In this inspiring episode, I’m joined by Lea Turner, LinkedIn expert, community builder, and founder of Holt, a thriving membership platform for small businesses. Content warning: there is a mention of suicidal ideation as Lea reflects on her teenage years and missed ADHD diagnosis. Lea’s journey into entrepreneurship wasn’t planned. Like so many of my guests on the pod, she didn’t initially see herself as a business owner. Her entrepreneurial path began with a transcription side hustle, which played to her strengths and funded her travels. As her income grew to match her day job, she took the leap into full-time self-employment. We discuss how Lea managed her business while preparing for maternity leave, how her son has influenced her career decisions, and her remarkable pivot during the Covid-19 pandemic when her income streams dried up overnight. I think we can all relate to Lea’s struggles with showing up authentically on social media, but she has really nailed it. By embracing her uniqueness, she transformed her LinkedIn presence, skyrocketing her followers and opening the door to incredible new opportunities. We explore the positives and negatives of social media: It wasn’t easy for Lea to own her expertise, it took other industry leaders deferring to her as an expert in social media discussions before she could see herself in that light. She shares her experiences dealing with online trolls and how she’s developed a positive, resilient mindset in response to negativity. This episode is packed with insights about business growth, balance, authenticity, and resilience. I hope you’re as inspired by the conversation as I was! This episode is sponsored by Ancient + Brave. If you’d like to try any of their products (I am a big fan of True Collagen!) you can use our discount code BTB20 for 20% off your first order. Takeaways: How Lea navigated the pandemic as a single mum and business owner Lea’s late diagnosis ADHD and the challenges it presented particularly in her teenage years. Content warning: suicidal ideation Entrepreneurship was not initially on Lea's radar; it started as a side hustle to fund her travels and quickly matched her day job in earnings Partly due to her ADHD, Lea is comfortable with risk and knows that we always survive failure, so why not try? 4 years into her business, Lea fell pregnant, and knowing that mat leave wasn’t an option worked overtime to save as much as possible As her son went to school, Lea reassessed her work structure knowing it was incompatible with spending quality time with her son outside of school hours Her pivot into LinkedIn training came as a result of Covid and all her client work drying up overnight Lea initially struggled with authenticity on LinkedIn, but decided to embrace her uniqueness and got an incredible response She faced a lot of self doubt over calling herself a LinkedIn expert, but eventually recognised her skills as other business owners referred and deferred to her as expert Lea has suffered from some scary and unpleasant trolling online based on her appearance, but stood up for herself and has learnt to deal with it Building her membership platform, Holt, was a response to the needs of her already existing community of business owners As a scalable and more personally fulfilling business Holt is her focus for now, practising what she preaches, Lea has hired her team exclusively from the membership Lea is looking forward to creating more of a work/life balance in the future Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Lea Turner's Journey 06:15 Navigating Life During COVID-19 12:46 Overcoming Personal Challenges and Discovering ADHD 18:45 The Transition to Entrepreneurship 26:30 Building a Business and Embracing Change 28:10 Rediscovering LinkedIn: A Personal Journey 31:03 From Typing to Training: A Career Shift 33:01 Embracing Expertise: Overcoming Self-Doubt 36:49 Navigating Online Harassment: Standing Up for Yourself 39:49 Building a Supportive Community: The Holt 50:50 Work-Life Balance: Achieving Freedom as a Business Owner Links: Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/ About Lea Turner Lea Turner is an entrepreneur who transformed her life as a single mum through becoming a successful business owner. In 2019, she was working long hours typing medical reports while caring for her young son, barely making ends meet. Seeking a change, she began posting on LinkedIn, leveraging her humour and authenticity to connect with others. This approach quickly gained traction, leading to a substantial following, which currently stands at almost 200,000 followers and a fast growth LinkedIn training business. Over five years, Lea has built a six-figure income through her LinkedIn training, digital courses, and in-person workshops. In December 2024, she decided to close the doors on her LinkedIn training ...
