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The Countrywoman’s Guide to Work, Life & You…: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Emma Warren
Countrywoman's Guide is a virtual kitchen table for us all to sit round and learn from each other - whether it be business goings on, life advice or simply a reminder to remember that you matter, we're here. countrywomansguide.substack.com
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- 3 days ago10 min
Embrace the last quarter of 2026 with us
As we find ourselves midway through September and settling into the rhythms of the month, we wanted to take a moment to look ahead at the last quarter of the year and share with you three suggestions for how you can make the last few months of 2026 brilliant ones.This stage of the year can often feel just as daunting as the beginning. You find yourself looking back at the things you haven’t ticked off your list yet, wondering where the year has gone, mourning summer’s long evenings and warmer days, while also starting to dread the inevitable wind, rain and shorter days heading your way. It can be very easy to look at September as the point where the year starts running out.But what if you looked at it differently?This episode explores ways of enjoying the last quarter of the year and taking the load off as we approach the busy time of Christmas.Why not join our growing Community of people who value building a business that fits your life, rather than a life that fits in round your business.Photography credits: Jake Eastham, Kate Cullen, Rachel Collins, Matt Sweeting Get full access to A Countrywoman’s Guide to Work and Life at countrywomansguide.substack.com/subscribe
- 1 weeks ago18 min
The power of women in the room…Episode 58
Here at CWG, we’ve had a busy old few weeks. With visits to the Game Fair and Defender Burghley Horse Trials and the launch of our Countrywoman paid membership, it doesn’t feel like our feet have touched the ground really.The Game Fair is one of our favourite events and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Clear Scribbles, Charlotte Hurst and I went up on the day for Friday and it totally lived up to its reputation as a proper country day out. We’ve got a post coming up covering it in more detail very soon and have secured podcast dates to share some great brands we discovered.Burghley Horse Trials is one of the premier events of the Equestrian Eventing calendar, with its elite 5* eventing competition and an extensive shopping village. Charlotte and I went up to Stamford for a few days to see all the action. It’s always a treat to be there with our Hiho Silver stand, and getting to see all the horses and competitors up close when Hiho judges at the Fairfax & Favor Best dressed at the First trot-up.On August 5th, we launched our Countrywoman paid membership. It’s something we’ve talked about for some time, and hitting 50 podcasts recently really spurred us on. Our intent for the meeting was to invite you to pull up a chair at our virtual kitchen table, (it’s very much come as you are), and start creating a Community of like-minded business women, Women juggling a lot, getting it wrong sometimes, getting it right sometimes and often feeling that they’re never quite in the right place - guilt trips about being at work and missing out on family life, then going home and having a guilt trip about not being at work!We’re going to be meeting up once a month for an hour online and are hatching plans to meet up in real life at Countrywoman events.It’s all about creating a group of women who look out for, support and cheer for each other. Women who want to run a business that fits their life, that they can be ambitious about, but then still have the time to enjoy their lives and their families.For the record, it doesn’t matter how experienced you are, it’s always daunting starting something new. Over the years I’ve learnt to go into groups I’m facilitating with a topic and knowledge that I want to share, but then to be brave enough to let the room take over, and the ladies who joined the Community didn’t let me down.I was there to go through my ADD Time Method, it’s a system that helps you free up some time in your busy days, and then look at how we can use that time usefully to add value or joy into our days.But once we were all on the same page for the possibilities of creating more time for ourselves, the conversation in the room opened up so much wisdom and gradually, through their own supportive comments and ideas, the ladies in the room helped each other come to realise that often they were the blocks to their own liberation.We talked about why “nobody will do it as well as me” keeps so many of us doing things we shouldn’t still be doing.About the difference between something being done our way and being done perfectly well by somebody else.About how doing something quicker because we came up with a better system often leads us to think we should charge less for it, rather than realising we can add more value for our client if we’re not spending hours doing tasks that don’t really add value.Above everything else, the power of the women in the room meant that we all left that call feeling a little bit less lonely and a lot more supported.It was a really uplifting and insightful session, I cover all this and more in the podcast so please do take a listen when you have a moment.Join our growing Community of women who value building a business that fits your life, rather than a life that fits in round your business.If you’re interested in more information about our Countrywoman Membership, take a look at our post explaining all about here. Get full access to A Countrywoman’s Guide to Work and Life at countrywomansguide.substack.com/subscribe
- 1 weeks ago6 min
It’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s a good excuse to celebrate...
