This week’s guest is the extremely funny, self-deprecating, blogger, author and mum, Cat Sims. Cat launched her blog ‘Not So Smug Now’ as a way to process motherhood having found the transition to becoming a parent incredibly difficult.

We have a fantastic chat about Cat’s sobriety and what led her to AA, the challenges surrounding social media and of course her brilliant new book!

Here are the highlights:

(02:57) Creating organic content 

(04:37) Giving up alcohol

(12:28) Being relatable

(16:08) We have to take responsibility when consuming social media

(22:10) Having marriage counselling

(27:26) Cat’s proudest moments

(29:14) Cat’s new book

(33:23) Cat’s book recommendations

(35:51) The nicest compliment Cat has received

Contact Cat:

Website: https://www.notsosmugnow.com

Instagram: @notsosmugnow

Cat’s Book:

The First Time You Smiled (Or Was It Just Wind?): A Baby Record Journal With Attitude

Cat’s book recommendation:

Feeling Myself: How I Shed My Shame to Find Sexual Freedom and You Can Too by Natalie Lee

Cat’s favourite authors:

Margaret Atwood

Stephen King

If you have any questions about addiction please visit the Alcoholics Anonymous website for more information: https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/

Find out more about Lucy and listen to more episodes at http://lucygourlay.com  

This week’s guest is the wonderful MoJo! She is a strong and credible advocate for mental health and is best known for her encouragement of women to love themselves authentically, she is also a TV personality, dancer and internet sensation. She is currently gracing our screens on ITV 2’s Peckham’s Finest.

We have a brilliant chat about creating her online community throughout lockdown, making her grandma proud and learning to pole dance!

Here are the highlights:

(04:34) Joining a pole dancing class

(09:08) Getting through lockdown using social media

(13:00) Where the name ‘MoJo’ came from

(15:19) MoJo’s proudest moment

(17:46) How MoJo became part of Peckham’s Finest

(20:38) How becoming a life model helped with MoJo’s confidence

(24:07) MoJo’s book recommendation

(30:13) What makes MoJo’s heart smile

Contact MoJo:

Instagram: @_queenmojo

Twitter: @_queenmojo

Management: MiLK Management

MoJo’s book recommendation:

First Born by Sarah Aluko

Find out more about Lucy and listen to more episodes at http://lucygourlay.com  

This week’s guest is Sophie Stephenson, who is a Time to Think coach facilitator, consultant and member of the global faculty.  I am passionate about being a Time to Think coach myself and one of the main reasons I wanted to chat with Sophie today was to give you an opportunity to learn a bit more about this way of being.

We discuss when Sophie discovered Nancy Kline’s book, why making the time to think and listen is so important and of course her proudest moments and nicest compliment!

Here are the highlights:

(03:59) Writing a parenting book to allow your children the think

(09:19) When Sophie discovered Time to Think

(14:15) How do you know you’re working on the right things?

(15:51) The nicest compliment Sophie has received

(18:58) Who does the cooking?

(21:00) Sophie’s proudest moment

(25:31) How Sophie coped in lockdown

Contact Sophie:

Website:  https://www.thethinkingproject.co.uk/

Sophie’s book recommendation:

Peak Mind by Amish Jha

Book Mentions:

Time to Think by Nancy Kline

The Promise That Changes Everything: I Won’t Interrupt You by Nancy Kline

Find out more about Lucy and listen to more episodes at http://lucygourlay.com  

This week’s guest is Daisy Upton or otherwise known as the Five Minute Mum. Daisy is a mum of two and through her journey as a parent shared her tips for keeping her little ones entertained through her blog. Daisy has gone on to have three books published and has an impressive quarter of a million followers on social media. We talk about the impact lockdown had on Daisy’s book sales, her love of cocktails and she shares an incredibly moving story of how her games helped a mother and her son through a very difficult time.

Here are the highlights:

(02:09) Transition back to “normal” life after lockdown

(05:49) Turn off social media and listen to your child

(06:58) Daisy’s golden rule

(08:19) Daisy’s favourite game

(10:11) Making time for a cocktail

(14:54) Daisy’s proudest moments

(19:54) One of Daisy’s nicest compliments

(25:12) Daisy’s book recommendation

Contact Daisy:

Website:  https://fiveminutemum.com/

Daisy’s book recommendation:

The Explosive Child by Ross W. Greene

Find out more about Lucy and listen to more episodes at http://lucygourlay.com  

The definition of an Alchemist is a person who transforms or creates something through a seemingly magical process, which sums up this week’s guest pretty perfectly. 

Raj Garcia and I have crossed paths throughout our coaching journeys, and while I don't know Raj, I do know that he is kind, chilled and wise and has been described as a walking definition of intentional calm, which I personally think is a wonderful description. 

So I'm really looking forward to chatting with Raj this week and to find out all about his exciting adventures. 

Here are the highlights: 

(01:32) Leaving everything behind 

(06:03) Coaching the body and the mind 

(10:44) Change is more than just surface level 

(15:04) Nicest compliment 

(16:48) Peanut butter and porridge 

(18:48) Book recommendations 

(24:30) Getting out your head and being present 

Contact Raj: 

LinkedIn 

Raj’s book recommendation:  

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 

Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins 

Find out more about Lucy and listen to more episodes at http://lucygourlay.com    

This week’s guest is someone I don’t know a lot about, but my listeners will know I love finding out about people. So, today I am chatting to my podcast producer Phoebe Winter, a mum to a cheeky toddler, an audio editor, and a heavy metal fan. We talk about when she met Eric Clapton, giving birth on her toilet and her love of takeaways!

