For this week's fireside chat – we go from cancelling a work open day to take a weekend away instead, to the strange disappearance of just popping round for a cup of tea, to the never-ending cycle of getting the house spotless (only to watch it fall apart again by Sunday night).

Something happens in this episode where we go so much deeper. We go in on ambition, invisible labour, and the realisation that the world wasn't really built with us in mind 🙄

We got pretty pissed off – and so did our cameras, apparently. We weren't the only ones who had enough by the end.

🎙️ About NattyShedLife

NattyShedLife is where we share the stories, people, and lessons that shape Gillies & Mackay. From team spotlights to behind-the-scenes chats, this is your place to hear what really goes into building a business with legacy at its core.

🔔 Subscribe & Listen

💌 Sign up to our email list at https://nattyshedlife.com!

Never miss an episode – subscribe for free on your favourite platform:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NattyShedLife

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nattyshedlife/id1691999360

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PTAxiE6p5T7ITHST05h3s

Alitu: https://nattyshedlife.alitu.com/

📲 Connect with Us

Website: https://nattyshedlife.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NattyShedLife/

Got a question or idea for the pod? Drop us a message at [email protected]!

In this episode, Cara and Nicola are catching up on the chaos in this pre-holiday chat.

We'll hear about hiring Gary the handyman and planning the birthday party of the decade (hello live band and staggered entry), to navigating parties sober, social anxiety, and a relationship honest enough to book couples therapy into the diary.

Let's get into it.

🎙️ About NattyShedLife

NattyShedLife is where we share the stories, people, and lessons that shape Gillies & Mackay. From team spotlights to behind-the-scenes chats, this is your place to hear what really goes into building a business with legacy at its core.

🔔 Subscribe & Listen

💌 Sign up to our email list at https://nattyshedlife.com!

Never miss an episode – subscribe for free on your favourite platform:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NattyShedLife

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nattyshedlife/id1691999360

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PTAxiE6p5T7ITHST05h3s

Alitu: https://nattyshedlife.alitu.com/

📲 Connect with Us

Website: https://nattyshedlife.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NattyShedLife/

Got a question or idea for the pod? Drop us a message at [email protected]!

Something a little different this week on the pod 🎙️

No single topic, no fixed agenda: we're catching up with Cara and Nic on the last few weeks. The good, the brutal, and everything in between.

From crashing the truck mid-burnout, to a surprise Paint & Sip class, to the difficult conversation at work that nobody wanted to have (but really needed to).

Sometimes life's a bit too full for a neat theme. This is one of those episodes.

🎙️ About NattyShedLife

NattyShedLife is where we share the stories, people, and lessons that shape Gillies & Mackay. From team spotlights to behind-the-scenes chats, this is your place to hear what really goes into building a business with legacy at its core.

🔔 Subscribe & Listen

💌 Sign up to our email list at https://nattyshedlife.com!

Never miss an episode – subscribe for free on your favourite platform:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NattyShedLife

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nattyshedlife/id1691999360

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PTAxiE6p5T7ITHST05h3s

Alitu: https://nattyshedlife.alitu.com/

📲 Connect with Us

Website: https://nattyshedlife.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NattyShedLife/

Got a question or idea for the pod? Drop us a message at [email protected]!

When did you last do something just for you? Not for the kids, not for your partner, not for work. Just for you.

In this episode, Cara and Nicola get into the thing nobody gives you permission to do – to carve out time and space for yourself.

What does that actually look like in practice? Why is it so hard to know what you want, after years of putting everyone else first?

But what happens to you (and everyone around you) when you don't get it?

Society isn't built for it. Your to-do list won't allow it. But you have to find it anyway.

🎙️ About NattyShedLife

NattyShedLife is where we share the stories, people, and lessons that shape Gillies & Mackay. From team spotlights to behind-the-scenes chats, this is your place to hear what really goes into building a business with legacy at its core.

