Unemployed & Afraid - podcast cover

Unemployed & Afraid

A business podcast for the brave self-employed.

Growing your own business can be one of the most gratifying, wonderful, life-changing experiences around. It’s also scary as hell. This is a weekly podcast for the ones who have made the brave decision to employ themselves anyway.

We're for the full gamut of business experience - from Solopreneurs, Side-hustlers, Micro-business, Small Business, Medium business, Independent, VC backed, Bootstrapped and more - here for the real stories and priceless insights of it all, well beyond the PR headlines.

Join fellow business-builder and side-hustler Kim Kerton as she dives into the realities of starting something from scratch, helping you feel less alone in the lows and reminding you of the highs that make it all worthwhile. Hear real talk and raw feels from people right in the thick of it and feel seen as you listen.

Small business is tough - all business is tough - it will be one of the most intense things you'll ever do but it will also be the most impactful experience you can imagine. So surround yourself with a community of business owners willing to share with you their learnings, from those a few steps ahead, to many business milestones ahead, and even those just behind, and feel supported to build the business of your unique dreams. 

This is a podcast built to support you to build your own small business, to tackle the statistics and keep more of us in business for ourselves. To say thanks, you can support this independent podcast and small business by shouting your host a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/unemployedpod

Get in touch at unemployedandafraid.com.au to be part of the show or to become a sponsor (we would love the support!).

Connect on the socials @unemployedandafraid on IG and @unemployedandafraidpod on TikTok

 

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Episodes

“Just start doing what interests you without any intention of where that might lead,” Iconic Teacher, Stylist, Scientist & Author, Sarah Andrews

My guest today, Sarah Andrews, knows a fair bit about creating a world that’s built just for you, in fact she’s made an industry out of it – something that she didn’t plan for or expect. In this episode we talk about the value of spending time in curiosity, learning to trust your instincts when the desire to follow a path kicks in, tapping into your own unique skills when it comes to creating a life you love, and letting go of the plan. Sarah is the creative imagination behind Captains Rest, The...

Jun 05, 202248 min

“What we are doing is too vulnerable, too scary to not have someone on your side, and it needs to be you,” Author, Podcaster, Creative Coach, Amie McNee AKA Inspired to Write

My guest today is Amie McNee, AKA Inspired to Write, and she has unknowingly played a huge part in giving me the courage to step into my creativity and business-building, so let me tell you if you need a little boost to keep going, she’s your gal. Amie is an author, podcaster, book doula, creative coach and all-round inspiring human, dedicated to supporting creative, artistic souls to step into their magic and create what they want in the world (and yes, if you’re thinking it, business is in fac...

May 29, 202252 min

“You never know who is watching… you just have to be yourself,” Influential Artist Jenna Hutchison, AKA Love Ludie

Jenna Hutchison (AKA Love Ludie) is, in short, bloody inspiring. A beautiful artist and all round creative powerhouse who follows her heart, trusts her instincts and doesn’t shy away from talking about how scary doing that really is. In this episode we talk about gaining, and leaving, amazing career opportunities, taking huge risks in business, being on the skins of your knees with finances, starting a whole new career on a whim, the big wide world of content collaborations and representation, a...

May 22, 202253 min

“It's okay, you can start incrementally,” Founder of Wobble Yoga and Director of Scream Pretty Australia Polly Teller

For today’s guest, the fabulous Polly Teller from Wobble Yoga and Scream Pretty Australia, it was the looming change in a contracting magazine environment and desire to be as present as possible for her family while working, that made her realize that the need to change was imminent, but the idea took its time to seed and grow. You’ll love Polly for so many reasons, but particularly for her beautiful honesty and vulnerability about the messy middle and the surprising learnings she had along the ...

May 15, 202247 min

“Sometimes what your soul guides you to do, doesn't always make sense to your mind, and it's not always convenient,” Transformational teacher and Author, Kute Blackson

Larry King said it much better than me…. “Kute Blackson is a leading visionary in the field of personal development. His work is remarkable, powerful and will transform your life.” In this episode I took a lesson from Kute myself and threw away the question planning - we found ourselves chatting about why you should start where you are to create real value for yourself and others, why constantly looking for, and trying to define, your purpose could be moving you further away from it, and how eas...

