Christine Kinnear is the Founder & CEO of With Insight Education, a not-for-profit organisation created with the social mission to empower black-heritage students with the confidence, knowledge and ability to successfully apply to the UK’s leading universities as a gateway to a more prosperous future.  A future where they have fairer access to professional employment and social mobility.

Since setting up the venture in 2018, her organisation's structured mentoring programmes have supported hundreds of pupils to secure places at top universities and is now increasingly working with companies who are keen to nurture a pipeline of black talent.

In this interview, Christine shares that her passion is working with young people and providing them with the same opportunities as those who are more privileged . For her, education was a gateway to opportunity and it pains her when young people are not given the best opportunities because of a lack of knowledge and awareness.

Christine also shares a near death experience that changed how she viewed her life. It is easy to think that we have got so much time but  the incident showed her how precious time really is.

She talks about the doubts and regrets she had when deciding to go to university and what she did when her daughter experienced the same doubts. To silence your doubts, Christine believes you need to have faith in your capabilities, know you can do whatever you put your mind to and, you don't have to do anything alone - there's always support to help you along the way.

You can connect with Christine on LinkedIn.

Rebecca Gibson is passionate about self-development.  Having experienced a lot in her life, at a young age, she realised that your thoughts create your reality. Because of this, she has developed a positive and abundant mindset with an insatiable hunger to grow in all areas of her life.

She is a mother of 2 little angels, whom she adores. Rebecca also has a high-powered job as a Senior Project Manager, has her own business, is a health enthusiast, and the list keeps growing along with her passions.

In this interview, Rebecca talks about developing a positive mindset after overcoming hardships in her life. Rebecca shares how overcoming stage 4 lymphoma cancer in her early twenties greatly impacted her life.

When you have cancer you have two options: to fight or to give in; and she chose to fight! Rebecca did not want to be a victim of her circumstances, so she developed a positive mindset to help her deal with having cancer. Rebecca believes that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Whether we suffer because of pain is a choice and we can choose how to process it.

Rebecca believes that self-reflection and making time for yourself are forms of self care. You need to be able to give to yourself before you can give to others.

You can connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn.

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Vivien Conacher is an experienced event producer, music programmer, and critically-acclaimed mezzo-soprano who is passionate about creating meaningful connections through music.

She has starred in, organised and delivered staged opera performances, gala concerts, and music recitals in venues throughout the UK. She also runs a not-for-profit organisation — Songhaven — which delivers professional concerts and workshops specifically designed for people living with dementia.

In this interview, Vivien shares her experience as an opera singer and as a director and organiser of Songhaven. She talks about how music  affects people and brings them together. She believes  music is an incredibly powerful universal human language and a part of human expression.

Vivien wants to break down barriers for people who don't readily experienced opera music because she believes there is something miraculous about hearing an amplified human voice singing over an orchestra.

Her talent, compassion for others and love for community inspired her to create Songhaven, her not-for-profit organisation and build a community for both the audience and the performers. To Vivien, community is about meeting up, socialising and being of service to others.

She believes that there is no one right path in life, and that failure is essential for growth and shaping your path in the world.

Vivien believes that having a 'meant for more' mindset is about setting goals, looking at where we want to be and taking the steps to make that happen!

You can find out more on SongHaven’s website and Instagram.

You also can connect with Vivien personally on her own website: vivienconacher.com

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Keely Moles is a wife and mum of three girls. She is the co-founder of Elsie Violet's Teepee Dreams, a teepee party and entertainment service where she throws. She is also a team leader for FM World, a perfume company and has a part-time role as a Call Handler for the National Health Service in the UK.

In this interview, Keely shares her story on how she balances being a mother, wife and business owner. We also find out how she became a superwoman for her family.

Keely loves to learn new things and enjoys challenges. Her inspiration to life are her family and herself because she believes that she is meant for more and capable of doing whatever she puts her mind to. She works hard so she can be a great role model for her children.

According to Keely, we should enjoy our time with our children while they are young because those times are short lived. She also discusses the importance of having time for yourself and how this can improve your mental health.

Keely is an amazing l testament to what women are capable of.

You can connect with Keely’s on Instagram and Facebook.

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Mel Larsen is an internationally in-demand small business coach with a proven track record of helping her clients get amazing results. She coaches women entrepreneurs to finally trust their BIG vision and joyfully grow the business of their ultimate dreams. She’s delivered coaching, training, public speaking and consulting across the world including Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Ghana, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, the Netherlands, Greece, Scandinavia and South Africa.

As a passionate active local contributor, Mel has founded 3 community-led festivals in Streatham (London): the Streatham Arts Festival, the Streatham Food Festival and the Little Big Peace Event. She was also Director of the Streatham Business Awards for three years. All these festivals have now been handed over to new leaders and continue to flourish over a decade later.

In this interview, we get to know Mel, a woman who radiates positivity and has a heart for generosity. She believes that being generous is a new way to grow your business and there is a total joy in giving.

Mel talks about her early days when she first started out and, how working in the arts, in marketing and on her own personal development led her to becoming a great coach. Today, she feels inspired and excited to be a business coach and still enjoys the challenge it brings.

Mel believes “no matter how insignificant, how afraid, and how under confident we feel when starting out, it has nothing to do with what we’re capable of”. She knows there is fear every time you go to the next level. It’s never going to be comfortable, but you’re not going to grow if you don’t push yourself.

