A new Vega Podcast episode for those who look for reinforcement in daring, exploring, and crafting their unique path.
We are joined by Pierre-Louis Soulié, a robotics graduate from UC Berkeley, who went on a journey from studying micro-engineering at EPFL to practising product design at Polimi while living, working, and studying across five different countries.
In the episode, Pierre shares what he learned from operating on the edge between engineering and design, talks about his current lifestyle in San Francisco, and gives notes on the mindset dynamics between the US and Europe.
All topped with AI recourses, startup aspirations, and, of course, great inspo takeaways.
Enjoy!
P.S. If not for that one blog post from the “Ambitious and Driven” curated by Anirudhh Ramesh, this episode would not have happened Would highly recommend to check it out (linked below)!
Mentions and recommendations from the episode:
- Interview with Pierre for the “Ambitious and Driven” blog: https://www.ambitiousxdriven.com/p/berkeley-withings-and-leaving-engineering
- The Human-Centered Design Toolkit by IDEO: https://www.ideo.com/journal/design-kit-the-human-centered-design-toolkit
- Book “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60965426-the-creative-act
- Book “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52036.Siddhartha
AI resources:
- ChatGPT (don’t pretend as if you’ve never heard of it): https://openai.com/index/chatgpt/
- Vizcom: https://www.vizcom.ai/
- Claude: https://claude.ai/login?returnTo=%2F%3F
Follow Pierre on social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierrelouissl/
Website: https://plsoulie.vercel.app/
Instagram: @andeolll
Hey!
In today`s episode, Dimitar shares some insights into the Space industry. What has happened since the start of 2025? Why space exploration is so important? What does the future of space exploration look like? These are just some of the questions we answer in our discussion.
Dimitar`s blog:
Space Brief: https://spacebrief.substack.com/
Recommended book:
Madeleine Albright, Fascism: A Warning: https://www.amazon.com/Fascism-Warning-Madeleine-Albright/dp/0062802186
Recommended podcast:
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart: https://www.youtube.com/@WeeklyShowPodcast
Enjoy :)
Hey!
Our “yapping” series are continuing with a cozy episode about finding purpose and not losing yourself in it. Accompanied by some soothing herbal tea. We discuss how different people: our family members, friends, or chess-super-players try to find their callings and pursue a meaningful path. What does one do to find their passion? What if it doesn’t work out? How to stay intact with yourself? Those are the questions we raise and diligently try to find an answer to. To the best of our knowledge and in the chillest manner possible.
Mentions and recs from the episode:
- Adam Grant | Organizational psychologist and bestselling author: https://adamgrant.net/
- Jordan B. Peterson | A renowned psychologist, author, and online educator: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/
- Book by Viiktor Frankl | “Man's search for meaning”: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Meaning
Hey,
Welcome to our first guest episode of the second season! We are joined by Robine De Haen - a passionate leader with an entrepreneurial mind. Together, we discuss her experience in organising first-ever SLUSH’D event in Belgium, how a an exchange in China sparked her interest in entrepreneurship, and what it is like to go off backpacking for 3 months in Asia. A very rich range of topics 😉Mentions and recommendations: ⁃ SLUSH’D initiative: https://slush.org/slushd/ ⁃ Entrepreneurship First: https://www.joinef.com/ ⁃ CEO for One Month by Adecco: https://www.adecco.co.uk/about-us/who-we-are/our-purpose-and-impact/ceo-for-one-month ⁃ “Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life” by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles: https://www.amazon.com/Ikigai-Japanese-Secret-Long-Happy/dp/0143130722Follow Robine on social media: ⁃ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robine-dehaen/ ⁃ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robine_de_haen?igsh=a2Uzc2llY2h6bTZu
We randomly started rambling about the realizations we had come to during the summer and decided to record our conversation.
We talked about the importance of prioritizing your tasks, choosing what to put on your plate, the echo of the industrial revolution in today`s society, and much more...
Enjoy:)
Welcome back to the Vega podcast! This is the pilot episode of the second season of the podcast, in which we give you an overview of what we have been up to lately, and what is yet to come in the new season.
Enjoy :)
Stay tuned, follow us on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/fevenim/
https://www.instagram.com/astraemulier/
Welcome to a new series of the Vega podcast, in which we will do content reviews of papers, books and anything interesting we come across. In this episode, we dive into “Sustainability Principles For Space Operations Across the Century,” a paper Slavena and a team of talented scientists and engineers wrote for the International Astronautical Conference 2023. We discuss the principles of sustainability in the space industry and the New Space era.
