The Soap Box Podcast

 There's a story that we tell ourselves about who gets to do good in the world. So, charities, nonprofits, the third sector, they're framed as the moral ones, so the people who care. But that means that business is often cast as something that you tolerate at best and mistrust at worst. It's necessary, like we've gotta make money and keep the world spinning, but it's a lit...

If social media is pay-to-play, and your website is a slow burn, where are people meant to build genuine community now? That question sits right in the middle of this episode with Sally Burns, founder of The Portal, a platform trying to fix two things at once: the way online learning works, and the way creators find each other without shouting into the algorithm void. We get into interactive learn...

 Networking doesn’t have to feel like business speed dating.  In the latest episode of the Soapbox podcast, I’m chatting with Emma Ahlert , founder of Elsie – a networking space for people working in female and sexual health that actually feels good to be in.  We talk about:  • Making friends before making sales  • Why some rooms feel instantly wrong (AI + golf, anyone?)  • Online communities that...

Running your own business requires more than good ideas and solid strategy. It asks for energy, emotional regulation, focus, and the ability to make decisions when things feel uncertain. When those start to wobble, everything else gets heavier too - marketing, consistency, confidence. This episode explores health through a longevity lens. How strength, sleep, and taking care of your body support t...

Today on the Soap Box, I’m talking to Jacki Hayes, a systems geek for creative service businesses and someone who’s quietly building a very different kind of company. Jacki helps creative service providers stop duct-taping their systems together and build businesses that actually work, with more ease, clarity and flexibility. In our conversation, Jacki makes a simple, slightly spicy point, the kin...

Today on The Soap Box, I’m talking to Louis Watkins, the founder of Clear for Men, a skincare brand designed to do more than clean your face — it’s a daily reminder to take five minutes for yourself. It sounds simple, but Louis is genuinely an inspiration (and I don’t say that lightly). Louis is on a mission to normalise mental health conversations among men. He’s a huge advocate for men’s mental...

Thoughts on where I'm falling short, why that's ok, and what to do instead.  Looking for more? Follow Peta on Instagram Find Peta on LinkedIn Hire Peta to work on your copywriting and brand messaging

Today's guest is Crystal Whiteaker, founder of Crystal Lily Creative, an inclusive leadership and brand development consultancy. Crystal is also the author of Brave Leadership is a Choice: An Inclusive Guide to Creating Belonging , and she works with mission-driven founders over meaningful stretches of time – starting with who you are as a leader, then aligning your messaging and your backend...

Today’s Soapbox is for anyone who’s ever tried to make things better, but found themselves wondering if it’s really making a dent. (I know that’s been me at times.) My guest, Sarah Fox, has spent years at the messy human end of change – community arts, small charities, and now coaching and supervision for leaders. She’s an accredited coach, coach supervisor, trainer, and action learning facilitato...

Today on the Soap Box, I’m joined by Tarrah Nhari, CEO and co-founder of Tammwe, a platform that connects African and displaced freelancers with global opportunities. Through Tammwe’s enterprise services, Tarrah also partners with tech teams across the African continent, helping them land bigger projects while championing fair pay, skills development, and economic growth. But as is often the case...

Today’s guest, Ettie Bailey-King, is an inclusive and accessible communication educator who’s on a mission to change the way we think about language. And you know me, I love a good ramble down a rabbit hole into the words we use every day. Ettie teaches people to understand and use inclusive language (how to talk more accurately and inclusively about age, class, disability, gender, race, sexuality...

I like to think of branding and marketing as tools for connection – ways to build trust, grow communities, and reach the right people. But what if the way we’re marketing is actually widening the gap instead of closing it? What if it’s making real connection less likely? This week on The Soap Box, I’m speaking to Emilia Kireli-Reed, founder and creative director of Kireli Studio, one of the few br...

You know that moment when someone stands up to speak and you can feel the disconnect? Their words are polished, their slides are tidy, their branding is on point, but something’s off. It’s like they’re performing at you , not speaking with you. They’ve planned every word, they’re sticking to their script, and they’d deliver it the same way no matter who was in the room. This week’s guest, Stacia K...

