Shows
Tech Powered LuxuryThe Brow Queen: In Conversation with Brow Aid Founder Kim O'SullivanWelcome to Season 6 of Tech Powered Luxury, brought to you with Azure Communications! This week on Tech Powered Luxury, we sit down with the Queen of Brows herself, Kim O’Sullivan. With over 14 years at Giorgio Armani, training under industry legends like Pat McGrath, and now expanding her brand globally, Kim has built an empire rooted in expertise, passion, and an obsession with perfect brows.Kim fell into the beauty industry at 19 while working at Brown Thomas, where she was hired by Giorgio Armani Cosmetics - marking the start of a 14-year career wit...2025-03-2546 minTech Powered LuxuryLia Cowan: A Fashion Brand Rooted in Romance and Ballet, as worn by Derry Girls' Nicola CoughlanWelcome to Season 6 of Tech Powered Luxury, brought to you with Azure Communications! This week, we’re diving into the world of fashion, sculpture, and bespoke bridalwear with Irish designer Lia Cowan. Known for her statement-making designs, worn by none other than Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan, Lia’s journey from sculpture student to art teacher to fashion designer is incredible.Lia’s fashion journey took an unconventional path - she studied sculpture at NCAD, dreamed of becoming a teacher, and even spent three years teaching art in secondary school before realising...2025-03-1845 min
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastSnow White with the Red Hair Manga Discussion Part 1 (with Asher Sofman)There are few contemporary shojo manga that are more popular and beloved that Sorata Akizuki's wholesome fairy-tale-inspired story Snow White with the Red Hair. The protagonist, Shirayuki, has apple-red hair that attracts attention from unsavory characters and noble princes alike, and the story follows her as she becomes a court herbalist and a worthy bride-to-be for Prince Zen Wisteria. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her husband Asher delve into why this story is so special, while walking through the highs (and the lows) of the first 10 volumes. Asher expresses his undying love for Obi, while Ashley pledges allegiance to...2025-03-111h 33Tech Powered LuxuryBuilding the Future of Irish Luxury Handbags with Silvana LandaWelcome to Season 6 of Tech Powered Luxury, brought to you with Azure Communications! This week, we’re diving into the world of brand building, luxury retail, and international expansion with Silvana Landa, the founder of LANDA and a powerhouse in the fashion industry. From Brown Thomas and L’Oréal to launching her own leather goods brand, Silvana has built a career many aspire to.Silvana started her career in fashion at Brown Thomas, quickly moving from the shop floor to brand management before joining L’Oréal to lead major luxury brand launches, including Biotherm and K...2025-03-1147 minTech Powered LuxuryFrom Direct Provision to Miss Ireland: The Unstoppable Pamela UbaWelcome to Season 6 of Tech Powered Luxury, brought to you with Azure Communications! For quite some time now, Azure has been our go-to provider for all things print and marketing. If you attended our Live from Paris Fashion Week show in September last year, you would have seen our event magazines featuring all of the designers and creatives who played a part in the event and our beautiful invites - all created by Azure Communications - they know how to elevate events and marketing with a luxury and personalised touch.If you’re looking...2025-03-0741 minTech Powered LuxuryCreating the Future of Fintech for Luxury Shopping Experiences with Prommt CEO Donal McGuinnessWelcome to Season 6 of Tech Powered Luxury, brought to you with Azure Communications! This week, we’re diving into the world of mobile payments, luxury retail, and user experience with Donal McGuiness, the CEO of Prommt. If you’ve ever wondered how tech is shaping the way we shop for high-ticket items or how luxury retailers are making payments seamless for their customers, this episode is a must-listen! Payments in luxury need to evolve to match the elevated customer experience. Clunky, unbranded payment methods can ruin the luxury journey. 💫 Prommt is revolutionizing payments by offer...2025-03-0340 minTech Powered LuxuryFrom British Vogue to the BBC and Beyond: Fashion, Media and AI with Anne-Marie TomchakWelcome to Season 6 of Tech Powered Luxury, brought to you with Azure Communications! This week’s guest: Anne-Marie Tomchak, journalist, broadcaster, and expert on fashion, sustainability, and AI.Anne-Marie’s career spans British Vogue, documentary-making, and co-founding ShareJoy, a platform combining storytelling with sustainable fashion.AI is making an impact on trend forecasting, supply chain management, and even design itself, while sustainability is becoming a critical business pillar.AI vs. craftsmanship: Will we value artistry, or will speed and scalability win?Exclusive reward: Win a 30-minute mentorship session with Anne...2025-02-2842 minTech Powered LuxuryLive from Abu Dhabi: How the Middle East Holds the Future for the Luxury Industry with Akash Mehta, Dr Vali, Jamie Ray & MageeOn February 13th Tech Powered Luxury brought together thought leaders and changemakets in Abu Dhabi to discuss the future of luxury fashion and beauty in Ireland and the Middle East. We gathered over 300 hundred people at the Ambassador’s Residence in Abu Dhabi for an inspiring evening focused on showcasing Irish design in the Middle East. Hosted by HE Alison Milton, Irish Ambassador to the UAE, in partnership with Tech Powered Luxury, Enterprise Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Into Kildare, the event celebrated Irish creativity on a global stage, highlighting the synergy between Irish design and the Middle Ea...2025-02-2547 minTech Powered LuxuryFashion OG Lorraine Keane on the Xposé Days to Fashion Relief and Speaking Up About MenopauseWelcome to Season 6 of Tech Powered Luxury, brought to you with Azure Communications!
This week, we shine light on Lorraine Keane - broadcaster, entrepreneur and champion for sustainable fashion and social impact. From interviewing A-list celebrities on red carpets to creating impactful charitable initiatives, Lorraine’s story is one of pure passion.
From her early days on AA Roadwatch to becoming a household name through TV3’s Xposé, Lorraine carved a path that took her across the globe - dancing with Bono, singing with Paul Young, and rubbing shoulders with Victoria Beckham.
Pivoting to freelance work a...2025-02-0348 minTech Powered LuxuryLuxury Retail 2.0 - From AR Mirrors for D&G to NFC Beauty Stickers and AI Influencers with FFFACE.ME Founder Dmytro KornilovWelcome to Season 6 of Tech Powered Luxury, brought to you with Azure Communications!
FFFACE.ME is leading the way in blending AR and retail by integrating AR mirrors, phygital clothes and virtual try-ons into offline and online shopping experience.
Dmytro shares how his introduction to AR wasn’t exactly love at first sight - but how, over time, he discovered its true potential and developed powerful use cases for the luxury fashion and beauty industries.
Dmytro emphasises the need to adapt marketing strategies to the cultural and psychological needs of the next generation, rat...2025-01-2856 minTech Powered LuxuryFrom Fashion Editor to Red Carpets and Live TV: Creating a Dream Career with Zeda the Architect 🎬Welcome to the Season 6 Premiere of Tech Powered Luxury, brought to you with Azure Communications!
For quite some time now, Azure has been our go-to provider for all things print and marketing. If you attended our Live from Paris Fashion Week show in September last year, you would have seen our event magazines featuring all of the designers and creatives who played a part in the event and our beautiful invites - all created by Azure Communications - they know how to elevate events and marketing with a luxury and personalised touch.
If you’re lo...2025-01-2134 minShojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastMars Manga Discussion (Pt. 2) [with Lucy of CLAMPcast in Wonderland]This episode discusses MARS volumes 9-15 and the prequel story, "Horse with No Name"How many suicide attempts can happen close to Kira and Rei? How many car crashes and motorcycle accidents? Shojo & Tell host Ashley and CLAMPcast in Wonderland co-host Lucy are back to discuss the second half of the melodrama MARS by Fuyumi Soryo, and their biggest question is about whether the series accurately portrays the way trauma stacks (both Ashley and Lucy lean toward no). Ashley and Lucy share their thoughts about Kira seeming to give up her dreams to be with Rei, and...2024-12-311h 37Tech Powered LuxuryFrom the Glory Days of Topshop to Building Every Woman's Capsule Wardrobe with Sinead KearyIn our Season 5 finale, Sinead Keary reveals how her experience in personal shopping and luxury retail helped her create a digital-first brand, bringing personalization to the online space.
