Cheers with Nat

Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. In today's episode, you'll hear from beer historian, Dr. Christina Wade . We start by discussing how she turned her childhood dream of being a "castle person" into a career as a historian, and how the history of beer – and women in beer more specifically – became her focus. Christina then shares how her award-w...

Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. In today's episode, you're going to hear from Natalie Chiu, co-founder of Saicho Sparkling Tea . We explore how Natalie's lifelong love of food and her fascination with science led her to train as a flavourist… and how an unexpected twist during her and her husband's PhD programmes set them on the path to creat...

Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. Before we get started with Episode 2, I wanted to share an exciting update about last week's guest, Georgia Kelly.  In true Cheers with Nat fashion, Georgia has also just moved beyond beer! Last week, on the very day her episode was released, she started a new role as a sales rep for Disaronno. Please do take a...

Welcome to the first episode of Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. My first guest, Georgia Kelly, is the person that gave me the push I needed to bring this show (back) to life, after a chat at an event way back in January 2025. (Yes, it took me that long to get myself and this project in motion!) Georgia was working for Lucky Saint at the time and said she'd l...

Welcome to Cheers with Nat – a podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks! This new show was inspired by my previous podcast Beer with Nat, but instead of just speaking to women in the world of beer about what they do and why they love it, I'm now speaking to women across the world of drinks – both alcoholic and not – about their careers. Listen in to learn why I'm launching Cheers with Nat,...

For this final episode of the 'Beer with Nat' podcast, we're going full circle… all the way back to Episode #001. Today's guest is Jaega Wise, Head Brewer at Wild Card Brewery and my very first guest when the show kicked off in November 2018. We start by checking in with Jaega on what she's been up to since then, including seeing the brewery through the pandemic, launching their new barrel program...

Today's guest is Helen Anne Smith (they/them), Founder of Burum Collective. We start by discussing what Burum Collective  is all about, what inspired Helen to set it up during the first pandemic lockdown in 2020, the resources they offer currently and what their goals are for the future. Then we get into what keeps Helen busy alongside Burum, including part-time roles as a bartender and in sales a...

Today's guest is Maia Kazas, European Events Manager at global hop company Barth-Haas. To start, Maia tells us what Barth-Haas does, what her role as events manager entails and how her work was impacted by the pandemic, given that most of the activities she'd normally be organizing were put on hold the past two years. Maia then shares what she was up to before beer and how she made her transition...

Today's guest is Lucie Dallas, General Manager of The Griffin Pub in Whetstone, North London. To start, Lucie tells us what her day-to-day work life as a pub GM looks like, including a run-down of the different tasks on her to-do list and the skills she thinks it takes to really excel in her role. We then discuss what it was like to see the pub – her business, her team and her customers – through...

Today's guest is Helena Adedipe, Co-Founder of Eko Brewery . To start, Helena tells us what inspired her and her husband, Anthony, to set up the business in 2019 and talks us through some of the unique ingredients and considerations behind their distinctive African-inspired beers. We then discuss what her role looks like today and what keeps Helena busy outside the brewery, as she still maintains...

Today's guest is Ruth Mitchell, Operations Director at Elusive Brewing. Ruth has been with Elusive for just about a year now, but her promotion to Operations Director was relatively recent. As the role was still very new when we spoke, she tells us a bit about what her current day-to-day looks like, the vision for the future, and what her previous role as Head of Sales, Marketing and Events entail...

Today's guest is Lana Svitankova, a beer writer, translator, beer judge and brewery ambassador for Varvar Brew in Kyiv, Ukraine. Before we get into what we chatted about, I thought it best to mention when we chatted. Lana and I recorded in mid-December 2021, just two months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Given the current situation, I checked in with Lana to make sure she...

Today's guest is Pip Young, founder of The Coven Brewsters and Brewery Manager at Salt Beer Factory. To start, Pip tells us about her business, 30 Six Co, and the projects it encompasses, including Flour to the People and The Coven Brewsters . You'll hear all about what she's accomplished so far and her exciting plans for the year ahead. We also discuss her role as Brewery Manager at Salt Beer Fac...

