Conversations With Candice

"I don't want to want things. I need to create space in my head, and not wanting is a way to create space in your head and find peace... If I don't know it exists, it doesn't exist."

Welcome back to Chapter Two, Episode Four of Conversations with Candice! This season is all about love and relationships, but today we are pivoting entirely into our relationship with ourselves, our ambitions, and the toxic, relentless pace of the digital world. Candice is throwing out the cue cards to welcome a true internet pioneer, fashion icon, and accidental founder to the studio: the incredible Freddie Harrel.

For years, Freddie was that girl, the baseline framework for UK fashion blogging, a Pinterest favourite, and one of only 50 Black women globally to raise over $1 million in venture capital to scale her startup hair brand, Rad Swan.

But behind the Vogue headlines and the high-profile retail deals was a high-stakes ecosystem of investor calls, supply chain nightmares, hyperemesis, and an relentless digital pace that her nervous system simply wasn't built to survive.

In this beautifully raw, transparent conversation, Freddie and Candice pull back the curtain on the "Girl Boss" illusion. They dive deep into the reality of Sunday night panic attacks, why your body will always make the final decision when a space no longer serves you, the hidden operational impact of Apple’s iOS 14 privacy updates, and the incredible liberation that comes with hopping off the career train, taking the bus, and choosing mental clarity over public validation.

Inside this episode:

The "ASOS Freddie" & Blogging Era: Looking back at a time when the internet felt smaller and communities felt real.
The Venture Capital Toll: What happens holistically to your identity, mental health, and spirit when you scale a public startup.
Deconditioning from "Productivity": Rewiring your brain to choose being over constant achieving.
Shedding Outfits for Clicks: Candice shares her personal wardrobe shift and why she stopped dressing for the streets' algorithm.
The Failed $1M+ Celebrity Deal: Freddie reveals the untold story of signing a massive US star and how she finally found peace when the deal fell through.

No experts, no perfection. Just real conversations about life as we're actually living it.

📚 READ & CONNECT ON SUBSTACK
Join the inner circle on Substack for deep-dive articles, essays, and community discussions:

Substack Profile: https://candicebrathwaite.substack.com

🔗 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE ACROSS PLATFORMS
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ifcRNeOOcHOgovuhk9i2K?si=6c87234b263c4547

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/conversations-with-candice/id1882427274

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/54f972c1-650d-401a-8418-cf499de44b24/conversations-with-candice

Acast Feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/conversations-with-candice

📱 FOLLOW THE GUEST
Freddie Harrel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freddieharrel/

📱 FOLLOW CANDICE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candicebrathwaite

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@candicebrathwaite

🎬 PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by: Undeniable Productions
Executive Produced by: Candice Brathwaite Aboderin and Bode Aboderin
Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe so you never miss a conversation.

Conversations with Candice is hosted by two-time Sunday Times bestselling author and cultural commentator Candice Brathwaite. New episodes every week.

Get in touch: contact@conversationswithcandicepodcast.com

Listen on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/conversations-with-candice

Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@conversationswithcandicepod

Follow Candice:
Instagram: @candicebrathwaite
TikTok: @candicebrathwaite
If you love the show, please leave a review, it really helps others find us. Remain Unrealistic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I'm gonna need you to respect the want like it's a need. The way you need to breathe is the way you need to get to your knitting class. Because as women with busy lives, it's very easy to not respect the want... and when you disrespect the want, one day the want is gonna come down the road and fling your head back and disrespect you."
Welcome back to Episode Three of Chapter Two of Conversations with Candice. This season is all about love and relationships, and let's be completely for real, the listener boxes are absolutely scalping me.

