In this episode, Mandy reflects on how openness to new experiences is a defining trait of creatives and neurodivergent individuals. This willingness to explore unfamiliar paths is what drives growth, transformation, and innovation - even when it requires navigating discomfort and uncertainty.

Nisha Chadha then shares her deeply moving story of a life shaped by migration, loss, motherhood, grief, and creativity, all woven together by one constant: her art.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

🔹 Being Open to New Experiences – Mandy discusses how embracing new experiences - however uncomfortable - fuels both personal growth and creative evolution. For neurodivergent minds, this openness often means adapting and reshaping environments that don’t always accommodate them.

🔹 Art as Communication & Comfort – When Nisha moved from colourful Kenya to grey, unfamiliar England as a child refugee, art became her language, lifeline, and coping mechanism. Bullied and misunderstood, she found her power in creativity and colour.

🔹 Dyslexia, Grief & the Role of Creativity – Undiagnosed dyslexia made traditional learning difficult, but art helped Nisha not only survive but thrive. Through visual learning, textiles, and colour, she overcame both learning challenges and profound losses - including the deaths of her parents and husband.

🔹 The Power of Storytelling Through Art – From teaching and designing to large-scale textile installations, Nisha uses her work to reflect on issues like identity, feminism, migration, and racism. Her moving piece Rivers of Bloodreimagines personal and political trauma with beauty and impact.

🔹 Finding Joy Among Grief – Even during moments of intense pain - such as losing her mother and getting married in the same week - Nisha turned to storytelling, knitting, art, and writing to make sense of her emotions and reclaim joy.

🔹 Embracing the Next Chapter at 61 – With her children grown and her husband recently passed, Nisha is entering a new era of life with creativity as her compass. She now brings myth, magic, and whimsical animal characters into her art, drawing inspiration from her travels and heritage.

Memorable Quotes from This Episode:

🗨️ “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch

🗨️ “Colour gives a voice to the voiceless.” – Nisha Chadha

Why You Should Listen:

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who’s ever felt different, displaced, or discouraged by life’s upheavals. Mandy and Nisha’s reflections are a powerful reminder that creativity doesn’t just help us survive—it helps us thrive, heal, and find purpose at every age and stage.

✨ Tune in now to journey through a life lived in full colour with Nisha Chadha.

Episodes were recorded in the authors own homes on various devices.
Podcast produced by "Your Fairy Podmother" of Voice It Podcast Agency
If you want to start your very own podcast go here: https://www.fairypodmother.co.uk

In this episode, Mandy explores the role of risk-taking in the lives of creatives and neurodivergent individuals. Far from reckless, risk-taking is often an act of bravery and self-trust, fuelling growth, innovation, and self-discovery.

Lucy Waide then shares her extraordinary personal story - an emotional and unflinching journey through illness, loss, reinvention, and recovery, showing what it truly means to take risks and keep rising.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

🔹 Risk as a Creative Force – Mandy reflects on how creatives and neurodivergent individuals often embrace uncertainty and challenge norms, making bold decisions that lead to transformation. Taking risks isn't always glamorous but it’s essential for growth.

🔹 The Courage to Begin Again (and Again) – Lucy’s story is a powerful example of resilience in action. From losing a successful chocolate business to being brought to the edge of despair - twice - she shows how the road to recovery is paved with small, brave choices.

🔹 The Inner Voice That Sabotages Us – Lucy introduces “Dickhead,” her name for that persistent inner critic that fuels self-doubt and shame. Her raw honesty about suicidal thoughts and feeling like a failure will resonate with anyone who has faced darkness behind closed doors.

🔹 Rebuilding After Loss – After enduring career loss, a failed marriage, chronic illness, and financial collapse, Lucy slowly rebuilt her life - first with a part-time care job, then a shop, then art, then finally…herself.

🔹 The Power of Finding Your Tribe – Lucy’s recovery wasn’t just about personal effort. It was about connection -with supportive friends, family, and a business community that saw her worth when she couldn’t.

🔹 Art as Therapy and Identity – In her darkest moments, Lucy found solace in drawing. That creative spark became a lifeline, allowing her to rediscover joy, voice, and purpose - not through business success, but through authentic self-expression.

🔹 You Are Never Too Broken to Begin Again – Whether on the edge of despair or standing in a new chapter, Lucy’s story reminds us: there is always something on the other side of survival.

Memorable Quotes from This Episode:

🗨️ “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Eliot

🗨️ “I’ve found and love my voice. I’ve found and love my art. I’ve found and love my tribe. I’ve found and love me.” – Lucy Waide

Why You Should Listen:

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who has taken a leap and fallen hard, battled illness or mental health, or felt crushed under the weight of their own expectations. Mandy and Lucy offer a powerful message of hope, honesty, and the healing power of creativity and connection.

✨ Tune in now to be inspired by Lucy’s brave and beautiful comeback.

Episodes were recorded in the authors own homes on various devices.
Podcast produced by "Your Fairy Podmother" of Voice It Podcast Agency
If you want to start your very own podcast go here: https://www.fairypodmother.co.uk

In this episode, Mandy explores what it truly means to be a survivor. She unpacks how creativity, community, and asking for help can turn the darkest moments into defining breakthroughs.

Satty Mann then delivers a powerful, emotional, and unflinchingly honest account of her recovery journey through addiction, trauma, and transformation, highlighting the role of art and fellowship in her healing.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

🔹 Survivors Are Built, Not Born – Mandy opens the episode by reminding listeners that creatives and neurodivergent individuals often develop deep resilience through navigating a world that doesn't always accommodate them. Survival is not just about enduring—it’s about adapting, learning, and growing stronger.

🔹 The Power of Asking for Help – Mandy shares a personal story of rebuilding after loss and how reaching out to others helped her recover. She reminds us that survival is not a solo journey, and asking is one of the most powerful tools we have.

🔹 Satty Mann’s Journey: From Addiction to Advocacy – Satty shares her profound journey from compulsive gambling, alcohol and drug addiction, and suicidal thoughts, to living a life of purpose, creativity, and service. Her recovery began when she found Gamblers Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous, and embraced the 12-step programs that changed her life.

🔹 Living the 12 Promises of Recovery – Satty walks us through how each of the 12 promises of recovery became real in her life—from finding happiness and serenity, to discovering her worth and helping others find theirs. Her story is raw, redemptive, and full of hope.

🔹 Creativity as a Lifeline – As an emotional artist and writer, Satty found that creative expression helped her process pain, reconnect with herself, and support others through her work. Art has become a spiritual and emotional outlet, one that grounds her daily.

🔹 Turning Pain into Purpose – Today, Satty is not just surviving—she’s thriving. As a speaker, sponsor, mentor, and mother, she is devoted to helping others move beyond addiction and into lives of self-love and freedom.

Memorable Quotes from This Episode:

🗨️ “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran

🗨️ “Today, I wake up with love in my heart. That’s a miracle. Every day, I choose life.” – Satty Mann

Why You Should Listen:

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who has faced trauma, battled addiction, or simply needs a reminder that it’s never too late to rewrite your story. Mandy and Satty’s powerful insights prove that healing is possible, and creativity can be the bridge between pain and purpose.

✨ Tune in now to hear Satty’s extraordinary transformation!

📖 Beyond the Ordinary: Discover the Power of Creative and Neurodiverse Women is available now on Amazon.

Episodes were recorded in the authors own homes on various devices.
Podcast produced by "Your Fairy Podmother" of Voice It Podcast Agency
If you want to start your very own podcast go here: https://www.fairypodmother.co.uk