Trending With Dr. Pam Spurr – Lizzie Cundy, Jay James, Tru Powell, Steven Smith

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Mensradiostation.com and womensradiostation.com I want to get straight into my guests because I have got four fabulous people coming up now. My first guest lights up any red carpet event and we'll get those red carpet events back one day. She has a contacts book rivaled by no one. You can find her on social media izziecundy. And her website is lizziecundy.com and I'm delighted that Lizzie is joining me now. Hello. Cheers, darling. Cheers. Cheers. I wish we could have a proper drink together. We got two. Pam, I've missed you and miss seeing you at all the events. I didn't know you were going to wear a hat too. We've got matching Father Christmas hats or missing Christmas hats. Exactly. We are Mrs. Santa Claus now. I've got to ask you, Lizzie, you are such a social. I don't want to say butterfly because that sounds wrong, but you are a social animal and you're always gracing red carpet events. So first off, 2020, that's kind of been wrenched out of your life. So how does that affect you when you're used to being out with people? You're such a people person. I hate that term, but it's true. You are a people person. So how have you coped, Pam? I'll be honest, the first lockdown, the first two weeks, I actually thought, I'm not joking, I was going to have a breakdown because I thought Denise Welsh rang me and said, out of everyone, Lizzie, my thoughts went to you because I've never seen you in. I've never seen you in a onesie, sitting on your sofa, watching Coronation Street. What the hell is gonna. You're gonna do? And I. I literally did feel that red carpet pull from underneath my feet. And it was a strange, scary time, to be honest, because, yeah, as you say, I'm a people's person. I love being out and about. It's my work. I'm out about four, five times a week at different events, premieres, parties, and it was a shocker. But weirdly and strangely, I found myself enjoying my time at home. And thankfully, I had my son with me, my youngest boy. And I thankfully had my work as well. I had my radio. I did three TV documentaries from home. I wish I'd been more technical because I'm not great at camera. Oh, my God, tell me about it. But I literally found different things. I thought, I'll. I'll use my. I mean, thank God for the Internet and our Instagram. And I did lots of brand posting, but lots of trying to wait ways to make money for charity, which I do on my events. And because they are the ones that really missed out with this lockdown, you know, the fundraising and all the charity work has gone basically with the events going. So I thought I'll. I'll sell my red carpet dresses and majority of things I do on my Instagram, I'm raising money for charity, so trying to give back a bit for those that really need it in these troubled times. I know. And I love the fact that you made a bikini out of masks. I mean, that was like a piece of art. Come on. You know, someone like, you know, Banksy would think of something like that. You know, a woman in a bikini with masks. You know, I'm sure you wouldn't do it as glamorously as you did it, because you would do it all in an artist of way, but you just. That was fantastic. I loved it. But you said you got a bit of flack for that. Well, I did, actually, because a lot of people said, look, are you making fun in this terrible time of this pandemic? And I think if we don't have our sense of humor with what, everything that's going on, I mean, what have we got? And also, I am raising money. I've given a lot of money to the nhs, different, various charities, and that's what I do with my posts. And it was actually my garden's idea. He came in, he said he's Important. And he said, I've got all these masks. And I said, oh, my word. And he was so sweet. And he said, actually, they'd make a good bikini. And I thought, oh, actually, he's got an idea. And he took the photo. In fact, all my Instagram posts, those with the bikinis, me with the chainsaw, all these mad ones I've done. Yes, they're taken by my gardener, Robbie, so thanks for that, Robbie. I can't imagine what Robbie got out of doing those photographs, you know, Sounds a bit Lady Chatter's lead lovers. We're getting into that territory. You're right. No, he's fantastic guy. But they're all his tools. I mean, you know, I had his blower, the lawnmower, you name it. And it was. I mean, this even that sounds bad. All his tools. Come on. I'm sorry. This is a festive show so we can be as frivolous as we want. Well, no, Eamon Holmes actually asked me, he said, who the hell is taking all these photos of you and your bikinis and everything? I said, it's my gardener. And he said, oh, I bet he offered for that job. It made us laugh. And I'm just trying to bring a little smile through these tough days we're having. You know, it has been difficult, I won't lie. You know, I've had my wobbles and I know there's a lot of people really struggling out there with mental health issues and loneliness and if I can bring a little smile to someone's face by my posts, then I've done my job. Yeah, why not? I mean, you mentioned a moment ago about how actually you came to kind of enjoy some of the more quiet side of lockdown. You see, for me, I mean, you're a real, you know, out there, people's person. I've got this kind of split personality. I'm 50% love being at home cuddled up in front of a box set on an evening or being out. So for me, it was just kind of like. Felt like half my life had been dragged out of me. This, the social part of me, and almost the opposite of you. Almost. It seemed too much of just being home, you know, Although I've got my painting that I do and I've got Skyping that I do with clients and stuff. Just. I found that having that kind of 50% of my life wrenched out of me and not being able to go up and see girlfriends and go out for drinks and have hugs and celebrate birthdays and all that stuff, I Found that really hard. I really, really did. So for people who don't have the family support like I've got, or my good girlfriends that I can always get on the phone to, I really, really can understand how they've suffered. Because if I've suffered then, and that's nothing because that's kind of only part of my life, then I can imagine how it's been for other people. And I know clients who've said that. Yeah. And it's very difficult. And it doesn't matter how much money you have, what you have in life, if you feel lonely, you feel lonely. And I've had friends call me that are married to