Cheers with Nat

Natalya Watson
  • 5.0 (12)
  • PERSONAL JOURNALS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Cheering on women in drinks. Each week, I share a cheers and a chat with women who work in the drinks industry — to connect, celebrate, cheer us up and cheer us on.

  1. Jane Peyton: Drinks educator, novelist, and befriender

    1 DAY AGO

    Jane Peyton: Drinks educator, novelist, and befriender

    In today's episode, we're digging into the archives! You're going to hear from a guest from the first season of Beer with Nat, who I initially recorded with way back in December 2018. Today's guest is drinks educator, author, and founder of the School of Booze, Jane Peyton. We'll start by hearing what Jane has been up to over the past 8 years (wow!), then re-run our initial conversation. You'll learn how a Venn diagram helped Jane to discover her perfect career path after she left behind her previous role as a documentary film producer, what it took to set a Guinness World Record, the aspect of her work she's most proud of, and more.   What stuck with me from this conversation: On establishing a national beer day for the UK: "Beer is Britain's national drink and has been for thousands of years. We do beer really well in this country… We have this history and heritage, we have our amazing pubs, we have real ale, we have a vibrant brewing scene here, but we didn't have a national beer day… so I said, I'll start one!"   Links & things: Jane's business The School of Booze And some of her many accomplishments Her qualifications The Guinness World Record she set Beer Day Britain, which she founded Jane's books Non-fiction Novels   Recording info: December 2018 in London + March 2026 voice note   ––– Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email

    41 min
  2. Ep 10 – Erika Haigh: Sake educator, relationship builder, and marathon runner

    13 MAY

    Ep 10 – Erika Haigh: Sake educator, relationship builder, and marathon runner

    Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. Today's guest is Erika Haigh, founder of Mai Sake. Erika talks us through her career to date, including how her work in wine led her to discover her true passion for sake, and how she went from opening London's first dedicated sake bar to setting up a boutique fine sake merchant. A true sake educator, Erika tells us about her training, both within and outside of the classroom, helps us to bust some sake myths, and reflects on her role as a representative of Japanese culture more broadly. You'll also hear about her recent TV appearances, her love of travel, how she stays grounded outside of work, and more.   What stuck with me from this conversation: On running a small business: "Primarily, I do think it really revolves around human relationships. I think it's about cultivating and nurturing relationships I have. Whether… it's with those producers in Japan or it's with the beverage buyers or sommeliers in the restaurants I partner with or it's my team… I do think a lot of it is relationship building is really what I do." On helping people through hospitality: "I do think the world of food and beverage is about brightening people's day to day" On finding and following her passion: "I had a few things happen that led me to realise that you only live one life, why not make your passion into a job… I thought why not just make something I love into something I dedicate myself to day to day. So I started off in the world of wine, but quickly transitioned to sake when I really felt that I could make an impact with my background." On opening a sake bar: "You really could not find a place like a wine bar or a pub for a pint of beer that you could go to very casually to enjoy sake. Of course, there has been sake in the UK for a decade or two, but it was purely in Japanese restaurants or somewhere very premium perhaps. You know, there wasn't this casual offering that people could just rock up to and have a glass of sake, so that is truly what I wanted to open." On being a small business owner: "I think every single business owner – regardless of whether they're in hospitality or not – will tell you that every single day is filled with challenges, but it's truly about how you tackle those challenges and just knowing that everything you can figure out. Or at least having that confidence… that's what's key." On the importance of education: "I think it's just basic human nature that you don't really want to approach something that you don't really know much about. You don't want to seem foolish… And especially in the UK where there are so many other drinks available, why would you seek out sake. So with that, I think education comes first and foremost, [on] how delicious these drinks are and also how varied the world of sake is." On representing Japanese culture beyond sake: "It's always great for me to travel and its wonderful for me to be able to eat these things and go to this location, but it if stops with me, I feel like that would be quite a shame. So, yes, I do like to chat about the sake, but I always involve an element of something about the culture or the history, as well." On combining her love of running and travel: "I love travelling after booking a running race. It also keeps me very responsible, let's say, because the days leading up to the race, I can't drink as much. And then I get to overindulge after the race because, you know, we're celebrating. So it keeps me in check. But again, you see more of the city and you just have this sense of accomplishment… so it adds to the fun of travelling there, as well."   Links & things: What we're drinking: EIKUNholic sake Where Erika's worked: Co-founder of MotoLDN Founder of Mai Sake Where you can catch Erika on TV: Sunday Brunch Sake education options: WSET sake education SSI International Kikisake-shi certification Sake Sommelier Association Mai Sake 'Mai Traveller' newsletter: Sign up here! Podcast recc: Sake on Air Book recc: Hooked by Asako Yuzuki   Recording info: April 2026 in London   Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email

