In our latest podcast episode, we had an incredible conversation with Crissy Sanders, a 21-year-old public health graduate who has experienced more in the last few years than most do in a lifetime.

Crissy shared her adventures working in Kiribati, a remote Pacific Island, and traveling solo through East Africa. She opened up about her philosophy of life—“Jump, don’t step”—embracing opportunities and pushing boundaries beyond comfort zones. Whether it was booking a last-minute trip to Africa or working with a women's refuge, Crissy emphasised that the biggest growth comes when you leap into the unknown.

Her passion for public health shined through in her work on infant nutrition in Kiribati. Crissy and her team’s efforts in educating mothers on nutrition and hygiene were a testament to the power of small, community-focused actions that create long-lasting impact.

 What we loved most about our chat was Crissy’s genuine openness. From dealing with stray dogs during her morning runs to navigating scholarship rejections, her determination and resilience left a mark.

Her advice? Take the jump. Trust yourself to figure things out as you go, because the rewards often lie beyond the fear.

Curious to hear more? Tune in to the full episode on Baskets of Knowledge podcast. 

Enjoy

Prajesh and Tane

This week we are really privileged to have Lori Thomson, a nursing student, who shares their candid and inspiring journey through personal challenges and academic pursuits. From battling eating disorders and societal expectations to excelling in clinical placements, this story is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of human connection.

Lori candidly discusses experiences with anorexia nervosa, bipolar disorder, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Lori shares how these challenges have impacted their life and how they found strength to overcome them.

Despite facing adversity, Lori found their true calling in nursing. Lori shares experiences in clinical placements, the importance of connecting with patients, and the rewarding moments that have shaped her career.

We also delve into other parts of Lori's story, one of them being the experiences of performing as a Drag King!

Whether you're a nursing student, healthcare professional, or simply looking for an inspiring story, Lori's journey will resonate with you. 

Enjoy

Prajesh and Tane

In this week's episode of Baskets of Knowledge, we spoke to Sanskruti Banerjee, a law and commerce student at the University of Auckland with a passion for problem-solving, advocacy, and creativity.

Sanskruti shared her journey of balancing multiple roles—from community work in mental health and sexual violence advocacy to her love for poetry and dance. Sanskriti discussed her involvement with Dear Em, a collective focused on supporting young women, and her leadership in various places where she worked to create opportunities for underrepresented students.

We spoke about the importance of South Asian representation and her efforts through the South Asian collective, Jhumka Journey.

Throughout the episode, we explored her experiences in various leadership roles, her pride in her cultural identity, and the challenges of balancing a busy life as a student and change-maker. Sanskruti also shared her thoughts on the value of pursuing passions, staying grounded, and the importance of guilt-free rest.

This episode highlights Sanskruti's journey of resilience, advocacy, and staying true to what drives her.

Enjoy

Prajesh and Tane

Recently, we had the honor of speaking with Zoe Dzapasi, an 18-year-old student at Victoria University of Wellington, who shared her incredible journey of growth, self-discovery, and advocacy. Despite moving to New Zealand from Zimbabwe at 18 months old, Zoe has maintained a strong connection to her roots while navigating the challenges of belonging in a new country.

During our conversation, Zoe opened up about encountering racism as a teen and how it shaped her view on identity and resilience. Her TED Talk, where she addressed the expectations placed on her as a black girl, became a powerful platform for expressing her experiences. 

Zoe’s passion for storytelling doesn’t stop there—she founded the board game "Ngano," inspired by Zimbabwean folklore. She’s also part of Create Happy Media, a youth-driven content platform where collaboration and youth empowerment take center stage.

As a recent member of the Y25 cohort, Zoe continues to advocate for young girls, helping them find their voices and amplify their stories. Her journey is a reminder to all of us that the power of storytelling and believing in ourselves can create real change.

