A Beginners Guide To Being A Grown Up

Women Are Good Business is the podcast making the economic case for female entrepreneurship in the UK.The argument is clear: female-led businesses deliver stronger returns, are less likely to go bankrupt, and outperform their male-founded equivalents across virtually every financial measure. This channel exists to change that — one conversation at a time.Each episode brings together the founders, investors, policymakers and advocates who are rewriting the rules of business in the UK. Real stories, hard data, and the proof that backing women is the single best investment this country can make.Hosted by Sam Cooper-Gray, Chair of the Gender Index, and lead of the Conditions to Scale workstream for the UK Government's Invest in Women Taskforce.New episodes every week from 20th May 2026.Subscribe and join the growing community who know that women are good business — and are doing something about it.womenaregoodbusiness.com@womenaregoodbusinessFuelled by FFInc

Sam Cooper-Gray is a strategist, storyteller, podcasters and fierce advocate for female-led business. As founder of The Wisdom Studio, she helps purpose-driven SMEs grow with clarity, impact, and intention—drawing on 25+ years in global finance, including her role as HSBC’s Global Head of SME Strategy. She is the creator and driving force behind Women Are Good Business, a national campaign that highlights and amplifies the economic power of female founders—showcasing the commercial, societal, and investment benefits of backing women. Sam’s legacy includes launching HSBC’s $1bn Female Entrepreneur Fund and the UK’s £250m Women’s Business Growth Initiative, and she now chairs The Gender Index and leads the Conditions to Scale workstream for the UK Government’s Invest in Women Taskforce, shaping national policy to unlock growth for women in business. Whether she’s in the boardroom, behind the mic, or mentoring founders, Sam brings a rare mix of corporate rigour, creative empathy, and unapologetic purpose.Listen to find out how Sam has found success in different aspects of her life, and what she would put in the guide...

This week, we’re joined by Roisin McKeon-Carter, an accomplished healthcare leader whose 40‑year career across the NHS spans clinical practice, strategic transformation, and executive‑level leadership. Her work has shaped patient safety, workforce development, and the evolution of advanced practice roles across the UK.Roisin currently serves as Consultant Practice Development Lead in a major tertiary hospital, where she is driving the development of the Consultant Practice (Nurse/AHP) workforce in line with the NHSE long‑term plan. She leads a group of 25 exceptional healthcare professionals who are quietly — and powerfully — shaping the future of patient care.Across her career, Roisin has delivered large‑scale service transformation, strengthened clinical governance, and led system‑level workforce strategies. Her influence spans regional and national levels, contributing to policy workstreams and championing professional voice, compassionate leadership, and equitable care. Listen to find out how Roisin has found success in different aspects of her life, and what she would put in the guide...

Sarah Bennett-Nash walked away from Wall Street to empower women to build not just wealth, but lives they love. For 20 years, from the trading floors of New York and London, she saw the inner workings of global finance, but also what was missing- joy, purpose, humanity. Now, Sarah is on a mission to teach ten million people how to create lasting wealth by doing work that matters, where success is measured in impact, freedom and fulfillment. Sarah has completed the University of Oxford's Executive Leadership Programme, qualified as a coach, founded the Wealth BE-ing, Members Club and is passionate advocate for personal development.Listen to find out how Sarah has found success in different aspects of her life, and what she would put in the guide...

Christine Brown-Quinn, The Female Capitalist®, is a Career Strategist, Best-Selling Author, a former Managing Director in International Finance & an avid cyclist. With a trailblazing journey spanning decades in International Business, Christine transitioned into a transformative role in 2010, embarking on a mission to dispel the notion that a thriving career must clash with a gratifying personal life. She offers guidance through her online & in-person workshops & training programmes as well as strategic career & business coaching to unravel the true essence of career advancement as well as holistic success within demanding corporate environments. As a published author of two books (“Step Aside Super Woman” & "Unlock Your Career Success, an Amazon #1 Best Seller), she provides empowering resources for women in business.She holds a BA in Foreign Languages from Georgetown University and an MBA in International Business from The George Washington University. She served on the GW School of Business Board for many years, is a former President of GW’s Alumni Association, founder of the GW Alumni Network in the UK & recipient of the esteemed GW Alumni Outstanding Service Award.  She currently services on GW’s President’s Council as well as on the board of the International Women’s Forum UK  & co-chairs its Communication & Engagement Committee.Listen to find out how Christine has found success in different aspects of her life, and what she would put in the guide...

