From being raised by an alcoholic mother to fighting off a sex pest and coming out as gay at the age of 30, Sam White has faced more challenges than most.
She is the award-winning CEO of female-focused motor insurance business Stella Insurance, which has offices in Manchester and Australia, and is the latest guest on The Naked Founder Podcast.
No-nonsense White brings a new meaning to the phrase 'straight talking' and has appeared on BBC Morning Live, Wake Up To Money and Sky News.
In this episode of The Naked Founder, White also discusses:
• Living with an alcoholic mother
• Launching her first business at the age of 24, only for it to go into administration
• Dealing with crippling panic attacks
• Kneeing a sex pest in the ‘balls’
• Turning Stella Insurance into a multi-million-pound business
• Her dream of creating a fund for female founders
This episode of The Naked Founder is a product of BusinessCloud. It is sponsored by Financielle, the home of money for women, and produced by Dan Brown of Renowned.
Chapters:
00:00 – What Nobody Told Her at 24
01:48 – Raised by No One: The Dysfunctional Childhood That Made Her Strong
03:28 – Why the Best Entrepreneurs Usually Have the Hardest Upbringings
04:22 – From Sister's Conservatory to Beverly Hills: The Rise and Fall of Action 365
06:27 – The Exit Plan Question She Used to Think Was Stupid
06:54 – Four or Five Panic Attacks a Day
09:49 – Coming Out at 30
11:44 – When She First Realised She Was Attracted to Women - and Why She Wasn't Shocked
13:33 – The CEO Who Asked "What Lights You Up?" - and Accidentally Started Stella
15:31 – How Big Is Stella Now?
16:52 – The Speaking Coach, the Keynotes & Getting Out of Her Own Way
19:10 – LinkedIn, Media Appearances & Why She Built Her Profile on Purpose
20:53 – "Your Friends Will Never Tell You the Truth"
23:31 – Size 24 to Six Stone Lighter: The Weight Loss Nobody Made Her Do
24:03 – Her Mum, Alcohol & the Nervous Relationship She Had With Drinking for Years
26:52 – Two Kids and a Clearer Head: Why She Finally Quit for Good in 2022
27:05 – The Investor Who Booked a Joining Hotel Room and Got Kneed in the Balls
29:26 – Misogyny in Business: Still There, Just Harder to Call Out
30:00 – The Hardest Part of Being a Founder: Feeling Like the Only Adult in the Room
31:32 – Exit in Two to Three Years, a Fund for Female Founders & a Bit More Balance
35:17 – Letter to Her Younger Self: Start With the End in Mind