Sinead Keary brings together lessons learned from both Topshop and Brown Thomas to create a digital-first brand that merges premium accessibility with luxury craftsmanship.
Her brand stems from her years of experience in personal shopping, understanding client needs and delivering capsule collections that women can rely on season after season.
Even with roots in traditional retail, Sinead’s focus on online sales and digital strategies allowed her t...2024-10-2241 minTech Powered LuxuryLive from Paris Fashion Week: Decoding the Luxury Industry Ecosystem in IrelandThis week, we bring you the live podcast episode from our most important event to date: Live from Paris Fashion Week, where we gathered Aoife McNanamara, Una McGurk, Paul Sheeran, Bairbre Power and Shana Chu to discuss how each of them are elevating the Irish fashion ecosystem in all its different forms: from retail to journalism, from beauty and fine jewellery to innovation.
The event took place at the heart of Paris, at the best place to gather an outstanding lineup of Irish speakers: the Embassy of Ireland. Drawing back on the essence of diplomatic union and coll...2024-10-1533 minTech Powered LuxuryOptimizing for Success in China with Digital Luxury GroupThe delicate powerplay of localized strategies to reach the Chinese consumer anywhere, at anytime.
The pandemic drastically shifted how Chinese consumers interacted with luxury brands, and the impact of these changes is still being felt. While many brands thrived by focusing on local markets, the return of international travel presents both a challenge and an opportunity: one-third of Chinese consumers are now spending more on luxury goods outside of China.
For luxury brands, this means ensuring they can connect with Chinese consumers whether they’re shopping in Shanghai or Paris. But achieving this involves more than ju...2024-10-081h 01Tech Powered LuxuryOceanus: From Swimwear to Eveningwear with Founder & Designer Hannah AttallahHannah Attalah’s journey with Oceanus began with her love for fashion and hand-embroidery. After studying at the London College of Fashion and working with big names like Donna Karan and Jenny Packham, Hannah realized her true passion lays in textiles and elaborate designs. Her work with the intricacies of evening wear and the management of different hand-beading techniques ultimately led her to founding Oceanus, where she could express her love for color, texture, and craftsmanship.
Hannah Attalah is the founder of Oceanus, a London-based luxury brand that is renowned for its intricate hand-embellished swimwear and bold designs...2024-10-0148 minTech Powered LuxuryDr Vali: The Pioneer of Luxury BiohackingWelcome to our Season 5 premier of Tech Powered Luxury! Get ready for our first episode to be recorded live from Selfridge's in London with the incredible Dr Vali.
Dr. Vali is a leading figure in luxury wellness, known for her innovative approach that combines extensive medical expertise with cutting-edge biohacking techniques. What glues it all together? Her integrity.
Biohacking is the practice of making lifestyle changes to enhance health and performance, ranging from simple diet modifications to advanced medical techniques. The global biohacking market is growing rapidly, reflecting a rising consumer demand for personalized wellness solu...2024-09-2452 minTech Powered LuxuryContent Creator Turned Tech Founder: Limitless Influencing with Lauren ArthursThis week, we are thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Lauren Arthurs, the Irish influencer who has created her own app to solve what most influencers and content creators struggle with: the lack of a one-stop solution to edit and manage content.
Lauren Arthurs is a fashion and lifestyle influencer from Ireland who started her career with a blog in 2012, and just recently launched her own app, LA Edit, to solve all the inefficiencies related to content creation.
We explore the work routine and the behind the scenes of an influencer and how to org...2024-08-0648 minTech Powered LuxuryFrom Racing Teams to Chasing Dreams: Building A Lifestyle Food Brand with Nutbutter's Paddy Hogan
Paddy Hogan's transition from the adrenaline-fueled realm of Formula 1 to the dynamic, health-focused dining world of Nutbutter is an intriguing mix of entrepreneurship, innovation, and personal evolution.
The core reason behind Nutbutter was creating a healthy lifestyle that combined efficient operations, great design and a better quality of work (and life balance) to everyone involved. Their founding values? Work smarter, not harder.
Drawing from Paddy Hogan’s experiences with Lewis Hamilton, we explore the dynamic intersection of fashion and Formula 1. In recent years, these two worlds have increasingly merged, showcasing how luxury and high-performance racing influence and inspire each...2024-07-3046 minTech Powered LuxuryWhere Fashion Meets Innovation: The Fashion Innovation Agency with Matthew DrinkwaterThis week we explore the role of education in the sweet spot of where technology meets fashion: how to foster experiential learning to educate the upcoming generation of fashion leaders.
Matthew Drinkwater is at the forefront of the Fashion Innovation Agency (FIA) at the London College of Fashion (LCF), driving the integration of technology and fashion education.
The FIA acts as a bridge between the fashion industry and emerging tech, promoting experiential learning by allowing students to work hands-on with AI, AR, VR, and other emerging technologies. Fostering innovation in education is crucial for developing creative...2024-07-2343 minTech Powered LuxuryWhy Rental is The Future of Fashion with Rachel Hennessy from Happy DaysThis week, we are thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Rachel Hennessy, founder of fashion rental Happy Days.
Are you new here? Welcome to our amazing community - keep reading to discover everything about Tech Powered Luxury, our Community Rewards and Substack.
Rachel Hennessy leveraged her experience at KPMG and Google before launching her own fashion rental Happy Days in Ireland. The driving force behind the project? Searching for a solution to replace countless one-time purchases that would eventually go to waste.
The starting approach set the grounds for her success: underst...2024-07-1649 minTech Powered LuxuryCryo-Powered Beauty Start-Up to Scale-Up with Seoulista Beauty Founder Una McGurkJoin us for Episode 7 of Season 4 with Una McGurk, founder of Seoulista Beauty, a brand that focuses on bringing salon-standard skin experiences to your home with two concepts at the core: cooling temperatures and applying pressure, techniques that allow for changing and improving the texture of skin.
From their award winning Instant Facial masks (created with 100% biodegradable fermented coconut) to their innovative and easy to use tools, Una shares a wealth of knowledge on Seoulista's journey from start-up to scale-up.
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Season 4 of Tech Powered Luxury is brought to you...2024-07-0949 minTech Powered LuxurySave Your Wardrobe - Save the Planet! with LVMH Innovation Award Winner Hasna KourdaThis week, we are thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Hasna Kourda, the award-winning Tunisian entrepreneur, founder of Save Your Wardrobe. Hasna is tackling some of the most complicated issues in the fashion industry: the creation of a circular business model, facilitating care and repair to increase a product’s lifecycle.
Hasna Kourda’s upbringing in Tunisia shaped her vision to solve one of the biggest issues in the fashion system: turning a linear business model into a circular one.
Going from “production to consumption to waste” into “production to consumption to repair and recycle to a...2024-07-0448 minTech Powered LuxuryManifesting the Goop Cruise with Gwyneth Paltrow and Attending the Venice Film Festival with Giorgio Armani: A Career of Dreams with Triona McCarthyGet ready for an episode packed with humour and celebrity encounters with none other than Irish media icon Triona McCarthy. From studying to be a beauty therapist to following her goal to work at the crossroads of fashion, beauty and media, Triona McCarthy takes us on a whirlwind journey through her incredibly exciting life. Wherever you are listening from, we hope this episode brings you laughter and the inspiration to chase your wildest dreams!
