Knowing You with Sarah Cripps

In this episode of Knowing You, Sarah Cripps speaks with Sarah McDowell, co-host of the SEO Mindset Podcast a show that fills an important gap in the SEO world by exploring mental health, career development and personal growth in the industry.

Interestingly, digital marketing wasn't even a career path when Sarah was at school. With a background in performing arts and a degree in dance, she took a strategic step after university applying for a reception role at a digital marketing agency just to get a foot in the door.

Collaboration is a key theme throughout Sarah's work. Whether hosting podcasts, working with partners in the SEO industry, or running her digital marketing company, she thrives on bringing people together.

Some of Sarah's guiding beliefs include:

"You never want to lose love with what you're doing."

"If there's something new that scares you, just go for it."

She also gets a real buzz from supporting others in the industry:

"Lots of people come up with excuses and lack confidence and I love to be their cheerleader."

This episode is a reminder that careers don't always follow a straight line and sometimes the best opportunities come from simply getting your foot in the door and saying yes to something new.

The guest

https://Sarahmcdowell.co.uk

www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmcduk

www.instagram.com/sarahmcduk

Your host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcripps/

https://www.instagram.com/knowingyouwithsarah/

https://www.instagram.com/bigbalancetheory/

What happens when a lifelong traveller decides to step behind the curtain of the travel industry?

In this episode of Knowing You, I'm joined by Susie Cottrell, a woman whose life has been shaped by curiosity, global adventure and a deep belief that experiences matter more than possessions.

After more than 15 years as a loyal client of Travel Counsellors, Susie made the leap two years ago to join the company herself - a decision that felt entirely natural after years of trusting the brand with her own travels.

But our conversation comes at an extraordinary moment. While we recorded, Susie had been working around the clock - unpaid and entirely driven by care for her clients - helping to repatriate travellers caught up in the disruption caused by the war in the Middle East and its ripple effects across global travel.

Travel, flexibility and perspective are deeply embedded in Susie's family life. Having lived and travelled across the world, they've learned to change direction at the spin of a coin. For them, home isn't bricks and mortar, it's wherever life and opportunity take them next.

Family values run through everything they do. Susie shares stories about her children's ambitions and the philosophy that guides them all:

Success isn't measured in wealth — it's measured in happiness.

(Although, she admits with a smile, one daughter does rather enjoy spending!)

We also talk about:

· Why Travel Counsellors felt like the obvious career move

· The reality of working in travel during global disruption

· Why experiences and the environment come before possessions

· Raising children with a global outlook

· The belief that their family hasn't lived in their final country yet

· And the actress Susie would love to play her in a film of her life (spoiler: the wardrobe would be everything)

Susie is also about to launch her own podcast, where she plans to share a refreshingly honest look at cities and countries around the world; the wonderful, the unexpected, and the realities behind the postcards.

One thing is clear: Susie is someone who has found the sweet spot where passion and purpose meet.

And the travel industry is better for it.

Your host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcripps/

https://www.instagram.com/knowingyouwithsarah/

https://www.instagram.com/bigbalancetheory/

Our producer:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenpirie/

https://www.instagram.com/karen.pirie/

In this episode of Knowing You, I sit down with Lisa Hicks - self-described "Marmite" person, accidental innovator, engineer-minded problem solver, and founding CEO of SNOAP.

This conversation is alarmingly informative, passionate, enlightening and deeply warm.

What began as a moment of stillness during the chaos of COVID became an epiphany. A family of five, suddenly home together, started noticing just how much rubbish they produced especially plastic bottles of liquid "soap" gels.

With an engineering mindset and a refusal to accept "that's just how it is", Lisa reimagined the humble soap bar. The result? A dispenser that removes the slime, the mess, and yes - the "boys' hairs" - while keeping all the goodness of traditional bar soap. Practical innovation with purpose.

Lisa's journey took her to the den on Dragon's Den where all five dragons bid for a share of her business. But behind that pitch was real life throwing curveballs:

• A son mid A-levels
• A daughter mid GCSEs
• And the sudden death of her beloved 'best dad ever', her role model

"Until your back's against the wall, you don't know what you're capable of."

We also explore some uncomfortable truths:

• We are not as geared up for recycling as we think
• We are often greenwashed and brainwashed by botanical-looking packaging
• Feeling virtuous doesn't always mean we're making impact

Lisa speaks powerfully about clarity, how it comes in the quiet. She runs and walks in the woods because physical activity equals mental clarity.

Her family remain at the heart of SNOAP, involved in testing, naming, and challenging ideas. And despite the media narrative about the younger generation, all three of her children are pursuing careers rooted in purpose, not pounds.

If you care about sustainability, innovation, family, resilience or simply honest conversations about what it really takes to build something that matters this episode is for you.

