Amy Bloom and the little tin can

This is a favourite poem of mine at the moment, especially the last line. The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski Your life is your life Don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission. Be on the watch. There are ways out. There is a light somewhere. It may not be much light but It beats

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. 

How to Own the Room podcast is back!  Our latest series will feature masterclasses on key topics like confidence, imposter syndrome and nerves as explored through our archive of over 150 guests. I know sometimes the advice in the podcast can feel A LOT. So I wanted to create some “story so far” episodes that allow

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

If you have been doing a bit of an eye roll at International Women’s Day this week, can I recommend an antidote? Angela Saini’s new book The Patriarchs, a brilliant journalistic historical investigation of how power structures ended up the way they are, how we are all caught up in them whether we intend to

Cheers! And yippee! This week, ahead of International Women’s Day, I’m celebrating the fact that HELLO! magazine has included How to Own the Room in their Top 23 Reads for 2023 alongside Brene Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, Michelle Obama and Fearne Cotton. Wow.  You can order How to Own the Room from Amazon, Bookshop (benefits indie booksellers) or Waterstones . 

It’s the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This week’s best read? Ukrainian food writer and friend Olia Hercules (pictured), of course, on how her family has (barely) survived the last year.  I take some heart from the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg’s recent assessment from Moscow. That there are two minorities in Russia: those that are

I’m preparing what I’ll be talking about for International Women’s Day during the first week of March. And I’ve been thinking a lot about this quote from Gabby Bernstein: “When the voice of doubt and limitation is holding you back. I challenge you to just go. Take that first action. Make that decision. Make that