Lina Nielsen Is The Fourth Guest On The Incredible Women Podcast
We’re thrilled to present the latest season of NET-A-PORTER’s Incredible Women podcast. This series, Passion & Purpose, celebrates an extraordinary lineup of women whose vision, drive and dedication – across Hollywood, sports, fashion and business – truly set them apart
Episode 4: Lina Nielsen
Sprinter, hurdler, yoga instructor and Olympian, Lena Nielsen is the definition of a powerhouse. Born and raised in East London, Nielsen found her passion for athletics early on, starting as a long-distance runner before discovering her true speed competing in shorter distances. In 2015, at just 19, she and her identical twin sister, Laviai, stormed to victory at the European Junior Championships, winning gold in the 4x400m relay. Since then, she has continued to shine on the world stage, most recently winning bronze in front of a roaring crowd at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Nielsen is a force to be reckoned with – and an inspiration to many. After revealing in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis almost a decade earlier, she has become a beacon of hope for others living with the chronic illness. “What surprised me was how many young girls reached out to me. I was 26 at the time, and it was a lot of 21, 22, 23-year-olds,” she says, reflecting on the public reaction when she first shared her diagnosis. “Two-thirds of people who get diagnosed are women, and a lot of people get diagnosed are under the age of 35. I think if I can shine a light into [that]… that can help change the narrative.”
Tune in as Nielsen joins NET-A-PORTER’s fashion director, Kay Barron, for a candid conversation about the highs and lows of Olympic competition, her journey with multiple sclerosis, the power of sisterhood, and the resilience that fuels her success.
Read highlights from Lina Nielsen’s podcast episode below…
“I realized that I’ve got a small platform as a sports person – and the Olympics definitely elevated that platform – to change those perceptions and just give… some hope and some light. I would have loved that when I was diagnosed.”
“There’s no road to success that doesn’t come without setbacks, and it’s very, very rare to find success without dealing with the troughs. I think if you can tell yourself this is part of the process, you learn so much from setbacks.”
“You’re not going to be an athlete for your whole life. It’s a very short-lived career, and if you neglect the human being as you develop, you might just end up finishing your career and thinking, who am I?”
“When I was in hospital for the symptoms that I had, I was in the pediatric ward, which is crazy, because a lot of people think about MS and think it’s an old person’s condition, but actually I was just about to turn 18, so I was still treated like a child. […] I was way too young to hear news like that, so it was a difficult process, but what helped me accept my diagnosis, even more so now into my late twenties, is speaking about it, and that’s so powerful.”
To listen to the Incredible Women podcast, subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many more*.
Episode 3: Jamie Mizrahi
Fashion stylist Jamie Mizrahi is behind some of the most unforgettable red-carpet moments of recent years. From Jennifer Lawrence in vintage Givenchy couture at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party to Adele’s dazzling wardrobe throughout her 50-week Las Vegas residency, Mizrahi’s work defines modern glamour. Most recently, she has been shaping the style of Oscar-winning actor Mikey Madison, a rising star whose fashion choices are as compelling as her on-screen performances.
Mizrahi’s approach is refreshingly personal. Rather than adhering to a signature aesthetic or overarching themes, she tailors each look to the individual, prioritizing collaboration and self-expression. “First and foremost, it’s always a conversation of, who are you? What do you feel comfortable wearing? What do you have going on?” she explains. “But [also], who are you off the red carpet? And do you want to make those worlds come together?” This intuitive, client-first philosophy has earned her a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most trusted stylists, ensuring her clients exude confidence – whether on the red carpet or off-duty.
Tune in as Mizrahi sits down with NET-A-PORTER’s fashion director, Kay Barron, to discuss styling for the Oscars, collaborating with A-list clients, and finding balance in an ever-demanding industry.
