The Festoon 500 interviews

Dani Wallace
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Join the Festoon 500: https://highlevel.thebigfestoon.com/

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    Why Your Marketing Isn't Working (It's Not What You Think)

    Master community-based marketing by learning how to truly activate your audience. Stop treating your fans like a sausage factory.In this interview, Naomi Rose explains why modern marketing strategy relies on genuine human connection rather than outdated tactics. If you are struggling to build a loyal following, this conversation breaks down how to pivot from transactional messaging to meaningful interactions. We explore why your content often falls flat and how to fix your approach to ensure your message actually resonates with the people you want to reach.True audience engagement is about more than just numbers; it is about fostering an environment where your followers feel heard and valued. By prioritizing authentic connection over cold sales pitches, you can build a sustainable brand that stands the test of time. Learn why brand authenticity is the most powerful tool in your toolkit when trying to cut through the noise of a crowded digital landscape.Subscribe for weekly marketing strategy breakdowns, and comment below: what is one way you currently interact with your community?Catch this short podcast trailer for the upcoming Festoon 500 interview. Get a quick preview of our conversation with Naomi Rose.In this episode, we sit down with Naomi Rose to discuss her experiences and insights. We keep things focused on the stories and perspectives that define her work, ensuring you get the most value out of every minute of the full release.

  2. 5d ago

    Perimenopause Is Costing Women Their Businesses — Here's the Fix | Claire Bartlett

    In this Festoon 500 interview, host Dani Wallace sits down with Claire Bartlett — The Simplified CEO — to talk about a topic that's rarely discussed in business circles: perimenopause, and the very real impact it has on founders, leaders and their teams.Claire built and ran an accounting practice for over a decade before perimenopause forced her to rethink everything — and now she helps perimenopausal coaches, consultants and business owners simplify their businesses instead of burning out inside them. In this conversation, Claire and Dani get honest about brain fog, lost confidence, the "sandwich generation" squeeze, and why hustle culture was never designed with women's cyclical bodies in mind — plus what allies, employers and mixed-gender workplaces can do to genuinely support the 13 million women in the UK currently navigating perimenopause.Whether you're a founder feeling like you're "losing your edge," a leader with perimenopausal team members, or simply curious about a life stage that affects half the population, this episode offers permission, practical language, and a reminder that this can be an evolution — not an ending.In this episode:What "The Simplified CEO" approach actually meansWhy so many women close their businesses during perimenopause — and why that's preventableThe cognitive symptoms nobody talks about (brain fog, word loss, decision fatigue)Claire's own story: 10+ years running an accounting firm before perimenopause changed everythingHow to build policies and support structures for perimenopausal employees and foundersWhat allies in mixed-gender workplaces can do differentlyConnect with Claire Bartlett:Instagram: @theclairebartlett | TikTok: @simplifiedceopodcast | YouTube: @clairebartlettPodcast: The Simplified CEO PodcastFree resource: https://therealclairebartlett.com/webinar-registrationJoin the Festoon 500: highlevel.thebigfestoon.com/festoon500Short version (social bio / caption):13 million UK women are perimenopausal right now — and it's quietly reshaping how they run their businesses. Claire Bartlett (The Simplified CEO) joins the Festoon 500 to talk brain fog, boundaries and building a business that works with your body, not against it. 🎙️Chapters 0:00 — Trailer 0:44 — Welcome & Introducing Claire Bartlett 3:34 — Meet Claire: The Simplified CEO 4:34 — Why Perimenopause Is a Business Crisis (the stats)7:17 — Compassion, Care & the Sandwich Generation 10:04 — Claire's Story: From Burnout to Rebuilding 12:47 — The Cognitive Symptoms Nobody Talks About 15:10 — Finding Safety in Shared Experience 17:16 — The Phone Battery Analogy: Understanding Cognitive Load 18:48 — Retreating, Embarrassment & Funny Relatable Moments 21:29 — The Power of "No F***s Given" 22:44 — Advice for Allies & Employers 25:29 — Building Policies as You Scale 26:23 — Where to Find Claire 27:00 — Outro & Join the Festoon 500

