S6 EP6 Nikki Alford - ‘I kept the photo of Bessie Ellen in my back pocket’

S7 EP5 Kenny Smith - ‘I put a bet on a horse & with the winnings I bought my first guitar’

Festival season has started & on this week’s episode of SWIC I get to chat to founder & front man of Torridon, Kenny Smith. Kenny & I recorded the day after Torridon got back from there performance at the MacMoray Festival so adrenaline was still high. We talk backstage stories, the challenges of the music industry, being true to your identity, the power of live music, when songwriting started for Kenny, the depth of his lyrics & his important role as ambassador for charities Mikeysline & The Archie Foundation. This programme is sponsored by The Old Post Office Cafe Gallery.

S7 EP4 Unravel Tea - ‘ It makes you slow down, it makes you notice … it brings me into the moment’

Did you know you can grow tea in Scotland? I didn’t until I met Donna Ferenth, founder of Unravel Tea at the Kingussie Food on Film Festival earlier this year! On this week’s episode of SWIC I got to sit down with Donna, literally, as I enjoyed my first tea ceremony with her in her tea room. We chat when tea was first introduced to Donna, discovering the rituals surrounding traditional tea ceremonies, its grounding properties, the desire to share tea experiences with others, founding Unravel Tea, growing her own tea on the Guisachan Estate here in the Scottish Highlands & celebrating ten years of Unravel Tea. . This programme is sponsored by The Old Post Office Cafe Gallery.

S7 EP3 Helen Needham - ‘You took me to that place I was once able to go to, but I can’t anymore’

On this week’s episode of SWIC I get to chat to senior BBC Radio Scotland producer Helen Needham. Helen & I enjoyed recording our episode in the Old Post Office Cafe Gallery, surrounded by Ann Vastano’s landscape paintings for added inspiration. We chat Helen’s road into producing, her equal love for making programmes on the outdoors & traditional music, celebrating 100 years of BBC Aberdeen, giving young trad musicians a platform, being recognised on the Hands Up For Trad Women in Music & Culture list 2026, the programmes she produces and the exciting new projects too. This programme is sponsored by The Old Post Office Cafe Gallery.

S7 EP2 Jenna Reid - ‘Everyone who played a fiddle would gather at ours after school and play’

Following on from last weeks theme of island life, on my latest episode of SWIC I had the absolute joy of chatting to award winning composer, Shetland fiddler, children’s author & member of Blazin’ Fiddles , Jenna Reid. Jenna & I chat her recent fiddle day inspiring musicians with Rachel Cooper, quiet moments that help ideas flow, what success looks like versus reality, Jenna’s upbringing on Shetland, her music influences, being part of the amazing Blazin’ Fiddles & her latest children’s book ‘Do You Play an Instrument?’. Jenna Reid reminds those that need to hear it that ‘you are enough’ This heart warming reminder certainly stayed with me long after our chat. This programme is sponsored by the Old Post Office Cafe Gallery.

S7 EP1 Michael Pedersen - ‘ a beautiful thing happened, after the shaming, it was accepted I wrote ‘

Sarah Wylie In Conversation is back for Season 7! ( & to mark the new, I have decided to write in 1st person! ) I’m so excited to share my first guest of the series with you. For episode one, I got to chat to award winning poet, writer & Edinburgh’s Makar, Michael Pedersen. We talk the power to embrace who you are from a young age, Michael’s upbringing in Portobello, being outed as a writer & we reminisce the bus routes we shared too. Michael shares on the themes of wonder & friendship throughout his work and how he is using these themes to inspire young people to write, in his role as Edinburghs Makar. We ofcourse talk his latest novel Muckle Flugga, the wonderful characters, his current book tour & we are even treated to an expert recited by Michael justo for us! This programme is sponsored by the Old Post Office Cafe Gallery.