Today’s guest is building something rare in the PR world, a business that delivers results without burning people out. Riannon Palmer is the founder of Lem-uhn, an award-winning B Corp and feel-good PR agency that works exclusively with companies that care. She launched the business in 2021 to fill a very real gap in the industry: an agency that actually puts people first. Why? Because PR has a pr...

Let’s be honest, for a lot of people in my world, AI feels like a bit of a villain right now. It’s been decimating creative industries, disrupting business models, and flooding the internet with content that’s at best soulless, and at worst, dangerous. I’m recording this just as the whole Grok-goes-anti-woke mess is playing out, so feelings are certainly mixed. I’ve got plenty of thoughts about AI...

Take my dulcet tones off speaker and pop in your earbuds because today, we’re talking about sex. This episode is a deep dive into what it really means to talk about sex, health, and education in ways that actually land. And a lot of it might surprise you. My guest is Dr Tristin Agtarap, a psychologist, researcher, and all-round brilliant human, who specialises in sexual and reproductive health, ge...

If you finally work out how to time block, then you’ll get everything done on that giant to-do list of yours, right? And once Amazon delivers that tomato-shaped Pomodoro timer, you’ll finally reach those big goals. You’ll get that offer written, create the thing, write the book. Well… not necessarily, according to this week’s guest. Vikki Yaffe says we’ve created systems and norms that don’t work...

We think we know what it takes to market a business online. A bit of Instagram wizardry here, a five-step LinkedIn funnel there, a sprinkle of referral strategy and maybe a course by someone who talks like Alex Hormozi but wears a skirt suit – and boom, marketing sorted. Right? Wrong. This isn’t technically a marketing podcast, but let’s be honest, if you’re a business owner with a social conscien...

Sustainability is on all of our minds right now. Whether it’s arguments about bin collections, fast fashion waste, or what the hell AI is doing to the planet, it’s everywhere. And let’s be honest, sustainability has also become big business. If people care about it in their daily lives, they’re definitely thinking about it when they make decisions about who to buy from and work with. Which is all...

You know that feeling when you stumble across someone on social media and immediately think, yep – they’re one of my people ? That’s exactly what happened when I found Lauren, aka L2, on Threads. While most of the coaching world was busy copy-pasting their Instagram strategies onto this new platform (and wondering why it wasn’t working), Lauren stood out by doing the opposite: saying what she actu...

What if the way you’ve been told to run your business isn’t working for you—not because you’re doing it wrong, but because it was never designed for you in the first place? In this episode, we sit down with Pippa Parfait, co-founder of the Disobedient Business® Co., to unpack why traditional business rules often fail us and how to build a business that truly works for you. We dive into the patriar...

What happens to your values as leaders and business owners when the rubber really hits the road? In this timely and critical episode, we explore what it truly means for businesses to live their values—not just when things are easy, but when it really counts. Recorded just a week after Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration, this conversation comes at a pivotal moment as businesses across the U.S. face u...

What does it mean to belong, and why is it so important to us? In this episode, we dive deep into the profound concept of belonging with Amena, a Belonging & Emotional Resilience Strategist and Coach, who helps high-impact, high-integrity leaders master the skills to foster cultures of belonging. Together, we explore why belonging is so vital to our survival and well-being, the shifts in DEI l...

In this episode, we explore the intersection of politics, exercise, and social justice with Donna Noble, the inspiring Founder of CurvesomeYoga and a leading advocate for body positivity and inclusivity in wellness. Donna has been a yoga teacher since 2011, teaching all over the UK, India, and the US, and is known for her immersive yoga experiences that prove everyBODY is a yoga body. She’s also t...

What comes to mind when you picture a leader? For many, it’s the same old stereotype: a white man in a suit, speaking and acting in a particular, "traditional" way. This narrow vision of leadership shapes how we see ourselves, particularly if we're women, and whether we even see ourselves as leaders at all. But what if there’s a different way? In this episode, I’m joined by Sarae Pr...