Wild, Wise & Working

Jackie is joined by Gillian Ridley Whittle, founder of Peachaus - an ethical lingerie and wellness brand built around comfort, community and genuine care for women's bodies. Gillian's CV reads like a who's who of British retail: Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Topshop and a four-year stint in Australia working for Target and Myer. But it was leading Topshop through the pandemic, watching it sold to Asos, and being made redundant shortly after, that forced a reckoning she'd been quietly building towards for years.

What followed wasn't a pivot so much as a homecoming, back to an idea she'd sketched out on a beach in Melbourne in 2016, back to the belief that fashion could be a force for good and back to underwear: the category she'd fallen in love with at M&S and never quite let go of.

Jackie and Gillian's chat explores the gap between external success and internal fulfilment, the anxiety Gillian had hidden behind a capable exterior for years and the slow, determined process of building something that actually aligned with who she is. It's also a masterclass in listening to your customers, from a blackboard outside a teepee at a wellness festival to bra fits in WeWork offices. and following the evidence wherever it leads.

Coming up in this episode:
  • From trainee buyer to Topshop Fashion Director, and what the high street lost when the golden era ended
  • Leading Topshop through Covid, the sale to Asos, and what came after
  • The anxiety hidden behind a high-flying career, and the moment something had to change
  • The Pinterest boards, the deck and the six-year slow burn to launching Peachaus
  • Why fashion can be a force for good, and what that actually means in practice
  • How the name Peachaus came about, and the deeper meaning behind it
  • The pivot from online brand to bra-fitting service and why the customers made it obvious
  • What a blackboard outside a teepee tent at a wellness festival taught Gillian about her business
  • Why most women are wearing the wrong bra size, and the health consequences nobody talks about
  • Peachaus's partnership with CoppaFeel and the move into women's workplace wellness
About My Guest: Gillian Ridley Whittle

Gillian Ridley Whittle is the founder of Peachaus, an ethical lingerie and women's wellness brand. With over 25 years in fashion retail — including director-level roles at Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Target Australia and Topshop — she launched Peachaus to put comfort, care and community at the heart of an industry that had lost its way. Peachaus now operates a bra-fitting service for corporate clients alongside its product range, and Gillian is building it into a national — and eventually global — movement.

Peachaus website: https://peachaus.com/
Gillian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-ridley-whittle-89a62313/

EXCLUSIVE PEACHAUS DISCOUNT CODE FOR 15% OFF: WILDPEACH15

Be a part of the show:

Produced by The Good Studio - thegoodstudio.co.uk

Creators and Guests

Host
Jackie Naghten
Host of Wild, Wise & Working
Guest
Gillian Ridley Whittle
Founder of Peachaus
Producer
Tim Beynon
Producer of Wild, Wise & Working

What is Wild, Wise & Working?

Real conversations with midlife women turning wisdom into wins. Host, Jackie Naghten, celebrates the power, ambition and potential of midlife women in business. Each episode brings inspiring conversations with standout entrepreneurs and leaders who’ve reinvented their careers - and their lives - in their second act. Packed with energy, insight and practical takeaways, the show empowers women to think bigger, back themselves and build thriving businesses on their own terms. It’s inspiring, motivating and designed to spark momentum for anyone ready for their next chapter.