    50 min
  3. Ep 9, pt 2 – Becky Paskin: Drinks journalist, change maker, and heavy lifter

    6 MAY

    Ep 9, pt 2 – Becky Paskin: Drinks journalist, change maker, and heavy lifter

    Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. In this episode, we're continuing our conversation with Becky Paskin, drinks journalist and founder of the OurWhisky Foundation. If you haven't yet heard part 1 of this episode, do start there, then come on back here for more.  For those of you that are caught up, we pick up right where we left off – with the experience that led Becky to say "never again", including what happened 6 years ago and its impact since.  Becky then tells us more about her latest project, Drink This, along with her tasting events and TV work. And we have lots of fun with our last call round – quick questions, not so quick answers this time around! I also wanted to share a content warning that we do discuss a cancer scare and how Becky has since learned to put herself and her health first. As you can probably tell, we touch on a wide range of topics in this conversation and I'm incredibly grateful to Becky for being so open and honest throughout. What stuck with me from this conversation On the learnings from her experience calling out Jim Murray's sexist language: "…the amount of messages I received from women off the back of this one incident made me say to myself – maybe this is a promise and driving thing really – never again. I will never let a single woman experience the sort of things I've just experienced and I will never let the next generation of women coming into this industry experience the sort of things that these women are telling me they have." On priorities: "You can keep giving yourself to others to make them happy and you can keep putting yourself into work, thinking that those accomplishments are going to make you happy, but you have to prioritize yourself. Whatever that looks like for you as an individual. Put yourself first every single day… and the rest of the day can be for anybody else. But if you don't put yourself first, no one else is going to." On this conversation: "I just want to put it on the record that I think the questions that you've asked in this podcast… they've been the most insightful and interesting questions I've ever been asked in my career." Links & things On calling out Jim Murray's sexist language: Becky's post on Instagram, Sept 2020 Felipe's article in Forbes – Sexism In Whisky: Why You Shouldn't Read The Whisky Bible Becky's resulting power anthem – Taylor Swift, "Look What You Made Me Do" Becky's Brighton reccs: Vine Street Tap Patio Voya On Air And the story behind "Hove, actually" Where you can catch Becky on TV: ITV Love Your Weekend ITV This Morning Channel 5 Harvest on the Farm On the gym: Becky's pull up journey Nat's podcast recc on the benefits of strength training Becky's book reccs: Nonfiction before the gym: The Wine Bible by Karen McNeil (Luma recommended this book in Ep 6, too!) Fiction before bed: Sarah J Mass Throne of Glass & ACOTAR series Rebecca Yarros The Empyrean series Becky's travel bucket list: Tasmania (paging Discover Tasmania to get Becky over there!)   Recording info March 2026 at PLATF9RM in Brighton   Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email

    43 min
  4. Ep 9, pt 1 – Becky Paskin: Drinks journalist, change maker, and heavy lifter

