Where were Nugget Savings when I was preparing for mat leave?! After launching a year ago, Nugget Savings has become a vital resource for would-be parents as they save and prepare for leave. If that’s you, or someone you know, listen in and share! Stay til the end to hear Harriet and Katie’s top 3 tips for self-employed maternity leave. This was a really wide ranging conversation, from how Katie and Harriet have created such growth on their social platforms (100k on both IG and TikTok within a y...
Nov 07, 2024•49 min•Season 4Ep. 7
A solo episode this week talking about a question I think all service (and probably product?!) business owners can relate to: Do You Take The Sales Call When You Have Your Kids? Obviously we all hope to have rock solid boundaries. But let’s face it, there is always a bit of pressure, whether that’s internal or external, that this could be our ‘only chance’ to make the sale. Listen to the episode for my take on this, and what I now see as a client red flag. There are so many factors at play with ...
Oct 31, 2024•18 min•Season 4Ep. 6
This week’s conversation is with the wonderful Petra Gatto, personal brand strategist, photographer and cancer survivor. If you know someone going through cancer treatment or in recovery, there’s some really helpful advice and insights on how we can better support them. Or if you’re in the cancer trenches, Petra has some wisdom on taking up space and communicating your needs. From marketeer, to international wedding planner, to personal brand strategist and photographer; Petra pivoted her career...
Oct 24, 2024•43 min•Season 4Ep. 5
A solo episode from me today, talking about something I think (know?!) that we’ve all experienced at some point in our lives: imposter syndrome. Does it exist? How to recognise it How to manage it My personal experience of it, and how I distinguish imposter syndrome from other feelings of doubt or nerves. I am a firm believer in owning our successes as a way to bolster against imposter syndrome, but it’s not foolproof. We’ve human, we’re women, we’re mums; imposter syndrome is almost a rite of p...
Oct 17, 2024•17 min•Season 4Ep. 4
It’s World Mental Health Day, and so I’m honoured to be talking with the wonderful Dr. Jo Carlile, a clinical psychologist and trauma specialist. Jo shares her experience of neurodivergency, being a new mum in Covid and her transition from a 15 year NHS career to private practice. As well as letting us in on her new role as Tech Founder with her upcoming mental health support platform, The Norm. Of course, mental health and trauma particularly in relation to motherhood was a huge topic of conver...
Oct 10, 2024•58 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Vix Meldrew went from overworked and stressed out teacher to content creator, releasing an online membership and courses before that was even a thing. As a big believer in business mirroring life, Vix took her business next level, while also undergoing IVF. We talk about her experience of IVF, how she planned her business to work around it, and her business planning and content scheduling for maternity leave (Vix gives lots of detail on this, so if this is you, definitely be prepared to make som...
Oct 03, 2024•48 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Bump to Business Owner is BACK! Caroline opens Season 4 with a solo episode talking about burnout. We all experience it, especially as business owners and mums, and here Caroline unpacks her previous run in with extreme burnout, and how she was able to step back from the brink after a total stranger flagged that she might be in danger of burning out again. Caroline reflects on the signs of burnout she recognised in herself and her team, the importance of taking breaks, and the need to prioritise...
Sep 26, 2024•16 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Bump to Business Owner is the go-to podcast for mums who don’t want to compromise on their careers but know that traditional full time employment just isn’t compatible with family life. It’s a space for female entrepreneurs and future founders creating autonomy and a deeper sense of purpose for themselves, their business and their children. Join your host, Caroline Marshall, founder of award winning Virtual Assistant agency Upsource and mum of two boys, in conversation with real women: mothers a...
Sep 24, 2024•1 min
"If I can buy lawn mowers and hedge trimmers, why can't I buy vibrators" Season 3 is going out with a bang! Mikaela Jones went from buyer at Homebase to launching her own sexual wellness brand, Pleasure Gap. Knowing that she wanted to start her own business, Mikaela did an inventory of what she was passionate about, and sexual wellness for women came out on top (pun intended). For Mikaela, her business was a way of finding her way back to herself post kids, not only in terms of career, but as a ...
Jul 25, 2024•56 min•Season 3Ep. 24
Gemma Bray started cleaning obsessively as a way to manage her anxiety after the birth of her first child. Some years later, when Gemma was a stay at home mum, he dared her to take her cleaning onto Instagram and The Organised Mum was born! I can really relate to Gemma’s need to control something in the early days of motherhood. For me, it was my red lipstick and my business, for her, it was her home. I think we’re all victims of the rose tinted spectacles that are applied to pregnancy and mothe...
