February 24, 2025 • 31 mins
In this episode of the We Are PoWEr Podcast, we are joined by Natalie Reeves-Billing DL, a remarkable woman with an inspiring journey in education, innovation, and leadership. Natalie, a mum of three and co-founder of Builder Book UK, shares her passion for empowering young minds and creating equitable educational opportunities. As an award-winning author, Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside, and creator of The Animates Project, Natalie discusses her mission to bring educational resources to vulnerable families and inspire children towards fulfilling careers.
In this episode, we explore the power of storytelling, personal growth, resilience, and the importance of community. Natalie also shares insights into her many roles and how she successfully juggles multiple projects, from co-founding Builder Book UK to serving as a Governor at Everton Free School. We dive deep into her passion for educational equity, women’s leadership, and the impact of her work in underprivileged communities.
Chapters: 00:00 Empowering Stories and Superpowers
08:54 Personal Growth and Overcoming Challenges
17:46 Finding Purpose and Building Community
24:58 Innovation and Pranks
30:07 Adapting With Multiple Roles
Natalie’s career and dedication to creating pathways for future careers truly embody resilience, creativity, and impact. Join us for a conversation full of inspiration and practical advice!
Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, hello and welcome to the we Are Power
podcast.
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(00:21):
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(00:41):
singularly wonderful,everybody's wonder girl.
Well, hello.
Today I am joined by NatalieReeves-Billing, dl.
Hello, I love that we havepodcasts with people with so
many suffixes.
I was going to say acronyms,but suffixes.
Tell us what a DL is, becauseyou were appointed last year at
(01:01):
New War.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yes, so it's just been over a year now and it was
quite a mysterious thingactually.
It's still surprises me to thisday, because I guess it's like
a hidden world you know that youdon't know about until it
happens, and then all of asudden, you're like whoa DL,
dark League.
But yeah, it's been absolutelyincredible finding out about
that, but also about whatthey're doing and how that
aligns with what I do.
So the way that it works isthat the King and the Crown they
(01:33):
have, I guess, representativesin each of the counties and they
place a Lord Lieutenant thereand there's an awful lot of
people to get around.
So they're going going to needhelpers like Santa's little
helpers.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
You are elves.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I'm literally an elf, my best job ever.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
No, I'm the height to be an elf, not you.
No, that's amazing.
So you are a representative.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yes, and the good thing is as well that you can
use your own superpowers in therole.
So there are lots of us withdifferent skills, and so we get
deployed as per our skill set, Iguess, but you also get to
learn new things as well, so trydifferent things out.
But it is lovely to be able togo out into the community, see
(02:17):
all the good that's happening.
And then, of course, you can'tcompletely separate who you are
from the title, and therefore alot of the things that you know
and the people you know are ableto link into this opportunity
as well, so it only enhanceswhat you were already doing and
we will get into some of thosesuperpowers.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
But tell us, because you are so accomplished, so many
stories, so many things thatyou are spinning stories, so
many things that you arespinning, Describe, describe you
in.
I mean, this is an untenabletask in some ways, but describe
(02:55):
yourself in a couple ofsentences.
I can't say one.
It's going to have to be.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Imagine if I threw this back at you now.
Oh, I know.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
You know how difficult it was going to be,
but you're not.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I threw this back at you now.
Oh, I know you know howdifficult it was going to be,
but you're not so well.
I guess the core of it is thatI love creativity.
I started out being very much aperson that wanted to be a
famous songwriter.
I wanted to write poems andsongs and sing them, and I soon
realised that I actually likebeing a bit behind the scenes
(03:25):
more than I like to be out.
There is it's the process ofcreating.
I like the best, and what Iliked about being on the road
when I was in a band back inthose days was I thought that it
was working towards fame.
It wasn't that at all.
It's just people.
It's meeting new people anddifferent types of characters.
I find people so fascinatingand so creativity is the main
(03:49):
thing that I would say is thethread that runs through
everything and people, sotherefore it led into careers
that very much include both.
When I was younger, I didstruggle.
I think a lot of creatives dowith overthinking, which leads
to cases of depression andanxiety, and and so, because of
that, as soon as I realized thatif you inject purpose into that
(04:11):
and some sort of better a goalfor good, if you like.
Uh, I never, ever felt thoselows again, and so, uh, I would
recommend it to anybody.
The minute that you getinvolved in volunteering in some
way or just joining withlike-minded people who are out
to change things, mix it up,disrupt things, then it is the
(04:34):
key to a better and happier life.
I'm not saying that I don'twake up some days and just want
to go into a ball and have alittle cry, but those days are
less, much, much less, and so,yeah, I would say they're the
things that are injected intoeverything I do.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
And I think people who know you will know you for
being an award-winning author.
Multiple books are we eight?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yes, Well, now that we're starting to I won't say
churn them out, because thatinnovates, yeah.
So one thing I noticed is whenI was writing books for myself.
So being an independentlypublished author, it's a
difficult task because you'rehaving to take on all of the
things like your marketing andall those sorts of things, and
(05:24):
that is not the fun bit for me.
It doesn't fill me up with joy.
And so then getting apublishing deal and that then
falls onto somebody else to do.
But, however, you still havethe book tours and you still
have to go out there and do alot of work with the books.
And again, it's lovely.
But I think my, what we've foundnow is, uh, is even better,
(05:50):
which is writing books to helpother people tell their stories,
like businesses, uh, who arewanting to find a sort of bridge
, if you like, between theirsort of high-end, uh, very
academic thoughts, which whichare quite difficult to describe
or to make sound interesting forlittle ones.
(06:10):
And then you have this resourcethat you've created which they
can then be proud of and theycan use to go and target those
younger children and get theminspired into the careers that
we have locally.
So that's been amazing One ofmy favourite videos.
That's been amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
One of my favourite videos that's come out over the
years.
It's a long, long time ago now,probably seven or eight years
ago.
It's called Redraw the Balanceand it was something that was
created which was, you know,gender stereotypes, or
stereotypes in all forms, areformed around about the age of
five, six, something like that.
And I remember there were thesethree supply teachers.
(06:45):
Go into a classroom and there'sabout 60 kids in the classroom
and they're all looking, youknow, and they're like today
we're going to draw careers andthey all draw, and they all draw
, and they all draw and they alldraw.
And then the three teachers,the three women, go out the room
, come back in one's afirefighter, one's a fighter
pilot, and one's a firefighterpilot and one's a surgeon.
And I'm always mortified by thelittle girl's voice that I can
(07:07):
hear that says, oh, it'sdress-up day and you know those
stereotypes.
And it found out that out ofthose 60 kids, like, only six
pictures were drawn of women.
And you're like this is you'retackling not only storytelling
and building that bridge betweeneducation and kids' playtime
(07:29):
with what you want to be whenyou grow up, because careers
guidance is challenged, isn't itat the best of it?
So this is innovation inprocess, isn't it what you're
doing?
