The Thrive Careers Podcast

Turning Adversity Into Your Career Advantage!

• Olajumoke Fatoki • Season 1 • Episode 10

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What if the labels society placed on you didn’t define your future—but fueled your breakthrough instead?


In this raw and empowering episode of the Thrive Careers Podcast, host Olajumoke Fatoki sits down with Charlotte Bidgood—an executive HR leader and co-founder of Inclusive People—to explore her powerful journey from teenage motherhood to becoming a successful entrepreneur and human resources leader.

🔥 Inside this episode, you’ll discover:

  • How to turn adversity into a catalyst for personal and professional growth
  • The reality of breaking free from societal expectations and rewriting your story
  • Why self-acceptance is the foundation for long-term success
  • Insights on navigating the leap from corporate to entrepreneurship
  • The transformative power of clarity, goal setting, and mentorship
  • Why authenticity and vulnerability are leadership superpowers

Charlotte’s story will challenge what you believe about setbacks—and inspire you to show up boldly, unapologetically, and ready to thrive on your own terms.

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Let’s keep thriving together!


Welcome to the Thrive Carriers Podcast, the show that helps you move your carrier confusion to carrier success hosted by the extraordinary Olajumwake Fatoki. Each episode is packed with expert insights, real life stories and practical strategies to help you land your dream job, level up and build a carrier you love. No more guesswork, just clear actionable steps to help you thrive. If you're ready, let's jump right into it.

Host
Welcome to another exciting episode of the Thrive Careers podcast. Today, we are diving into the transformative journey of reinvention, how to own your story, break free from limiting labels and thrive in every area of your life. Our guest today is Charlotte Bidgood, an executive HR leader and co-founder of Inclusive People.

Charlotte, are thrilled to have you on the podcast. Can you start by telling us a bit about your story and how your journey has shaped the work you do today?

Guest(01:11)
Of course. It's really great to be here. Thank you so much for having me on the show. So just to explain a bit about me. I was a teenage mum, so I had my daughter at the, well was pregnant at age of 16 and I had my daughter at 17. I never went to university. I have very, very few formal qualifications, but through that sort of adversity and that challenge in my younger life, I would say it's really fuelled me to progress my career.

I started my career in a retail store and actually was lucky enough for somebody to say, do you want to come and work in HR? Because I didn't want to work weekends anymore. I was fed up of sort of working in retail. So I fell into HR and really through sort of having great conversations with people, being really open to learning and sort of having a growth mindset to everything and taking opportunities that were thrown at me, I really progressed my HR career.

The most recent corporate role that I had was the senior HR director of Activision Blizzard. So they make the video game Call of Duty. I'm sure if you're a gamer, you'd know the company. So that was my last corporate role. And then most recently, I left that job and I have recently just set up a HR consultancy called Inclusive People, as you mentioned. I'm the co-founder of that with my business partner and we help.

corporate tech, video games, IT organizations to bring in better people, cultures, improve inclusion. And we do a huge amount of coaching work with corporate organizations as well to help executives, as you say, female members of staff, really develop them and help them grow into their careers and sort of achieve their ambitions as well. So that's a little bit about me. Fantastic.

Host (02:55)
That's a really inspiring story, Charlotte. Thank you so much for taking us on that journey. I know that we are going to dive further into it, but for now, we have a tradition on this show. So the question is, if your career journey were to be a movie, what would the title be?

Guest (03:14)
way.

Okay, it would be this. I don't know if you can see it, but it would be prove them wrong, babe. So this is a picture. I painted this and it very much sums up my mantra to my career, right? I think so many people kind of think they can't do things and they shouldn't do things and you know, they're not ready for things, but my mantra is prove them wrong. You know, go after it. You can have what you want.

Through my own career and my own journey, would say I've done a lot of this and it's definitely been something that's fuelled me. I would say, Prove Them Wrong, Babe would be my film title.