Contact and additional information at:

Lisa Hicks:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-snoap/

https://snoap.com

https://www.instagram.com/stories/snoapuk/3843807391695803961/

Contact and additional information at:

Your host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcripps/

https://www.instagram.com/knowingyouwithsarah/

https://www.instagram.com/bigbalancetheory/

Our producer:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenpirie/

https://www.instagram.com/karen.pirie/

A little over 20 years ago, Lisa Wells made a bold decision, stepping away from her career to retrain in an entirely new profession. With two toddler sons at home, she needed flexibility. What she couldn't have known then was that this leap of faith would lead to her running an award-winning waxing salon in Leicestershire, attracting loyal clients from as far afield as Durham.

In this episode of Knowing You, I sit down with someone I've known since our early twenties. Lisa and I first worked together at the Leicester Mercury but, as this conversation unfolded, I discovered layers to her story I'd never fully understood before.

We talk about:

• How her nickname "Doris" came about
• The reality behind running a successful, client-centred salon
• The "bumpy" chapters of her life that shaped her resilience
• How her clients continually restore her faith in the goodness of people

Lisa's story is one of grit, reinvention and perspective. Like many of us, her life hasn't followed a straight line. There have been setbacks and storms but also growth, healing and joy.

And then there's the love story.

Last year, Lisa married Ady, the man she first dated for two years at college before life took them in different directions. Decades later, their paths realigned. It's proof that some stories really do come full circle.

Unsurprisingly, if a film were made about her life, Lisa would choose Julia Roberts to play her. Anyone who knows her will understand why - the resemblance has always been uncanny!

If you need a reminder that calm really can follow the storm, and that reinvention is possible at any stage of life, this is a conversation worth tuning into.

For more stories tune in every Thursday and take a follow on our IG https://www.instagram.com/knowingyouwithsarah/

Further information on Lisa's award-winning salon is here https://www.instagram.com/amitywaxing/

Contact and additional information at:

Your host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcripps/

https://www.instagram.com/knowingyouwithsarah/

https://www.instagram.com/bigbalancetheory/

Produced by Karen Pirie (KP) - https://www.instagram.com/karen.pirie/

Mary always knew she would end up in Scotland. She and her future husband made that promise to each other back in the 1980s when work took them south of the border. Life, as it tends to, had other plans. Careers, community and a very happy life in the Forest of Dean and Wales meant the move never quite happened, until now.

In her 60s, Mary is halfway through the long-awaited transition north, leaving behind the people and places that shaped decades of her life. That includes her rowing club tribe and her much-loved volunteering with the Severn Area Rescue Association, a team affectionately described by their leader as a group of "resourceful misfits."

Mary has always been drawn to the sea, calling it a "wilderness of calm." It's a fitting metaphor for this stage of life: steady on the surface, but full of movement underneath. She speaks openly about the mix of excitement and trepidation that comes with such a big change, and why volunteering has always been central to her sense of purpose.

We also hear about her early love of reading and writing, the years she spent working with economists where prose wasn't quite the priority, and the possibility that a book or even a play might still be waiting to be written.

Mary may appear calm and measured, but she admits there's an "alley cat" inside her when the situation calls for it. And if her life were ever turned into a film? She'd choose Renée Zellweger to play her: quirky, fun, a little ditsy, and quietly smart.

It's a gentle, thoughtful conversation about long-held promises, the communities we build, and the truth that new beginnings can happen at any age.

In this episode:

· A promise to return to Scotland and the 35 years it took

· Leaving behind beloved communities and volunteer work

· The role of volunteering in shaping identity

· The sea as a place of calm and reflection

· Rediscovering a love of writing

· Embracing change later in life

Listen if you enjoy: Stories of reinvention, quiet strength, volunteering, and the courage to start again.

Contact and additional information at:

Your host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcripps/

https://www.instagram.com/knowingyouwithsarah/

https://www.instagram.com/bigbalancetheory/

Our producer:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenpirie/

https://www.instagram.com/karen.pirie/

Emily is 38, a mum of four, a pastor, and someone whose love of the colour pink seems to match the brightness of her smile.

We first met over coffee in a busy Starbucks, cups clattering in the background, for a conversation originally meant to support her coaching qualification. What emerged was something much richer: a story of faith, calling, family and the quiet wisdom that comes from living life with intention.

After careers in teaching, Emily and her husband felt a strong pull to follow a different path. Together they responded to what they describe as a calling, planting a Freedom Church in Cheltenham. Today, their community numbers around 160 people. They don't have a traditional church building, instead gathering in schools and borrowed spaces, meeting people where they are.

Despite her young age, Emily speaks with clarity about the importance of caring for herself so she can better care for others, as a wife, mum, pastor and leader.

She reflects on her childhood on the family farm, early mornings at markets with her dad, and the simple joys that shaped her outlook. She also shares how she and her husband are complete opposites and why that difference is one of their greatest strengths.

Finally, Emily leaves us with four principles she hopes her children will carry through life:

• Be confident in who you are and own your path.
• Love people, even when they're hard to love.
• Find joy in the small things.
• Live a life full and die empty, give your all, until the cloth is wrung dry.

