Life in Private Staffing
Episodes
S7 E6 - Steven Walker - From the Royal Navy to Royal Households - 40 Years in Private Service Across 5 Continents
06 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does a 40-year career in private service really look like?In this episode of Life in Private Staffing, Philippa is joined by Steven — an indust...
S7 E5: Alice Bornarel - The Role Every UHNW Household Needs (But Rarely Has)
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if running a private household required more than just hiring staff?In this episode of Life in Private Staffing, Philippa is joined by Alice Bour...
S7 E4: Weslley Frick - Building Confidence Through Sport in UHNW Households
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if childcare in UHNW households went beyond traditional roles?In this episode of Life in Private Staffing, Philippa is joined by Wesley, a specia...
S7 E3: Maja Novak - Flexibility, Team Dynamics & Life After Yachting
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From working on superyachts to building a flexible career across private residences and luxury hospitality, Maja Novak shares what it really takes to ...
S7 E1: Chef Joy - From Private Jets to World Tours: Life as a Celebrity Private Chef
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From cooking for world-famous athletes and global touring musicians to navigating extreme dietary requirements inside private households, Chef Joy’s...
S7 E1: Imron Zulfikar - Private Wellness Managers: The Role You Didn’t Know Existed
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From luxury resorts and private islands to UHNW households in the Middle East, Imran Zulfikar’s career offers a rare insight into one of private sta...
S6 E9: Rien Thoma - From Butler School to House Manager: Rien;s Decade Inside UHNW Homes
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From training at the world-renowned International Butler Academy to running households for aristocratic and UHNW families across the UK, Rhian Thoma’...
S6 E8 - Marina Grigoryeva: Resilience, Reinvention & the Reality of Life in Private Staffing
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From leaving Kazakhstan with no English to managing multimillion-pound estates in Surrey, Marina Grigoryeva’s story is one of determination, adaptab...
S6 E7 - Veronica Lajud: Redefining Childcare in the UHNW World
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Life in Private Staffing we’re joined by Veronica Lajud, an international childcare specialist based in Miami and founder of the Stella...
S6 E6 - Daniela Vasconcelos: Inside Miami’s World of Estate Management
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Life in Private Staffing, I sit down with Daniela Vasconcelos, a Brazilian-born estate manager and personal assistant who has spent...
S6 E5 - David Cannie: UHNW Estate Manager
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Life in Private Staffing, I sit down with David Cannie, senior estate manager of a 15,000-acre private estate in the UK with hundre...
S6 E4 - Sarah Eaton: Inside the Ski Season
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Life in Private Staffing, I sit down with Sarah Eaton, HR Director at Consensio Holidays, a luxury ski company operating some of th...
S6 E3 - Harald Mootz: 30 Years of Concierge Secrets
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode of Life in Private Staffing, we’re switching it up. I'm joined by New York-based concierge legend Harald Mootz, who shar...
S6 E2 - Maud Lamoure: Attitude Over Aptitude
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re joined by Maud, a true powerhouse in the world of private staffing. While many strive for long-term positions, Maud carved her own p...
S6 - E1 - Lara Acerboni: A journey from Au Pair to House Manager
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we are back! After taking our first-ever break since starting this podcast five years ago, we're back to launch Season 6 of Life in Private Staf...
S5 E9 - Stacey Barker: All Things Private Flying
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After meeting Stacey at one of our networking drinks and laughing for hours at all her stories, she willingly agreed to join us as a guest this week. ...
S5 E8 - Laurie Reese: a Conscious Dying Coach
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, I had the absolute pleasure of being joined by Laurie Reese, a Conscious Dying Coach for UHNW clients. If you don’t know what this is, th...
S5 E7 - The New Silver Swan & Guest Lloyd Hill
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back! After a short break whilst we made some fairly significant changes internally here at Silver Swan, we are delighted to be back. Today...
S5 E6 - Lily Mendez
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Philippa Smith is talking to Lily who has had a fantastic career to date climbing the notoriously difficult ladder up to Director of Residence....
S5 E5 - Julius Smith
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we are delving into the wonderful life of a Butler. The highly reputable Julius Smith joins the show with his decades of experience in the fi...
S5 E4 - Middle East Misconceptions
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Philippa delves into the realm of private staffing in the Middle East alongside special guest Corina Goetz. They tackle prevailing mi...
S5 E3 - International Women's Day
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today The Recruitment Diaries focuses on International Women’s Day, discussing raising a family and the impact this can have on your career Philippa...
S5 E2 - Mastering the Interview
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Interviews. Yuck. Possibly the most daunting part of the hiring process, and one that we don't really get much education on 🤢. This episode, Ph...
S5 E1 - New Year, New Roles
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've given our podcast a fresh lick of paint, have invested in a second microphone, and are now officially back for our fifth season (Whew😮...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 4.36 - Highlights
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Another season of Life in Private Staffing has come to an end, wrapping up our podcast until the new year! In this episode, Philippa discusses some e...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 4.35 - Georgina Gallagher
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Philippa is chatting with one of our UK House Manager Community members, and past Silver Swan candidate, Georgina Gallagher! Philippa and G...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 4.34 - Helen Mann
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Philippa is joined by Helen Mann, all the way from San Fransisco, California. Helen talks about her career journey so far- from studying her ma...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 4.33 - Jennifer Laurence, Luxury Lifestyle Logistics
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're back! After a short hiatus, Philippa is back with a new episode of Life in Private Staffing, and this week she's joined by the fabulous ...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 4.32 – Philippa Smith
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today is a quick shout out from Silver Swan’s MD, Philippa to let you all know that we are taking a short podcast break whilst some of the team trav...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.31 – Jean-Francois Chatelain
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today I chatted to the fabulous Jean-Francois about the fascinating world of aviation. We have not delved into the world of flying yet on this podcast...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.30 – Silver Swan USA Special
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In preparation for our upcoming trip to the USA, we wanted to sit down and chat all things US! I somehow managed to convince Jess, our US consultant a...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.29 – Betsy Tavit
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we head back over the pond to the US to chat with Betsy who only entered this world a few years ago. During her previous career as a music teach...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.28 Michele Mirabile
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It was an absolute pleasure to have Michele on the show today. He has been a friend of Silver Swan for years and we have been able to help him secure ...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.27 – Tracey Jones, Mindset Coach UK
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We decided to get Tracey back on the show to discuss our upcoming program of 6 different modules all designed to help you develop your skills as a Hou...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.26 – Tim Hughes, House Manager Ireland
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tim was one of our original members of our House Manager UK community and so am glad we managed to talk him into coming onto the podcast to tell his s...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.25 – Joanie Veage, House Manager Texas US
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s conversation with Joanie was fascinating as she is (one of the only!) proud advocates of a hybrid role, providing it’s the right type of h...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.24 – Charlotte Pratt, House Manager UK
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It is a happy coincidence that Charlotte’s story is a similar one to that of Melanie, our guest last week. She also secured her first role as a Hous...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.23– Melanie Foulkes, House Manager UK
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Melanie is a valued member of our UK House Manager community and joins us today to talk about her fairly recent transition into the private industry. ...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 4 Episode 22 - Mid Season Best Bits
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The year is flying by so we thought we'd look back at some of the best bits of the 21 episodes we have already released! From discussing trends ...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 4 Episode 21 – Chris Milu, MCM Estate Services & Consulting
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chris is a long-time friend of Silver Swan having been one of our first people to kick off our Florida Estate Manager community and he was our first U...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 4 Episode 20 – Cathrene Tar
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We head back out to the UAE in today’s episode and have a fabulous chat with Cat, whose life has been so fascinating with a completely different rou...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.19 – Michael O’Riordan, Silver Swan Saudi Arabia
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we bring the conversation back in-house by talking to Michael who is our Middle East specialist and has been passionately placing hospitality p...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.17 – Martyn Hanley, Global Estate Manager – Cotswolds
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Following last week’s episode, Martyn also comes from years of living in the mountains working in the much-loved French ski resorts. When he randoml...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 4 Episode 16 – Monika Seller, House Manager – London
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we talk to someone I have known for years, ever since my ski industry days! Coming from the luxury chalet industry also, Monika discusses the in...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.15 – Vince Currie, Chief of Staff – London/Colorado
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We love talking to clients of ours and having recently worked with Vince in the placement of 2 new members of staff within his Principals’ household...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.14 – Ayden Ju, Estate Manager – Los Angeles
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Ayden came to visit us in our London office and was an absolute pleasure to be able to chat with him in person. His story is incredibly inspiri...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 4 Episode 13 – Rachel Vanderweele, House Manager – Dubai
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we have a lovely conversation with Rachel who is a British citizen but who hasn’t lived in the UK for more than 15 years! She spent more than ...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.12 – Kandy Franklin, Private Estate Consulting – Los Angeles
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kandy has an entire career’s worth of experience under her belt having started her journey working in European hotels before moving into the private...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 4.11 – Tracey Jones, Mindset Coach – UK
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we have the fascinating Tracey on the show discussing how she works with Estate Managers globally to unlock their potential through mindset mana...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.10 – Ella Peters, Superyacht Nanny
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It has been years since we had a nanny on the show so today, I was excited to chat with Ella who has been working as a superyacht nanny for the last 8...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.9 – Hannah Kennedy-Haynes, House Manager Dubai
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we head out to the UAE to chat with Hannah, a House Manager who has been in the industry for the last 10 years. I love talking to candidates who...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.8 – Kelly Dixon, Estate Management Systems USA
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our fabulous sponsor, Kelly Dixon from Estate Management Systems joins us today to discuss different areas of estate management. Having been a guest o...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.7 – Jonathan Wilford, Private Gardener UK
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We invite our very first gardener to the show today! Being an area that I know very little about, I was excited to learn more about the life of a priv...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.6 Dwight Pilgrim-Nero, Silver Swan US Training Partner
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have recently partnered with 2 highly experienced trainers of private household and yacht staff and today we are talking with our US based trainer ...
