Complicated Conversations is the podcast for small and medium business owners who are done pretending it's all straightforward.
Hosted by Jodie Horgan — founder, business coach, and the person behind The Complicated Coach and Complicated Co. — this is the honest conversation about what building a business actually looks like. The decisions that keep you up at night. The moments you nearly quit. The things nobody tells you at the start.
No fluff. No highlight reel. Just real conversations with real founders, and the occasional hard truth you probably needed to hear.
New episodes every [week/for
Starting a business together | Rachel and Kris from Empowr HR
What happens when you leave the corporate world and start a business together?
Rachel and Kris, directors of Empowr HR, join Jodie Horgan to talk about their first year: the clients who arrived sooner than expected, the work behind the scenes and the responsibilities they wish they'd defined earlier.
We get into how they make decisions, use their existing network, talk openly and plan the next stage of growth. There is also the small matter of a launch day delayed by a lost phone.
Complicated Conversations explores the real experience of building a business alongside life.
Subscribe for more conversations with people building and running businesses.
The Complicated Coach (https://www.thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk)
Complicated Co (https://www.complicatedco.co.uk)
2 Oct 2026
Brand — When the business is you: Lucy Nash, Do The Thing
Lucy Nash left PR, sold her half of an agency after her first baby, turned her house into a shoot location and a 60k Instagram account, and then — after six months of coaching and a year of Post-it notes on the bathroom mirror — launched Do The Thing: a club for women who want to stop saying "I've been meaning to do that."
This one sits under Brand: the kind where the business is you. We talk about the HMRC phone call that ended her admin years, giving yourself permission to invest in yourself, the five-year plan the AI loved, and the week someone commented "What the f*** is Do The Thing?" — and how she turned it into two sign-ups.
Takeaway: stop thinking about it. Start doing it.
Do The Thing (https://dothething.myflodesk.com)
Jodie: thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk (https://www.thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk) · Sponsored by Complicated Co. — complicatedco.co.uk (https://www.complicatedco.co.uk)
18 Sept 2026
Car Conversations: Ep 4: Growth — When Did You Last Review Your Pricing?
A loaf of bread goes up every year. Your prices should too. A short one from the car on why raising prices feels harder when it’s your own business, the small nudges that won’t lose you a customer, and why I still hate charging for advice.
Car Conversations — real thinking from the road, from business consultant Jodie Horgan.
🔗 Sunday Briefing (thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk/the-complicated-briefing)
🔗 Watch on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@ComplicatedCo/featured)
16 Sept 2026
Structure — The First Year on the High Street, with Caroline Creba
A year ago Caroline Creba spent her life savings opening a bespoke jewellery showroom on Knowle High Street — with gold at a record high and the economy in a state. This is what the first year actually looked like.
The Tuesday afternoons with nobody through the door. Closing Mondays. The £5,000 welder that brought people in and turned into £25,000 of sales. Hiring before she felt ready. Hitting a £25k-a-month target she’d filed under “years away.” And the line that should be on every founder’s wall: you don’t open a shop and suddenly have a business. You open a shop so your business has a home.
Caroline Creba (https://www.carolinecreba.com/?srsltid=AU7gw4WoVI64FVIoPIsx_HdiejHk9IAiefdByfaCNY5-1UJv4-mMoW6K): 25 years in jewellery, bespoke fine pieces made in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
Hosted by Jodie Horgan, business consultant for founders and leaders. Four pillars: Growth, People, Brand, Structure.
Sunday Briefing (https://www.thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk/the-complicated-briefing?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleAUPVitwZG9mAmZkaWQWUOLFlXwUKvUxoRgb0wNX6q4uVkq4WGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp8gcWFJeR8K3Vzg_rtrxx0sbR6jJFvv74awVDf1W_8yns6kolMcjdhXWSq5k_aem_fDEJBtBy7Mke1tVmNAiDtA)
Business Health Check ( jodie-xethrb1z.scoreapp.com)
thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk (https://www.thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk)
Sponsored by Complicated Co. — complicatedco.co.uk
11 Sept 2026
Car Conversations: Ep 3: Growth, Selling & Imposter Syndrome
This week's Car Conversations is about Growth, and specifically about the moment imposter syndrome shows up around money. Jodie talks honestly about always being rubbish at charging, why the instinct to just nurture and help people for free gets in the way of running a sustainable business, and the voice that says "as if someone's going to pay that to get my advice."
If you've ever undercharged, hesitated over a price, or given your best thinking away for free because it felt easier than asking to be paid for it, this one's for you.
