Keep It Quirky podcast

Patricia Niven is a photographer who specializes in food, the people who grow it, cook it, and eat it -- and the interconnectedness therein. In this episode, we talk about how to find your creative "thing" (following your interests each step of the way), and also pushing yourself to continue reaching for new things (she does a 90-day checkin with herself, introspecting on what she's accomplished and what new pursuits she will start action on in the following 90 days).

She arrived in London on a one-way ticket from Australia 21 years ago. In her early years in London, alongside being a photographic assistant, she photographed within the music scene. Highlights included shooting portraits of musicians such as Jill Scott, Amy Winehouse & Cyprus Hill, documenting club nights in Brixton, and traveling to post-genocide Rwanda to document survivors, musicians, politicians & entrepreneurs.

She’s won many awards, from places like the Association of Photographers, the Pink Lady Food Photography Awards, and the Sunday Times Food Book of the Year award for her work with the Honey & Co cookbook, which is an all-time favorite. She’s also worked on cookbooks by Jack Monroe, including the photography for 3 of Jack’s book covers (and the photography for one full book) and the #CookforSyria book, which was a global project organised by Clerkenwell Boy.

Aside from her work in publishing and with restaurants, she also does portrait work and brand work...which all can, of course, be wrapped up into the topic of food! Her art has been exhibited everywhere from V&A Museum to the National Portrait Gallery.

“Do a thing you love and believe in.” - Patricia Niven

There's another special guest in this episode! At the top of the episode, I introduce you all to Mark Dyck, the host of the podcast "Rise Up," which is a podcast for bakers. I was so stoked when Mark agreed to hop on a call with me to share his passion for baking and to talk about his show. You can check that out here: https://riseuppod.com/

PATRICIA NIVEN

https://www.patricianiven.com/

@patricianiven

@thechickensoupproject

KATIE QUINN

@qkatie

KEEP IT QUIRKY PODCAST

@keepitquirkypodcast

Sign up for my monthly e-newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dNtAx2

Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julian George epitomizes the term “creative entrepreneur.” He runs a creative house, Made by Humans, and the company Chef Signatures, which includes videography, photography, and representation for chefs. Julian describes his background -- being raised in Southeast London primarily by his mother, an immigrant to England from Sierra Leone, and how he was on the lawyer path until his early twenties, when he became curious in media production. 

He started out at IMG Studios, followed by an in-house editing role at Discovery. He wrote and co-produced a short film which won an

award and he also founded a digital magazine, The Maior Magazine, which went on to win an award. He's worked with some of the most renowned figures in the hospitality industry and forged a reputation as a highly respected food photographer and videographer.

Throughout his career, he has consistently worked two concurrent jobs -- usually the one day job to pay the bills, and the added job to explore his newest passion. Even when the passion project has become the day job (as it often did, because Julian is a really talented guy), he never stopped chasing his next interest, following his next vision. “If I have the idea, I will find a way to try and execute it.” A father of two young girls, he also talks about how fatherhood has helped him prioritize his creative projects. 

“If I have an idea, I don’t look at the boundaries, I just say let’s go.” 

Julian is a great person, and his perspective on his career -- “I’m in it for the learning” -- is such a refreshing and necessary outlook adjustment. I hope you like this episode!

JULIAN GEORGE

http://www.madebyhumans.london/

@chefsignatures on Instagram

KATIE QUINN

@qkatie

KEEP IT QUIRKY PODCAST

@keepitquirkypodcast

Sign up for my monthly e-newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dNtAx2

Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrice Poltzer is the founder of Patrice Poltzer Creative, a boutique video production company, and she also runs successful video storytelling bootcamps and teaches masterclasses on similar topics. 

As a self-described “late bloomer,” Patrice shares her story with us, in which she has consistently taken risks, and each risk (whether it ‘succeeded’ or ‘failed’) catapulted her into the next phase of her career. “Get comfortable taking risks,” she says.

She also talks about how an element of success is a numbers game, about how stagnancy is the death of creativity. She busts the myth that someone is “born to be an entrepreneur” and she shares practical, useful techniques to jump start your own initiative. Ever heard that motherhood is the end to your career in media? Well, Patrice is proof that not only is that completely false, but she shares how being a parent launched the best things that have happened in her professional life.

