Nikki Cochrane, co-founder of Digital Mums; an innovative startup providing social media training for mums. Nikki and fellow Digital Mums co-founder, Kathryn Tyler, are passionate about proving that flexible working can produce amazing results. They are the driving force behind the #WorkThatWorks campaign, which calls on businesses everywhere to show their support for flexible working. We're big fans of their mission to help mothers create stimulating, flexible careers that fit around family life.

Lady Bakewell-Park, aka Becky Sebright-King. Baker extraordinaire, Instagram entrepreneur and founder of Lady Bakewell-Park fine British baked goods. Since launching her business Becky and her biscuits have taken Instagram by storm and her business has gone from strength to strength - she's even visited 10 Downing Street! Read on to find out more about growing a business from a passion, surviving the first year as a small business, using social media as a tool to connect with clients and much more!

Today on the Mother Hub we're chatting to Erica Davies, creative extraordinaire and founder of fashion and lifestyle blog, The Edited. Erica started her career as a fashion assistant but quickly worked her way up to editor. In fact, when she was offered the role of Fashion Editor for The Sun newspaper at the tender age of twenty-four, she was, at the time, the youngest person to have held that position on Fleet Street. After spending fifteen years working on national newspapers and fashion magazines, today Erica works works full-time on The Edited, her own award-nominated fashion and lifestyle blog. Her inimitable style and fresh approach to fashion has gained her a loyal following, including everyone here at The Mother Hub! And, as is clear from the amazing interior design and style of her new home in Essex, it turns out her creative talents are not limited to fashion. Suffice to say that a rug by La Redoute that she featured on her blog last year gained such popularity that it now has its own Instagram account and has been nicknamed, 'The Erica Rug'! To find out more about Erica's amazing career journey, how fashion journalism has changed and what it feels like to set up on your own, then this interview is a must read!

If some people are born with entrepreneurship in their DNA, then Amelia Rope, founder of luxury chocolate brand Amelia Rope chocolates, is surely one of them. Amelia grew up near Maldon in Essex (she still uses Maldon sea salt in her chocolate), and took on a series of PA roles in her twenties, but she always knew she wanted to be working for herself. After two appearances on Masterchef, and a 5-day chocolate course by French luxury chocolate makers Valrhona, she set up Amelia Rope Chocolates in 2007... and the rest, as they say, is history!  You can now find Amelia's luxury chocolates in retailers across the globe, from Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason in London to Aya Cocoa in Kuwait.

Today on The Mother Hub Meets, we are chatting to Natalie Reynolds; founder of the award-winning luxury baby and childrenswear brand, Fred & Noah (based in Essex). Following a successful career as a lecturer in fashion design, Natalie began working on Fred & Noah full-time in 2015. The brand specialises in natural and organic fabrics, and their signature prints (think playful, bold and beautiful) are instantly recognisable. With a strong focus on comfort and durability, Fred & Noah has garnered a loyal following. The first baby leggings Natalie ever made were for NCT friends; now, fans of Fred & Noah include Fearne Cotton and Giovanna Fletcher! Natalie and her husband Dan have big plans for the business, and looking at what they've achieved in just three years, we have no doubt they'll go from strength to strength.

In our interview with Natalie, we found out more about her inspiring career journey and how Fred & Noah came about...

Today on the Mother Hub Meets we are thrilled to be chatting to international best-selling author and proud Essex girl, Amanda Prowse. We always hoped this series of interviews would provide women with a pool of inspiration to reach their full potential and follow their dreams. And hearing Amanda talk about her own journey, it's impossible not to come away feeling that if you want something badly enough, the world really is your oyster!

Since quitting her day job as a management consultant to finish her first book, Poppy Day, six years ago, Amanda's career as an author has gone from strength to strength. She has recently published her sixteenth novel, The Food of Love, and her books have been translated into a dozen languages and regularly top bestseller charts all over the world.  Amanda has been dubbed 'The Queen of Domestic Drama' and writes about ordinary women and their families who find their strength, courage and love tested in ways they never imagined...

