How do you go from foot messenger to founder of a cultural insights & strategy company?

And how do you keep your cool when you've been sent to interview Wu-Tang Clan?

Andy Crysell is a non-executive chair, creative consultant and founder of Crowd DNA.

In our conversation, we discuss:

• How delivering photographs to the world's biggest ad agencies kick-started his creative career
• The impact of acid house rave culture as a democratising force
• What it was like to be a freelance writer for publications including Mixmag, i-D, DJ Mag, The Face, Muzik and NME
• How benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance were a lifeline for creatives
• What it feels like to transition from freelancer to founder

We also talk encouraging brands to view people as individuals - not walking cash pots - the need to open up insight and strategy careers to people from marginalised backgrounds and why the Museum of Youth Culture is addressing a pressing need to change pervasive narratives around young people.

To find out more about the Museum of Youth Culture, visit: https://www.museumofyouthculture.com/

To connect with Andy on LinkedIn, head to:   / andycrysell  

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How far can persistence, perseverance and politeness take you?

And how is it that a complaint about a party turns into a job offer?

Harry Corbett is a Director and Founder of Intelligence Forums; an organisation that aims to connect the regions of the UK through thoughtful discourse, debate, and a respect for counter views. In our conversation Harry shares:

* Why social mobility has become more difficult

* Experiencing meritocracy on the trading floor

* How the collapse of the Lehmann Brothers crystallised his worldview

* Why having nothing to lose can make you more open to opportunity

* How a chance meeting can change your life!

To find out more about Intelligence Forums, visit: https://www.intelligence-forums.com/

To connect with Harry, find him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrycorbett-if/

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What happens to a life when you have to leave home aged 16?

And how does it feel to experience homelessness as a mother with young children?

Flic McCann is a playwright who changed her life when she poured her pain onto the page. In our conversation we discuss:

• How it feels to move to another country and marry into a culture outside of your own as a young woman
• The impact of overt racism when raising your children
• Misconceptions around homelessness
• The common kinship and hardships faced by women around the world
• How to rebuild when you feel like you've hit rock bottom

This is a very powerful episode, and one in which Flic shares some of the prejudicial language she faced as the mother of children with mixed heritage.

If you'd like to watch Flic's work being performed, it will be on at the Boardwalk Theatre in Glasgow on April 27th 2024.

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How do you go from earning one GCSE to taking a science-based degree?

And how do you find the resilience to carry on when the promise of a professional footballing career is cut short?

Aynsley Fry is the founder of Gecko Fitness, an organisation which brings together fitness, performance, nutrition and clinical excellence via programmes tailored towards the precise needs of young people and elite athletes alike (and everyone in between!). In our conversation we discuss:

* How lack of sports provision in state schools (and over-exercising children in private schools) impact young people

* How he felt when he realised his football career was over

* What boxing prepared him for in the world of business

* Why a 12-week Personal Training course was a turning point

* How it felt to rock up at university in a BMW M3!

There's also reflections on appreciating university education more when the money's come out of your own pocket, and why it's not the end of the world if you don't ace your GCSEs.

To find out more about Gecko, visit: http://www.geckofitness.com/

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How far will a GCSE in Drama take you?

And how do you change educational policies that harm the area you grew up in?

Curtis James is a filmmaker, photographer, ethnographer and campaigner. As founder of Fieldwork, he uses ethnographic research to document working life. And as a Co-Founder of Class Divide, he's driving change that will positively impact the next generation of students.

In our conversation, we discuss:

* The impact of being young carers on the educational experiences of Curtis and his twin brother

* How individual teachers have the power to shape a life

* Securing a record deal and working alongside the likes of Dave Clarke and Paul Oakenfold

* Travelling the Caribbean producing radio shows for Heineken

* The action he's taking to change punitive educational policies

There's also reflections on navigating the worlds of local government and major corporates when you've come from a council estate, and how one Thatcherite policy actually ended up helping young people out.

To find out more about Class Divide, head to: https://www.classdivide.co.uk/

To connect with Curtis, you can find him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtisjames/

To learn about the Neolithic Cannibals project as part of Brighton Festival, head to: https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XXO-neolithic-cannibals-deep-listening-to-the-unheard/

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What does it mean to really grab life by the horns and follow your passion over tradition?

And how do you cope with a life-changing diagnosis?