Life in Private Staffing - 4.5 Charlotte Philip-Smith, Silver Swan Europe
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we bring the conversation back in-house by chatting all things Europe with Charlotte who has been managing our EU clients for the last year or s...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.4 Jim Henslee, Estate Manager USA
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we invite Jim to the show to discuss his 20-year career working as an Estate Manager in the USA. His roles have spread across Dallas, New York a...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.3 Jessica Parkin, Silver Swan USA
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we bring the conversation back in-house, this time discussing all things USA. Jessica is our USA specialist and is currently managing a large n...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.2 Phoebe Maddrell, House Manager UK
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we invite a long-time friend of Silver Swans to the show. Phoebe has been involved with our UK House Manager community since the start and has ...
Life in Private Staffing | 4.1 Laura Reeves, Silver Swan UK
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Silver Swan returns for our 4th season! This season we plan to invite a number of different guests to share their stories of working in the private se...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 3 Best Bits
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As 2022 draws to an end we have taken the opportunity to pull out our personal highlights of Season 3. Over the last 22 episodes, we have had an array...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 3 episode 22 – Mathieu Barbe
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Silver Swan is excited to launch our training services in partnership with Mathieu Barbe at Service Excellence Training. We have onboarded the highly ...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 3 episode 21 - Jarryd Chapman
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we talk with Jarryd who is a member of our Palace Manager community in the UAE. He is embarking on a very exciting new challenge where he and hi...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 3 Episode 20 – Lisa Murray, The Atlas Club
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Silver Swan has recently launched a concierge company to offer not only dedicated service to our UHNW clients but to offer support to our fabulous Hou...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 3 Episode 19 – Hannes Hennche
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we are talking to a highly experienced European private chef who was one of the lucky ones to win a green card through the green card lottery an...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 3 Episode 18 – Thomas Kaufmann
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are often asked whether formal Butler training is essential for a successful career as a private butler, today we have Thomas on the show who has b...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 3 Episode 17 – Weber Tysvaer
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re talking to the fabulous Weber who has been working in the US in the private sector for a huge chunk of his career. With a background in ...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 3 Episode 16 – Alec Mikels
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’re heading stateside again today to speak with Alec, an Estate Manager based in Los Angeles. He built his strong hospitality career through F&...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 3 Episode 15 – Sam Monastyrskyj
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today Philippa talks with a British chef who has worked his way up from basement kitchens to luxury ski chalets into private homes. A lot of guests we...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 3 Episode 14 - Sarah Armstrong
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest today is part of our fabulous Florida estate manager community based over in Palm Beach and today she talks to Philippa about her fairly rec...
Life in Private Staffing | Season 3 Episode 13 - Vinícius França
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today Philippa speaks with a highly experienced private butler who is proving how taking that decision to relocate for a role in Saudi Arabia was one ...
Season 3 | Episode 12: Saudi Special
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we are focusing on all things great about Saudi Arabia. A country still feared by many is actually fast becoming one of the most excit...
Season 3 | Looking back at season 3's best bits!
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate reaching the middle of season 3 we wanted to take the opportunity to look back at all of the best bits so far! Listen to Philippa c...
Season 3 | Episode 11: Halima Ferreira on her extensive career as a Private Chef and her passion for The Burnt Chef project
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Philippa speaks with Halima who has spent the last 20 years travelling the world cooking for some of the wealthiest families in the world. She,...
Season 3 | Episode 10: Andy Butterworth on his 20+ year career working in the luxury ski industry
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Philippa talks to Andy who is one of the founders and MD of Kaluma Travel, a luxury ski tour operator and long-time friend of Silver Swan. We g...
Season 3 | Episode 9: Samantha Watson on a career on superyachts and transitioning to global estate management
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Philippa speaks to Samantha, an estate manager for an UHNW based in London responsible for managing a number of homes worldwide. Her story is a...
Season 3 | Episode 8: Shawn Pratt on cooking for the rich, famous and royalty over his 20yr career
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Philippa speaks to Shawn, a highly experienced celebrity chef. Having worked for some of the biggest actors in Hollywood he spent a chunk of hi...
