Beyond The Bio

What makes someone stop scrolling and pay attention to your story?

In this episode of Beyond the Bio, Sophie is joined by Oli Christie to explore how storytelling can help you build your personal brand, connect with your audience and create new opportunities.

Oli has had three very different careers, from advertising to founding and selling mobile games studio Neon Play to becoming a coach and consultant. Now he's using stories from those experiences, some dating back more than 20 years, to build an audience on Instagram and TikTok.

With around 7 million views across his content, Oli has discovered that sharing interesting, entertaining and sometimes unexpected stories can be an effective way to build visibility. What's particularly interesting is that much of his content has little to do with his current work, yet it's helping him attract coaching clients.

Sophie and Oli explore what makes a story worth telling, how to turn everyday experiences into engaging content and why you don't need an extraordinary career to have something interesting to say.

They also discuss the relationship between storytelling and personal branding, how Oli's advertising background influences his approach and what others can learn from his success on social media.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

How to identify stories from your career that people will want to hear

What makes a story engaging enough to stop someone scrolling

Why your previous experiences can be valuable personal branding content

How storytelling can help you build an audience and attract opportunities

Practical ways to start incorporating storytelling into your own content

Connect with Oli

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olichristie/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olichristiecoach/

Website: https://www.olichristie.com/

Connect with Sophie

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophie-milliken

Instagram: @moja_sophie

Want to be a guest on Beyond the Bio?

Do you have interesting ideas to share about how to raise your profile? We want to hear from you! Fill out the submission form here: https://www.sophiemilliken.co.uk/btb

This podcast is brought to you by Moja. Moja is an award-winning modern PR agency working with entrepreneurs and senior executives to get you known in your industry. See how your profile is currently performing: https://mym-btb.scoreapp.com/

In this week’s episode of Beyond the Bio, Sophie has pulled together some of her favourite conversations on PR. Whether you’re planning your first press push, wondering why your pitches keep going unanswered or trying to work out if your PR is paying for itself, this compilation draws on insight from four guests who’ve spent their careers on both sides of the headline.

This episode covers:

What good PR looks like behind the scenes and why reputation is built over years rather than a single campaign

What journalists are looking for when a pitch lands in their inbox

The pitching mistakes that get founders ignored

Why print coverage still carries weight

How to measure whether your PR is working

Striking the balance between proactive and reactive PR

Guests:

Evan Boyer

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanboyer/

Website: www.leaderspr.com

Listen to the original episode: https://rss.com/podcasts/beyond-the-bio-with-sophie-milliken/3068584/

Carol Driver

Website: www.caroldriver.com

Instagram: @caroldriver

Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/howtomaketheheadlineswithcaroldriver/

Listen to the original episode: https://rss.com/podcasts/beyond-the-bio-with-sophie-milliken/2828314/

Kierian Cameron

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/cultleader

Website: https://brandcult.uk/

Instagram: @brand.cultuk

Listen to the original episode: https://rss.com/podcasts/beyond-the-bio-with-sophie-milliken/2479493/

Chris Norton

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisnorton2/

Website: https://prohibitionpr.co.uk/

Listen to the original episode: https://rss.com/podcasts/beyond-the-bio-with-sophie-milliken/2189682/

Connect with Sophie

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophie-milliken

Instagram: @moja_sophie

Want to be a guest on Beyond the Bio? Do you have interesting ideas to share about how to raise your profile? We want to hear from you! Fill out the submission form here: https://www.sophiemilliken.co.uk/btb

This podcast is brought to you by Moja. Moja is an award-winning modern PR agency working with entrepreneurs and senior executives to get you known in your industry. See how your profile is currently performing: https://mym-btb.scoreapp.com/

What separates an award entry that makes the shortlist from one that gets passed over, when both businesses are doing equally good work?

In this solo episode, Sophie shares her practical advice on writing award entries, drawing on years of helping founders and senior leaders put themselves forward for recognition. She covers what judges are looking for, the mistakes that cost entrants marks, and the simple steps many people skip when they are rushing to meet a deadline. Sophie explains why you should always ask someone else to read your entry before you submit it, ideally a person who doesn’t know your business well enough to fill in the gaps for you. She talks about backing up every claim with evidence, from figures and growth numbers to client feedback, and how to make proper use of the supporting documents section rather than leaving it empty.

