In this episode of the Online Entrepreneur Academy, I’m delighted to welcome back Sophia Lorraine, now three years into her journey as a full-time entrepreneur and proving that courage mixed with conviction really does change lives.

Since we last spoke, Sophia hasn’t just grown her coaching business. She has stepped into franchising, built a thriving dance academy with over 160 students and multiple new locations opening, and discovered the power of having the right team around her. We talk honestly about the realities of franchising, the support it offers, and how it transformed not only her business but her family life too.

But that’s only part of the story.

Sophia has also co-founded The Anchor Room, a Community Interest Company designed to support women rebuilding their lives after difficult or abusive relationships. From idea to National Lottery funding, this is a powerful example of what happens when purpose meets practical action. We explore how the project began, how it works, and how others could create something similar in their own communities.

This conversation is about belief, resilience, letting go of what no longer fits, and building something that truly matters.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re ready to take the leap, whether franchising could be right for you, or how to turn a passion project into a funded community initiative, this episode is going to give you plenty to think about.

Let’s dive in.

Contact point for Sophia
Email: misssophia@mfdance.co.uk

Do message us, suggestions, feedback guests you'd like to have in a conversation here? Thank you for you support and interest. Apprecaited

My podcast is advert-free and jingle-free, simply put together, and hopefully demonstrates you can be working alone, keep the tech simple, and still share fabulous information.

Keeping business simple is my motto! ...Although I will at some point have some music and a jingle!!

Thank you for joining us, you'll find us here:
https://calendly.com/susanmaghrabi/coffee-chat Book your Complimentary Appointment

The Rest :
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lancaster-maghrabi/
👉http://bit.ly/OLEAGroup My free FB Group,
https://www.facebook.com/susanlancastermaghrabi/
https://www.facebook.com/SusanMaghrabi101
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpIKPhe3_SD1qNytfILNXQ
The Charity we support:
https://www.facebook.com/StKizitoPrimarySchool see the page for details

In this episode, I’m joined by Brian Gibbs, a full-time traveller who has built a location-independent income through affiliate marketing in the travel industry.

Brian shares how he moved from corporate life into a laptop-based business, why affiliate marketing is often misunderstood, and how everyday people can earn online without hype or pressure. We talk honestly about the realities of digital nomad life, the importance of email ownership, choosing ethical affiliate programmes, and why travel and business don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

This is a grounded, practical conversation for anyone curious about earning online, travelling more, or building a business that fits real life.

Brain is on LInkedin here: linkedin.com/in/briankgibbs

Websites and contact points

briankgibbs.com

gibbstravel.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@BrianKGibbs

bgibbs2@yahoo.com

This is the book Brian mentions

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470051248?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

Do message us, suggestions, feedback guests you'd like to have in a conversation here? Thank you for you support and interest. Apprecaited

My podcast is advert-free and jingle-free, simply put together, and hopefully demonstrates you can be working alone, keep the tech simple, and still share fabulous information.

Keeping business simple is my motto! ...Although I will at some point have some music and a jingle!!

Thank you for joining us, you'll find us here:
https://calendly.com/susanmaghrabi/coffee-chat Book your Complimentary Appointment

The Rest :
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lancaster-maghrabi/
👉http://bit.ly/OLEAGroup My free FB Group,
https://www.facebook.com/susanlancastermaghrabi/
https://www.facebook.com/SusanMaghrabi101
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpIKPhe3_SD1qNytfILNXQ
The Charity we support:
https://www.facebook.com/StKizitoPrimarySchool see the page for details

In this solo episode of the Online Entrepreneur Academy podcast, I’m talking honestly about marketing and content, especially on social media.

If you’ve ever thought “I don’t know what to post”, or you’re posting regularly but it’s not leading anywhere, this episode is for you. I share three simple ideas to help your content feel clearer, more consistent, and more human, without chasing trends or exhausting yourself.

This episode is about building trust through your content, sounding like yourself online, and making marketing work for your business, not against it.

Have a listen, and don’t forget to check the details below for links and ways to connect.

Do message us, suggestions, feedback guests you'd like to have in a conversation here? Thank you for you support and interest. Apprecaited

My podcast is advert-free and jingle-free, simply put together, and hopefully demonstrates you can be working alone, keep the tech simple, and still share fabulous information.

Keeping business simple is my motto! ...Although I will at some point have some music and a jingle!!

