Meet The Hood Podcast Hosts: Nicola Campbell and Rosie Morton

Rosie Morton and Nicola Campbell are the voices (and faces) behind The Hood Podcast — bringing warmth, curiosity and a genuine love of conversation to every episode. Between them, they share decades of experience in journalism, storytelling and connecting women through honest dialogue. Together, they speak to intelligent, inspiring women about the journeys that shape them — in work, in life and in everything in between. Launch episode goes live on Monday, 16th March. And a new episode will drop every Monday from then.

Nicola Campbell

Digital Editor at Hood Magazine

I knew from the age of 14 that I wanted to work in magazines. While my friends devoured More! and 19, I was equally obsessed — but it was the slightly more grown-up Marie Claire that truly captured me. I loved the mix: glossy fashion pages alongside hard-hitting features. One minute it was 101 high-street buys, the next it was National Geographic–style reporting on remote South American tribes or bold, unexpected stories about modern life (think men who liked to dress up as babies and be babied). But it was always the back-pages’ life story I turned to first. Grace Kelly, Jackie O, Amelia Earhart — women who had lived extraordinary, layered lives. I was fascinated by the journey behind the headline.

After studying English and International Relations in Aberdeen, I packed a very big suitcase and moved to London to sleep on my sister’s sofa while I did work experience at Marie Claire. I gave myself one summer to make it work. No one was paid for work experience back then — if I didn’t land a job, it was back to Edinburgh. I started in the fashion cupboard, steaming clothes, calling in samples, packing and unpacking rails for shoots. I often felt out of my depth, but I worked hard — and I knew deep down that writing was where I wanted to be.

My break came when the Features team needed an acting features writer. I was incredibly lucky to work under brilliant women — editor Juliet Warkentin and her formidable features team — at a time when magazines were electric. It was the late Nineties: gifting Chris Evans a giant jar of Marmite outside TFI Friday, heading to Paris to collect the “tape” of an exclusive interview with Geri Halliwell after she left the Spice Girls. It was chaotic, creative and completely intoxicating.

From there, I moved to what was then Drapers Record — now Drapers — the UK’s leading fashion industry magazine. I joined as fashion writer and, over more than a decade, worked my way up to fashion editor. I travelled the world reporting on trends, from the front rows of New York, London, Paris and Milan to trade shows across Europe and America. Sometimes I was FROW; sometimes I was standing at the back of the throng depending on the PR list. I saw every level of the industry — haute couture to high street — and loved understanding how fashion filtered from runway to real life.

A leap into consumer magazines followed with Happy, a new shopping title for Northern & Shell. It was creatively brilliant and critically well received — it just didn’t quite make the numbers. But the team was extraordinary, and many of us are still close. There’s something special about building something new together.

Later, I moved into digital and customer publishing at Redwood, editing print and online magazines for brands including La Redoute and Oli.co.uk. It was a different rhythm — inspiring women through editorial-style brand content — and I loved it. But life had other plans.

While working on La Redoute, I had my second baby. She was just nine weeks old — her sister only 22 months — when my husband died suddenly at 38. It was unimaginable. I left London and came home to Edinburgh to be near my family and support network. Through the grief and the shock, I kept working. I taught a course at Central St Martins as well as freelanced for luxury brands including Begg & Co and Belinda Robertson, creating digital content and newsletters. There were pivots into marketing and digital consultancy along the way — practical decisions to keep everything afloat.

Two years ago, I took another leap of faith and joined Emma to help bring Hood to life digitally. I’m so grateful she brought me on board. I truly believe Scotland needs Hood. We aim to be real but inspiring — to tell the stories of women across this small but mighty corner of the world. Because we are surrounded by extraordinary women. Women with wobbles, setbacks, reinventions and resilience woven into their paths — just like mine.

That’s what The Hood Podcast is about for me. In every woman’s journey, there are backstories, detours, unforeseen juggles and moments that reshape you entirely. I want to hear those stories. And I want to share them.

Rosie Morton

Journalist & TV Presenter

I’ve always found people endlessly fascinating. What gets them up in the morning? What drives them? How did they end up exactly where they are now? The moment an interview turns into an honest conversation — when someone forgets they’re “being interviewed” and simply starts sharing — is the best part of the job. You feel completely immersed in their story.

I started my career in print, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. There’s something special about imagining someone reading your words curled up with a cup of tea, screens off, enjoying a quiet five minutes. Print journalism teaches you discipline. When you’re faced with a blank page, there’s nowhere to hide — you learn to strip everything back and trust your voice. I began as an intern at Scottish Field, and under the mentorship of editor Richard Bath eventually became chief sub-editor. It was there that I truly found my storytelling style.

Broadcasting came about organically. Through my work, I had fallen in love with Scotland all over again — its landscapes, yes, but more importantly its people. When the opportunity arose to join BBC Scotland’s Landward, it felt like a natural next step. Communication is communication, whether it’s on the page or to camera. Years of studying languages — and teaching lively classrooms in Montreal — meant I’d long ago made peace with public speaking. Though staying warm in sideways rain during a full day of filming? That took some practice.

Before journalism fully took hold, rowing was my world. I started at 14 and within a year was competing for Scotland and Great Britain at junior level. After university, I moved to London to train at Thames Rowing Club, balancing full-time work with relentless early mornings on the water. It demanded discipline and resilience — but it gave me some of the happiest days of my life. When injury forced me to rethink that path, it felt like a detour at the time. Looking back, it nudged me exactly where I was meant to go. I still remember standing on the balcony of our rowing club during the Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race, watching the presenters broadcast live and thinking, “That’s a cool job.” Maybe that was the moment the seed was planted.

Growing up in Aberdeenshire shaped me more than I probably realised at the time. Weekends were spent walking along Balmedie Beach or through Deeside, surrounded by big skies and bigger landscapes. That sense of space stays with you. Even now, living in Edinburgh — a city I adore for its history, walkability and very good coffee — I feel most grounded when I’m out in rural Scotland. There’s something about misty mornings and expansive views that makes you feel small in the best possible way.

The Hood Podcast feels like a natural extension of everything I love about journalism: curiosity, conversation and connection. It’s a chance to sit down with intelligent, inspiring women and really listen — to the twists, turns and unexpected detours in their journeys. What I’ve learned so far is that there’s rarely a straight line from A to B. Persistence matters. So does embracing the scenic route.

And if there’s tea involved? Even better.