ProGRESS

Host Sandra recaps on some of the best bits since the show was launched at the beginning of 2024 and picks out a highlight from each of the 12 guests featured in series 1. She reflects on the amazing insights they've shared, the actions they took along their career pathway and there are some funny stories in there too.All the episodes, along with shownote links to the materials, sites, books and organisations mentioned by guests are available wherever you get your podcasts.Thank you for being part of our own progress. We can hardly wait for series 2 of ProGRESS, which will start in the summer. You'll be able to catch more brilliant stories, hints, tips and key takeaways from people who are living, working and studying in greener, ethical, sustainable and socially responsible ways.About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss jobs, courses and activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and career choices that led to their current point in life. Every story features a pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and/or Socially Responsible takes on working, living, training and studying.Instagram ProGRESS Content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@my-progress.co.uk

Sarah Ashworth was the first in her family to go to university after receiving a contextualised offer in recognition of her achievement. She studied pathology and microbiology at Bristol University and remembers the benefits she gained from a Nuffield Foundation placement. She also talks about working in water quality control for AstraZeneca in her industrial placement year and her PhD research work on 'plastic eating fungi' which has been back in the news very recently.Interested in environmental science and environmental consulting, Sarah volunteered with Groundwork UK before taking what she thought would be a temporary post as a careers advisor for the University of Manchester. After recognising this was her niche, Sarah has been using her knowledge as a researcher, supervisor and scientist throughout the last two decades as she helps postgraduate students and PhD researchers - as well as others - fulfil their aims and find their own pathways to a satisying career.More information:University of ManchesterGroundwork UKNuffield Foundation PlacementsAlso mentioned:UK Government study in the UKThe Life Scientific podcast with Jim Al-KhaliliFungi in concrete at Chernobyl Plastic eating fungiAbout ProGRESS Each episode of ProGRESS features podcast host and long-time journalist Sandra Kessell in conversation with people working, teaching and learning in Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially Responsible sectors (the GRESS of ProGRESS). Guests talk about how they got where they are and pass on their ideas for following in their footsteps.But young, old, or in mid-career you don’t have to be looking for a new direction to enjoy a good story and ProGRESS aims to inspire and entertain while offering greener, more ethical, sustainable and socially responsible ways of thinking, working, studying, training and living.Instagram ProGRESS Content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@my-progress.co.uk

Duncan's career change really happened when, as an advertising and marketing executive, he decided to go on a six-month motorbiking trip and sold up his home and possessions. Two years, a hurricane and several life-changing experiences later, he returned to the UK with a vision. To sell bottled water for good causes and use the profits to bring clean water projects to the one billion people worldwide who lived without access to it.In this episode of ProGRESS Duncan explains why he went into marketing rather than medicine, what made him leave a job he enjoyed and how he ended up running an ethical organisation, based on values instilled by his grandparents and parents.He also discusses:• the importance of One being carbon neutral• why One opted for green energy from the get-go• using recycled plastic for bottles before it became 'the right thing' to do.• why One was among the first UK organisations to get B Corp certification.Since his vision for One preceded the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) statements so many organisations make now, the private equity funders Duncan originally approached still wanted significant financial returns, while charities wouldn't get on board with a business model that handed over profits. Undeterred by their doubts, Duncan remortgaged his flat and with a goodwill army of 78 people he ploughed all he had into making one small change, one new standpipe, one day at a time.Big name organisations such as the Coop, World Duty Free and Starbucks have helped One grow and at the time of the podcast (April 2024), One was celebrating more than £30million raised and improving living conditions for over 5 million people through its clean water programmes.Mentioned in this podcastOne WaterB CorporationsThe Co-op water security programmesWorld Duty FreeOne Water and StarbucksPolytag packaging tracing technologyJupiter's Travels by Ted SimonAbout ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss jobs, courses and activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and career choices that led to their current point in life. Every story features a pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable or Socially Responsible take on working, living, training and studying.Instagram ProGRESS Content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@my-progress.co.uk