It's inclusive innovation, whatyou're bringing to play, yeah
of innovation, what you'rebringing to play.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, I think the thing is, when you deal with
children as young as as we workwith, they haven't yet got an
idea of what careers are and allthey know is what they're good
at and what they enjoy doing.
And so really what you're tryingto get is that sweet spot where
you're able to make a livingone day out of the things you
love.
And I guess you could do thatby being the best you can be at
(08:08):
the things you love and as yougo along doing those things that
you enjoy the most, you'll findskills that enhance that or,
you know, accompany it, and soyou just grow that skill a
little bit as life goes on.
But it's taking away thatpressure as well, because if you
think back to when we were kidsand you think this pressure's
put on you, that if you missthis year, if you miss this test
(08:31):
, if you miss this thing, that'sit.
And we know that's not true,because as adults we can go back
and retrain.
But the thing is, I think themost important thing is that
people find something theyactually want to do and they're
going to do it.
That much better aren't they,if they wake up and the first
thing they think of is can'twait for the day ahead.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
And where was your motivation to?
Even?
You are creative, clearly,you're creative when you're
singing your performance.
Now you're writing.
You're creative when you'resinging your performance, now
you're writing.
And not only are you writingand creating these books, but
you're creating like anecosystem that goes around them.
So I was listening to you on apodcast or an interview you
(09:15):
talked about.
You know, we want to makepuppet shows, we want to make
you know all the bits, becauseyou probably have a mind like
mine.
At times, you go we're notgoing to stop here, we're going
to go big or go home.
Right, you know it's creatingthe, because everyone engages in
a different way, and I thinkthat's what you want to do,
isn't it With this, with theseries that you're creating, is
to have that other options.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Yeah Well, I thought at one stage that I was some
sort of genius that had inventedthe idea of these
multi-platform experiences.
Oh, it's called an mpexmulti-platform experience.
Well, it's just what's beenhappening for years a book
happens and then a film comesand all the things that go
around it.
But yeah, that's what,effectively, you're trying to do
(09:53):
, isn't it?
But there are people that thinkfirst of the big picture and
then, yeah, you have to havesomewhere to start that leads
that.
So you have to be quite, youknow, lean with the first sort
of test into the market, butyou're very much aware of all
the things that it could turninto, and so you make sure that
that initial offering has thescope to encompass all those
(10:14):
other elements one day and Ithink people you know we talked
about the creativity we talkedabout you have this really, you
know, cheerful, positivedisposition.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
You're very much a giver.
I know you're doing a charitywalk this week, aren't you, I
think, because it's a glow walk.
I've done that because I knowyou're a cancer survivor and
you're doing that in aid ofCaterbridge, I think, isn't it?
Yeah, you know.
So you're very passionate aboutgiving back and, externally,
paying it forward, supportingall these endeavours, of course.
(10:44):
And people will say, gosh, youhave it all, if you like and how
you dress.
You have this beautiful range.
In fact, I talked to one of mycolleagues, emma, and she was
like oh, natalie, the one withthe snazzy dresses, you had them
for Eurovision when you cameand won, uh, our awards, awards
you had again beautiful.
(11:04):
Is there a story behind thedresses?
Speaker 2 (11:08):
well, I'd say.
Evidence of the impact of thedresses happened even today when
I was commuting, because my carbroke down yesterday and so I
was commuting today on the trainand seeing it as an opportunity
to do something else.
So, and then an opportunitypresented itself because I was,
as I was, waiting to step up atCentral Station, there's two
skater boys, about 18 or 19, andthey're going off.
(11:31):
They tell me for a day outexploring Liverpool, but they
want to tell me how lovely Ilook in my outfit and how they
really dig the style and thethought processes that went into
the hat combination, on thecoat and there it is okay.
Yeah, it's nice to get acompliment.
That's not what it's for.
I think that it shows peoplethat you're open to have a
conversation.
(11:51):
I know you're approachable in asort of fun and happy and
positive sort of way, and I'vejust found that it really opens
doors.
Yet it does help with peopleremembering you, so you don't
have to start the sameconversation over from scratch,
because you can pick up whereyou were from last time.
But more so than that.
I've always wanted to dress ina certain way.
(12:14):
I wanted to always find mystyle, but as a teenager and a
young 20, something I was verymuch conscious of.
What other people would thinkof that and and the pressures
that came from being a woman ata certain time and once you get
to a certain age.
I say certain, it's because Iam certain about what I want,
that's the certain age.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Oh, I love that that is one for the tote bag.
We always have a tote bagmoment.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yeah, I'm not a certain age, I'm just certain
that's true, and I said, right,that's it, I'm going to wear the
things that I wanted to wear.
But what is it?
What is it that really, youknow, gets me and I just like
I've just always loved the lookand I'd like to say that what
you do is your power.
It's not how you dress, it'snot a suit, it's not a briefcase
(12:59):
.
I mean, I I would like to say,as you know as well, we smash
things every day.
You know, with the things thatwe do, you don't always see it,
all the effort that goes in.
You might see the surface of it, you don't see the underbelly
of it and we appreciate themajority of it's happening there
.
It's not the bit that looksgreat on camera.
Yeah, it doesn't make a goodsocial post, you know, but
there's a lot of that andpeddling, isn't it?
(13:21):
Yeah, constantdling.
And this is just a part of it.
So power is the actions and the.
You know the achievements, thesuccesses, rather than you know
some sort of representation ofpower that's been created by
society.
So I guess it's my little actof rebellion.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Well, you've talked about the purpose.
The purpose helped with, if youlike, reframing some of that
mental health, you know.
And now the power how it's notalways been happy, has it?
Speaker 2 (13:52):
It's not always you've had.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
You know there have been challenges along the way
challenges at school, yeah, andchallenges with a relationship.
Are you happy to share?
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Yeah, I mean life for me.
I grew up in Toxteth singleparent family and you know
primary school sort of age wasreally fun.
I can't say that that thatwasn't.
But then I got to a I would sayhigh school sort of age and I
found that the I felt like I wasa grown woman when I was very
(14:26):
young, probably about 12 or 13.
And I felt grown up and Ilooked grown up and so I
remember things in those daysand it still probably goes on.
It's disturbing to think aboutit now that my own children are
getting to that sort of age, butI remember walking to school,
as we didn't have the money toto, we didn't have cars, so and
I've lived miles away from mysecondary school so my walk was
(14:48):
about an hour there and an hourback at the end of the school
day, going through two parksPrince Prince's Park, sefton
Park and I'd be dressed in myschool uniform and you would not
believe the beeps of the cars,the men in the cars beeping a
child in a school uniform, andso you know, it's very easy for
somebody who's wanting to provethemselves, who comes from a
(15:10):
place where they want success,they want to validate who they
are, and so it is easy to get inwith the wrong crowd and to
think, as a young girl, that youhave to be acting in a certain
way in order to show that youare grown.
