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The Fearless Foodie Podcast

The Fearless Foodie Podcast

By: Amy Wilkinson
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About this listen

 The Fearless Foodie (formerly, Oh For Food's Sake) is a space for honest chats, practical tools, and the reminder that being fearless doesn’t mean having it all sorted – it means feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Especially when the industry we love often feels like it’s breaking us. If that speaks to you, have a listen. And if it hits home, rate, review, and share it with your work besties or the team WhatsApp. Because your voice matters. And fearless starts with you. Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Fearless2025 The Fearless Foodie Podcast Art Career Success Cooking Economics Food & Wine Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Why You Can’t Switch Off (And What It’s Doing to Your Leadership)

    Why You Can’t Switch Off (And What It’s Doing to Your Leadership)
    Apr 21 2026
    This episode opens the season with an honest look at something most people in the food industry experience but rarely talk about, the inability to switch off. I share my own experience of late nights, constant thinking, and the creeping build-up of burnout that can come from working in high-pressure food manufacturing and retail environments. I break down what’s happening in your brain when work follows you home. In an industry where deadlines are tight, priorities shift quickly, and decisions carry weight, your nervous system often stays on high alert. The problem is that your brain doesn’t distinguish between a real threat and a demanding work situation. Over time, this leads to prolonged stress cycles. Where cortisol and adrenaline stay elevated, and your body never fully resets. I introduce the concept of different “gears” we operate in. Alert, Drive, and Calm. For many food professionals, most of the day is spent in the first two. Calm becomes something that only happens on holiday, if at all. There’s also a personal layer to this conversation. I reflect on my own experience of burnout, and how factors like ADHD, constant ideas, and a strong sense of responsibility can intensify that feeling of never switching off. Rather than offering unrealistic solutions, this episode focuses on small, practical resets. Completing the stress cycle through movement. Creating simple transitions between work and home. Writing things down to give your brain a break. Taking short pauses before carrying stress into the next part of your day. The message is clear: you don’t need a complete life overhaul. You need consistent, small moments of recovery. The episode closes with a reminder that rest isn’t something you earn once everything is done. It’s what allows you to think clearly, lead well, and sustain performance in an industry that demands a lot. Timestamps 00:00 – Rest as a leadership skill, not a reward 00:37 – Why switching off feels so difficult in the food industry 01:21 – Mental load and constant thinking after work 02:22 – What’s happening in your brain and nervous system 03:06 – Early signs of burnout and why slowing down matters 04:29 – Constant change vs the brain’s need for certainty 06:12 – The three “gears”: alert, drive, and calm 07:19 – Why stress lingers even after the moment has passed 08:46 – ADHD, drive, and layering stress on top of work pressure 10:32 – Reassessing urgency and giving yourself permission to rest 11:32 – Sponsor mention 13:28 – Completing the stress cycle and why movement helps 15:45 – Signs you’re stuck in alert mode 17:35 – Micro-recoveries that actually work 20:15 – Creating transitions between work and home 21:03 – Talking things through and not carrying it alone 21:45 – Recap of practical strategies 22:43 – Final reminder: calm improves leadership and decision-making 23:39 – Closing thoughts and looking ahead Connect with The Fearless Foodies The Fearless Foodie Newsletter straight to your inbox. No fluff, no spam. Subscribe at:https://foodies.fearlessfoodies.co.uk/podcast Connect with Amy here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/amywilkinsoncoach/ Useful Links & Support If this episode resonated, especially around stress, switching off, and leadership under pressure, here are a few places to explore further. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers — Robert Sapolsky A practical, science-backed look at how stress works in the body, and why modern work keeps us stuck in high alert. Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle — Emily & Amelia Nagoski A clear, accessible guide to understanding and completing the stress cycle so it doesn’t build up over time. Fearless Foodie Leadership development, resilience workshops, and support tailored to food manufacturing and retail teams.https://fearlessfoodies.co.uk A Big Thank You to Our Sponsors IFP Labs Specialist laboratory services supporting food businesses with fast, reliable testing and technical expertise.https://www.ifp-labs.com/
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    25 mins
  • Bethan's Bite Sized Bulletin March 2026

    Bethan's Bite Sized Bulletin March 2026
    Mar 17 2026

    Welcome to Bethan’s Bite-Sized Bulletin - your quick-fire briefing on what’s happening across the food and drink industry. In under five minutes, journalist and Food Manufacture editor Bethan Grylls shares the latest headlines, trends and developments to keep you in the know.