She also encourages entrants to get in touch with the organisers if they are unsure about a category or a question, something very few people think to do. The episode then turns to what happens next. If you are shortlisted or win, Sophie walks through how to make the most of it with a press release, social media posts and other ways to keep the recognition working for your profile long after the ceremony.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

Why a second pair of eyes can improve your entry

Using evidence to support every claim you make

Making the most of the supporting documents section

Contacting the organisers for advice before you submit

What to do if you are shortlisted

How to share a win through press releases and social media

Connect with Sophie:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophie-milliken

Instagram: @moja_sophie

Check out the Moja Awards page: https://thisismoja.com/services/awards/

Check out the North East Women of Excellence awards: https://www.northeastwomenofexcellenceawards.com/

Want to be a guest on Beyond the Bio? Do you have interesting ideas to share about how to raise your profile? We want to hear from you! Fill out the submission form here: https://www.sophiemilliken.co.uk/btb

This podcast is brought to you by Moja. Moja is an award-winning modern PR agency working with entrepreneurs and senior executives to get you known in your industry. See how your profile is currently performing: https://mym-btb.scoreapp.com/

What happens when you stop trying to show everything you can do and become known for one thing?

In this episode, Sophie is joined by Jo Living, Founder and CEO of Aces High London, to talk about building a personal brand around an unusual specialism.

After ten years in investment banking, personal loss led Jo to rethink her career and eventually build a business around poker. With no background in marketing or personal branding, she had to work out how to position herself, build credibility and get people to take notice.

Jo has also had to challenge some fairly entrenched perceptions of poker along the way, moving the conversation away from gambling, bluffing and boys’ nights and towards the skills that translate directly into business, including decision-making, negotiation, communication and confidence.

Sophie and Jo discuss why being known for something specific can make your personal brand stronger, how having a clear point of view helps you stand out and whether choosing a niche risks boxing you in. They also look at the role PR has played in building Jo’s profile and creating opportunities.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

Jo’s move from investment banking to entrepreneurship

Building a personal brand from scratch

Why an unusual specialism can become an advantage

Challenging perceptions and developing a clear point of view

Using PR to build credibility and open doors

The benefits and potential risks of becoming known for one thing

Connect with Jo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joliving/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/aceshighlondon/home/

https://www.aceshighlondon.com/

Connect with Sophie

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophie-milliken

Instagram: @moja_sophie

Want to be a guest on Beyond the Bio?

Do you have interesting ideas to share about how to raise your profile? We want to hear from you! Fill out the submission form here: https://www.sophiemilliken.co.uk/btb

This podcast is brought to you by Moja. Moja is an award-winning modern PR agency working with entrepreneurs and senior executives to get you known in your industry. See how your profile is currently performing: https://mym-btb.scoreapp.com/

How often do you hold back from putting something out because it isn’t quite ready?

In this episode of Beyond the Bio, Sophie is joined by Chris Carolan to talk about what happens when you stop aiming for polished content and start prioritising consistency.

Chris goes live every single weekday. That means publishing when an idea might still be developing, accepting that not everything will land and resisting the temptation to wait until he has something impressive to say.

Sophie and Chris explore what that approach has done for his personal brand, what compounds when you keep showing up and how consistency can create opportunities that are difficult to attribute to one individual post or piece of content.

They also discuss the less glamorous side of daily publishing, including what happens when content falls flat, how to avoid creating for the sake of it and whether there is a point where consistency simply becomes noise.

With Chris working with leaders and organisations in the age of AI, they also look at what AI means for personal brands. As it becomes easier to create more polished content at greater volume, they consider whether being recognisably human, including the occasional imperfection, is becoming more valuable.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

Why Chris chose to go live every weekday

What consistency has done for his personal brand

Why individual content performance doesn’t tell the whole story

What Chris has learned from content that hasn’t worked

How to keep creating without running out of useful things to say

How AI is changing the value of human content

Connect with Chris

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-carolan/

Visit Value First: https://valuefirstteam.com/

Connect with Sophie

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophie-milliken

Instagram: @moja_sophie

Want to be a guest on Beyond the Bio?

