Interview: Comedian Cally Beaton About Her Podcast, Vulnerability and Upsizing in Career
Public speaker, executive coach and comedian Cally Beaton is creating waves in the world of podcasts. Her new podcast ‘Namaste Motherfuckers’ which aims to bring Humour, Business and Self Care is out each Monday and is featuring an array of celebrated and famous personalities talking about everything from politics, to childhood, to success, and impostor syndrome.
We sat down with comedian Cally Beaton to talk about her new podcast Namaste Motherfuckers, Vulnerability and Upsizing at work.
Change is Not Always Bad: Comedian Cally Beaton Believes in Upsizing
With so many sides to Cally, we wonder whether all her seemingly separate and unrelated skills and experiences add to one another or do they rather take away from each other and compete in some ways.
In her calm and pacifying voice, podcast host revealed that when she first started it was in her forties. “I thought it was like a secret second life. Stand up was completely separate from corporate life. I used different name for my stage persona – Cally as opposed to Caroline – so that when people research my name, me they wouldn’t find out. Then some of my colleagues started to join the dots… It took me probably a couple of years as a stand up to realise that I might be able to bring everything I’d ever done together into one sort of persona.”
Without minimising the trouble people have gone through, it’s also possible things could be better. Whether it’s me or anyone else in the world, you take what you’re good at and do your best in the next thing you do.
Having transitioned from delivering ‘boring annual reposts’ in her role as a Senior VP of the ViacomCBS to a stand up comedian, Cally attests that change is not always a bad thing. “One of the things I talk about on stage is that if you want to reinvent yourself – at whatever stage in life – you don’t have to downsize. You don’t get rid of that thing you did for 10 years. Instead, you can bring all the things that you are good at into the next new thing. I’m a big believer in upsizing.” She continues, “I think maybe after the pandemic that’s quite heartening message for people as they are thinking ‘oh goodness my old careers got really shaky or everything is up in the air and maybe everything won’t be as good again’. Without minimising the trouble people have gone through, it’s also possible things could be better. Whether it’s me or anyone else in the world, you take what you’re good at and do your best in the next thing you do.”
Having Uncomfortable Conversations
Having a neurodiverse son, I had to get ready comfortable with the idea that difference doesn’t mean less.
It would seem like Cally was indeed very supported and encouraged by her peers at Viacom. And it was none other than Joan Rivers who suggested Cally should be a stand up. We wonder if there is a trend where corporations are more willing to embrace people’s personal life.
“In my corporate days at the Viacom, there was this idea of bringing your whole self to work and they were talking about that 10 years ago, which was long before it was fashionable. Nowadays, every company has their diversity and inclusion programme. And all those kind of phrases get thrown about – whether they mean anything or not. I suppose looking at the world that I inhabit now, really important thing I think is for people to seek out difference so to realise the difference doesn’t mean less. My son’s autistic and having a neurodiverse son, I had to get ready comfortable with the idea that difference doesn’t mean less.”
Cally’s message is also about checking our bias. “I’m sure you, me, everyone who reads this is trying to do their best in the world and not to be bigoted but we keep having to check our point of reference. So, the only way we find that out is by having conversations that might be a bit more unlikely or maybe a bit more uncomfortable sometimes.
Namaste Motherfuckers Reflects Cally’s Love For Nuanced Debate
With her podcast, it would seem, Cally Beaton is really aiming to revisit all the challenging topics. The episode with Richard Osman for example, didn’t talk about how it’s like to be one of the best-known presenters but what it was like to grow without a dad and showing his vulnerability.
Speaking of diversity of opinions, Cally’s guests include Geoff Norcott – one of very few right-wing comedians on the circuit, Matt Forde – most high-profile left-wing comedian and founding leader of women’s equality party Sophie Walker. The host admits that “in all of those cases, the interviews did absolutely speak about politics and ideology, but they did also speak about human side. I’m interested in nuanced debate.”
As Cally talks about being a single mum, attending all boys’ school, and navigating corporate world, the subject of vulnerability comes up again and again. So, we ask about Cally Beaton’s relationship with vulnerability.
Exploring Own Vulnerability
It takes a lot of effort to make things look so effortless. And I want people to remember that when they see me on a stage, and I look so effortless.
“You teach what you most need to learn,” bluntly admits Cally off the bat. “That’s what I talk about vulnerability so much because I do find it such a difficult thing. My last but one comedy show was called ‘Super Cally. Fragile Lipstick’. It was built on the idea that behind this superhero exterior, things were much more complicated. That year, I suffered with clinical depression for the first time in my life, my kids were leaving home, I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep my corporate job. I was really a mess and I realised that I never really articulated these things to anyone other than my therapist and my very close friends. I made a conscious decision that I wanted to know my own vulnerabilities more and I wanted to be brave enough to talk about it to other people, talk about it on stage.”
“I say that quite a lot, especially in corporate speeches, that it takes a lot of effort to make things look so effortless. And I want people to remember that when they see me on a stage, and I look so effortless. I do still find it scary to let my real self be seen but I’m incredibly taken with the importance of doing that and letting that struggle be seen.”
And if you are taken by Cally’s journey to explore her own strength and vulnerability and check her bias, you absolutely must tune in to listen to Cally’s podcast Namaste Motherfuckers.
Cally Beaton Namaste Podcast Episodes
With all Series 1 episodes is available on all major platforms, and presented by comedian, business mentor, speaker and broadcaster Cally Beaton, expect one new episode every Monday.
Ever wondered what it’s like to be a national treasure? Or whether you can help yourself with self-help? If it’s possible to get rich quick without being a dick? Or how many close family members have to die before you get a dog?
With the help of celebrity guests and experts such as Richard Osman, John Lloyd and Desiree Birch, Cally is getting to the stories you’ve never heard before – uncovering not your normal life lessons, but some big ones nonetheless.
AudioBoom Link:
https://audioboom.com/posts/7839074-welcome-to-namaste-motherfuckers
Trailer:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/namaste-motherfuckers/id1562113984
Series 1
- Can you help yourself with self-help? with OLIVER BURKEMAN
- American & unf*ckable with DESIREE BIRCH
- Dead dogs, poetry & policemen with ARTHUR SMITH
- The importance of dying, on- & off-stage with EMILY DEAN
- Why you can never spend too much time watching television with RICHARD OSMAN
- How to be more than Quite Interesting with JOHN LLOYD
- 50 reasons not to kill your Mammy with BAZ ASHMAWY
- Fight, flight & feminism with SOPHIE WALKER
Series 2
- No such things as a fish out of water with DAN SCHREIBER
- Invisible my arse – defying stereotypes with ROSIE JONES
- Love in the time of Covid with SARA BARRON/GEOFF LLOYD
- They fuck you up, your Mum & Dad with SERENA GORDON
- Uniquely human – autism in the family with MATT RICHARDSON
- How not to hate thy neighbour with JAMALI MADDIX
- Older and wider with JENNI ÉCLAIR
- The funny business of comedy with DAVE BERNATH
- From right-on to right-wing with GEOFF NORCOTT
- Life Lessons from the Labour Party & Spitting image with MATT FORDE
Editor in Chief of Ikon London Magazine, journalist, film producer and founder of The DAFTA Film Awards (The DAFTAs).
