What does pursuing your dream actually look like when you're dealing with rejection, motherhood, industry politics and everything else happening in real life?

This week, actress Ashley Bannerman joins Clytie Tammy to talk about her journey into acting, from studying psychology to deciding that acting was the career she really wanted to pursue.

Ashley talks openly about rejection, resilience and some of the realities of trying to build a sustainable career as an actress. She and Clytie get into the politics of the industry, how opportunities and roles for women have changed, and what it means to keep going when success rarely happens in a straight line.

They also talk about balancing motherhood with ambition, the realities of filming intimate scenes, the roles Ashley would love to play next and her ambitions to take her career beyond the UK.

It's a conversation about what audiences see on screen, but also everything that goes on behind it — the decisions, disappointments, compromises and sheer persistence involved in continuing to chase something you genuinely want.

You know when you've seen someone on screen so many times that you somehow feel like you know them?

That's how it can feel with Dani Moseley. Except, of course, you don't actually know her.

Dani is an actress whose work spans television, film and theatre, including Dreaming Whilst Black and Jaja's African Hair Braiding, with her new short film You and Me Makes Three also on the way.

The conversation gets into Dani's journey as an actress, the reality of building and sustaining a career in the industry, accents and dialects, choosing roles, knowing when something is right for you and how both life and work have shaped the woman she is today.

Dani and Clytie also talk about Black representation, supporting Black businesses and some of the realities that sit behind a career that, from the outside, can look very different from what it's actually like to live it.

It's less of an interview and more of two women getting to know each other — which might be why it's one of the best kinds of conversations to listen to.

Follow Dani on IG - @danimoseley

Zimbabwean author Sue Nyathi wrote The Polygamist after observing the complicated relationships happening around her in Harare; married men, mistresses, "small houses" and women whose lives were unknowingly intertwined.

After struggling to find a traditional publisher, Sue eventually decided to publish the book herself.

More than a decade later, that same story has been adapted for the screen and introduced Sue's work to a whole new audience on Netflix.

In this episode, Sue joins me to talk about the real-life observations that inspired The Polygamist, what it feels like to hand characters you've lived with for years over to somebody else for a screen adaptation, and seeing her work find new life so many years after she first wrote it.

We also talk about her other novels, including The GoldDiggers and A Family Affair, the Zimbabwean experience of migration to South Africa, writing complicated and imperfect characters, and what it means to tell distinctly Zimbabwean stories while living away from home.

And, of course, we get into publishing - including the rejection that came before The Polygamist, choosing to back herself and self-publish, and what her journey says about getting your story out into the world even when the first answer is no.

This is a conversation about writing, representation, persistence and what can happen when you decide a story deserves to be told.

Website: Sue Nyathi

IG/Twitter: @suenyathi

Follow the podcast: @whomovedmybirkin

Follow the host: @thatgirltammy_

Why are there still so many Black stories we want to see but can't find on our screens?

This week I'm joined by HaJ, founder of VibeKast, for a conversation about Black representation in film and what actually happens behind the scenes when creatives try to get their ideas made.

We talk about the barriers and red tape that can stand between a great idea and a finished project, what happens when creatives keep hearing "no", and why the traditional way of deciding which stories get funded might be leaving audiences out of the conversation entirely.

HaJ also shares how those frustrations helped inspire VibeKast, a platform designed to give audiences an opportunity to show their support for projects much earlier in the creative process.

We get into:

• The lack of Black representation in film and television
• Why so many stories audiences want still aren't being made
• The barriers creatives face getting projects funded and greenlit
• How the idea for VibeKast came about
• Turning repeated "nos" into another way forward
• Giving audiences a voice in which projects get supported
• Building a business around a problem you've experienced firsthand
• What needs to change for more diverse stories to make it to our screens

It's a conversation about representation, creativity, access and what could happen if audiences had more power to help decide which stories get made.

VibeKast - www.vibekast.com

In this episode, I sit down with pioneering filmmaker, animator and educator Ayoka Chenzira to explore a creative journey that has spanned decades. We talk about everything from African dance and storytelling to perfumery, filmmaking and her latest immersive project, Olf, a film inspired by the power of scent.

Ayoka shares how following her curiosity has led her into unexpected spaces, why she believes stories can be experienced in more ways than just what we see on screen, and how platforms like VibeKast are changing the way films are funded and made.