Emma Warren is a seasoned entrepreneur and intuitive leader whose 40‑year career has been defined not by hustle culture, but by purpose, curiosity, and a steadfast belief that work and life are meant to inform one another—not compete. Stepping into the world of work at 18, Emma built a career she loves while remaining deeply present in her family life, proving that you can have it all, just not all at once.Guided by long‑term vision rather than short‑term noise, Emma plans in three‑year horizons, choosing focus over frenzy and intention over urgency. Her approach has often meant standing alone, moving ahead of the crowd, or pausing when others rush forward. But it’s this rhythm—this willingness to lead differently—that has shaped her into the grounded, thoughtful businesswoman she is today.Emma champions success that endures, not success at any cost. She believes in leadership that is intuitive, human, and in tune with the shifting landscape of modern business. As the world begins to embrace a slower, more intentional way of working, she no longer feels like a fraud for rejecting hustle culture—she feels perfectly placed for this moment.Substack has become her sanctum: a hearth to return to, a space to think, write, learn, and share her evolving understanding of work, life, and the spaces in between. Through her writing, Emma invites others to pause, breathe, and join her in exploring what it means to build a life—and a career—with depth, meaning, and intention.Listen to find out how Emma has found success in different aspects of her life, and what she would put in the guide...

Emma is one of the UK's leading entrepreneurs'. She made her name launching the global female empowerment brand Killing Kittens in 2005, now incorporated into the KK Group with over 200,000 members having launched events across the US, Australia and Europe and has grown online into an online community network with sexual empowerment at its core. April 2023 saw the group launch the world's first sex positive social dating app WeareX now WAX app. In 2024 the group launched KK Cruises and retreats with cruises sailing from june 2026KK won the growth business of the year 2021 in the Business champion awards and Emma is a finalist in both the Lloyds Business awards 2022 and GBEALondon 2022 both as Entrepreneur of the yearThe press have pronounced her a leader at the cutting edge of the new dawn of female liberation. Recently in Business Leaders 2019 top 30 inspirational UK entrepreneurs and recognised by other awards and media setups including Natwest Great Entrepreneur awards 2019 Finalist, Top 10 women entrepreneurs Game Changer Magazine 2019 and 2020 Inside Out leaders board role modelShe has appeared in national and international media from TV shows to broadsheets to radio debates and corporate talks.June 2019 saw her and Hadleigh Bolt launch Sistr a networking and community for professional women from all industries to connect both on and offline and Safedate an app to add security for datingWhen she's not dominating the male-heavy adult entertainment world, Emma can be found running the Sisterhood. The Sisterhood is a group of gritty females boldly going where not many girls have gone before, competing in extreme and adventure sports, creating havoc whilst maintaining a perfect ph balance between Lucozade and wineThe group to date has raised over £1,000,000 for various women's charities. Emma herself has run the worlds hardest ultra marathon: the Marathon de Sables across the Sahara, won the women's Great Amazon raft race, climbed kilamanjaro, swam 6.5km across the Bosphorus, swum the Channel, relay run from LA to Vegas, raced rickshaws across india and is now showing women can have it all, only via teamwork across all aspects of life, by juggling an 11, 9 and 7 year old with KK world domination and somehow via wine being made chair of the school PTA in lockdown. Listen to find out how Emma has found success in different aspects of her life, and what she would put in the guide...