    1 MAY

    Ep 9, pt 1 – Becky Paskin: Drinks journalist, change maker, and heavy lifter

    Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. Today's guest is Becky Paskin, drinks journalist and founder of The OurWhisky Foundation. We had so much to talk about, this episode will be coming at you in two parts! In this first half, Becky tells us how she got her start as a drinks writer, what it takes to make a living as one today, what an editor actually does, and why she believes they don't get nearly enough credit. We also dig into her distilling qualifications – why she pursued them and how they've informed her work. Lastly, we explore why she's such a passionate advocate for diversity within the drinks industry, along with the work she's doing to drive real change.   What stuck with me from this conversation On looking back: "We can always look back on what could have been, but so long as you're always following your heart and your interests and what makes you happy, I don't think you're ever going to regret your decisions." On being an editor: "…a lot of people think that's a really glamorous thing and that the best thing you could possibly be doing is writing, but I genuinely think editing is a much greater skill." On the advice she received after gaining her qualifications: "'Learn it, have it under your belt, but forget about it.' So I've tried my best over the years to just think simply, just break it down and create frameworks and systems within the way I speak about whisky to simplify it for audiences as much as possible, while still making everything true." On the importance of diversity: "I feel like no two people have the same palate and it's all based on experience, and that's why diversity in drinks is so important because people bring different experiences of different flavours to the table… I think we should be celebrating individuality a lot more than we actually do within the drinks industry." On the OurWhisky mentees: "I'm so proud of all of them. Somebody said, can you give me an idea of a success story from the Atonia Programme and I said, I can't give you just one. There are so many of them – 250 women have gone through our programme and they're all doing amazing things and I'm proud of each and every one of them."   Links & things What we're drinking: A 2015 sample bottle of Bruichladdich's A Final Act of Creation, a 23-year old aged whisky aged in a Château Latour Wine Cask Where Becky's worked: Big Hospitality, now Restaurant Spirits Business ScotchWhisky.com Her 'hats': Drinks journalist, presenter and consultant The OurWhisky Foundation Atonia Programme for mentorship The Modern Face of Whisky image library Do You Even Like Whisky? report Drink This Qualifications Becky holds: NCTJ Diploma in Journalism CIBD General Certificate in Distilling WSET Level 3 Award in Spirits People shout outs: Jim McEwan, who gifted Becky the whisky we're tasting Alan Whichester, who supported Becky during her GCD studies Dr. Nick Morgan, who gave Becky some advice after completing her GCD Dhavall Ghandi, who Becky mentions during our discussion about the importance of diversity in drinks, especially when it comes to tasting Lucy Cox, founder of The Academe who runs The Power Room for Becky's mentees Millie Milliken, who works with Becky on The OurWhisky Foundation More to follow soon from part 2…   Recording info March 2026 at PLATF9RM in Brighton   Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email

    39 min
  5. Ep 8 – Elizabeth Townsend: Brewery owner, teacher, and travel lover

    22 APR

    Ep 8 – Elizabeth Townsend: Brewery owner, teacher, and travel lover

    Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. Last week, you heard from Amélie, the founder of the Women in Beer mentorship programme. This week, you're going to hear from one of the mentees! Today's guest is Elizabeth Townsend, co-owner of Kerroo Brewing Company. Elizabeth shares how she went from studying music at university to opening a brewery with her partner, taking us through her portfolio career and how it gave her the confidence to do what she does today. We also discuss how her role in the business is evolving, how she stays grounded outside of work, the life changing network she's grateful to be part of, and more.     What stuck with me from this conversation: On portfolio careers: "I've had quite a portfolio career. Some might say I haven't stuck at things for very long. But I like to think of it as just doing different jobs, I pick up different skills – it's made it possible to do what I do now." On working with her partner: "We have complementary skills that work together and mean that I can do all the logistics and the sales and the PR and that kinda thing, and he brews the beer and absolutely nails that…. and I think running a business is something I'm good at. Can I say that?" On an early inspiration: "My parents would never talk me out of anything. They'd give me their opinion, and I might take it or I might not take it. But I appreciated that they also took risks and I saw that… I've never actually thought about that before. But ya, I think that's what it was." On learnings from her time at Decca Records: "I had to learn how to stay calm under pressure, make sure that I had an awareness of what was going on. You know that feeling when you get overwhelmed and you start to panic and you can't think straight. That was really good training of just being like, 'No, things will work out. Just think straight and you'll be fine.' And I think over the last couple of years I've gone, 'I literally don't know what do to here.' But it's having faith in yourself that you will figure something out." On the importance of passion: "Everything that I've done in my career so far has been something that I've wanted to do. And it's been interesting. And I think having an interest in what you do is really important." On the Women in Beer mentorship programme: "Having the Women in Beer network has been life changing for me in that it's given me the ability to see other people doing the things I'm doing."   Links & things: What we're drinking: Kerroo x Colbier Aranne Mountain IPA Elizabeth & Nick's brewery: Kerroo Brewing Company Where she worked before: Decca Records One of her best pieces of work there: Sheku Kanneh Mason in GQ Listen here Podcast recc: Pellicle podcast: Ep85 — How Thornbridge Saved The Burton Union (Nat's addition: Ep80 — Nick Scarffe and Elizabeth Townsend of Kerroo Brewing) TV reccs: Ozark Arrested Development Who she'd love to share a drink with: Jessie Buckley Hamnet Cabaret   Recording info: March 2026 at BeerX, Liverpool   Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email

