#NurtureYourZest #StudioSessions

About #NurtureYourZest #StudioSessions

Welcome to Nurture Your Zest - a podcast for the creative and the curious. Change your world through self-growth and self care. Hear the stories of people from all walks of life, be inspired, hear their struggles and tips for success and #NurtureYourZest.

Publisher

Ashleigh King - Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Sept 2019

Latest episode

30 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

86 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Jul 2026

   Why Being a Non-Linear Thinker Is Your Point of Difference | Anna Brand

   Join your host, Ashleigh King, as she welcomes Anna Brand — founder of B. with Anna Brand, brand strategist, podcaster, dog lover and self-confessed non-linear thinker — for a warm, funny and refreshingly honest conversation about branding, confidence, late-diagnosed ADHD, and the courage it takes to finally own who you are. From spending most of her life believing she was "the stupid one" to going back to university at 30 as a single mum, Anna shares how becoming a mother, starting a business, and stepping in front of a camera she found terrifying reshaped her sense of what she's capable of. Themes of this conversation: 🌵 Leading your brand, not just running your business Why so many founders have spent years "just running a business" without ever owning what they stand for. 🌵 "I'm obsessed with how branding changes you" Anna reflects on why branding isn't really about logos for her, but about the confidence and self-belief she never had — and how helping others find theirs became her purpose. 🌵 The turning point: becoming a mum How the birth of her son shifted everything, sparking a decision to go back to uni as a mature student, start a business, and stop hiding. 🌵 You don't have to be Elton John to lead Debunking the myth that leadership means being an extrovert, a "tech bro", or the perfect Instagram woman. 🌵 Imposter syndrome and cutting the "BS" Why speaking from lived experience and real client feedback quiets the self-doubt, and how honesty is the antidote to feeling like a fraud. 🌵 The "invisible phenomenon" Ashleigh and Anna unpack why so many women aged 40–60 feel invisible under the weight of caring responsibilities and mental load — and why their dreams deserve attention too. 🌵 Doing it scared, and doing it together Anna admits being on camera was the most terrifying thing she could imagine — and shares how surrounding herself with the right people helped her do it anyway, to prove to others that they can too. 🌵 Just start, and stop comparing On finding your own way to show up (notes or no notes, pen in hand or not), letting your style evolve, and why the only real advice for starting a podcast is to begin. 🌵 ADHD, labels and self-understanding An honest, nuanced exchange on late diagnosis — why Anna still doesn't see ADHD as a superpower, why Ashleigh is learning to shed labels, and how easy it is to over-identify with them. 🌵 Owning your difference Why shared "brand values" are really just shared experiences, why honesty always outperforms performance, and how thinking in a non-linear way became Anna's point of difference. Chapters 00:00 "I Spent Most of My Life Thinking I Was Stupid" 02:10 Meet Anna Brand: Helping Founders Lead, Not Just Run 02:58 Why Your Brand Evolves as You Do 05:14 Feeling Different: Anger, Loneliness and a Restless Mind 06:06 The Turning Point: Becoming a Mum 08:21 Ashleigh's "Ideal Guest" and the Heart of Nurture Your Zest 09:52 Back to Uni at 30 as a Single Mum 14:19 AI, Change and the Rise of Personal Brand 17:12 You Don't Have to Be Elton John to Lead 18:00 Imposter Syndrome and Cutting the "BS" 20:00 The "Invisible Phenomenon" for Women 40–60 22:35 Facing the Camera: Doing It Scared, Together 26:58 Finding Your Own Way to Show Up (and Just Starting) 31:56 ADHD, Labels and "The Stupid One" 35:27 Shared Values, Honesty and Owning Your Difference 40:28 One Word to Nurture Your Zest Links & Resources Visit Anna Brand’s Website: annabrandcreative.com (http://annabrandcreative.com/) Tune in to Anna's Podcast:  (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChb6FfRRnH5hzL18Dkb_F5w) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChb6FfRRnH5hzL18Dkb_F5w (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChb6FfRRnH5hzL18Dkb_F5w) Connect with Anna Brand on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/anna-brand (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/anna-brand) Connect with Your Host, Ashleigh King: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-elizabeth-king/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-elizabeth-king/) This podcast was filmed at Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio. 🦩 If you would like to record a podcast or have any questions about starting a podcast please write to: 💌 bookings@flamingoheights.co.uk www.flamingoheights.co.uk (http://www.flamingoheights.co.uk/)

2. 

