Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast

She left BlackRock to build an AI startup in London | Sofia Hamilton | Souk

Why would you leave BlackRock as an investor to become a startup founder? What does it actually take to find co-founders at an accelerator? And which AI tools should every early-stage founder have permanently open on their desktop? London founder Sofia Hamilton [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-hamilton-sambrano/], COO and co-founder of Souk — the world's first AI partner development manager — joins Coffee & Oysters with business tips on leaving a prestigious finance career to build, fundraising as a female founder, and turning B2B partnerships into a real growth channel. Sofia breaks down how she went from marketing to BlackRock active equities to building a VC-backed AI startup through the Antler accelerator. She shares advice on when to hire (spend the money sooner than you think), what investors actually care about at early stage, why product-led growth is her current obsession, and how being an ex-investor changes the way you pitch Plus explore why Uniqlo is her secret weapon for emergency meeting outfits, why Claude and Lovable have become non-negotiable in her tech stack, and her favourite Somali restaurant in Finsbury Park. Additionally, learn about Dealer's Daughters - the niche London poker nights for women in finance and startups. --- Steal Sofia’s “stack” of recommendations (along with all guests) in the Coffee & Oysters Guide. [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] Sofia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-hamilton-sambrano/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-hamilton-sambrano/] Souk Website: www.joinsouk.com [http://www.joinsouk.com] --- 00:00 Intro 03:03 What Souk Is & The B2B Partnerships 04:19 Leaving BlackRock & the Antler Story) 11:37 Hiring, Spending Money & VC-Backed Pace 13:43 Investor vs Founder - What Changes When You Switch Sides 22:25 Finding Customers Through Referrals & Partnerships 29:29 Top Tip for New Founders 43:25 Claude, Lovable & The Founder Tech Stack 55:31 London Gems: Best Somali Food & Hotel Lobbies for Coworking --- 💬 Become a guest [https://www.notion.so/12d1c0d4dc928089ac26f9161f3ba87e?pvs=21] 📓 2026 Journal Template [https://rebrand.ly/thehappinessbar] 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack [https://coffeeandoysters.substack.com/] 🎓 The Big Notion Energy Academy [https://thenotionzeitgeist.substack.com/p/the-big-notion-energy-academy] 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod [https://www.instagram.com/coffeeandoysterspod/] 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@coffeeandoysterspod] Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe [https://coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Surviving Corporate London as a Gen Z Woman | Wesleigh-Jane | Sisters Protect

How do you survive corporate as a Gen Z woman? How do you build a community while working a 9-to-5? And what are the best workwear brands for tall girls in London? London founder Wesleigh-Jane, the woman behind Sisters Protect, joins Coffee & Oysters with business tips on building a community for early-careers women in corporate, navigating office politics, and balancing a finance career with a thriving side hustle. Wesleigh-Jane [https://uk.linkedin.com/in/wesleigh-jane-p-757306185] breaks down how she turned her own workplace hurdles into a community-led business spanning strategy circles, a Corporate Survival Journal, and one-to-one consultancy. She shares advice on advocating for yourself in performance reviews, why intergenerational mentorship matters, and how she runs it all solo on evenings and weekends. Plus her go-to Soca gym anthems, beauty essentials from Fenty to Cécred, free tools like Google Sites and Canva, her favourite Notting Hill spots, best London hotels for coworking and London communities. --- Steal Wesleigh-Jane’s “stack” of recommendations (along with all guests) in the Coffee & Oysters Guide. [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] Wesleigh-Jane on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/wesleigh-jane-p-757306185 [https://uk.linkedin.com/in/wesleigh-jane-p-757306185] --- 00:00 Intro 04:06 The Role of Sisters Protect 10:05 Why Corporate Wasn't Built For All of Us 21:06 Three Revenue Streams That Work 29:29 Advice For Starting Your Own Community 34:58 Outfits, Performance Reviews & Boundaries 43:25 Free Tools Every Solo Founder Needs 55:15 London Communities & Dream Collabs --- 💬 Become a guest [https://www.notion.so/12d1c0d4dc928089ac26f9161f3ba87e?pvs=21] 📓 2026 Journal Template [https://rebrand.ly/thehappinessbar] 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack [https://coffeeandoysters.substack.com/] 🎓 The Big Notion Energy Academy [https://thenotionzeitgeist.substack.com/p/the-big-notion-energy-academy] 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod [https://www.instagram.com/coffeeandoysterspod/] 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@coffeeandoysterspod] Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe [https://coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Predicting 2026 food & drink trends with Coachella | Grace Bryan | London CPG Expert

