THE SLOW DOWN

‘In my mind, people didn’t change the world by becoming a parent at 22’ - but that’s exactly where Catherine found herself while at drama school and working for the UN. 

Catherine Joy White is an award-winning actor, author, filmmaker, gender advisor and Honorary Fellow of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford. Her debut 2023 book This Thread of Gold  reclaims the narratives of extraordinary Black women throughout history and is currently being adapted into a feature film. She published her second book, Rebel Takes: On the Future of Food in October 2024. Her debut screenplay, the multi-award winning Fifty-Four Days, which she also directed and starred in was selected for over 50 film festivals worldwide, won the 2024 Cannes Film Festival Diversity in Cannes showcase and is now available to watch on all American Airlines flights.

As an actor she is in the upcoming Season 4 of a HUGE Netflix show (to be announced very soon!) and is currently filming Black Samphire - a film raising awareness around water pollution, starring Cathy Tyson and Stephen Fry, with several other projects on the go. 

Catherine regularly gives talks on gender and race equality ranging from UK media appearances to international organisations such as the African Union and the UN Human Rights Council. Her work has been featured in Refinery 29, Metro, BBC, Rolling Stone, Variety and the World Humanitarian Forum. She is a proud ambassador for PAPYRUS, the UK's national charity for the prevention of young suicide. Through film, literature, and activism, Catherine is reshaping the cultural landscape with grace and grit, inspiring a new generation to tell their stories unapologetically.

In this episode we cover: 

• Becoming a mum at 22
• Writing her book 
• Making a film to process her grief 
• When something just has to give 

Mentions:

• Audrey Lorde 
• Michaela Cole Emmy Speech - Don’t be afraid to see what comes in the silence 
• This Thread of Gold, Catherine Joy White 
• Fifty-Four Days, Catherine Joy White 
• Parent Trap 

Links:

 https://www.instagram.com/catherinejoywhite/ 

Season 3 of The Slow Down is created in partnership with period and cycle tracking app Clue.  

Especially for The Slow Down listeners, CLUE is offering a 75% discount on the annual Clue Plus subscription via their website. To redeem, go to helloclue.com and enter the code SLOWDOWN at checkout). So, download Clue today in the App Store or Google Play, and start making space for the signals your body’s been sending all along.

Link to sign up with discount already included: https://helloclue.com/login?discount_code=SLOWDOWN

‘I want my GP to be happy. I don’t want them overworked and unhealthy - but that seems like a weird notion in our society.' This was the thought that sent Dr Monika Sharma down a road of discovery, backlash and ultimately personal fulfilment. 

Dr. Monika Sharma is a London-based NHS General Practitioner (GP) and certified Level 3 Personal Trainer with a passion for holistic health and well-being. She shares the highs and lows of life in medicine with over 140,000 followers on Instagram. As a health advocate, Dr. Monika bridges the gap between medical advice and real-world application, making healthcare accessible, relatable, and actionable for her community. Known for her honest takes on burnout, boundaries, anxiety and beauty standards, she’s redefining what it means to be a modern doctor. 

In this episode we cover: 

• Expectation vs reality of being a doctor 
• Being on call during COVID
• What being a ‘good doctor’ means 
• Stigma, shame and periods 
• Building relationships with our mothers 
• Tips for slowing down in your day to day 
• Why success means feeling content 

Mentions:

Severance (TV series, 2022) 

Links: 

https://www.instagram.com/lifewithdoctormon/ 

Season 3 of The Slow Down is created in partnership with period and cycle tracking app Clue. 

Especially for The Slow Down listeners, CLUE is offering a 75% discount on the annual Clue Plus subscription via their website. To redeem, go to helloclue.com and enter the code SLOWDOWN at checkout). So, download Clue today in the App Store or Google Play, and start making space for the signals your body’s been sending all along.
Link to sign up with discount already included: https://helloclue.com/login?discount_code=SLOWDOWN

From Freuds, to Bumble to Headspace to CLUE: Louise Troen’s non-linear career journey from PR to mission-driven tech, equity and body autonomy is one you have to hear.

Louise Troen is the CMO of Clue - the female-founded cycle and fertility tracker, with over 100 million downloads to date. Previously, Louise was VP of Marketing at Bumble and Headspace where she led international growth, Global brand marketing and strategic communications. She is passionate about women’s rights to health equity and body autonomy, and has been vocal throughout her career on the role brand and marketing play in creating a more equitable world for all.