Mark Webb is a multi-award winning public speaker and disability advocate with an incredible story to tell. In our conversation he shares:

• The value of being a 'ski bum' and what he learned from travel repping
• Why he dropped out of university off the back of job ad on a poster
• How he came to chaperone Michael Jackson at Disneyland Paris
• The events that led to his MS diagnosis and how his experiences with his employer and colleagues became the beginning of his speaking career
• The lessons we all need to learn as employers and colleagues when someone shares their diagnosis
• Why it's so important to be one of the Good Guys

We also discuss how Mark helped his CEO at Dixons to become the most followed FTSE 100 leader on Twitter (as was) without a scandal!

To follow more of Mark's work, head to: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-webb...

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How does where you grow up determine your future career prospects?

And what happens when you're in the top sets at school, but aren't encouraged to pursue higher education?

Pete Wallis is Co-Founder of True North Development, a training consultancy that specialises in Gallup Strengths and links its corporate work to providing free coaching to people from less advantaged backgrounds.

In our conversation, Pete shares:

• How growing up on a council estate limited his view of possible careers at an early age
• What the British Army has to offer young people in terms of education, trade and career opportunities
• The power of the Open University in making degree-level education more accessible and affordable
• How identifying your strengths and spending time in outdoor spaces can help people embrace their talents and overcome personal challenges
• Why soft skills training is so powerful in helping people from less advantaged backgrounds to be successful

Find out more at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truenorthdevelopment/

Connect with Pete: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petewallis/

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What does it take to protect and divert young people from crime and antisocial behaviour?

And how do you address the disadvantages and lack of opportunities that lead to young people believing they have no agency or choice?

Adam Ballard and Ben Eckett are the Directors of Gloves Not Gunz and Urban Yogis. Together, they are using a holistic approach to provide purpose, safety and belonging to young people at risk of harm by involvement in, or proximity to, criminal activity.

In our conversation, Adam and Ben share:

• Their experiences of education and how early brushes with the law and exclusion lead to moments of realisation
• Why the combination of mentoring, therapy, education, employability and community is key to helping vulnerable young people
• How sport can be the perfect entry point to empowering young people to positively shape their own futures
• The value in changing the perception of yoga as a pursuit for "white, middle-aged women"
• What Idris Elba was doing at their boxing club!

After seven years of careful, methodical building, Adam and Ben have created a series of services that are trusted by a number of London Boroughs and Violence Reduction Units to help vulnerable young people shape the futures they deserve. There will be some exciting news in March 2024 - to stay updated head to:

Gloves Not Gunz: https://glovesnotgunz.org/

Urban Yogis: https://urbanyogisuk.com/

To connect with Adam and Ben directly, you can find them both on LinkedIn:

Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-ballard-b7b418b7/

Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-eckett-481093130/

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How do we get more young women to take up trades?

And why are parents such a problem when it comes to showing children the value of blue collar careers?

Anna Moynihan is the Co-Founder of TaskHer - the award-winning (and only!) online booking platform that connects modern homeowners to a highly-skilled, proudly professional community of tradeswomen. In our conversation, Anna shares:

* Her career experiences in the world of film production and what it was like to work for MTV

* How redundancy led to a radical rethink

* Why we need more female plumbers, gas fitters and electricians

* What we can do to change attitudes towards trades

* How AI is going to help rather than hinder practical professions

We also talk about what it's like to run a business with your husband, the power of an all-female panel and living your best life with Westlife! To find out more about task her, head to: https://www.taskher.co.uk/

To connect with Anna, find her on LinkedIn here: (2) Anna (Hernandez) Moynihan | LinkedIn

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How do you put power into the hands of local communities to preserve and celebrate their culture?

And how hard is it to operate in the creative arts when you didn't go to university?

Keith Jeffrey began his career as a 19-year-old with a passion for music and a desire to deliver fantastic experiences to his de-industrialised community.

Today, he helps working-class professionals to thrive in professional environments where class and accent bias are used to hold people back.

In our conversation we discuss:

* The positive power of giving Government funding to teenagers

* The importance of preserving culture in working-class communities

* How it feels to be involved in some of the UK's foremost cultural projects when you've not been to the 'right' theatres

* Why class is still an issue

* How being honest about our backgrounds and experiences makes for a more balanced workplace

There's also some incredible insights and stories from Keith's own career including bringing Nirvana to the UK and providing a stage for David Bowie! Connect with Keith on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithjeffrey/

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How important is lived experience in designing programmes to connect excluded communities and individuals with meaningful opportunities?

And is it possible to create and steer policy if you didn't finish your degree?

