The Fearless Foodie Podcast

We kick off with Laura’s backstory - how a proud northerner with zero agri-food experience stumbled into a decades-long love affair with the meat industry. Laura and Amy get real about how people often have no idea about the breadth of careers in food, or the quirks that make this industry so colourful.  Laura opens up about launching Meat Business Women as a safe, supportive network for women in...

This episode kicks off with Amy welcoming listeners to a space built for honest conversations about the food and retail world.  She immediately calls out the myth of an industry “reset” in January—reminding us that most teams start the year already stretched thin, still reeling from Q4 chaos. Drawing from her personal journey with burnout and her coaching work with food industry teams, she address...

Amy kicks things off by acknowledging just how relentless the next six weeks will be for anyone working in food and retail, with tighter deadlines, louder demands, and the expectation to spin a hundred plates without dropping a single mince pie.  Drawing from her own post-Christmas experience with burnout, she emphasises why it’s crucial to protect your energy proactively, and why pushing through...

Welcome to Bethan’s Bite-Sized Bulletin - your quick-fire briefing on what’s happening across the food and drink industry. In under five minutes, journalist and Food Manufacture editor Bethan Grylls shares the latest headlines, trends and developments to keep you in the know. Explore more industry news at foodmanufacture.co.uk Links and Resources: Website Link: https://fearlessfoodies.co.uk FB Lin...

Amy and Bethan get straight to the heart of what it means to be a “Fearless Foodie” in today’s food industry, especially for teams struggling to motivate their people and keep them engaged.  The episode kicks off with Bethan’s insights on leading from a flat structure—where the best ideas can (and should) come from the shop floor, not just the boardroom. We also hear why meaningful work matters fo...

We kick off this episode with Amy and Nyree’s trip down memory lane, all the way back to hypnobirthing class and WhatsApp business masterminds. That instant “skip the small talk and go straight to heavy breathing” connection is the foundation for a raw, open conversation on why the food industry’s old rules aren’t working — especially for working parents. Nyree opens up about her slow-burn realisa...

From teenage cake-decorating dreams to director-level influence in UK food retail, Gail Paddy’s story is proof that passion and perseverance can pave even the most unexpected career paths. Amy and Gail kick off with the early days—how a love for food (and some bold moves at 15) led Gail into food science and retail, despite the lack of clear opportunities. Their chat highlights just how much bread...

We kick off with Amy and Danny catching up and quickly getting to the crux: what does it really mean to be authentic at work, and why does the word so often make us cringe? The pair agree there’s a fine line between honesty and TMI, and dives into why being “yourself” never means dropping professionalism or using authenticity as an excuse for poor behaviour. Danny reveals the internal conflict of...

This week Amy dives deep with Breige Donaghy, who shares her journey from food science graduate to Tesco’s Director of Product Development & Innovation.  She explains the critical differences in retail philosophy between giants like Tesco and community-focused Co-op, and why that breadth of experience shaped the way she leads teams and builds supplier partnerships today. Breige and Amy get hands-o...

Welcome to Bethan’s Bite-Sized Bulletin - your quick-fire briefing on what’s happening across the food and drink industry. In under five minutes, journalist and Food Manufacture editor Bethan Grylls shares the latest headlines, trends and developments to keep you in the know. Explore more industry news at foodmanufacture.co.uk Links and Resources: Website Link: https://fearlessfoodies.co.uk FB Lin...

Ever felt out of your depth in a big meeting, worried you’ll look silly if you ask a question? You’re definitely not alone. Amy and Bethan kick things off by shining a light on those moments of fear—reminding us that most people in the room are too busy worrying about their own questions to notice yours!  Bethan draws from her journalism career, explaining how curiosity is non-negotiable if you wa...

This week, Amy is joined by Angharad Ross, executive coach, seasoned commercial leader and self-proclaimed collector of difficult conversations.  Together, they peel back the layers on why honest, clear communication is so essential in the food and retail industry, and why it’s so easy to shy away from it. The duo dig into the neuroscience behind why we avoid “hard chats” (spoiler: your brain is j...

