Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast

frances odera matthews
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Business
  • Updated Biweekly

The only business & lifestyle podcast for & by London’s Business Babes. We’re ungatekeeping your next move & life in the city for London's most inspiring entrepreneurs and creatives. In each episode, London’s Business Babes share unfiltered chats about everything from their inspiring careers and tech stacks to their favourite coworking spots and cafés in London. We celebrate diverse perspectives without gatekeeping: ✨ Real conversations with London female founders - wins, struggles & move-the-needle networking strategies ✨ Anti-burnout advice to elevate your work-life balance with vetted productivity tips & tech tools ✨ Curated guide to London's best places to eat, work & network Whether you're a woman navigating startup/business culture in London or seeking career inspiration, join us! coffeeandoysters.substack.com

  1. Aug 31

    What Startup Stories Can Learn from Ancient Myths + Building in London vs Italy | Emma Pegg | Cantadora

    Can ancient mythology really sell a climate tech startup? What does running a UK business from an Italian village look like? And how do you grow slower without losing clients? Emma Pegg, fractional product marketer and founder of Cantadora, the product storytelling studio for nature and the climate, joins host and Notion consultant Frances Odera Matthews with business tips on brand storytelling for founders, working remotely from Italy, and building a studio in climate and nature tech. Cantadora means keeper of stories, and Emma takes that literally, adamant that we can learn from mythology. Fore example, she retells how one of the earliest myths of Ishtar descending into heaven actually contains metaphors for AI. Then goes on to describe how she applies these principles in her client work. She recently swapped the hustle of the fast London hustle for slow Italian living. She unpacks how her new Italian neighbours saying she works too much, while her London culture says she isn’t working enough. This new perspective has put her on a crossroads: does she stay as a one-woman band or expand to a team? Equally, how does she grown her own storytelling practice for her slow living food blog Pasta Nipotina. Emma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmapeggmarketing/ Substack mailing list for guest recommendations in the Coffee & Oysters Guide, Spotify Playlist & Interactive Map: https://coffeeandoysters.substack.com/ 00:00 Intro 03:46 From Laid Off to Freelancing 09:25 Why She Bet On Climate & Nature Tech 12:56 The 4,000 Year Old Myth Behind Her Client Work 18:27 Accountants, Dividends & The Boring Bits 30:19 London vs Italy: Scaling The Feminine Way 36:42 6am Starts, Cycle Syncing & Beauty Heroes 43:40 AI Tools, Notion & Her London Spots 💬 Become a guest 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod --- Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe

    What Startup Stories Can Learn from Ancient Myths + Building in London vs Italy | Emma Pegg | Cantadora

  2. Aug 17

    6 London Founders Share 60+ Best Places to Eat & Network in the City

    In this throwback episode of Coffee & Oysters, we're revisiting the guides of the best places to eat, work and relax in London shared by six brilliant London Business Babes who've graced the show. Whether you're after your next date-night restaurant at a Michelin-starred Nigerian restaurant, a quiet corner to work from, or a networking group that actually feels like home, consider this your little black book for living life like a true London Business Babe. 00:00 Introduction 01:31 Lizzie Damilola Blackburn's guide to London - Nigerian fine dining, Milton Keynes gems & more 09:24 Caroline Marshall's guide to London - North London eats, member clubs & theatre 18:35 Jade Buffong's guide to London - Michelin-starred cravings, coworking spots & networking groups 25:00 Ettie Bailey-King's guide to London - Hackney Wick bakeries, cafés & an inclusive gym 33:24 Candace Salters' guide to London - Chelsea restaurants, hidden coworking spots & jazz nights 41:10 Vesta Afo's guide to London - East London eats, hotel lobby coworking & bucket-list experiences 50:28 Final Recap 💬 Become a guest 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack 🎓 The Big Notion Energy Academy 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod --- Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe

    6 London Founders Share 60+ Best Places to Eat & Network in the City

  3. Aug 3

    Her 200-Woman London Arts Collective, AI Ethics & Cancer at 26 | Miriam Fearon | Muses in the City

