Like so many women with corporate careers, Saasha Celestial-One decided during mat leave that it just wasn’t worth the sacrifices it required. Instead, inspired by her mat leave experience, she created London’s first pay-as-you-go nursery. Fiercely ambitious, Saasha and her friend and now co-founder Tessa, wanted to create a business that contributed meaningfully to the environment, and Olio was born: a mere 5 months after their initial ‘A-ha’ moment! As a solo founder, I am fascinated by co-fou...
Feb 15, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 3
If you are feeling challenged, by motherhood, by your business, this is the conversation for you. Anna Mathur, psychotherapist, best selling author and mum of 3 shares some of her wisdom on how we can live more restfully, when let’s face it, as parents, sleep just isn’t an option. Not only does Anna share some of her personal practices and insights into how we can all try to create that space for a breath between a moment of stress and our reaction, but it was also a real comfort just to hear he...
Feb 08, 2024•52 min•Season 3Ep. 2
After nearly 20 years as Tom Ford’s right hand woman, Whitney Bromberg-Hawkings went on maternity leave with her third child, and knew she was never going back. Mat leave was a now or never moment, Whitney knew that the nascent FLOWERBX, set up 7 months before, was a good idea, but she needed to commit. And she never looked back. There is some real honesty from Whitney in this conversation, what it was like being a young mother working in the fashion industry, ‘hide the baby, lose the weight’, a...
Feb 01, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 1
We’re back! This week, as a little taster for Season 3, coming out next week, I’m talking about the biggest, and most expensive mistake I have made to date in my business. I fully admit - I got sucked into Instagram FOMO, and let my ego take control. I’m sharing my reasons why I made the mistake, the reasons why it was the wrong decision for my business and my biggest 2 learnings from it. I want to normalise making mistakes and owning them - it’s part of our growth. DISCLAIMER: I name a service ...
Jan 25, 2024•16 min
After recording the final episode of Season 2 of Bump to Business Owner, Kim Hartwell, Founder of Humum, led us in a 20 minute meditation as a little pre-Christmas gift to remind you to take care of yourself, and prepare you for the festive season. We’ve made this available as a stand alone episode for you to listen to whenever you need a moment of calm over the festive season. Enjoy!
Dec 07, 2023•19 min
Kim Hartwell built a business on adventure hosting international retreats and teaching yoga, movement and breathwork face to face. And then Covid happened. Kim’s business had to pivot pretty quickly to a new online model, and then she got pregnant. A huge pivot. I really related to Kim’s feelings pre birth, the “oh god, am I going to be a person that just does mum stuff now?” feeling, the mindset that nothing really has to change once the baby arrives and the identity struggles that come when yo...
Dec 07, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Co-Founders Alina and Dini met each other at a Founders matchmaking programme, an interesting mix of Love Island and the Apprentice! They pretty quickly started working together, both fired by their mission to stop supply chain food waste. And a lot has changed since then! Alina had a baby 9 months into their business, leaving Dini to head the business as it navigated a change of business model from B2C to B2B SaaS. Now, Dini is about to have her first child, as the Wonki Collective goes out for...
Nov 30, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Another mum who found that the corporate world just wasn’t for her after having kids, Laura was inspired to create Mama Bamboo when she couldn’t find a sustainable nappy that fit in with her lifestyle. Laura waited until her children were at school/nursery before committing to her business idea, and from there in her words, “it’s been a real rollercoaster”. From 300% growth in her first years of business, to being hamstrung by skyrocketing freighting costs (hello 700% increase!) and considering ...
Nov 23, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 8
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions of baby loss which may be difficult for those with similar experiences. Kat Fellows is mum of two and founder of the innovative, soon to launch revolutionary nursing bra - Lesh. With over 10 years in the beauty industry, Kat, like a lot of mums, found that the big corporate lifestyle just wasn’t working for her, especially once she had children. Thanks so much to Kat who shared so honestly about her struggles throughout pregnancy with all consum...