You can find the publication here: https://dl.iafastro.directory/event/IAC-2023/paper/77704/
Tatyana is an embodiment of the word "persistence". She has overcome and continues to overcome numerous challenges on her path to becoming an astronaut. She is currently an Aerospace engineering student at Embry-Riddle, does scuba diving and skydiving, and is a super interesting and inspiring person. This episode is a discussion between 3 hard-working engineering students about the ways to reach personal goals, our struggles with finding ways to relax, as well as the challenges that some of Bulgaria's students face. The discussion is long and honest, so tune in :)
Mentioned in the episode:
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Vega podcast, which spontaneously turned into a discussion about self-discovery. We share our thoughts about the philosophy of being a part of society, how our environment shapes us as individuals, and whether we can ever be our true selves.
Mentioned in this episode:
Welcome to a conversation with Hanna Nyholm, a serial entrepreneur, investor, coach and mother.
Together, we discuss her experience as an entrepreneur by heritage, balancing the athlete and founder mindsets, and dive into the intricacies of female vs. male startup visions.
Recommendation from Hanna:
Follow Hanna and her work:
Welcome to the first episode of the series Inspo Women, in which we will share the stories of women who inspire us.
The first woman we will introduce you to today is Ekaterina Shulman. She is an incredible Russian political scientist, a mother, a wife, an expert on Vladimir Nabokov, and a literary critic with an impressive resume.
You can also check out her TED Talk “Technological Middle Ages”, which blew Evgeniia’s mind, here: https://youtu.be/wnj0ffH6vKQ?si=RZdOjx4639mfLTql (It is in Russian, but has English subtitles)
The second woman you will hear about in this episode is Katherine Johnson - one of the first African American women to work for NASA. She was an incredible mathematician and an insanely brave woman who paved the way for generations to come. Oh by the way, if it weren't for her Apollo 11, alongside the rest of the missions in the Apollo program, it would not have been successful.
The movie and book mentioned: “Hidden Figures”
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt4846340/
https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/hidden-figures-en#:~:text=Brief%20summary,progress%20in%20the%20STEM%20industry.
Let us know what you think about this new series:)
In this episode of the Vega podcast, Johanna Naukkarinen and Slavena discuss female representation and involvement in engineering, trends in engineering education worldwide, and the importance of diversity in the STEM fields.
Book recommendation: “Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men” by Caroline Criado-Perez.
Hi, and welcome to a discussion about comfort. Or, rather, "escaping comfort" (a.k.a. expanding our limits by doing scary stuff). We talk about our own experiences with moving to a different country, getting to know the supermarket layout, and ordering coffee in Chinese. Tune in and enjoy :)
Recs from the episode:
Welcome to your daily dosage of space enthusiasm! This time, we are joined by Benedetta Facini, who is an aspiring astronaut, a NASA citizen scientist, and a brave physics explorer. Together, we open up the secrets of becoming an astronaut, explore the curious and sometimes bizarre environment of space missions, and talk about the opportunities and trends in the space sector + have a bonus chat about puzzles and the common student life ;)
Mentions and recommendations from the episode:
Benny on Social Media:
Note from Eve (@fevenim) > This episode was recorded online via Zoom, so the sound quality is not ~super crisp~ So I tried my best to apply the magic of high-tech and some human labour to make it slightly better ;)
Hi, welcome to a very subjective and highly biased review of the hottest space startups. Here, we discuss companies that make space universally accessible and Earth easier to live on. Satellites, 3D-printed rockets, spacesuits—you name it. We also talk about how those startups accelerate not only cool innovations but also empower youth to make a difference in their countries.
Links to the startups mentioned in the episode:
Hello! Welcome to a conversation with Yannick Schuurmans, a student at LUT University, former president of ESN Finland, and contestant on “The Voice” show (he even got a verified account on IG—what a legend). He shares his experience studying in Finland, balancing engineering and singer careers, discovering the grand production of reality shows, and pondering the nature-to-human connection.
Mentions and recommendations by Yannick:
Yannick on Social Media:
In this episode, we discuss some of the things we do to stay sane during our studies such as building a routine, working out, and taking care of our mental and physical health.
Jamie Hyneman is known to be exceptionally adventurous and creative. In this episode, he shares some vital advice on approaching big tasks by being methodological and disciplined. We also discuss his journey from hitchhiking across the US as a fourteen-year-old boy to becoming a legend in the world of special effects and engineering.
Welcome to another episode of the Vega podcast, in which we talk about weird projects we have thought of: from gliders to wifi transmitters, and how the process of doing nothing often leads to good ideas.
In this episode, our guest is Mariia Kozlova, an associate professor at LUT University and an inventor of the SimDec method - accompanied by her lovely dog Luna (also a distinguished professor).
Together, we discuss Mariia's experience turning her academic research into an entrepreneurial journey, her views on Silicon Valley's "fast-and-furious" mode, and the immense power of curiosity, people, and dogs.
This will be a cleansing episode for both your brain and soul. Trust us.
Connect with Mariia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kozlova-mariia/
Check out SimDec: https://www.simdec.fi/
Mentions and recommendations by Mariia: