Conversations of Inspiration

How do you build a disruptive brand in a new sector, whilst keeping it accessible for all?In this episode, Nicola Elliot shares her lessons as she recounts her story building the cult status, well-being brand Neom Organics.Growing up in Yorkshire, a self declared naughty child, Nicola carved out a glittering career in advertising in her twenties before burn out forced her to refocus her energies in a different direction.Nicola recounts the early days of Neom, the risks, the setbacks, and challenges she faced, as well as the early green shoots of success that followed, catapulting the business to iconic status.Neom is a brand that in Nicola’s words has been built brick by brick, and ignited the movement for natural, environmentally friendly well-being products. Nicola explains that Neom’s products are for those that are “just trying to do their best” – for ourselves, and the environment. Nicola’s success story is a result of pure determination, and she shares with Holly how in her opinion, it is our responsibility as parents to teach our children to have strength and grit as a form of protection. It’s a conversation that prompts all of us to remember that building a brand is so much more than a final destination, and that how we get there is every bit as important.If you enjoyed this episode, head on over to hear Holly’s talk with Chrissie Rucker, founder of The White Company, which we think you’ll love too. Plus for more unfiltered insight, subscribe to Holly’s weekly newsletters on our website, where she shares small business inspiration of all kinds, exclusive nuggets of wisdom from her and her guests, plus offers, creative ideas and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice. 

Renée Elliott had no real inkling of what her purpose was, until walking down the aisle of a health food store in Boston. Little did she know that this moment would ignite her dream, and lead to her opening the first organic supermarket in the UK in 1995 — Planet Organic.  With no prior experience but a determination to build a business that would make a difference to people's lives, Renée learnt ‘on the job’ when she had an idea to bring organically grown food to the mainstream shopper.  However, Renée’s world was turned upside down when her business partner tried to take ownership of the business in a period where Planet Organic was thriving. Renée opens up about this achingly stressful experience, how she battled through it, and how it has shaped the person she is today.  Renée is a true trailblazer we can all learn from, with an inspirational mindset and shares with Holly the guiding principles she’s learnt on her journey so far. She’s an unapologetically emotional, female founder, continuing her mission to spread positivity and encourage people to live the healthiest, happiest life possible — as demonstrated through her second business, Beluga Bean.  This conversation is a tonic for anyone that needs to hear why, “Everything will always be okay”.  If you would like to work with Renée at Beluga Bean, you can email her at renee@belugabean.com, and if enjoyed this episode, head on over to hear Holly’s talk with Greg Hoffman, Nike’s former CMO, which we think you’ll love too.  Plus for more unfiltered insight, subscribe to Holly’s weekly newsletters on our website, where she shares small business inspiration of all kinds, exclusive nuggets of wisdom from her and her guests, plus offers, creative ideas and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice. 

This week Holly speaks with Marisa Hordern, founder of London based jewellery brand, Missoma.Born at the kitchen table, Missoma started as a side hustle. Now, after over a decade of incredible hard work and grit, Missoma is an iconic jewellery brand beloved by millennials and A listers alike.Often referred to as an overnight success, Marisa sheds light on this misconception, and the first seven years she battled through to get her business off the ground, where at her lowest point, she considered terminating Missoma all together. However, with love, passion and determination, Marisa recognised that ‘going through the trenches, makes you appreciate things more’, and looking back shares what decisions she made to turn the tables in order to be where she is today. Talking about the pivotal moments on her journey, from creating a new niche for demi-fine jewellery in the industry, to changing her business model from largely wholesale business to an online retailer, which really changed the game. Marisa also shares with Holly her top pieces of advice from her business journey so far – from building a loyal team, to the importance of digital marketing in our modern age, and sharing her expertise on sustainability and being honest with your customers. It’s a conversation that speaks to the bravery and passion in all of us, of what might just be possible if we are prepared to trust our gut, challenge the status quo and most importantly, be confident in ourselves and our dreams.If you enjoyed this episode, head on over to Holly’s conversations with Sahar Hashemi, founder of Coffee Republic, which we think you’ll love too. Plus for more unfiltered insight, subscribe to Holly’s weekly newsletters on our website, where she shares small business inspiration of all kinds, exclusive nuggets of wisdom from her and her guests, plus offers, creative ideas and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice. 