Nov 16, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Self confessed super connector, Susie Lodge is a proud Mum to 3 little ones and founder of 2 businesses - Wiki Places for Kids and the Wiki Mama Network. I think we can all relate to Susie’s description of screeching up to the office or to nursery pick ups constantly feeling like we’re on the back foot or in the wrong place. And we’ve all felt the romantic pull of setting up on our own - desperately seeking the freedom to choose how we manage our days and how we make our money. Wiki Places for K...
Nov 09, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Maria has moved from the ultimate corporate jobs at Coutts and Harrods to combining her passions and running her own sustainable luxury fashion business. Maria’s journey into her business sounds like a really organic process, and shows you the value of sometimes just saying yes to opportunities and working out the finer details later! Like a lot of mums, Maria was looking for a more flexible working life than corporate life afforded her, not least because her eldest, Edie, has autism and other h...
Nov 02, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 5
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions of baby loss which may be difficult for those with similar experiences. Lucy Legal is someone who knows pressure - a corporate legal job meant she was often working til 2am, then training with her private PT clients first thing before work. Realising that corporate life just wasn’t working for her when it came to starting a family, Lucy took the leap and went full time self employed. Everyone thought she was crazy to say goodbye to her company’s...
Oct 26, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Inspired by my chat with Lucy Legal (coming up next week, don't miss this one!) I’m talking about how I set boundaries with my clients this week. When it came to setting up my business I had very ingrained ideas about what was and wasn’t acceptable for clients as a service provider - and I’m happy to admit that I was completely wrong! Listen in for my 2 top tips for communicating changes in ways of working with clients and let me know how you set clear boundaries and expectations in your busines...
Oct 19, 2023•6 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Maria was 6 years into her business when she fell pregnant with her first child. And I can hard relate when she said “I just didn’t think anything would change”. Maria didn’t take maternity leave until her daughter was 6 months old, and was taking work calls just hours after giving birth! Hear her thoughts on whether it worked for her, and her perspective looking back on it. We talked a lot about how amazing women and mothers are, and how we just don’t get the respect we deserve - society still ...
Oct 12, 2023•49 min•Season 2Ep. 2
We are BACK! We’re opening Season 2 with a conversation which genuinely at points gave me goosebumps. Alison and Natalie are serial entrepreneurs - March Muses is their third business together - all while holding down full time jobs and raising families. As you can imagine, the question of “how do you do it” definitely came up. Community came up a lot in our conversation - from calling in favours from everyone they know, family and friends helping pack overwhelming orders, the power of social me...
Oct 05, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 1
This week’s conversation, and the season one finale (!) is with Ruth Marsden, founder of The Better Company, a “game-changing” sustainable period products company. Ruth is an incredibly passionate, purpose led founder, and is really refreshingly honest about the mistakes she’s made (hello 1000 unusable micro bags!) and how hard it can be as a product business in a post Brexit world. She really is so inspiring. We get to do this, we chose to do this. So manage expectations, accept where sacrifice...
Sep 28, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 13
How much have you reflected on your mat leave experience? With 2 wildly different mat leaves under my belt - one employed but only 12 weeks long, and one as a business owner with a NICU baby it’s hard to draw parallels. But looking back on my maternity leave as a business owner, there are a few things that I might change. I’m sharing what I would do differently from a practical POV, what I would change about my perspective as a new mum, and what the best best best decision I made was. Links: Web...
Sep 21, 2023•15 min•Season 1Ep. 12
My guest this week is the wonderful Ali McAleavy, founder of Zig + Star, a sustainable children’s footwear brand. An idea that Ali had been “just playing” with while on maternity leave with her third child, Zig + Star launched 2 years ago with the intention of making kids footwear healthier for little feet and parents’ bank balances. We chatted about how different maternity leave is for each child, and the way each child’s experience can be different as you grow into parenthood. You think you’ll...
Sep 14, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 11
This week I’m sharing my mat leave as a business owner experience with you. When I was pregnant for the first time, I looked around for positive narratives about maternity leave that weren’t horror stories. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places, but I couldn’t find anything at the time that told me I was going to be OK! With my second pregnancy I was in a very different situation - self employed, with some foresight of the intensity and changes I was about to go through (although believe me, i...
