Emma Shipley
Founder, Yorkie Talkies
At our November Connect Over A Cuppa, we’re delighted to welcome Emma Shipley, Founder of Yorkie Talkies Outdoors.
After spending 14 years in the corporate world, Emma made the decision to develop an additional career path. In 2019 she founded Yorkie Talkies Outdoors, combining her passion for the outdoors with a vision to help more people experience the physical, mental and social benefits of adventure.
What started as guided group walks has grown into one of Yorkshire’s best-known outdoor activity businesses. Today, Emma and her team of qualified outdoor leaders deliver everything from guided walks, navigation courses and paddleboarding sessions to bespoke corporate days, wellbeing programmes, charity challenge events and UK adventure weekends.
From Corporate Career to Outdoor Entrepreneur
Phil Lyons
Managing Director, The SoundProofing Store
We’re welcoming Phil Lyons back to Connect Over a Cuppa, this time as Managing Director of The Soundproofing Store.
Phil will share his experience of stepping up to lead a successful founder-led business and the challenges that come with it. How do you retain what made the business successful while bringing your own leadership style, ideas and ambitions for growth?
He’ll talk openly about taking greater responsibility, developing the team, strengthening the business and navigating the challenges of its next stage of growth.
A highly relevant conversation for founders thinking about succession, future leaders preparing to step up, and anyone building a business that can grow beyond its founder.
Taking the Lead: Growing a Business Beyond its Founder
Keith Rice
Socio-Psychologist
Following a great session in Oct 2026, where Keith explored business lifecycles and the psychology behind success and failure, we’re delighted to welcome him back in Jan 2027.
This time, Keith will kick off the new year with a deeper dive into leadership mindset, exploring how our values, beliefs and attitudes influence business ambition, decision-making and growth.
Through practical exercises and discussion, Keith will help business owners and leaders challenge their thinking, define what success looks like and develop a more constructive approach to setbacks.
A practical and thought-provoking way to start the business year, whether you’re running a start-up, growing a business or leading an established SME.
Is Mindset Holding Your Business Back?
Keith Rice
Psychologist
At our October Connect Over A Cuppa, we were delighted to welcome Keith Rice, who brings together more than 30 years’ experience in business consultancy, psychology, leadership development and education.
Having worked with organisations of all sizes across a wide range of sectors, Keith has spent a lifetime exploring not only the practical challenges businesses face, but the hidden psychological factors that influence leadership, organisational culture and long-term success.
In this interactive session, Keith explored why some businesses repeatedly overcome obstacles while others become trapped by them.
Why do intelligent business leaders sometimes make poor business decisions?
Edward Ryder
Biskit Ltd
Founder of Biskit Ltd and host of Connect Over A Cuppa, Edward draws on more than 30 years working with organisations ranging from ambitious SMEs to international companies. In this interactive session, Edward shared the habits he has consistently observed in successful businesses, exploring leadership, curiosity, customer experience, ambitious thinking, data, people and the practical disciplines that help organisations adapt, grow and accelerate.
The 10 Habits of Successful Companies
Sue Moul
Fractional FD, Headstar
Fractional Finance Director Sue Moul from Headstar brought decades of financial experience to Connect Over A Cuppa, exploring how businesses can gain greater control and understanding of their finances. Sue shared practical insights into knowing which numbers matter, interpreting what the figures are really telling you, forecasting effectively and using financial information to make better decisions and support sustainable business growth.
Getting the Numbers Right
Simone Talfourd
Adventurer, speaker and world record holder
Adventurer, sailor, paddler, presenter and author Simone Talfourd joined us to explore The Adventure Mindset. Drawing on her extraordinary adventures, Simone demonstrated how stepping beyond the familiar and taking measured risks can develop courage, resilience, curiosity and self-belief. Her session showed that adventure doesn’t have to mean climbing mountains—it can simply mean challenging yourself to discover what you’re capable of, in business and in life.
Rebecca Pick
Founder, Pick Protection
Entrepreneur Rebecca Pick shared the remarkable journey behind Pick Protection, the personal safety business she founded in 2014, raised £2.5m to develop and subsequently sold to Arnold Clark. Rebecca talked openly about spotting opportunities, changing direction when the market demands it, surrounding yourself with the right people and developing the resilience and self-belief required to build and grow a successful business.
Jo-Leigh Thompson
Director, Foxglove Care
Jo-Leigh Thompson shared the story behind Foxglove Care and the realities of building and growing a successful business within the care sector, now employing over 150 people. Drawing on her own entrepreneurial journey, Jo-Leigh explored the challenges of scaling while maintaining quality, developing the right team and culture, and staying focused on the people the business exists to support. An open and practical insight into leadership, growth and purpose in business.
Andy Sherratt
SPA Professional Academy
Andrew Sherratt from SPA Professional Academy joined us to explore how marketing is changing and what businesses need to do to stay relevant. From strategy, customer experience and brand through to sustainability, innovation and AI, Andrew challenged us to think beyond traditional marketing and consider how the whole organisation contributes to attracting, engaging and retaining tomorrow’s customers.
Zach Greaves & Charlotte Gale
Artus Digital & Charlotte Gale Photography
With decades of experience in the communications industry, Zach Greaves and Charlotte Gale joined us to explore the power of understanding and communicating your brand. They looked at how businesses can define what they really stand for, identify the messages that matter to their customers and communicate those messages effectively through both words and imagery.
Are You Brand Content?
Claire Bennett
Common Purpose
Claire Bennett from Common Purpose joined us to explore what good leadership looks like in an increasingly complex and uncertain world. Her session challenged traditional ideas about leaders needing to have all the answers, instead exploring the importance of listening, learning from different perspectives, working across boundaries and creating the conditions for others to contribute. A thought-provoking discussion about leading when there isn’t an obvious solution.
Michael Manning
Founder, Guided Sky
Founder of Guided Sky, Michael Manning joined us to demystify CRM and explore how growing businesses can use technology more effectively. Drawing on his experience with Salesforce, Michael looked at how better systems can bring customer information together, reduce administration, improve visibility and provide leaders with better information for decision-making—without assuming that sophisticated CRM technology is only for large companies.
A people-first approach to CRM success