billionaires. I've had people that have got no one to, you know, make the tea for a living. All my friends, I've have suffered. And it doesn't matter what you have in life. And it makes you realize if you're not happy inside and you've got your friends and family around you and your health, what have we got? And I think it's been a real leveler, this pandemic. It's made. And it's made me realize actually that life isn't all about, you know, events. Getting the right dress, the hair done. And that used to be mainly some of my afternoons getting ready because I'd have three events in one day. And I know got off that, you know, when it was. Oh, it was exhausting. So in a way it was nice to have that pressure taken off and stop that hamster wheel from going round and round because I don't think I would have ever stopped. And I've. It was. It's addictive lifestyle and I've had to come off it in some ways and reach out and make me reflect a bit on life and what I really, really do want and what's making me happy. Because I think, you know, sometimes I was going out to all these events and it makes you not think because you're so busy. I didn't have time to think, whereas. I know what you mean. Yeah, this has really made me time to reflect and see what's important in life, who I really care about, maybe who I don't need in my life. And it makes you really think about things properly. Now, what would you say when you were having any bad moments kind of inspired you? I mean, is it simply picking up the phone to a girlfriend or is there something else that you felt kind of lifts you up that you discovered? Well, I'll be honest, I've got a great faith prayer. I pray and it helped me just feel like the weight was off my shoulders a bit and that things will get better, which they will. This won't go on forever. And I did more meditation. But friends, I have to say, I grew really close with a couple of friends that we, you know, we'd speak normally, but we spoke probably six, seven times a day and we got through it together. And I've some friends of bonded, like I can't tell you, and will be there forever and they've got me through it. But I think communication, it's so important. I saw my other shows communicate. If you're feeling that little bit low or you're feeling a little bit wobble, pick up the phone, reach out, because, you know we're all going through it and you're not on your own. And I just think sometimes we can feel that and feel that loneliness, which I've felt throughout this pandemic. And I don't know what I would have done without my friends. I really don't. This is all really good thoughts and advice for people who are feeling that way. Now on to a kind of lighter thing. What will you be doing for Christmas with your. It's your youngest you've got with you. Yes, I'm thankfully. I thought I was going to be on my own with just the Brussels sprouts at one time with this, with the Tier 4, you would have made a bra out of Brussels and done a fantastic charity tweet. That's a great idea, Pam. Hold on a minute. But no, I. Bless. I've got my youngest son who got with me, you know, as soon as the news broke by Boris, my son, got in the car, came over in time because I'm out in the country, which is beautiful, but it can be quite lonely. I've just got a few sheep and cows to keep me company here. So what we're doing, we've got, thankfully, because we're still in tier two till Boxing Day. I know. Lucky you. We're going to the pub. I don't want to make you jealous, Pam, but we're to my local pub and there's lots of drinks nibbles and my landlord's fantastic. He said, look, we're on lockdown for who knows when, you know, let's make the most of it and I'll be with my boy there. So having. Having a nice time with the locals, that's so lovely because our local gastropub, which we love very much, it's a great place where we get like Sunday lunches. And they've got great drinks and they've got great food. That's of course in tier four. It's all gone, it's all shut you. So we won't have that. Now tell me, how will it be different to a normal Christmas? Like last year's Christmas? Was it kind of. Well, it's going to be very different, I tell you, because I only two days ago spoke to Simon Cows in Barbados. He was trying to get me out there and I said, there are no flights, I cannot get to you. All the gang is in Barbados. I would normally be there, Pam, but obviously with everything that's going on here and we haven't got the flights to get out now, we're not fly. So last year I was on the beach, you know, my boys, we were having fun. Simon Cowell did a wonderful New Year's Eve party. So it's a very, very different Christmas. I won't have my bikini on this time but, you know, I, I, I'm thankful and counting my blessings because, you know, we have our health and I've got my boy with me and that's what matters. Exactly. Now, tell me about 2021. You've said you did a few documentaries this year. Have you got any projects coming up and, and what sort of things? Or just, just you're gonna take it a day at a time? Well, no, I'm very thankful and lucky. I've got a great documentaries. We're doing a lot on the Royals, which is quite exciting and obviously I'm doing my, my drive time with talk radio and I'm doing a sort of, they call it a Wagony Aunt as an agony aunt with the lovely Mark Dolan on talk radio, which is a late night Saturday show where it's actually been great because so many people aren't coping with this lockdown, different problems and you know, some people being pushed together, you know, couples that we made to be in the same room together all the time that are usually at work and, you know, it's tough, you know, and there are so many different, you know, things that are affecting this lockdown. We, I mean, you know, it really is not just loneliness, but maybe having the people you know on you all the time, the opposite. So I've heard from a lot of people over the year who, who have been suddenly they're both say they both work out of the home and maybe they've got young children who go to nursery or something. They've both suddenly been hot desking at home on top of each other with the children back from nursery or school or whatever, and it's really tough. It's like learning to live in a new marriage or live in relationship. So, yeah, it's been really hard times. Very testing. They're calling it the COVID relationships. They work or not. It's very interesting times and for everyone in different ways. And if you're single, how do you get a relationship? You know, when my son's 19, he's like, how do I get a