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What happens when the future you imagined is no longer possible? And how do you find the courage to build something meaningful from the life you actually have? When Ida Norrby's second daughter was born severely ill, everything changed. Five months in intensive care, round-the-clock medical support at home and the end of a teaching career she'd spent nearly a decade building. But this isn't simply a story about raising a child with complex medical needs. It's about Ida - a woman who has had to confront the enormous gap between the life she expected and the reality she found herself living. In this episode of Unstoppable Women, Julie and Ida explore grief for the future you thought you'd have, the exhausting business of trying to control things you cannot change and why acceptance isn't the same as giving up. Ida shares how she began rebuilding her sense of identity, first through creating content online and now through keynote speaking, helping others navigate their own unexpected life changes. One of the most powerful things she says is: "I refuse to lose what I have to what's already lost." Together, we explore the practical tools that have helped Ida move forward - allowing herself to grieve, practising gratitude without pretending everything is wonderful, protecting her energy and taking small actions even when motivation is nowhere to be found. It's a conversation about accepting what you cannot change while remaining ambitious about what you can. Whether you're facing bereavement, a career change, divorce, caring responsibilities or simply finding yourself somewhere you never expected to be, there's something in Ida's experience for you. Because being unstoppable isn't about never falling. It's knowing how to get back up. About Ida Norrby Ida is a former teacher, content creator and keynote speaker based in Stockholm, Sweden. Through her social media and speaking, she shares her experiences of navigating unexpected life changes, building resilience and finding meaning when life doesn't follow the plan. Follow Ida on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hemmamedida About Unstoppable Women and Julie Unstoppable Women is a podcast by Unstoppable by Design, featuring honest conversations with women who have faced life's turning points and found ways to move forward. Hosted by Julie Tague, founder of Unstoppable by Design, the podcast explores not only what happened to these women but what they did next, what they learnt and what you can take from their experiences. Drawing on her career leading complex change in the public sector alongside her own experiences of bereavement, motherhood and rebuilding her life, Julie helps women move from feeling stuck to making decisions, taking action and creating meaningful change. Explore Unstoppable by Design: https://www.unstoppablebydesign.co.uk Enjoyed this conversation? Follow Unstoppable Women on Spotify and share this episode with a woman who might need to hear it.

One missed step changed Mary Ryan’s life. In 2013, Mary fell down a flight of stairs at work. She suffered multiple injuries and a brain injury that left her without much of her mid-to-long-term memory and around 70% of her vocabulary. She knew the knowledge was still there. She just had to find a way back to it. So Mary started experimenting. Music. Singing. Scrabble. Reading. Community. Curiosity. Rather than simply asking, “Why has this happened to me?”, she became fascinated by how her brain was working - and what she could do to rebuild it. In this episode of Unstoppable Women, Mary and I talk about recovery, resilience and what happens when something completely unexpected forces you to rebuild. We also explore Mary’s extraordinary career in medical technology. Over almost 30 years she has helped bring safe and effective medical devices to market around the world and, during the pandemic, helped support the delivery of 11,683 ventilators to the NHS. Now she is making another major change. After nearly 14 years with one company, Mary has handed in her notice and is launching her own consultancy - taking decades of expertise, relationships and experience and using them to build something of her own. We talk about: • Rebuilding after something changes your life in a split second• Why curiosity became such an important part of Mary’s recovery• Music, memory and finding her words again• Building a life around trauma rather than allowing it to become your whole story• Recognising the value of decades of experience• Leaving a successful career to create something of your own• Why letting your light shine can give someone else permission to do the same There’s a beautiful idea from Mary in this conversation: difficult experiences don’t necessarily disappear. But as you build more life around them, they no longer have to be the biggest part of the circle. About Unstoppable Women & Unstoppable by Design I'm Julie Tague, founder of Unstoppable by Design. After experiencing profound personal loss, rebuilding my life as a widowed mum and creating a successful career in the public sector, I came to realise something that now underpins everything I do: No woman is as stuck as she thinks she is. I work alongside women at turning points to help them build what's next - step by step. Together we prioritise, make decisions, create momentum and manage the practical project of designing a new life. This isn't coaching; it's strategic partnership. I'm your project manager for change - helping you make the hard decisions, holding you to account and turning good intentions into meaningful action. Every episode of Unstoppable Women shares the story of a woman who has navigated change, challenged expectations and rewritten her future - not because life was easy, but because she chose to keep moving. If Mary’s story makes you think differently about what might be possible in your own next chapter, follow Unstoppable Women and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

