Features and Podcasts

March 2022 - a lively chat with Victoria Brown about setting up shop - the stresses and joys that come along with this ride! I also share some ideas for creatives who want to work with stockists. I love talking about the nitty-gritty of small shop life, so this chat was a pleasure!

October 2021 - Artists Alice Sheridan and Louise Fletcher host this fabulous podcast for artists and creatives. Alice invited me to explore the blocks around selling online, and how artists can approach shopkeeper life. This podcast changed the makeup of my audience - I’ll be forever grateful!

October 2021 - In September 2017, I was a guest on Josephine’s podcast, and here I am four years later having another meaty chat with one of my favourite business mentors. Both of us Jo’s have shifted our businesses during that time, so this conversation felt very current and reflective. Josephine and I conducted some research: why do some creatives resist getting help in the early stages of their businesses? Tune in for more.

March 2020 - Artist and coach Kathryn Ho explores the notion of home, change, setting your own pace, and trusting one’s instinct in this podcast. After recording it, we had no idea that the Covid pandemic lockdown would kick in! Kathryn and I collaborate now and then, so look out for upcoming projects if you like this conversation.

January 2020 - My neighbour here in North Wales, the inimitable Kayte Ferris, coached me through some questions I faced as I transitioned Firain from shop to ….well, I wasn’t sure what to call the new business or how to describe myself! If you are interested in the reasons for me switching paths, you’ll enjoy this conversation.

September 2019 - Therese is an expert in small shops, online shops, and wholesaling. She is a dynamic supporter of creative people and it was a pleasure to talk to her. She interviewed me for the season 1 finale of her fantastic podcast, Let’s Talk Shop. We talked about my pop-up shop, how to build a good relationship with makers, my coaching service (which was embryonic in September 2019!), and how I encouraged all my customers to really consider a purchase before buying something.

September 2018 - Josephine is a productivity and planning expert and helps people develop their side-hustles into fulfilling businesses. She invited me to talk about selling online and the way wholesale can work for both the small independent shop and for the maker. I felt a little under-qualified to talk about this but Josephine was wonderfully kind and we had a good chat in this podcast.

Tanja Giovanelli is an extraordinary writer and mentor who curates Salty Nest, a place for women to explore mindful living, gratitude, and creativity.

I was kindly invited to contribute to a series of articles with the intriguing theme ‘The path of the heart’. I share my story and a recurring dream by way of explaining what drives me to create.

The questions challenged me - what do I create, really? Tanja helped me think about how I want to honour my need to ‘be creative’ and how to reconnect with my creativity by going back to my childhood.

Click below to explore.

March 2021 - A Balanced Life is Astrid Bracke’s blog series in which she interviews fellow business mentors, makers, creatives, and others who are intentionally seeking to live a more balanced life. Astrid’s questions required me to pause and think - am I living a balanced life? What does that even mean to me?

Here is an excerpt: “Around the time that we moved to North Wales, we had a series of family illnesses and deaths. I really felt like the wind was taken from my sails. But what also happened is that my compassion increased. And when you feel more compassionate towards other people you also start to extend it to yourself. Another thing that I realised around that time was that I’d never heal and work through those losses if I didn’t sit with the uncomfortable feelings. Part of being balanced, for me, is to let your body drop into some of these feelings, and not be on the go so much.”

November 2018 - 91 Magazine is one of the most vibrant and accessible independent magazines and I was so excited to be featured on the 91 magazine blog in the winter of 2018.

Writer Huma Qureshi interviewed me alongside Emily Mathieson, owner of Aerende, and Tabara N’Diaye, owner of La Basketry, which was in itself rather wonderful - these are two of my favourite shops owned by truly inspiring women.

Her’s a snippet: “Firain had been at the back of my mind for a long time, but since my husband and I were living overseas I didn't pursue it. When we came back to the UK, the idea of running a little online shop became more of a feasible income stream. I knew that I wanted to work from home and have a flexible schedule and I had hoped that the necessary skills would come along at the right time. I told myself that if it didn’t work, I could turn the experience into something to learn from. I love that I am slowly carving out a little niche for myself. “