Host (03:48)
Amazing and I love it. Prove them wrong. You can be anything you want to be if you put your mind to it. And Charlotte here has been able to tell us that that is really possible. I'm sure you guys would enjoy the story. So please just sit back and join us in this conversation. So one of the things that sets you apart as a coach is your ability to help clients transform their personal struggles into professional strengths. And your story is such a powerful example of this.

So my question is how can people begin to embrace their experiences, even the seemingly painful or shameful ones and reframe them as a source of strength?

Guest (04:29)
Yeah, of course. think, you know, so many people face adversity in their lives. So many people don't come from the easiest amount of circumstances. They don't come from families with two, you know, cure parents. They don't come from a background with, you know, a rich plethora of resources or they don't have role models around them. So so many people are not blessed with all of these resources that many people are. And what I would say is if you feel as though you are, you know, you have had some painful experience.

I think it's sometimes looking at that as though it's not happening to you, it's happening for you. know, so many of the difficult things in my life that have happened have actually really given me a great learning experience. It's given me exposure to things that maybe somebody doesn't have. It's given me the opportunity to empathise more with other people. So I do think, you know, adversity can be something that really can fuel you. And I would say have faith that actually you have the abilities.

to do what you want to do. And, you know, don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Don't believe that actually your story is it.

and the circumstance that you were born into is all that you have. So many people have overcome those things and I think look for those stories, look for role models who are like you and actually reach out to people and talk to them and ask people how they have achieved their stories because people are so willing to talk about themselves and their lived experience. So look for mentors, look for role models and actually think

How can I make the most of this situation? How can I make the most of the resources that I have and not like lean into it, lean away from it and look for the positives in the situation?

Host(06:10)
Amazing! You've said so many things. Look for the positives in the situation. It is not happening to you, it's happening for you. Do you want to tell us a bit more about that?

Guest (06:20)
I mean, would say starting my own business has been a whole new roller coaster. think, you know, I'd done 15 years in corporate HR, was very comfortable and I think sort of starting my own business has been a whirlwind of new challenges. And I would say a lot of the challenges that I've faced in being a co-founder and creating a business are definitely a case of

It's not happening to me, it's happening for me. We recently met a client who was sort of a potential client who was sharing some great things with us, was really talking to us about, you know, these big opportunities, lots of sort of possibilities to working together. But there was something in me and my business partner that just, it just wasn't gelling right. We just didn't feel as though it was all a bit.

It was all a bit unrealistic what he was sharing with us. And ultimately, there was part of us that hoped that that opportunity would come to fruition, but there was part of us that didn't feel as though it was totally legitimate. And actually, the deal fell apart. But there was a big bit of us that thought, you know what, it actually didn't feel right. There was something in our intuition that was saying this isn't a good match for our company.

And I think we just had to say, you know what, that wasn't the right opportunity and we're going to walk away and everything's fine. So sometimes you just have to be willing to know, if something's for you, it will be for you. And if it's not, be okay that it's not because something better will come.

Host (07:43)
That's amazing and I think that's a good way to really look at it. There was no connection and that's paying attention as well. You know, could have gone ahead on that journey and you would have regretted that decision. So, that's that.

Guest (07:57)
That's

in your gut and your instinct is very important definitely.

Host (08:00)
is the right word. Trusting your gut and your instincts they always lead you right. Trust me they always lead you right. Okay let's talk about breaking free from labels and you know not only have you defied societal labels like being a scrounging teenage mother but you've also been able to build an inspiring career that others would love to do the same and you know this makes you uniquely positioned to help

people who feel weighed down by stereotypes. You know, what advice do you have for others who are still struggling to overcome similar stereotypes?

Guest (08:41)
Yeah, of course. I mean, I would just say I actually took a lot of fuel from people believing that I was going to fail. I think, you know, when I was pregnant and I was a teenage mum, there's a lot of stigma around that. think, you know.