🔔 Subscribe & Listen

💌 Sign up to our email list at https://nattyshedlife.com!

Never miss an episode – subscribe for free on your favourite platform:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NattyShedLife

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nattyshedlife/id1691999360

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PTAxiE6p5T7ITHST05h3s

Alitu: https://nattyshedlife.alitu.com/

📲 Connect with Us

Website: https://nattyshedlife.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NattyShedLife/

Got a question or idea for the pod? Drop us a message at [email protected]!

Last episode we talked about what social media does to us. This time, we're talking about what it's doing to our kids. 👧📱

From the two-week detox update, to the very real damage being done to children's self-esteem, mental health, and ability to think for themselves – you better believe we have thoughts on social media.

How do you protect them when the platforms are designed to keep them hooked? When the rules keep changing? And when they'll find a way in regardless?

We're part of the generation that was handed this technology as a gift and promised it was going to change the world for the better. Now we're watching our kids grow up inside it, and we're seeing what it's doing to them.

A reckoning is coming, and it's not going to be pretty.

🎙️ About NattyShedLife

NattyShedLife is where we share the stories, people, and lessons that shape Gillies & Mackay. From team spotlights to behind-the-scenes chats, this is your place to hear what really goes into building a business with legacy at its core.

🔔 Subscribe & Listen

💌 Sign up to our email list at https://nattyshedlife.com!

Never miss an episode – subscribe for free on your favourite platform:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NattyShedLife

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nattyshedlife/id1691999360

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PTAxiE6p5T7ITHST05h3s

Alitu: https://nattyshedlife.alitu.com/

📲 Connect with Us

Website: https://nattyshedlife.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NattyShedLife/

Got a question or idea for the pod? Drop us a message at [email protected]!

We'd like to say that we've got a love-hate relationship with social media – but honestly, it's mostly hate.

In this episode, Cara and Nicola get into the doomscrolling and the algorithms – the way it's changed from something that was supposed to bring us closer together, and how it's turned into something that controls us at best, and rips us apart at worst.

We're not here to tell you to delete the app. But – ask yourself: who are you when you're not filling up the space with everyone else's noise?

🎙️ About NattyShedLife

NattyShedLife is where we share the stories, people, and lessons that shape Gillies & Mackay. From team spotlights to behind-the-scenes chats, this is your place to hear what really goes into building a business with legacy at its core.

🔔 Subscribe & Listen

💌 Sign up to our email list at https://nattyshedlife.com!

Never miss an episode – subscribe for free on your favourite platform:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NattyShedLife

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nattyshedlife/id1691999360

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PTAxiE6p5T7ITHST05h3s

Alitu: https://nattyshedlife.alitu.com/

📲 Connect with Us

Website: https://nattyshedlife.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NattyShedLife/

Got a question or idea for the pod? Drop us a message at [email protected]!

Shout out to the folks helping to raise the next generation ❤️

In this episode, Cara and Nicola unpack the ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and what it's like for them raising children in today’s world.

Expectations are high, information is endless, and the fear of getting it wrong is always present...

From conversations about space and burnout, to trust, trauma, and what kids actually need from us, this is a raw and honest look at being parents.

We don't claim to have all the answers – just our own experience and stories.

(P.S. Send wine 🙏)

🎙️ About NattyShedLife

NattyShedLife is where we share the stories, people, and lessons that shape Gillies & Mackay. From team spotlights to behind-the-scenes chats, this is your place to hear what really goes into building a business with legacy at its core.

🔔 Subscribe & Listen

💌 Sign up to our email list at https://nattyshedlife.com!

Never miss an episode – subscribe for free on your favourite platform:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NattyShedLife

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nattyshedlife/id1691999360

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PTAxiE6p5T7ITHST05h3s

Alitu: https://nattyshedlife.alitu.com/

📲 Connect with Us

Website: https://nattyshedlife.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NattyShedLife/

Got a question or idea for the pod? Drop us a message at [email protected]!

