In this episode of Work This Way, Nikola Pottinger shares her journey from driving a Cadbury van to building and ultimately closing her own craft subscription business, Little Miss Sew'n'Sew. With honesty and reflection, Nikola talks about how ambition shaped her early career and the realities of balancing big goals with motherhood.

She explores launching a fabric shop, pivoting into e-commerce, and experiencing rapid growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. But as demand shifted post-pandemic, overstocking and financial pressure led to some of the toughest decisions of her life, including voluntary liquidation.

Nikola opens up about the emotional impact of that chapter, the lessons learned from listening to both heart and head, and how those experiences shaped her next step as an operations manager at FOUNDRY. A candid conversation about resilience, perspective, and starting again.

In this episode of Work This Way by FOUNDRY, we sit down with Hanna Searle, a FOUNDRY team member whose journey has taken her from cruise ship stages to community building in FOUNDRY Eastbourne. Hanna shares what it was like growing up by the coast and spending years travelling the world as a professional singer at sea.

When COVID brought the cruise industry to a halt, Hanna returned home to face a series of personal challenges, including the loss of her father, career uncertainty, and navigating her husband’s complex immigration situation. These experiences forced an unexpected career shift and a complete rethink of her path.

Hanna eventually found her place at FOUNDRY as a Membership Manager, where community and connection are at the heart of her work. This episode is a powerful story of resilience, family, and how life’s detours can lead you exactly where you’re meant to be.

In this episode of Work This Way by FOUNDRY, we sit down with Stuart McFadden, founder of Refundee, recording live from FOUNDRY Wandsworth in London. Stuart shares his career journey from studying law to working in financial services during the 2009 financial crisis, before experiencing the highs and lows of startup life at Monzo.

After a short stint at NatWest, Stuart co-founded Refundee in 2021, bootstrapping the business with minimal funding. Refundee helps victims of financial scams recover money from banks, tackling increasingly complex and modern fraud schemes.

Stuart discusses the ethical responsibility behind the work, the importance of transparency, and building a strong remote-first company culture. With nearly £100 million recovered for clients, Refundee is on a mission to lead the industry while protecting consumers.