UWE Bristol

In Episode 10 ‘Do what makes you happy – possibility or pipe dream?’ we investigate the elusive reality of combining work and leisure interests into a single meaningful approach to life through the life story of social entrepreneur, writer and lecturer Roger Griffith MBE. As a black British man Roger shares his extraordinary story from dropping out of school in Bristol, establishing a successful, traditional career before embarking on a different approach combining his passions, interests and talents into a portfolio of activity that could also be called ‘work’. We discover what it takes to try this approach and how the risks compare to the rewards! You can read more about Roger, his unusual career and inspiring writings here: www.rogergriffith.co.uk/

In Episode 9 ‘Ultra Leisure’, Teesside University’s Sharon Gayter (Lecturer at Teesside University Business School), and UWE Bristol’s Jaroslaw Turif (Senior Lecturer - Learning Disabilities Nursing) introduce us to the elite world of ultra-running where races last for days and cross some of the world’s most hostile landscapes. Find out what draws people to these extreme sports, how can they be navigated alongside working life and what are the unique gains that make such a punishing leisure activity so addictive.

In Episode 8 ‘Bringing Things to Life’ we meet Dr Matt Wood (Lecturer in Social Psychology at UWE Bristol) who, alongside his lecturing career, is also a puppeteer. We delve into the wonder and magic of the art of bringing inanimate objects to life and the intense focus and skill of this rare art form. Matt also helps us understand the tensions around having a side career that crosses into leisure and how ensuing personal and professional identities can be negotiated to everyone’s benefit.

After a hiatus we return with ‘Season 2’ of the podcast. We start with a live episode recorded during the UWE Bristol Festival of Learning, featuring lively discussions with Dr Fiona Jordan, Associate Dean – Strategic Partnerships and the audience about why the leisure conversation is central to our collective wellbeing. Plus we share strategies for protecting leisure time working in Higher Education. This is a great place to start if you’ve never listened to the podcast before and will recap the concept of Serious Leisure and our mission to help each other towards a healthy, sustainable work-life balance.

In this special podcast episode, we spoke to three inspiring recent students from the Faculty of Business and Law at UWE Bristol about their achievements, challenges and aspirations. They have all finished their degrees during a pandemic and we couldn’t be prouder to share their success.

The students featured in this podcast are, Abigail Leigh (Law), Ethan Chartlon-Harrow (Banking and Finance) and Imogen Aylward (Business and Events Management).

In this episode, hear from MSc Aerospace Engineering graduate Zoe. Zoe took a traditional pathway into higher education and studied Engineering at both undergraduate and then postgraduate level – both at UWE Bristol. After reviewing her university options, it became apparent to her that Engineering wasn’t simply a career that fit her skills – it involved everything she loved.

She tells us how, despite financial challenges during her postgraduate degree, she managed to fulfill her dream of working in the space industry.

“UWE Bristol has allowed me to pursue the space industry, which is what I’ve wanted to do with my life since I was four years old.” Zoe

What happens when your leisure time involves stubborn personalities (horses!), stormy weather and midnight births (sheep!)? In this episode we hear from UWE Bristol Student Caseworker Amanda Headley-White and Senior Lecturer Dr Alison Miles who share moving stories about the challenges and triumphs of spending time away from work with those with four legs.

In this episode, hear from MSc Physician Associate Studies student Roberta. After coming to UWE Bristol via an unexpected path, she initially studied a biomedical sciences degree where she discovered that it was important to her to find a people-facing element in her daily working life. This then led her to postgraduate study. When she found the Physician Associate Studies Master’s degree at UWE Bristol, she knew it’d give her everything she wanted in a career.

She talks about the many challenges she has overcome, from alcoholism to being a single mother, and why postgraduate studies means so much to her.

“I know there are great things to come for my future career, and progression in the role I’m pursuing.” Roberta

Please be aware that this podcast episode discusses the following subjects: alcoholism, sexual assault, drug use, depression, self-harm, eating disorders. Please proceed with caution if you feel you will be affected by these topics.

In this episode we spoke to Henry Churchill, Sam Leonard and Kiera Hellard about their thoughts on eco-brands, the importance of this and the growth of sustainable products available to consumers. Henry and Sam are both UWE Bristol alumni who now help to run Coacoara Foundation, an eco-brand business with a mission to reduce and eventually eliminate all single use plastics being used on a day to day basis, especially within the household. They hand select all the products on their website, with the aim of matching the quality and durability of plastic products, while trying to keep the price around the same. Kiera is a current UWE Bristol Team Entrepreneurship student who is an ambassador for Coacoara Foundation and also runs her own sustainable sea glass business.

This podcast series is hosted by Bristol Business School and Bristol Law School at UWE Bristol. Featuring exciting new developments in technology, management practice, and business and leadership, the Future Impact Podcast series will highlight the impact from both an academic and practitioner perspective on the future of society.

A huge thank you to all of our guests on this episode of the Future Impact Podcast series. We are always looking for interesting guests to contribute to our podcast, if you’d like to discuss this further please contact our team on the details below.

Presented by Rachel Evans. Produced by Rose Adderley and Tom Perou. Contact us at [email protected].

Useful links from this episode:

• https://www.coacoara.co.uk/

• https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/OceanRaye?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

In this episode, we hear from Dr Richard Waller, Associate Professor of the Sociology of Education, and Jon Dovey, Professor of Screen Media at UWE Bristol. They talk to us about their mutual love of fly fishing. Through our guests' intriguing, lyrical stories we enter the hidden world of a fascinating, niche leisure activity whilst hearing familiar tales of the restoration gained from escaping to nature and the joy of losing yourself in the moment.