In this first of my Summer Survival Series I speak to Katie Skelton, former guest of the full pod, and an email marketing expert, about the importance of sustaining visibility and sales even during the summer slowdown. We discuss the concept of selling as a commitment to yourself, how to build and maintain a consistent writing habit, and the significant impact of genuine human connections on business success. Katie also shares her non-negotiables that help keep her business thriving and her stra...
Jul 20, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 85
It's a family affair this week, as in the last full episode before the summer break I'm interviewing my sister, Katie Elliott (AKA HR Katie) about her career journey, juggling work-life balance, and navigating the challenges of ambition and family life. We discuss her experience in HR, starting her own business, and the impact of her recent breakup on her professional and personal life. Katie shares her insights on the importance of knowing oneself, the role of unpaid labour, and how she found h...
Jul 13, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 84
*Trigger warning: sexual assault In this episode, I speak to Lu Featherstone, the vibrant and inspiring personality better known as 'Lu in LuLand' on Instagram. We dive into Lu's colorful and bold life journey from growing up as a vicar's daughter, serving in the Armed Forces, to moving to America and undergoing a transformative self-love revolution following her divorce. Lu candidly shares her struggles and triumphs, including dealing with postnatal depression, financial troubles, a self-diagno...
Jul 06, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 83
This week's episode feels special. It feels like one everyone should hear, and in it I speak to Grace Mosuro, an organisational development consultant, inclusion coach, and strategist. Grace shares her compelling journey rooted in her experiences as a black, Nigerian-born, UK-raised woman, touching on her early career, overcoming workplace marginalisation, and her shift towards focusing on diversity and inclusion. We delve into fundamental lessons for founders, the significance of intersectional...
Jun 29, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 82
In this episode I speak to Jenn Jordan, professional organiser and founder of Orjenise about her unique path to finding her life's calling. Jen wasn't always an organised person; in fact, she was messy and struggled with a shopping addiction. We delve into her early career, time on tour with her rockstar husband, and the moment she realized she needed to declutter her life. Jenn shares the emotional complexities of letting go of sentimental items and offers practical tips for anyone looking to s...
Jun 23, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 81
In this episode of Women's Business, I speak to Imogen Partridge, a talented watercolor illustrator (and friend), about her journey from a career in interior design to launching her own successful art business. We delve into Imogen's early influences, her battles against the 'struggling artist' narrative, and the power of creativity in personal and professional growth. Imogen shares insights on how she cultivated her audience, managed the transition from traditional employment to self-employment...
Jun 15, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 80
In this episode I speak to Jo Proud, the founder of Mood Bears - emotional support bears designed to help children (and adults!) understand and express their emotions. Jo shares her incredibly inspiring story, which began with a late-night idea that was born out of her own mental health struggles. From creating her first prototype to importing a shipping container full of bears from China, Jo discusses the challenging and gratifying journey of building her business. We also delve into her person...
Jun 08, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 79
My guest today is the utterly inimitable Jane Green, international bestselling author of books like Mr. Maybe and Jemima J, which put her at the forefront of the Chick Lit genre back in the late nineties. We delve into how her writing has evolved with her life, including her experience of divorcing after 18 years of marriage and starting anew in Morocco. Jane shares insights on internalised misogyny, the challenges and joys of creative reinvention, and how she balances work and personal life. We...
Jun 01, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 78
In this episode I speak to Lisa Smosarski, the award-winning editorial director of Stylist magazine, about her incredible journey in the magazine industry. From her early career in iconic nineties magazines to launching and leading Stylist, Lisa shares insights on evolving media landscapes, internalised misogyny, and the impact of motherhood on her career. We discuss Lisa's North Star of creating intelligent, feminist content that doesn't bow to the trends of clickbait, and the need for systemic...
May 18, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 77
In this episode I dive deep into the life of Sara Marshall, an extraordinary strategic advisor who has worked with some of the world's biggest corporations and now runs her own consultancy. Sara opens up about her career journey, from early experiences in her family to the heights of being a Senior Vice President at Universal Pictures and her struggle with work-life balance. She shares the personal challenges she faced, including sexism in the workplace, her divorce, and the unique route she too...
