Loved Called Gifted

Loved Called Gifted Podcast: Toni Blaze on Treat Boxes and Chocolates to Cherish

Catherine Cowell chats with Toni Blaze at her shop in Trentham Gardens about her journey from a 23-year career in veterinary marketing to running her own fudge and treat business, Treat Boxes and Chocolates to Cherish.

Toni traces her creative streak back to childhood, and how that instinct for presentation and creativity carried through into her career, where she spent over two decades doing marketing for a large veterinary organisation, all while baking and cake decorating as a beloved hobby on the side. That hobby reached a real milestone in 2016 when she won gold at Cake International with a hand-sculpted, fairy-tale-inspired mouse-in-a-tree-trunk cake, an idea she dreamed up while walking near Cannock Chase.

The real turning point came in 2023, when Toni was made redundant after 23 years in her job. It was a devastating blow, but with the steady support of her partner, who runs his own business, she began to seriously consider turning her fudge-making passion into a livelihood.

Today, Toni makes over 36 flavours of fudge, from firm favourites like chocolate peanut butter to a newly developed Turkish delight, and even a liquorice flavour she wouldn't have chosen herself but which customers kept requesting. The biggest surprise hit, though, has been chocolate-covered pork scratchings, affectionately dubbed "Pork Chocs." The idea came together almost by accident one evening on the sofa with her husband, ahead of a Black Country-themed event, and it sold out within the hour. The product has since taken on a life of its own, even catching the attention of comedian Johnny Cole, who now helps promote it.

Throughout the conversation, Toni speaks candidly about the emotional highs and lows of building a business from scratch, the pressure of turning a beloved hobby into something that has to pay the bills, and the ongoing challenge of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. She reflects on learning to be a little easier on herself over time, and on the joy of building the business alongside her husband as genuine creative partners. The episode closes with Toni sharing what she finds most rewarding: helping people create thoughtful, personalised gifts that bring real joy to both the giver and the recipient.

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For the 90th episode of the podcast, Loved Called Gifted is joining with the Raise podcast in a joint venture, with, rather excitingly, two podcast episodes. To get the second one, which will be released the following day, you will need to hop across to the Raise podcast to hear Carol interviewing Catherine about the creative possibilities of doubt. 

In this episode, Catherine talks with Carol Barwick, founder of Raise and host of the Raise Podcast. Carol shares how creativity became both an outlet and a lifeline during a sometimes challenging childhood, leading to a lifelong passion for writing, music, and helping others find confidence and self-expression.

The conversation explores Carol’s faith journey, from her early experiences in Anglican and Quaker communities to discovering her own voice as a teenager. Carol also reflects candidly on the profound impact of long COVID, which transformed her active ministry and left her navigating disability, loss, and uncertainty.

Together, Catherine and Carol discuss faith, doubt, healing, identity, and what it means to have value beyond what we do. It's a moving and honest conversation about learning to trust God's love, even when life changes in ways we never expected.

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What does it really mean to grieve? Tom Attig, philosopher and author of Seeking Wisdom in Death's Shadows, joins Catherine Cowell to challenge some of the most widely held assumptions about grief and loss.

Drawing on four decades of teaching, writing, and listening, Tom argues that the famous "five stages of grief" simply don't reflect how people actually experience bereavement. Instead, he offers a richer framework: grief as relearning the world — a recognition that when someone dies, the entire fabric of your life is thrown into upheaval, and the work of mourning is finding your way through a landscape that has fundamentally changed.

Tom explores how love doesn't end at death, why grief is rarely something we "finish," and what it means to carry the legacies — practical, soulful, and spiritual — of those we've lost. He also reflects on the book itself: a collection of fourteen essays written over forty years, alongside new writing that traces the arc of his thinking, culminating in reflections on what it means to live well as finite, fragile human beings.

A warm, thoughtful conversation for anyone navigating loss, caring for others who are grieving, or simply asking what makes a life meaningful.

Book: Seeking Wisdom in Death's Shadows by Tom Attig (Oxford University Press) Discount code: AUFLY30 for 30% off at the OUP website

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St. Ignatius of Loyola had a revolutionary effect on the spiritual lives of millions of people. As well as founding the Jesuits, he developed a philosophy and practice of prayer that continues to be helpful to people 500 years later. We look at how he was both similar to and different from his contemporary Martin Luther. And take a look at some of his ideas and methods, such as finding God in all things,  Lectio Divina (reading scripture with the heart) and Imaginative Contemplation (engaging with scripture through creative imagination), the examen, colloquy, discernment, the importance of desire and the difference between consolation and desolation. Whether you’re new to Ignatian spirituality or looking to deepen your connection with the divine, this episode offers practical insights and spiritual tools to guide your journey.

Suggested reading: 

Landmarks: And Ignatian Journey by Margaret Self 

The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin

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Catherine Cowell sits down with Maria Manuela Silva—a spiritual director whose life journey spans cultures, crises, and a profound rediscovery of faith.

Maria shares her story of growing up in Portugal under the fear and restriction of a dictatorship, living through a revolution, discovering faith, and then building a life of ministry and service in the UK. When a series of personal losses brought everything to a halt, Maria found herself at a breaking point—yet somehow still holding onto God.

Maria's is a  journey from fear to trust. Through silence, contemplative spirituality, and the simple yet transformative experience of being truly heard, Maria discovers a deeper, more personal connection with God—one rooted not in striving, but in listening, presence, and what she beautifully describes as “the dance” of the divine.

This episode is a gentle, spacious invitation to anyone longing for a more authentic spiritual life. Whether you’re questioning, rebuilding, or simply curious, Maria’s story offers hope, honesty, and a reminder that your own path—your own “dance”—is worth discovering.

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