This episode is as down-to-earth as it gets. Amy kicks off with a reminder that fearlessness isn’t about having zero doubts—it’s about doing the scary stuff anyway. Enter Danny, who admits to feeling like an imposter when first asked to co-host, setting the honest and relatable tone of the chat. Danny’s story is a powerful testament to grit, curiosity, and learning on the job. He talks through cli...

Welcome to Bethan’s Bite-Sized Bulletin - your quick-fire briefing on what’s happening across the food and drink industry. In under five minutes, journalist and Food Manufacture editor Bethan Grylls shares the latest headlines, trends and developments to keep you in the know. Explore more industry news at foodmanufacture.co.uk Links and Resources: Website Link: https://fearlessfoodies.co.uk FB Lin...

It’s a new beginning for the podcast. Amy jumps right in by addressing the elephant in the room: going solo after 208 episodes with Lucy.  She reassures listeners that The Fearless Foodie Podcast is an evolution, not a departure—still focused on real experiences, honest answers, and practical help for everyone trying to thrive in the relentless (but brilliant) world of food and retail. Amy gets re...

In this trailer for the Fearless Foodie podcast, Amy Wilkinson introduces listeners to the purpose and heart of the show. Designed for professionals in the fast-paced and sometimes chaotic world of food and retail, the podcast aims to help listeners thrive at work by developing real influence, building trust, and navigating tricky workplace dynamics. Amy shares a glimpse of upcoming topics—includi...

On the last ever "Oh For Food’s Sake" episode, we open up about the process (and sometimes pain) of letting go—whether it’s stepping down from your own business, leaving a beloved job, or, in this case, moving on from a podcast that’s meant so much.  We discuss how the show itself began out of Lucy’s journey with letting go of "Pudology," and how leaving isn’t as sudden as it looks from the outsid...

Welcome to another episode packed with insights, laughter, and brutally honest takes on what it’s really like working behind the scenes of food innovation. Lucy starts us off by sharing why Stage Gate is close to her heart—yep, she’s our resident “systems geek”—and Amy jumps in to champion the power of people and soft skills.  Together, we break down how Stage Gate is supposed to be a framework th...

This week, we peel back the layers on what running a genuinely heartful business looks like in food and retail. We welcome Andrew Thornton, legendary for shaking up the industry and for always bringing his signature purposeful approach to everything from the shop floor to the boardroom. Andrew tells the story of his journey from his first job in a Dublin newsagent—serving the iconic Fergal Quinn—t...

We kick off this episode by confronting a very familiar narrative: Why is everyone blaming Gen Z for “not wanting to work”?  On Oh For Food’s Sake we refuse to let stereotypes go unchallenged. We ground the conversation in our blend of experience: decades in food manufacturing and retail, coaching, and plenty of mistake-covering confessions from the good old days.  Together, we share what they see...

Ever wondered what goes into growing a food brand from a tiny home kitchen to supermarket shelves across the nation?  Ramona Hazan tells all—chickpeas in the living room, rolling suitcases packed with houmous through Soho, and years of “no’s” from major retailers.  We discuss her unique approach to new product development (hint: feed your friends, watch what disappears first), her experience trans...

We kick off by acknowledging what so many of us feel: sometimes, your career just needs a shakeup. Lucy and Amy talk candidly about hearing from food industry professionals who want to move into different functions—especially product development—but feel unsure how to leap. Amy’s career story smashes the myth that jumping from function to function is a weakness. Quite the opposite—it brings unique...

This week, we unwrap our thoughts on the rapid rise of GLP-1 drugs and the ripple effect they’re having on the food industry. As these medications suppress appetite and cut down on the relentless mental chatter many people feel about food, what happens to the classic patterns of eating—and, by extension, to the businesses that rely on them? Lucy shares personal anecdotes about the sensory and habi...

In this episode Lucy reveals how her 21 years in the food industry have shaped her approach to consultancy.  She shares her passion for the process side of product development, highlighting how her expertise in stage gate processes and stakeholder engagement distinguishes her consultancy services from others.  Throughout the episode, we discuss the key differences between interim roles and consult...

This episode isn’t just a look back—it’s an acknowledgement of the growth, grit, and guts it takes to show up week after week, and voice the truths of working in the food industry.  We start by revisiting how Oh For Food’s Sake came to life, born out of a lockdown networking call and a shared desire to make sense of their own journeys in the industry.  We recount the clueless early days, the proce...