Step into 'At Work With...', where we uncover the real, unfiltered stories behind successful careers. Join us as industry leaders share their breakthrough moments, spectacular failures, and unconventional paths to the top. No corporate jargon or polished PR answers – just honest conversations about what it really takes to build a remarkable career.
Whether you're climbing the corporate ladder, considering a career pivot, or building your own empire, join us as we decode success, one conversation at a time.
< New episodes drop every other Monday. Hosted by Ana Merchant >
What It Actually Takes to Build a Community From Nothing | Monique Hodgson
In this video, Monique Vega Hodgson shares how growing up surrounded by strong women in Panama, studying fashion in Milan, and working in diplomacy eventually led her to create Mumble Forum, a community supporting ambitious women through motherhood, career transitions, and entrepreneurship.She reflects on losing her sense of identity after becoming a mother, finding the right people to grow alongside, navigating grief after her father's death, and building Mumble Forum, MHOUSE Agency, and Elevate Summit around community, purpose, and women's wellbeing.Mentioned in the Episode🌐 Mumble Forum — https://www.mumbleforum.com/ 💼 MHOUSE Agency — https://www.mhouseagency.com/ 💼 Monique Vega Hodgson on LinkedIn — https://uk.linkedin.com/in/monique-hodgson-45274057/en 📖 The PRO Method: Three Simple Steps to Reinvent Your Life by Rosie Nixon — https://www.rosienixon.co.uk/ 🧠 Mark Sisson — https://www.marksdailyapple.com/ Music: "Palms Down" by Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue) License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/TIMESTAMPS00:05 👋 Meet Monique Vega Hodgson 00:55 👑 Growing Up Surrounded by Powerful Women 03:15 🎨 The Advice That Changed Her Career 04:55 💡 Why Business Became More Creative Than Fashion 06:46 🎖️ The Grandmother Who Broke Every Rule 08:35 💍 The Ring That Symbolized Independence 09:47 🌍 From Fashion in Milan to Diplomacy in London 13:22 👩👧 Motherhood and Losing Your Identity 14:35 💼 Why Becoming a Mother Can Make You Better at Work 15:38 🫥 When Every Conversation Becomes About the Baby 18:32 ⏸️ Why Taking a Career Break Isn't Falling Behind 20:01 🫂 The People Around You Shape What's Possible 21:30 📱 How Peanut Helped Her Find Her Tribe 25:11 ⚖️ Why Work-Life Balance Doesn't Exist 26:55 💔 Losing Her Father and Keeping His Memory Alive 30:43 🌊 The Grief No One Sees Behind Success 34:19 ✨ How a Personal Struggle Became Mumble Forum 35:26 🥂 From One Charity Event to a Bigger Mission 36:31 💻 Building a Community During Lockdown 38:06 🚀 From Mumble Forum to MHOUSE Agency 40:33 😰 The Moments She Almost Gave Up 42:06 🧠 Why Wellness Became the Next Big Opportunity 43:36 🌱 Creating the Wellness Event She Couldn't Find 46:58 🔎 Cutting Through the Wellness Hype 49:14 💃 Who Would She Be Without Her Businesses? 51:29 🌎 The Feeling of Belonging to Two Countries 52:54 ⚡ Quick-Fire: Motherhood, Culture and Career 59:00 👑 The Legacy of Never Compromising #AtWorkWith #MoniqueVegaHodgson #MumbleForum #MHOUSEAgency #ElevateSummit #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #Entrepreneurship #WorkingMums #Motherhood #CareerReinvention #WomenInLeadership #CommunityBuilding #WomensWellness #WorkLifeBalance
19 Oct 2026
The Woman Behind Anatomy of a Leader on Learning to Start Again | Maria Hvorostovsky