Jagdeep Soor is Head of Strategic Partnerships at Pathway Group - an organisation that (amongst other things) puts the experiences and needs of multicultural communities at the heart of its programmes and service offerings. In our conversation, Jagdeep shares his views on:

• The talent that existed within his community growing up in the Midlands (and how a lack of funding made any successes all the more hard-won)
• Why hockey was about more than just sport
• Discovering that university didn't suit his learning style
• His experiences of unemployment and how underinvestment and educational bias impacted his early career options
• How he built a career that went from front-line employment support advice to influencing and implementing national policy
• Why a regional and multicultural approach is so important when designing programmes
• The power of combining data and drive for results with empathy and lived experience

To find out more about Pathway Group and the Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance, visit: https://pathwaygroup.co.uk/multiculturalaa/

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What does it take to lead the finance function in a Financial Services firm when you don't have a background in the industry?

And how do you overcome accent and educational bias to build a career that could easily be denied to you?

Paul Foot is Head of Finance for the Investment Management arm of Universities Superannuation Scheme Ltd. He is also the lead for their newly created Social Mobility Network. In our conversation, Paul paints a vivid picture of what it means to come from a working class background and his experiences of:

* Cultural norms at school in which academic achievement wasn't perceived as 'cool'

* How being good at sport became his 'pass' for wanting to study hard

* An early brush with a career in the recording industry

* Experiencing overt classism alongside education and accent bias in interview situations

* People's surprise that he didn't have a degree

* The importance of advocating for people from less privileged backgrounds

This is a frank and often funny conversation that underlines the reality of the challenges that must be overcome to improve socioeconomic diversity.

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How do you go from recreating your favourite comedy series with your friends for fun, to being a cameraman that’s regularly booked by BBC News and Sky Sports?

And how do you find your way into film production when you don’t have any connections?

David Stubbins is a freelance Film Camera Operator, Director and Editor whose career spans the worlds of travel, corporate events and televised sports.

In this episode David shares:

• How lack of space on his chosen A-level courses meant studying two subjects he hadn’t picked

• Why a story left on a common room table decided his future

• What is was like being a cameraman for a Private Detective!

• Why on the job experience made him more valuable to film companies than having a degree

• Why people skills are as important as technical skills – even when you’re established

This episode offers a fantastic insight into the world of film production and editing – from securing work experience, through to getting yourself pitch side with professional footballers and TV presenters.

To view David’s work, head to: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-stubbins79/

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How can you build a career in tech when you’re facing multiple barriers to employment?

And how do participate in online training programmes when you lack access to a laptop or internet connectivity?

Andy Kemp is the Director of Partnerships at Generation UK & Ireland – an organisation that bridges the gap between education and employment and helps people who are experiencing disadvantage to access opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them. In our conversation, Andy shares:

• The truth about the narrow distribution of opportunities in the UK & Ireland

• How Generation's fully-funded bootcamps bridge the digital poverty gap

• Why classic education pathways are not serving current job opportunities

• The value of putting data at the centre of social impact programmes

• Why retrofitting is an enormous area of opportunity

To find out more about the work that Generation UK & Ireland do, head to: https://uk.generation.org/

To read the Social Impact Report that Andy mentions in this episode, visit: https://uk.generation.org/news/social...

To read the Social Mobility Commission's State of the Nation report that Toni references, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publica...

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How does a diagnosis of autism in your 20’s help you better understand your experience of school?

And how does being ‘coached’ for Oxbridge clash when you can’t perform recall under pressure?

Cameron Phillips is Head of Customer Success at @KAYBE_Group and was expected by his school to go on to study for a degree but he found he was unsuited to high-pressure exam situations.

In our conversation, Cameron shares:

• Why he swapped studying for A-levels for overtime shifts in a kitchen

• What it was about exams that made him feel uncomfortable

• His experience of being diagnosed with autism

• How he learned how to leverage his neurodiversity

• How educational establishments and employers can better support neurodiverse people

To learn more about the organisations that Cameron mentions:

Team Brit: https://teambrit.co.uk/

All4Inclusion: https://www.all4inclusion.org/

You can also read Cameron’s views on neurodiversity in business and his own experiences:

Two Faced: My Autistic Journey: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/two-faced-my-autistic-journey-cameron-phillips/?trackingId=4xJoE8ljSUqCmae9WPpU4w%3D%3D

Neurodiversity in Marketing: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/embracing-neurodiversity-paradigm-shift-marketing-cameron-phillips/

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How do you combine a sense of adventure with a career in sales?