    How do you build a 200-woman collective from a single dinner table? Are AI and the arts actually in conflict? And what does a cancer diagnosis at 26 teach you about saying no? London founder Miriam Fearon, co-founder of Muses in the City, joins host and Notion consultant Frances Odera Matthews with business tips on AI transformation, protecting your energy in a demanding city job, and building a community that went from nine women around a dinner table to over 200. Miriam breaks down what an aggressive cancer diagnosis at 26 taught her about boundaries, why "no is a full and complete sentence," and how a childhood doll called Sahara set her up for a career spanning search, big tech, and philanthropy. She shares why AI transformation is a behaviour problem rather than a tech one, what UN research revealed about why women hesitate to adopt AI, and how Muses in the City is quietly unlocking the doors of London's arts and heritage spaces for women who've been shut out of them. Plus what she learned about representation when every leaflet she was handed showed someone who looked nothing like her. Plus why she'd BRICK her phone, East Asian SPF picks from Beauty of Joseon to Supergoop, and how to get opera for £20 at the ENO. Steal Miriam’s “stack” of recommendations (along with all guests) in the Coffee & Oysters Guide. Miriam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriamfearon 00:00 Intro 03:16 How her Childhood Doll and the IB made her a Multi-Hyphenate 06:52 What Cancer At 26 Taught Her About Boundaries 13:11 Why Representation In A Diagnosis Matters 18:00 Muses In The City: 9 Women To 200 26:51 Why Women Aren't Adopting AI 36:32 Hype Songs, Saying No & Personal Policies 43:18 Style, SPF, BRICK & London Spots 💬 Become a guest 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack 🎓 The Big Notion Energy Academy 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod --- Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe

    Her 200-Woman London Arts Collective, AI Ethics & Cancer at 26 | Miriam Fearon | Muses in the City

  4. Jul 20

    Your Dream Clients Are One AI Search Away | Gala Jackson-Coombs | Glint Marketing | Postpartum London Founder

    How do you start an agency four months postpartum? Can AI actually find your business? London founder Gala Jackson-Coombs, the woman behind Glint Marketing, joins host and Notion consultant Frances Odera Matthews with business tips on AI search visibility, building a B2B service business around a baby’s nap schedule, and why betting on herself felt safer than staying in an agency. Gala spent 13 years managing £1m+ budgets for Coca-Cola, Toyota and Accor before launching Glint at four months postpartum. She breaks down her Glint Visibility Architecture: Retrievability (can AI even find you), Extractability (can it actually use your content), Authority (does it have any reason to trust you). She explains why most professional service businesses are invisible to AI search without realising it. She talks first clients, tapping your existing network before you touch cold outreach, the mindset shift from people-pleaser to her own cheerleader, and replacing her full-time salary while keeping Fridays free for her daughter. Who this is for: consultants, agency owners and expert-led service founders who want clients arriving already convinced and any mum building a business around childcare. --- 00:00 Intro 02:42 From Philosophy Degree to 13 Years in Agencies 06:21 Why Leaving With a Baby Felt Less Risky 10:02 Her First Client and the Money-Making Activities Rule 14:51 The Glint Visibility Architecture Explained 21:07 Scary Investments, Communities and Coaching 26:10 Replacing the Salary and Doubling Client Leads 43:59 Tools, Style, Berenjak and Hyde Park --- Steal Gala’s “stack” of recommendations (along with all guests) in the Coffee & Oysters Guide: https://rebrand.ly/coguide London Marketing Event: https://events.glintmarketing.co.uk/ Gala on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/galajc/ Glint Marketing: https://www.glintmarketing.co.uk Glint Marketing on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glint.marketing/ --- 💬 Become a guest 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe

    Your Dream Clients Are One AI Search Away | Gala Jackson-Coombs | Glint Marketing | Postpartum London Founder

  5. Jul 6

    You Don't Need to Go Viral to Make Six Figures | Jess Bruno | Content, AI & Chronic Illness

