The "She Who Dares Wins” podcast series celebrates women who've chosen to break rules, create something new or take on the unexpected. It’s the passion project of Michelle Hands, a 17-year construction industry veteran so she has more than just a little bit of experience on challenging workplaces and gendered expectation.

The lovely Michelle popped by our bakery at the end of last year to introduce herself- it was a surprise visit but we ended up having such a lovely chat she asked asked if we would come for a chat in her studio and be her first ever 'duo' guests. 

The two of us have never actually done a podcast interview together before. We chat all the time, at work, at home, travelling between work and home. But on a podcast, nope. We were even slightly apprehensive about it- it was a busy week, we didn’t really have the time to indulge a chat whilst being sat down , I didn’t feel like I had much to say …and it was 9am.

Well. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Apart from forgetting it was being filmed and me turning up in my trackie bottoms with unwashed hair…your welcome fashion fans… it was the most enjoyable catch up and check in we’ve had with each other for a long time.

It’s easy when you’re running a company with a business partner, best friend and sister to not spend anytime asking yourself some pretty important questions. And Michelle know just what to ask to bring out some of those big feelings. We skipped through how Oonagh started the company, the elation of running a business when it’s ‘winning’ and the struggles when you feel it starting to dip. We spoke about the recent pressures of running a business when you have children and accepting change. We also shared the tale of how Oonagh met her husband ( clue- it was in a business meeting) 

And by the time it ended we felt dramatically better than we had beforehand- and it was still only 10am. We came away with a spring in our step, realising it’s always worth giving yourself that time to chat- not just about the day to day but about the theoretical, the ambition, the achievement. 

She thanked us with an INCREDIBLE haul of She Who Dares Merch- including the softest T- shirt I’ve ever worn and my tote bag that I haven’t put down since. You can try them for yourself here…

So, If you quite fancy having us chat in your ear for 40 mins then please have a listen here. If you run your own business then some of it may even be a helpful share -a -long. Be warned though you may not be able to tell who’s who. Our own dad has listened to it 3 times already and he’s none the wiser ( but he is wise enough to bump the listening numbers up a bit so ta very much dad)