“We can all do something” are the words of Josie Naughton, who is at the centre of the pioneering humanitarian aid movement, Choose Love. It’s a charity that promotes compassion, people helping people, and true generosity of heart.  When Josie and her friends saw the refugee crisis unfolding in Calais in 2015 they decided to take action by raising £1,000 and organising a van load of donations to be delivered to Calais. With no former charity experience, a lack of fundraising budgets or highly paid executives, their grassroots campaign quickly went viral and redefined the sector.  Having now raised £70 million, which has helped over four million people, Choose Love is a movement ingrained in our society, and one that so many simply couldn’t live without.  Josie’s previous career in the music industry (working with Coldplay no less), coupled with an instinctive ability to really empathise with others, fuelled a different way of thinking. It enabled her to not just raise money but to change the world through charity. She explains how the idea for their revolutionary pop-up shop in Carnaby Street was coined, which encourages shoppers to, “Shop your heart out, leave with nothing and feel the love”.  With the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War happening right now in Ukraine, Josie speaks with Holly about her vision for the charity, its groundbreaking work and the challenges that lay ahead. And just remember as Josie says, “The refugee crisis is an extremely complex and political business in many ways, but there is nothing confusing or complex about a child having nowhere to sleep”. So listen, digest that thought, and remember – if you can choose anything, choose love.  If this episode strikes a chord, Holly’s talk with Kristin Hallenga, founder of CoppaFeel!, might be of interest, too.   Plus for more unfiltered insight, subscribe to Holly’s weekly newsletters on our website, where she shares small business inspiration of all kinds, exclusive nuggets of wisdom from her and her guests, plus offers, creative ideas and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice. 

Have you ever wondered how you can ditch the career ladder and find an alternative route to success, where progression doesn’t just depend on promotion? Have you asked yourself, what am I good at? What do I stand for? What motivates and drives me?This week Holly speaks with Helen and Sarah, co-founders of Amazing If, an award-winning career development company with a twist. Champions of the Squiggly Career, Helen and Sarah are at the forefront of a fundamental shift that’s happening in the workplace. Where the traditional linear path is being replaced with a squiggly line that can allow you a career every bit as unique as you are. One that is full of opportunity, freedom and purpose – without having to constantly move roles and companies in order to progress.Currently, 65-70% of us feel we have to leave a job in order to change our role or position, but what if you just needed to squiggle? Amazing If is a platform that allows each of us to challenge the status quo. Not only arming us with the right tools and skills we need to thrive in a career we love, but also crucially instilling the inner confidence to recognise our strengths, where we can apply them to widen our expertise and believe that you can pursue the career you deserve.So are you looking to make a move in your career? Listen, as you might not have to change as much as you think.If you enjoyed this conversation, you might also enjoy Holly’s episode with Edward Perry, founder of Cook. Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? Subscribe to Holly’s weekly newsletters on our website, where she shares small business inspiration of all kinds, exclusive nuggets of wisdom from her and her guests, plus offers, creative ideas and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice. 

This week, Holly was lucky enough to sit down with Shamil Thakrar, over a cup of Dishoom’s freshly brewed chai tea, and learnt what’s really at the heart of his business.At the very beginning, Shamil and his co-founders set out with the goal of bringing the beauty of the Irani cafés they so loved in Bombay to the UK. Now with nine restaurants across the country – boy did they do just that.Coming from a business school and consultancy background, in his younger years, Shamil was far from the path of owning a restaurant. However, with passion and more than a stroke of determination to prove the naysayers wrong, he used this experience to follow his dream. In 2010, the first Dishoom restaurant was born.However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing, and Shamil learnt that focusing solely on the numbers and profits was holding both him and the business back.  Shamil soon began pioneering a new approach – putting culture, soulfulness, kindness and authenticity centre stage, fuelled by his recognition that, “Anything, to be truly successful, has to have a bit of poetry at its heart”. Encapsulating what it means to be in love with your business, Shamil shares how incorporating creativity with history and art has allowed him to build a truly immersive brand, loved by many. If you enjoyed this conversation, you might also enjoy Holly’s episode with Lord Billamoria, founder of Cobra Beer.This Conversations of Inspiration podcast episode is brought to you with support from Adobe Express.Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? Subscribe to Holly’s weekly newsletters on our website, where she shares small business inspiration of all kinds, exclusive nuggets of wisdom from her and her guests, plus offers, creative ideas and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice. 

Imagine if… creativity was as important as literacy, maths or science? What could we, as a species, be capable of achieving if we prioritised it and gave it the right conditions to flourish?These are questions posed by the late great Sir Ken Robinson. His daughter and closest collaborator Kate Robinson now continues his work which she describes as being a ‘love letter to human potential’ and Holly was lucky enough to meet with her recently. In this interview, Kate shares her wisdom on how we should be raising the next generation when it comes to their education and allowing them to find the ‘element’ that they love most – a phrase that Holly likens to ‘finding their diamond’. Kate delves into her own experiences and struggles with the constraints of the education system, and explains how we should be communicating with our young, why university is not the only option to achieve a successful career, and also how the education system is quite literally killing the young people of today. Is there hope for change? You’ll have to listen to find out…If you enjoyed this conversation, you might also enjoy Holly’s episode with Becky Sheraidah, founder of ARTHOUSE Unlimited.This Conversations of Inspiration podcast episode is brought to you with support from Adobe Express.Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? Subscribe to Holly’s weekly newsletters on our website, where she shares small business inspiration of all kinds, exclusive nuggets of wisdom from her and her guests, plus offers, creative ideas and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice. 

