Shame-less Stories

In this engaging episode, Sarah Lloyd sits down with holistic style coach Christina Avram to explore the transformative power of clothing and self-expression. Christina shares her journey from personal styling to coaching, driven by a passion for empowering women through fashion. The conversation delves into how clothing choices can significantly impact confidence, visibility, and self-worth, especially for women navigating midlife and beyond. 

Christina opens up about her childhood experiences with shame and how they shaped her approach to style and self-expression. She emphasises the importance of dressing intentionally and comfortably, aligning one’s wardrobe with their authentic self. Listeners will find practical advice on gradually incorporating colour and boldness into their wardrobe, as well as insights into the concept of wardrobe evolution and a holistic approach to style. 

The episode also tackles overcoming shame and gatekeeping among women, building trust, and celebrating individuality. Christina discusses the role of social media and the role of social media and the importance of staying true to oneself amidst comparison. She encourages embracing discomfort as a catalyst for growth and success, offering actionable steps for women over 40 to step into their confidence and show up powerfully. 

Throughout the episode, Christina provides a wealth of knowledge on using style as a form of empowerment and self-expression, making it a must-listen for anyone looking to enhance their personal style and confidence. 

Instagram - queen.c111

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/christina-avraam-b523a9a9

TikTok - @bestylishbeseen

YouTube - Christina Avraam @BeStylishBeSeen

In this episode of Shameless Stories, host Sarah engages with Sally Berg, the queen of pleasure, leading the menopause pleasure revolution. They explore the importance of pleasure as a birthright for women, especially those navigating perimenopause and menopause. Sally discusses the impact of stress and societal expectations on women's health, reframing menopause as a powerful rite of passage rather than a condition to be fixed. The conversation delves into the significance of mature women embracing their pleasure, breaking the cycle of shame, and the importance of feeling and grieving. They also touch on the power of the female body, pleasure activism, and the need for self-care in a world filled with challenges. The episode concludes with a call to action for women to reclaim their power and create a new narrative around menopause and pleasure.

Bio

Sally Berg is a female leadership and menopause coach supporting midlife women to rise into their best chapter yet. In her 60th year, she is all about busting myths about the ageing process for mature women and how to become empowered in our youth obsessed culture. Her new movement Mature Eros is here to share how the power of pleasure in the body helps navigate menopause with ease to have a vibrant sensual life!

WEBSITE: www.mature-eros.co.uk

INSTA: @mature.eros

In this episode of Shameless Stories, host Sarah engages in a deep conversation with Katie Oman, an author and women's empowerment coach. They explore the complexities of shame, the journey of multi-passionate entrepreneurship, and the importance of sharing personal stories. Katie shares her experiences with trauma, healing, and the significance of owning one's narrative. The discussion emphasises the power of vulnerability and the necessity of compassion towards oneself in the healing process.

Bio

Katie Oman is a women's empowerment coach, author, mentor, speaker and creative fire-starter dedicated to helping women reconnect with their inner strength, confidence and authentic voice. With a heart centred approach and dynamic energy, Katie guides women to rediscover their power, embrace their stories and step boldly into their purpose.

Katie has authored nine books that explore self-love, empowerment, spiritual insight and personal transformation, including Happiness: Make Your Soul Smile (published by O Books) and has supported dozens of women to write and publish their own work through her Write Your Magic coaching program.

Known for blending spirituality with practical motivation, Katie's work spans coaching, readings, writing, events and mentoring - all rooted in helping women access their creativity, intuition, and self-worth. Whether through one-to-one guidance or the stage, her mission remains clear: to ignite the fire within every woman she meets and help her remember who she truly is.

Her clients and community describe her as a powerful catalyst for change - the kind of guide who meets you with authenticity, warmth, and a fierce belief in your potential.

In this episode of Shameless Stories, guest Dot Winter explores the multifaceted journey of spiritual healing, touching on personal experiences with shame, purpose, and the dynamics of distant healing. Dot shares her transformative path from struggling with mental health to discovering the power of Reiki and how it has shaped her life and work. The conversation delves into the importance of integrity in healing practices, the challenges of being a spiritual healer and a parent, and the significance of authenticity and curiosity in navigating life’s complexities.

Dorothy “Dot” Winter is a trauma informed embodied energy healer, Reiki master, and spiritual facilitator based in the East Sussex countryside. With over a decade of dedicated experience working with energy. Dot creates supportive and transformative healing spaces that help people deepen their connection with themselves, release old patterns and nurture holistic wellbeing.

Rooted in compassion and grounded in both traditional and contemporary healing practices. Dot’s work blends Reiki, embodied energy techniques, shamanic energy methods, breathwork, and light language to support emotional, physical and nervous system regulation. She is passionate about making healing accessible, respectful and trauma informed, believing that true transformation arises through safety, trust and authenticity. 

Dot offers bespoke one-to-one sessions, distant healing, Gua Sha & cupping holistic facials, and women’s circles and rites of passage that weave ritual, intention and community into the healing process. Her monthly circles explore mythic and elemental themes, offering participants meaningful connection, ritual and energetic nourishment. 

Whether through guided healing, group work, or training. Dot’s mission is to support others in expanding their hearts, reclaiming their power, and living with greater presence and self-awareness. 

https://www.dorothywinter.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_dorothywinter_healer/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dorothywinterspiritualhealer/?locale=en_GB

In this episode of Shameless Stories, our host Sarah Lloyd sits down with Holly McLoughlin, career coach, author, and co-founder of the Courageous Hearts Collective, to explore how shame shapes the way we work, live and define success.

Together, they deep dive into the threads of shame that run through career paths, family expectations, and the labels we are given (or give ourselves). Holly shares her own journey from engineering to coaching, how she found the golden thread that sreclaiming our power.