    How do you build a six-figure business with under 5K Instagram followers? How do you grow a personal brand when you’re the face of your business? And how do you run it all sustainably while living with a chronic illness? London content strategist Jess Bruno, the woman behind Ne’Twerking and some of your favourite personal brands joins Coffee & Oysters with business tips on building a small but loyal community, turning followers into paying clients, and why you don’t need to go viral to grow. Jess breaks down how she went from leaving her corporate marketing job at 27 with 30p to her name to hitting six figures in 2024 on a three-posts-a-week content strategy she’s barely changed since. She shares her “Instagram is a CRM” mindset, why women in business with chronic illness should charge more, and her honest, slightly spicy take on AI in content (including the client who ran her work through Claude and asked for a refund). Plus hear more about her low/high-touch beauty routines, her trusty solo-founder tech stack (Dubsado, Kartra, Slack, Canva, Tide) and her favourite North London coworking spaces. --- 00:00 Intro 02:03 The Membership & Why Personal Branding Beats Niching 06:48 From Singing Degree to Accidental Marketer 10:20 The £25 Session That Started a Business 15:39 Building a Business Around Chronic Illness 19:02 Six Figures With Under 5K Followers 27:49 The Honest Truth About AI & Content 39:26 Hype Songs, Tools, Style & London Spots--- Steal Jess’s “stack” of recommendations (along with all guests) in the Coffee & Oysters Guide. Jess on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatjessbruno/ Ne’Twerking on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/netwerking_/ Jess on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thatjessbruno/ Jess’s website: https://www.jessicabruno.co.uk --- 💬 Become a guest 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe

    You Don't Need to Go Viral to Make Six Figures | Jess Bruno | Content, AI & Chronic Illness

  6. Jun 22

    How to Grow a Sea Moss Brand With No Paid Ads | Moss & Glow | Oyinka Yusuff & Jessica Richards

    Can sea moss really clear your skin? How do you turn a home remedy into a real wellness brand? London founders Oyinka Yusuff and Jessica Richards, the duo behind Moss & Glow sea moss gel, join Coffee & Oysters with business tips on building a health and wellness brand from scratch, growing through word of mouth, and scaling a side hustle as a two-woman team. Oyinka and Jessica break down how a casual sea moss recommendation at a hair show became a business, after it cleared the scalp psoriasis Oyinka had battled since she was 18. They get honest about scaling from Jessica's kitchen to Etsy to their own website, splitting roles between the visible founder and the behind-the-scenes one, filtering out unsolicited advice, and why giving yourself grace (and actual rest) is a genuine business strategy. Plus they share their founder survival guide including go-to hype songs, aloe vera and sea moss face masks, tech stack essentials and their favourite place to get dumplings and cowork in London. --- Steal Oyinka & Jessica’s “stack” of recommendations (along with all guests) in the Coffee & Oysters Guide. Moss & Glow on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mossandglow --- 00:00 Intro 04:06 The Sea Moss Recommendation That Started It All 12:40 From Kitchen to Etsy to Their Own Website 16:30 Giving Yourself Grace, Rest & Splitting Co-founder Roles 21:48 Why Word of Mouth Beats Paid Ads (& TikTok Shop Next) 26:04 The Future of Sea Moss 34:01 Style, Stripped-Back Beauty & Free Founder Tools 45:25 London Spots, Coworking & Dream Collabs --- 💬 Become a guest 📓 2026 Journal Template 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack 🎓 The Big Notion Energy Academy 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe

    How to Grow a Sea Moss Brand With No Paid Ads | Moss & Glow | Oyinka Yusuff & Jessica Richards