Thank you for joining us, you'll find us here:
https://calendly.com/susanmaghrabi/coffee-chat Book your Complimentary Appointment

The Rest :
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lancaster-maghrabi/
👉http://bit.ly/OLEAGroup My free FB Group,
https://www.facebook.com/susanlancastermaghrabi/
https://www.facebook.com/SusanMaghrabi101
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpIKPhe3_SD1qNytfILNXQ
The Charity we support:
https://www.facebook.com/StKizitoPrimarySchool see the page for details

Finding Your Voice Through Change with Alice Chin...

In this episode of the Online Entrepreneur Academy podcast, I am joined by Alice Chin, founder of Breakthrough Coaching.

Alice shares her journey from the corporate world into coaching, a decision shaped by years of reflection, learning, and a deep desire to help people navigate change without losing themselves along the way. We explore what it really takes to start your own business, the loneliness that can come with it, and why mindset, neuroscience, and intentional living matter more than ever in a world full of disruption.

This is a thoughtful, honest conversation about resilience, wellbeing, and finding clarity when life and work feel overwhelming. Ideal for solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and anyone feeling stuck or stretched.

Social linkedin.com/in/alice-chin

Websites

acbreakthroughcoaching.com/

calendly.com/acbreakthroughcoaching

Email

alice@acbreakthroughcoaching.com

Do message us, suggestions, feedback guests you'd like to have in a conversation here? Thank you for you support and interest. Apprecaited

My podcast is advert-free and jingle-free, simply put together, and hopefully demonstrates you can be working alone, keep the tech simple, and still share fabulous information.

Keeping business simple is my motto! ...Although I will at some point have some music and a jingle!!

Thank you for joining us, you'll find us here:
https://calendly.com/susanmaghrabi/coffee-chat Book your Complimentary Appointment

The Rest :
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lancaster-maghrabi/
👉http://bit.ly/OLEAGroup My free FB Group,
https://www.facebook.com/susanlancastermaghrabi/
https://www.facebook.com/SusanMaghrabi101
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpIKPhe3_SD1qNytfILNXQ
The Charity we support:
https://www.facebook.com/StKizitoPrimarySchool see the page for details

In this episode of the Online Entrepreneur Academy podcast, I am joined by Keith Peers from Canada, founder of The Trusted Advisor and a coach with 30+ years’ experience helping small business owners and leadership teams grow with clarity.

Keith unpacks why so many capable business owners get stuck, especially “technical” professionals who are brilliant at the work but were never taught how to run the business. You’ll hear Keith’s practical approach to building alignment across leadership teams, defining purpose and values (so decisions actually stick), and setting goals that don’t disappear by February.

We also talk about hiring A-players, coaching people up or out with empathy, and why growth often stalls because leaders struggle to let go.

If you’re a solopreneur, founder, or leading a small team and want a smarter way to scale, this one will give you a fresh perspective and real takeaways.

linkedin.com/kpeers2001
https://www.facebook.com/tandrgroupcanada
https://www.instagram.com/tandrgroupcanada

Do message us, suggestions, feedback guests you'd like to have in a conversation here? Thank you for you support and interest. Apprecaited

My podcast is advert-free and jingle-free, simply put together, and hopefully demonstrates you can be working alone, keep the tech simple, and still share fabulous information.

Keeping business simple is my motto! ...Although I will at some point have some music and a jingle!!

Thank you for joining us, you'll find us here:
https://calendly.com/susanmaghrabi/coffee-chat Book your Complimentary Appointment

The Rest :
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lancaster-maghrabi/
👉http://bit.ly/OLEAGroup My free FB Group,
https://www.facebook.com/susanlancastermaghrabi/
https://www.facebook.com/SusanMaghrabi101
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpIKPhe3_SD1qNytfILNXQ
The Charity we support:
https://www.facebook.com/StKizitoPrimarySchool see the page for details

After our short annual break this is our first episode of 2026.

And...I can’t think of a better way to start the year than with a conversation about regeneration, purpose, and how we build businesses that truly matter. In this episode I’m joined by Catherine Daley, coach, facilitator and product designer by background, who is now building something genuinely exciting; a carbon removal business using biochar.

Catherine brings a brilliant mix of real world manufacturing experience, leadership work, and neurodiversity coaching, and she’s applying all of it to one big question: how can a business leave a positive footprint rather than just “do less harm”?

We talk about what regenerative business actually means in plain English, nature having a voice in decision making, carbon credits without the jargon, and why you don’t need everything perfect before you start.

This is thoughtful, practical, and encouragingly hopeful.

Catherine’s Contact Points

linkedin.com/in/catherinedaley

Email

hello@catherine-daley.com

Do message us, suggestions, feedback guests you'd like to have in a conversation here? Thank you for you support and interest. Apprecaited

My podcast is advert-free and jingle-free, simply put together, and hopefully demonstrates you can be working alone, keep the tech simple, and still share fabulous information.

Keeping business simple is my motto! ...Although I will at some point have some music and a jingle!!

Thank you for joining us, you'll find us here:
https://calendly.com/susanmaghrabi/coffee-chat Book your Complimentary Appointment

The Rest :
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lancaster-maghrabi/
👉http://bit.ly/OLEAGroup My free FB Group,
https://www.facebook.com/susanlancastermaghrabi/
https://www.facebook.com/SusanMaghrabi101
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpIKPhe3_SD1qNytfILNXQ
The Charity we support:
https://www.facebook.com/StKizitoPrimarySchool see the page for details

In this episode of the Online Entrepreneur Academy podcast, I’m joined by the brilliant and wonderfully frank Anne Bates OBE – a woman who has reinvented her life more than once, not by choice, but through sheer determination, humour, and a refusal to stay quiet.

Anne shares how she went from being expelled from school and working as a secretary, to becoming a nursery nurse, a college lecturer, and eventually Chair of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, advising the UK government on accessible transport. Along the way, she was awarded an OBE – which she wryly rebrands as “Other Buggers’ Efforts.”

We talk about:

• How serious illness and disability forced a career change she never asked for
• The realities of life as a wheelchair user in a world designed for everyone else
• Why language, assumptions, and “special assistance” can help – or completely miss the point
• The difference between the medical model and the social model of disability
• How humour, stubbornness, and a sharp eye for injustice can drive real change

This is a conversation about access, dignity, and unexpected career pivots. It’s honest, funny, and quietly fierce – especially if you’ve ever felt like a square peg being shoved into a round hole.

You can find Ann on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-bates-obe-5bb84227/

Do message us, suggestions, feedback guests you'd like to have in a conversation here? Thank you for you support and interest. Apprecaited

My podcast is advert-free and jingle-free, simply put together, and hopefully demonstrates you can be working alone, keep the tech simple, and still share fabulous information.

Keeping business simple is my motto! ...Although I will at some point have some music and a jingle!!

Thank you for joining us, you'll find us here:
https://calendly.com/susanmaghrabi/coffee-chat Book your Complimentary Appointment

The Rest :
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lancaster-maghrabi/
👉http://bit.ly/OLEAGroup My free FB Group,
https://www.facebook.com/susanlancastermaghrabi/
https://www.facebook.com/SusanMaghrabi101
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpIKPhe3_SD1qNytfILNXQ
The Charity we support:
https://www.facebook.com/StKizitoPrimarySchool see the page for details

In this episode, I’m joined by the remarkable Gabriel Topman - a coaching entrepreneur, investor, and strategic thinker with a seriously impressive background in business growth and brand positioning. Gabriel brings something refreshingly different to the table: a mix of traditional business sense, sharp strategic thinking, and modern insight into how entrepreneurs can truly stand out online.

We explore why he runs not one, but three websites, how “alignment” and “differentiation” can transform your business, and why even the best ideas fail without a solid strategy behind them. It’s a fascinating conversation that blends depth with practicality - whether you’re an experienced entrepreneur or just starting out, this one will give you plenty to think about.

You can reach Gabriel here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-topman/

gabrieltopman@gmail.com

https://gabrieltopman.com/

And https://businessgrowthaction.com/

Do message us, suggestions, feedback guests you'd like to have in a conversation here? Thank you for you support and interest. Apprecaited

My podcast is advert-free and jingle-free, simply put together, and hopefully demonstrates you can be working alone, keep the tech simple, and still share fabulous information.

Keeping business simple is my motto! ...Although I will at some point have some music and a jingle!!

Thank you for joining us, you'll find us here:
https://calendly.com/susanmaghrabi/coffee-chat Book your Complimentary Appointment

The Rest :
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lancaster-maghrabi/
👉http://bit.ly/OLEAGroup My free FB Group,
https://www.facebook.com/susanlancastermaghrabi/
https://www.facebook.com/SusanMaghrabi101
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpIKPhe3_SD1qNytfILNXQ
The Charity we support:
https://www.facebook.com/StKizitoPrimarySchool see the page for details