This conversation flows through:

- Why labels like "career coach" or "engineer" carry both power and shame

- Holly's personal story of leaving a "secure career and the shame that came with it"

- How shame shows up in education, workplaces and family expectations

- Permission to feel "difficult" emotions such as anger, grief, and even joy

- Emotional literacy as the key to healthier workplaces and more meaningful lives

- The collaborative process behind her book Permission Slips, Reclaiming Your Emotions

- Why following joy, not labels, may be the truest career compass

Holly offers exercises and reflections you can try right away, from identifying the "golden thread" that runs through your favourite projects, to naming emotions that often go unnoticed. She also shares how simply feeling our feelings can unlock transformation far quicker than we are led to believe.

If you've ever felt boxed in by job titles, ashamed of leaving security behind, or silenced in your emotions, this episode is a powerful reminder that your story, and your feelings are valid.

Connect with Holly & the Courageous Hearts Collective

[courageous-hearts.com](https://courageous-hearts.com)

Permission Slips: Reclaiming Your Emotions - available now at Amazon, WHSmith, and all major retailers.

If this episode resonated, please share t, leave a review, and tag us with your reflections. Every story shared helps dissolve shame and creates space for more authentic conversations.

In this episode of Shameless Stories, host Sarah Lloyd speaks with Eli Natoli and shares her transformative journey from aspiring doctor to marketing strategist. Eli discusses her experiences with an abusive relationship, the complexities of finding purpose, and how her past has shaped her empathetic approach to business. The conversation emphasises the importance of self-identity, overcoming shame, and recognising that our life experiences contribute to our unique gifts and abilities. Eli encourages listeners to embrace their stories and understand that their paths may lead to fulfilling their purpose in unexpected ways.

Bio

Eli Natoli is an internationally recognised bestselling author, marketing strategist and sought-after speaker dedicated to helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs build businesses that are both profitable and true to their values. Instead of focusing on tactics that pressure or manipulate, she teaches entrepreneurs to build trust, deepen connection, and communicate with integrity so that their expertise resonates and converts naturally. Her work spans keynote talks, workshops, consulting and transformational coaching, empowering individuals to show up with clarity, confidence and lasting impact. 

Today, Eli continues to inspire and equip entrepreneurs worldwide to create meaningful work, build thriving communities, and drive sustainable business growth through authentic, service-oriented strategies.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eli.natoli/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elinatoli/

Katrina Loukas is a social entrepreneur, author, and holistic wellbeing creative, and the founder of Lifehackers—an out-of-the-box people development company redefining how individuals and organizations grow.

With a rare blend of science and soul, Katrina brings together her background as an advanced behaviour clinician and process-oriented psychotherapist with her expertise as a mathematician and statistical modeller. This unique combination shapes Lifehackers’ deeply democratic, human-centered approach, while ensuring its interventions and evaluations are as rigorous as they are transformative.

Katrina knows data—and she knows heart—making her work both trustworthy and extraordinary.

You can find Katrina on LinkedIn by searching Katrina Loukas.

Meet Marie Claire Ashcroft - photographer, authenticity strategist, and the force behind The Professional Rebel. With her trademark smile and infectious energy, you'd never guess her background in depression and low self-esteem. But it's exactly this journey that makes her approach so powerful - she's lived the transformation she guides others through.

Using a potent combination of photography, coaching, and strategy, Marie-Claire guides creative entrepreneurs, change-makers, and unconventional thinkers in embracing their fullest, most genuine selves, find their own paths and define success on their terms. Her mission? To help you throw every carefully crafted mask and suffocating 'should' into the Fuck-It Bucket.

Featured in Virgin Entrepreneur, Standard Issue Magazine, and the Counsellors Directory as a happiness expert, she's guided hundreds of people across the globe to step into their authentic power.

Marie-Claire's unique approach combines deep empathy with refreshing irreverence, helping her clients develop unshakeable confidence and authority in their own right. Whether through her lens or her coaching, she creates a space where people can finally dare to be the "YOU-est" version of themselves - in both life and business.

https://www.professionalrebel.co.uk/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/professionalrebel/?originalSubdomain=uk

In this episode, Sarah chats with Rev. Edie Weinstein, LSW (aka Bliss Mistress), an 'opti-mystic' who inspires others to see their own beauty and discover their own answers. Edie is a writer, speaker, interfaith minister, reiki master, clown, and social worker with work featured in The Huffington Post, Elephant Journal, Beliefnet, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Edie shows the healing power of laughter and joy. Join us as she shares her journey of creativity, spirituality, and embracing possibility.

We talk about:

- Finding humour and joy in life's challenges

- How creativity and spirituality intersect

- Discovering your own potential

Note: This episode was recorded in Summer 2025, so some offers may no longer be available.

In this episode, Sarah chats with Tara Punter, business and mindset coach, #1 best-selling author and creator of The Thriving Business Woman about entrepreneurship, mindset, and personal transformation.

Tara began her journey writing a blog for a new business and quickly found herself juggling roles in journalism, social media, and client growth. In 2017, a business owner asked her to teach them her social media secrets and she discovered her true passion: coaching.

After facing financial struggles and hitting rock bottom, Tara invested in herself, attended a life-changing coaching retreat in Beverly Hills, and trained in NLP, Hypnotherapy, and Time Line Therapy. Today, she helps thousands of clients thrive, sells out her retreats, wrote a best-selling book, and built the life of her dreams.

Join us as Tara shares how mindset transformed her business and her life - and how it can do the same for you.

We talk about:

- Turning entrepreneurial struggles into growth

- The power of mindset in business and in life

- Investing in yourself to create success

Note: This episode was recorded in Summer 2025, so some offers may no longer be available.