She Can. She Did.

After a brief hiatus as we got the She can. She did. Benefits Programme off the ground, I am so happy to be reunited with my headphones and mic and interviewing some of the UK's most inspiring female founders once again!I have no doubt that a lot of you will already be aware of today's guest and the incredible work that she does to enhance the visibility and confidence of women all over but just in case you haven't, this week's episode is with the inimitable Lauren Currie, OBE and Founder of both UPFRONT - a business committed to elevating and encouraging new voices on and off public stages around the world and Stride - an app that is committed to democratizing leadership development for the workforce of the future.From how she handles the loneliness and imposter syndrome that can often come hand-in-hand with being a business owner; how she navigated the period in her life before she met her partner when she was told that she was "too much" for men; to how sticking a post it note in the ladies

This week, I got to chat to a lady that has played a huge part in She can. She did.'s story to date because she happens to have photographed every single one of the twenty She can. She did. - Midweek Mingles since they launched in 2018... and has done a bloody good job doing so too!I first came Chloe in early 2018 when an email popped into my inbox ahead of the very first Midweek Mingle, enquiring about whether I was looking for a photographer for said Mingle and if so, would I be interested in letting her capture the event? We had a chat, I said "yes", she turned up with her tripod and the rest is history!Recorded via Zoom a few weeks back, we covered everything from the early days of Stories By Chloe when she 'fluffed out the truth' somewhat and offered photography for free to build a portfolio that went on to attract her dream clients; her advice for any service-based business owner struggling for work; how she's learnt to combat the loneliness en route by finding her tribe along the way (her Bridesmaids a

As the We can. We will. series came to an end in May, I received a personal email from today's guest sharing her story with me and knew straight away that I wanted her to feature on this series. Not just because she launched her business aged 24 nine and a half years ago and together with her two co-founders, has grown a team of over 100 employees since then; partnered with over 800 independent fashion labels; and grown a dedicated customer base of over one million women; but because despite being at the helm of such a huge company juggling the pressures of running an online fashion business during this pandemic, she made the effort to reach out to me personally.Something that is pretty much unheard of for a founder running a company of her size and something that little old me respected no end.The lady in question being 33-year-old Emma Watkinson, Co-Founder of the online fashion platform connecting independent designers with over a million, loyal customers that is SilkFred. From why she's always pushed back

It's not everyday that Hollywood reach out and ask if a certain Hollywood A-lister can drink your product in an upcoming movie but that's what happened a few weeks ago to this week's guest..!*cue the excitement*The lady in question being Ellie Webb; the Bristol-based Founder of Caleño, the non-alcoholic spirit that aims to bring joy to non-drinking that Ellie launched during Dry January 2019 after a particularly boozy Christmas!Three months in, Caleño launched into 500 Sainsburys stores UK-wide, it was recently named Good Housekeeping's top non-alcoholic spirit (out of a panel of 20 that is) and in less than eighteen months, Ellie has gone from a solo Founder wearing every hat, to a fully-fledged boss leading a team of six...From the early days of Caleño when Ellie put her marketing background to good use in order to capitalise on Dry January with specific collaborations, micro influencers and social ads and how her approach to marketing has evolved as the brand has gone from strength to strength; as a s

I was due to interview this week's guest on the panel at Brighton's Midweek Mingle back in March but the coronavirus came along and we all know what happened thereafter... SO, I asked her to talk to me on here instead because the foodie in me wanted to hear her story in full!The lady in question is Lerato Umah-Shaylor, Founder of the Eastbourne-based foodie brand that is Lerato Foods - a company that she launched after returning to the UK from Nigeria in her early twenties, that is now comprised of a cookery school, supper clubs, a gourmet brownie business and a soon-to-be launched gourmet spice range too!From her experiences launching a catering company in her late teens, how that led her to a career in TV and why she now feels comfortable managing her own PR; why her first event in London didn't quite go to plan, why she'll never shy away from her mistakes as a result and her advice for consoling unhappy customers as well; to how she struggles to manage the loneliness that comes with being your own boss and