  3. Aug 25

    Why Most Breathwork Retreats Get It Wrong | Charlotte Saunders

    Most breathwork retreats look like a sweaty guru with a gong and a room full of people crying into headphones — and it's exactly why so many people never try it. Charlotte Saunders runs Charlotte Saunders Breathwork and Fire, helping people process trauma physically instead of just talking about it, from guided breathwork that changes the acidic balance in your blood, to fire walks, glass walks and bending reinforced steel bars with nothing but your throat.In this Festoon 500 interview, Charlotte explains how trauma gets encoded at a cellular level (and why talk therapy alone doesn't shift it), walks through a real case study of curing motorway anxiety in two sessions, and shares the moment — after losing a close friend — that she decided to train as a fire walking instructor herself. She also gets honest about the risks of untrained practitioners running this kind of work, and why she caps her fire walk groups at 20 people.In this episode:What breathwork actually does to your nervous system · why 90% of us don't breathe optimally · the case for physical, ceremonial healing over “just talking about it” · what really happens on a fire walk · and how to know if a practitioner is safe to work with.About Charlotte SaundersCharlotte runs Charlotte Saunders Breathwork and Fire, working with people ready to move through trauma physically and reclaim their power through experiential, ceremonial work — fire walks, glass walks, bed of nails, board and flaming ball breaks.Website: https://www.lottiesaunders.comFree guide — Breathwork for Stress and Overwhelm: https://www.lottiesaunders.com/breathwork-for-stressInstagram: @charlottesaundersbreathandfireFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlotte.saunders.96LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-saunders-ceibc-cebhr-cefc-4a91b0152TikTok: @csaundersbreathandfireCharlotte's next Firewalk is in Surrey — and in July she's launching a “Breathe With Me” Telegram group for daily guided breathwork. Follow her channels above for dates.This interview is part of the Festoon 500 network, an extension of The Big Festoon, taking our conversations from the arena stage out into the real world. Festoon 500 members get a Big Festoon pass, a ticket to Ideas Fest (if you apply before September), and access to our quarterly Beyond the Arena meetups. Apply / find out more: HighLevel.BigFestoon.com/Festoon500 ⚠️ A note on safety: breathwork, fire walking and related somatic practices are regulated and need a properly trained practitioner. Please don't try fire walking, glass walking or breath practices like these unsupervised — they're safe in the controlled environments Charlotte and other trained practitioners run them in.#Breathwork #FireWalking #TraumaHealing #Festoon5000:00 Trailer0:59 Welcome & Festoon 500 Intro3:34 Meet Charlotte Saunders4:44 Breathwork & Fire: Healing Trauma at a Cellular Level6:11 “I'm Not Doing That Anymore” — Charlotte's Turning Point7:11 Please Don't Try This at Home (Important Caveat)7:25 Why You Need a Trained Practitioner9:00 Case Study: Curing Motorway Anxiety12:11 What Breathwork Retreat Marketing Gets Wrong13:15 The Real Danger of Untrained Breathwork15:31 Breathwork vs. Acupuncture vs. Big Pharma16:32 Why Ceremony Matters17:40 Inside a Fire Walk: Arrow Breaks & Bending Steel19:34 Reclaiming Your Voice & Power21:02 What People Feel: Joy, Tears & Disbelief22:08 Feeling Fear Safely23:24 Charlotte's Story: Grief & Learning to Walk on Fire25:06 Why Charlotte Keeps Her Groups Small26:39 The Physical Release That Surprises People27:29 Keepsakes: Proof You Did the Impossible28:22 “I'm More Than Capable of Doing That”28:55 Corporate Retreats & Building Trust Fast29:42 How to Work With Charlotte31:13 Free Resource & Final Thoughts31:35 Festoon 500 Outro

