THE SLOW DOWN

After being adopted, Andrew Missingham became a drummer and musical director on gold-certified UK records, then spent three years running British Council music programmes across 43 countries in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, then lead arts programming at the ICA. He later moved into data and strategy, becoming a Chief Data & Insights Officer and AI adoption pioneer for clients includi...

June Angelides MBE believes that what is meant for you will find you — but only if you make the space to let it. Growing up in Lagos, she arrived in the UK and built a career in finance that, on paper, made sense. It wasn't until her second maternity leave — when she found herself the first woman at Silicon Valley Bank's UK office to take mat leave, confronting a company with no infrastruc...

Rollo Skinner is a British artist, author and botanical set designer (clients include: Gucci, Barbour, Mulberry, and renowned fashion photographer Tim Walker) whose work is rooted in a deep love of the natural world. Based between Dorset and London, Rollo feels most at home amongst the trees in the woods by his family farmhouse, dreaming up stories and new creations with Ben (the family sheepdog w...

Award-winning psychologist Dr. Lalitaa Suglani unpacks why the most capable people in the room are often the most anxious — and how to stop performing wellness and start feeling it. A conversation about burnout, workaholism,  inner child work, and what real success actually looks like. Dr. Lalitaa is a renowned speaker, somatic practitioner, and the author of High Functioning Anxiety — a book that...

Sex, Death, Comedy: Enter the nuanced world of Shannon Murphy Shannon Murphy is the director of 2019 debut hit Babyteeth (94% on rotten tomatoes at last check). I was moved to tears many times by the film and have since gone on to watch other things she has directed including Killing Eve, her episode of which was nominated for 3 EMMYs, Dave which is literally one of my favourite TV series and Dyin...

I’ve been obsessed with Eugene’s insightful and razor sharp cultural analysis reels on Instagram and Tiktok - along with literally millions of others who watch them.  Eugene Healey is a strategist whose insights help brands, individuals and organisations make sense of the soup that is culture, consumerism, taste, aesthetics and social media. He is also a gifted keynote speaker and original thinker...

Only having big goals can set us up to fail.  In her new book, neuroscientist and ex- Google executive Anne-Laure Le Cunff explores the transformative nature of living a more experimental life; turning uncertainty into curiosity, and carving a path of self-discovery. The book is a current best-seller and her work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Forbes, Financial Times, WIRED, and more. She is...

Arizona Muse has graced more than 40 international Vogue covers and starred in campaigns for some of the world’s most iconic houses: Prada, Chanel, Estée Lauder, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, Miu Miu, Chopard, Chloé… . She is one of the most recognisable faces in modern fashion. But the part of Arizona’s story that moves me most is her becoming a climate activist, educator and founder of DIRT — a...

Ben Branson is the founder of Seedlip, the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit that pioneered a movement of non-alcoholic drinks. In under 4 years Seedlip shot to success - being stocked in over 8000 bars and in homes across 35 countries before being sold in a multi-million pound deal. But what did this rapid success mean for Ben? Ben who is open about his autism and adhd diagnosis. Ben w...

Katri Josling doesn’t have a job title, awards, or even an active social media account - she’s a housewife. But she’s also a constant learner - whether it’s completing a new boating license, a culinary chemistry course to create the most amazing meals, learning her fourth language, going skitouring in Svalbad or training her two giant Rhodesian Ridgebacks. She was a consultant with a UCL degree in...

Chloë is best known for her leadership in the creator economy as the founder and CEO of SHFT, a talent agency she grew into a multi-award-winning, 6-figure business while advocating for fairness, inclusivity, and integrity across the industry. In 2024 she was recognised on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her impact in influencer marketing and entrepreneurship. Last year, Chloë chose to exit her co...

Stefanie Sword-Williams is an award-winning founder, speaker and author of the book  F*ck Being Humble : Why self-promotion isn’t a dirty word . A global mission, movement and training consultancy inspiring individuals to be unapologetically proud of their achievements and overcome the fear of self-promotion. She has spoken at the offices of Apple, Netflix, Unilever, Nike, Google, L’oreal and Micr...

Karimah Hassan is a British-Yemeni artist, writer and performer whose practice spans large- scale painting, spoken word, and socially-driven storytelling. Trained as an architect but called to storytelling, she paints large-scale portraits that vibrate with colour, emotion, and spirit. Her work has been exhibited across London, New York, Toronto, and the Middle East, with collectors ranging from V...