That can leave you veryvulnerable indeed.
You think you've got it allsorted, you think you're in
(15:30):
control, but in actual factyou're a child and you'll never
accept that when you're incontrol, but in actual fact
you're a child and you'll neveraccept that when you're that age
.
And so that age women beingthat age is very important to me
.
I know how difficult it was forme and it led to a lot of
decisions which have onlystrengthened me now looking back
.
But they do take pieces of youwhen you know, if you look back
(15:52):
at it now, it's me that wentthrough it.
So I guess if it was mydaughter I'd go oh my goodness,
that's terrible.
Because it happened to me.
I kind of dismiss it as if, oh,it's just something we go
through, but I guess in a wayyou could see a lot of those
things as grooming you know, andit makes me annoyed really,
(16:13):
because sometimes I do feel likea hypocrite when I talk about
it to other young girls or women, because a lot of the time I
never took action at that timeand you have to make some
decisions in your life.
Is it useful to actually fightback against those things at
this point?
You have a lot of people whowill say things to you like now
think about this, natalie,you're a children's author.
(16:36):
You know you're married, you'vegot children at school.
Do you really want to revisitthis and and how people will
think about it at this stage?
And it does put you off them,but you know, there is a certain
type of control I think thatpeople have, because we still
can't have those conversationsabout those things.
(16:57):
It's like it kind of infectsyou or you should feel ashamed
about it.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I think that's shame.
We talked earlier, didn't we?
We had Jenny Guy on the couch afew episodes ago.
Why Whispering podcast?
And there's that wholeobsession around shame.
Oh, we can't talk about that.
Why?
Why are we whispering about it,literally?
Why, you know?
Why are you getting pulled toone side and go oh, but this
doesn't go with your personalbrand, this doesn't go with your
(17:23):
current bio.
But you talking, you beingyourself, this has happened to
you.
But you talking about this will, for other people, go oh, my
goodness, I hadn't realised.
And actually it's okay.
It's okay to talk about it.
It's not okay what happened,but it's okay for me now to also
talk, because other people havesaid that to me as well.
(17:46):
It doesn't fit with your byline.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah, yeah, and you know, for PR, we know it's best
to have one focus message.
You know, if you start havingall these different types of
hats, people will think wheredoes she fit in?
But you know, I have been thevictim of a violent crime before
, so I know what that feels likeand I know what it feels like
(18:10):
to have to make a decision ofwhether you're going to fight it
because you know it's going tobe very public.
You know, then again, that yourdecisions, that your
personality is going to becalled into question, and it's
only the part of the process.
We need to do it to make surethat the that the right verdict
is reached.
But it's a terribly traumaticexperience for a person to go
(18:33):
through in order to get somesort of justice at the end, and
it can create a hell of a lot ofdisruption to somebody's life.
You have to go out and put yourface out in the streets.
People don't often say saw that, read about that.
So every time you go into aroom you don't know if someone's
(18:54):
read that article, if someone'sheard something.
So you go through a kind ofadjustment of explaining
yourself all the time.
Hey, hi, I'm the one.
And yes, this, this, this, andthey're probably thinking what's
she going on about?
Yeah, don't know any of thosethings, but now I do in your
toolkit of skills and life.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
What were the you we talked earlier about?
You reach for the purpose thathelped you deal with certain
certain things.
What did you have to reach forthen?
Who or what helped you?
Speaker 2 (19:25):
um, that was a difficult one, I would say.
If we have now looking at storyarches, um, you have a
beginning, a middle.
You have some sort of crisis ofthe soul, a nice sort of ending
.
The crisis of the soul thereoften sparks change, and I'd say
that after the last incidentthere, which we've just
(19:49):
described, I would say that waswhere change has happened within
me, where you start to realizeyour worth, you start to realize
the choices that you make thataren't serving you.
And you've got a decision fromhere on in, this is who I want
to be, this is how I want toplay it.
I would say that's what I tookfrom that.
Sometimes we need that moment tojust snap us out of this
(20:11):
continuance of a cycle.
You like you make the wrongchoices.
You, you're not a bad person.
You might just make wrongchoices because you, like
everyone, you like to believe inthe best of people.
You know so it.
I think people can often detectthat in someone and you have to
learn how to balance that outagainst some a bit of logic, a
(20:32):
bit of savviness, you know andsort of we're now in the where
we are now and your book.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Do you have a favorite book?
Speaker 2 (20:41):
well, I don't I feel so bad with the people saying,
oh my goodness, I am now goingto be your favorite child,
haven't I?
Speaker 1 (20:48):
that's exactly what I've done, um.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
I've got to say I've loved every part of the animates
project, every single one ofthem.
So there's a lot of differentversions of the animates
depending on what industry thecreatures have gone to visit
that day.
So we've gone to have a littleexplore around digital and tech
and medical, and now we're goinginto the ports and we're going
(21:13):
global, we're going maritime,we're looking at music and all
sorts of things.
But it's so versatile and itbrings so many people together
in such a lovely way, becauseyou get heads of different
businesses.
Uh, you know real, you knowtop-notch people and we're all
talking about what should thepanda represent?
(21:33):
What's his name?
Bam bam boom, yeah, bam bamboom, that's what he's going to
be called.
But it's just a lovely space tomeet people in.
You get to know the real them.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
It's been lovely and I'm excited about that.
I know you've reached out aboutthe maritime project as well,
which I'm really excited because, again, I think this is a
really great way by getting byspeaking to those top-notch
people that you're talking aboutand me.
There's something around.
There's a way to re-educate theindustries as well.
You know the way maritime hasbeen framed, the way, of course,
(22:04):
we've talked about digital andtech and STEM, and STEM for
years and years, and years andyears, but actually there's so
much more.
There's still.
There's the careers that we doand the jobs we don't even know.
Same with maritime everything'sgot.
You know so many differentspiders going out there,
reaching out.
So, um, I am very excited.
Have you got a name in mind forany of the characters yet?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
the characters are going to remain the same.
However, they are going to meeta new person.
We haven't quite decided whothat's going to be yet there are
some contenders.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
We have got a favorite working title of river
of life oh nice subject tochange, but that's that one was
uh our favorite so far and youhave a dream, don't you, of a
world where education is freeand every and available to every
child, no matter theirbackground and challenges.
Yeah, where are you on that?
(22:53):
Because you will make, willmake change, you will make a
dent in that.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Yeah, I would say, when you start off with
something, I guess you'reinventing it yourself.
You have an idea of what youthink is going to be a useful
product, but as you go along youfind out what it is you're
meant to be creating becausepeople have donated to it.
You figure out if things workor not.
So it takes on a shape as itprogresses, but you need to have
something to start with.
So we've started that.
(23:18):
Each version of it getscontinually a bit more relevant,
and so one of the new thingsthat I've injected into this
process is people and place, somaking sure that those stories
reflect the people and theopportunities that exist locally
, so that we can embed that sortof heritage and history, and I
feel ultimately, kids will beable to be more excited about
(23:42):
that and it feels more familiarto them.
