56: From Survival Mode to Scaling Your Business with Ease with Michelle Newman

56: From Survival Mode to Scaling Your Business with Ease with Michelle Newman

Michelle Newman is a business transformation specialist, founder of Flow Business Support and an award-winning advocate for women in business. Combining years of corporate expertise with a passion for entrepreneurship and self-care, she helps founders to streamline operations, reduce overwhelm and scale sustainably without the stress. A mum of one and stepmum of seven, Michelle's own journey into entrepreneurship was born not from a carefully laid plan but from a significant life change. What followed was years of building, reacting, pivoting and slowly, intentionally finding her way to a business she genuinely belongs in. In this episode, we explore that journey in full - divorce, sepsis, breathwork, personal branding and the moment Michelle realised she had been working for her business rather than the other way around. It is a deeply honest conversation about survival mode, self-care, celebrating small wins and what it truly takes to scale with ease when life is happening all around you. 💡 "Give yourself the grace to recognise that things are not going to happen overnight. Those shifts are going to happen, but they might be micro movements towards your goals." — Michelle Newman In this conversation, we explore: ✨ How Michelle's entrepreneurial journey began not by choice but by necessity following the breakdown of her marriage and a shared business, and what it took to keep going as a single mum with a young son to provide for ✨ The physical and emotional cost of holding everything together in crisis mode, including a hospitalisation with sepsis that became a turning point she could no longer ignore ✨ How she discovered breathwork through one of her first clients and why that single session was the moment something shifted on a level she hadn't anticipated and couldn't have planned for ✨ Why finding your one restorative ritual and protecting space for it regularly is not a luxury but an act of care for everyone around you, not just yourself ✨ The evolution of Flow from a virtual assistance service into a full digital operations consultancy, including the moment she realised she had accidentally built a business she didn't enjoy ✨ Why scaling too fast without intention can leave you feeling like an employee of your own business and what Michelle did to strip it back and rebuild it on her own terms ✨ The decision to step into personal branding after years of hiding behind a business name and why that shift finally made her feel like she belonged inside her own business ✨ The ta-da list — a simple but genuinely powerful practice of recording what you actually achieved each week rather than what you didn't, and why Michelle has turned it into a notebook you can download and use yourself ✨ Why celebrating small wins is not indulgent but essential, particularly for mothers in business who are operating under entirely different constraints to everyone else ✨ The three things Michelle tells her son to strive for every day and why they are just as relevant to women in business as they are to children finding their way in the world 🎁 Download Michelle's printable Ta-Da Lists [https://michelle-newman.mykajabi.com/offers/moVSoocd?coupon_code=MUMLOVE] using discount code MUMLOVE, or find her Ta-Da Notebook [https://amzn.eu/d/5yhgI2u] on Amazon. About the Guest: Michelle Newman is the founder of Flow, a digital operations consultancy offering wraparound business support to entrepreneurs who are ready to scale with ease. With a background in corporate project management and process improvement, she brings both technical expertise and deep personal understanding to her work with founders. An award-winning advocate for women in business, speaker and community champion, Michelle is a mum of one and stepmum of seven who has built her business through some of life's most challenging seasons and come out the other side with a business she truly belongs in. You can connect with Michelle via Instagram at @michellenewmanflow [https://www.instagram.com/michellenewman_flow/] or visit flowbusinesssupport.com [https://flowbusinesssupport.co.uk/]. About The Host: I’m Victoria Phipps – a Mum of two, analogue family photographer [https://victoriaphipps.com/], personal brand photographer, educator, charity co-founder, marketer and now podcaster! 🎙️ I was raised by a nurturing Mother and an entrepreneurial Father and have inherited traits from both, so the tension between ambition and motherhood is one I grapple with on a daily basis! I’m fascinated to hear the stories of other women on a similar path, who are striving to build thriving businesses whilst being present for their children. It's a tough juggle, but I hope the conversations shared on this podcast help Mums in business feel less alone and inspired to keep going in pursuit of their dreams. Head to the Mum Means Business Podcast website [https://mummeansbusinesspodcast.com/michellenewman/] for full show notes. I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed in this conversation, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @victoriaphippsmbe [https://www.instagram.com/@victoriaphippsmbe/] or @mummeansbusinesspodcast [https://www.instagram.com/mummeansbusinesspodcast/]. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5* rating and review!