And how do you even begin to plan to row the Atlantic solo?

Lara Vafiadis (aka 'This Girl Rows') is someone who embodies the term 'Drive and Determination'. From earning her Yachtmaster Certificate aged just 21 to completing the 'World's Toughest Row' solo just a few years later, Lara's story is one of optimism, focus and the value of pursuing your passions.

In this episode, Lara shares:

• Why her teachers were disappointed that she didn't go to uni
• What her parents taught her about following your own path
• How being fantastic at team sports set her up for her solo row
• How she coped with the loss of her dad just months before she set out to sea

Lara also provides fantastic tips for anyone who doesn't fit the 'typical' profile when applying for a job and how you can use your point of difference to demonstrate that you can add value.

Lara will be taking on a new extreme challenge in Summer 2025 - to hear the details first - or pledge your support - head to:

https://www.thisgirlrows.com/

You can also connect with Lara on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laravafiadis/

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How does it feel to be the first black rugby player in the UK?

And the first black ski instructor for artificial slopes in the UK?

And the first person to co-ordinate a major public event finishing in The Mall?

How about having 600 of your rock photographs licensed to Getty Images?

And how do you do all these things when you began life as a Ward of Court?

Solomon (Sol) N'Jie has had an incredible career spanning multiple industries which includes a number of firsts. In this episode Sol generously shares his memories and insights in the following areas:

• His early life in a children's home
• Challenging negative narratives and beliefs held by people in power
• Joining the RAF
• Entering the world of Wasps rugby
• Teaching Paratroopers to ski
• How he came to photograph some of the biggest names in rock
• His experiences in Crowd Safety Management and involvement in The London Marathon, the Olympic Games and Live Aid!
• The power of asking for what you want

To connect with Sol, you can find him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/solomon-n...

You can also view his iconic rock photos here: https://iconicrockphotos.net/

To hear Sol talk in detail about his Live Aid experience, head to:    • Spandex, Synths and Stadium Rock: The...  

And finally!.... To learn about the Wasps Legends Charitable Foundation, visit: https://waspslegends.co.uk/

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How does it feel to grow up in a family and a culture where university is an expectation, not a choice?

To answer this question, I’m joined by Nana Agyemang, Proposition Delivery Manager at Barclays. Born in Ghana, Nana moved to the UK to begin his secondary education and always knew that he was expected to go to university – whether he wanted to or not! In this episode we explore Nana’s experiences of:

• The differences between the Ghanaian and UK education system
• Educational expectations – and the reasons behind them
• Discovering the value of apprenticeships
• Finding out his degree would unexpectedly save him thousands of pounds when applying for naturalisation
• What his parents said when he told them some of his friends weren’t going to uni!

To connect with Nana and learn more about his work in promoting social inclusion, follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nana-agyemang-91950223a/

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How do you cope with school when you're neurodivergent?

And what do you do when your child is neurodivergent but you can no longer afford to send them to a school that gives them the support that they need?

Kirstin Coughtrie is the Founder and Innovation Architect of Gaia Learning - an award-winning online school for neurodivergent thinkers. Gaia was born out of Kirstin's own experiences of the education system as a pupil, teacher and parent of a child with additional needs. In our conversation, we discuss how Kirstin:

* Moved to a whole new system of schooling in the UK aged 11

* Taught herself to learn in a way that allowed her to make friends and please teachers (something she now understands were signs of her own ADHD)

* Discovered why many parents of children with ADHD and autism choose private schooling

* Found herself in the position of creating an online school that was one of the first to be registered as a Cambridge International School and is recognised as Alternative Provision

* Believes we can re-imagine schooling inline with Gaia principles

To find out more, visit: https://www.gaialearning.co.uk/

You can also connect with Kirstin via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstin/

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When you have to start work at 16 years old to contribute to the household budget, how do you avoid becoming trapped in low-income employment?

And how do you meaningfully re-enter the workplace as a young single mum?

In this episode of the Challenging University Podcast, IT channel legend Julie Simpson shares:

* The impact of her dad's death on her education and family circumstances

* How she carved out a rewarding career of her own choosing

* Why she and her husband sold their house to fund the creation of the business at a time when they had four children under the age of 12 between them

* The difference between being academic and being smart - and how she tests for this in interviews

* Tips for business founders on how to hand over the reins

Julie's story is one of resilience, confidence and being alert to opportunities.

To find out more about her organisation, visit www.resourceit.net

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