Good Girl Deprogramming

Michelle is joined by the brilliant Barbara Nixon - success and leadership coach for senior execs and founder-led businesses - for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about growing up, breaking free from the corporate world, and reclaiming the confidence we had as kids before life slowly eroded it. Barbara shares how she went from mischievous youngest child (who once just changed schools without r...

It’s been a while… and we’re back. In the first episode of 2026, Michelle is joined by educator, tutor, author and business owner Caroline Bowmer – her co-author on Good Girl Deprogramming – Girl’s Edition and the accompanying Caregiver Guide . This honest, funny, and deeply grounded conversation explores what it really means to grow up as a “good girl,” why perfectionism starts so young, and how...

Episode 30 - What Is a Bad Person? Unravelling Good Girl Conditioning with Alex Barker Alex is a Captain of Be More Pirate, a book turned social movement and home for professional rule breaking (look out for season 3 of our podcast coming soon...) Alex is author of How to: Be More Pirate, a speaker, facilitator, and a coach for women. For the past four years she has delved into the world of good g...

Episode 29 - Leadership Lessons with Steph Edusei Steph is back on the podcast - this time to talk about her BRAND NEW BOOK!! The Little Book of Leadership Lessons.   Steph Edusei is the Chief Executive of St Oswald’s Hospice, a large children and adults charitable hospice. She’s also a Director of the North East Chamber of Commerce. As an integral part of her local community, Steph has been a lea...

Episode 28 - Resist. Speak Up. Do Good with Marion Anderson Marion Anderson is a Scottish expat living in North West Arkansas, the Co-founder and CEO of The Fearless PX, and co-host of The Elephant in the Org podcast—where workplace taboos get the airtime they deserve. Currently pursuing a PhD, her research dives into psychological safety and how companies are (or aren’t) getting it right when it...

Episode 27 - Authenticity, Approval, and Power with Alawna Ozoka Alawna Ozoka is a Certified Professional Leadership Coach, Speaker, and Amazon International Bestselling Author of “ Awareness Put Me On ”. Her entrepreneurial journey began when she co-founded In Common, a platform to increase the economic wellness of the Black community. She later founded an operations management consultancy that s...

Episode 26 - Smashing the Patriarchy, One Post at a Time with Jeremy Stockdale Jeremy is the CEO and founder of Ylead, a leadership consultancy launched in 2020 to champion a more data-driven and human-led approach to developing leaders with purpose. Drawing on over two decades of experience in the banking industry, Jeremy brings a wealth of expertise from leading large, diverse, and multi-functio...

Episode 25 - Permission to Be Too Much with Angie Colee Angie is a business coach and marketing strategist working with creative entrepreneurs - the rule breakers and rebels. She helps you turn ideas into assets and assets into revenue streams... all without becoming a completely different person or losing your edge. Angie has a Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon and has consulted with and run c...

Episode 24 - The Power of Your Voice with Jo Darby Jo Darby is the Founder of Voice in the Room, delivering public speaking and communication training that transforms teams and individuals into confident speakers and influential leaders.   An expert in effective communication and public speaking working with   Prior to establishing Voice in the Room she spent ten years practicing as a family and e...

Episode 23 - Feminist Business & Redefining Success with Clara Wilcox Clara Wilcox is a straight-talking, practical and experienced (doubly qualified) coach helping clients navigate the tricky waters of returning to work, career changes and professional development. The Balance Collective is a social enterprise focused on improving the lives of parents, by working together to build inner confi...

Episode 22 - Ditching Good Girl Conditioning for Good with Victoria Theriault Victoria is the founder and owner of DISCover What Works. She’s a Certified Team Facilitator, DISC and EQ Analyst and a Keynote Speaker. Victoria helps raise individual and team performance as well as notably improve client service. She’s a co-author of the book Pursuit 365, and the creator and host of the DISCovering Yo...

Episode 21 - Being a Little Bit Naughty with Steph Edusei Steph Edusei is the Chief Executive of St Oswald’s Hospice, a large children and adults charitable hospice. She’s also a Director of the North East Chamber of Commerce. As an integral part of her local community, Steph has been a leader with Girlguiding UK for over 30 years and holds the position of Chair at Eliot Smith Dance Company. Previ...

Episode 20 - Really Useful Conversations with Michelle Minnikin and Andrea Newton In this week’s episode, Andrea Newton welcomes back Michelle Minnikin, to the Really Useful Conversations Podcast. They explore the roots of societal conditioning, how it impacts women in the workplace and beyond, and how Michelle’s work is helping women unleash their inner rebels. Michelle also gives a sneak peek in...

