SOS SHE MADE IT with Bonnie Lister Parsons: Recent Episodes
School of SOS
SOS SHE MADE IT shares the stories of how successful, inspiring women built their businesses, brands, careers and communities from the ground up - so you can build yours!
This week, Bonnie is speaking to Sarah Alice Burns, professional backing dancer and artist development coach born and raised in Perth, Australia!
Sarah worked with Beyoncé for four continuous years, performing alongside Beyoncé at THAT infamous Super Bowl performance, countless award shows, The Beyoncé Visual Album, The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour and the worldwide IVY PARK campaign.
Sarah has also danced for musical icons: Brandy, Jay-Z, DJ Khaled, Meek Mill, Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Janelle Monáe, Kelly Rowland, Usher, Ne-Yo, Hailee Steinfeld and many more.
It’s INSANE what Sarah has achieved, and we’re going to find out just what it was like to go behind the scenes of Beyoncé’s creative process from auditions and rehearsals, to the iconic shows that have shaped our generation. Most importantly, this is a story of believing in yourself, your dreams and your talent.
We hope you LOVE this. Enjoy, kick, back, relax and go on this journey to the biggest stages in the world.
Queens, STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING ✋It’s time to meet Natalie Campbell, an award-winning CEO who joins us to chat feminine leadership & building a better world in this week’s SOS SHE MADE IT Podcast 🎧
Natalie is a CEO in her DNA, currently leading the UK’s most ethical water brand which has donated over £5 million to @wateraid to date 💦
Natalie began her entrepreneurial journey at just 20 years old as a franchisee of clothing chain Morgan, securing a £100,000 loan from the bank while still at University to launch her first venture! Natalie then went on to co-found A Very Good Company, a global social innovation agency that worked with brands such as Virgin Media, Marks & Spencer, W Hotels and Channel 4 to embed purpose and sustainability. In 2018, Natalie then joined #TheRoyalFoundation as their first Director of Insight and Innovation.
Natalie has sat on over 10 boards over her thriving career including the #BigLotteryFund and LEAP, the economic action partnership for the #MayorofLondon.
If that’s not enough (!) Natalie co-hosted @badasswomenshr on talkRADIO and is recognised in Management Today's 35 Women Under 35, #WISE100, #BRUMMELL and #CityAM Power 100 Women lists.
Queens, this conversation is a 💥 GAME CHANGER 💥 Natalie’s story, her incredible insights into building a more equitable world through her vision for non-binary feminine leadership is a MUST LISTEN 🎙 We can not wait for you to go on this journey with us.
Link in our bio to stream now! 👑🎙💕🔮
Queens, meet Li Li Hodge… top Pro-Dancer, Co-Founder of The Dancers Network and SOS Master BOSS! This independent woman is lighting up the dance world with her talent, smarts and drive to create a better world, bringing empowerment wherever she goes.
Li Li has worked with the biggest pop artists in the game, including Little Mix, Dua Lipa, Zara Larsson, Meghan Trainor, Jess Glynne and Kylie Minogue, plus major TV shows such as X Factor, the MTV EMAs, Britain's Got Talent, The Voice UK, and The BRIT Awards.
Alongside LiLi's dance career, LiLi co-founded the Dancers Network - a community of experienced, passionate dancers making big changes in the dance industry to ensure hard working, highly skilled dancers are paid proportionately to their worth, while also leading the conversation of equality for all.
What’s so interesting about Li Li’s story is not just the success she’s had, but the mindset behind the success, and how she’s bringing her human experience to everything she does. Because for Li Li, her work isn’t just about the next job, it’s about how it’s going to grow her as a woman, as a person, as a human… so she can achieve everything and more that she deserves in her life. So this episode is really about her story, and a different way of thinking, really breaking the mould, living life on your terms and by your rules.
So enjoy! And as always, sending love from both Li Li and I!
Queens, I am very excited to be kicking off our new series with the incredible Preeya Varsani – Head of Corporate Fundraising at Women for Women International, responsible for raising the key funds to help women survivors of war rebuild their lives.
Preeya began her career in Public Relations, going on to become Head of Global PR & Events at Charlotte Tilbury Beauty expanding the brand across the US, Canada, Europe & Australia, where launching a charity partnership led to her transition to working for women survivors of war. Now, Preeya manages a portfolio of Corporate Partners including NET-A-PORTER, Charlotte Tilbury and Jimmy Choo amongst many others.
In this episode, Preeya tells her story of how she made it to where she is today, sharing her brilliant insights on how to give yourself an edge as a Queen on the hustle, and how to turn that edge into purpose so you can make your impact on the world.
