The Business Of Modelling

Natalie-Amber has built a commercial modelling career whilst living with Crohn’s disease and an invisible disability. Having entered the industry at a young age, her experience spans across fashion, lifestyle and brand campaigns, alongside navigating years of misdiagnosis, emergency surgery and returning to work with visible scarring. Her perspective is shaped by firsthand experience of how health, access and understanding impact a model’s ability to work safely and confidently on set.
In this episode, Natalie talks about growing up in the modelling industry, the realities of managing chronic illness alongside work, and the physical and emotional challenges of coming back to set after major surgery. She explains why honest conversations, preparation and clear communication are essential when health needs are involved, and how support on set often goes beyond what is visible on the surface.

She also discusses the difference between token representation and genuine inclusion, how brands and production teams can do better in practice, and why consistency matters more than one-off gestures. Natalie reflects on advocacy, responsibility and the importance of treating health, disability and real bodies with understanding and respect, rather than as a moment or a message.

www.businessofmodelling.co.uk
www.natalieamber.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Susannah Boughtflower is the founder of Kids on Set and has spent many years supporting babies and children across commercial, photographic and film productions. Her work as a child wrangler is understanding that a child's experience on set must be carefully managed, with preparation, structure and calm playing a central role in how a shoot unfolds.

In this episode, Susannah talks about what her role involves before, during and after a shoot, and how working practices around children have evolved. She explains why preparation and clear communication are essential, how calm environments help children feel secure, and why children need to be approached differently then adults when they are on set.

She also discusses working closely with parents, agencies, photographers and production teams, and the importance of everyone understanding their responsibility when children are involved. She reflects on safeguarding, boundaries and professional standards, and why balancing the needs of the production with the well-being of the child is critical.

www.businessofmodelling.co.uk
www.kidsonset.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Boddy is a children’s commercial and editorial photographer with extensive experience working across fashion, advertising and editorial projects. His career has been shaped by a clear understanding that photographing children carries a responsibility that goes far beyond getting the shot.

In this episode, Ian reflects on how his approach to working with children has evolved over time and why trust, calm and communication are key to every successful shoot. He talks openly about the importance of creating the right environment on set, respecting a child’s pace, and recognising that young children cannot and should not be treated as small adults.

Ian discusses the role photographers play alongside agencies, parents and production teams, how industry expectations have shifted, and why preparation and experience matter when working in fast-moving commercial settings. He also shares his view on responsible practice behind the camera, balancing client expectations with a child’s wellbeing, and why the experience a child leaves with is just as important as the final image.

www.businessofmodelling.co.uk
www.ianboddy.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sue Walker is the founder and director of Kids London, one of the UK's most established children's model agencies. With decades of experience working closely with young talent, families and casting teams, Sue has built her career around trust, responsibility and long-term thinking within the children's modelling industry.

In this episode, Sure reflects on how children's modelling has evolved over time and the increasing awareness around safeguarding and wellbeing. She talks openly about the responsibility agencies carry when representing young people, the importance of clear boundaries, and why children cannot and should not be treated like small adults. Sue discusses the role of parents, agents and clients in protecting children, the realities of working within a commercial industry, and why saying no can be just as important as saying yes. She also shares her perspective on responsible representation, longevity and why doing things properly, with the child's wellbeing at the centre, matters more than ever.

www.businessofmodelling.co.uk
www.kidslondonltd.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kiki Minwegen is an international model represented by Seeds Management in Berlin, whose career spans working in Paris, Milan, Cape Town and Germany. Alongside modelling, she is trained in nutrition and has gone on to become a life coach and mindfulness teacher, building a more holistic, purpose-led way of working alongside her creative career.

In this episode, Kiki reflects on entering the fashion industry at a young age, the pressures of perfection and constant comparison, and why modelling was never meant to be her final destination. She talks openly about identity, body image and mental health. Her transition into nutrition and coaching, and the importance of community, routine and self-connection. Kiki also shares how she defines success beyond image, money or status, and why finding purpose alongside modelling, rather than making it your whole identity, has been key to her wellbeing.

www.businessofmodelling.co.uk
www.katharinaminwegen.com
www.seeds.de
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.