Her Handmade Hustle Unplugged: A Start Up Business Podcast for Creative Women and Entrepreneurs – Details, episodes & analysis

Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I always wanted to…” but never actually followed through? Whether it was starting a creative business, writing that book, or picking up an old passion, life often gets in the way—especially for women who spend years putting everyone else before themselves.

In this empowering episode of Her Handmade Hustle: Unplugged, we’re dusting off those forgotten dreams and proving that it’s never too late to start again. If you’re a female entrepreneur, business owner, or creative woman wondering if you can still chase your passion, this episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

- Why women often put their dreams on hold—and how to change that- The science of neuroplasticity (aka, why your brain is built for reinvention at any age)- How your forgotten dreams can fuel your business and creativity today- Actionable steps to revive your passion and make time for yourself—without guilt

Why You Should Listen:

This episode isn’t just about nostalgia—it’s about taking action. If you’re feeling stuck in your business, struggling with creative burnout, or just wondering what’s next for you, this is your sign to start again.

Who This Episode Is For:

✔️ Female entrepreneurs over 40 who want to reconnect with their creativity✔️ Women who have spent years prioritising family and work but are ready to focus on themselves✔️ Anyone who dreams of starting (or restarting) a creative business but feels like it’s too late

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or Substack and take the first step toward reclaiming your forgotten dreams.

🔗 Links & Resources:

Her Handmade Hustle – Get more support and inspiration for your creative business

Follow me on Substack and Instagram – let’s connect and continue the conversation!

Loved this episode? Leave a review and share it with a fellow creative woman who needs this reminder!

It’s podcast day! And today we’re getting honest about whether or not your creative business is bringing in enough income.

I know mine hasn’t over the last year. It’s been bloody awful trying to stay afloat after being shut for 6 months following my breast surgery. And it’s happening all over again in 2 weeks time when they whip my ovaries out. (I know, ffs...)

So I thought it would be useful to talk about ways you can diversify your income as a creative entrepreneur to give you some back up when the s**t hits the fan. With the current financial climate and the unpredictability of life in general, relying on just one stream of revenue feels risky.

The good news is that you already have skills that can bring in extra money without completely burning yourself out.

I’m giving you some practical ways that you can monetise your creativity and sharing my own experience of some things I’ve been exploring to provide a safety net when sale are slow.

This isn’t about get-rich-quick schemes—it’s about real, achievable ways to make more money doing what you love. And by working smarter, not harder.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

* Why multiple income streams matter now more than ever - and how to get over the feeling of being a failure

* My experience with Amazon KDP and Substack

* Other side hustle ideas that actually align with your creative skills

* Whether you should give any of these a go (and how to start)

Bonus Episode: If you're curious about Amazon KDP specifically, I’ve recorded a separate bonus episode where I’m talking all about setting yourself up on this platform to self publish. It’s for beginners (like me!) who want to learn what’s it’s all about, exactly how you do it and whether it’s worth trying. This will be available to paid subscribers on Friday 7th February.

I hope you enjoy today’s episode and please do let me know in the comments if you’re thinking of trying any of these things I talk about!

Joanne

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In this episode, Joanne is talking to Jo Grace, The Curly Hairdresser from Derbyshire who is speaking all about the role of your personality when it comes to business success.

Jo shares how to keep clients coming back, time and time again, by just being your authentic self and without ever having to rely on social media for advertising. 

Jo and Joanne discuss the importance of human connection as a business owner, something that they both feel more and more people are craving when choosing who to spend their money with. They also share experiences of balancing being self employed with being a full time mum to neurodiverse children and the challenges it can bring.

They share experiences of how you cope with anxiety in self employment and showing up with your personality in full swing on those days when you simply just don’t feel like it. 

This episode is light hearted, down to earth and full of advice for all women who are faced with the many challenges of running a small business, whether you are just starting out or you’re up and running and struggling to navigate it all.

Joanne offers down to earth, 1:1 small business support for creative women so if you need any help at all, please do visit the website or email herhandmadehustle@gmail.com

Sign up for a free dose of monthly business support with the Her Handmade Hustle Newsletter, full of tips and advice for small businesses all about how to sell online. Subscribe HERE

In this episode, we’re diving deep into the unique ways the creative brain functions and the common challenges it brings. If you’re a creative entrepreneur, you might find yourself facing issues like procrastination, difficulty focusing on one task at a time, struggling to stay organised, or finding it nearly impossible to switch off from work. Joanne discusses why these hurdles are so common in creative minds and how traits like imagination, emotional depth and sensitivity to your environment can impact productivity. She also looks at the role of neurodiversity in entrepreneurs and how particular traits can both help and hinder our ability to run our own businesses.

Joanne also shares practical tips and strategies to help you manage these challenges. From prioritisation techniques and time-blocking methods to setting boundaries and embracing progress over perfection, this episode is packed with actionable advice designed to help you thrive in your business. 

Tune in to learn how to work with your creative brain rather than against it, and discover ways to stay focused, organised, and balanced as you grow your creative business.

For affordable and friendly help for your creative business, visit the Her Handmade Hustle website to see the ways in which Joanne can help you.

In this episode, Joanne talks to Jo Warwick, a psychotherapist, author, energy healer and fellow podcaster, diving deep into the struggles of perfectionism and self-doubt that so many creative entrepreneurs face. Jo shares invaluable insights on managing our energy, overcoming creative blocks and shifting away from self-critical thinking patterns that hold us back. 

We explore practical strategies for building confidence and staying productive so that we can really feel empowered and capable as female entrepreneurs running a business. 

This episode provides a professional’s insight into why we often feel the need to be ‘perfect’ and how we can conquer this fear of failure which can hold us back from progressing and taking the next step in our business, 

Tune in for a heartfelt conversation filled with guidance and encouragement for your journey as a creative entrepreneur.

