The Edit Podcast: Recent Episodes
L‘Oréal Blackett
Welcome to The Edit Podcast, hosted by journalist and presenter L‘Oréal Blackett.
The weekly podcast looks to find positive representation online, by speaking to digital creators, entrepreneurs, activists, entertainers, and more who use their platforms for social change, uplifting their communities, and sometimes are just a good laugh.
L’Oréal’s mission is to promote real, frank conversation — let’s cut through the noise —and remind people to look after themselves on and offline.
ThisIsTheEdit
Today’s guest is the multi-talented journalist, writer, and poet Charlotte Moore.
She writes for the likes of Cosmopolitan, Refinery 29, and other major publications. She admits that the road to breaking it in media took a lot of grit… and hundreds of emails.
In this episode, Charlotte and I delve into the wonderful, fabulous, and terrifying world of freelance journalism, she explains why she keeps a rejection letter framed on her wall, and importantly, when it comes to your passions, why you should always shoot your shot.
This is the Edit.
You can follow host L’Oréal Blackett on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/loreal_blackett/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/LOreal_B
The Edit Podcast is on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_edit_podcast/
Today’s conversation is with Rabya Lomas, a British Pakistani content creator, consultant and self-coined ’desi disrupter’
September 20th is a big day for Rabya, as her Ethnicity Pay Gap petition will finally be debated in parliament.
She’s calling the government to make it mandatory for large companies to publish their ethnicity pay gaps, to shine a light on race-based inequality in the workplace.
In this episode, we discuss whether social media activism is a real thing, the importance of advocating for yourself, and how this Desi Disrupter finally found her voice.
This Is The Edit.
You can follow host L’Oréal Blackett on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/loreal_blackett/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/LOreal_B
The Edit Podcast is on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_edit_podcast/
Up next, is my conversation with Tabitha Warley, also known to her followers as Take Heart.
Outside her day job in finance, she’s a blogger who uses her platform to speak about her mental health journey and overcoming self-harm.
But that’s only part of her story. The Yorkshire native is hilarious and unapologetically honest. And, will happily to you to F off if you overstep her boundaries.
In this episode, I ask Tabitha why she shares her unfiltered life online and how she came to have the bravery to walk in her truth.
This Is The Edit.
Many are aware that fashion has a serious waste problem, and let’s face it, when it comes to over-consumption & fast fashion, a lot of us are part of the problem. However, the waste less, wear more movement is growing.
This week’s conversation is with Eshita Kabra, the Founder & CEO of By Rotation — the UK’s first social fashion rental app — where you can rent and lend designer fashion.
Having travelled to her motherland Rajasthan, India, for her honeymoon, she had witnessed the first-hand effects of textile waste and felt compelled to change, and bring about change.
Since launching in 2019, By Rotation has become the UK's largest fashion rental platform and a favourite of fashion A-listers, celebrities, royals, and more.
In this episode, we discuss why when it comes to designer clothes, it’s far cooler to borrow than buy.
This Is The Edit.
Hello and welcome back to The Edit, the podcast redefining what it means to be influential on and offline, with me journalist and presenter L’Oréal Blackett.
Next up, is my chat with Savanna Darnell.
She’s a YouTuber, dancer, musician, aspiring life coach, and back in 2018, she briefly appeared on a little-known reality show, called Love Island.
As she admits, her stint was brief, and the experience wasn’t what she expected it to be.
Still, Savanna says life outside of reality TV is far more exciting.
In this episode, she explains why she packed her bags and moved to New York, and when opportunities come knocking, it’s always worth taking the risk.
This is The Edit
Hello and welcome back to The Edit Podcast, with me L’Oréal Blackett, and I’m continuing on my search of positive influencers by speaking to creators, entrepreneurs and activists who use their platforms for social change, real talk and are just, good eggs.
Kicking off a new season is my conversation with Chanelle Mauricette.
She’s a body positivity influencer, business psychologist and charity and agency owner who I’ve followed online for a while.
While she has more than 400,000 followers, she didn’t mean to be an influencer… it just happened.
And behind her glamorous photos, she gets a lot of hate. Still, she hasn’t shied away from calling out fatphobia, misogyny, harassment, racism and even worse, death threats.