We all remember 2020, it was the year when everyone's lives changed. for some people it was terrible, for others they found a silver lining and for a majority it was OH NO!! Our guest this week found lock down a pivotal moment in his life. It was during lock down that Alex Witt decided to start running, this all came from the fact that he looked in the mirror and did not like what he saw.

Alex speaks to us this week about this journey, how it has changed him not just physically but his attitude to life. BUT we also touch on how Alex was lost, like most people, with what to do with his life when he was done with school. Time away working through some gap years and the love for running helped him on the path that he is on now.

This is a fabulous listen for ANYONE that thinks they can't make a change in their live. Alex's piece of knowledge will get you to rethink that way of thinking.

Enjoy

Prajesh and Tane

Abbie Wood talks to us about how creating and selling bracelets at her grannie's market was her first step into realising that she had a creative brain but also a mindset that would foster the idea of creating value through her own enterprise as she got older. We speak to Abbie about her company, Grow Easy, that she started as a project while at school and is still running today and how that has been a success through the help of her family, her mentors and just people that have been kind to her with both time and advice.

We delve into her idea for the Together Collective, another creation that Abbie wanted to bring to life to highlight the talents of creative young people in a centralised platform. Amongst this we also speak about being student, the reality of being away from home and capturing the essence of traversing all the worlds that Abbie lives in.

Abbie leaves us all with a beautiful piece of knowledge which will get you all thinking!

Enjoy

Prajesh and Tane

Elisa Harley, our guest this week speaks to us passionately about her business idea, how it came about, where it is now and what the future may hold. In this chat we learn about the amazing opportunities through networking and just asking strangers for help has led to. We also pick up the importance of having a tribe of people around you that are experts in various fields to help you grow.

Elisa, also speaks to us about the reality of being a final year high school student, navigating that balancing act and the reality of burnout. This conversation is filled with so much energy and real talk. We know you will all get something from it.

Look out for Elisa's Enivo Pots at a plant nursery near you soon!

Enjoy

Prajesh and Tane

Game on! Meet our next guest, Zeena Khan: Leader, Speaker & Author.

Zeena is a dynamic individual of Chinese, Fijian, and Indian descent, from South Auckland she moved to Wellington 5yrs ago, seeking adventure & opportunity to lean in with curiosity.

A champion of lifelong learning with a multifaceted background, Zeena also has an artistic side, having published her first poetry book in 2020, which helped her through challenging times.

In this podcast, Zeena reflects on her passion for empowering others, why she typed emails in CAPITAL (letters) early in her leadership career, and the powerful impact a quote from her late father went onto shape her life. We also delve in to just being yourself is the best gift you can give yourself!

Feel free to connect with Zee on LinkedIn or www.drivepdt.com

Enjoy

Prajesh and Tane

This week's guest is well known in Edutech for changing the face of education. A key learning from his mother when he was young has been instrumental in Jamie Beaton lifting the perceived barriers that young people have in New Zealand to be able to study in some of the Top Universities in North America.

In this really inspiring conversation we talk about what is the motivation for Jamie to keep studying while running a large global company. We look back to how Crimson Education started, its goal and how it has gone from strength to strength. We also talk about the challenges of disrupting the norm and embracing leadership as the company has grown.

Jamie also shares his passions with us, what he does in his down time and also why he wants to change the way education, especially in New Zealand, is delivered.

Once again another episode filled with wisdom, learnings and a few laughs.

Enjoy
Prajesh and Tane

Growing up, our guest this week thought that working in the health industry was what she was destined for. However, after one year of dabbling in this space, she pivoted from health to tech. This change opened up opportunities galore for our guest Magdeline Huang.

With her role as a software engineer now, Magdeline speaks to us about how delving into tech unlocked a whole new world for her. We also explore her love for content creation - how she took something that was a hobby to now creating amazing content on YouTube. One of her videos went viral which was something she did not expect! We talk about her winning idea

All in all this is an episode that is once again full of outstanding growth and wisdom.

Enjoy

Prajesh and Tane