Holly’s guest this week is the vivacious, captivating and eminently stylish Trinny Woodall, who is likely to truly surprise you in more ways than one. You may know Trinny from her glittering TV career, her bestselling books or her inspired makeup brand Trinny London, but what lies underneath the energetic Instagram LIVES and YouTube tutorials? A sheer will to survive.With a career spanning more than three decades, Trinny’s story is a fascinating one involving many twists and turns. In this interview, Trinny bares all about overcoming imposter syndrome in her early career, the crushing failure of her first business venture and even an honest account of her brief encounter with rehab in her early twenties.Despite the lows that Trinny has conquered, there have been many highs – and it is clear that she has always been light years ahead of her time with her business ideas and vision for the future. Trinny’s sole mission has always been to help every woman look and feel their very best, and throughout her journey, she has learnt many lessons that have led her to being the happiest and most comfortable in her own skin that she has ever been. It’s an episode that recognises and celebrates the survival instinct of all entrepreneurs, and one that you won’t want to miss.If you enjoyed this conversation, you might also enjoy Holly’s episode with Bobbi Brown, founder of Jones Road Beauty. This Conversations of Inspiration podcast episode is brought to you with support from Adobe Express.Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? Subscribe to Holly’s weekly newsletters on our website, where she shares small business inspiration of all kinds, exclusive nuggets of wisdom from her and her guests, plus offers, creative ideas and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice. 

Every single one of Holly’s guests this series has been inspirational, passionate and holds the treasure that is their own unique story. But what Holly also recognised, is that they have each faced loss, devastation and pain in some way – and yet have somehow managed to rise from the ashes of the truly bleakest of times. In this episode, Holly reflects on some of the key moments from each of her guest’s stories – some profound, some tear-jerking and some downright funny – and all of them shed light on the mindset, determination and strength it takes to follow and achieve your dreams. It's a stark reminder that everything is achievable, and quite possibly closer than you think. So whatever you might be going through, join Holly in celebrating these life changing journeys, and people who have each wrestled their vision into reality. This includes humbling parts of conversations with Edith Eger, Holocaust Survivor, the Happiness Expert – Mo Gawdat, Charlotte Tilbury MBE, Josh Littlejohn MBE who is on a mission to end homelessness, Nike’s former CMO and author of Emotion By Design, Greg Hoffman, farming enthusiast and YEO Valley’s CEO Tim Mead, Mandy Watkins — founder of hush, and the incredible trailblazer and founder of The Queer Bible, Jack Guinness. This Conversations of Inspiration podcast episode is brought to you with support from Adobe Express.Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? Subscribe to Holly’s weekly newsletters on our website, where she shares small business inspiration of all kinds, exclusive nuggets of wisdom from her and her guests, plus offers, creative ideas and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice. 

Among the millions of other businesses on our planet, what makes one brand a cut above the rest? Is it the size of the business or the amount of money they have? No. In the words of Author and Nike’s former Chief Marketing Officer, Greg Hoffman, it’s that brand's ability to, “Go way beyond simple observations and assumptions”. And with a brand that connects as deeply as Nike has with millions of customers around the world, this is a rare opportunity to learn from the very best. In just one conversation, you’ll hear all the creative genius Greg knows about building a successful brand, and the three key documents he insists are crucial for a business to have when starting. You'll also hear someone with a phenomenal entrepreneurial spirit and the kind of awe-inspiring understanding of what makes human beings tick. For over two decades, Greg was at the beating heart of every strategic and creative decision at Nike. He was instrumental in transforming it from being a shoe company to a brand that resonates on a truly global scale. As a young boy, Greg was the victim of racism, and threw himself into art and sports to escape from reality. Little did he know that these two passions would allow him to evolve from Nike’s intern, to leading some of the most powerful marketing campaigns in history. Holly talks to Greg about your responsibility as a founder to protect your brand story, and how powerful brands need to understand the importance and craft of storytelling. He also shares how to drive growth while connecting with your customer.This isn't just remarkable insight for founders to listen to, but for anyone who is creative or enjoys popular culture. You will gain a deeper understanding of the true power of brand when used well, and how it can not just engage us emotionally, but also change our behaviour and inspire us to join movements that evolve our whole society. So are you ready to learn something fascinating? In the words of Nike's iconic strap line: Just do it. If you enjoyed this conversation, you might also enjoy Holly’s episode with David Hieatt, founder of Howies, The Do Lectures and Hiut Denim.This Conversations of Inspiration podcast episode is brought to you with support from Adobe Express.Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? Subscribe to Holly’s weekly newsletters on our website, where she shares small business inspiration of all kinds, exclusive nuggets of wisdom from her and her guests, plus offers, creative ideas and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.