The Midlife Entrepreneur

Jo Glynn-Smith
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

The Midlife Entrepreneur is the podcast for women who are building businesses later in life. Hosted by Jo Glynn-Smith, career transitions expert, coach and entrepreneur, who works with founders every day, each week Jo sits down with a different business owner to unpack the real stories, turning points and hard-won lessons behind their ventures.  The show also features the 15 Minute Masterclass, where seasoned experts share practical advice designed to help entrepreneurs at every stage. Honest, inspiring and genuinely useful, this is the show that proves it is never too late to back yourself.  Top 15% of podcasts globally and charting on Apple's Entrepreneurship category. New episodes every Tuesday.

  1. 1d ago

    EP40: Antonia Philp, Paediatric Nurse & Co-Founder of Nursem, the award-winning skincare brand created on a hospital ward.

    This week Jo speaks with Antonia Philips, a pediatric nurse and co-founder of Nursem, an award-winning handcare brand created to solve the cracked, bleeding hands caused by constant handwashing with harsh antiseptics. Antonia shares how she and her husband Jonny spent seven years researching and testing products (including Manuka honey) while raising three children and continuing her nursing career, eventually moving to flexible bank shifts after burnout. They discuss finding support through the Newcastle Science City incubator, standing out in a saturated skincare market, listening to customers via a 2,000-person testing panel requiring 90% approval, and scaling a small team as they aim to enter grocery. Antonia explains the Nursem Promise, donating a month of free handcare per product sold, with 700,000 promises delivered and a million targeted by 2027, and reflects on working with her husband, managing energy, and planning for an investor exit without losing purpose.  00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:50 Balancing Nursing and Business 04:15 Staying Connected to Nursing 07:31 Handwashing Damage Explained 09:01 Searching for a Real Solution 11:46 Building the Formula and Testing 14:57 Packaging and Early Feedback 16:13 Funding and Incubator Support 17:07 Launch and Giving Back 18:38 Burnout and Energy Management 23:36 Sleep and Support 24:13 Running as Therapy 24:24 Standing Out in Skincare 25:58 Customer Led Product Expansion 27:40 Working With Your Spouse 31:36 Team Growth and Grocery Plans 33:38 Exit Pressure and Purpose 39:59 Three Two One Reflections 45:45 Final Thanks and Wrap Up https://www.nursem.co.uk/   Support the show Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025. Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX For bookings: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change. Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur Contact: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com www.joglynnsmith.com MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

  2. Jul 28

    15 Minute Masterclass: 3 Ways to Avoid Burnout with Rosie Nixon, Coach, Founder & Best Selling Author.

    This week Jo speaks with Rosie Nixon, coach, founder of Rosie’s Reinvention Retreats and author of The PRO Method, about three ways to avoid burnout before it derails you and your business. Rosie explains burnout as a workplace-based syndrome where demand outstrips recovery, often showing up as insomnia, irritability, anxiety, overwhelm, low motivation and reduced creativity. Her three tips follow the PRO framework: first, Pause—calm the nervous system through micro-pauses like getting outside, breathwork (count four in, hold two, release six), or exercise, and take longer time away if needed. Second, Reflect—get curious about what’s happening, name emotions, clarify what matters now, and identify unmet needs and values. Third, Organise—map small, values-aligned steps forward, including letting go of responsibilities, work or relationships that no longer serve you.   00:00 Welcome to Masterclass 00:34 What Burnout Looks Like 02:11 PRO Method Overview 02:31 Pause to Reset 07:19 Reflect with Curiosity 09:36 Organise Next Steps 12:21 Reinvention Mindset 14:33 Book and Farewell https://www.rosienixon.co.uk/ Follow on Instagram @rosiejnixon  Support the show Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025. Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX For bookings: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change. Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur Contact: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com www.joglynnsmith.com MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

  3. Jul 21

    EP39: Vivien Wong, Co-Founder of Little Moons, the brand that's turned a niche product into a global obsession.

    This week Jo sits down with Vivien Wong, co-founder of Little Moons, to discuss how the brand introduced mochi ice cream to the UK in 2010, grew from restaurants into FMCG, and scaled after going viral on TikTok during the pandemic with user-generated “Tesco adventure” videos that drove immediate purchase. Vivien shares the operational strain of a sudden “hockey stick” demand surge—COVID hiring constraints, machinery limits, and supply shortages—plus lessons on maintaining quality, retailer relationships, and culture while expanding into more supermarkets and selling in over 38 countries. She explains how her father’s cancer diagnosis prompted her to leave a city finance career, why she self-funded through five years of restaurant sales, and how she and her brother managed a sibling partnership. Vivien reflects on burnout, the impact of private equity bringing in a CEO, investments in coaching/therapy/training, and announces Mini Moons launching exclusively in Sainsbury’s.   00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:43 TikTok Viral Breakthrough 03:47 Scaling in a Pandemic 06:56 Pivotal Leap from Corporate 09:08 Building with a Sibling 12:21 Perfecting Mochi from Scratch 14:39 Landing Yo Sushi Deal 16:42 From Restaurants to Retail 19:51 Hiring and Letting Go 22:30 Burnout and Better Boundaries 25:07 Learning to Slow Down 25:26 Working On Business 25:42 Flavor Trend Hunting 26:36 Stepping Back With CEO 27:43 Trusting Leadership Team 28:47 Favorite Flavors Origins 29:47 Three Two One Segment 30:45 Coach Versus Therapy 32:54 Dog As Investment 35:06 Working Mum Lessons 37:44 Hiring Mistakes Regrets 38:48 Questions For Dad 40:03 Thanking Key Advisor 42:00 Networking And AI Tools 43:14 Mini Moons Launch 44:22 Closing And Farewell Support the show Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025. Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX For bookings: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change. Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur Contact: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com www.joglynnsmith.com MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

