%20(3).png)
Stories From Behind the Mask - The parts we edit out
Step behind the polished surfaces and curated feeds. This is where we hear the stories we usually keep to ourselves — the doubts, the triumphs, the moments that shaped us. Each episode, I sit down with bold entrepreneurs, creators, and change-makers to uncover the parts they’ve edited out, the truths they rarely share, and the lessons that transformed them.
If you want to see people as they really are — messy, human, and extraordinary — this is your front-row seat.
Episodes
19 episodes
Episode 20 - Ann Diment - Resilience Rebel - ADHD Resilience Coaching
For decades, Ann wore masks to keep the peace - people pleasing to avoid conflict, performing “I’m fine” while silently carrying the weight of trauma. In her marriage and on stage in her ex’s band, she played roles built on other people’s words...
Episode 19 - Sarah Heron - Personal Brand Stylist
Sarah spent years hiding behind the belief that she had to fit a mould to be taken seriously. She thought success meant being polished, quiet, small, or simply what society deemed “acceptable.” Perfectionism and anonymity behind curated posts b...
Episode 18 - Nerissa Heald - Leadership and Empowerment Consultant
Nerissa has spent much of her life hiding behind strength, competence, and perfection. As a manager, a friend, and a leader, she smiled through exhaustion, fear, and self-doubt, believing that being “the strong one” was the only way to be seen,...
Episode 16 - Jane Lloyd - Fine Artist
Jane has spent her life hiding behind her art. Her paintings, delicate wildlife, and soft edges have always been her shield - the part of her she lets the world see. But behind the brushstrokes lies a woman who has carried grief, fear, and self...
%20(3).png)
Episode 15 - Katie Page - Business & Mindset Mentor For Reflexologists
Katie spent much of her life hiding behind pleasing others, quietly dimming her own voice to make those around her proud. Her mask was subtle but telling - her bangles, a symbol of the persona she showed to the world while her true self stayed ...
Episode 14 - Nina De Sausmarez - Confidence Coach
Nina has spent her life dimming the brilliance and magnetism she was born with, afraid it might overwhelm others or make them uncomfortable. Behind the humour, boldness, and “zero FCKS” persona lies a woman who actually cares deeply - whose hea...
%20(2).png)
Episode 13 - Gina Trick - Business Strategist & Mentor
Gina spent years hiding behind the “good girl” persona, the one who kept the peace, never rocked the boat, and avoided conflict at all costs. Growing up in a household with a verbally abusive, controlling, and gaslighting father, she learned to...
%20(1).png)
Episode 12 - Hela Wozniak-Kay - Sister Snog Connectress - Author - Sub stacker
For more than two decades, Hela has been the heartbeat of Sister Snog, the bold, bodacious, tribal brand that has connected extraordinary women across industries. To the outside world, she’s The Connectress: magnetic, stylish, a...
.png)
Episode 11 - Tracey-Jane Hughes - Listening Whisperer
Tracey-Jane has spent much of her life putting others first - her children, her clients, her family, even the storms and dramas of people around her. From early setbacks, like being in a wheelchair as a teenager, through the grief of losing her...
Episode 10 - Rachel Dunford - The Impact Specialist
For years, Rachel hid behind a navy logo - safe, professional, but silent about who she really was. The moment her brand finally reflected her colour, passion and love for her work, everything shifted. She began to show up as herself. Bright, b...
Episode 9 - Dr Jenny Gordon - The Mother in Lawsome, Communication Specialist
Jenny has spent much of her life hiding pain, loss, and betrayal behind a brave, sunshiny face. Behind that optimism lies the story of a broken marriage, a lost home, and the slow erosion of her true self while trying to please others. She lear...
Episode 8 - Precious Zumbika MBA - Construction & Infrastructure Advisory/Impact & Expert Keynote Speaker
Precious Zumbika, a business owner and founder of Karis Advisory Services, shares her journey from Zimbabwe to the UK, where she became a prominent figure in construction despite initial challenges as one of the few female professionals on site...
Episode 7 - Rachel Savory - Trauma-informed nervous system & identity coach
Rachel has long hidden behind polishedness, strength, and independence - the mask of the “expert,” the emotionally regulated coach who seems calm and composed even when quietly winging it. Behind that exterior lies a life of raw grief, trauma, ...
Episode 6 - Sarah Brason - Grief Navigator
Sarah spent years climbing into boxes with neat little labels - Mother, Wife, Creative Director, Designer, Mentor. Each role gave her a mask, a way of being seen. But inside, she knew they were restrictions, disguises that diluted her truth and...
Episode 5 - Gwenne Dickson - Empowerment Coach & Soul Purpose Activator
For most of her life, Gwenne didn’t know she had ADHD. At 57, sitting at a women’s ADHD conference, everything finally clicked. Words like rejection sensitivity, time blindness, and now & not now weren’t abstract ...
Episode 4 - Mel Hopkins - Client Happiness Strategist
Mel has spent much of her life behind the scenes, quietly keeping everything running smoothly while remaining largely invisible. Calm, competent, and polished, she mastered the art of making life work for everyone else, often at the expense of ...
Episode 3 - Sheila Smith - Founder of Behomed
Sheila has spent much of her life behind a mask of polish and control, showing up as confident, competent, and in command - even when inside she wrestled with self-doubt and imposter syndrome. Fear of judgment and the need to appear flawless of...
Episode 2 - Charlotte Saunders - Breathwork Coach
Rebellion, Breath & Becoming Fully VisibleFor much of her life, Charlotte Saunders wore the “good girl” mask - compliant, over-giving, striving to be palatable and approved of. On the surface, she was a successful bookkeeper a...
Episode 1 - Joanna Wood - Your Host - Brand Photographer
Hi, I'm Joanna and this is Stories from Behind the Mask, the parts we edit out. Every week I'll be sitting down with entrepreneurs who've built businesses, created legacies and dare to show up in the world and we talk about the stories th...
