Beyond the Stories Lauren O'Sullivan

Today’s guest is multi-talented artist and Art Director Sundari Ferris. I first came across Sundari’s work only a few weeks ago and was instantly captivated by her work which is both personal and emotive.
Sundari’s personality exudes from her work and her Instagram account and I knew I had to get her on the podcast to talk about her business and creative work.
Sundari set up her wedding styling business at the age of just 23 and has since then evolved her business into a multifaceted career which now includes Art Direction, Styling, Painting, Teaching and much much more.
In today’s episode Sundari talks about how she through herself in at the deep end and built her business from the ground up, as well as speaking frankly about the personal challenges that she has faced in the past year that has pushed her even further to evolve her business in a way that works for her.
Sundari has a unique approach to running her business which is a unique blend of emotive artistry and sound commercial business acumen which are the keys to her success.
Sundari talks about in this episode about how she effectively juggles all the different elements of her business, as well as what her creative process looks like and what success means to her.

I am very excited to share today’s episode with you, I have just spent the morning having the loveliest chat with James and Jo Melia, who were honestly a genuine pleasure to chat to. It’s one of the reasons I love doing this podcast so much as it’s a great excuse to chat to people I wouldn’t always get chance to and get to know them a little bit more.

James and Jo create inspirational photography and film for brands with soul, as well as offering courses teaching photography that help people find their own visual style and take photographs that they can be proud of.

James and Jo are super passionate about what they do, working with ethical, eco conscious and diverse businesses. In episode James and Jo talk about how their business has developed over the years and how their style and confidence has evolved and developed.

They also share some of the valuable lessons they’ve learned along the way and at the end give some of what I can honestly say is some of the sages and wisest advice put so succinctly that I have heard for a long time. The culmination of years of openhearted experimentation in discovering their way in the world and their business. A real must for any creative or business owner.

In today’s episode we discuss:

• Finding the thing that makes your heart sing and submerging yourself in it.
• Developing a brand that feels like you, including visual style, language and find your own voice.
• James and Jo’s creative process, the work that lights them up and why
• Experimenting and learning – knowing that you’re going to fail but that you will learn, grow and evolve from each ‘failure’
• Finding people that share your vision and values
• Instagram as a tool for connection and community
• The value in always being a learner in your craft
• Starting small – making small steps and never giving up
• Giving yourself a break

Today’s guest is one of my former clients and now friend Gemma James. I first met Gemma over 18 months ago at a women’s business meet up that I used to run in our hometown Manchester. Gemma is one of those lovely people that you warm to straight away but even more so when you get to know her. Behind her softly spoken manner is one of the strongest people I have had the pleasure of knowing.

Gemma and I started working together not long after a devastating tragedy in her life, that had changed its course forever. We took things slowly in our work together to try and make sense of the road ahead and what the future looked like.

Gemma’s strength and determination also stands out in her ambition in her business and it’s truly been an honour and a pleasure watching Gemma grow into her purpose and develop not only her business idea, but her own confidence in what she has to offer the world, which has culminated this week  in her launch of her website The Lifestyle Project.

In today’s episode Gemma talks very openly about the events that have influenced her, her journey so far and plans for growing The Lifestyle Project into a business that will support and help others. 

We also talk about:

Reconnecting with yourself and your dreams in the face of grief

Resilience, mindset and hope

Creating a business out of the thing that you needed but couldn’t find

How to find your right people

Developing a valuable offering to make a real difference

Expectation, Pressure and Perfectionism

Letting go and trusting yourself and the process

How to put yourself out there when it goes against your nature

Not being all things to all people

The importance of self care and the role it plays in grief and trauma recovery

Being kind to yourself and practicing compassion

Today’s episode is a solo episode, which I haven’t done before. I started Beyond The Stories back in October last year and over the course of those 8 months I’ve tried and failed to do a solo episode at least 3 times. The first time I spent 2 whole days trying to record before giving up. I finally cracked it this week! I think that was partly because the story is something that I really wanted to share. In this episode I take you behind the scenes of my business and talk about something that really helped me move forward and make progress in my business this last few weeks which I hope might help you too. If you’re someone who is struggling with motivation and productivity right now and you’re feeling frustrated that you just can’t put your plan into action, this episode is for you.

