Verso Folio: Recent Episodes
Verso Folio
Welcome to Verso Folio, a show all about sharing conversations with women who bring new concepts to the table and who are doing things just a little bit differently. In each episode, Verso founder Karla Liddle-White brings you conversations from a host of fascinating people which hopefully spark thoughts and discussions long after you've finished listening. Follow and subscribe so you never miss a moment.
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vedangi Kulkarni circumnavigated the world by bike. At the age of 19, she rode 29,000km in 160 days around the globe. An incredible ride, and even more remarkable when you hear what happened along the way - an encounter with a grizzly bear family, being held at knifepoint and discovering the kindness of strangers.
You can find Vedangi on Instagram and her business the Adventure Shed is all about making adventure accessible.
Gill Castle, or as she’s known on her blog ‘Stoma Chameleon' gave birth to her son at 34 weeks, her birth experience was traumatic and changed the course of her life forever. It resulted in Gill having a permanent stoma, PTSD and postnatal depression.
We hear Gill’s birth story and we also talk about what she has achieved since her birth experience, life with a stoma and her adventures. Gill has completed a half ironman, she’s been skydiving, scuba diving and she overcame her fear of swimming in open water to become a self-confessed cold-water swimming addict.
Talking points include:
· Gill’s traumatic birth story
· Birth trauma awareness including details about different degrees of tear
· Talking about miscarriage and shared experiences being comforting
· Recovery after trauma
· Looking to the future after recovery
· Gill's adventures
· Swimming with a stoma
· Cold water benefits for mental health
· Breaking down stigmas
· Accepting and overcoming fear
· Prepping for swimming the English Channel
You can find Gill through her blog ‘Stoma Chameleon', Instagram and Twitter.
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Adventurer, business woman and world record holder, Victoria Humphries was part of the first all-female expedition to the North Pole in 1997. Victoria has also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, she’s run marathons, run businesses and last year when she turned 50 - she embarked on 50@50 – 50 different challenges; some physical, some out of her comfort zone and some to learn new things.
After we talk about the North Pole and Victoria's other adventures, we talk about what adventure means, about facing fear and self-belief – it was one of the most insightful interviews on the podcast yet.
Talking points include:
- Victoria’s account of the first all-female expedition to the North Pole
- Sharing such an adventure with her mum
- Writing a book about the expedition
- What the reality of the arctic is really like
- A frightening tale of falling into ice water
- Victoria’s 50 challenges at 50
- What adventure means
- Doing things that aren’t in your comfort zone
- The rewards of adventure
- Being an ordinary woman who happens to believe that anything is possible
- Importance of perspective when things go wrong
- Moving through fear rather than fighting it
- The lessons from adventure being more important than the adventures themselves
- How men and women approach adventure
- Why there aren’t more female adventures
- Advice for women who embark on adventures
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Soraya Abdel-Hadi is the founder of All the Elements, a community working to increase diversity in the UK outdoors and she is also a contemporary female adventurer. There are large segments of our population who are underrepresented, under promoted and under supported in our outdoor spaces, but there are also individuals, community groups and organisations working to create change and All the Elements is their community.
In 2014, Soraya left her career as an equestrian journalist to study sustainability for business, achieving a One Planet MBA, and since then has worked in roles and projects to create social and environmental change, including founding All the Elements and taking part in expeditions all over the world. Soraya is also the Operations Manager for eXXpedition, a not-for-profit organisation which runs pioneering all-female sailing research expeditions to investigate the causes and solutions of ocean plastic pollution.
Talking points include:
- Where does an adventurous spirit come from
- Soraya’s adventure experiences
- Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations
- Career changes and having a purpose
- Studying sustainability in business- One Planet MBA
- The importance of role modelling and amplifying women
- How and why she founded All the Elements
- Challenges and the creativity behind setting up All the Elements
- How do we increase diversity outdoors?
- eXXpedition – all-female sailing research expeditions looking at ocean plastic pollution
Take a look at All the Elements and eXXpedition.
You can also find Soraya on Instagram and on her website.
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hot air balloon pilot Allie Dunnington holds the women’s world record for flying a hot air balloon in the most countries in the world and she’s also the UK’s first female Private Pilot Licence Examiner. She’s flown in 103 countries so far, and she’s on a mission to add so many more.
