Kirsty Hulse on The Knot Pod "Stoke Makes Me Stand Out"
Kirsty Hulse tells us about growing up in Stoke, going to Uni, getting the p*ss taken out of her accent, building a business, California, coming back to Stoke and building Confidence Live.
Season 1 of The Knot Pod is OUT NOW. Seven episodes on all podcast streaming platforms, with full length video episodes on YouTube.
The Knot Pod is filmed and recorded at Dissident. Check out their podcast and content production options here.
In E4, we talk to Kirsty Hulse, founder of Confidence Live and CEO of Neuroworx. Kirsty talks eloquently about classism, being judged for being from Stoke and ultimately reframing her working class upbringing to become a superpower that’s helped her master her authenticity and confidence.
Can you be successful while staying true to your roots, when the world tells you that your background doesn’t fit the mould?
Kirsty Hulse, founder of Confidence Live and expert in digital marketing believes so and has lived it. Kirsty has embraced her roots as a superpower that authentically fuel her confidence.
In this episode, we dive into Kirsty’s journey from her working-class upbringing in Stoke-on-Trent to becoming a leader in the digital marketing world. Growing up in a small city but with big dreams, Kirsty faced the challenges that many people from working class areas face — the stigma of her accent, her background, her life experiences and not fitting in—but she turned these obstacles into fuel for her career.
Kirsty shares how she navigated the journey of building a business while grappling with feelings of imposter syndrome and “people like me don’t do stuff like this”. We discuss her life in London and time in California. Her search for home. We talk about why she's building Europe's biggest confidence event in Stoke-on-Trent.
In this episode, we explore:
Kirsty’s personal story of overcoming classism and imposter syndrome
The challenges of building a business while staying true to your roots
How embracing your authentic self can become your strongest asset
How working-class values shaped Kirsty’s business approach and philosophy
The role of vulnerability and honesty in building a successful brand
If you’ve ever felt like your background or accent held you back from pursuing your dreams, this episode will inspire you to embrace your story and use it to fuel your entrepreneurial journey. Plus, you’ll get practical insights into building a business on your own terms.
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Great discussion- it really resonated with me as I was the first person in my family to go on to higher education. When going for interviews for teaching jobs and deputy headships- I definitely think my accent and working class roots went against me in a minority of cases (thankfully not all) I am proud of my upbringing and coming from a council estate (lots of prejudice out there - don’t get me started) Big shout out to my teachers at BerryHill Primary and High School- they worked incredibly hard to give the pupils the best opportunities. I was in education for 40 years and loved my job- the children I taught (mainly in Stoke schools) were open, honest, funny and wanted to learn. Considering the challenges some of them faced at home, they were walking miracles.