Courage & Chaos

Mini episode: Let's talk about why we need to celebrate Galentine's Day and celebrate YOU! I'm flying solo this Valentine's Day episode to talk about two different kinds of love: self love (I'm talking pride and self care here, not the racy stuff!) and friendship- the real, there for you through the toughest stuff kind of pals. This episode is all about the importance of: finding your people (ie....

There are never enough hours in a day. ⌛️ Managing your time is one of the biggest challenges of self employment- especially when you’re also a mum. The good news is, there ARE ways you can make better use of the time you do have- and maybe even find a little for yourself. 🎙️This week’s episode of The Self Employed Mum Podcast is a very honest conversation with Sarah Stewart, Time Management Coac...

Is imposter syndrome always a bad thing? 🙇‍♀️ What if we were to reframe that feeling, and focus on the growth that happens when we step outside our comfort zone instead? 🎙️This week’s episode of The Self Employed Mum Podcast is a very honest conversation with Kate Flory of Kapow Coaching focused on exactly that. Kate has been a coach for over twenty years and as someone who specialises in Confid...

Small Fish Big Pod is now The Self Employed Mum Podcast! The podcast is shifting focus- from a female entrepreneurship podcast to a podcast specifically for entrepreneurs who are also mums. I thought about this a lot, as I don’t want to leave anyone out- I really don’t want to separate women into different categories as we are all figuring this out together. But running a business while raising sm...

Clutter- it's hard to avoid it when you're busy and juggling ALL the plates. For some of us, it's physical clutter in our space. For others, it might be mental clutte. Or disorganization in our business or schedule. For manby of us (me!) it can feel like all of the above. the good news is- if you acknowledge it, and start working on the causes we CAN start decluttering our lives... and that's what...

Self limiting beliefs: we all have them. And they can hold us back in so many ways, especially when it comes to building and growing our businesses. In this episode I chat with Mindset and Time Line Therapy Coach Karen Leigh, who shares her personal journey to finding her passion and working through her own self limiting beliefs to get to the positive and balanced place she is in today. Karen chat...

Brand photography- the good, the bad and the NEED to know: if you're a small business owner! I've teamed up with another fabulous brand photographer, Rebecca Holmes, for an honest, open, real heart to heart about all things brand photography. We talk about our clients' concerns and challenges, choosing the right brand photographer for your business, the difference between those of us who specializ...

Uncomfortable with the 'money' aspect of running a small business? You're in good company. Most small business owners and freelancers find things like pricing and selling difficult to navigate and uncomfortable to talk about. But they're kind of an important part of running a business- we do need to make a living after all! This episode I interview Money Coach Ray Dodd, who talks us through why ma...

Episode 32- the podcast is back for season three, and I'm back from materntiy leave! I've actually been back to work from mat leave for a while, but it's been quite the adjustment around here. This is a solo episode and it's all about my experience with maternity leave as an entrepreneur, and the struggle to find a new normal as I return to work. I talk about hiring a virtual assistant to keep thi...

Episode 31 is part three of a new mini series all about Motherhood & Entrepreneurship. This week I’m joined by Marion Elkin-Greener, psychologist, small business owner and mum to three kids (and three dogs too!) We talk through the expectations put on us as women, "having it all" and how to combat the pressure we put on ourselves and better take care of our happiness and wellbeing . Marion shares...

Episode 30 is part two of a new mini series all about Motherhood & Entrepreneurship. This week I’m joined by Susan Ferguson, long time entrepreneur and mum of three, to chat about finding the elusive work life balance- and the boundaries that we need to create to effectively juggle self employment and motherhood. We share our lessons learned after years in business, why being open and honest on so...

The Self Employed Mum: Mini Series Part One Episode 29 is part of a new mini series all about Motherhood & Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is hard. Motherhood is hard. Pregnancy is hard. What happens when the three collide? This episode is all about planning for maternity leave as a self employed mother or mum to be. I'll share my challenges and experience of going through this twice, from plan...

