In this episode, we dive deep into the power of alignment—not as a buzzword, but as a vital force for building an inspired, creative, and authentic business. Fiona brings her branding lens, while I explore the entrepreneurial and inner landscape, and together we unpack why true alignment—both within ourselves and in how we express our business to the world—is the foundation for more ease, flow, and resonance. We explore what alignment really means, why it matters, and how it touches everything f...
Jul 02, 2025•52 min•Season 16Ep. 99
This week we're unpacking the invisible load—those subtle, internal tensions that so many of us carry as women in business. From the emotional labour we absorb without realising, to the time drain of constantly reconciling competing priorities, we reflect on how these unseen dynamics can quietly erode our energy, clarity and capacity to thrive. Its a fairly reflective, contemplative, episode (with a few joyful party plugs along the way!) which we hope will give you pause for thought. We mentione...
Jun 25, 2025•41 min•Season 16Ep. 98
How do you know if your brand is pitching you at the right level? How can you be sure not to miss the opportunities inherent in a branding process done well? Why does going deep matter? We cover all this and more in this short but takeaway-packed episode where Fi shares her unique perspective on what's required to make sure your brand pitches you at the right level. If you want to give yourself the best possible chance of winning the right kind of work, attracting the most aligned opportunities,...
Jun 18, 2025•33 min•Season 16Ep. 97
It's time we tackled the question on the lips of so many creatives in our field. Should we be using AI and what is it costing us if we do? In this juicy episode we dig deep and range far and wide as Fi and I grapple with the big question and the implications for us all. We explore why we feel so strongly about AI when it comes to Brand Strategy, whether AI can be empowering and what it might be missing, how it impacts on the work of creatives who may also be Neurodivergent and the all important ...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 16Ep. 96
Ever found yourself paralysed by the big decisions? Whether it's business or life in general, when big changes are afoot it can be a tricky time. Join us as we kick off the new season with an exploration of how to find the courage to make those big decisions and live into the version of yourself and your life you really want. We would also love for you to come to our fabulous Summer Soiree, details in the episode and you can find the link to book here https://www.thebrand-stylist.com/soiree. Do ...
Jun 04, 2025•50 min•Season 16Ep. 95
When you have an exciting vision or dreams for your business it can be incredibly exciting..but when seeing that vision through needs a marathon not a sprint, how do you keep it alive, maintain your focus and handle the set backs with so many competing priorities? In this conversation we're walking through the steps that inspired, yet busy entrepreneurs can take to hold the vision and and keep the energy and momentum needed to make it happen when work and life is busy. Hosted on Acast. See acast...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 15Ep. 94
We are in a celebratory mood as this week marks the ten year anniversary of Fi's bestselling book How to Style Your Brand and in this conversation we explore what's possible when you listen to the muse. Fi talks about the importance of pursuing your passion against the odds, having the right people around you and a healthy dose of stubbornness along the way. We hope you find it inspiring and thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts on what the book haas done for them, many of which we've ...
May 14, 2025•35 min•Season 15Ep. 93
We are excited to bring you this one, uncharacteristically Elizabeth is in the hot seat as Fi invites her to dig deep about her experiences with her latest creative breakthrough which will mean BIG CHANGE for her and her business. In this conversation we explore the attitudes, principles and strategies behind taking a Flow not Force approach to your business and the underlying beliefs that help make it a reality. We hope you enjoy and, as ever, if you do please like, review and share away. Thank...
May 07, 2025•51 min•Season 15Ep. 92
We are passionate about entrepreneurs and brands achieving their potential. There are so many factors that come into it, from from our attitudes and beliefs, how we show up to the way we implement design. In this wide ranging conversation we dig deep into what it takes for brands to avoid playing small (deliberately or otherwise) and realise their full potential. We explore the personal and practical factors that both get in the way and make it possible for our brands to take up the space they d...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 15Ep. 91
How to keep moving forwards when the world is going mad. There's no escaping the world is bonkers right now and that's putting it a little mildly, you don't have to go very far to be confronted with immense challenge and suffering and it is likely affecting us all to varying degrees. It can be hugely challenging to maintain hope, and resilience never mind momentum in such challenging times so today we're talking about what we can do to take care of ourselves and keep moving forwards. Whether you...
