Podcast

June 19th, 2025

The Apple Cart: S3, E1: How to Always be Yourself in Business

In this episode of the Apple Cart, I’m joined by Jenny Frost to talk about how to always be yourself in business.

Jenny Fox is the creative director and brand strategist of Studio Bifrost, a creative collective based in Nottingham. She has over two decades of experience with everyone from startups to global brands, as well as her network of trusted colleagues.

She also helps purpose-led organisations reach more people and increase their positive impact on the world through expertly crafted branding and marketing materials.

Listen to the Interview

The Benefits of Business Networking Groups

Jenny and Gudrun met at an online networking group, and they’re both active members. Jenny says that while she initially joined those groups was as a way to win work, she’s also found it beneficial for meeting potential collaborators.

“I liked the fact that I met people I could refer work to, or who could refer work to me. And it’s also really nice to meet other people in the same industry. Plus, when you meet other entrepreneurs you can have conversations with people who really understand what it’s like to run your own business.

“I always found in-person networking exhausting, and it wasn’t until later on that I realised I had a hearing problem. I was trying to listen to everyone in the room and couldn’t hear anyone. Online, you can give one person at a time your full attention, which is much easier.”

How Jenny got her Start

Jenny explains that she’d always been creative and loved art at school. “When I got the age where I was thinking about what to do next, I was introduced to the uncle of a boy I’d been at school with. He was doing graphic design for TV, and he agreed to meet with me.

“We had a conversation and it sounded brilliant. I saw it as my ticket out of my sleepy Kent town and I went with it. I went to college and then university and made graphic design my career. There were ups and downs – I was made redundant twice – but I always came back to it.

“Self-employment has been challenging too, but I just love what I do. Graphic design and brand strategy are a lovely combination of different creative skills. You have to be able to draw information out of the client to understand what they want, and then you have to bring it to life.”

be yourself

How to be Yourself with an ADHD Diagnosis

Jenny says she always suspected she had ADHD, but growing up the stories were always about boys who couldn’t pay attention in the classroom. “I was told, ADHD is for naughty little boys whose parents can’t be bothered to control them. That’s not you.

“My sister and I were both diagnosed as adults, and you realise that you’ve struggled all your life, but you just got on with things because that’s what we were expected to do. I knew I was different to other people but I thought that I needed to try harder.

“But one of my sons started having meltdowns, which I initially thought was my fault. Then the school finally called me and his dad in and said, ‘He’s probably neurodiverse.’ And when they said that, it all fell into place. I saw the similarities between us and I saw that neither of us needed fixing, we just needed to do things differently.”

How to be More Creative

If you want to be more creative, think of it as play. “Don’t think of it as having to create something perfect. It doesn’t have to meet a certain standard or take you forever. Try something new because you enjoy it.

“If you want to paint, chuck paint at a canvas. Experiment with sculpture, or drawing. Try it and see how it feels, and keep experimenting. And there’s another side to it too – if you want to be creative, surround yourself with people you connect to and get on with.

“I’ve shifted the focus to working with purpose-led businesses. So much has happened in the last few years, both personally and globally, and I want to make a difference. But my skillset is in design, so I decided to find business owners who are trying to bring about change. They’ll be passionate about what they do, and I’ll feel passionate and inspired too.”

Timestamps

  • 02:43-05:31: The Benefits of business networking groups
  • 06:42 – 17:40: Highs and lows of networking
  • 18:00 – 20:32: How Jenny got into graphic design
  • 20:06 – 26:32: What it’s like being self-employed
  • 29:53 – 34:19: How to be yourself with an ADHD diagnosis
  • 34:19 – 40:07: Late diagnosis ADHD
  • 45:23- 50:54: Be Creative and be yourself

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