The Road of Stars Podcast

Mwenya Kawesha

The Road of Stars is a podcast where Mwenya Kawesha interviews dynamic creative leaders who successfully blend creativity and commerce. Moving beyond the "starving artist" trope, it highlights inspiring stories of people who share how they stay true to their creative visions while navigating the business side and shaping their industry. The podcast aims to empower listeners to see a place for themselves in creative industries, so more creative work transforms people and places.

Episodes

  1. A road to creative ownership in Birmingham with Natalie Adele Yesufu Edwards, Founder CEO at Transition Stage Company

    08/10/2025

    A road to creative ownership in Birmingham with Natalie Adele Yesufu Edwards, Founder CEO at Transition Stage Company

    The power of intellectual property and brand-building when producing film, factual entertainment and script-writing competitions. Natalie Edward-Yesufu is a multi-award-winning producer, creative leader, and CEO of Transition Stage Company, known for her bold approach to storytelling. A classically trained actor with a Master’s from Birmingham Royal Conservatoire, she has appeared in BBC productions and produced over 50 new plays and three films, securing international funding across the UK and USA. She is also the founder of Enter.Stage.Write and StoryTown – Ideas You Own, two platforms that merge storytelling, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property, drawing hundreds of creatives and industry leaders each year. Natalie earned her a Duke of Edinburgh TV Inclusion Award nomination in partnership with Disney, and she has collaborated with the BBC, BFI, Channel 4, and BAFTA-winning producers to elevate new and underrepresented talent. In 2024, after having her first child, she launched ELVÉ—a lifestyle and events company offering curated wellness, education, and community experiences for expats and modern families. We talk about… Natalie’s early career in New York, cultivating confidence and ambitionHow and why she founded her production and entertainment company in Birmingham, UKHer early experiences pitching her business ideasThe importance of personal branding and how Natalie built her profileThe challenges around production and funding in BirminghamThe importance of managing money and the business side of the creative industryThe importance of creatives understanding what intellectual property is and how to protect itThe challenges and opportunities in the broadcast and film industriesThe impact of winning awards on Natalie’s personal and business brandsThe importance of building and owning your own creative platformsNatalie’s socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natyesufu/#Transition Stage Company website: https://transitionstagecompany.com/Transition Stage Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transitionstagecompany_/ELVÉ Events Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/experience_elve/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/her-she-natalie-adele-edward-yesufu-98694469Mwenya’s socials: https://www.mwenyakawesha.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mwenyakawesha/ https://www.instagram.com/theroadofstars/?igsh=c3g2YXhrdzU5am4y&utm_source=qr# Disclaimer: All views are my own and all my guests' views are their own. There is no product placement in this episode.

    52 min
  2. A road to cultural entrepreneurship with Geetika Agrawal, Founder CEO of Vacation with an Artist

    08/10/2025

    A road to cultural entrepreneurship with Geetika Agrawal, Founder CEO of Vacation with an Artist

    The power of design training, understanding customer needs, global travel, preserving cultures and crafts and fundraising. In this episode I speak to Geetika Agrawal. Geetika is a designer and Founder/ CEO of Vacation With An Artist (VAWAA), a global platform to book creative vacations with remarkable artists and makers around the world where you can spend one-on-one, in-person time diving into a skill. From bamboo bicycle making in India and shoemaking in Czechia to natural textile dyeing in Vietnam, VAWAA is dedicated to promoting and preserving global arts and crafts and creating a new way to travel. She trained as an architect and industrial designer, before a long career in digital product design. Prior to VAWAA, Geetika was a Creative Director at R/GA, a digital design agency, where she partnered with Mastercard, Nike, AARP and many beloved brands to transform their businesses through innovative digital products and services. We speak about… The soul crisis in modern society and why some people feel disconnected even though they have achieved a lot of their personal and professional goalsThe value of creativity and connection and how this contributes to people feeling aliveHow being a designer helped Geetika become an entrepreneur and found VAWAAHer business, VAWAA and how it seeks to promote and preserve global arts and crafts, making them accessible to a wider audience.How VAWAA achieved big global reach with over with 130 artists in 27 countriesHer early experiences in architecture school in India, where she studied various crafts and traveled to different parts of the country to learn from master artistsHow people can actually vacation with an artistThe impact of winning awards on VAWAAHer experiences raising angel investment for VAWAATips for solo travellersGeetika’s socials: Website - www.vawaa.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/go.vawaa/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vawaa_/VAWAA Twitter - https://twitter.com/VAWAA_Twitter - https://twitter.com/geetikagrawalVAWAA LinkedIn page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/vawaaLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/geetikaagrawalMwenya’s socials: https://www.mwenyakawesha.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mwenyakawesha/ https://www.instagram.com/theroadofstars/?igsh=c3g2YXhrdzU5am4y&utm_source=qr# Disclaimer: All views are my own and all my guests' views are their own. There is no product placement in this episode.

