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Nurture Your Zest

Nurture Your Zest

By: Ashleigh King - Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio
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Welcome to Nurture Your Zest - a podcast for the creative and the curious. Change your world through self-growth and self care. Hear the stories of people from all walks of life, be inspired, hear their struggles and tips for success and #NurtureYourZest.Ashleigh King - Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Why I Swapped the Red TEDx Circle for Green: Access Needs Aren't Preferences | Kim McDermottroe

    Why I Swapped the Red TEDx Circle for Green: Access Needs Aren't Preferences | Kim McDermottroe
    Jun 25 2026

    Join your host, Ashleigh King, as she welcomes Kim McDermottroe, an exceptionally talented Teesside-based creative director, costume and puppet designer, illustrator, and TEDx speaker, for a deeply moving exploration of the neurodivergent imagination.


    Carving out a thriving 23-year creative career from her home town of Billingham, Kim lives and breathes the tactile world of character design. In this beautifully raw conversation, Kim brings her studio creations directly into the hot seat, introducing us to stop-motion puppets born out of lockdown isolation.


    Themes of this conversation:


    • 🌵 The Executive "Waiting Zone" Exploring that heavy state of mental paralysis where a single afternoon appointment can consume an entire day's productivity.
    • 🌵 Carving a Creative Career in Teesside Why Kim proudly chose to stay a "smoggy" and invest her talents locally, contributing to Middlesbrough and Redcar parades, regional festivals, and the changing cultural narrative of the North East.
    • 🌵 From Sketchbook to Stop-Motion Reality The artistic journey behind her studio characters, including "Lockie" (the anthropomorphic lockdown Easter hare with a permanent plague mask) and how an Arts Council DYCP grant transformed her creative practice.
    • 🌵 Owning Your "A-Game" Moving past the car-side tears and post-meeting shame spirals of blurting out eccentric thoughts (like spotting imaginary penguins on roofs) to embrace them as the core source of your ideas.
    • 🌵 Living with Pareidolia & Sensory Processing How Kim hyper-focuses on faces in ordinary objects like cactuses or bus railings, and why certain spoken English and French words physically feel too unbearable to pronounce.
    • 🌵 A Late Diagnosis as a Cozy Blanket The profound relief of discovering her autism seven years ago, transitioning from feeling like her brain was actively trying to sabotage her to understanding it was always doing its best


    Chapters


    00:00 Pre-Appointment Paralysis: Navigating the Executive "Waiting Zone"

    03:58 Proud Smoggy: Carving a 23-Year Creative Career in Teesside

    06:10 Subconscious Proclamations & Teaching Puppet Making in Primary School

    08:36 The Unique Cake Analogy: Harnessing Your Unique Selling Point

    09:57 Riverside Festivals & Rewriting the Narrative of Growing Up in Middlesbrough

    13:08 Finding Inspiration in Guillermo del Toro, Jim Henson, and Character Design

    16:54 Meet the Studio Puppets: The Anatomy of Lockie, Toadstool, and Piper

    22:52 Paperwork Accountability: Securing an Arts Council England DYCP Grant

    25:22 Why Stop-Motion Animation Needs 3D Tactile Familiarity

    27:34 Swapping the Red Circle for Green: Access Needs are Not Preferences

    31:00 The Reality of Meeting Anxiety: Processing "Penguins on the Roofs"

    35:04 Support Systems for Autistic Meltdowns and decision Fatigue

    45:36 Opening Doors for Neurodivergent Freelancers Without a Body of Work

    47:58 Live Spoken Word Performance: "My Salvaged Skin"

    50:29 One Word to Nurture Your Zest: Creativity

    Follow Kim McDermottroe on Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/greenerlavelle/ ⁠


    Visit Kim’s Website:⁠ https://greenerlavelle.co.uk/ ⁠


    Watch Kim’s Full TEDx Teesside Talk:⁠ https://youtu.be/4SoM0vbQ774?si=lWfzzFRgNxcm1BBu ⁠


    Read "Simple Tips. Smart Ideas." by Erica Wolf-Murray: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Smart-Ideas-Erica-Wolfe-Murray/dp/1911195980


    Connect with Your Host, Ashleigh King:⁠ Ashleigh King on LinkedIn⁠


    This podcast was filmed at Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio. 🦩

    If you would like to record a podcast or have any questions about starting a podcast please write to: 💌 bookings@flamingoheights.co.uk


    www.flamingoheights.co.uk
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    52 mins
  • Why Being 'Semi-Feral' is My Greatest Asset | Liza Knight, Mint Business Club