55. Why Consistency Alone Is Not Enough and What I'm Doing Instead

This is an honest reflection on one of the most repeated pieces of advice in the online business world: be consistent. Show up every day, post without fail, feed the algorithm! For a long time, I did exactly that. I posted on Instagram every single day for 14 months while navigating two babies under two, a new home, financial pressure and a new version of my photography business I was desperately trying to make work. At the end of it, I had 600 followers and a lot of cringe-worthy content to look back on. In this episode I share what that experience taught me, why I took the same consistency mindset into the podcast and what I've realised now I'm on the other side of 50 episodes. This episode is about energy, capacity, messaging and the quiet but radical decision to stop doing something that is not working just because you have always been told it should. I reflect on: ✨ Why consistency in marketing matters and the arguments for it, from algorithm benefits to building trust and failing faster through testing, but why consistency alone is not the whole story ✨ The honest account of posting every day for 14 months with frantic energy, unclear messaging and a following that barely grew, and what that reveals about the difference between showing up and showing up well ✨ Why my energy was the missing piece during those early years of relaunching my business, and how that frantic, unfocused output was visible to anyone landing on my account ✨ The realisation after 50 podcast episodes that doing the same thing and expecting different results is worth questioning, and why a milestone can be the perfect moment to change course ✨ Why the power has been in the pause, in the conversations, in the connections and in the moments of genuine reflection rather than in relentless daily output ✨ The shift from consistency at all costs to marketing that feels aligned with my energy and honest about my capacity as a mother running multiple strands of work ✨ Where I am choosing to be consistent going forward - the podcast, the photography education email list and the family business marketing - and where I am giving myself permission to let go ✨ The key takeaway from *Atomicon that landed hard: doing something is not always better than doing nothing, and why that reframe changes everything ✨ Why quality in content does not mean beautiful or polished but means connection, clarity of message and the human to human moment that makes someone think yes, me too *Listen to my Atomicon 2026 debrief [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/mum-means-business/id1824861030?i=1000774282846] in full Takeaway for Mums in Business: Consistency and discipline have their place. But if you are pouring all of your spare energy into content that is not moving the needle, that is not necessarily better than doing nothing. Give yourself permission to pause, reflect and come back with the energy that is actually going to land. About The Host: I’m Victoria Phipps – a Mum of two, analogue family photographer [https://victoriaphipps.com/], personal brand photographer, educator, charity co-founder, marketer and now podcaster! 🎙️ I was raised by a nurturing Mother and an entrepreneurial Father and have inherited traits from both, so the tension between ambition and motherhood is one I grapple with on a daily basis! I’m fascinated to hear the stories of other women on a similar path, who are striving to build thriving businesses whilst being present for their children. It's a tough juggle, but I hope the conversations shared on this podcast help Mums in business feel less alone and inspired to keep going in pursuit of their dreams. Head to the Mum Means Business Podcast website [https://mummeansbusinesspodcast.com/why-consistency-alone-is-not-enough-in-marketing/] for full show notes. I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed in this conversation, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @victoriaphippsmbe [https://www.instagram.com/@victoriaphippsmbe/] or @mummeansbusinesspodcast [https://www.instagram.com/mummeansbusinesspodcast/]. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5* rating and review!

54: Burnout, Boundaries and the Healing Power of Gardening with Kendall Marie Platt