What does it mean to build a new life without erasing the one that came before? In the final episode of this series of Unstoppable Women, I’m joined by Anna Thomas Raju for a deeply personal conversation about love, loss, burnout, identity and the person we are still becoming. Anna shares her experience of losing her husband Bill to cancer, finding love again and learning that grief and happiness can exist alongside each other. We also explore the patterns that contributed to burnout - proving, pleasing, carrying too much and believing that saying yes made her valuable. One of Anna’s biggest lessons is beautifully simple: “I am enough right now. But I can always grow.” We talk about asking for help, allowing other people to show up for us, leading with empathy and why none of us ever really becomes the ‘finished’ version of ourselves. After 25 conversations with remarkable women, Still Becoming feels like exactly the right place to end this series. 🎧 Unstoppable Women - E25: Still Becoming with Anna Thomas Raju About Unstoppable Women & Unstoppable by DesignI'm Julie Tague, founder of Unstoppable by Design. After experiencing profound personal loss, rebuilding my life as a widowed mum and creating a successful career in the public sector, I came to realise something that now underpins everything I do:No woman is as stuck as she thinks she is.I work alongside women at turning points to help them build what's next - step by step. Together we prioritise, make decisions, create momentum and manage the practical project of designing a new life.This isn't coaching; it's strategic partnership.I'm your project manager for change - helping you make the hard decisions, holding you to account and turning good intentions into meaningful action.Every episode of Unstoppable Women shares the story of a woman who has navigated change, challenged expectations and rewritten her future - not because life was easy, but because she chose to keep moving.If this episode resonates with you, subscribe, leave a comment and share it with a woman who might need to hear it.

What if grief isn’t something you have to beat, but something you learn to live alongside? In this episode of Unstoppable Women, Julie Tague talks to Tetyana - an HR professional, coach and former rhythmic gymnast whose life changed when her husband died by suicide. Tetyana shares what it meant to suddenly hold life together for her children, why trauma made change itself frightening and how she eventually learned to “partner with grief” rather than constantly fight it. She talks about rebuilding confidence, returning to movement through yoga and contemporary dance, finding love again and taking the first tentative steps towards building her own coaching business. This is not simply a conversation about loss. It’s about what comes afterwards - and how grief, ambition, love and genuine joy can all exist in the same life. About Julie Tague & Unstoppable by Design Julie Tague is the founder of Unstoppable by Design and host of Unstoppable Women. After experiencing profound personal loss, rebuilding her life as a widowed mum and building a successful career in the public sector, Julie created Unstoppable by Design around one central belief: No woman is as stuck as she thinks she is. Julie works alongside women at turning points as a strategic partner and project manager for change - helping them make decisions, create momentum and turn intentions into meaningful action. Every episode of Unstoppable Women shares the story of a woman who has navigated change, challenged expectations and found her own way forward. 🌐 www.unstoppablebydesign.co.uk Content note: This episode contains candid discussion of suicide, bereavement and emotionally abusive relationships.

What happens when the life you've built isn't the life you imagined? By our forties, many of us find ourselves asking quiet questions we'd never expected: Who am I now? Is this really what success looks like? Why does my life feel so different from the one I pictured? In this episode, I sit down with leadership expert, facilitator and executive coach Jess Annison to explore the identity shift that so many women experience in midlife. Together we discuss the hidden grief of letting go of the life you thought you'd have, why we often measure ourselves against outdated expectations, and how we can redefine success for the woman we've become today. Jess shares her own story of ambition, motherhood, career change and learning to stop seeing different as less. We explore gratitude, updating the stories we tell ourselves, and why asking "Who am I now?" might be one of the most important questions we ever answer. If you've ever found yourself thinking: I thought my life would look different.I'm not where I expected to be.I'm ready for what's next but don't know where to begin....this conversation is for you. 🔥 About Unstoppable Women and Unstoppable By Design I'm Julie Tague, founder of Unstoppable by Design. After experiencing profound personal loss, rebuilding my life as a widowed mum, and creating a successful career in the public sector, I came to realise something that now underpins everything I do: No woman is as stuck as she thinks she is. I work alongside women at turning points to help them build what's next—step by step. Together we prioritise, make decisions, create momentum and manage the practical project of designing a new life. This isn't coaching; it's strategic partnership. I'm your project manager for change: helping you make the hard decisions, holding you to account and turning good intentions into meaningful action. Unstoppable Women is the podcast from Unstoppable by Design, sharing real, honest stories from women navigating change, identity and growth—and redefining what it means to be unstoppable. Every episode tells the story of a woman who has navigated change, challenged expectations and rewritten her future—not because life was easy, but because she chose to keep moving. If this episode resonates with you, I'd love you to subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear it. 🌐 www.unstoppablebydesign.co.uk

