A Class of Their Own

In this episode, Mira Magecha sits down to chat with Yvonne Matzk. Yvonne shares her experiences growing up in a council house to navigating the complexities of privilege and opportunity in her career. Yvonne reflects on her upbringing, where many of her friends had even less than she did, making her keenly aware of the disparities in privilege and opportunity. Despite her upbringing, Yvonne was a...

In this episode, we chat with Grace Osborne about the challenges of privilege, social mobility, and navigating societal expectations. Grace shares her story of growing up with privilege, going to private school, and coming from a family where university education was the natural course, 5 generations of women in her family went to University. She talks about the naivety that often comes with privi...

We sit down with Julie Gage, a 58-year-old, to explore her incredible journey of resilience and recovery from an unfortunately and misfortunate turn of events. Julie shares pivotal moments leading up to the massive change that was about to happen in her life. From travelling the world, living independently and teaching in a school she adored for 25+ years. She thought she just had the flu. She dec...

We dive into the life of Paraag Amin, a high achiever who spent 40+ years trying to please and meet the expectations set by family, society and the education system. Join us as Paraag shares his story and the key moments that led him to fundamentally change the way he lives and approaches his life today. Key Talking Points: Living for Others: Paraag talks about how he lived his life trying to plea...

In this inspiring episode, we are joined by Caterina Moraga-Scholte she takes us through her remarkable journey from being the daughter of refugees to The Netherlands to becoming a successful and resilient women who has found herself. Cat describes herself as a dreamer, a connector, and a storyteller. Cat opens up about her upbringing in a refugee household, where her parents provided everything t...

In this episode, we sit down with Emin Can Turan to explore his remarkable journey from a challenging childhood to becoming a successful entrepreneur. Can's story is a testament to resilience, the power of supportive family, and the relentless pursuit of one’s dreams. Key Themes in this episode: - Fight or Die Mentality: Can reflects on the harrowing moments of his youth, including shootings o...

In this gripping episode, Tracey Hill reveals the harrowing and inspiring journey of claiming her life back from a past filled with abuse, fear, and being held captive. Tracey starts by describing a moment of clarity, 'a nudge' that woke her up to the reality that she was being held captive by the life she had created. Despite seeming to have it all together, she had locked away parts of h...

In this episode, we sit down with Dave Buonaguidi, AKA Real Hackney Dave. He is Hackney-based artist who combines the visual and verbal language of advertising and propaganda with unique imagery and materials of found objects and ephemera. In a previous life, Dave worked in advertising for over 35 years, founding several creative agencies including St. Luke’s, 4Creative and Karmarama. In 2003 he c...

Join us for a must-listen episode with Sasha Watson as she shares her journey of resilience, determination, and self-discovery. Sasha's story is a powerful example of overcoming challenges and living life on her own terms, despite societal pressures and personal struggles. Sasha grew up tough, she is often in the minority, when in the corporate world and unphased by it due to growing up with h...

Join us for an engaging episode featuring Alpesh Patel, as he shares his unique journey and insights into overcoming societal expectations, cultural challenges, and achieving success on his own terms. Alpesh is a 50-year-old, Indian, gay man who opens up about his upbringing and the lack of role models who looked like him. He was expected to follow a traditional path of marriage and children, but...

Laura Pettitt describes herself as ordinary, but she is anything but. Outspoken, humble, and driven by a strong moral compass, Laura shares her thoughts on growing up amidst the dichotomies of social class, being underestimated by teachers, navigating complicated family relationships, being gay in a 'safe' place like London, and seeing organisations that still need to do more to support di...

Join us for an incredibly moving episode with Sam Smith, a former professional rugby player for Harlequins and Worcester Warriors, as he shares his journey on his first podcast. Sam reflects on his early life in a happy, loving family home. At the age of 11, his mum became ill, and he learned to develop a sixth sense to gauge what he would find behind the door when returning from school. He was al...

In this heartfelt episode, Toni Kent shares her powerful journey from challenging beginnings to professional success, navigating family complexities and societal expectations. Toni reflects on her early life, often playing a pseudo-parenting role with her eldest brother for her four younger siblings—she was even her mum's birthing partner. Despite the struggles and losing her father at a young...

