✂️ Chop chop! After decades of hair extensions, trying to make my hair look more impressive than it really is, today was a BIG DAY! I naturally have fine, lacklustre hair and I lost A LOT of it with Long Covid and my illness at the start of the year. I’ve been taking supplements and looking after myself to try and get better in all parts of my life, and I finally have regrowth, but it’s slow. So you’d think I’d add MORE extensions to disguise it! Nope. I went the other way, and thought, “I want to chop it off and just be me.” I realised I was constantly trying to look how I used to, and that’s just not me anymore. It feels like the final act of letting go, in the best possible way, so that I can start again afresh. There are a lot of changes happening in our life at home right now (all good!) and cutting my hair is a big part of this restart. Biggest love to @victoriabarnsby who has been my hairdresser for too many years to remember. The chatting, laughing, being outraged and putting the world to right in her kitchen is the BEST. #freshstart #newhairdontcare
Life on the open road… #roadtrip #newbeginnings
About last night… A birthday party to top all birthday parties! First time all dressed up for a long time, and it was great! Surrounded by people all there to celebrate a wonderful woman who has made us feel so welcome here and made the move a joy. Thank you Genevieve for inviting us into your life with such warmth and generosity. #celebration #friendship #newbeginnings
About last night… A birthday party to top all birthday parties! First time all dressed up for a long time, and it was great! Surrounded by people all there to celebrate a wonderful woman who has made us feel so welcome here and made the move a joy. Thank you Genevieve for inviting us into your life with such warmth and generosity. #celebration #friendship #newbeginnings
Lift selfie. Heading ‘out out’ with Mr F to celebrate Old Years Night / New Years Eve. Happy New Year one and all. Here’s to a good ‘un. 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 #newyear
A wonderful evening last night celebrating the engagement of two very special people, making new friends, and laughing lot. My kind of night. #newbeginnings
Today was a BIG DAY for @teddymcfeen – first time on a paddle board! We were worried it would be like having a toddler, and all our daydreams about what it was going to be like would end up with tears and tantrums, or whatever the doggy equivalent is, and we’d have to go home. But he just jumped on and sat down, calm as you like. He loved it! We spent about an hour going up and down the river and he just chilled. He’s a tired boy now. 🐶 #whatagoodboy #freshstart #funinthesun
This is 56. I made it. I am happy about that. I spent the day exactly as I’d hoped. With Mr F by my side. Barefoot. Sandy toes. Spoke to everyone I love. Got some beautiful messages from friends and felt their love. Ate prawns. Snoozed. Walked home and the two loads of washing I’d put out were dry. Best. Day. Ever.
This is 56. I made it. I am happy about that. I spent the day exactly as I’d hoped. With Mr F by my side. Barefoot. Sandy toes. Spoke to everyone I love. Got some beautiful messages from friends and felt their love. Ate prawns. Snoozed. Walked home and the two loads of washing I’d put out were dry. Best. Day. Ever.
Dog walking conditions today… 👌
What’s your “Too Much”? I guess like most of us I have a few, but my biggest, and the one I have been told many times (not as a compliment) is that I am Too Sensitive. I am. And I’m ok with it, apart from when it is “too much” for ME. The plus sides of being too sensitive are many; I am very polite for one, which I guess is good for people around me. I feel other people’s pain, discomfort and embarrassment and lean into it to see how I can help ease it in some way. I’m pretty good at reading a room which has always been helpful. The down side of ‘feeling all the feels’ is certain places are a bit of a struggle for me. Airports are number one on this list. For someone who loves being in a room bouncing with energy, much like the room I was in yesterday, and has lived as a London commuter for decades, there is something particularly challenging about the noise and chaos of air travel that makes me extremely uncomfortable. There is an undercurrent of stress around. We are all trapped here and can’t leave. Those of us worried about missing our flight walk alongside those don’t care. About anything. Or anyone else. It’s a lot. I get through it by eating biscuits and wearing headphones and listening to music that makes me happy. There is a lot of Fleetwood Mac involved. Not sure why that works but it does. Block it out the noise. Focus on what I can control. And always take a window seat so I can cocoon into a corner and wait for it to be over. And hope that the man behind stops kicking my seat. And that. #toomuch