    48 min
  6. Ep 7 – Amélie Tassin: Founder, coastal walker, and impatient in a good way

    15 APR

    Ep 7 – Amélie Tassin: Founder, coastal walker, and impatient in a good way

    Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. Today's guest is Amélie Tassin, founder of Tipple Marketing and Women in Beer. Amélie shares how her career in marketing began, what led her to focus on beer, and how the social group she started after moving to Scotland grew into a festival, a mentorship scheme, and an awards programme – you'll hear the whole story! We also discuss what drives her, what helps her to rest and reset outside of work, and plenty more along the way.   What stuck with me from this conversation: On her early inspiration: "When I was like 17/18, I was always going on the road with my dad to visit wineries and distilleries in the southwest. We were stopping in nice restaurants to have food. I had the Michelin guide on my knees in the car… And I thought it was absolutely amazing – the food, the details, the passion of the people." On the idea behind the Women in Beer Festival: "The idea was to bring a few breweries up to Edinburgh, invite them on panel discussions, let them talk about what they know. Not talk about the fact of being a woman, but talk about what they know about the beer industry and their skills in the industry. It was very much visibility. It was creating role models for the younger generation, as well. For them to imagine a career was possible in the beer industry." On what drives her: "If nobody's doing it, well, I'm gona do it because I don't want to wait." On what the mentorship programme funds, and why: "We also pay for the travel and accommodation of our mentees when we ask them to go to their WSET qualification, for example, or when we invite them to do a field trip to network with their peers. Because, again, if we only offer those chances to people that can afford it, we're not changing the system… We are paying for that because we need to have people coming from all backgrounds and it's very important." On why she loves working in drinks: "We're very lucky to work with something that is so emotional and so artistic – like drinks, and the making of a drink – and that provokes so much emotional reaction in people, as well. It's a fantastic industry."   Links & things: What we're drinking Dolcita IPA: The Moonwake & Mother Tongue IWBCD brew with Women in Beer UK & Glasladies Beer Society Amelie's beer-specific marketing agency: Tipple Marketing Amelie's social group, and more: Women in Beer UK The social group The festival The mentorship programme - see all mentors here The annual awards & all 2025 winners Drinks publication recommendation: Pellicle Book recc: The Witcher   Recording info: March 2026 at BeerX, Liverpool Oddly, the can opening and cheers sounds didn't get picked up by the mic this time, so that's why they're not there! (I think my mic is on its way out (after 8 years!), so I'm currently shopping for a new one to fix these issues. Thanks again for bearing with in the meantime!)   Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email

    38 min
  7. Ep 6 – Luma Monteiro: Wine communicator, pottery obsessed, and loves a challenge

