Andrea McLean

I am joined for my final episode of Life and Soul by the culinary queen, Prue Leith. She’s a cookery writer, restaurateur, novelist, Bake Off judge and advisor to the government’s review on hospital food. In this episode, she tells me how she treated some lucky care home staff to her cooking during lockdown as she couldn’t bear to only make supper for two and she explains the reasons why she is so passionate about the campaign for better hospital food. I ask her what it was like to join the Great British Bake Off (spoiler alert: her main concern was working with Paul Hollywood) and how she called Mary Berry for some advice. Prue also tells us about her new Channel 4 show with the gorgeous Dr Rupy Aujla where they attempt to transform the food and shopping habits of four families and tackle our issue with food waste. I couldn’t think of two better people to come to the rescue! It was a real honour to talk to Prue - she’s an incredibly busy woman and she definitely won’t be slowing down anytime soon!  

Today I’m joined by Chloe Brotheridge, a hypnotherapist, anxiety expert, author of the bestselling book The Anxiety Solution and host of the extremely successful Calmer You podcast. In this episode, Chloe recounts her own struggles with self-confidence and talks about how she has dealt with the past year. Chloe discusses why it’s important to be kind to ourselves and how we all need to find some way to physically process the anxiety and calm the nervous system. She also provides us with some of her top tips on how to stay balanced and how we need to schedule ourselves breaks in the day. This episode was recorded a little while ago but it is full of helpful tips and advice which I wanted to share with you all! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Chloe: @chloebrotheridge @thecalmeryou We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to [email protected]

Today I’m thrilled to be joined by one of the most established names in British luxury, Anya Hindmarch. She is a true leader in her field, the designer of the most beautiful handbags, a passionate environmental activist and now the author of a brand new book, If In Doubt Wash Your Hair. She is known for using fashion as a force for good. Back in 2004, her £5 white tote bags, with the slogan, “I’m not a plastic bag” written on them, were one of the world’s most in demand items. More recently, during the pandemic, she’s worked with University College London to design a special 'holdster' for front-line NHS workers to wear, along with thousands of PPE gowns. Anya’s recent book, If in Doubt Wash Your Hair, is a part memoir, part self-help book which aims to teach readers how to be kind to themselves and live a little more boldly.  It’s an uplifting manual for life offering practical tips and advice on how to make women feel better about themselves. Anya is refreshingly honest and shares her own  struggles and the ways she has managed to tackle her own self-doubt issues. In this episode, we discuss her very exciting new project, The Anya Village, which is set to takeover Pont Street this month and includes a café, a plastic shop and a pop up salon for ’Shampoo and Therapy’. We also talk about how the past year has been a very busy time for her and how her priorities have evolved to reflect the changing times - such as her passion for circularity of materials and reducing plastic going into landfill. I really did learn a lot from this conversation and hope you do too! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Anya: @anyahindmarch We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to [email protected]

I am joined this week by one of the nation’s most popular TV doctors and the Government's newly appointed Youth Mental Health Ambassador, Dr. Alex George. Alex won the heart of millions in the 2018 series of Love Island and is about to release a debut book called Live Well Every Day. 2020 was an extremely tough year for Dr Alex, he was working on the front line as an A&E doctor and experienced a very tragic loss when his younger brother took his own life in the midst of the pandemic. However, he remains incredibly positive and is a huge inspiration to thousands of people around the world. Over the past year, he has started to lobby the government about mental health in schools and is on a mission to make health and medicine more accessible to everyone. In this episode, Dr Alex reflects on the events of the last year and speaks so passionately about his new role as Youth Mental Health Ambassador. He discusses the highs and lows of overnight fame and describes how he found his purpose again after Love Island. We talk about how the pandemic has made society more health conscious and the reasons for writing his book, Live Well Every Day which addresses the health challenges of today's world such as anxiety, mental health, sexual health and so much more. Buy Live Well Every Day here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Well-Every-Day-Happy/dp/1783254319 *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Dr. Alex George: @dralexgeorge We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to [email protected]

Today I am so excited to be joined by the mother of small businesses, Holly Tucker MBE. She’s the creative mastermind behind one of my favourite online marketplaces, Not On The High Street and is now the founder of Holly & Co, a small business advice and inspiration platform. Holly is just about to release a brand new business book called Do What You Love, Love What You Do packed full of tips and skills any founder needs to help their business thrive. In this episode, we recount Holly’s journey into the business world and discuss what an incredible rollercoaster she’s been on since. We talk about what inspired her to start Not On The High Street, her top tips for starting a business (my favourite being that you have to be the ‘Duracell battery’ of the company) and why running a small business can be the key to happiness. Holly undoubtedly brings colour to business and has brightened up a lot of small businesses during the pandemic. So whether you might be about to start a company or you’re finding yourself in a business rut, I truly recommend you read her new business bible. It really is a book like no other. *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. Follow us: https://www.byemma.co/ @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Holly: @hollytucker Find out more about her book, Do What You Love, Love What You Do: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/1119976/do-what-you-love--love-what-you-do/9780753558027.html   We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to [email protected]

