Success Behind The Scenes

🎙 Guest: Gina Buckle - Founder of Hoot Copy

📍Website

📸Instagram

🔗LinkedIn

“Even if I had to start from scratch, I’d do the same thing again” 

Gina is the founder of Hoot Copy, a copywriting and brand voice consultancy specialising in fun, humour, and personality. 

In this episode, Gina shares how she went from freelance copywriter to confident business owner.

We talk about finding your niche, building a memorable brand, trying stand‑up comedy, and growing a business your way! 

We cover:

🚀 From freelancer to business owner

📉 Why losing followers felt good

📝 Almost joining BNI

🤝 Making outreach feel less awkward

🚪 The doors niching opened (and closed)

🤖 Whether AI can really replace copywriters?

🌱 Growing without becoming an agency

🧠 Getting through the tough times

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Host: Zara-Dee | Business Coach for Creative Freelancers

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🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠

🎙 Guest: Jean Atkinson - Marketing Expert

📍Website

📸Instagram

🔗LinkedIn

📹Youtube

"I didn't have a plan B. I just had to make it work."

28 Years in Marketing, Jean is proving just how well it can work. 

She quit her job in 2011, ran a free Twitter seminar, and landed her first client from it three months later. 

No safety net. No backup plan. Just self-belief and cracking on with it.

Now she helps businesses and freelancers get their heads around their marketing without any overwhelm.

This episode reminds us that success is what you make of it, don't let anyone tell you different. 

Jean Atkinson is a Marketing Consultant, Trainer, and Strategist with nearly three decades of experience helping businesses show up, stand out, and stay visible. 

We cover:

🧠 28 years of marketing wisdom

🚫 Setting up an agency and hating it

💡 Not conforming to other people's version of success

🤖 Using AI to your advantage

💪 Upskilling to increase confidence

🌱 How to create passive income

📲 Keeping marketing constant even when busy

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Host: Zara-Dee | Visibility Coach for Creative Freelancers

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📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠

🎙 Guest: Anthony Croft – Sound Designer

📍Website

📸Instagram

🔗LinkedIn

“You move to another country, and you’ve got nothing.”

From starting his own DJ business at 13 to winning a SAFTA, Anthony has spent 20+ years using sound to tell stories that move people. 

Originally from South Africa and well established in his industry, he moved to the UK and rebuilt everything from scratch.

Ant shares what it really looks like to start again, back yourself, and keep learning, no matter how far into your career you are.

Success is for you to shape!

Anthony Croft is an award-winning Sound Designer and owner of Resonance – The Art of Sound, creating immersive audio for film, TV, and independent projects while working with global brands, streamers, and broadcasters.

We cover:

🧠 Staying calm + solving problems fast

🌍 Rebuilding a career in a new country

🚀 Creating a presence from scratch

🔥 FEAR and doing it anyway

💬 Showing up online when you don’t want to

👶 Parenting while running a business

⚖️ The quest to find balance

💸 Why “free” rarely helps anyone

✨ Building something that’s yours

🔁 Make sure clients return again + again

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Host: Zara-Dee | Brand Visibility Mentor

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📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn

🎙  Guest: Charlotte Ashley - Graphic Designer

📸 Instagram

📍 Website

🔗 LinkedIn

Picture this… you're chatting to a friend in a coffee shop about wanting a career in design and the person at the next table, being nosey, ends up becoming one of your first freelance clients!

That’s exactly how Charlotte Ashley’s freelance journey began.

Charlotte is a graphic designer specialising in creating standout print and digital documents for the education and corporate learning sectors.

Originally studying fashion marketing, Charlotte went on to train at Shillington College, gaining hands-on design skills and launching her freelance design business, which she celebrated going limited in its seventh year.🥳

We cover: 

💬 Landing clients by talking about your work

🎯 Niching to become the go-to designer

💸 Pricing with confidence

📑 Setting boundaries and contracts

⚡ Managing multiple projects without burnout

💰 Financial stability with retainers

✨ Investing in yourself and your business

🙌 Accountability and staying consistent online

🌟 Trusting instincts & growing your brand

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Host: Zara-Dee | Brand Visibility Mentor

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📸 ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠

🔗 ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn

🎙  Guest: Naomi Bowden - Brand & Web Designer

📸 Instagram

📍 Website

Meet Naomi, founder of Howdy Naomi, a bold branding and web design studio helping female founders build personality-packed brands and websites that are unapologetically them.

It took Naomi eight years of part-time freelancing to build the confidence, skills, and savings to take the leap into full-time self-employment.

In this episode, she shares her journey from traditional employment to running her own successful business, including doubling her old salary in her first full year of freelancing.

We cover:

🙋‍♀️ Bringing more you into your brand to make freelancing easier

👯 Finding friends, building your tribe, and connecting with community

⏰ Balancing freedom vs structure and embracing the freelance lifestyle

💸 How to prepare for going fully self-employed

💰 Confidently pricing your services as a solo business owner

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Host: Zara-Dee – Brand Visibility Mentor

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📸 ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

🔗 ⁠⁠LinkedIn

🎙  Guest: Angela Lyons - Graphic Designer

📸 Instagram

🔗 LinkedIn

📍 Website

🎧 Podcast

With over 20 years in design and 13 running her business, Lyons Creative, Angela Lyons has built a freelance career driven by kindness, community, and creativity.

