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Jane Parslow is a retirement coach and one of the founders of 'Retirement Pathways'. They are specialists in retirement, using a ‘Wholistic’ approach that empowers people to tackle the challenges and adjustments needed to make a successful transition to retirement. Jane finds that most of her clients come to her via networking, one way or another. www.retirementpathways.co.uk https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeparslow/

Sarah Luong is a Performance Anxiety Coach who helps small business owners move from being fearful of interacting with strangers to the heart of the networking conversation. As a former nervous networker herself, Sarah understands the dread of walking into a room where you don’t know a soul. After mastering the art of confident pitching, she now specialises in helping others find their unique networking voice. Whether you’re terrified of the 60-second pitch or just aren't sure how to start a conversation, Sarah provides the practical tools to help you show up, speak up, and grow your business with confidence. www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-luong-58859b106

Christen Gilchrist is a Organisational Psychologist and Executive Coach who helps leaders and organisations remove friction from the way they work. Through her consultancy, Core Potential Solutions, she's supported clients ranging from Harrods and the NHS to founder-led businesses. Christen specialises in the psychology behind performance, decision making and efficiency - showing how behaviour patterns and operations shape business results. Her work bridges science and practicality, helping leaders build trust, influence ethically and create cultures that sustain growth. Website: https://www.corepotentialsolutions.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christen-gilchrist-654701130?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app

Wendy Harris is the founder of Konpasu and known as 'the Chief Conversation Officer'. All her life, Wendy has worked with people who aren’t comfortable with selling or networking - which is exactly why she started the Konpasu Community. It’s a relaxed, welcoming space that proves growing your network doesn’t have to mean pitching to strangers or working a room with a fake smile. She is also the organiser of several LinkedIn Local events in Scotland. Konpasu.co.uk Book time with Wendy Harris: 121 - Wendy Harris

Kaye King is on a mission is to debunk the myths that cause fear, frustration, and overwhelm around marketing. After working with brands like Kenco, Hilton, and Nationwide during her 30-year marketing agency career, Kaye now uses her experience to strip everything back to basics for her clients. Her aim is simply to stop business owners wasting time, energy, and money on marketing that doesn’t work for them (or to stop them avoiding it altogether!) Through her calm, practical and jargon-free approach, Kaye encourages her clients to embrace marketing and prioritise it to grow their business in a way that works for them. All without being sleazy, spammy or annoying. Connect with Kaye on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/kaye-king-marketingmentor Visit Kaye’s website https://www.marketingmentorkaye.com/ Join Kaye’s email community for a regular dose of Marketing Calm in your inbox https://www.marketingmentorkaye.com/marketingcalm

Mateo Martez is the author of Beyond Networking: How to Become the Person Everyone Wants to Know. He loves helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses through meaningful relationships. By day he's Chief of Staff at The Resonance and by night he lives at Harvard St. Commons, a hacker house for entrepreneurs at Harvard and MIT. You can find him at mateomartez.com. Links: Book: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Networking-Become-Person-Everyone/dp/1967284016/ Website: www.mateomartez.com VVRFz75Nz1yZXKkWdENp

Jordan Cracknell is a UK-based financier and author. In addition to writing opinion pieces for publications such as TODAY.com, Metro.co.uk, City AM, and others, she is the author of You Can Count on Penny, a children’s book that inspires young people to embrace their love of mathematics. A native New Yorker, she is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, where she obtained an MBA. Additionally, she has a MSc in Finance from Baruch College. Her parents inspired her to forge a career in Finance after attending ‘Take Your Daughter to Work Day’ with her father, who worked in the World Trade Center. From being hired straight out of university putting pitch books together to working on the trading floor for companies such as Deutsche Bank and Renaissance Capital, she has never looked back. Jordan lives in the UK with her husband, the double Olympic gold medalist James Cracknell, and their dogs and cats, balancing her career goals with being a stepmother of three, writing, advocating for more women to enter finance, and inspiring the next generation to manage money and excel in the industry. www.jordancracknell.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/jconnell26/

Kirsty Heap is a Business Empowerment Coach, Neurodiversity Advocate and keynote speaker who supports sole traders, small business owners, and leaders to create clarity, confidence and sustainable momentum. Drawing on her HR background and lived experience of dyslexia and ADHD, Kirsty helps people understand themselves, their strengths and the environments they need in order to thrive. Networking has played a big part in Kirsty’s own business growth. She openly shares how her neurodivergent mind influences the way she navigates a room, from early imposter feelings to finding genuine connection and belonging. Through this journey she has developed simple, practical strategies to make networking feel easier for neurodivergent business owners, including ways to manage overwhelm, remember names and build real relationships. Kirsty is known for her warm, encouraging approach and her ability to help people feel seen and understood. Whether she is coaching, speaking or connecting with others at events, she brings honesty, grounding and a deep belief in the power of people supporting one another. Home | Kirsty Heap Coaching www.linkedin.com/in/kirstyheap Instagram