Jul 18, 2024•44 min•Season 3Ep. 23
For Claire Gleave, running was a way of getting some headspace, away from being a full time mum. It also gave her a business idea: activewear for pregnancy and beyond. Having taken voluntary redundancy after her second mat leave, Claire was focused on her family. I think we can all relate to her feeling of ‘being sold a lie’ when it comes to working and raising a family and ‘having it all’. But when her second was preparing to start school, Claire decided it was the right time to work on her bus...
Jul 11, 2024•55 min•Season 3Ep. 22
How will I feel about this situation in 5 years time? I love this question from Kate Kurdziej, founder of Olivier Consultancy. Whether it was deciding to leave a toxic job in the early days of pregnancy, or leaving behind the lifelong dream of moving to France, it guided her to where she is now. Kate had a difficult birth, and found the transition to motherhood uncomfortable, for a long time, she fought the change in her identity. After some time, and some counselling, Kate was able to reframe h...
Jul 04, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 21
Trigger warning: this episode discusses endometriosis, fertility, IVF, miscarriage, birth trauma and PTSD, so if it’s not the right time for you, please listen to an episode from the archive. Martha Keith founded Martha Brook two years into her fertility journey, having decided a stressful unfulfilling corporate career was perhaps not conducive to starting a family. Her award winning stationery business has gone from strength to strength, but Martha’s journey to 2 daughters has been difficult an...
Jun 27, 2024•58 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Catherine Ann Reid founded her business, Doqit, because she found herself with a problem, and she wasn’t the only one. But it took Covid for Doqit to become a viable business and a full time job. As a single mum, Catherine Ann has an amazing approach to work and fitting it around parenthood: quality over quantity. Balls were dropped, but tomorrow is always a new day. Catherine Ann’s daughter has a very rare genetic condition, and her split from her partner when her daughter was 18 months meant t...
Jun 20, 2024•52 min•Season 3Ep. 19
Like me, and a lot of mums I know, Charlie’s transition from ‘ambitious career woman’ to ‘mum’ wasn’t easy. And for both of us, maybe you too, it meant that we didn’t enjoy those early mum days as much as we could have. We were too worried about other people’s perceptions about our commitment and drive. Now, Charlie has really leant into motherhood - she says that it was ‘owning’ motherhood, investing in her relationships (everyone needs a sleepover club!) that made the difference. Charlie has a...
Jun 13, 2024•50 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Rachel Carrell is an impressive woman: 3 kids, raised £14 million in funding rounds, and on a world changing mission to change the face of childcare. Something that Rachel has found, which I’ve heard a lot on the podcast, is the advantage of being a ‘newbie’ in an industry. I think we can often dismiss ideas because we don’t have enough experience in the field, but that could be our strength. Rachel was also kind enough to share her ‘ups and downs’ in her career, from her time at McKinsey to sta...
Jun 06, 2024•55 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Becoming a mother is the ultimate creative act, and yet, when we become mothers our identities as creators, as individuals is often lost. Louise Webster is on a mission to connect mums, not only to themselves, but to the community and inspiration to drive us. For Louise, parenthood has not just been about raising kids, but about raising herself; uncovering new things and unlocking parts of herself that had been lost. Growth is a part of who we are, becoming a parent doesn’t change that, if anyth...
May 30, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Lauren Armes’ plan was never to build a wildly successful business and then exit. But motherhood (and Covid!) was a catalyst for change. Not only did Lauren’s definition of success change, but how she wanted to build her life did too. So Lauren sold WellToDo to focus on motherhood, yes, but also on building her purpose-led coaching business around her family. A night and day difference between her current and previous businesses. I think for me, the stand out point from our conversation is the ‘...
May 23, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 15
TRIGGER WARNING: Discussion of miscarriage Lauralee Whyte had no ambitions to be a business owner; she started her business because once she’d seen the problem, she couldn’t unsee it. Spectrum speakers is a business with clear vision and values, launched after Lauralee asked herself, ‘am I contributing or am I being complicit’. Having worked in the events industry for many years, Lauralee had felt the side-eye that comes from leaving work on time to make school pick up (by the skin of your teeth...
May 16, 2024•53 min•Season 3Ep. 14
This conversation. Just WOW. Siobhan has been so gracious in sharing what can only be described as one hell of a ride with her business. After a lot of careful business planning, bringing in a senior leadership team of 4, Siobhan went on her first ever maternity leave with her fourth and final child. The best laid plans often go awry, and how. Not only was Siobhan in a vulnerable position, coming back from mat leave and being ‘out’ of the business for a while, but then she found out her business...