I’ve known Patrice for years now and it’s been a joy to see her journey first-hand, I think you’ll really enjoy this conversation. Patrice is an open book -- learn from her pages! :)

PATRICE POLTZER

Instagram: @patricepoltzer

To Sign up for her free Masterclass on Video Storytelling: https://event.webinarjam.com/register/23/9vlo7s6

KEEP IT QUIRKY

Instagram: @keepitquirkypodast, Host: @qkatie

www.keepitquirkypodcast.com

Subscribe to the monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dNtAx2

Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jen Phanomrat is an on-camera food personality -- one half of the food & lifestyle video company Just Eat Life. You may recognize Jen from her work with Tastemade, including her hit show Just Jen. She also won an episode on Food Network's Chopped! (She and I competed against each other on that episode ... and she totally deserved that win!)

Jen's a dear friend of mine, and I've wanted her have her on the podcast for so long. I'm thrilled to bring you all this conversation because there are so many gems about life as a creative entrepreneur in here. Jen's path is one of courage and persistence, and I hope you find it as inspirational as I do.

Follow her: @jeneatslife on Instagram, and on YouTube --> https://www.youtube.com/user/JustEatLifeTV

Follow the host @qkatie on instagram, and to follow the podcast it’s @keepitquirkypodcast

Subscribe to the monthly QKatie e-newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dNtAx2

Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oneika Raymond is the woman behind “Oneika the Traveller” -- the blog and Instagram platform -- and she’s also a video host personality and international speaker.

This episode was originally posted in 2017 when Oneika and I had just finished shooting a video series together in the USA. It was episode #2 of this podcast!! I LOVE this episode, and am reposting it to give it new life now, as it is just as relevant right now as it was then. If you enjoy this podcast, you will LOVE this episode. Relistening to it made me feel inspired and in awe of my amazing friend Oneika all over again. 

In this conversation, we talk about travel (of course) and how it’s important for Oneika, as a Jamaican-Canadian, to represent diversity in the travel sector, she doesn’t see much of other people who look like her. We talk about being your own brand, the importance of being open to hard discussions online, and maintaining grace. She reminds us to operate from a position of “can” rather than “can’t.”

ONEIKA RAYMOND

@oneikatraveller

www.oneikathetraveller.com

KEEP IT QUIRKY

@keepitquirkypodcast

@qkatie

Subscribe to the monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dNtAx2

Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kirby Broadnax has years of experience as a mediator, conflict coach, community-builder and facilitator. She has her Masters degree in Conflict Transformation -- which is a field of study similar to Conflict Resolution, but is a bit more all-encompassing and holistic in solving the issues at hand. 

Kirby is one of my dearest friends, we go way back, and over the years she has opened my eyes on many occasions by sharing her experiences as a black woman in America. It sounds trite to say, but she truly is wise beyond her years. She’s had an enormous impact on my life.

The first part of this conversation focuses on the scope of Conflict Transformation and how she was drawn to that field of study and work. We discuss appreciative inquiry and creative ways to address conflict, AND generating excitement around things that are possible. The second part of the conversation is a discussion more specifically around this moment we’re living in, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death and how we can make a difference on an individual level, as well as the difference between intention and impact.

You can follow Kirby on Instagram @kevab325. 

RESOURCES (thanks to Kirby!):

Tips for how to have conversations about racism, and also gives good guidelines for difficult conversations in general: 

https://www.dosomething.org/us/articles/our-role-as-non-black-people-of-color-in-disrupting-racism

A+F George Floyd Uprisings Collaborative Resources List: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PCei7GtQQnnnID9D5AguUTTwj_VAvNtgqXlPzSngIZg/edit?usp=sharing

Donations (monetary, and supplies): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MBb0zD1Q35pugvhbmj-Ao8LKd9KsZe0QRqAEWBiMMKs/edit?usp=sharing

Books:

• Emergent Strategy - Adrienne Maree Brown
• I’ve Got the Light of Freedom - Charles Payne
• Hope & Healing in Urban Education - Shawn Ginwright
• Little Book of Race & Restorative Justice - Fania Davis
• Are Prisons Obsolete? - Angela Davis
• Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-based change -- Sherri Mitchell
• Beyond Survival: Stories and Strategies from the Transformative Justice Movement -- edited by Ejeris Dixon and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna Samarasinha

To follow this podcast on Instagram: @keepitquirkypodcast, and to follow the host Katie Quinn: @qkatie. 