    Explore more industry news at foodmanufacture.co.uk

    Links and Resources:

    Website Link: https://fearlessfoodies.co.uk

    FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/thefearlessfoodiepod

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thefearlessfoodiepod

    You can follow us here on Instagram: @thefearlessfoodiepod

    Find Amy on Instagram or LinkedIn for further support with industry coaching and facilitation.

    IFP Labs sponsors the Fearless Foodie Podcast https://www.ifp-labs.com/en/index.php

    KEYWORDS:

    Foodconsultant, foodindustrycoach, foodindustry
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    5 mins
  • When Everything Is Urgent: Food Leadership Under Pressure

    When Everything Is Urgent: Food Leadership Under Pressure
    Mar 10 2026

    This isn’t a high-energy finale. It’s a grounded one.

    Amy takes a step back to connect the threads running through this season: leaders feeling stretched, teams stuck in reactive mode, and middle managers quietly holding everything together.

    Across conversations with guests and through her own lived experience in food manufacturing and retail, one pattern is clear. Many leaders are accountable for outcomes without having the authority to shape decisions. Cross-functional pressure is relentless. Commercial demands don’t slow down. And “just get it done” becomes the norm.

    Amy explores what she calls the urgency default. When everything feels urgent, meetings become transactional. Honest conversations get postponed. Feedback happens after the meeting, not in it. Speaking up starts to feel risky.

    Over time, this creates frustration and quiet resentment. Not because people don’t care, but because they care deeply and feel constrained.

    There’s also a spotlight on middle managers. The emotional shock absorbers of food businesses. The ones who translate pressure from above, protect morale below, and often over-function just to keep things afloat. Amy shares her own experience of burnout and the emotional labour that comes with trying to be the steady one for everyone else.

    Instead of offering another framework or performance hack, this episode offers space. Space to name what’s happening. Space to stop personalising systemic pressure. Space to practise self-compassion.

    Amy invites listeners to complete the Team Framework Quiz, a short reflective diagnostic designed to help you pinpoint what’s really happening in your team before jumping to solutions.

    The episode closes with a powerful question:

    What makes sense about how you and your team are behaving right now, given the pressure you’re under?

    Not as an excuse. As understanding.

    Because once you understand the pattern, you can begin to change it.

    Timestamps

    00:00 – A different kind of finale and a reminder: you are not failing

    01:06 – Reflections from the season and why leadership feels heavier

    03:35 – Cross-functional pressure and responsibility without authority

    05:14 – The urgency default and meetings losing depth

    06:57 – The meeting after the meeting and why speaking up feels risky

    08:32 – Emotional toll when accountability outpaces influence

    10:28 – Sponsor mention and leadership resources

    11:30 – Amy’s personal experience of project missteps and emotional load

    14:00 – Middle managers as emotional shock absorbers

    16:35 – If you recognise yourself: start with self-compassion

    17:41 – Naming patterns instead of personalising problems

    18:33 – The Team Framework Quiz and how to use it

    19:09 – Closing reflections and looking ahead to next season

    Connect with The Fearless Foodies

    The Fearless Foodie Newsletter straight to your inbox. No fluff, no spam. Subscribe at:

    https://foodies.fearlessfoodies.co.uk/podcast

    Connect with Amy here:

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

    Useful Links & Support

    If this episode struck a chord. Especially around urgency, pressure, and feeling like you’re carrying more than your role allows, here are a few next steps.

    Take the Team Framework Quiz

    A short, practical diagnostic to help you pinpoint what patterns might be shaping your team’s behaviour right now, and where the pressure is really sitting.

    https://fearlessfoodies.co.uk/team-framework-quiz/

    The Fearless Leaders Programme

    Structured leadership support designed specifically for food manufacturing and retail environments. If you want to build confidence, strengthen communication, and create healthier team dynamics without burning out, this is a practical next step. Find out more at https://fearlessfoodies.co.uk

    A Big Thank You to Our Sponsors

    IFP Labs

    Specialist laboratory services supporting food businesses with testing and technical expertise.

    https://www.ifp-labs.com/
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    21 mins
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I love listening to these ladies. They chat about thought-provoking topics and share their insight and experiences, for free!

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