Joanna York

As the health pandemic rolls on, setting work goals for 2021 might feel like a big ask. The past year has provided a crash course in uncertainty that has made many of us question our priorities. We spoke to Penelope Jones, founder of career support resource My So-Called Career, to find out where to begin.

As a broadcast sports journalist who hosted flagship TV shows on US sports network ESPN, Cari Champion often stood out as the lone woman—and often the only black person—behind the desk. In 2020, after almost eight years at the network, she quit. Now, advocacy for racial and gender equality is at the centre of her work. Here, she talks authenticity, speaking out and knowing her worth.

In 15 years working on construction sites, Michelle has worked with another woman once—otherwise it’s her and anything from five to 2,000 men. She has coped with this by developing a work persona. “I take up as much room as I can. I change my tone. I swear more,” she said. "My husband used to say when I came back from the site, ‘Okay, drop your balls at the door. You’re at home now..."

“Prior to lockdown, I normalised it. I told myself, my using was quite normal. Then the whole world kind of just stopped, and the one thing that continued was the drinking.”
Victoria is a recovering alcohol and cocaine addict. Alongside many others who struggle with addiction, working from home during the pandemic had a profound effect on her habits...

Forget perfectly curated Instagram accounts, keeping it real is having a moment on social media. Over on LinkedIn, users are also slowly beginning to question the ultra-rosy picture of our work lives painted by influencers...

The ‘hidden’ church of St Michael’s in Paris has been welcoming visitors since 1834, among them ambassadors, members of the British Royal Family and John Lennon. Joanna York
takes a pew...

Netflix’s blockbuster Emily in Paris has been accused of not being realistic but much of it is spot on, says the American woman whose experience of moving to Paris and working in a luxury marketing agency inspired the script.

Joanna York met her for coffee...

In 2020, Denise Willis has looked at her own face for hours every day during video calls for her job as a teacher. Before every class, she switches on the camera and is met with her own reflection.

“It’s almost like when you hear your voice recorded,” she said. “You have this image in your head of how everything is supposed to look and sound, and the initial pop-up throws you off.”

So far, there are an estimated 60,000 people who are living with long Covid in the UK. These people—known as “long haulers”—caught Covid-19 and have been left with unusual symptoms that last for three months or more. Kate Hebden-Brittain is one of these people.

The US Ambassador to France is no grey-suited career diplomat. Among her previous jobs, she was CEO and co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball club. She tells Joanna York of her long love of France (and cooking) and her hopes for the upcoming US election.

An interview with a Paris director about how his theatre was saved from financial ruin during the Covid-19 crisis, thanks to an heirloom that belonged to Marilyn Monroe.

Deep into the European Covid-19 crisis, the UK's position on quarantine shows no more nuance than it did seven months ago, Joanna York writes.

The circumstances for many companies and employees have been far from ideal this year. In fact, when it comes to work, it’s hard to imagine that we’ll remember 2020 as anything but a year of lay-offs, furlough and instability, with a crumbling economy looming in the background.
But…what if that’s not your story? What if, despite everything, you’ve actually been nailing your job? In normal circumstances, you’d probably have a strong case to argue for a pay rise.

We’ve all had one. The bad boss you would moan about in the pub, dread meetings with and cross the office to avoid. They come in various guises, but the common underlying factor is that a toxic manager makes their employees unhappy. And unhappy often means less productive.
But what if you are that bad boss?

A reported feature on changing careers in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, featuring interviewees who are in the midst of changing careers, and expert opinions.