- Erin Baker’s new Auto Trader podcast, Women in the Driving Seat, highlights the challenges and successes of women in automotive.
- Nathalie McGloin and Vicki Butler-Henderson discuss overcoming barriers in motorsport, from physical demands to financial struggles and industry gatekeeping.
- Launching alongside Top Women in EV 2025, the podcast supports female leadership and better representation in electric vehicles.
New Auto Trader podcast series, Women in the Driving Seat, launches with—Motorsport: how do women feel the fear and do it anyway?
Auto Trader has launched a new podcast, Women in the Driving Seat, hosted by award-winning motoring journalist Erin Baker. The series dives into the experiences of women in the automotive world, blending personal and professional stories.
The first episode features Nathalie McGloin, FIA Disability and Accessibility Commission President, and Vicki Butler-Henderson, racing driver and former Top Gear presenter. Together, they discuss the challenges women face in motorsport and how they push through fear and overcome failures.
Key topics include the physical demands of racing, long-used (by men) to gatekeep the sport from women. They also talk about the emotional burdens behind the wheel—what do tears really mean?
McGloin shares how her love for cars began as a way to feel freedom as a disabled person. Later, speed became her passion. She highlights the obstacles women face in motorsport, from car designs built for men to financial barriers. But skill and bravery, she states, matter most.
Butler-Henderson reflects on her journey, from a childhood love of cars to realising Formula 1 wasn’t in her future. However, the automotive world has plenty of avenues for success.
The timing of this podcast couldn’t be better
Women in the Driving Seat arrives just ahead of Top Women in EV 2025 on the 3rd-9th of March. The campaign is an industry-defining event celebrating female leaders in EVs.
Top Women in EV kicked off with an event hosted at LinkedIn’s Farringdon office in London just weeks ago. The event focused on breaking barriers for women in the EV sector. Erin Baker, who spoke at the kickoff event, shared data from Auto Trader’s No Women Left Behind report. She revealed that 62% of women feel they lack enough EV knowledge to buy one. Across the afternoon, speakers emphasised the need for representation, honesty, and practical EV education. Find out more about this year’s Top Women in EV campaign here.
For women in motorsport, EVs, and beyond, the message is clear: fear is inevitable, but pushing past it is what truly makes the difference. Listen to Women in the Driving Seat is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, with new episodes every Thursday.