As she tells me “God didn’t just give me a platform to show people that I’m sexy.”
In this episode, she shares the hard truths about one of the most sought-after lifestyles.
This is The Edit.
Hello and welcome back to The Edit Podcast, with me journalist and presenter L’Oréal Blackett. And, Happy New Year, it has been what feels like a lifetime. Let’s just say, a lot has happened.
But I’m back with more conversations with people I think are a positive influence on and offline.
Let’s kick things off with this fab chat I had with freelance writer and author Fiona Thomas. Last year, She had just launched book ‘Out Of Office’ all about the ins and outs of going freelance and ditching your 9-to-5
For Fiona, after struggling with mental health she decided to take the leap and has since seen success going out on her own.
But how easy is it to go freelance and is the self-employed life for everyone — especially in 2021.
We talking about putting yourself out there and embracing failure, getting paid, and making it on your own terms.
This is The Edit.
Asma Hussein is the founder of Soul Sisters and Empowering People.
After escaping an abusive marriage, she now helps victims and families of domestic abuse develop life-changing coping strategies.
We spoke after the first lockdown in March, which was an extremely tough period for those dealing with domestic abuse. It was reported that Domestic violence 'increased globally during lockdown'.
Through telling her own story, Asma is empowering others to find the confidence to choose safety and thrive.
We spoke about self-belief and the power of speaking out.
This is The Edit.
Today’s podcast was recorded after the lockdown in March and a few months before the UK’s pending lockdown in November. Sigh.
Who could forget the home-workouts and IG training that kept us going over the past few months? It’s time to do it all over again.
Personal trainer Cecilia Harris is no stranger to at-home training. She’s the co-founder of nutrition and mindset app Results Wellness Lifestyle (RWL), alongside former TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh.
More than 500,000 people follow Cecilia's energetic and empowering routines. She found fitness in her mid-thirties after suffering from post-natal depression. Now she helps people find their natural high and happy place. We talk about mental health, rejecting diet culture. why you shouldn’t compare yourself to JLo.
This is The Edit.
Hello and welcome back to The Edit, the podcast redefining what it means to be influential on and offline. With me journalist and presenter, L’Oréal Blackett.
So… let’s talk about hair. Black women’s hair – a huge subject in itself. Especially the natural hair movement, which via social media posts and groups, has encouraged black women to showcase their hair in its natural texture. It’s been revolutionary.
To talk about the impact this has had, I invited Dionne Smith, an internationally sought-after, award-winning celebrity hairstylist on the podcast. She’s worked with the likes of Venus Williams, Regina King, Kiki Layne, Mel B, Ruth Carter, and many more.
Dionne is known in the industry for her cutting edge styling techniques on all hair types, yet her specialties with Natural Hair has lead her to be known nationwide.
We talk everything textures and coils and which celebrity tresses she'd love to get her hands on.
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I'm so excited to introduce today's guest: Carrie Hope Fletcher is a young woman after my own heart.
The 27-year-old is a West End actress, soon to star in the upcoming Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella.
It's a huge deal, following her long-standing role on the West End as Eponine in Les Mis.
Yet, that's not all. Carrie's also a Sunday Times bestselling author, YouTube star (over 1 million subscribers), and a philanthropist.
She's also absolutely lovely.
So how does Carrie Hope Fletcher do it all?
We spoke about her new children's book INTO THE SPOTLIGHT, work-life balance, and why your dreams are more than achievable.
Find Loreal_Blackett on Instagram
Welcome back to The Edit!
So. You have noticed that lockdown seemed to birth a successful new platform: Only Fans. It has witnessed thousands sell their nudes online via the app. Former Disney star Bella Thorne made more than $2m in one week and even Beyoncé mentioned the site in the 'Savage' remix. But who really benefits from the platform? I discuss this and much more with Stacey Clare, 'the ethical stripper.' Clare is a semi-retired stripper, writer, activist and co-founder of the East London Strippers Collective (@eastlondonstripperscollective) — an 100% stripper-led organisation that works to ensure safe working conditions for sex workers, and challenge societies engrained stigmas. We talk about what unionising looks like for sex workers, hating the 'Hustlers movie', FKA Twigs, and the true influence of Cardi B.