Dr Zoe Williams is a NHS GP, media medic, health educator and a clinical champion of Public Health England’s Better Health campaign, encouraging people to make healthier changes. Zoe has competed at a high level in a number of sports including Athletics and Rugby Union and appeared as ‘Amazon’ on Sky 1’s Gladiators where she found that hitting people with giant cotton buds really is as much fun as it looks. In today’s episode, we reflect on the first time she was interviewed on This Morning about coronavirus, how exercise is her true passion and how physical activity was given a proper rebrand during lockdown. She also explains the science behind why exercise produces ‘happy hormones’ and how it can actually change your brain chemistry. We also speak about her pregnancy and how she has achieved her two ambitions - to become a doctor and a mother! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you’re looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Dr Zoe: @drzoewilliams We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to [email protected]

Today I’m joined by Aloe Blacc, the chart-topping, Grammy nominated recording artist and singer-songwriter who has worked with an eclectic range of artists, from the late Avicii to David Guetta and more. His international hits include the amazing “I Need a Dollar” and “Wake Me Up”. In October 2020, he released the album All Love Everything and has recently released the deluxe version which includes three additional tracks - how lucky are we?! In this episode, we discuss how lockdown was the most time he’s spent at home since his kids were born and how it’s taught him to really appreciate precious moments with his family. We chat about how the essence of his new album was perfect for 2020 as it’s all about the importance of family and love. One of the things Aloe is incredibly passionate about in this interview is using his voice for positive social change. He wants to use his lyrics, platform and visibility for good which just makes me love him even more. I encourage you all to go and listen to his All Love Everything - I’ve had it on repeat and love it even more each time! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you’re looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle https://www.byemma.co/ Follow Aloe: @aloeblacc Listen to Aloe’s new album here: https://aloeblacc.lnk.to/AllLoveEverything   We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to [email protected]

This week I am thrilled to be joined by Andrea McLean, the former queen of Loose Women, award-winning TV broadcaster, journalist, radio presenter, a best-selling author and the CEO of the female empowerment site, This Girl is On Fire. In this episode, we talk about her impulsive decision to quit her TV career in lockdown and to start an online space supporting women in mind, body and business. We also speak about her struggles with anxiety and how she overcame a nervous breakdown. She explains that she now knows when to prioritise herself, how to identify her triggers and has finally learnt how important it is to ask for help. Andrea is one of the realest people I know and I’m so glad her online platform is such a success as it’s truly deserved! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you’re looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Andrea: @andreamclean1 Buy Andrea's brilliant book here. Join the waiting list for Andrea’s This Girl is On Fire Membership here   We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to [email protected]

Today I’m thrilled to be joined by Alexandra Shulman. She is, of course, the longest serving Editor of British Vogue, one of the country’s most quoted voices on fashion trends, author of two novels and a columnist for the Mail on Sunday. During the first lockdown, she also published her new book, Clothes and Other Things that Matter that blends memoir with fashion history. For more than 25 years clothes had been an integral part of her professional life. However, she explains that being surrounded by all those clothes made them the stuff of work and not personal pleasure. It was only when she eventually went digging through her cupboards that she thought about what those clothes had meant to her and how specific pieces were emblematic of a time in her life. In this episode, we discuss everything from her lockdown cosmetics obsession to how she’s bored of her bubble and longing to get dressed up again. We also discuss how she sees the fashion world changing, how smaller brands will become more ethical and what might happen to the way we shop. This conversation really encouraged me to take a proper look at my wardrobe, there are so many pieces that evoke certain memories and so many I can't bear to get rid of! Well.. maybe my Covid closet will have to go! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you’re looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Alexandra: @alexandrashulman Buy Alexandra’s brilliant book here. We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to [email protected]

Our very special guest today is Heather Dubrow. Heather is a former cast member of the Real Housewives of Orange County, host of the Botched after show and is now conquering the podcast world with Heather Dubrow’s World. Not only is she a reality TV star, she’s also a very successful entrepreneur, wife and mother. I was incredibly excited to chat to Heather today as she’s kept me company through so many things during lockdown. Whether I’m listening to her podcast or finding myself in a Heather’s Closet rabbit hole, I just have to get my Heather fix. In this episode, we talk about why it’s important to have a healthy lifestyle, why everyone assumes she’s had work done and why Goldie Hawn is her idol. We discuss how she has learnt how to give herself a break over lockdown and has stopped obsessing over her body image. Heather also talks about her daughter coming out as bisexual during lockdown and how she encouraged her to take charge of the narrative. Heather is so authentic and was every bit as inspiring as thought she would be. I hope you all enjoy the conversation as much as I did! *** Life and Soul is hosted by Emma Forbes, produced by Georgie Rutherford and edited by Steve Campen. If you’re looking for more content by Emma, please take a look at her new website which is a curation of everything she loves in life - from fashion and food to health & wellbeing:  https://www.byemma.co/ Follow us: @byemma.forbes @emmaforbeslifestyle Follow Heather: @heatherdubrow   Heather’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heather-dubrows-world/id1055087175 Heather’s website: http://heatherdubrow.com/ We would also love to hear from you so feel free to send us an email if you enjoyed this episode to [email protected]