  4. Aug 18

    Why High Achievers Can't Stop Even When It's Killing Them | Chen Clarke

    Chen Clarke — founder of Dare to Thrive — helps entrepreneurs, executives and high performers who are overworking and overthinking finally regulate their nervous systems, find inner safety, and reconnect with their joy. In this Festoon 500 Interview, she and Dani go deep on high-functioningburnout: why your body treats success itself as a threat, why "just slow down" doesn't work, thesurvival strategies driving perfectionism and people-pleasing, and Chen's own story of decades ofburnout that came to a head with perimenopause. If you're a high performer who feels successfulbut exhausted, numb, or like you're one email away from falling apart — this conversation is for you.FREE: Take Chen's Blocks to Success Quiz — find out which survival strategy is running the show foryou: https://chenclarke.scoreapp.comConnect with Chen Clarke:● Website: https://www.chenclarke.com● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chenclarke/● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chen_clarke7/● Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chen.clarke.3Chapters0:00 Trailer: what's coming up0:51 Welcome to the Festoon 500 Interviews2:53 Meet Chen Clarke, founder of Dare to Thrive3:58 What high-functioning burnout really looks like6:25 Why your body treats success like a threat8:25 The undefended state: why vulnerability terrifies high performers10:15 “The whole house of cards will fall down if I stop”12:25 Chen's own burnout story: decades, perimenopause & hitting the wall14:21 Tens of thousands spent looking for the wrong fix15:55 Learning to receive love from yourself18:20 Am I a high performer? Meet your “bodyguard” (inner critic)20:28 Why nobody does anything remarkable if they feel remarkable22:56 The real magic of pausing (and why we're scared to)25:20 The Blocks to Success quiz, explained27:22 “The ladder is on the wrong wall” — losing touch with your own success28:31 Practical tips: be gentle, get grounded, rebuild the scaffolding32:10 Connect with Chen & take the free quizAbout the Festoon 500The Festoon 500 is a curated network of the UK's best founder-led businesses, built by Dani Wallaceas part of the Big Festoon — the UK's fastest growing business and personal development event.Want to join? https://highlevel.thebigfestoon.com/festoon500The Big Festoon is coming to the AO Arena — grab your ticket via the link at the end of this episode.Hashtags#Burnout #NervousSystemRegulation #HighPerformers #HighFunctioningBurnout #DareToThrive#Festoon500 #Perimenopause #Perfectionism #ExecutiveCoaching #MentalHealthContent noteThis episode discusses burnout, chronic stress and (briefly) childhood trauma. If anything here bringssomething up for you, please reach out to a trusted person or professional support.