Season 2 has arrived!
Jess Impiazzi is a name you may have heard of. The actor was a reality TV show regular after a brief stint on Towie, she graduated to MTV’s EX on the Beach and Celebrity Big Brother. She was thrust into the public eye fast - paparazzi, social media followers, you name it.
Yet, Jess’ real reality is far more interesting than her TV stardom.
She candidly speaks about her troubles with mental health and attempted suicide, her family’s battles with domestic abuse, a public divorce and her mother’s blindness.
Jess is soon releasing her book Silver Linings where she shares her incredible story. We speak about reality show success and regrets, dealing with trauma and having the strength to find yourself again.
Find Jess Impiazzi on Instagram
Hello and welcome back to The Edit Podcast with me L’Oréal Blackett, a journalist, and presenter from Manchester.
Welcome to season 2! I’m very happy to have you back.
For those who are new here, each week I speak to positive influencers from all walks of life and have meaningful conversations about life on and off line.
We’re talking highs, lows, trends, and teachable moments. The aim is to inspire.
To kick off the new season, I’m introducing a new feature 'Editor’s Note' to answer some of your questions and get reacquainted with the podcast.
Did you know women make up just 17% of the UK’s tech specialists? I didn’t. Yet tech it’s one of the fastest-growing, lucrative industries. So why aren’t more women represented in the field?
Which brings me on to my conversation with award-winning tech entrepreneur Melissa Snover
New-York born Melissa began her entrepreneurial journey in her early twenties.
In 2010 she created the world’s first vegan confectionary Goody Good Stuff — which she later sold.
Her latest venture Nourished allows people to personalise their vitamins and superfoods based on their lifestyle and goals, using her patented 3D printing technology.
Melissa is also a mentor and encourages more women to get into tech.
Somehow she also finds time to run.
We talked about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the power of failure, and why women should take more risks.
Award-winning children’s and young adult author Abiola Belo has made her mark in the literary world.
Her fantasy fiction series Emily Knight follows the story of a teenage warrior. A strong, Black, female lead character who lives a rich and privileged life.
Abiola is passionate about diversity and inclusion in publishing.
At just 31, she’s co-founder of Hashtag Press and Hashtag BLAK, an imprint for under-represented writers.
We talk 90s inspiration including Dragon Ball Z, imposter syndrome, and why publishing still needs more representation…
This is The Edit...
Nicole Ocran is an American content creator and blogger living in London.
She’s part of a growing number of people, mainly women, who have forged a career from their blogs, Instagram pages, and more.
It’s a VERY lucrative business — from Kylie Jenner who can command 1 mill dollars per post *, to everyday people who’ve transformed the lives into content.
Although not everyone gives creators their credit. And some brands don’t treat, or pay them fairly.
Nicole helped co-launch The Creator Union to ensure all influencers get what they deserve.
She explained why people should finally see influencing a real job
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6 years ago, Roisin Pelan was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant.
And, some years later doctors confirmed it was incurable.
Since this life-altering news, Roisin set up Facebook community ‘Cancer Fighting Pants Are On’ where she shares her highs, lows, and superpowers.
She runs gifting company Fighty Pants and writes a column for Daily Mirror.
Most of all she’s a fantastic mother, a beacon of optimism, and hilarious.
We spoke about living with cancer during the coronavirus, the importance of online communities, and why everyone should share their story…
This is the Edit
Today’s guest is Daniel Peters.
A menswear designer who formerly held roles at Burberry and the British Fashion Council.
When it comes to the industry he knows what he’s talking about.
He recently launched campaign The (Fashion) Minority Report to tackle Workplace inequality.
He’s urging the UK fashion industry to increase diversity by 5% over the next year.
And he wants to see the receipts.
So people of colour, women, people with disabilities, and more have a seat at the table. Yes.
We talk glass ceilings, cultural appropriation, fashion's diversity issue.
This is the Edit.
This week I discussed if Instagram can be a space for both beauty and education.
I chatted to very popular content creator Char Ellesse,
On the ‘gram she’s an unapologetic, queer black woman of dreams.
