The Midlife Entrepreneur

Jo Glynn-Smith welcomes Molly Mahon, founder and creative director of British luxury interior brand Molly Mahon, which blends traditional Indian hand block printing with contemporary design. After working in events and taking time out to raise three children, Molly discovered block printing as a creative outlet at her kitchen table, began selling stationery and home items at the curated Hand Sale in Notting Hill, and gradually expanded into wallpaper and fabric, including a breakthrough showroom opportunity at Tissus D’Hélène. Research trips to India led her to Bagru near Jaipur and later to a Delhi-based studio with Rajasthan block carvers and water-based, air-dried printing, enabling greater scale. As the business grew, Molly was diagnosed with breast cancer, undergoing surgery and chemotherapy over about nine months while continuing to build the company, with her husband Rollo joining full-time to support operations. The brand, now 10 years old, is recognized by the Sunday Telegraph, is part of Walpole, and has collaborations including Boden and Estée Lauder, with Instagram playing a key role in visibility and opportunities.

00:00 Welcome and Subscribe

00:30 Meet Molly Mahon

01:52 Cancer Diagnosis Shock

03:07 Treatment and Coping

03:47 Kitchen Table Beginnings

05:27 First Sales and Markets

06:35 From Shed to Showroom

09:29 India Inspiration Bagru

12:32 Scaling Production Delhi

15:26 Founder Skills and Learning

18:29 Team Size and Next Stage

22:28 Pinch Me Moments Collabs

24:52 Collabs Drive Growth

25:27 Boden Pattern Breakthrough

26:16 Instagram Control And Delegation

28:07 Founder Worries And Cashflow

29:25 Rollo Joins During Cancer

30:38 Working With Your Husband

32:33 Creativity As Therapy

32:57 Workshops And Full Circle Studio

34:20 Restoring Energy And Book Picks

35:18 Three Two Ones Reflections

38:59 Next Decade Vision

41:08 Positive Energy And Farewell

Visit https://mollymahon.com/

Follow on insta @mollymahonblockprinting

Support the show

Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: [email protected]

Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.

Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur

Contact: [email protected]
www.joglynnsmith.com

MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

This week Jo speaks with Abbie Bennington, a wine journalist, broadcaster, educator, and founder of Vintage People, about three ways to turn one area of expertise into multiple income streams. Abbie’s first advice is to hone in on what you’re genuinely good at and enjoy, sharing how she left BBC television news, retrained at Leiths, and discovered she excelled in wine exams. Second, she stresses building credibility over time through formal qualifications, including completing the WSET Diploma and training as a WSET certified educator, which strengthened her confidence and authority. Third, she recommends creating something you own, describing how she combined her wine expertise with her political journalism background to launch Vintage Politics, a non-combative podcast pairing conversations with “wines of their life,” and using it as the basis for growing a wider community and ecosystem.

00:00 Welcome to Masterclass

00:37 Finding Your Expertise

02:40 Career Leap of Faith

04:07 Credentials Build Trust

07:39 Own Your Platform

09:00 Vintage Politics Origin

12:20 Ecosystem Expansion Vision

13:19 Wine as Storytelling

14:55 Final Recap and Farewell

https://www.abvtastings.com/

Follow Vintage Politics @vintagepoliticspod

Follow Abbie @abvtastings and @wineeducators

Support the show

Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: [email protected]

Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.

Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur

Contact: [email protected]
www.joglynnsmith.com

MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

Jo Glynn-Smith interviews Katherine Swift, founder of OMG Tea, an early importer of premium Japanese matcha to the UK. Katherine’s entrepreneurial drive began in Manchester watching her mother run a seamstress business, later working in events and at Breast Cancer Now on a multimillion-pound appeal, where she met Professor Michael Lisanti and discovered matcha’s potential. She launched OMG Tea from her Brighton kitchen table in 2014 and it has since become a leading UK premium matcha brand, certified B Corp and Soil Association organic, with Great Taste recognition and major stockists including Selfridges, Whole Foods, Holland & Barrett and Ocado. Katherine recounts a demanding 2018 Dragons’ Den experience, the emotional aftermath, and lessons in resilience and financial due diligence. She explains matcha production, quality consistency, and why premium matcha should be drunk straight, and discusses education, sustainability, logistics, subscriptions, and growth, including AIYA’s 2023 investment after a long-term partnership.