Sanjukta Jitendhar​​​​ is an architect working at Mikhail Riches. In this episode she discusses her professional philosophy and aspirations, and her views on rent affordability and home ownership, particularly for her generation. She also talks about refurbishing and repurposing existing homes and buildings, rather than demolishing and rebuilding them.Sanju (as she's known) started to develop an interest in sustainable and equitable living for all as she was child in Bangalore, southern India. As the city enjoyed an extraordinary tech boom, millions of workers moved to Bangalore to service the tech pros' needs. Her grandparents also moved to look after Sanju while her parents, computer scientists, worked long hours, six days a week. Watching a developing inequitable housing situation gave Sanju the motivation to move to the UK and study architecture as a young adult. It also gave her the impetus to seek employment with a company that met her values of sustainable and equitable living across generations and societies.Mentioned in this episodeSanjukta Jitendhar professional profileMikhail Riches architectsRIBA Stirling Prize 2019 winner Goldsmith StreetThe Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)Bangalore: India’s high-growth tech hubUniversity of Sheffield School of ArchitectureUniversity of Westminster Master of ArchitectureAbout ProGRESS Each episode of ProGRESS features podcast host and long-time journalist Sandra Kessell in conversation with people working, teaching and learning in Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially Responsible sectors (the GRESS of ProGRESS). Guests talk about how they got where they are and pass on their ideas for following in their footsteps.But young, old, or in mid-career you don’t have to be looking for a new direction to enjoy a good story and ProGRESS aims to inspire and entertain while offering greener, more ethical, sustainable and socially responsible ways of thinking, working, studying, training and living.Instagram ProGRESS Content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@my-progress.co.uk

Jake Fiennes is director of the Holkham Nature Reserve and general manager, conservation, at Holkham Estate in Norfolk. But he left school aged 16 to move to London and work at a nightclub and from there, his career path involved a few twists and turns before he became a hugely respected and listened-to conservationist and advisor.Jake credits his parents with enabling their children to become interesting individuals (his siblings include actors Ralph and Joseph, composer Magnus and film-makers Martha and Sophie), and he personally inherited their attention to detail and observation. It's those attributes, together with his willingness to take on hard graft, that have shaped his life. Jake also acknowledges that his enlightened 'bosses' have encouraged him in his practices to promote wildlife within agriculture.The resultant biodiversity, including hares, birds, insects and wildflowers at the estate and nature reserve where he now works and lives, is a joy to the farmworkers, the Earl and Countess of Leicester, Jake himself, and the millions of visitors to this stunning part of North Norfolk. Jake believes current generations should be passing on their experience while encouraging the next generation to have a voice and shape a positive future for our changing climate.Mentioned in this episodeJake's book: Land Healer, How Farming Can Save Britain’s CountrysideThe National Parks (Glover) ReviewThe Country Land and Business Association (CLA) (East)The National Farmers’ Union (NFU)The Holkham Estate conservationThe Raveningham EstateThe Knepp EstateTurnip TownshendOther episodes you might like:Season 1, Episode 7: UEA climate change and biodiversity scientist Rachel WarrenSeason 1, Episode 1: RHS award-winning garden landscaper Rae Wilkinson, whose office is based on the Knepp Estate.About:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their 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 Content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@my-progress.co.uk