There's a lot of joy in people having children younger as well because actually, know, you're fit, you're healthy, you're very able to have children. So there's a lot of positives to it. But I think in the UK, particular, it's seen as quite a negative stereotype. So everyone said, you ruined your life, you know, you're failed, you'll be on benefits, you know, And that actually really drove me to say, no, I won't. I think there's an element of like, don't lean into it, away and work out, you know, how can I be different? How can I show these people

are wrong, actually there's so much more to you than what people see. And I find a real joy in being underestimated. actually love it when people don't think that I can do something or I meet somebody and they say well what do you do thinking like...

You know, I might be a shop worker or working in hospitality and probably when I was a bit younger, I think now I'm a bit more certain of who I am and my identity is a bit clearer. when I was younger, you know, and I would tell people what I do and they would always be really surprised. It'd be like, you're a...

head of HR or you're a HR business partner. I'd be like, yeah. And there would be a sense of surprise. And now one of the things that always makes me laugh is I'll talk to people and I'll tell them who I am or I'll meet somebody new and different. And, you know, we'll often get onto the topic of children or family situations and they'll say, do you have children? And I'll be like, yeah, I have a 22 year old daughter. And people are always so surprised and I love it. I love being like, oh, thank you for the surprise. It's not because it makes me feel young. It's because I love people just...

thinking that they know you and then, you know, when you tell them a bit more about you, they really just assumed something or sort of, you know, thought they knew something about you. So I love surprising people and I love sort of, you know, making people go, she's more than I thought she was. So I'm happy when people underestimate me. It sort of brings me joy, to be honest, to prove people wrong. So that's very important. And what I would say is...

You know, people will have stereotypes, people will sort of feel like they have a stigma or something on their, chip on their shoulder and people will judge, judge, judge them. But actually people judge everybody. So, you know, for example, if you're an employee in a

in a business and you know somebody says what university did you go to and you went to uni and you got a degree but maybe it wasn't the right university. People will judge you even if you went to university or you didn't go to university or if you've got this job or you've got that job so let your story be your story and don't worry too much about what people think of you.

Host (11:24)
Amazing, Lean away from it, right? Don't lean into it. That's really a great perspective to look at it. And you I love what you said about allowing people to think whatever they want to think, but then you bring on that element of surprise. You know, they are shocked. So own your own story. Lean away from it. Don't lean into it. Learn from it if you need to. And that brings me to my next question, right? That

Is there any role that self acceptance plays in breaking some of this labels that we've talked about?

Guest (11:58)
Yes, so much. much. think, you know, knowing who you are and what you're about and what your values are is really important. With my coaching clients, a lot of the work that I'll do is around what are your values, what are your non-negotiables? And actually, I think knowing that, you know, what do you stand for? You know, I would say like I'm...

one of the things I stand for the most is I'm really, really a non-judgmental person. That's easy to say, but I would say to the point of I feel like there's been many a time when I've been judged in my life and therefore I find it really important that actually one of my true values is, let's say I'm a pluralist, which means I have very little judgment against anybody and what they do. I think there's a real sense of sort of living and let live. So that's definitely sort of knowing your values and what you stand for is really important. And I think...

Being able to look back and see your own growth is very important. do a lot of self... I think a lot of where I am now is because of lot of the self-development work that I've done. I meditate, journal, I manifest. mean, there's lots of different schools of thoughts around manifestation, but I am a true believer in, you know, the thoughts that you have control where you go and the words that you speak matter. So I really do think about those things. So...

Knowing who you are, what you want and celebrating your own success is really important. Noting like I wasn't where I am five years ago and I'm proud of myself for that is important. People aren't always going to cheer for you. So be your own cheerleader sometimes because people won't notice the little bits of growth that you've had yourself but you need to notice them and you need to celebrate your own personal growth definitely.

Host (13:39)
amazing. Can you tell us a bit more about manifestation?

