Charlotte Church - ‘I was totally exploited. I was a commodity’

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Sony Music

Society & Culture

4.8 • 9.4K Ratings

🗓️ 15 October 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Charlotte Church is currently starring in the first ever series of BBC One’s Celebrity Traitors. But she first found global fame as the young classical singer with the voice of an angel. By 22, she had sold 10 million records and performed for popes, presidents and princes. The success came at a devastating personal cost - here, she tells us what really happened and how she found her way into what is arguably her most powerful iteration yet: her healing phase. This episode was recorded live in Bath earlier this year. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 06:33 Reconnecting with Nature 08:55 Psychedelic Experiences and Healing 10:31 Creative Struggles and Musical Journey 16:38 Reflections on the Music Industry 21:09 Family and Ambitions 21:33 Struggles with Patriarchy and Colonialism 22:30 The Symbolism of Tattoos 24:13 Understanding Patriarchy 29:57 Challenges in the Music Industry 31:28 Personal Identity 34:39 Embracing the Wild Woman Archetype 40:08 Balancing Fame and Personal Beliefs 💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER: There's no two ways about it: I was not looked after, I was not nurtured, I was just totally exploited. I was a commodity and the industry was incredibly razor sharp. What makes us advance, is suffering. I'm dreaming of a world where everybody can start to feel what balance truly feels like. 🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS: Charlotte is starring in Celebrity Traitors on BBC One Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/ Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content 📚 WANT MORE? Tom Daley - discusses overcoming perfectionism, anxiety, and the fear of failure. He also shares how failure shaped his resilience and coping strategies - like knitting! https://play.megaphone.fm/deiztbmwsrw-vz5by9ajtw Claudia Winkleman - talks hilariously about her dislike of perfectionism, her introversion, struggles with sleep and the challenges of living in the present. https://play.megaphone.fm/cszzpxoqqb6_jx2furt7ba Paloma Faith - reflects on her experiences with rejection and self‑judgment, struggling to conceive, and the tension between her public persona and inner vulnerabilities. https://play.megaphone.fm/rq-vrlg6sla2hyboi6znkq 💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE? Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts Leave a 5⭐ review – it helps more people discover these stories 👋 Follow How To Fail & Elizabeth: Instagram: @elizabday TikTok: @howtofailpod Podcast Instagram: @howtofailpod Website: www.elizabethday.org Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/ Elizabeth and Charlotte answer YOUR questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: howtofailpod.com Have a failure you’re trying to work through for Elizabeth to discuss? Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com Live Engineer: Will Kontargyris Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan Sound Engineer: Matias Torres Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot Executive Producer: Carly Maile How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to this super special episode of How to Fail with Charlotte Church.
0:14.9	This episode was recorded live from the forum in Bath.
0:18.6	I was just totally exploited.
0:20.4	Like I was a commodity.
0:23.0	I really don't give a fact what a lot of people think.
0:27.1	Oh, God.
0:27.9	I'm going to get cancelled.
0:32.6	Life's been full on lately in the best possible way.
0:35.8	I've just wrapped up a world-win national tour for my
0:38.3	latest book. And while it's been an incredible experience, it's also been kind of exhausting.
0:43.7	And honestly, I know I'm not alone and feeling like there just aren't enough hours in the day.
0:48.7	Between work, family, friends, and the general chaos of being an adult, even finding time
0:54.0	to eat properly can feel like a
0:55.7	luxury. That's where Uber Eats steps in, because let's be real, adulting is a lot. Uber Eats gives me
1:04.4	one fewer thing to worry about. It's fast, easy and means you can actually enjoy a moment of calm,
1:10.6	even if it's just flopping on the
1:12.1	sofa in peace. So next time you're feeling like you've done just enough, let Uber Eats take
1:17.7	care of the rest. When you've done enough, order some food on Uber Eats. How to Fail is partnering
1:24.3	with Bumble to bring your second chance love stories to life. And hear how this
1:29.2	lovely listener found her one after they hit it off on Bumble. Hi everyone. I'm so happy
1:34.8	you celebrating online dating on How to Fail because I met the love of my life online. I'm so grateful
1:39.7	for that app connecting us because we would have never met in real life. I was so nervous for that first
	...

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