Hello and welcome to How to Fail with Elizabeth Day. The podcast that celebrates the things

that haven't gone right. This is a podcast about learning from our mistakes and understanding

that why we fail ultimately makes us stronger because learning how to fail in life actually means

learning how to succeed better. I'm your host author and journalist Elizabeth Day and every

week I'll be asking a new interviewee what they've learned from failure. I'm joined this week by

Otega Uwagba. Otega is a writer, speaker, brand consultant and all-round powerhouse. She's the

founder of Women Who, a platform that connects, supports and inspires creative working women and the host of the Ingood

company podcast. She's also the author of the brilliant Sunday Times Best Seller, Little Black Book, a toolkit for

working women. Otega was included on the 2018 Forbes Under 30 Power List and is, quite frankly, one of the most

intelligent and charismatic people I've ever met. She also rocks a pair of crop jeans like no one else. And today, here you are in my flat. Oh my gosh, thank you so much for that intro.

I was just sitting here. I was just like, you were just liking the style of question by 500% just basically. Honestly, this is so brilliant. You also have such a lovely radio voice. I feel, yeah, you really do. You've got like a really silky tone. I think you can kind of give

her a younger run for her money. Oh, you think about it. I always get really paranoid when I'm talking into a microphone. I didn't get that.

No, it sounds like I was just like, no, but I do remember when I first started doing the podcast, I hated editing it afterwards. And it was fine listening to my guest, but listening back to myself just felt like the most painful thing. And it was awful. But I've kind of got used to it now. And I think I've also learnt to talk in a slightly different way that I think is probably more kind of audio-friendly.

But it's always weird hearing your own voice, Mark, I think. Well, you've got a lovely voice. I have to say. I didn't mean to be fissitious that when I was talking about your style, because it is one of the things that I really admire about you.

Thank you. That's so nice. I don't think anyone really, I've never really thought about that as something that I love fashion. I love clothes and I love shopping. I always have. I got that from my mum. She loves shopping. Even when we didn't have huge amounts of money, we'd always just get on the bus and go to Oxford Street.

And me and my sisters and her, we're just kind of by things. She's very chic and everything matches. And she's Cameroon, and so she sort of has the kind of French influence.

And she's always kind of looks at me in my like cropped jeans with like rips at the end. And she's like, oh God, because she's very about everything being proper and like a blazer and like she's in handbags.

But yeah, I think I got my love of shopping and fashion from her.

And have you always had a strong style identity? Because I often think that that reflects the strong sense of self.

I think I've probably only developed that in recent years. I think I used to spend a lot of time, particularly in my early 20s and my sort of late teens just kind of trying to copy what other people did.

And just finding that I would go through my wardrobe, maybe a few months after I bought something and just hate everything in it.

And I think a couple of years ago, I just got sick of hating everything in my wardrobe. And so now my style is a lot more kind of paired back and minimal.

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