How To Own The Room

Can you manage your nerves? Viv Groskop talks to legendary actor, Dame Sheila Hancock, ahead of a theatre audience to share reflections from her second memoir Old Rage. Dame Sheila reveals how she has always suffered from chronic stage fright and remains terrified until the end. They discuss how nerves are normal and getting through them. Dame Sheila is frank about shocking stories of sexism in the stage and screen world with overwhelming pressures to conform to a typical look or height. She talks about the experience of being spotted by Theatre Workshop's Joan Littlewood and how it was a liberation to be herself. Viv reflects that it's a constant struggle not to pigeon-hole yourself and how important it is to resist that pressure, even if others around you are doing it for you.

Find out more about Dame Sheila Hancock's Old Rage.

A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.

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Can you tell your own story? Viv Groskop talks to award-winning playwright and screenwriter, Abi Morgan, whose work includes The Split, The Iron Lady, The Hour and Suffragette. Abi has occupied and owned many rooms in her life and career – the solitary writer's room, the family rooms of bustle, the emergency hospital room, the space on set to direct. In all these arenas she's adapted herself while keeping a steady eye on maintaining space to tell the stories she wants to tell. Four years ago, Abi and her family's lives were blown apart by a devastating medical emergency suffered by her partner. How would this sudden and unwelcome plot twist affect Abi's life and writing? Channelling confusion and pain, Abi turned the lens onto her own life in This is Not a Pity Memoir. She reveals how a space to write has always been essential to her survival and none more so than in these crisis years. But having reached relative dry land, she tells Viv that it's not over yet. There are more rooms to own and more stories to tell.

Listen to This is Not a Pity Memoir on BBC Radio 4

A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.

@vivgroskop

What are you waiting for? Viv Groskop talks to writer, Ellen Nichols, author of Remember Whose Little Girl You Are. Now in her 70s, Ellen Nichols has published her first book – a memoir of growing up in the Deep South in the fifties and sixties. Ellen shares how her confidence to speak the truth was nurtured from a young age by her father, a Methodist preacher who spoke out against segregation in the face of vicious opposition. One memory of an encounter with the Ku Klux Klan as a young child imprinted itself on her mind forever and she discusses how her mantra: 'just be honest' has guided her over the years. Ellen reminds us to seize the day and trust our instincts for using our voice to say things as we see them.

Find out more about Ellen Nichols Remember Whose Little Girl You Are.

A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.

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Do you bring your true self to the table? Viv Groskop talks to CEO Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia, Founder and Executive Chair of the fintech Snoop. She was the CEO of Virgin Money from 2007 to 2018, working closely with Richard Branson, and was often the only woman in a man's world. Jayne-Anne discusses how she owns the room - sometimes using her full height to command authority - and sometimes showing openness and abandoning notes to connect with an audience. She asks what is true diversity? And discusses challenges with depression, including a recent revelation that has worked for her in treating it.

A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.

@vivgroskop

What will your social legacy be? Viv Groskop talks to corporate high flyer Emily Chang about her philosophy which has inspired a unique way of life, where the spare room is always available to young people in need. As soon as she was able, Emily followed her instincts to offer help in the form of a place to stay to the most vulnerable young people whose lives she crossed. She explains how it is a practice she continues to this day and how it informs her work in the corporate world as well as in raising her daughter.

You can find out more about Emily at social-legacy.com

A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.

@vivgroskop

@vivgroskop

Do you have a good relationship with yourself? Viv Groskop talks to psychotherapist and author Julia Samuel about how hard it is to own the room and relate well to others if you don't relate well to yourself. She talks about how our family history affects our confidence and how we are all haunted by the untold stories, the pain passed down through families. Julia reveals the "shame spiral" she herself experienced after appearing on the BBC's Desert Island Discs. And she explains the secret of instilling confidence in our children.

You can find out more about Julia on her website and buy her latest book, Every Family Has a Story: How We Inherit Love and Loss

A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.

@vivgroskop

Have you stepped into your greatness? Viv Groskop talks to Vanessa Sanyauke, founder and CEO of Girls Talk London and expert in diversity, inclusion and sustainability in business. Vanessa celebrates uncertainty, curiosity - and never listening to your parents. She calls on us to move from being allies to advocates for marginalised communities - and reveals how important male allies have been to her journey. Oh, and she shares what Oprah Winfrey told her about how to look great in photos...

You can find out more about Vanessa at vanessasanyauke.com

A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.

@vivgroskop

Is your dream a nightmare? Viv Groskop talks to yoga teacher Paula Hines about giving up her dream job to take a different path as a yoga teacher, and the importance of trusting your instincts. She reveals how yoga can help you own the room, working with your own breath patterns, using simple exercises to release tension and not fixating on the perfect "yoga body". She explains the importance of paying attention to the space you are in and the reactions of the people in it. And she advises compassion when dealing with difficult people - while accepting a negative reaction may have nothing to do with you.

You can find out more about Paula at ucanyoga.co.uk

A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.

@vivgroskop

Have you done your best? Viv Groskop talks to writer and second Children's Laureate Anne Fine, about the freedom of being well prepared. She says: if I've done my best and they don't like it, that's their problem. She talks about why she hates interactive talks and how much you can learn from bad speakers. And she argues you should never overestimate an audience's knowledge or underestimate their intelligence - particularly when talking to children.

You can find out more about Anne Fine and her new book, Aftershocks here.

A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.

@vivgroskop