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Season 4 of Tech Powered Luxury is brought to you in partnership with Seoulista Beauty, a cryo-powered skincare brand, as well...2024-07-021h 13Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastHot Gimmick First Half (Pt. 1) Discussion (with Naja B. of Blerdy Otome)This episode discusses the first half (volumes 1-6) of Hot Gimmick by Miki AiharaIt's here. It's finally here. Shojo & Tell host Ashley has been trying to make this episode happen for at least two years. And now, here we are. We're talking about the first half of Hot Gimmick, aka, Hot Trash, aka Hot Mess. Seriously: Content warning for basically everything. Ashley was prepared to have nothing nice to say about this series (she's read it before and thought it was the worst shojo series ever), but it's surprising what reading something 12 years after your initial...2024-07-011h 52Tech Powered LuxuryHow To Build A Blockbuster Brand Online, From Fashion To Beauty & Beyond with Strike DigitalThis week, we are thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with David De Patoul & Richard McSweeney, the co-founders of Strike Digital. We bring to you a masterclass on all things digital marketing: how to start, what to keep your focus on and how to succeed in a crowded market, leveraging David and Richard’s expertise on how to best work with the algorithms on different platforms.
David De Patoul & Richard McSweeney were both working in Meta when they spotted a gap in the market: there were a lot of digital marketing agencies that worked in the platfor...2024-06-251h 09Tech Powered LuxuryLVMH Innovation Award Winner Michel Tjoeng: Social to Commerce with ChatLabsThis week, we are thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Michel Tjoeng, the pragmatic technologist who founded ChatLabs. We explore his path and bring on the insights from beginning to end: starting as child with a passion for computers and UI, obsessed with customer experience (which child isn’t, really) to working with the biggest luxury group in the world, LVMH.
50% scientist, 50% marketer. This is the self-declared composition of Michel Tjoeng, co-founder of ChatLabs, the 2023 LVMH Innovation Prize winner startup that is revolutionizing social commerce in the West.
Michel brings the best of the so...2024-06-1853 minTech Powered LuxuryBuilding Ireland’s First BCorp Certified Fashion Brand & Climbing to New Heights in 2025 with Aoife McNamaraThis week, we are thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Aoife McNamara, the visionary Irish fashion designer revolutionising the industry with her sustainable and ethical approach. We dive into her inspiring journey, her dedication to sustainability, and the exciting ventures she has planned for the future, including a community expedition to Kilimanjaro and a documentary that looks at Ireland’s addiction to fast fashion - and where these fast fashion garments go after they’re no longer wanted. Tech Powered Luxury listeners benefit from a €50 voucher to use on Aoife’s website on fashion items, sign up to our s...2024-06-1150 minTech Powered LuxuryA Life of Fashion, Media & More with Brendan Courtney: From Off the Rails to Lennon CourtneySeason 4 of Tech Powered Luxury kicks off live from the newly opened Cartier espace in Dublin, Ireland, within Paul Sheeran Jewellers. Ashley McDonnell interviews none other than Irish media and fashion icon: Brendan Courtney.
From creating his first award-winning documentary in his early 20s to launching a fashion-tech platform, starring in multiple TV shows in Ireland and the UK and eventually co-founding Lennon Courtney, this insightful and entertaining conversation sheds light on Brendan Courtney’s remarkable journey so far.
Season 4 of Tech Powered Luxury is brought to you in partnership with Seoulista Beauty, a cryo-powered skincare br...2024-06-0448 minShojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastNeon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days (with Joshua McHugh)This episode discusses all of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days (volumes 1-6) by Fumino Hayashi.Shinji, get in the robot! Shojo & Tell host Ashley and the guy previously known as Ashley's "Cyborg 009 buddy," Josh McHugh, delve into this version of the beloved series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which is an alternate universe of the video game Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd (a PlayStation 2 game, and yes there is first Girlfriend of Steel before this entry), which is an alternate universe of the events in the final episode of the original anime. The main plot is mostly...2024-05-291h 29Tech Powered LuxuryLIVE from FuturePlus Paris: Fashion, Art & Culture on the BlockchainDuring the FuturePlus event in Paris on February 22nd 2024 brought to you by MAD Global in parntership with Tech Powered Luxury, host Ashley McDonnell sits down with a panel of four founders within the intersection of fashion, art and culture on the blockchain for a discussion on how technology is disrupting the meaning of expression, community, investment and even the perception of value. “Fashion, Art, and Culture on the Blockchain” is our topic of discussion and the four panelists are people who represent four very different corners of these worlds, which makes for an interesting discussion.
With us o...2024-03-1546 minTech Powered LuxuryRylé Tuvierra: How She Went From 12-Hour Shifts at 7/11 to Conquering Fashion Weeks Around the WorldRylé Tuvierra is our first guest of 2024, and Tech Powered Luxury's first-ever guest to return for a second episode. Rylé's first conversation with Ashley McDonnell was the most shared episode of 2023, and we're back a year later to check in with the Arab and Asian businesswoman. This time, we dive deep into Rylé's humble beginnings: working 12-hour shifts at a 7/11 in Dubai, and how her dream of being a fashion designer led her to pursue the impossible until it became her reality.
With a slew of big fashion names on her roster of...2024-01-0156 minTech Powered LuxuryBijan Ghorbani: Storytelling Expert Who Trained 9,000 Googlers and Tech Executives Across the GlobeBijan Ghorbani is a master storyteller with an unwavering passion for enabling and empowering others. His Storytelling Masterclass has ignited the potential of over 9,000 of Googlers across the globe and within the tech industry worldwide, enabling them to elevate their leadership, negotiation, and influencing abilities.
Tech Powered Luxury's host Ashley McDonnell first met Bijan while they both worked at Google's EMEA Headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, within the French Large Customer Sales Team. Ashley attended one of Bijan's Storytelling Masterclasses which was such a huge success that the largest auditorium on the 8,000+ people campus was...2023-11-281h 03Tech Powered LuxuryLauren Ingram: Former #SheMeansBusiness Lead at Meta and Founder of Women of Web3Lauren Ingram is the Founder of Women of Web3, a community helping women make the leap into the world of Web 3.0 through job opportunities, learning resources and connections.
She is a marketing leader with experience in agencies and tech companies including Meta, where she was responsible for Meta’s multimillion-dollar program for female entrepreneurs, #SheMeansBusiness. As a consultant and founder of Women of Web3, Lauren helps businesses to win in Web3 by demystifying the opportunities in this space.