— I’m talking shaved head, artistic make-up, outfits on point. But there’s more than meets the eyes
She launched platform Girls Will Be Boys to challenge old fashioned ideas about gender roles.
Her video series #OMGSHESBALD features conversations with women and non-binary people about why they shaved their heads.
I wanted to know if you can use fashion & beauty to provoke conversations about race, sexuality, gender, and much more.
This is The Edit
Today’s guest is a party starter. Literally.
After making her name on the 90s club scene, DJ Paulette was one of the first female DJs to headline the legendary Hacienda club.
She’s also one of the few black female DJs to support major names in dance music from Giles Peterson to David Guetta.
A trailblazer.
For nearly three decades and over three countries, DJ Paulette has held residencies at some of the most prestigious clubs and best parties in the world
Yet Manchester is where she calls home.
In lockdown, we talk nostalgia, egos in the music biz, the wildest parties and outfits, and why they aren’t more black female DJs in the industry.
This is the Edit
I don’t know about you but I love an uplifting quote online. I can’t help but share them.
My next guest Zara Khalique has built her lifestyle brand Keep It Bright on just that.
It’s a global online store featuring slogan clothing, books, and accessories, all built from her bedroom when she was just 15-year-old.
Now, the likes of Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys, Miranda Kerr and more have worn her items.
Zara’s positivity is infectious, so much so she’s been deemed a “warrior of light”.
Despite her success, Zara isn’t money motivated and her aim is is to empower, uplift & encourage her audience.
I wanted to know how hard it is to resist trends as a small business owner and how to build an online audience based on positivity.
Today’s podcast was recorded on what they’re calling “blackout Tuesday.” Hundreds of social media posts have gone dark in solidarity with those protesting the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Yet another innocent black man killed by police.
The video horrified the world and the injustice further traumatised black people. We’ve seen this time and time again.
Right now, protests against police brutality reached has fever pitch in America.
Sparking solidarity protests in the UK, Berlin, Melbourne Australia, Kenya etc.
It should go without saving Black Lives Matter.
To grasp the magnitude of the events, I’m speaking to a friend based the US.
He is a musician from band RDGLDGRN
They’ve worked with Pharrell, Dave Ghrol and Method Man
He goes by his adopted colour “Red”
But before all that he’s a black man living in this America.
Let’s talk.
Illustrator Dom&Ink is overflowing with personality. Seriously.
I first met the Bolton native with a pen behind his ear, frantically drawing hundreds of people in Selfridges. He’s been booking huge gigs ever since and has created work for Cheryl, Little Mix, 'X factor', and 'Ru Paul’s Drag Race'. His work has also been featured in Cosmopolitan, Gay Times, Glamour, Buzzfeed, and more.
But more so, Dominic has used his growing platform to champion minority voices. Themes in his work include LGBTQ+ rights, mental health awareness, body positivity, and of course drag queens.
He recently released the journal 'Free To Be Me' — a Love Letter to the LGBTQ+ community, designed to help young people come out. It was published by Penguin and is soon to be released in the US.
I wanted to know how he built a brand that’s both sincere and joyful.
Let's just say, everyone in Manchester knows Jsky.
He's a musician, presenter, and reality TV show regular from 'First Dates' to Channel 4's 'Naked Beach' (where he actually got naked in aid of promoting body positivity). He's often papped wearing spectacular eccentric outfits with his celebrity friends about town.
From the outfits to the public appearances, Jsky is an unapologetic self-promoter but I wanted to know how much of Jsky is a character and what it really takes to "create yourself" online.
We talk about confidence, self-belief, and changing perceptions.
Welcome to The Edit by L'Oréal Blackett, the Podcast that asks what It means to have "influence" in today’s digital world.
My name’s L’Oréal Blackett, a journalist, magazine editor, and presenter from Manchester.
For the past 10 years, I’ve interviewed hundreds of successful people, from all walks of life. One thing they had in common is they had influence. On and offline.
Fast forward to now when influencers are a new phenomenon. It’s a billion-dollar industry - mainly led by young women carving out a world for their own. And it seems everyone wants to have a personal brand nowadays.
Let’s face it, I want in.
But, at what cost?
I interview successful people from all walks of life to ask just that.
This, is The Edit.