Kendall Marie Platt is a horticultural therapist, writer, speaker and founder of Adventures with Flowers [https://www.adventureswithflowers.com/]. She brings together horticultural therapy and sensory-led garden design to create spaces that don't just look beautiful but actively quieten the mind, restore the nervous system and support the body and brain in a way that no amount of productivity hacking ever could. As a mother of two who has navigated burnout herself, she brings both professional expertise and deeply personal understanding to her work supporting women to create their own garden sanctuary and step off the hamster wheel before it's too late. In this episode, we explore Kendall's path from burnout to a business built around restoration and joy, and why getting your hands in the soil might be one of the most radical acts of self-care a mother in business can choose. 💡 "I want my kids to see me taking care of myself, because I want them to take care of themselves. I have to show them because it's not enough to tell them." — Kendall Marie Platt In this conversation, we explore: ✨ Kendall's personal journey from burnout to building a business rooted in horticultural therapy and why that experience is at the heart of everything she now offers ✨ How she combines horticultural therapy and sensory-led garden design to create spaces that restore rather than just impress and what that looks and feels like in practice ✨ The link between mindfulness, nature and mental health and why the garden offers something that traditional wellness practices often cannot ✨ Why so many women tie their self-worth to their productivity and how breaking that cycle is one of the most powerful things the garden can teach us ✨ The role of self-trust and intuition in both gardening and in life and why we so often wait for permission that was never ours to give away in the first place ✨ Finding flow in nature and what the rhythms of the garden can teach us about pacing ourselves in business and in motherhood ✨ Why accessible gardening is not about having a large space, a green thumb or a formal qualification but simply about showing up and starting ✨ The importance of daily joy as a genuine act of self-preservation rather than a luxury to be earned once everything else is done ✨ How reconnecting with nature can shift our relationship with our own nervous system and begin to interrupt the patterns that lead to burnout ✨ The generational patterns that Kendall has worked to break and what she hopes to model for her children through her relationship with the garden and with herself About the Guest: Kendall Marie Platt is a horticultural therapist, writer, speaker and founder of Adventures with Flowers. She works with women to create garden sanctuaries that support their mental health, lower their stress levels and provide a daily rhythm of restoration. Through her one to one programme, garden-along sessions and membership the Seed, she offers a practical, accessible and deeply therapeutic alternative to the burnout culture that so many mothers are navigating. A mother of two, Kendall is a passionate disrupter of the story that we need permission or accreditation before we can begin to tend to ourselves. You can connect with Kendall via Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kendallmarieplatt] and the Adventures with Flowers website [https://www.adventureswithflowers.com/]. About The Host: I’m Victoria Phipps – a Mum of two, analogue family photographer [https://victoriaphipps.com/], personal brand photographer, educator, charity co-founder, marketer and now podcaster! 🎙️ I was raised by a nurturing Mother and an entrepreneurial Father and have inherited traits from both, so the tension between ambition and motherhood is one I grapple with on a daily basis! I’m fascinated to hear the stories of other women on a similar path, who are striving to build thriving businesses whilst being present for their children. It's a tough juggle, but I hope the conversations shared on this podcast help Mums in business feel less alone and inspired to keep going in pursuit of their dreams. Head to the Mum Means Business Podcast website [https://mummeansbusinesspodcast.com/kendallmarieplatt/] for full show notes. I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed in this conversation, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @victoriaphippsmbe [https://www.instagram.com/@victoriaphippsmbe/] or @mummeansbusinesspodcast [https://www.instagram.com/mummeansbusinesspodcast/]. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5* rating and review!

53: My First Atomicon; Lessons in Focus, Fear and Showing Up

Atomicon is the largest sales and marketing conference in the UK for small businesses and this year I finally went for the first time. It was not a smooth run up. Between taking the hit on a non-refundable train ticket and a last-minute rebooking to make it home for my daughter's first ever sports day, a soft brand launch timed for the exact same day and a train journey spent trying to learn Adobe Express for the first time, it felt less like a treat and more like something I was squeezing into the cracks of a very full life. But I'm so glad I made the effort! In this solo episode I share what the day actually looked like, the talks that challenged and inspired me and the moment I had to choose between walking away or being brave enough to ask for what I wanted. In this episode, I reflect on: ✨ The tension between mum life and business life that played out even before Atomicon began - from sports day versus conference tickets to late night brand launches and early morning trains ✨ How Erin Thomas Wong [https://www.lifefriendlybusiness.com/]'s fringe event the evening before set the perfect tone - a smaller, more intimate space full of like-minded women that eased me gently into the bigger experience ahead ✨ Andrew and Pete's 90-10 rule and why their challenge to go all in on one clear focus landed uncomfortably for someone currently spreading energy across multiple businesses and projects ✨ The talks that stopped me in my tracks, particularly Amelia Sordell on the founder brand and why craving attention for your business is not the same as craving it for yourself ✨ The moment outside the talk where I waited 45 minutes, nearly talked myself out of it and plucked up the courage to ask Amelia Sordell if she would come on this podcast ✨ Ann Handley closing the day with a brilliant talk about the importance of knowing when to slow down in a world that is constantly telling us to hurry up ✨ Why the energy, the generosity and the sheer friendliness of 1500 small business owners in one room is something every person building a business in isolation needs to experience at least once GET YOUR 2027 TICKET HERE! [https://atomic.site/?aap=1170] Takeaway for Mums in Business: There will always be a reason not to go... the logistics, the guilt, the sense that you are squeezing it in rather than savouring it. But showing up for the connections, the inspiration and the moments where you surprise yourself with your own bravery, is almost always worth it. About The Host: I’m Victoria Phipps – a Mum of two, analogue family photographer [https://victoriaphipps.com/], personal brand photographer, educator, charity co-founder, marketer and now podcaster! 🎙️ I was raised by a nurturing Mother and an entrepreneurial Father and have inherited traits from both, so the tension between ambition and motherhood is one I grapple with on a daily basis! I’m fascinated to hear the stories of other women on a similar path, who are striving to build thriving businesses whilst being present for their children. It's a tough juggle, but I hope the conversations shared on this podcast help Mums in business feel less alone and inspired to keep going in pursuit of their dreams. Head to the Mum Means Business Podcast website [https://mummeansbusinesspodcast.com/atomicon-2026-review/] for full show notes. I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed in this conversation, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @victoriaphippsmbe [https://www.instagram.com/@victoriaphippsmbe/] or @mummeansbusinesspodcast [https://www.instagram.com/mummeansbusinesspodcast/]. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5* rating and review!