For years, Franka van der Poll believed she was simply too much. Too impulsive. Too emotional. Too restless. Too intense. She spent decades chasing adventure, throwing herself into relationships, fitness and work, always searching for something she couldn't quite explain. Then everything changed. A routine foot operation left her with chronic pain. Isolation during the COVID lockdowns in Spain pushed her to breaking point. It was only later, after receiving an ADHD diagnosis, that her life finally made sense. Not because the diagnosis changed who she was. Because it changed how she understood herself. In this deeply honest conversation, Franka shares the extraordinary journey behind that realisation. We talk about childhood, grief, identity, chronic pain, perimenopause, resilience and the freedom that comes from finally understanding your own mind. Along the way, we also laugh our way through the unbelievable stories behind her book, SWIPE Love - from disastrous online dates to the strange world of dating apps, and the moment she realised she'd become addicted to swiping rather than searching for love. This episode is funny, emotional and full of hope. • ADHD in women and why it is so often missed• The hidden impact of chronic pain and depression• Perimenopause and self-understanding• Why diagnosis can be liberating rather than limiting• Online dating, identity and finding humour in life's chaos• What it really means to rebuild yourself If you've ever wondered whether you were the problem, this conversation is for you. Unstoppable Women is a podcast about reinvention. Each episode features a woman who has faced one of life's defining moments - grief, illness, divorce, redundancy, burnout or a complete change in direction - and discovered that their greatest challenge became the catalyst for their next chapter. These conversations are honest, practical and deeply human, reminding us that no woman is as stuck as she thinks she is. I'm Julie, founder of Unstoppable by Design. I help women at turning points stop waiting for confidence and start creating momentum. Through one-to-one partnerships, retreats, workshops and the Unstoppable Women community, I help women reconnect with who they are and take purposeful action towards what's next. If Franka's story resonates with you, I'd love to help you write your own next chapter. 🌐 www.unstoppablebydesign.co.uk If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the podcast, leave a rating and share it with someone who needs to hear that they were never broken either.

What does it really take to build a successful business? In this episode of Unstoppable Women, Julie Tague sits down with four-time entrepreneur, author and business mentor Beth Mazza to unpack the realities of building businesses that last. Beth is the author of Entrepreneur Like a Mother and has founded, grown and successfully sold multiple companies. Drawing on decades of experience, she shares honest advice for entrepreneurs, founders and anyone looking to build something meaningful. Together they explore: Why success is built on resilience rather than perfection. How to create a business that supports your life before chasing a bigger vision. Why execution will always outperform ideas. What failure can teach you if you're prepared to listen. How to build long-term value instead of short-term wins. Why the people you surround yourself with matter more than you think. About Unstoppable Women Hosted by Julie Tague, founder of Unstoppable by Design, Unstoppable Women is a podcast sharing honest conversations with women who have navigated life's biggest turning points and created success on their own terms. Each episode goes beyond the story to uncover the practical lessons, mindset shifts and strategies that listeners can apply to their own careers, businesses and lives. Whether you're starting a business, navigating change or looking for inspiration to take your next step, this episode will leave you with practical advice and the confidence to keep building. If you enjoy the podcast, please follow Unstoppable Women on Spotify and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Connect with JulieFounder, Unstoppable by Design🌍 https://unstoppablebydesign.co.uk🔗 linkedin.com/in/julietague

What happens when you achieve everything you thought you wanted and still find yourself asking, "Who am I now?" In this episode of Unstoppable Women, I sit down with coach, facilitator and founder of The Third Chapter, Remi Baker. Growing up as one of the only mixed-race children in Ashtead, building a successful career in PR and eventually becoming a CEO, Remi spent years succeeding in environments that expected certain things from her. Yet one of the most powerful parts of her story is her willingness to question whether the version of success she had achieved was still the life she wanted to live. We talk about identity, reinvention, midlife transitions, receiving an ADHD diagnosis at 60, and the courage it takes to stop being who everyone else expects you to be. This is a conversation about reclaiming yourself, embracing change and recognising that the next chapter isn't always about becoming more - sometimes it's about becoming more yourself. If you've ever found yourself at a crossroads wondering what's next, this episode is for you. About Unstoppable Women Hosted by Julie Tague, founder of Unstoppable by Design, Unstoppable Women shares honest conversations with women who have turned challenge into clarity, uncertainty into momentum and life's twists into new beginnings. Because no woman is as stuck as she thinks she is.