It just has more meaning.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
I feel and I think you know talking today you uh
won uh one of our awards at theNorthern Power Women Awards and
it's really bringing it to lifeand we always talk about the
awards not being for one night.
You know we talk about it beingpart of this bigger community.
I know one of our lovely MPWfriends, alex Cousins, I think,
is now an advisor or works withyou as well.
(24:07):
Actually, to be honest, thatwoman gets everywhere that Alex
Cousins.
But she's amazing, it's the WellI'm meeting her after this.
Oh, I told you she should havebrought her in.
We could have got her on thecouch, but there's something so
giving about the community.
Have you found that Feels likea trick question.
Now you can't say no, they'rerubbish.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, well, I guess that's what it is.
It's the collaborative natureof Liverpool in itself and
Merseyside.
You know of Liverpool in itselfand Merseyside.
You know people do worktogether there, does it's not
for any sort of financialincentive, it's because they
want to do, they want to getstuff done, make a difference,
yeah, and use their own skillsto enhance something.
You know if you, I often sit inan in the audience of something
(24:48):
, listening to someone talkabout their products and I know
that by the end of it I'm goingto have got roped into something
else you probably do the same.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Yeah, we've got 10 minutes shall be all good.
What did it mean to you winningthe award?
Speaker 2 (25:00):
oh, it was.
It was amazing for a number ofreasons really.
You know, it's so prestigiousand it's such an amazing event
to have a pedestal on um.
But you know, since that day,which was a rare occasion for us
all to be together actually asa team, we're all so busy so
often.
But since then I became a judgeand so I got to see how we were
(25:23):
judged.
It's hard, isn't it?
I felt even more proud becauseI thought, wow, how on earth,
out of all of these people withall of this kind of like
regulation and the criteria andthe amount of work that goes
into it from women for free.
Again, thinking about all thedifferent facets of this, and I
think that's just amazing thatso much consideration goes into
(25:48):
each of those choices.
And you know, thank you forthat.
It made me very very proud.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
It is something.
We have 70, 70 plus judges andwe've got people who've been
there from year one and then wealways like to bring back our
winners.
And then you know we've got tobe mindful because it's a lot,
it's not mission easy.
I always say it's not NorthernFlaky Women, you know, it's not
just something you can just pickup on the train on the way and
read.
You've got to put some thoughtand I love that.
(26:13):
Almost the competition thatsort of sits in the room behind
it.
You're fighting for strangersyou've never met.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
I love where you said who's going to stand up for
this one, and we have advocatesfor each of the different
businesses.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
It's like an arm wrestle, isn't it?
It is.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Yeah, I loved it.
It's a brilliant structure,though, and I think it's
considering what you know theaward is.
It's really important that dothat due diligence and take the
time on it.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
It is, and I really appreciate every single one of
our judges, past and present,who've given hours into the
process, but I do appreciate itNow.
Natalie, you like making maps,playing pranks?
Speaker 2 (26:48):
I want to know did you?
Speaker 1 (26:49):
find this and eating jelly beans?
I do.
Is there a hierarchy to that?
What is your favourite?
What was your best prank?
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Right.
Well, in our house it wasalways really weird.
For one, this is the sort ofhousehold I grew up in.
We had a rhyme day, so one dayout of a week we couldn't do
anything but speak in rhyme, sothat helped with my ability to
be able to write poetry.
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Sorry, we do it all the time.
Oh, we'll hold pot on this oneit was.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
We do it all the time .
Oh, we'll hold pot on this.
You can't get angry when you'respeaking in rhyme.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Can't rhyme with angry.
Sorry, can't do that, that'shard.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Hungry, hungry.
There we go.
So yeah, I mean.
So that was the sort ofhousehold I grew up in, but also
where even my grandparents werein on all of this.
We'd walk through a door andthere'd be cushions balanced on
the door so it'd be open just aslither.
You'd think I'll never fall forthis again.
All sorts of things fallthrough your head.
You know Cling film on the loonow, oh no.
(27:45):
I remember one very random timewe moved all of my nan's
furniture to one side of theroom.
So she just walked in no reasonwhatsoever.
We just decided what should wedo?
Let's just move all thefurniture to one side.
We just stacked it all up.
But then we got bored and mynan's like put it back like aw,
see, now it's making sense withthese characters for your books
to come in from.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
It all came from you.
It did favourite colourjellybean.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Ooh it's gotta be.
It's gotta be the pink okay,I'd say the pink or I don't know
maybe red?
Speaker 1 (28:16):
Do you know what day of the week it is?
Yeah, Well, I'm a blue too,let's, you know let's.
There's a whole other pod.
Yeah, a handful at once.
Sugar rush and maps.
That's going to serve you well.
Going into the maritime sectornext it is.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
I love a good map.
When you in the old books youused to read Adventure Started
with a map so you knew whereeveryone lived the whole door
and you'd go oh yeah, nowthey've gone there, so that
brings it to life.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
That's what I want on my Audible.
You know I like my Audiblebooks, but I want a fold-up map
and I want a who's who in thefront, because sometimes my
attention span's not all there.
You know, that's what I need.
That's what I need.
That's what.
I need Please can you make meone of those?
Speaker 2 (28:56):
next time I will do it.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
And what is next for you?
Because you're on a trainthat's not going to stop.
You're literally on a trainbecause of the blowout on your
car.
So thank you for making it here, but what is next for you?
Speaker 2 (29:07):
I would say, you know from here we're taking a bit of
the threads is just one, but Iguess what I would like to do is
get more partners together andbe able to offer this resource
(29:27):
sustainably.
Yeah, add more topics to ouroffering at the minute, which
currently is mental health orplanet conservation, and it
would be nice to develop some ofthose products as well.
Get some applications.
Get some AI, which we'vestarted amazing.
And yeah, I just want to.
I want to really inventsomething now, like something.
(29:49):
I have got an idea about aninvention and I've been talking
to people about it, so you neverknow.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Know.
Get in touch with Natalie.
I might be an inventor.
Get in touch with Natalie.
If you can help if you want tosupport.
It's amazing.
You can find out all about theanimates, the monster series,
all of them.
What's your superpower?
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Final question I would say now it's not something
I've always had, I was theworst at this it shows that
people can become somethingwhich they used to admire,
because I used to admire peoplethat were super, super efficient
.
And my efficiency doesn't lookanything like someone else's
efficiency, it looks like chaos.
But there's a method there, andso I would say now my ability
(30:33):
to kind of compartmentalize andto switch off from one activity
and move on to another quitequickly now, where I can
actually stop and then put mymind into a different thing, and
I used to represent that byactually taking changes of hats.
So when I have dresses on justto mix it up a bit, might switch
my belt, switch my hat and kindof that act alone's like right,
(30:56):
I'm playing a different rolenow.
