ProGRESS

Host Sandra F

Every episode of ProGRESS brings insights and information about eclectic career paths direct from the people working, living and learning in values-led jobs. Guests range from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. We talk to campaigners, city planners, comedian (yes really!), philosophers, psychologists, scientists, serious games creators and technologists and many more besides, all united by their goals to improve the planet and offer a hand up to younger listeners and career changers seeking values-led work and green home lives. Whether you're starting out, mid-career, looking for a new direction or happy where you are, subscribe to ProGRESS wherever you usually listen for uplifting stories and wise words to help you through your day. About Podcast host, interviewer and journalist Sandra Fraser set up ProGRESS to provide an inspiring and entertaining listen to make the world a greener, kinder place. Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcast Original content © Sandra Fraser Original music © Lyze Kessell Email: hello [@] mypro-gress.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Whitni Thomas, Head of Corporate Finance, Triodos Bank UK

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    Whitni Thomas, Head of Corporate Finance, Triodos Bank UK

    How do you land a job at a bank that creates positive social, environmental and cultural change? And how do you get to hear about banks like Triodos in the first place? Whitni Thomas, the daughter of missionaries (her father is a vicar), says that she never meant to go into banking. Yet she landed a plum (and highly sought-after) graduate role at JP Morgan, despite telling her careers advisor at university that she did not want a corporate career and she didn't want to work in New York. But one day, stopping and pausing, she realised her job wasn't fulfilling and Whitni set about finding something that aligned with her values - the values she was brought up with. She pivoted, thinking her future lay in development work, took on a role in Mexico with two grassroots organisations that provided microcredit to marginalised women and from there went on to work with fair trade organisations. From there, she went to study for a masters in development studies at London School of Economics and Political Science, gaining a distinction. So what's different about Triodos and why has Whitni been there for two decades? At the time, it was a small organisation, based in the Netherlands. Though it's still not a mainstream name in the UK, it is well-known as a 'green' bank there, offering complete transparency so there are no nasty surprises if you're an investor or choose to bank with the organisation. Now there are 100,000 customers who want to put their money into an organisation with values-led guiding principles. On top of her day job, Whitni believes in putting something back into society, locally and further afield and says she has learned so much from being a trustee at several foundations, including those with Quaker-based principles such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Whitni says it is difficult to give advice to young people who want to find careers with genuine, authentic values, because the job market has changed so much recently. But she says challenging oneself, and challenging organisations from within is key and considers B Corps which don't just pay lip service to 'green' values to be a good place to start. Triodos Bank UK Better Society Capital The Joseph Rowntree Foundation Paces Sheffield London School of Economics and Political Sciences You might also like to listen to: David Kohnstamm, Chief sustainability officer, Leafcloud S4 E3 Justin Kelly, CEO of Glass Futures, chair of Sustainable Ventures S4 E1 Shaheer Hafeez, ACA, Director of ESG and Climate Risk, KPMG S3 E2 Sarah Daly, sustainability consultant and climate champion S3 E1 About ProGRESS: Host Sandra Fraser 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_podcast LinkedIn: ProGRESS, the green, values-led careers podcast Original content © Sandra Fraser Original music © Lyze Kessell Email: hello [@] mypro-gress.com Expect revelations, lightbulb moments and an informative listen on ProGRESS, with plenty of insights as guests explain how and why got into their Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially Responsible career or course (the GRESS of ProGRESS) with plenty of tips if you want to do the same. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  2. Carlos Terol, changemaker, responsible entrepreneur

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    Carlos Terol, changemaker, responsible entrepreneur