Apr 23, 2025•49 min•Season 15Ep. 90
Part two of getting what you want with integrity. Emotions and frustrations run high as we dig into a recent scenario that highlight beautifully what gets in the way of acting with integrity and what trips us up when we're trying to get a good outcome. In this conversation we walk through some of the signposts that tell us we or others might be acting out of integrity. We explore how we manage maintaining equitable power balances and how the landscape changes when we're dealing with toxic relati...
Apr 02, 2025•51 min•Season 14Ep. 89
Getting what we want in business isn't always easy and dealing with unreasonable demands isn't a walk in the park either. In this two part mini series we tackle all of that and more as we explore in depth and build aa model of how to get what we want with integrity. Let's get stuck in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 26, 2025•57 min•Season 14Ep. 88
Let's be real. None of us have limitless budgets that allow us to do everything we'd like on our brand: we all have to make choices. But we do think there is a big difference between a bootstrapping mentality (saving money at all costs and compromising on quality as you go) and the reality of bootstrapping your brand (making smart choices that will move your brand forwards, however tight your budget). We dig into all of this and more in today's episode where Fi is sharing a wealth of advice and ...
Mar 19, 2025•55 min•Season 14Ep. 87
This special episode, created in honour of International Women's Day is a pulling together of just a glimmer of the wisdom held in our wonderful community of inspiring and empowered entrepreneurs. Rather than hearing from us, in this episode, we hear from you. Thank you to everyone who sent in a submission to be included we have tried to feature as many of you as we can, and whilst it hasn't been possible to feature everyone (we were inundated) we are so grateful to have read your stories and fo...
Mar 12, 2025•30 min•Season 14Ep. 86
International Womens Day is coming up this week so it feels timely to explore this topic of Claiming Our Rightful Place as Women in Business and what we can do to step fully and confidently into our authority. We talk about the superpowers we uniquely have as women in business what might hinder our ability to take our rightful place and leave you with some profound words of wisdom from a much loved English treasure. Apologies for the slightly less than perfect audio quality in the first couple o...
Mar 05, 2025•39 min•Season 14Ep. 85
Phew...what a whirlwind the last few weeks has been and a hot topic for us both of late has been energy, how much do we have, how do we keep it high and how do we get it all done? So today to kick off the new season we've got a short and punchy episode where we catch up with our out-of-the-norm escapades over half term and some quick tips for managing your energy. Back to business as usual next week and in the mean time if you want to check out the Designers Track that Fi mentions you can find d...
Feb 26, 2025•25 min•Season 14Ep. 84
International Womens Day is coming up on 8th March and we want to create a celebratory showcase of all the wonderful female entrepreneurs in our incredible community. We want to hear your stories, your successes, your pearls of wisdom and we will do our best to share as many as we can. To join the action just send us a short insta ready video or image and story to podcast@fionahumberstone.com or DM us on the podcast insta @styleandsubstance_podcast. We can't wait to hear from you. Hosted on Acas...
Feb 25, 2025•50 sec
Creativity is the lifeblood of both of our businesses and we have both experienced the game changing impact for ourselves and our clients when we really feel the strong sense of identity as a creative in our bones. When you can really own your creativity and it is woven through the fabric of your life and work it is transformative and not just for the jobbing artists amongst us. For every business owner serious about having the edge and working in a joyful and empowering way, creativity is a ski...
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 13Ep. 83
These days you can barely move for someone promising you a '7 figure income' while you sleep. But is it really the panacea it promises to be? Passive income is something so many ambitious entrepreneurs are chasing, but what does it really take? We are about to get deep, opinionated and personal in this episode where we explore Fi's passive income success story that paid the mortgage. How the pursuit of passive income shifts your experience of what it's like to run your business, the unseen effor...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 13Ep. 82
Do you run a creative business? Are you reaping the benefits of trading off your creative style? If not, we're here to convince you that its a great idea and a total game changer for the creative entrepreneur. In this episode we dig into the commercial and creative benefits of finding and trading off your creative style. We'll be sharing success stories of entrepreneurs who've really leaned into their creative flare with incredible results and we'll be tackling some of the common misconceptions ...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr•Season 13Ep. 81
Welcome back lovely listeners, in this episode we are talking all things branding and what becomes possible when you get your branding really working for you. Fi shares her insights from over 20 years in the world of branding to uncover the essentials of what entrepreneurs need to know to empower themselves to make the most of their brand. So if you're branding something new, rebranding or have big plans for your business this year, this is a must listen. Enjoy. As mentioned in the episode Fi;s ...
