Mental Health & Identity

Lights, Camera, Action! In this episode Sarah Cawood will be joined by legendary wig designer Angela Cobbin. For over 5 decades Angela has worked with some of the biggest names in theatre all over the world including Dame Joan Collins, Dame Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen, Michael Gambon and Dame Joan Plowright. Not just that, she’s also worked on some of the biggest theatre productions including including Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar. Angela sheds some light on what it’s like to work with acting royalty, what happens when actors don’t listen to instructions about their wigs and what happened when she missed a quick change with Dame Maggie Smith. We know what you’re thinking, Angela could write a book on her career and do you know what? She’s just released her memoir, My Name Is Not Wigs! (Or the day I thought Pavarotti was a stagehand). This is a not-to-miss episode filled with lots off laughs, behind-the-scenes stories and more. What are you waiting for? Get a drink, make yourself comfortable and get ready to hear about all the behind scenes of the world of wigging! Hope you enjoy this really fun and wonderful episode!

In this episode Sarah Cawood and guests will be discussing how natural changes to your hair can impact you and also your career. The show covers topics including embracing the grey at 30, hair loss and the menopause. Sarah is joined by Eva Proudman who is the Chair of the Institute of Trichologists. She is a regular on ‘Hair Talk’ with Michael Douglas and has recently had a slot on Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch. Ever wondered the science behind going grey or what ingredients you should look out for in a good shampoo and conditioner? Eva gives us the low-down in this episode. What happens when you personally experience hair loss AND you’re a hair stylist? Hair and makeup artist, Tracy Pallari shares her story and how it affected her mental health and her career during lockdown. Finally, Fiona Scott who went completely grey in her 30s (and is now completely white) discusses her story and how she got to where she is now - loving her hair more than ever. Hope you enjoy this brilliant episode!

In this episode Sarah Cawood and guests will be discussing the positives and negatives of losing your hair through alopecia. The show will cover topics including the importance of facial hair, cold heads and fabulous head jewellery. Sarah is joined by Lizi Jackson-Barret who is a best-selling author, beauty confidence coach and TED Talk Star who will be talking about loosing her hair overnight at the age of 40. We’ll also hear from Dani Gilbert, a beauty positivity influencer and makeup artist who talks all about growing up with alopecia having lost her hair at age 1. Hope you enjoy this really inspiring episode!

In this episode Sarah Cawood and guests will be discussing the history and styling of Black and Afro Hair. Sarah is joined by Shanice Croasdaile, a make up artist, Black rights campaigner and a contestant on BBC’s Glow Up and Rachael Sealy, a positivity influencer who is passionate about hair, Black rights, Mental Health and Body Positivity. They will be talking about their own hair journeys and how the history of Black Hair has impacted their career. Writer and director of the documentary feature film Blacks Can’t Swim, Ed Accurra and Irene Shelley, Editor-in-chief of Black Beauty & Hair Magazine, join us for the second half of this episode. They talk about experiences swimming with Afro Hair and share tips about styling and caring for Black Hair. Hope you enjoy this really brilliant episode.

In this episode Sarah Cawood and guests will be discussing how hair is linked to mental health and identity. The show will cover topics including the connection between hairdressing and mental health, using hair as armour and the power of pink hair! Sarah is joined by Heffy Wheeler who is the queen of hair colour and TikTok. Heffy shares how her radical hair colours empowered her and helped her through her prenatal and postnatal depression. We'll also hear from Terri White, former Empire Magazine editor and best-selling author of Coming Undone, who talks about building a battle armour through her beehive during her personal struggles with mental health. Owner of Creative Nature Superfoods, Julianne Ponan discusses how her waist-length brown hair has impacted her journey as an entrepreneur and Taz Thornton, a business and empowerment coach shares how her trademark pink hair has impacted her career. Hope you enjoy this really enlightening episode! This episode contains sensitive topics of abuse and discussions of mental health.

In this episode Sarah Cawood and guests will be discussing how hair is linked to Identity and Gender. The show will cover topics including when colour goes wrong, crazy haircuts and pubic hair! Sarah is joined by queer, gender non-confirming journalist Caroline Barry, who was in the closet with long hair for years before proudly shaving it all off to claim their identity. We'll also hear from a green haired, gender fluid performer who transforms into the temptress drag queen Lolo Brow. Hope you enjoy this fun episode!

Welcome to The Big Hairy Podcast by clean beauty brand, thebeautyworX, The Podcast that explores hair and the meaningful ways it’s linked to identity, culture, ethnicity and gender. Join Sarah Cawood as she speaks to a wildly diverse range of guests from drag queens to best-selling authors, celebrity wig-makers and body-positivity influencers, who share funny, moving, inspiring and thought-provoking stories about their hair.