A facilitator, coach and professional speaker for 23 years, Clare Haynes runs award-winning business Wildfire helping people to speak up and have confident conversations. She works with teams and 1:1, building peoples’ communication and business confidence using their greatest asset – themselves.  Clare has a psychology background and her career spans television, sport, charity and the social sectors. Clare was named in the UK’s Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs by Small Business Britain’s f;Entrepreneur iAlso campaign 2025, celebrating women business leaders, and has won national awards for her coaching and as a service provider.  Clare believes networking is like all business success, not being something you’re not but bringing out your best! Website: https://www.wildfireatwork.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarehaynes/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildfirespark/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clare.haynes.Wildfire/

James Eder is Author of The Collision Code, entrepreneur, work–life coach, speaker with over 20 years of leadership experience. He co-founded Student Beans (Part of Pion), a global platform helping brands connect with Gen Z through insights, engagement, and verification empowering businesses to build trust and lasting loyalty. Passionate about the power of human connection, James has dedicated his career to creating communities and opportunities that bring people together. His recently published book, The Collision Code, explores how genuine relationships can transform both personal fulfilment and professional success. In a world where digital interaction often leaves us more isolated than connected, the book offers a roadmap to spark serendipity, build confidence, and create meaningful collisions that open new doors. You can find out more, see reviews and order the book on Amazon https://amzn.to/4l4XfL5 Through his ventures, talks, and writing, James inspires people to embrace possibility, unlock their potential, and create ripple effects of positive change in the world around them. James can be reached on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameseder/ - if you request to connect please mention this recording.

Jenny Green is the Senior Account Manager at 22:22 Marketing. The company work across all aspects of digital marketing but are particularly well known for helping businesses with online ads for platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Google. When it comes to networking, Jenny's top tip is to keep your pitch short and sweet! https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-green-080121242/ https://www.2222marketing.co.uk/ [email protected]

On the Small Business Big Network podcast this week you can hear me talking to Clive Bonny. Clive has been in business for over 30 years and operates as a strategic management partner, management mentor and coach, in association with professional bodies, building capacity in private enterprises and public sector for growth and responsible business sustainability. His work focuses on capacity building, IP protection, risk management, equity funding and supply chain growth via national ESG standards. His scope of work includes designing and delivering programmes for fast growth development, commercialising innovations, HR productivity, quality process improvement, merger and acquisition due diligence, and international business development. As you can imagine Clive has an extensive network, and his networking efforts have even taken him to the House of Lords!

Imogen Ley-Clowes is the founder of London-based Immo Studio. Too often, branding looks polished but doesn’t do much. She’s more interested in the stuff that works: sharp strategy, clear structure, and design that grows with the business behind it.  She started Immo Studio to help ambitious teams turn brand confusion into something clear, impactful, and built for what’s next. With over a decade of experience working with startups and global businesses, Imogen likes getting to the heart of what’s not working, untangling the in-between bits, and turning all of it into something strategic, useful, and well-designed. https://www.immostudio.co.uk/

Kevin Crawford is a life and business strategist for owners of Architecture Practices — specifically small to medium-sized practices with 4 to 16 employees.  He qualified with a degree in Architectural Technology but his real education has been managing a multidisciplinary Practice of Architects, Technologists and Technicians for over 25 years. He knows exactly what it’s like — juggling projects, people, and profit while trying to find the time and headspace to think clearly. From starting out in the family practice at 14 years old to being the driving force behind a successful transition to employee ownership at the age of 41. A 27 year learning journey, a rollercoaster but the blood, sweat and tears make a story that can now help others. Though his new venture, Designing Success, Kevin has created a framework that helps practice owners go from burnout to balance — starting with the person, not just the business. His experience is that when you’re healthier and happier in all areas of life, you become stronger, more focused, and far more effective in business. www.designingsuccess.co.uk www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-crawford-a1516158

Serge Santos began his career in physics, earning a PhD before completing a Master’s in Finance at London Business School. He went on to build a successful career as a strategy consultant, investment banker, and hedge fund professional — managing global investments before turning his analytical mindset toward entrepreneurship in 2013. Today, Serge leads Bedrock Enterprises — a group of interconnected businesses that include the fintech lender Funding Alternative Group, the industrial distributor Compressed Air Centre, and Calms Solutions UK, a smart-energy venture helping manufacturers reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint. www.linkedin.com/in/santosserge https://fundingalternative.co.uk https://compressedair.co.uk https://calms.com