Subscribe to Katie’s monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dNtAx2

Thanks to musician @bqfunk for the podcast theme song!

Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dina Begum is a British Bangladeshi cook and writer. She’s the author of “The Brick Lane” cookbook, a member of the Guild of Food Writers, and she’s hosted Bangladeshi pop ups at Darjeeling Express, as part of their #WomenInFood series. 

In this episode, we talk about how she found her groove in the food world and the events that led up to her being one of the foremost spokespeople for Bangladeshi cuisine. “This is my time to cook my way out of grief,” she says. We also talk about the importance of distinguishing Bangladeshi cuisine rather than lumping it in with all other SouthEast Asian cuisines as “Indian food.” “I think it’s about embracing everything,” she says, when she describes how she adores both Bangladeshi food and British cuisine, “I LOVE baking, and there’s nothing more British than that!”

Dina came on my YouTube channel previously and showed us how to make lentil fritters, or dhaler bora: https://youtu.be/VuHEQCBKwMo

She’s got a wonderful story and she’s full of so much passion and hope, it’s absolutely contagious! I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed talking with her.

DINA BEGUM:

@dinasfoodstory

https://www.youtube.com/dinasfoodstory

The Brick Lane Cookbook: https://www.kitchenpress.co.uk/portfolio-item/brick-lane/

KATIE QUINN/KEEP IT QUIRKY PODCAST:

@qkatie

youtube.com/TheQKatie

@keepitquirkypodcast

Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ned Palmer is author of the book A Cheesemonger’s History of the British Isles, and he's the man behind The Cheese Tasting Company. Ned describes himself as a freelance cheesemonger; his passion for cheese is only equalled with his passion for jazz, philosophy, and theater--which are all fields he has also worked in! The convergence of these things led to a very interesting conversation about cheese, which looks at the foodstuff in ways you've probably never considered!

Ned is fascinating, and his passion for cheese and life are palpable. Enjoy the show!

NED PALMER:

@cheesetastingco

cheesetastingco.uk

A Cheesemonger’s History of the British Isles

KATIE QUINN/KEEP IT QUIRKY PODCAST:

@qkatie

youtube.com/TheQKatie

@keepitquirkypodcast

Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ravneet Gill is a London pastry chef who is behind the wildly popular pop-up Puff Bakery (with her partner Nicola Lamb), she started the technology company CounterTalk to be a community for people in the hospitality industry, and just released a cookbook called "The Pastry Chef's Guide."

She's worked as pastry chef in restaurants as impressive as Michelin-starred St. John Restaurant ... the head chef there, Fergus Henderson has said that she's not only incredibly talented, but is exceptional at nurturing a positive environment in any place she works.

Her bio says it well: "Ravneet Gill is a bonafide badass and her drive to cut through the crap and not take the accepted norms of the food world lying down is being applauded throughout the industry."

We talk about how she gets cheeky with her desserts, the pros and cons of going to culinary (cookery) school, what inspired her to start CounterTalk in the first place, how she got her book deal, and starting an inspired cookie revolution during quarantine.

Rav says, "follow a few rules and break a few rules,” -- in pastry, and in life. She truly knows how to KEEP IT QUIRKY!

Follow Ravneet Gill:

@ravneeteats

@countertalk

@puffthebakery

Her book: The Pastry Chef's Guide (so good!)

Follow Katie Quinn:

@qkatie

@keepitquirkypodcast

www.youtube.com/TheQKatie

Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've wanted to have my mom as a guest on the podcast ever since I first had the idea to do it, and I'm thrilled to say that today's the day!!

My mom, Susan Quinn, is so many amazing things rolled into one. She's just retired from a very successful career as an optometrist (yes, she's the original Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman!), but also throws herself into organizations to better our world. She is a passionate gardener and bread baker, and I knew we'd have a fun conversation for all of you to be a part of, too.

We talk about how she began her entrepreneurial career (partners in small business with my dad), and investing ourselves in the world in a way that makes us feel proud to be a part of our communities. We talk about that to-do list that's looming over so many of us in COVID isolation and how to deal with it, and we even get a special guest appearance from my 95-year-old grandma :) Three generation on the podcast at once!

Happy Mother's Day (in the US) -- to my mom and all the moms out there. <3 <3 <3

Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.