JobsWorth

This week on JobsWorth, I'm joined by writer, photographer, podcaster and founder of No Place Like Home, Joe Fordham. Joe's career has taken him through publishing, photography, startups and freelance work, but beneath all those different chapters sits a common theme: a search for creativity, connection and belonging. We talk about growing up in Dagenham, questioning authority from an ea...

This week on JobsWorth, things are a little different. To celebrate the 100th episode of the podcast, I sit down with Tom... the person who’s been filming, editing and helping shape JobsWorth behind the scenes since the very beginning. We talk honestly about the reality of building a creative project alongside everyday life, the pressure (and privilege) of consistency, and what we’ve learned after...

 This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by Gabrielle Burt, founder of Gabs… the Leigh-on-Sea grazing bar that’s quickly become one of the area’s most talked about independent food spots.  But this conversation isn’t really about grazing boards or pastries.  It’s about someone who realised very early on that she couldn’t spend her life doing work that made her unhappy.  Gabbie talks openly about strugg...

 This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by Cassie Strickland and Dominic Foster, personal trainers and co-owners of Studio Athletica.   What makes this conversation interesting is that neither of them fit the stereotype people often associate with the fitness industry.   Cassie admits she actively avoided PE at school, while Dominic describes himself as “bang average” at sport before stumbling into fi...

 This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by Dan Nunn and Kane Reed, founders of 5 Physio.  Both Dan and Kane knew from a young age that physiotherapy was the path they wanted to follow. What’s interesting is how that shared direction played out… through different environments, frustrations within the profession, and eventually coming back together to build something of their own.  We talk about the rea...

 This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by Kelcie John-Lewis.  Kelcie is a portrait photographer, mum of two and founder of The Luna Edit, a vintage jewellery brand built around antique and second-hand lockets.  In this episode, we talk about Kelcie’s colourful career journey, from office jobs and car dealerships to swimming teaching, photography and eventually building a brand that brings together he...

 This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by Jordan Gray.  Jordan is a musical comedian, writer and performer whose career has taken her from fronting a death metal band as a teenager, to releasing multiple albums, reaching the semi-finals of The Voice, and going on to create her Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated show Is It A Bird?  In this episode, we explore what that journey has really looked like. Fr...

 This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by Carol Smillie.  Best known for presenting Changing Rooms at its peak, Carol’s career has taken her from modelling to television, into business, and now into a completely different chapter as a humanist celebrant.  In this episode, we talk about how those transitions actually happened… not as part of a grand plan, but by taking opportunities, backing herself,...

This week on JobsWorth, I sit down with Damien Stone, founder of Braestone. Damien’s career hasn’t followed a straight line. From starting out on construction sites to building a career in the fitness industry, travelling the world, and eventually returning to construction to build his own business… his journey is a great example of what work can really look like over time. Along the way, he’s exp...

This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by Melissa Stone, founder of the Melrose Clinic. After a decade working as an NHS midwife, Mel reached a point many people will recognise...dreading work, feeling stuck, and questioning whether this was really it. During a 3am night shift, she made a decision that completely changed her life. In this episode, we talk about what it’s really like working in the NHS...

This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined again by Marc and Mike, founders of Together In Musical Expression (T.I.M.E),  a music charity based in Essex that has spent more than a decade using music to bring people together and create meaningful change. T.I.M.E began with a simple belief: that music has the power to connect people in ways few other things can. What started as a small idea between friends...

This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by Essex-based musician, photographer, filmmaker, writer and artist Buster to explore what it really means to build a creative life and avoid what his grandad would have called a “real job”. His path to becoming a full-time creative wasn’t linear. From being an anti-authoritarian teenager at school to missing his UCAS deadline and unexpectedly landing a football...

We're taking a break this week so for this episode we've done something a bit different.  I’ve pulled together some moments from recent conversations that have stayed with me... stories about backing yourself, getting things wrong, staying motivated, saying no, and figuring out what work actually means to you. You’ll hear from brilliant people including Leanne Reardon, Laura Hart Raja, J...