  4. Jul 14

    15 Minute Masterclass: 3 Ways to Attract more Clients using TikTok with Kate Waterfall Hill, Leadership Coach, Author & Creator of 'Linda the bad manager'.

    This week Jo sits down with Kate Waterfall Hill, a leadership coach, author, podcaster and creator of 'Linda the Bad Manager', to share three ways to attract more clients using TikTok. First, Kate advises making TikToks and shifting mindset by recognising that business owners and decision-makers are on the platform, then creating content that educates, entertains and engages without feeling high-handed. Second, she recommends finding a repeatable format that fits your brand, testing different styles, and sticking with what works rather than constantly switching when early posts get little engagement. Third, she stresses that consistency beats perfection: record and edit on your phone, repurpose across platforms, batch record, and keep showing up, noting that in her first year 97% of revenue came from TikTok and that visibility matters more than going viral. 00:00 Welcome to Masterclass 00:34 Tip One Mindset Shift 01:41 Facing TikTok Fears 03:35 Linda Origin Story 05:05 Building Linda Universe 06:18 Tip Two Find Format 07:11 What Is Linda 08:40 Sticking With It 10:03 Tip Three Consistency 10:23 Repurpose and Batch 11:25 Results and Revenue 14:38 Final Recap and Close Support the show Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025. Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX For bookings: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change. Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur Contact: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com www.joglynnsmith.com MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

  5. Jul 7

    EP38: Anna Richards, Founder and CEO of FrolicMe, the pioneering female-led ethical erotica platform created for women and couples.

    This week Jo sits down with Anna Richards, founder and CEO of FrolicMe, to discuss building a female-led ethical erotica platform in midlife and redefining how adult content can centre female pleasure, consent, and authentic connection. Anna shares how a lack of erotic content reflecting women’s desires led her to start a blog in 2013–14, then launch FrolicMe in 2015 with 20 self-produced films alongside stories and galleries, funded with limited resources and without investors. She explains how she learned production by finding mentors and industry contacts, kept teams small and collaborative, and built growth largely through SEO because advertising options were limited, reaching 1.6 million monthly visitors and breaking even around year three. Anna describes expanding into audio in 2019, banking a year of content post-COVID, navigating age verification requirements, and the challenges of social media bans.    00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 02:08 Why FrolicMe Began 04:50 Fear and Going Taboo 06:00 Testing the Idea With a Blog 07:23 What Women Want From Erotica 10:20 From Stories to Films 13:34 Breaking Into Production 18:00 First Shoots and Self Funding 22:23 Ethical Erotica and Consent 24:54 Growing With SEO 29:21 Competition and Cultural Pushback 30:50 Early Website Panic 32:04 Organic Growth Milestones 33:24 Breaking Even Without Investors 35:04 Production Costs Evolve 36:45 Location Shoots Aesthetic 37:46 COVID Audio Pivot 39:30 Fantasy Storytelling Details 41:38 Age Verification Challenges 46:13 Marketing and Social Media 48:15 Family Reactions and Normalizing 50:07 Founder 321 Takeaways 55:48 Final Thanks and Wrap   Visit at www.frolicme.com  Follow @frolicme_anna or @frolicme_offical   Support the show Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025. Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX For bookings: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change. Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur Contact: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com www.joglynnsmith.com MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

  6. Jun 23

    15 Minute Masterclass: 3 Ways for British Brands to Succeed in America with Thea Green MBE, Beauty Entrepreneur and Founder of Nails.INC

    This week Jo sits down with Thea Green MBE, founder of Nails INC. and Holler & Glow, to share three ways British brands can succeed in America. First, Thea says distribution is your best advert: focus on one key retail partner where you’ll get strong visibility, prove performance with clean data, and consider short-term exclusivity rather than spreading thinly across multiple retailers with poor shelf placement. Second, because it’s hard to outspend US corporates on advertising, she advises leaning into your USP and founder storytelling and using partnerships, collaborations, and retailer exclusives so bigger brands and retailers amplify your launch. Third, she recommends celebrating European heritage and quality—standards, ingredients, and manufacturing stories—to appeal to Americans’ perception of European-made products as premium and safer, while noting US retail buying cycles can be slower and require long lead times.   00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:39 Advice One Distribution First 02:37 Win One Retailer 04:34 Advice Two Outsmart Ad Budgets 05:39 Partnerships and Collaborations 06:53 Advice Three Sell Europe 09:35 US Market Watch Outs 11:56 Retail Timelines and Seasonality 13:51 Recap and Closing Support the show Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025. Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX For bookings: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change. Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur Contact: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com www.joglynnsmith.com MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

  7. Jun 16

    EP37: Lucy Macnamara, Founder of Aspiga, the award-winning sustainable fashion brand celebrating 20 years in business.