May 11, 2025•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 76
In this episode of Women's Business, I speak to Sophie Griffiths, a strategic marketing and meta ad specialist who shares her journey from corporate life to entrepreneurship. Sophie discusses her earliest work memories, dealing with her father's frequent redundancies, and the significant impact of burnout she experienced at various stages of her life. We delve into how she transitioned from a high-achieving corporate career at British Airways to facing an unexpected redundancy during her materni...
May 04, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 75
In this episode I speak to Rachel Carrell, founder of Koru Kids, a pioneering business that leverages technology to connect parents with nannies, offering a revolutionary approach to childcare. We discuss Rachel's diverse background, from the NHS to the mining industry, and her journey from supporting other businesses to launching her own. Rachel shares her views on the critical importance of childcare as infrastructure, the challenges and triumphs of scaling Koru Kids from a London-based startu...
Apr 27, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 74
Trigger warnings: loss, addiction, eating disorders In this quite amazing episode of Women's Business, I speak to Amber Keatley-Shaikh, a women's health coach who has been on her own incredible journey of building resilience and self-discovery. Amber takes us all the way back to childhood trauma and the heroin addiction that nearly killed her, before we discuss how she found a curiosity that kept her moving forward, before discovering strength and purpose in counselling and occupational therapy....
Apr 20, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 73
In this episode of I speak to Dr. Emily Leeming, a microbiome scientist, registered dietician, former chef, TEDx speaker, and author of 'Genius Gut: The Life-Changing Science of Eating For Your Second Brain'. We dive deep into the transformative power of nutrition, the roles of the gut microbiome and mental health, and share practical tips on adding beneficial foods to your diet without a complete overhaul. We also discuss Emily's unique career path, from working on superyachts to launching her ...
Mar 31, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 72
In this episode, I speak to Anna Anderson, founder of Kindred, a community space in Hammersmith. We dive into Anna's early experiences and insights on the value of community, and how that sparked an early interest in being of service to others. Anna shares her journey from social work to entrepreneurship, emphasizing the need for true community and the issues we face in society around loneliness and social connection. We discuss her experiences, challenges, and insights on social business, the i...
Mar 24, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 71
In this episode I interview Stacey Grant-Canham, founder of the ethical clothing brand Black & Beech. We discuss Stacey's unique journey, from crafting teething necklaces during maternity leave to building a brand that combines her passions for feminism and sustainable fashion. Stacey shares her complex childhood experiences, her radical transformation from academia to entrepreneurship, and how her personal values shape her business. We delve into the challenges of balancing motherhood and r...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 70
In this episode I speak to Baroness Martha Lane Fox, a pioneering figure in the technology sector and founder of lastminute.com. The conversation covers a range of topics from Martha's upbringing with hardworking parents, her early career experiences, and the founding of lastminute.com during the dot-com boom - plus how they navigated business when the dot-com bubble burst. Martha also opens up about her life-changing accident and how it reshaped her career path and life entirely. We discuss the...
Mar 10, 2025•43 min•Season 1Ep. 69
I can't believe Women's Business is 2! And to celebrate this milestone a different episode where I have invited my own husband onto to pod, to reflect on our journey and everything we're both learning through my work here on this pod. So, the much-mentioned Drew AKA Andrew Elliott is the first and only male guest on the show. This conversation covers modern life through a male lens, including Drew's childhood experiences, feelings about being a feminist, coping with financial dynamics in marriag...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 68
In this episode, I welcome Pippa Goulden, founder of The PR Set to the pod. Pippa shares her journey from working in traditional PR agencies to launching her DIY PR membership aimed at helping small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs, but also shares how launching the business enabled HER to create the work/life balance she wanted for herself. We also dive into what PR actually is, the importance of using it as an integral part of your marketing strategy and not an afterthought, misconcepti...
Feb 24, 2025•54 min•Season 1Ep. 67
In this episode of Women's Business I meet Nicola Elliott - haver of great name first and foremost, but also founder of NEOM Wellbeing - who discusses the inspiration behind her brand that originated from her own experience with burnout. Nicola shares her journey from working in journalism to becoming an entrepreneur, the deep intent behind the look and feel of the NEOM brand, plus we dive into the challenges of balancing motherhood and business, the different standards we hold working mothers a...
