Stressed But Well Dressed

In this episode Dahlia is joined by Adrienne Cole, Founder and Procurement Consultant. Adrienne shares the story of starting out a new professional identity at the same time as facing an incredibly challenging personal situation. At the same time as becoming a founder in the Procurement industry (working within the Beauty sector) Adrienne encountered a severe issue with her skin. She talks about h...

Dahlia is joined by Nicola Kemp to discuss the concept of 'self editing'. Nicola explains how people (and women in particular) feel a pressure to edit themselves to conform to societal expectations and stereotypes. The discussion looks at the different types of self-editing and how individuals can turn down their 'negative internal chatter' and get more comfortable being themselves...

Julia Hotz is author of 'The Connection Cure' and joins Dahlia for a conversation to look at the link between stress, identity and mindset. Julia has challenged the traditional question 'What's the matter with you?' and turned it on its head to ask 'What matters to you?' to identify how social prescribing can contribute to a less stressed more well dressed mindset. Dahl...

'If you have a dream and you have a passion and you believe - it happens.' Dahlia is joined by Alicia Kite, retailer, product creator and image consultant. Alicia brought luxury fashion north, launching five boutiques across the Midlands and South Yorkshire over 40 years ago. Alicia now works as a Personal Brand consultant and has created her own shapewear range 'Alicia Kite Shapewear&...

How would someone sum you up in one sentence? What words would they use to describe your attitude, who you are and how they know you? When Lynsey Donoghue was introduced to Dahlia the sentence that was used to describe her was 'She's up for life.' Dahlia explained that she immediately knew she needed to meet Lynsey and her her story, hearing those four words and envisioning positive me...

Dahlia is joined by Simon Bourne, also known as 'The Shoe Guy' to talk shoes, style and steely resilience. Simon shares the journey which lead him to create Jim Charles Shoes and the hurdles he has overcome on the way. The conversation includes Simon's reflection on his personal style and the influence that his mental health has had on the way he has shown up to the world and the cloth...

In the first episode of Season 3, Dahlia is joined by Amy Rollings to discuss the topic of redundancy, likening the situation to being 'All dressed up with nowhere to go'. This episode is one of the bravest and the most raw on the podcast so far - but perhaps also the most positive. Dahlia and Amy get really honest about redundancy, discussing how it feels, what to do next and how to get i...

Why are two heads better than one? Dahlia is joined by Chloe Fletcher and Laura Walker to understand what it truly means to be part of a job share. They give an honest account of how you find your job share 'kindred spirit' creating a corporate unicorn. The conversation helps to paint the picture of what it means to job share as both the employee and the employer and Chloe and Laura explai...

Dahlia is joined by ITV Weather Presenter Jo Blythe to talk about the British public's favourite topic of conversation - the weather! Come rain or come shine, Jo has worked at ITV as resident weather presenter for 20 years. Dahlia and Jo discuss what to wear on TV and how Jo's style has evolved during her time in her role. Joanna shares some of her favourite outfit memories and shares her...

Dahlia is joined by Alistair Vince, Co-Founder and Chief Botherer at Watch Me Think. Alistair and Dahlia's conversation centres around Mark Fisher's quote 'Nobody is bored, everything is boring.' They discuss why we are so obsessed with our bright and shiny smart phones and the idea that the overload of content is overstimulating but lacks true inspiration. Alistair explains that t...

What is the need for fashion to be inclusive? Every morning we wake up and get dressed, sometimes planning our outfit details meticulously and sometimes on autopilot. It is something we do everyday and whilst we might have considered our outfit, often the physical act of dressing requires little thought. Dahlia is joined by Dr Jo Gooding to discuss the growing recognition that fashion is not alway...

Dahlia is joined by Tracy Fletcher, Leeds Co-Chair of charity Smart Works Leeds. Smart Works supports women from a wide range of backgrounds into employment, providing high quality clothing and coaching to get them interview ready. Dahlia and Tracy discuss how Smart Works creates an environment where women can get into a ‘well-dressed’ mindset and gain the confidence to set themselves up for succe...