In this episode of Unstoppable Women, Julie Tague sits down with Jen Radcliffe for a powerful conversation about career change, identity, self-trust, and what happens when life forces you to ask: if not now, when? Jen shares her journey from leading major change and transformation work in the public sector to building a transformative coaching practice that helps women reconnect with themselves during times of change. Together, Julie and Jen explore what it means to quietly lose parts of yourself while still looking capable on the outside - and how to find your way back. This episode is for any woman who has ever felt stuck between who she is and who she is becoming. They talk about: career transition and redundancy as a turning point confidence vs self-trust rediscovering creativity, joy and curiosity family challenge, grief and the weight women carry friendship, rituals and the quiet power of community doing it scared and choosing not to play life small Hosted by Julie Tague, founder of Unstoppable by Design, Unstoppable Women is a podcast sharing honest conversations with women who have turned challenge into clarity, adversity into growth, and reinvention into momentum. If you are navigating a turning point in your career, identity or life, this episode will remind you that you are not alone - and that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is choose yourself consciously.

What if the strongest thing you ever do is let someone help you? For much of her life, Tracey Holland believed strength meant being self-sufficient. The capable one.The reliable one.The person who could always cope. It's an identity many women know well. But when life handed her more than she could carry alone, Tracey was forced to confront a question she'd spent years avoiding: What if strength isn't about carrying everything yourself? In this deeply thoughtful conversation, Julie Tague sits down with change leadership expert and Reforge Change founder Tracey Holland to explore grief, resilience, friendship, leadership and the power of letting others in. Together they discuss the hidden cost of always being "the strong one", why asking for help can feel so uncomfortable, and how the right people can transform our lives simply by showing up. One of the most powerful insights from this episode is that support isn't one-size-fits-all. Sometimes we need advice. Sometimes we need practical help. Sometimes we need someone to sit quietly beside us while we find our footing again. The support can remain constant, even when the shape of it changes. This conversation will resonate with anyone navigating change, loss, leadership, burnout, reinvention, or simply the pressure of feeling like they have to hold everything together. Why high-achieving women often struggle to ask for helpThe hidden burden of being "the strong one"What meaningful support actually looks likeHow friendships helped Tracey rebuild after profound lossLeadership lessons from adversityWhy the best leaders don't carry everything themselvesHow to create environments where people feel supported and able to contributeTracey Holland is the Founder of Reforge Change, helping organisations navigate complex transformation, leadership challenges and sustainable change. With more than 30 years' experience across public, private and third sectors, she is known for her calm authority, practical insight and deeply human approach to leadership. Hosted by Julie Tague, Unstoppable Women shares honest conversations with women who have turned challenge into clarity, adversity into growth and setbacks into momentum. Each episode explores resilience, leadership, identity, reinvention and what it really means to become unstoppable.

In this episode of Unstoppable Women, Julie Tague sits down with leadership consultant, storyteller and founder of The Growth Hut, Nissi Ozigbu. Together, they explore leadership, identity, career reinvention and what it means to build something of your own. From growing up in a vibrant Zambian family in East London to becoming a senior change leader by the age of 30, Nissi shares the mindset shifts, risks and personal evolution that shaped her journey from corporate leadership into entrepreneurship. This conversation explores: leadership through uncertainty and changeconfidence and personal brandmotherhood and ambitiontaking risks before you feel readyemotional resilience during transformationcreating a life with space for joy and restand learning to trust yourselfJulie and Nissi also dive into the emotional reality behind transformation - personally and professionally - and why the future belongs to leaders who can communicate clearly, connect authentically and evolve continuously. ✨ “Being unstoppable for me means designing for rest and not feeling like you have to earn it.” About Unstoppable Women:Unstoppable Women is a podcast hosted by Julie Tague, founder of Unstoppable by Design, sharing honest conversations with women navigating reinvention, leadership, ambition, grief, identity and change. Each episode is designed to help women at a turning point move from stuck to unstoppable through real stories, practical insight and courageous conversations. 🎙 Hosted by Julie Tague🌍 www.unstoppablebydesign.co.uk

What happens when you spend years surviving… and suddenly realise you’ve stopped truly living? In this deeply honest episode of Unstoppable Women, Julie Tague sits down with Deborah McCann - founder of Clear Colours Ltd - to explore resilience, identity, hidden female struggles, motherhood, leadership and rebuilding life after prolonged challenge. Deborah shares her experience of: navigating divorce while sharing a family homesevere endometriosis and adenomyosisbalancing motherhood and professional leadershipredundancy and starting her own businessquietly functioning while emotionally and physically depletedreconnecting with joy after years of survival modeAt one point, Deborah describes herself as:“My battery was at one bar.” Yet despite everything, she kept showing up. This conversation is raw, reflective and full of wisdom for anyone navigating: burnoutlife transitionwomen’s health challengesseparation and identity shiftsleadership under pressurerebuilding confidence and energyBut ultimately, this episode asks a bigger question: What brings you joy? The Unstoppable Women series shares the real stories behind extraordinary women - not perfection, but honest conversations about change, courage, identity and becoming who you were always meant to be. If this episode resonates with you, please like, comment and subscribe to support the series. And if you have a story you feel ready to share, Julie would love to hear from you. #UnstoppableWomen #WomenInLeadership #EndometriosisAwareness #CareerChange #WomenSupportingWomen #Leadership #Resilience #Podcast #PersonalGrowth #WomenInBusiness