Guest (13:43)
Of

course. So I believe in manifesting and I've definitely had some successes with it in my life. So for me, manifestation is thinking about something that you want and putting it out there. So imagining it, seeing it, believing it, giving it a colour, visualising exactly what's going to happen. And some people, know, very many different schools have brought around manifestation. The book, Secret is probably the

you know, the guru's guide, if you want to read one thing on manifestation, probably start there. But I do think some people believe just say it, put it out there, and that is it. I'm not really a big believer in that. think say it, put it out there and take some action is important. So, I mean, I would say one of the greatest successes I had with manifestation was I was trying to sell my house and buy another house. And every day, like multiple times a day, I would think like,

what's the price I'm going to buy the house for, what's the date that we're going to sell the house and I was really, really clear about what I wanted. I was still making all the calls to the solicitor and the realtor and all of those things every day to push it forwards, but I was really clear about how things were going to work out and they really did work out that way. So not saying it's for everybody, but for me, it definitely works.

Host (14:59)
Amazing and I love it and thanks for sharing that with us. The action part of it is what I really do love. All right, so what inspired you to move from a corporate role to start in your own business and what steps can someone take when they feel stuck and want to reinvent their life?

Guest  (15:18)
Yeah, of course. I would say kind of what inspired me was probably opportunity and a feeling. I would say I've been in a senior HR roles probably for five or six years. So heads of director, student director. And I was getting to a point where I wasn't feeling inspired and energized that much anymore. I was working in a big corporate organization, which was quite male dominated because it was a gaming organization, which is...

notoriously quite a heavily male-orientated industry and I was sort of wanting to make change but not feeling as though I was making enough change for the people and cultural environment there and I just wasn't sort of feeling energized to get out bed anymore whereas my career is so much a part of me, it's so much like of my identity but I wasn't really feeling that anymore and I was feeling I wasn't maybe doing my team as much justice as I could be. Then I

that I saw an opportunity for me to ask to take voluntary redundancy. So that's what I did. I took redundancy and I was thinking, what am going to do? Because if I just go to another HR role, another senior director or VP of HR, I'm probably just going to feel the same because I've done this many years. And actually, one of the things that I enjoy the most is learning and growing and feeling bit out of my comfort zone, feeling as though I don't know exactly what I'm...

doing. I take a lot of joy in actually kind of learning and growing. And so I thought another HR role isn't going to do it for me. And one of my colleagues at Activision Blizzard also left at the same time. And we just had a conversation and said, you know what, we really want to make a difference in this industry. We really want to make it better. We want to make it more inclusive. We want to make the culture better in the gaming industry.

let's have a business that does that. So we had these bigger aspirations, more about the industry than a singular company, which was really exciting. through that, I got a lot of power from feeling out of my comfort zone, creating a business, learning how to set up a business. So it's been a very steep learning curve, but it's been a really good learning curve. So that's what inspired me to move from corporate to setting up my own business. And it doesn't come without challenges. I would say one of the

biggest positives that I've seen in that is having a business partner. And that's not really what we're here to discuss today. But what I would say is if you're thinking about setting up your own company and feeling a bit scared about doing it on your own, there's been a lot of joy for me and having a business partner and having a colleague to think, how do we do this? So that's an offshoot.

Host (17:46)
Yes, so what steps can someone take when they feel stuck and want to reinvent their life?

Guest (17:52)
Yeah, so I think if you feel stuck, think one of the best questions to ask yourself is, am I happy? Which, you you might think this is my career, am I going to be happy? But I think people should be happy in their careers. And there's a question that I'll often ask my coaching colleagues, like, are you happy? Because we all deserve to be happy, I think. what I would say is think about your whole life when you ask yourself that question. You may be feeling stuck in your career, or may be feeling a little

Guest (18:17)
because

already

now

Guest (18:21)
a

little bit flat and actually there's not growing in your... ...other areas of the life that working really well, so might be that you're... ...or you have great hobbies or that your, know, personal life is really positive, so sometimes it's not that all areas of your life can feel great and that's okay, but if you're feeling stuck with work, I would say get really quiet, like turn off the TV...

Guest (18:25)
but it may

to help you land.

