Up With The Lark And

Welcome to the latest episode in our Start Series. In this episode we consider, Start A Partnership. And we do so with a very special pair indeed - Lori de Mori and Laura Jackson of Towpath. Towpath is that rare thing these days. It is a discovery. Nestled in four kiosks on Regent's Canal, the shutters open in Spring to reveal a warmth, an intimacy. They offer great food, drink and conversation. T...

Welcome to the latest episode in the Start Series. Today, Start A Creative Life Outside London. It seems to me that creatives, creative endeavour, creative projects and workspaces have shifted to the length and breadth of the nation thanks, I presume, to the pandemic. Whilst London is a world famous centre for the full range of creative industries, it has been refreshing to see those outside Londo...

Welcome to the second part of our special two-part series looking at the Museum of the Home. Twig Hutchinson is back to co-host and we recorded the episode overlooking the beautiful gardens of the museum. On the day of the Yard Sale they were teeming with stalls, treasures and conversation. Twig and I are acutely aware of all that is going on in the world, of the precarious and precious nature of...

Home means something, something significant, to all of us. This episode is different and a bit special. It is the first of a two part series focusing on the Museum of the Home. You will hear all about the Museum itself, the Behind the Door campaign supporting London's homeless women and families and the Yard Sale that the Museum is holding on 12 March to raise both funds and awareness. The episode...

As we find ourselves heading into another strange Christmas, I wanted to find someone with a bit of festive cheer for you. And so, a festive tipple is on the agenda! I have, by good luck, managed to combine it with one of my favourite topics: the family business. It’s been on my list for a long time and I am delighted to have the founders of Kuda Cocktails join me to discuss it. Kuda Cocktails was...

Welcome to the latest episode in the START series. Today we have Rowena Morgan-Cox founder of Palefire. We are going to consider 'Start Something New'. Over the last few years, the number of people registering new business has increased dramatically In March 2021, more new businesses were created that month than any other month since HMRC records began in 1989. Or put another way, in the first hal...

Welcome to the latest episode in our series Start. Today is Start Your Own Approach and to explore that topic, both in style and substance, we have Georgia Dant founder of Marfa Stance. Marfa Stance is a clothing brand with a distinctive aesthetic that creates timeless designs providing not just life long quality but versatility too. They invite their customers into the design process by offering...

Welcome to the first episode in the new series entitled START. The topic is Start Your Own Projects and our guest is the incredibly talented still life photographer, Kate Friend. It seems to me that it is very easy to become focused entirely on commission based work, bringing a client’s vision and expectations to life. Working on your own passion projects, side hustles, ideas and vision is crucial...

In this episode we have a little extra end of summertime treat ahead of the new series starting later in the autumn. My guest is Chow Mezger of Jude's Ice Cream and we explore the deceptive simplicity of a tub of vanilla ice cream. I have long wanted Jude's to come on the podcast because I feel that the story of Jude's touches on so many interesting and important topics - acting on idea later in l...

Welcome to Episode Six of the Perseverance Series. We all know wonderful people who can tell a great story - the perfect person to sit next to at dinner. They can make a story about getting on a ferry, going to the supermarket or attending parents evening incredibly funny or they can bring a place, a meal or a culture to life in very few words. The same is true of brands and businesses. There are...

Welcome to Episode Five in this latest series entitled Perseverance. In May 2020, The Craft Council produced an extensive report on the Market For Craft (it is certainly worth a read). They reported on a new generation of craft makers and consumers - I couldn't agree more! A renewed respect for technique, the digital age and a desire for experience over transaction have all played their part in br...

Welcome to the latest in the series on perseverance - whatever creative industry you are in or whatever stage your career is at, whether you are starting up or scaling up, perseverance is the name of the game. And in this episode we are going to delve into 'persevering with your values'. If you have worked with me, you'll know about y frankly obsessive preoccupation with values. That might be defi...

Welcome to Episode Three in our series on Perseverance. In this episode, we explore 'Persevere with Performance'. I know that the performing arts have been woefully under-represented on this podcast as they aren't, in the traditional sense, 'entrepreneurial'. But in fact, I think that we have a great deal to learn from those who dedicate themselves to performance especially in a pandemic. Our gues...