Having grown up in a family of creatives, Sarah Smart's childhood love of drawing lead to a degree in illustration, and she now boasts a seriously enviable client list, which includes brands such as Hobbs, Bobbi Brown, Carven, Harvey Nichols and Vogue (to name a few!). We first connected with Sarah virtually through our #IAmAnEssexGirl campaign, but we finally met over a cuppa last week and chatted all things, career, life, stereotypes and sleep deprivation... And this woman is honestly as fabulous as her drawings!

In our Mother Hub Meets interview with Sarah, we asked her to tell us more about her story and what it takes to be a successful independent creative. Read on to find out more about the woman behind the illustrations.

We met the lovely Kika Mitchell very early on in our Mother Hub journey (week two, in fact!), over a coffee in our local Starbucks.  We'd spotted Kika's gorgeous photography on Facebook, and we couldn't wait to meet the lady behind the pictures. Over a couple of cappuccinos and a nice long chinwag, we discovered that not only is Kika an incredibly talented photographer, she also has a hugely inspiring career story to tell. Now her own boss and busy mum of two gorgeous little ones, Kika previously worked in television - most recently on ITV's This Morning - before taking the decision earlier this year to focus on her own business. She's captured special moments for countless families and has recently worked with the brilliant Essex Mama, photographing her new clothing line. And if you haven't already seen Kika's incredible pics of our Launch Event, then you need to take a look!  We asked Kika to tell us more about her journey and what she's learnt along the way...

Today we are chatting to Fiona Burrage, co-founder and creative director at Nor-Folk; a design led apparel, homeware and lifestyle brand which has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2015. Originally from Essex, Fiona feels as passionately as we do about finally ditching the negative 'Essex girl' stereotype. She and her team have taken Nor-Folk to over 70 stockists across the globe, collaborated with brands such as made.com and tokyobike, and still have plenty of aspirations for the future. Fiona Burrage is making waves in her field and we couldn't wait to find out more about her journey...

When it comes to keeping the fire in your belly in the face of adversity and performing well under pressure there is no doubt that professional athletes have it down to a fine art.  When we were given the opportunity to interview Rio Olympic Gold medalist and World Sailor of the Year 2016, Saskia Clark, we jumped at the chance.  We were amazed at how many of the challenges faced by athletes in competition and training are relatable to those we encounter in business or in the quest of long-term goals. If you (like us) could benefit from some advice on how to flourish under pressure and are curious to know what it feels like to stand on a podium having won Olympic gold then this is a must read! 

We feel very honoured to have connected with some truly inspiring women through The Mother Hub and our #IAmAnEssexGirl campaign... and Jo Wheatley is no exception! Winner of the Great British Bake Off 2011, Jo has gone on to publish two best-selling cookery books and now runs her own successful cookery school at her home near Harlow in Essex. In our interview, Jo tells us about how her passion for baking turned into a thriving business, and shares the lessons she learnt along the way...

We first met Emma Odell, the brilliant co-owner of Acanteen in Chelmsford, when we were researching venues for our Mother Hub events. She is one of those truly impressive people, who oozes creativity, passion and drive. Emma kindly took some time to tell us more about how she made the journey from fine art to successfully running her own business empire!

Giovanna Fletcher is a best selling author, presenter, blogger/vlogger, columnist, mum of two and proud Essex girl. Between launching her new book, Happy Mum, Happy Baby, and her multitude of other commitments, she is one busy lady... we're so grateful that she made the time to answer a few of our questions here at The Mother Hub.

Emily Norris is a vlogger, marketeer and busy mum. We caught up with her at home Brentwood just two weeks after the birth of her third son, Jackson (what a cutie!) As a busy mother of three, Emily, has come a long way in the last two years. Her Youtube channel has grown to over fourteen thousand subscribers, she's joined the Channel Mum vlogging team and is fast becoming a favourite with brands who want to reach an audience of mums. Emily was also the first woman in the UK to live stream her labour on Facebook! If you'd like to find out more about the lady in front of the camera then read on.

We are extremely excited to introduce The Mother Hub's Fashion contributor, Jo Sawkins. Jo started her career at Cosmopolitan magazine, before becoming Fashion Editor at Sugar magazine. Now working freelance, Jo works with a variety of fashion clients on women's and kids' brands for editorial, commercial and advertising campaigns.
Read on for an interview with the lovely lady herself...