This final episode of 2025 is one of the most meaningful I have ever recorded.
I share the moment I learned I had been awarded an MBE for services to publishing and diversity, and the wave of disbelief, emotion and gratitude that followed. This honour is not only mine, it belongs to every woman who has ever stepped into authorship, every writer whose voice was once quiet, and every person who believed in reinvention later in life.
I look back at the early years of the Business Book Awards, the shock that sparked my mission for greater diversity, the women who joined my writing programmes and the extraordinary community that grew from those first conversations. I talk about the birth of the Phoenix Theory, my new partnership with Advantage Media Company and the exciting work ahead.
As we enter 2026, I invite you to ask what wants to rise in you next.
Highlights:
(01:42) The moment I opened the letter announcing my MBE
(04:55) How the Business Book Awards revealed a powerful truth
(07:30) Why women’s voices needed championing and how Abu was born
(09:48) The rise of the Phoenix Theory and what it represents
(11:35) Becoming a partner at Advantage Media Company
(12:55) A New Year invitation to notice what is ready to rise in you
Connect with Lucy:
Website - https://bookmagic.ai
TikTok - @lucymccarra
Instagram/Threads - @lucymccarraher
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucymccarraher/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@lucymccarraherauthor
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LucyMcCarraher/
