That Feeling When x Locke.

The new podcast sponsored by Locke. From meeting your #energycrew, navigating freelance life in a pandemic to following your intuition and where to find inspiration, these ladies have you covered. Keep reading to find out more.  

How did the three of you meet?

Daisy: I had just gone freelance and was eager to meet as many people as I could. I got myself a ticket to Stef’s F*ck Being Humble event in Shoreditch and headed there alone. I was nervous as I hadn’t really been to any events as a solo freelancer by myself but was an eager beaver and wanted to get my network on. Lo’ and behold I met the legend Poonam aka P-Dhizz, and we hit it off immediately #energycrew - you know when you meet someone and you just think, ‘yeah, you’re sound and we should be friends?’, it went like that. Later on that year I was at Glasto wearing a fluffy purple coat, someone tapped me on the shoulder and said “I love your jacket” and I shouted back “YOU’RE F*CK BEING HUMBLE!” - and it was Stef. We exchanged numbers and went for dinner and immediately vibed. The same thing happened. I just thought, what a champion, we should be pals. Then the pandemic came along shortly after the three of us had gone fully freelance (not so convenient as I’m sure you can imagine) so we started a WhatsApp group to keep each other accountable, and the rest is history! 

Poonam:  I went to Stef’s F*ck Being Humble event in Shoreditch and stood up at the end sharing my vision for YSM8. After the event I saw Daisy who was wearing this incredible coat and we were just drawn to each other. The energy never lies. After busting a few moves, talking about vibrations and all things deep and meaningful. I thought ‘we need to be mates’. We swapped numbers and IG handles. We were all freelancing when the pandemic hit and decided we all could benefit from a support system. So, we created a WhatsApp group and started scheduling weekly Zoom calls to chat about our struggles, things that have inspired us and our ideas for the future. We’d share our advice and guidance through text but also voice notes. 

Stef: I’m so grateful to have met Poonam and Daisy through my F*ck Being Humble events, it’s proof that networking and putting yourself in the right places really can lead to amazing opportunities. What I love about our friendship was how organically it grew, we’d never hung out all together in person before the pandemic hit, so when we set up the Whatsapp group and weekly Zoom chats we were still getting to know each other. When I look back on that time, it was amazing that the pandemic brought us closer together when so many relationships became more distant. I think that’s a testament to our connection and how much we value each other.

Why did you bring ‘That Feeling When..’ into existence?

Daisy: I always say, ‘the people wanted it’, haha. But, no really, they did. We ran a zoom event in Lockdown to share some wisdom on our freelancing highs and lows and the things we’d learned throughout our career to inject some motivation and energy to our communities as everyone was feeling pretty flat. On that call we were asked so many times ‘can you please make a podcast?’ and we thought, yeah, why the heck not? It also means that I get to see more of Stef and P’s faces, and we get to go for lunch and chat more, we’re all big snack fans and can chat for England so it seemed silly not to!

Poonam: We hosted a webinar where we cut the BS and opened up about our lived experiences of navigating our businesses. The chat was popping off with people asking questions, sharing their experiences and saying they felt less alone after hearing us share our highs and lows. That event was magical, because it reinforced the power we have as a trio. We’re all so different, but we connected in our intention of wanting to help people.   

Stef: As well as the external requests from followers after our events, we were also seeing the positive impact that our support was having on our own mental health and careers. We knew that not everyone has a support network like ours, so we wanted to find a way to package up all our insights and guidance into a format that was accessible for all. We also like to talk a lot so the choice to create a podcast felt like a natural fit! 

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

Daisy: I wanted to be a marine biologist but realised quite quickly I didn’t have the attention span for science, so moved on to art and then fashion. My uni tutor told me quite quickly that fashion design probably wasn’t the right route for me. I then specialised in creative digital communications and fell in love with it. I still work with fashion clients but more in the digital space. Creativity has been a massive part of my life and I still do some creative projects on the side, it’s still a big part of the work I do now - but in a very different way to how it was when I was studying. Still hoping to get to the Great Barrier Reef one day!

