Starting the Conversation

088 | Intentions - looking back at 2019’s and setting them for 2020

Long time listeners will know my first episode of a new year is always focused on INTENTIONS. I'm a big believer in setting intentions for the year, breaking these down to actionable goals by quarter, and then I go even further making these into weekly steps to keep me on track. 2019 was a big year for my business, but it wasn't all easy or shiny so I will walk you through the intentions I set for last year, the actions I took to meet them, and if I achieved all of my goals. (Spoiler alert, I di...

087 | How I review my year - a prompt to reflect on 2019

Finding it a bit tricky to carve out the space to reflect on the year to start looking at 2020? I feel you! I'm a huge believer in the power of reflection and intention setting, so in this last episode of 2019 I want to share with you how I reflect on all areas of my business and apply this to my goal setting. Here's a few prompts to get you thinking about 2019 and looking forward to a new decade in 2020... - Reconnect to your big picture - values, impact, audience, WHY. - Review how your curren...

086 | How boundaries interact with us as business owners

As business owners it's easy to feel that we should be on call 24/7 for our clients and exceed expectations every time. This can quickly become draining so it's important to have boundaries in place. I'm joined this week by Kat Horrocks, who is known her work on creating boundaries and the positive impact they can have in all areas of work and life. I'm still working on boundaries and balance myself, and to make this episode super practical Kat kindly did some live coaching with me to demonstrat...

085 | Women's only networking - part of the problem, or part of the solution

Female networking and women only groups have played a big role in my business. Through these communities I’ve made friends, built my business and found a support network. However, since starting this podcast I’ve always wanted to explore if female only spaces are part of the problem, or part of the solution. It’s a big topic & not always comfortable subject to dig into, so when I met Hanna I knew she was the perfect co-host for this episode. Hanna is a leadership coach and founder of As We A...

084 | Behind the scenes of launching the six week thing

Last week was a big week for me, as you might have seen I launched my group coaching programme, The Six Week Thing. While I had intended to use this episode to tell you more about The Thing, I realised it was actually a great opportunity to show you a bit more of the behind the scenes of how the idea came together and how Emily and I planned the launch in 10 days. 10 Days! As you know by now, for me when something feels right, when I have that gut feeling, I need to run with it and that's exactl...

083 | How to not let your competitors get in your head

Running your own business is a very personal thing, so it’s pretty natural that from time to time we find ourselves looking left and right at what our competitors are doing and compare our business to theirs. The effect of this is definitely something I’m still working through, so I loved having this conversation with Claire to chat through the highs, the lows and the times when you just need to mute and focus on yourself. Everyone will have a different experience when it comes to this topic, fo...

082 | The power of self awareness // a LIVE session with my life coach

I'm mixing things up a bit this week & this episode is slightly different to our usual format! I sat down with life coach Helen Cottee to chat about the power of self awareness when you work for yourself. Self awareness has played a huge part in building my business and creating a space where I can be myself and work at my best, which doesn’t always come naturally. Helen has a wealth of knowledge and practical skills in this area, so we go deep into a model that can helped both of us better ...

081 | Why there’s no right way to market your business

George Rawlings launched his dating app, HoneyPot, in some pretty memorable, yet unconventional ways and in this weeks' episode he shares his experience of marketing outside of a 3 step plan, or a textbook strategy. It was fascinating to learn more about his approach to marketing and be reminded just how vital being unapologetically yourself can be when building a personal brand. What are your thoughts on the episode? As ever I'd love to hear from you over on Instagram ! _____ STAY CONNECTED Ali...

080 | Fully booked with little promotion - how I market myself as a service based business

I don't heavily promote my coaching work. I'm also regularly booked out with dream clients. Now I don't say that to show off - I say it to show you what's possible when you get intentional about the way you show up online. In this Small Talk episode I give you an inside look at the 4 factors which I recognise have played a role in making that reality... if you're service based and curious how to hear how I've built things, tune in! _____ For the first time EVER I am opening up the podcast for gu...

079 | Why burnout isn’t a measure of success // the glamorisation of working hard

After being pretty unwell last week I was forced to have a few days off, which provided good opportunity to step back and reflect on the way I work and why. Joined by Jess, founder of Moana Maroke, we compare our experiences of burnout, the culture around working 24/7, and the relationship you have with yourself, when you work for yourself. Jess and I are quite opposites when it comes to setting boundaries and looking after ourselves, so her experience of putting her health and happiness first w...

