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.

In this episode of the Spring 2021 Virtual Bristol Distinguished Address Series, Professor Lyndsay Duthie, CEO of The Production Guild of Great Britain, tells how film and television industry found ways to continue production despite the disruption brought by Covid-19, and what the future looks like as we push past the pandemic.

Watch the pre-lecture interview with Lyndsay here: https://youtu.be/t3ujfPVca0w

Listen more from the Bristol Distinguished Address Series: https://soundcloud.com/uwebristol/sets/bristol-distinguished-address

Watch the Bristol Distinguished Address Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrOzUDjo8U6JTeJ02D-Bo_EtA47W6vG-T

Learn more about the Bristol Distinguished Address Series: www.uwe.ac.uk/events/bristol-dis…hed-address-series

Since the Coronavirus pandemic began we have been bombarded with information; it dominates the headline news, our social media feeds and most of the daily conversations we are having. This is the first pandemic in history in which technology and social media are being used on a massive scale to keep people informed. At the same time, the technology we rely on to keep us connected and informed is enabling and amplifying an infodemic.

An infodemic is an overabundance of information, both online and offline. There is mounting research showing that seemingly endless newsfeeds related to COVID-19 infection and death rates could considerably increase the risk of mental health problems.

So what can we do to help our mental health? In this panel discussion we explore the role of the media, the psychology involved in processing information and look at what we can do to reduce the long-term impact on our mental health.

Speakers:

Emma Britton, Radio broadcaster and presenter (Chair)

Sylwia Korsak, Founder of VoxelHub.org

Rachel Kelly, Bestselling writer, public speaker and mental health campaigner

Dr Gary Christopher, Ageing well lead for the Psychological Sciences Research Group, UWE Bristol

Dr Jason Arday, Associate Professor in Sociology and Deputy Executive Dean for People and Culture, Durham University

Social Prescribing projects are now being used across the UK to respond innovatively and holistically to our mental health needs through activities typically associated with leisure. We speak to the social prescribing programme co-ordinator at UWE Bristol, Marie Pring, along with Senior Lecturers in Psychology Dr Liz Jenkinson and Dr Nicola Holt who also run a crafting group as part of the UWE social prescribing programme 'Living Well'. They share their personal and professional stories of how leisure activities can directly impact mental health.

In this episode two people with very serious jobs explain the importance of playfulness and a space to be silly in maintaining personal and professional wellbeing. Judith Ritchie, Faculty Director for Quality Enhancement and Standards, and Dr Petia Petrova, Associate Director of Academic Practice are both based at UWE Bristol. They discuss the joy and freedom of being allowed to be funny and mischievous as part of their leisure activities! This episode is recorded with a live audience.

This episode features the three podcast hosts: Dr Petia Petrova (Associate Director of Academic Practice at UWE Bristol), Kat Branch (Leader of UWE Bristol’s Centre for Music) and Dr Sam Elkington (the co-author of ‘The Serious Leisure Perspective’, Teesside University) We introduce our live audience to the origins of the podcast and the concept of Serious Leisure. We discuss the importance of community and how making time for leisure significantly affects our sense of identity and ability to recharge. We explore in particular the significance of separation between private and work spaces. Finally, we reflect on how our leisure pursuits have been impacted by the Covid pandemic, how we have managed to sustain and grow some but reluctantly given up others.