Poonam: I either wanted to be a dancer, DJ or actress. I grew up surrounded by an eclectic mix of music from global musicians and spent my younger days rehearsing my Bollywood routines. I just wanted space to explore and express my creativity in a way that felt sincere to me. I studied textile design at uni and realised I was interested in the story-telling of community and healing. My fascination for human behaviour led me to an internship at WGSN – a global trend forecasting agency. It was in this world where I was able to delve deep into my love for colours, patterns, textiles and connect the dots to humanity. 

Stef: I was really into art and drawing growing up so I always said I wanted to be an artist, that was until I realised, I wasn’t actually very good at it, nor could I see any of my masterpieces being hugely sellable. Then like most young girls who liked shopping and grew up watching Clueless in the 00's, I wanted to work in fashion. As soon as I did internships in different fashion roles, I realised that world wasn’t for me. Even though I went on to study fashion communication and promotion at university I chose to specialise in purpose led advertising pretty quickly, knowing that whatever I worked on in the future I wanted to make a difference. I also loved watching Dragons Den and The Apprentice during my teens which ignited my interest in innovating and dreaming up big ideas. 

Best moment in your career so far?

Daisy: Great question and a tricky one to choose. I am greedy and have two: I hosted a workshop on building an online community at one of my favourite music festivals, Lost Village back in Summer. I was so nervous I genuinely thought I was going to get egged by drunk people but it went really well, I was buzzing after and it was actually SO FUN. I also launched a campaign called #checkyourselfbeforeyournotifications to raise awareness of the links between excessive social media scrolling and the impacts it can have on our mental health. I designed and sold merchandise ranging from phone cases to jumpers and all profits from the campaign were donated to Mind, a Mental Health charity. The campaign got some amazing press coverage and I was able to donate to a really important charity, I was super proud of that one. 

Poonam: I can’t define it into one ‘best moment’ because all the little moments have guided me to where I am today and everything I’ve done up until now has been great learning for me to evolve personally but also professionally. A few sparkles have been delivering a consultancy project for Nike, creating a bespoke wellbeing programme for Converse, holding discussion spaces for Black, brown and POC communities and started my somatic coaching training. 

Stef: It’s less of a moment, but the process of growing F*ck Being Humble has been one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done, especially when I see the impact my work is having other people. There are achievements like writing a book when I never thought that was an option for me, or making the Forbes Under 30 list for Europe (coming from Leeds) that I’m of course really proud of, but it’s how these successes are inspiring other people to see their own worth which is so enjoyable for me. I regularly get thank you messages from people who have doubled their salaries after reading my book, won new clients following a post I’ve shared on social media or had the courage to network for the first time after the tips I’ve given in a workshop. These moments are the ones that feel the most rewarding to me.

When it comes to talking points on the podcast, what’s your creative process?

Daisy: We all bring different points and perspectives to the table which is why I think it works so well. We talk about what we’ve learned and what’s inspired us and relate it back to the topic. The inspiration can be anything from books, conversations we’ve had with other people, our own lived experience and lots of other things. There is such a mixed bag of resources every time, I find myself taking notes from Stef and Poonam as they both drop so many gems. 

Poonam: We all bring different perspectives which is why the podcast is so rich. I’m an old school reader. There is something magical about holding a book while sipping a cuppa and getting cozy in a blanket. When we’re planning a topic, I will go through my library of books and journals - I love reading books and jotting down quotes and key points. I find a lot of inspiration from music, documentaries, galleries and museums. I’m also putting pen to paper or making notes in my phone. I’m all about joining the dots and sharing what has inspired and empowered me. 

Stef: When we were selecting the episode topics, it was a lot of reflection on our own journeys and what we’ve struggled the most with during our careers and life. Very often we’re all trying to overcome similar challenges but we don’t talk about the process which is really what we’re trying to change by creating the podcast. Whenever I’m searching for inspiration I want to share in each episode, I look at the things I’ve saved on my phone. Whether that’s an inspirational post I’ve seen on LinkedIn, a Clubhouse quote I’ve written in my iPhone notes, a screenshot in my photo album, or a video I’ve saved on Instagram. It’s really easy to feel uninspired and force ourselves to go searching for new inspiration, but saving down resources has been a really great habit for the podcast and something that massively helps me when I’ve got creative block. At our podcast launch party, we invited guests to write down what they’ve struggled with this year and we plan to use those answers to influence future seasons. This method was something we want to keep doing as it opened up so many ideas for discussion and it helps to ensure we’re creating content that our audience really needs. 

