Hormones & Heroines

How Heartbreak and Failure Built a Peloton Icon: Hannah Frankson

She was supposed to be an Olympian. Then she got engaged. Then it all fell apart. And from the rubble of compounded failure, Hannah Frankson built something none of us saw coming. In this episode, Hannah, one of Peloton’s most recognisable and beloved instructors, sits down with Sarah-Jane Crawford for a deeply honest conversation about what it really takes to rebuild yourself from scratch. Hannah Frankson is proof that failure, shame and embarrassment can be the very foundation of a life built entirely on your own terms. If you’ve ever felt like you’ve fallen short of the life you were “supposed” to have, this one’s for you. In this episode: *Growing up mixed race in Essex and finding your identity *Breaking national records as a teenage triple jumper and why the Olympics felt inevitable *When the athletic dream didn’t go the distance and what happens to your identity when the thing that defines you disappears *An engagement that ended and why admitting it felt like public failure *How hitting rock bottom before the Peloton audition was the thing that finally set her free *The 9 month process to becoming one of the most loved instructors on the platform *Why she chose herself over the relationship timeline society expects and has zero regrets *How financial independence gave her the freedom to ask what she actually wanted rather than what she thought she needed *Why owning being single was the most radical thing she ever did This one will stay with you.

Michelle de Swarte: Career Pivots, Perimenopause & Daring to Try

This week’s heroine is the brilliant Michelle de Swarte, a model turned writer, actor and stand-up comedian whose sold-out comedy tour has been spotlighting perimenopause in the most unexpected and powerful way. We talk about Michelle’s journey back to her natural hair after relaxing it to survive an industry that wasn’t ready for her, and why protecting her hair from inexperienced hands became an act of self-preservation. We get into what it really takes to pivot careers, how she went from the catwalk to the comedy stage, and why trying and failing live, unedited and unfiltered, is something social media has almost robbed us of entirely. We also celebrate being 80s babies and the gift of a childhood before social media. We then we get into perimenopause, the subtle and insidious way its symptoms creep in and how easy it is to resist acknowledging what your body is telling you. Michelle opens up about her own journey from resistance to acceptance, and how embracing HRT became part of embracing a new chapter of her life. What started as a part of life she wanted to avoid, ended up becoming the centrepiece of her tour, and the rapturous response from audiences proved exactly why these conversations need to be had loudly, honestly and without apology. This one is funny, honest, and genuinely moving. Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is simply dare to try. In this episode we cover: • From relaxed hair back to natural • Her very first stand-up gig • How perimenopause crept up on her and the symptoms she experienced • Her journey to embracing HRT • How perimenopause went from a subject she avoided to the centrepiece of her sold-out tour • The small film she almost never released and how it quietly launched her acting career

HENRIETTA RIX | RIXO: The Brand, The Breakdown & The Ultimate Juggle

She built one of Britain’s most beloved fashion brands from an IKEA table. No investment. No blueprint. Just vision, grit, and a best friend from university who believed in the same dream. This is Henrietta Rix. And this is the story behind the success. Because while the world was watching Rixo land on Net-a-Porter, appear on the backs of celebrities and become a globally respected British fashion brand, Henrietta was carrying something far more personal. She’d always known she wanted a big family. It was never a question. But getting there was harder than she ever imagined. PCOS, years without regular periods, five years of medication just to ovulate and a quiet fear that the family she’d always pictured might not come easily. Then came her children and the scaling business! which equalled the moment the wheels started to feel like they were coming off. This episode is about all of it. The four years of sacrifice before the breakthrough, the hormonal battles no one talks about in the boardroom, the breakdown that finally forced a reckoning, and the very modern, very honest juggle she’s found on the other side. WHAT WE COVER: • Building Rixo from scratch with zero investment and everything to prove • The four-year grind before the brand finally broke through • The Net-a-Porter moment — and what it actually felt like • How her wedding ended up in both British and American Vogue • Living with PCOS and discovering fertility isn’t guaranteed • Five years of medication to ovulate — and why she didn’t talk about it • Always wanting a big family — and the fear she might not get one • The breakdown that came from never planning for childcare • How she now structures her week to show up for both her business and her babies • Why the juggle isn’t perfect — but it is possible

Eve | 14 Fibroids, 4 Rounds of IVF & Becoming a Mum at 42

In our first episode, we sit down with rapper, actress, global superstar and — her favourite title of all — Mum. This is Eve. And this is the story she hasn’t fully told. Because behind the Grammy, the hits and the iconic status, Eve has been fighting battles that will feel painfully familiar to so many of us. Fibroids. Painful periods. Four rounds of IVF. The desperate, exhausting, hope-and-heartbreak cycle of trying to become a mother while the world only sees the highlight reel. That’s exactly what Hormones & Heroines is here for. The stuff behind the scenes. The stuff we don’t talk about enough. The juggle, the struggle, and the silent fights that so many high-achieving women carry alone.

Hormones & Heroines - Coming Soon

Hormones & Heroines is the podcast for women who look effortless on the surface while their legs are kicking furiously beneath it. Hosted by broadcaster and Mum-trepreneur Sarah-Jane Crawford, it was born from a simple but rarely spoken truth: women are constantly showing up — to the boardroom, the school run, the studio, the startup — while quietly navigating fertility treatments, perimenopause, crippling period pain, pregnancy loss, and everything in between. We are biologically different to men, and yet we’re expected to perform as though we’re not. Honest, warm, and unflinching conversations with heroines who’ve mastered the art of the mask, and who are finally ready to talk about what’s underneath. Coming this March! 3f50d87a23c21c398db4c943dab18c1b5d25fb81