Mel sees potential in everyone, she sees the star in each one of us and she would love to help us solve our puzzles.

You can connect with Mel at www.dreamprojectcoach.com.

And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review - it’s much appreciated. Thanks

Kassandra Bacon is a Vice President, Senior Product Manager at  Barclays Bank. Her passion for fitness and wellbeing has led her to a love of bodybuilding where she has achieved Pro status, competed internationally and she won Overall European Championship Female Pro in 2021.

Being also a two-time cancer survivor and a neuro-diverse individual with dyslexia, Kassandra “aspires to inspire”, showing others that they can achieve anything their set their heart on...they just need to believe in themselves!

In this interview, Kassandra talks about her bodybuilding career and, creating and maintaining a growth mindset. She also talks about how she has turned neurodiversity from being seen as a disability into a superpower.

Kassandra believes that in order to achieve your dreams and goals, you must break them down into smaller actions and take it one step at a time.

Kassandra isn’t afraid of failing, in fact she welcomes it. She believes that if you are failing at something, it just means you are trying to do something you can’t do YET!

You can connect with Kassandra on Instagram.

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Dr. Deborah Threadgill Egerton, Founder and President of Trinity Transition Consultants, is an internationally respected psychotherapist, author, and executive coach who is often described as an unforgettable thought-leader. Her work in the inclusion, diversity, equity & anti-racism space is legendary.

Additionally, she has become a trailblazer in developing ways to integrate the Enneagram into her work as a social justice warrior. She facilitates career growth and personal development with individuals and organisations by focusing her efforts on respecting the uniqueness of every individual and honouring their humanity. She says “working with the Enneagram has enabled my clients to get “unstuck” and to move out of self-defeating negative behavioural patterns. My goal is to cultivate a worldwide community of socially responsible cultural allies.”

She holds a BA in Mass Communications from the University of Texas El Paso, MA in Counselling Psychology, Webster University, and a Ph.D. in Health Sciences from Saba University, Netherlands Antilles.

In this interview, Dr Egerton talks about faith, gratitude, grace and love. She believes there is an unlimited access to grace, but when you are not grounded, you block your access to it. Her mother once told her “don’t pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure whatever life brings to your door”. She says you get stuck when you lose your sense of self because you are trying to live up to the idea of who you think you should be.

Dr. Egerton describes herself as a “matriarch, mystic and mentor”.

You can connect with Dr Egerton at deborahegerton.com.

And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review – it’s much appreciated.

Lauren Johnican is a Health, Fitness and Life Coach and Owner of SteelRose Performance. She is a NASM certified personal trainer, NASM nutrition coach, and NLP Practitioner.

In this interview, Lauren discusses the importance of intention, self-awareness and discipline. Lauren doesn't believe you should just  blindly follow other people's advice, you need to also listen to your body and trust your intuition.

She says that you should always be asking yourself “what do I want?”.

There was a point in her life where she lived to the ‘extreme’. This led to sleep deprivation which almost caused the end of her career as a pilot.

After careful thought, Lauren realised the importance of health and balance which also includes socialising and maintaining great relationships with friends and family.

You can connect with Lauren on Instagram, LinkedIn. and visit her website: steelroseperformance.com to sign up for health tips and her Flip the Script blog.

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Sola Okusaga is a highly accomplished senior leader with over a decade of experience providing services that support and empower young people to fulfil their potential. Her work involves leading, motivating and supporting teams to deliver impactful and innovative programmes for young people aged 14-25 years. This involves supporting young people to acquire skills that enable them to be financially independent and resilient future leaders.

She has a commitment to young people and their lifelong learning which is at the heart of her professional working life. Her goals are to develop and implement a bespoke employment service that sources opportunities for young people aged 14-25 years in the London borough of Westminster.

In this interview, we get to know about Sola, a woman with a great positive outlook on life. She is a confident, self-reliant woman with a great personality and great mindset!

She believes it is okay if you don't know what you want to do in life right now because eventually it will come to you. According to Sola, negatives should be acknowledged, but we should not dwell on them. With her rich experience in life, there are  a lot of life lessons to learn in this episode.

You can connect with Sola on LinkedIn.

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Monika Agoston is the Founder of Egos Are So Yesterday, a cycling/sport & casual apparel & clothing business that encourages people to enjoy sport. Her apparel and designs reflect who she is and how much she enjoys being outdoors.

Monika wants to show people, especially women, that being active and doing sports has nothing to do with over-exerting or getting a 'personal best' every time you head out for a run or ride. She believes that people should exercise for enjoyment and what it provides us i.e. switching off, meditation, fresh air, improving brain function, giving you feel-good endorphins, and not to mention socialising.  Exercising should not only be for your physical but mental health too. Don't move so you can burn the cake off, move and have the cake.

In this interview, Monika talks about her  personal journey. She shares about losing old friends, and also finding new friends who understand, appreciate and embrace her personal growth and maturity. She talks about the importance of surrounding yourself with a support system of like-minded people who are also on their own personal development journeys.

Monika is courageous and bravely faces uncertainty everyday. She believes that you never regret trying something, but you will regret never trying it!  Although it is not always easy, Monika is now committed to her growth and development.

You can connect with Monika on Instagram: @mon_beyou; Facebook: Mon Agoston and LinkedIn: Monika Agoston.

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