Read highlights from Jamie Mizrahi’s podcast episode below…
“If it’s someone not as known as Jennifer Lawrence, like a younger, more up-and-coming star, you want people to kind of be conditioned to know who you are. Like with Mikey Madison, for example, there was talk about her cutting her hair. And in my mind, I’m like… let people continue to just fall in love with you and know you and know what they’re going to expect from you a bit. Of course, throw in some twists and turns but don’t change the whole base of who you are in the middle of a story you’re trying to tell.”
“I care about the projects my clients are doing. I want to get excited with them. I want to discuss who they are in their roles and then how they want to be perceived in promoting that role. I think it has to be thought out and it has to be discussed.”
“If someone calls me and is like, ‘Hey, I’m going to a dinner for this. Will you style me?’ I have a really hard time saying yes, just because I can’t necessarily creatively understand what to do because it’s not this kind of long story and relationship that you’re nurturing, right? I want to dedicate the time and I want to be on the journey.”
To listen to the Incredible Women podcast, subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many more*.
Episode 2: Rosamund Pike
In her 25-year career, Rosamund Pike has conquered the small screen, the big screen, the stage and audio, as well as stepping into producing. Her critically acclaimed performance as Amy Dunne in Gone Girl (2014) earned her Golden Globe, Bafta and Oscar nominations, while her recent, scene-stealing performance in Saltburn further cemented her status as one of the industry’s most versatile actors. This year, she has a slate of exciting projects, including season three of the fantasy drama The Wheel of Time, several movies lined up for release, and a thrilling theater role coming up in the summer.
Reflecting on her early years, Pike shares that she didn’t always fit in at school but found her tribe when she joined the National Youth Theatre. Now, she is set to make her National Theatre debut in the world premiere of Inter Alia. Following the huge success of Prima Facie with Jodie Comer, this latest production from writer Suzie Miller and director Justin Martin is hotly anticipated, and Pike describes being offered the role as “very moving”.
Tune in as Pike sits down with NET-A-PORTER’s content director, Alice Casely-Hayford, to discuss her love of the stage, getting under the skin of the characters she plays, and why, in the age of distraction, we need amazing storytelling more than ever.
Read highlights from Rosamund Pike’s podcast episode below…
“One of the main driving forces of life is passion. And I think you’re lucky if you find your passion, which I did, from very small. I loved people. I liked watching people, listening to people, working out why people were different from one another, and how I could make myself different, to embody those people.”
“It’s easy to get distracted from the main purpose of your work, and the main purpose of your work as an actor is to actually shut all of that [noise] out. And other people can try and can confuse that and make you think that having a lot of followers or having a profile or being at the right party is the job. It is not the job. The real job is hard graft, out of the limelight.”
“I’ve got a tremendous passion in this current moment to encourage young people to stay with longer stories, because I think there’s this terribly short attention span that is developing. You know, we’re being encouraged by our streamers to sort of give up on things and to flip to the next thing, and I think there’s nothing better than immersing yourself in a long-form, involving, complicated story.”
To listen to the Incredible Women podcast, subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many more*.
Episode 1: Halina Reijn
Every so often, a movie comes along that captures the zeitgeist so completely it feels inescapable. Even if you haven’t yet watched Babygirl, the erotic thriller starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, you’ve likely seen one of its countless viral clips: Dickinson’s hypnotic dance to George Michael’s Father Figure (which has inspired a wave of A-list imitations) or Kidman’s now-iconic scene drinking a glass of milk. The director behind the cultural phenomenon is Halina Reijn, the Dutch filmmaker, actor and writer, who we’re thrilled to welcome as the first guest of the Incredible Women podcast’s ninth season.
Unencumbered by adhering to Hollywood’s established codes and conventions, Reijn is lauded for her fresh perspective and daring exploration of pertinent themes. She made her English-language directorial debut in 2022 with the critically acclaimed horror comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies and has once again captivated audiences and critics alike with Babygirl.