What happens when life changes in an instant? In Episode 13 of Unstoppable Women, Julie Tague sits down with Jen Newberg — founder, widow, recovery advocate, and creator of the community platform It’s Lifey. Jen shares the deeply personal story of losing her husband suddenly while they were on holiday in Greece, and how that experience completely reshaped her life, identity, and purpose. This is an honest conversation about: - grief and widowhood - rebuilding life after loss - finding peace after trauma - recovery and alcoholism - identity shifts - blended families and relationships - mental health and panic attacks - community, connection and healing - starting a purpose -led business after personal tragedy. Together, Julie and Jen explore what it really means to become “unstoppable” after life breaks open. This episode is for anyone navigating loss, burnout, divorce, grief, reinvention, motherhood, recovery, career pivots, or major life change. ABOUT UNSTOPPABLE WOMEN Hosted by Julie Tague, Unstoppable Women is a podcast and live research project exploring the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, leadership, and personal transformation. Each episode features raw, powerful conversations with women who have faced significant turning points in life and chosen to rebuild with courage, honesty, and agency. This series forms part of the wider Unstoppable by Design movement and upcoming book project — helping women feel seen, heard, and less alone while sharing practical insight into how people move forward through life’s hardest chapters. CONNECT WITH JEN NEWBERG Instagram: @itslifeyco Website: www.itslifey.com CONNECT WITH JULIE TAGUE / UNSTOPPABLE BY DESIGN Website: www.unstoppablebydesign.co.uk linkedin.com/in/julietague Julie@unstoppablebydesign If this conversation resonated with you: ✔ Subscribe to the channel ✔ Share with someone who needs it ✔ Leave a comment about what connected with you most Because sometimes the conversations we avoid are the ones that help people feel less alone. #Widowhood #GriefSupport #WomenSupportingWomen #MentalHealth #RecoveryJourney #LifeAfterLoss #PersonalGrowth #FemaleFounders #UnstoppableWomen #UnstoppableByDesign

In this episode of Unstoppable Women, I sit down with Rita Cox – founder of the Be Empowered Method – to explore what happens when life forces you to stop, reassess, and rebuild. Rita moved to the UK from Hungary in 2009 with what she calls “a lot of hope and a massive suitcase.” She built a successful corporate career with major global brands, climbed the ladder she thought would bring happiness, and then reached the point many women quietly recognise - burnout, misalignment, and the realisation that success on paper doesn’t always feel like success in life. From leaving corporate and teaching yoga to deep self-development, motherhood, and creating her own method to help other women reconnect with themselves, Rita’s story is one of courage, pivots, and choosing alignment over expectation. We talk about burnout, self-leadership, small decisions that create big change, and why change is not failure - it’s often the beginning of becoming who you were meant to be. This episode is for any woman who feels like she’s standing at a crossroads, wondering if she’s gone backwards. You haven’t. You’re pivoting. And sometimes, that changes everything.

In this episode of Unstoppable Women, Julie Tague speaks to Georgie Spurling - founder of Arvra - about resilience, movement, burnout, health, and what it means to build a life that is not defined by the limits you were once given. Georgie’s story begins with life-changing heart surgery as a child and years of being told to be careful, hold back, and accept a narrower version of what life might look like. But this conversation is not about turning her into a sob story. It is about something far more interesting - what she chose to do next. She went on to challenge those limits, run the London Marathon, and build Arvra, a wellness platform designed to make support more human, accessible and preventative. Julie and Georgie talk honestly about how stress and burnout can show up physically, how easy it is to ignore what your body is trying to tell you, and why hustle culture is far less impressive than people like to make out. Georgie shares how her own experiences in her 20s shaped her thinking, and why she is now so passionate about helping people access the right support before they hit crisis point. Together they explore a more honest definition of being unstoppable - not never falling, not always winning, but having the ability to feel things, regroup, and get back up again. Georgie’s perspective is thoughtful, practical and quietly powerful, and her final reflection on what she would say to her younger self says everything: you did it. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt shaped by their past, challenged by their body, or forced to rethink what strength really looks like.