I’d love to know what you thought of today’s episode and the new format. It’s the first time I’ve shared a little more of the behind the scenes and it would be great to know if that’s something that was helpful and you’d like to hear more of. Come and say hello on instagram, I’d love to hear from you.

Hey everyone, I hope you are well! Welcome today’s episode, it’s lovely to have you here. Now I am very excited to share today’s episode with you. For anyone that knows me, you will know that one of my favourite TV programmes, if not THE favourite is Escape to the Chateau and its Escape to the Chateau DIY offshoot.  Like lots of people I have spent many a Sunday night watching and dreaming of what it would be like to live in a beautiful chateau in an idyllic part of France where every day (of course!) is romantic, hazy and magical.

 

Well today’s guest Rebecca Jones and star of Escape to the Chateau DIY did what most people can only dream of and made her Chateau dream a reality!

 

Rebecca and her husband Tim bought the beautiful 18th century Chateau De La Ruche in the Pays de Loire 3 years ago and have spent the last 3 years lovingly restoring it into a luxurious and laid Chambre D’hote with heart stopping whimsical charm. Rebecca has such an eye for detail and design, and this comes across in everything, from the beautifully put together interiors to the stunning aesthetic of her Instagram where she documents the story of her days at the Chateau.

 

In today’s episode, with the Chateau gardens in view the birds tweeting in the background (which I kind of wish we did a video recording of this episode for!)  I chat to Rebecca about her move to France and her career change from women’s magazine editor to Chatelain, chef, restorer, florist, interior designer, photographer and marketer, and all the hats she’s put on in her new life at the Chateau. Rebecca talks about how her creativity has flourished and how everything that she has done in her life previously has set her up to really thrive and excel in her new life.

 

I loved chatting to Rebecca, she is so passionate about what she does, about the chateau and what it means to her and her family. She articulates beautifully what it’s like to live there, the ups and downs and talks honesty about what it takes to live the dream.

 

And yes, I did head straight to the overseas section of Rightmove after the call (but my husband may take a little more convincing!)

 

So, if you have a big dream, that you think ‘no that’s not for me, that’s for other people’ I hope this episode might just maybe inspire you to think again.

In this episode we talk about:

What instigated Rebecca’s career and lifestyle change

How she made what most people only dream of a reality

Why taking action is sometimes more important than a plan

Why it’s important to find the ‘thing’ that can sustain you and feed you when times get tough

Creating a beautiful brand that is reflection of you

Allowing creativity to flourish and thrive

Living a life aligned with your values

What it’s like working with her husband and running a family business in the family home

The importance of finding the beauty in the everyday and the magic in the small things

How to redifine what success means

Hey Everyone, hope you’re well and having a good week! Today’s Beyond The Stories guest is marketer turned potter Katie Robbins who you may also know by her Instagram Name Ceramic Magpie.
 

After doing an art a-level at a very academic school, Katie fell into a career in marketing but when Katie became a mum she knew she had a creative itch that she needed to scratch and embarked on a period of experimentation that led her to rediscovered her love for ceramics.

 
In the episode Katie talks about how she turned her passion into the beautiful artisan business that she runs today. We go into detail about what that journey looked like and why you don’t always need a plan!  We also delve a little deeper into the fears and self-doubt that can arise through marketing your business and Katie talks about the Stories she had to overcome to put herself out there and do the work she really wanted to be doing.

In this episode we discuss:

Giving yourself time and space to experiment in your creative life

Being a mum and running a business

Having the self confidence to marketing yourself and your business

Being visable online

Instagram saturation

Finding meaning and purpose in work

Playing Big

Redefining success beyond a paycheck