Happy – Whatever Day It Is 😂 @nickfeeneycoach and I ordered some notebooks from Amazon to prompt suggestions and ideas about how we want 2026 to look. Now seemed like a good time to do it, in that weird space between Christmas and New Year where you don’t know what to do with yourself, and you’ve eaten all the Quality Streets. It’s an interesting one this year because it’s literally a blank slate, for the first time in decades. It’s a very scary blank slate, but I’m reframing it as exciting. Because you just don’t know what’s ahead of you. This time last year I was in hospital. I most definitely hadn’t put that on my vision board! The months that followed led to a complete change of direction, in every way, and one year later, here we are in a different country, starting over. Looking at the blank slate. What do I want to put on it? How do I balance ‘needs’ (paying bills, supporting ourselves and our family) with ‘wants’ (what do I really want to do?) It’s an interesting process, because I’ve spent so long in survival mode that half the battle is calming the panic that everything will fall apart, and allowing the ‘What Ifs…’ to be positive, exciting things that I dare to dream about. I’ve done challenging things before, I know I can do them again. But can I do them from a place of adventure and “why not?” Today I’m asking myself, what am I good at, what are my personal traits and how do they match with my areas of expertise? And how do I do something new based on skills that have come from an old life? This isn’t about New Years Resolutions, and exercising more or eating less chocolate, it’s about ME. It’s quite the task, and something I’ve never really done before. So, if this was you, what would you do? #freshstart #newbeginnings
So far this year I have done two things that took me way out of my comfort zone. I went to a dance class. I was terrible. But I loved it, and I will be going back. (Apologies to everyone else there.) I started Spanish lessons. I was also terrible. I buffered like I’d lost internet connection every time I was asked a question. Hopefully that will pass. (I will also be going back, and apologies to everyone else there.) I’ve written about it in my first newsletter of the year, you’ll find it in linktree in my bio, if you fancy a chuckle. 😊
Stretched today in an empty room at the gym. I needed it as I’m feeling pretty crunchy after a few days travelling. My music of choice… Feeling nicely chilled now. Happy Saturday. 🩷😊
Not only is this the song of my childhood growing up in Trinidad, but it sums up exactly how I feel right now. 🥵 Hot 🥴 Light headed. 😅 Sweaty. 🤪 Head full of rules I don’t quite understand. Yup. Just has my first padel lesson! I have played tennis for years so I ‘kind of’ get it, but also am a bit befuddled. 🎾 #tryingsomethingnew #newbeginnings
I popped back to London to speak at and be part of a panel discussion at the Brand You : Showtime, a marketing, entrepreneurship and media event. What a day! It was packed with great speakers who flew in from all over the world to be there, and it was wonderful to catch up with friends and fellow entrepreneurs I have enjoyed working with in the past. A huge thank you to Olivia Marocco, for putting together such and incredible and inspiring day! And to Shelia, who volunteered for my quick fire media training session at the end of my talk, and found herself at the mercy of my ‘good cop bad cop’ routine. And smashed it. Brilliant. Why this song? Because it sums up how I feel. I am healthy. I am well. I am starting again. I am helping others with the tools I have. And that makes me happy. 😊 #newbeginnings #dowhatyoulove @brandyoushowtime @lisajohnsonstrategist @kellylundberg.official @mirela.sula_globalwoman @view_from_my_window__ @carolinestrawson @krupa_bbc @rosiejnixon @alyssajaff @sarahharanuk @helenpackham @zoehanson84 @aarti.parmar
2025, you were quite the year… In a nutshell: Hospital. Healing. Falling over. Getting up. Working. Repeat. Time away. Rethinking. What if…? Family. Moving. New starts. Some fun. Some glamour. Exciting things created. Family. Shedding old versions of me. Clearing. Sorting. Friends. Goodbyes. Driving. More driving. New faces. New life. Family. Friends. Old and new combined. This is the ‘newest’ New Year I’ve had for a long time. Not an ending, a beginning, leading to who knows what… What are you hoping for in 2026? #health #wealth #happiness #happynewyear #newbeginnings #herewegoagain #freshstart