Sep 07, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 10
This week I’m in conversation with fellow ex-performer Dominique Woolf of Woolf’s Kitchen and author of Dominique’s Kitchen: Easy everyday Asian-inspired food. A singer/songwriter in a previous life, Dominique shared how her experience as a performer, but also as a recruiter and in sales built the skill set she needed to create a successful business. Every part of your experience in some way will benefit your business, even if it isn’t immediately obvious how - we don’t necessarily know how the ...
Aug 31, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 9
This week I’m sharing my 3 must dos when you’re starting up a business. Bonus: they are all free! Where to start when you’re setting up a business?! I was keen to take myself and my business seriously when I was starting up, and I was working to create a business, as opposed to being self employed. These 3 steps were crucial for me to design an ambitious business that potential clients and associates would credit, and let’s be honest, get some buy-in when it came to emotional investment at home....
Aug 24, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In today’s episode, I’m talking to the wonderful Rebekah Clark, Founder of Happy Marlo and Chief Operating Officer Joanna Glenn. Both of them have such interesting journeys up to Happy Marlo and speak really candidly about the struggles they had negotiating their new identities as mothers, trying to find their place in the business world as mothers and the social isolation that can come with pregnancy and maternity leave. Rebekah shared how the traditional hiring model didn’t work for her and ho...
Aug 17, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 7
One thing I ask a lot of clients as the founder of a Virtual Assistant agency is: “Are you really the only person who can do this?” Asking for and getting the support you need is what I am ALL about at work. But I’ll admit, I find it a lot harder to ask for help when it comes to my home and family life. Being a parent and business owner can be really overwhelming. If you feel like you’re failing, please know that you are NOT, you just need some help. I’m talking about my tips for deciding where ...
Aug 10, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 6
This week I’m speaking to Danielle Wallington - founder of, count ‘em, THREE businesses and mother of two young boys. Danielle’s request for flexible working was denied when it was time to return to her work as an events manager after the birth of her first child so she decided to go all in on Milk’N’Fizz, her first business. FLOCKHERE, Danielle’s latest venture, an app connecting WFH women to places to work from and people to work with, launches in August. I loved how honest Danielle was in our...
Aug 03, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Another solo episode from me this week. Before I started a business, I had heard a lot about the loneliness of self employment, and having experienced a lot of career and social loneliness in my job and first pregnancy, when I set up my business it was a strong intention of mine NOT to feel lonely. I was lucky - there were so many online networking and learning opportunities when I was building my business. Which was perfect for a pregnant lady! I joined so many online groups, approached people ...
Jul 27, 2023•13 min•Season 1Ep. 4
For our third episode I’m speaking to Hollie Grant aka the Pilates PT. Hollie fell in love with Pilates after being burnt as an apprentice pastry chef and working on reception at a studio. From running her own studio, she has grown an empire including an online pilates offering, two books and a podcast, all while raising two children. We talk about how scary it can be being a business owner and navigating huge personal and business changes. Hollie spoke on the pros and cons of working with your ...
Jul 20, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 3
The second episode of the podcast is a solo exploration as I discuss what my working week looks like and the ‘blend’ of business and family time that I’ve found works for me. It took a lot to get here - lots of failure and learning curves - and it will need to change as my family grows and the business develops. I let you in on my ‘Mummy Day’ what my weekly non negotiables actually are, and where I choose to invest in support - family or the business.. I’d love to know what your working weeks lo...
Jul 13, 2023•13 min•Season 1Ep. 2
I’m delighted that my guest for this first episode is Steph Douglas, founder of gifting business, Don’t Buy Her Flowers. Steph started her business after receiving a whopping eight, well meant bouquets following the birth of her first baby and realising what a terrible gift flowers are for new mums. She has successfully grown her business over the past nine years, alongside raising her three young children Don’t Buy Her Flowers has grown from Steph packing boxes in her spare room to having an in...
Jul 06, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Welcome to the very first episode of the Bump to Business Owner Podcast. The go-to Podcast for mums who run a business, want to start a business, or are simply curious about what makes mums choose the entrepreneur life. Being a business owner can be hard, being a mum is even harder but both together?! Caroline is on a mission to find out why more and more mums are leaving the employment world for the entrepreneur life. Whether you’re a working mum, an advocate for mothers, a mum-to-be or an empt...
Jun 27, 2023•7 min