    Why Being 'Semi-Feral' is My Greatest Asset | Liza Knight, Mint Business Club
    May 28 2026
    Join your host, Ashleigh King, as she welcomes Liza Knight, founder of Mint Business Club, tea enthusiast, and "semi-feral entrepreneur", for a conversation that is as refreshing as a well-brewed cup of Lapsang Souchong.With 22 years of experience as a tea merchant and a deep expertise in business coaching, Liza brings a uniquely grounded perspective on what it really takes to run a sustainable business without losing your soul. From her personal journey with late-diagnosed autism and ADHD to the radical act of "dating yourself" and setting unapologetic boundaries, Liza shares why the most profitable thing you can be is yourself. Together, Ashleigh and Liza explore the "shame spiral," the power of hormones in business, and why sometimes, the most revolutionary thing you can do is be "inconvenient."Themes of this conversation:🌵 The "Semi-Feral" Philosophy Why being fully yourself, without apology or sacrifice for others' comfort, is the key to both happiness and business success.🌵 Beans, Spoons, and Sparkles Liza’s signature mixing-desk framework for checking in with your physical, mental, and emotional energy before tackling your to-do list.🌵 Eradicating the "Shame Spiral" How curiosity and iteration can help business owners move past failure without getting stuck under a duvet.🌵 Neurodivergence & The Menopause The reality of late diagnosis for women and why "resource management" becomes critical when the brain you showed up with is struggling to cope.🌵 Clear is Kind The importance of boundaries, clear communication, and why saying "no" actually makes the people around you feel safer.🌵 Authentic Branding vs. Over-Sharing Finding the "forks" - the tiny, relatable moments that connect you to your audience without having to trauma-dump or sacrifice your privacy.This episode is for anyone navigating:The challenges of late-diagnosed neurodivergenceBurnout and the transition from startup to sustainabilityThe complexities of running a business while managing perimenopauseThe desire to build a business that is truly aligned with their valuesAnyone ready to stop "masking" and start thrivingLiza reminds us that you can only work with the brain you showed up with on the day, and that the ultimate mission is to "coalesce" all the threads of your life into one beautiful, cohesive weaving.Chapters00:00 The Skill of Sustainable Business vs. The Startup Sprint02:11 Introducing Mint Business Club and 22 Years of Tea05:03 Tea as Self-Medication: L-Theanine, Focus, and Mood10:24 Addressing "Misaligned Behaviors" and the Secondary Benefits of Scrolling14:46 Selling What They Want, Giving What They Need: The Ethics of Coaching17:15 The Vital Role of Supervision and Being Well-Resourced20:22 Coaching from the Scar, Not the Wound22:33 Personal Brand vs. Privacy: Finding Your "Fork"28:13 Menopause, Neurodivergence, and the "Brain You Showed Up With"31:57 Why "Feral" is a Boundary: Learn More and Do Better39:20 Escaping the Shame Spiral Through Iteration42:30 Beans, Spoons, and Sparkles: The Energy Mixing Desk46:14 One Word to Nurture Your Zest: CoalesceLinks & ResourcesVisit Mint Business Club: mintbusinessclub.co.ukShop Tea Enthusiasts: tea-enthusiasts.comFollow Liza on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lizaknightRead "The Good Girl Deprogramming" by Michelle Minnikinhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Girl-Deprogramming-Unleash-Within-ebook/dp/B0CN41ND8MConnect with Your Host, Ashleigh King: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-elizabeth-king/This podcast was filmed at Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio. 🦩If you would like to record a podcast or have any questions about starting a podcast please write to: 💌 bookings@flamingoheights.co.ukwww.flamingoheights.co.uk
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    49 mins
  • "If It’s Not Here, I’ll Make It": The Birth of Newcastle Film Club | Samantha Castro

    "If It’s Not Here, I’ll Make It": The Birth of Newcastle Film Club | Samantha Castro
    May 14 2026
    Join your host, Ashleigh King, as she welcomes Samantha Castro, creative video producer, Founder and President of Newcastle Film Club, and former Flamingo Heights team member, for an inspiring conversation about gumption, global moves, and the power of grassroots community.From growing up in a high-achieving Air Force family in Texas to navigating the rigours of UK spousal visas, Sam shares how she turned her "producer brain" into a tool for both personal and community growth. Together, Ashleigh and Sam explore the reality of creative burnout, the "nerve-wracking" leap of going full-time on a passion project, and why the secret to nurturing your zest often lies in simply pressing record.Themes of this conversation:🌵 The "Texan" Work Ethic How a childhood of perfect attendance and competitive band/basketball shaped Sam's "show up come hell or high water" approach to her career.🌵 The Visa Journey The hidden anxieties and mountains of paperwork involved in building a life across continents, and the relief of finally securing "indefinite leave to remain".🌵 If You Build It, They Will ComeRecognising a gap in the North East creative scene and founding Newcastle Film Club to help local filmmakers "Collaborate, Create, and Repeat".🌵 Leadership and Trust The evolution of a creative leader: learning when to delegate to volunteers and how to maintain high standards without overstepping.🌵 Backing Yourself The "now or never" moment of leaving a stable role to focus entirely on a social enterprise and finding viability in passion.🌵 Creating vs. Consuming Escaping the algorithm-induced "burnout loop" by getting offline, doing crafts, and finishing personal projects for the sake of joy.This episode is for anyone navigating:The transition from a side hustle to a full-time passionMoving to a new country and finding your "tribe"Overcoming creative burnout and "consumption fatigue"Building grassroots communities or social enterprisesLearning to be a compassionate yet effective leaderChapters00:00 The "Gumption" to Create What You Want to See02:47 Growing Up in Texas: Air Force, Sports, and Straight As05:53 The Power of Showing Up: 12 Years of Perfect Attendance11:10 Falling in Love with Media and the Move to the UK17:57 The Reality of Spousal Visas and Lingering Anxiety22:43 Founding Newcastle Film Club: Filling the Gap27:06 From Lockdown to RTS Nominations and 95k Views34:25 Creative Leadership: Delegating and Managing Volunteers37:03 The Conversation: "Ash, I Need to Go All In"42:53 The Fear of Pressing "Publish"47:57 Escaping the Loop: Create More, Consume Less49:09 Tips for Overcoming Creative Burnout52:59 One Word to Nurture Your Zest: HonestyLinks & ResourcesVisit Newcastle Film Club:https://www.newcastlefilmclub.co.uk/Follow Sam’s YouTube Journey:https://www.youtube.com/@SamanthaJoeSam’s Dinosaur Bullet Journal Video:https://youtu.be/OzRtrJtQlXk?si=23AzVLlAXSdODIWdConnect with Samantha Castro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthacastro1/Connect with Your Host, Ashleigh King: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-elizabeth-king/This podcast was filmed at Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio. 🦩 If you would like to record a podcast or have any questions about starting a podcast please write to: 💌 bookings@flamingoheights.co.uk www.flamingoheights.co.uk
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    54 mins
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