We asked the CWG team a question this week.What are the best words of encouragement you’ve ever been given?Why? Because today is National Encouragement Day. A bit cliché, we know, but it also feels like a rather good excuse to stop for a moment and think about something we believe in all year round.Encouragement can come in all sorts of forms. It might be someone giving you the confidence to just go for it, a nudge when you’ve found yourself stuck, or simply a reminder that you’re actually doing a pretty good job (even when you’re struggling to believe it yourself). We’ve all experienced the difference a few well-chosen words of encouragement can make.The funny thing about encouragement is that we often don’t realise just how much the words we hear can stay with us. A sentence said in passing can become something you come back to years later, right at the moment you need it most, or at a time when someone else needs to hear them to. So, in honour of this day and the reminder it’s given us of the power of encouragement, we asked the women behind CWG to share the words that have stayed with them.Emma“Boldness has a genius and magic to it, whatever you can do or dream, you can do. Begin it now.”Emma’s quote comes from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and, although the wording may be slightly paraphrased, it’s one she has carried with her since she was around 19.There’s something very Emma about that idea of simply beginning. Not waiting until everything is perfectly lined up or you feel completely ready, but having the boldness to take the first step and see where it leads. If you listen to our podcasts, it’s a belief of Emma’s that you’ll notice popping up quite regularly. It’s clearly a sentiment that has stayed with her for a very long time.Rachel“If I dismiss the ordinary while waiting for the special, the extreme or the extraordinary to happen, I may just miss my life.”Rachel is not particularly drawn to the endless stream of national days that seem to fill the calendar, although she’ll happily get behind the more unusual ones!Her feeling is that encouragement and celebration are at their best when they happen naturally, not because the calendar tells us we should do it. A kind word on an ordinary Tuesday can mean every bit as much as one attached to a particular day.That feels rather relevant here.National Encouragement Day might give us a reason to talk about encouragement today, but there’s really no reason it needs to stop there. There is plenty to be said for noticing the ordinary moments too, and remembering that they matter.Rachel’s words are a lovely reminder of that. A reminder of not being so busy waiting for the big moments that we miss the good things happening in the everyday ones.Jess“Anyone can promise you the stars, but only you can reach them.”Jess admits this one is a little cheesy.But it’s also one she has never forgotten.A PE teacher at school said it to her, and over the years it has become a reminder that other people can encourage you, believe in you and tell you that you can do something until they’re blue in the face, but ultimately, you’re the one who has to get up and do it.It’s a very useful and important distinction don’t you think?Encouragement can give you the nudge, the confidence or the belief, but nobody else can take the steps for you.Charlotte“If it was easy, everyone would do it.”Charlotte’s is probably the simplest of the four and perhaps not quite as profound as some of the others!It’s something her parents have said to her throughout her life, at times of trivial teenage tantrums over homework, to university, jobs and plenty of other moments when things have felt difficult. It’s even a phrase she’s reminded herself of when out riding the horses.What Charlotte likes about it is that it doesn’t try to tell you that something isn’t hard. Quite the opposite. Instead, it acknowledges that sometimes things are hard but that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong, and it certainly doesn’t mean you should give up. You're just doing something that requires a little extra effort and brain power.A quote of few words, but a reminder that there’s nothing particularly unusual about finding things difficult. You just have to keep having a go.Encouragement - it’s not reserved for just one dayOur team’s quotes are all very different, but there’s a common thread running through them.Encouragement is about giving someone the confidence to begin, reminding them to acknowledge what’s already in front of them, and sometimes it’s a gentle nudge that says you’re the one who has to do this.These reminders are a big part of what we’re creating here at Countrywoman’s Guide.We
- 3 weeks ago36 min
Episode 57: From Agriculture to Art, with Tilly Lock Art
What happens when an agriculture graduate decides she doesn’t want to be a farmer, dreams up a fabric business, gets turned down for funding… and ends up becoming a full-time artist instead?Well, you get Tilly Lock Art.This week on the Countrywoman’s Guide podcast, Emma sits down with Tilly Lock to talk about the rather unexpected route that took her from studying agriculture and working in interior design to building a creative business of her own.Tilly had always loved art and design, but it wasn’t initially the plan. After university, she started working for an interior designer and began developing an idea for a fabric business, combining UK-made fabrics with sourced and repurposed antiques.The problem? Getting fabric made in the UK required a much bigger initial investment than the funding available to her.So, while trying to bridge that gap, Tilly started selling a few art prints she had originally made for friends. One thing led to another, her Instagram took off, and the art prints gradually became the business.Just a year and a half later, she has gone from selling prints at £20 village fairs to exhibiting at Badminton and preparing for some of the biggest Christmas shows in the country.But, as we talk about in the episode, that growth hasn’t