The latest dual edition of TRI-POD, The Moodie Davitt Report’s video podcast in association with The SEVA Group, is arguably the most powerful to date.

Presented in two parts (Part 2 here), it features Morgan’s Army Co-Founder Natalie Ridler. Morgan’s Army was founded by Natalie and Matthew Ridler after the death of their son Morgan from cancer, aged three.

The charity supports families across South Wales affected by childhood cancer, with a particular focus on the often-overlooked siblings of young cancer patients.

Women in Travel Retail+ chose Morgan’s Army as its official charity partner for 2026. It was successfully nominated by The Moodie Davitt Report Publisher Irene Revilla and Sinead Moodie before the latter’s passing this February.

Sinead conceived #KickCancerThon, the enormously successful ‘global + local’ travel retail campaign to raise funds and visibility for cancer research worldwide, an initiative that lends both context and added poignancy to this edition of TRI-POD.

Having talked in Part 1 about the devastating impactof Morgan’s diagnosis, prolonged illness and ultimate passing, Natalie turns her attention to the genesis and subsequent growth of Morgan’s Army and its unlikely connection with Women in Travel Retail+.

In a powerful part of the conversation, Natalie talks of how grief impacts those directly affected and how it is often misunderstood by others.

“There is this expectation that people move on and that we’re going to be the same productive person. But we’re not,” she observes.

“In society, lots of people are encouraged to squash grief down and carry on as normal. But grief will stay with you for life. And I believe it’s important those conversations become open, so that as a society we become more understanding of grief, better at supporting each other and making the world a kinder place to live in.

“I find that grief is just love with nowhere to go, really. It’s simply love viewed in a different way, and it’s still very much a part of my life. I carry Morgan with me in everything I do.

“It’s my responsibility now to live a life that he couldn’t live – and take him with me. I often think of it like a second skin, or maybe like an invisible rucksack that I carry.

“Some days I’m stronger at carrying it, other days it feels really heavy. But the important thing is that you get up and you face the day, whether you’re carrying the grief or it’s a bit lighter. But that’s just because it’s love, really.”

Natalie expresses her amazement and deep gratitude for the Women in Travel Retail Connection. “I had an email from a lady called Sarah [Branquinho – Women in Travel Retail+ Founder and President] and I remember thinking, ‘What is this about – Women in travel retail?’ So I showed it to the trustees and they said reply and get more information.

“I sent the information through, and then I put it to one side, because we get many emails about support. And then, Gerry [Munday, WiTR+ Vice Chair} reached out to me then, saying we’d been successful.

“She started telling me about all the things they would do; who they were and that they were global. I remember thinking, we’re a very, very small charity – small but mighty – but this will catapult us onto a global stage. And we will be looked at by companies that all want to support our mission and which believe in what we are doing.”

Natalie also explains why Morgan’s Army decided to create the Sinead Moodie Award (an initiative announced on 10 June at a Women in Travel Retail+ gathering in London, noting, “This award will be presented each year to someone who has demonstrated exceptional bravery, selflessness and consideration for others.”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest edition of TRI-POD, The Moodie Davitt Report’s video podcast in association with The SEVA Group, is arguably the most powerful to date.

Presented in two parts (part 1 here), it features Morgan’s Army Co-Founder Natalie Ridler.

Morgan’s Army was founded by Natalie and Matthew Ridler after the death of their son Morgan from cancer, aged three.

The charity supports families across South Wales affected by childhood cancer, with a particular focus on the often-overlooked siblings of young cancer patients.

Women in Travel Retail+ chose Morgan’s Army as its official charity partner for 2026. It was successfully nominated by The Moodie Davitt Report Publisher Irene Revilla and Sinead Moodie before the latter’s passing this February.

Sinead conceived #KickCancerThon, the enormously successful ‘global + local’ travel retail campaign to raise funds and visibility for cancer research worldwide, an initiative that lends both context and poignancy to this edition of TRI-POD.

In a particularly moving part of the TRI-POD conversation, Natalie says, “Having lost Morgan… it’s important that we make the most of every day, because you don’t know what’s around the corner.

“Morgan was not even four when he passed away, yet I do know that he loved us unconditionally. So I feel it’s very important for me to also love myself unconditionally the way that he loved me.

“And to live my life is important, because it’s choosing to live despite everything we’ve been through. And that’s the beauty of life, isn’t it? In that we can live beautiful lives, and we can experience joy again, despite everything that we’ve been through.

“And I think that’s what Morgan would have wanted. He lived life to the fullest, as children do. When you go to the children’s ward at Noah’s Ark [Children’s Hospital in Cardiff, Wales] they’re whizzing around on scooters, they’re throwing stuff around.

“You wouldn’t think anything was wrong with a single one of them, apart from the fact they are on an oncology ward. You know, children live each day. If they wake up feeling rubbish, they rest. If they wake up feeling good, they get up and they make the most of it, and I think we can learn a lot from that.

“I’ve lost many friendships but I’ve made many friends who will be my friends for life. It just makes you look at life completely differently, once you’ve been through something like that – whether it’s an adult daughter, a small child, a mother or anything.

“I think grief is a horrible teacher, but it does change us inside, and does make us better people, ultimately.”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest edition of TRI-POD, The Moodie Davitt Report’s video podcast in association with The SEVA Group, features Leila Stansfield, Managing Director of Global Travel Retail, Bacardi.

In a warm, engaging and illuminating conversation, Leila chats with hosts Roger Jackson and Martin Moodie about her early years in the north of England, her Cambridge University days and her entry and subsequent success in the drinks and travel retail worlds.

Leila also talks about women in leadership – she remains in a far too small group of female leaders in the travel retail world – and how she hopes to inspire others.

We also, as always, fly our guest (slowly) to our resident desert island on our emphatically low-cost carrier TRI-POD Airlines. There Leila tells us what creature comforts and company she would most enjoy to while away the hours.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.