KIS News Issue #48 - some links included in this issue may be affiliate links

Update: I don’t do things by halves do I?! A few weeks ago I had all four of my wisdom teeth out - a surgery I had been waiting 2.5 years to have.

One of the joys of this surgery is that you leave with four open wounds in your mouth, next to no pain relief and strict orders not to operate any machinery or be left alone. Perfect.

Unfortunately on day 5 of recovery I developed severe swelling and an infection that was rapidly progressing through my airway. Dramatic I know.

Two surgeries followed to drain the infection along with a hefty dose of antibiotics. So not ideal but thankfully I managed to get the all clear to return home in time for the weekend.

My extended recovery has meant I’ve had a week with plenty of time to scroll and save so here’s what I’ve been saving and what has been inspiring me this week.

What I’ve been listening to: This episode of Beyond the Mat with Bryony Deery and Jessica Shand. As many of you know, I’m on a bit of a hormone balancing project so I loved this episode with nutritionist Jessica where she shares her approach to using food as medicine to improve hormone regulation.

What I’ve been reading: Staying on the nutrition theme, I loved Emily English’s first book so I was chuffed when her newest cookbook, Live to Eat landed this week. As a business owner and parent I am very good at neglecting my own health and wellbeing 👀 and I’m constantly working on improving this.

What I’ve been watching: Martha on Netflix. Arguably one of the first ever business owners who understood the power of personal brand and being an influencer in the media, Martha Stewart’s documentary is packed with controversy, take-aways and lessons on both what to do, and importantly, what not to do when it comes to building a brand, business empire and also raising a family.

This week in pictures:

Business moves to watch

Businesses and people that caught my eye this week.

Canva has passed $3bn in annual revenue and it is now the world’s top female-led start-up

When Melanie Perkins co-founded Canva, she had no technical background. Just a vision: make graphic design simple and accessible for non-designers in a visual-first internet world. More than 100 investors said no.

Today, Canva generates over $3 billion in annual revenue and is now the highest-valued female-founded and led startup on the planet.

A quiet reminder: the next world-changing idea doesn’t need to be loud. It just needs to last. (Yahoo Finance)

Lucy Guo becomes the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire

At just 30, Lucy Guo has become the youngest self-made female billionaire. She co-founded Scale AI (now valued at $25B) and quietly retained a 5% stake even after leaving in 2018. That stake is now worth over $1.2 billion.

Her latest venture? A creator economy platform called Passes—designed to help influencers build recurring income without burnout.

She’s a reminder that stepping away from one big idea doesn’t mean you're done. Sometimes it’s just the beginning of the next chapter. (Forbes)

London-based Etiq AI secures €900K to enhance ethical AI practices

Etiq AI, a female-founded startup based in London, has recently secured €900,000 in seed funding led by GapMinder VC. This funding follows a previous £1 million grant from Innovate UK.

The company is developing a "Data Science Copilot" platform aimed at helping data teams quickly test and fix machine learning models, promoting fairness and reducing bias in AI systems.

This investment underscores the growing importance of ethical considerations in AI development and the pivotal role women-led startups are playing in this space.

Fun fact: I worked with one of the co-founder Iris on her first business in 2016 🩷

How to stop self-sabotaging

I first started having therapy in 2017 and honestly it has truly changed my life. With my recent PMDD diagnosis I’ve kicked things up a notch with my appointments and a few weeks ago I had a session on self-sabotage, something I often find myself doing.

You know what it’s like, you know what is happening and what you are doing, but still can’t quite seem to snap yourself out of it. You’re procrastinating. Avoiding the things that matter. Waiting for some magical burst of motivation to arrive.

She said, “You’re not lost. You’re just looping. But the fact that you can see the maze means you’re already halfway out.”

That really stopped me in my tracks, because usually I let self-sabotage spiral into overwhelm, thinking that I need to change everything all at once. You know the drill - zero to 100. We need to wake up at 5am, write a new business plan, delete every app, and move to Italy (I’m not entirely convinced yet that this isn’t the answer). But what we really need, my therapist explained, is just one thing: a simple, repeatable rescue plan that helps you move from overwhelm to one small win.

Here’s the plan we came up with for me. You’re welcome to steal it.

What’s Working: A 4-Step Rescue Plan

This isn’t about becoming your most optimised self. It’s about doing the next right thing.

1. One Small Win a Day

The fastest way to rebuild momentum is to rebuild self-trust.

Pick one tiny, non-negotiable task each day. Not a “crush your goals” thing—a “remember who you are” thing.

A few of mine this week:

• “Put away the washing as soon as it’s dry”

• “Send the annoying email I’ve been putting off”

• “Go for a walk and leave my phone at home”

And every time you finish, say (yes, out loud):

“I keep promises to myself.”

You’ll be amazed at how quickly that rewires something.

2. Build Your Morning Anchor

You don’t need a miracle morning. You need a 20-minute container that calms your nervous system and reminds you what matters.

Here’s mine right now:

• 5 minutes of light movement (stretching, walk, pilates)

• 5 minutes prioritising my nutrition (I’m terrible for not eating in the morning and just jumping straight into the day which leaves me starving and hangry by 9am)

• 10 minutes doing my one small win

No massive routine that you won’t stick to when you are tired.

It doesn’t change everything—but it changes how you start everything.

3. Weekly Reality Ritual

Every week, I now add 15-30 minutes onto my usual 1:1 business meeting with myself to reflect on where I am.

I won’t lie, these questions aren’t pretty.

I ask:

• Where am I sabotaging again?

• What lie am I telling myself this week?

• What truth do I need to face—even if it’s uncomfortable?

4. Choose Discomfort Over Delay

The truth is, most of us know what to do.

We just... don’t do it.

So when I catch myself spiralling or hesitating, I’ve started asking:

“Discomfort now or pain later?”

And then I choose the discomfort.

Because sending the email, posting the video, or having the awkward conversation feels uncomfortable for 5 minutes.

But avoiding it? That costs you weeks.

Building my own AI Nutritionist

Can’t stop won’t stop. A few weeks ago I built myself a custom-AI nutritionist. Optimising my diet and remembering that I am an actual human who deserves to eat well and fuel their body, not just an entrepreneur and a mum too busy too look after herself, is an on-going process for me.

So naturally, to help me make this easier, create leverage and actually stick to a plan, I’ve built myself a custom-AI nutritionist. It was actually surprisingly simple to do. Those of you who took AI for Business, will know from modules 3 and 4 exactly how I did this already.

I trained the AI on nutritional data and my personal stats, programme the science, my desired outcomes, challenges and requirements and hey presto, in less than one day, I’ve got my own personal nutritionist delivering me weekly meal plans, checking in on progress and holding me accountable and getting me back on track all delivered via WhatsApp!

I’ve only been using it for a month but already I feel a massive difference in my general wellbeing, and because I’ve trained the AI in a self-contained structure, it’s remembering and learning from our conversations daily.

I built this app for my own personal use but I honestly believe this is the future of digital offerings from service providers and the new way to scale from one to many for anyone who has a specific method or practice that they teach (like nutrition or fitness).

Let me know in the poll below if you are interested in seeing more about how I did this.

Have a great week ahead & remember to keep it simple.

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