078 | What people don't tell you about success

Last week on Instagram I shared a quote that resonated with me... "It's windier at the top" and while this is a tricky, slightly uncomfortable topic to explore, I think that's the very reason that we should face it head on and have the conversation. Personally, I attach a lot of feelings to levels of success, whether that is being fully booked with clients, earning an certain amount or being invited to an event etc and it's very easy for us to always think 'I'll feel successful when... " Having ...

077 | Auditing your content to know what’s working, what’s not and what needs to change

It’s been a little while since I sat down, just me and the microphone, to have a chat with you... As this podcast is all about starting conversations your input is so valuable in making us all feel all little less isolated in our experience so thanks to everyone who shared their tips on making business pals and your experience of how your age has impacted your business. In the bulk of this episode I want to walk you through how I regularly audit my content to ensure I am taking a step back and a...

076 | Straight out of school VS 17 years in corporate - the impact of age when starting a business

How does your age impact your experience of starting a business? Todays conversation explores just that as I sit down with someone who started a little differently to me... After working in the corporate world for over 17 years, Catherine founded her own consultancy with the responsibility of a family and the track record of a successful career. Whereas for me, I started out straight from school with zero to no obligations or experience, raring to go but a little naive. In this conversation it w...

075 | Making pals with fellow business owners - the highs, lows and awkward DM slides

This week I am joined by iconic duo Ellie & Rachel (from The Business Proposal podcast) to chat about our experience of making business pals. There's no denying that working by yourself can get lonely and finding people who 'get it' makes a huge impact... but what does making business friends look like when you're not sat across a desk from someone? How do you strike up conversation? Who sends the first text? Heck, how do you LEAVE a conversation when you're at an event? All these elements c...

074 | What nobody tells you about growing a team and becoming a manager

There's no denying that growing a team has been game changing for my business, so to explore the topic further I sat down with agency founder Aran to discuss our experiences of doing just that. Aran is in a difference position to me with a team of 7 and a Co-Founder, so I was interested to hear his experience of on-boarding, finding the right people, becoming a manager and managing a relationship with a co-founder. We explored the reality of being responsible for other people's income, the learn...

073 | Stop using the algorithm as an excuse and start using Instagram strategically

So you're losing followers, your likes are down and you're not seeing our friends posts - blame the algorithms! The Instagram algorithm provides us a convenient explanation as to why things aren’t going our way, but in this week's Small Talk episode I want to break down this ‘excuse’ and take a look at how you can still use the platform strategically. The rise of Instagram stories have changed the game, but I want to show you that there's an option to shift with the changes and keep stepping up ...

072 | Why having a personal brand is not the be-all & end-all

"Personal brands are the way to go" is a sentence we’ve all heard 1,000 times and it really doesn’t surprise me. In a world where we value who we buy from as much as what we’re buying, building a business with a personal brand can be a really effective way to approach your online presence. However, not every business owner wants to be or in fact should be the face of their brand. Chatting with Anna, founder of CakeDrop we explore our opposing approaches to how we’ve built our brands, discussing ...

071 | Small Talk | Avoiding the trap of valuing popularity over profitability in your online presence

One of my biggest frustrations with digital marketing is how easily our focus is shifted onto what I call the ‘vanity’ metrics. Whether it's focusing on likes, follows or subscribers, it's all too easy to fall into the trap of the valuing the popularity of what we create over the profitability (aka the effectiveness) of it. Now, way back in episode 6 of this podcast I covered a very similar subject and fast forward 18 months I have a whole lot more to add to this topic. So while it’s all too eas...

070 l Giving yourself permission to enjoy your business

After a restful week off it feels great to be back on schedule and chatting with Chloe Slade, one of my fav fellow business owners and my total inspiration when it comes to living well and working with intention. Over the years Chloe has mastered the art of defining and pursuing the life she desires by making small shifts in her everyday - whether it's making time to journal or going on a number of 'workations', Chloe has definitely captured what it means to lead an enjoyable life whilst running...

BONUS EP | @hot4thespot - a viral account dedicated to THE Zara dress

If you’ve left the house in the last 3 months you’re most likely aware of what I mean when I say THE Zara Dress, a dress so widely worn that it’s got its own instagram account - hot4thespot . As soon as I saw the thousands of submissions, hilarious brand voice and rapidly growing followers I had an instant curiosity around who was behind the account and how it all began. Enter Faye - stylist, designer and the creator behind hot4thespot. In this episode we talked all things hot4thespot from how i...