So you know, I'm in animatesnow.
I'm in planet pack now.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
I'm being a DL now different hats wow, yeah, I'm
now considering my outfits forthe next of the day, the rest of
the day.
Natalie Williams-Williams,you're an absolute legend.
Keep being awesome.
Thank you for sharing uh somuch with us today and thank you
for joining us on the we ArePower podcast.
Subscribe on YouTube, apple,amazon Music, spotify or
(31:27):
wherever you get your podcasts,leave us a review or follow us
on socials.
We are power underscore net onInsta, tiktok and Twitter.
We are power on LinkedIn,facebook and we are underscore
power on YouTube.
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(00:21):
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(00:41):
singularly wonderful,everybody's wonder girl.
Well, hello.
Today I am joined by NatalieReeves-Billing, dl.
Hello, I love that we havepodcasts with people with so
many suffixes.
I was going to say acronyms,but suffixes.
Tell us what a DL is, becauseyou were appointed last year at
(01:01):
New War.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yes, so it's just been over a year now and it was
quite a mysterious thingactually.
It's still surprises me to thisday, because I guess it's like
a hidden world you know that youdon't know about until it
happens, and then all of asudden, you're like whoa DL,
dark League.
But yeah, it's been absolutelyincredible finding out about
that, but also about whatthey're doing and how that
aligns with what I do.
So the way that it works isthat the King and the Crown they
(01:33):
have, I guess, representativesin each of the counties and they
place a Lord Lieutenant thereand there's an awful lot of
people to get around.
So they're going going to needhelpers like Santa's little
helpers.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
You are elves.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I'm literally an elf, my best job ever.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
No, I'm the height to be an elf, not you.
No, that's amazing.
So you are a representative.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yes, and the good thing is as well that you can
use your own superpowers in therole.
So there are lots of us withdifferent skills, and so we get
deployed as per our skill set, Iguess, but you also get to
learn new things as well, so trydifferent things out.
But it is lovely to be able togo out into the community, see
(02:17):
all the good that's happening.
And then, of course, you can'tcompletely separate who you are
from the title, and therefore alot of the things that you know
and the people you know are ableto link into this opportunity
as well, so it only enhanceswhat you were already doing and
we will get into some of thosesuperpowers.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
But tell us, because you are so accomplished, so many
stories, so many things thatyou are spinning stories, so
many things that you arespinning, Describe, describe you
in.
I mean, this is an untenabletask in some ways, but describe
(02:55):
yourself in a couple ofsentences.
I can't say one.
It's going to have to be.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Imagine if I threw this back at you now.
Oh, I know.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
You know how difficult it was going to be,
but you're not.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I threw this back at you now.
Oh, I know you know howdifficult it was going to be,
but you're not so well.
I guess the core of it is thatI love creativity.
I started out being very much aperson that wanted to be a
famous songwriter.
I wanted to write poems andsongs and sing them, and I soon
realised that I actually likebeing a bit behind the scenes
(03:25):
more than I like to be out.
There is it's the process ofcreating.
I like the best, and what Iliked about being on the road
when I was in a band back inthose days was I thought that it
was working towards fame.
It wasn't that at all.
It's just people.
It's meeting new people anddifferent types of characters.
I find people so fascinatingand so creativity is the main
(03:49):
thing that I would say is thethread that runs through
everything and people, sotherefore it led into careers
that very much include both.
When I was younger, I didstruggle.
I think a lot of creatives dowith overthinking, which leads
to cases of depression andanxiety, and and so, because of
that, as soon as I realized thatif you inject purpose into that
(04:11):
and some sort of better a goalfor good, if you like.
Uh, I never, ever felt thoselows again, and so, uh, I would
recommend it to anybody.
The minute that you getinvolved in volunteering in some
way or just joining withlike-minded people who are out
to change things, mix it up,disrupt things, then it is the
(04:34):
key to a better and happier life.
I'm not saying that I don'twake up some days and just want
to go into a ball and have alittle cry, but those days are
less, much, much less, and so,yeah, I would say they're the
things that are injected intoeverything I do.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
And I think people who know you will know you for
being an award-winning author.
Multiple books are we eight?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yes, Well, now that we're starting to I won't say
churn them out, because thatinnovates, yeah.
So one thing I noticed is whenI was writing books for myself.
So being an independentlypublished author, it's a
difficult task because you'rehaving to take on all of the
things like your marketing andall those sorts of things, and
(05:24):
that is not the fun bit for me.
It doesn't fill me up with joy.
And so then getting apublishing deal and that then
falls onto somebody else to do.
But, however, you still havethe book tours and you still
have to go out there and do alot of work with the books.
And again, it's lovely.
But I think my, what we've foundnow is, uh, is even better,
(05:50):
which is writing books to helpother people tell their stories,
like businesses, uh, who arewanting to find a sort of bridge
, if you like, between theirsort of high-end, uh, very
academic thoughts, which whichare quite difficult to describe
or to make sound interesting forlittle ones.
(06:10):
And then you have this resourcethat you've created which they
can then be proud of and theycan use to go and target those
younger children and get theminspired into the careers that
we have locally.
So that's been amazing One ofmy favourite videos.
That's been amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
One of my favourite videos that's come out over the
years.
It's a long, long time ago now,probably seven or eight years
ago.
It's called Redraw the Balanceand it was something that was
created which was, you know,gender stereotypes, or
stereotypes in all forms, areformed around about the age of
five, six, something like that.
And I remember there were thesethree supply teachers.
(06:45):
Go into a classroom and there'sabout 60 kids in the classroom
and they're all looking, youknow, and they're like today
we're going to draw careers andthey all draw, and they all draw
, and they all draw and they alldraw.
And then the three teachers,the three women, go out the room
, come back in one's afirefighter, one's a fighter
pilot, and one's a firefighterpilot and one's a surgeon.
And I'm always mortified by thelittle girl's voice that I can
(07:07):
hear that says, oh, it'sdress-up day and you know those
stereotypes.
And it found out that out ofthose 60 kids, like, only six
pictures were drawn of women.
And you're like this is you'retackling not only storytelling
and building that bridge betweeneducation and kids' playtime
(07:29):
with what you want to be whenyou grow up, because careers
guidance is challenged, isn't itat the best of it?
So this is innovation inprocess, isn't it what you're
doing?
It's inclusive innovation, whatyou're bringing to play, yeah
of innovation, what you'rebringing to play.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, I think the thing is, when you deal with
children as young as as we workwith, they haven't yet got an
idea of what careers are and allthey know is what they're good
at and what they enjoy doing.
And so really what you're tryingto get is that sweet spot where
you're able to make a livingone day out of the things you
love.
And I guess you could do thatby being the best you can be at
(08:08):
the things you love and as yougo along doing those things that
you enjoy the most, you'll findskills that enhance that or,
you know, accompany it, and soyou just grow that skill a
little bit as life goes on.