girlfriend? One social distance. I feel for those people who are young and normally used to being out all the time, where they will meet people that they can fall in love with or, you know, just have fun with. Exactly. But what I say is, you look at me, I'm single, you know, I've got to find my Mr. Right out there somewhere. But, you know, this won't last forever and we've got to stay positive. And as I say, I'm counting my blessings this Christmas that, you know, we have each other and we're all in this together, you know, and there will be an end to it. We just got to keep positive, you know, I. I really believe that, you know, done right, the online dating works. So maybe you need to get online if this lockdown lasts any longer. Well, there you go. I might need your help there. I might try that. We'll see what Santa brings me. You never know. It's been. Helen has messaged some lovely, just kind of emojis. Enjoying the chat. I have to let you go. It's been amazing. Thank you for the time you've given me today, Lizzy and I want you and son to have a wonderful Christmas. I hope we can catch up more in the new year. And yes, wishing you all the best for 2021. Cheers. Big love. Talk to you soon. Bye, darling. Bye, darling. Thanks, sweetheart. Disappeared. Here we go. And Lizzy's back, so I want to remind you, you can catch Lizzie on social media media at Lizzie Cundy and her website, lizziecundy.com now my next guest is part of the multi platinum selling group the Overtones and also a radio and TV presenter. He was also in the final eight of the X Factor in 2014 on Twitter and Instagram. He's James and he. I believe he's about to join me now. Yes, he is. Hello, darling. I think you've got mute on your microphone. Is your microphone muted? There we go. Hey, I spotted something on technology. I never do that. How you doing? Oh, I am so well, so happy to see you. And, and I just Had Lizzie on and, and yeah. It's just we're having a festive time here when everybody's had such a tough 2020. I kind of expected you to have like a Father Christmas, like a hot Father Christmas outfit on Jay for your fans. You know what? I'm so sorry. I have got this. What have you got? Let me just put my makeup on. Hang on a minute. Okay. Hello. Oh, my gosh. You look even hotter. For everybody listening to this on repeat. That was just a little elf Father Christmas elf or something. Lizzie Cundy, by the way. Isn't she gorgeous? She's just. She is so lovely. And. Yeah, no, she's. She's wonderful. Good to see her. Yeah. And I've got to say, Helen, on messaging says Jay, Merry Christmas. Lovely. And I know Anne Marie also wanted to send love. She can't listen live. She's going to listen to the repeat. So tell me about how you and the family are celebrating Christmas well together. Good. Which is a blessing, right? In all seriousness, you know, it is a blessing. And I'm going to be with my daughter, Nova Franklin, my son who's coming up too, and my wife and of course her father, Jeff. So we'll be. We're kind of in a bubble together. Yeah. Unfortunately, my dad's going to be on his own. He's in Wales. It must be tough for you. Yeah. So, I mean, look, he. He's kind of used to being on his own. He's a bit of a lone wolf. Wolf anyway. Travels here, there and everywhere, you know, but we, but we always spend Christmas together. So that's a bit. That's a bit of a shame. That's. You know, but we've all got our health and we've got. We've got each other. So, you know, we're really excited for the fact that Nova's really excited. Of course. Brilliant. She's showing him the way what Christmas is all about. And so, yeah, we're gonna have a lovely day. So how's that different than to last year? So last year you would had a bigger group or split your time between seeing your dad and also with Victoria's father. I mean, how would last Christmas have been different? Yeah, that's it. So we've got. So, so basically we. We'd usually have all of the family together. By together, I mean literally everybody. So that can happen. This year. We. We tend to spend most of our Christmases up north up in Baron Fairness where. Where my auntie and lots of all of the other family are the Majority of their family are actually up north. Um, so we always come together and um, yeah, there's probably around 30 of us. And so this year it's, it's suddenly not going to be like that. Wow, that's even bigger than our usual. Christmas is about 12 and we've just got a bubble of five that we're having it with this year. Who's that? Is that who's coming in? Who's coming in? Nova stores. Hello Nov. I haven't seen you since your Daddy's Overtones concert a year ago. Are you excited? Are you gonna have fun with you and your little brother? Yes. I also think it's a quite a good look because apparently I was just having a little bite of something and I have a wobbly tooth and it actually made it bent a little bit. Oh, it's even. Don't pull it out though. You might have a Christmas tooth out, baby. An unexpected tooth out. Well, Helen says hello and merry Christmas to you, Nova. Okay, bye darling. Now what. Tell me about your kind of your, Any low points this year. Where, where it was tough for you and how you got out of that. Yeah, you know, I think there's been, I think there's been a lot of low points for everybody, you know, and just finding, finding the capacity and the energy to try and be optimistic and positive. And I think that happens on the regular and you know, I'm not going to lie and saying that happens all the time for me, you know, specifically even about four days ago. And again, it's, I think we've spoken about this before, Pam, how actually social media can be really, really detrimental to your mental health and what, you know, what your thought patterns are and what's going on. And I think, you know, literally it was about 10 o', clock, 20 past 10 at night and I just, literally just went on Twitter for two seconds and I saw, I saw a post from Piers Morgan and that's all I saw was mutant virus. And I hadn't, you know, I completely kept myself away from any news and anything that's going on and the media, I saw that. I honestly, I really struggled to sleep. It was kind of like, you know, we've, we've got, you know, we've, we're getting through, you know, we're so more positive times ahead. We've got the, the vaccine, all this sort of stuff and then just, dare I say the wrong use of words. Yes. You know, being on, on social media and that caused me to be like, just spiral a little bit and get A little bit worried and think, oh, gosh, what's going on? You know, we've