WHAT THEY SAY | Podcast Guru

Details

WHAT THEY SAY is a podcast by THEY SAY STUDIOS, hosted by co-founders Amy-Lee Cowey-Small and Jessica Ashman, two women building a creative and digital world on their own terms. It is where work meets real life - motherhood and ambition, friendship and business, burnout and belief - with honest, funny, thoughtful conversations between Amy, Jess and their guests, from founders and creatives to leaders rewriting the rules, about what it really takes to build something you love and stay (mostly) sane.

Recent Episodes

WHAT THEY SAY about redefining success with Nnenna Onuba

After 17 years in investment banking with firms including Rothschild and PwC, Nnenna walked away from corporate life to build a business rooted in balance. Today, she wears many hats as a founder, angel investor, board director and advocate for inclusive leadership. But this isn't just a conversation about entrepreneurship. It's about knowing when to take the leap, building a career that reflects your values and challenging the traditional definition of success. Together, they get into: • Why...

63 MIN

WHAT THEY SAY about building a business with your best friend

In this episode of WHAT THEY SAY, Amy-Lee and Jess turn the mic on themselves to talk about how They Say Studios really began, from best friends first to business partners second. What started as an idea, quickly became a conversation about building something bigger together. But starting a business with your best friend is not just about having a shared vision. It is about honesty, hard conversations and figuring out how to grow side by side while being in completely different seasons of lif...

48 MIN

WHAT THEY SAY about building a brand with Amy Rollings

In this episode, we’re joined by Amy Rollings, founder of CLUB MERA- a premium non-alcoholic aperitif built for a new way of socialising. We’re in the middle of a cultural shift. More people are drinking less. Gen Z are redefining how they socialise. And at the same time, there’s a growing movement towards independence, ownership and building something of your own. In this conversation, we explore: – Why drinking culture is changing – What that means for brands and experiences – The reality o...

55 MIN

WHAT THEY SAY about making space when you’re not given it with Ayo Akinsete

In this episode of WHAT THEY SAY, Amy-Lee and Jess sit down with hospitality heavyweight Ayo Akinsete, Chief Operating Officer at The Dean Group, to talk about making space when you’re not given it- and leading with calm, credibility and quiet confidence. From Ile-Ife in Nigeria to South Carolina, Vegas, London and now Ireland, Ayo has built a global career across some of the world’s most recognisable lifestyle hotels. But this isn’t a CV recap. It’s a conversation about what it really ...

49 MIN

WHAT THEY SAY about running a business that never sits still

THEY SAY Studios was built in airports, coffee shops and voice notes. Amy-Lee in Palma, Jess in Singapore - running a global creative and digital studio powered by collaboration, not co-location. This first episode of WHAT THEY SAY is the story of how THEY SAY Studios began. How a couple of girls with laptops, big ideas and no shared office built a remote-first, female-founded studio across borders. We dig into how remote working really shapes creativity, leadership and connection. How you ...

36 MIN