2016 flashback! 1. Paris with @lindarobson58 to interview @rickygervais and Eric Bana for the Netflix film Special Correspondents. It all went well until my phone rang on my Apple Watch in the middle of the interview and it was my hairdresser reminding me my roots needed doing. 🤦🏻♀️ 2. Buckingham Palace to present Duke of Edinburgh Award winners. So lovely.🥰 3. Introduced the legendary Rod Stewart onto the O2 stage with his lovely wife and my Loose Women chum @penny.lancaster Watched the show with my other Loose Women chum @aydafieldwilliams Probably the most rock and roll I have ever felt in my life, a really fun night. 🤘 4. All dressed up for the National Television Awards. Looks great, bloody freezing. I liked my dress though. 🤩 5. This is what happens when I dress myself. Ten years on, nothing has changed. 😬 #2016 #flashback
2016 flashback! 1. Paris with @lindarobson58 to interview @rickygervais and Eric Bana for the Netflix film Special Correspondents. It all went well until my phone rang on my Apple Watch in the middle of the interview and it was my hairdresser reminding me my roots needed doing. 🤦🏻♀️ 2. Buckingham Palace to present Duke of Edinburgh Award winners. So lovely.🥰 3. Introduced the legendary Rod Stewart onto the O2 stage with his lovely wife and my Loose Women chum @penny.lancaster Watched the show with my other Loose Women chum @aydafieldwilliams Probably the most rock and roll I have ever felt in my life, a really fun night. 🤘 4. All dressed up for the National Television Awards. Looks great, bloody freezing. I liked my dress though. 🤩 5. This is what happens when I dress myself. Ten years on, nothing has changed. 😬 #2016 #flashback
2016 flashback! 1. Paris with @lindarobson58 to interview @rickygervais and Eric Bana for the Netflix film Special Correspondents. It all went well until my phone rang on my Apple Watch in the middle of the interview and it was my hairdresser reminding me my roots needed doing. 🤦🏻♀️ 2. Buckingham Palace to present Duke of Edinburgh Award winners. So lovely.🥰 3. Introduced the legendary Rod Stewart onto the O2 stage with his lovely wife and my Loose Women chum @penny.lancaster Watched the show with my other Loose Women chum @aydafieldwilliams Probably the most rock and roll I have ever felt in my life, a really fun night. 🤘 4. All dressed up for the National Television Awards. Looks great, bloody freezing. I liked my dress though. 🤩 5. This is what happens when I dress myself. Ten years on, nothing has changed. 😬 #2016 #flashback
“There is something about a woman with a bruised face that piques interest much more than a broken leg; and we all know what that something is.” 👆Read in full on linktree @substack @andrea.mclean.substack
🎈 I start the day looking kind of normal. Then by dinner time, I look like I’ve swallowed a balloon. Which is bad enough if I’m at home, but if I go out, it means I have to wear something baggy to hide it, and that doesn’t feel tight. Not fun. 🦠 Some of you may know I was very poorly at the start of the year, and ended up on very strong antibiotics for a while. This completely messed up any poor little bacteria that were hanging on for dear life in my gut. This meant all kinds of added issues – let’s just say I felt pretty sluggish, and the bloating was off the scale. It was nasty. I was recommended Gut Works by @drveganco and thought I’d give it a go. (I’m not vegan, but I’m open to trying anything that helps!) 🙌 And it did! I felt better after a couple of weeks; the bloatedness calmed down, things were moving more like they should and I started to feel a difference. It’s been about two months now, and I feel more like myself again, but better. One capsule a day: 🧪 Rebalances and repopulates your gut microbiome with around 50 BILLION live bacteria, and 6 scientifically studied probiotic strains and prebiotics. 💩 Supports complete gut health, healthy digestion and bowel regularity. The team at @drveganco have given me a code so you can try it for yourself; use the code ANDREA20 for 20% off your order. Please note, this is for new customers only. #ad #GutHealth #DRVEGAN #WomensHealth #GutMicrobiome
I did a talk today about being afraid to re-write your narrative, or change direction because you’re worried about what other people might think or say. Key takeaway: People will talk about you anyway, whether you try something and succeed, or if you fail, or even if you lay on the couch all day. So you may as well do what you want. Or in other words, “F**k Em”. Seemed to resonate! 😅🤣
