Hidden Figures Podcast

"You have to find a way to build yourself up because there are always things chipping away at you"

I sat down with Football Legend Paul Davis who played 450 games for Arsenal over an 18yr career! We discussed growing up in South London, playing his debut at 17 in the N. London Derby, racism in football and society, coaching Ashley Cole and much more!

"Don't compare yourself to the other person... Stop competing with this phantom and spend time with yourself"

In this episode (dropped a year after the interview), I sit down with Veronica Martin, a woman who has spent her life dedicated to developing, coaching, mentoring and helping young people of colour, as well as fundraising for various media publications and charities. Whether you realise it or not, if you're a young black person in London, she has probably touched your life in some way or the other!

"Don't run before you can walk, you have to attend to yourself before you can attend to others"

In this episode, I sit down with the MP for Tottenham, David Lammy and discuss growing up in Tottenham, his parent's troublesome marriage, racism experienced at school in Peterborough, going to Harvard, becoming an MP and life after politics

"If I could rewind the clock, I'd say think bigger, because everything I've dreamt about, I've achieved"

In this episode, I sit down with my uncle, Gbenga Hassan, a Partner in a Nigerian Private Equity Firm and discuss living back and forth between London and Lagos, always being driven to become successful, owning a dozen properties by his early 30s, the process of moving back to Nigeria after living in the UK for so long and the difficulties in raising finance for investment in Africa.

"We don't fail, we learn... and then we grow"

In this episode, we sit down with Yvonne Rhoden MBE, a retired met police officer and discuss growing up in East London to Jamaican parents, dealing with racism and the National Front, joining the police service, dealing with racist colleagues, the relationship between the police and the black community, her work in combatting violence against women, the impact of Steven Lawrence on the police force and the future of netball in England!

"It's better to be hungry for success than thirsty for attention"

In this episode we sit down with David McQueen, a motivational speaker and serial entrepreneur and discuss growing up in Stonebridge, Harlesden, Pan-African Schools, crime within the black community, meeting and interviewing Richard Branson and his recent ambition to become a millionaire!

"The negatives can be turned into positives, depending on how you embrace it"

In this episode, we speak to Dele Ogun, the founder of the first black-owned city Law firm and hear about his experience of moving from Lagos to London, having dyslexia, his university experience, being the first black lawyer in his workplace, starting the first black-owned city law firm, having offices in London and Lagos and his sister becoming the Nigerian Finance Minister.

"As black people, we don't perceive ourselves as CEOs because we see ourselves as the help"

In Part 2, Paul discusses being mixed-race, being groomed for sexual assault, starting a sports agency with clients like Dwight Yorke and John Fashanu, miraculous testimonies, becoming CEO of the Steven Lawrence Foundation and the work he's done with the churches he set up

"The God of religion is a prick and that's not the God that I know and love"

Paul Anderson Walsh is a Diversity & Inclusion Consultant, Pastor, former CEO of the Steven Lawrence Foundation and Author of 3 books.

In Episode 3, we sit down with Paul as he describes being abandoned at birth, growing up in an orphanage, living through the Carnival Riots, his daughter almost dying in a fire, being a single father of 4 young children and quitting a successful career managing footballer's finances to seek out God and set up a bible school.

His story was so captivating that we ended up having to interview him again so watch out for Part 4 on this!

"If I won the lottery today, I'd give it all away to charity"

Comfort Momoh has an MBE for her work in campaigning against Female Genital Mutilation and helping to reverse the effects of the surgery.

In the 2nd episode, we sit down with Comfort and learn about the horrors of Female Genital Mutilation, what it's like moving from Lagos to London, how Comfort managed to navigate her career from being a midwife to setting up the UK's first FGM specialist clinic, meeting the Queen, multiple Prime Ministers and speaking around the world for international bodies, as well as hearing her advice for millennials.