A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of chatting to Lauren Armes over Zoom for this week's episode who happens to be the ever so amicable Founder of the industry-leading wellness platform that is Welltodo - a company with global reach that she launched five years ago (with a logo designed in Microsoft Paint by Lauren herself I should add!) that now comfortably turns over six figures each year, through its ever-growing readership, successful event series and career platform.We chat about what Lauren's days prior to launching Welltodo looked like, when she spent months toying with the idea of launching everything from a healthy coffee alternative to London's latest juice bar around a job that she despised and how she stayed motivated before landing on her 'lightbulb' moment. We also discuss why she's stopped treating personal development as a 'nice to have' and instead embraced it wholly as an essential tool for growth - both personally and professionally. Plus how she navigates the fine line between

I first met today's guest at the very first She can. She did. - Midweek Mingle back in April 2018 and have followed her story somewhat enthusiastically ever since! (So much so that I hounded her about coming on this podcast at one of the Midweek Mingles last year and she politely asked that I ask again in a few months' time so she could - rightly so - discuss her new brand post-launch!) The lady in question being Gemma Harling, Founder of the high performance, vegan, cruelty-free skincare brand with a conscience that is Luneia - a beauty brand that has quickly become a Sunday evening staple for me because oh my gosh, its debut face mask is genuinely the best face mask I've ever used!(Gemma's kindly offering all She can. She did. listeners 20% off with the code SCSD20 should you wish to try it by the way!)Now the She can. She did. podcast, as you might well know, has been designed to shed light on the honest realities - warts and all - that female founders push through behind the scenes to get to whe

This week, I got to chat to the creative genius behind By Chenai that is Chenai Bukutu who I first came across a few weeks ago when she, along with Mako Ndoro of Berry & Brie, created a series on Instagram that went live on Black Out Tuesday that aimed to amplify the voices and experiences of black creatives within the wedding industry.As a UK-based wedding and event planner - the J Lo 'Wedding Planner' fan in me was very much looking forward to this chat by the way - Chenai works with a roster of clients each year who appreciate the finer aesthetics and details in life, and always goes above and beyond to provide the extra special touches that transform events from mundane and ordinary to magical and memorable. From the research that Chenai undertook in the early days to ensure that she promoted integrity and professionalism from day one and how she's approached charging for and promoting her services as her experience has increased thereafter; how she dealt with the coronavirus's colossal

Anyone that has been to any of the She can. She did. - Midweek Mingles knows my love for anything gin-related and when the Founders of said gin brands are LOVELY alongside that, my job gets a whole lot more fun! With that in mind, I can safely say that this is one of my favourite interviews to date.Back in January, I paid a visit to Liz's home in Oxfordshire to interview both Liz and Cam about the story behind Collagin - a gin brand that as the name suggests, has added collagen which the two launched after a PR campaign that they worked on together in their old job went viral and they realised that their playful concept had legs... From why they were forced to abandon the gin's original name in the early days and how they navigated launching the brand whilst both holding down full-time jobs; their honest insights into how their lifestyles have been forced to adjust since launching Collagin and why despite getting the backing from two Dragons on Dragons Den, they opted to walk away from both offers;

Having met Lucy a number of times at many of the London She can. She did. - Midweek Mingles, it was so good to finally sit down for a proper chat with her last Monday morning and hear her story in full for this episode!Not only is hospitality notorious for its unsociable hours and physically demanding nature (which often gets overlooked when people dream about running a business like Lucy's), in recent months, aside from the travel industry of course, its also the industry that's been hit hardest from the current lockdown.With that in mind, as well as detailing the battles that she fought to simply get the keys to the Micropub throughout 2016, as well as how she navigated burnout in year one, a legal battle in year two and a few not so successful events post-launch too, Lucy also opens up about how 2020 has played out so far and how The Dodo Micropub has evolved in this Covid-dominated world. She's a force to be reckoned with. (As Ealing Council quickly learnt..!)The She can. She did. podcast i

