Before the Work Begins – Details, episodes & analysis

What do creative people really do before their work begins?

Jo Hutton, author of best-selling Substack Yoga for Tired People, sits down with the movers and shakers of the creative industry to find out what their mornings actually look like.

This week, Jo sits down with actress and North East icon Jill Halfpenny for a warm, wide-ranging chat about what life really looks like when the cameras aren't rolling. From Waterloo Road and Byker Grove to The Feud and her newest show Number One Fan, they cover the mental toll of playing characters in constant distress, why Jill spent years thinking structure was the enemy of creativity, and how moving back to the Northeast mid-pandemic turned out to be one of the best decisions she ever made. Oh, and the correct strategy for a hotel breakfast buffet.

Follow Jill on Instagram: @jillhalfpenny

Follow Jo on Instagram:  @johuttonyoga

Read Jo's Substack: Yoga for Tired People

New episodes every Wednesday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. 🎙️

What do creative people do before their work begins? Author of best-selling Substack Yoga for Tired People, Jo Hutton interviews the movers and shakers of the creative industry to discover what their mornings actually look like. Breakfast included.

New episodes every Wednesday.🎙️

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Jill Halfpenny has graced our screens for over 20 years, walking some of Britain's most famous streets in Byker Grove, EastEnders and Waterloo Road, getting her dancing shoes on as a Strictly Come Dancing winner, and most recently starring in The Jetty. If you've ever watched her work, you'll know she brings everything she has to it every single time.

Jill is one of Britain's most beloved actors and she is one of the most honest, grounded, generous people I've had the pleasure of sitting down with.

The full episode drops on 13th May. This is just the trailer. Trust me, you'll want to set a reminder.

What do creative people really do before their work begins? Jo Hutton, author of best-selling Substack Yoga for Tired People, sits down with the movers and shakers of the creative industry to find out what their mornings actually look like. This week Jo is joined by Clover Stroud, writer and author, to talk about confessional writing, grief, and what keeps drawing her back to the page. They cover the losses that have shaped her life and work, the cultural shift in how personal storytelling is received, and why Substack has changed things for writers like Clover. Plus what her relationship with horses has taught her, and how writing the hardest things down can end up being the most generous thing you offer a reader. Listen to the podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/before-the-work-begins/id1893617752 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3J3V6u8aySnRETRDt0UqUQ?si=94c887fc9a544827Follow Clover Stroud: Website: https://www.cloverstroud.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clover.stroud/?hl=en Substack: https://cloverstroud.substack.com/ Follow Jo Hutton: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johuttonyoga/ Substack: https://substack.com/@johuttonyoga Yoga For Tired People YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC0o72ykjQgSAP0RPTeISbvA Produced by  @moja_social  New episodes every Wednesday. 🎙️

From the serene mountains in Italy to Cringe Mountain, this week Jo is joined by live illustrator and writer Katie Chappell to discuss the importance how online spaces function as safe spaces to express creativity. Now based in the North East, Katie describes her ideal mornings (usually consisting of a café and a ‘bucket’ of coffee), and how asking for feedback is terrifying but definitely worth it. Oh, and how to have breakfast, the Scottish way.

Follow Katie Chappell:

Website: https://www.katiechappell.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiedraws/?hl=en Substack: https://katiedraws.substack.com/

Follow Jo Hutton:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johuttonyoga/

Substack: https://substack.com/@johuttonyoga

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeforetheWorkBegins

Produced by @moja_social

New episodes every Wednesday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.🎙️

This week, Jo chats to broadcaster, comedian, illustrator and all-round North East favourite Alfie Joey about a life that’s taken him from a County Durham pit village to a monastery, onto the stand-up stand and behind the mic on BBC Radio Newcastle.

They talk about the very ordinary shape of his mornings now – kettles on, school runs, and calls from the kitchen table – and why an online body-doubling site called Focusmate has become his antidote to procrastination when he’s working from home.

Alfie also reflects on 15 years in a religious order, the shock of swapping early prayers for late-night comedy clubs, giving up booze and even chocolate completely, and how drawing children’s books at 3am became the quiet ritual that kept him sane during daily radio. He and Jo also revisit the day he and his double-act partner took their A–Z of impressions onto Britain’s Got Talent and walked away with four yeses, and why he now loves helping businesses and charities find the human story in what they do.

Plus: parkruns, buffet disasters, and the real answer to how “healthy” a former monk actually is at breakfast.

Follow Jo on Instagram: @johuttonyoga

Follow Alfie’s art account on Instagram: @alfiejoey.art

Read Jo's Substack: https://www.yogafortiredpeople.com/

Check out Alfie’s website: https://alfiejoey.com/

New episodes every Wednesday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

To hear more, visit: https://beforetheworkbegins.substack.com/

This week, Jo is joined by voice coach and camping enthusiast Nic Redman to discuss the surprisingly blurry line between voice coaching and therapy, and how the slow cooker is a core element of the morning routine. Nic shares her practical tips on how to properly look after your voice during a cold and how to speak confidently in rooms where your voice may not be the loudest (and how to use this to your advantage). Also, if you see Nic Redman riding side saddle on an Irish Wolfhound in the countryside, her fantasy morning has come true.

Follow Nic Redman:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicredvoice/?hl=en

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/nic-redman-voice-podcast-recording-coach

Website: https://nicolaredman.com/

Podcast: https://nicolaredman.com/voice-coach-podcast/

Follow Jo Hutton:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johuttonyoga/

Substack: https://substack.com/@johuttonyoga

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeforetheWorkBegins

Produced by @moja_social

New episodes every Wednesday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.🎙️

Substack expert and engagement consultant Claire Venus joins Jo for an honest conversation about burnout in creative spaces and her memories of morning routines, from paper rounds to walks by the beach. She shares the reality of moving from a city to the countryside and why travelling solo changed how she sees connection and community. From her childhood breakfast of cheese and mayonnaise to the best hotel breakfast buffet she’s ever had ✨make space for the honeycomb wall✨ Claire reveals how despite life’s unpredictability, she forged her way through the perfect storm.

Follow Claire Venus:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creatively.conscious/

Substack: https://creativelyconscious.substack.com/

Podcast: https://www.creativelyconscious.co.uk/podcasts

Follow Jo Hutton:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johuttonyoga/

Substack: https://substack.com/@johuttonyoga

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeforetheWorkBegins

Produced by @moja_social

New episodes every Wednesday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.🎙️