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The Small Business Sessions
The Small Business Sessions is a weekly podcast from the Powering Local Businesses programme, created by Enterprise Nation and EDF Small Business in collaboration with Square.
This series explores the practical steps small businesses can take to grow and thrive – from improving energy efficiency and embracing sustainability to creating a lasting impact in their local communities.
The Powering Local Businesses hub supports small businesses, wherever they're based and however they sell, to grow sustainably. Access grants, pop-up shop opportunities, energy-saving guidance, expert workshops and a supportive community.
Find out more at enterprisenation.com/poweringlocalbusinesses
The Small Business Sessions
Kirsty Hulse on confidence, burnout and building a speaking career | Founder Fails
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Welcome to the Small Business Sessions: Founder Fails podcast, brought to you by Enterprise Nation, in collaboration with Hiscox.
In this series, we're sitting down with bold business voices to talk candidly about their biggest fails, unexpected lessons and the power of getting back up.
Expect honest conversations, tales of resilience and real talk from founders who turned mistakes into movement.
In episode 1, we're joined by Kirsty Hulse, an international speaker, author and award-winning voice on confidence at work.
Kirsty shares how she built a global speaking career. She talks about walking away from a successful business, navigating burnout and what she's learned about confidence, failure and being human.
Topics discussed in the episode:
- How Kirsty built a successful marketing agency working with global brands from a young age
- Why she walked away from a profitable business and why closing a company can be braver than starting one
- The health scare and burnout that forced her to reassess success, ambition and pace
- How she built a second career as an international speaker focused on confidence at work
- Why she doesn't teach confidence, but self-acceptance
- The role of self-talk, self-compassion and accepting your flaws in becoming genuinely confident
- What stand-up comedy taught her about failure, resilience and recovering from mistakes
- Why failure still hurts (and that's OK), and how to keep going without numbing the emotion
- How to recognise your personal signs of burnout and work with your natural energy cycles
- The danger of "self-care as isolation" and why community and connection matter more
- Why work should feel playful, not heavy – and how joy fuels creativity and performance
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Head to https://www.hiscox.co.uk/business-insurance to learn more.
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