Ask A Woman

Julie Etchingham speaks to Julia Lalla-Maharajh, chief executive of Orchid Project, a charity she set up with the aim of creating a world free of female genital mutilation (FGM). Julia founded the charity in 2011 after an 18-year career in the corporate sector, where she specialised in transport policy and communications. She decided to give up her 'large expense account and big corporate life' after volunteering in Ethiopia, learning about the practice of FGM, also known as female genital...

Political commentator, comedian and former Labour adviser Ayesha Hazarika talks to Julie Etchingham about why she thinks Brexit has caused public trust in politics to plunge further, why Jeremy Corbyn should back a second referendum, her journey from civil service press officer to comedian - and the impression of Ed Miliband she developed while helping to prepare the former Labour leader for Prime Minister's Questions against David Cameron. Julie also asks Ayesha about whether she has...

In our Ask A Woman interview series, Julie Etchingham talks to women from all walks of life about their experiences and how they got to where they are today. In this episode, Julie speaks to Labour MP Emily Thornberry, who's the party's shadow foreign secretary. She reveals to us that Labour would expect the Scottish National Party's support to get a new Brexit deal through parliament should the party enter a minority government in the coming months, Mrs Thornberry also speaks to us about...

Having any role to play in Harry and Meghan's royal wedding must have been daunting. But how did it feel to create the masterpiece cake viewed by millions and eaten by 700 guests, including the Queen and Oprah? According to Claire Ptak, the answer is: a little stressful. She is the now-famous baker from California who, one day last January, received an unexpected email request asking her east London bakery if it fancied catering desserts for the year's most high-profile nuptials. For...

In our Ask A Woman interview series, Julie Etchingham talks to women from all walks of life about their experiences and the advice they would offer to young women today. In this, our first episode, Julie speaks to former EU trade negotiator and international trade lawyer Miriam González Durántez. In the interview, Ms González Durántez says Theresa May has made an 'unforgivable' mistake in her negotiations with the EU which has weakened Britain unnecessarily. Ms González Durántez, who was...