Mum Means Business

46: Finding Your Place; Identity, Belonging and Ambition After Children with Fiorenza Rossini

Fiorenza Rossini is a coach, founder of INNOW and host of The Belonging Project podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-belonging-project-podcast/id1582774163]. Having begun building her coaching practice in 2016 alongside a career in investment banking, the birth of her first child brought the clarity she needed to make a change. Today she supports driven professional women who find themselves at a similar pivot point in early motherhood — helping them navigate change, redefine ambition and make sense of a season of life in which their capacity looks genuinely different. In this episode, we explore the identity shift that motherhood brings, the quiet but powerful feeling of no longer belonging in the world you once inhabited and what it takes to find your place again. It is a conversation about coaching, community and the transformative power of putting yourself in rooms with people who truly understand. 💡 "There is no shame in asking for help. Put yourself in rooms with other people who have travelled or are travelling the same path as you." - Fiorenza Rossini In this conversation, we explore: ✨ Fiorenza's journey from investment banking to coaching and the moment the birth of her first child made the path forward undeniable ✨ The identity shift of early motherhood and the disorienting sense that the world is carrying on without you while you nest at home with your baby ✨ How belonging — or the absence of it — shapes the experience of new motherhood and why so many women feel lost at this particular pivot point ✨ The pandemic as a catalyst for change and how it accelerated Fiorenza's clarity about the work she was meant to do and the women she was meant to support ✨ Finding her niche in coaching parents through the transition between early parenthood and returning to work and why that specific season matters so much ✨ What coaching actually is, why it is so often misunderstood and the very real value it can add when you are trying to get clear on what you want and what comes next ✨ The challenges faced by new mothers returning to work and how systems that were not designed with them in mind make an already complex transition even harder ✨ The Belonging Project podcast and why Fiorenza felt called to explore identity and belonging in life and work through long form conversation ✨ Why asking for help and putting yourself in rooms with people who truly understand your experience is one of the most powerful things you can do in this season ✨ Reflections on childhood, curiosity and what revisiting our earliest selves can reveal about who we are and what we are here to do About the Guest: Fiorenza Rossini is the founder of INNOW and a coach for driven professional women navigating the identity shifts and ambition recalibration that come with early motherhood. With a background in investment banking and almost a decade of coaching experience, she brings both personal insight and professional expertise to her work supporting parents as they find their place between the worlds of family and work. She is also the host of The Belonging Project podcast, which explores identity and what it means to belong in life and work. Fiorenza is a mother of two, raising her children in a cross-cultural family. You can connect with Fiorenza via the INNOW website, [https://www.growinnow.com/]on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/fiorenza_rossini] or Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiorenza-rossini/]. 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/ruthashton] 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!

45: Growing Your Business While You Sleep; Meta Ads Demystified with Kristin Longacre

Kristin Longacre is a Meta Ads Expert and Facebook Blueprint Certified strategist with over 15 years of experience in digital marketing, the last decade of which has been laser-focused on Facebook and Instagram advertising. Having managed six figure ad budgets for everyone from Fortune 500 companies to small business owners running their very first campaigns, she knows just about everything there is to know inside Ads Manager. But it was the small business owners getting lost in the shuffle that ultimately changed the direction of her work. In this episode, Kristin shares her journey from corporate digital marketing to small business coaching and makes a compelling case for why Meta ads are far more accessible than most people think and why growing your email list while you are on the school run is not just possible, it is entirely within reach. 💡 "We can always make more money, but we cannot make more time with our kids!" - Kristin Longacre Sign up for Kristin's next https://www.nofussads.com/victoria-bootcamp/Facebook Ad Basics: The Beginner Bootcamp [https://www.nofussads.com/victoria-bootcamp/]! In this conversation, we explore: ✨ How Kristin made the shift from managing large corporate ad budgets to working with female small business owners and what that transition revealed about where the real need lay ✨ Why Meta ads are far more accessible and cost effective for small businesses than most people realise and what holds so many owners back from giving them a try ✨ The tech overwhelm that stops small business owners in their tracks and how Kristin's Power Hour approach demystifies the process step by step ✨ How automation through Meta ads supports busy mothers in business by generating leads and growing email lists without requiring constant hands-on time and energy ✨ Using the data from paid ads to inform and sharpen your organic content strategy and why the two work better together than most people think ✨ The importance of consistent ad spend for giving Meta's algorithm enough information to learn, optimise and deliver better results over time ✨ Why testing different creatives and hooks matters and the surprising discovery that simple, unpolished ads often outperform highly produced ones ✨ The pivoting point of running a gluten-free business and what that unexpected chapter taught Kristin about trusting her gut and knowing when to change direction ✨ How pausing and reflecting in business - rather than constantly pushing forward - can be the most clarifying and productive move you make ✨ Kristin's practical advice for small business owners who are curious about Meta ads but have no idea where to begin About the Guest: Kristin Longacre is a Meta Ads Expert and Facebook Blueprint Certified strategist with over 15 years of experience in digital marketing. Through her Meta Ads Power Hour programme, she works with female small business owners in the UK to help them run simple, effective ad campaigns without needing a large budget or a technical background. A mum of two, Kristin is passionate about helping women grow their businesses in a way that works around their lives rather than consuming them. You can connect with Kristin via the No Fuss Ads website [https://www.nofussads.com/] or on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nofussads]. Sign up for Kristin's next https://www.nofussads.com/victoria-bootcamp/Facebook Ad Basics: The Beginner Bootcamp [https://www.nofussads.com/victoria-bootcamp/]! 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/ruthashton] 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!