Candice is back on a strict school pick-up time crunch today, but we are holding absolutely nothing back as we unpack four massive, deeply layered listener dilemmas.
From analyzing our own vibrations to refusing early compromise in the dating pool, today we challenge standard societal milestones and talk about what happens when boundaries must stand on business. Co-producer Bode also steps out from behind the monitor to offer an essential patriarchal perspective on dating expectations, financial goalposts, and separating parental duties from relationship breakdowns.
Inside the Dilemma Inbox today:

Dilemma 1: Should you wait until your life is perfect or you’ve officially "arrived" to start dating? Candice and Bode break down the toxic moving goalposts created by social media timelines.
Dilemma 2: What does it mean when a nightlife "big dog" plays the perfect partner on date one but hits you with breadcrumbs and slow replies by date three? Unpacking the psychology of early dating compromises.
Dilemma 3: A 39-year-old neurodivergent mother of three manages the entire emotional and physical workload alone, only for her 50-year-old non-committal partner to claim her independence is a "red flag." Candice issues an emergency reality check, and Bode drops a firm boundary line regarding fatherhood.
Dilemma 4: Navigating a 40-year marriage when love remains but intimacy is completely dead.
No experts, no perfection. Just real conversations about life as we're actually living it.

📚 READ & CONNECT ON SUBSTACK
Join the inner circle on Substack for deep-dive articles, essays, and community discussions:

Substack Profile: https://candicebrathwaite.substack.com
🔗 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ifcRNeOOcHOgovuhk9i2K?si=6c87234b263c4547
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/conversations-with-candice/id1882427274
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/54f972c1-650d-401a-8418-cf499de44b24/conversations-with-candice
Acast Feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/conversations-with-candice
📱 FOLLOW CANDICE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candicebrathwaite
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@candicebrathwaite
🎬 PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by: Undeniable Productions
Executive Produced by: Candice Brathwaite Aboderin and Bode Aboderin

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe so you never miss a conversation.

Conversations with Candice is hosted by two-time Sunday Times bestselling author and cultural commentator Candice Brathwaite. New episodes every week.

Get in touch: contact@conversationswithcandicepodcast.com

Listen on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/conversations-with-candice

Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@conversationswithcandicepod

Follow Candice:
Instagram: @candicebrathwaite
TikTok: @candicebrathwaite
If you love the show, please leave a review, it really helps others find us. Remain Unrealistic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Respect the want like it's a need. The way you need to breathe is the way you need to get to
your class. Because as women with busy lives, it's very easy to not respect the want... and when
you disrespect the want, one day it’s gonna come down the road and fling your head back and
disrespect you."

Bob’s your uncle if you’ve got an uncle called Bob! Welcome back to Episode Two of Chapter
Two of Conversations with Candice. This season is all about love and relationships, and today
Candice is flying solo in the studio to tackle three incredibly raw, layered, and jaw-dropping
listener dilemmas.

But before unlocking the inbox, today's episode starts with a heavy heart. Candice pays tribute
to the legendary Kanya King OBE, founder of the MOBO Awards, who recently passed away
from colon cancer. In honour of Kanya’s memory, maternal spirit, and legacy, we are shining a
massive light on the life-saving work of Black Women Rising, a charity dedicated to supporting
Black women navigating cancer care. Please see the links below to support, donate, or
volunteer.

Inside the Dilemma Inbox today:
Dilemma 1: What do you do when you're with an older man who refuses to work a 9-to-5
while you raise three dependent children? Candice breaks down how to slowly, safely pull
your hand out of the lion's mouth.

Dilemma 2: Unpacking the trauma of a 14-year marriage to a deadbeat, narcissistic ex who
is currently weaponising your children and sending inappropriate messages. We talk about
alignment, vibrations, and setting radical boundaries through third-party communication.

Dilemma 3: How to completely rediscover your individual identity and independence after 18
years of being solely relationship centred and mother-focused.

No experts, no perfection. Just real conversations about life as we're actually living it.

SUPPORT BLACK WOMEN RISING
Please support the incredible work being done for Black women navigating cancer:
• Website: https://blackwomenrisinguk.org
• Donate or Volunteer: https://blackwomenrisinguk.org/donate

CONNECT WITH CANDICE
Substack (Deep-Dive Articles & Community): https://substack.com/@candicebrathwaite

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candicebrathwaite

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@candicebrathwaite

PRODUCTION CREDITS
• Produced by: Undeniable Productions
• Executive Produced by: Candice Brathwaite Aboderin and Bode Aboderin
Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe so you never miss a conversation.