    8 APR

    Ep 6 – Luma Monteiro: Wine communicator, pottery obsessed, and loves a challenge

    Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. Today's guest is Luma Monteiro aka @WineriaOfficial on Instagram and Head of Marketing at Davy's Wine Merchants. We start by discussing the many hats Luma wears, how she first got into wine, and how she got to where she is now – by building both her wine knowledge and her business expertise. Luma then tells us what motivates her, the message she hopes her journey shares with others, the new hobby she's obsessed with outside of work, and lots more. --- What stuck with me from this conversation: On her focus: "I'm very organised and I do think I have to be because I do so many things at the same time. And I'm very focused. I'm like, 'This is where we are going, don't divert from the plan. This is where we are going to go.'" On what motivates her: "You want to feel included. You want to feel represented. You know. I'm Brazilian, I'm Latina, I'm not white. You know what I mean. So, you do need these things to push you in places that normally it's not easy… I think that motivated me even more than the knowledge.  Because I'm like, what now? We have to change the game… and sometimes it has to be you. Who else is going to do it?" On her impact in the industry: "I do think the importance of being influential is what do you do with it, what is the message you are sending to people. For me, my motive forever will be 'everyone can do it'. It doesn't matter where you came from, it doesn't matter where you are. And that is what motivates me to move on and do my things and be focused." On why she loves working in drinks: "I do love a challenge, you know." --- Links & things: Luma's Instagram: @WineriaOfficial What we're drinking: Joseph Grau El Pas de l'Estudiant Luma's day job: Davy's of London Luma's studies: WSET Level 3 & Diploma in Wines Champagne Academy Master of Wine Gerard Basset Foundation Scholarships Brazil's only MW (currently!), Dirceu Vianna Junior MW Competitions Luma judges at: Decanter Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Where she switches off: Yoga Space London Book reccs: The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil Salt by Mark Kurlansky TV recc: Narcos Celeb to share a drink with: Beyonce with a glass of SirDavis (not Sir John as we say in the episode, oops!) --- Recording info: February 2026 in London Apologies for the few occasions where the audio quality dips a bit. I think it may have been an issue with my mic connection that I didn't catch at the time. This conversation is really worth a listen though, so please do bear with! --- Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email

    52 min
  8. Ep 5 – Nicola Hart: Founder, foodie, and fascinated with fermentation

    1 APR

    Ep 5 – Nicola Hart: Founder, foodie, and fascinated with fermentation

    Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. Today's guest is Nicola Hart, founder of Agua de Madre. Nicola starts by telling us all about Agua de Madre's signature product – water kefir – including what it is, where she first discovered it, and what led her to start making it herself. From there, we discuss how the business has evolved over the years, why Nicola traded a career in film-making for one in fermentation (and the unexpected parallels between the two), what keeps her grounded outside of work, and lots more. --- What stuck with me from this conversation: On functional drinks: "Everybody's understanding now, people are drinking less or rather they're just wanting to add value to their water. I mean, in the past, I would only ever drink water. I didn't 'get' fizzy drinks – until now." On film-making vs building a drinks brand: "All those skills you get – from organisation, making things happen, you've got a budget. In fact, I'd say that probably working in the drinks world is much tougher. Because in film production, you might have a 10-week production time when it's 24/7, but then you have the downtime before that when you're working with the script and raising the money, and then you have the downtime after when you're editing. Getting a drink to market is absolutely non-stop. It's intense." On learning new skills and building a team: "It's about age and experience and listening and knowing that you don't know everything. That kind of helps… But also trusting your gut, as well. Trust your gut is pretty much one of our lines. 'Get a good gut feeling' is what it's about. And more and more that comes back." On advice for other founders: "Just start. Just do the first step. Obviously, you learn on the way… Actually it's just starting and having passion, commitment, and knowing that it's going to be a long haul – it's not going to be a sprint – and to stick with it." On what keeps her in the drinks industry: "Well, its compelling, isn't it? It's compelling to see the business grow. Especially now it seems to be. I'm enjoying the adventure. I'm enjoying the ride and, boy, what a ride."   Links & things: Agua de Madre Product range We were tasting the blood orange water kefir Home Madre film competition (scroll down) Early inspiration & stockists Doug McMaster's Silo (now closed) Sam & Sam Clark's Moro Nicola's latest film project Firebrand (2023) Based on the book Firebrand by Elizabeth Fremantle Local restaurants getting some love Jolene (makers of my fave cinnamon roll in London!) Primeur Westerns Laundry The Fermenters Guild Madres on the dance floor with Sophie Ellis Bextor Nicola's podcast reccs: Hungry (getting its second shout out on the show!) People Doing Things with Ed Little BBC's The Food Programme – 'The Science of Fermentation' episode Nicola's book reccs: Tim Spector's Ferment Check out Tim & Nicola's Instagram Live here The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz Which Wine When by Claire Strickett & Bert Blaize Culpability by Bruce Holsinger   Recording info: January 2026 in London Apologies for the typing noises at certain points, Nicola's colleague Yasmin was diligently taking notes during our recording! --- Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email

    47 min
See All (69)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Cheering on women in drinks. Each week, I share a cheers and a chat with women who work in the drinks industry — to connect, celebrate, cheer us up and cheer us on.

Information

  • Creator
    Natalya Watson
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    69
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Cheers with Nat

You Might Also Like