May 08, 202258 min

“Sometimes it felt a little hard to say the truth {in business partnership}, like we were being polite,” Cat, Jade & Andrina, Psychotherapists and Co-Business Owners at Insight & Wellness

Jade, Cat and Andrina made therapy their business, but didn’t think they’d create a business in therapy quite so soon. In today’s episode of Unemployed & Afraid, the fabulous women behind Insight & Wellness in Toronto talk about the unexpected stops and starts of getting a business off the ground, what it’s like to create a business partnership with friends, the importance of good communication over everything, shaking off the misconceptions of therapy, the future of psychedelics as ther...

May 01, 202255 min

“We didn't spend any money on marketing or advertising because we didn't have any money to put behind it, it was just like, okay, let's just start,” Hype Gym Co-Founders Beck Burns and Lou Robertson

Today we get to hear from powerhouse sisters Beck Burns and Lou Robertson, who backed themselves to follow their dreams in what is a pretty tough industry – gym ownership. In this chat we talk all about their experience of going from outside boot camps to a brick-and-mortar gym, to fitness retreats, and their brand-new partnership and holistic wellness offering, all while raising a young family for Beck, and casually smashing world records for Lou. These impressive women, and their third busines...

Apr 17, 202243 min

“I really wanted to start heading towards making change, but I didn't know how,” Equine Assisted Learning Coach and founder of Equine Angels, Lainie Bracher Towner

Lainie Bracher Towner, Equine Assisted Learning Coach and founder of Equine Angels, shares the story of starting her business and undergoing an entire professional rebrand. She’s gone from the glamorous world of fashion magazines, parties and corporate offices to working with horses to deliver an equine assisted life coaching program that helps disadvantaged youth develop emotional control, effective communication and body language skills. When I spoke with Lainie, there was a lot up in the air ...

Apr 10, 202238 min

“The fear of remaining where I was, was greater than the fear of taking that risk and making the leap,” Potter, Kara Leigh Ford

Today I’m chatting with Kara Leigh Ford, a brilliant Potter and now author, based near Bath in the picturesque South-West of England. What can you expect from today’s chat, well, If you have a calling for creative and artistic creation you will learn about how you don’t need to have it all figured out, or have the “right” credentials to be a creative in business – you can learn, perfect, and go from there – all you have to do is believe in yourself. In her own words, Kara makes pots, talks about...

Apr 03, 202258 min

"It's constant learning, constant trying, constant frustration, But it's balanced with success and with recognition," Yogi Peace Club Founder, Emma Barr

I’m joined today by passionate yogi, Emma Barr, founder of Yogi Peace Club, to talk about: the ins and outs of starting a fashion brand from the ground up the importance of believing in your product and making it sustainable, in growth as well as for the planet. In 2014, Em left a family trip to Bali inspired to create a brand that invoked some of the most powerful aspects of yoga practice, connection, community and inclusion. That brand became Yogi Peace Club, designed to bring out the inner yo...

Mar 27, 202247 min

“You have to clean out the Garage before you can get something new,” Career Sabbaticalist, Kimberly Turner Eng

Call it algorithm bias, but in the world of social media some people seem meant to show up in your feed, today’s guest is a perfect example. You’ll hear all about it in the episode, but in short, I connected with Kimberley Turner Eng, my guest for today’s episode, via a LinkedIn update she shared that went viral. In it, she talked about taking a break from her long career with Nike and Amazon to reset. This makes today’s episode is a little different, as I’m chatting with Kimberly while she’s on...

Mar 20, 202237 min

“Drawing on the experience that you have, you'll surprise yourself, how well you can do by just simply knowing what's worked for you in your corporate career and then applying that into your own business,” Restaurateur, Peter Burr

My chat today is with a fabulous gent named Peter Burr, who has spent most of his career as a top Marketing Exec for major Telco’s and IT, facing three redundancies over this time (yes, 3!!) Peter decided to re-focus his approach to his marketing career, changing how he works to support his vision for creating an amazing and highly awarded destination restaurant, Potager, in Carool northern NSW. Peter and I chatted in early 2022, and this episode is being released shortly after the devastating f...