    Building Aspiga: Sustainable Fashion, Slow Growth, and ADHD in Entrepreneurship This week Jo speaks with Lucy Macnamara, founder of Aspiga, an award-winning sustainable fashion brand built on ethical production and positive impact. Lucy shares how she started with 250 hand-beaded sandals from Kenya sold through friends while working full time, then left her charity role after gaining early wholesale traction. She explains Aspiga’s steady, long-term growth through wholesale, online and pop-ups, later moving operations to London and building teams, and how retail stores began unexpectedly during lockdown through low-risk landlord offers, eventually expanding to around 10 shops. Lucy discusses the realities of managing staff, cashflow, supplier problems, and crises, her ADHD diagnosis in her 50s and how openness helped the team adapt, and her focus now on creating a sustainable business that can rely less on her while maintaining long-standing investments in artisans and community projects in Kenya.   00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:42 Slow Growth Mindset 02:49 First Product and Early Sales 03:32 Leaving Charity to Go Full Time 05:10 Wholesale Growth and Cash Flow 05:56 Early Money Struggles 06:46 Midlife Advantage and Self Belief 08:53 Hiring and Building a Team 11:33 Managing Staff Expectations 14:27 Going Above and Beyond 15:47 From Pop Ups to Stores 18:29 Retail Expansion Challenges 20:11 ADHD Energy and Routines 21:52 Sleep and Night Worries 23:34 Entrepreneurship Ups and Downs 24:25 ADHD and Crisis Mode 25:18 Late Diagnosis Realizations 26:34 School Struggles and Self Doubt 28:38 Leading Teams with ADHD 32:13 Future Plans and Ownership 34:12 Funding and Industry Know How 36:40 Three Two One Advice 37:01 Sustainability Roots in Kenya 41:15 Money Mistakes and AI Checks 44:40 Mentors and Asking for Help 46:26 Final Thanks and Wrap Up   Support the show Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025. Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX For bookings: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change. Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur Contact: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com www.joglynnsmith.com MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

  8. Jun 9

    15 Minute Masterclass: 3 Ways to Increase Engagement on Instagram with Milla Richardson, Instagram Expert and Founder of Pink Storm Social.

    15 Minute Masterclass: 3 Ways to Increase Engagement on Instagram with Milla Richardson This week Jo sits down with Milla Richardson, Instagram expert and founder of Pink Storm Social, to share three ways to increase engagement on Instagram, explaining that engagement now includes comments, saves, shares and DMs and directly impacts reach via the algorithm. First, Milla advises grabbing attention in the feed with strong visuals, curiosity-driving hooks/headlines, and faces or behind-the-scenes people content, noting Instagram is increasingly personality-driven. Second, she recommends starting more conversations by asking questions in captions, replying to Stories, using Story engagement stickers (polls, sliders, question boxes) with simple prompts, and using DMs to build relationships, even setting short daily engagement windows. Third, she encourages being more personable and relatable through storytelling, sharing experiences and business journeys without oversharing; Jo recaps and asks about planning, and Milla describes loosely rotating selling, connecting, relationship-building and useful content. 00:00 Welcome to Masterclass 00:39 Why Engagement Matters 01:58 Tip One Grab Attention 02:27 Hooks Visuals and Faces 05:51 Tip Two Start Conversations 07:27 Stories Stickers and DMs 09:30 Tip Three Be Personable 12:13 Storytelling Without Oversharing 12:55 Recap and Content Planning 15:19 Wrap Up and Subscribe   Follow Milla @pinkstormsocial Support the show Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025. Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX For bookings: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change. Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur Contact: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com www.joglynnsmith.com MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com

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About

The Midlife Entrepreneur is the podcast for women who are building businesses later in life. Hosted by Jo Glynn-Smith, career transitions expert, coach and entrepreneur, who works with founders every day, each week Jo sits down with a different business owner to unpack the real stories, turning points and hard-won lessons behind their ventures.  The show also features the 15 Minute Masterclass, where seasoned experts share practical advice designed to help entrepreneurs at every stage. Honest, inspiring and genuinely useful, this is the show that proves it is never too late to back yourself.  Top 15% of podcasts globally and charting on Apple's Entrepreneurship category. New episodes every Tuesday.

Information

  • Creator
    Jo Glynn-Smith
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    53
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Midlife Entrepreneur
  • Show Website
    The Midlife Entrepreneur

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