44: Money, Motherhood and the Mission to Close the Wealth Gap with Rebecca Taylor

Rebecca Taylor is the co-founder of Mums Who Build [https://www.mumswhobuild.com/], a growing community on a mission to close the gender wealth gap that widens even further in motherhood. Known affectionately as the MOB, the community helps ambitious mothers take charge of their finances, grow their wealth and design a life that allows them to mother exactly as they choose. Together with her co-founder Georgie, Bex brings her own story to the movement they are building - one shaped by the moments that made clear just how important financial independence is for women and for mothers in particular. In this episode, we explore what motivated Bex to co-found the MOB, the reality of navigating identity, ambition and money anxiety in motherhood and why getting in the arena - even with just £5 a week - might be the most powerful move a mother in business can make. 💡 "Motherhood is the time to own your ambition, invest in your growth, thrive in your business and design a life that means you can parent as you want to." In this conversation, we explore: ✨ The story behind Mums Who Build, what motivated Bex and Georgie to create the MOB and the gap in the market they were determined to fill ✨ How motherhood reshapes identity, ambition and relationship with work, and why navigating those shifts in isolation makes them so much harder ✨ Why community and peer support are not nice-to-haves but genuine accelerators for mothers figuring out their next move in business and in life ✨ The gender wealth gap and why it widens specifically in motherhood, and what women can do to start closing it for themselves ✨ Moving from a time for money model to building sustainable income and the mindset shifts required to make that transition ✨ The gender investment gap, the barriers that keep women on the sidelines of investing and why starting small — even just £5 a week — is enough to begin building financial confidence ✨ How societal expectations and the politics of parenting quietly shape the financial decisions mothers make and the ambitions they allow themselves to hold ✨ Why financial independence matters more than ever when you are a mother and what it makes possible beyond the bank balance ✨ Rediscovering self-worth after the identity upheaval of motherhood and how the MOB creates space for that process to unfold in community ✨ The advice Bex would give her younger self and what it reveals about money, ambition and the importance of getting in the arena sooner About the Guest: Rebecca Taylor is the co-founder of Mums Who Build, a community and movement dedicated to closing the gender wealth gap in motherhood. Known as the MOB, the community connects ambitious mothers with the tools, resources and peer support they need to take charge of their finances and grow their wealth. Alongside her co-founder Georgie, Bex is building a space where mothers can align their work, their wellbeing and their money in a way that truly supports the life they want to live. The MOB App launched earlier this year, bringing that mission directly to the women who need it most. You can find Bex and the Mums Who Build community via their website [http://mumswhobuild.com/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mumswhobuild/] or connect with her on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccacoxshall/]. 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/ruthashton] 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!

