Cornwall is a corner of the world which imprints itself on all who visit, and few businesses are quite as synonymous with their origins as Fat Willy’s, a perennial presence on the Cornish coastline.

In this episode, Liz and Leila sit down with Co-Owner and Director Marc Ward, to retrace the steps of how a surf shack dream from the 1980s became a Cornish institution, from Marc’s dad’s original vision to how the brand has grown while staying firmly rooted in Cornwall and family life.

🔑 Key Themes

• Place-based branding and the allure of Cornwall
• Balancing multiple ventures, creativity and family life
• Protecting margins, resilience and focus

🔗 Connect with us

Fat Willy's Website: https://fatwillysstives.com

Fat Willy's IG: https://www.instagram.com/fatwillysstives/

Fat Willy’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FWStives/

Liz Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/lizzielean/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-willingham-09273a3/

Leila Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/leilawillingham/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-willingham-821530a1/

Liz Lean PR: https://www.lizleanpr.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/lizleanpr

https://www.linkedin.com/company/liz-lean-pr/

Dominion is a three-generation print business which nearly began as the UK’s first McDonald's franchisee - that ‘sliding doors’ moment set the trajectory for a far greater journey for the firm’s family…

In this episode, Liz and Leila sit down with Verity Fox, Managing Director of Dominion, the three‑generation print business that’s been part of her life for as long as she can remember.

Verity shares what makes the business like a “hungry sibling”, sudden succession, balancing grief with leadership, and the quiet strength of a team that rallies when the family is in crisis.

🔑 Key Themes

• Legacy and Succession in a Three-Generation Family Business
• Growing Up Inside the Business: Identity, Conflict and Commitment
• Leading Through Grief and Sudden Responsibility
• Culture, Team Loyalty and the “Friday Screamer” Spirit

🔗 Connect with us

Dominion Print Website: https://www.dominionprint.com/

Dominion Print LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dominion-print/

Verity Fox LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verity-fox-aa031866/

Liz Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/lizzielean/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-willingham-09273a3/

Leila Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/leilawillingham/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-willingham-821530a1/

Liz Lean PR: https://www.lizleanpr.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/lizleanpr

https://www.linkedin.com/company/liz-lean-pr/

When your dad tells you that life is a do-it-yourself project, what would you feel empowered to build?

A single, overlooked byproduct of coffee roasting has become Tepi Naturals, a family-run skincare brand headed up by the ambitious and driven Brent Thomas.

Brent joins us to share the leap from biotech to farmers’ markets, the realities of working alongside his parents and sister, and the pressure and purpose that come with building something of your own.

🔑 Key Themes

• Turning waste into value
• Leaving a stable career to “stop building someone else’s future”
• Harnessing individual strengths in a family business
• Communication, trust, and growth in a competitive market

🔗 Connect with us

Tepi Naturals Website: https://www.tepinaturals.com/

Tepi Naturals LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tepi-naturals-807639410/

Liz Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/lizzielean/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-willingham-09273a3/

Leila Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/leilawillingham/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-willingham-821530a1/

Liz Lean PR: https://www.lizleanpr.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/lizleanpr

https://www.linkedin.com/company/liz-lean-pr/

When a late‑night phone call in Bucharest led Anca Tomescu’s mother to rescue 300 dogs in a single day, she had no idea she was founding one of Eastern Europe’s oldest and most remarkable shelters.

In this episode of ‘It Runs In The Family’, we meet Anca and her daughter Sara, the second and third generations behind Adăpostul Speranța Shelter, now home to over 500 elderly, disabled, and rehabilitated dogs.

They share what it’s like to grow up in a shelter, how Sara is now blending business skills with a lifelong love of animals, and how the duo are so much more powerful together than apart.

🔑 Key Themes

• Turning Crisis into a Calling
• Multi‑Generational Family Business Dynamics
• Leading With Compassion
• Blending Passion with Profession
• Balancing Work, Family, and Boundaries

🔗 Connect with us

Adăpostul Speranța LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/speran%C8%9Ba-shelter/

Adăpostul Speranța Website: https://adapostulsperanta.ro/

Anca Tomescu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anca-tomescu/

Liz Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/lizzielean/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-willingham-09273a3/

Leila Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/leilawillingham/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-willingham-821530a1/

Liz Lean PR: https://www.lizleanpr.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/lizleanpr

https://www.linkedin.com/company/liz-lean-pr/

When Sophie and Axel Steenberg walked away from corporate life to start an organic spice business, they bet on their values, their patience, and their family.

