Solo Powered with Ariana Dunne

Happy New Year. 2024 we come back with a bang with the erudite gentleman Lawson Mpame sharing with us his lone wolf journey in the world of Fashion and Creative Direction. Lawson has worked with some incredible brands including, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Zalando, Primark and more, featuring on RTE, Image, Tatler, Irish Country Magazine and beyond.

Lawson moved to Ireland from Zimbabwe at the age of 15 and had to navigate a new country, culture and friendships to find his own path in Ireland. His journey to success has not always been easy, he had to go to battle with his father in order to pursue his dream career in fashion, and avoid the route the rest of his family had taken in medicine and law. Lawson talks about his unique perspective as a straight, black man, in an industry where the majority of his peers are women and gay men. He discusses being single and his time on First Dates Ireland and highlights how sometimes it is good to spend time alone to find out what you really want from life.

Lawson talks about his proud inclusion in the 2023 book 'Black and Irish' and how important it is to stand out from the crowd and be proud of who you are, which can often be expressed in how we dress and present ourselves to the world.

Lawson is a brilliant example of a Solo Powered man in many aspects of his life.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I talk to the very wonderful Vicki Notaro former Managing Director of VIP Publishing and author of her debut book 'Reality Check' which is released early next year. On this episode we talk about how Vicki made the difficult decision to leave her high profile job to go out on her own as a solo with multiple strings to her bow including freelance writing, consulting, podcasting and of course bagging a dream book deal with Penguin Books Ireland. We discuss pressure to climb the corporate ladder, burnout, stress, and how important it is for us to manage our health and wellbeing when working in busy corporate environments.

We also discuss her experience as a solo only child and also her decision to not have any children of her own and some of the stigmas or judgements that surround both.

This episode is brought to you by Seafield Hotel and Spa Resort

Seafield Hotel and Spa Resort are offering 'Flying Solo' packages for anyone who wants to relax and rejuvenate.

Starting at €168 for overnight B&B in a deluxe bedroom, Thermal Suite Access in our Award Winning Spa and a Three Course Evening Meal in our Village Bar & Grill. To book visit - visit www.seafieldhotel.com

#solo

#solochild

#solopreneur

#soloparent

#childlessbychoice

#soloadventure

#solopassions

#solobychoice

#lovewhatyoudo

#seafieldhotelandsparesort

#flyingsolo

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The wonderful fashion stylist Cathy O'Connor come on to talk about her fabulous career in fashion from working on TV's 'Off the rails', to being a magazine fashion editor and stylist to the stars. She has recently launched an important campaign called Women Un-Branded.

Women Un-branded is a social awareness campaign that aims to create social change towards ageing in the fashion and beauty worlds. Spearheaded by stylist, broadcaster, and content creator, Cathy O’Connor, Women Un-branded gives a voice to women over 40 and beyond who have experienced a lack of representation and inclusion in many fashion and beauty brands’ marketing and advertising campaigns.

Women Un-branded recently conducted a *survey among women aged 35+, many of whom have significant spending power in the fashion and beauty industries. The survey revealed that 45% of this cohort spend up to €500 per month on fashion, while 61% spend up to €500 per month on beauty. At a time of extraordinary inclusion, many women over 40 feel they are on the outside looking in, and that the brands they are loyal to don’t always represent them in their campaigns. 71% would prefer to see more realistic portrayals of women in brand campaigns. Women Un-branded is calling for a more realistic portrayal of women over 40, highlighting their vivacity, wisdom, and value.

With the Women Un-branded campaign, Cathy wants to create awareness and act, and she is encouraging women to champion those who are creating a change. Women Un-branded is calling on women to be aware of which brands communicate with them directly, and if women feel ignored by brands or boutiques they support, speak up in a positive way.

Cathy has many ambitious plans for Women Un-branded including a shoot of real women who own their style across all age ranges from 40+, and even a podcast. As the founder, Cathy is also passionate about the media and brands having access to images of vibrant looking older women so that positive images of age are more available and therefore, may increase visibility. Watch this space! Women Un-branded is also open to working with agencies worldwide who want to create positive change to help them be inclusive in their work and there are plans for more in-depth research in the future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Solo Powered, Ariana takes the opportunity to go Solo once again to celebrate Ariana's lucky number 16th episode.

Ariana thanks the listeners, shares some feedback and recaps over the 15 episodes to date giving some guest updates along the way.

Ariana also shares her thoughts on some big news items that took place during the week (20th-27th of July 2023), including Irelands IVF Funding measures, The Barbie movie release and Sinead O'Connors untimely passing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we celebrate 40 episodes and 1 years since Solo Powered launched.

Thank you so much to everyone who has listened or has been a guest. To celebrate we are offering one lucky listener the chance to win a Solo Spa Day in the fabulous Powerscourt Springs in Co. Wicklow. To win message me or comment, share about Solo Powered on your social channels.

We also talk to American listener Dr Vivian Vo. A multi-passionate Life Coach, Doctor, and Yoga Teacher, who has witnessed and experienced first hand the unique challenges folks of the global majority face. She is a coach who is passionate about helping AAPI folks. "We juggle societal expectations, internalized pressures, the strong need to help our communities, and the constant feeling of needing to prove ourselves."

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.