - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bold_Type

Hamilton - https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/welcome/hamilton

The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/05/death-life-marsha-p-johnson-review-documentary

Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle on Instagram.

Verity Brown, 34, is a northerner and the founder of The Authentic DatA Revolution and is currently living in the Lake District, UK. She is bisexual, was single for 3.5 years and is in a relationship with a woman. Connect with Verity on Instagram.

So many ideas so little time/ money/ knowledge/ skills/ confidence {circle as appropriate}.

This week we try and figure out...

• How to figure out which idea is the one you should focus on
• The difference between excuses/fear and it simply not being the right idea/ time
• Who and how to get the correct support and advice on.

Resources mentioned in this episode

Elizabeth Gilbert | Big Magic - https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/books/big-magic/

PropelHer - https://www.propelher.co.uk/

The Authentic Data Revolution - http://tadar.org/

Baz Luhrman | Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/wrote-four-hours-woman-responsible-wisdom-baz-luhrmanns-wear/

Charelle and Verity are taking an early Summer Break and will be back with a new episode of 17th July 2020.

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Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle on Instagram.

Verity Brown, 33, is a northerner and the founder of The Authentic DatA Revolution and is currently living in the Lake District, UK. She is bisexual, was single for 3.5 years and is in a relationship with a woman. Connect with Verity on Instagram.

In a COVID-19 world where everything from the Olivier’s to the Tony’s is being postponed or cancelled, we discuss the world of awards!

This week we try and figure out...

• Self-promotion and self-celebration as women
• The authenticity of awards
• Why ‘award-winning’ elevates something’s status

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Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, is a northerner and the founder of The Authentic DatA Revolution and is currently living in the Lake District, UK. She is bisexual, was single for 3.5 years and is in a relationship with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/iamveritybrown

In this week’s episode we try and figure out…

• How to date via Zoom
• How to look and feel your best when you are rocking office wear above the desk and ready for bed below
• How to turn the corner of your kitchen into a suitable background for your calls.

Charelle and Verity have been using Zoom for years - they even record every episode of Free and Figuring it Out via Zoom Video - so they thought it would be handy to chat about this new discovery for most of the population.

Have you tried to do a virtual gym class yet? Did you have a 37 minute phone call with your Mum helping her download it to your phone? Have you discovered the mute all button yet?

We discuss the beauty of the 40 minute webinar limit and those buggers that click on the “Extend your time for free” button that pops up. It’s also very interesting people’s approach to using the platform and whether they make the same effort as they would if you would see the people on the call in person. Verity discusses her new love affair with her baby pink pashmina.

Did you know you can record Zoom? And that there is a “beauty” filter? Have you tried Zoom backgrounds?

Charelle allows us into the world of her online, video call dates including how much makeup you wear, if you have a glass of wine by your side and how you finish the date when there is no bus to run for (spoiler, order takeaway to be delivered!). We chat whether Zoom dating will continue post-pandemic and if more international relationships will blossom because of it.

We finish off by discussing loneliness, making effort with families and how the world of virtual connection for the masses will change the way we communicate forever.

Blue light glasses (kindly gifted) https://www.ocushield.com/ 

Early dating episode https://freeandfiguringitout.com/episodes/sex-dating-2019-what-do-men-really-find-attractive-in-women

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Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, is a northerner and the founder of The Authentic DatA Revolution and is currently living in the Lake District, UK. She is bisexual, was single for 3.5 years and is in a relationship with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/iamveritybrown 

In this week’s episode we try and figure out…

• What time we should wake up and go to bed
• How important morning routines actually are
• Whether we are getting the best out of our sleeping time.

Verity and Charelle decided to talk about their routines and more specifically the times they wake up and go to bed.

Verity is a natural 6.30am riser (and this is a fairly new thing to her) whereas Charelle lives by the Cinderella clock and makes sure she is in bed before midnight.

Do you have a morning routine? Do you have an alarm clock? Do you force yourself to wake up early as you feel you should?

Verity was naturally a night owl but since attracting a partner and losing bedroom curtains she now happily rises with the dawn chorus. Charelle is used to 1am bedtimes due to her job and has built her routine around a full-time job and side-hustle.

Do you wake up at the same time every day; weekends included? Does your environment or who you live with affect your bedtime? Have you read The Miracle Morning?

We discuss how important sleep is and how we do need to listen to our own cycle and what works best for us. Also what you do with the first hour of your morning could be more important than the actual time you wake up. We look at evening routines and they could be the secret to a great night's sleep and an alternative for night owls.

Resources

Episode 33 | Morning routines; miracle mornings, night owls and affirmations

https://freeandfiguringitout.com/episodes/morning-routine-miracle-morning-night-owls-affirmations

The 5am club https://www.amazon.co.uk/5-AM-Club-Robin-Sharma/dp/0008312834

Elizabeth Gilbert letter to love https://live-happier.com/love-letter-to-yourself-2/

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Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, is a northerner and the founder of The Authentic DatA Revolution and is currently living in the Lake District, UK. She is bisexual, was single for 3.5 years and is in a relationship with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/

In this week’s episode we try and figure out…

• Is three a crowd or is there power in three?
• Do threes work as well off screen as they do on?
• How to know if a trio is serving you.

