Be Differential

Be Differential

The automotive and motorsport world has always had a seat at the table — it just hasn't always been yours. BeDifferential is the podcast for newcomers, outsiders, and anyone who's ever felt like they didn't quite fit in car culture. Each week, host Eva Gregory goes behind the scenes with racers, engineers, executives, and industry insiders to share the stories, career paths, and hard-won lessons that don't make it into the mainstream. From grassroots motorsport to the paddock, from vintage cars to cutting-edge tech — if you're curious about where you fit in this world, you found the right show. New episodes every Tuesday, plus solo industry takes every Thursday.

  1. Jun 2

    Dairy Farms to Dynos: How Isla Mackenzie Built Her Way Into Formula 1

    Isla Mackenzie grew up on a dairy farm on the Isle of Lewis — and somehow found her way to the Formula 1 pit lane. In this episode, we trace every step of that journey, from stripping down project cars before she could legally drive, to running her own engine tuning business while still in school, to navigating a career path that looked nothing like the industry standard. Isla walks us through the HNC-to-Honours Degree route she took into engineering, why it shaped her thinking in ways a traditional path might not have, and what it actually took — technically and personally — to move from Technician to Systems Engineer inside one of the most demanding technical environments in sport. We get into what Dare to Be Different (now rebranded to FIA Women on Track) meant for her practically (not just symbolically), what it felt like to return to one of their events as a Williams employee, and the advice Susie Wolff gave her at a D2BD connect event in 2018 that she's never forgotten. Isla also breaks down what systems engineering actually means in the context of an F1 car, what race week prep looks like from the operations view, and what she thinks is the single most misunderstood thing about technical motorsport work. And she's honest — about whether the industry has genuinely changed since 2017, what diversity advocacy looks like from inside an F1 team, and what she wishes someone had told her before her first F1 job. If you love cars, engineering, motorsport, or you're trying to find your entry point into an industry that can feel impossible to break into — this one's for you. Be sure to join the newsletter to stay in the know! https://www.bedifferentialpodcast.com/

    31 min
  2. May 19

    From Quarter Midgets to the World Rally Championship with Madelyn Tabor

    What does it look like to be born into motorsport — and then actually earn your place in it anyway? Madelyn Tabor attended her first rally at four weeks old. She grew as a 3rd-generation rally driver, got behind the wheel of a Quarter Midget at 13, and by 18 had made the leap to stage rally. She's competed in the ARA national championship 3 years in a row, a WRC Beyond Rally Women's Program alumna, and someone who's stood on the podium alongside Travis Pastrana and Rhiannon Gelsomino. On paper, it sounds like a straight line. In conversation, it's anything but. In this episode of The BeDifferential Podcast, Madelyn breaks down what it's actually like to grow up inside a racing family. She explains the co-driver relationship, what real race prep looks like behind the scenes, and how her approach shifts when she moves from gravel to snow to ice to pavement. She talks candidly about being the only North American woman selected for the WRC Beyond program, what she took from that experience, and what it's been like navigating the sport as a young woman in a discipline that doesn't always make it easy. But this episode isn't just for the gearheads. Madelyn spends real time on the doors-open side of rally — the co-drivers, the navigators, the service crews, the volunteers — and where someone who's never been to a stage rally can actually start if something about this world is calling to them. If you've ever wondered whether there's a place for you in motorsport, this conversation is the answer. Learn more about Madelyn at https://www.madelyntaborracing.com/

    38 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

The automotive and motorsport world has always had a seat at the table — it just hasn't always been yours. BeDifferential is the podcast for newcomers, outsiders, and anyone who's ever felt like they didn't quite fit in car culture. Each week, host Eva Gregory goes behind the scenes with racers, engineers, executives, and industry insiders to share the stories, career paths, and hard-won lessons that don't make it into the mainstream. From grassroots motorsport to the paddock, from vintage cars to cutting-edge tech — if you're curious about where you fit in this world, you found the right show. New episodes every Tuesday, plus solo industry takes every Thursday.

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