Lynne Parker shares her experiences of being ‘sixty-ish’ with advertising guru Jane Evans and comedian Charmian Hughes. Reality increasingly dictates that many people will work beyond ‘retirement age’ either out of necessity or passion and, for older women, it’s an ongoing challenge to be visible. Only 3% of the world’s creative directors are women…

Lynne Parker introduces business woman Giovanna Forte to wedding planner Lily Jones, who have both switched from one discipline to another throughout their careers. The phrase ‘mother of invention’ is testament to the fact that many women successfully transfer their skills adapting their careers and lifestyles around a myriad of other responsibilit…

How do we go beyond the binary? Lynne Parker seeks wisdom from organisational development consultant and business strategist, Jae Sloan, and comedian Abby Wambaugh, finalist in the 2021 Funny Women Stage Award. Both guests identify as non-binary but from different and surprising perspectives. This frank and revealing discussion challenges us to rec…

Lynne Parker talks to self-styled ‘Connectress’ and co-founder of Sister Snog, Hela Wozniak-Kay and comedian Louise Leigh about how ‘The Marvelous Mrs Maisel’ has inspired a new wave of female stand ups. Louise gives Hela the lowdown on what it takes to become a ‘turn’ on the comedy circuit and how best to develop your alter ego to entertain or spe…

Lynne Parker discusses taking risks with leadership expert Mairi McHaffie of Scenechange and entrepreneur and author Bernie Morgan. Both have ‘taken the plunge’ and performed stand up comedy with Funny Women and are reunited as performer and mentor in this episode. They met taking part in a charity comedy show 11 years ago to celebrate the centenar…

Lynne Parker brings together Canadian speaker, author and philanthropist Betty-Ann Heggie with playwright and educational trainer Siân Rowland to take a look at the benefits of laughter in the workplace. Lynne had been sent an article in the Harvard Business Review on this topic written by Betty-Ann hundreds of times on social media and decided tha…

Lynne Parker brings together Vasavi Kumar, therapist and camera confidence coach based in Austin Texas, with British comedian and writer, Suchandrika Chakrabarti, for a brilliant exchange on how best to promote our achievements and earn money. They exchange tips on finding a balance between health and wellbeing and the importance of bringing in eno…

Lynne Parker talks to Lucy Hall, founder of the DigitalWomen Community which aims to empower a million women through digital skills, and Kat Bond, actress, comedian and recipient of the 2021 Funny Women Comedy Writing Award, about finding their focus. They discuss how to get the ‘big idea’ from page to stage, the importance of planning and how to s…

Lynne Parker picks the calm out of our chaotic lives with author and former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis MBE and comedian Lucy Porter. After two years of Covid chaos, just how do we go about thriving instead of merely surviving? And where is the calmness to be found in everyday life? From Kitchen Discos to quizzing, background noise and clutter…

Everybody has a story to tell but how many of us get this into book form? Lynne Parker picks the brains of literary agent and publishing consultant, Morwenna Loughman, and comedian, broadcaster and author of two children’s books, Samantha Baines. From performing stand up and harnessing a disability to getting a book deal, what does it take to get p…

Where do we belong? How do we engender a sense of self? Lynne Parker looks at the issues around this hot topic with Jaz Ampaw-Farr, the ‘mistress’ of storytelling and a sought-after motivational speaker, and Zara Janjua, ‘multi-hyphenate’ broadcaster, presenter, comedian, producer and runner up in the 2021 Funny Women Comedy Shorts Award. Together …

A parenting reality check with two new second-time-around mums Sarah Henley, founder of NextUp Comedy and Kelly Ford, comedian, writer and broadcaster. We look at motherhood from both sides, from the joy of juggling two kids and a successful career to the sadness of bringing up your kids without your own mother. We discuss the impact that social me…

Banning the hot flush and how to navigate Midlife. Lynne Parker talks frankly with Eleanor Mills, founder of Noon and formerly of the Sunday Times for over 20 years, and Rosie Wilby award winning comedian, author and podcaster. Discussing the pain and pleasure of the mid part of our lives: post kids if we’ve had them, older dependents, same sex rel…

Lynne Parker explores how heritage and humour combine to memorable effect with Gillian Perry MBE, author and co-founder of the Anne Frank Trust UK, and comedian Harriet Braine, winner of the 2016 Funny Women Stage Award. Gillian regularly lectures on the life and legacy of Ann Frank, and has worked to bring communities together, often against cultu…

From Butlins to Benefit Cosmetics, Lynne Parker lifts the lid on charisma with social media sensation Nina Ambrose and comedian Suzy Bennett, winner of the 2006 Funny Women Awards. Nina and Suzy met when they were Butlins Redcoats and their ‘Hi De Hi’ life experience relied on their inherent charm. Nina went on to occupy the real and virtual ‘front…

Lynne Parker speaks to Zoom sensation Jackie Weaver with the help of comedian Laura Smyth, winner of the 2019 Funny Women Stage Award. After that video of the Handsforth Parish Council meeting went viral, Jackie has embraced the limelight. She puts this down to her inner confidence and with her own podcast, book deal and a guest spot on a popular B…