This is a conversation about creativity, innovation and what it means to keep evolving as an artist.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Growing up with a love of African dance and how it shaped her creative voice
• Why curiosity has been the driving force behind her career
• The inspiration behind Olf and storytelling through scent
• How perfume can evoke memory, emotion and connection
• How VibeKast is rethinking audience participation in filmmaking
• The realities of building a career as a Black filmmaker
• Why artists should never stop experimenting

Ayoka Chenzira is an award-winning filmmaker, director, animator and educator whose work has helped shape Black independent cinema. Throughout a career spanning nearly five decades, she has continued to push the boundaries of storytelling through film, technology and immersive experiences.

About Ayoka Chenzira

Ayoka Chenzira is an award-winning filmmaker, director, animator and educator whose work has helped shape Black independent cinema. Throughout a career spanning nearly five decades, she has continued to push the boundaries of storytelling through film, technology and immersive experiences.

Instagram: @ayomentary

Website: https://www.ayokachenzira.com

VibeKast: https://vibecast.com

From interior design to candle making and art, Joycelyn Cobbold is building more than a business, she’s creating experiences people remember.

In this episode, we get into the real side of turning creativity into a career: navigating self-employment, pricing your work with confidence, overcoming self-doubt, and staying authentic while building something that actually works.

We also talk about the power of collaboration, the thinking behind her workshops, and how to create spaces and experiences that feel intentional, not just aesthetic.

If you’ve ever thought about turning your passion into a business, this is the kind of conversation you need to hear.

Follow Joycelyn on her journey to building a creative empire:

noiirsquaredlondon.com

Buy tickets for the workshops

Instagram: @nsqeventsldn

Follow the podcast: @whomovedmybirkin

Follow the host: @thatgirltammy_

In this episode, Clytie Tammy sits down with Rachael Twumasi-Corson, co-founder of Afrocenchix, to reflect on her journey from building one of the UK’s most recognisable natural haircare brands to exiting the business in 2023 and starting again with Ayaa Botanicals.

Rachael shares candid insights into the realities of entrepreneurship, the emotional weight of stepping away from something you built, the lessons learned from scaling Afrocenchix, and what legacy means when you move on from a brand you built from the ground up and starting a new one, Ayaa Botanicals.

The conversation explores community support for Black-owned businesses, the importance of proof of concept before scaling, and the discipline required to test ideas properly. Rachael also opens up about navigating motherhood alongside business, redefining success, and building differently this time around.

This episode is a powerful reflection on growth, reinvention, and what it truly means to start again with clarity.

Follow Rachael: IG, YouTube, website, Substack

Follow the host: @thatgirltammy_

Visit the podcast website: whomovedmybirkin.co.uk

Chapters

00:00 Reconnecting After Years: A Journey of Change04:53 Navigating Business Challenges: Exiting Afrocenchix10:34 Reflecting on Afrocenchix’s Legacy16:35 Community Support and the Future of Black-Owned Businesses23:22 Breaking Barriers and Building Confidence31:53 Navigating the Startup Landscape36:42 The Importance of Proof of Concept41:36 Testing Ideas Before Scaling47:17 Personal Growth and Product Development52:49 Exploring Work-Life Harmony

Emotional intelligence doesn’t start in the boardroom. It starts at home.

In this powerful conversation, Clytie Tammy sits down with Dr. Donnette Green to unpack what emotional intelligence really looks like inside families. Drawing from her years in Child Protective Services, Dr. Green shares what she’s learned about children’s behaviour, parenting patterns, and the emotional climates that shape young lives.

They explore how parenting styles influence trust and communication, why self-awareness is essential before we try to “teach” our children anything, and how emotional literacy begins with something as simple — and as powerful — as naming feelings.

The conversation also addresses co-parenting tensions, the emotional weight many parents carry silently, and why self-care isn’t indulgent but necessary. Dr. Green highlights the importance of community, cultural understanding, and intentional communication in raising emotionally secure children.

This episode is a reminder that the way we love, regulate, and communicate at home creates ripple effects for generations. If you’re interested in building a calmer, more emotionally aware household, this conversation will stay with you.

Follow Dr Donnette Green on IG

Donate and follow Guilded Collaboration Collective

Follow me: ⁠@thatgirltammy_

Follow the podcast: ⁠@whomovedmybirkin

If you would like to be a guest on upcoming episodes, email clytie@whomovedmybirkin.co.uk