Trigger warning: This episode contains themes of grief, loss, trauma, addiction, and recovery.

This episode is special; I get to talk to my fabulous friend Nicky Wake and I can confirm it is completely unfiltered.

In this fiercely honest episode of It’s Got Pockets, I sit down with the phenomenal Nicky Wake - powerhouse entrepreneur, sober and founder of multiple game-changing businesses (Don't Panic Events, Chapter 2 Dating, Widow’s Fire, Sober Love and Sober AF) and a woman who has turned the hardest kind of heartbreak into deep purpose and powerful impact.

We talk about everything. And I mean everything.

From podium dancing in the Hacienda to building a global awards empire…

From losing the love of her life and navigating widowhood, grief and solo parenting…

To dating again (with hilarious stories and a few d*ck pics along the way)…

And hitting rock-bottom moments before making the bold, life-saving choice to get sober and start again - on her own terms.

This isn’t a story of one neat, tidy reinvention.
It’s a story of grit, grief, guts and there's some gallows humour - this is why we are friends.

We talk:

🔥 Widowhood and anticipatory grief
🔥 Dating over 50 and the launch of Chapter 2 and Widow’s Fire
🔥 The sober dating revolution (hello Sober AF)
🔥 Alcohol as a coping mechanism and how she chose differently
🔥 Why power of attorney and a will are NOT boring admin, but essential
🔥 The power of community, purpose and finding your people

And Nicky’s six-word memoir? One of the best yet.

This is one for anyone who’s ever wondered how the hell to carry on when life hits hardest and who believes in plot twists, comebacks and doing things your own damn way.

🧨 Tap play. Share it with someone who needs it. And if you haven’t sorted your will or power of attorney yet - this is your big fat nudge.

Sarah is the founder of FoundHer Fire—a membership space for experienced women in business who know real success isn’t just about strategy, it’s about self; a place, a space, a community where women find their fire, for women who aren't done yet and who are ready to write their own rules of success. Sarah also co-founded The Plot Twist (un)Awards, celebrating female founders and women smashing through glass ceilings with purpose, passion and joy.

Find out more about me and how I can work with you:

• On LinkedIn
• On Instagram
• On the Web
• Or drop me an email sarah@mindthegap.academy

Back in 1997, a little essay called “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” was published in the Chicago Tribune.

It was later turned into an unlikely global hit by the one and only Baz Luhrmann and “Wear Sunscreen” became a rite of passage for an entire generation.

It was oh so wise, weirdly soothing and just the right amount of bizarre. It was the rules we ignored.

As NME put it:

And it was.
A tune.
A moment.
A collective nudge to live better and also, wear SPF. Which obviously most of us ignored.

So what else could I do 28 years later but bring it up to date (badly). It will never be on the set list for Glasto but might bring a smile to your face.

This is my homage to that moment, this is the commencement speech for the generation as we stand today.

Not the fresh-faced graduates. But the women who (maybe) were those graduates once… and are now entering their sequel season.
Or, as I like to call it: your fck-you season.

It will never be a pop landmark, nor probably feature in any commencement speech; however...

"Ladies of the class of the 1980s, you are still not as fat as you think you are."

If I could only offer you one piece of advice for this next season of your life, it would be this.

Start now.

Don't wait for the right time, the right weight, the right level of confidence.

Just begin.

All my advice has no more basis, more reliable than my own lived in sweary experience. ; )"

Sarah is the founder of FoundHer Fire—a membership space for experienced women in business who know real success isn’t just about strategy, it’s about self; a place, a space, a community where women find their fire, for women who aren't done yet and who are ready to write their own rules of success. Sarah also co-founded The Plot Twist (un)Awards, celebrating female founders and women smashing through glass ceilings with purpose, passion and joy.

Find out more about me and how I can work with you:

• On LinkedIn
• On Instagram
• On the Web
• Or drop me an email sarah@mindthegap.academy

In this episode of It’s Got Pockets, I sit down with the force that is Stacey Copeland - history-maker, changemaker, former professional boxer and England footballer, broadcaster, coach and founder of the brilliant charity, Pave The Way.

From being told she couldn’t box because she was a girl… to becoming the first British woman to win the Commonwealth title in boxing… Stacey’s story is full of grit, heart and fierce determination.

But this isn’t just about sport. It’s about what happens when someone refuses to let stereotypes, pressure or grief define them - and instead decides to lead from purpose.

We talk about:

• Her fight to belong in the world of sport
• The mental toll of retirement and reinvention
• Why we need to stop telling boys to “man up” and start asking better questions
• How to manage pressure, nerves and the noise in your head
• The real reason women (and men) are marketed to feel ‘not enough’
• Her belief that we’re already resilient - we just need to remove the shit that gets in the way

Stacey shares candidly about the highs and lows, including how her sporting mindset now helps her show up in life - and how her charity, Pave the Way, is helping the next generation challenge gender stereotypes and access their full potential, regardless of identity.

This episode is raw, honest and, frankly bloody brilliant.

Whether you're battling nerves, fighting to be seen or figuring out what the next chapter looks like - this one is for you.

🎧 Take a breath. And listen in.

Sarah is the founder of FoundHer Fire—a membership space for experienced women in business who know real success isn’t just about strategy, it’s about self; a place, a space, a community where women find their fire, for women who aren't done yet and who are ready to write their own rules of success. Sarah also co-founded The Plot Twist (un)Awards, celebrating female founders and women smashing through glass ceilings with purpose, passion and joy.

Find out more about me and how I can work with you:

• On LinkedIn
• On Instagram
• On the Web
• Or drop me an email sarah@mindthegap.academy