In this episode of NattyShedLife, we talk about the woman who has shaped the way we lead, parent, communicate and live: the one, the ONLY BrenĂŠ Brown.

After travelling to Dublin to see her speak, this episode became something more than a conference recap – it's a reflection on the impact Brené's work has had on us, on Gillies & Mackay, and on the way we show up every day.

From Dare to Lead and Strong Ground, to vulnerability, emotional regulation and systems thinking – Brené’s work has fundamentally changed how we understand not only leadership, but ourselves as humans.

This episode is in one part a love letter to Brené, and in the other – our wholehearted encouragement for anyone who hasn’t yet stepped into the Brené bubble.

If you’re willing to do the work – it will work for you 🧡

🎙️ About NattyShedLife

NattyShedLife is where we share the stories, people, and lessons that shape Gillies & Mackay. From team spotlights to behind-the-scenes chats, this is your place to hear what really goes into building a business with legacy at its core.

🔔 Subscribe & Listen

💌 Sign up to our email list at https://nattyshedlife.com!

Never miss an episode – subscribe for free on your favourite platform:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NattyShedLife

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nattyshedlife/id1691999360

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PTAxiE6p5T7ITHST05h3s

Alitu: https://nattyshedlife.alitu.com/

📲 Connect with Us

Website: https://nattyshedlife.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NattyShedLife/

Got a question or idea for the pod? Drop us a message at [email protected]!

This season, we’re doing things differently.

This season we’re exploring some bigger themes – with space for conversations and stories about the real stuff that actually shapes our lives.

In this episode, we talk about GOALS – how easy it is to mess them up, how we’ve learned to reflect better, and why mortality might be the most powerful motivator of all 💀

This isn’t about becoming a new person every new year, but simply being more intentional with the one life you actually have.

Welcome back to NattyShedLife 👋

🎙️ About NattyShedLife

NattyShedLife is where we share the stories, people, and lessons that shape Gillies & Mackay. From team spotlights to behind-the-scenes chats, this is your place to hear what really goes into building a business with legacy at its core.

🔔 Subscribe & Listen

💌 Sign up to our email list at https://nattyshedlife.com!

Never miss an episode – subscribe for free on your favourite platform:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NattyShedLife

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nattyshedlife/id1691999360

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PTAxiE6p5T7ITHST05h3s

Alitu: https://nattyshedlife.alitu.com/

📲 Connect with Us

Website: https://nattyshedlife.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NattyShedLife/

Got a question or idea for the pod? Drop us a message at [email protected]!

In this episode of the NattyShedLife Podcast, producer Ross steps into the role of host to speak with Cara and Nicola about not just their leadership roles at Gillies & Mackay, but how they hold each other up every day.

This is a conversation about trust built over time, decisions made under pressure, and the responsibility that comes with leading people you genuinely care about. Cara and Nicola reflect on how their relationship began, how it’s been tested, and how it’s grown through moments of uncertainty, conflict, resilience, and belief.

They talk openly about leadership that feels human – we cover the emotional cost of doing the right thing, and the importance of having someone beside you who sees the full picture when things get heavy.

This episode is an honest reflection on partnership, care, and what it really takes to keep moving forward together. Oh, and boy do we have a lot of fun.

🎙️ About NattyShedLife

NattyShedLife is where we share the stories, people, and lessons that shape Gillies & Mackay. From team spotlights to behind-the-scenes chats, this is your place to hear what really goes into building a business with legacy at its core.

🔔 Subscribe & Listen

Never miss an episode – subscribe for free on your favourite platform:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NattyShedLife

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nattyshedlife/id1691999360

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PTAxiE6p5T7ITHST05h3s

Alitu: https://nattyshedlife.alitu.com/

📲 Connect with Us

Website: https://nattyshedlife.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NattyShedLife/

💌 Got a question or idea for the pod? Drop us a message at [email protected]!