43: From Alexander McQueen to the Great Outdoors with Kasia Bromley

Kasia Bromley is the co-founder and brand director of ACAI Outdoorwear, a performance-led, style-driven brand redefining the outdoor experience for women. Her path to building a multi-million pound global brand began in the rarefied world of high fashion, where she hand-crafted the iconic Butterfly Dress at Alexander McQueen. But it was designing for real women, not runways, that truly captured her imagination. Frustrated by the outdoor industry's habit of simply shrinking and pinking women's gear, she and her husband Joe invested their house deposit to co-found ACAI in 2016 — five months pregnant and facing financial uncertainty. In this episode, Kasia shares the story behind that leap, what it has taken to scale a business while raising three children and why finding a purpose that fuels you is the most important foundation any business can be built on. 💡 "Find a purpose that fuels you and build a business that you love living in. If you love it you'll never struggle with motivation." — Kasia Bromley In this conversation, we explore: ✨ Kasia's journey from hand-crafting couture at Alexander McQueen to co-founding a brand built by women, for women, and the realisation that ignited the shift ✨ The frustration with the outdoor industry's approach to women's clothing and how that frustration became the creative and commercial foundation of ACAI ✨ How Kasia and her husband Joe launched the brand five months into her pregnancy, investing their house deposit and backing themselves when the stakes could not have been higher ✨ The story of the Skinny Outdoor Trouser, why it resonated so deeply with women and what its success revealed about a gap the industry had long ignored ✨ The reality of navigating early motherhood alongside the demands of a rapidly scaling business and the honest cost that places on sleep, rest and the nervous system ✨ Why Kasia chose to view entrepreneurship not as a sacrifice but as a necessity, and how that reframe sustained her through the hardest seasons of growth ✨ The impact of building a business on her children and why modelling purpose, passion and resilience is one of the most valuable gifts a mother can give ✨ How she approaches building confidence in her children through the same values that have shaped her business: curiosity, persistence and a willingness to learn from mistakes ✨ The question she returns to again and again when the hours are long and progress feels slow: am I enjoying this, is this still fun? About the Guest: Kasia Bromley is the co-founder and brand director of ACAI Outdoorwear, a multi-million pound global brand making the outdoors more inclusive, representative and boldly female. With a background in high fashion and a career that began at Alexander McQueen, she brings a rare combination of creative vision and commercial drive to everything she builds. A mother of three, Kasia is as passionate about reshaping outdoor culture as she is about raising children who are curious, confident and unafraid to take up space. You can find Kasia at @kasiabromley [https://www.instagram.com/kasiabromley/] on Instagram or explore the full collection at acaioutdoorwear.com [https://acaioutdoorwear.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/ruthashton] 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!

42: Pause, Play and the Power of Trusting Your Intuition with Barbara Nixon

Barbara Nixon is a success coach, award-winning speaker, author and leadership consultant with over 30 years of experience in people development. As the founder of Smash Your Own Ceiling, she works with ambitious business owners to help them remove the internal blocks holding them back - self-doubt, fear of failure, imposter syndrome and the habit of saying yes when every instinct is telling them to say no. In this episode, we explore Barbara's own journey from employee to entrepreneur, the unlearning that came with it and the powerful practice of pausing and playing your way through uncertainty. It is a conversation about intuition, self-leadership and what it truly means to create space for yourself as a leader, a mother and a woman in business. In this conversation, we explore: ✨ Barbara's journey into entrepreneurship and the pivotal moments that shaped her understanding of what it means to lead with authenticity and purpose ✨ The transition from employee to business owner and the professional norms she had to unlearn before she could truly find her way ✨ How she navigated the tension between building a business and being present as a parent and what she discovered along the way ✨ Why pausing is not a sign of weakness but one of the most powerful and strategic things a business owner can do ✨ The year of yes - how saying yes to joy, exploration and curiosity became the unexpected path back to clarity and direction ✨ How trusting your intuition and following what lights you up can quietly realign you with your purpose when logic alone cannot ✨ The concept of creating a pocket of air and why carving out genuine space for yourself is not a luxury but a leadership essential ✨ Why putting yourself at the top of the list as a leader is not selfish but sensible, strategic and deeply necessary ✨ How play and experimentation can dissolve the paralysis of not knowing what comes next and open unexpected doors ✨ What redefining leadership looks like for women and why the most powerful version of it is rooted in compassion, presence and self-knowledge About the Guest: Barbara Nixon is a success coach, award-winning speaker, author and leadership consultant with over 30 years of experience in people development. She works with ambitious business owners to help them remove the internal blocks holding them back and step into the leaders they are meant to be. She is also host of the 'Smash Your Own Ceiling [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/smash-your-own-ceiling/id1590781683]' podcast, co-owner of a Yorkshire coffee roastery, a wife, a mum and stepmum to four grown up children and proud owner of a dog called Nellie. You can connect with Barbara via her website [https://www.barbaranixon.co.uk/], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaranixon1/] or Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/barbara___nixon/]. 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/ruthashton] 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!