To set the scene for today's episode, back in January I bulk recorded the last few weekly episodes of series two which were due to go out throughout the course of March but when the coronavirus came along and I launched the We can. We will. series in response, the last few episodes were put on pause for a while. This episode with Amy Rushworth being one of them!Before we get going therefore, I just want to say a giant thank you to Amy for her patience given that this episode has taken nearly six months to go live... and let's face it, the world looks rather different today than it did back then! Thankfully though, having checked in with Amy in recent weeks, bar having to cancel one of her retreats that was due to take place in Bali, her business has continued to thrive this year so this chat still rings true today.As a transformation and healing mentor, spiritual coach and speaker, Amy's work is guiding a generation of women around the world to overcome their inner critic and manifest a reality of love, purpo

If you came to the last Midweek Mingle roadshow of the year in 2019, you will know how good today's guest's hair products are because the BOUCLÈME (pronounced "Boo-clem") hair oil was hiding in the goody bags for us all and it's still one of my favourite goody bag treats that we've been lucky enough to receive to date!If you haven't heard of BOUCLÈME, it's the clean curl care range for curly haired people worldwide that Michelle launched after returning from a career-defining trip to New York for her 40th birthday. Having been inspired by a visit to a hair salon in the Big Apple that made her realise that curly hair is something to be celebrated, not ashamed of - she was, for the majority of her life up until then, a serial hair straightener - Michelle returned to London with the determination to create a product that allowed curly haired people to feel equally as empowered by their hair as she now did.Two years of testing formulations and coming up with a brand identity later - which came with a myriad

I'd say series 4 is back with a bang ladies but let's face it, series 3 only wrapped up a month ago... I think we all know that might sound a tad OTT! Instead, I'll say that I love recording these interviews too much to wait months on end for a dramatic return so here we are, primed and ready to go with an episode that will go down as one of my favourites to date!To kick series four off, I had a chat with the vivacious and incredibly talented woman that is Anisha Parmar, Founder of her self-titled jewellery brand, Anisha Parmar London. Personally hand made by Anisha from her studio that is now in Derby, Anisha Parmar London celebrates Anisha's British Asian heritage through a number of bold, intricate and authentic designs.Recorded on Saturday morning, this is the story that Anisha has been on behind the scenes over the past five years and how she's navigated stepping away from a career path that as a first generation British-born Asian, in her own words, "was expected of her", to create a brand and business

As this series draws to a close today, for the first time since launching the She can. She did. podcast, I decided to put myself in the hot seat today and ask my good friend (aka. Natalie Moores, one half of my favourite marketing duo that is Mac + Moore) to interview me (*cue the sweats*) about how the coronavirus has impacted both me and my plans for She can. She did. behind the scenes too.(Because truth be told, I'd feel like I'd be letting the side down somewhat, had I asked everyone to share how Covid-19 has impacted them in detail whilst staying quiet myself, pretending that it's all been plain sailing for me!)Plus, given that She can. She did. might look a little different in the months to come - if all goes to plan, that is - I also wanted to let you know where I will be focusing my energy once this final episode goes live and these daily podcasts that have been provided quite a comforting (albeit marginally stressful!) routine over the past few weeks, come to an end...From the early-March panic

I've been a huge fan of Grape & Fig for what feels like years now (even though the company was only launched in 2017) so when an email popped through from its Founder, Toria Smith, a few weeks back, I counted my lucky stars and got this episode booked in straight away!Having founded the UK's first grazing catering company with her sister Catherine, after noticing how huge the grazing craze was in Australia whilst travelling around Oz in 2013, Grape & Fig have gone on to cater for the likes of Facebook, Airbnb and Conde Nast along with celebrities like Tom Hardy, Kim Catrall, Paul McCartney, Jesy Nelson and Damien Lewis (!!!!). Yet when the coronavirus came along and put an end to all public gatherings however, as Toria goes on to say in this episode, every single job that the sisters had spent the past year planning and hustling for, got cancelled overnight and the two were forced to revisit their business model and find a new way to work...From content creation, teaching and introducing an entirely d