As one of the Netherlands’ most celebrated actors, Reijn was somewhat prepared for the attention Hollywood has brought her in recent years. But even she couldn’t have predicted the dizzying, viral success of Babygirl: “When I set out to write this story that is about shame and sexual desire, I could have never dreamed that so many people are going to see it in theaters,” she says. “And I love all the creative reactions. I’m trying to watch all of them. Because that is also why we made the movie: to feel more connected to other women and humans in general.”
Tune in as Reijn sits down with NET-A-PORTER’s content director, Alice Casely-Hayford, to discuss exploring female desire on screen, breaking taboos, and why dark humor is her secret weapon.
Read highlights from Halina Reijn’s podcast episode below…
“What I love so much about [Babygirl] is it probes reconciling all of these different facets of being a woman. So you can be this incredible business leader but then also have incredible vulnerability and struggle to sort of navigate being a mother, a wife and a CEO.”
“If I look around, there’s not a lot of female directors at all who are part of the conversation right now. And, of course, you have The Substance, which is amazing, but there’s not a lot of it. And so we just need to keep fighting for change and keep creating these stories that are honest and keep supporting each other. And men need to also be a big part of this conversation.”
“At all levels, I’m always trying to make my actors feel like my collaborators. I’m never sitting in a high chair with a North Face jacket on, telling them, ‘Crawl over the floor, undress, do this, do that’. That’s how I experienced being an actor a lot myself and I didn’t like that at all.”
“[Gen Z] are growing up in a very, very, very challenging environment and world, but their ideas around identity are very refreshing to me. They are trying to be their authentic selves more and they seem to judge each other less on a puritanical, suppressed level that you saw in my generation.”
“If you examine human nature at its core, which I’m of course trying to do, whether I make a fun horror movie or a fun sexual thriller […] there’s a lot of dark humor in that. And that is why humor, to me, is the weapon, the Trojan horse, the way of connecting to my audience.”
To listen to the Incredible Women podcast, subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many more*.
NET-A-PORTER will donate one British Pound for every first listen to the first episode in its week of release** to UN Women UK, an organization working for the empowerment and rights of women and girls globally, helping them realize their full potential.
For the ninth season of NET-A-PORTER’s Incredible Women podcast, we present Passion & Purpose. Launching on March 4, we sit down for weekly intimate conversations with six phenomenal women who are making an impact in their respective industries with their unique talent, drive and influence.
The lineup features visionary Dutch director Halina Reijn, celebrated for her bold and powerful storytelling in acclaimed projects including Babygirl and Bodies Bodies Bodies; award-winning British actor Rosamund Pike, whose mesmerizing performances in Gone Girl, I Care a Lot and A Private War have earned widespread acclaim; and powerhouse stylist Jamie Mizrahi, the creative force behind the signature looks of A-list clients such as Adele and Jennifer Lawrence. Also included is British sprinter and hurdler Lina Nielsen, who inspires both on and off the track with her elite-level performances and openness about living with multiple sclerosis; entrepreneur Melanie Masarin, redefining the non-alcoholic drinks industry with her fast-growing brand, Ghia; and trailblazing CEO Emma Grede, the driving force behind Good American and a key architect of Skims, championing inclusivity and empowerment in fashion and business.
Hosted by NET-A-PORTER’s content director Alice Casely-Hayford and fashion director Kay Barron, these conversations will give an eye-opening insight into the lives and work of these inspirational women.
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**THE NET-A-PORTER GROUP LIMITED trading as NET-A-PORTER will make a donation equal to one (1) GBP (£1) for each first-time listen to the first episode of this podcast series made between 05:00 GMT on March 4, 2025 and 05:00 GMT on March 11, 2025, to UN Women National Committee UK, whose address is 63/66 Hatton Garden, Fifth Floor, Suite 23, London EC1N 8LE – a charity registered in England and Wales under charity number: 1162741. The Donation will be subject to a maximum amount equal to seventeen thousand pound sterling (£17,000). If the number of listens are 12,000 or less, THE NET-A-PORTER GROUP LIMITED will give a minimum Donation of twelve thousand pound sterling (£12,000).