The Countrywoman’s Guide to Work, Life & You…

I’ve known Lara for a few years now. She first popped up on my radar when she approached me to ask for advice about running her holiday let business at Combe Head House because she’d seen Dimpsey and knew that we were nearby. We met up and have become friends, chatting about business and life in general when we see each other.
With three generations living together, two small children, properties to renovate and a holiday let business to build - Lara is a very busy lady and, like many of our interviewees, her instagram is absolutely dreamy and would have you believe that her life is all about choosing paint colours and styling interiors with the occasional trip to see her gorgeous sheep, goats and chickens.
However, the reality is that, as always, there is huge amounts going on behind the scenes to make it look that easy and more often than not when I pop to see Lara, she emerges from a dusty corner with a broom or a paintbrush in her hand.
In our chat, Lara shares how important the local Community has been to her, providing support and knowledge - and how a wide range of local women-led businesses have been her salvation through the times when it all seemed a bit too much.
If you’ve ever wanted to renovate a house, or running your own business at the same time as having a family feels totally bonkers, Lara’s insights will most definitely be of interest.
Outside of the above, it’s a great chat about women helping women and the countryside community being such a strong support.
I’ve scheduled this one to go out on International Women’s Day as I think it exemplifies the Give to Gain ethos that is already part of the countryside community.
Other Podcast listens that we mention during the episode :
Maddie Beaumont - Redefining Hospitality for 2026 and beyond
Kate Cullen of Fablefaine - Connecting brands with powerful rural properties Kate Cullen
Tamsyn Froom Architecture - Designing spaces that work for your life
As always - thank you for reading and thank you for listening. Please do like and comment if you enjoy the interview as it does help us to be seen by more people.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countrywomansguide.substack.com

Over Winter 2025, I hosted the Making Stuff Up Channel on Do Radio for 12 episodes, Do Radio is a new initiative which was the brainchild of David Hieatt and a fabulous team of people who came together to make it happen.
Do Radio is a radio station for people who believe in the power of doing something. Featuring thought-provoking shows from inspiring minds, over the eight channels there is always a show to listen to throughout the day and night.
It’s been an absolute privilege being an early part of the team and I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing really inspiring entrepreneurs and hearing their take on the entrepreneurial journey.
Now you know that one of our key beliefs at Countrywoman’s Guide is that through sharing our journey, warts and all, we can help others feel less alone and inspire them that they too can get through whatever they are struggling with.
So, I’m going to share the interviews with you over the next few weeks in batches of 4 episodes, as the nuggets of wisdom that are shared by our interviewees are too good to miss.
This first episode was to introduce me to the audience, as I was taking over from another presenter. So the tables were turned and I became the interviewee with Janet Hitchen, who produces the Making Stuff Up channel interviewing me about my life and what brought me to this point.
Janet is a very wise Corporate Communications professional and she and I had an absolute ball working together, and our behind the scenes conversations were wide-ranging. I learnt so much from Janet and she has become a firm friend, you’ll hear me talking about serendipity in the interview and I am so glad that fate brought us together.
Anyway, I’m going to hand you over to the podcast now, I hope you enjoy!



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Lucy Scudamore is one busy lady!
I first came across Lucy on her Defender Deli instagram, on a reel talking through a veritable feast of delicacies that she was serving from the back of her specially converted Landrover Defender.
Coronation pheasant, pheasant and stuffing sausage rolls, sticky mustard sausages - just her descriptions made me want to go and make some for my lunch!
Plus being a Landrover and picnic fan myself, I loved the fact that this wasn’t just a couple of picnic baskets in the back of the Landrover - this was a fully bespoke interior giving Lucy the ability to lay out her field snacks beautifully.
Landrover and food envy in one reel - I absolutely knew that we had to chat to Lucy on the podcast!
So tune in to get to know Lucy better. We talk job juggling, dog training, business growing and of course, food comes into the conversation.
These conversations always inspire me, I’m in awe of all the female-led country businesses that are out there and their openness to sharing their journey helps us to help you.
So please do like and share this podcast with someone else if this one lands with you - together we can all help each other to grow.
Thanks for reading A Countrywoman’s Guide to Work and Life!



