Today we are joined by one of my favourite athletes, a true tennis champ, Danielle Collins.
I love Danielle because she is such a fierce competitor and so real and I think you are going to be so inspired by her honesty in this episode.
Fresh from Wimbledon, Danielle takes us back to her improbable journey to the top of tennis from not even being able to keep score in her first tournament as a kid and playing against 50 year old men as a ten year old to becoming a top ten player in the world, a grand slam runner up at the Australian Open, and going on a career changing 15 match winning streak last year. That streak saw her win a huge tennis title, Miami Open and another Charleston back to back - a feat last achieved by Serena Williams.
But some of Danielle’s greatest challenges have come off the court as she talks about having to deal with sexism, inappaorpate behaviour from men, and playing tennis with endometriosis.
I love Danielle’s words on the life changing power of letting go of trying to be liked, so I hope this episode encourages you to walk into any room with a faith in your voice and confidence in yourself. If you love this chat as much as I do please reach out, as I love to chat. You can find me across socials @joshsmithhosts and if you want more inspiring conversations with incredible sporting stars from Wimbledon Champion Elena Rybakina to Lioness legends Jill Scott and Lucy Bronze check out our podcast back catalogue. Love, Josh x
P.S This week’s episode of Reign is brought to you in partnership with my favourite brands, FP Movement - who offer performance ready activewear from the studio to the street. What I love about FP Movement is that they believe in the power of community, while standing out amongst the crowd, and we are ALWAYS here for any opportunity to express yourself while lifting up others! If listening to Danielle has got you inspired to pick up a tennis racquet, head to FP Movement. Their tennis and racket sport collection is full of performance ready styles which allow for maximum flexibility and power on the court. Check out the collection online at www.freepeople.com/uk/fpmovement/
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Ep 142: Megan Stalter
Strap yourself in for a great chat with Megan Stalter - this is truly one of the funniest episodes of the podcast ever!
You might already know Megan from her TikTok comedy skits which got her big break in the Emmy award winning TV show ‘Hacks’ where she plays the chaotic assistant, Kayla opposite Jean Smart.
Now Megan is taking the lead in Lena Dunham’s new semi-autobigraphical Netflix show, ‘Too Much’ where she plays Jessica, who moves to London after a heartbreak and meets an indie boy in her local boozer played by Will Sharpe (you will remember him from The White Lotus - of course!) It’s a chef’s kiss from me and you will absolutely LOVE this show when it lands on Netflix on 10th July.
Today we giggle through so many relatable topics like confidence, fears of phone calls, being thrown out of a Shakespeare improv group and how much we love gay - because pride is 365 days of the year babes!
I hope this episode shows you that if anyone ever calls you TOO MUCH, they are actually just too small for you! And if you love this conversation too, get in touch with me across socials @joshsmithhosts as I always love hearing from you. I’ll see you next week for another episode of ‘Reign’. Love, Josh x
P.P.S. If all this self-love chat has left you wanting to improve your relationships and build new ones check out my self help book, ‘Great Chat: Seven Lessons for Better Conversation, Deeper Connections and Improved Wellbeing’ which is out now! The book gives you so much advice on how to have incredible conversations with everyone, and how you can turn everyday conversations into a self development practice so you can improve your relationships and mental health in the process. You can get your copy here https://geni.us/GreatChat and I really hope you love it!
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Ep 141: Joy Crookes
This week we are celebrating all things love and we are joined by an artist I, and so many of you love, Joy Crookes.
The BRIT Award nominee shot to fame with her top five debut album, Skin which gave us the absolute belters ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’ and ‘When You Were Mine.’
Now as Joy prepares for release album two in September this year - which has already given us ‘I Know You’d Kill’ and ‘Carmen’ - we take a look back at Joy’s journey from growing up in South London doing Irish Dancing for a McDonald’s Happy Meal (that’s our gal!) to picking up an Argos guitar and finding her way to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.
As we look back we also talk about how Joy isn’t interested in being an artist who doesn’t use her voice and platform, the politics of shame and the power of strangers.
There is so much to take away from this chat but what I found so refreshing about this episode is how honest Joy is about how finding love made her really reflect on herself and started a mental health crisis. This really spoke to me because it isn’t always a honeymoon period when you are truly seen by someone for the first time but it’s so worth it in the end.