Here are the highlights:

(01:23) Being a fan of rock music

(03:02) Editing podcasts

(05:50) Listing to the Parenting Hell podcast

(09:06) The nicest compliment Phoebe has received

(10:34) Enjoying a Thai takeaway

(17:00) Recording Eric Clapton

(18:49) Giving birth on a toilet

(24:40) What makes Phoebe’s heart smile

Contact Phoebe:

LinkedIn: @phoebewinter

Phoebe’s book recommendation:

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Phoebe’s podcast recommendation:

Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe

Find out more about Lucy and listen to more episodes at http://lucygourlay.com  

This week’s guest is the kind, compassionate and extremely hardworking Liv Connolly-Bastock. Liv is the proud co-owner and head baker at the Salt cafe in Edinburgh which is proudly listed as the number one cafe in the city. Liv and her partner risked it all by investing all their savings in opening a cafe at the end of the first lockdown. We talk about the effects of the pandemic, how it’s important to follow your dreams, the stresses and rewards of running a cafe and how baking has been a constant throughout her life.

Here are the highlights:

(02:33) Liv’s journey to opening a cafe

(05:42) What brought Liv to Edinburgh

(10:17) Being a risk-taker

(14:54) On being a hands-on business owner

(19:30) When Liv had a panic attack at work

(25:25) Liv’s proudest moments

(29:58) Liv’s book recommendation

(40:13) What makes Liv’s heart smile

Contact Liv:

Website: https://www.salt.scot/

Instagram (Business): @salt.scot

Instagram (Personal): @salt.baker

Charities mentioned:

The Burnt Chef Project: https://www.theburntchefproject.com/

Rosie Runs to Kathmandu: https://phaseworldwide.org/campaign/rosieruns/

Liv’s book recommendations:

Just a Little Run Around the World by Rosie Swale Pope

Find out more about Lucy and listen to more episodes at http://lucygourlay.com  

This week’s guest is someone who I find very inspiring and I have huge admiration for, Jo Fairley. Jo is a knowledgeable voice in the beauty industry, co-founder of Green and Black's chocolates, a public speaker, an author, a serial entrepreneur, and a champion of small businesses. We have a delightful conversation about her love of writing, how and why she became a founder of Green and Black’s chocolates, her brilliant book recommendations and how she struggles to cut onions!

Here are the highlights:

(05:11) Jo describes her love of writing

(10:19) Jo’s proudest moment

(12:44) How she became a founder of Green and Black’s chocolates

(20:04) Who does the cooking in Jo’s house

(26:03) Jo’s book recommendations

(33:06) What makes Jo’s heart smile

Contact Jo:

https://www.josephinefairley.com/ 

https://www.beautybible.com/

The Penguin article: https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2021/december/easy-reading-hack-habit-read-more.html

Jo’s book recommendations:

Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley

Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paper-Palace-Miranda-Cowley-Heller/dp/0241470714/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1650643782&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unsettled-Ground-Shortlisted-Womens-Fiction/dp/0241457467/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=unsettled+ground+claire+fuller&qid=1650643857&sprefix=unsettled+ground%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lessons-Chemistry-Debut-Bonnie-Garmus/dp/0857528122/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2COLZ2123ZXSR&keywords=lessons+in+chemistry&qid=1650643898&sprefix=lessons+in+chemistry%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-1

Find out more about Lucy and listen to more episodes at http://lucygourlay.com  

Motivational, inspirational, dynamic and fearless are just a few words that describe my guest this week. Those words alone made me inspired to want to know more about Casper Craven. 

Incredible life experiences, highs and lows, and sailing around the world twice highlights why Casper is a highly regarded leadership and teamwork keynote speaker. He is a family man who loves setting, tackling and achieving big bold goals, and has the perfect blend of positive energy with a lovely smile. 

You can find out more and connect with Casper via his website: https://www.casparcraven.com/leadership

Here are the highlights: 

(01:29) Everything's a learning journey 

(05:53) Learning to be in the present 

(09:00) Proudest moments 

(12:08) Read Casper’s book Be More Human 

(14:45) Cooking under duress 

(18:51) Book recommendations 

(22:13) What does the future hold? 

Casper’s book recommendations: 

Principles by Ray Dalio 

Lifespan by Dr David Sinclair 

Casper’s podcast recommendations: 

Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett 

Impact Theory by Tom Bilyeu 

Find out more about Lucy and listen to more episodes at http://lucygourlay.com   

This week, I’m doing things a little differently, it’s just me talking. I didn’t want to do one of my usual interviews as my father recently died. So, instead, I am going to be sharing some great book recommendations that I have learnt through all the interviews I have done.

I talk about the wonderful book called ‘The Book of Rest: Stop Striving. Start Being.’ By Gabrielle Brown and James Reeves and in contrast to that book I talk about ‘Chasing Extreme by Luke Tyburski. Other books I mention are S.U.M.O. by Paul Mcgee, ‘Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?’ By Julie Smith, ‘Honey & Co.’ By Itamar Srolovich and Sarit Packer and many more.

Here are the highlights:

(02:17) ‘The Book of Rest: Stop Striving. Start Being.’

(03:56) ‘Chasing Extreme: A Journey of Overcoming Obstacles and Depression to Embrace a Life of Extreme Adventure’

(04:47) ’S.U.M.O. (Shut Up, Move On)’

(06:16) ‘Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?’

(08:26) ‘Honey & Co.’

(09:29) ‘Magpie’ by Elizabeth Day

(10:14) ‘The Promise That Changes Everything: I Won’t Interrupt You’ by Nancy Kline

(18:48) What made my heart sing this week

Find out more about Lucy and listen to more episodes at http://lucygourlay.com