Life In Charms with Annoushka Ducas MBE – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome back to My Life In Seven Charms where today I am joined by Sadie Frost.

From her first TV ad aged three years old to directing the acclaimed Mary Quant biopic, Sadie Frost has successfully juggled her multi-talented career both in front of and behind a camera, alongside motherhood of four children and designing gorgeous knickers with her best friend in the 90s to sustainable yoga wear today. 

Sadie shares her story of a Bohemian upbringing and life since as an actor, mother, fashion designer and director. As a vocal ambassador for wellness, vegetarianism and meditation, Sadie tells me why we should all be focusing on what makes us happy! 

Welcome back to My Life In Seven Charms where today I am joined by Michelle Kennedy, co-founder and CEO of Peanut: the social networking app for women focused on fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause. Starting her career in law, Michelle rose to become Deputy CEO of the dating appBadoo and she then served as a board member at Bumble, another leading dating apps. 

Feeling lonely after the giving birth, and frustrated at the lack of connection and resources for new mothers, Michelle drew on her extensive tech background to co-found Peanut as a space for mothers to meet and build relationships. 

In 2022, PEANUT was named one of Time Magazine’S Top 100 most influential companies, and I'm fascinated to find out more about the person behind the app and what mistakes and sacrifices she has made along the way in a typically male-dominated tech world. 

Welcome Michelle Kennedy to My Life in Seven Charms.

We are delighted to open Series 3 with an authority in the jewellery world and the 2022 Gem Award Winner for Media Excellence - Mel Grant. Mel is an award-winning author, writer, curator, stylist and art director and has written a definitive book on key designers and curated an influential exhibition celebrating black jewellery talent for Sotheby’s New York. She is the Jewellery Editor for The Economist and writes for Vogue, Vanity Fair and Tatler. One of her earliest memories is twirling around her grandmother’s garden wearing all of her jewellery and being captivated by the experience. She also knew that she wanted to be a journalist from when she was eight. Her writing is alive with the vibrancy and joy of having combined those two passions. I’m delighted to welcome Melanie Grant to My Life In Seven Charms

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Born into a creative, bohemian family who own the largest apple orchard in Europe, my guest this week has been called the Ralph Lauren of British fashion. Famous for her beautiful, ethereal clothing which is worn by women all over the world, she began, in her own words, as a ‘girl from Somerset designing tea dresses.’ During lockdown she has created a fabulous emporium back in her beloved Somerset. I can’t wait to hear all about it and am delighted to welcome Alice Temperley to My Life In Seven Charms.

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Our final guest on this series of MLISC began her life as an occasional, very tiny guest on Blue Peter. Smart, beautiful and cool, she became a successful pop singer with a string of hits. She’s been a Strictly finalist and one of the Masked Singers. She’s the mother of five gorgeous boys. She danced into all of our homes with her Kitchen Disco during Lockdown and turned it into a best selling album. She’s currently brimfull of new projects, with a successful podcast and her first book coming out this Ocotber. I’m delighted to welcome Sophie Ellis Bextor to My Life in Seven Charms.

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Stylist, editor and creative director, my guest today on My Life In Seven Charms is also known as the Queen of Thrift. A trailblazer who combined second-hand shop finds with couture for luxury shoots, she brought thrift into the mainstream. Her recent pop-up Oxfam store at Selfridges, fronted by Michaela Cole, was a sell-out. Her emphasis on the joy of thrifting has reached new audiences as fashion begins to think more about sustainability. She’s also a talented photographer who has shot covers and editorial for magazines all over the world, she has that most elusive of qualities –a  brilliant eye. I’m delighted to welcome Bay Garnett to My Life In Seven Charms.

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Known to fashionistas as the much-loved Mrs B, my next guest on the podcast is the original curator, the first and foremost fashion retailer with her multi-brand emporium Browns. A persuader, who was able to entice luxe brands to London, and a nurturer who scooped up entire collections from Central St Martin’s graduate shows, her career has spanned over fifty years in fashion. The first woman to wear trousers in Claridges, her style and her instinctive eye have made her an icon. I’m delighted to welcome Joan Burstein to My Life In Seven Charms.

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Writer, historian, educator, and someone who shone a light for millions of people around the world onto the recent history of China, Jung Chang wrote Wild Swans, one of the most influential multi-generational biographies of our time. She has also written meticulously researched books on Chinese leaders such as Chairman Mao and the Dowager Empress Cixi. Born fourteen years before the Cultural Revolution began, Jung Chang was swept up by that particular tide of history.

Briefly a member of the Red Guard, and then a so-called barefoot doctor, electrician and steelworker, she watched her parents being repeatedly denounced and her father’s heath utterly broken by his treatment. When the universities re-opened in 1973, she was galvanised to begin studying, and she came to the UK on a Chinese government scholarship as a postgraduate student. She was the first Chinese person to gain a Phd in the UK. A visit here from her mother began the train of events which resulted in Wild Swans and then her life changed for ever. It became the highest-selling non-fiction paperback book ever published. I’m delighted to welcome Jung Chang to My Life in Seven Charms.

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Creating the spaces that people call home takes style, flair and emotional insight. They are qualities that my guest this week on My Life in Seven Charms has in spades. Her ascent has been remarkable. Founding her own agency aged only 24, she has quickly gained a reputation for warm, uplifting, gorgeous rooms which are filled with beautiful art. Eclectic and strong on sustainability, she draws on a boho upbringing which weaves together South Africa, Devon, New York and now London. Her Instagram following is made up of chic, savvy, interiors-obsessed millennials who love her ‘how-to’ advice. Already a trail-blazer, I’m delighted to welcome Sophie Ashby to My Life in Seven Charms.

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A International Women's Day Special - Being an Olympic gold medalist in one discipline takes talent, courage and resilience. Being an Olympic gold medalist in an event that requires brilliance in seven of them is utterly awe-inspiring. My guest this week found athletics when she was eight, and she was instantly smitten. Displaying extraordinary commitment and determination from the word go, striking gold with a historic win at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, an OBE, an ambassador for many charities, a cheerleader for girls' participation in sport. She is also a mother of four children. I'm so thrilled to welcome the amazing Denise Lewis OBE to My Life In Seven Charms.

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