If you loved this conversation with Joy as much as I did, please do get in touch as I love talking to you. You can get me on @joshsmithhosts and come back on Thursday because we will be serving you a bonus episode of the podcast with the audience questions from the show! It’s an absolute hoot so you don’t want to miss it! Love, Josh x
P.S. I am so happy that today’s episode is brought to you with the support of Pandora. Reign and Pandora both stand for the power of telling your own story in your way, and that’s where Pandora’s charm bracelets come in. Each charm can tell a different story about who we are - from the memory of an incredible trip that we loved, to the birthstone of someone special in our lives, or a charm to celebrate an achievement, however big or small! Start telling your story with Pandora by heading to pandora.net
P.P.S If all this self-love chat has left you wanting to improve your relationships and build new ones, check out my self help book, ‘Great Chat: Talk To Anyone. Make New Connections. Improve Your Relationships’ is out now in paperback and audiobook! Whether you are socially anxious or a confident communicator already, the book gives you so much advice on how to have incredible conversations with everyone in any situation, and how you can turn everyday conversations into a self development practice so you can improve your relationships and mental health in the process. You can get your copy here https://geni.us/GreatChat and I really hope you love it!
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BONUS EPISODE: Jodie Comer Live Q&A
Why have one episode of the podcast with Jodie Comer in a week when you can have TWO!?!
Jodie is the guest that keeps on giving so I decided to spoil you this week by dropping a bonus episode with the audience questions from ‘Reign’ live on the West End at the Adelphi Theatre.
The audience really delivered with the questions, so I wanted to share this part of the show with you. We cover a lot of bases here, from Jodie’s surprising first celebrity crush to her amazing words on building a legacy.
I really hope this brings you as much joy and inspiration as it did me and just remember, in the words of the iconic boy band Blue, “one love is all you need,” babes!
Make sure you listen to the full live recording with Jodie, if you haven’t already and I really hope we get to do another live event soon, so follow me on @joshsmithhosts to get updates and I’ll see you soon for another episode of Reign. Love Josh x
P.S If all this self-love chat has left you wanting to improve your relationships and build new ones, check out my self help book, ‘Great Chat: Talk To Anyone. Make New Connections. Improve Your Relationships’ is out now in paperback and audiobook! Whether you are socially anxious or a confident communicator already, the book gives you so much advice on how to have incredible conversations with everyone in any situation, and how you can turn everyday conversations into a self development practice so you can improve your relationships and mental health in the process. You can get your copy here https://geni.us/GreatChat and I really hope you love it!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Ep 140: Jodie Comer LIVE at the Adelphi Theatre in London
I have lost count how many times you have asked me to get Jodie Comer back on the podcast so when we did we had to go big or go home! So this episode was recorded in front of a 1000 plus strong audience at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End - it was a dream come true, everyone who came bought the energy and the chat really delivered!
In this episode Jodie reflects back on her career from her very first performance, to her Bafta and Emmy award winning role as Villanelle in ‘Killing Eve’. Just before Jodie embarks on a nationwide tour of her Olivier and Tony Award winning role in the one woman play, ‘Prima Facie’ we talk about the game changing conversations around consent the show has started and of course we cover her latest movie role in the eagerly anticipated sequel, ‘28 Years Later’ which is out in cinemas now!
As the event also celebrated the paperback release of my book, ‘Great Chat: Talk To Anyone. Build New Connections. Improve Your Relationships’ Jodie shares some of the great chats that have shaped her and the power of feeling seen in intimate relationships.
There is so much to take away from this conversation but I really hope Jodie’s words inspire you to get out of your own way and find your worth.
If you loved this conversation with Jodie as much as I did, please do get in touch as I love talking to you. You can get me on @joshsmithhosts and come back on Thursday because we will be serving you a bonus episode of the podcast with the audience questions from the show! It’s an absolute hoot so you don’t want to miss it! Love, Josh x
P.S If all this self-love chat has left you wanting to improve your relationships and build new ones, check out my self help book, ‘Great Chat: Talk To Anyone. Make New Connections. Improve Your Relationships’ is out now in paperback and audiobook! Whether you are socially anxious or a confident communicator already, the book gives you so much advice on how to have incredible conversations with everyone in any situation, and how you can turn everyday conversations into a self development practice so you can improve your relationships and mental health in the process. You can get your copy here https://geni.us/GreatChat and I really hope you love it!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hi babes! I’m Josh Smith and welcome to Reign! I am a journalist and presenter, and in each episode of my podcast, you’ll hear me sit down with some favourite familiar faces to talk about the ways they have learnt to reign over their own lives.
I’m so lucky to have chatted to stars from the big and small screens, from sport to music and beyond, and in every conversation there’s one thing that is apparent: we will ALL have to deal with challenges at some point in our lives. The conversations we have on Reign show that we're all more similar than we are different, and what I love most is finding out how different people get through tough times, go on to turn negatives into positives, and share the lessons that we can all learn from! I also love a good giggle, and this podcast is full of them!
So thanks so much for being here, I am so happy to have you, and I hope you’re ready to feel uplifted, inspired, and you’re ready to make it Reign!
Love, Josh xx
Ireland