Mar 13, 202249 min

“If we’re curious, and we're willing to learn and we're resilient - you can achieve anything,” CEO & Creative Director of YCL Jewels Fabienne Costa

My guest today is the fabulous Fabienne Costa, who is a self-taught jeweller and designer of the beautiful jewellery brand YCL Jewels. Have you ever found yourself admiring the success of an artist, designer or businessperson and thinking, you know what, I reckon I might be able to do what they do… maybe it wasn’t even a conscious thought, but more of a sense that you could do it if you tried? Well imagine just jumping two feet in and going for it. Deciding to become the very thing you admired –...

Mar 06, 202246 min

"When we can look at the pursuit of something new, and what we achieve in that pursuit, not as the goal but the pursuit itself as being the thing of value, something magical happens," Adaptability Coach and Mentor Stephen Gibb

This guest has a lot of experience in hitting the pause button on a career. In this chat he’s honest and brilliantly vulnerable about the challenges of recognising what’s really happening for yourself, and generous about sharing what he’s learnt with the world. Stephen Gibb is an Adaptability Coach, and founder of the coaching and mentoring offering Adaptable Edge. In his own words, Stephen spent 15 years working for the world's largest software companies and changed jobs and employers with unus...

Feb 27, 202247 min

“When you are starting out and stepping away from that corporate sector and you soon realize that there's just so many ways to move forward,” Whale Song Shack Creator and Artist Ingrid Daniell

Today’s guest is the multi-passionate Ingrid Daniell, who joins us with two inspiring business feathers currently in her cap. Ingrid shares the importance of connecting to what brings you home to yourself, and why it matters to collaborate and create authentically – she’s a gem. An incredible artist with exhibitions and gallery representation in her hometown of Geelong, in Sydney and New York. Through her painting, she identifies the human and instinctive need to connect to the land, to the ocea...

Feb 20, 202246 min

“I definitely had a lot of imposter syndrome early on, even in my Instagram bio, for years after I started getting photography work I would still only ever have food blogger in my bio!” Photographer and Stylist, Dearna Bond

Dearna Bond is a photographer and stylist that I’m a huge fan of, it’s pretty hard not to be, her approach to getting started and learning skills as you go, trusting the process, and never stopping that learning will leave you inspired to lean into whatever your creative heart desires. Dearna’s images take you somewhere magical, she creates beautiful scenes that evoke a mood and tell a story like no other, and honestly her food photography is off the charts amazing. She has created for some incr...

Feb 13, 202247 min

“I did absolutely everything and just sat on it for ages and I was like, when's gonna be the right time? which, you know what? There isn't a right time,”Perfectly Queer Founder and Entertainer, Aza/Della Katessen

My guest today is a bit of a self-starter powerhouse. Aza works full-time, but could never quite scratch the itch for entertainment that he developed through a long career in radio – that was until he found the world of Drag as Della Katessen - which has now led to a second side-hustle, a talent management company dedicated to all the wonderful queer talent of Melbourne. Trigger warning: we swear a bit in this episode, and touch on the topic of homophobia and homophobic slurs. Mainly we talk abo...

Feb 06, 202257 min

“I just cannot describe the feeling of finally deciding to go out on your own and do something, I had no idea that I would one day be selling fish homewares!”Bobby Seaford & Skipjack Maps Co-Founder Skye Hamilton

Today’s guest is the lovely Skye Hamilton, co-founder and creative director of Bobby Seaford, which is the home of Australia’s saltiest homewares, and Skipjack Maps, the purveyors of hydrographic maps carefully crafted to inspire coastal escapades. Skye has been through a number of restarts in her life and career to be the person we meet today, through chronic health challenges, motherhood and of course that lovely little pandemic we’re all so fond of. *Trigger warning: we chat through her exper...

Jan 30, 202252 min

“If you have something that you really want to start, just go and do it. Just go and do it on the weekends, do it after hours, and then just see what happens,” This is Incense (Gentle Habits) Founder, Sophie Marshall

My guest today is Sophie Marshall, the founder of This is Incense (Gentle Habits), a brand that I’m not so low key obsessed with. It was an idea created in the shower, where all the best ideas come from, that has built from the ultimate side hustle into a full-time career for herself, her family and her friends. This is Incense is the incense brand that has taken those deliciously smoky sticks well away from their hippy life reputation, and into homes, and rituals, all over Australia and New Zea...