    39 min
  3. A road to writing about nuclear weapons with Chris Thorpe, writer and performer

    08/10/2025

    A road to writing about nuclear weapons with Chris Thorpe, writer and performer

    The power of defining yourself, inspirations from classical music and heavy metal, running a creative business in Manchester and normalising talking about difficult topics. In this episode I speak to Chris Thorpe. Chris is a writer and performer from Manchester, UK. His work has touched on nationality and borders, political and social systems and their relationship to confirmation bias, our collective psychology around the climate crisis – and most recently the construction of cultural hierarchies and Iranian pop music (in Things Hidden Since The Foundation of the World with Javaad Alipoor), and nuclear disarmament and global diplomacy (in Talking About The Fire with Staatstheater Mainz and China Plate). Chris's performance work tours internationally, and is also regularly produced for stage and radio throughout Europe and in the US. We talk about… How Chris defines himself as a creativeChris’s journey to studying theatre at universityHow Chris’ father’s musical background influenced him creativelyForming a theatre company with his friends in ManchesterBuilding momentum and making empowered choices as a creativeTackling global topics like nuclear disarmament in theatreChris’ creative process in the early stages of new workThe responsibility artists have to keep audiences safeHow nobody really knows what they’re doing, they may just have been in that position for longerMwenya’s socials: https://www.mwenyakawesha.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mwenyakawesha/ https://www.instagram.com/theroadofstars/?igsh=c3g2YXhrdzU5am4y&utm_source=qr# Disclaimer: All views are my own and all my guests' views are their own. There is no product placement in this episode.

    48 min
  4. A road to being a world-class ballerina, with Precious Adams, Soloist, English National Ballet

    08/10/2025

    A road to being a world-class ballerina, with Precious Adams, Soloist, English National Ballet

    The power of ballet schools, how dance transcends language, managing a public profile, awards and studying computer science. In this episode I speak to Precious Solana Adams. Precious is an internationally recognised world-class black ballerina. She is originally from Canton, Michigan, and currently resides in London, England where she is a full-time Soloist ballerina for the English National Ballet. Precious' training began nearly 20 years ago and she has since trained and danced all over the world. Most notably training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia; Princess Grace Academy in Monte Carlo, Monaco; as well as The National Ballet School in Toronto, Canada. Precious was awarded the National Young Arts Foundation (USA) prize in the field of dance. She was also on the Elle and Evening Standard lists of 100 most influential people in 2018. She most recently has been included on The Powerlist 2023, which celebrates the achievements of the most influential people of African heritage in the UK. We speak about… Precious’ early training at prestigious ballet schools like Bolshoi Ballet AcademyHer parent’s strong support of her ballet careerBecoming a soloist and how ballet companies are structuredHow dance helps people truly express themselvesThe demands of performing ballet at a world-class level in venues such as the Royal Albert HallHow Precious’ interest in computer science led her to pursue a degree in itHow ballet as an art form impacts society and its potential to bring people togetherPrecious’ socials: https://www.instagram.com/preciousagram/?hl=en Mwenya’s socials: https://www.mwenyakawesha.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mwenyakawesha/ https://www.instagram.com/theroadofstars/?igsh=c3g2YXhrdzU5am4y&utm_source=qr# Disclaimer: All views are my own and all my guests' views are their own. There is no product placement in this episode.