Do you have interesting ideas to share about how to raise your profile? We want to hear from you! Fill out the submission form here: https://www.sophiemilliken.co.uk/btb

This podcast is brought to you by Moja. Moja is an award-winning modern PR agency working with entrepreneurs and senior executives to get you known in your industry. See how your profile is currently performing: https://mym-btb.scoreapp.com/

How do you build authority when everyone has access to the same tools?

In this episode of Beyond the Bio, Sophie is joined by Ben Albert, entrepreneur, marketer and host of the Real Business Connections podcast.

Ben shares his “Piggyback Approach” to building visibility by appearing on other people’s podcasts and tapping into audiences that already exist. He explains why the size of a podcast isn’t always the most important factor, what makes someone a memorable guest and how to make a podcast appearance work harder long after the episode has been published.

They also explore what happens to personal branding as AI becomes part of everyday marketing. Ben shares how he used an AI bot to pitch himself as a guest on Beyond the Bio, where he draws the line between automation and human input and why greater access to AI could make personality, individuality and human connection even more valuable.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

What Ben means by the “Piggyback Approach” and how podcast guesting can build authority

How to choose the right podcasts and platforms rather than chasing the biggest audiences

What makes a podcast guest memorable

How Ben used AI to pitch himself for Beyond the Bio

Why AI-generated content could make individuality more important

How to use other people’s audiences to increase your visibility without trying to build everything from scratch

Connect with Ben

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realbenalbert/

Listen to Ben's podcast 'Real Business Connections': https://realbusinessconnections.com

Visit Ben's community: https://www.weallgrowtogether.com

Connect with Sophie:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophie-milliken

Instagram: @moja_sophie

Want to be a guest on Beyond the Bio?

Do you have interesting ideas to share about how to raise your profile? We want to hear from you! Fill out the submission form here: https://www.sophiemilliken.co.uk/btb

This podcast is brought to you by Moja. Moja is an award-winning modern PR agency working with entrepreneurs and senior executives to get you known in your industry. See how your profile is currently performing: https://mym-btb.scoreapp.com/

What can building some of the world’s best-known brands teach us about building a personal brand?

In this episode of Beyond the Bio, Sophie is joined by Fiona Wylie, Founder and Chief Executive of Brand Champions. Fiona has more than two decades of marketing experience, including senior roles with household names including Nestlé, British Airways and Pfizer, before going on to build her own award-winning marketing agency.

Fiona shares the lessons she has taken from building major consumer brands and how she has applied them to her own reputation and personal brand. She talks about what helped her win clients when she first started Brand Champions, why positioning matters just as much for people as it does for businesses and what individuals can learn from the way successful brands build recognition and trust.

The conversation also explores Fiona’s experience returning from maternity leave, why experienced women can find themselves overlooked in the workplace and how years of expertise can become a powerful foundation for building a visible personal brand.

In this episode, they cover:

What household brands can teach us about personal branding

How Fiona used her corporate reputation and network to build her own business

Why positioning matters when building your profile

The differences between marketing a business and marketing yourself

How to turn years of experience into a reputation people recognise

Where to start building your profile when you already have years of expertise

Connect with Fiona

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fewylie/

Check out Brand Champions:

Website: https://thebrandchampions.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-brand-champions-london-ltd/home/

Connect with Sophie:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophie-milliken

Instagram: @moja_sophie

Want to be a guest on Beyond the Bio?

Do you have interesting ideas to share about how to raise your profile? We want to hear from you! Fill out the submission form here: https://www.sophiemilliken.co.uk/btb

This podcast is brought to you by Moja. Moja is an award-winning modern PR agency working with entrepreneurs and senior executives to get you known in your industry. See how your profile is currently performing: https://mym-btb.scoreapp.com/

AI can make building your personal brand faster and easier, but what happens when everyone starts using the same tools and producing the same content?

In this episode of Beyond the Bio, Sophie is joined by Kathryn Wharton, founder of KLW Marketing and co-founder of Women in Tech North East, to explore how AI can support your visibility without stripping away the personality that makes people remember you.

Kathryn shares how she uses AI as part of her own personal brand toolkit, from keeping her content sounding like her to building AI agents that scout for speaking opportunities and collaborations. They also discuss where AI-generated content goes wrong, how non-technical people can start creating useful AI tools of their own and which parts of your personal brand you should never outsource.

