The Midlife Entrepreneur

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: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk

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: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com
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: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk

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: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com
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: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk

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: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com
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 Kate Waterfall Hill, a leadership coach, author, podcaster and creator of 'Linda the Bad Manager', to share three ways to attract more clients using TikTok. First, Kate advises making TikToks and shifting mindset by recognising that business owners and decision-makers are on the platform, then creating content that educates, entertains and engages without feeling high-handed. Second, she recommends finding a repeatable format that fits your brand, testing different styles, and sticking with what works rather than constantly switching when early posts get little engagement. Third, she stresses that consistency beats perfection: record and edit on your phone, repurpose across platforms, batch record, and keep showing up, noting that in her first year 97% of revenue came from TikTok and that visibility matters more than going viral.
00:00 Welcome to Masterclass
00:34 Tip One Mindset Shift
01:41 Facing TikTok Fears
03:35 Linda Origin Story
05:05 Building Linda Universe
06:18 Tip Two Find Format
07:11 What Is Linda
08:40 Sticking With It
10:03 Tip Three Consistency
10:23 Repurpose and Batch
11:25 Results and Revenue
14:38 Final Recap and Close
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: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk

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: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com
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 Anna Richards, founder and CEO of FrolicMe, to discuss building a female-led ethical erotica platform in midlife and redefining how adult content can centre female pleasure, consent, and authentic connection. Anna shares how a lack of erotic content reflecting women’s desires led her to start a blog in 2013–14, then launch FrolicMe in 2015 with 20 self-produced films alongside stories and galleries, funded with limited resources and without investors. She explains how she learned production by finding mentors and industry contacts, kept teams small and collaborative, and built growth largely through SEO because advertising options were limited, reaching 1.6 million monthly visitors and breaking even around year three. Anna describes expanding into audio in 2019, banking a year of content post-COVID, navigating age verification requirements, and the challenges of social media bans. 
 
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
02:08 Why FrolicMe Began
04:50 Fear and Going Taboo
06:00 Testing the Idea With a Blog
07:23 What Women Want From Erotica
10:20 From Stories to Films
13:34 Breaking Into Production
18:00 First Shoots and Self Funding
22:23 Ethical Erotica and Consent
24:54 Growing With SEO
29:21 Competition and Cultural Pushback
30:50 Early Website Panic
32:04 Organic Growth Milestones
33:24 Breaking Even Without Investors
35:04 Production Costs Evolve
36:45 Location Shoots Aesthetic
37:46 COVID Audio Pivot
39:30 Fantasy Storytelling Details
41:38 Age Verification Challenges
46:13 Marketing and Social Media
48:15 Family Reactions and Normalizing
50:07 Founder 321 Takeaways
55:48 Final Thanks and Wrap
 
Visit at www.frolicme.com 
Follow @frolicme_anna or @frolicme_offical
 
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: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk

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: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com
www.joglynnsmith.com

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