  5. Aug 11

    The Certainty Factor: Why Buyers Choose You Over Competitors

    KEY LINKS→ Selling to Corporate Website - https://sellingtocorporate.com/→ The Big Festoon — https://www.thebigfestoon.co.uk/→ Join the Festoon 500 - https://highlevel.thebigfestoon.com/festoon500Connect with us→ Dani Wallace (The Queen Bee) on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thequeenbeedani/→ Jess Lorimer on LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jesslorimer→ Jess Lorimer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jess_lorimer/In this Festoon 500 interview, host Dani Wallace sits down with Jess Lorimer, founder of Selling to Corporate®, to unpack how AI search tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity are completely reshaping B2B lead generation for coaches, consultants, speakers and service providers.Jess has helped over 30,000 people sell their services into major brands across 20+ countries, and in this conversation she breaks down why "generative engine optimization" (GEO) is the biggest shift in corporate lead gen in five years, why decision makers buy on certainty and transformation rather than likability, and how her Expert Services Directory is helping qualified experts get found by corporate buyers who are typing prompts like "best leadership coach in Cambridge" straight into AI chatbots.If you run a service-based business and have ever thought corporate clients were out of reach, this episode will change how you think about your next revenue stream.Join the Festoon 500: Spaces are capped at 500 members. Join now for quarterly meetups, a ticket to The Big Festoon, and direct access to interviews just like this one with the best in British business. Head to thebigfestoon.co.uk to apply before spots run out.Loved this episode? Subscribe for more Festoon 500 interviews, drop a comment with your biggest takeaway, and let us know if you're ready to take your services into the corporate space.00:00 Welcome to the Festoon 500 Interviews00:45 What the Festoon 500 interviews are all about01:08 Introducing Jess Lorimer02:12 Jess's story & what Selling to Corporate does03:28 The beekeeping story (and the business metaphor)07:16 Why service-led businesses should sell to corporates08:28 Redefining what "corporate" actually means09:40 B2B vs B2C: two different revenue streams10:39 Average deal size: B2B vs B2C11:38 Why a corporate revenue stream is external cash injection12:37 How communication changes when you sell to companies13:50 Why decision makers buy on transformation, not likability15:04 Confidence, certainty and closing the deal16:43 Inside Jess's corporate sales training work17:20 Why data is the key to scaling your business18:25 Client story: a £600k deal closed live in training19:20 The big shift in B2B lead generation20:36 The three classic lead gen methods (active, content, referral)23:08 How AI search behaviour has changed everything24:10 "Passive visibility lead generation" explained25:15 Why now is the moment to act on GEO26:08 Why the loudest voice isn't always the best hire28:26 Introducing the Expert Services Directory29:23 Why Jess built the directory31:22 How it works: only 10 suppliers per category & location33:04 Real results: corporate leads sourced via ChatGPT36:21 How to apply to the Expert Services Directory37:37 Being genuinely "ready" before you grow your network40:15 What Jess is excited about next41:20 Closing thoughts & how to join the Festoon 500

  6. Aug 4

    The Finance Blind Spot Killing Purpose-Led Businesses | Festoon 500 Interviews | Andy Muckett

    In this debut episode of The Festoon 500 Interviews, host Dani Wallace sits down with Andy Muckett of AKM Advisory to tackle the financial blind spots that keep purpose-led founders stuck.Andy spent years at HMRC (then called Inland Revenue) and in traditional accountancy before realising most firms weren't actually serving their clients. He started his own practice to fix that — and learned the hard way that undervaluing your own services leads straight to burnout, no matter how many clients you have.If you've ever felt like your business owns you instead of the other way around, this one's for you.TIME STAMPS0:00 — The Big Festoon Intro1:22 — What is The Festoon 500? (Dani's intro — this is where the episode actually starts)3:22 — Introducing Andy Muckett4:24 — Who Andy helps & what AKM Advisory does7:09 — Andy's journey: from HMRC (Inland Revenue) to AKM Advisory8:40 — Undervaluing your services & the burnout trap9:54 — Cash flow forecasting: why you're avoiding it (and why you shouldn't)11:44 — The "job for a job" trap in self-employment13:10 — The Cash Flow Circle: a free starting point15:46 — Cash flow forecasting step by step18:55 — Data-driven decisions over "vibes and vision"21:34 — Growth vs. scale vs. exit — which one are you building toward?25:49 — One thing you can do right now to take control28:47 — Where to find AndyABOUT ANDY MUCKETTAndy Muckett helps purpose-led founders understand their finances, improve cash flow, and build personal wealth — without the jargon. He runs AKM Advisory and offers a free cash flow resource so business owners can start making smarter financial decisions regardless of where they're at.Website: akm-advisory.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andymuckettFree Resource: AKM Cash Flow Circle (free)Email: andy@akm-advisory.com🎙️ ABOUT THE FESTOON 500 INTERVIEWSThe Festoon 500 is a network of 500 business founders built on one value: "We all do well when we all do well." Hosted by Dani Wallace, this series profiles the founders inside the movement — their lessons, their mistakes, and what they're building.💬 Enjoyed this? Like, subscribe, and drop a comment — which part hit closest to home for you?#Festoon500 #BusinessFinance #CashFlow #PurposeLedFounders #Podcasting

  7. Aug 3

    The Festoon 500 Interviews Episode 1 Trailer

    Take a look at our first episode sneak peek with Andy Muckett from AKM Advisory.

Trailer

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Join the Festoon 500: https://highlevel.thebigfestoon.com/

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