   25 Jun 2026

   Why I Swapped the Red TEDx Circle for Green: Access Needs Aren't Preferences | Kim McDermottroe

   Join your host, Ashleigh King, as she welcomes Kim McDermottroe, an exceptionally talented Teesside-based creative director, costume and puppet designer, illustrator, and TEDx speaker, for a deeply moving exploration of the neurodivergent imagination. Carving out a thriving 23-year creative career from her home town of Billingham, Kim lives and breathes the tactile world of character design. In this beautifully raw conversation, Kim brings her studio creations directly into the hot seat, introducing us to stop-motion puppets born out of lockdown isolation. Themes of this conversation: 🌵 The Executive "Waiting Zone" Exploring that heavy state of mental paralysis where a single afternoon appointment can consume an entire day's productivity. 🌵 Carving a Creative Career in Teesside Why Kim proudly chose to stay a "smoggy" and invest her talents locally, contributing to Middlesbrough and Redcar parades, regional festivals, and the changing cultural narrative of the North East. 🌵 From Sketchbook to Stop-Motion Reality The artistic journey behind her studio characters, including "Lockie" (the anthropomorphic lockdown Easter hare with a permanent plague mask) and how an Arts Council DYCP grant transformed her creative practice. 🌵 Owning Your "A-Game" Moving past the car-side tears and post-meeting shame spirals of blurting out eccentric thoughts (like spotting imaginary penguins on roofs) to embrace them as the core source of your ideas. 🌵 Living with Pareidolia & Sensory Processing How Kim hyper-focuses on faces in ordinary objects like cactuses or bus railings, and why certain spoken English and French words physically feel too unbearable to pronounce. 🌵 A Late Diagnosis as a Cozy Blanket The profound relief of discovering her autism seven years ago, transitioning from feeling like her brain was actively trying to sabotage her to understanding it was always doing its best Chapters 00:00 Pre-Appointment Paralysis: Navigating the Executive "Waiting Zone" 03:58 Proud Smoggy: Carving a 23-Year Creative Career in Teesside 06:10 Subconscious Proclamations & Teaching Puppet Making in Primary School 08:36 The Unique Cake Analogy: Harnessing Your Unique Selling Point 09:57 Riverside Festivals & Rewriting the Narrative of Growing Up in Middlesbrough 13:08 Finding Inspiration in Guillermo del Toro, Jim Henson, and Character Design 16:54 Meet the Studio Puppets: The Anatomy of Lockie, Toadstool, and Piper 22:52 Paperwork Accountability: Securing an Arts Council England DYCP Grant 25:22 Why Stop-Motion Animation Needs 3D Tactile Familiarity 27:34 Swapping the Red Circle for Green: Access Needs are Not Preferences 31:00 The Reality of Meeting Anxiety: Processing "Penguins on the Roofs" 35:04 Support Systems for Autistic Meltdowns and decision Fatigue 45:36 Opening Doors for Neurodivergent Freelancers Without a Body of Work 47:58 Live Spoken Word Performance: "My Salvaged Skin" 50:29 One Word to Nurture Your Zest: Creativity Follow Kim McDermottroe on Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/greenerlavelle/ ⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/greenginger_design/) Visit Kim’s Website:⁠ https://greenerlavelle.co.uk/ ⁠ (https://greengingerdesign.co.uk/) Watch Kim’s Full TEDx Teesside Talk:⁠ https://youtu.be/4SoM0vbQ774?si=lWfzzFRgNxcm1BBu ⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@TEDx) Read "Simple Tips. Smart Ideas." by Erica Wolf-Murray: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Smart-Ideas-Erica-Wolfe-Murray/dp/1911195980 Connect with Your Host, Ashleigh King:⁠ Ashleigh King on LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-elizabeth-king/) This podcast was filmed at Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio. 🦩 If you would like to record a podcast or have any questions about starting a podcast please write to: 💌 bookings@flamingoheights.co.uk (mailto:bookings@flamingoheights.co.uk) www.flamingoheights.co.uk (http://www.flamingoheights.co.uk)

3. 