just announced a 20 day tour for next year. We haven't toured all year, all this sort of stuff. And then you know, just, just that. And again, it's, it's just defining and clarifying that, you know, social media and all these different types of things can have a really, really, really, you know, bad effect on your, on your mental health. And that's so many different people have got different opinions, a lot of them without the facts, you know, and there's so many, so many opinions out there about how the government are doing really terrible jobs and all this, that and the other. And you know, it's, yeah, it's a lot of negativity right now, isn't there? And I know what you mean about the choice of words. When I saw news about the new vi, I think I might have seen the same tweet and I was like, yeah, oh my goodness. But what I did was I quickly went online to, you know, BBC, cnn, sort of reputable news services and looked at what it was saying about it and yes, you know, it looks like the vaccine will work for that new mutant strain. And I'm trying to stop my mind wandering to other mutant strains like what's happened in South Africa, you know, another mutated strain and just trying to keep focused on the now and not think, okay, that means 2021 is going to be destroyed with these new strains. So for me, it's all about bringing it back to now and, and, and really trying not to think ahead too far. But how did you come out of that spiral? Yeah, that was it. I, you know, it, it was. Oh, oh, sorry, it's come out. No, just put a bit of tissue on. We have a bleeding tooth. Regular TOOTH Updates here, Dr. Pam. I love it. Apologize. I'll keep you posted. No, do you know what? Whenever my mind starts to wander, the first thing that I come to is what I've got to be grateful for right now in this moment. And that is my children, my two healthy children, absolutely perfect, and my beautiful wife who's incredibly strong and just amazing. And whenever my mind starts to wander, I go, I sort of collect, you know, all these things that I'm like, really grateful for what I've got right now. And that kind of just tends to knock me off course of, of wherever my thought pattern is. You know, I was going to say Helen also says on, I think it's Facebook, probably saying, try not to read and get involved too Much, you know, makes her sad, you know, so, so true though, isn't it? Because you can completely get involved and get sucked into everything. Everyone's opinions and this, that and the other. And, you know, you've just got to bring yourself back to the moment and, you know, I'll say very quickly, and I just mentioned it before actually on the Socials and that was. I was. Yeah, I. I interviewed this year a guy called Mick Dawson, who's a former Royal Marine, and he actually, he's rode around the world, you know, he's done incredible things. He spent a period of 525 days in isolation at sea. You know, wow. Going over 22, 000 miles, you know, it's just ridiculous. And, you know, I asked him for a bit of advice and his greatest advice was actually just take things day by day, just things day by day. Do not look too far into the future about what bad things could happen. Just go back to military mindset and that is what's in front of you. And crack on and, you know, fascinating about that military mindset. Absolutely. And good on Mick, for, for, for sharing that. Yeah. Now you mentioned about the Overtones tour and so, of course people can check out the Overtones, you know, social media and things like that, and can. Can get that information, but I think we have a clip of something very Christmassy from the Overtones. So I think if my lovely producer Sina wants to put that on, I'd love to hear. Hear some Christmas vibes from you guys if he's got it ready. And in the meantime, until we start hearing it, I'm going to ask more about who does the cooking in your house. Oh, I. So, to be honest with you, Victoria, I. I swore that I was going to take it on this year, but actually Vicky's got it in. In hand, so I'm not going to do the cooking this year. I'm going to contribute, of course, but. And then Jeff's over as well here. Dad, who's usually brilliant with. He's a. He's a former butcher. Oh, wow. You're gonna have the best cut of something on our table. Is absolutely exceptional. Yeah, I'm just trying to see if maybe my. I'm gonna check out my private chat. It's ready. Yes. We can go with the music, Sam, the church, But it's not like Christmas at all. That's fantastic. I love that, love that so much. And we have. Charlotte's joined the chat. Says very true about looking too far forward and they're loving, of course, Hearing some of your overtones, like your voice at the beginning there. Love it. You've got such a distinctive voice that's really lifted me up. I love that. And I cannot wait to see one of your shows next year. I know you're going back to London. O2, isn't it? That's right, yeah. We're kicking off the tour on the the 9th of November and we're all around the country from Halifax, Wales, London, Bournemouth, Northampton, Plymouth, Manchester, Stoke, London on 2 December, York, Newcastle, Sheffield, Glasgow. So we're heading out everywhere and we're really, really excited. Pam, you know, it's. We've been planning this for a long, long time. So yeah, it's been great to get it over the line and you know, fingers crossed everything goes well and we have a great year next year, you know, and, and another Charlotte has joined saying hi Jay and Dr. Pam and Merry Christmas and Helen says, Bring on 2021. Yes, that's what we all want for sure. Now what else? With as you've got that to look forward to, I'd like to end on a note about, you know, what with the family and are the kids going to be. Is. Is Nova going to be back in school and what's with, with all that for 2021? Yeah, you know, when her school be closed, you know, well, you know, at the moment everything's open. You know, obviously she's finished for, for Christmas now but, but heading into, into January the school will be back open. They're managing things fantastically actually. You know, our little one, Frankie is just like life around the house at the moment. He's just discovered his legs and he finds absolutely hysterical when he runs anywhere. It is just joy to watch. He'll sprint, you know, through the corridor into the lounge and be belly laughing at the fact that his legs can move. So, you know, he's hit that age where he's just a ball of fire and, and, and it's so, you know, we're really. Yeah, we're just, we've kind of got out the baby stage now where he