exactly been a straight line.Tilly talks honestly about the reality of building a business while working part-time, training for a marathon and trying to keep everything moving. We talk about burnout, learning to say no, knowing when to invest in the next stage of growth and the slightly daunting realisation that your business has outgrown your parents’ living room.We also get into one of the less talked-about challenges for creative businesses: copying. Tilly shares what it feels like to see your work reproduced by someone else, the difficulty of protecting creative work and why, ultimately, she has had to learn to stay in her own lane and keep creating.There’s plenty of practical wisdom in the conversation too, from the value of having a mentor to learning how to do things yourself before handing them over to someone else.And perhaps one of the biggest takeaways is that you don’t need to have the whole thing figured out before you begin. Tilly certainly didn’t. She followed an opportunity, tested an idea, learned as she went and built something that now looks very different from where she thought she was heading.It’s an honest conversation about building something of your own, learning as you go and having the confidence to keep moving forward when the path changes underneath you.Listen to the full episode with Tilly Lock here. 💚Join our growing Community of people who value building a business that fits your life, rather than a life that fits in round your business. Get full access to A Countrywoman’s Guide to Work and Life at countrywomansguide.substack.com/subscribe
- 4 weeks ago13 min
Ep 56: A Deeper Dive into the Countrywoman’s Guide Membership
On Monday 17th August, we held our first CWG Community Zoom, and the following Thursday evening we landed in your inbox with a brief insight into just what our Membership Community could offer you. On today’s Podcast and through this article, we’re exploring the membership even further. Diving deeper into its offerings, and shining a light on the discussions we had during our call.Monday was simply an opportunity for those who have been following along with Countrywoman’s Guide to hear more about what we’re creating through our newly launched membership and, perhaps most importantly, a chance for us to discover what you would like the Countrywoman’s Guide Community to become.It was a rich conversation full of discussions about business, but also about finding your people, wanting somewhere to ask questions without feeling silly, and the simple value of having people around you who understand.It was the kind of conversation we see at the heart of CWG time and time again, and demonstrated exactly what we want to encapsulate in our community.Finding your peopleRunning or working within a rural business can be brilliant, but it can also be complicated, lonely, exhausting, and at times, completely overwhelming. The response to our article last Friday and discussions had on Monday really cemented this for us. There’s often many decisions to be made, things you’re unsure of how to manage, and days when you wonder if any of your ideas are actually going to work. Whilst our friends and family can be wonderfully supportive during these times, there’s something refreshing about being able to ask a group of people “Has anyone else dealt with this? How did you tackle it?” and do so knowing that someone in the group probably has, and will be able to help.On Monday, Elaine talked to us about wanting a wider circle of people to call on across all the different parts of country life, from business questions all the way through to canine and equine ones.Jess spoke about how moving away from home has meant she’s needed to build a new network around her, and how valuable it has been to be surrounded by people who have “been there, done it and understand you.”It’s that last bit that’s really important to us.Our membership isn’t trying to create a community where everyone is at the same stage, doing the same thing or even has the same ambitions. Quite the opposite. Instead, it’s a place for different ages, experiences, businesses and lives to gather and share. You’ll be amazed how talking to someone who understands your way of life can offer you a different perspective on the question that’s been keeping you awake. Often, you’ll already have the answer but just need a little confidence boost, sometimes it may lie in someone further along their journey, or perhaps you just need a younger fresh set of eyes to see it from a different angle.As Emma put it during our conversation,“Your obvious might be someone else’s amazing” and that feels like a rather good principle for a community. One we want to honour.Monthly Monday MasterclassesThe Membership community isn’t just about having people to talk to, we also want to give you some dedicated time to step away from working in your business, to work on it instead. On the first Monday of every month we will gather online with our paid members for a one-hour Business Masterclass with Emma and invited guests.They will be practical, useful sessions covering a range of topics from business values to seasonal living. One thing we can assure you is that these masterclasses won’t become just another addition to that list of things you should be doing. We’ll be taking your lead on the subjects most useful to you, making sure each one offers you maximum knowledge value. So please do let us know what would be useful for you - pop us an email at team@countrywomansguide.co.uk or send us a DM on Instagram.Our first six sessions are already in the making and will be covering the following topics:September: Time HacksLet’s start as we mean to go on and find you some extra time.October: ValuesYou’ll be amazed at how useful understanding your values can be as a decision making tool - regularly saving you time and worry.November: Non-Hustle Business GrowthLet’s talk about how we can harness
- Aug 20, 20264 min
A little introduction to our paid membership for women in business who love the countryside.