Host (18:48)
turn off the content, turn off the podcasts and just get clear in your mind around what is it that would make you happy? What would make you feel more comfortable? Just give yourself some space in your mind. think we consume so much content, we consume so many people's stories, but I would say just switch everything off and just...

get clear in your mind and think about what is it that you want from from and I think write down your dreams I was listening to a podcast today with Mel Robbins I don't have anybody the title of her but she's a great mindful coach I suppose and she was saying write down five dreams a day that sounds like quite a lot you know how many dreams do we all have but she said

Write them down because it will just make you think bigger. It will make you think more about what is it that you really want from life. And when you write something down, it's far more likely to happen. So what I would say is get clear on what you really want for your life if you're feeling stuck. And yeah, I would say just make sure you're clear on your goals and what you really want from a job or a career. And then maybe go and speak to some people in the areas that you want to want to work in, because I think, you know,

those great role models and mentors out there that we should absolutely be utilising. So those would be the things that I'd say if you're feeling stuck.

Guest (20:03)
Fantastic. And I have a follow up question to that. But I heard you clearly, clarity is what it is. If you're feeling stuck, you need to uncover whatever it is that is clogging your ability to really see through. So remove all of those through clarity. And Charlotte couldn't have said that any better. But what are strategies or resources that you would recommend for people who are going through this journey? you have?

Host (20:32)
Definitely, I mean, I would say like mentors for me has been one of the biggest things. Mentors and role models, I have, it's difficult sometimes to find them and I think it's difficult to.

asked sometimes for people to give you advice but what I would say is people love talking about themselves. So you know if you said to somebody I'd love to hear more about how you got to where you are, be really helpful, aspire to be in a role like yours or to do something similar to you. People are quite flattered by that and people love to share their own stories so I would say role models and mentors are a really good way of being able to progress your career.

If you ask somebody, how did you get here? What did you do? What would you advise me or recommend me to do? Or who would you go and speak to? People are generally really helpful and people generally want to help other people up because I know for me, I had so many people in my career either recommend me or suggest me for a promotion or

connect me to somebody and because I had that happen to me I'm so willing to do it for other people because I know that it really helped me in my careers. Find role models, find mentors, don't be afraid to go and ask people to tell you their story because generally people are flattered by that and want to do it.

Host(21:48)
That's really good. Thank you. You know, the key word for me is don't be afraid. Thank you so much for sharing that with us. All right. So let's talk about from surviving to thriving, which we have seen your story has reinforced that for us. And it's clear that you've mastered not only surviving, but thriving in your own career. So how can people move from a survival mindset to through to truly thriving and stepping out into their superpower?

Guest (22:18)
Yeah, so I would say one of the biggest things is be grateful now. you know, I think these words manifestation, gratitude, they're all thrown around a lot these days. But I think, you know, we all want more. But actually, we're blessed with so many things right now. A lot of people...

You know, there's a lot of challenges in the world, particularly economically, but generally most people in the West have something to be grateful for. So, you know, I would say just be grateful for your circumstances now and don't sort of be in, I think victim state can be quite dangerous. I think if we kind of stay in the mind of life's really hard and I'm unlucky and things don't work out for me, I think that...

that noise in our minds can actually block us from good things coming. I think when you're in a state of gratitude, just what you have now, I think that's a really positive thing. So some people might not be blessed with that much, but if you've got clean running water in your tap, then you're probably quite lucky. If you've got a bed to sleep on, then you're probably quite grateful for that, even if they're basic things.

be grateful for what you have today. think that's really important. And then I think sort of moving from, you know, survival to thriving, I think is realize how good you are as well. I think like realize what you have to offer. Write down a list of all of the great traits that you have and be ready to tell people about those. Not in a boastful ego way, but actually like...

know what you should be proud of, know what you bring to the table because I'm sure you have great skills and great abilities even if that's that you're a very resourceful person or that you have a great network or that you have a really good mind for learning and that you're really open to things. One of the

biggest skills and mindsets for the next 20 to 50 years will be our ability to grow and learn because skills, AI, technology, it's changing so quickly. So people can't be that well skilled in anything. So people with growth and learning mindsets, they're really key. So even if that's your skill, write that down. I learn quickly and I'm interested in learning new things. I think the other way

to sort of move from survival to thriving is to have dreams and have ambitions. I think be conscious about what you want, write it down and create it. If you want to be, I don't know, a chief pupil officer in five years time, write it down, make a plan. These things are never just gonna happen. Like things don't really just happen. You don't move from, let's say, a HR advisor to a CPO.