This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by Tony and Sue Kelly, owners of Essex-based Home Estate Agents, as they reflect on nearly two decades of building one of Leigh-on-Sea’s most recognisable property businesses. As Home approaches its 17th anniversary, Tony and Sue share the story behind the business — from their early days in the property industry in the 1980s to launching their own estate agency,...

This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by Ian and Charlie Patterson, the husband-and-wife team behind Little Fin Coffee Roastery. This one’s been a long time coming, and it didn’t disappoint. A little over a year after opening their first coffee shop, we sit down to discuss how roasting beans in their garage led to them supplying speciality coffee, machines, and equipment to over 80 businesses across...

This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by Hamid Oukili, an Essex-based businessman and one of the original founders of The Brunch Co, a brunch, breakfast, coffee and cocktail spot based in Leigh-on-Sea. The Brunch Co opened its doors at their original site over seven years ago, and in that time Hamid, co-founder Dan and their team have built a brand that’s become recognised for its original menu, elec...

My guest on JobsWorth this week is Rory Emery – founder of The Moment Posters. Rory, in his own words, has always been a bit of a wheeler-dealer, but don’t let the label fool you… Del Boy he most certainly is not. The very definition of a self-starter, Rory has taken his love of film, as well as an appreciation for art and history, and created a business that sees him source rare and vintage movie...

On JobsWorth this week, I’m joined by Alannah Brown, founder of non-alcoholic cocktail brand HotDrop Drinks. In a little over 12 months, she has learned about an industry she’d never worked in, turned an idea into a fully fledged brand, gone to market with three products, and done all of this alongside a full-time job in insurance. If the first question that jumps into your head is “HOW?”, then do...

This week I’m joined by Emily Koppit and Jessica Bond, experiential creatives and founders of Nine Productions. In a world where we digest so much information through our screens, Em and Jess have built a brand committed to amplifying human connection through engaging, immersive, and sensational events. And over the last 10 years, they’ve done it for some of the world’s best-known brands. We disco...

Our first guest of 2026 is naturopath, colon hydrotherapist and business owner, Laura Hart-Raja. Laura’s episode has been a long time in the making. We first sat down towards the end of 2024 and had an amazing conversation that never saw the light of day (blame the dodgy USB cable and, errr, me). But she is back, this time at Leigh Marina, with the Thames Estuary as our backdrop and the grey Decem...

This week on JobsWorth I’m joined by WAHL’s Lead Educator and owner of Dean Gleeson Hair… um… Dean Gleeson. Dean returns a little over 18 months after his first episode aired, and it’s safe to say that a lot has changed for this Essex-based barber. He’s parted ways with his friend, co-founder, and business partner of ten years to strike out on his own — and in this week’s conversation, we find out...

On JobsWorth this week, I sit down with freelance filmmaker and songwriter, Rob Humm. Rob is a multi-talented creative with a Swiss-army-knife skill set who has been working behind the scenes on the podcast since we started filming back in April. This month, we say auf wiedersehen as he sets off to travel around Europe in his converted Transit Custom on the adventure of a lifetime - and what bette...

This week on JobsWorth, I’m joined by permaculture designer, founder of Jack’s Patch, and the self-professed Willy Wonka of the plant world, Jack Hodgson. Jack is one of those rare people you can’t help but be inspired by. He’s on a mission to help people reconnect with nature, to educate us on how to create edible ecosystems in even the most urban environments, and to remind us of the joy that co...

This week’s episode of JobsWorth is a special one. Not only do I get to sit down with a panel of guests I admire, love and respect… this time I did it in front of an actual audience at our very first LIVE event. Hosted at the beautiful Read on Sea, an independent bookshop in the heart of Leigh, I’m joined by previous guests (and fan favourites) Charlotte Debond Sayer and Luke Adam Hawker, as well...

On JobsWorth this week, I sit down with Claire Jeavons – an Essex based business owner who has been running bricks and mortar retail stores in the heart of Leigh on Sea for over 17 years. Claire had a passion for fashion (sorry) from a young age, yet it was her love of window dressing - and her ability to tell a story through this very specific medium – that kick started her path in retail and ult...