ABOUT THIS EPISODE

My conversation today is with Anna Deacon, photographer, writer and wild swimmer. I had the joy of meeting Anna at the Creative Light Photography Festival in the Highlands of Scotland in October 2022. I was inspired by her, and by her many, many books on Wild Swimming.

In our conversation Anna offers valuable insights into:

• How and why the wild swimming project started.
• Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.
• How to find your peace in the wild/outdoors.

Anna’s three Key Encouragements to Leaders

1. Don’t be afraid to change things up/take risks
2. Believe in your gut intuition
3. Don’t write yourself off before you have really tried something

About Anna

Anna has worked as a photographer since 2007, specialising in wild swimming, portraits, nature and travel. She has worked with large and small brands like MINI, Speedo, Kit Kat, Visit Scotland, Cape Cove, Selkie and more to create content. Her photography work has been published extensively in the national press including The Guardian, The Telegraph, Stylist and The Scotsman. She has also had her work featured in large scale photography exhibitions.

Since 2019 Anna has had seven books published, working with co-author Vicky Allan on Taking The Plunge (2019), For The Love Of Trees (2020), The Art Of Wild Swimming series (Scotland, 2021, England & Wales, 2021, and Ireland, 2022, The Ripple Effect published in 2023 and Swimming Wild Ireland in 2024, all published by Black and White Publishing/Bonnier.

Also in 2021 The Wild Guide Balearic Islands book was published by Wild Things Publishing, this extensive travel guide was co-written by Anna and her sister Lizzie Graham. Anna is working on her ninth book which is due for publication in Autumn 2026.

Anna hosts a popular Instagram page @wildswimmingstories which The Sunday Times magazine named as one of the Top 7 influencers to follow in the ‘Health and Fitness’ category in 2023.

Previous to this Anna worked in the music and entertainment industry in London for over a decade, specialising in PR and events such as NME Awards, Isle of Wight Festival, Ibiza Rocks, MOBO Awards, British Comedy Awards and Teenage Cancer Trust concerts. She co-founded the PR agency Amazing Media in 2004 who were at the forefront of working with brands such as Nokia, T- Mobile, Diageo and O2 to create dynamic partnerships with the live music industry. Anna also worked in talent handling and personal PR for The Who, Jamiroquai, Anastacia, Beverley Knight, Sia, Big Brother, and many others.

Connect with Anna:

LinkedIn: @Anna Deacon

Website: www.anna-deacon.com

Instagram: @wildswimmingstories

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

I had the joy of connecting with Susie through a colleague. I enjoyed our conversation so much that I invited her to be a guest.

Susie offers valuable insights into:

• Following your passion to find your purpose
• Living outside your comfort zone as a way to learn and grow
• Finding your balance to enable you to do your best work

Susie’s three key encouragements to leaders:

1. Take time to understand what matters to you - so you can enjoy doing what you do
2. Get comfortable being uncomfortable - it’s a source of growth
3. Be confident in finding your own rhythm - and then set your boundaries to stick to it

About Susie

After a successful career in marketing at Unilever and British Gas, and then fulfilling her ambition of sailing a yacht around the world, Susie started her next adventure when she founded the strategic marketing agency Blue Feathers.

Susie’s aim was to help marketers to be their best and drive their brands to succeed. She now leads a team of marketing experts who work with major brands including Tesco, Primark, Michelin, Simplyhealth and Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

Susie believes that people do their best work when life is balanced – and that belief is reflected in how she leads the Blue Feathers team: a highly skilled, fully remote group, motivated through shared purpose and a deliverables-based approach.

Susie remains passionate about sailing and loves spending time on the water. She is also now a keen beekeeper and gardener, and enjoys spending time hiking.

The best way for people to connect and follow Susie is:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susiepartridge/

Website: www.bluefeathers.co.uk and www.yachtadina.co.uk

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn Anni Townend, and Collaboration Equation. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

I had the joy of being introduced to Jane through Dawn Harding, a previous podcast guest on Leaders in Conversation and recent guest on Finding Your Collaborative Edge.

In our conversation Jane offers valuable insights into:

• Transitioning in life from one thing to another: School to University, University to the first job, career building and then a massive career change followed by leaving full time work to pursue voluntary roles and enjoying time which is less structured.
• The ability to let go, to move on without regret and to forge ahead with new adventures: Understanding that you will also lose contact with some people as your lives take different paths.
• Understanding the impact on others of your deeds, words and attitude.
• The importance of being authentic, whilst evolving, developing and changing and rocking up as yourself everyday.

Jane’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders:

1. Learn from everyone you meet - everyone has something to give. Be prepared to know a little about a lot of things and trust the experts in each field to know a lot about a little.
2. Stay positive. A positive attitude helps to make those around you positive and if things are going a little bit wrong, it is easier to turn it round with a positive attitude. A smile is infectious. A frown turns people off.
3. Focus on the difference you are really making. It is the stories behind the numbers which are of paramount importance. The balance sheet and Key Performance Indicators are never enough!

To connect with Jane, follow and find out more about her:

LinkedIn - for her volunteering / corporate side of life

Instagram - for her wildlife snaps and fun things.

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

About Jane

Jane has had two different careers in her life, one in the hospitality industry and one in sport. She took learnings from the hospitality industry into her sport leadership role. Now she has moved into voluntary, charity roles and is travelling to many far-flung places where she is learning from different communities. She loves the outdoors, reading and encouraging total strangers to tell her their life stories.