  7. Jun 8

    She left BlackRock to build an AI startup in London | Sofia Hamilton | Souk

    Why would you leave BlackRock as an investor to become a startup founder? What does it actually take to find co-founders at an accelerator? And which AI tools should every early-stage founder have permanently open on their desktop? London founder Sofia Hamilton, COO and co-founder of Souk — the world's first AI partner development manager — joins Coffee & Oysters with business tips on leaving a prestigious finance career to build, fundraising as a female founder, and turning B2B partnerships into a real growth channel. Sofia breaks down how she went from marketing to BlackRock active equities to building a VC-backed AI startup through the Antler accelerator. She shares advice on when to hire (spend the money sooner than you think), what investors actually care about at early stage, why product-led growth is her current obsession, and how being an ex-investor changes the way you pitch Plus explore why Uniqlo is her secret weapon for emergency meeting outfits, why Claude and Lovable have become non-negotiable in her tech stack, and her favourite Somali restaurant in Finsbury Park. Additionally, learn about Dealer's Daughters - the niche London poker nights for women in finance and startups. --- Steal Sofia’s “stack” of recommendations (along with all guests) in the Coffee & Oysters Guide. Sofia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-hamilton-sambrano/ Souk Website: www.joinsouk.com --- 00:00 Intro 03:03 What Souk Is & The B2B Partnerships 04:19 Leaving BlackRock & the Antler Story) 11:37 Hiring, Spending Money & VC-Backed Pace 13:43 Investor vs Founder - What Changes When You Switch Sides 22:25 Finding Customers Through Referrals & Partnerships 29:29 Top Tip for New Founders 43:25 Claude, Lovable & The Founder Tech Stack 55:31 London Gems: Best Somali Food & Hotel Lobbies for Coworking --- 💬 Become a guest 📓 2026 Journal Template 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack 🎓 The Big Notion Energy Academy 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe

    She left BlackRock to build an AI startup in London | Sofia Hamilton | Souk

  8. May 25

    Surviving Corporate London as a Gen Z Woman | Wesleigh-Jane | Sisters Protect

    How do you survive corporate as a Gen Z woman? How do you build a community while working a 9-to-5? And what are the best workwear brands for tall girls in London? London founder Wesleigh-Jane, the woman behind Sisters Protect, joins Coffee & Oysters with business tips on building a community for early-careers women in corporate, navigating office politics, and balancing a finance career with a thriving side hustle. Wesleigh-Jane breaks down how she turned her own workplace hurdles into a community-led business spanning strategy circles, a Corporate Survival Journal, and one-to-one consultancy. She shares advice on advocating for yourself in performance reviews, why intergenerational mentorship matters, and how she runs it all solo on evenings and weekends. Plus her go-to Soca gym anthems, beauty essentials from Fenty to Cécred, free tools like Google Sites and Canva, her favourite Notting Hill spots, best London hotels for coworking and London communities. --- Steal Wesleigh-Jane’s “stack” of recommendations (along with all guests) in the Coffee & Oysters Guide. Wesleigh-Jane on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/wesleigh-jane-p-757306185 --- 00:00 Intro 04:06 The Role of Sisters Protect 10:05 Why Corporate Wasn't Built For All of Us 21:06 Three Revenue Streams That Work 29:29 Advice For Starting Your Own Community 34:58 Outfits, Performance Reviews & Boundaries 43:25 Free Tools Every Solo Founder Needs 55:15 London Communities & Dream Collabs --- 💬 Become a guest 📓 2026 Journal Template 🪄 Partnerships & Questions: coffeeandoysters@gmail.com 💌 Never miss an episode: Sign up to Substack 🎓 The Big Notion Energy Academy 📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CoffeeandOysters 📸 Instagram: @coffeeandoysterspod 📱TikTok: @coffeeandoysterspod Get full access to Coffee & Oysters: The London Business Babe Podcast at coffeeandoysters.substack.com/subscribe

    Surviving Corporate London as a Gen Z Woman | Wesleigh-Jane | Sisters Protect
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The only business & lifestyle podcast for & by London’s Business Babes. We’re ungatekeeping your next move & life in the city for London's most inspiring entrepreneurs and creatives. In each episode, London’s Business Babes share unfiltered chats about everything from their inspiring careers and tech stacks to their favourite coworking spots and cafés in London. We celebrate diverse perspectives without gatekeeping: ✨ Real conversations with London female founders - wins, struggles & move-the-needle networking strategies ✨ Anti-burnout advice to elevate your work-life balance with vetted productivity tips & tech tools ✨ Curated guide to London's best places to eat, work & network Whether you're a woman navigating startup/business culture in London or seeking career inspiration, join us! coffeeandoysters.substack.com

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