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ProGRESS
Talking about Green, Ethical, Sustainable, Socially Responsible careers, courses and pathways
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3. Matthew Payne, Catalyst at Healthtech-1, NHS Youth Board member
50:39||Season 5, Ep. 3Still in his early twenties Matthew Payne parked his career plans and degree course to work for a tech start-up to try, as he puts it, to fix the National Health Service. Matthew was due to finish his final undergraduate year and had ticked all the boxes to make himself a good candidate for a well-paid traineeship in corporate law.So what drives a person to work in a tech start-up facing such a tricky task – risky even if you believe in its products, the founders and can see that it might be going places?The answer, in part, lies in Matthew’s strong ethical values, his sense of social responsibility and his push for sustainability.With more than 1000+ GP practices in England signed up for Healthtech-1’s support, the firm is already making a difference and is looking to expand and improve its offerings.Listen to the podcast to hear Matthew’s thoughts on taking on voluntary roles, the benefits of part-time work and of getting involved in new things at university. He runs through ideas for what might happen later in his career and emphasises the importance of getting young people's voices into the places that matter. Mentioned in this podcastLinksHealthtech-1Sustainable Recruitment AllianceY CombinatorScience and Tech investment to ignite UK Growth Do you need a degree to work in tech? (BBC)Student MindsWorcester UniversityReading University Other episodes you might like to listen toLaura Yeates and Leora Schlasko – Sustainable recruitment alliance S1 E3James Adeleke – Founder and CEO of Generation Success. Equality champion S4 E5Maddie Booth – Sustainability consultant, educator and speaker S4 E6Stuart Goldsmith – Climate comedian and podcaster S5 E2About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them. Subscribe and find out how they got there and how you can too.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastOriginal content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@mypro-gress.co.uk
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2. Stuart Goldsmith, Climate comedian and podcaster
47:16||Season 5, Ep. 2What’s funny about climate change, you might think if you spot comedian Stuart Goldsmith’s job title.The answer is, of course, nothing, but after a long and successful career as a performer and stand-up comedian Stuart found himself wanting to talk about just one thing - climate change.So how does that pan out when you need to be paid for laughs? And who is in the audience when Stuart is delivering his message?How do you even start a career like Stuart’s? And if you’re young, how do you sell the idea to your parents and teachers, who might think you should go out and get a ‘proper’ job? Stuart answers all these questions and more, plus he explains why he started his podcast interviewing comedians and what to do if you want to have a values-led career.Mentioned in this podcastStuart Goldsmith's websiteStuart Goldsmith on InstagramThe Comedian's Comedian podcastGlastonbury 2025 InstagramBBC News: The lack of working class actorsAtomic Habits - James ClearYou might also enjoy listening to:Shaheer Hafeez, Director of ESG and climate risk at KPMG S3 E2Divya Kumar, Community engagement manager, Earthwatch Europe S4 E4Jo Faulkner-Harvey, Head of charity fundraising S3 E5Rachel Warren, Professor of global change and environmental biology S1 E7Duncan Goose, founder of Global Ethics and One Water S1 E10 and S4 E8About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastOriginal content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@mypro-gress.co.uk
1. Katie Goldsbrough, Woodland officer, ecologist, conservationist and bat carer
35:45||Season 5, Ep. 1Katie Goldsbrough is a woodland officer, ecologist, conservationist and bat carer. She’s passionate about the outdoors, something that started in childhood and guided her through university, where she studied for a degree in zoology.Aware of the masses of plastic tree guards used when planting saplings, which are rarely documented or removed when the trees start growing and which degrade and fragment, Katie founded the Plot That Plastic app. It's something every listener can use to document plastic guards in woodland.In addition to her passion for trees, Katie has a great fondness for bats and explains that in the UK we have micro-bats, tiny in comparison to the types found elsewhere in the world.Katie advocates enjoying your job rather than enduring it and explains why recent parenthood has added to her motivation to do her bit for conservation.Read more hereMentioned in this podcastLinksForest Plastics Working Group (plot that plastic)Bat Conservation Trust National Bat HelplineRanger Katie Instagram Essex Wildlife TrustAnglia Ruskin University Zoology degreeYou might also like to read about and listen to:Dr Bushra Schuitemaker, Zoologist, microbiologist and award winning communicatorS4 E2Divya Kumar, Community engagement manager, Earthwatch Europe S4 E4Sarah Kessell, CEO of The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales S1 E5Helen Walsh, designer, writer and conservation sector communications expert S3 E11Stuart Mabbutt, aka The Wildman – Part 1 S3 E3About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastOriginal content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@mypro-gress.co.uk
