E93: VC funding and building a life with intention with Kira Mahal, founder of MotivatePT
Release Date: 11/20/2025
E97: How I get through Christmas triggers - Solo episode with Caroline
Bump to Business Owner
How was your first Christmas with a baby? Mine was…not as I had hoped. And I think that’s the same for everyone. Your life has changed fundamentally, but Christmas just keeps being Christmas, with the same old family dynamics. And I found that rough, I definitely had a Christmas Crash - if that is/was you too, you’re not alone Christmas is a triggering time for everyone, and we all need to do what we gotta do to get through it. I’m sharing what I’ve learnt for how to manage (mitigate?) Christmas, Bailey’s in hand, from the practical - I order my tree in September, yes I am that guy...
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E96: Navigating Christmas pressure and the messy middle with psychologist Dr Tuesday Watts-Overall
Bump to Business Owner
There’s a lot of expectation when you become a mum: how it will be, the friends you will make, the support you’ll have, what work will look like; what Christmas will look like. The gulf between our expectations and reality is very real, and Dr Tuesday Watts-Overall is here to tell you: you’re in the messy middle, and that’s OK. Dr Tuesday shares her tools for navigating the huge pressure we put on ourselves as mums, particularly at this time of year, and how we can be more human to ourselves. We’re in the messy middle, we’re in the identity shift, we’re amidst changing...
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E95: Why you should bring your kids along on the business journey with Alice Holland-Lu, founder of The Female Archetypes
Bump to Business Owner
What do you do when your boss tells you your pregnancy is “inconvenient”? Start your own business. Alice Holland-Lu used her 15 years of experience in luxury fashion to launch her own brand, based on her own experiences and struggles as her body changed throughout pregnancy and beyond. Alice has built a hyper-local business model, a community and an emotionally-led brand, whilst carting her kids to the factory after school. What else can you do when you only have 2 days a week of childcare? Our conversation is full of advice for women in the trenches whilst building a business...
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E94: What 2025 has taught me - Solo episode with Caroline
Bump to Business Owner
Trigger Warning: there is a brief discussion of maternal mental health and suicide. 2025 has gone really fast, and it has been A Lot. There have been a lot of lessons, and I’m sharing 3 of mine in the hope that it will encourage you to reflect, celebrate how far you’ve come and recognise the challenges you’ve faced. Bonus lesson? Don’t ask ChatGPT to tell you what you’ve learnt, before you ask yourself! I’ll share the 3 tiered lessons AI told me I’ve learnt this year - and as with everything AI does, the answers were pretty bland, even when challenged. It’s a bit of an...
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E93: VC funding and building a life with intention with Kira Mahal, founder of MotivatePT
Bump to Business Owner
Kira Mahal has never taken the conventional route - from holding a marketing event in lieu of interviewing for jobs, to leaving a lucrative finance career with no plan, no savings and no clear vision. Self-described as “barking mad”, Kira and her husband went all into their business. On the cusp of a life and business changing corporate contract, the world went into lockdown and they lost £1.8million in VC funding. Pivoting back to their B2C business, Kira turned to the journals she’d been keeping along the way and put into practice what she learnt from her experience. If you’re...
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E92: Macarons, motherhood and growth with Rachel Hanretty, founder of Mademoiselle Macaron
Bump to Business Owner
Rachel and I met on the Goldman Sachs 10KSB programme in February and instantly gravitated towards another. Both mums, both struggling with being away from family, but determined to grow our businesses, despite all the challenges that motherhood/founderhood bring. My conversation with Rachel is almost excoriatingly honest about the impact of motherhood on her business, and herself. These are the conversations we need to have with women, founders, mums and would-be mums. Because the internet will tell you, you can have it all, but the reality isn't quite like that. The economy, the strength of...
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E91: Not another end of year push podcast - Solo episode with Caroline
Bump to Business Owner
I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions. December isn’t a straightforward month for me, personally, and my energy levels in January after juggling school holidays and all the Christmas fun just aren’t up to “starting the new year strong”. So I’ve restructured my business year, and my mindset to fit my realities. In this episode I’m sharing: Why I'm so anti end of year hustle culture Why we should all be putting less pressure on ourselves How I've shaped my year to fit better with my energy levels, and financials Rebel with me. More on Takeaways: Christmas shift in mum admin...
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E90: Celebrating mums and business owners: live interviews from the UK VA Awards
Bump to Business Owner
Something a little different this week. I was at the UK Virtual Assistant awards last week celebrating the industry and gratefully receiving a couple of awards, on behalf of the business and the podcast team! While I was there, I did some live interviews with some incredible VAs and business women, who also happen to be mums, my industry peers and friends. They are sharing their wisdom and experiences of building businesses, working flexibly and prioritising their family. It was a very fun (by which I mean loud) atmosphere, so apologies for the background noise levels. Thanks to Amanda...
