Welcome to the Lovejoy, our, sponsored by cook 100 degree boiling hot water straight from your kitchen tap.

No need to continually boil the kettle. Oh no, the water is kept hot through vacuum. So it's energy efficient.

I don't really understand that. I think I missed that lesson at school. But I know it works because mine does. Hot water, 100 degree boiling hot water, straight from my tap constantly. Thanks to Cooker for sponsoring this podcast. Today's Lovejoy Hour is a conversation with Britta Fernandez Schmidt, who writes and speaks publicly about the challenges women face all over the world in the context of poverty and conflict. She's originally from Germany.

Britain went to school in Venezuela and has throughout her career worked with women from many

countries around the world. She now lives in the UK. She also works with women for women

international who helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives.

She's also recently written a book called Fears to Fierce,

a woman's guide to owning her power.

Let's meet her.

Here's Britta Fernandez Schmidt.

Hi, Britta.

Thank you very much for joining me today.

How are you? I'm really good. Tim, thank you so much for joining me today. How are you?

I'm really good. Tim. Thank you so much for having me.

How's the pandemic for you? How have you been finding that?

Oh, God. Loaded question. Not great. I'm going to be really honest. I'm getting to the end of my patients and I just want to be able to see people in real life.

And yeah, so that's in a snapshot.

I mean, the first lockdown, I had both my daughters come home and then this last lockdown, they were both away.

And so it's been very different. And obviously, I brought out my book

in the last few months. And that's been exciting and has kept my mind busy, which has been good.

But yeah, can't wait. Exactly the same thing happened to me. I had my two daughters there at

university now, but they were

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