This week on It’s Got Pockets, we’re cracking wide open the truth about resilience, ambition and what it really takes to lead your life when the odds are stacked against you.

I’m joined by the phenomenal Lesley Robertson — lone parent, charity founder, businesswoman, and walking proof that adversity can become your rocket fuel.

In this episode, Lesley shares how she went from being dismissed, denied and downright overlooked… to building an award-winning organisation that’s eradicating child poverty, running a social enterprise café, creating a product line in Asda and supporting thousands of families across Scotland - all while raising her son solo and redefining what success really looks like.

We talk:

• What real ambition looks like (and why women are still apologising for it)
• The brutal reality of lone parenting while building a mission-led business
• Why charity should never mean shame
• What role modelling looks like in the trenches - and how her teenage son is now launching his own brand
• The quiet damage of performing strength… and the radical power of vulnerability and connection
• Why trust, tea, and remembering someone’s name matter more than any whiteboard strategy

Lesley doesn’t sugar-coat a thing - and that’s what makes this conversation so powerful. This one is for every woman who’s ever been told she can’t, who’s had to hold it all up alone, and who is ready to turn her own plot twist into purpose.

Ready to stop performing and start leading from the inside out?
Join the women doing just that inside FoundHer Fire. Because this is your season - not for starting over, but for rising up.

Drop me a message if you would like your invitation to join FoundHer Fire - the membership society for women who are not done yet. Not done leading. Not done growing. Not done making a bloody impact - but ready to do it differently.

This is where always on women drop the mask, get real and reignite their next chapter with powerful coaching, peer support and zero fluff.

It's a space where experienced, high-performing, always-on women with real lived-in expertise could connect, grow, and lead without compromise. Where we take the mask off and have conversations that count without competition, where gate-keeping (and cockwombles) are definitely not allowed.

Sarah is the founder of FoundHer Fire—a membership space for experienced women in business who know real success isn’t just about strategy, it’s about self; a place, a space, a community where women find their fire, for women who aren't done yet and who are ready to write their own rules of success. Sarah also co-founded The Plot Twist (un)Awards, celebrating female founders and women smashing through glass ceilings with purpose, passion and joy.

Find out more about me and how I can work with you:

• On LinkedIn
• On Instagram
• On the Web
• Or drop me an email sarah@mindthegap.academy

This one’s personal. And if you’ve ever found yourself rage-fluffing garden cushions while your other half chills out watching telly, then it’s personal for you too. Because it turns out rage fluffing is a thing.

In this episode of It’s Got Pockets, I’m diving headfirst into the reality of mental load — the invisible, exhausting, relentless labour that so many of us carry without recognition. Not just the doing, but the bloody thinking about all the doing. The planning, the prepping, the remembering, the emotional caretaking. All of it.

It's an overshare episode full t'brim of my fabulous gorgeous garden gathering – which was, in reality, also a masterclass in logistics, multitasking, and emotional labour. From jet-washing patios and managing party prep to sorting family logistics, football matches, lost car keys and a gluten-free BBQ tray... I was spinning all the plates, with barely a nod to the weight of it.

This one is all about:

• What mental load really looks like behind closed doors
• Why it’s not just physical work, but emotional and cognitive overload
• How we get caught in the trap of “I’ll just do it myself”
• The gender gap in domestic life (and why it still matters)
• The guilt, the resentment, the exhaustion — and what to do with it

I also talk about the bittersweet reality: sometimes we love doing it. We’re good at it. But it still costs us — our clarity, our calm, our creativity, our Inner Edge.

So this is your permission slip to drop some of that weight.
To stop performing your rest.
To stop holding up the sky.

Because your energy is not infinite.
And your worth is not tied to how well you carry it all.

Let’s talk about what we can let go of, what we can name, and how we can finally reclaim a bit of peace.

Sarah is the founder of FoundHer Fire—a membership space for experienced women in business who know real success isn’t just about strategy, it’s about self; a place, a space, a community where women find their fire, for women who aren't done yet and who are ready to write their own rules of success. Sarah also co-founded The Plot Twist (un)Awards, celebrating female founders and women smashing through glass ceilings with purpose, passion and joy.

Find out more about me and how I can work with you:

• On LinkedIn
• On Instagram
• On the Web
• Or drop me an email sarah@mindthegap.academy

From the House of Lords to Finding Her Fire in Manchester: The Power of Showing Up and Starting Again

In this episode, I’m joined by the blinking brilliant Helen McHugh — former Labour Party strategist, Northern Power Women nominee, and now founder of her own business. And one of the nicest humans you'll meet.

Helen shares her journey from growing up in a political family to stepping into the corridors of Westminster — and the challenges she faced as a woman in a very male-dominated environment. We dig deep into what it really takes to find your voice when the rooms you walk into feel built for someone else.

We talk about her early days and how she forged her career — from getting on a bus to London with nothing but determination to walk the corridors of Westminster, to surviving (and thriving) behind the scenes of political campaigns. Helen reflects on purpose, ambition, and the emotional resilience needed to keep showing up — even when the wins were few and far between.

You’ll hear about:

• Building self-worth after a career defined by "keeping the show on the road" for others
• Her favourite Prime Minister
• The messy, brave transition from politics to entrepreneurship (spoiler: no grand plan, just grit)
• Why advocacy and genuine support among women matters more than ever
• How becoming a parent shifts your lens on ambition, legacy, and leadership
• The often underrated superpower: being nice — and why niceness and leadership belong together
• The power of looking beyond immediate challenges to the wider possibilities waiting for you

This is a story about starting again, backing yourself, and finding your fire after years of playing it small for other people.

And yes, in Helen's words, "Niceness is so underrated, isn't it?" (I couldn’t agree more.)

If you’ve ever felt like you’re rebuilding yourself while building your next chapter, this conversation is going to help you decide where to place your f&cks to give.

Links + Mentions:

• Follow Helen on LinkedIn
• Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony (Helen’s go-to when she needs to reset)
• Northern Power Women Awards

Pockets of Gold:
✨ "It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice." — Scooter (via Helen)
✨ "You are someone your children — and your future self — are watching. Make it count."

Sarah is the founder of FoundHer Fire—a membership space for experienced women in business who know real success isn’t just about strategy, it’s about self; a place, a space, a community where women find their fire, for women who aren't done yet and who are ready to write their own rules of success. Sarah also co-founded The Plot Twist (un)Awards, celebrating female founders and women smashing through glass ceilings with purpose, passion and joy.

Find out more about me and how I can work with you:

• On LinkedIn
• On Instagram
• On the Web
• Or drop me an email sarah@mindthegap.academy