Andrea is an investment banker, art lover, and a friend I spent a good chunk of my life with. In this conversation we go through change and its drivers, the need for constant challenge as a source of motivation, life in Milan and Paris, investment banking, the art world, how to make efficient decisions, and the real power of information.

Venus is the co-owner of two restaurants (The Table Cafe) in London and a former actress.

In our conversation, we discuss what it took for her to pursue her acting career as a teenager, how reality can make you reconsider what you thought was your dream career, the importance of staying true to yourself despite facing judgment from others, the significance of having mentors to look up to, and strategies for reinventing yourself during difficult times.

What I have learned from this conversation is that life might lead us down unexpected paths and that sometimes we should just trust that it will all work out okay.

Venus' Links:

@venusloudon

@thetablecafe

The Table Cafe

In this episode, I sit down with Brendan—a friend, a chef, and a student from Zimbabwe.

In our conversation, we discuss his own definition of success, growing up in Zimbabwe, his experience as a chef in London, and the challenges of working in big kitchens.

We also talk about life in London, what led him to put his career as a chef on hold to start university, the pros and cons of constant change, and the idea of treating everything you're currently doing as if it's all you've got.

Brendan's Links:

@brendan_sylvester

In this episode of the podcast, I sit down to talk to Alejandro, a friend with whom I shared three years of my life in Italy.

Alejandro’s great-grandfather moved from Italy to Honduras in the ‘40s. So he decided to move to Italy to find out about his heritage. Fate led him to be randomly sent to the exact same city his great-grandfather came from. His journey started from there.

In our conversation we talk about what led him to move abroad when still a teenager and how that helped him build self-confidence and a sense of connection with the world.

We discuss coping mechanisms for dealing with goodbyes and share strategies for staying in touch with friends who live far away, emphasising the importance of nurturing and prioritising relationships that matter to us.

We also delve deeper into the risks of playing the comparison game when drawing conclusions about one’s life.

Today I sit down with Mick, a graduate student, freelancer, entrepreneur, and traveller. In the past year, he has literally been everywhere—from working as a consultant while studying, to travelling to seven different countries and starting his own business. While going through his life story, Mick discusses the importance of planning for productivity while ensuring time for rest, how to approach new people while feeling like the “outsider”, and how to create healthy boundaries in relationships. Mick is about to launch his own web store, “BeanScription”, a subscription-based business with the goal of delivering high-end specialty coffee that is fairly traded and grown in environmentally sustainable circumstances.

Mick's links:

@bean_scription

@mickhuisman

In this episode of the podcast I sit down to talk to Teresa, a pastry chef, farmer, and small business owner (Sunny Baking) from Canada.

Teresa is one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met and she was kind enough to share her story on the podcast — from her childhood to London’s kitchens, and her journey to becoming a full-time farmer and business owner in Canada. 

Teresa's links:

@teresa_p15

@sunny.baking.co

Juan is originally from Colombia but he’s lived in the UK where he moved at 18 and in the US where he studied and worked between 2015 and 2021.

Juan is that friend with whom you have lunch every day at uni and every single time you end up talking about the meaning of life and whether this whole thing actually makes sense. But he’s also that friend you go out to party with or that invites you over for a pizza and a movie.

During this conversation we talked about living abroad, adapting to a new culture, family, university, and growing up. Juan is a great human being and I’m happy I can call him a friend.

Hannah is a friend I met during my bachelor in Italy. Despite it being really scary, she doesn't seem to be afraid of change at all. Throughout the years, she has kept on pursuing her dreams regardless of what life has thrown at her. Hannah has lived all around the world, from Italy and the Netherlands, to Egypt and Canada.

In our conversation we talked about how tough it is to stay in the moment, and how to embrace change and truly connect with others. We also delved deeper into what having an impact on other people means for her and what the general misconceptions about women independence are.

Hannah's links:

Bunny Hannah

@bunny.hannah

Everything started with me being surrounded by strangers. Everything started with me talking to friends. Everything started when I realised that we’re all here together but so detached from each other.

The Inside People Podcast is not about me but about people and their stories. It is a space to connect and feel less lonely. I genuinely believe that listening to people and being truly interested in someone else's journey are key to finding inspiration and pursuing our passions. The goal is to break down people’s stories, demystify the distorted image we have of others, and empathise with them. To go about this world we should truly connect and care.

Links:

LinkedIn: matteozicari

Instagram: @matteozicari

Email: [email protected]

Video⁠ mentioned in the episode

Hey, this is Matteo and welcome to the Inside People Podcast!