Uzma Yakoob is an Entrepreneur and founder of the award winning make-up range; Sculpt Beauty. The BBC Apprentice star has glammed up celebrity a-listers and worked with some of the biggest names within the fashion industry including The Pussycat Dolls, on the set of the movie Fast and Furious and many more.

Saira Choudhry is an actress best known for portraying Saira in BBC soap Life, Naila in ITV's Coronation Street and Anita Roy in Hollyoaks. She’s also worked in other soaps such as Doctors and Cold Feet, and is currently filming for Dodger, a 10 part series for the BBC, playing the series lead, as Nancy.

Ash Ahmad is a DE&I and Wellbeing Consultant and the founder of Changing Mindsets. She is also CIPD qualified with over 10 years’ experience across various functions including Diversity and Inclusion, Training and Development and HR.

Ash inspires others by sharing her own experiences as a female, South Asian, Muslim woman - often a minority within her spaces, which has allowed her to truly connect with people in particularly those from underrepresented groups. 

Ayesha Nayyar is an award-winning solicitor with more than 20 years of experience in the legal field. She runs her own law firm in Manchester.

Ayesha has previously co-presented Crime, Are We Tough Enough, a five-part series for BBC One, and makes regular appearances on shows including Rip Off Britain on BBC One and Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4. She has also contributed to Sunday Morning Live, BBC Breakfast, and The Victoria Derbyshire Show.

Alongside running a busy law firm - Ayesha juggles her home and work life with three children. Ayesha is proud of her working class heritage having grown up in Manchester, and as a Pakistani Muslim woman, she is strong in her faith and commitment to the issues that affect ethnic minorities.

Sofia Cann works within the arts, media and broadcast industry and runs a marketing and communications consultancy; Cann Communications. She also provides coaching, mentoring and event hosting services. Sofia specialises in supporting businesses and individuals and is also a publicist for a number of familiar music, screen and stage personalities.

Pooja Shah, a successful British South Asian actress who's appeared in BBC soap EastEnders, BBC drama series Missing, hit movie Bend It Like Beckham and The Dr Who spin-off talks about how she got into the industry, her experience as a woman of colour, juggling parenthood and her advice for others looking to become actors.

If you're looking for inspiration or insight into unconventional career paths then subscribe to this podcast where I will be chatting to guests about their careers and life experiences.