In this video, Maria Hvorostovsky shares how growing up around performers, building a career in executive search, losing both her mother and stepfather, and undergoing unexpected heart surgery at 42 repeatedly forced her to rethink ambition, strength, motherhood, and who she wanted to become. CONNECT WITH MARIA HVOROSTOVSKY🌐 Anatomy of a Leader — https://www.anatomyofaleader.com/ 💼 Maria on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ 📸 Maria on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/mariahvorostovsky/ TIMESTAMPS00:00 ❤️ Preparing to Die at 4200:44 👋 Meet Maria Hvorostovsky01:48 🎭 Growing Up Surrounded by Performers04:00 🌍 From Moscow to London08:00 🗽 Why London Finally Felt Like Freedom10:16 🎪 Running Away From the Family Business12:14 💼 How She Accidentally Became a Headhunter15:00 🚀 Taking the Leap and Starting Her Own Firm16:42 🎙️ How Anatomy of a Leader Was Born20:20 ❤️ The Moment She Knew Something Was Wrong21:32 🩺 “You're Probably Fine” Wasn't Good Enough25:16 ⚖️ Two Surgeons Gave Her Opposite Advice27:42 🔎 Headhunting the Surgeon Who Would Operate on Her30:40 😢 Preparing Her Family for the Worst32:48 🌳 Why Her Definition of Strength Completely Changed34:22 🪦 “My Old Self Died on That Operating Table”36:14 🛑 The Collapse That Finally Made Her Stop39:00 👩👧👦 How Heart Surgery Changed Her as a Mother42:00 🕊️ Losing Her Mum and Stepfather43:32 🌧️ When Grief Returned 10 Years Later46:52 💔 The Grief of Things Left Unresolved49:00 🌈 Why You Need the Painful Emotions Too52:00 🫀 Why Health Became Part of Her Leadership Mission55:42 🔥 Why She's More Ambitious Now Than Ever57:22 🚫 The Problem With Hustle Culture59:52 🧒 What She Wants Her Children to Remember01:01:20 ⚡ Quick-Fire Round Music: "Palms Down" by Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue)License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/#atworkwith #mariahvorostovsky #anatomyofaleader #leadership #heartsurgery #mitralvalveprolapse #womenshealth #grief #motherhood #executivesearch #headhunting #career #resilience #recovery #workingmums #femalefounder
5 Oct 2026
Dr. Eliza Filby on Money, Class and the Things We Inherit
In this video, Eliza Filby shares how growing up in a financially complicated, class-conscious South London family shaped her understanding of money, privilege, inheritance, and the hidden role the “Bank of Mum and Dad” plays in modern life. Mentioned in the Episode📖 Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad by Eliza Filby: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/219561103-inheritocracyConnect with Dr. Eliza FilbyWebsite - https://www.elizafilby.com/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dr_eliza_filbyYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.Eliza.Filby.Music: "Palms Down" by Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue)License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/TIMESTAMPS00:00 The Family Money We Don’t Talk About01:00 Growing Up “Rich” Without Feeling Rich03:00 Why British Class Is More Complicated Than It Looks06:00 How Her Dad Shaped Her Intellectual Life08:00 Growing Up in a House Where Everyone Argued10:00 A PhD and Cleaning Toilets to Pay the Bills12:00 Why We Romanticise Our Parents’ Struggle15:00 How Immigrant Families Think Differently About Money18:00 Who Actually Talks About Family Wealth?20:00 How Gender Changed the Inheritance Economy22:00 When the “Bank of Mum and Dad” Marries Another One24:00 What Losing Her Father Taught Her About Inheritance27:00 Birth, Death and Rebuilding Her Identity29:00 Why Money Suddenly Started to Matter31:00 Why She Removed the Data From Her Book33:00 Her Mum’s Brutally Honest Book Review35:00 Quick-Fire Round36:00 Academic or Entrepreneur?37:00 The Book She’s Writing Next #atworkwith #elizafilby #inheritocracy #bankofmumanddad #generationalwealth #inheritance #class #socialmobility #familymoney #wealthinequality #millennials #genz #womenandmoney #entrepreneurship #futureofwork
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Rich Hua
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