What’s The Next Step‪?‬ Sarah Harper and Rachel Boyd

Pippa Letchworth is a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Imperial College NHS Trust, but her special interest in global maternal health and subsequent education and volunteer work has seen her career impact extend beyond multiple international borders. In this episode, Pippa talks about what motivated her to pursue this career path and lifts the lid on some of the real challenges associated with women giving birth in areas of conflict and countries with less access to medical care. We also talk about her leadership experiences during COVID and it’s impact on the NHS.

Mike Jibson takes a break from performing in the successful West End production of Stranger Things for a chat with us about life as an actor. His passion began when he joined an Amateur Dramatics group as a teen and he has gone from strength to strength since then, including being a two time Olivier Award nominee. He talks about the need to be able to take rejection well, how to deal with stage fright and the importance of looking after yourself physically if you want to stay in the game.

In 2023, Maddy Warren - aka the Queen of Dialysis - celebrated 25 years of not just surviving but thriving by doing nocturnal home haemodialysis after being diagnosed with kidney failure as a teenager. In this episode, she shares the inside track on how she dealt with this devastating diagnosis at such a young age and how she has gone on to thrive in both fulfilling her career ambitions, whilst managing her health. She also shares her advice for those managing a chronic health condition in the context of work as well as managers. It’s an inspiring conversation with an extraordinary person, which is sure to leave you with a reality check on the choices we all have available to us, in order to make the most of this thing called life.

Nigel Wood joins us for a fascinating conversation about his career as an RAF fighter pilot, lead test pilot and NASA astronaut. He shares what training at NASA entails, the enormity of everything that came with preparing to be the first Britain in space and the culture at NASA, including its flaws, which contributed to the Challenger explosion. We talk about what it takes to have a career as a fighter pilot and astronaut, given the potential risks involved, how he built himself back up when it was clear that he wasn’t going to get to space and the leadership lessons he has learnt along the way.

Dr Genevieve von Lob is a Clinical Psychologist by training. She has always worked with young people and is now leading the charge on a new approach to parenting as a Concious Parenting Coach. In this episode, she shares key moments in her life that led her to wanting to help others, and what her focus areas are today. These include her work with Highly Sensitive People, which she goes on to explain, as well as the importance of us working on ourselves in order to be the best parents we can be. Finally she shares her advice for those interested in exploring a career in psychology, no matter what stage in life you may be.

In this episode, we are joined by Matthew Westerman - a senior investment banker with a long career at both Goldman Sachs and then HSBC, who now runs his own investment business alongside his philanthropic work and board positions. We talk about the reputation of the investment banking industry, the 2008 global financial crisis, Matthew’s focus on inclusion and diversity, and what continues to motivate and drive him. He also gives some great career advice.