The Soap Box Podcast

Peta O'Brien-Day
  • 0.0 (0)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The politics and marketing podcast for business owners with a social conscience. Talk about sticky issues, learn how to weave your values into your marketing, and hear from real-life business owners working it all out in real time.

  1. How small businesses change communities, with Tim Delaney

    FEB 5

    How small businesses change communities, with Tim Delaney

    There's a story that we tell ourselves about who gets to do good in the world. So, charities, nonprofits, the third sector, they're framed as the moral ones, so the people who care. But that means that business is often cast as something that you tolerate at best and mistrust at worst. It's necessary, like we've gotta make money and keep the world spinning, but it's a little bit suspect. They're always out for profit and not really caring about people. That's the idea. And look, I understand where the story comes from. I spent 15 years working in the voluntary sector. I've seen firsthand the good that charities can do, especially when people are in crisis, and they need support now, not in 10 years' time. In this episode, I'm talking to Tim Delaney, a business consultant, whose work history has spanned international development and small business ownership. We get into the idea that charity and business aren't opposites, and that treating them as such can actually limit long-term impact in communities, both close to you and far away. We talk about what happens when communities are seen just as recipients of help, rather than a place where people want to build livelihoods, about jobs, dignity, agency, and the kinds of impact that don't make headlines, but change lives all the same. Find Tim on threads Find Tim on Instagram Listen to Tim's podcast, Power of Biz, here:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-buying-for-financial-independence/id1823816760 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2kBagDg0jmHwOmPJggAnGH?si=tJbpjTI1SYmEXUAa6z52xQ  Looking for more? Follow Peta on Instagram Find Peta on LinkedIn Hire Peta to work on your copywriting and brand messaging

    45 min
  2. Why social media can’t be your community plan, with Sally Burns

    JAN 26

    Why social media can’t be your community plan, with Sally Burns

    If social media is pay-to-play, and your website is a slow burn, where are people meant to build genuine community now? That question sits right in the middle of this episode with Sally Burns, founder of The Portal, a platform trying to fix two things at once: the way online learning works, and the way creators find each other without shouting into the algorithm void. We get into interactive learning, course overwhelm, cross-pollination between creators, and why “community” isn’t a Facebook group with a few emojis and a weekly prompt. Find Sally on LinkedIn Explore The Portal Collective Follow The Portal on Instagram Looking for more? Follow Peta on Instagram Find Peta on LinkedIn Hire Peta to work on your copywriting and brand messaging

    46 min
  3. Why networking works better when you stop trying to get clients, with Emma Ahlert

    JAN 16

    Why networking works better when you stop trying to get clients, with Emma Ahlert

    Networking doesn’t have to feel like business speed dating.  In the latest episode of the Soapbox podcast, I’m chatting with Emma Ahlert, founder of Elsie – a networking space for people working in female and sexual health that actually feels good to be in.  We talk about:  • Making friends before making sales  • Why some rooms feel instantly wrong (AI + golf, anyone?)  • Online communities that don’t drain your soul  • And building something ethically, without fear-based messaging  If networking has ever made you want to fake a phone call and leave early, this episode might change how you think about it.  Find Emma  on LinkedIn here And on Instagram here Found out about Elsie here Looking for more? Follow Peta on Instagram Find Peta on LinkedIn Hire Peta to work on your copywriting and brand messaging

    42 min
  4. How to Stay Well While Growing a Business, with Laura Caddy

    JAN 5

    How to Stay Well While Growing a Business, with Laura Caddy

    Running your own business requires more than good ideas and solid strategy. It asks for energy, emotional regulation, focus, and the ability to make decisions when things feel uncertain. When those start to wobble, everything else gets heavier too - marketing, consistency, confidence. This episode explores health through a longevity lens. How strength, sleep, and taking care of your body support the kind of work entrepreneurs are doing every day, especially over the long term. I’m joined by Laura Caddy, an online fitness coach who works with professional women over 35, to talk about building routines that fit real life and support both mental and physical wellbeing. If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll get to this once things calm down, this conversation might land. Find Laura on Instagram Looking for more? Follow Peta on Instagram Find Peta on LinkedIn Hire Peta to work on your copywriting and brand messaging

    39 min
  5. How to build systems that match your ethics, with Jacki Hayes

    12/10/2025

    How to build systems that match your ethics, with Jacki Hayes

    Today on the Soap Box, I’m talking to Jacki Hayes, a systems geek for creative service businesses and someone who’s quietly building a very different kind of company. Jacki helps creative service providers stop duct-taping their systems together and build businesses that actually work, with more ease, clarity and flexibility. In our conversation, Jacki makes a simple, slightly spicy point, the kind I like. Running a business is political, not party political, but human political. The way we pay people, the policies we set, who we hire and how we hire them all send a message about the world we’re trying to build. Jacki shares the story of how a single job ad – one that offered a real living wage, proper time off and care-led policies that most founders are told are “impossible”, especially at the early stages – completely shifted what success looked like for her. And how that moment went on to shape the way she now helps others build their businesses in a totally different way. All that advice about maximising profit, reducing payroll and the whole “hire the cheapest VA you can find” vibe is the complete antithesis of the businesses Jacki helps people create. She lays out why that model doesn’t sit right with her and how you can build business systems that genuinely match your ethics. This is very much her real talk approach to values-aligned business, the kind she also explores on her podcast Here’s What I Learned. If you’ve ever wondered how to grow without losing your values, or how to let your values help you grow, this one is going to land. Jacki’s a joy, so I’d invite you to grab a notebook for this one and listen to Jacki get on her soapbox. Jacki's Links: Jacki's upcoming shop, "The Toolshed", a pay-what-you-choose shop filled with tools she's actually used to run her own business. In addition to being full of accessibly-priced tools you’ll actually use, 25% of what comes in (revenue not profit) is donated to organisations supporting Black reparations, Indigenous communities, LGBTQ+ rights, and reproductive justice. Jacki's website: www.jackihayes.co Looking for more? Follow Peta on Instagram Find Peta on LinkedIn Hire Peta to work on your copywriting and brand messaging