    33 min
  5. A road to responsible jewellery making with Jackie Barbosa, Founder and Creative Director, Barbosa

    08/10/2025

    A road to responsible jewellery making with Jackie Barbosa, Founder and Creative Director, Barbosa

    The power of nature, celebrity endorsements, sales, making the gold supply chains more responsible and entrepreneurial communities. In this episode I speak to Jackie Barbosa. Jackie was born in Brazil and raised in the countryside. She is the Founder and Creative Director of Barbosa, an independent fine, fashion and bespoke jewellery company, where expression and beauty come to life through sculptural jewellery. Barbosa’s loyal clientele includes Amal Clooney and Viola Davis. Jackie’s original powerful yet playful view on fashion has been featured in Editorials such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, L’Officiel, and The Guardian. Jackie is also the Curator and Co-Founder of Reciprocity Jewels, a collective of international jewellery designers working together to show that a responsible traceable gold supply chain is possible, partnering with artisanal miners in Peru. Jackie received her Masters in Jewellery Design from Central Saint Martins. We speak about… Jackie’s experiences growing up in the Brazilian countrysideHow Jackie’s family helped develop her entrepreneurial spiritHow Jackie’s early fascination with nature inspired her jewellery designsHow Jackie launched her first jewellery brand with a few hundred dollarsHow Jackie ended up studying a master’s degree at Central Saint MartinsJackie’s design philosophy and why she consolidated her different jewellery brandsJackie’s experiences opening her first physical retail store in NYCThe impact of having the high-profile celebrity endorsements from Amal Clooney, Viola Davis and Brian Cox on her brandThe challenges of the jewellery industry and its impact on the environmentHow she co-founded Reciprocity Jewels, a collective of jewellery designers working with artisanal miners in Peru to improve the gold supply chainJackie’s socials: https://www.barbosanewyork.com/ https://www.instagram.com/barbosanewyork/?hl=en Reciprocity Jewels’ socials: https://reciprocityjewels.com/ https://www.instagram.com/reciprocityjewels/?hl=en Mwenya’s socials: https://www.mwenyakawesha.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mwenyakawesha/ https://www.instagram.com/theroadofstars/?igsh=c3g2YXhrdzU5am4y&utm_source=qr# Disclaimer: All views are my own and all my guests' views are their own. There is no product placement in this episode.

    43 min
  6. A road to leading theatres, with Lucy Davies, former Executive Director at the Royal Court Theatre and Young Vic Theatre

    08/10/2025

    A road to leading theatres, with Lucy Davies, former Executive Director at the Royal Court Theatre and Young Vic Theatre

    The power of local, national and international storytelling, navigating protest, addressing climate change and the contradictions of leadership in theatres. In this episode I speak to Lucy Davies. Lucy is the new Chief Executive of Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival. Lucy was Executive Director at the Young Vic Theatre. She was previously Executive Director at the Royal Court Theatre, and was Executive Producer at the Donmar Warehouse and at National Theatre Wales. Her career has been dedicated to developing writers and artists, including as Head of Studio at the National Theatre, and five years in the film industry. Lucy is the Co-Chair of Soho Theatre Walthamstow. She is a Creative Climate Leader and Creative Green Champion 2020 and a Fellow of the RSA. This podcast episode was recorded while Lucy was the Executive Director at the Young Vic Theatre. We speak about… Lucy’s childhood growing up in the 70s and 80s in Birmingham and the impact of school strikes on her creative journeyLucy’s early experiences of student leadership during times of social unrestWhy Lucy decided to become a producerThe artistic works Lucy is most proud ofCreating environments where artists have the right to take risks, especially with new workThe impact of theatre in the UK and internationallyHow the arts sector can help address climate changeHow Lucy has navigated leadership and board dynamicsWhat it means to navigate contradictions within yourself as a leaderLucy’s socials: https://ldavies.substack.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-davies-75730114/?originalSubdomain=uk Mwenya’s socials: https://www.mwenyakawesha.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mwenyakawesha/ https://www.instagram.com/theroadofstars/?igsh=c3g2YXhrdzU5am4y&utm_source=qr# Disclaimer: All views are my own and all my guests' views are their own. There is no product placement in this episode.

    47 min
  7. Trailer: Welcome to The Road of Stars Podcast

    Season 1 Trailer

    Trailer: Welcome to The Road of Stars Podcast

    The Road of Stars is a podcast where Mwenya Kawesha interviews dynamic creative leaders who successfully blend creativity and commerce. Moving beyond the "starving artist" trope, it highlights inspiring stories of people who share how they stay true to their creative visions while navigating the business side and shaping their industry. The podcast aims to empower listeners to see a place for themselves in creative industries, so more creative work transforms people and places.

    1 min

Trailer

About

The Road of Stars is a podcast where Mwenya Kawesha interviews dynamic creative leaders who successfully blend creativity and commerce. Moving beyond the "starving artist" trope, it highlights inspiring stories of people who share how they stay true to their creative visions while navigating the business side and shaping their industry. The podcast aims to empower listeners to see a place for themselves in creative industries, so more creative work transforms people and places.

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