Sandhiya Sophie Argent shares her experiences with using her name Sophie versus Sandhiya, including mispronunciation, assumptions about her heritage, and questioning. This episode also explores diversity, equity and inclusion from a legal perspective.

Sandhiya Sophie Argent is a media lawyer who has advised on some of the biggest scripted and non-scripted programmes in the UK and internationally. She also writes and discusses issues around race, identity, diversity and being mixed heritage.

Hena Naranbhai discusses the role of astrology when choosing a name, her decision-making process when she chose her childrens' names, and the influence of Indian culture and traditions on the rise of the wellness industry.

Hena Naranbhai, Finance Transformation & Technology Specialist. Has an extensive background in the Financial Services industry both as an Accountant and Technology Program Director. She is a 2023 We Are the City Rising Star winner and has been shortlisted for multiple awards in technology and leadership.

Hena is also passionate about paying it forward and frequently volunteers her time to mentor others through a number of social enterprises and charities, including Cajigo, TechUp and UN Women UK Delegate.

In this episode, Alyssa Jaffer shares her experiences with correcting people on the pronunciation of her name and how she thinks getting someone's name right is a true sign of respect.

Alyssa (a-lee-sa) is a content writing and communications expert hailing from California, with two degrees in journalism and years of professional experience in content marketing.

Alyssa is an active advocate for gender equity, learning and professional development in the business. Alyssa is also a public speaker on topics she's passionate about, including women's career development, wellbeing and marketing.

A creative and a writer at her core, Alyssa is also a freelance journalist with content articles published by Stylist, AllBright, The Drum and more. See her published writing portfolio at alyssajaffer.com/writing

In this episode, Carlotta Elena Goodwin Thorp shares her experiences of discovering that her family surname was changed by her grandparents to be more English, Spanish responses to her Italian-spelled Spanish name, and the journey she's been on with her name.

Carlotta Elena Goodwin Thorp is a multilingual Head of Communications and C-Suite Executive Assistant.

In this episode, Sonya Barlow shares her experiences of her name not matching with people's assumptions of what she should look like, the privileges of having a marketable name, and how LMF Network's name evolved following the domain name being stolen.

Sonya Barlow is an award-winning founder of the social network LMF Network, author of Unprepared to Entrepreneur, and public speaker on inclusion, tech, travel, and trends. Sonya writes for global publications, such as Metro UK, Sifted, Trip Advisor, Telegraph, Canvas 8, Hello Mag, and Lonely Planet. She hosts The Sonya Barlow Show, a YouTube-based travel and tech talk show, and The Everyday Hustle on the BBC. Sonya lives in London and documents her digital nomad lifestyle as a content creator on YouTube and Instagram. She is a British Pakistani, neurodivergent woman with ADHD living her best life. The LMFNetwork networking and mentorship app is the first of its kind, titled if Linkedin and Bumble had a baby and releases in 2024.

In this episode, Jade discusses how her name and name-related stories link with her cultural heritage, the power of names, whether we place too much importance on names, and reflections on ADHD, if it should be labelled a 'superpower', and ADHD coaching (jadhdcoaching.co.uk).

Jade Goldsmith is an ADHD coach, neurodiversity advocate and marketeer. Although born in London, she is ethnically Lebanese/Palestinian-British, and also comes from Jewish heritage.

In this episode, Pascalle discusses why she decided to use the name Catherine in a way to reinvent herself, her journey with reclaiming her name, and advice in relation to public speaking.

Pascalle is an accomplished speaker, actress and CEO of PresenTales where she helps senior leaders and execs to deliver their stories with impact and passion.

In this episode, Em discusses her decision to change her name, to feel more reflective of her. The episode also explores the 'mixed-other box', providing a mirror to Em's experiences of never fully fitting in.

Em Bayley-Melendez is a tech career changer having studied Politics and International Relations at the University of Bristol. She now works as a graduate iOS developer and is also the Founder of She Chats Tech a women in tech organisation that aims to inspire women who are exploring tech or working in tech that come from non-tech backgrounds.

Identity has always been confusing for Em who changed her name in 2016 to combine both her British and Venezuelan surnames. It has impacted how she views herself on a personal level but also within the wider society.

As a British-Venezuelan she has often felt like she did not fit neatly into either culture. This is why she’s so passionate about celebrating who she is now as an adult and hopes to one day visit South America and connect with her heritage.

In this episode, Viya shares the inspiration behind her name and her childhood recollections of aunties and uncles singing a song (Madilu System - Biya) to her, which she learned that she was named after. Viya also shares her experiences of name mispronunciation, and the importance of reputation building and how a name is so much more than just a combination of letters.

Viya Nsumbu, founder of VMN Communications, is a reputation expert committed to authentic communications. With experience spanning multinational corporations, arts, culture and politics, we advise brands and senior leaders at their most critical moments. Over the course of her career, Viya has provided strategic counsel to and led campaigns for Unilever, PayPal, the UK’s Independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board, The Ford Foundation, and UN Women. She is a regular speaker, mentor, and has served as a judge at the Purpose Awards EMEA. She is a Trustee at UP Projects, a socially-engaged public arts charity.

Assumptions about gender, ethnicity, and so much more are made just from seeing someone's name. Imagine walking into an interview, and someone expecting to see someone totally different to who you are... This episode explores Ramat Tejani, founder of The Inspiration Box, speak about her name-related experiences of mispronunciation, misspelling, and assumptions. The episode also covers top tips for public speaking and Ramat's reflections on her recent TEDx talk.

Ramat is a multi-award winning marketing strategist, TEDx speaker, community builder and storyteller who also happens to be a woman in tech.

She is the CEO (that's the Chief Encouragement Officer) at The Inspiration Box, an organisation dedicated to encouraging intentional personal development. She's a pocket cheerleader for anyone that needs it, and believes in the power of  helping others to discover, embrace and nurture the truest version of themselves. She periodically hosts her own podcast, Growing Through Life (available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts) and every other week shares gems with her community to help them embrace intentional personal growth and self mastery. Her passion to help others extends into her day job at Google, where she is the Strategic Partnerships Lead for EMEA in the Diversity Recruiting team. In this role she is focusing on strategies to diversify the talent pipeline at Google.

Connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram:

The Inspiration Box on LinkedIn

Ramat Tejani on LinkedIn

The Inspiration Box on Instagram

Ramat Tejani on Instagram