Why is writing a book similar to starting a business? Dahlia is joined by John Byrne, founder and entrepreneur turned author. John released his first book 'The Rich List' under the pen name Ben Saxon in 2023. Dahlia and John discuss why writing a book is similar to starting a business and talk about what it takes to get pen down on paper and create a story. John explains how he created the charact...

Coffee drinking is one of the most fashionable trends of the last few years.   How stressed would you feel if you knew the risks in the coffee supply chain and the volatile future of coffee?   Pour yourself a 'Cup of Ambition' and tune into this episode of the podcast with Holly Kragiopoulos founder and owner of North Star Coffee Roasters    Dahlia met Holly in May 2023 and heard the story...

It's hard to believe that only 12 years ago we were all learning how to buy things online - today we search, add to basket and pay without even thinking. Dahlia and Gillian discuss the journey of 'online shopping' and how Gillian has developed her career right from Assistant Merchandiser at the Sweater Shop all the way to E-commerce Director roles at both George and Currys. Dahlia worked with Gill...

In Episode 2 of Season 2, Dahlia is joined by Rhona Berengut to discuss ‘Why do we all think we are stressed? This episode steps away from the usual conversation about style and identity and looks at the concept of stress. Dahlia talks about being a student in Rhona's Organisational Behaviour Class and learning about the fact stress doesn't exist as a 'tangible' thing on it's o...

Dahlia kicks off Season Two of the podcast with Fashion Business Consultant, Lecturer and Business Mentor Sasha Ramdoo.   Did you know that the first Saturday of January is known as ‘Sunshine Saturday’. December is statistically the most stressful month of the year and as we move into January people are starting to think about how much they need a holiday and are looking for their next break. On ‘...

Dahlia wraps up season 1 with a conversation with Paul Abbott, author of 'Events Are Easy' and coach. With Christmas around the corner and the party season in full swing, Dahlia and Paul discuss how to get comfortable at events and (as is always the case with the podcast!) what on earth to wear to different occasions. Paul talks about the role of the event manager in creating an inclusive...

'Are you lost?' On day one of her first job Laura was asked if she was lost. It turns out she didn't 'look' like an engineer. How wrong that commentator was! Laura proved herself to be a superb engineer and is this year nominated as the 2023 Young Woman Engineer of the Year. Not only does Laura excel in her work she pays her experience forward sitting as a trustee on the charities 'She Can Enginee...

What is the link between fashion and football? I was joined by Ed Cowburn this week to discuss his journey from finance to fashion design. Ed is founder and creative director at Acid FC and designed Leeds United's kit for the 23/24 season. We discussed how clothes can tell a story and how he created a design that represented a football team, their fans and the city of Leeds. Ed talks with passion...

'Look for lessons in your challenges' Dahlia interviews Dally Kaur, Director at creative agency 'Ideas That Work.' Dally shares her story with Dahlia, talking about her journey from employee to owner. Dally and Dahlia discuss how Dally's style has changed over time and how she has both grown in confidence and resilience over the last ten years. Dally describes herself as a visi...

What do you wear to an interview? (and other useful questions). Dahlia is joined by Gabby Rosenberg, Director at Seven Search & Selection to discuss the topic of interviews. Dahlia and Gabby discuss when you should start thinking about that next role, how to set yourself up for success for an interview and how to truly understand the culture of an organization. The conversation includes how clothe...

Dahlia is joined by Dr Carolyn Mair to discuss the link between our clothes and our behaviour. Dahlia and Carolyn talk about how clothes are a contributing factor to our identity and shape how we present ourselves to the world. Carolyn talks about how quick we are to make an opinion on others based on what we see - and what we can do to be more conscious of this. Dr Carolyn Mair is a Cognitive Psy...

In the fourth episode of 'Stressed But Well Dressed' Dahlia interviews actress Adele Silva. Adele has played a number of roles both on screen and on stage and currently works both in casting and tuition - helping to identify new and emerging talent. Adele talks about how it feels to get into character and how her costume helps her get into role. Dahlia and Adele discuss how to build your c...

In the third episode of 'Stressed but Well Dressed' Dahlia interviews Paula Grizzard, Founder, Consultant and Coach. Dahlia and Paula discuss the link between clothes and confidence. Paula's experience includes positions in both the private and public sector working in the UK and across the globe. Paula talks about how she has shown up in what she defines as the 'three stages'...