Lauren also hosts the Women of Web3 Podcast where each week she interviews a different incredible woman making moves in...2023-11-2150 min
Tech Powered LuxuryFrom Paris Fashion Week to Everest Base Camp with Ashley McDonnellIn this bonus episode of Tech Powered Luxury, Ashley McDonnell talks us through her first month since moving back to Paris, France.Ashley started her first day back in the city for the Ireland vs. South Africa, Rugby World Cup match in Stade de France with Emirates, followed by Paris Fashion Week. During a week of attending shows and meeting designers in their showrooms across the city, Ashley had the opportunity to sit down with Irish, Ukrainian and Spanish designers Sorcha O’Raghallaigh, Mary Furtas of Cult Naked and Celia B, all of whom will have upcoming de...2023-10-2947 min
Tech Powered LuxuryPavan Beauty: Opening the World's First Luxury Henna Bar at Selfridge's LondonPavan Ahluwalia-Dhanjal is a world-renowned henna artist, bringing an Indian beauty ritual to the globe with a luxury and digital-first approach. With two Guinness World Records for being the fastest henna artist on the planet, Pavan was also awarded the British Empire Medal in 2018.Pavan has collaborated with major celebrities, including Alesha Dixon, Rudimental, Ellie Goulding, Perrie Edwards, and Huda Kattan. She has created bespoke designs for international runway shows, including Manish Arora and Antonio Berardi during London Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, and has worked with the BBC and ITV.Pavan...2023-10-1748 min
Tech Powered LuxuryPaboy Bojang: Surviving the World’s Deadliest Migration Route & Creating In Casa by PaboyFrom the realm of fear to the trenches of economic hardship, and amidst the fragile walls of immigration, Paboy Bojang unfurls his kaleidoscopic dreams and cheerful visions within his designs. Born in Gambia, Paboy embarked on his journey into the art of tailoring at the tender age of 13, under the guidance of his uncle in their atelier. Faced with limited resources, Paboy made the difficult choice to compromise his formal schooling to become the primary provider for his family.From his eyes in the countryside of Gambia, Paboy developed a discerning eye for colors. While living...2023-09-1953 min
Tech Powered LuxuryAshley McDonnell: Lessons Learned from Tech Powered LuxuryThis episode is brought to you by myself, Ashley McDonnell, host of Tech Powered Luxury.After two seasons of delving into the cutting edge of technology and modern luxury, it's time to turn the mic and share a glimpse of my own journey. This episode was recorded during my last few days in Geneva, where I relocated to take on the role of Global Digital Media and E-Commerce Director at luxury group PUIG's international holding before I move back to Paris. In the course of our conversation, my aim is to carve out a space within...2023-08-2935 min
Tech Powered LuxuryFootprint of Fun, Individuality and Unapologetic Success: Nicki HoynePersonality driven and sustainability plastered all over the collections, Nicki epitomises the art of leading your own league. From Irish Kilkenny to London, Nicki candidly celebrates her spirit of being different, charting her own course. A larger than classroom student with affinity for magic, business driven Nicki took a deep learning curve with her entrepreneurship course after completing theatre school. Briefly after, Nicki did marketing jobs in London to immerse in the idea of starting her own business. Nicki's footwear brand, 'My Shinning Armour' opened the doors to redolent characters of Nicki's personality: go getter, unabashed love for fashion...2023-04-2559 min
Tech Powered LuxuryMatthew Drinkwater: Redefining Fashion Through Digital DisruptionA rebrand to the face of fashion, Matthew Drinkwater's digital disruption enforces exhibition of an array of new in the digital landscape: from retail to fashion and technology. A digital vanguard, Matthew started ten years back at London College of Fashion, at the Digital Innovation Lab. From rearranging 3D assets and augmented reality, to manufacturing immersive experiences, Matthew has established a virtual universe for digital designers and experiences to nurture and flourish in fashion, morphed by technology. As the digital metamorphosis of fashion has taken a seismic shift, Matthew continues to usher more possibilities within the realm of fashion...2023-04-0449 min
Tech Powered LuxuryFashioning The Metaverse With TangpokoThe fashion corridors of the metaverse have hosted array of talents. These creators offer their vision of technical expertise and creative prowess giving the metaverse a fashion makeover with their digital avatars. Here's where Tangpoko makes it rewarding, by matching talent to their destined digital space, since 2022, by the name Decentraland. As a proportion of fashion expands in the virtual reality, Tangpoko introduces, uplifts and explores identities in the metaverse. Decentraland, the locus of fashion exchange in the metaverse, has more than 100,000 visitors at Dollhouse, the metaverse influencer hot spot. With Dollhouse, Tangpoko immerses creators to deliver augmented impact...2023-03-2743 min
Tech Powered LuxuryPatti Brown: Enabling Business With EducationPatti Brown, Senior Executive Director of Academic Affairs & Program Delivery of MBA Programs at HEC, one of the leading business school in Europe, anchors on the significance of learning and listening to the business systems in luxury. As the chair of the education board, Patti understands the impending curves of luxury to familiarise her students to find their dreams in the domain of luxury. Elevating the role of education in learning business, Patti augments the essence of academia, experience building and ever-morphing ethos of luxury via partnerships across the globe, including Yale University, and by bringing game changers of...2023-03-0742 min
Tech Powered LuxuryAshley Dudarenok's Language of Luxury in ChinaDigital, Web3 and national policies collide when it comes to continued growth in China. As Ashley Dudarenok, founder of three companies, Amazon's best selling author and a serial entrepreneur identifies the chief strategies behind the meteoric rise of luxury in China, she also recalls the state of literacy and culture as the key players to monitor success. Besides the sprawling transition, China cognizant, Ashley reckons on the enriching role of psychology in fashion business.A lyrical and lucid discussion, in this episode, Ashley breaks down the new tools for the brands, the impending frontier of luxury...2022-11-2949 min
Tech Powered LuxuryThe Dawn of Irish Beauty by Seabody's Helena McMahonHelena McMahon’s skincare brand Seabody, sprouted in the marine momentum to ignite the latent role of seaweed. Morphing the magic from Irish coastlines to design a holistic wellness and luxury beauty brand, Helena formulates sustainability with peerless use of biotech, science and ocean power. Carbon negative with circular economy at the forefront, Helena fortifies her position as Director of Ireland's Center in Carbon, Climate and Community Action.Unfold the visceral feeling of pursuing ocean plant enriched wellness, examine the prowess of biotech and what it is to be at the helm of Ireland’s uncharted beau...2022-11-2235 min
Tech Powered LuxuryThrough The Lens of Luxury With Jonathan SiboniMeet the fashion data alchemist, Jonathan Siboni. Founder of Luxurynsight, Jonathan radically led change by providing brands with technology powered data insights and designed the blueprint for luxury brands to launch in China. Leveraging on the role of culture in luxury, supported by a distinguished advisory board, LuxurynSight responds to the desires of the fashion and beauty industries, with whispers of deep and resonating emotional connection.In this enlightening episode, Ashley McDonnell engages in unprecedented discussions about the fashion landscape of China and luxury's unscathed trail of success with data-driven decisions.This podcast is...2022-11-1544 min
Tech Powered LuxuryWelcome to Tech Powered LuxuryThe Tech Powered Luxury podcast that unpacks the evolving worlds of technology and luxury, by the prominent leaders of the industry. Hosted by luxury and tech executive, Ashley McDonnell, this podcast dives deep into the changes, shifts and the impacts of this cross-collaboration and transformation at large.From November 1st onwards, join us every Tuesday as we address the topics that define the fascinating worlds of luxury and fashion.Follow the link to subscribe to our podcasts. WebsiteSpotifyApple MusicAmazon MusicGoogle PodcastsThis podcast is sponsored...2022-10-2403 minShojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastChobits (with Asher Sofman) [Seinen Exception #2]This episode discusses all eight volumes of Chobits by CLAMP.We're continuing our journey through CLAMP with their most provocative, perverted, and problematic series yet: The sci-fi series Chobits, where personal computers (persocoms) take the form of cute high school girls with cat ears. Hideki, peak schmuck boy, finds a free one in the trash, and he names her Chi, and then he may or may not fall in love with her, even though she behaves like a child. Talk about awkward. Asher and Ashley have A LOT of feelings about the moral implications of the relationships...2022-09-111h 41Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastLove Com (Lovely Complex) Pt. 2 (with Loyola Rankin)This episode discusses volumes 9–17 of Love Com by Aya Nakahara.We're back with a walkthrough