(BITESIZE EPISODE) Episode 28 deals with a major obstacle for most (if not all) female entrepreneurs: imposter syndrome. 90% of women in the UK have felt held back by imposter syndrome and it is especially prevalent amongst women small business owners. In this episode we'll look at why imposter syndrome affects female entrepreneurs more than men/those in professional careers and how to identify im...

(BITESIZE EPISODE) Episode 27 is all about taking a break as an entrepreneur: why it's important, why it's challenging, and how to make it happen. I share my top tips for planning ahead to allow yourself to take a proper (guilt-free) break, including what I did to prepare for my REAL week off and what happened to my business while I was gone. Spoiler alert- I survived and so did my business, total...

Part two in a new series of mini episodes titled "Branding Small Business"- these short, actionable episodes are chock full of small business tips, advice and ideas- each one focused on a topic specific to creating a strong brand as a small business. This episode is all about finding your own unique brand values- and the best way to communicate them with your audience. We'll talk through what bran...

Brand values are a powerful part of your brand identity: they give meaning to what you do, they make your audience feel more invested in your work and they communicate what’s important to you, as a business owner and as a person. Laura has made her brand values front and centre for her business, Fernweh UK, and she feels it’s one of the most important things she’s done to get to where she is today...

Episode 24: Branding Small Business Series- Finding Your USP & Sharing it with your Audience The first in a new series of mini episodes titled "Branding Small Business"- these short, actionable episodes are chock full of small business tips, advice and ideas- each one focused on a topic specific to creating a strong brand as a small business. This episode is all about finding your own unique selli...

Pandemic Perspectives (Part Two of Two): lessons learned keeping small businesses afloat in 2020 This episode is a collaborative exploration of the silver linings Scotland’s small business community found during a year that challenged our resilience, our ability to adapt and our will to survive as entrepreneurs in the midst of a global pandemic.  Bringing 26 small business owners together, across...

Pandemic Perspectives (Part One of Two): lessons learned keeping small businesses afloat in 2020 This episode is a collaborative exploration of the silver linings Scotland’s small business community found during a year that challenged our resilience, our ability to adapt and our will to survive as entrepreneurs in the midst of a global pandemic.  Bringing 26 small business owners together, across...

Reflections on 2020: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (but mostly the good). Doing something a wee bit different this week and joining forces with the host of my favourite podcast, Abby of Mind Yer Business Podcast. We take turns asking the questions, and have a real, honest chat about what 2020 has taught us about entrepreneurship- from our perspective as female founders and as part of the small bu...

Being relatable is key to building an engaged audience, and creating a strong brand. And the key to being relatable- injecting a little personality into your content. In episode 21, Marti of Wee Bit Social talks us through the importance of having fun with your content- why it works, where to start and how to do it well. We talk about instagram reels and stories, social media content and how to ta...

For episode 20, I'm going solo to dive deep into the real honest truths about lockdown burn out: from unrealistic self expectations, to comparison and perception to pandemic pressures and everything in between. Episode 20 is raw, personal and all about normalizing how we are feeling as small business owners trying to stay afloat in the midst of a pandemic. If you're feeling overwhelmed, burnt out,...

How important are brand values to you as a business owner? How about as a consumer? This week's guest built her business on strong brand values- and they are a big part of her story and of her success. In episode 19, I chat with Rebecca Miller, founder of Temple De Luna: a natural, handmade skincare company based in Scotland. Rebecca shares how her own experience with her own skin led her to start...

This week’s episode is all about the challenges of getting your business seen- and the journey to get there. Digital marketing specialist Fiona Kirkcaldy talks us through the basics of digital advertising and google ads and she shares the story of how she moved from digital agency to entrepreneurship- plus how she managed to deal with a global pandemic in her first year of business. Fiona and I al...

If you like chocolate, run a business or are dreaming of starting one this is the episode for you! This week I'm joined by the lovely Jen & Jennifer of Kreuzberg Chocolates, who are just about to launch their handcrafted chocolate business here in Glasgow, Scotland. We chat all about starting a product based business, from sourcing suppliers to making ethical choices to sharing stories and how tho...