I loved this conversation with Penny Hopkinson. She has one of those careers that looks like a straight line only in hindsight.

From being the lone woman in technical journalism in the late 60s to becoming the Queen of Operations Manuals, her story is full of grit, curiosity, and a brilliant refusal to be boxed in.

Penny shows that reinvention is not a single moment but a lifetime of choosing the next right step, even when the path feels wildly unconventional.

Penny is now a leading specialist in systems and operations manuals, drawing on her years as a trade and tech journalist, Middle East correspondent, and quality writer. She is also the CEO of Manual Magic AI, her innovative app that helps organisations create clear, engaging SOPs with real ease.

It all builds on her bestselling book Manual Magic, and her mission to make knowledge sharing work for every age, learning style, and ability.

Highlights:

(01:47) How Penny began her career in a male dominated world

(04:35) The unexpected influence of her father and a 600 degree hot wire cutter

(09:10) What she learned from interviewing business leaders

(13:57) The moment Middle East journalism ended and a new path opened

(21:17) Why video is becoming the single source of truth for training

(27:23) How Penny built her Manual Magic AI app and what it can now do

Connect with Penny:

www.manualmagic.ai

https://waitlist.manualmagic.ai/

www.linktr.ee/pennyhopkinson

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennyhopkinson

Connect with Lucy:

Website - https://bookmagic.ai

TikTok - @lucymccarra

Instagram/Threads - @lucymccarraher

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucymccarraher/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@lucymccarraherauthor

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LucyMcCarraher/

In this episode, I talk with Michael Serwa, one of the UK’s most in-demand coaches.

Michael coaches the elite using his signature no-bullshit approach. Since 2011, he has built the most successful personal coaching practice in the UK. He is the author of From Good to Amazing and has been featured in numerous media outlets, including GQ, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, BBC, and Sky.

Michael shares his extraordinary story of arriving in London from Poland with almost nothing, working his way up from retail to becoming a high-value coach for clients at the top of their game.

We discuss what it really takes to reinvent yourself, why mindset trumps circumstance every time, and how desperation and inspiration can be equally powerful motivators for change. Michael’s journey proves that reinvention isn’t just possible—it’s inevitable when you back yourself fully.

Highlights:

(02:27) – Growing up in Poland and the mindset that shaped him

(07:53) – From Zara shop floor to management: the first big reinvention

(11:16) – Discovering personal development and a new calling

(13:58) – How redundancy forced him to launch his coaching business

(21:15) – From broke coach to six figures and beyond

(33:17) – Michael’s advice on radical reinvention and self-investment

Connect with Michael:

Website: michaelserwa.com

Connect with Lucy:

Website - https://bookmagic.ai

TikTok - @lucymccarra

Instagram/Threads - @lucymccarraher

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucymccarraher/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@lucymccarraherauthor

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LucyMcCarraher/

This week, I sit down with the brilliant Sapna Pieroux - brand consultant, author, speaker, and self-proclaimed karaoke queen.

Sapna shares her extraordinary story of reinvention, from postnatal depression to a cancer diagnosis and through the loss of her father, to rediscovering herself through joy, creativity, and community.

We talk about what it means to rebuild your life after the unthinkable, how gratitude can ground you in your darkest moments, and why finding joy (even in the form of karaoke networking) can completely transform your outlook.

This one’s about hope, humour and second chances.

Highlights:

(03:40) – Life after postnatal depression and the first reinvention

(06:20) – From corporate life to entrepreneurship and authorship

(10:40) – Facing breast cancer and choosing to pause the business

(12:20) – Healing, grief and rediscovering purpose

(17:10) – Singing, joy and the birth of The Notworkers

(20:10) – Building BrandVisions.AI and creating a legacy project

(23:50) – How joy and visibility became her new brand

(26:20) – Gratitude, purpose and finding meaning in hardship

(28:40) – Embracing visibility and freedom in midlife

Connect with Sapna

LINKEDIN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sapnapieroux/

WEBSITE

http://www.innervisions-id.com

APP WAITLIST

https://waitlist.brandvision.app/

Connect with Lucy:

Website - https://bookmagic.ai

TikTok - @lucymccarra

Instagram/Threads - @lucymccarraher

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucymccarraher/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@lucymccarraherauthor

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LucyMcCarraher/

Before sharing other people’s stories of second chances and fresh starts, I wanted to begin with my own. At 40, everything I thought I was fell apart - my marriage, my career, my sense of identity.

What followed wasn’t just survival, it was a masterclass in starting again. In this first episode, I open up about how I rebuilt my life piece by piece and discovered that reinvention isn’t a one-time event, it’s a lifelong rhythm.

From career collapse to new family, from business creation to tech startup founder at 70, this is the story of rising from every ending with a little more courage and a lot more clarity.

Highlights:

(04:10) - Reinvention as a lifelong rhythm, not a single moment

(08:59) - Building new family, work, and self in my 40s

(14:50) - The power of small decisions that spark new chapters

(18:06) - Creation, visibility and fire in my 60s

(24:30) - Becoming a 70-year-old tech founder and podcast host

(27:00) - What reinvention really means: becoming more yourself every time you start again

Key Insights:

• When everything falls apart, you have to start over.
• Reinvention begins in the silence that follows collapse.
• You turn your life around by reframing pain as purpose.
• Reinvention keeps us young and vibrant.
• A single small decision can open a door to new opportunities.
• Creation is a form of reinvention that leads to personal growth.
• Women's voices need to be amplified in the publishing world.
• Embracing technology can lead to exciting new ventures.
• Lightness of body can lead to lightness of mind and spirit.
• Reinvention is about redesigning our lives, not just recovering from setbacks.

Connect with Lucy:

Website - https://bookmagic.ai

TikTok - @lucymccarra

Instagram/Threads - @lucymccarraher

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucymccarraher/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@lucymccarraherauthor

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LucyMcCarraher/

Life doesn’t always go to plan, but reinvention is where the real magic happens.

I’m Lucy McCarraher- author, entrepreneur, and serial reinventor, and in The Phoenix Conversations, I talk to people who’ve turned collapse into courage and setbacks into spectacular comebacks.

From rebuilding careers and relationships to rediscovering purpose and passion, these are stories of second chances and powerful new beginnings.

Whether you’re craving a fresh start or standing on the edge of change, this podcast reminds you it’s never too late to rise again - because your next chapter could be your best one yet.

Connect with Lucy:

Website - https://bookmagic.ai

TikTok - @lucymccarra

Instagram/Threads - @lucymccarraher

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucymccarraher/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@lucymccarraherauthor

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LucyMcCarraher/