Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Catherine Anne Davies is better known by her stage name The Anchoress.

She is a musician, producer and a former academic, which results in her providing a fascinating reading list with her art pop albums, of poems and other writing that inspired her.

After many losses, Catherine had a successful 7th pregnancy and her daughter is now 5 years old.

She told me how becoming a mum radicalised her, and also how she kept her new motherhood a secret for two and a half years.

Catherine told me how work offers became less when people knew she had a child, inspiring one of her new album’s tracks to be called ‘I Had a Baby, Not a Lobotomy’!

Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Honey Spencer is a wine expert who has two little boys aged 6 and 1.

She and her husband Charlie run a neighbourhood restaurant called ‘Sune’ in Hackney in East London, which she describes as feeling ‘wholesome and right’.

Honey told me that Georgia is the birthplace of wine, and how she is a fan of ‘skin contact’ wine. She also described how vineyards are like the ‘canary in the coal mine’ of climate change.

Honey has written a book about natural (organic) wines and is the wine director of Eurostar. She told me how pregnancy gave her a superhero palate, and we debated the wisdom of eating ginger biscuits during wine tasting… Listen to the podcast to come to your own conclusion!

Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa Oxenham is a mum to Eliza who’s 10 and to Wolfgang who’s nine and a half months old.

She started out as beauty editor at More magazine and then worked for Marie Claire magazine for 20 years concentrating on beauty and, later, on wellness too.

Lisa became a mum for the second time at the age of 50 and she now has her own YouTube channel concentrating on wellness and motherhood.

She told me how she hit fertility problems in her 40s but her determination to have a sibling for Eliza meant she continued with her IVF journey through her 40s, and eventually had her much-longed for son Wolfgang as she entered her 50s.

She told me how she’s experienced trolls telling her she’s too old to be a new mum, and will be too tired to bring up her baby, but she says she’s never had so much energy - or confidence - in her life before.

Lisa certainly radiates joy in her new motherhood - and fittingly baby Wolfgang refused to be parted from her for this interview. So please excuse the background noises in this chat, as he explores the nooks and crannies of my living room during the recording!

Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nadine Merabi is a British-Lebanese clothes designer. She is the founder of the brand which shares her name and is based in Manchester. She is mother to two little girls aged 4 and 5.

Nadine says at the heart of the brand is a desire to instil confidence in young women and make them feel great about themselves.

Nadine played hockey for England for 10 years and always felt she struggled to fit in. She says it took until the age of 29 to stop worrying about what everyone thought about her.

Post-hockey, Nadine explored other career options and I loved her story about how she reframed a lowly bar job as a glass collector, as being a chance to network.

She taught herself how to sew by watching YouTube tutorial videos, and built the Merabi clothes business because she couldn’t find anything to wear. Her brand is now over 10 years old, and in 2025 she won the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the World Retail Congress.

She loves it when her daughters see ‘one of mummy’s dresses’ on Strictly. They are certainly part of my go-to touring wardrobe too. They are fun, they make me feel supported, and often - the icing on the cake! - they have pockets!!

Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Becky Barnicoat is a cartoonist who has recently published the paperback version of her memoir ‘Cry When The Baby Cries’. It’s a cartoon depiction of new motherhood and it makes me laugh out loud. Sleep deprivation; the tricky time-consuming bedtime routine; the body after birth with deflated stomach and huge boobs; and perky youthful-looking parents pre-birth compared to the same couple with their new baby, but now looking haggard and baggy-eyed. Brilliant obsevations!

Becky started out as a journalist writing horoscopes for Bliss magazine and then junior editing at The Guardian, but drawing cartoons was always her first love and she’d get up an hour early every day to draw before work.

Becky told me about her journey to motherhood, going through fertility problems, and then how she chose to enjoy every minute of her pregnancy rather than worry all the way through it. She now has two boys age 6 and 8.

Becky and I went to the same school and I’m pretty sure I know exactly which teachers she honed her cartoon skills on - and they very much deserved it in my opinion!

Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.