In this episode we cover: 

• Moving to LA to do PR for Paris Hilton, Afrojack and Gene Simmons (KISS).  
• The ‘just start’ mentality 
• The power of naivety 
• The tendency to overwork when you love the work 
• Detoxing between work sprints 
• The practicality of work-life balance 
• What if women worked with their period cycles?

Mentions:

Make the Ordinary Come Alive - William Harris 

Links: 

https://www.instagram.com/clueapp/?hl=en 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-troen-1895a235/ 

Season 3 of The Slow Down is created in partnership with period and cycle tracking app Clue. Especially for The Slow Down listeners, CLUE is offering a 75% discount on the annual Clue Plus subscription via their website. To redeem, go to helloclue.com and enter the code SLOWDOWN at checkout). So, download Clue today in the App Store or Google Play, and start making space for the signals your body’s been sending all along.
Link to sign up with discount already included: https://helloclue.com/login?discount_code=SLOWDOWN

Meet solo female founder Valentina Milanova. Creator of the Diagnostic Tampon and the CBD Tampon.

After years of hard work in an underfunded industry - Valentina shares her experience and desire to 'de-glamorize' the founder experience. 

She is the founder and CEO of Daye, a gynae health, research and development company seeking to close the gender health gap with proprietary medical and diagnostic devices aimed at common, yet under-served gynae health conditions, ranging from period and pelvic pain to cervical cancer prevention. Valentina's research has been published in The Journal of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders as well as The Journal of Human Reproduction. Valentina was featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 two years running (!), and The Daye Diagnostic Tampon was named as Invention of the Year by TIME Magazine in their 2024 list.

In this episode we cover: 

• Being brought up to be the ‘perfect little immigrant’ 

• Starting a business using credit card debt 

• The harrowing experience of launching during COVID 

• Healing trauma as a company 

• Ending Cervical Cancer by 2040 

• Seed Syncing for your cycle 

• Being a recovering workaholic 

Mentions:

East of the West - Miroslav Penkov 

Anastasia - Disney Film 

Ophelia - painting by Sir John Everett Millais  

Links:

https://www.yourdaye.com/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentina-milanova-🇺🇦-13899564/ 

https://time.com/7094682/daye-diagnostic-tampon/

Season 3 of The Slow Down is created in partnership with period and cycle tracking app Clue. 

Especially for The Slow Down listeners, CLUE is offering a 75% discount on the annual Clue Plus subscription via their website. To redeem, go to helloclue.com and enter the code SLOWDOWN at checkout). So, download Clue today in the App Store or Google Play, and start making space for the signals your body’s been sending all along.
Link to sign up with discount already included: https://helloclue.com/login?discount_code=SLOWDOWN

I have something unusual for you today. An interview with me! 

I was interviewed on Asim Amin’s podcast Immigrants Building Companies. It was an opportunity to really reflect on my immigrant experience and what it offered me: the good, bad and ugly. I also share my full career journey, my burnout experience and my turning point for a desire to re-define success for myself.

Asim Amin is a wonderful listener and incisive interviewer. No pre-shared questions, just a natural flow. If you like this episode check out his podcast, Immigrants Building Companies, and if you’re listening on Spotify - leave a comment. Enjoy. 

Sam Lee is a Mercury Prize-nominated folk singer, conservationist, and founder of The Nest Collective, an organization dedicated to revitalizing folk music and connecting people to nature through cultural experiences. Renowned for his rich baritone voice and commitment to preserving traditional songs, Sam's work bridges the gap between ancient folk traditions and contemporary audiences, fostering a deeper appreciation for cultural heritage and environmental stewardship.

In this episode we cover: 

• Entry into the world of folklore 

• The importance of mentorship 

• Finding ways to tell stories that move people to action

• Singing with Nightingales 

  
  

Mentions:

Stanley Robertson 

Fire in the Mountain Festival 

Nest Collective

Singing with Nightingales 

Canadian Film Board 80s anthropology documentary 

Links: 

https://www.instagram.com/samleesong/

http://samleesong.co.uk/ 
https://www.instagram.com/singingwithnightingales/

Tamu Thomas  is the author of Why Women Work So Much and a passionate advocate for joyful living, boundaries, and sustainable success. She challenges the burnout culture and toxic productivity that so many women find themselves trapped in and explores how we can redefine ambition, rest, and self-worth beyond productivity. As a qualified social worker, somatic coach and public speaker, Tamu challenges the pervasive culture of burnout and advocates for a more balanced approach to ambition and self-care.