068 | Can you be your true self and still be successful?

I'm sure there are a lot of us that do not fit in with the preconceived idea of what a "successful business woman" should look or sound like, so can we still be successful showing up as ourselves? In this episode Elizabeth Stiles and I dispel the stereotypes that come with a job title and how tricky, but ultimately great it is to be successful in our work whilst being ourselves. If you hold back some of your personality but really want to be more yourself in or at work, this is a conversation fo...

067 l Small Talk | 4 questions to ask yourself before starting a podcast

Right now it seems like everyone and their Mum is becoming a podcast host and it really doesn't surprise me. A podcast can be a really effective way to grow your business and starting this one is 100% one of the best decisions I've ever made. BUT with that being said, I'm a big believer that unless something is done with intention, it isn't worth doing. And a podcast is no different. There's so much I wish I had considered before starting mine so to save you the 6 months of mistakes which I made...

066 | My business is my everything, but is that OK?

Whether you’re just starting out or have been running a business for a while, you might just be familiar with the notion that if you're not careful, your business can become your everything. In this V chatty and funny (if I do say so myself!) episode, Sasha & I share our own experiences of embracing what we do as a part of who we are... we explore everything from the impact our work has on our relationships and the self worth we gain from what we do to the times we've used business to dodge ...

065 l Small Talk l Setting intentions for the rest of 2019

In the first of the all new Small Talk episodes (aka me sitting down with the mic for 20-30 minutes to talk about a certain digital marketing or business topic) I’m talking all things intentions. It would be true to say I’m a little intention obsessed. The power of setting intentions is something I’m constantly seeing within my business and as a result, something I LOVE to share. Alongside chatting about why I set intentions and how I ensure they become a reality, I’ll be checking in on the inte...

064 | Dealing with internal and external noise when starting something new

When your business is new, and you’ve not yet built up your evidence bank to face the comparison with other business’, self doubt that is going against your intention or concerns from friends & family, who do you listen to & how do you keep pushing forward? In this weeks conversation, Josh and I (sat on my hotel room floor) unpack what that noise can be, where it comes from, and how to deal with it... It was fascinating to get a male perspective on bouncing back from negative comments, i...

063 | What nobody tells you about selling your expertise and being a coach

It's week 2 of the new format and I'm being joined by the brilliant Vix Meldrew to tackle a topic I've always wanted to discuss here on the podcast - what it really looks like to sell your expertise and run an education based business. Since transitioning into coaching / education, both Vix and I have experienced a whole host of highs, lows and unexpected challenges which come with the job title. Tune in to hear our rambly thoughts on that AND discover the worst and worst investments we've made ...

062 | Running a business when your personal life goes to shit

In the FIRST episode of the new format, I'm sitting down with one of my fav work pals (and a past guest of this podcast), Fiona Grayson, to have a good old chat about the reality of running a business when your personal life goes a little downhill. In the past 8 months both Fi and I have gone through breakups and it's safe to say there's a whole lot we didn't expect around how this would impact what we do. Alongside discussing what this looked like for us, we covered all important topics from th...

A little update on what's next for Starting the Conversation...

061 | Taking the leap from side-hustle to full time and the power of community w/Anna Dunleavy

Transitioning your side-hustle into a full time business is incredibly exciting, but there's no denying that it's a huge deal and comes along with a unique set of challenges. Whilst it's not something I've experienced myself, I know how beneficial it is to hear the honest experiences of others who have done the same. Enter, Anna Dunleavy. If you’re not familiar with Anna, she really does define the multi-hyphen method. Alongside providing personal branding and wedding photography, she’s the lady...

060 | Managing mental health when you’re running a business or growing a side-hustle w/Josephine Brookes

As it's Mental Health Awareness week, I’ve partnered with planning and productivity extraordinaire Josephine Brookes to discuss our experiences of mental health whilst building a business on both of our podcasts. If you’re not already familiar with Josephine, she’s a planning and productivity mentor for side-hustlers and an all round lovely human. Her philosophy is all about doing less and focussing on the tasks that really matter, rather than being busy and trying to get lots done - something I...