Global climate change scientist Professor Rachel Warren is internationally respected for her research but she could probably walk down any street in any country without people realising the scale and reach of her work. In this episode Rachel explains how an early interest in bird conservation marked the start of her awareness of the environment. While studying physics and the natural sciences at Cambridge University, the global scale of environmental problems and her growing appreciation of the need to conserve the atmosphere – the air that we breathe – drove her to join research projects examining harmful CFCs and acid rain.Jump forward to the present day and Rachel's research papers are trusted by world governments and the United Nations, and have been cited by fellow academics more than 27,000 times worldwide. Her work helps formulate international agreements and policies. Today she is focussed on quantifying the risks we would all avoid through climate change mitigation and the risks climate change poses to biodiversity and as a professor at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia (UEA), Rachel is encouraging the next generation of climate scientists to join her. She emphasises the opportunities the Tyndall Centre offers young scientists as they build networks within the research community and the advantages the UEA's long-standing commitment to the environment provides students and academics interested in this field.And for those of us not immersed in acadaemia, Rachel points out that any one of us can modify our behaviour by thinking about how much, where and how we travel, for example, how we use our gardens, and by reducing our own carbon footprint.Mentioned in this podcast:• Professor Rachel Warren's career biography• Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia, UK• The Montreal Protocol• The Kyoto Protocol Other episodes mentioned in this podcastNick Molden (Episode 4)Laura Yeates and Leora Schlasko (Episode 3).

Dr Mark Sumner is well placed to share his knowledge and expertise on the podcast, and to offer advice to anyone with a passion for fashion, who wants to ensure they are putting sustainable and ethical practices at the heart of their chosen profession.Mark's own career has taken him from training as a quantity surveyor to studying first physics, then a doctorate in textile engineering. He joined renowned retailer Marks & Spencer, where he worked as a textile technologist and while he was there, studied for an Open University degree in environmental science, becoming a leading sustainability specialist for the firm.He left retail to join the University of Leeds School of Design and became the lead lecturer focussing on sustainability, textile, clothing and the fashion industry. Despite a busy life, he still publishes research papers, most recently on the influence of yarn characteristics on microfibre release from knitted fabrics during laundering."We can't talk about sustainability in a vacuum," Mark says.In this episode, Mark discusses:the ethics of fashionits impact on the environmentglobal supply chainsand how at least 400 million workers across the globe depend on fashion being bought and sold.These are topics covered on the Sustainable Fashion BA, but Mark is just as keen for students to bring their own questions to the course and challenge current thinking as they become the future of fashion.Mentioned in this podcastUniversity of Leeds School of Design BA Sustainable Fashion ProgrammeUnited Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals and (SDG) 8Marks & Spencer sustainability practicesUniversity of Leeds School of DesignThe Leeds Institute of Textiles and ColourAbout ProGRESSHost Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their 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 Content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@my-progress.co.uk

This week's episode features Sarah Kessell, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.Sarah reveals the early story behind her green career, before the word conservation became part of her vocabulary and how, when she was younger, she associated her dream job with 'saving the green bits of the planet'. Her lightbulb moment came when she read The Last Chance to See while backpacking around the world. Then a careers advisor in Reading, UK, made all the difference to her path.Sarah has some really useful tips for listeners who want to follow in her career footsteps and praises younger generations and teachers for their interest and growing knowledge of conservation. She also reminds us that as consumers and voters, we all have the power to make green choices.Mentioned in this episode of the ProGRESS podcast:The Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and zoologist Mark CarwardineDoughnut Economics by Kate RaworthSir David Attenborough visits Skomer Island as part of the BBC's Wild Isles seriesVolunteering opportunities at the South and West Wales Wildlife TrustAlso mentioned:Previous guest Jamie Osborn (Season 1, Episode 2)About:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their 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 Content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@my-progress.co.uk

By his own admission, Nick Molden, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Emissions Analytics has had 'a random walk' of a career. His business (and Nick) came to prominence during 'dieselgate' when huge discrepancies were uncovered between diesel car manufacturers' published emissions data, and data collected through independent real-world testing. He's become a go-to voice when road vehicle pollution is under scrutiny and has clear views on electric and hybrid cars, tyre and tail-pipe pollution. He's also clear we need open and honest conversations about what we are prepared to give up to combat climate change and who we are passing the risks of global warming on to.Also in this episode of the ProGRESS podcast:Why Nick thinks a total ban on new diesel cars may be a step too far.How studying for a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at University of Oxford equipped Nick to deal with policy makers, stakeholders and decision makers.The benefit of taking risks when planning your career.Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their 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 Content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@my-progress.co.uk