There may not have been a Jon without Laura. Meeting his wife, then girlfriend, was the moment that Jon reshaped his life. Jon opens up about his disruptive teenage years, admitting he wasn't always a nice person. His relationship with Laura triggered change. He knew he had to change if he wanted their relationship to go anywhere and the disruption needed to stop. In his younger years Jon and...

Harriet JW dreamed of scoring goals, but life had other plans. At 16, she spent two weeks in a coma—was it because she was in doing something she should, or a misfortunate accident? Waking up felt like a scene from a movie, a white room, with "Mad World" from Donnie Darko playing in the background, leaving her wondering what had happened. Harriet wears many hats, evolving from a party an...

Join us for a deeply introspective journey with Jack Villiers as he shares his path from seeking external validation to discovering inner peace and meaning. Growing up feeling misplaced, Jack sought to fill voids through extreme experiences, leading to burnout and mental breakdowns. However, he discovered that everything he needed was already within him; he just needed to look inward. Becoming a f...

A deep and personal conversation with Alex Ayin where he unravels a journey he hasn't previously shared. Alex found validation through sports, a thread that weaves throughout. In parts, our conversation evolves into a coaching session, delving deeper into Alex's identity. We explore his struggles with fitting into school, navigating his mixed heritage, and managing overt racism. Alex had t...

Experience the captivating strength of Buleza as she shares her remarkable story of growing up during the Kosovo war and finding hope amidst adversity. Despite the challenges of war, Buleza found solace in unexpected places, learning German by watching Japanese cartoons for example. Reflecting on her childhood, Buleza emphasises the importance of family and community, highlighting the vibrant conn...

Jason's path didn't lead him to university, but does that define him? It did give him a bit of a chip on his shoulder. After leaving school, he was presented with two options: go to university or join the Navy. Growing up in Portsmouth, Jason had to hustle to make ends meet. His parents made it clear that if he wasn't continuing his studies, he couldn't just stay at home all day. U...

Growing up with a disability is not easy. Charanjit Toor was born with an underdeveloped arm, she shares her journey from childhood trauma to self-acceptance. Growing up, Charanjit suppressed her emotions and never felt comfortable in her own skin. In an Indian family where appearance was heavily emphasised, the lack of empathy and hurtful comments from the Asian community only added to her strugg...

Mark is a commercially focused Sales and People professional with a genuine human side, revealing his true self. Growing up in a council estate, Mark's parents worked hard to make ends meet – his mum as a housewife and his dad as a car mechanic, often taking on private clients on weekends to supplement the family income. With limited indulgences, Mark learned the value of money and success ear...

Join us for an uplifting conversation with Rakesh Makwana as he takes us back to his earliest memories, reminiscent of the 90s TV sitcom Desmond's. With humility, Rakesh reflects on the love, support, and warmth of his upbringing, steeped in the aromas of homemade Indian cuisine, family and community. As a first-generation British-born Indian, Rakesh's journey is fuelled by curiosity. He r...

Josh isn't perfect; he's striving to be the best version of himself. This episode is raw and deeply emotional. Growing up, Josh shares how his childhood is overshadowed by fear and anxiety, leading him to turn to alcohol at a young age. Addiction soon took hold, leading him to the only rehab facility for adolescents in the UK. Despite being told he was lucky by People in rehab, Josh felt i...

Being homeless as a kid, what could possibly go right for Katrina? Her grit led her to become a British Champion Artistic Roller Skater. She honed her discipline and excellence, her determination to be the best was clear, she competed with broken bones. Katrina's creativity and outside-the-box thinking propelled her forward, yet she grappled with feelings of arrogance and self-doubt. Katrina s...

In the corporate world, Tayo Adesina felt the discomfort of not fitting in—it gave him the itch for change. Diversity, often an afterthought, inspired his mission to reshape the future for the youth. Sustainability, for him, means crafting opportunities for the younger generation. He shares his parents' migration journey, starting as professionals in Nigeria but taking on jobs like cleaning, drivi...