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Ep 89: The military, motherhood and Virtual Assistant industry with Amanda Johnson, founder of the VA Training Academy
Bump to Business Owner
Trigger warning: This episode was recorded during Baby Loss Awareness Week and includes discussion of miscarriage and baby loss. Please take care of yourself. This conversation is long overdue. Amanda Johnson, or The Amanda Johnson as she’s known in the Virtual Assistant industry, is founder and coach at the VA Training Academy, host of the UK VA Awards and my mentor. Before becoming a Titan of the VA industry, Amanda had a 23 year career in the military, until personal tragedy changed her priorities. Despite not personally inventing the field (listen in!) Amanda pivoted to becoming a...
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Miniseries Part 4: The future of the Virtual Assistant industry
Bump to Business Owner
We’re wrapping up the Assistant miniseries with a big-picture conversation, the future of the assistant and VA industry. I’ve been in this world for over 15 years, and in that time I’ve seen the role change again and again, from the 2009 crash, to the explosion of tech tools, and now to AI. In this episode, I’m talking about where I see things going, what makes our work truly irreplaceable, and why assistants need to be visible, strategic partners (not an exec’s “secret weapon”). I’m also sharing my thoughts on niching, the growing operational side of our roles, and the...
info_outlineKira Mahal has never taken the conventional route - from holding a marketing event in lieu of interviewing for jobs, to leaving a lucrative finance career with no plan, no savings and no clear vision.
Self-described as “barking mad”, Kira and her husband went all into their business. On the cusp of a life and business changing corporate contract, the world went into lockdown and they lost £1.8million in VC funding. Pivoting back to their B2C business, Kira turned to the journals she’d been keeping along the way and put into practice what she learnt from her experience.
If you’re thinking about taking the leap without a clear plan, VC funding, or the endless tension that is being a founder and a mum, listen in.
Takeaways:
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Kira’s career journey from Young Enterprise, always taking the unconventional route to the idea for MotivatePT
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Going all in without a clear vision or plan - both Kira and her husband!
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VC funding - the barriers and why it isn’t for everyone
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Crystalising your business vision by making mistakes and testing the market
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Starting a second corporate arm, VC funding and the pandemic
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Refocusing on the original business and growing more sustainably
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Journalling and the insights it gave Kira, reality v rose tinted glasses of the moment
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Kira’s personal, and the wider culture’s, changing attitude to wellness
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We’re not just building a business, we’re building a life
Resources:
Young Enterprise: www.young-enterprise.org.uk/
Chapters:
00:30 Introduction to Kira Mahal and MotivatePT
02:36 Kira's Journey from Banking to Entrepreneurship
05:32 The Birth of MotivatePT: A Personal Mission
08:14 Navigating the Challenges of Bootstrapping a Business
11:02 The Shift to Women-Centric Wellness
13:51 The Impact of the Pandemic on Business Growth
16:34 Funding Challenges and the VC Landscape
19:24 Balancing Motherhood and Entrepreneurship
24:15 Navigating Postpartum Challenges
26:28 The Rollercoaster of VC Funding
28:20 The Impact of the Pandemic on Business
30:31 Journaling Through Uncertainty
31:58 Pivoting During Crisis
36:33 Building a New Business Model
37:06 Balancing Motherhood and Ambition
42:14 Finding Joy in Wellness
45:44 Future Plans for Motivate PT
Links:
Website: https://www.bumptobusinessowner.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/
About Kira Mahal
Kira Mahal is the founder and CEO of MotivatePT, a tech-enabled fitness platform helping women build strength, confidence, and long-lasting wellness through every stage of life. From launching her business in a ski chalet to rebuilding it during the pandemic while pregnant, Kira's journey is full of resilience, reinvention and raw honesty. Her story speaks to every mother who's tried to hold a baby with one hand and a business with the other. Motivate PT is now a leading UK wellness company with over 40 female-focused coaches delivering 1,300-plus sessions monthly. But behind the scenes is a deeply personal mission to make fitness accessible, empowering and sustainable for women, particularly those navigating pregnancy, postpartum and perimenopause.
Kira Mahal’s Links:
Website: https://motivatept.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiramahal/
Instagram(Kira): https://www.instagram.com/kiramahal/
Instagram(Motivate PT): https://www.instagram.com/motivatept_uk/
Podcast: https://podfollow.com/1705419713
Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/