Challenging University Podcast

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 ac...

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 di...

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 rais...

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...

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 conve...

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 o...

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....

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 belo...

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:...

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 t...

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...

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 Ne...

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...

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 disadvantag...

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, C...

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...

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...

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 experienc...

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 ed...

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 carv...

When you've got a flourishing career with a leading consulting firm, why would you leave to start a Community Interest Company? Tayo Adesina is the Founder and CEO of Trash Gxng, an organisation that addresses the issues of social isolation via creative programmes that build community and give a voice to youth who may otherwise be excluded from social and workplace opportunities. In our conversati...

How do you create an entirely unique career based on your life's experiences? And how do you end up advising government bodies, global leaders and policy-makers when you haven't got a degree? Beth Britton is an award-winning content creator, consultant, trainer, campaigner and speaker who specialises in the field of elderly care with a specific focus on dementia. In this episode, Beth speaks movin...

If you leave university two years into your degree, does it mean it's all been a waste? Not for Sam Darling! After a frank conversation with his tutor revealed he had earned enough credits to secure a HND, Sam left university and continued a career story that had started at the age of 16. Having already gained vast amounts of work experience (and co-authored a popular book), Sam knew that industry...

How does it feel when you've won a place at uni, but you are intimidated by the social and cultural capital that surrounds you for the first time? And what does it take to help co-ordinate a new collaboration around solicitor apprenticeships in the City of London led by the Chair of the CLLS Training Committee?   Jo Hughes is the founder of Joanna Hughes Solicitor Apprenticeships, an organisa...

If you've got university offers on the table for a degree in the career of your childhood dreams and you decide that uni is no longer for you - does it mean the dream is over? Not for Charlotte Gray! Work experience in a veterinary practice post A-levels proved to her that she wanted to immerse herself in the day-to-day life of caring for animals rather than spending three years at university. In...