Episodes
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How do you find your voice and your confidence when people expect you to be only one thing? How can you overcome thoughts that keep you small? Actress and writer Evanna Lynch joined the cast of the Harry Potter series as Luna Lovegood for the fifth film in 2006 at the age of 14. She went on to star in a number of independent films and in the TV crime series Silent Witness. In 2021 she published her debut memoir, The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting, a candid account about her life focusing on fragility, creativity and how she put herself back together after overcoming an eating disorder. In this conversation on happy high status, we get into the subject of self-sabotage, why boundaries matter, how to find your voice as you get older and how sometimes confidence comes from a quiet place, even a boring place. Is it OK to say no to a lot of things? How can you feel confident about doing that? Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is out now. @vivgroskop Evanna Lynch’s The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting is out now.
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How do you bounce back from a major knock to your confidence? How do you maintain focus and poise even when you’re exhausted or overwhelmed? In this fourth in our series of Happy High Status takeover episodes, Viv talks to Sophie Ellis-Bextor, singer/songwriter and the powerhouse behind one of the best things to come out of the pandemic: Kitchen Disco. Sophie first became known in the late 1990s as a teenager, as the singer of the indie rock band The Audience. The band was unceremoniously dropped by their label in 1999 and Sophie almost dropped out of music completely. But after bouncing back with a debut album that sold 1.5 million copies, she found her voice as an international dance/pop artist with another six albums, including her latest, Hana. All whilst casually having five children along the way. How do you find the energy to be confident when you’re depleted? How do you handle criticism and rejection and stay positive? There’s no better role model for fun happy high status than Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Viv’s book Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident is out now.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s album Hana is out now. -
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Can you be “too confident”? How entitled is too entitled? In this third of a series of Happy High Status takeover episodes, Viv talks to broadcaster and journalist James O’Brien, LBC presenter and author of How They Broke Britain (coming in Nov 2023), about challenging difficult and entitled people (especially certain privately-educated politicians), coming to terms with his own insecurities and finding a kind of humility after experiencing a major setback in his forties. Plus James reveals how he went from being someone who felt sick talking to people at parties to feeling comfortable in himself. Is it a good idea to put on your own “cloak of entitlement” when questioning someone who loves the sound of their own voice? What do you do when faced with people who are so confident that they’re tipping into arrogance? And how can we all listen to each other a bit better and make space for different points of view? Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is out now. @vivgroskop James O’Brien’s new book How They Broke Britain is out in Nov 2023.
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What happens when you swivel the lens away from yourself? In this second of a series of Happy High Status takeover episodes, Viv talks to Olympic athlete and world champion javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread, star of I’m a Celebrity and Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Win and fundraiser for Action for Children. Fatima examines how the extremes of a difficult childhood and of athletic excellence in adulthood affected her confidence. Fatima was abandoned as baby and grew up in a series of children’s homes where she experienced neglect and abuse before being adopted by her javelin tutor in her teens. She developed her confidence by identifying key people she could trust and by learning to “swivel the lens” away from herself and onto others, not only in order to feel less like a victim but as a way of building self-esteem. What if the key to self-assurance lies not in your relationship with yourself but in how much you can support and shine a light on others? Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is out now. @vivgroskop To support Fatima Whitbread’s latest fund-raising go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fatimawhitbread
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Can you be both insecure and confident at the same time? In this first of a series of Happy High Status takeover episodes, Viv talks to award-winning comedian Tom Allen, star of The Apprentice: You’re Fired and Bake-Off: Extra Slice, about his life on and off stage and what he has learned about managing nerves, coping with the reactions of audiences and critics and, most of all, living with self-criticism. Tom tells Viv that it’s a mistake to assume that comedians perform from a place of self-assurance: instead he has learned that his version of happy high status comes from being “confidently insecure." (Happy high status is a term from acting and comedy that is a sort of shorthand for “your best self.”) He shares tips on dressing for confidence (like Fred Astaire, please), how to avoid being apologetic around people when you really should be taking charge and how to feel entitled to speak. How do you “make space for yourself” in a hostile environment? How do you recover your confidence when it’s at a low ebb? Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is out now. @vivgroskop For more on Tom Allen, for tour dates and his new book Too Much, go to www.tomindeed.com
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How do you achieve and stay authentic? Viv talks to Angela Cretu, CEO of Avon, one of the biggest beauty brands in the world.
Growing up in Communist Romania she says she learnt about gender and social equality, while ideas of self-expression or personal ambition weren’t present.
After the revolution in 1989, Angela joined Avon at the age of 24 as the company moved into this emerging market and she flew - building new teams at home and internationally.
She tells Viv how important it was for her to share insecurities with a mentor about facing confident male colleagues from the established western markets.
Angela learnt that her voice mattered, her perspective mattered and finding strength in her own self while enabling others have proved to be key to her success.
Before going on stage she recommends immersing yourself in the energy of the room. And Angela will always make sure her eyes look amazing.
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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How do you follow a dream? Viv talks to the fashion legend, Lucinda Chambers, who worked at Vogue from the age of 21, eventually working her way up to become fashion director at the iconic magazine.
Chatting in Lucinda’s beautiful west London home, she tells Viv about how she learned graft in her childhood and about working hard to follow creative sparks.
Despite being in the glamorous world of fashion, Lucinda reveals that she never took it for granted and made sure her feet stayed on the ground while the sparkles danced among the style and the glossy pages of the magazine.
She’s now co-founder of Collagerie, a curated online shopping platform for fashion and interiors, which she runs with former Vogue colleague Serena Hood.
And her advice is simple… it’s all in the baby steps.
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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How do you simply get things done? Viv talks to the American writer, Curtis Sittenfeld, whose new novel, Romantic Comedy, is already a bestseller and has been selected for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club. They chat about feminist breakthroughs, navigating the room – literally and metaphorically, and what to do with your hands in a photoshoot with an A-list movie star.
She tells Viv that it’s a feminist act to assume knowledge by the women in your audience. And on the business of pushing projects forward she shares tips on separating your to do list and your emotions, and in the face of being overwhelmed, taking a moment to calmly ask the question - what do I need to do to get this done?
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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How do you nurture self-belief? Viv talks to the bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson, about cultivating gentle trust in ourselves.
The Pulitzer prize-winning writer of narrative nonfiction, whose latest book, Caste, explores the inner workings of an American hierarchy, talks to Viv about bringing your absolute all to the stage and creating an experience of communion with the audience.
Such deep and generous sharing in this space is balanced, though, with a word of caution about keeping precious projects close in early stages, protecting them from those who might discourage you when they’re most delicate.
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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How do you keep going when your mouth turns ‘sticky’? Viv talks to the award-winning writer, Claire Fuller about lessons from life, digging back into tales from when Claire worked in marketing and a pitch ran aground.
Offering tips and tricks for persevering through awkward moments, Viv celebrates Claire’s honesty for admitting when things haven’t gone well and also for celebrating the moments that most definitely have.
They talk about carving out a writing career later in life, while working and bringing up children – ‘do it now, don’t wait for perfection’ - and the importance of helping others in the spirit of Viv’s Lift as you Climb.
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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Launching series 20 with a splash of colour and pizazz, Viv talks to fashion label guru, Marielle Wyse, about finding that thing you love and doing with all your heart. Having worked in TV documentaries, Marielle took time out to look after her small children and then found a spark, pursuing her own childhood passion for clothes and making, setting her on a new, exciting path, founding Wyse London.
Marielle advises remembering the thing you used to run to as a child and reveals how the Covid lockdowns transformed her fashion business into an Instagram-first platform where she got to talk directly to her customers. Her lessons are the about the winning combination of joy, passion and focus. And not forgetting from her TV days the power of the edit and when to stop. And move onto the next thing.
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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What is the secret of fearlessness?
How do you focus if you’re feeling nervous? In this final episode of the How to Own the Room masterclass series, we dive back into the back catalogue for key tips and tricks on How to Be Confident.Actress Petra Massey (Sandstrom, Miranda) is best known for clowning and physical theatre - she carries herself with a profound inner confidence, and talks to Viv about channelling fear through her body in a productive way. Another counter-intuitive trick for confidence, is using advocacy to empower others. Vanessa Sanyauke, CEO of Girls Talk Global, explains that when you act as an advocate for other people, it gives you a chance to use your voice and remind yourself of that true unshakeable confidence. As a performance poet, storyteller, best-selling author and co-writer on Beyoncé’s visual album Black is King, Yrsa Daley-Ward performs a lot of her own words on stage and for film. She compares her performance to a jazz improvisation, that is more honest and authentically her.
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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In this week’s round-up of all the best tips and tricks for confidence and performance, we continue with the theme of preparation.
Talking to actress Nicole Ansari (Deadwood) and her husband Brian Cox (Succession), Viv discusses their definitions of owning the room while involving other people.
Former TV presenter turned best-selling author Dawn O’Porter talks very movingly about how easily we can get distracted by what is not working, while entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid, one of the first black women in the world to raise over a million pounds in venture capital for her digital platform Beautystack, talks about how she stays prepared and focused.
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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Everyone loves to feel prepared, but what would happen if you didn’t really prepare at all?
How do you prepare for the moments of pressure?
In this masterclass, Viv is interested in our different relationships with preparation. Writer and commentator Bryony Gordon says if you're passionate about your subject, then you don't need a script, while Labour MP Jess Phillips thinks it's important to celebrate the imperfections in spoken delivery. Entrepreneur Debbie Wosskow is great at talking in a variety of high pressure situations. She advises over-preparation, and that you should also be ready to talk about anything.
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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Have you ever felt like you can’t do certain things?
What do you do to tackle your own self-doubt?
In this 3rd episode, Viv turns traditional thinking about imposter syndrome on its head, and considers alternative outlooks from her guests. Professor Mary Beard talks about the misogynistic origins of public speaking, dating back to the Roman Empire, and actress Katy Brand says that in her experience, confidence can ebb and flow.
If you find yourself feeling like an imposter, Paula Hines says that might be because you're working in an area that you're not truly passionate about - she knows this feeling first hand as she tells the story of moving from a career as a television producer to becoming a yoga teacher.
Writer Kit de Waal shares the key to pushing back against moments of insecurity when you feel like a fraud, and sports presenter Gabby Logan says that it's important to be able to learn from your mistakes.
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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Where does confidence come from?
What can you do if you’re very self-conscious and you feel really uncomfortable in front of others?
In this second episode of weekly masterclasses, Viv talks about nerves and confidence, and how they really do go hand in hand.
From archive interviews, Viv's previous guests share their words of wisdom. In the very first episode Nigella Lawson stresses that you don't need to be perfect. Since then we have had many other guests including Margaret Heffernan, business leader and bestselling author, Karen Gibson, leader of the Kingdom Choir who sang at Megan and Harry’s wedding and DJ Cerys Mathews, who talks about forming the band Catatonia as a teenager and how to become comfortable in your own skin.
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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How do you work out what you want to say and what you think people are expecting?
If you want to speak up, how do you know where to start?
In this new batch of episodes coming up over the next few weeks we’re going to dig into our archive of over 150 interviews. In these weekly masterclasses, each episode will tackle the things that really matter: confidence, overcoming nerves, imposter syndrome.
This week, Viv looks into what makes a great speech - or knowing what to say.
Hillary Clinton advises being self-deprecating and hopes that women can own their individuality, while tech activist Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon thinks about what she wants her audience to walk away with. For actress Meera Syal, the most important part of sharing stories is that it allows us to understand each other, share our empathy, experience, history and view of the world.
Viv's new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder.
@vivgroskop
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How do you regain your confidence? Viv talks to the author, TV presenter, social media influencer and founder of fashion line Joanie, Dawn O’Porter, on finding your voice again. Dawn, who lives in LA with her husband the actor Chris O’Dowd and their two children, tells Viv with frank honesty about a dark time in her life when her TV career nosedived, how she lost her confidence and eventually wrote her way out of it. She shares her tips about holding onto self-worth when things aren’t going the way you want them to. She urges listeners to give themselves credit for the things that are going right – a relationship, friendships, children, work - rather than obsessing over what is going wrong. Her advice for owning the room is cut yourself some slack and allow yourself to draw strength from what is good. And be prepared to take a different direction if the one you planned has taken you out of the room entirely. As she tells Viv, the path doesn’t go in one direction and you may own and lose and own the room again.
Find out more about Dawn O’Porter’s latest novel, Cat Lady.
A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.
@vivgroskop
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How can we thrive wearing many hats? Viv talks to the author and co-founder and President of the Women's Equality Party, Catherine Mayer, about shifting emphasis to achieve greatest effect. Catherine shares how having an awareness of your audience and the room you’re in can make it a good experience for you and boost your voice within it. Catherine reveals that while she makes calculations about where to pitch her arguments, they all stay true to her beliefs. Catherine lost her husband, the musician, Andy Gill - a founding member of Gang of Four - in 2020 to suspected Covid-19 and she tells Viv how she’s navigated grief over the last two years. Their interview is recorded at the Primadonna Festival, which was founded by Catherine in 2019.
Find out more about Catherine Mayer in her latest book, Good Grief: Embracing Life at a Time of Death
A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.
@vivgroskop
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How do you bring together a winning team so that all voices can contribute to the room? Viv Groskop talks to the Chief Executive of the Southbank Centre, Elaine Bedell, on energy, stress and successfully leading teams of talented creative and commercial people. Elaine became the first woman in the top job at the Southbank Centre in 2017. She joined after a 30-year career in TV in which she developed shows such as The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, Saturday Night Takeaway, Love Island and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and Strictly Come Dancing. She tells Viv about the adrenaline highs of live broadcasting to primetime audiences and managing big teams with big budgets. And she shares the wise words of her Great Aunt Maggie on owning the room before it was even a twinkle in Viv's eye.
Find out more about Elaine Bedell.
A new updated edition of Viv's book, How to Own the Room is out now.
@vivgroskop
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