of the highs and lows of the second half of Love Com, where we no longer see height. Height means nothing when it comes to true love. (Or... does it?) Ashley and Loyola discuss the appearance of Kohori, how Otani and Risa broke up (!!) then got to back together (!!!) and slept together (!!!!) — but no not in that way, they haven't even kissed four times in a row yet (?!?!). We have one of the most heated shipping corners on this podcast so far, wher...2022-08-271h 39Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastLove Com (Lovely Complex) Pt. 1 (with Loyola Rankin)Discusses volumes 1–8 of Love Com by Aya Nakahara.Ashley and Loyola are here to discuss the first half of the romantic comedy Love Com, aka Lovely Complex, which is the romcom that all other romcoms should aspire to. We gush about how cute Risa and Otani are, the impeccable comedic timing, the emotional levity that hits home, and so much more. Loyola is subjected to Ashley making her take the quizzes at the end of volume 8, to hilarious results.REFERENCESThe Love Com manga is available digitally from Viz Media's Shojo Beat lineThe Love Co...2022-07-241h 36Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastFlower in a Storm (with Asher Sofman)Wife and husband duo Ashley and Asher are back to talk about the short comedic manga Flower in a Storm. While neither would say they really loved the story of rich-boy Ran going after super-strong Riko, Ashley, at least, thinks it shows lots of promise from the author, and is a funny parody of mid-2000s shojo manga tropes. But the real standouts are the two unrelated short stories that are included.REFERENCESFlower in a Storm is available from Viz Media's Shojo Beat lineThe only other manga out by this author in English is Caste...2022-06-1342 minShojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastAfter Hours (with Asher Sofman) [Seinen Exception #1]We discuss all three volumes of After Hours by Yuhta Nishio.Welcome to the club. Emi knows nothing about dance music. Kei is a DJ with manic pixie dream girl energy. Emi gets sucked into Kei's world in this series that's basically a 101 lesson in EDM. "Isn't this a seinen manga?" Yes, yes it is. But Shojo & Tell host Ashley has a soft spot for these lesbian DJs, so we're covering it anyway! Ashley and her husband, Asher, discuss the particular moment in music time the series is in response to, how relatable Emi's millennial struggle is...2022-02-1059 minShojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastTakane and Hana Pt. 1 (with Kelly Quinn Chiu)Covers volumes 1–9 of Takane and Hana by Yuki Shiwasu.Hana is a perfectly average high school girl. Takane is a 26-year-old scion of a conglomerate. Together, they are arranged marriage partners (but they're definitely not dating!!). Kelly returns once again to talk about an age-gap romance — one that both she and Ashley are highly positive on. In this episode about the first half of the series, Kelly and Ashley try very, very hard to articulate how the series never (well, almost never, anyway) enters squick territory, talk about the wide cast of characters (Rino is great! Also, why...2021-12-171h 36Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastHana-Kimi Pt. 3 (with Ashley Hawkins)Covers volumes 16–23 of Hana-Kimi by Hisaya Nakajo.Welcome back for the final Hana-Kimi episode! The Ashleys are back to discuss how wild this ride has been: The strange results of the final character poll, what the series says about gender, how it compares to other gender-bending series, and of course, finally, the ships. Also: Can you believe this manga kept up the premise of Mizuki's gender being a secret the ENTIRE TIME? We just don't get manga like this anymore! REFERENCESHana-Kimi is available from Viz MediaThis series is the precursor to OuranOther manga men...2021-09-081h 13Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastHana-Kimi Pt. 2 (with Ashley Hawkins)Welcome back to Osaka High and the middle third of Hana-Kimi. Shojo and Tell host Ashley is joined by Manga Librarian Ashley to talk about all the hijinks that ensued here. What’s the tone? Gil’s still here?! How can Mizuki assume Sano doesn’t know she’s a girl when she sleeps with him in the same bed half the nights and she’s got her boobs pressed up against him? Mizuki grew up in Berkeley, California? You know what, that makes a lot of sense, actually...REFERENCESHana-Kimi is available from Viz MediaThis series is...2021-08-191h 09Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastHana-Kimi Pt. 1 (with Ashley Hawkins)Covers volumes 1–8 of Hana-Kimi by Hisaya Nakajo.We're throwing back and throwing down with a big-time, gender-bending shojo classic: Hana-Kimi, aka, the precursor to Ouran High School Host Club. Mizuki Ashiya moves all the way from America to Japan, in high school, without express permission from her parents, just to be with her favorite high-jumper, Izumi Sano, a boy she's never met. Even better: She has to disguise that she's a girl so she can attend Sano's all-boys school. Who approved this premise? We don't know, but we do know it is full of good boys. Come li...2021-07-291h 32Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastSocrates in Love (with Asher Sofman)A discussion about the manga adaptation of Socrates in Love by Kyoichi Katayama and Kazumi KazuiGet ready to cry at this one-volume melodrama about a teenage couple torn apart by a tragedy. Socrates in Love follows Sakutaro and Aki as they go from being friends to lovers, but have their happiness cut short through illness. Chaplain-in-training Asher Sofman and Shojo & Tell host Ashley discuss how love and death are intertwined, how people grapple with suffering and illness, and other such fun, cheery topics. Ashley makes extensive comparisons between Socrates in Love and Nicholas Sparks' A Walk...2020-12-3051 minShojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastFushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden Pt. 2 (with Caitlin, Sara, and Zahra)Covers volumes 7–12 of Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden by Yuu WataseCaitlin (OG Fushigi Yugi superfan), Sara Linsley (manga letterer extraordinaire), and Zahra Ymer (manga scholar in training), and Ashley (Shojo & Tell host) are back for the second half of Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden, aka The Better Fushigi Yugi (sorry, OG FY). This episode gets heavy: The primary topic is about accepting death (it's better if you know going in that priestess Takiko is going to die!). All four talk about the points at which they cried, and how much (not Soren!!), make fun of Efinluka's name (.... well, ho...2020-10-191h 09Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastFushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden Pt. 1 (with Caitlin, Sara, and Zahra)Covers volumes 1–6 of Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden by Yuu WataseGenbu Kaiden is Shojo & Tell host Ashley's second-favorite manga (behind only the illustrious Maid-Sama!), and so, this episode has several special guests. Caitlin (OG Fushigi Yugi superfan), Sara Linsley (manga letterer extraordinaire), and Zahra Ymer (manga scholar in training), and Ashley discuss how the series compares to its predecessor, pick apart Watase's sidebar notes (she thinks she'd be Tomite if she were a boy?!), fawn over Uruki / Limdo and Takiko (okay, that's mostly Ashley), and discover that all the good guys in this manga are basically serial ki...2020-09-171h 28Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastParadise Kiss (with Lucy and Robin from CLAMPcast in Wonderland)Covers all of Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa.Welcome to the world of high fashion (or at least, high drama). Paradise Kiss is one of those rare josei titles that got released in English, and it had a huge impact on this episode's special guests, Robin and Lucy (who host the podcast CLAMPcast in Wonderland). Ai Yazawa's work is relatable in many ways, and really inspired Shojo & Tell host Ashley to want to make some art after reading it. In the podcast, Robin, Lucy, and Ashley discuss the connection between creating art and creating life and how...2020-07-312h 29Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastPreview Guide 5: Fushigi Yugi: Byakko SenkiThis is a review of Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki volume 1, a new series by Yuu Watase that's going to be released by Viz.Whether you've read the original Fushigi Yugi and Genbu Kaiden or not, you should be hype for the latest (and last) installment in Yuu Watase's beloved series. Byakko Senki is set slightly after Genbu Kaiden and follows Suzuno as she struggles with the sudden loss of her parents and being the destined priestess inside The Universe of the Four Gods. Fushigi Yugi has always been dark, but this first volume is the heaviest of...2020-07-2330 minShojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastHaruka Pt. 2 (with Asher Sofman)Covers volumes 10–17 of Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time by Tohko Mizuno.We’re back to discuss the second half of Haruka, a manga series based on one of the earliest otome game franchises. Suddenly, the story remembers it’s a romance, and all eight of the guardians realize they're vying for the priestess Akane’s heart. And she starts to see all of them as the sexy menfolk they are. (Except Yasuaki, who is still the best. But he's a golem (or is he a homunculus?), so we get it.) Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her boytoy A...2020-07-161h 12Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastHaruka Pt. 1 (with Asher Sofman)Covers volumes 1–9 of Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time by Tohko Mizuno.Haruka (perhaps more widely known as Harukanaru Toki no Naka de) was one of the first-ever otome games, and it launched a franchise that spun off into manga and anime adaptations as well. Though the series didn’t gain popularity in the United States, we thought HARUKA was important to cover for its historical context. In this episode, Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her boytoy Asher journey back to the Heian era with Akane (a normal high school girl who’s a priestess in this altern...2020-07-021h 23Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastFruits Basket Another (with Jacob Chapman)Covers all three volumes of Fruits Basket another by Natsuki TakayaWould you like to have another basket of fruit? Natsuki Takaya shows us what the kids of everyone from the original Fruits Basket cast are like in this sequel to the blockbuster series. Another centers around Sawa Mitoma, aka NegaTohru, as she suffers abuse from her single mother and meets the Sohma kids in high school. In this podcast, Fruits Basket fanatic Jacob and Shojo & Tell host Ashley get into whether this sequel series stands on its own, whether it's worth reading, how Takaya handles the...2020-06-171h 00Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastAngelic Layer (with Aisha Soleil and Asher Sofman) [Shonen Exception #2]Covers all five volumes of Angelic Layer by CLAMP.What if battle shonen, but for GIRLS? That's the premise of Angelic Layer, where young girls get to fight with super-cool dolls that they control with their minds (OK, Ohjiro can play too). Upon coming to Tokyo, Misaki immediately becomes smitten with this game and learns the ropes very quickly. Shojo & Tell host Ashley, her boytoy Asher, and guest Aisha discuss the gender dynamics of the manga (moms can play with VR tech too!!), the fanfiction-y nature of CLAMP’s works, and who the best deus and angel ar...2020-06-031h 08Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastBeast Master (with Asher Sofman)Covers both volumes of Beast Master by Kyousuke Motomi"There is a beast inside of each of us that protects the things we hold dear." That’s the driving force behind this short story from Kyousuke Motomi (Dengeki Daisy, QQ Sweeper). It follows Yuiko as she tries to tame the beast of a boy named Leo. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her boytoy Asher discuss how moar money leads to moar problems in Leo’s family, why English is wrong for having “fear” and “hatred” be separate words, how this story of domestication and bestiality compares to manly man me...2020-05-2057 minShojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastMeteor Prince (with Asher Sofman)Covers both volumes of Meteor Prince by Meca Tanaka.A wild and whacky ride awaits in this super-short series about an alien named Io (who is essentially Tamaki Suoh from Ouran High School Host Club) looking for his soul mate, Hako, on Earth. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her lover Asher dive deep into the use of soul mates in literature and have an excessively silly shipping corner. Remember: You and me, baby, ain't nothing but mammals, so let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel. (But is Io a mammal??)REFERENCES...2020-04-0850 minShojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastPreview Guide 4: Not Your IdolThis is a review of Not Your Idol volume 1, a new series by Aoi Makino that's going to be released by Viz.Not Your Idol tackles the ups and downs of idol culture in Japan (as you can probably tell from the title). It follows a girl named Nina, who was once the leader of the idol group Pure Club. At an event for Pure Club, she was attacked by a supposed fan, which leads her to drop out of the group and start dressing as a boy to protect herself. That's only the beginning of the...2020-04-0224 minShojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastBasara Pt. 3 (with Caitlin)Covers volumes 19–27 of Basara by Yumi Tamura (the last third of the series).The war epic that is Basara finally comes to an end in this long denouement (and two volumes of side stories). Shojo manga master Caitlin and Shojo & Tell host Ashley answer a listener question about lost limbs, pay tribute to the characters who didn't survive to the end of the story, go into the handling of the later plot developments involving the White King, Ginko, and chat about all the side stories (there were so many!). Along the way, dolphin bombs are discussed, and Na...2020-03-241h 05Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastBasara Pt. 2 (with Caitlin)Covers volumes 10–18 of Basara by Yumi Tamura (the middle third of the series).The middle third of Basara contains some wacky stuff, like a baby who's not really a baby and threatens to stab Sarasa. But honestly, we don't get into all that: shojo manga master Caitlin and Shojo & Tell host Ashley discuss the identity crisis of Sarasa/Tatara and how that's wrapped up in gender, get into Ageha as a character and the manga's main theme about reconciling with your perceived enemies, and both applaud and laugh at the sexy sex scene between Sarasa and Shuri. Pl...2020-02-261h 00Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastBasara Pt. 1 (with Caitlin)Covers volumes 1–9 of Basara by Yumi Tamura (the first third of the series)Strap in for a classic epic fantasy shojo series with Basara. Though it never quite blew up in the United States, Yumi Tamura's manga is spectacular, and Anime Feminist's Caitlin and Shojo & Tell host Ashley are here to set the record straight about its greatness. Basara tells the story of Tatara, the child of destiny, who's fated to overthrow the evil rulers of Japan. When Tatara dies, his sister, Sarasa, takes his place. And she falls in love, unknowingly, with her greatest enemy, Shuri, th...2020-02-141h 07Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastLove in Focus (with Asher Sofman)Covers all 3 volumes of Love in Focus by Yoko NogiriLove in Focus is a very cute and subtly subversive series about a high school love triangle between Mako, Kei, and Mitsuru and their experiences with a photography club. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her boytoy Asher heap tons of praise on this highly aware manga. Ashley rants about why Kei is too relatable and therefore is aggravating, there's debate about the state of photography in the modern day, and there are revelations about what makes Mako a refreshing shojo manga protagonist. In the end, this episode...2020-01-241h 03Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastGirl Got Game (with Loyola Rankin)Covers all 10 volumes of Girl Got Game (also known as Power!!) by Shizuru SeinoGirl Got Game is a basketball manga about Kyo Aizawa, who’s pretending to be a boy so she can play on the men’s team and live out her father’s dream of becoming an NBA star. And yet it’s also not at all a basketball manga, because they never actually play a basketball game. (Okay. Maybe once. In 10 volumes.) Even so, Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her good friendo Loyola Rankin have a soft spot for this ’90s manga. Ashley relates pe...2020-01-031h 13Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastMy Lesbian Experience with Loneliness + My Solo Exchange Diary (with Asher Sofman)Covers all of My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness and My Solo Exchange Diary by Nagata KabiNot a shojo manga episode, yet also not a shonen exception: My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness and My Solo Exchange Diary are memoir manga about a young woman’s experience coming out and dealing with deep-rooted depression. In an episode largely fueled by listener questions, Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her lover, Asher Sofman, go over the most #relatable bits of Kabi's life, whether Kabi should continue down the road of writing about her own life, how there's actually not a lo...2019-12-1858 minShojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastBehind the Scenes!! (with ShaeGeeksOut)Covers all seven volumes of Behind the Scenes!! by Bisco HatoriWhat if Ouran High School Host Club, but with college students who are members of the “art squad”? That’s the premise of Bisco Hatori’s follow-up to her smash-hit, formative comedy series. Shae from Shaegeeksout and Shojo & Tell host Ashley discuss all the ways in which Behind the Scenes!! is and is not like Ouran, give some sound dating advice, shout-out the representation of anxiety in Ranmaru, choose which Goda is better (long hair? short hair?!), and stan Tomu x Maasa forever. If you don’t want to...2019-11-271h 13Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastWish (with Asher Sofman)Covers all of Wish by CLAMPI can be your angle or yuor devil. Shojo and Tell host Ashley and journey-through-all-of-CLAMP pal Asher Sofman go on a bizarre adventure with CLAMP’s JoJo’s fanfiction. Topics of discussion include gender pronouns, purity, tests of love, and shipping, where the conclusion is that the most interesting romantic ship is between Shuichiro and his mom, Hotaru, who is a tree fairy. We know this manga about the angel Kohaku was very formative to plenty of people. Please explain to us why?REFERENCESWish is available from Dark...2019-11-021h 08Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastOuran High School Host Club Pt. 2 (with Rose Bridges and Aisha Soleil)Covers volumes 10-18 of OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB by Bisco Hatori