May 09, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Rachel Harris aka Accountant She is an impressive woman and business owner. She’s taken her company from the dining table to £1.5million turnover in 4 years. And as Rachel says, ‘rapidly scaling a business is rapidly scaling yourself’. Which sounds to me a lot like motherhood. Not only does Rachel and her business offer a best in class consultancy service for parental planning, but since going self employed at 26, a family has been in her business plan. AND she has some incredible advice for bus...
May 02, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 12
As someone who had the ‘flagship’ pregnancy in her last employment role, I wouldn’t recommend it. My company at the time had no maternity policy, I was their ‘test case’: cue a lot of pressure and a lot of mistakes on both sides. To be expected in the startup arena where 80% of founders are men. When you’re not a mum, it’s just not something that you think about. Unless you are Rachel Harris aka Accountant She, and founder of accountancy firm Strive X. Rachel is in the planning pre-pregnancy pha...
May 01, 2024•14 min
I think it’s easy from the outside to look at two women building a brand on top of growing families (Laura is on mat leave as we speak!) and working full time for the NHS to think ‘Oh wow, these women are unstoppable powerhouses’, but I loved Gemma and Laura’s honesty. The way they work isn’t for everyone; it’s full on. It’s evenings, weekends, balls are being dropped. A conversation over bad coffee at soft play became a business, simple. But it hasn’t been easy for Tired Mums Coffee, they are b...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 11
When her contract with Meta ended, Lauren Ingram was too scared to tell anyone she was pregnant in case it jeopardised her job prospects. 106 unsuccessful applications later, Lauren decided to take the leap and turn her interest in Web3 into a business. I think the theme that threads through our conversation is women belonging and taking up space - in tech leadership roles, as consumers, in asking for payment for speaker opportunities, as business owners. And Lauren also shares some advice on ho...
Apr 18, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Sophie David started Little Happy Learners in 2019 and still feels in the early days of her business; it’s taken her 5 years to get clear on her vision for her business. 6 months ago Sophie set herself a deadline - go all in for a year, and if it doesn’t work, go back to teaching. In that 6 months, she has seen her Instagram following grow by over 300%. Overnight growth is never overnight. Sophie shares lots of insight into her business, her purpose and some really valuable and practical tidbits...
Mar 28, 2024•55 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Shim is a natural storyteller and has a really interesting and wide-ranging career behind her, every step of which has been absolutely instrumental in the business she now runs. I think what stood out for me from this conversation is the importance of self-advocacy and knowing yourself and your worth. What would you do if you found out that you didn’t receive the bonus you were legally entitled to while you were on mat leave? How can you make sure your voice is heard when it comes to your pregna...
Mar 21, 2024•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 8
Wow. Rosie has one hell of a story! When Covid hit, Rosie Davies-Smith’s PR agency lost 90% of its revenue overnight. She redeployed all her staff to their ‘side-hustle business, PR Dispatch, which started growing exponentially. All with a newborn and a 2 year court case looming. ‘It was hard, but I really enjoyed those first few months’. Let’s be clear here: Rosie is incredibly honest about how hard it was, the lasting impact so much pressure has had on her. But she made it work. And is transpa...
Mar 14, 2024•49 min•Season 3Ep. 7
If you’re about to go back to work post mat leave, or have just returned to work, this one is for you. Jess Heagran, Founder of Careers After Babies is on a mission to create a cohort of world class employers for working parents. If you haven’t read the Careers After Babies report, I highly recommend it. It is mind blowing. I think we knew, but we didn’t ‘know’, I didn’t realise just how widespread the lack of support for parents, and especially mums is. So if you’re having a bad experience at t...
Mar 07, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Nicky Elliot is the embodiment of the lessons of her own podcast: there is no career path. From events business, to children’s clothing brand, to podcasting and consultancy, Nicky’s path has been winding. Stepping away from her events business after the birth of her second child, Nicky opened a successful clothing brand in 2020, and closed it in 2023. And wow, Nicky is honest about her journey through it: exactly how much she invested in the company (life savings!), the healthy dose of naivety i...
Feb 29, 2024•51 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Mimi spent almost 20 years building her international advertising career when she was challenged on her leadership style, ‘is it intuition or is it empathy?’ Just arrived to a new country with her small daughter in tow, Mimi realised she had been mis-sold a job and faced the challenge of trying to rebuild a failing company. She realised that listening, and most of all empathy, was a superpower and used it to not only turn the business around, but become a best selling author along the way. I lea...
Feb 22, 2024•53 min•Season 3Ep. 4