Part of Complicated Conversations, honest conversations about the reality of business, leadership and life, hosted by Jodie Horgan of The Complicated Coach. Making the complicated simple, step by step.
Follow Complicated Conversations so you don't miss next week's Sunday Briefing theme.
9 Sept 2026
People — Imposter syndrome: getting away with it, with Aggy.
Aggy has been self-employed for exactly ten years, has good self-esteem, and still dreams about someone turning up to tell her she has to move out of her own house. That's the version of imposter syndrome we talk about here — not the LinkedIn one.
We get into the first time she named it, why it hits in one specific area rather than everywhere, the clients she talked herself out of approaching, and what she actually does now when a thought starts picking up speed.
The line to take away: don't let it go viral in your head.
This episode sits under People — one of the four things everything I do comes back to: Growth, People, Brand, Structure.
thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk · complicatedco.co.uk
5 Sept 2026
Car Conversations: E2 Stop selling, start educating
This week's car ramble is about sales — and why so many founders are brilliant at selling everyone else, and terrible at selling themselves.
We don't think twice about raving about a product or a bit of advice someone gave us. But when it comes to our own business, suddenly "I am great" feels excruciating to say out loud.
Here's what's worked for me: stop selling, start educating. Rather than telling someone what you do, tell them why it's good — the actual outcome for them. I use the boring example of insurance: nobody wants to hear about the premium, but explain the true cost — cheap cover now vs. a bigger bill later — and suddenly it's not a sales pitch, it's useful information.
And when it comes to selling yourself as a founder specifically: lead with passion, not credentials. Passion is catching — it turns into education without you even trying. No price talk, no competitor comparisons, just why people should buy from you.
Complicated Conversations: honest conversations about the reality of it all, from Jodie Horgan, founder of The Complicated Coach and Complicated Co.
4 Sept 2026
Car Conversations: E1: Why I'm doing these
I spend a lot of time on the road between client visits, so I'm starting to record these bite-sized episodes right from the car. No script, no overthinking, just me talking through whatever's on my mind that week: something I've learned, a business lesson, or a follow-up to my Sunday Briefing.
Here's the honest bit: I think there's too much gatekeeping in coaching. The "here's a teaser, now pay for the rest" model isn't how I want to do this. If I've got knowledge that can help you, I'll just share it — trust builds a business, not withholding.
The full-length Complicated Conversations episodes aren't going anywhere, but guest schedules are hard to coordinate, and one postponement throws the whole thing off. This is the in-between: shorter, more frequent, straight from me.
Let me know what you think — does this format work for you?
Complicated Conversations: honest conversations about the reality of it all, from Jodie Horgan, founder of The Complicated Coach and Complicated Co.
12 Jun 2026
We Got It Wrong. So We Started Again. | Relaunch Episode
We went quiet. Not because we gave up — because we needed to get it right.
Complicated Conversations is back with a new identity, a new focus, and a clear purpose: to be the business coaching podcast for small and medium business owners who are building something on their own.
In this relaunch episode, Jodie Horgan — founder, business coach, and the person behind The Complicated Coach — explains why the podcast stopped, what the recalibration looked like, and what's coming next.
This is for you if:
→ You're running your own business and doing most of it alone
→ You're Googling things you should probably be talking through
→ You've got a partner who's supportive but doesn't quite get it
→ You're in the messy middle and wondering if you're further behind than you should be
In this episode:
• Why we stopped and what we learned
• The mentor conversation that gave us clarity
• Who this podcast is for — and what it's not
• The guest lineup: an accountant, a mentor, a Selfridges founder, a bestselling author and more
• Why complicated isn't a problem to fix — it's a place to start
Hosted by Jodie Horgan | The Complicated Coach
Sponsored by Complicated Co. — organic cotton tees with honest messages.
New episodes weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss one.
Find Jodie: www.thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk
Instagram: @thecomplicatedcoach
Shop Complicated Co: www.complicatedco.co.uk
4 Apr 2026
Ep. 5 — One Year In: Passion, Frustration & the Acceptance Edit
It's been one year since Complicated Co. launched — and Jodie and Rachel are marking it with their most honest episode yet.
In this episode they cover:
• Rachel's one-month work anniversary and getting the printer working (finally)
• Why they hit 0% of their 10-tee sales target — and why that's actually okay
• One year of Complicated Co: the passion, the frustration, and the gap between engagement and revenue
• The Acceptance Edit: breaking down the three statements — Parasocial, Unfiltered, and That'll Do — and the real meaning behind each one
• AI in small business: what Manus is genuinely doing for them, and why you can't replace human voice and personality
• Mark's plate: tuna toasties, capers, and an afternoon neither of them wants to repeat
This is the messy middle of building something real. No filters. No fluff.