    36 min
  6. Why you don’t need big numbers to make big change, with Louis Watkins

    11/26/2025

    Why you don’t need big numbers to make big change, with Louis Watkins

    Today on The Soap Box, I’m talking to Louis Watkins, the founder of Clear for Men, a skincare brand designed to do more than clean your face — it’s a daily reminder to take five minutes for yourself. It sounds simple, but Louis is genuinely an inspiration (and I don’t say that lightly). Louis is on a mission to normalise mental health conversations among men. He’s a huge advocate for men’s mental health, and after personally struggling with his own challenges around 2020, he became determined to break the stigma that so often keeps men silent out of fear of being judged. His flagship product, the Take Five® Facial Cleanser, is intentionally designed to be that physical cue each morning — a simple pause to reflect and care for your mental and physical wellbeing. His story is incredible. His vision is powerful. His passion, enthusiasm, and empathy are all off the charts. And since launching Clear for Men, Louis has raised hundreds of pounds for mental health charities, sparked hundreds of meaningful conversations, and helped hundreds of men simply take five. In this episode, we talk about the journey he’s been on, the courage it takes to speak openly about men’s mental health, and the surprising ways a business can hold multiple purposes at once. Louis is a brilliant example of how you can measure impact in more than one way, how your KPIs can be human as well as financial, and how the path to building something meaningful is anything but linear. So sit back, get ready to be inspired whether you’re sipping your coffee or folding your laundry, and listen to Louis get on his soapbox. Louis' Links: Buy Take Five® Invigorating Facial Cleanser at clearformen.co.uk Carefully formulated to deeply boost hydration and support the skin's natural barrier, Louis' Take Five® cleanser also serves as a daily reminder for men to "Take Five" for themselves. 15% of profits are donated to CALM and Mind. Instagram: @weareclear_ / @louiswxtkins Tiktok: @weareclear_ / @louiswxtkins LinkedIn: Clear For Men / Louis Watkins Looking for more? Follow Peta on Instagram Find Peta on LinkedIn Hire Peta to work on your copywriting and brand messaging

    41 min

  7. 11/05/2025

    I am a disappointing social activist

    Thoughts on where I'm falling short, why that's ok, and what to do instead.  Looking for more? Follow Peta on Instagram Find Peta on LinkedIn Hire Peta to work on your copywriting and brand messaging

    14 min
  8. Why you can’t outsource your values, with Crystal Whiteaker

    10/20/2025

    Why you can’t outsource your values, with Crystal Whiteaker

    Today's guest is Crystal Whiteaker, founder of Crystal Lily Creative, an inclusive leadership and brand development consultancy. Crystal is also the author of Brave Leadership is a Choice: An Inclusive Guide to Creating Belonging, and she works with mission-driven founders over meaningful stretches of time – starting with who you are as a leader, then aligning your messaging and your backend systems so the experience you promise is the one people actually get. With 20 years of experience across creative and process-driven industries, Crystal brings a unique blend of strategy, empathy, and creativity to her work. She helps leaders make aligned, human-focused decisions and build environments rooted in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. In our conversation, we dig into values as more than very snazzy wall art (you know the type I mean). Crystal frames them as a working compass that helps you choose, especially when the choice is hard. She shares her Aligned Values Framework®, the way she helps her clients anchor their decisions in what they stand for before they go hunting for bias and gaps in their operations. We also talk about the difference between supporting diversity and practising inclusion, and the different ways inclusion shows up day to day. And because none of this is tidy, Crystal offers simple ways for leaders to build tolerance for discomfort, so the work continues even when the climate makes it tempting to step back. If you care about leading with your values, both in what you say and how you run things, this one will feel like a deep breath and a nudge forward. So, as always, grab your notebook and a cup of coffee, and listen to Crystal get on her soapbox. Crystal's Links: Brave Leadership Roundtable: A community gathering for socially conscious leaders to discuss values-aligned leadership and how we show up in consideration of ourselves, our communities, the people we serve, our messaging, and how we talk about the things that matter to us and our work. Email Crystal at YouBelong@crystallily.co Website: Crystal Lily Creative Looking for more? Follow Peta on Instagram Find Peta on LinkedIn Hire Peta to work on your copywriting and brand messaging

    35 min
See All (63)

Trailer

About

The politics and marketing podcast for business owners with a social conscience. Talk about sticky issues, learn how to weave your values into your marketing, and hear from real-life business owners working it all out in real time.

Information

  • Creator
    Peta O'Brien-Day
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Soap Box Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Soap Box Podcast