But it's taking away thatpressure as well, because if you
think back to when we were kidsand you think this pressure's
put on you, that if you missthis year, if you miss this test
(08:31):
, if you miss this thing, that'sit.
And we know that's not true,because as adults we can go back
and retrain.
But the thing is, I think themost important thing is that
people find something theyactually want to do and they're
going to do it.
That much better aren't they,if they wake up and the first
thing they think of is can'twait for the day ahead.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
And where was your motivation to?
Even?
You are creative, clearly,you're creative when you're
singing your performance.
Now you're writing.
You're creative when you'resinging your performance, now
you're writing.
And not only are you writingand creating these books, but
you're creating like anecosystem that goes around them.
So I was listening to you on apodcast or an interview you
(09:15):
talked about.
You know, we want to makepuppet shows, we want to make
you know all the bits, becauseyou probably have a mind like
mine.
At times, you go we're notgoing to stop here, we're going
to go big or go home.
Right, you know it's creatingthe, because everyone engages in
a different way, and I thinkthat's what you want to do,
isn't it With this, with theseries that you're creating, is
to have that other options.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Yeah Well, I thought at one stage that I was some
sort of genius that had inventedthe idea of these
multi-platform experiences.
Oh, it's called an mpexmulti-platform experience.
Well, it's just what's beenhappening for years a book
happens and then a film comesand all the things that go
around it.
But yeah, that's what,effectively, you're trying to do
(09:53):
, isn't it?
But there are people that thinkfirst of the big picture and
then, yeah, you have to havesomewhere to start that leads
that.
So you have to be quite, youknow, lean with the first sort
of test into the market, butyou're very much aware of all
the things that it could turninto, and so you make sure that
that initial offering has thescope to encompass all those
(10:14):
other elements one day and Ithink people you know we talked
about the creativity we talkedabout you have this really, you
know, cheerful, positivedisposition.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
You're very much a giver.
I know you're doing a charitywalk this week, aren't you, I
think, because it's a glow walk.
I've done that because I knowyou're a cancer survivor and
you're doing that in aid ofCaterbridge, I think, isn't it?
Yeah, you know.
So you're very passionate aboutgiving back and, externally,
paying it forward, supportingall these endeavours, of course.
(10:44):
And people will say, gosh, youhave it all, if you like and how
you dress.
You have this beautiful range.
In fact, I talked to one of mycolleagues, emma, and she was
like oh, natalie, the one withthe snazzy dresses, you had them
for Eurovision when you cameand won, uh, our awards, awards
you had again beautiful.
(11:04):
Is there a story behind thedresses?
Speaker 2 (11:08):
well, I'd say.
Evidence of the impact of thedresses happened even today when
I was commuting, because my carbroke down yesterday and so I
was commuting today on the trainand seeing it as an opportunity
to do something else.
So, and then an opportunitypresented itself because I was,
as I was, waiting to step up atCentral Station, there's two
skater boys, about 18 or 19, andthey're going off.
(11:31):
They tell me for a day outexploring Liverpool, but they
want to tell me how lovely Ilook in my outfit and how they
really dig the style and thethought processes that went into
the hat combination, on thecoat and there it is okay.
Yeah, it's nice to get acompliment.
That's not what it's for.
I think that it shows peoplethat you're open to have a
conversation.
(11:51):
I know you're approachable in asort of fun and happy and
positive sort of way, and I'vejust found that it really opens
doors.
Yet it does help with peopleremembering you, so you don't
have to start the sameconversation over from scratch,
because you can pick up whereyou were from last time.
But more so than that.
I've always wanted to dress ina certain way.
(12:14):
I wanted to always find mystyle, but as a teenager and a
young 20, something I was verymuch conscious of.
What other people would thinkof that and and the pressures
that came from being a woman ata certain time and once you get
to a certain age.
I say certain, it's because Iam certain about what I want,
that's the certain age.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Oh, I love that that is one for the tote bag.
We always have a tote bagmoment.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yeah, I'm not a certain age, I'm just certain
that's true, and I said, right,that's it, I'm going to wear the
things that I wanted to wear.
But what is it?
What is it that really, youknow, gets me and I just like
I've just always loved the lookand I'd like to say that what
you do is your power.
It's not how you dress, it'snot a suit, it's not a briefcase
(12:59):
.
I mean, I I would like to say,as you know as well, we smash
things every day.
You know, with the things thatwe do, you don't always see it,
all the effort that goes in.
You might see the surface of it, you don't see the underbelly
of it and we appreciate themajority of it's happening there
.
It's not the bit that looksgreat on camera.
Yeah, it doesn't make a goodsocial post, you know, but
there's a lot of that andpeddling, isn't it?
(13:21):
Yeah, constantdling.
And this is just a part of it.
So power is the actions and the.
You know the achievements, thesuccesses, rather than you know
some sort of representation ofpower that's been created by
society.
So I guess it's my little actof rebellion.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Well, you've talked about the purpose.
The purpose helped with, if youlike, reframing some of that
mental health, you know.
And now the power how it's notalways been happy, has it?
Speaker 2 (13:52):
It's not always you've had.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
You know there have been challenges along the way
challenges at school, yeah, andchallenges with a relationship.
Are you happy to share?
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Yeah, I mean life for me.
I grew up in Toxteth singleparent family and you know
primary school sort of age wasreally fun.
I can't say that that thatwasn't.
But then I got to a I would sayhigh school sort of age and I
found that the I felt like I wasa grown woman when I was very
(14:26):
young, probably about 12 or 13.
And I felt grown up and Ilooked grown up and so I
remember things in those daysand it still probably goes on.
It's disturbing to think aboutit now that my own children are
getting to that sort of age, butI remember walking to school,
as we didn't have the money toto, we didn't have cars, so and
I've lived miles away from mysecondary school so my walk was
(14:48):
about an hour there and an hourback at the end of the school
day, going through two parksPrince Prince's Park, sefton
Park and I'd be dressed in myschool uniform and you would not
believe the beeps of the cars,the men in the cars beeping a
child in a school uniform, andso you know, it's very easy for
somebody who's wanting to provethemselves, who comes from a
(15:10):
place where they want success,they want to validate who they
are, and so it is easy to get inwith the wrong crowd and to
think, as a young girl, that youhave to be acting in a certain
way in order to show that youare grown.
That can leave you veryvulnerable indeed.
You think you've got it allsorted, you think you're in
(15:30):
control, but in actual factyou're a child and you'll never
accept that when you're incontrol, but in actual fact
you're a child and you'll neveraccept that when you're that age
.
And so that age women beingthat age is very important to me
.
I know how difficult it was forme and it led to a lot of
decisions which have onlystrengthened me now looking back
.
But they do take pieces of youwhen you know, if you look back
(15:52):
at it now, it's me that wentthrough it.
So I guess if it was mydaughter I'd go oh my goodness,
that's terrible.
Because it happened to me.