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LINKS
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Shop the Acceptance Edit: www.complicatedco.co.uk (www.complicatedco.co.uk )
Work with Jodie: www.thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk (www.thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk)
Instagram: @thecomplicatedco (https://www.instagram.com/thecomplicatedco/) | @thecomplicatedcoach (https://www.instagram.com/thecomplicatedcoach/)
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GET IN TOUCH
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DM us on Instagram or email jodiehorgan@thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk (jodiehorgan@thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk) with topic suggestions, questions, or if you'd like to come on the show.
24 Mar 2026
Ep-4 Month One: What Hiring My First Team Member Actually Did to Me
A month ago, Rachel walked through the door. This episode is Jodie flying solo — Rachel doesn't work Tuesdays — with an honest ten-minute reflection on what month one has actually looked like.
Not the polished version. The real one.
Jodie talks about why bringing Rachel in was a financial gamble, not a luxury. How having someone alongside you changes your focus, your motivation, and the weight you carry when you're building something from scratch. And the one challenge that's now the mission: closing the gap between people who love what you do and people who actually buy from you.
In this episode:
• Why Jodie made a financial decision to hire before the business could comfortably afford it
• How Rachel has become the powerhouse behind both Complicated Co. and The Complicated Coach
• The loneliness of building alone — and what changes when someone shares the drive
• "Visibility without a conversation is just noise" — what that means for the next 11 months
• The honest truth about watching vs. buying, and why that's now the mission
If you're building something on your own and wondering why you're busy but not moving forward — this one's for you.
Complicated Conversations is the podcast for people doing the complicated bits of life and business without the polish.
13 Mar 2026
Episode 3: We Used AI to Bet on the Horses (and Other Business Lessons)
Jodie and Rachel are back, properly fuelled by Mark's legendary full English, to talk about what it's actually like to use AI as a small business owner.
This week: what Manus AI actually is (and why they've been calling it "Anus" since episode one), how it helped them spot a 9-second website load speed problem they didn't know they had, and why Jodie used it to pick her horses at Cheltenham. She won 3 out of 7. They're counting that as a win.
Plus: the Knee Deep in Life effect — what happened when comedian Laura Belbin posted a Story about Complicated Co. (150 new followers and 3 sales in 18 hours).
Mark's Plate Ep. 3 gets an 8 out of 10 for a full English with its own bean pot. And a health and safety incident in the office involving wires, a fall, and Rachel laughing before she checked if Jodie was okay.
Complicated Conversations is the podcast where two best friends document the real, messy, funny middle of building two businesses.
No filters. Just tea, Mark's cooking, and the truth.New episodes weekly. Follow so you never miss one.
4 Mar 2026
Ep. 2— Meet Rach, Four Attempts & Why We're Doing This
Welcome to Complicated Conversations — the podcast that documents the real, unfiltered journey of building Complicated Co. from the middle.In Episode 1, Jodie introduces Rachel Kennedy — her new business partner, eight years in insurance, now all in. They cover the first week, the four attempts it took to record this, the rebrand from Gambol By Gob to The Complicated Coach, and what Complicated Co. is actually about.No scripts. No polish. Just two people figuring it out.Next episode: Our new secret weapon. (You'll have to listen to find out.)---Complicated Co. — clothing for complicated livesThe Complicated Coach — straight-talking business coachingFind us on Instagram: @thecomplicatedco | @thecomplicatedcoach
12 Feb 2026
The Reality Behind the Scenes
This episode is a real-time check-in from one of those days that looks productive on paper but feels chaotic underneath.
I am in my office, currently in complete disarray as I talk about the reality of building Complicated Co. behind the scenes.
There was a webinar first thing.
Two dogs in the office.
A teabag pulled from a plant pot mid-session.
A content shoot that ended with a dead rabbit discovery.
And then an evening with family that I didn’t feel like I had time for — which carried its own kind of pressure.
This episode isn’t about lessons or productivity hacks. It’s about what building something actually feels like when adult life keeps overlapping with ambition.
For the next twelve months, we’re documenting what it looks like to try and make this work, honestly, in real time.
Some days are calm.
Some days are chaos.
All of it counts.
2 Feb 2026
This Is the Middle, Not the End - An Introduction
A quiet introduction to why this podcast exists, the journey that led here, and the twelve months of building that lie ahead.
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