Allie is extremely passionate about getting more women flying. She's an active member of the British Women Pilots’ Association and set up the Women’s Balloon Event for female pilots which also promotes hot air ballooning for women.
Talking points include:
-Allie’s world record breaking flights around the world
-How Allie got into hot air ballooning
-Memorable flights and flying in different terrains
-What hot air ballooning is like and how to become a pilot
-What qualities you need to be a pilot
-The reasons there aren’t more female pilots and how to solve this
-Women in aviation
-The Women’s Balloon Events and how they started
Kalkidan Legesse is a social entrepreneur who founded the ethical fashion retailer Sancho’s and the clothing resale platform OWNI (formally known as Shwap).
Talking points include:
-Sancho’s game changing ethos and aims
-Sancho’s as a platform for anti-racism discussions, of learning and growing
-Bringing equality to the fashion industry
-Supporting black women owned businesses
-Black Pound Day
-Transparent pricing
-Kalkidan’s new clothing resale platform OWNI
-Evolving business due to COVID-19
-Winning Best High Street Shop of 2020 by Holly and Co
-Sancho’s new loungewear and photoshoot with Maia Thomas
-The inspiring women in Kalkidan’s life
You can find sustainable fashion at Sancho's
You can find Kalkidan on Instagram and Patreon.
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rosie is a freelance illustrator who set up her own business ‘Rosie Johnson Illustrates’ and provides illustrated social and political commentary on her social channels.
Talking points include:
- How she started her business
- Why she stopped teaching
- What life looks like as a freelance illustrator
- The joys and challenges of working for yourself
- The inspirations behind the illustrations
- Fairness and equality in business and in life
- Indie Roller courses and community for small indie businesses
- Crediting artists for their work
- The woman who inspires Rosie most
You can find Rosie and her work at:
www.rosiejohnsonillustrates.com
www.facebook.com/rosiejohnsonillustration
www.instagram.com/rosiejohnsonillustrates
Stacey is a freelance writer and blogger, editor of award-winning interior design blog The Design Sheppard and founder of The Tribe Co-working, a co-working space for creative female entrepreneurs.
Talking points include:
- What life is like as a freelance writer and blogger
- How to successfully grow a social media following
- The pros and cons of working for and by yourself
- The Tribe and why Stacey created a female only co-working space
- Female entrepreneurship in the South West
- Women supporting women in business
- Biophilic design (no, I didn’t know what that was either!)
- How lockdown has affected The Tribe
- How can we support each other and help each other be the best we can be
- What the future holds for The Tribe and The Design Sheppard blog
You can find The Tribe at: https://thetribecoworking.co.uk/who-are-we/
The Design Sheppard blog at: https://www.thedesignsheppard.com/#sthash.MOz0BZAI.dpbs
And on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thetribecoworks/
https://www.instagram.com/staceyjsheppard/
Sam Acourt is a freelance journalist who started her own local online news journal in the south west of England.
Talking points include:
-Setting up a business
-The importance of local journalism
-The decline of print media
-The emergence of digital news
-Working as a mother
-The issues with childcare
-Lockdown
Debbie is a personal trainer and runs her own fitness business, Fighting Fit Devon. Debbie has a third-degree black belt in kickboxing, she’s completed four marathons and taken on the Forces March six times which is five marathons in five days – this woman is fit and we hear all about how she set up her business.
Anna Liddle founded her business SMALL-FOLK in 2018, SMALL-FOLK offers a collection of ethical and sustainable clothing, shoes and accessories for babies, children and women. Here she shares her story of founding the business, speaking on how it feels to run her own company and how women who run their own businesses can support other women.
SMALL-FOLK: https://small-folk.co.uk/
SMALL-FOLK Instagram: www.instagram.com/small.folk/
Welcome to Conversations from Verso Folio, a show all about sharing conversations with guests who bring new concepts to the table and who are doing things just a little bit differently. In each episode, Verso founder Karla Liddle-White brings you conversations from a host of fascinating people which hopefully spark thoughts and discussions long after you've finished listening. Follow and subscribe so you never miss a moment.
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.