Cleonie McLean is a London-born author, speaker, model, and senior program manager with a career that spans the UK’s most iconic high street brands.
From software design graduate to leadership, her journey is captured with wit, candour, and cultural insight in her debut memoir ‘Post Postgraduate’ — a bold love letter to resilience, identity, and rising through the ranks.
Whether commanding a retail floor, meeting room, or a stage, Cleonie uses her voice to uplift, entertain, and advocate for the unseen.
And more about her book:
A raw, witty, and unforgettable memoir for anyone who’s ever chased success and stumbled into self.
‘Post Postgraduate: The Real Work Experience Diary‘ is a bold, emotionally honest, and sharply funny memoir capturing 13 years inside the UK retail industry — as lived by a woman of colour building her career in spaces that often refused to see her.
Spanning 2008 to 2020, this isn’t a tidy story of overnight success. It’s a layered, deeply human account of ambition, burnout, glass ceilings, backroom politics — and the moments that nearly broke her.
For the ones who feel unseen. For the retail veterans who know the weight of an entire store resting on their shoulders. For anyone who learned to lead without the title, rise without the roadmap, and laugh in the middle of it all.
Cleonie doesn’t just tell her story — she offers a mirror, a callout, and a love letter to everyone still navigating the unspoken rules of work and womanhood.
Cleonie can be found via:
And do watch Morgen’s chat with Cleonie about her writing journey and other topics besides…