Chloë is best known for her leadership in the creator economy as the founder and CEO of SHFT, a talent agency she grew into a multi-award-winning, 6-figure business while advocating for fairness, inclusivity, and integrity across the industry. In 2024 she was recognised on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her impact in influencer marketing and entrepreneurship.

Last year, Chloë chose to exit her company, take a break and channel her expertise into coaching. She now works as a Mindset and Business Coach, supporting entrepreneurs, leaders, and creatives to build clarity, confidence, and sustainable success.

I don’t think we hear enough empowering stories of successful founders stepping away from their businesses. The narrative seems to simply be that we should build and gain recognition and money - but what happens next? What happens when you outgrow that idea you had in your early 20s, or when you don’t feel challenged or fulfilled anymore? Leaving a successful business means going against the grain of our culture in so many ways - and then what do you do with that newfound space?

In this episode we cover:

• Growing up in Peckham & young entrepreneurship

• Dance & the creative importance of hobbies

• Carving a path in influencer agencies

• Black Lives Matter: her turning point

• Creating SHIFT , success stories & Forbes 30u30

• Waking up unhappy at 30

• Autism & ADHD diagnosis

• Why and how she left her business

• What she did while off social media

• Why coaching is her next move

Mentions:

Laban Dance School - https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/

Spirited Away, Studio Ghibli (2001)

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloedownes/

Stefanie Sword-Williams is an award-winning founder, speaker and author of the book F*ck Being Humble: Why self-promotion isn’t a dirty word. A global mission, movement and training consultancy inspiring individuals to be unapologetically proud of their achievements and overcome the fear of self-promotion.

She has spoken at the offices of Apple, Netflix, Unilever, Nike, Google, L’oreal and Microsoft, at Universities for the Wharton Business School in New York to London College of Fashion, trained over 700 people in her Side Hustle School programme, has been Forbes 30 under 30, recently won the ‘Future is Female’ LinkedIn award for her positive contributions and impact on the industry and did a TEDx on why the world needs to be less humble.

Stef’s support towards those who were unemployed during the pandemic led to her being invited to become a Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts and she continues to reinvest profits and time into community projects to help improve the lives of many.

Her new book is called The Career Comedown.

In this episode we cover:

• Switching from agency work to self-employed
• The reality behind the ‘big’ moments
• Managing your own expectations on growth
• Why someone needs to pay for your recovery time
• The career comedown - are you feeling it?
• Finding Ease in a world that values “Hard” work
• The power of having a business coach

Mentions:

Surreal - cereal brand

Tiny Experiences by Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Links:

Linkedin

Instagram (Personal)

Instagram (F*ck Being Humble)

Karimah Hassan is a British-Yemeni artist, writer and performer whose practice spans large- scale painting, spoken word, and socially-driven storytelling.

Trained as an architect but called to storytelling, she paints large-scale portraits that vibrate with colour, emotion, and spirit. Her work has been exhibited across London, New York, Toronto, and the Middle East, with collectors ranging from Vogue editors to global institutions. Karimah’s art is an invitation: to belong, to feel, to show up. Through her spoken word performances, poetic newsletters like The Gremlins, and weekly 'poem casts', she explores the complexities of identity, visibility, and healing. Her practice is communal and grounded, often unfolding in public spaces with people watching, contributing, or simply witnessing.

Karimah’s redefinition of success isn’t measured in accolades — but in connection, in creativity without compromise, and in returning again and again to the joy of making. On The Slow Down, she speaks on finding rhythm in chaos, why beauty is an act of resistance, and how to stay soft in a world that demands you harden.

In this episode we cover:

• Growing up mixed race in Wales
• Architecture to Art
• Portraits of hundreds of strangers during COVID
• Art as Therapy
• Reclaiming our cycles
• Meeting Vera Wang on the Eurostar

Mentions:

The Artist’s way, Julia Cameron

Letters to a Young Poet - Rilke

Inception (2010)

City of God (2002)

Rothko room at the Tate

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/karimah.hassan/?hl=en

https://www.karimahhassan.com/

Season 3 of The Slow Down is created in partnership with period and cycle tracking app Clue.

Especially for The Slow Down listeners, CLUE is offering a 75% discount on the annual Clue Plus subscription via their website. To redeem, go to helloclue.com and enter the code SLOWDOWN at checkout). So, download Clue today in the App Store or Google Play, and start making space for the signals your body’s been sending all along.
Link to sign up with discount already included: https://helloclue.com/login?discount_code=SLOWDOWN