New member of the prestigious NatGeo Explorers: listen to Alice Aedy share her journey and mission on climate and social justice storytelling. Saving the planet is now, in part, a communications challenge and Alice Aedy has risen to the occasion. Alice Aedy is a documentary filmmaker, photographer, and co-founder of Earthrise Studio — a creative agency focused on climate and social justice storyte...

Sarah Langford is a former criminal barrister turned regenerative farming advocate, writer, and mother of two. After years in the courtroom, she traded legal briefs for muddy boots, returning to her family’s land to learn how to heal both soil and society. Her acclaimed book Rooted weaves personal experience with the future of sustainable farming in Britain and has become a rallying cry for a more...

‘In my mind, people didn’t change the world by becoming a parent at 22’ - but that’s exactly where Catherine found herself while at drama school and working for the UN.  Catherine Joy White is an award-winning actor, author, filmmaker, gender advisor and Honorary Fellow of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford. Her debut 2023 book This Thread of Gold   reclaims the narratives of extraordinary Black...

‘I want my GP to be happy. I don’t want them overworked and unhealthy - but that seems like a weird notion in our society.' This was the thought that sent Dr Monika Sharma down a road of discovery, backlash and ultimately personal fulfilment.  Dr. Monika Sharma is a London-based NHS General Practitioner (GP) and certified Level 3 Personal Trainer with a passion for holistic health and well-bei...

From Freuds, to Bumble to Headspace to CLUE: Louise Troen’s non-linear career journey from PR to mission-driven tech, equity and body autonomy is one you have to hear. Louise Troen is the CMO of Clue - the female-founded cycle and fertility tracker, with over 100 million downloads to date. Previously, Louise was VP of Marketing at Bumble and Headspace where she led international growth, Global bra...

Meet solo female founder Valentina Milanova. Creator of the Diagnostic Tampon and the CBD Tampon. After years of hard work in an underfunded industry - Valentina shares her experience and desire to 'de-glamorize' the founder experience.  She is the founder and CEO of Daye, a gynae health, research and development company seeking to close the gender health gap with proprietary medical and diagnosti...

I have something unusual for you today. An interview with me!  I was interviewed on Asim Amin’s podcast Immigrants Building Companies. It was an opportunity to really reflect on my immigrant experience and what it offered me: the good, bad and ugly. I also share my full career journey, my burnout experience and my turning point for a desire to re-define success for myself. Asim Amin is a wonderful...

Sam Lee is a Mercury Prize-nominated folk singer, conservationist, and founder of The Nest Collective , an organization dedicated to revitalizing folk music and connecting people to nature through cultural experiences. Renowned for his rich baritone voice and commitment to preserving traditional songs, Sam's work bridges the gap between ancient folk traditions and contemporary audiences, foste...

Tamu Thomas  is the author of Why Women Work So Much and a passionate advocate for joyful living, boundaries, and sustainable success . She challenges the burnout culture and toxic productivity that so many women find themselves trapped in and explores how we can redefine ambition, rest, and self-worth beyond productivity . As a qualified social worker, somatic coach and public speaker, Tamu chall...

​Douglas McMaster is a pioneering British chef renowned for championing sustainable dining. His culinary journey includes tenures at esteemed establishments such as St. John, The Fat Duck, and Noma. In 2014 he opened the world's first zero-waste restaurant, Silo, initially established in Brighton and later relocated to London's Hackney Wick. Silo operates on a pre-industrial food system, u...

Molly Johnson-Jones is the co-founder and CEO of Flexa , a platform that showcases companies offering flexible working environments. Her personal experience of being dismissed from a finance role after requesting flexible work (working from home one day a week) accommodations for her autoimmune condition led her to establish Flexa in 2019. The platform now serves millions of users globally and col...

Hector Hughes is the co-founder of Unplugged , a company offering off-grid cabin retreats designed to help people disconnect from digital life and reconnect with nature. After experiencing burnout in the tech industry, Hector went on a silent repreat in the Himalayas and recognised the need for digital detox solutions. Since its inception in 2020, Unplugged has grown rapidly whilst promoting inten...