If you want to use AI to work smarter, find more opportunities and become more visible without sounding like everyone else, this episode is for you.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How to use AI without losing your own tone of voice
• How Kathryn uses AI to find speaking opportunities and collaborations
• What AI agents are and how you can build them without technical expertise
• How AI can support the visual side of your personal brand
• What you should never hand over to AI
• Simple ways to start using AI to support your visibility

Connect with Kathryn:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynwharton/

Visit KLW Marketing: https://www.klwmarketing.co.uk/

Connect with Sophie:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophie-milliken

Instagram: @moja_sophie

Want to be a guest on Beyond the Bio?

Do you have interesting ideas to share about how to raise your profile? We want to hear from you! Fill out the submission form here: https://www.sophiemilliken.co.uk/btb

This podcast is brought to you by Moja. Moja is an award-winning modern PR agency working with entrepreneurs and senior executives to get you known in your industry. See how your profile is currently performing: https://mym-btb.scoreapp.com/

With LinkedIn, short-form video, newsletters, Substack and AI all competing for our attention, is there still a place for podcasting in your personal brand strategy?

In this episode of Beyond the Bio, Sophie is joined by Rachel from the Moja team to look at what’s happening in podcasting right now and why it can still be a powerful way to build your visibility, credibility and relationships. They discuss the rise of video podcasts, changing listening habits, the importance of clips and repurposed content and why download numbers aren’t always the best measure of whether your podcast is working. They also explore who should start a podcast, the mistakes that can make a new show difficult to sustain and what you need to think about before hitting record.

If you’ve been wondering whether to start a podcast, revive an old one or make more of the one you already have, this episode will help you decide what makes sense for your personal brand.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

- Why podcasting is still relevant in 2026

- What a podcast can do for your personal brand

- The podcasting trends worth paying attention to

- How clips and repurposed content are changing podcast strategy

- Why downloads aren’t the only measure of success

- The biggest mistakes people make when starting a podcast

- Who should, and shouldn’t, launch their own show

Connect with Rachel

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelwoodpodcast/

Connect with Sophie

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophie-milliken

Instagram: @moja_sophie

Want to be a guest on Beyond the Bio?

Do you have interesting ideas to share about how to raise your profile? We want to hear from you! Fill out the submission form here: https://www.sophiemilliken.co.uk/btb

This podcast is brought to you by Moja. Moja is an award-winning modern PR agency working with entrepreneurs and senior executives to get you known in your industry. See how your profile is currently performing: https://mym-btb.scoreapp.com/

What makes someone remember your business when there are dozens of others offering something similar?

In this episode of Beyond the Bio, Sophie is joined by Jillian Ivey, founder of Jilletante Creative and a content strategist, writer and editor who helps professional service providers use storytelling to stand out in crowded markets.

Jillian believes businesses should focus more on telling than selling. Rather than relying on polished sales messages and strategy decks, she helps people uncover the stories, experiences and points of view that make them distinctive and use them to build trust with the right audience.

Sophie and Jillian also explore what happens when businesses rely too heavily on AI-generated content. With more people using the same tools to create content, they discuss why so much of it is beginning to sound the same and whether a recognisable human voice is becoming an even bigger competitive advantage.

In this episode, we cover:

• What “telling, not selling” looks like in practice
• Using storytelling to differentiate yourself in a crowded market
• How much of yourself to share when building a personal brand
• How to use AI without losing your own voice
• The common mistakes businesses make with storytelling
• How to make your content more memorable and recognisably yours

Connect with Jill

Website: jilletante.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianivey/

And Beyond the Bio listeners can book a story audit on Jill's website for $50 off! Just use the code SOPHIE.

If you are interested in helping pilot Jill's updated story intensive course, reach out via email,

Connect with Sophie

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophie-milliken

Instagram: @moja_sophie

Want to be a guest on Beyond the Bio?

Do you have interesting ideas to share about how to raise your profile? We want to hear from you! Fill out the submission form here: https://www.sophiemilliken.co.uk/btb

This podcast is brought to you by Moja. Moja is an award-winning modern PR agency working with entrepreneurs and senior executives to get you known in your industry. See how your profile is currently performing: https://mym-btb.scoreapp.com/