In this episode we cover: 

• The immigrant experience 

• Anxiety attacks & how we get there 

• How to approach your relationship with work differently 

• Effort precipitates ease - create systems for success 

• How to Slow Down but also pay the bills 

• Why productivity hacks for men don’t work for women 

• The myth of the martyr mother 

• How to self-regulate 

• How to part with compassion 

  
  

Mentions:

Why Women Work So Much - Tamu Thomas 

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Life is What you make it  -  Frighty & Colonel Mite 

Links: 

https://www.instagram.com/tamu.thomas
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamuthomas/

Cover photo image credit: Vicki Knights photography

​Douglas McMaster is a pioneering British chef renowned for championing sustainable dining. His culinary journey includes tenures at esteemed establishments such as St. John, The Fat Duck, and Noma. In 2014 he opened the world's first zero-waste restaurant, Silo, initially established in Brighton and later relocated to London's Hackney Wick. Silo operates on a pre-industrial food system, utilizing techniques like fermentation, pickling, and preserving to ensure every ingredient is fully utilized. Beyond the kitchen, he shares his philosophy through public speaking engagements, including a TED Talk titled 'Waste Is a Failure of the Imagination,' and contributes as a faculty member at the MAD Academy, inspiring future culinary leaders to rethink food systems and sustainability.

In this episode we cover: 

• A digression on our TEDx talks 

• Being raised in a house without electricity 

• What it means to feel psychologically ‘full’

• How not feeling good enough can fuel you 

• From pot-washer to chef at St John, The Fat Duck and Noma 

• Why neurodivergence is so common in kitchens 

• The risks that come with diverging from the norm 

• World tour of restaurants that think differently 

• What happens when someone sees potential in you and stokes it 

• Why does waste exist and how to get rid of it? 

• The best shortbread of his life 

• What Douglas has been building with Silo 

• Leading with creativity and innovation 

•  Why there is no such thing as cheap food 

• The power of storytelling for business 

• Building a new system within a broken system 

  
  

Mentions:

Restaurants: St John’s, The Fat Duck, Noma

Joost Bakker - Australian zero-waste activist, artist and designer 

The One Straw Revolution - Masanobu Fukuoka

Links: 

https://www.instagram.com/mcmasterchef/
https://www.silolondon.com/

Molly Johnson-Jones is the co-founder and CEO of Flexa, a platform that showcases companies offering flexible working environments. Her personal experience of being dismissed from a finance role after requesting flexible work (working from home one day a week) accommodations for her autoimmune condition led her to establish Flexa in 2019. The platform now serves millions of users globally and collaborates with major corporations like Mars UK and Microsoft UK to promote transparency in workplace flexibility.

In this episode we cover: 

• Graduating from Oxford - but at what cost? 

• How her autoimmune condition got her fired 

• How overachieving can internalize sexism 

• Being in a relationship and running a business together 

• Work-life blend 

• Having a non-visible disability 

• Making FLEXA the first port of call for job searching 

• Why freedom is success 

• Taking life in phases & normalising career breaks 

  
  

Links: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-johnson-jones/

https://flexa.careers/

Hector Hughes is the co-founder of Unplugged, a company offering off-grid cabin retreats designed to help people disconnect from digital life and reconnect with nature.

After experiencing burnout in the tech industry, Hector went on a silent repreat in the Himalayas and recognised the need for digital detox solutions. Since its inception in 2020, Unplugged has grown rapidly whilst promoting intentional rest in a hyper-connected world.

In this episode we cover: 

• Being the dyslexic twin

• The part alcohol plays in our culture 

• Learnings from a silent retreat in the Himalayas

• The reality of building a business 

• What locking your phone in a box for 3 days can do for you 

• Practicing what you preach 

• Approaching problems with compassion 

  
  

Mentions:

Stop Drinking Now - Allen Carr 

The Myth of Normal - Gabor Maté 

Awareness - Anthony De Mello 

Links: 

https://www.instagram.com/unplugged.rest/?hl=en 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hector-hughes-10082195/