Jan 22, 2025•43 min•Season 13Ep. 80
Just before Christmas Fi sound herself on the receiving end of an outrageous comment. With commercial and ethical decision to make and plenty of self gaslighting and doubt in the mix, it wasn't an easy time. In this in depth exploration, hear how we navigated this sticky situation and resolved things amicably all round. A must listen for anyone who struggles with post decision dissonance, gaslighting themselves or worry about being an overly emotional/sensitive woman in business. You might also ...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 13Ep. 79
Happy New Year Lovely Listeners, Were coming out of the gates in 2025 with what we hope will be a thoroughly uplifting and encouraging episode where we are waxing lyrical about the benefits of a having a Hype Squad for your business. Hear where our support comes from, how we design for it in work and life and how to avoid becoming too transactional and loosing the magic of reciprocal championing. We look back o the joys of the Studio Theia launch and celebrate the wonderful Podcast community tha...
Jan 08, 2025•47 min•Season 13Ep. 78
Welcome to the final episode of 2024 and in typical Style and Substance form we are reviewing our year. In this conversation we share our highs, lows, learnings and hopes and what we've made of a pretty challenging 2024. Thank you for listening and all your support of the podcast this year, we are excited and inspired to be back in 2025. Wishing you a joyful and abundant festive season Elizabeth & Fi xx At the end of the episode I mention my new coaching circle The Rise and Thrive Collective...
Dec 18, 2024•41 min•Season 12Ep. 77
We are very excited to bring you todays episode as it coincides with the Launch of Fiona's new brand consultancy Studio Theia. The creation of Studio Theia has been a labour of love, a creative unfolding and a strategic commercial proposition that is, even if we do say so ourselves the epitome of authentic and aligned work. In this episode we share the story behind the brand and insights and inspiration around what's possible when a brand is truly aligned and beautifully atmospheric. As well as ...
Dec 11, 2024•40 min•Season 12Ep. 76
Winter is here and in this episode we are exploring the benefits and the potentially scary territory of wintering in our businesses. What does it look like, is it realistic, should we be doing it and what do we risk if we don't? This conversation is a walk through the seasons and cycles of business and ways we can capitalise on the energy of the seasons and make the most of winter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 04, 2024•44 min•Season 12Ep. 75
Is your brand puling it's weight? How do you know, what are you missing out on and what should you do about it? In this episode I'm picking Fi's brains on realising the potential in our brands and the crucial role of clarity in realising our full potential. Discover the benefits to the business and the entrepreneur of a brand that is packing it's full punch and where to start in getting real strategic clarity. #brandclarity strategicbranding #branding Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...
Nov 27, 2024•32 min•Season 12Ep. 74
The pursuit of truly meaningful and fulfilling work that puts our skills and talents at the heart might seem an indulgence that we don't always have time for but for us it's a commercial business imperative. Hear why in this episode on finding your authentic work where we dig into the value, not only for you and your business but the wider society and the world. We dig into some of the most common blockers to finding that work and how to begin going about it. Fi explores how this relates to bran...
Nov 20, 2024•31 min•Season 12Ep. 73
A luxury brand can be an utterly aspirational prospect for many, but is it the magic bullet it promises to be? If you want move into this space, there is a whole load you absolutely need to be considering up front. In this episode we dig into the why's and the wherefores of what it takes to create a luxury brand. Fi talks us through some of the visual signifiers and the critical importance of getting it right. We explore the demands it places on an entrepreneur who wants to sit comfortably in th...
Nov 13, 2024•43 min•Season 12Ep. 72
Lovely listeners, we're dropping in between episodes this week because both of us are incredibly excited about Fi's new Brand Catalyst Programme and I wanted to give her the opportunity to share that excitement and take the chance to celebrate. In our conversation we talk about how the programme came about and some of the strategic considerations we have had to make with regard to how it sits within the rest of Fi's work. We talk about Fi finding her flow and the creative unfolding edge of her b...
Nov 11, 2024•19 min•Season 12Ep. 71
