Back in time from the corporate world to TV stardom with podcaster Lesley Ellis

After our little opening chat where we talk about an event we went to recently put on by The Huddersfield Giants which was fab and really inspiring we talk with Lesley Ellis about her career and her aspirations with a surprising twist in the middle. We met Lesley through the podcasting world as we use the same producer (producer Alex) and having heard her story we thought you might like to 'meet' her too.  Lesley is about to launch a podcast in just a few weeks and we will share the links to it as soon as we can. Lesley started her career in finance in sales type roles whilst she was also a singer in a band then realised she had written a song describing a life she didn't really like.  Bus as a lot of women do she felt stuck in the job because the benefits were good, the maternity leave was good etc etc.  And after having her first two children she went back to a different type of role which involved helping others which she loved.  Baby number 3 came along and after that maternity leave the role had changed again into a coaching role and then training which again Lesley loved.  Unfortunately it wasn't to last due to the financial crash in 2008. Having gained all those people skills, she went to work as a mentor for children in care at the local high school which was really about being school mum and giving cuddles and hot chocolate.  Anybody doing a job like this will know how difficult it can be to leave work and work and so Lesley had to make the difficult decision to leave because it was affecting her relationship with her own kids. So obviously the most logical thing to do after these two career paths is to set up a catering business isn't it?  Of course it is!!  She made loads of foods from scratch spending 18 hours a day catering for an event but no money! Here is the surprising twist, Lesley and her family took part in a TV series back in 2017 called 'Back in time for tea' hosted by Sara Cox.  For anyone who hasn't heard of it or seen it, the family are basically living as they did in 'the olden days'.  Over the course of 8 weeks during the summer their house was transformed (not to mention cut in half) to initially a house from 1918 then over those weeks through the decades back up to 1999.  Imagine going back to a time when there were no mobile phones, no TVs, no internet etc etc.  Most of us can't live without our phones for a day never mind 8 weeks!  Since recording this episode we have started watching the series and it is so good.  We can't believe how the family handle everything that is thrown at them, especially the kids, though Lesley insists there were definitely some tantrums and the producers were kind in the edit.  We still think the kids handled it all amazingly!  Give it a watch - it is really good! So leading on from the TV show Lesley has done some TV and lots of radio interviews so now is starting her own podcast called The Midlife Manifesto with Lesley & friends.  Having effectively been middle aged through each decade Lesley has a perspective that none of us can have and truly believes there has never been a better time to be middle aged than right now.  Her friends are middle aged too and are doing mad things like taking up Kayaking and cycling in bizarre places.  Having more time and less stress than ever before and getting to this stage is to be celebrated which our Michelle wholeheartedly agrees with - Jayne not so much but she is younger than they are so hasn't got there yet!  Although the f*ck it bucket is definitely a thing for all of us and many people we have met.  Give Lesleys podcast a listen but be warned, you may need tissues! Music by Outsider https://www.facebook.com/outsiderbanduk Deborah Ogden's podcast www.deborahogden.com/on-brand-with