Lynne Parker talks to marketing specialist Stephanie Prior and comedian Katherine Kenway about what it takes to perform. Human behaviour is naturally performative - from Olympic athletes to Oscar winning actors, we all perform at different levels. Stephanie is the Business Development and Marketing Manager for international law firm Healys LLP, and…

Lynne Parker talks content with media superstar Lucie Cave and ‘comedimum’ Sophie McCartney. Content is today’s media currency consumed from the minute we wake up, on the move, on the loo or wherever we have access to a screen. Whether we admit it or not, we are all content obsessed and some of us make a living creating it. Lucie is currently Chief…

Lynne Parker discusses the art of storytelling for commercial and entertainment purposes with copywriter Rachael Amesbury and comedy performer Nikola McMurtrie. As the founder of copywriting collective, You Zig, I’ll Zag, Rachael makes her living telling stories and creating content for leading brands while Nikola tells her hilarious tales by makin…

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Lynne Parker reunites networking specialist Andy Lopata with his former comedy mentor Lucy Frederick, comedian, writer and actor. In 2013 Funny Women challenged a group of business men to perform live stand up for charity mentored by female comedians. Andy and Lucy’s partnership worked well and here they explore their experiences of mentorship in b…

Lynne Parker challenges her guests Lisa Goodchild, founder of Digilearning, and award-winning comedian and writer Charlie George to dig deep and reveal how their experiences have shaped them. Lisa used technology to escape her childhood of poverty and criminality and went into digital publishing working with global brands to become a top 100 entrep…

Lynne Parker discusses what does it mean to be ‘enterprising’ in today’s brave new world with Professor Lynne Cadenhead, visiting Professor in Governance & Enterprise at Edinburgh Napier University and chair of Women’s Enterprise Scotland, and comedy performer and producer, Natalie Allison. They have Scotland and enterprise in their DNA and know ho…

With diversity and inclusion at the forefront of today’s progressive businesses and organisations, Lynne Parker talks to academic, writer and producer Justine Sless and comedian Rachel Creeger about how their ethnicity has informed their creative practice. Funny Women was created nearly 20 years ago because of the lack of visibility for women in co…

Lynne Parker crosses the business and comedy divide and back again with her guests Claire Mason, CEO of Man Bites Dog and champion of small business and female entrepreneurship, and Vix Leyton, digital marketer, comedian and podcaster. Their experiences embody the art of effective communication from Claire creating the Gender SAY Gap movement to am…

With age comes wisdom and Lynne Parker talks to two ‘wise women’ - celebrated menopause expert and author, Maryon Stewart, and executive coach and comedy producer, Robin Golinski. How does laughter and humour help us through life’s changes? Is anything about the menopause funny?! With 28 books to her name Maryon’s knowledge about the natural manage…

With the help of Tracey Barr, leading independent strategy consultant and Ivy Paige, International showgirl and cabaret artiste, Lynne Parker explores organisation, in both business and the entertainment industry. How do we stay in control, arrive on time and avoid missing deadlines? Tracey’s experience of project leadership and management for lead…

Lynne Parker asks her guests, Keith Crombie of Royal Bank of Scotland and journalist and comedian Jo Fletcher-Cross, how best to collaborate across the business and comedy divide. They get to grips with process-driven versus creative collaboration, how to find a tea urn in the middle of the Scottish Borders and the value of a sparkly jumpsuit. As p…

Lynne Parker discusses the role that intelligence plays in business and comedy with Grace Lown, Head of Public Affairs for Kantar Public, and award-winning comedian and writer Gráinne Maguire. From the importance of collecting data and undertaking research to the very definition of ‘fun’. They look at the process of creating comedy, the role of wor…

Lynne Parker looks at the art of leadership with author, journalist and business coach Harriet Minter and comedian, voice over artist and antenatal teacher Pauline Eyre. What qualities are needed for leadership today and how can you have fun while you lead? How can we best influence and entertain people to get the most out of our working experience…

Lynne Parker talks to two award winners: business strategist, Ali Powell, and comedian, Sooz Kempner, about how they’ve got the best out of isolation. Many of us have had a very different working experience over the last year and it hasn’t all been fun for those of us maintaining a profile in the worlds of business and entertainment. In this episod…

Lynne Parker discusses the impact of the last year on our ability to have fun at work with Jeni Thakrar, talent and inclusion partner at Canada Life and award-winning comedian, actress, director and writer, Jenny Bolt. Repeated lockdowns have knocked our confidence and changed working practice whether you’re in an office or performing on stage. Jen…

In this debut episode, Lynne Parker talks to business woman Deb Leary OBE and performer, improviser and producer Monica Gaga about ‘How To Have Fun At Work’. They reflect on how humour builds resilience, improves leadership skills and enhances business and creative development. Deb is founder and CEO of the award-winning Forensic Pathways, speciali…

Do you have fun at work? Lynne Parker spent years working in public relations and marketing and although she was good at it she wasn’t having fun. Then somebody told her that women weren’t funny and the rest is history. Lynne created Funny Women in 2002 and it’s grown to become the leading community for female comedy empowering thousands of women t…