Gosh, where do I start with how much I love this lady?!You know when you meet someone and you instantly know they're a good person? I had that with June (aka. Junie Poonie!) when we met back at the end of 2017. Always going above and beyond to ensure that her customers feel understood and cared for (via personalised stationery that manages to tap into what we're all really thinking and event styling and production that always goes the extra mile) June instantly came to mind when I was trying to work out who to reach out to for these episodes because every ounce of me know that she would create something special to help throughout all of this.And true to form, that she has!With a large chunk of June's work pre-March spent styling corporate events that came hand in hand with equally big corporate budgets, along with a number of weddings - both at home and abroad - which have been postponed for the foreseeable future as we all know, I caught up with her on Tuesday morning therefore, to find out where she's focus

Today's episode is with someone who I can safely say is one of the strongest women I know.As the Founder of the Milton-Keynes favourite that is Oh My Cakery! - an independent cake business based down the road from me, that has grown an army of loyal, cake loving customers since its launch two years ago owing to Kirsty and her Mum's custom bakes and indulgent designs that essentially say it how it is - I have watched in awe as Kirsty and her Mum have adapted their business model in recent weeks, to not just survive but thrive since the UK went into lockdown.Given that pre-Covid, Oh My Cakery! relied heavily on bespoke orders for events to make money however, along with their forever sold-out 'Cake Fridays' where customers would travel in bulk to their shop and stock up on their favourite Oh My Cakery! treats, I wanted to find out what the recent pivot(s) has meant for both Kirsty and her Mum in reality behind the scenes. As a Mum to two daughters - 16 year old Tiegen who was due to sit her GCSEs this mont

Having known Hannah since the early days of She can. She did. and watched her brand go from strength to strength since then, I caught up with her on Friday morning to find out what impact Covid-19 has had on Cole & Co - the luxury Welsh soaps and candle brand that she launched and runs with her parents - in recent weeks.With a team of 15 under her direct management; both bricks and mortar stores in Cardiff and Beaumaris closed for the foreseeable future; and online sales that have been relentless in recent weeks (overtaking their Christmas orders and then some!); this is how the past two months have played out for Cole & Co, how Hannah's day-to-day priorities have been impacted as a result and why despite the natural fit and numerous recommendations, she hasn't added hand sanitiser to the company's offering...The She can. She did. podcast is hosted by Fiona Grayson (that's me, hello!) and this bonus series is sponsored by Tide Business Current Accounts. Read the late

Over the past few months, I've had a number of messages from some of you suggesting that I interview today's guest so on Friday morning last week, I did exactly that!The lady in question is the incredibly talented designer that is Hayley Scanlan, Founder of H.S - the independent, contemporary womenswear label based in Scotland that has gained much attention in recent months since Hayley starred on the series, 'Next in Fashion' that is currently streaming worldwide on Netflix.Yet, despite the increased attention and surge of orders for her designs in recent months, as the world went into lockdown; we all traded heels and dresses in for leggings and baggy jumpers; and supply chains faced severe disruptions with so many goods held at various customs worldwide; it's safe to say that the past few weeks have been anything but straightforward for Hayley. With that in mind, I wanted to find out how the designer has adapted over the past few weeks, not just from a business perspective but as a single Mu

Yesterday afternoon, I had the pleasure of chatting to the fitness powerhouse that is Krissy Cela, Founder of the incredibly successful brand that is Tone + Sculpt - the fitness app that provides home and gym workouts for users that Krissy launched at the start of 2019. Given that gym goers worldwide have scrambled to find decent home workouts in recent weeks and the pivotal role of exercise when it comes to managing not just our physical heath but mental health too is more obvious than ever before since the UK went into lockdown, I wanted to find out how Krissy and her team have responded to the increased demand for apps like Tone + Scuplt since early March and how she plans to retain new customers when the gyms re-open... With so many eyes and ears looking to her for answers on a daily basis, I was also interested to find out how she handled the responsibility of responding to the crisis and figuring out what to say to her two million plus followers. This is what she had to say...The She can.