If her story were ever told on screen, she'd choose Anne Hathaway, Cameron Diaz or Kate Winslet to play her.

A conversation full of warmth, honesty and a zest for life that lingers long after the coffee cups stop clattering.

Contact and additional information at:

Your host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcripps/

https://www.instagram.com/knowingyouwithsarah/

https://www.instagram.com/bigbalancetheory/

Our producer:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenpirie/

https://www.instagram.com/karen.pirie/

In this episode I talk with Sarah Carey, aka Kiwi, or rather 'party Kiwi'; a Kiwi native who settled in the UK almost 30 years ago. Despite her reservations to have a recorded conversation she revealed so much:

· From the outside she's confident, assured and sorted but the truth is confidence isn't innate in her

· How growing up in New Zealand shaped her values – an embedded culture of work-life balance, living for the moment, family and commitments first and of course the country's passion for rugby

· Why laughter is the best elixir and how burnout in 2025 crept in and she left a job she loved only to have a plot twist 6 months later.

· How fear can stop us making the right choice but how she's living proof it all turns out

Host note

Conversations like this - spending time to focus on someone we think we know or have only just met bring me such inspiration and I hope they do the same for you.

Contact and additional information at:

Your host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcripps/

https://www.instagram.com/knowingyouwithsarah/

https://www.instagram.com/bigbalancetheory/

Our producer:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenpirie/

https://www.instagram.com/karen.pirie/

In this episode I talk with Esther - a connector, coach, entrepreneur and founder of the Sparkle Squad - about resilience, reinvention and the lasting power of human connection.

Esther tells the moving story of having a terrible stutter as a child, years of speech therapy that gave her a voice, and how the simple act of reading aloud to her three children was a turning point. She reflects on life in three eras: the first 30 growing up, the next 30 raising her family, and now, at 60, the next 30 focused on her - the balance she wants, meaningful work, and a life that isn't about retirement but about purpose.

Just 12 months before this conversation, Esther's employed role ended unexpectedly. Instead of slowing down, she doubled down: by 2026 she's earning a full-time income through her own business, delivering LinkedIn training, coaching as a qualified business coach, and running the Sparkle Squad - a community of SME owners who crave connection more than ever. She names Michelle Obama as a role model and with a wink would pick Emma Thompson to play her in a film.

This is a conversation about saying yes to reinvention, the tiny practices that change us (like reading out loud), and why connection matters especially for small business owners.

Host note

Conversations like this - spending time to focus on someone we think we know or have only just met bring me such inspiration and I hope they do the same for you.

Contact and additional information at:

Your host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcripps/

https://www.instagram.com/knowingyouwithsarah/

https://www.instagram.com/bigbalancetheory/

Our guest:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherpartridge/

https://www.instagram.com/esther_linkedin_coach/

Our producer:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenpirie/

https://www.instagram.com/karen.pirie/

I was lucky enough to get a table at Hari Kitchen in Franschhoek, South Africa - a restaurant consistently rated among the best in the region, with a 4.9 Google score and features as far afield as The New York Times. Even luckier was getting an hour-long conversation with the man behind it all, chef and entrepreneur Manashe (Nash) - my first international guest.

In this episode of Knowing You with Sarah Cripps, Nash shares his journey from humble beginnings to international recognition, and why success has never meant distancing himself from where he comes from. We talk openly about township pride, chasing opportunities, and the mindset of giving everything you have when you feel you have nothing to lose.

Nash explains how his now-famous pumpkin and peanut butter soup - inspired by his Zimbabwean roots and his granny's recipe - became a symbol of his philosophy: honest food, honest stories, and staying unpretentious in a world that often rewards the opposite. We also explore the culture behind Hari Kitchen, from choosing a daily "man of the match", to why Nash keeps four journals, including one dedicated purely to conversations.

Throughout the episode, one theme keeps returning: conversations build connections, and connection is at the heart of everything he's built.

This is a warm, grounded and deeply inspiring conversation about effort, integrity, community, and the long game of success.

In this episode, Vanessa joins me for a thoughtful and unexpectedly moving conversation about what it's like to be the person everyone talks to, but rarely talks about. As the owner of a beauty business, Vanessa is used to listening, holding space, offering comfort, and often feeling more like a counsellor than a therapist when offering pedicure and manicure treatments in Monmouth.

She shares how meaningful it felt to be asked about her own life, especially at a time when her father's recent cancer diagnosis has prompted deeper reflection and soul-searching. Alongside the heavier moments, we drift back to simpler times - penny sweets, high-sugar school tuck shops, holiday brochures, and hours lost in the Argos catalogue and how she ended up in running her own business.

This conversation is a gentle reminder that those who help us feel better through the work they do often need time, care, and attention themselves.

In this episode we explore:

• The unseen emotional labour behind running a beauty business
• What it's like always being the listener — and rarely being asked
• Nostalgia and the comfort of small, shared memories
• How a family health scare can quietly reshape priorities

A reflective, human conversation about being seen, heard, and held, especially when you're usually the one doing that for everyone else.