Feb 10, 2025•1 hr 1 min
In this inspiration-packed episode of Women's Business Lauren Paver shares her remarkable journey from being a struggling single mum to completing a multi-million-pound management buyout of her company in the security industry. Lauren talks about her work ethic, her original stint as a holiday rep, and how she broke into the male-dominated field of security sales. She offers real, powerful insights into what it takes to succeed without traditional academic qualifications and the significant sacr...
Feb 03, 2025•55 min•Season 1Ep. 65
In this episode Ruby Rout tells me her inspiring story behind founding the UK's first fully leakproof reusable period-wear brand, WUKA. Ruby shares her incredible journey from growing up in period poverty in Nepal to moving to London with minimal resources, and ultimately establishing WUKA after an initial (small!) cash injection, and bootstrapping to the point of running a multi-million pound business. Ruby's story is one of resilience, innovation, and community-building. We talk about the chal...
Jan 27, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 64
In this episode I interview the remarkable Leanna Barrett, founder of Liberty Woodland School, the UK's first fully outdoor school. Leanna shares her inspiring story, from being the first in her family to attend university, to pioneering the forest school movement in the UK, fighting against dissenting voices time and time again to pursue her mission to create a better educational environment for her own children. We discuss Leanna's business challenges of scaling and selling her nursey business...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 63
Even when the plan is just to match your previous salary - amazing things can happen! In this episode I speak to Carrie Brice, the founder of Carrie Elizabeth Jewellery, about her journey from being a buyer for high street retailers to establishing her own demi-fine jewellery brand. Carrie shares her experiences growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, the influence of her parents' work ethic, and the challenges and triumphs in founding and growing her business. We discuss how she funded her fir...
Jan 13, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 62
Welcome back! And we're back with a brilliant episode covering so much of motherhood and womanhood with the wonderful actor-turned-coach, podcaster, and co-founder of the feminist mental health platform Women Are Mad, Salima Saxton. In this episode we explore Salima’s journey from acting to coaching, the complex dynamics of her multi-heritage background, and how motherhood profoundly shaped her professional path. Salima shares candid insights about how she went from identifying as 'not an angry ...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 61
In this final episode before the break I talk to Emma Barnett - journalist, broadcaster and friend - as she takes me through her life and career journey. Known for her work on Woman's Hour, Newsnight, and now the Radio 4's Today Programme, Emma takes me back to her first roles, discusses the moment she felt she'd broken through, the rejection she's faced along the way and the entrepreneurial spirit that has helped her forge her own path. All of this lived through the lens of chronic pain from en...
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 60
In this episode, Naomi Raybould - founder and creative director of clothing brand Beyond Nine - shares her journey from facing thyroid cancer to overcoming personal tragedy and navigating a successful career pivot to create a million-pound clothing brand designed to empower women at all stages of life. Naomi and I discuss how switching roles at home has impacted her and her family, plus we dive into the external perceptions of that, plus the challenges of balancing a fast-growing business with c...
Dec 09, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 59
In spite of being a shining light of a human being, Tamu was not immune to burnout, and it features in her story like it does in so many - but in Tamu's case she knew there was more for her and used it as an opportunity to do a lot of self-work, and start again, and the insight she has gained - and now shares - as a result, is truly transformative. In this episode Tamu breaks down toxic productivity, where it comes from and what it means for us, plus how to tackle hard conversations at home. We ...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 58
In this episode Sophie Harris AKA Looking After Mum shares her journey from her early days in the mental health sector, and dealing with childhood experiences, to building a thriving private practice during the pandemic - throwing an unplanned pregnancy in the mix too. The conversation delves into the struggles of motherhood, the challenges of balancing work and family life, and Sophie's incredible growth on social media, amassing 100,000 followers by honing her content strategy. Sophie also ope...
Nov 25, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 57
If you're a radio fan you may know Janey Lee Grace's name, and you'll definitely know her voice, and in this episode Janey takes me on her fascinating journey, from aspiring pop star to a renowned radio personality. Discussing her time as a backing singer for Wham!, her brief pop fame with St. Etienne, and her transition into radio we also talk Janey's passion for natural health, her journey to sobriety, and her latest book. Janey offers insights on the importance of self-love, the power of sett...
Nov 18, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 56