kind of starting to do what, what you want him to do, but equally there's a little naughtiness there which is really cheeky. Could you get that from you or Victoria? So, yeah, you know, we're gonna, we're gonna look forward to a really great year. And, and look, despite everything that's going on at the moment, with, with news of different strains and stuff like that, from what the information says, you know, the virus is, is the Vaccine still works for it. So I, you know, fingers crossed we're set for a better year and we're certainly. We can deal with things a lot better because do you know what, April, this kicked off this year and no one thought that we'd get beyond two months and we've got, you know, strength. The courage and bravery that everybody has put into this year has, has been absolutely incredible for all of humanity. We're a lot stronger than we think we are and I think regardless, we're gonna have a better year next year because of it. I think we are a lot stronger than what we really are. I've got both the Charlottes are saying that we've got join that can't wait for the tour and sending you hugs. Hey, can you tell us on the sly what you've got? Your, Your better half, shall I say your lovely wife, is she listening? Is she there? I know that she'll be listening in, so I can't to do that but. No, but I, I, you know, I've. Yeah, I certainly treated her this year because she's been, she's been amazing, you know. As you know, Pam, I, I've been fortunate enough to be incredibly busy this year with the overtone stuff but. But actually a lot of stuff with, with bfbs, that's the British Forces Broadcasting Service where I was made critical staff broadcasting that to 29 countries around the world for our dedicated armed forces are incredible. Armed forces incredible. Yeah. Drop of a hat. Do absolutely everything. You know, you talk about Dover and certain lorry drivers and people not being able to go across the border, people being stuck. Who did they draft in? You know, around 2, 000 army personnel who away from their families because of it. But they don't moan, they just crack on and you know, often enough I don't feel the armed forces get the light and the recognition that they deserve and that's someone who was in it for 10 years, so they don't. I've had an amazing year on the radio, connecting with loads of different people all around the world and my thoughts will certainly be with everybody this year. All cheers to that fabulous message. Cheers, cheers. And sometime in 2021 we'll all be together. Maybe it'll be an Overtones gig or somewhere else, but definitely I can't wait to see you and your lovely wife. So thank you, Jay, for joining me today. Have a happy, happy Christmas and we'll hope for good things in 2021. Lots of love, darling. Thanks for having me. Lovely. See you soon. See you Darling. And you can find Jay. Find Jay on Instagram and Twitter at J. James. And of course you can look the Overtones too for their gig information. That was fantastic here. And I wanted to get to a quiz I had for him but we ran out of time. I'm sorry about that. But I am not sorry about welcoming my next guest. Now True Powell is a multi award winning entrepreneur and he's a regular commentator on GMB. You can find him at his website TruePower with 2Ls.com and on social media he's Rue. That's T R U Powell and he's with me now. Hello. Cheers to you, True. Thank you for having me. Pam, how exciting to be here. I'm so happy. And I was just gonna say I can see you're wonderful. You've got a huge red bow on the back of, on your Christmas tree at the back there. I love it. My wife's doing, she's really getting into the Christmas spirit now. So it's exciting. It is. Now when I was reading your bio, I couldn't believe. Yes, entrepreneur at eight years. Eight years old you put on your first talent show. Tell me about the start of your career as an entrepreneur. So at 8 years old, out of boredom, I put on my first talent show. As you said, I was really bored. Me and my twin brother. I have an identical twin brother who looks just like me. Although is he the one on GMT on GmbH but he doesn't really like the, the spotlight. But we was both bored and we decided that we wanted to put on an event. And I remember this event so, so well. I remember finding a derelicted garage which was like 50 yards away from where we lived. I remember gotten out the garage, I remember sweeping it and using my mum's house broom of which she was at best. Please, a man who uses a broom. I like that. I remember like the guests sitting down, I remember charging the guests and as I looked into the garage and I saw all these people and they were smiling, I kind of knew in that instant that that is what I, I wanted to do. And I'm living and breathing what I was doing at seven years old today. So I plan and deliver events for a living, but I also provide a platform for young people to perform on and to showcase their talents and to increase their self confidence. So I'm, I'm pleased. And I bet you don't sell tickets for 10p anymore because I think that's what it said on your bio that you charge people 10p. Not quite that we wouldn't make any money, but we do ticket for our events, and they're amazing events, and I love them dearly. Well, there's something about. I mean, I've only ever planned a few events in my life and a couple for charities. And there's something about, you know, it's a lot of work. It's not glamour getting an event ready, but on the night, it's just awesome to feel you've kind of brought everything together, you know, absolutely nothing more than seeing it all on the night and thinking, oh, wow, like, the centerpieces, I pick those out. The, the colors, I pick those out. The, you know, everything, when it comes together, the script. I wrote that, like, you just, you, you, you. You're amazed by what you produce and what you. What it becomes. So I'm pleased. Yeah. How it all crystallizes that hard work. But coming back to this year, you haven't been able. I mean, obviously, when. When we came out of lockdown, maybe you could do some events. So what's happened with that? Have you. Have you really kind of lost out on that or somehow have you done online events or what's going on? Yeah. So here's the thing, Pam. I absolutely hate online events, and I refuse to do it. For me. For me, events are all about experiencing experiences and offering a. A experience that guests would always remember. And I. I don't believe that you get that experience through online events, and I don't like them. So I decided that I didn't want to