The Rise and Hive

We’re joined by Michael Harvey, aka The Chavvy Hippy, to hear the story behind the name and the journey that got him here. Michael shares how the fear of being judged by others almost stopped him from stepping into who he really wanted to be, and how finding the courage to own it has led him to create and run hugely successful events and retreats across the UK and Europe. We get into the cutting-e...

This week’s Question of the Week is all about choosing your domestic discomfort. Would you rather have sand permanently lodged between your toes or crumbs lurking in your bed? Both are regular occurrences for Liane, so she’s well placed to partake in this debate. We revisit last week’s question about going to the gym on holiday, and it turns out most of our listeners are absolutely horrified that...

Trigger warning: This episode includes open and honest conversations about addiction, alcohol, drugs, gambling and recovery. Please take care while listening. We’re joined by the brilliant Paul Merson, as we pull back the curtain to meet the human behind the success. Paul opens up about his journey to recovery from alcohol, drugs and gambling, the tools in his toolbox that help him live one day at...

Is hitting the gym on holiday a winning move or an absolute holiday crime? 🏋️☀️ Is squeezing in a workout a luxury, a bit of you time, and a way to feel good? Or is this the most outrageous thing you’ve ever heard because holidays are for relaxing, eating everything in sight and doing absolutely bugger all? We’re debating whether holiday gym-goers are winners or losers, and we want to know where y...

What happens when you stop talking yourself out of asking for the things you want and start being a bit more big, bold and brave? As us Northerners say, shy bairns get nowt! We reflect on how life can change when you bite the bullet, put yourself out there and ask. Because if you don’t ask, the answer will always be no. We know it’s tempting to protect ourselves from the sting of rejection, but wh...

This week’s Question of the Week sounds like an easy win. Two days of food poisoning or three weeks with a cold? After Melissa’s brutal three-week cold (which, let’s be honest, was hard on everyone 😂), we thought we knew the answer. Then Liane started introducing scenarios involving being struck down when you’re out in the wild, and suddenly things weren’t quite so straightforward. We revisit las...

This week we’re girl crushing on Michelle Keegan and her new TV series, but it sparks a bigger conversation about why confident, attractive women can make some people uncomfortable. Why is a woman who knows her worth so often labelled “full of herself”? Where’s the line between confidence and arrogance, and when did celebrating our own strengths become something we feel the need to apologise for?...

This week we’re getting to the bottom of a very important question: have you got a favourite cup? What makes it the one ? The shape, the size, the handle, the weight? And do you have different cups for different occasions? Liane is left genuinely shocked to discover that Melissa is choosing to drink from a glass latte cup of her own free will. We also revisit the great gravy debate. Nobody has adm...

This week we’re talking about the spaces we choose to be part of and the people we meet in them. Melissa debriefs from her yoga retreat in Ibiza, and we both reflect on the Breath & Bloom day retreat we recently attended closer to home. Different spaces, same reminder of the power of connection and community, and of how every person has a story you know nothing about. Experiences like these al...

This week’s Question of the Week is a very serious matter: thick or thin? We’re talking gravy, obviously, and we are firmly, unapologetically in the THICK camp. We’re taking a punt that the majority of you are too, because… who wants thin gravy? We revisit last week’s inside or outside debate and Melissa has been giving it far more thought than anyone reasonably should. If you’ve chosen outdoor li...

This week we’re talking about one of the unexpected gifts of our daily podcast: having the space to properly finish a thought. No interruptions, no reading into facial expressions, no second-guessing what the other person might be thinking and no censoring ourselves halfway through saying what we actually mean. And for anyone who hates a voice note, we need to clear something up. This isn’t a form...

This week’s Question of the Week is a serious one… if you could live inside or outside for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Melissa, a fully fledged fresh-air lover, is all about outdoor living. Obviously, she’s already started trying to bend the rules because apparently living outside comes with terms and conditions . Call the police! Liane, meanwhile, is veering firmly towards indo...