    Carlos Terol is a founder at Good Ripple, a community of change-makers who want to make a difference in the world. He describes his fascinating journey to find meaning and purpose in his work life over the last 10 years, and how he is enabling others to make positive, ethical social impact through their own jobs. To wind the clock back to his early career, Carlos's love of maths, problem solving and science led him into a civil engineering degree, but he became downhearted after applying for hundreds of jobs and getting nowhere. Then a friend suggested a leap of faith to set up a business in Western Sahara. Despite its proximity to where he'd grown up in Gran Canaria, Western Sahara, gave Carlos a whole new different perspective. Seeing how other people were living, he reassessed his own life, resolving to try to be a better person and live more sustainably. Now, when he's not meeting change-makers through Good Ripple, Carlos runs educational workshops through Climate Fresk, and he's also a co-founder of The Ecstatic Collective. As an ambassador for Responsible Entrepreneurship at the Tomorrow University of applied Sciences, he seems like a human dynamo, but there are few things Carlos loves more than taking time out for meditation - though he confesses he has taken up the didgeridoo and that's a current passion that helps with his breath work. Links mentioned in the podcast Good Ripple Climate Fresk Ecstatic Dance Shake it off! Raphael Santandreu El arte de no amargarse la vida Raphael Santandreu Dan Pink books Tomorrow University You might also like to listen to: Matteo Menapace, Serious, ethical, cooperative games designer S5 E7 Connor Cashell, Campaigns officer, Cycling UK, ethical campaigner S5 E5 Dr Bushra Schuitemaker, Zoologist, microbiologist and award winning communicator S4 E2 About ProGRESS: Host Sandra Fraser 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_podcast Original content © Sandra Fraser Original music © Lyze Kessell Email: hello@mypro-gress.com Expect revelations, lightbulb moments and an informative listen on ProGRESS, with plenty of insights as guests explain how and why got into their Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially Responsible career or course (the GRESS of ProGRESS) with plenty of tips if you want to do the same. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  3. Dr Jessica Tipton Head of the National Education Nature Park at the Natural History Museum

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    Dr Jessica Tipton Head of the National Education Nature Park at the Natural History Museum

    Dr Jessica Tipton, or Jess as she is known, is head of the National Education Nature Park at the Natural History Museum, a project commissioned by the Department for Education as part of its Sustainability and Climate Strategy. In 2020 Jess founded the UK Schools Sustainability Network (UKSSN) as head of youth networks at Global Action Plan. She led a delegation of students to the COP26 global climate summit and instigated the annual online Youth Climate Summit. In addition to all of the above, Jess has worked as a policy adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and has researched Russia and international climate policy. But Jess didn’t set out for a career in sustainability. She studied Russian and French, and played the clarinet to a high standard. The common theme running through everything she has done is contributing to events, society and positive things. That’s what the National Education Nature Park project is all about – introducing children of all ages and young people to their outdoor spaces and connecting them to the power and pleasure of nature.  In this episode Jess explains how she landed her high profile job (the project was visited by the Prince and Princess of Wales in the summer of 2025) and why she considers languages an subject choice through which to launch yourself into anything. Jess thinks of herself as a Jack of all trades - and as explained, has enjoyed a portfolio career – but she has never had a plan for her career, and that means she’s never been bored either. In fact, at the time the recording she was about to embark on a role researching and translating Russian literature – particularly environmental and feminist themes – at the University of East Anglia. A key career tip from Jess is to enjoy what you are really good at and go and study that rather than targeting an environmental science degree at university - then take your values into other areas of work and spread the word. Mentioned in this podcast National Education Nature Park Natural History Museum garden visit  DEFRA careers How Bad Are Bananas? Mike Berners-Lee You might also like to listen to: Johnathon Miller-McCall S5 E6 Divya Kumar S4 E4 Katie Goldsbrough S5 E1 Rachel Warren S1 E7 About ProGRESS: Host Sandra Fraser 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_podcast LinkedIn: ProGRESS, the green, values-led careers podcast Original content © Sandra Fraser Original music © Lyze Kessell Email: hello@mypro-gress.com Expect revelations, lightbulb moments and an informative listen on ProGRESS, with plenty of insights as guests explain how and why got into their Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially Responsible career or course (the GRESS of ProGRESS) with plenty of tips if you want to do the same. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  4. The big five-zero. Season five finale and round-up

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    The big five-zero. Season five finale and round-up