I kind of dismiss it as if, oh,it's just something we go
through, but I guess in a wayyou could see a lot of those
things as grooming you know, andit makes me annoyed really,
(16:13):
because sometimes I do feel likea hypocrite when I talk about
it to other young girls or women, because a lot of the time I
never took action at that timeand you have to make some
decisions in your life.
Is it useful to actually fightback against those things at
this point?
You have a lot of people whowill say things to you like now
think about this, natalie,you're a children's author.
(16:36):
You know you're married, you'vegot children at school.
Do you really want to revisitthis and and how people will
think about it at this stage?
And it does put you off them,but you know, there is a certain
type of control I think thatpeople have, because we still
can't have those conversationsabout those things.
(16:57):
It's like it kind of infectsyou or you should feel ashamed
about it.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I think that's shame.
We talked earlier, didn't we?
We had Jenny Guy on the couch afew episodes ago.
Why Whispering podcast?
And there's that wholeobsession around shame.
Oh, we can't talk about that.
Why?
Why are we whispering about it,literally?
Why, you know?
Why are you getting pulled toone side and go oh, but this
doesn't go with your personalbrand, this doesn't go with your
(17:23):
current bio.
But you talking, you beingyourself, this has happened to
you.
But you talking about this will, for other people, go oh, my
goodness, I hadn't realised.
And actually it's okay.
It's okay to talk about it.
It's not okay what happened,but it's okay for me now to also
talk, because other people havesaid that to me as well.
(17:46):
It doesn't fit with your byline.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah, yeah, and you know, for PR, we know it's best
to have one focus message.
You know, if you start havingall these different types of
hats, people will think wheredoes she fit in?
But you know, I have been thevictim of a violent crime before
, so I know what that feels likeand I know what it feels like
(18:10):
to have to make a decision ofwhether you're going to fight it
because you know it's going tobe very public.
You know, then again, that yourdecisions, that your
personality is going to becalled into question, and it's
only the part of the process.
We need to do it to make surethat the that the right verdict
is reached.
But it's a terribly traumaticexperience for a person to go
(18:33):
through in order to get somesort of justice at the end, and
it can create a hell of a lot ofdisruption to somebody's life.
You have to go out and put yourface out in the streets.
People don't often say saw that, read about that.
So every time you go into aroom you don't know if someone's
(18:54):
read that article, if someone'sheard something.
So you go through a kind ofadjustment of explaining
yourself all the time.
Hey, hi, I'm the one.
And yes, this, this, this, andthey're probably thinking what's
she going on about?
Yeah, don't know any of thosethings, but now I do in your
toolkit of skills and life.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
What were the you we talked earlier about?
You reach for the purpose thathelped you deal with certain
certain things.
What did you have to reach forthen?
Who or what helped you?
Speaker 2 (19:25):
um, that was a difficult one, I would say.
If we have now looking at storyarches, um, you have a
beginning, a middle.
You have some sort of crisis ofthe soul, a nice sort of ending
.
The crisis of the soul thereoften sparks change, and I'd say
that after the last incidentthere, which we've just
(19:49):
described, I would say that waswhere change has happened within
me, where you start to realizeyour worth, you start to realize
the choices that you make thataren't serving you.
And you've got a decision fromhere on in, this is who I want
to be, this is how I want toplay it.
I would say that's what I tookfrom that.
Sometimes we need that moment tojust snap us out of this
(20:11):
continuance of a cycle.
You like you make the wrongchoices.
You, you're not a bad person.
You might just make wrongchoices because you, like
everyone, you like to believe inthe best of people.
You know so it.
I think people can often detectthat in someone and you have to
learn how to balance that outagainst some a bit of logic, a
(20:32):
bit of savviness, you know andsort of we're now in the where
we are now and your book.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Do you have a favorite book?
Speaker 2 (20:41):
well, I don't I feel so bad with the people saying,
oh my goodness, I am now goingto be your favorite child,
haven't I?
Speaker 1 (20:48):
that's exactly what I've done, um.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
I've got to say I've loved every part of the animates
project, every single one ofthem.
So there's a lot of differentversions of the animates
depending on what industry thecreatures have gone to visit
that day.
So we've gone to have a littleexplore around digital and tech
and medical, and now we're goinginto the ports and we're going
(21:13):
global, we're going maritime,we're looking at music and all
sorts of things.
But it's so versatile and itbrings so many people together
in such a lovely way, becauseyou get heads of different
businesses.
Uh, you know real, you knowtop-notch people and we're all
talking about what should thepanda represent?
(21:33):
What's his name?
Bam bam boom, yeah, bam bamboom, that's what he's going to
be called.
But it's just a lovely space tomeet people in.
You get to know the real them.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
It's been lovely and I'm excited about that.
I know you've reached out aboutthe maritime project as well,
which I'm really excited because, again, I think this is a
really great way by getting byspeaking to those top-notch
people that you're talking aboutand me.
There's something around.
There's a way to re-educate theindustries as well.
You know the way maritime hasbeen framed, the way, of course,
(22:04):
we've talked about digital andtech and STEM, and STEM for
years and years, and years andyears, but actually there's so
much more.
There's still.
There's the careers that we doand the jobs we don't even know.
Same with maritime everything'sgot.
You know so many differentspiders going out there,
reaching out.
So, um, I am very excited.
Have you got a name in mind forany of the characters yet?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
the characters are going to remain the same.
However, they are going to meeta new person.
We haven't quite decided whothat's going to be yet there are
some contenders.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
We have got a favorite working title of river
of life oh nice subject tochange, but that's that one was
uh our favorite so far and youhave a dream, don't you, of a
world where education is freeand every and available to every
child, no matter theirbackground and challenges.
Yeah, where are you on that?
(22:53):
Because you will make, willmake change, you will make a
dent in that.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Yeah, I would say, when you start off with
something, I guess you'reinventing it yourself.
You have an idea of what youthink is going to be a useful
product, but as you go along youfind out what it is you're
meant to be creating becausepeople have donated to it.
You figure out if things workor not.
So it takes on a shape as itprogresses, but you need to have
something to start with.
So we've started that.
(23:18):
Each version of it getscontinually a bit more relevant,
and so one of the new thingsthat I've injected into this
process is people and place, somaking sure that those stories
reflect the people and theopportunities that exist locally
, so that we can embed that sortof heritage and history, and I
feel ultimately, kids will beable to be more excited about
(23:42):
that and it feels more familiarto them.
It just has more meaning.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
I feel and I think you know talking today you uh
won uh one of our awards at theNorthern Power Women Awards and
it's really bringing it to lifeand we always talk about the
awards not being for one night.
You know we talk about it beingpart of this bigger community.
I know one of our lovely MPWfriends, alex Cousins, I think,
is now an advisor or works withyou as well.
(24:07):
Actually, to be honest, thatwoman gets everywhere that Alex
Cousins.
But she's amazing, it's the WellI'm meeting her after this.