Today's guest is Emma Heal, Managing Director of Lucky Saint , the UK's biggest dedicated alcohol-free beer brand with the aim to "inspire the world to drink better." Emma tells us what a Managing Director does and what it was like to take on her role at Lucky Saint in February 2020… just one month before the pandemic began. We then take a deep dive into the business: the incredible growth Lucky S...

Today's guest is Allison Macdonald, Head Brewer at Malt Shovel Brewers in Sydney, Australia. We start by discussing what Alli's day-to-day role looks like and her favourite part of the job, then we get into what inspired her to become a brewer and how she made it happen. Alli also tells us about her three-year tenure as the President of the Australian chapter of the Pink Boots Society , the advice...

Today's guest is Lorraine Copes, Founder and CEO of Be Inclusive Hospitality , a not-for-profit organization with a mission to accelerate racial equality within the hospitality sector. We start by discussing what inspired Lorraine to set up the organization, what her day-to-day role as Founder and CEO looks like, and what aspect of her work she's felt to be most impactful so far. We then hear all...

Today's guest is Amy Todd, Owner and Analyst of Zymology Labs . We start by discussing what Zymology Labs does, what inspired Amy to set up the business, and what her day-to-day there looks like. Then Amy tells us how she got here and the training it took to set up an independent beer quality laboratory – from her chemistry degree in university, to an apprenticeship with the American Brewer's Guil...

Today's guest is Claire Ashbridge-Thomlinson, Director and Founding Partner of East London Brewing Company . Claire tells us what her day-to-day role as a Director there looks like, how the business got started, and what it's been like to help navigate the brewery through these incredibly challenging last 16 months.   We then learn all about her career before beer, what transferrable skills she br...

Today's guest is Dr. Margaux Huismann, Hop Applications Scientist at Totally Natural Solutions . Margaux tells us what her role at Total Natural Solutions entails, what the business does, and we even do a little tasting experiment with some of their products! Then we learn what sort of training it took for Margaux to get to this role by focusing in on her academic journey, which saw her move from...

Today's guest is Mellanie Struthers, Co-Founder of Draught Drop , the UK's first draught beer delivery service. Mell tells us what her day-to-day life at Draught Drop looks like, how the business works and what inspired her and her husband to set it up. We also hear about the many skills Mell brought with her from her previous career… which was conveniently in e-commerce in the food and drinks spa...

Today's guest is Sophie de Ronde, Head Brewer at Burnt Mill Brewery . Sophie lets us in on what her day-to-day role as a head brewer looks like… but she's quick to acknowledge that her experience in the role likely isn't the same as others. That's because in recent years Sophie learned she's allergic to wheat and barley, so she can't actually spend much time on the brewery floor or even enjoy the...

Today's guest is freelance beer writer Ruvani de Silva. Ruvani tells us what her day-to-day life as a freelance beer writer looks like and talks us through some of her latest pieces for Burum Collective and Good Beer Hunting . Then we hear about her many careers before beer, how she made the transition to full-time beer writing, and what advice she has for others looks to follow a similar path. Fi...

Today's guest is Cherisse Ketchum, Co-Founder of Gusto Brand Marketing . To start, Cherisse tells us what her business does, what inspired her and her Co-Founder, Crystal, to set it up, and some of her favourite projects that she's worked on so far. We then talk about Cherisse's decade-long career in beer and the various roles she's held, before discussing what she was up to before beer and the tr...

Today's guest is Jules Gray, owner of Hop Hideout and the organizer of Sheffield Beer Week, Indie Beer Feast and Indie Beer Shop Day. Jules tells us all about how she set up one of the UK's first drink in bottle shops, how it's changed over the years, and how the learnings she took from her previous roles in the beer industry have helped with her business today. You'll also hear more about the dif...

Today's guest is Em Sauter, a beer educator, Advanced Cicerone®, and the founder of Pints & Panels . In this episode, you'll hear how Em combined her love of beer with her skills as a cartoonist to create Pints & Panels, her business dedicated to visual beer education. We start by discussing what the day-to-day life of a professional cartoonist looks like. Then, we look ahead to Em's upcoming Mast...