OURAN superfan Rose Bridges, manga reviewer Aisha Soleil chat, and Shojo & Tell host Ashley are back to talk about even more host club hijinks. Specifically, this episode is basically about everything that wasn't adapted into the anime version. (You've been warned.) The three dive into more comparisons between the anime and manga, discuss some responses from listeners about their favorite host club boys (y'all are such haters about the twins, you know that?), talk about why there aren't more reverse harem series of late, and...2019-06-271h 49
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastEveryone’s Getting Married (with Aisha Soleil)Covers all of EVERYONE’S GETTING MARRIED by Izumi Miyazono
This is a josei battle of wills as our heroine (Asuka) wants nothing more than to get married and become a homemaker, while the man she’s fallen for (Ryu) is determined to never be bound by the plague of marriage. (Can’t imagine who wins this war.) Aisha Soleil of MommaLuvsManga tells Shojo & Tell host Ashley what makes EVERYONE’S GETTING MARRIED stand out among other josei fare (the feminism is strong here!) and both constantly dunk on the love rival, Kamiya, for being the worst. Aisha an...2019-04-151h 52
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastHouse of the Sun Part 2 (with Kelly Quinn Chiu)Covers volumes 8–13 of House of the Sun by TaamoOne Panel Later co-host, librarian, and manga reviewer Kelly Quinn Chiu and Shojo & Tell host Ashley dig deeper into the small moments that make this sleeper hit from Taamo so special. OK, honestly, Ashley mostly just rants about how Daiki is perfect and how he was robbed in this manga, while Kelly details how perfect Mao and Hiro’s relationship is. Both express shock and dismay at how, in a manga full of crummy characters like Mao’s dad and Sugimoto, Mao’s mom somehow ends up being the wors...2019-02-271h 58
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastHouse of the Sun Part 1 (with Kelly Quinn Chiu)Covers volumes 1–7 of House of the Sun by TaamoOne Panel Later co-host, librarian, and manga reviewer Kelly Quinn Chiu explains why Taamo’s House of the Sun is such a hidden gem. Kelly and Shojo & Tell host Ashley discuss the ups and downs of this slice-of-life drama and age gap romance, why libraries don’t often have digital manga, why Mao is so obsessed with a phallic creature, how Hiro needs therapy (lots and lots of therapy), and how truly awful Mao’s family (and Sugimoto) are. The metaphors of umbrellas and fireworks and the trap that is...2019-02-071h 44
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastKimi ni Todoke Part 3 (with Caitlin Moore)Covers volumes 21–30 of Kimi ni Todoke by Karuho Shiina (end of the series)Welcome to our final episode on Karuho Shiina’s contemporary classic. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and shojo manga connoisseur Caitlin Moore FINALLY get to reflect on what went down between Ayane and Pin (how it was all handled was such a pleasant surprise!). Plus, Kurumi finally gets her time to shine in our elaborate alt ending where she ends up with Sawako and as a contestant on TERRACE HOUSE (this episode involves a lot of fanfiction-making). And most importantly, Ashley and Caitlin rank Pin’s hair...2019-01-1955 min
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastKimi ni Todoke Part 2 (with Caitlin Moore)Covers volumes 11–20 of Kimi ni Todoke by Karuho ShiinaWinter is here, which means it’s time to settle in with the coziest manga for the season: the beloved Kimi ni Todoke. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and shojo manga connoisseur Caitlin Moore are back to discuss the good and the bad about the middle of Karuho Shiina’s hit series. Somehow, Kazehaya and Kento have flipped in quality during these 10 volumes (KAZEHAYA. GET IT TOGETHER. HOLD SAWAKO’S HAND.), so a lot is said about how that weirdness happens. Also discussed: The best Chizu moments (when she says Ken...2019-01-021h 15
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastKimi ni Todoke Part 1 (with Caitlin Moore)Covers volumes 1–10 of Kimi ni Todoke by Karuho ShiinaThe year 2018 marked the end of an era: After 30 volumes, the deeply treasured Kimi ni Todoke is over. And to mark this special occasion, we’re once again embarking on a trilogy of podcasts. Shojo & Tell host Ashley is a huge Kimi ni Todoke fan, as is Anime Feminist author/editor and all-around shojo manga connoisseur Caitlin Moore. The two gush about the series’ best qualities (particularly the developments of healthy and tender female friendships) and how Ayane is the best character but Chizu is more relatable. Kazehaya is cal...2018-12-191h 02
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastWake Up, Sleeping Beauty (with Asher Sofman)Covers Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty by Megumi Morino (all six volumes of the series)
“I can't believe Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty single-handedly convinced me that manga was not a mistake.”
“This is up there with Erased and Princess Jellyfish for me as far as human relations go.”
“I don't know if I'm going to be able to go back to manga after reading this manga, it was everything I ever wanted in a romance manga.”
“This manga is much better than you would expect since nobody’s hyped it up — and we want to be the...2018-11-281h 06
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastFruits Basket Part 3 (with ANN’s Jacob Chapman)Covers volumes 17-23 of Fruits Basket by Natsuki TakayaThe curse has finally broken! And did you hear there’s going to be a new Fruits Basket anime?! Great. We don’t talk about that on this podcast! (This is a manga podcast, after all. And this episode was recorded before the announcement.) But don’t worry, massive Furuba fan and Anime News Network editor Jacob Chapman and Shojo & Tell host Ashley find plenty to talk about in the last third of the series (this concludes our trilogy of podcasts!). Jacob explains why Akito is such a compel...2018-11-152h 20
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastPreview Guide 3: Ao Haru Ride and Kira-kun TodayDiscusses the first volumes of Ao Haru Ride by Io Sakisaka and Kira-kun Today by Rin Mikimoto
After September brought no new shojo manga series debuts in the US, October has brought two! Shojo & Tell host Ashley McDonnell and her bestie Asher Sofman have differing opinions on the quality of this month’s debuts. They discuss the wackiness of Kira-kun Today and what makes Io Sakisaka’s much-hyped Ao Haru Ride special (Ao Haru Ride is also known as Blue Spring Ride). Whether you like talking birds or childhood crushes, strange depression or persistent melancholy, there’s probab...2018-10-2430 min
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastMagic Knight Rayearth (with Asher Sofman)Covers all of Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP (that's six volumes across MKR I and II)
Take a trip to Cefiro, grab a sword, and get in a mech in this wild and beautiful Clamp classic. Asher and Ashley do a character walkthrough that’s mostly gushing about how pretty everyone is (Eagle! Lantis! Umi! Fuu! Hikaru! That's only 1/100th of the number of characters in this six-volume manga!), debate whether Princess/Pillar Emeraude committed suicide and how this relates to controversies over assisted suicide, and of course, fail to escape hitsuzen because everything is hitsuzen. Plus, th...2018-10-031h 48
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastBanana Fish Part 2 (with Marion Bea)Covers volumes 12 through 19 of Banana Fish by Akimi Yoshida
It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Banana Fish fan Marion goes on an epic rant about The Ending of the series. Seriously! What?! WHY?! Who thought this was okay!? Marion and Shojo & Tell host Ashley also discuss the role of women in Yoshida’s series, touch on the importance of found families, walk through all the ships we’re given in the end (obviously, OTP is Ash and Eiji), and ponder why Blanca has such broad shoulders. Plus: Did Ashley cry while reading the short st...2018-09-191h 34
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastBanana Fish Part 1 (with Marion Bea)Covers volumes 1 through 11 of Banana Fish by Akimi Yoshida
It’s a perfect day to discuss Banana Fish, the revived classic about how everyone — except some select gang members and an innocent Japanese boy named Eiji Okumura — wants to kill the brilliant and beautiful and deadly Ash Lynx. Shojo & Tell host Ashley found the biggest Banana Fish fan in Marion, and together they discuss the literary and political history Akimi Yoshida’s work draws from, the representations of race and queerness in the story, answer some of your questions about how the modernized anime compares to this very ’80...2018-09-051h 54
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastPreview Guide 2: Shortcake CakeDiscusses the first volume of Shortcake Cake by Suu Morishita
We’re back for our second preview guide, covering this month’s new shojo manga series debut of SHORTCAKE CAKE. Viz Media’s mobile app developer Jeff Ruberg and host Ashley review and react to this first volume, digging into its fresh pop aesthetic, which boy is the cutest, Ten’s really long hair, and more. Should you pick up this volume, or should you just go pick up a piece of shortcake instead? Find out here.
