Lifting the lid on freelance life. Experienced freelance journalists Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson guide you through everything you need to know about working for yourself. From where to get work, to how to get paid and everything in between. Each episode features two guests who have made freelancing a success. From film reviewers, to travel writers to bitcoin experts and current affairs broadcasters. Packed with trade secrets, top tips and amusing anecdotes this is an unmissable How To gui ...
Fearne Cotton talks to incredible people about life, love, loss, and everything in-between as she reveals what happiness means to them. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Been There. Done That. An Insight to Success


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Been There. Done That. An Insight to Success
Sim Bhatoy
What's one thing you wish you had known when you began your career? On this podcast we explore honest conversations and stories from the likes of Marketer’s, CEOs, entrepreneurs, business owners and creative individuals, breaking the mould with an insight to their success. We dive deep into their journey’s from conception to the present day, exploring how they overcame hurdles, disrupted the market and eventually discovered their own version of success. You can expect new guests every month ...
In the final episode of the series we chat to Terri White the former editor of Empire magazine and Time Out New York, about her first book, Coming Undone. The book is a brutally honest and moving memoir about her breakdown in New York and how her early life experiences shaped where she is today, both professionally and personally. Terri is currentl…
Time, money, and attention turned out to be a difficult combination for Jordan Stephens to cope with at the height of his Rizzle Kicks fame. In this chat with Fearne, Jordan opens up about his social anxiety, body dysmorphia, and the way he used to self-medicate ADHD. They also discuss when anger can be an incredibly useful emotion, and discover th…
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Freelancing for Journalists


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An interview with Angie Simms & Stuart Quinn
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In the latest episode we speak to photojournalists Angie Simms and Stuart Quinn about their photography work and their self-published cookbook. The Australian couple, who are currently travelling across Oz, talk about taking control of their passion project and the importance of hiring a strong team and calling in favours. The Authors Angie Simms a…
This episode of Happy Place is made in partnership with The National Lottery. We’re in the midst of The Commonwealth Games, and thanks to National Lottery Players over £40million has been raised to support the 2022 Games. To mark the event, The National Lottery have launched a campaign celebrating some of the incredible athletes, including wheelcha…
In this episode we speak to Polly Morland, a documentary maker turned writer, about her new book which she wrote during lockdown. The book documents the life of a GP working in a rural practice. Polly chats about the benefits of long research chats and how to maintain the anonymity of contributors when needed. Polly is a regular contributor to news…
Your spirit is fully equipped to take care of you. Your brain and your body might struggle but spiritual teacher and intuitive guide Sonia Choquette is clear that your sixth sense – your spirit, your intuition – can take care of you no matter what. In this chat with Fearne, Sonia explains how to tune into and trust your intuition, which will in tur…
In this episode we speak to the author Lucy Waterlow about the process of ghostwriting. Lucy has ghostwritten four books including Nell McAndrew’s Guide to Running plus an additional guide to running and two running memoirs. Lucy is also a freelance journalist and writes for a number of different outlets including the Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail, …
Constantly being subjected to micro-aggressions can feel like death by a thousand paper cuts; Samantha Renke is an actor, broadcaster, writer, and disability rights campaigner who has the confidence to call out ableism. In this chat, Fearne and Samantha explore where her innate sense of self-worth comes from, how we can all learn to become more con…
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Been There. Done That. An Insight to Success


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Podcast #12 | Jonathan Mannell | Director, Ownership at Porsche Cars GB Ltd |
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Episode #12 focuses on Jonathan Mannell. He is the Director at Porsche Cars GB Ltd. Jonathan’s honesty and clarity around success was humbling and it was interesting to hear all about the luxury automotive industry from his perspective. This episode really made me think about my own success and how the path isn’t always linear. If you enjoyed this …
In this week's episode we speak to prolific freelance journalist Chris Stokel-Walker whose work regularly appears in WIRED, The Economist and Newsweek. Chris has written two tech-based books, and we chat with him about the importance of making your ideas relevant and timeless when switching from journalism to book writing. The author Chris Stokel-W…
Patience is a bit of a lost art, but it’s something that ‘Birdgirl’ Mya-Rose Craig is well practiced in. Mya-Rose is an ornithologist, an environmentalist, a diversity activist as well as a writer, speaker and broadcaster. Having been a twitcher – someone who travels to specific locations to spot birds – since she was days old, she revels in patien…
In our ‘Summer Reads’ podcast series, we chat with freelance journalists who have written successful books. Bringing the first episode of series eight back with a bang is Lisa Bradley, the author of two psychological thrillers – Paper Dolls and The Lesson. Lisa began her writing career in local news and subsequently worked as a freelance journalist…
Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes recently announced publicly that she is gay. Although she’s acknowledged this truth privately for a number of decades, it’s only now that she’s felt able to begin living publicly her authentic self. Having served in the British military at a time when homosexuality was banned, Kelly had always feared serious repercussions…
If you tend to doubt yourself, do you know why? Psychotherapist, best-selling author, and former NHS lead for Mental Health Owen O’Kane has spent a lifetime unpicking his own past as a gay Irish Catholic child who was bullied and surrounded by bombs and bullets in the hope of understanding where his fear and shame in adulthood came from. In this ch…
Do you have open conversations at work when you’re in pain emotionally or physically? After going through numerous rounds of IVF, as well as having a miscarriage, broadcaster, writer, and author Emma Barnett wants to re-brand pain as weakness into pain as strength, especially at work. In this chat with Fearne, she talks through the worries she had …
Broadcaster and author Sara Cox joins Fearne for a special live episode of Happy Place at The Podcast Show in Islington. A brilliant storyteller, Sara talks about the process of finding her own voice and becoming a confident raconteur both on the radio and in her personal life. In this chat, Fearne and Sara also explore friendships – how our friend…
Heartbreak is a universal feeling, but everyone copes with it differently. Presenter, actor and singer Denise Van Outen tends to throw herself into work, keeping busy with exciting professional opportunities, to distract from any pain. In this chat with Fearne, Denise talks about how she’s learnt to accept being alone after heartbreak and acknowled…
We can all feel paralysed by the guilt that we might not be doing enough to combat climate change, but actor, director, and environmental activist Bonnie Wright feels we should celebrate imperfect and in-process actions. A little can go a long way. In this chat with Fearne, Bonnie explains why it might be helpful to stop thinking about how we can m…
Fearne is a Goodwill Ambassador for Mental Health and Wellbeing for The Prince’s Trust, a brilliant charity that helps people who have faced disadvantage and adversity to get their lives on track, supporting them into education, training, and jobs. In this special episode, Fearne chats to Emma-May about the role The Prince’s Trust has played in hel…
Who gets to decide who and what you are? Amanda de Cadenet quit the fame she’d found on British TV after being hounded by the press. She was seen through the eyes of others – journalists, photographers, and viewers – so she chose to reclaim her image by becoming a photographer herself, and reclaimed her voice by starting her own chat shows. In this…
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Bits & Bytes

Bits & Bytes podcast is back for a brand new season! Hosted by your favourite Jean Yoon & Sam Chan from Launch, season 2 will yet again bring in guests ranging from serial entrepreneurs to first-time interns to really spill the beans on what it's really like to work within a startup while going through Jean’s unique food challenges! The first episo…
We have a very special bonus episode of the podcast this week. We sat down with award-winning freelance journalist and writer Saima Mir to discuss the paperback launch of her fantastic novel, The Khan, which is currently Waterstones Book of the Month. We talked about diversity in publishing, the writing process and what journalistic experience she …
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Been There. Done That. An Insight to Success


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Podcast #11 | Steve Birch | CEO of Sky Betting & Gaming | Leadership and vision
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I had the honour of sitting down with the CEO of Sky Betting & Gaming, Steve Birch. Discovering the successful insights from the market leader in the betting and gaming world. Steve was happy to answer all my deep questions around success and how culture and a positive work environment is the essence of a successful and happy company. I hope you fi…
What do you feel the meaning of life is? Purpose? Happiness? Does it matter if we’re not sure? In this chat, Fearne and actor Minnie Driver explore how it might gently fluctuate as we go through different stages of our lives. Minnie also talks about her innate ability to articulate emotion, something that was often agony during her childhood, but h…
In this episode, we talk about how to get funding for a project with Amanda Nunn, a freelance broadcast journalist and co-founder of the Off the Record newsletter and Warren Nettleford, an ITN television presenter and reporter and co-founder of Need to Know, the UK’s first youth news service built purely for the digital generation. Amanda Nunn Twit…
Rugby player Jonny Wilkinson was once driven by a quest for perfection, and an obsession with becoming the best player in the world. Now though, he’s learning to be content with who he is in the present. In this chat, Jonny and Fearne explore the idea that sometimes our own imagination is what’s limiting our idea of success before we’ve even begun,…
In this episode we talk about side hustles, should you have one and how do you explore your interests alongside your freelance journalism work? We speak to Dean Sterling Jones, a chef from Northern Ireland, who works as a freelance journalist when he’s not cooking, and Waseem Mirza, a sci-tech journalist and presenter who is also a screen actor and…
It’s been thirty years since brothers Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson started making music together, but despite growing up under the spotlight they’ve retained an incredibly strong sense of self. In this chat with Fearne, they talk about the role their parents and faith played in helping them stay grounded in a turbulent world. They also give an ins…
In this episode, we ask whether you need shorthand as a freelance journalist. We talk to Marc Shoffman, a journalist and podcaster, and Rachel Charlton-Dailey, a health and disability journalist, about the pros and cons of shorthand, when it can be useful, as well as considering alternatives tools. Marc Shoffman Twitter: @marcshoffman Instagram: in…
We’ve been encouraged to suppress our intuition, to look to others for answers instead of trusting that we already have the answers within ourselves. Spiritual guide and teacher Giselle La Pompe Moore is determined to help us return to our authentic selves. In this chat, Fearne and Giselle share their belief that spirituality isn’t an elite club th…
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Been There. Done That. An Insight to Success


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Podcast #10 | Alex James Ayin | Marketing Director @ Wiser | Marketing Stories & Brand Insights
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Alex and I had a profound conversation about his Marketing journey from his time at university, to being an early adopter of Social Chain to now being the Marketing Director at Wiser. Chatting about culture, growth and how young marketers and graduates can set themselves up for the future. This episode has lots of hidden gems and if you didn’t alre…
Trust is an essential part of journalism. In this episode, we find out why it's important and what you can do as a freelance journalist to gain it. We talk to Steve Nowottny, an editor from FullFact, who discusses how his work exposes and counters the harm false information can cause, and Jennifer Sizeland, a UK-based freelance journalist, who talk…
You might feel aware that the internet makes you feel strangely disconnected from others, but writer and podcaster Emma Gannon feels it makes us disconnect from ourselves too. In this chat, Emma and Fearne dissect cancel culture and why we’ve got to allow each other the space to learn and grow, as well as why our offline activity should take preced…
In this episode, we talk about pensions and savings, and how we should all be thinking about saving for the future. We talk to Brendon Maton an experienced freelance journalist who writes about investing and savings and Hannah Smith, a freelance financial journalist specialising in investment management and personal finance, about the best options …
If you’re a high achiever, do you ever wonder if you sometimes use success to mask pain? Performer Will Young recognises this is something he did for many years. Now though, he’s discovered the importance of actively connecting to others and physically moving trauma out of his body when he finds himself in a low place. In this chat with Fearne he e…
In this episode we talk about photography, how to get into photojournalism and how it works when you are both writing and taking photos for features. Joining us we have Craig Stennett an experienced photojournalist who specialises in political and social change and Nori Jemil, a freelance photographer, writer and videographer who has worked for Nat…
Does being happy make us healthier, not only mentally, but physically too? Dr Rangan Chatterjee explains the very real effect chronic mental stress can have on our bodies. 80% of ailments he sees as a GP are due to our collective modern lifestyle – that’s not to shame anyone, it’s to help us understand the lifestyle changes we can all make to allev…
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Been There. Done That. An Insight to Success