Vivienne is a Business Exit Advisor and founder of Wellspring, an exit planning advisory practice helping business owners who feel trapped or burnt out prepare for sale before crisis forces their hand.After starting a multi-site dental practice with her sister, Vivienne experienced firsthand what happens when burnout drives business decisions. When her sister passed away after experiencing burnout, Vivienne had to navigate the exit: stabilising the business, hiring the right team, growing it, and ultimately exiting. That experience taught her that exit planning isn't just about the sale. It's about building a business that can thrive without you.Now, as a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), Vivienne helps established business owners increase their business value while reducing their dependency, so when they're ready to exit, it's on their terms and for maximum value. Her "Burnout to Buyout" methodology transforms owner-dependent businesses into transferable assets. Find her site link here. Vivienne brings a unique perspective shaped by a career across medicine, business design, asset management at JP Morgan, and ultimately, entrepreneurship. She believes the most important "grown-up" business decision is knowing when and how to let go.Listen to find out how Maggie has found success in different aspects of her life, and what she would put in the guide...

Founder, Girls in Charge Initiative & Gamechangers InitiativeMaggie Chen is an impact entrepreneur, non-executive board member, and doctoral researcher passionate about creating positive change through creativity and play. She founded the Girls in Charge Initiative, an international non-profit empowering women through gamified learning to build confidence and entrepreneurial skills. What began as small community workshops has evolved into a global movement recognised by prestigious institutions including the University of Oxford, Cartier, Ffinc, and Northern Power Women.As the Initiative grew, Maggie and her team pioneered Live Social Gamification — their unique approach to in-person, human-centred learning — leading to the creation of the Gamechangers Initiative, the world’s first consultancy dedicated to this method.A strong advocate for greater diversity in business and policy, Maggie also serves on the Cheshire & Warrington Business Advisory Board, the Infrastructure Board at Enterprise Cheshire & Warrington, and the Cheshire Police Ethics Panel.Listen to find out how Maggie has found success in different aspects of her life, and what she would put in the guide...

Sahar Hashemi, a former lawyer, founded Coffee Republic, the UK’s first US style coffee bar chain with her brother and built it into one of the UK’s most recognised high street brands with a turnover of £30m. She made Coffee Republic one of the first players in the ‘coffee revolution’ that transformed the UK high street. Sahar is an internationally recognized speaker, whose captivating and uplifting speeches combine her own enthralling story with key themes of entrepreneurial leadership, innovation, customer service, change management and employee engagement.Sahar left the day to day management of Coffee Republic in 2001 and published a bestselling book called ‘Anyone Can Do It- building Coffee Republic from our kitchen table' which has been translated into 6 languages and is 2nd highest selling book on entrepreneurship on Amazone after Richard Branson’s book.In 2005 Sahar Hashemi started Skinny Candy, high profile brand of guilt-free sweets which she sold to confectionery conglomerate Glisten plc in 2007.Her latest book ‘Switched On: 10 Habits to Being Highly Effective in Your Job, and Loving it ’ focuses on creating an entrepreneurial mindset for employees in large companies.In 2011 Sahar Hashemi was nominated by Director magazine as one of the Top 10 Original Thinkers, taking her place alongside individuals such as Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web and Jonathan Ives, Vice-President of Design at Apple and designer of the iPod. In 2011 she was also invited to join the Entrepreneurs Forum set up by UK Business Minister Vince Cable to give advice to the government on enterprise and business policies. In June 2012 Sahar was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list “for services to the UK economy and to charity”.Sahar was named ‘Pioneer to the life of the nation’ by Her Majesty The Queen and Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos. She was also named one of 100 most influential women in Britain by Daily Mail and 35 top women in British business by Management Today. In a Shell Livewire survey of inspirational role models Sahar was among the top 5 along with James Dyson and Dame Anita Roddick. She has been on the cover of Director Magazine, Management Today, Observer Magazine, New Business Magazine, Business 550 and Voyager.Sahar writes a regular management column for Business Strategy Review, published by the London Business School. She is a member of the Customer Council of E.On, the energy group, representing the voice of the customer at board level.By telling her very personal journey, she connects with the audience on an emotional level and brings to life the passion, determination and open mindedness needed to succeed. She outlines the Habits that are the cornerstone of Switched On and ignites the audience with a ‘can do’ spirit and the tools and habits to ‘make it happen’.Listen to find out how Sahar has found success in different aspects of her life, and what she would put in the guide...