So here we are.I’ve switched on the Paid Membership for Countrywoman’s Guide, quietly and without a lot of fanfare, because we want you to have the space to decide if we’re the right group for you, rather than we hustle you in and you realise we’re not.I’ve chatted in the video above about why we’re doing what we do, and how we believe that a group with a mutual aim of helping each other to move forward can help you in your day-to-day lives.So what’s going to be included in your membership?We’ll be having a one hour call per month where we will work on some of the things that I have been helping individual businesses with over the past few years. We’ll start off by looking at getting you committed to your vision and what you want to be doing, then we’ll do a session on focusing on getting that done. There will be zoom sessions where we work on you and how you cope with what you’re doing, as well as fun things like cooking and making time for you. We’ll also be doing some more practical business sessions on things like trademarks, legals, understanding your finances, substack skills and all sorts of other useful topics to help you run your business better.You will also get first access to our events - we’re going to set up a schedule for lunches and joint working days - where you can literally come and pull a chair up at our table and we’ll work through things together. As a paid member you will get a discount code that you can use on these events.That’s the bones of what’s involved - the key thing for us is building a community that is supportive, that you can learn from in a way that helps you feel less lonely as you build your business.Once you have signed up on Substack, you can just receive everything in your emails, so don’t worry if you don’t want to do anything on Substack.As already stated, the podcasts that we currently do will continue to be available to everyone, as it’s really important to us that everyone gets to hear the wisdom that our interviewees pass on during their interview. The paid tier is for you if you are looking for extra business support and community or you wish to support Countrywoman’s Guide in our mission to help rural businesses.As always, please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions. Thank you.Join our growing Community of people who value building a business that fits your life, rather than a life that fits in round your business. Get full access to A Countrywoman’s Guide to Work and Life at countrywomansguide.substack.com/subscribe
- Aug 16, 202637 min
Lucy Hall of Peshawar Jackets - How a handful of jackets, a family connection and a willingness to have a go became something much bigger. Episode 55
Some businesses begin with a five-year plan, months of arranging, organising and every fall back plan put in place before they even begin. Others begin with a couple of suitcases full of jackets. And that is more or less how the amazing Peshawar Jackets came about.The business was born from a connection between Pakistan and the British countryside, when founder Bertie Alexander returned from running riding holidays in the Hindukush Mountains with beautiful Chitrali-style jackets they quickly attracted attention from everyone who saw them.Lucy joined the business almost by accident, bringing with her 25 years of experience in the events sector. Alongside Bertie and her son Jonty, she has helped turn this initial idea into a growing business, while learning plenty along the way herself.We talk about what it is like to build a business across generations, and the rather wonderful exchange of skills that happens when experience and enthusiasm sit around the same kitchen table.An episode with plenty of business conversation, but also a resounding message about taking the skills you already have and being brave enough to use them somewhere new.And perhaps most importantly, Lucy talks about why she thinks it is worth starting a business later in life - and why there is no need to rush the process of building one.It’s a conversation about people, patience and finding out what happens when you give an idea room to grow.Listen to the full episode of the Countrywoman’s Guide Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.Join our growing Community of people who value building a business that fits your life, rather than a life that fits in round your business. Get full access to A Countrywoman’s Guide to Work and Life at countrywomansguide.substack.com/subscribe
- Aug 9, 202633 min
Episode 54: Chatting with Cedric Stonex of Chapman Bags
There’s a lot more to Chapman than just making very good bags, as we discovered when we first met Cedric at Badminton Horse Trials in the early May of this year. What began as simply admiring the quality and craftsmanship of the products on their stand, grew into an inspiring conversation around building a business that cares deeply about their values, materials, quality and customer experience. Not only was it a new brand that we wanted to introduce to our Countrywoman’s Guide community, but also a story we had knew we wanted to explore further and share with you.So join us on today’s podcast as we talk to Cedric Stonex, owner of Chapman Bags.Chapman began in 1984, and Cedric has worked his way through almost every part of the business before becoming its owner in 2019. Today, the business continues to grow, but the principles behind it remain firmly in place.Cedric takes us through his journey in the business, the uncertainties he’s faced along the way, and shares why and how Chapman’s strong brand values inform each business decision he makes.We also talk about the less visible but equally crucial sides of running a business, from the responsibility that comes with employing people, to having the patience to build something with true longevity and the making of decisions when the safer option isn’t necessarily the right one. It’s a listen that we know will resonate with so many of you, and offer you reassurance as you navigate your own business’s. You can listen to the full conversation now, wherever you get your podcasts.If would like to keep with Chapman, you can find their website here, and their Instagram here. Photography Credits: Team Chapman & Barney CurranJoin our growing Community of people who value building a business that fits your life, rather than a life that fits in round your business. Get full access to A Countrywoman’s Guide to Work and Life at countrywomansguide.substack.com/subscribe
About The Countrywoman’s Guide to Work, Life & You…
Countrywoman's Guide is a virtual kitchen table for us all to sit round and learn from each other - whether it be business goings on, life advice or simply a reminder to remember that you matter, we're here. countrywomansguide.substack.com
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