Oh, I told you she should havebrought her in.
We could have got her on thecouch, but there's something so
giving about the community.
Have you found that Feels likea trick question.
Now you can't say no, they'rerubbish.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, well, I guess that's what it is.
It's the collaborative natureof Liverpool in itself and
Merseyside.
You know of Liverpool in itselfand Merseyside.
You know people do worktogether there, does it's not
for any sort of financialincentive, it's because they
want to do, they want to getstuff done, make a difference,
yeah, and use their own skillsto enhance something.
You know if you, I often sit inan in the audience of something
(24:48):
, listening to someone talkabout their products and I know
that by the end of it I'm goingto have got roped into something
else you probably do the same.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Yeah, we've got 10 minutes shall be all good.
What did it mean to you winningthe award?
Speaker 2 (25:00):
oh, it was.
It was amazing for a number ofreasons really.
You know, it's so prestigiousand it's such an amazing event
to have a pedestal on um.
But you know, since that day,which was a rare occasion for us
all to be together actually asa team, we're all so busy so
often.
But since then I became a judgeand so I got to see how we were
(25:23):
judged.
It's hard, isn't it?
I felt even more proud becauseI thought, wow, how on earth,
out of all of these people withall of this kind of like
regulation and the criteria andthe amount of work that goes
into it from women for free.
Again, thinking about all thedifferent facets of this, and I
think that's just amazing thatso much consideration goes into
(25:48):
each of those choices.
And you know, thank you forthat.
It made me very very proud.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
It is something.
We have 70, 70 plus judges andwe've got people who've been
there from year one and then wealways like to bring back our
winners.
And then you know we've got tobe mindful because it's a lot,
it's not mission easy.
I always say it's not NorthernFlaky Women, you know, it's not
just something you can just pickup on the train on the way and
read.
You've got to put some thoughtand I love that.
(26:13):
Almost the competition thatsort of sits in the room behind
it.
You're fighting for strangersyou've never met.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
I love where you said who's going to stand up for
this one, and we have advocatesfor each of the different
businesses.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
It's like an arm wrestle, isn't it?
It is.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Yeah, I loved it.
It's a brilliant structure,though, and I think it's
considering what you know theaward is.
It's really important that dothat due diligence and take the
time on it.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
It is, and I really appreciate every single one of
our judges, past and present,who've given hours into the
process, but I do appreciate itNow.
Natalie, you like making maps,playing pranks?
Speaker 2 (26:48):
I want to know did you?
Speaker 1 (26:49):
find this and eating jelly beans?
I do.
Is there a hierarchy to that?
What is your favourite?
What was your best prank?
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Right.
Well, in our house it wasalways really weird.
For one, this is the sort ofhousehold I grew up in.
We had a rhyme day, so one dayout of a week we couldn't do
anything but speak in rhyme, sothat helped with my ability to
be able to write poetry.
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Sorry, we do it all the time.
Oh, we'll hold pot on this oneit was.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
We do it all the time .
Oh, we'll hold pot on this.
You can't get angry when you'respeaking in rhyme.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Can't rhyme with angry.
Sorry, can't do that, that'shard.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Hungry, hungry.
There we go.
So yeah, I mean.
So that was the sort ofhousehold I grew up in, but also
where even my grandparents werein on all of this.
We'd walk through a door andthere'd be cushions balanced on
the door so it'd be open just aslither.
You'd think I'll never fall forthis again.
All sorts of things fallthrough your head.
You know Cling film on the loonow, oh no.
(27:45):
I remember one very random timewe moved all of my nan's
furniture to one side of theroom.
So she just walked in no reasonwhatsoever.
We just decided what should wedo?
Let's just move all thefurniture to one side.
We just stacked it all up.
But then we got bored and mynan's like put it back like aw,
see, now it's making sense withthese characters for your books
to come in from.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
It all came from you.
It did favourite colourjellybean.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Ooh it's gotta be.
It's gotta be the pink okay,I'd say the pink or I don't know
maybe red?
Speaker 1 (28:16):
Do you know what day of the week it is?
Yeah, Well, I'm a blue too,let's, you know let's.
There's a whole other pod.
Yeah, a handful at once.
Sugar rush and maps.
That's going to serve you well.
Going into the maritime sectornext it is.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
I love a good map.
When you in the old books youused to read Adventure Started
with a map so you knew whereeveryone lived the whole door
and you'd go oh yeah, nowthey've gone there, so that
brings it to life.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
That's what I want on my Audible.
You know I like my Audiblebooks, but I want a fold-up map
and I want a who's who in thefront, because sometimes my
attention span's not all there.
You know, that's what I need.
That's what I need.
That's what.
I need Please can you make meone of those?
Speaker 2 (28:56):
next time I will do it.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
And what is next for you?
Because you're on a trainthat's not going to stop.
You're literally on a trainbecause of the blowout on your
car.
So thank you for making it here, but what is next for you?
Speaker 2 (29:07):
I would say, you know from here we're taking a bit of
the threads is just one, but Iguess what I would like to do is
get more partners together andbe able to offer this resource
(29:27):
sustainably.
Yeah, add more topics to ouroffering at the minute, which
currently is mental health orplanet conservation, and it
would be nice to develop some ofthose products as well.
Get some applications.
Get some AI, which we'vestarted amazing.
And yeah, I just want to.
I want to really inventsomething now, like something.
(29:49):
I have got an idea about aninvention and I've been talking
to people about it, so you neverknow.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Know.
Get in touch with Natalie.
I might be an inventor.
Get in touch with Natalie.
If you can help if you want tosupport.
It's amazing.
You can find out all about theanimates, the monster series,
all of them.
What's your superpower?
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Final question I would say now it's not something
I've always had, I was theworst at this it shows that
people can become somethingwhich they used to admire,
because I used to admire peoplethat were super, super efficient
.
And my efficiency doesn't lookanything like someone else's
efficiency, it looks like chaos.
But there's a method there, andso I would say now my ability
(30:33):
to kind of compartmentalize andto switch off from one activity
and move on to another quitequickly now, where I can
actually stop and then put mymind into a different thing, and
I used to represent that byactually taking changes of hats.
So when I have dresses on justto mix it up a bit, might switch
my belt, switch my hat and kindof that act alone's like right,
(30:56):
I'm playing a different rolenow.
So you know, I'm in animatesnow.
I'm in planet pack now.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
I'm being a DL now different hats wow, yeah, I'm
now considering my outfits forthe next of the day, the rest of
the day.
Natalie Williams-Williams,you're an absolute legend.
Keep being awesome.
Thank you for sharing uh somuch with us today and thank you
for joining us on the we ArePower podcast.
Subscribe on YouTube, apple,amazon Music, spotify or
(31:27):
wherever you get your podcasts,leave us a review or follow us
on socials.
We are power underscore net onInsta, tiktok and Twitter.
We are power on LinkedIn,facebook and we are underscore
power on YouTube.
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