Visit Jo’s website to find out more about her work 

Listen to Jo's podcast ‘Rich, Sexy and Free'

Follow Jo on Instagram and Youtube - @richsexyandfree

Don’t forget, if you’re a creative entrepreneur looking for friendly, affordable and down to earth small business support, visit the Her Handmade Hustle website and see how Joanne can help you.

Joanne is joined by Dr Tonya Lawson - a multi-passionate entrepreneur and SEO expert from Nashville, Tennessee, who is here to talk about how to get your creative business seen online.  

In this interview, Joanne and Tonya discuss all the things a creative small business owner can do to increase their website on search engines such as Google and drive it up in the rankings. We’re talking about the use of keywords and how to write effective product descriptions for your handmade items as well as the importance of the images you use on your website. Tonya also explains how to optimise your social media posts to make sure they are getting in front of the right people and the SEO benefits of having a blog for your business. 

Tonya breaks down a topic that can be quite intimidating for small business owners and explains SEO in a simple way for beginners, with some easy to implement actions that will make a massive difference to your online visibility. 

This episode is full of practical tips and advice for beginners on how to get your business found on Google and is a must-listen for all small creative business owners wanting to learn about SEO.

Details of how you can contact Tonya are below:

Website: https://tonyalawson.com/

5 Days to Ranking Challenge (free!)

https://adept-builder-7677.ck.page/27809ab47e

Membership: https://tonyalawson.com/creative-seo/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.tonyalawson/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtdgbnSwTRmwdUXm90aGbIQ

If you’re in need of some help finding the best keywords to use for your product or service, you can check out Joanne’s friendly 1:1 Keyword Research session for small creative business owners.

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This episode is jam packed full of advice for the creative small business owner wanting to prepare for the Christmas period. Joanne shares her experience of how to maximise your chances of making sales at the busiest time of year and the importance of preparation. 

She talks honestly about ways to cope and manage workload if you find yourself too busy but also what to do if you aren’t making any sales and how to manage your expectations during the Christmas season. 

Joanne discusses strategies for boosting your Christmas sales, including adapting your existing products to create a new festive range and also gives advice on where you can sell your handmade items, who to sell them to and how to do it successfully without looking desperate.

She uses examples from her own stationery business, Vintage Twee, to illustrate how she ensures her products stand out above the rest and the importance of going the extra mile for your customers to ensure they return, bringing you guaranteed income year after year.

This episode is full of practical advice and solutions to help creative small business owners make the most of the biggest time of year for selling their items. 

To sign up for the free Her Handmade Hustle monthly newsletter, click HERE

If you’re feeling stuck and need some help with your creative business, visit the Her Handmade Hustle website HERE to find out the different ways Joanne can support you.

In this episode, Joanne chats with the fabulous Coral Turner, a talented fashion designer who turned her lifelong love of sewing into a thriving couture business to help women feel good about their bodies. Coral shares her inspiring journey from growing up in Manchester to moving to London to chase her dream of becoming a fashion designer at the age of just 19 years old.

Joanne and Coral discuss the realities of starting your own business, something that all entrepreneurs should prepare for as the whole experience can be very different to what we expect. They talk about navigating the challenges and triumphs of building a business and the importance of valuing yourself and respecting your work when it comes to pricing. 

They also chat about the revival of handmade and that old fashioned skills, such as sewing, are making a comeback which is great news for small, craft based businesses.  

This episode is lighthearted, inspiring and motivational so if you are an entrepreneur, or even an aspiring one thinking of taking the leap to work for yourself, tune in to listen for some brilliant advice. It will be sure to leave you with a spring in your step and a smile on your face!

Follow Coral Tuner Couture on Instagram or connect on LinkedIn

Visit Coral’s website HERE

And don’t forget! You can get help for your small creative business from Joanne herself! Visit the website HERE to view all of her services - from one off support sessions to help via Whatsapp - there’s a level of support for everyone.

In this episode, Joanne meets Chantal Shears, a busy mum of 4 running 2 businesses - The Clothes Horse, a social enterprise helping families access clothes for their children who may be struggling, whilst also promoting the sustainable aspect of recycling of second hand clothes. And Grounded Parenting where Chantel helps fellow busy mums prioritise self care so they can raise emotionally grounded children.

Joanne and Chantel discuss the importance of self care as working mums and how taking time for yourself can actually result in more productivity and a better relationship with your children. Chantal explains different techniques we can use to help our children regulate their emotions so they become emotionally grounded adults, as well as explaining the benefits to our family and work when we learn to prioritise ourselves.

This episode is insightful and a must listen for all working women faced with the task of juggling motherhood alongside running a business.

Find out more about Chantel's social enterprise, The Clothes Horse, HERE

Downloaded some free resources from Grounded Parenting:

https://grounded-parenting.com/busy-mums-guide-gift

https://grounded-parenting.com/powerofplayguide

And don't forget! Visit Joanne's website HERE for her full list of services especially for creative women with small businesses.

In this motivational episode, Joanne explores how the definition of success evolves with age and how life’s experiences shift our perspective on what it means to us.

She talks about how, for creative entrepreneurs, success often comes in the form of small wins rather than grand achievements—but these small milestones are just as valuable and are the key to long-term growth and fulfillment.

Joanne discusses what success might look like for small business owners and gives her advice on what do on those days you feel like it's never going to happen for you.

This heart warming and inspiring episode is for all women who may need some help to reframe their perspective of what success looks like as an entrepreneur.

Check out Joanne's WhatsApp Support Service HERE for fast, friendly and affordable business support service for women with small creative businesses

Visit the Her Handmade Hustle website HERE for more services to support you and your business