Steenbergs is a business grown from a tiny North Yorkshire unit with just two kilos of each spice; now it’s a tried, tested and trusted brand, known for doing the right thing at all costs…

Sophie and Axel join us to explore the reality of doing business ‘the nicer way’, and how your business’ ethos is a stark reflection of the family who runs it.

🔑 Key Themes

• Building a Values-Led, Organic Business
• Patience and Risk in a Niche Market
• Preserving Your Ethics Amid Wider Pressures
• Environmental Responsibility

🔗 Connect with us

Steenbergs Website: https://www.steenbergs.co.uk/

Steenbergs LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/steenbergs/

Steenbergs IG: https://www.instagram.com/steenbergsltd/

Axel Steenberg LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/axel-steenberg-3209b37/

Sophie Steenberg LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-steenberg-a475828/

Liz Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/lizzielean/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-willingham-09273a3/

Leila Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/leilawillingham/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-willingham-821530a1/

Liz Lean PR: https://www.lizleanpr.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/lizleanpr

https://www.linkedin.com/company/liz-lean-pr/

The Headland Cornwall is an unmistakably iconic hotel overlooking Fistral Beach, and the family in charge have their eyes set on the long term…

Veryan Palmer is the hotel’s director, and has wanted to be a hotelier since the age of 10 - her passion for the building, the team, and the area is second to none.

Discover a building steeped in history, and learn what it takes to keep it running as more than a hotel, but as a living piece of Cornish history.

🔑 Key Themes

• Custodianship and Heritage
• People, Culture and Team
• Community Responsibility and the Cornish Visitor Economy
• Balancing Legacy with Future Growth and Sustainability

🔗 Connect with us

• The Headland Cornwall Website: https://www.headlandhotel.co.uk/
• The Headland Cornwall IG: https://www.instagram.com/theheadlandcornwall/
• The Headland Cornwall LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-headland/
• Veryan Palmer LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veryan-palmer-fih-mi-is-a528a115/
• Veryan Palmer IG: https://www.instagram.com/veryanp/

Liz Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/lizzielean/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-willingham-09273a3/

Leila Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/leilawillingham/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-willingham-821530a1/

Liz Lean PR: https://www.lizleanpr.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/lizleanpr

https://www.linkedin.com/company/liz-lean-pr/

The idea that glass can be worked in a small studio, rather than a closed-off factory, was once novel. Thanks to Peter Layton, it’s become an icon of London.

He discovered studio glass in the US, and has since built one of the UK’s most influential glass studios, thriving for over 50 years and now boasting a site on Bermondsey Street.

We’re joined by Peter and his daughter, Sophie, who share how family, community and a deep love of craft have kept the fires burning through recessions, big commissions and the handover to the next generation.

🔑 Key Themes

• The Craft and “Magic” of Glass
• Community, Mentorship and Open Studios
• Resilience and Creativity
• Succession Planning

🔗 Connect with us

• Guest Website: https://londonglassblowing.co.uk/
• London Glassblowing IG: https://londonglassblowing.co.uk/
• London Glassblowing LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/london-glassblowing/
• Peter Layton LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-layton-7a04996/

Liz Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/lizzielean/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-willingham-09273a3/

Leila Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/leilawillingham/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-willingham-821530a1/

Liz Lean PR: https://www.lizleanpr.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/lizleanpr

https://www.linkedin.com/company/liz-lean-pr/

Food is more than food for the Founder of Xi Home Dumplings Bay - whether it’s love or an apology, it’s the strongest language shared by this family.

Wenjun Xiang launched her career while she was still in school, starting the business with her mum at age 17, and while Forbes 30 Under 30 is a mighty accolade to achieve in that time, it’s not the only definition of success for her.

Join us for a truly unvarnished take on the family business journey with Wenjun, as she describes what makes the relationship with her maternal co-worker a unique challenge…

🔑 Key Themes

• The messy reality of family business
• Resilience and risk
• Cultural identity, love and communication
• Ambition and redefining success

🔗 Connect with us

• Xi Home Dumplings Bay Website: https://www.wjxfoodculture.co.uk/
• Xi Home Dumplings Bay LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wjx-food-culture/
• Wenjun Xiang LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wenjun-x-9716811b8/

Liz Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/lizzielean/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-willingham-09273a3/

Leila Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/leilawillingham/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-willingham-821530a1/

Liz Lean PR: https://www.lizleanpr.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/lizleanpr

https://www.linkedin.com/company/liz-lean-pr/