This week’s Muse is Tia Maria, triple-certified integrative nutritionist and founder of TMDWELLNESS, specialising in gut and hormone health. Her mission is to empower people to create sustainable change through a holistic, habit-based approach to wellbeing.In this episode, we explore what integrative nutrition really means and why food doesn’t work in isolation, from gut health and daily routines to the lifestyle factors that shape how we feel long term.Tia also opens up about reinventing her own path, starting her practice from scratch, and what it takes to build a career aligned with purpose in a demanding world.This conversation is about real health, real habits, and creating lasting change, from the inside out.LINKSFollow Tia: https://www.instagram.com/tmdwellness/Explore TMDWELLNESS here: https://www.tmdwellness.com/Follow Seat of the Muse: https://www.instagram.com/seatofthemusepodcast/

This week’s Muse is Yaroslava Malkova, a foodie working in food, and the Global brand director of 971 Hospitality. She is the creative mind behind some of London’s most in-demand restaurants, including Nina, Zephyr, Bottarga and Lagana.

In this episode, Yara answers the question everyone's dying to know: how do you actually land a role like hers, and end up shaping the restaurants everyone’s trying to get into? She shares how she broke into hospitality, how these concepts were built from the ground up, and what it really takes to turn an opening into a hotspot.

Whether you live in London or are planning a trip to the city, these are the places people keep recommending, booking, and talking about.

We go behind the scenes from the origin of the names to the ideas behind the menus, the atmosphere, and the creative decisions that brought multiple restaurants to life in just three years.

If you’ve ever wondered why some restaurants become the hardest tables in town and what actually creates the buzz, this episode is for you.

LINKS

Follow Yara: https://www.instagram.com/yaroslavamalkova/

Check out all the restaurants: https://www.pachamamagroup.com/restaurants

https://www.instagram.com/ninamarylebone/

https://www.instagram.com/bottargalondon/

https://www.instagram.com/laganalondon/

https://www.instagram.com/zephyrnottinghill/

https://www.instagram.com/zephyrmonaco/

Follow Seat of the Muse:https://www.instagram.com/seatofthemusepodcast/

LOOK OUT FOR THE DINNER GIVEAWAYS ON INSTAGRAM!

This week’s Muse is Mounia Akl, Lebanese director, writer, and (sometimes) actress whose work blurs the line between structure and emotion.

Trained as an architect before turning to film, Mounia built her voice through stories rooted in Beirut before stepping onto Global sets, including directing episodes of Steven Knight’s House of Guinness on Netflix.

We talk about her first time on set, how architecture still shapes her eye for storytelling, and what it truly means to direct before, during, and long after the camera rolls. She shares how Beirut, I Love You became her unexpected film school, the courage it took to leave the safe path - a leap that would later lead to her debut feature Costa Brava, Lebanon - and how acting in A Sad and Beautiful World by Cyril Aris reconnected her with emotion and uncertainty.

And then, The House of Guinness, the 19th-century drama that had audiences (and myself) holding their breath. We talk about building tension in silence, the challenge of stepping into a world not her own, and the infamous cliffhanger that left even her friends demanding answers.

This is a conversation about creative risk, emotional truth, and the invisible architecture behind every story.

LINKS:

Follow Mounia here: https://www.instagram.com/mounia.akl/

Check out Mounia's work here: https://www.mouniaakl.com/work-1

Follow Seat of the Muse socials here:

https://www.instagram.com/seatofthemusepodcast/

https://www.tiktok.com/@yourhostcarine

Snippet from the full episode with sisters and co-founders Lydia and Amelia Miller on building a personal brand.

Full episode link here: https://youtu.be/sDABortrHWY?si=k2NmBiFm1uH3UmCP

Peter Jones called it the best pitch he’d ever heard in the Den, but this story starts at home.

This week’s Muse is a double one with sisters Lydia and Amelia Miller, co-founders of Ivee , the platform rethinking return to work after career breaks.

Within a year, they went from idea to investment, from Techstarts and Balderton Capital to BBC's Dragon's Den, where Peter Jones called their pitch the best he’d ever heard. They walked in asking for £75,000 for 3% equity, and walked out with two Dragons: Steven Bartlett and Deborah Meaden - investing £87,500 for 8%, plus office space in Steven's penthouse.

We talk about life before Ivee, the moment that sparked it, and what it takes to turn empathy into technology. We also unpack the data behind the gender pay gap, the role of AI in fair hiring, what really happened behind the scenes in the Den, and how the sisters are navigating visibility, leadership, and purpose.

This is a conversation about ambition, sisterhood, and building something bigger than yourself.