   28 May 2026

   Why Being 'Semi-Feral' is My Greatest Asset | Liza Knight, Mint Business Club

   Join your host, Ashleigh King, as she welcomes Liza Knight, founder of Mint Business Club, tea enthusiast, and "semi-feral entrepreneur", for a conversation that is as refreshing as a well-brewed cup of Lapsang Souchong. With 22 years of experience as a tea merchant and a deep expertise in business coaching, Liza brings a uniquely grounded perspective on what it really takes to run a sustainable business without losing your soul. From her personal journey with late-diagnosed autism and ADHD to the radical act of "dating yourself" and setting unapologetic boundaries, Liza shares why the most profitable thing you can be is yourself. Together, Ashleigh and Liza explore the "shame spiral," the power of hormones in business, and why sometimes, the most revolutionary thing you can do is be "inconvenient." Themes of this conversation: 🌵 The "Semi-Feral" Philosophy Why being fully yourself, without apology or sacrifice for others' comfort, is the key to both happiness and business success. 🌵 Beans, Spoons, and Sparkles Liza’s signature mixing-desk framework for checking in with your physical, mental, and emotional energy before tackling your to-do list. 🌵 Eradicating the "Shame Spiral" How curiosity and iteration can help business owners move past failure without getting stuck under a duvet. 🌵 Neurodivergence & The Menopause The reality of late diagnosis for women and why "resource management" becomes critical when the brain you showed up with is struggling to cope. 🌵 Clear is Kind The importance of boundaries, clear communication, and why saying "no" actually makes the people around you feel safer. 🌵 Authentic Branding vs. Over-Sharing Finding the "forks" - the tiny, relatable moments that connect you to your audience without having to trauma-dump or sacrifice your privacy. This episode is for anyone navigating: The challenges of late-diagnosed neurodivergence Burnout and the transition from startup to sustainability The complexities of running a business while managing perimenopause The desire to build a business that is truly aligned with their values Anyone ready to stop "masking" and start thriving Liza reminds us that you can only work with the brain you showed up with on the day, and that the ultimate mission is to "coalesce" all the threads of your life into one beautiful, cohesive weaving. Chapters 00:00 The Skill of Sustainable Business vs. The Startup Sprint 02:11 Introducing Mint Business Club and 22 Years of Tea 05:03 Tea as Self-Medication: L-Theanine, Focus, and Mood 10:24 Addressing "Misaligned Behaviors" and the Secondary Benefits of Scrolling 14:46 Selling What They Want, Giving What They Need: The Ethics of Coaching 17:15 The Vital Role of Supervision and Being Well-Resourced 20:22 Coaching from the Scar, Not the Wound 22:33 Personal Brand vs. Privacy: Finding Your "Fork" 28:13 Menopause, Neurodivergence, and the "Brain You Showed Up With" 31:57 Why "Feral" is a Boundary: Learn More and Do Better 39:20 Escaping the Shame Spiral Through Iteration 42:30 Beans, Spoons, and Sparkles: The Energy Mixing Desk 46:14 One Word to Nurture Your Zest: Coalesce Links & Resources Visit Mint Business Club:  (https://mintbusinessclub.co.uk/) mintbusinessclub.co.uk (http://mintbusinessclub.co.uk) Shop Tea Enthusiasts: (https://tea-enthusiasts.com/)tea-enthusiasts.com (http://tea-enthusiasts.com) Follow Liza on LinkedIn:  (https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/liza-knight-mint/) https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lizaknight (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lizaknight) Read "The Good Girl Deprogramming" by Michelle Minnikin https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Girl-Deprogramming-Unleash-Within-ebook/dp/B0CN41ND8M (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Girl-Deprogramming-Unleash-Within-ebook/dp/B0CN41ND8M) Connect with Your Host, Ashleigh King:  (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-elizabeth-king/) https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-elizabeth-king/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-elizabeth-king/) This podcast was filmed at Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio. 🦩 If you would like to record a podcast or have any questions about starting a podcast please write to: 💌 bookings@flamingoheights.co.uk (mailto:bookings@flamingoheights.co.uk) www.flamingoheights.co.uk

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

26,674

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 60 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

60

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

76