by not having a plan. So write it down. What are you going to do in one year? What are you going to do in two years? What are you going to do in three years? Be clear about your plan and have a journey. It won't always work out like that, but it's like, you you're not going to get to the other side of Canada without GPS or a map, right? So make that map, draw that line, be clear on what you want next. So I think those are probably the key things to moving from that mindset.

Host (25:11)
fantastic to making that shift. So do you have a story from your coaching journey, of someone you can share with us who has gone through this and made that shift?

Guest (25:22)
Yeah, I mean, I would say I would say I had one client who was very sort of technically driven, but actually sort of when it came to the mindset and the people skills and the sort of being vibrant and open to new opportunities, they really weren't that. And I think one of the biggest things was that actually they were quite a close person in big groups.

of people. People couldn't really gauge their personality. Shouldn't have that many friends or that many advocates of her. We did a lot of work on relationships and the importance of people knowing who she was and authentically the type of person that she was. And that was hard because she was quite a closed person. But think the more that you know yourself, the more that you can show yourself and build those relationships around you, the further that you will go.

As I say, she was very technical at what she did, but those personality traits just were never shown that much. But through some work that we did, actually, she was able to build much better, stronger relationships. But that was generally through showing her authentic self more and vulnerability as well. So, vulnerability to go out and sort of say, I'm not that comfortable in these group scenarios, but I'm here. So, just helping her be authentic and vulnerable was probably the two of the most important traits to push her forwards.

Host (26:51)
That's really beautiful. Authenticity and vulnerability. The combination of those two forces, mind blowing. So there you have it listeners, you have to show up as your authentic self and just do it. Don't overthink it. And I think that's another piece that a lot of people get to fall into over thinking and just, you know, the need to show up perfect. We still have to talk more about.

Guest (27:35)
I would say some of the stuff that I've already talked about has definitely helped me. So I would say probably the journaling and meditation definitely. Gratitude would be a really important one. I think getting out there and talking to new people, you know, you...

Guest (27:41)
The biggest tool

Guest (27:56)
I think there's a phrase that says you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with and I would truly believe that that is real. You know, if you're spending time with people that are slightly draining and not motivating, that don't inspire you, then you probably won't be inspired. But I would say such a sort of tool is getting out to speak to different people. And you might think, how do you do that?

and it can be hard sometimes, but I would say sometimes just smiling at people and being willing to say, you know, start a conversation is important and that's...

Not everyone's confident enough to do that, but I think it's a good way to do it. But if not, there's a lot of ways to network. So, you know, there's a lot of sites like meetups or event sites that sort of have different networking events on them. LinkedIn will probably have different live events that you can go to or say your industry may have different events. Go to those events and actually go and network with people, go and talk to different people, go and be inspired by different people's stories, different people's journeys. I think there's such a wealth of

of inspiration and insight when you start meeting new people. So I know it sounds difficult, but also if you're going to a networking event, what I would say is everybody is there to network. So don't feel like it's going to be difficult because it's exactly what it says on the tin. You're there to network, to talk to new people. yeah, remember you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. So make those people good people.

Speaker 2 (29:23)
Amazing! You are the average of the five people you spend time with. So, make those people good people. Thank you so much Charlotte for taking us through that journey. It's been inspiring and interesting. But before we let you go, we have three rapid fire questions that we'd like to ask you. Are you ready?