52: From Feeling Stuck to Dreaming Big with Caroline Britton

Caroline Britton is an intuitive coach, author and agent of change for leaders, entrepreneurs and public figures who are ready to transform their lives. For over 14 years she worked in global consultancy, during which time she became a mother of two. Four years ago she made the decision to lean into her intuitive gifts, bet on herself and use her abilities to help people connect to who they truly are beyond the conditioning, the labels, the ego, the pain and the limiting beliefs that keep so many of us small. In this episode, we explore Caroline's journey from feeling stuck to living with purpose and fulfilment, and what it truly takes to navigate change without self-abandonment. It is a conversation about stillness, intuition, emotional intelligence and the quiet but radical act of coming home to yourself. 💡 "When you truly meet yourself, you can truly meet others and you can truly meet life." - Caroline Britton In this conversation, we explore: ✨ Caroline's journey from 14 years in global consultancy to becoming an intuitive coach and what the decision to bet on herself actually looked and felt like from the inside ✨ How she navigated the identity shift of leaving a successful corporate career to build something entirely new and the belief barriers she had to overcome along the way ✨ The evolution of her coaching practice and why the most powerful work she does with clients begins not with strategy but with stillness and self-connection ✨ Why authenticity in business is not just a nice-to-have but the foundation everything sustainable is built on, and what gets in the way of it for so many women ✨ The identity and belief barriers that keep people feeling stuck and the process Caroline uses to help clients move through them towards clarity and purpose ✨ What it means to dream big and how to begin reconnecting with your own desires when busyness, conditioning and self-doubt have made them hard to hear ✨ The ripple effect of personal growth and why the work we do on ourselves quietly changes everything around us, including how we show up for our children ✨ The value of connection and asking for help, and why so many high-achieving women resist both far longer than they should ✨ Parenting with awareness and how developing emotional intelligence in ourselves shapes the way we nurture it in our children ✨ The simple but powerful exercises Caroline uses to help clients reconnect with their dreams, including writing a letter from fear and a letter from love About the Guest: Caroline Britton is an intuitive coach, author and magic maker who helps leaders, entrepreneurs and public figures wake up to a life of freedom, purpose and joy. With a background in global consultancy and over four years of full-time coaching, she has transformed thousands of lives through her work, her writing and her ability to help people connect to who they really are beneath the noise. She is the author of Coming Home to You and has been featured in Forbes, The Telegraph, GQ and Red Magazine. A mother of two, Caroline is passionate about helping people navigate change without self-abandonment. You can connect with Caroline via her website [https://caroline-britton.com/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/carolinebrittoncoaching/] or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinebrittoncoaching/]. About The Host: I’m Victoria Phipps – a Mum of two, analogue family photographer [https://victoriaphipps.com/], personal brand photographer, educator, charity co-founder, marketer and now podcaster! 🎙️ I was raised by a nurturing Mother and an entrepreneurial Father and have inherited traits from both, so the tension between ambition and motherhood is one I grapple with on a daily basis! I’m fascinated to hear the stories of other women on a similar path, who are striving to build thriving businesses whilst being present for their children. It's a tough juggle, but I hope the conversations shared on this podcast help Mums in business feel less alone and inspired to keep going in pursuit of their dreams. Head to the Mum Means Business Podcast website [https://mummeansbusinesspodcast.com/carolinebritton/] for full show notes. I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed in this conversation, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @victoriaphippsmbe [https://www.instagram.com/@victoriaphippsmbe/] or @mummeansbusinesspodcast [https://www.instagram.com/mummeansbusinesspodcast/]. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5* rating and review!