How To Own The Room

How do you simply get things done? Viv talks to the American writer, Curtis Sittenfeld, whose new novel, Romantic Comedy, is already a bestseller and has been selected for Reese Witherspoon's Book Club. They chat about feminist breakthroughs, navigating the room – literally and metaphorically, and what to do with your hands in a photoshoot with an A-list movie star.

She tells Viv that it's a feminist act to assume knowledge by the women in your audience. And on the business of pushing projects forward she shares tips on separating your to do list and your emotions, and in the face of being overwhelmed, taking a moment to calmly ask the question - what do I need to do to get this done?

Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.

@vivgroskop

How do you nurture self-belief? Viv talks to the bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson, about cultivating gentle trust in ourselves.

The Pulitzer prize-winning writer of narrative nonfiction, whose latest book, Caste, explores the inner workings of an American hierarchy, talks to Viv about bringing your absolute all to the stage and creating an experience of communion with the audience.

Such deep and generous sharing in this space is balanced, though, with a word of caution about keeping precious projects close in early stages, protecting them from those who might discourage you when they're most delicate.

Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.

@vivgroskop

How do you keep going when your mouth turns 'sticky'? Viv talks to the award-winning writer, Claire Fuller about lessons from life, digging back into tales from when Claire worked in marketing and a pitch ran aground.

Offering tips and tricks for persevering through awkward moments, Viv celebrates Claire's honesty for admitting when things haven't gone well and also for celebrating the moments that most definitely have.

They talk about carving out a writing career later in life, while working and bringing up children – 'do it now, don't wait for perfection' - and the importance of helping others in the spirit of Viv's Lift as you Climb.

Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.

@vivgroskop

Launching series 20 with a splash of colour and pizazz, Viv talks to fashion label guru, Marielle Wyse, about finding that thing you love and doing with all your heart. Having worked in TV documentaries, Marielle took time out to look after her small children and then found a spark, pursuing her own childhood passion for clothes and making, setting her on a new, exciting path, founding Wyse London.

Marielle advises remembering the thing you used to run to as a child and reveals how the Covid lockdowns transformed her fashion business into an Instagram-first platform where she got to talk directly to her customers. Her lessons are the about the winning combination of joy, passion and focus. And not forgetting from her TV days the power of the edit and when to stop. And move onto the next thing.

Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.

@vivgroskop

What is the secret of fearlessness?

Actress Petra Massey (Sandstrom, Miranda) is best known for clowning and physical theatre - she carries herself with a profound inner confidence, and talks to Viv about channelling fear through her body in a productive way. Another counter-intuitive trick for confidence, is using advocacy to empower others. Vanessa Sanyauke, CEO of Girls Talk Global, explains that when you act as an advocate for other people, it gives you a chance to use your voice and remind yourself of that true unshakeable confidence. As a performance poet, storyteller, best-selling author and co-writer on Beyoncé's visual album Black is King, Yrsa Daley-Ward performs a lot of her own words on stage and for film. She compares her performance to a jazz improvisation, that is more honest and authentically her.

Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.

@vivgroskop

In this week's round-up of all the best tips and tricks for confidence and performance, we continue with the theme of preparation.

Talking to actress Nicole Ansari (Deadwood) and her husband Brian Cox (Succession), Viv discusses their definitions of owning the room while involving other people.

Former TV presenter turned best-selling author Dawn O'Porter talks very movingly about how easily we can get distracted by what is not working, while entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid, one of the first black women in the world to raise over a million pounds in venture capital for her digital platform Beautystack, talks about how she stays prepared and focused.

Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.

@vivgroskop

Everyone loves to feel prepared, but what would happen if you didn't really prepare at all?

How do you prepare for the moments of pressure?

In this masterclass, Viv is interested in our different relationships with preparation. Writer and commentator Bryony Gordon says if you're passionate about your subject, then you don't need a script, while Labour MP Jess Phillips thinks it's important to celebrate the imperfections in spoken delivery. Entrepreneur Debbie Wosskow is great at talking in a variety of high pressure situations. She advises over-preparation, and that you should also be ready to talk about anything.

Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.

@vivgroskop

Have you ever felt like you can't do certain things?

What do you do to tackle your own self-doubt?

In this 3rd episode, Viv turns traditional thinking about imposter syndrome on its head, and considers alternative outlooks from her guests. Professor Mary Beard talks about the misogynistic origins of public speaking, dating back to the Roman Empire, and actress Katy Brand says that in her experience, confidence can ebb and flow.

If you find yourself feeling like an imposter, Paula Hines says that might be because you're working in an area that you're not truly passionate about - she knows this feeling first hand as she tells the story of moving from a career as a television producer to becoming a yoga teacher.

Writer Kit de Waal shares the key to pushing back against moments of insecurity when you feel like a fraud, and sports presenter Gabby Logan says that it's important to be able to learn from your mistakes.

Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.

@vivgroskop

Where does confidence come from?

What can you do if you're very self-conscious and you feel really uncomfortable in front of others?

In this second episode of weekly masterclasses, Viv talks about nerves and confidence, and how they really do go hand in hand.

From archive interviews, Viv's previous guests share their words of wisdom. In the very first episode Nigella Lawson stresses that you don't need to be perfect. Since then we have had many other guests including Margaret Heffernan, business leader and bestselling author, Karen Gibson, leader of the Kingdom Choir who sang at Megan and Harry's wedding and DJ Cerys Mathews, who talks about forming the band Catatonia as a teenager and how to become comfortable in your own skin.

Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.

@vivgroskop

How do you work out what you want to say and what you think people are expecting?

If you want to speak up, how do you know where to start?

In this new batch of episodes coming up over the next few weeks we're going to dig into our archive of over 150 interviews. In these weekly masterclasses, each episode will tackle the things that really matter: confidence, overcoming nerves, imposter syndrome.

This week, Viv looks into what makes a great speech - or knowing what to say.

Hillary Clinton advises being self-deprecating and hopes that women can own their individuality, while tech activist Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon thinks about what she wants her audience to walk away with. For actress Meera Syal, the most important part of sharing stories is that it allows us to understand each other, share our empathy, experience, history and view of the world.

Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.

@vivgroskop