E14 | Mark Herschberg | Career Development, Soft-Skills, The Future of Work & Self-Improvement

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Marie Brueser, Entrepreneurship Leader at Thought for Food, a social organization that’s committed to helping pioneering start-ups all over the world achieve sustainable growth and ultimate success. Through their programs, they unlock their potential and deliver targeted, cutting-edge, science and technology-driven innovation to lead a sustainable food and agricultural revolution.

Marie spoke to us about her role and gave us a glimpse of what it’s like to work as a digital nomad. Originally from Belgium, Marie was living in Lisbon at the time of our call and I loved hearing about her experience in the growing community of nomads, who very literally have the luxury of working from a beach bar should they wish. 

This week we’re joined by the wonderful Emma-Louise Boynton, presenter, producer, and co-founder at Her Hustle, a mission-driven creative production agency working to elevate women’s voices and tell stories with impact.

She shares the events that motivated her to start the company and we discuss some of the hurdles that women continue to face in the world of work, and generally, in life. From body-shaming to aging, to workplace culture and promotions, we go there.

Please enjoy!

McKenzie Ryan was ranked #1 New York City Power Broker by Forbes, the youngest broker ever to receive this recognition. She is known as the go-to agent for selling properties that others are unable to sell and has recently joined the Douglas Elliman team. As a former Olympic Gymnast, her work ethic and positive energy is like nothing we’ve ever seen.

We talk about her impressive athletic background, where she gets the confidence to fervently follow her passions, and how she manages the ups and downs of such a turbulent and competitive industry. She also shares some of the habits that help power through when things get tough and continue to radiate joy and positive energy everywhere she goes.

Follow McKenzie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mckenzie_ryan/?hl=en

Learn about “a day in a life”: 

A day in the life of 29-year-old star broker McKenzie Ryan, who's closed over $34 million in sales this year — and did her first deal in high school

In this week’s episode, we were joined by the wonderful Tania Diggory. Tania is an entrepreneur, international Burnout Prevention speaker, and both the Founder and Director of Calmer, an award-winning training organization that empowers entrepreneurs, freelancers, and business teams to nurture good mental health and wellbeing.

Having run three different businesses before the age of 30, Tania is passionate about raising awareness about the importance of balancing mental wellbeing with business success.

She has consulted and trained over 300 companies on their mental health and wellbeing strategy, and she joins us on the pod to discuss the events that motivated her to start a company dedicated to putting an end to employee burnout.

We discuss our own experiences, the shame around discussing mental health issues, and Tania shares some tips that can help us all better manage our anxiety.

More on Tania: https://www.thisiscalmer.com/tania-diggory 

Entrepreneur’s Handbook: https://www.thisiscalmer.com/book 

Working from Home Guide: https://www.thisiscalmer.com/wfh-guide 

Ameer Shakeel on founding a $14m+ company that's revolutionizing the future of agriculture.

Ameer Shakeel was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30s list for his work as the CTO and co-founder of AgroSpheres, an eco-friendly company that makes bio-based crop protection that replaces the dangerous pesticides that degrade the environment.

We talk about why and how he started the company, the highs and the challenges that come with entrepreneurship, and goal setting. We also talk about his fascinating journey as an immigrant from his home country of Pakistan, now innovating to shape the future of agriculture in the US.

For more about agrospheres: https://agrospheres.com/

For more about Ameer: https://www.forbes.com/profile/agrospheres/

Or get in touch via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameer-shakeel-39322b126/

Ikigai: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170807-ikigai-a-japanese-concept-to-improve-work-and-life

 Elizabeth Tweedale is the founder of Cypher Coders, the UK’s leading coding school for kids aged 6-12. We cover entrepreneurship, motherhood, and take a deep dive into her 20s to prove just how different everyone’s journey is. She shares some invaluable life lessons and advice for those of us in our 20s keen for a little guidance, and we discuss some of the hurdles faced by women in tech, what we can do to encourage young girls to consider careers in STEM, and she explains why our understanding of “STEM” needs to be broader.  

We also discuss the daunting reality of just how critical coding knowledge is, especially for younger generations, since it’s the foundation on which the future is largely built. Anyone with coding skills can create a website or an online product and reach global markets – the opportunities for those who understand are huge in contrast to those available for those who don’t. 

Cypher Coders Website: https://www.cyphercoders.com/gbr/ 

This week, we discuss Nez's covid-dodging nightmare before Christmas, our new fitness goals, impossible puzzles, and our holiday plans. The festive season is about spending time with family and friends, having fun, relaxing, and celebrating. So, over the next two weeks, we want to share some of our time with you, our listeners! 

Whatever you're doing over the festive season, we hope you enjoy! 

Love, 

Laura and Nerea

Freelance Writer Claire Stapley joins us again, for an episode all about how to build your client base – advice which is really helpful for anyone looking to build their own business, because building and growing a client base is always going to be a must!

Claire became a freelance writer at the young age of just 15. She began to contribute to an online publication as a fashion journalist, before pursuing a BA Hons in Journalism at university. She then landed a marketing role and gained experience in recruitment, before deciding to become her own boss and pursue her love of writing.

To find out what she’s up to, visit her website, at: https://clairestapley.com/

Sabinna Rachimova is the founder of the fair fashion brand SABINNA. She runs a female-led conscious lifestyle brand that offers both products and experiences in a studio retail space in East London, and a knitwear studio in Vienna. 

Sabinna has been featured in publications including Forbes, VOGUE, Huffington post, and, after graduating from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, in London, she worked for the leading Parisian Fashion house Christian Dior and London brand Mary Katrantzou.

Since 2018 she is also a lecturer at the University of Arts London, teaching on the MA Fashion Entrepreneurship & Innovation course. In 2019, Sabinna was named one of Forbes 30under30 DACH. Mic drop.

We learned so much about the world of sustainable fashion in this episode, as well as her incredible journey as a young entrepreneur. 

Taylor writes about topics like creativity, writing, personal growth, and his articles are always verging on philosophical yet scattered with wit. Which, is why I love reading his stuff.

In this episode, he tells me about his experience at a Meditation retreat. We talk about the healing power of out-of-body experiences, our modern detachment from mythology, and the power of storytelling. He also shares his career journey and we find common ground in our belief that working in traditionally blue-collar roles can be a great predictor of career success.

Taylor’s blog: https://foremanjamestaylor.medium.com/

Article: Blue-Collar Is a Better Predictor of Writing Success Than Ivy League

For anyone looking to get philosophical, here’s a fun article based on Taylor’s comment that there are even more possible variations of chess games than there are atoms in the observable universe: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/which-greater-number-of-atoms-universe-or-number-of-chess-moves