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From the book she reads every night, to the blender she uses each day, these are the author-come-campaigner’s must-have’s
Anna Whitehouse is undoubtedly a woman of myriad talents. Since founding her online platform Mother Pukka in 2015, she’s taken on roles including columnist, radio host, TV presenter and author, penning two non-fiction books with husband Matt Farquharson; their first novel, Underbelly (£8.49, Amazon.co.uk), is published this month, and is already being developed as a TV series with a major production company.
On top of that, she’s led the hugely impressive Flex Appeal – an initiative that campaigns for flexible working for everyone, and aims to get bills in front of the right people to make this a legal default, not just an option – which is currently being reviewed in UK parliament.
She doesn’t make it all look effortless – in fact, part of the appeal that’s attracted more than 300k Instagram followers is how candid Anna is about every aspect of her life, from work to relationships to parenting.
But it’s hard to overlook a CV like that. Particularly considering, that in the past that she’s said it felt like, “my career was on the floor the minute I had a baby.”
Whatever you admire about Anna, there’s nothing like a nosy in someone else’s cupboards, bookshelves or beauty cupboard to help you get to know them even better. So to celebrate the launch of Underbelly, we asked Anna to take part in our Gamechangers series to find out her WFH essential, essential kitchen gadget and the secret to her perfectly wavy hair (yes, we have already added it to our basket).
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The best thing I’ve bought from Amazon is undoubtedly the Philips nose hair trimmer I got for my husband. Prior to using this product, it was like kissing a draft excluder. I would recommend to anyone of a certain age to purchase as a gift to themselves and most importantly, those within close proximity of their nose.
I couldn’t live without a kettle or a toaster, but the best non-essential gadget would have to be the Nutribullet that I resisted for so long, believing it was just for hipsters and I am not one. But actually, it gets my five-a-day in swiftly and let’s face it – it’s fun.
I’ve tried many an expensive toner, but always come back to this as it’s genuinely the best one for me, and it’s so reasonably priced. Quite frankly, it just does its job. My skin feels thoroughly clean and refreshed, and I like knowing that there are no unnecessary ingredients or chemicals seeping into my skin.
I love the Black & Decker dustbuster I got for cleaning the car. It’s actually not boring at all – it’s very exciting. I wanted one for such a long time and ultimately decided to go for it and haven’t regretted it for a moment. The crumbs really won’t remove themselves from the car, but my mini vac never lets me down. It’s literally changed my life.
Books are definitely the most used item in my bedroom – there’s nothing better than when you get an hour of “me” time to lie down and read. At the moment I’m loving Ghosts by Dolly Alderton. I adore the way she writes and I just adore her in general.
In terms of sentimental items, it would be the mouse mat that my kids designed for me with pictures of them on it. But on a practical level, my WFH essential is my favourite mug – it’s pink and it’s got my name on it! I get through multiple cups of tea – milk, no sugar – a day. I treat myself to a “posh coffee” in the morning to get going, but it’s strictly tea after that.
This book woke me up to the conditioning women are subjected to from a young age. I looked back at my nine year old self and thought “you’re right Glennon, I did start thinking differently at this exact age”. It’s such an important book, you have to read it.
The Mermade pro waver hair tong. Sure, it looks quite phallic – it’s quite a start to the day – but it gets my hair exactly how I want it, nice natural waves, and keeps looking the same throughout even the busiest day. So, it’s become an everyday appliance. It’s really come into its own since I cut my hair slightly shorter a few years ago. When you find the tool that works for your style – you stick with it.
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Want more behind-the-scenes Gamechangers intel? Check out the products Man for Himself’s, Robin James, can’t live without