This week we’re pulling back the curtain on what happens when the person who is usually holding everyone else up suddenly doesn’t have the capacity to hold herself up. After a tough Great North Run, Melissa found herself unwell, struggling and unable to be the motivator, energiser and cheerleader she’s always been. For the first time in 11 Great North Runs, it really knocked her confidence and bro...

This week’s Question of the Week is a shower-based dilemma: do you face towards the shower or away from it? And, as it turns out, it very much depends on whether there’s a hair wash involved. Liane and Melissa are both firmly in the hybrid camp, with plenty of switching around. We revisit last week’s icks and uncover some unexpected disclosures involving vapes, Crocs, Lycra and noise… plus, becaus...

This week we’re talking about how we can be same same, but different. Rooted together, growing in different directions. We share the same core values, but our lives have taken very different paths, and that’s exactly where some of the magic happens. Our daily podcast gives us a chance to stop, reflect and see things from a different perspective, and we’re realising more and more how much that matt...

We’re moving on from last week’s Ick List and getting into the real deal… actual icks. Those little moments, habits or behaviours that can instantly change how you see someone. Including the slightly more painful category of all: giving yourself the ick . We confess to a few restaurant faux pas that have made us question our own behaviour, while poor Liam finds himself firmly in the spotlight for...

This week is a proper Rise and Hive love-in as we’re joined by the brilliant Kylie Dixon, MBE! 💛 Liane shares how Kylie played a pivotal role in the development of The Rise and Hive Podcast following a coaching session that helped set some pretty significant wheels in motion. We talk about Kylie’s own evolution, peeling back the layers, discovering the environments where she truly shines and givi...

We revisit last week’s superstition debate and discover that Melissa may actually be the fourth emergency service. Whenever she sees an emergency services vehicle, she performs a cross and sends her best wishes. Lives saved? Possibly. Scientific evidence? Absolutely not. We hear more of your wonderfully specific superstitions and quirks, from refusing to cut nails on a Sunday, to odd numbers appar...

It’s been an emotional time for Melissa as her son Christopher turns 18 and she starts to prepare for the very real reality of him leaving for university. There are big milestones, big feelings and plenty of moments that have caught her by surprise. It gets us talking about how often we’re taught to gloss over the hard stuff, keep going and put on a brave face rather than actually feeling what’s t...

This week’s question comes from listener Chris, who wants to know: is there something you do for luck that you think is completely normal, but other people might find a little bit odd? Are you a believer in old wives’ tales, superstitions and lucky rituals, or do you think it’s all nonsense? Melissa is firmly in the believer camp, saluting magpies and picking up pennies whenever she finds them. Li...

⚠️ Warning: There is swearing in this episode. This week we’re joined by Hannah F#cking Holt, speaker, coach and breathwork practitioner. Hannah has spent August challenging herself to show up, put herself out there and say yes to the opportunities that scare her a little. And it’s already paying off. She’s applied to TEDx because, in her words, she’s going to be on that stage. You miss 100% of th...

This week we're checking into the hotel and asking a very important question... where exactly is the line between complimentary and criminal? What’s fair game to take from your hotel room? Tea, coffee, biscuits, toiletries? And what about the dressing gown? Surely nobody genuinely thinks that belongs in your suitcase... do they? We also revisit last week's emoji debate and discover there i...

This week we're reflecting on the joy of women coming together without ego, competition or the need to prove anything. After a lovely catch-up with an old work colleague, we're celebrating the glory of being a secure woman in your 40s who can genuinely champion other women, dress for happiness and still experience the girlhood joy of messaging your pals before an event to ask... "what...

This week we're asking a question that says more about you than you might think... what's your favourite emoji? Are you loyal to a classic 😂? Throwing hearts around like confetti? Or are you one of those people using a 👍 and completely unaware that some people consider it the rudest response known to mankind? We also revisit last week's question about bedtime cuddles and can confirm...

This week we're talking about miscommunication, assumptions and the simple fact that, despite what we might expect, none of us are actually mind readers. When Melissa changed the podcast recording plans without telling Liane, we both made our own assumptions and a minor misunderstanding became a reminder of just how often miscommunication happens when we don't simply say what we mean. Ther...