What looked like a dream job quickly turned into stress, illness, and burnout. Freelancing gave Angela freedom, joy, and time with her children and the chance to rebuild on her own terms.

Her journey is one of resilience and growth: from envying freelancers to becoming one, from a decade without contracts to confidently running a business with systems, boundaries, and self-belief.

This episode is for anyone doubting themselves or waiting for the “right time.” Angela proves that Success Behind the Scenes isn’t about just getting by; it’s about creating a business and life you feel truly blessed to live.

We cover:

👥 Finding your freelance friends

🤝 Why not to burn bridges

💛 Giving back with kindness + pro bono

📈 From freelancer to business owner mindset

📣 Consistent marketing touchpoints

👂 Listening to your clients

⚡️ Doing for yourself what you do for clients

🎙  Starting a podcast

🌟 Using visibility to beat imposter syndrome

📰 Staying in the know as a freelancer

If you enjoyed this episode:

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Host: Zara-Dee – Brand Visibility Mentor

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📸 ⁠Instagram⁠

🔗 ⁠LinkedIn

🎙  Guest: Rachel Shenton - Video Editor

📸 Instagram

📍 Website

From getting by on working tax credits to buying her house and becoming financially independent through her editing business.

Rachel’s journey has had huge highs and very low lows, and in 2020, she genuinely thought it was all over.

But instead of disappearing, she fought the urge to hide, stayed visible, learned how to market her business, and built a supportive community around her.

Rachel’s story is one of resilience, from hitting rock bottom to turning it around, seeing her business skyrocket, and navigating the challenges of fast growth.

This episode is for anyone riding the freelance rollercoaster, proof that with hard work, determination, and belief, you can make it work.

We cover:

♀️ Succeeding in a male-led industry

🚀 Turning a hobby into a career

💡 Building confidence & independence

⚡️ Managing fast growth

📱 Marketing without following trends

👥 Creating a bespoke service

🌱 Growing a personal brand

👊 Overcoming self-doubt

🤝 Building a team & outsourcing

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Host: Zara-Dee – Brand Visibility Mentor

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🎙  Guest: Nic Shephard - Personal Trainer 

📸 Instagram

After 13 years in the corporate world, Nic knew it wasn’t the life he wanted. So he swapped banking for balance, helping people find both mental and physical well-being through fitness.

At 33, he moved back in with his parents, rebuilt from the ground up, and created a new path as a personal trainer. 

Now with 7+ years in the industry, Nic opens up about the realities of rebuilding, the pressures of self-employment, and why providing genuine value is the best way to win work. 

We cover: 

🧠 Stress, mental health & balance when your work is full on 

💡 How to find exercise you enjoy (so it actually sticks)

⚡️ Pressure vs drive in self-employment

📱 Using social media to win work

👥 Knowing your ideal client inside out

🌱 Building a relatable, visible personal brand

👊 Dealing with comparison & imposter syndrome

⏸ Why switching off is the hardest part 

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Host: Zara-Dee – Brand Visibility Mentor

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⁠📸 Instagram⁠

⁠🔗 LinkedIn

🎙  Guest: Ed Lister - Award-Winning Lighting Camera Operator 

📸 Instagram

🔗 LinkedIn

📍 Website

With 15+ years of freelance experience, Ed talks about moving to Dubai, starting again from scratch, and adapting to new ways of working. 

From filming in 55-degree desert heat to staying in demand in the industry, this episode covers the risks and rewards of freelancing.

We cover: 

🌍 Relocating your business overseas

🔗 Tips for building a relevant network

🧠 Mindset: trusting the work will come

📸 Bread & butter jobs that keep you ticking over

✨ Being dependable & human in business

🚫 Ghosting, pencils & not lowering your rates

🤖 Using AI for productivity & organisation

📖 Bonkers freelance stories along the way

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Host: Zara-Dee – Brand Visibility Mentor

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📸 Instagram

🔗 LinkedIn

🎙  Guest: Robert Lee - Digital Marketer & Founder of Slingshot Digital

📸 Instagram: @slingshot.digital

🔵 Facebook: slingshotdigitaluk

🔗 LinkedIn

📍 Website: slingshotdigital.co.uk

With over a decade of digital marketing experience, supporting the BBC, NHS, ITV and more, Rob shares an honest take on starting and growing your own business.

We talk about the reality of being your own boss, how lonely it can sometimes feel, and why your past experience is more powerful than you think.

It’s a conversation about business, balance, being a first-time self-employed dad, and why running a marathon feels exactly like building a business.

We cover: 

🔍 Niching around what you love

📣 Blending word of mouth with social media

🧠 Mindset shifts for success

✨ Building a brand with personality

📱 Showing up online (without the overwhelm)

✅ Productivity tips that work

🤝 Communication, community & collaboration

If you enjoyed this episode:

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Host: Zara-Dee – Brand Visibility Mentor

📍 Website: zaradeecoach.com

📸 Instagram: @zaradeecoach

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/zaradeecoach