    Here's the Series 5 grand finale, featuring the best bits of the latest guests on ProGRESS, the podcast promoting green, ethical, sustainable and socially responsible careers. The podcast was set up with the notion that listeners might like tips and ideas for how to follow in guests’ footsteps if they wanted to do something similar. As time has gone on, and 50 episodes in, it’s apparent that many of the guests have good human interest stories to tell about making a difference to the planet so win-win! Everyone on the show has brought something special - and usually more than one single thing - to their episode, so here’s a round up of some, by no means all, of the best bits from Season 5. Featuring: Reena Mahajan Connor Cashell Matthew Payne Dr Fernanda da Silva Tatley Stuart Goldsmith Matteo Menapace  Sarah Flynn Johnathon Miller-McCall Katie Goldsbrough If you enjoy this little meander through some of Season 5 subscribe to the podcast wherever you usually listen so you don’t miss out. And please share the link to the podcast, here on Acast, through or our webpage, LinkedIn group or wherever you usually listen. Keep listening for more career insights. Season 6 will start dropping in September. About 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_podcast LinkedIn Original content © Sandra Kessell  Original music © Lyze Kessell Email: hello@mypro-gress.co.uk Expect revelations, lightbulb moments and an informative listen on ProGRESS, with plenty of insights as guests explain how and why got into their Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially Responsible career or course (the GRESS of ProGRESS) with plenty of tips if you want to do the same. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  5. Reena Mahajan, Urban planner, designer and advocate for sustainable development

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    Reena Mahajan, Urban planner, designer and advocate for sustainable development

    Drawn to both science and the arts when she was at school, Reena Mahajan’s studies and work took her to three continents. She studied architecture in New Delhi before moving to Paris to study urban planning and sustainable development. When she moved to Uruguay, she broadened her horizons and studies into gender responsive design and children-friendly planning. Now a strong advocate for sustainable development, women’s mobility, social impact and gender equality – among other things – Reena founded Studio Divercity, with a mission to transform car-dominated urban areas into people-centric spaces. She recently set up StreetSmart, a digital platform that enables communities to reimagine their streets and environment, and she has joined the contributors to Lab of Thought, a Netherlands-based organisation set to transform urban environments.  So far so stellar – so what's next? She has some brilliant advice for anyone searching for values-led employment and says optimism comes from action, even if it's small. Read more... Mentioned in this podcast Prof Dr Marco Te Brömmelstroet and the Lab of Thought The Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo Other episodes to listen to: Sanjuktar Jithendar, Architect, Mikhail Riches S1 E9 Nick Molden, CEO and founder of Emissions Analytics S1 E4 Sarah Daly, Sustainability strategist, marketing professional, lobbyist, entrepreneur, thought-leader and visionary S3 E1 Divya Kumar, Community engagement manager at Earthwatch Europe S4 E4 David Kohnstamm, Chief sustainability officer and co-founder, Leafcloud S4 E3 Connor Cashell, Campaigns manager, Cycling UK S5 E5 About 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_podcast Original content © Sandra Kessell  Original music © Lyze Kessell Email: hello@mypro-gress.co.uk Expect revelations, lightbulb moments and an informative listen on ProGRESS, with plenty of insights as guests explain how and why got into their Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially Responsible career or course (the GRESS of ProGRESS) with plenty of tips if you want to do the same. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  6. Sarah Flynn, Psychologist, author and human sustainability coach

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    Sarah Flynn, Psychologist, author and human sustainability coach

    Sarah Flynn is a career coach who works with purpose-led, empathic leaders making a difference to the world. In addition, Sarah teaches resilience for sustainability leaders on the Cambridge sustainability leaders masters. Discussing her own squiggly career journey, Sarah explains how she felt when she discovered psychology as a teenager and then became inspired to study it in depth, thinking she’d work in clinical psychology.  She talks about moving to Italy to teach English as a foreign language, what led her into working in psychotherapy and how she became first a research psychologist and then a corporate career coach. Listen in to hear Sarah's tips for developing a career in psychology, her co-authored book Climate Change Coaching: The Power of Connection to Create Climate Action, and how to introduce resilience and empowerment into life. Mentioned in this podcast Association of Sustainability Practitioners Climate Change Coaches  Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) Ikigai Books Parenting out loud – Elliott Rae Find your zone of genius – Laura Garnett You might also like to listen to:  Shaheer Hafeez Director ESG strategy and climate risk KPMG S3 E2 Jonathan Mearns OBE careers coach, sustainability entrepreneur and adventurer S3 E9 Lydia Carrington Sustainability manager, Edgbaston cricket stadium S2 E1 Stuart Mabbutt Wildman environmental learning S3 E3 Dr Matthew C. Halteman Professor of philosophy S3 E10 About 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_podcast Original content © Sandra Kessell  Original music © Lyze Kessell Email: hello@mypro-gress.co.uk Expect revelations, lightbulb moments and an informative listen on ProGRESS, with plenty of insights as guests explain how and why got into their Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially Responsible career or course (the GRESS of ProGRESS) with plenty of tips if you want to do the same. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  7. Matteo Menapace, Serious, ethical, cooperative games designer

