Nicola is a published award winning author with a mission to warn and educate on the dystopian possibilities of modern life and tech influence. We can start to see the origins as she takes us through her life story. A childhood marked by fantasies and a rich imaginative life, as an only child surrounded by unlimited ice cream, TV shows and Frankenstein monsters. Her experience of adults include the extremes of duty bound ties to the family shop and failing alcohol and depression models. Nicola’s unblinking honesty is painful at times and she opens up (maybe for the first time) on the trauma she experienced as a young adult. Nicola takes a measured approach to risk. She utters the famous words “what’s the worst that can happen” but she had to be bored and feeling disengaged after a long traditional career to make the big move from comfy job to creative writer through several gateways. It is a very emotional interview. Sarah chokes up at one stage. Daniel the complete softy is always watery eyed. The only one keeping her poise is Nicola who seems to draw upon some inner strength to see her through. Maybe it is knowing that she as a child used to visit, in all innocence, Britain’s most prolific hangman Albert Pierrepoint, that inoculates against the bad stuff in life. Join us in this great interview as we attempt to connect the dots and draw the lessons for life.

Callie is hard to describe. She is like a wound up ball of energy who had escaped the straight jacket of circumstance to define her own way in life. Callie has taken some “what the hell” decisions and wears a necklace with the words “F it” as a constant reminder. Those decisions include relocating to Dubai for several years.

That experience contributed to giving Callie a strong sense of justice and she is now a strong advocate for equity giving all a fair access to life and opportunities.

The quote below is how Callie sees herself but we go deeper to what is really driving her big decisions in life. “Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Poor Jane; a brand agency for entrepreneurs and the businesses they intend to change the world with. For ingenious brands and the genius minds behind them. For whom success is as much in the adventure of the journey as in the rewards. Where brands are born to have impact, creativity and longevity..

Public speaker, coach and regular at the squat rack.....and the buffet.”

The question remains for you to decide. Has Callie freed herself from fear of the new and unknown or has she given full reign to her restless soul to become very focused and driven. Or maybe a risk seeker in need of the next challenge?

Yuri could have taken the well trodden path to becoming a lawyer in his home town. But that was not to be. The call of acting was too strong and the start of a creative adventure marked by several highs including replacing George Clooney as the face of Martini. At the age of twenty he left Puglia and went to study at the School Of Cinema in Rome (Acting & Directing) and subsequently at The Actor Centre in London.

In July 2019 he completed his accredited ICF diploma, in life coaching at the Animas Centre for Coaching in London.

He has travelled a lot with his work and had had the pleasure of working with numerous directors such as Paul Feig in the movie Spy, produced by 20th Century Fox, Mandie Fletcher in the movie Patrick for Walt Disney UK, Jordan Scott and Peter Thwaites in the worldwide campaign for Martini & Rossi produced by Gorgeous film and RSA Film, Angelo Longoni in the movie "Tiberio Mitri - The champion and the miss", Luca Lucini in the movie "Just Married” and also with Alessandro D'Alatri on several campaigns for major brands such as Telecom, Dreher, TIM and Repubblica. In 2014 he relocated to London and joined Najma Bhatti at Four55 Ltd our Creative Agency, where his skills in writing and co-directing have created a great symbiosis.

Illana is a vivacious bundle of energy and enthusiasm for life. Her irrepressible approach has taken her from a simple observation about what was missing from the world of dance to founding Dancebox. Illana is brutally honest about her sheer stubborn determination and complete self belief. And how necessary that was to see beyond an empty hall on a wet Tuesday afternoon to having tens of thousands of followers who have found true expression through uninhibited dance, encouraged by Illana’s refreshingly inclusive approach. We have the strong sense that Illana is not done with her ambition and the world had better prepare to see Dancebox becoming a global movement.

Charles bares his soul as a perfect subject for a discussion of risk taking and ambition in the creative world. Born in New York and raised in California, Castronovo began his career as a resident at the Los Angeles Opera. He was invited to join the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artists Development Program and in the autumn of 1999 made his debut at the Metropolitan as Beppe in the opening night performance of I Pagliacci. Acclaimed internationally as one of the finest lyric tenors of his generation, Castronovo has also sung at most of the world’s leading opera houses such as the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, Berlin State Opera, Paris Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Munich, Theatre Royale de la Monnaie, Brussels, and many others including at the Salzburg and Aix en Provence Festivals. His repertoire spans from the great Mozart tenor roles in Don Giovanni, Cosi Fan Tutte and Die Zauberfloete, to Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Nemorino in L’Elisir D’Amore and Alfredo in La Traviata to name a few. https://www.charlescastronovo.com/

Michael is The Blackboard Artist. His story is a fascinating case of keeping the faith with your inner calling and actively spotting that all important first break. In 2013, while working in hospitality, Michael practiced working on blackboards in-between shifts. Following his passion and perfecting his craft, he soon caught the attention of local businesses, restaurants and street food stalls.

After gaining experience, Michael was given the opportunity to work for high-profile individuals as well as being taken on as Soho House’s main sign-writer in the UK. This achievement led to a unique large-scale project for Soho Farmhouse, where he painted every sign.

Michael’s skill has not gone unnoticed, having been featured in 3 books – Art Class: Hand Lettering, V&A A Maker’s Guide: Calligraphy & Lettering, and Soho House: Morning Noon Night – as well as having work featured in a Walker’s TV advert. He also teaches regular workshops to pass on his knowledge and skills.

Shaun and Leighton most recently collaborated on the new musical “Are you as nervous as I am” at the Greenwich Theatre. We step inside the world of musical production and catch up with Shaun and Leighton to explore the symbiotic world of lyricist and composer and the way they ever manage to put words and music together, with such emotion and resonance. But that proves to be only the start of an incredible emotional insight into the creative process with all its dark and uplifting moments. Shaun is a playwright, bookwriter & lyricist, screenwriter and an award-winning British dramatist. Home Front won Outstanding Contribution to Radio Drama Award 2019 at the BBC Audio Awards. Ladies in Lavender won five Broadway World UK awards (including Best Fringe or Regional Play) in 2012.

The Lord of the Rings won a Best Musical DORA.

Leighton made his presence known as a composer in 2004, when his score for the musical based on the Terry Pratchett novel Only You Can Save Mankind hit the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to great acclaim, after showcasing at London’s Soho Theatre. A special studio album of Only You Can Save Mankind was released in 2009.

His first complete musical Lifts was written while he was still studying at college and was performed at the 1999 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning Best New Musical at the inaugural Ken Hill Awards.

Cassa Pancho MBE founded Ballet Black as a ballet company in 2001. Cassa’s indomitable spirit and determination over 20 plus years have seen her prove her sceptics wrong. Cassa saw Ballet Black as a response to the industry myopia and resulting lack of professional opportunities for Black and Asian ballet dancers in the UK. The Company was founded to provide dancers and students of Black and Asian descent with inspiring opportunities in classical ballet. Ballet Black have been nominated for and received several coveted industry awards. Cassa talks openly about the need for persistence, seizing lucky breaks and defying conventional wisdom.