Welcome to Episode Two in our series entitled “Perseverance”. Atelier Ellis make quiet, beautiful handmade paint to help you tell the story of your home. Founder Cassandra Ellis, is queen of the understated, the considered, the cocooning. It is apparently effortless and deeply atmospheric. Even the hand-painted paint chart is thing of beauty. She advises her customers to ‘tune out the noise’ of wh...

Welcome to our new podcast series entitled ‘Perseverance’. It seems to me that is what we are all going to have to focus on as we head into 2021. And we are starting at a great place, ‘Persevere with Your Passions’. We are all going to need to do this and to inspire and encourage us is cookery author, Skye McAlpine. I have often admired Skye’s wonderful kitchen creations, marvelling at how she man...

Welcome to the final episode in our series on Hope. Now, we haven’t given up hope completely! On the contrary, I wanted to end the series with the episode that I felt was the most hopeful of all. My hope is that this episode lifts the spirits and moves us all to action. This episode is The Hope of Change with Alexandria Dauley and Sophie Ashby of United in Design. United in Design is a charitable...

Welcome to Episode Ten in our series on Hope. For quite some time I have wanted to have some more established entrepreneurs on the podcast. And you are in for a treat today. Meri Meri is an international lifestyle brand for party, home and play. To be honest, a party isn’t a party in our house with some Meri Meri! Their world is whimsical, magical, celebratory and of seeming limitless creativity....

Welcome to Episode Nine in our series on Hope. In this episode we speak with Georgia Spray founder of Partnership Editions about the Hope of Collecting Art. Partnership Editions aim to make remarkable art accessible to all by offering an online platform married with events, collecting advice and a creative community. They work alongside exciting, emerging artists such as Christabel Blackburn, Rich...

Welcome to Episode Eight in our series on Hope. In this episode, Molly Mahon and I consider the hope of the unexpected. We delve into the story of her eponymous company which designs and creates glorious block printed fabrics and wallpapers. You will hear all about that Shepherds Hut, how happenstance became a business, the methodical, mesmerising, meditative power of block printing, her breadth o...

Welcome to Episode Seven in our series on Hope. Today we are delving into the space where fashion, technology and sustainability meet. Where each enhances the other and offers the hope of conscious fashion, and perhaps also the hope of innovation. Our guest is Eshita Kabra founder of By Rotation which is the UK's first and only fashion rental platform. The aim is a good one - to transform the way...

Welcome to Episode 6 in our series on Hope. As we have all been forced to slow down, we have been given the opportunity to consider more carefully what it is that we buy, what it is made of and who made it. So I wanted to explore the idea of pursuing quality of quantity. And that is exactly what we debate in this episode with Alice Byron founder of Blake LDN. Their mission is to create contemporar...

Welcome to Episode Five in our podcast series on Hope. Given how much time we have all been spending at home, it seemed obvious that I needed to explore the Hope of Home. To do that, I wrote out a wish list of interior designers and today’s guest was right at the top of that list. This is a huge career highlight for me, and I haven’t slept a wink because we have got the incredible Rachel Chudley j...

Welcome to Episode Four of our series on Hope. One of the good things that has come from this season has been the heightened awareness of locality - the walks, the buildings, the people and the independent shops. It is just that that we are going to explore today - the Hope of Independent Shops. And our guest today is Florence Dixon, founder of the Tidy Street General Store in Brighton. Florence’s...

This week has all been all about the next generation and this episode is a special little something to celebrate yet another Friday in lockdown - it's about the joy of creative children. It seems to me that as creative business owners, the responsibility and pressure of making good and right decisions can be overwhelming, draining and bewildering. Are we getting it right? Are we brave enough to tr...

Welcome to Episode Three of our series on Hope. Today we are thinking about the hope of creative children. At this time of ‘home schooling’, I think that many of us have come to see how important and rewarding it is to foster creativity in the next generation. Our guest today lives and breathes this sentiment. Alara Hindle is the co-founder of Lots of Lovely Art. They aim to support creativity in...