How To Own The Room

Are you making the "porridge" mistake? Aline Santos, Unilever's EVP of Global Marketing and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, talks to Viv Groskop about how not to get burnt by business culture. She talks wearing aftershave, never being angry - and how Sigourney Weaver's film Alien transformed her life.  

Do you have an inner hype woman? Entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid talks to Viv Groskop about preserving your energy, knowing your brief inside out, and transforming your inner critic into a hype cheerleader. Oh, and how Jamaican music made her believe she could achieve anything...

Are you one of the guys? The policy analyst, economist and robotics expert Pippa Malmgren talks to Viv Groskop about body language, advising presidents, the end of expertise and why she stopped trying to look like a man and started wearing killer Louboutin heels on stage.

Are you a victim? Author Patricia Cornwall talks to Viv Groskop about unlearning the lessons of a childhood that taught her she was a victim. She talks about giving people what they want - but not giving away your power. She talks Kay Scarpetta, Captain Calli Chase, bad reviews and forgetting the name of her own novel on live TV. She talks surfing the asteroid belt in a swimsuit. Please, listen.

Are you getting enough potatoes? Sandi Toksvig, writer, broadcaster, actor and activist talks to Viv Groskop about owning rooms from the Royal Albert Hall to the QI studio and the Bake Off tent. She talks confidence, social media, being "interruptable" and getting death threats for being lesbian. And reveals the source of her power: a childhood fighting for her share at noisy family dinners.

Are you keeping it fresh? Writer Margaret Atwood talks to Viv Groskop about tap dancing, cannibalism, puppetry, feminism, the joy of the unexpected and the value of a well chosen quip to defeat your enemies. And Tina Turner.

Are you owning your individuality? Hillary and Chelsea Clinton talk to Viv Groskop about our narrow notions of what female speech and power should be - and how they must be expanded. They discuss The Book of Gutsy Women (co-authored by the Clintons), plus pant suits, press bullying, Greta Thunberg and Hillary's very first public speaking "trial by fire".

Have you done your homework? Actress, singer and writer Julie Andrews tells Viv Groskop that you never know when something quite wonderful might happen - so be prepared. She talks being inspired by the excellence of others, being flattened by a helicopter - and how discipline is the foundation that leaves her free to fly.

Would you be paid more if you were a man? BBC journalist and former China Editor Carrie Gracie talks to Viv Groskop about how women should arm themselves against the gender pay gap, about rehearsing the tears out of your voice and about drawing strength from the voices of other women.

Can you own a room you aren't even in? Monica Galetti can. The chef and Masterchef judge talks to Viv Groskop about making your  personality felt even when you aren't there. She recalls being sick with nerves when first filming Masterchef, how the fear of failure drives her - and how vital it is to say no when your gut tells you an opportunity isn't right for you.

Can I touch your hair? Tech entrepreneur and inclusion campaigner Abadesi Osunsade talks to Viv Groskop about diversity, confidence tricks, the power of your personal story - and why you must never believe that the problem is you. 

Ever seriously considered pretending you'd died? TV chef and writer Nadiya Hussain tells Viv Groskop how she begged her husband to tell Bake Off producers she was dead. She talks learning to accept her anxiety, how a teacher squashed her ambition, and the moment her child said his mum "lives her dreams". Oh, and the vital importance of coconut oil moisturiser.

Do you know your "Why"? Choir conductor Karen Gibson talks to Viv Groskop about intention, spirituality and making a mark in people's hearts. Oh, and owning the room when performing at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle... 

Are you ready to walk through the door of opportunity? Writer Jessica Fellowes talks to Viv Groskop about seizing the moment, putting on a show, owning the room when you are deaf - and the wonderful world of Downton Abbey.    

Are you putting limits on yourself? Actress, director and writer Olwen Fouéré inspires Viv Groskop with her refusal to accept limitations. They talk mastering non-verbal communication, the power of the in-between and the way fear can be poetry. Oh, and the vocal benefits of (whisper it) cigarettes...  

Have you got your rubber head on straight? Writer Ann Patchett talks to Viv Groskop about dressing up as your better, braver, more confident self when you go on stage. And even channelling someone else entirely. And the strange comfort of knowing that, actually, noone cares. This special bonus episode is part of #PODSTRIKE, a coalition of podcasts supporting the Global Climate Strikes by helping s...

Are you trying to sell something you wouldn't buy? Marcia Kilgore (Beauty Pie, Fitflop and more) talks to Viv Groskop about being driven by loss, the fearlessness that comes from knowing what makes you happy, and being so devoted to what you do that criticism is irrelevant. Oh, and how Beauty Pie was born from a desire to bring Christmas to us all...

Writer Ann Patchett and How to Own the Room endorse #PODSTRIKE, a coalition of podcasts supporting Greta Thunberg and the young people behind the Global Climate Strikes starting this Friday 20th Sept, by helping spread the word. Ann will feature on a special edition very soon. Have your favourite shows signed up yet? https://globalclimatestrike.net/ https://www.podstrike.net/

Are you over-thinking it? Musician Cerys Matthews talks to Viv Groskop about the dangers of thinking too much, the myth of the tortured artist, the responsibility to conjure magic on stage and the importance of wearing a REALLY BIG COAT. Oh, and she does a cracking impression of Tom Jones...

Are your clothes holding you back? Viv Groskop talks to Kenya Hunt, deputy editor at Elle UK, about Karl Lagerfeld; the performance secrets of being a professional dancer and how to own the room on different sides of the Atlantic. Oh, and why you should visit a tailor. Now.

Do men think you're soft? Viv Groskop talks to entrepreneur, CEO and author Margaret Heffernan about how confidence comes from confronting yourself (and others) with concrete achievements, why she won't do International Women's Day and why change always involves sacrifice.

Are you relentlessly authentic? Viv Groskop talks to Sarah Hurwitz, speechwriter to Michelle Obama (and her husband) about why it's a waste of time to memorise speeches, why improvising is bad, why women can't be angry and why, if you wouldn't say something to one person, you really shouldn't say it to lots of people.

Are you trying to own all the rooms all the time? Viv Groskop talks to writer, poet and performer Chimene Suleyman about picking your battles, embracing your nerves and finding your cheerleaders.

Are they laughing with you or at you? Viv Groskop talks to performer Petra Massey about embracing failure, the importance of rehearsal and the richness of play.

Are you being fair to yourself? Viv Groskop talks to the novelist Elif Shafak about how we learn self doubt, how anger is sexy but dangerous, why she is wary of certainty - and why you really shouldn't cut your own hair.