Where are your favourite places to co-work in London?  

Daisy: Ok so as you’re probably about to read I spend an embarrassing amount of time in my neighbourhood and I should probably try and venture out some more. 

The Shed: It’s quite small but they have unreal coffee and a pretty poppin’ playlist so it’s nice and chilled vibes and right near Hoxton station if you want to hop on the overground for a change of scenery.
The Fisheries: I have a fixed desk there as it’s around the corner from where I live, but it’s a lovely co-working space right near London Fields so you can get some nice green air at lunch time (which I am big on) and they also do a free homemade workers lunch on a Wednesday and I literally live for food so I don’t need much else to keep me happy.
Brunswick East in Hackney Downs : They do the best bread ever but it’s also a really nice buzzy little spot, people also bring their doggos to come and jam and it’s just 10/10 cuteness levels. They sometimes have live music and food trucks at the weekend too if you want something a little more casual.
Mélo: Mélo is a tiny little café on Shacklewell Lane in Dalston and the lady who runs it is an absolute legend. It’s pretty simple but they do delish baked goods (what more do you need?) and it’s in a cute spot away from the hectic high street.
All Press Dalston: Such a dream to work from but I would suggest you get there early as getting a seat can be tricky, they do have an outdoor space too which is dreamy in the Summer time (providing it isn’t raining)

Poonam: I mainly work from home but if I have to head into London then, I’m based around Borough, Central or East. 

Roasting Plant Coffee: Great coffee, chilled playlists and the staff are a bunch of legends.
The Tate: I have a Tate membership, so I love having a wander around the gallery on a Friday morning and then going upstairs to work for a few hours.
Caravan, Kings Cross: I love the breakfast and lunch menu, plus the WIFI is always good there

Stef: I’ve always lived and worked in East London so that’s my go-to place to work (plus there’s a good handful of shops when you need a break): 

Second Home - I’m a member at the Spitafields site and it’s been really great to be out of the house and not working in my living room! The daily menu at the cafe is great and there’s always a great energy from everyone in the building.
Attendant - One of my favourite brunch spots in Shoreditch, full of plants, great art, friendly staff and perfect for meetings in East.
Route, Haggerston - I used to live around the corner from Route and it was the perfect break from home. It’s on the canal and has a big outdoor terrace which is perfect for the summer and having a cocktail at the end of the day.
Barbican - When I need to get my head down to write, I like to go somewhere completely different and peaceful to concentrate. It’s such a huge space there’s always room to set up and if you need to clear your head it’s the perfect place for a walk.
And of course Locke’s very own, Buckle Street Studios.

What’s next for you?

Daisy: Next year I am growing The Selfhood team further which is really exciting, I’m launching some new services and offers so that we can help more people and cater to more businesses. I’m also re-launching the Check Yourself Before Your Notifications campaign early next year in partnership with another Mental Health Charity! I try not to plan too far ahead as things change and evolve quickly round here (which I’m totally here for) And of course, That Feeling When… Series 2 will be here before we know it!

Poonam: Next year I will be focusing on creating more courses, holding discussion spaces and 1-1 embodiment coaching.  We’re already planning season 2 of the podcast, which I’m buzzing for! I’d also love to host a supper club party, but let’s see what tomorrow brings. If the past few years have taught us anything, it is that everything can change in a single moment. I am open and ready to adapt to what the future brings. 

Stef: I’m looking forward to doing more public speaking globally in 2022. I quit my job in 2019 to travel the world and public speak but instead it’s been a lot of motivational talks remotely from my living room! I’m really keen to spread the F*ck Being Humble mission around the world, and work on more brand partnerships to amplify the message. I’m also about to launch a second business in the mental health space which will be a whole new experience, one I’m sure I’ll be able to share learnings from in season 2 of the podcast.