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countrywomansguide.substack.com

I met Sam Cooper-Gray last year at an event for the launch of the HSBC Fearless and Thriving report about midlife female entrepreneurs, which was researched by Eleanor Mills from Noon.
Sam was so passionate about raising both the profile of, and access to funding for, female entrepreneurs and the words that she spoke to the assembled room stuck with me for many weeks afterwards.
Shortly after we met, Sam made the transition from 25 years in the banking world and became an entrepreneur, establishing her own business, The Wisdom Studio, which was a big change in her life.
A chance comment about putting a phrase on a T-shirt also led to the establishment of Sam’s Women are Good Business Campaign which is now a rallying cry for women entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and allies who understand that supporting women-led businesses is not about charity — it's about economics.
The statistics that Sam shared with me on the level of equity funding that goes to female entrepreneurs were really quite shocking, and for this reason our conversation most definitely emphasises the need for women to amplify their voices in the business world and the importance of understanding your relationship with money.
This is true, regardless of the size of business you run or the size of your aspiration for your business - getting a better grip on the money side of things will always stand you in good stead.
With also being the host of The Beginner's Guide to Being a Grown-Up, a podcast mixing wit, wisdom, and real-world insight for navigating life's big questions and the Chair of the Gender Index, Sam is one busy lady.
Her work as the Chair of the Gender Index, leading the Conditions to Scale workstream for the UK Government's Invest in Women Taskforce, positions her at the heart of policy-making that will shape the future of female entrepreneurship.
So if you’ve ever wondered about making a big change in your life, or thought that everyone else steps into things and it all happens easily for them, this podcast is a must listen for you.
It’s also a great one to listen to if you want to understand more about how to run a business, both in terms of understanding your finances and for some insight into the types of things a bank might expect to see if you are going in to see them.
Sam also shares insights on navigating business growth, the significance of mentorship, and the personal growth that comes from overcoming adversity.
We’d love to know what you think - please do comment below with questions for Sam or me or let us know what in the interview really made a difference for you.
As always, thank you for listening, we really appreciate it and please do like and share if you feel it’s appropriate to, it really helps us to connect with other readers.
PS : A little glossary for you in case it’s helpful, as we mention these in the programme:
B2B means Business to Business, where one business sells to another business
B2C means Business to Consumer, where the business sells to an individual consumer
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Sam Cooper-Gray
05:51 Career Journey and Transition to Entrepreneurship
12:55 Challenges for Women in Business
20:52 The Importance of Experience and Mentorship
25:45 Embracing Autonomy in Entrepreneurship
27:14 Navigating the Emotional Journey of Entrepreneurship
30:03 Finding Balance: Money and Joy in Business
32:58 The Reality of Passion Projects and Viability
36:12 The Impact of Social Media on Business Perception
38:24 Understanding Financial Needs for Business Growth
45:10 Embracing Your Money Archetype
46:54 Life Lessons: The Importance of Authenticity
50:23 Daily Actions and Their Impact on Success



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countrywomansguide.substack.com

🌿 Discover the beauty of rural creativity with Kate Cullen.
I finally met Kate at an event run by Charlie Dobbs and Matilda Carr earlier this year, having followed her on instagram for some time. We only had time for a brief chat but just before Christmas, Kate came down to Dimpsey in Somerset and took some beautiful photos for Dimpsey and Fablefaine, her location listing website.
After we finished the shoot, Kate sat down with me for a mug of tea and a chat for the CWG podcast.
Kate’s journey has been an interesting one - from archaeology to entrepreneurship. We also chat all things balancing family and business. Kate shares her insights on the importance of personal connections and integrity in building a successful rural business. Her ventures, including Fablefaine and Poetica Lane are centred around rural locations, friends and family, offering unique opportunities for photo shoots, retreats, and workshops.
Tune in to this podcast episode for a heartfelt conversation that celebrates resilience, creativity, and the beauty of rural life.
Thanks for reading A Countrywoman’s Guide to Work and Life! 



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countrywomansguide.substack.com