We turn a real-life conversation into a podcast convo and discuss whether female friendships work as a three or if it’s just a dynamic that works best on the screen? Charelle begins to discuss the world - in a practical sense - simply isn’t built for 3’s. 2 fine, 4 no problem, 3 I don’t think so! An experience she had led to her emailing a company asking if they realised if women come in power 3’s when there was no convenient table for them to sit at.

Is there a danger in a friendship of three that two are closer and the other is an add on? Verity explores how her opinion on this has changed in her 30s vs her 20s. We discuss how natural competition can turn into beautiful complementing of personalities. Have you ever joined a two to make it a three? Hello third wheel!

We discuss the formation of friendships of three’s and the beauty of the organic process of it. Do you have more one on one’s or a few big groups? Verity discusses how at her 30th birthday barely anyone knew each other because she brought all her single friendships together. We look at the rawness of a three in that you are always all present with each other rather than a larger group which can split conversation-wise during times together.

Have you been part of a three where there is a leader? How does location/ having babies/ getting married/ being single have an effect on a three friendship? Are all your trio friendships female only? Are you surrounding yourself with people who will help you excel in the areas that are important to you? We delve into all the important stuff with this topic.

We had a couple of sound issues during this episode so apologies in advance for that.

Friendship episode with Gemma Scopes (Episode 028) https://freeandfiguringitout.com/episodes/gemma-scopes-interview-friendship-loneliness-dating-yourself

Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

This week we are helping you figure out…

• How to deal with toxic relationships 
• Supporting friends with mental health challenges

• Protecting your own head during COVID19.

Charelle and Verity chat to multi-award winning Mental Health Awareness blogger, Jessica Ward. Starting as an online private diary - until it was discovered by a school friend - when she was a young teenager, Jessica recorded her thoughts and feelings as a way to process and reflect on the bullying she was experiencing. From an exercise addiction to depression to deciding to be homeschooled, Jessica discusses the journey she took as a teenager which led her to her positive outlook on life now.

At 16 she got into her first relationship where she experienced mental abuse, leaving that in 2017 to go on to win some great awards for her blog. We discuss how you can get lost within a relationship, having control issues and eating disorders. We delve a little deeper into difficult relationships - both romantically and platonically - and discuss managing our mental health in these situations.

We chat social distancing, physically and digitally, the lessons we learn from each moment in life and accepting how we are feeling and sinking into that. Verity talks with Jessica about attending therapy sessions and the feelings that come up surrounding that. We discuss the danger of making assumptions of people’s lives and how we can try and stop doing this to protect our heads.

It is important we know how to support friends who are experiencing mental health challenges and Jessica provides some beautiful advice on how best to do this. Let’s step away from the word normal and this is not the time for self-sabotage. We then discuss how to manage your mental health during COVID19 including building a routine, minimal news consumption and not losing your identity within this altered world.  

Simple politics https://www.instagram.com/simplepolitics/

ABOUT OUR GUEST, JESSICA WARDJessica Ward is a multi-award winning Mental Health Awareness blogger, fitness enthusiast and marketer.

Her blog began when she was 13 and at this time, it was a private online archive to document her life as a teenager struggling with bullying at school. During this time, she suffered with difficulties including health, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, confidence and overall wellbeing.

Having hit an all-time low, Jessica realised it was time she needed to make a change. Positively Jessica Ward was set up as a blog to help others and as a location for all things positive. Magnetic colour, mouthwatering recipes and infectious positivity!

Follow her blog for a daily dose of positivity https://positivelyjessicaward.com/

Find her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/positivelyjessicaward/

Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, is a northerner and the founder of The Authentic DatA Revolution and is currently living in the Lake District, UK. She is bisexual, was single for 3.5 years and is in a relationship with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/ 

We open up this episode discussing our own experiences of being women who are each and every day are trying to fit in a world built by men and for men. Verity talks about the angry feminist within her and how aged has given her the power to let her out!

We discuss where we are in terms of equality and how big the gap is in pay, the way we are treated and the general structure of a standard 24 hours. Charelle knows that she is not being taken less seriously regarding an important situation simply because she is a woman and we discuss the lengths women have to go to to be heard.

Are you curious? Do you question the way things are done? Do men take advantage of you because you are a woman?

We then delve into the data gap (inspired by the book Invisible Women) and how this is negatively affecting women in so many areas from car crashes to toilets to children assuming a Scientist is a man.

From defending the use of female pronouns and the fact in 2015 there were fewer large companies run by women than by men named John, we look at being a woman in the workplace and the challenges we encounter there. Do you feel you need to act more like a man to get ahead in your career? We discuss representation, valid ambition and the role of women in politics both in the UK and US.

We finish by chatting about the capitalist world we live in and how COVID19 has turned it on its head and whether we will return to this money driven approach when normality resumes. 

Invisible women https://amzn.to/2RHhu5U

Taylor Swift documentary https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81028336

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Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, is a northerner and the founder of The Authentic DatA Revolution and is currently living in the Lake District, UK. She is bisexual, was single for 3.5 years and is in a relationship with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/