Jan 22, 202257 min

“I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do financially, but I’m not doing this anymore,” Tasmanian Shacklife creator Naomi Hume

Today’s guest is Naomi Hume, AKA the aesthetically talented creator of Tasmanian Shacklife. Finding her way through a path she never could have imagined, through not one, but two, maybe three major moments of starting over have brought her here, to the person we meet today. Tasmanian Shacklife is a platform that celebrates the original shack, shares shack stories, and connects you to find unique shack stays – featuring incredible homes such as The Stand-alone in Eaglehawk Neck, Whale Song Shack ...

Jan 16, 202253 min

“I firmly believe that everything we do in our lives sets us up for the next thing, even if those skills don't necessarily feel transferable in the moment,” Author and Health Journalist Casey Beros

Casey Beros is a presenter, facilitator, journalist, hugger and author of the “stealth-help” book Bad girls guide to better . Her book, and everything she shares, is relatable, real, funny and a good kick in the ass for anyone who suffers with shame, guilt, self-doubt, or anything else that holds us back in some way. We talk about the challenges of losing a job you love, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, having to carve your own career path, and how asking the right q...

Jan 09, 20221 hr 1 min

“You've really got to dig deep and think do I want to live my life like that? Or am I prepared to be a bit counterculture and choose different things?” Creator of The Lazy Prospector and multi-hyphenate, Melissa Hobbs

Strap in for this one ‘cause today’s guest is a woman who does not shy away from inspiring reinvention – she’s the creator of The Lazy Prospector and incredible multi-hyphenate, Melissa Hobbs. Mel has dedicated her time to making the world a better place for animals, co-founding Meat Free Week (which you may have heard of before!), then launching The Vegan Company, a no-judgement zone that connected people with the ever-growing collection of plant-based inspiration and information. She’s on the ...

Jan 02, 202253 min

“It does feel daunting to relaunch, but you can literally be anything you want,” Abstract artist Sophie Le Couteur

A quick visit to Sophie’s Instagram page will, other than knock your socks off, show you her incredible talent in creating artworks inspired by yoga, minimalism and the sea. She shares passionately about the way following her passion into the art world has opened her into a more aligned sense of self, how scary it can be to find a new title for yourself, and how trusting your instincts can lead to pretty amazing things. Her yoga illustrations that capture the flowing lines of female form in asan...

Dec 19, 202152 min

“It was a real leap of faith that I had to take, if you're doing what you love, then keep doing it,” Kids Nutritionist Lucy Stewart

Lucy Stewart is a Kids Nutritionist and Recipe Developer working with families to create a happier, healthier future, and is the Founder of Well-Fed Kitchen, the incredible range of nutritionist designed snacks for kids. A mum and step-mum to a team of mini taste testers - a van-lifer and soon to be farm-lifer, Lucy is passionate about nourishing the next generation. Before all that, Lucy was in a high paying PR role, when a health shake up inspired her to get back to school and into the world o...

Dec 12, 202143 min

"Everything you've known for 20 years is now officially gone, what on earth do you do?” Spokesperson and PR Specialist Mel Greig

Today’s guest is the effervescent Mel Greig, an impactful figure in the Australian media for over 20 years as a national radio host, TV star, a columnist and a public speaker *Trigger Warning* Mel and I discuss mental health, suicide, online abuse, harassment, grief, pregnancy challenge and body image, and so if this show is not for you then that’s perfectly ok, and I look forward to supporting your journey in future episodes. She’s overcome some incredibly challenging circumstances to be the wo...

Dec 12, 202143 min

“Sometimes you need a little help to find yourself,” Your host Kim Kerton

Hi! Welcome to the official first episode of this brand-new podcast, Unemployed & Afraid, the pod that chats to some incredible humans about their journey of creating their business. I'm Kim Kerton, AKA Good Side of the Bed , the host of Unemployed & Afraid. This “episode” is a little bit podcast intro, a little bit get to know me and where I’m at right now – it will give you the download of the show, why it exists, and who the bloody hell your host is :) With a special guest interviewer...

Dec 09, 202117 min
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