With New Year just around the corner, many of us are resolving to lead healthier, more nutritious lives. Whether that means learning to cook, moving our bodies, or attempting Veganuary, we’ve got the perfect podcast to help you reach your wellness goals.

Catch Ups in My Kitchen is a food-based podcast, hosted by Georgia Symonds. Georgia began her career in food by creating a plant-based ingredient delivery service, and she began the podcast as a way to platform other wellness brands, chefs and entrepreneurs.

After the pandemic, Georgia decided to close the delivery business and focus solely on Catch Ups In My Kitchen. The podcast has created space for some fascinating wellness conversations between Georgia and household names such as James Cadbury from H!P Chocolate, Co-Founder of HUEL James Collier, and stars of Made in Chelsea, Melissa Tattam and Georgia Toffolo.

I had the pleasure of chatting to Georgia about her journey as a solo female podcaster so far, and what she envisions for the future of Catch Ups In My Kitchen.

Like you ask all your guests, could you give me a little “elevator pitch” - who are you, and what do you do?

“My name is Georgia Symonds and I am the host of the podcast Catch Ups In My Kitchen which is about all things food, health and wellness. I do a few other social media bits and writing on the side but my focus is always in the health and wellness space.”

What’s the most difficult thing about being a solo female business owner?

“So, I’m going to break this question down into two parts. Firstly, being a solo business owner is challenging because it is lonely. Although I get to meet amazing people and have great conversations, the majority of the time you are on your own and that can be really isolating and challenging. Sometimes I miss bouncing ideas off of people and working in a team environment, and I am definitely looking forward to the days when I have a little team around the podcast.

“The second part is that being a female business owner - and this is a really interesting one - is respect. I think my age also contributes to this. But I have had many podcast episodes where the conversation we have before the episode starts is very different to the conversation we have after the episode has been recorded, and that is because I feel I have to prove myself to the guests. Due to being a young female host, I think you often have more to prove and people may be slightly sceptical of your ability. But hopefully, I will prove them wrong fairly quickly!”

What is your favourite thing about being the host of Catch Ups in My Kitchen?

“Definitely the people that I get to meet! I can’t even call what I do work because I love it so much and I know that's such a privileged position to be in, but meeting all these incredible people and having such honest and open conversations whilst also learning is amazing.”

What’s something that you have learned from your podcast guests?

“This is an amazing question and so hard to answer! I think one of the best lessons I’ve learnt is to do your own research and work out what is right for you. Advice and hearing others' routines and practices is inspiring and we can take little bits from this for sure, but ultimately everyone is different and everyone’s bodies work in different ways. We should never take what someone says and replicate it, we should always make sure it is right for us.

“The most shocking thing I’ve learned is the effect that toothpaste tubes have on our planet, after having Dr. Simon Chard, founder of PARLA on the podcast I was blown away by the fact that every tube of toothpaste thrown away still exists on the planet today either in our landfill or in our oceans and that is a fact that I still can’t believe.”

What does food mean to you?

“Food is literally everything to me! I think I am obsessed! For me, food is positive energy as I would say that I am quite an energetic person and that is definitely down to my diet. Food is friendship and love, I definitely communicate my love and appreciation to people through cooking for them. I love to make people their favourite things when they come over or make a little treat and bring it to them if they are down.

“Finally, food is a connection. It is the one facilitator of so many memories and laughs, whether it is a family meal, a girlie evening out or dinner with a loved one, food is always at the centre of that which I think is so special.”

Do you have tips for people wanting to put more care into their diet and wellbeing, but don’t know where to start?

“I would say find your own version of “healthy”, and a routine which is manageable for you! Don’t run if you don’t like running, and don’t put pressure on yourself to make celery juice every day if you hate celery. There are so many ways to keep fit, and eating delicious, healthy foods is important to enjoy the process of taking care of yourself. Sustainability and consistency are the only ways you are going to get results.

“Also if you struggle with motivation, have an accountability partner, someone you share your new wellbeing rituals with or that you exercise with, that way you won’t want to let them down and therefore won’t let yourself down”.

What is your favourite food to cook?

“This is a difficult one because I love cooking so much! But I would probably say Lebanese, so tahini and sesame roasted cauliflower with fresh tabbouleh salads and baba ganoush dips or stuffed aubergine and wild rice that sort of thing. If I’m having some girls over for an evening I also love doing fresh poke bowls as they are super easy but also delicious.”

Can you name a cookbook that you’re loving right now?

“Max La Manna’s You Can Cook This! After going to the Carousel in London (if you haven’t been I highly recommend going it is such an amazing experience) and having Max cook dishes from his cookbook I knew that I would love it! It consists of delicious plant-based dishes with ingredients that you would already have in your cupboards and it also focuses on those vegetables that are often wasted or thrown away.

“I’ve also had Max on the podcast where he explains his journey to food which is fascinating.”

You could say that Catch Ups in My Kitchen was born out of Greedy Vegan. What advice would you give someone who has a business or a project that isn’t going to plan, in order to turn it into a success?

“I love the phrase "fail fast" and I think accepting “failure” is so important for getting to success quicker. If something isn’t going to plan, you’ve tried a lot of different options and it isn’t working, move on, pivot and try again. There are so many lessons that can be taken away from everything that we do and so I think it is important to channel those lessons into improvement.

“Secondly, I live my life by “just do it”, if you're thinking about your next move or your next project just do it and again if it doesn’t work fail fast and move on to the next.”

What is something you wish you’d known before you launched your podcast?

“The importance of good video and good sound. I think we are now in a world where we are constantly looking at great quality content and videos and when I look back at some of my older episodes some of the videos I filmed on my phone and on bad quality cameras which now just look terrible, so I should have definitely invested in this sooner.

“But in saying that I am also one for testing before investing, you don’t want to spend money on something before you have tested the concept first and so I think there is a balance there somewhere.”

What’s next for Catch Ups in my Kitchen?

“This question excites me because I have so many thoughts and visions for where I want Catch Ups In My Kitchen to go. Firstly I would love for it to become a show, where I interview guests in the kitchen and we could even make food together or taste test together but for it to be on TV would be amazing.

“Secondly, I would love for it to be more than just a podcast, guests always share so many tips and valuable pieces of advice so I would love to build out the blog part and for CUIMK to become a reliable resource for people to go to when they want tips and advice on food health and wellness.”

You can listen to Catch Ups in My Kitchen on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also stay up to date by following the podcast on Instagram or TikTok.

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Maisie is a writer from London, and has previously written for HELLO! Magazine, HELLO! Fashion and Stylist. She can be found in various wine bars, hot yoga studios, and bookshops across London - and always with a podcast plugged into her ears. She loves discussing hormonal health, workplace dilemmas, and the latest beauty trends; find her on Instagram @maisiepeppitt

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