Episode 19 - Guilt, Boundaries, and Asking for What You Need with Michaela Thomas Michaela Thomas is a Clinical Psychologist, coach, speaker, founder of the psychology practice The Thomas Connection and author of The Lasting Connection – develop love and compassion for yourself and your partner. Michaela specialises in the intersection between perfectionism and ADHD, with its ties with stress, anx...

Episode 18 - Harnessing Rage for Good with Hira Ali Hira Ali is a leadership development and allyship specialist, executive career coach, and acclaimed writer and speaker. Her award-winning career is dedicated to helping others realise their potential. Her work has been featured in outlets such as The Harvard Business Review , Forbes , The Telegraph , B.B.C. , HuffPost , and Entrepreneur . She is...

Episode 17 - Noticing the Water We Swim In with Katy Lumsden Katy is a seasoned practitioner in organisational behaviour, organisational development, and human resources, with extensive leadership experience across the public sector in Ireland, as well as in church and trade union environments. Her work is driven by a passion for learning and empowerment through self-inquiry, underpinned by a valu...

Episode 16 - Redefining Ambition & Rethinking Christmas with Tiffany Scott & Alex Morgan In this festive episode of the Good Girl Deprogramming Podcast, Michelle sits down with the dynamic duo Tiffany Scott and Alex Morgan, co-hosts of the Mambition podcast. This episode is a refreshing, honest, and often hilarious conversation about the realities of ambition, motherhood, and the invisible...

Episode 15 - The Hidden Costs of Workplace Politeness with Harriet Waley-Cohen With a background in psychology, a decade of experience in investments, and a further decade coaching senior women on confidence and leadership, Harriet Waley-Cohen is a speaker, facilitator, trainer, and coach specialising in supporting companies within traditionally male-dominated industries, including financial servi...

Episode 14 - Deprogramming from Trust with Michelle Minnikin In this episode of the Good Girl Deprogramming podcast, Michelle Minnikin takes us on a deep dive into Chapter 3 of her book, Good Girl Deprogramming, titled “Establishing Trust: We’ve Got Your Best Interests at Heart.” With a powerful quote from Stephen King — “The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool” — Michelle sets th...

Episode 13 - The Burden of Being ‘Good’ with Rose Covenant Rose Covenant is a globally recognised somatic healer and trauma expert, dedicated to helping conscious people who've already "done the inner work" go deeper to heal past trauma and dissolve destructive patterns. She supports clients to break free from societal conditioning and step into their fullest, unapologetic expression. With a backg...

Episode 12 - From Rebel Woman to Raising Rebels with Jo Phillips In this episode, host Michelle Minnikin welcomes Jo Phillips to the Good Girl Deprogramming podcast. Together, they delve into the journey from societal expectations to authentic self-expression, highlighting the challenges women face in corporate environments and how they can reclaim their power. Jo shares her experiences of breakin...

Episode 11 - Writing, Good Girl Conditioning, and Too Muchness with Nicola Humber In this special episode to celebrate the first anniversary of Good Girl Deprogramming , Michelle sits down with her publisher, Nicola Humber. Whether you’re dreaming of writing a book or simply want to live more authentically, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration to help you break free from societal e...

Episode 10 - What Would Donna and Cheryl Do? with Dr Donna Elliot & Cheryl Reid Dr. Donna Elliott and Cheryl Reid are the Co-Founders of Now Is Your Time, creators of the Mind Coding® framework, and authors of the #1 bestseller Become The Real You. As TEDx Women speakers and former senior leaders with over 20 years of experience in corporate leadership, they bring a wealth of expertise in empo...

Episode 9 - Breaking Chains and Building Power with Amy Pons  In this episode of Good Girl Deprogramming, Michelle Minnikin is joined by Amy, an advocate for workplace psychological safety and national team member of the End Workplace Abuse Movement. Together, they delve into the deep-seated systems of power—patriarchy, capitalism, colonialism—that perpetuate psychological abuse, especially toward...

Episode 8: Understanding Coercive Control Episode Summary: In this solo episode, Michelle Minnikin delves into one of the foundational topics of her work - coercive control. She explains how coercive control, often seen in abusive relationships and high-control environments, plays a critical role in how society conditions women to behave. Drawing from sociologist Albert Biderman’s Chart of Coercio...