saturate that. That space. Yeah. So what I did do is park the events company. Yeah. For. For a little while, until we come out of COVID Until we can see something that's. That's. That's clearer and then just focused on a few other different things while still maintaining links within the event. So I will go and do keynotes around event management and do lectures around event management and write a few blogs and vlogs around event management. I just didn't put any on, if that makes sense. No, that does make sense. And tell me, were there any kind of low points? I think we've all kind of had low points during this year. And if you had any low points, how. What kind of inspires you to get out of that? So I think this year has been incredibly hard for everyone, to say the least. I hate this term, but it was truly unprecedented. It is unprecedented in every way, shape and form. And when you just about get back up, you're hit with another blow and you're like, at what point do you see the light at the end of the tunnel? And I've been very, very vocal about my feelings towards this year. And of course, some of the lulls were covered itself. Just watching the businesses that you work so hard for, that you feel your blood, sweat and tears that you nurtured from infancy, just go overnight, was a terrible and huge blow. And it is. And the worry and the anxiety around, well, if the business isn't making any money, then that then has an effect on our living situation, that has effect on the children, has effect on what we eat. You know, it was just all anxiety kept flowing. And for me, it was. I. I guess I had to really put things in perspective. I had to understand that actually, yes, we're in a terrible situation, but I found comfort in that. Everybody was in the same situation, and it wasn't personal to me or anybody else. It was just the. The cards that we were dealt with as a. As a globe. Exactly. As a globe. Not just our country, but the whole world. Yeah. And I found comfort in that solidarity. I also found comfort in. To keeping my mind sane. So I did a lot of running, I did a lot of fitness. I did a lot of, you know, I built a little gym in my conservatory, which. Oh, wow. Yes. My children's room, my children's space. But that had to get taken away because if daddy's happy, the house is happy. I took that away and built a little space and a little haven there for. For me to kind of work out and do what I needed to do. A lot of reading, a lot of walks, a lot of spending time with. With the family and a lot of engagement, a lot of activist work. That was huge. So we. We all know Black Lives Matter campaign was huge back in May. Stroke, June. Yes. When kind of George Floyd was, you know. Yeah. Murdered. And. Let's not talk. And. And sorry, I find it so. So that in itself was a. A point for me to think, well, we can't allow something like this to happen again, and what can I do to help kind of this campaign? And to speak and without going into too much detail, we were in my family, We. We had our own George Floyd situation. Whereas my cousin was murdered in police custody. But rather than a knee in his neck, he had a. And I used, or we rather used that platform to speak about some of the injustices in terms of some of the racial injustices. And I found for myself that that was. It wasn't therapeutic, but it was actually something to. With your energy. Absolutely. And. And kind of Constructively focus my energy, my thoughts, my trauma, my grief, my anger into trying to create a better, a better society for us, for us to live in. And I think that's. It's hugely important when you're dealt with or when you're given lemons, you truly need to make lemonade. When you've given a, when you're given a bad card, we're given a bad card. You need to play those cards. And, and that's what I decided to do. I'm, I am such a. Which I've learned about myself. I'm, I'm learning about myself all the time. I think this year has been like that for so many people, hasn't it? Absolutely. I've just been learning about myself. And one of the things that I have learned is, is that when I am faced with adversity, I use that adversity and I spin it around and try and use it as a platform to focus my energy or that adversity into the greater good. And that's, and that's a powerful thing. That is a wonderful thing. It is. And if you use your focus and use your energy to make change happen. Yeah. Rather than just say stewing in anger and thinking you're helpless. Yeah. I know as a psychologist, one thing I, you know, I kind of discovered it this year about myself more. We're trained to. If a client has a crisis right there in front of us. When I used to work at like guys Hospital, you know, if someone has a crisis right there and then you're taught coping skills and whatever. And I think I found this year for other people in crisis, I'm really good when I'm in crisis. Like when my family and I had really bad Covid, I don't think I'm as good. So I think I'm better, you know, at. When I, when I can calm someone else down than calming myself down. So I've been working on that. True. About using my energy just to, to focus in a very different way than what you're talking about, but to focus on what I need to do myself. Not when I'm looking after other people, you know, but let's, let's, let's look at, you know, that's, that is such a great thing. I think for people listening that you have taken that enormous energy and mixed of anger and frustration and you have been doing good. What are your, what are your hopes for 2021? Are there, is there anything, you know, that you have planned or you say you're not doing events but Are you, are you working more with the Black Lives Matter or what are you going to do? Well, there's quite a few and ambitious plans. So. So one of the things that I do when, I mean, I'm an entrepreneur and I have a few different businesses and a few different hands in different highs, as it were, and one of the businesses I do run is a children's brand. And I'm very deliberate in saying a children's brand because before COVID it was a children's salon. So it was a single salon that we had in Birmingham where we pamper children. But we're really diversifying its offer. We really want to scale the business and scale the brand. We really want to produce a product line for the brand, we want to create magazines for the brand. We want to do so much stuff in terms of really scaling the brand in 2021. And our main ambition is to have every girl, every little girl that impacts or that comes in contact with our brand feel special. It's