I’m so excited for you to meet Preeya, so let’s dive in!
Bonnie x
If you want to learn how to speak out for what you believe in, and use your voice as a force for change, listen to this! Dr Ateh Jewel is a multi-award winning journalist, producer, director, influencer and diversity advocate, plus amazing mumma to her beautiful twin girls. You can find Ateh's powerful work in Vogue, Sunday Times Style Magazine, Financial Times, Guardian, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Marie Claire, Grazia, This Morning, Glamour Magazine... the list goes on! Ateh is on The British Beauty Council Advisory Board, and speaks on panels for Stylist Live, P&G, Unilever, Coty, Adwoa Aboah GURLS TALK events, and many more.
In this episode, Ateh shares how ‘she made it’ to the top, and pushed against the headwinds of racism and sexism to forge her own path, tapping into her inner self-belief to get to where she is today. Get ready to be inspired Queens! Huge thank you Ateh for sharing your incredible story, and empowering us all.
We referenced this article which Ateh recently wrote for Glamour Magazine in the podcast so please do read it here! https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/ateh-jewel-racial-discrimination-personal-story
Maegan has worked with Little Mix, Britney Spears, Jax Jones, Olly Murs, Demi Lovato and many more... So, how did she go from up and coming song writer, to writing award-winning hits for the A-List? And how does Maegan protect her mental health along the way to heal her hustle?
Listen to find out in this very special episode, recorded for the SOS HEAL & HUSTLE campaign for Mental Health Awareness Week.
To quote Queen Maegan – “Songs are how feelings sound"
They've taught 300 women between them, and made herstory as School of SOS's first ever Certified BOSSES!
It’s International Women’s Week, and we're bringing you a very special IWD edition of The SOS SHE MADE IT podcast featuring School of SOS founding BOSSES Danielle Collier, Eilidh Brown, Ruth Philips & Ellie Hawkins.
Have you wondered what it’s like being a BOSS, living out your dream side hustle and being on the front lines of empowering a generation every day? Do you want to learn more about the dance experience our founding BOSSES had before signing up for School of SOS, how they built their customer bases from scratch, plus their honest accounts of their experience on the SOS BOSS instructor training course (with all the epic highs and tough challenges along the way), and why they’re so inspired to empower women to change their lives for the better?!
Tune in to hear their incredible stories, lead by SOS CEO Bonnie Lister Parsons. Wishing a very Happy International Women's Week to all our #SOSQueens!
Kelechi and Lisa have danced for the likes of Little Mix, Mabel, Kylie Minogue, Alicia Keys, Disney’s Aladdin, Nicole Scherzinger, Tina Turner, Zara Larson, Game of Thrones, Ed Sheeran, Megan Trainor, Sean Paul, Robbie Williams, Stormzy, The BRIT Awards, The MOBO Awards, Britain’s Got Talent, The Voice, and The X Factor Live Shows to name a few, with over 20 years of professional dance experience between them!
While smashing it in the dance world, Lisa and Kelechi are School of SOS Master BOSSES, choreographing incredible national routines, taught by our BOSSES across the country. Listen to find out how these empowered women found their confidence through dance, and dealt with the pressures of the super competitive dance industry.
Hannah has interviewed A-list stars from Jodie Comer to Kate Moss, working her way up the journalism ladder from ES Magazine (the lifestyle supplement with London’s Evening Standard newspaper) to joining Vogue as Acting Commissioning Editor - to where she is now, Features Director at ELLE UK.
Listen to learn how Hannah 'made it' in such a competitive industry, how she found her inner confidence, what the day in the life of ELLE's Features Director is like, the impact Hannah wants to achieve through her work and Hannah's biggest learning from her readers.
Hannah's recent career highlights included a Women in Sport issue to mark an incredible summer of sport, ‘chairing’ a conversation between Jodie Comer (aka Villanelle) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and launching the ELLE Weekender, a 4000-strong live event at London’s Saatchi Gallery.
Emilie Bellet is the founder of Vestpod as well as the author of the Amazon best seller 'You're Not Broke You're Pre-Rich'. Krystal Roxx is a celebrity DJ, JD Sports Ambassador and founder of Superfoxx, a female social enterprise on a mission to empower women & girls through music.
Both Emilie & Krystal have built super powerful female communities and businesses on their own terms, from the ground up. Listen to find out how they did it, so you can make it, too!
Author of Train Happy, co-founder of Girl Gains, co-host of Radio 5 podcast Fit & Fearless and personal trainer, Tally has built one of the most influential digital communities in fitness, and is changing the national conversation around our relationship with exercise.