Episode 6 - with Esther Marshall, Founder of Sophie Says

Before we start this weeks episode, I am so excited to say that She can. She did. has officially rebranded to can.did. - a new kind of networking for more candid conversations. For more details and to join us in there, visit www.meetcandid.com or come and say hello at @meetcandidTW// We talk about suicide in this week's episode.This week I spoke to a woman whose mission, tenacity and courage inspires me no end. Esther Marshall is the Founder of Sophie Says - an award-winning children's book series that is changing the face of children's literature by featuring diverse characters and combatting stereotypes one page at a time.Having spent 8 years at Unilever in which her last two years there were spent heading up their Global Diversity & Inclusion team, it wasn't until Esther went on maternity leave and found herself surrounded by children's books that only served to reinforce damaging gender and racial stereotypes, that the idea for Sophie Says was born.As I'm sure you'll soon hear, today's episode isn't just a story about how Esther launched, ran and grew the Sophie Says series into what it is today (that of a book series endorsed by everyone from Frankie Bridge and Fearne McCann to none other than Prince Harry and Megan Markle!) It's also a story about bravery, resilience and learning to cope with grief and acts as a poignant reminder to us all, that it's always, always ok not to be ok. This is Esther's story so far...Say hello to our new sponsor, Pleo...The She can. She did. podcast is hosted by Fiona Grayson (that's me, hello!) and this series is sponsored by the incredible team at Pleo (aka. the multi-award winning business spending solution built for forward-thinking teams that has revolutionised the business expenses game) who are offering all She can. She did. listeners your first 3 months free! Whether you're a solo Founder with a team of freelancers or have a team of 2 or 200, head to pleo.io and quote the She can. She did. podcast when prompted to see what all the fuss is about! Their team are on standby to set you up with the offer now - I'm pretty confident that you're going to love them! Enjoy!Say hello to this week's ad guest...Not only have Pleo sponsored this series but they've also handed the mic over to members of She can. She did. so that they can promote their businesses in Pleo's ad space... what legends, we know! This week, you'll hear from our amazing member Tyra, Founder of  Foss Creative Studio - who just so happens to edit this podcast!The good old social handles should you fancy a further peek...can.did. @meetcandidSophie Says @sophiesaysofficialPleo @pleo.ioFoss Creative Studio @fosscreativestudio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.