Sisters of Defiance: new podcast telling the real stories behind the world's most influential women

Leading wellness pioneer Ancient + Brave takes its first step into the world of podcasts as the official founding partner of Sisters of Defiance, a new premium weekly podcast hosted and produced by award-winning broadcaster Anita Rani.

The podcast is a new series where bold women reveal the nerve it took to break the rules, and hear their untold stories that followed.

The series marks a significant strategic investment by the brand into original media, taking a brave leap into positioning Ancient + Brave as a content publisher as well as a wellness company, extending its purpose beyond products into storytelling that champions resilience, the bravery of modern womanhood and cultural impact.

Featured in every episode is ‘The Last Offering’ , a segment from Ancient + Brave which sees Anita joined by Ancient + Brave experts Dr Jenna Macciochi and Jo Woodhurst. Together they draw on ancestral knowledge, ritual and the wisdom of the women who came before us to explore the everyday rituals and practices that can help all of us to live a braver life.

Hosted by BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour presenter Anita Rani, Sisters of Defiance will feature globally recognised guests.

These guests will include Claire Waight Keller, Emma Grede, Gisele Pelicot, Dame Meera Syal and Anoushka Shankar, in candid, long-form conversations exploring the moments of defiance that shaped their lives and careers. Additional guests include comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri and more to be announced.

Produced by Rani’s new production company, Illuminaunty Productions, the series sees culture shapers, trailblazers and female icons invited into Rani’s home studio to share the stories that are rarely told publicly—moments where expectations were defied, convention dismantled, and power reclaimed on their own terms.

The podcast combines editorial depth with an intimate, at-home filming style, designed to create a more personal and immersive experience for audiences. The production is backed by a full multi-platform distribution strategy spanning YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and short-form social content.

A timely entry into a shifting media landscape

The launch reflects a broader shift in podcast consumption, with audiences increasingly favouring video-first formats and longer-form storytelling. According to YouTube, the platform now reaches more than one billion monthly podcast viewers, while a growing share of UK listeners are choosing visual platforms as their primary way to engage.

At the same time, female-led long-form storytelling remains significantly under-served despite women now representing one of podcasting’s fastest-growing and most engaged audiences. Female podcast listenership has tripled over the past decade, while research consistently shows women-led lifestyle and wellness content drives stronger loyalty, repeat listening and higher audience conversion rates than many celebrity-led formats.

A new model for brand partnerships

Sisters of Defiance has been built as a premium, brand-led, editorially credible environment, with clearly defined integrated opportunities for partners spanning host-read placements, social amplification and long-term visibility across platforms.

Anita Rani’s partnership with Ancient + Brave is a natural alignment of values, resilience, wellbeing and modern womanhood. In its role as a partner, Ancient + Brave reflects a growing trend within beauty and wellness, where brands are investing in media properties that build deeper cultural relevance and community connection.

“Sisters of Defiance is rooted in the belief that modern wellness brands need to do more than market products, they need to create genuine value and moments of community,” says Carrie Mash, head of partnerships at Ancient + Brave. “This series is about building space for honest conversations around ambition, resilience and personal growth, while offering content that actively supports and enriches our audience beyond the point of purchase. It reflects how we see the future of brand storytelling: not simply broadcasting to communities, but meaningfully showing up for them.”

Anita Rani says: “This podcast is another moment in which I’m breaking free to do things my own way, and to shout about people I see as fellow defiant ones, who’ve taken risks, broken rules and quietly or loudly changed the shape of things. It’s about the moments that disrupted the plan and what it really took to keep going when things got complicated. The honest stuff we don’t often get to talk about.

“I am building a community for the people who want to belong. It has purpose, to fuel and recharge and inspire. To lead with integrity and to listen to the voices of powerful women with stories to share.”

Launching on 26 May 2026, Sisters of Defiance will be released weekly across all major platforms, including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, with full video episodes, audio and short-form content created for Instagram and TikTok.