8. Duncan Goose, CEO and founder of One Water. One year on...
30:33||Season 4, Ep. 8Duncan Goose, the founder of Global Ethics and the brand One Water, returned to ProGRESS to talk about what has happened in the 12 months since we last spoke, including why he undertook a round Britain road trip to echo the world tour he was on more than 20 years ago that changed his career direction. Duncan also speaks about tracking down the girl (now woman) who sparked his mission to bring water projects to communities living in extreme poverty around the world, and you can see the story of that in the link below. One Water gives away its profits to projects that provide clean drinking water to communities. With 5 million lives changed and more standpipes planned for the future, it is definitely a success story. Read about One Water here and watch the story of 'the girl at the standpipe' here (link to YouTube). Read more and find extra links on the ProGRESS website show notes page hereListen to the first episode with Duncan in 2024 here.Duncan Goose, founder of Global Ethics and One Water S1 E10You might also like to listen to: James Adeleke, Generation Success founder, equality champion, social entrepreneur S4 E5Divya Kumar, Community engagement manager at Earthwatch Europe S4 E4About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible careers, courses and activities and asks for real-world insights into the paths and decisions that led to them.Original content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellFollow ProGRESS on LinkedInInstagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastEmail us: hello [@] mypro-gress.co.uk
7. Rae Wilkinson, Award-winning garden designer. One year on...
32:58||Season 4, Ep. 7In this wide-reaching discussion, ProGRESS's first-ever guest Rae Wilkinson rejoins the podcast to tell Sandra more about her career as an award-winning sustainable landscape and garden designer. Recording from her studio at the Knepp Estate in Sussex, Rae talks about introducing her clients to sustainable design and the notion of reducing carbon footprint as well as managing the budget when creating a garden for them. Rae also discusses giving back to the next generation of designers who want to benefit from her wisdom and experience and how much value there is in giving back to your community through volunteering. Click here to listen to Rae on the first-ever ProGRESS podcastRae Wilkinson, award-winning sustainable garden designer S1 E1Links mentioned in this episodeRae Wilkinson MSGLD, garden and landscape designerThe Knepp EstateThe Conservation VolunteersHear more of our guests talk about their values-led careers. How they got there and how you can too.Shaheer Hafeez ACA, Director ESG and climate risk KPMG S3 E2Sarah Kessell, CEO of The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales S1 E5Divya Kumar, Community engagement manager at Earthwatch Europe S4 E4David Kohnstamm, Chief sustainability officer, Leafcloud S4 E3About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible careers, courses and activities and asks for real-world insights into the paths and decisions that led to them.Original content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellFollow ProGRESS on LinkedInInstagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastEmail us: hello [@] mypro-gress.co.uk
6. Maddie Booth, Sustainability consultant, educator and speaker
56:43||Season 4, Ep. 6Sustainability consultant and environmental educator Maddie Booth started her first enterprise while at the University of Warwick, where she was studying for a Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc) in global sustainable development and politics. In the spirit of no experience is wasted, Maddie says being an entrepreneur has been the biggest talking point in every job interview she’s had since exiting her business. Having worked in several jobs since graduating, Maddie has just taken up a newly created role as digital learning and development specialist at the Science Based Targets Initiative.Despite all the success and progress she’s made following her degree, Maddie says if she were 15 now she would consider further education and apprenticeships rather than university. In fact, she is helping her younger brother as he makes course choices.She urges older generations not to overburden Gen Z with the woes of the world, but is optimistic about their determination to find greener, more ethical, sustainable and socially responsible jobs.You might also like to listen to:Shaheer Hafeez , ACA, director of ESG and climate risk at KPMG S3 E2Divya Kumar, Community engagement manager at Earthwatch Europe S4 E4Beccy Dickson, Co-founder of Branded Bio and eco-entrepreneur S3 E12Sarah Daly, Sustainability consultant and climate champion S3 E 1About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible careers, courses and activities and asks for real-world insights into the paths and decisions that led to them.Original content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellFollow ProGRESS onLinkedIn Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastEmail us: hello [@] mypro-gress.co.uk
5. James Adeleke, Generation Success founder, equality champion, social entrepreneur
43:23||Season 4, Ep. 5James Adeleke thought his future lay in football, but a serious injury meant he had to rethink his plans (much to his mum's relief) and study law instead. In this episode James talks about how meeting a homeless man after the London Riots affected his thinking, what turned his society at law school into the social enterprise Generation Success and why his mum has forgiven him for not following a legal career. Generation Success empowers young people from all backgrounds across the UK reach their career aspirations, regardless of their circumstances. Hear what James has to say about social mobility, diversity, and inclusion and why his work is more important than ever. Read more about James's career and find extra links on the ProGRESS website show notes page here You might like to listen to:Shaheer Hafeez, ACA, Director of ESG and climate risk at KPMG S3 E2Duncan Goose, Founder of Global Ethics and One Water S1 E10Dr Bushra Schuitemaker, Zoologist, microbiologist and award winning communicator S4 E2Justin Kelly, CEO of Glass Futures, Chair of Sustainable Ventures S4 E1About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible careers, courses and activities and asks for real-world insights into the paths and decisions that led to them.Original content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellFollow ProGRESS onLinkedInInstagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastEmail us: hello [@] mypro-gress.co.uk