LINKS:

Follow Amelia here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelia--miller/

Follow Lydia here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydia-miller-/

Check out the Ivee Platform here: https://ivee.jobs/

Follow Ivee here: https://www.instagram.com/ivee.jobs/?hl=en

Follow Seat of the Muse socials here:

https://www.instagram.com/seatofthemusepodcast/

https://www.tiktok.com/@yourhostcarine

This week’s Muse is Alessandro Palazzi acclaimed head bartender and enduring face of Dukes Bar, one of London’s most iconic institutions and the birthplace of James Bond’s legendary Vesper Martini.

For nearly five decades, Alessandro has embodied old-world hospitality - from the George V in Paris to The Savoy in London and since 2007, at the helm of Dukes. A place that feels like a private club without needing to be one, Dukes is a world built on legacy, ritual, and trust.

We talk about what defines true service today, the story behind the Vesper Martini, how Ian Fleming’s imprint still shapes the bar, and the quiet details that make Dukes unlike anywhere else.

Alessandro opens up about the emotional intelligence behind great hospitality — how to sense when to lean in, when to give space, and how to connect with guests beyond the drink. He reflects on the balance between presence and distance, the thinking behind the famous two-martini rule, and what it means to protect an institution’s soul while keeping it alive in the modern world.

And beyond the bar, we touch on his unexpected film cameo alongside Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in the movie Another Simple Favor, a moment where he simply played himself.

This is a conversation about legacy, ritual, and the humanity behind timeless craft.

LINKS:

Follow Alessandro here:

https://www.instagram.com/alessandro_palazzi/?hl=en

Follow Dukes Bar here:

https://www.instagram.com/dukesbarlondon/?hl=en

Follow Seat of the Muse socials here:

https://www.instagram.com/seatofthemusepodcast/

https://www.tiktok.com/@yourhostcarine

This week’s Muse is Laurel Tchitembo, General Manager of The House of KOKO in London.

Laurel and I first met years ago at Folie, where he worked in the restaurant before moving into the world of private members’ clubs. Today, he runs the food and beverage operations at one of the most exclusive venues in the city.

In this episode, we trace his journey in hospitality and unpack the difference between running a restaurant and orchestrating a members’ club. We go behind the scenes of his role - what it actually means to oversee The House of KOKO, and how he manages the countless details that make the operation run smoothly.

We then dive into the members dynamic: how to keep things professional while building genuine relationships, and what it takes to create seamless experiences for a diverse and discerning community. Finally, Laurel shares tales from the floor - from the craziest requests to the most touching moments that remind him why he chose this path.

Through his story, we get a rare glimpse into the world of private clubs, and the human side of hospitality that keeps it all alive.

LINKS:

Follow the Club here: https://www.instagram.com/thehouseofkoko/?hl=en

Discover the Club and apply for a membership here: https://www.thehouseofkoko.com/

Follow Seat of the Muse socials here:

https://www.instagram.com/seatofthemusepodcast/

https://www.tiktok.com/@yourhostcarine

This week’s Muse is Carolina Gawronski, conversationalist, human behaviour expert, and founder of No Small Talk - a platform that turns the simple act of gathering into something far richer.

A few months ago now, I walked into a dinner expecting small talk and social niceties - instead, my phone was taken away, and I was handed a single card with a question. No titles, no bios, no filters - just strangers leaning into depth. That was the No Small Talk experience.

In this episode, Carolina shares why she created No Small Talk and how questions can be used as tools for intimacy, trust, and connection. We discuss why loneliness is rising even in crowded cities, what’s lost when we default to surface conversation, and what’s gained when we choose to go deeper. Carolina also reveals how she designs her evenings that gradually move strangers from awkwardness to vulnerability.

If you’ve ever felt the weight of loneliness in a crowded room, or wondered how to build more meaningful conversations in your life, this episode will make you rethink the way you connect.

LINKS:

Follow NST here: https://www.instagram.com/nosmalltalk.world/

Book a dinner experience here: https://www.nosmalltalk.world/

Follow Seat of the Muse socials here:

https://www.instagram.com/seatofthemuse/

https://www.tiktok.com/@yourhostcarine

Snippet from Episode 2 with Olive Oil Sommelier Mazen Assaf.

This week’s Muse is Francesca Inglima, who spent eight years at top tier U.S. investment banks before stepping into the Art world. After studying at Sotheby’s she founded Bianca Arte, a cultural salon for the next generation of art collectors.

In this episode, we explore the leap from finance to art, the skills that translate across both worlds, how she found the courage to leave, and how her definition of success evolved from corporate life to entrepreneurship. Francesca also shares a few artists she loves and what a new client can expect at Bianca Arte: beginning by discovering artists together through exhibitions and studio visits, and developing a shared eye.

This episode invites you to take ownership of your path, choose meaning over certainty, and do the work you love.

LINKS:

Follow Bianca Arte here: https://www.instagram.com/bianca_arte_/?hl=enExplore Bianca Arte and become a client here: https://www.biancarte.com/

Follow Seat of the Muse socials here:

https://www.instagram.com/seatofthemuse/

https://www.tiktok.com/@yourhostcarine