Conversations with Candice is hosted by two-time Sunday Times bestselling author and cultural commentator Candice Brathwaite. New episodes every week.

Get in touch: contact@conversationswithcandicepodcast.com

Listen on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/conversations-with-candice

Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@conversationswithcandicepod

Follow Candice:
Instagram: @candicebrathwaite
TikTok: @candicebrathwaite
If you love the show, please leave a review, it really helps others find us. Remain Unrealistic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"If there was any year we were gonna divorce, it was 2025... Any one of these days, one of us was sliding papers across this motherfucking table."

Welcome back to Chapter Two of Conversations with Candice. We aren't easing you into the theme of love and relationships, we are dropping you straight into the deep end.

This week, Candice is joined by her husband, co-producer, and partner of 14 years, Bode Aboderin for an episode that nearly didn't happen.
Triggered by a powerful listener question about what a "10-year rebuild" actually looks like, Candice and Bode pull back the curtain on the curated edits of social media. They get brutally honest about the financial, mental, and emotional fires that pushed their marriage to absolute quicksand last year. This isn't a fairy tale; it's a raw look at what happens when the scaffolding crumbles, and why choosing each other daily is the hardest, most rewarding work there is.

In this episode, we discuss:

OOTP (Outfit Of The Pod): Uniqlo basics vs. Issey Miyake statements.
The 4 Pillars of a Relationship: Balancing parental, business, intimate, and individual selves.
The Illusion of Stability: Why chasing a perfect balance might be holding you back.
Masculinity & Sacrifice: Bode opens up about quitting his corporate career for the family business and battling identity loss.
The "Cliff" Analogy: Are you a strategic risk-analyzer or a "jump and figure it out" operator?
The Power of Want over Need: Shifting away from the savior complex into true partnership.
The Vasectomy: Why Bode made the decision for himself, and dealing with family expectations.

Follow Candice across socials @candicebrathwaite. This episode is produced by Undeniable Productions and executive produced by Candice Brathwaite Aboderin and Bode Aboderin.

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe so you never miss a conversation.

Conversations with Candice is hosted by two-time Sunday Times bestselling author and cultural commentator Candice Brathwaite. New episodes every week.

Get in touch: contact@conversationswithcandicepodcast.com

Listen on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/conversations-with-candice

Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@conversationswithcandicepod

Follow Candice:
Instagram: @candicebrathwaite
TikTok: @candicebrathwaite
If you love the show, please leave a review, it really helps others find us. Remain Unrealistic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the final episode of chapter one of Conversations with Candice, and what a ride it's been. Before we close this chapter, Candice covers everything from the show's upcoming season break and how you can now join the conversation in Chapter Two, to answering your listener questions live for the very first time.

In this episode, Candice tackles:
Manifestation - why you probably don't believe in yours yet, and how to fix that
Friendship trauma - the uncomfortable truth about seeking closure
The hamster wheel vs. true evolution - and how Candice finally reached contentment

She also reflects on why chapter one was never about transforming in 10 weeks and why the real rebuild takes years, not episodes.

Chapter Two is coming, and the theme is… Love and relationships.! Get ready.

Want to be part of the conversation? Send your questions or voice notes to: contact@conversationswithcandicepodcast.com

Conversations with Candice is produced by Undeniable Productions.
Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe so you never miss a conversation.

Conversations with Candice is hosted by two-time Sunday Times bestselling author and cultural commentator Candice Brathwaite. New episodes every week.

Get in touch: contact@conversationswithcandicepodcast.com

Listen on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/conversations-with-candice

Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@conversationswithcandicepod

Follow Candice:
Instagram: @candicebrathwaite
TikTok: @candicebrathwaite
If you love the show, please leave a review, it really helps others find us. Remain Unrealistic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.