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Podcast #9 | James Wilde | Head of New Business at Wavemaker UK | Insight into a Global Media Agency & Fellow Marketer
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I had the pleasure of sitting down at the Wavemaker UK offices in London with James Wilde. James is the Head of New Business at Wavemaker and was happy to chat to me about his role and how he started out in the marketing & business space. Wavemaker is the second largest media agency network in the world with clients such as Vodafone, Tiffany and Br…
Actor Ruth Wilson feels she can’t help but bring the essence of herself to all the characters she plays. She’s learnt that in both her professional and personal life the most rewarding moments come from being the most authentic version of herself. In this chat with Fearne, Ruth wonders whether embodying so many different characters has helped her b…
Why can it feel more difficult to talk about mental health with the people you’re related to? In this Mother’s Day special of Happy Place, Fearne and her mum Lin explore their shared ancestry, wondering how much of who they are and what they feel is down to nature, and how much is nurture. In this chat, Fearne hears about her maternal grandmother, …
Death is often viewed as something dark and muted, but after the death of her beloved sister, author Clover Stroud began to see the world in vivid colour. In this chat Fearne and Clover explore how death can teach us that it’s the tiny moments in life that truly matter; it’s the in jokes and funny glances that we remember about people. That realisa…
At 18 years old, Sophie Morgan was in a car crash, and was instantly paralysed from the chest down. Eighteen years on, she is now one of the only TV presenter’s in the world with a physical disability. She’s also an artist and an award-winning disability advocate. Sophie speaks passionately about how adversity influences her life to be filled with …
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Actress Tuppence Middleton is very clear that as an introvert, she is overwhelmed by being around other people and needs time alone to recharge. In this chat with Fearne, Tuppence discusses her OCD. Mental counting, checking lights, and checking taps are all current manifestations of it, but she acknowledges th…
Do you ever stop and ask what’s driving your behavioural patterns? New York Times bestselling author and self-confessed spiritual junkie Gabby Bernstein has spent the last few years thinking about how traumas from her past were manifesting in the present as workaholism, drug abuse, and alcoholism. In this chat with Fearne, Gabby talks through how w…
For 17 years Björn Natthiko Lindeblad lived in Thailand’s jungle as a forest monk. He learnt how calm can encourage clarity of thought, that he preferred walking meditation to sitting, and that freedom can come from not being bound to material possessions. At the time of recording, Björn was very ill; he had ALS, a progressive nervous system diseas…
There’s bravery in wanting to connect with people in a truly authentic way. Musician Johnny Marr has found that across his career the songs people resonate with most are his most vulnerable, autobiographical tracks. Outside of music, there are lessons to be learnt there about how we might all best connect with each other. In this chat with Fearne, …
What would you try if you didn’t have to do it perfectly? Best-selling author, and the ‘High Priestess of creativity’ Julia Cameron feels perfectionism is a stalling device. When we deny ourselves the right to attempt something, we in turn deny ourselves pleasure and joy. In this chat with Fearne, Julia explains why jealousy tells you what you real…
It’s often the case that fear is running the show. Dr Pippa Grange says it’s not always obvious that you’re afraid – you might be more familiar with the kind of fear you feel in the moment, like taking a driving test or giving a presentation – but it can in fact sneakily manifest as the chronic fear of not being good enough, and of being rejected. …
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Been There. Done That. An Insight to Success


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Podcast #8 | Bradley Jensen | Jensen & Jensen | Marketing | Consultancy Agency | Creative Strategist
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Sit back and enjoy this 66minutes of truly first-class advice from Bradley Jensen himself. Bradley from Jensen & Jensen tells us his story of starting out in Leeds at University and working in agencies and his path to start-ups and his business today. Bradley and Myles successfully run their own Consulting, Design / Media and Marketing business by …
Do you find fitness and keeping your body healthy fun? Twins Dave and Steve Flynn – perhaps better known as The Happy Pear – love keeping fit in a way that feels like play. They listen to their bodies; they move intuitively. Sometimes that means handstands, sometimes it means yoga, and a lot of the time it means a cold morning swim in the Irish Sea…