all about the feeling. It's all about their inner beauty. It's all about how, how they see themselves and how they feel and what they experience and, and if they're in contact with us via the magazine or if they're coming to one of our salons or if they see something online or see a spirit. But we want them any contact at all. We want them to feel amazing and fabulous and introduce like a well being element to that. Absolutely. I think that's so critical, you know, the well being of children. Funny enough, in the nhs, I worked with parents with children with difficulties and I know, you know, like, if the parents are struggling, the children will struggle, you know, and a lot of children have well being issues now and Covid has made it worse. So if you're adding in an element of well being, being to that, that's a whole package. Yeah, absolutely. And that's what it's all about. We're all about relaxing, we're all about removing the outside world. So removing all your devices and it's a very, it's very tranquil, it's very, the ambiance is very safe and it's just, all about relaxing and, and chilling out and just feeling good from the inside out. And I think that's our main goal and ambition and I want that to really impact every child, really. So that sounds, sounds great. And now what I've got, we've got time, a few minutes left is I want to find out about your Christmas tomorrow, because are you like so many of us, I Don't know what Birmingham is, but here in London, we're tier four and we've had to scale right back to our immediate bubble. Normally we have a big family Christmas. How about you? It's the same for us. So we're not in tier four. We're into year three, thankfully. And. And that means that only three households can meet. But you're lucky, that's more than London. But we. We kind of decided as a family unit that we were going to have our own kind of immediate households together, rather than trying because our family's so big, it would be unfair for us to try and choose just three households. Yeah, see, that's the thing with big families like mine. Mine's a big family. So normally my. My. Well, my mum has seven children and each child has their own family. And were you the troublemaker? I was a good one, thankfully. I was a good one. Well, normally we all meet. So we all meet on Christmas Day and we all bring our children. Obviously we can't do that because that's seven households that we. We will sacrifice that. And, you know, we would all just have our own individual Christmases and then once everything cools down with COVID whenever that may be, we would then have our Christmas all together then. So that's in the summer, that's what we're doing. If it's next year, that's what we're doing. It's just a sacrifice that we have to make to try and get our nation to where. To where it needs to be. And do you have any specific, like, traditions in the Powell family home that you'll be doing tomorrow? Yeah, so, well, the tradition is eating and not having the care in the world that is, and that would always be the tradition. And we have a traditional Christmas dinner, but we mix it up with the Caribbean. So we do have our traditional turkey, but then we'll probably have rice and peas and Mac and cheese and, you know, Mac and cheese. So it's all about just eating like that is the tradition and not care. I mean, we're all quite, like, health conscious in terms of what we consume and what we eat. And Christmas Day, we lose all of that and we just. Yeah, exactly. I totally agree. I'm a runner. Hey, too bad you're in Birmingham, I'm in London. We could have done a run together. Running has kept me sane. And, yeah, I tend to look after myself with food, except for chocolate, which is my vice. But Christmas, no, you can do whatever you want. If I wake up and I want chocolate milk, first thing in the morning or a mince pie I'm gonna have it goes out the window for Christmas and we just literally just go wild. And. And that's what I like. And I. I like to see the kids exercise that wildness and because usually, you know, as kids, they are quite disciplined and they can make their own decisions and choices about what they consume. I like the fact that Christmas, they're allowed to just go put wild and just eat anything, which is. Which is fantastic. Well, one last thing. If you've got a brief tip for people looking forward to the new year, how to lift themselves or to feel better, what would you say? I will say the main thing is just to not take anything personal, but just still go for your goals relentlessly and learn how to pivot, learn how to adapt, be versatile. If 2020 has thought is you need to be versatile. You need to be open to different things and learn how to adapt and pivot because we do not know what the future holds. I love that word pivot. Perfect. I absolutely. I think that's great advice. So true. I'm so glad you have joined me. And people can find you at true power with2ls.com and on social media. True underscore Powell. And we've got to get you back on the show again in the new year. Lots of love to you and yours. Cheers. Bye, darling. That was true, pal. And now I have time for my last but not least fabulous guest, my dear friend, Stephen Smith. He's a writer, PR and author. You can find him on social media. Ask Steve to C as in number two and a C. And he is with me now. Hello, darling. Are you looking fabulous? You always look fabulous. Oh, thank you. You haven't seen me in the morning. Oh, boy. I can imagine. Do you like my Father Christmas hat? He looks like a really sexy Santa. I'm sorry. All sorts of vibes going on here. Well, you don't know. I've got stockings and suspenders under my dress. No, I'm just kidding. I love your golden tree. Oh, thank you so much. You know, I put it up really early this year because I was in lockdown and I was fed up. I thought what would cheer me up. And it was up November and it really did cheer me up. And I noticed, funny enough on social media, a lot of other people putting the trees up. It was early, early. I think it brightened everyone's time at home of. I think that's true. But with my being joint American and British nationalities, we always have Thanksgiving first, so no Tree goes up before Thanksgiving. My sister lives in Coral Springs in America, which is just outside Miami, and I miss Thanksgiving as it was. It was a big deal over there. Bigger than Christmas, really, isn't it? Yeah. Oh, it's really important, Thanksgiving because it's less about giving gifts, it's more about giving thanks, you know. Now tell me, how are you in 2020 