Host (29:46)
All right, so let's talk about a life-changing advice. So what's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Guest (29:54)
Okay, these are quick fire. I'll try and them quick. So this one, would say, I had an old boss and I can remember speaking to her one day and saying, came in, I'm gonna be HR business partner Charlotte's day. And she went, why are you not just gonna be Charlotte? And I was like, I have lots of different hats. I'm Charlotte at work, I'm Charlotte the mom, I'm Charlotte the friend. And she was like,

Why are you not just yourself all the time? And I was like, can I be myself all the time? She says, yeah, just be yourself. And I was like, oh, OK. So there's this thing about just be authentic. You don't have to be multiple different people. Just be you. People will love you the most for just being you. Don't try and pretend to be a certain type of you.

Host (30:36)
It's really amazing and I love it. Thank you. Be yourself. Thank you so much for sharing that with us. Be authentic. People will get to love you for who you are. Thank you so much. All right, so let's talk about a book. know, what book do you recommend for someone looking to reinvent themselves?

Guest (30:54)
This is easy. This was about to change my life. The book is called The Miracle Morning. Its biowrites are called Hell.

Hal Elrod and it basically talks about starting a morning routine. So there's another book called The 5am Club, which people might have heard of. They're similar. I think this one came first. And it basically talks about a six step routine to do before you start your day, which is called sabers. So the first one is silence, which is about meditating for a few minutes. The A is about affirmation. So affirming what you want in life. The V is visualization. So visualizing, manifesting what you want. The E is exercising, doing a few minutes

exercising with that star jump, sort of dancing around the room, whatever, wake yourself up. And the part is reading, so a few minutes of reading. And the S is scribing, so journaling. Doing those six things for a few minutes before you start your day, you're so far ahead of so many people once you've done that. And it really changed my life. Read the book in 2017 and made me see this whole new world of self-development and self-improvement. So I would recommend it.

Host (31:56)
Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic. Thank you so much. So let's talk about fun facts. What's one surprising or unexpected talent of yours that most people wouldn't know?

Guest (32:06)
I don't know if it's a talent, but it's a story. So it's a fun fact, let's call it that. So when I was probably 13, I went to a drama school, a stage school, and...

We were all auditioned for the first Harry Potter film to be extras in the first Harry Potter film. So we all got the job, we were fitted for our costumes, all good. The film was going through process, looking for funding for about nine months before they came back to us and said, we're ready for you to hit the stage and come and do filming for the film. Went back to be fitted for the costume. And sadly, I'd grown about a foot in that time. I'd gone from 13 to 14, got much taller, much more grown up.

and they said I couldn't be in the film anymore. So it's a kind of fun fact, but I didn't make it into the first Harry Potter film,

Host (32:54)
Thank you for being vulnerable enough to share that with us. love it. Charlotte, your insights today have been incredibly invaluable. It's clear why so many people trust you to help them navigate their career and personal transformations. But before we wrap up, finally, what's one key message you'd love to leave with anyone who's feeling stuck or afraid to reinvent themselves?

Guest (33:20)
Two things, be authentic, be you. People will love you for the truest version of you and be vulnerable. If you don't know, like tell somebody you don't know, if you feel uncomfortable tell them. Everyone else is probably feeling the same but it needs somebody to put it in the room and show their vulnerability first and don't be afraid to be that person.


Host (33:44)
Yeah, finally, where can our listeners connect with you, you know, to learn more about your coaching services and the work that you're doing with inclusive people?

Guest (33:54)
Yeah, of course. So you can go to my LinkedIn. So I'm Charlotte Bidgood and we have our company website, is www.inclusivepeopleltd.com. Or you can find Inclusive People on LinkedIn as well. So thank you.

Host (34:09)
Fantastic. that brings us to the end of this show. It's been an amazing time until we come your way again next time. Keep thriving. Bye everyone. And that's it for today's episode of Thrive Careers podcast. I'm Oladju Moke, Fatoke reminding you that no matter where you are in your career, you have the power to rewrite your story. If you've enjoyed today's insights.

Do not forget to subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who's ready to thrive. If you have questions or topics you would like for me to cover, let's connect. I'd love to hear from you. Remember, clarity creates confidence and confidence leads to success. Until next time, stay inspired and keep thriving.


People on this episode