LINKS
Shortcake Cake is available from Viz Media’s...2018-08-2933 min
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastPretear (with May Fisher-Guest)Covers all of Pretear by Junichi Sato and Kaori Naruse (four volumes)
Remember back in 2001 when the Pretear anime was the cool new shojo? Did you know there was a manga that’s actually pretty vastly different than that anime you remember so fondly? May Fisher-Guest (host of the Digimon podcast Lost in Translationmon) and ever-present host Ashley get into the differences between the anime and the manga, dissect the series’ connections to the fairytales Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella, talk about the cyclic nature of suffering, and fawn over how hot Hayate and the...2018-08-081h 30
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastPreview Guide 1: Fruits Basket Another and Sacrificial Princess & the King of BeastsDiscusses the first volumes of Fruits Basket Another by Natsuki Takaya and Sacrificial Princess & the King of Beasts by Yu Tomofuji
Welcome to our first preview guide! What's a preview guide, you ask? Our preview guide episodes will cover the first volume of newly released shojo/josei series (in the US), providing first reactions about the manga (mixing review with our normal discussion format). These will be shorter episodes that come out in addition to our normal bi-weekly, in-depth series discussions. More shojo talk! What could be better?
Our inaugural series are Fruits Basket Another...2018-08-0143 min
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastPrincess Jellyfish Part 2Covers volumes 9 to 17 of Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura
Don your armor (read: your prettiest, frilliest dress) and get ready to defend Tsukimi and all the residents of Amamizukan from corporate kidnapper Kai Fish. Guest Carrie McClain (an editor at Black Nerd Problems) and host Ashley list off the moments that made them cry in the second half, what clothes come to mean for the Amars, who has agency (and who doesn’t), and have one of the most epic Shipping Corners on the podcast yet. (Shu!! How dare you worm your way into our hearts like th...2018-07-251h 49
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastFushigi Yugi Part 2Covers volumes 10-18 of Fushigi Yugi by Yu Watase
We’re back to talk about the strange saga of Fushigi Yugi’s ending and how Tamahome became Taka, or Taka was always Taka but he allowed Tamahome to exist, one’s a shadow, something like that. Just trust us on this one. Ashley, Caitlin, and Jess also discuss how Miaka and Yui have matured after one of them was consumed by a dragon god (oh, they also graduated middle school), how a young Yu Watase may have been underestimating the power of shojo manga, and, most importantly, everyb...2018-06-131h 08
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastWe Were There Part 2 (with Nancy from Shojo Beat)Covers volumes 9-16 of We Were There by Yuki Obata
Ultra super special guest Nancy Thistlethwaite, a senior editor for Viz Media’s Shojo Beat line, returns to do an in-depth character analysis of Nanami, Yano, Takeuchi, Yuri, and the rest of the crew in We Were There (Bokura ga Ita). (Host Ashley and Nancy may talk a little too much about Take, against their better judgment. Stop it, Take! Get out of here! Team Yano forever!) Memories, dreams, and metaphors like the internal compass are analyzed, Yano's t-shirts are harshly judged (Yano! You have better shirts th...2018-05-021h 08
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastWe Were There Part 1 (with Nancy from Shojo Beat)Covers volumes 1-8 of We Were There by Yuki Obata
Super special guest Nancy Thistlethwaite, a senior editor for Viz Media’s Shojo Beat line, discusses the first half of the beautiful and devastating series We Were There with host Ashley. Nancy and Ashley get into why Obata’s work didn’t take off in America, which scenes punched them in the gut the most, why people who don’t ship Yano and Nanami just don’t get it, and find out which Disneyland Land Nanami is. Plus, you find out that Ashley really loves Yano’s t-shirts.2018-04-181h 00
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastQQ Sweeper (with Laura from Heart of Manga)Covers all three volumes of QQ Sweeper by Kyousuke Motomi
Spring is finally here! So Ashley and Laura prepare to start spring cleaning by first reading QQ Sweeper. Which is legit about sweeping. Like, with a broom. A plain old broom. Sure, it's also about exorcisms and supernatural stuff and punching giant centipedes, but mostly, it's about sweeping. And it is SO GOOD. Ashley and Laura get to the heart of what a Cinderella story even is, why this series has a sequel called Queen's Quality, the power of cleaning in real life and in metaphor, and...2018-03-211h 02
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastArina Tanemura One-Shots (with Loyola Rankin)Covers: I.O.N., Short-Tempered Melancholic and Other Stories, and Mistress Fortune, all by Arina Tanemura
Put on your frilliest dress and lace up as Loyola and Ashley discuss a bunch of one-volume manga from the author of Full Moon O Sagashite. Which of these six short stories was the best? Why exactly did Tanemura think having a lecherous 14-year-old character would be fun? Should you forget your umbrella every time it rains so your crush will be forced to share theirs with you? All that and much more is discussed in this whacky episode. Spoilers: Ashley's...2018-03-071h 19
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastMeruPuri (with Loyola Rankin)All four volumes of MERUPURI are discussed.
Ashley and Loyola discuss a short manga from Matsuri Hino, the creator of Vampire Knight. It’s the first manga covered on the podcast that doesn’t have an anime adaptation, and given its strange mashup of Japanese, German, English, and random symbols, neither Ashley nor Loyola ever figures out how to pronounce ANYTHING! (as-tale? UH-stale? Who knows? Do you know?) There’s talk of tattoos and taboos, mirrors reflecting the past and the present, and fanfiction written about main character Airi’s favorite show, “Tales of Marriage on the Plains.”2018-01-101h 50
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastMaid-sama! Part 2Vol 10-18 of Maid-sama! (end of the series)
Asher and Ashley are back to discuss the second half of Hiro Fujiwara’s modern masterpiece about Maid Latte. As promised, the Ashes discuss Maid-sama!’s portrayal of social class and the tension between the aristocracy and the meritocracy, lament that some characters end up in problematic pairings, and gush about how cute Misaki and Usui were during the hot springs trip (and later, when they exchange scarves — too freakin’ cute!).
LINKS
Get Maid-sama! from Viz Media (Shojo Beat line)
“Lost in the Meritocracy” by Walter Kirn (Articl...2017-12-271h 38
Shojo & Tell: A Manga PodcastMaid-sama! Part 1 (with Asher Sofman)Covers: MAID-SAMA! Vol. 1-9
After doing two classic shojo series, we’re finally covering Ashley’s favorite manga of all time: Maid-sama! Yes, Ashley’s favorite manga is about working in a maid cafe. Asher and Ashley discuss how liking a manga about maids is okay (also discussed: whether this manga is actually about maids), what this battle of the sexes story has to say about gender roles, and whether Misaki Ayuzawa and Usui Takumi make a good couple. Mostly, Ashley just rants about how Misaki is the greatest.
LINKS
Get Maid-sama! from Viz Media...2017-12-131h 24