Insights & Interviews

Returning to your legal career can be daunting. It can be hard to make the decision in the first place and you may be feeling a lack of confidence as you move through the process of finding your next role. Remember you will always have your legal brain and mindset - that never leaves you. What you will also need to think about is being ready to upskill in any new laws or regulations. This is what Clara Rose of Clara Rose Consultancy and Hazel Theocharous of Empowering Your Circle talk about here.

In life and our careers we may find that worry that we have made a mistake when we take a job perhaps we weren't ready for or other things may come up. But these are part of our journey and Denise O'Dwyer can help you understand your journey through her Chinese Astrology chart readings. She is amazing as I have discovered having had Denise read my charts - they are so accurate. Hazel, Empowering Your Circle

A quick tip on using Notebook LM to create some amazing PowerPoint slides and quizzes. Elaine Gold talks to Hazel Theocharous of Empowering Your Circle to provide some quick tips on using AI platforms to help you.

Elaine Gold is a management consultant and coach with 30+ years’ experience helping founders and leadership teams make confident decisions, strengthen relationships, and lead change well. She’s known as “the calm voice in a noisy AI space”, bringing a practical, reputation-led approach to using AI alongside human judgement. Elaine also leads women-only business networking communities in London through WIBN, creating spaces where experienced women build trusted connections and grow. Many capable business owners and leaders feel a dip in confidence right now — not because they can’t keep up, but because the noise is relentless and the stakes (trust, brand, client outcomes) are real. I work with individuals and teams to create a calmer, more grounded way to think: focus on the right tasks, choose the right tools, write the right instructions, and build in a simple review step that protects standards. The outcome is practical: less overwhelm, better decisions, and a way to use AI (and networks) to support real leadership rather than add pressure. What are some practical tips, tools, or mindset shifts you’d love to share with our listeners? Keep curious. Keep learning — by making it a daily end-of-day review. At the end of each day, take 3 minutes and answer these three prompts: What did I learn today? (about my work, my people, my customers, or myself) What assumption did I challenge? (or what surprised me?) What’s one small adjustment I’ll make tomorrow? (a decision, a boundary, a conversation, a simplification) If you use AI, add one line: “Where did AI help, and where did I need human judgement?” That’s it. Small, consistent learning compounds — and it keeps you steady when everything feels noisy.

Claudia Sheena is the founder of Creative Studio Accountants. After over 25 years in accounting, she left the security of employment in her 50s to focus fully on the practice she had quietly built alongside her career for many years. She now works as a trusted finance partner to creative and digital agency founders, helping them understand their numbers and grow businesses that truly work for them. What’s one practical tip, tool, or mindset shift Claudia shares with our listeners? "One of the biggest mindset shifts is learning to think big rather than think small. That is much easier said than done, and I know that from my own experience. I still have to consciously catch myself and reposition my thinking at times. It is very easy in business to focus on saving small amounts of money here and there, but real progress usually comes from stepping back and looking at how to grow. That shift only works properly when it is backed up by knowing your numbers. When you understand your figures on a regular basis, you can start to spot trends early. You can see what is improving, what is slowing down, and where opportunities or risks are emerging before they become obvious. That allows you to make forward-looking decisions with confidence rather than guesswork. Instead of reviewing your finances once a year after everything has happened, a simple monthly focus on cash flow, margins, and future commitments gives you the confidence to think in terms of abundance. When you know your numbers and use them to look ahead, you naturally move away from worrying about saving a quid here or there and towards making bigger, calmer decisions that move the business forward."

Hazel Theocharous of Empowering Your Circle chats with Samina Aslam. Samina passionately beats the drum of lining your ducks in a row by having your Will, LPA in place as well a trust and tax planning so that you pay as little in inheritance tax as possible. We talk abut the importance of having a Will alongside a letter of wishes, but also why having a Lasting Power of Attorney is so crucial. Samina will be educating you, like she did for me. To find out more about how Samina can help you, please listen to our Podcast but click here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samina-aslam-758b36100/ I look forward to hearing your comments on how Samina's interview has helped you. Hazel, Empowering Your Circle https://empoweringyourcircle.com

Hazel Theocharous of Empowering Your Circle chats with the lovely Jodi Montlake of We Got This. Jodi is passionate about good health, movement and nutrition, helping people find balance through new ways of living. For Jodi, this is not about ‘quick fixes,’ or the latest trends and fads, it’s about making sustainable changes that last. Jodi’s focus is on the individual. She knows that what works for one person, may not benefit another and that when it comes to achieving optimal health, the mind is as important as the body. She is a proud partner of London Hormone Clinic, working with patients with hormonal conditions. We discuss how health and wellness is about balance and taking the time to look after ourselves. It is about making impactful changes that work and fit in with our daily lives. To find out more about Jodi, please click through to her website: We Got This! Health Coaching (https://wegotthis.coach/) To find out more about Hazel and how she can help through her business, please click here: Confidence Coaching (1:1) | Empowering Your Circle (https://empoweringyourcircle.com) Please like, share, subscribe and comment on this podcast. Hazel, Empowering Your Circle

Hazel Theocharous of Empowering Your Circle has the privilege of speaking with Phoenix Humphreys, the Founder of Raise to Rise, a purpose-led fundraising consultancy supporting new and small charities and CICs across the UK. After returning to the charity sector, Phoenix saw the urgent need for accessible, high-quality fundraising support for smaller organisations. In just two years, Raise to Rise has worked with over 34 charities and secured more than £220,000 in funding, helping clients build stability and long-term impact. Phoenix has been recognised as one of the #iAlso100 for 2025, and is a double finalist in both The Woman Who Solopreneur Awards and The Best Businesswomen’s Awards. Raising awareness of the small charity sector is important as it's struggles and successes/ running your own business is challenging, it's important to show and talk about your struggles and successes so others don't feel alone/ so others can learn etc. You can find out more about Phoenix and her company here: https://raisetorise.co.uk/ You can see how Hazel can help you in her business as well by clicking here: https://empoweringyourcircle.com

I absolutely love hosting my Empowering Your Circle Podcast and you can enjoy many amazing inspirational interviews. So please subscribe to my YouTube Channel so you don't miss any upcoming episodes. Hazel of Empowering Your Circle https://empoweringyourcircle.com