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    Matteo Menapace, Serious, ethical, cooperative games designer

    When he was young Matteo Menapace spent many afternoons playing video games and learnt to code so he could hack his first game.  So how does a kid playing video games (with a Saturday job making pizzas) turn his hobby into a professional career that challenges people to think about the most pressing issues of the era, including climate change? Listen to hear the philosophy and ethics behind serious games design, why you don’t need to have studied graphics, games design or even to have a degree to be a successful games designer and what Matteo does in a typical week.  Read more... Mentioned in this podcast Paolo Pedercini aka Molleindustria Dr Chloe Germaine Elizabeth Magie and the story of Monopoly Goldsmiths University  Norwich University of the Arts  Matteo Menapace Matteo's LinkedIn profile You might also like to listen to: Maddie Booth Sustainability consultant, educator and speaker S4 E6 David Kohnstamm  Chief sustainability officer and co-founder of Leafcloud S4 E3 Rachel Warren Professor of global change and environmental biology S1 E7 About 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_podcast Original content © Sandra Kessell  Original music © Lyze Kessell Email: hello@mypro-gress.co.uk Expect revelations, lightbulb moments and an informative listen on ProGRESS, with plenty of insights as guests explain how and why got into their Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially Responsible career or course (the GRESS of ProGRESS) with plenty of tips if you want to do the same. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  8. Johnathon Miller-McCall, Science communicator, conservationist and nature nerd

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    Johnathon Miller-McCall, Science communicator, conservationist and nature nerd

    Johnathon Miller-McCall grew up in South London, seemingly an unpromising location for wildlife observation and a career as a conservationist, science communicator and storyteller. Yet, Johnathon reveals, there are more than 14,000 species in the city, and it’s one of the world’s largest urban forests – you just need to know where to look. Now Johnathan wears three hats, working as a comms and engagement officer for Synchronicity Earth, as a presenter and content executive for Earth Minutes and creating content for his own feeds. So how does a shy boy go from keeping his (slightly uncool) interests to himself at school to finding a course that suits his knowledge and satisfying his calling to spread a love of nature, especially when there was little guidance at school and nobody like him on television? Johnathon explains how he forged his own career path as a nature nerd, rather than in finance, how he found a community at London Wildlife Trust (LWT) and what keeps him resilient. Mentioned in this podcast Synchronicity Earth Earth Minutes Natural History Museum Generation Hope Mayor of London Sadiq Khan – 10 year water clean-up plan London Wildlife Trust Flock Together Johnathon Miller-McCall Linktree (J Talks Nature) Hamza Yassin Photography You might also like to listen to: Sarah Kessell, CEO of The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales S1 E5 Stuart Mabbutt, Wildman environmental learning S3 E3 Divya Kumar, Community engagement manager, Earthwatch Europe S4 E4 About 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_podcast Original content © Sandra Kessell  Original music © Lyze Kessell Email: hello@mypro-gress.co.uk Expect revelations, lightbulb moments and an informative listen on ProGRESS, with plenty of insights as guests explain how and why got into their Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially Responsible career or course (the GRESS of ProGRESS) with plenty of tips if you want to do the same. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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حول

Every episode of ProGRESS brings insights and information about eclectic career paths direct from the people working, living and learning in values-led jobs. Guests range from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. We talk to campaigners, city planners, comedian (yes really!), philosophers, psychologists, scientists, serious games creators and technologists and many more besides, all united by their goals to improve the planet and offer a hand up to younger listeners and career changers seeking values-led work and green home lives. Whether you're starting out, mid-career, looking for a new direction or happy where you are, subscribe to ProGRESS wherever you usually listen for uplifting stories and wise words to help you through your day. About Podcast host, interviewer and journalist Sandra Fraser set up ProGRESS to provide an inspiring and entertaining listen to make the world a greener, kinder place. Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcast Original content © Sandra Fraser Original music © Lyze Kessell Email: hello [@] mypro-gress.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.