London food & drink development expert Grace Bryan [http://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-bryan-juicy-brick], co-founder of CPG agency Juicy Brick, joins Coffee & Oysters with business tips on trend forecasting, founder lifestyle, and building innovative food & drink brands. Grace breaks down how she spots trends by tracking repeated signals across CPG, pop culture, fashion, and TikTok, and discusses Gen Z’s changing relationship with alcohol. She compares UK vs US CPG scale and consumer behaviour, offers advice for UK brands entering the US, highlights “pinch me” moments like McDonald’s reaching out, and shares London favourites plus personal boundaries and tools like Dropbox, Canva, and LinkedIn. --- Steal Grace’s “stack” of recommendations (along with all guests) in the Coffee & Oysters Guide. [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] Grace on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/grace-bryan-juicy-brick [http://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-bryan-juicy-brick] --- 00:00 Intro 06:53 Why Hospitality Builds Grit 11:01 LinkedIn Trend Spotting Ritual 15:45 Pop Culture to Product Ideas 19:26 Coachella Style Forecasting 29:01 UK vs US CPG Reality Check 37:10 Owning Your Wins 38:13 Influencers Building Brands 40:49 Boundaries and Work Life 44:38 Personal Style Uniform 45:54 Beauty and Tech Essentials 53:40 London Gems Quick Fire 01:00:15 Wins, Plugs & Dream Collabs --- 💬 Become a guest [https://www.notion.so/12d1c0d4dc928089ac26f9161f3ba87e?pvs=21] 📓 2026 Journal Template [https://rebrand.ly/thehappinessbar] 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack [https://coffeeandoysters.substack.com/] 🎓 The Big Notion Energy Academy [https://thenotionzeitgeist.substack.com/p/the-big-notion-energy-academy] 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod [https://www.instagram.com/coffeeandoysterspod/] 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@coffeeandoysterspod] Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe [https://coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Anti-hustle LinkedIn vs Instagram strategies that sell | Meg Hutson – Human Marketing Expert

Meet Meg Hutson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-hutson-marketing/], a Human Marketing Strategist for service-based businesses, as she breaks down LinkedIn marketing strategy, personal branding and how to build a business you actually love. Meg Hutson left school at 16, started a shop with her mum, and built a freelance marketing business the hard way. She breaks down why being too vague cost her early opportunities, how she now helps bold service business owners ditch messy marketing through her framework of purpose, audience, offers, messaging and content, and why making marketing human matters more than ever. We also dig into how to grow on LinkedIn vs Instagram (including selling via Stories and trial reels), relationship-based funnels through her free monthly session The Monthly, launching her group program Spotlight, and the business tips and success habits that keep her grounded — from daily walks to a lean tech stack of MailerLite, Asana, Motion and Voxer. Plus she explores her London favourites, such as Covent Garden and Pizza Pilgrims, Oliver Bonas style picks, and her favourite glowy beauty basics as a minimal-makeup girlie. --- Steal Meg’s “stack” of recommendations (along with all guests) in the Coffee & Oysters Guide. [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] Meg on LinkedIn: Meg Hutson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-hutson-marketing/] --- 00:00 Intro 05:09 Marketing vs Sales Explained 09:12 Investing in Coaching 12:47 Human Marketing in AI Era 15:01 LinkedIn as Lead Engine 18:22 Instagram Stories Funnel 32:01 Lurkers Are Best Buyers 33:10 Make Weird Content Work 37:16 Grounding Daily Rituals 38:32 Personal Style Uniform 41:13 Beauty Product Staples 44:26 Lean Tech Stack 49:18 Life Outside London 51:26 London Spots And Networking 55:30 Wins, Plugs And Dreams 58:40 Where To Find Meg --- 💬 Become a guest [https://www.notion.so/12d1c0d4dc928089ac26f9161f3ba87e?pvs=21] 📓 2026 Journal Template [https://rebrand.ly/thehappinessbar] 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack [https://coffeeandoysters.substack.com/] 🎓 The Big Notion Energy Academy [https://thenotionzeitgeist.substack.com/p/the-big-notion-energy-academy] 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod [https://www.instagram.com/coffeeandoysterspod/] 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@coffeeandoysterspod] Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe [https://coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

This London LinkedIn influencer shares personal brand habits of the top 1% creators | Kamya Marwah

Kamya Marwah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamya-marwah?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios] is a London-based, top 1% LinkedIn creator, and Marketing & Content Manager at CRM startup Jely. She shares London lifestyle tips, London cafés + food market favourites, plus a super practical LinkedIn personal branding playbook (without the cringe). In this episode, Kamya breaks down how she moved from Delhi to London at 19 for UCL, the reality of being the first (and only) full-time marketing hire at an early-stage startup (twice!), and what it really takes to build a consistent content engine alongside a 9 to 5. We also get into networking (including the resilience behind 800+ rejections), how to pitch in a way that actually builds relationships, what trends are shifting on LinkedIn right now (carousels vs video), and the creator tools she uses to stay organised. You do not want to miss this if you’re trying to grow your personal brand on LinkedIn or figure out how to stay consistent with content while working. --- Steal Kamya’s “stack” of recommendations (along with all guests) in the Coffee & Oysters Guide. [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] Kamya on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/kamya-marwah [https://uk.linkedin.com/in/kamya-marwah] Kamya’s Substack (“Get Things Moving”): https://getthingsmoving.substack.com/ [https://getthingsmoving.substack.com/] --- 00:00 Introduction 02:29 From art to marketing + the first six months of zero orders 09:02 Systems, discipline + building creator workflows 11:04 Networking, resilience + rejection 13:56 Pitching, relationship-building + community 15:46 LinkedIn creator playbook 22:16 Content trends + the AI backlash 24:23 LinkedIn cringe takes 32:01 Creator tech stack 35:51 Moving to London + favourite cafés/markets 39:28 Final thoughts --- 💬 Become a guest [https://www.notion.so/12d1c0d4dc928089ac26f9161f3ba87e?pvs=21] 📓 2026 Journal Template [https://rebrand.ly/thehappinessbar] 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack [https://coffeeandoysters.substack.com/] 🎓 The Big Notion Energy Academy [https://thenotionzeitgeist.substack.com/p/the-big-notion-energy-academy] 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters [https://rebrand.ly/coguide] 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod [https://www.instagram.com/coffeeandoysterspod/] 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@coffeeandoysterspod] Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe [https://coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]