celebrating Christmas, darling? Look here, here's the starters. I'm gonna not do anything down here. I've got food on the table, I've got a roof over my head and I'm healthy, so I'm well off. I'm spending on my own this year because I'm in tier four. Yes, my mom. I live on my own, but I'm going to get over it. I think Rusty Lee said in Good Morning Britain, let's move it to January. So when General comes, I'll have Christmas and tomorrow I'm on my own. But not on my own as in, oh, but there'll be a lot of people that won't be able to cope with it, which I really feel for. I've already decided it's just another day tomorrow. I love that attitude, Stephen. And I think that shows a real, real sense about being thankful for what you have rather than looking at what you don't have, that is not being able to spend Christmas with friends or your mum or whatever you would normally do. So what did you do last year? So how is it? Did every. Well, see, I have a very unusual relationship. My partner of almost 20 years, we split up over, over 15 years ago out there Christmas with him. And I know you guys are still close people, you know, so funny. I always think people have a schadenfreude. They always want something, some drama, so they always go, oh, how can you stay friends with your ex? You know? And I always think, why are you interested? Well, they're just surprised because most people don't. I've traditionally done that every year and obviously I. I will miss seeing them, but again, I'll see them at another time or, you know, I had a birthday during lockdown and I was dreading it. Oh, my God, the time I'd done FaceTime and done this. I looked at my watch at 10 o' clock and a bit busier than I had. So it's what you make of it. I think if you. I think sometimes for a lot of people, I know Christmas can be stressful. You know, what we buying that person, Will they be offended by this? You know, people be offended because there's not a Christmas stamp on their envelope, their card and all sorts of things. And it can be a very stressful time for people. So just relax this time. I know, and I think that raises a good point where I. I've said many times over recent years, probably on Twitter, you know, let's not lose the real meaning of what Christmas is about. And this year I think people are having it kind of rammed home by Covid that it means the immediate people you're either with or if you're not with them, being in contact with them, that it is just that support from each other. There's also the one thing I was growing up, validation through presence is an easy way out. Don't get validated by that. My sister and I stopped sending Christmas presents to each other because she lives in America. And we both said we don't need the validation of a present present. Yeah, each other. We treat each just as something nice, etc, but we don't know. We know we love each other. So a present arriving is a nice bit, but let's not waste money on postage and things. So we stopped that chocolate reindeer I sent you when we were supposed to meet up and I couldn't because we wanted to be fun. You mean that didn't validate you, but the elf at the elf. That's a lovely touch. But another. Those people offend you because the boyfriend didn't buy them a Prada handbag and they got that. That said, you know, it all gets a little bit silly. It does, it does. So. So it's a little bit. Yeah. You, you're. You've got a great mental attitude towards it. But may I ask, this past year, were there any lows for you where you were like. Like I've run out of steam with this mental attitude. The positive, you know, positivity again. And this is not. Not sounding the data. When I was a kid, I was very badly bullied and to. To the stages of. If you read it in a book, you wouldn't believe it. And one day I saw on television someone called Mark Bolan and singing. And I looked and oh my God, there's something more out there. Yes. And I went and got this book called the Warlock of Love, which is a group of poems, and I started creating a fantasy world of magic and token and stuff. And I got through my whole childhood of bullying through that. Whenever I'm not liking something, I create imagination. And what I've done during this lockdown bit is I've been writing. I've written two books during It. I know you've been riding up a storm. It's a terrible thing for a lot of people. And funny enough, people kept ringing me, thinking a bit like, lizzie, how's Stephen going to cope not being a party? I've actually quite enjoyed not being as a party, but I do totally appreciate it's what we make of it. If you want to turn it into something negative, go ahead, but really think of the positives you can possibly find from it and take time to reflect on your life. It's not great for people. I think the biggest problem I found with it, between the government I have every day. I'm not sure, let's not go there now. I just don't know what's going on. So I stopped watching the news a little bit as well. And, yeah, so I've. I've managed to cope with it. I think the. The biggest thing is what. One of my friends took ill during it and it's been very difficult with that, that aspect of it. But for me personally, I. I enjoy my own company and a bit like you, I love going to a party, but the idea of coming home and putting on a box set and, you know, getting the jelly beans out, fantastic. Well, that's. Yeah. Oh, you've frozen. Exactly. And you and I will be talking in the next couple days. We often message, we often speak and really, really wish you the very happiest day tomorrow and just, you know, having that positive attitude. And people, I want to remind them they can find you on social media like the number 2 and the letter C. And on Instagram is Ask Steve 2C with an underscore. Wishing you the very best, darling. Lots of love. Thank everyone who's been listening today and wish you so much happiness and to be mindful of what you do have in your life right now. It's tough. We've had so much taken away and for some people, they really do need to feel cared for. Remember, I'll be back in two weeks, but you can contact the Samaritans and I hope you don't get to that point, but please do. Lots of love and happy Christmas. Are you feeling anxious? Online therapy 24. 7 is here to help. We offer confidential support from the comfort of your own sofa. Our highly qualified therapists are experienced in a full range of daily challenges. You'll be in safe and trusted hands. Don't suffer alone. Change your life by calling us on 220-755-5080 and check out our website, onlinetherapy20.