Season 3 | Episode 7: Natalie Hudson on her journey from Butler to Estate Manager and the launch of Private Service Alliance
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today Philippa is speaking with Natalie to delve into her experience working in the private sector. Her journey started by working as a nanny before s...
Season 3 | Episode 6: English Minter on life as an Interior Designer within the private sector
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our conversation with English was a fascinating insight into the world of interior design. From her gruelling journey of study required to gain the ne...
Season 3 | Episode 5: Emma Macdonald on providing luxury lifestyle and elite property management services
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we had the pleasure of talking to Emma, who after a long and successful career in real estate, moved into the private sector. She is the estate ...
Season 3 | Episode 4: Rosie Spencer on transitioning from the luxury yachting industry to a private household
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we are talking to Rosie who provides a fantastic insight into life ‘Below Deck’. Her career spanned over a number of years working her way u...
Season 3 | Episode 3: Claudia Pfeiffer on spending 20 years working as a Global Estate Manager for UHNW clients
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today I am chatting with Claudia, a long-term client of Silver Swans who has 20 years’ experience working all over the world for high profile UHNW c...
Season 3 | Episode 2: Brian Daniel on working in the US for Hollywood A-listers
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, I am talking to Brian, who has spent his entire career working for UHNW clients in the States. Starting his career as a Private PA for a Hollyw...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 19 | Desmond Cawley
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s episode 19 of Life in Private Staffing, and today we’re speaking to Desmond Cawley, Palace & Hotel Director. Desmond has been both a clie...
Life in Private Staffing | S3 Ep1 - Silver Swan special with our insights into 2021 & 2022
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're back - with a new season, a new look, new sound and a new feel! This week, our host Philippa Smith, maps out what to expect from Season 3 ...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 18 | Tim Fitzgerald
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to episode 18 of Life in Private Staffing. Today, our host Philippa Smith talks to long-time PA Tim Fitzgerald. Tim has spent more than two de...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 17 | Jonny Ireson
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 17 of the Life in Private Staffing podcast, our host, Philippa Smith, talks to Jonny Ireson, a professional House Manager based in London. ...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 16 | Latricia Friend
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 16 of the Life in Private Staffing podcast, our host, Philippa Smith, speaks with Latricia Friend, a Luxury Lifestyle Manager based in New ...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 15 | Ioana Pirtac
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 15 of Life in Private Staffing, we speak with Ioana Pirtac, a successful House Manager working in London. Our host Phillipa Smith, Founder ...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 14 | Peter Van Ryder
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the 14th episode of Life in Private Staffing, we’re joined by Peter Van Ryder from Estate Management Solutions. For the past 10 years, Peter has ...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 13 | Rachel Stallard
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the 13th episode of Life in Private Staffing, we welcome Rachel Stallard, an Estate and Property Manager with over 25 years of industry experience....
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 12 | Elaine Braid
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 12 of Life in Private Staffing is a little bit different. This time we’re not talking to someone working within the private sector th...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 11 | Cate Heaphy
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest episode of Life in Private Staffing, we chatted to Cate Heaphy, the founder of The Online Assistants. Once Kate finished studying,...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 10 | Jemma Zoe Smith
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes the job we think we want isn't always the one we’re destined to do. That’s how it was for private tutor Jemma Zoe Smith. As a biochemist...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 9 | Spencer Collins
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In our latest episode of Life in Private Staffing we tackle the hot topic of Diversity and Inclusion in the private sector. To do this I ...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 8 | Adam Knight
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest episode of the Life in Private Staffing podcast, Adam Knight, Director of Eden Swim & Angel Swim joins us to share insights into swi...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 7 | Kate Bright
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest episode of the Life in Private Staffing podcast we have Kate Bright. With over 15 years of experience, Kate tells us what it was like tr...
Life in Private Staffing | S2 Ep 6 | Kelly Dixon
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest episode of the Life in Private Staffing podcast we have Kelly Dixon, who shares her 25 years of working experience in the residential lu...
Life in Private Staffing l S2 - Ep 5 I Myths about the Middle East
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest episode of the Life in Private Staffing podcast we have, Corina Goetz is a domestic staffing specialist that deals mostly with clients i...
Life in Private Staffing l S2 - Ep 4 I Julia Gaskell
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the early childhood carers and speak to Julia Gaskell Head of Consultancy and Training and Acting Head of Agency & Alu...
Life in Private Staffing l S2 - Ep 3 I Sam Palmer
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the new episode of the Life in Private Staffing podcast. We have Sam Palmer a fellow recruiter, founder, and CEO of Staffing Properties and we look...