00:00 Show Welcome

00:30 Meet Katherine Swift

02:13 Dragon's Den Invite

03:39 Behind the Scenes Filming

05:30 In the Den Pressure

08:11 No Deal Fallout

12:52 Lessons and Resilience

14:41 Finding AIYA Partner

16:28 Matcha Explained

18:19 How to Drink Matcha

20:26 Matcha in Food Trends

22:01 Retail Growth and Stockists

22:40 Breaking Into Retail

23:06 Instagram Matcha Boom

24:44 Staying True Amid Competition

26:09 Premium Positioning Values

28:02 Dreaming of a Matcha Shop

29:00 Warehousing Logistics Stress

30:56 Sustainability Packaging Tradeoffs

32:24 Subscription Daily Ritual

33:01 321s Mindset Wins Future

38:01 Supplier Invests Big Win

39:57 Final Thanks Wrap Up

https://omgteas.co.uk/

Follow on Insta @omgmatchatea

Support the show

Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: [email protected]

Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.

Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur

Contact: [email protected]
www.joglynnsmith.com

MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

Jo interviews Olivia Falcon, beauty journalist and founder of The Editors’ List, a UK cosmetic concierge service that advises clients on trusted surgeons, doctors, and wellness practitioners. Olivia shares three ways to build a talked-about business: create experiences rather than transactions (including an annual London event offering mini treatments and face-to-face expert consults, grown from small garden gatherings over 10 years); don’t try to appeal to everyone, develop a clear point of view, say no often, and build trust through a focused niche; and give people stories they’ll tell their friends, prioritizing word of mouth and quality over quantity in a luxury, fee-for-time model with no kickbacks. She warns about wasting money on questionable growth services, discusses careful, responsible AI use with sensitive client data, notes recent growth driven by mainstreaming of cosmetic procedures, and emphasises avoiding burnout by taking breaks and asking for help.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:34 Advice One Create Experiences

02:30 Start Small Stay Patient

03:57 Advice Two Niche and Trust

06:45 Advice Three Word of Mouth

07:44 Luxury Model No Kickbacks

08:57 Trusted Guidance and AI

10:49 Recap Three Key Lessons

12:50 Turning Point and Growth

14:28 Burnout Kindness and Outro

https://editorslist.co.uk/

Follow on Instagram @theeditorslist

Support the show

Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: [email protected]

Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.

Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur

Contact: [email protected]
www.joglynnsmith.com

MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

This week Jo Glynn-Smith interviews Marielle Wyse, founder of Wyse London, launched in 2014 from five cashmere jumpers after a TV production career and a separation at 49 prompted her to rethink finances. With no formal training and a small loan from her father, she took her designs to a factory, sold £15,000 of stock at a June trade fair, repeated it in November, and saw sales grow from 15 to 75, later building a business now with six UK stores, 170,000 Instagram followers, and over £18 million turnover with no outside investment. Wyse says COVID drove major growth by dropping wholesale, selling direct via honest Instagram content, and navigating chaotic stock demands, growing fivefold from about £2M to £10M. She describes post-COVID pressures, losing money after hiring “experts,” opening her first store in Marylebone, focusing on customer experience for midlife women, prioritizing fitness, adding a CEO for structure, and shifting from pre-orders to holding more stock while emphasising kindness and team development.

00:00 Welcome and Subscribe

00:30 Meet Marielle Wyse

01:54 From Mum to Founder

05:42 Leading Left Field

08:18 COVID Growth Surge

10:20 Chaos and Customer Connection

15:35 After the Boom Lessons

17:41 Opening Physical Stores

21:05 Design Structure and Teams

22:04 What She Loves Now

23:04 Just Do It Mindset

23:25 Founder Leadership Challenges

26:21 Building Trust and Safety

27:38 Surviving a Tough Market

29:36 Energy Fitness and Rest

31:43 Hiring a CEO for Structure

33:31 Three Two One Reflections

37:40 Kindness and Proud Wins

39:20 What Comes Next

40:28 Closing and Listener Call

https://www.wyselondon.com/

Follow on insta @wyselondon

Support the show

Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: [email protected]

Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.

Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur

Contact: [email protected]
www.joglynnsmith.com

MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

This week Jo sits down with Claire Burrows, founder of London footwear brand Air & Grace, to discuss building a business in midlife by solving the style-versus-comfort problem. Claire shares how redundancy pushed her to launch in 2014 after 20+ years in buying, design, and product development, funding early work with her life savings, renting out her home, and borrowing money. She explains developing the patented Tender Loving Air technology with technologist Kevin Ban, including setbacks like rejecting the first production run, running out of money, and later winning a Metro Newspaper competition that enabled a pivot from a failed wholesale plan to direct-to-consumer via Shopify. Claire describes learning marketing, e-commerce, and cashflow management, using consumer events to drive early sales and feedback, and later refocusing online. Her advice highlights investing in legal support and knowledge, keeping teams lean, and trusting red flags earlier.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:47 Redundancy Sparks the Leap

02:39 Finding the Comfort Gap

04:25 Building the First Prototype Team

08:02 Naming Air and Grace

09:21 First Product and Early Setbacks

12:51 Tender Loving Air Tech

15:03 Funding and Cost Realities

16:38 Pivot to Direct to Consumer

19:24 Shopify Site and Winning Investment

21:04 Learning D2C Marketing and Finance

22:40 Money Mindset Shift

22:57 First Hire Milestone

23:22 Selling Comfort Online

23:42 Consumer Events Playbook

25:30 Trade Show Chaos Story

26:18 Online Focus Tipping Point

26:59 Back To In Person

27:40 New Product Evolution

28:22 Best Selling Flat

29:27 Color Range Strategy

30:12 Surviving Tough Markets

31:51 Streamlining For Growth

32:54 Team Culture Energy

33:33 Business Owner Surprises

34:40 Shoemaking Complexity

35:46 Three Two One Framework

36:06 Worth Every Penny

40:44 Team Size Regrets

42:25 Quit Earlier Lesson

44:07 Thanking The Technologist

45:02 Final Wrap And Goodbye

Visit at https://airandgracelondon.com/

Follow on Instagram @airandgrace

Support the show

Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: [email protected]

Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.

Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur

Contact: [email protected]
www.joglynnsmith.com

MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

This week Jo sits down with Melisse Shaban, CEO of Aramore, a US-based longevity science company, to share three ways to innovate when everyone else is copying you in a low-barrier, noisy market. First, Melisse advises pursuing technical innovation by identifying unmet, unknown, or evolving needs, and reframing familiar problems (such as “longevity” versus “anti-aging”) while staying open to new formats and delivery systems across categories, from GLP-1s and peptides to sleep and recovery tools. Second, she stresses being honest and authentic in a world where it’s hard to tell what’s real, arguing that trust and truth-telling drive meaningful innovation. Third, she recommends constant discovery—looking in unexpected places, staying curious, and using practices like affirmation—while remaining focused and credible, as Aramore does by targeting cellular health in skin through long-term science.

00:00 Welcome to Masterclass

00:34 Why Copycats Win

01:04 Unmet Needs Drive Innovation

01:27 New Longevity Mindset

03:46 Formats and Recovery Trends

04:56 Authenticity in Noisy Markets

07:24 Brave Truth Tellers

08:11 Discovery and Self Belief

12:02 Aramore Inside Out Skin

14:08 First to Market Focus

15:18 Science Led Differentiation

16:13 Wrap Up and Subscribe

Support the show

Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: [email protected]

Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.

Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur

Contact: [email protected]
www.joglynnsmith.com

MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

This week Jo speaks with Antonia Philips, a pediatric nurse and co-founder of Nursem, an award-winning handcare brand created to solve the cracked, bleeding hands caused by constant handwashing with harsh antiseptics. Antonia shares how she and her husband Jonny spent seven years researching and testing products (including Manuka honey) while raising three children and continuing her nursing career, eventually moving to flexible bank shifts after burnout. They discuss finding support through the Newcastle Science City incubator, standing out in a saturated skincare market, listening to customers via a 2,000-person testing panel requiring 90% approval, and scaling a small team as they aim to enter grocery. Antonia explains the Nursem Promise, donating a month of free handcare per product sold, with 700,000 promises delivered and a million targeted by 2027, and reflects on working with her husband, managing energy, and planning for an investor exit without losing purpose. 

