Episode Guest

Rachel Riley is an English television presenter. She co-presents the Channel 4 daytime puzzle show Countdown and its comedy spin-off 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. She is a mathematics graduate.

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 The #1 Predictor of Success

00:25 Meet Rachel Riley

02:11 Rachel's First Job Paid £25 a Week

04:14 Why Rachel Has Never Been Able to Waste Money

05:01 From Oxford Maths to the Financial Crisis

06:39 How Rachel Accidentally Got the Countdown Job

08:23 Rachel Ate One Shreddy Before Her Interview

09:54 The Call That Changed Rachel's Life

11:44 How Rachel Spots Good People

13:26 How Rachel Stayed Grounded on TV

15:07 Why Rachel Believes Everyone Has Imposter Syndrome

16:37 The CBT Lesson That Changed Rachel's Life

18:16 What 250 Stages Taught Rachel About Confidence

19:51 Why Rachel Thinks Learning to Fail Matters

21:05 Rachel's Obsession With Puzzles & Numbers

22:12 Why Rachel Wants More Girls in STEM

23:08 Why Rachel Believes Numeracy Changes Lives

25:59 Encouragement Comes Before Confidence

27:01 Rachel's Growth Mindset Formula

28:43 Rachel on AI, Technology & Future Careers

29:06 The Film Rachel Thinks Every Young Girl Should Watch

31:06 The Teacher Who Believed in Rachel

32:43 Why Rachel Supports National Numeracy

34:50 Rachel's Best Money Advice

37:03 Why Schools Don't Teach Real-Life Money Skills

38:49 Rachel's Invisible Success Habit

39:38 Rachel's Take on "Fake It Till You Make It"

41:16 What Gets Rachel Out of Bed Every Morning

42:15 Final Thoughts

Episode Partners

📊 Compare the Market

Discover how you can make a difference at Compare the Market, the company behind one of the UK’s most popular comparison sites. From tech and data to marketing and operations, they’re on a mission to simplify decisions for millions.

https://bit.ly/4i53Svj

Disclaimer:

The content provided on Duvet Flip is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. The views expressed by hosts, guests, brands or contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the show's producers, sponsors, or affiliates. The information shared is not a substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to career counseling, financial guidance, legal consultation, or mental health support.

Listeners and viewers are responsible for their own decisions and actions based on the content provided, and Duvet Flip assumes no liability for any outcomes resulting from reliance on the information shared. By engaging with the show, you acknowledge and agree to this disclaimer.

If you’re struggling with debt, trusted advice and free support can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/debt-advice

If you’re struggling with mental health of any kind, you can find free support here: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/

Alice Peacock is a Problem Manager at Virgin Media O2, responsible for investigating major network outages and putting permanent fixes in place for millions of customers across mobile, fibre, TV and business services. She started her career at 16 flipping burgers at McDonald's on Streatham High Street. After nearly two decades away from the workplace to raise her family, she returned through O2's Career Returners Programme — and hasn't looked back. Eight years in, her colleagues assume she's always been part of the furniture.

Virgin Media O2 is one of the UK's largest and most recognisable connectivity brands, delivering mobile, broadband, TV and business services to millions of customers across the country.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction & format explainer

01:57 Meet Alice

03:37 First job: McDonald's at 16

05:56 What young people should know about starting work

06:50 Alice's career break and the M&S chapter

07:52 How to get back into the job market

09:14 The O2 Career Returners Programme

10:17 Transferable skills from a career break

11:08 "Mum, I earn more than you" — the moment that changed everything

12:05 Imposter syndrome in tech

14:32 Why feedback matters

16:09 17 years away — and back like she never left

17:00 Getting paid to eat food and drink Prosecco

17:52 Why Alice chose Virgin Media O2

19:41 What a Problem Manager actually does day-to-day

21:08 When McDonald's is your client

23:18 Why customer trust is everything

23:45 Alice's Duvet Flip moment

Episode Partners

This episode is part of My Duvet Flip's Choose Customer series, produced in partnership with Virgin Media O2.

Disclaimer:

The content provided on Duvet Flip is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. The views expressed by hosts, guests, brands or contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the show's producers, sponsors, or affiliates. The information shared is not a substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to career counselling, financial guidance, legal consultation, or mental health support. Listeners and viewers are responsible for their own decisions and actions based on the content provided, and Duvet Flip assumes no liability for any outcomes resulting from reliance on the information shared. By engaging with the show, you acknowledge and agree to this disclaimer.

If you're struggling with debt, trusted advice and free support can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/debt-advice

If you're struggling with mental health of any kind, you can find free support here:

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/

About Charlotte

Charlotte Low is the COO at Colosseum Dental UK, overseeing 80 dental practices across England and Wales. She started work at 15, skipped university, qualified as an accountant, and spent years across multiple industries before finding her home in dentistry. She now sits on the executive board and has led a culture transformation that cut staff turnover from 55% down dramatically by putting people first.

About Colosseum Dental

Colosseum Dental is Europe's largest dental group with over 630 practices across the continent and 80 in the UK. They offer career pathways from dental nursing apprenticeships through to clinical and operational leadership, and are passionate about making dentistry accessible for people from all backgrounds.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:30 Charlotte's first job at 15 and working across generations

08:00 Why she chose not to go to university

14:00 Her first office job and what it taught her about leadership

22:00 Finding her way into the dental industry

30:00 What the COO role actually involves day to day

38:00 How Colosseum Dental cut 55% staff turnover

46:00 Partnering with Great Place to Work

54:00 Apprenticeships and careers in dentistry

01:02:00 Advice for young people starting out

Episode Partners:

Compare the Market Discover how you can make a difference at Compare the Market, the company behind one of the UK's most popular comparison sites. From tech and data to marketing and operations, they're on a mission to simplify decisions for millions.

https://bit.ly/4i53Svj

Disclaimer:

The content provided on Duvet Flip is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. The views expressed by hosts, guests, brands or contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the show's producers, sponsors, or affiliates. The information shared is not a substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to career counseling, financial guidance, legal consultation, or mental health support.

Listeners and viewers are responsible for their own decisions and actions based on the content provided, and Duvet Flip assumes no liability for any outcomes resulting from reliance on the information shared. By engaging with the show, you acknowledge and agree to this disclaimer.

If you're struggling with debt, trusted advice and free support can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/debt-advice

If you're struggling with mental health of any kind, you can find free support here: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/