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:50 Balancing Nursing and Business

04:15 Staying Connected to Nursing

07:31 Handwashing Damage Explained

09:01 Searching for a Real Solution

11:46 Building the Formula and Testing

14:57 Packaging and Early Feedback

16:13 Funding and Incubator Support

17:07 Launch and Giving Back

18:38 Burnout and Energy Management

23:36 Sleep and Support

24:13 Running as Therapy

24:24 Standing Out in Skincare

25:58 Customer Led Product Expansion

27:40 Working With Your Spouse

31:36 Team Growth and Grocery Plans

33:38 Exit Pressure and Purpose

39:59 Three Two One Reflections

45:45 Final Thanks and Wrap Up

https://www.nursem.co.uk/

Support the show

Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: [email protected]

Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.

Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur

Contact: [email protected]
www.joglynnsmith.com

MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

This week Jo speaks with Rosie Nixon, coach, founder of Rosie’s Reinvention Retreats and author of The PRO Method, about three ways to avoid burnout before it derails you and your business. Rosie explains burnout as a workplace-based syndrome where demand outstrips recovery, often showing up as insomnia, irritability, anxiety, overwhelm, low motivation and reduced creativity. Her three tips follow the PRO framework: first, Pause—calm the nervous system through micro-pauses like getting outside, breathwork (count four in, hold two, release six), or exercise, and take longer time away if needed. Second, Reflect—get curious about what’s happening, name emotions, clarify what matters now, and identify unmet needs and values. Third, Organise—map small, values-aligned steps forward, including letting go of responsibilities, work or relationships that no longer serve you.

00:00 Welcome to Masterclass

00:34 What Burnout Looks Like

02:11 PRO Method Overview

02:31 Pause to Reset

07:19 Reflect with Curiosity

09:36 Organise Next Steps

12:21 Reinvention Mindset

14:33 Book and Farewell

https://www.rosienixon.co.uk/

Follow on Instagram @rosiejnixon 

Support the show

Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: [email protected]

Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.

Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur

Contact: [email protected]
www.joglynnsmith.com

MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

This week Jo sits down with Vivien Wong, co-founder of Little Moons, to discuss how the brand introduced mochi ice cream to the UK in 2010, grew from restaurants into FMCG, and scaled after going viral on TikTok during the pandemic with user-generated “Tesco adventure” videos that drove immediate purchase. Vivien shares the operational strain of a sudden “hockey stick” demand surge—COVID hiring constraints, machinery limits, and supply shortages—plus lessons on maintaining quality, retailer relationships, and culture while expanding into more supermarkets and selling in over 38 countries. She explains how her father’s cancer diagnosis prompted her to leave a city finance career, why she self-funded through five years of restaurant sales, and how she and her brother managed a sibling partnership. Vivien reflects on burnout, the impact of private equity bringing in a CEO, investments in coaching/therapy/training, and announces Mini Moons launching exclusively in Sainsbury’s.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:43 TikTok Viral Breakthrough

03:47 Scaling in a Pandemic

06:56 Pivotal Leap from Corporate

09:08 Building with a Sibling

12:21 Perfecting Mochi from Scratch

14:39 Landing Yo Sushi Deal

16:42 From Restaurants to Retail

19:51 Hiring and Letting Go

22:30 Burnout and Better Boundaries

25:07 Learning to Slow Down

25:26 Working On Business

25:42 Flavor Trend Hunting

26:36 Stepping Back With CEO

27:43 Trusting Leadership Team

28:47 Favorite Flavors Origins

29:47 Three Two One Segment

30:45 Coach Versus Therapy

32:54 Dog As Investment

35:06 Working Mum Lessons

37:44 Hiring Mistakes Regrets

38:48 Questions For Dad

40:03 Thanking Key Advisor

42:00 Networking And AI Tools

43:14 Mini Moons Launch

44:22 Closing And Farewell

Support the show

Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: [email protected]

Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.

Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur

Contact: [email protected]
www.joglynnsmith.com

MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com