You Want To Do What?

We chat with Professor Chris Newman about life as a space lawyer and academic. Chris has had a love for all things space since he can remember, after deciding that his skill set was more focused on written and verbal communication as opposed to maths and engineering he pursued a career within legal academia. With the commercialisation of space, space law is being discussed in a way that it hasn't been before, with billions and billions of dollars of investment being pumped into our exploration of the final frontier by hundreds of businesses and governments. We are right at the start of the space law industry and their is a huge opportunity to be one of the first people to help form the law which will govern our exploration of space, there has never been a better time to pursue a career within space law or academia. Chris is incredibly passionate about the subject and offers some fantastic advice to anyone thinking of a career in practice or academia, Jules and i thoroughly enjoyed this one. 

We chat with Kier Wenham Flatt about life as a Strength and Conditioning coach for professional sports teams. Kier started out with the dream of becoming a professional rugby player but as many of us will have found out its not an easy thing to achieve. Having decided that playing professional rugby was not going to be his path Kier decided that he still wanted to be involved with high level team sport and having developed a love for the gym decided to focus his energy into becoming a strength and conditioning coach. Kier has had quite the career so far working with teams such as Wasps, London Scottish, Los Pumas (Argentina) and Sydney Roosters in the NRL, he has worked with players at the top of their profession as well as traveling the world being involved with a sport he loves. Kier gives a really honest insight into the world of professional sports coaching in general, their is so much more that goes into your job than just training the players, if your thinking about entering into this kind of career or studying this or a similar degree at university id highly suggest giving this a listen for both the positives and potential negatives of the role, as well as some advice as to how you can stand out once you leave university and go into the job market.  

We chat with Frederic Aranda about life as a portrait photographer. Frederic came over to the UK to study Japanese at Oxford university and having already started to develop a love for portraiture he joined the photography clubs at the university which gave him access to the dark room and allowed him to hone his craft. Over the years Frederic has taken some immense photos and worked with people at the height of their careers such as Pharrell Williams, Sir Ian McKellen, Dina Asher Smith and even HRH Prince Philip to name but a few. Frederic also takes stunning group photos, such as the now famous shot of all of the Vogue editors from across the globe, we talk about how he managed to pull this off and have it ready for release in thirty minutes! A pleasure to chat with Frederic and to learn about what it takes to be a the top of your game in the world of portrait photography, as usual some brilliant and honest advice for those thinking about entering into the industry.  

We chat with Tim Maddams about life as a Chef, Author and Podcaster. Tim has always had a passion for food which he developed from a young age watching his mum create fantastic dishes from local ingredients. Tim's food ethos is all about locally grown and responsibly sourced ingredients, he talks us through his career at a number of different establishments, from working for Marco Pierre White in London to his four year stint at River Cottage alongside Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Tim gives a very honest account about his time in the industry, it is by no means an easy career path to take, and when Tim was starting out in the industry there was certainly an expectation that as a chef you would devote every waking second to your work which would often strain relationships at home and lead to burn out very quickly. Professional kitchens have changed a lot since Tim left with more and more establishments valuing their staff, paying them more fairly and creating environments that foster growth. Tim gives some brilliant advice to any aspiring chefs, from knowing your own value to finding a place of work that will foster your passion for food and help to increase your skill set. Being a chef Its a tough career path, with lots of ups and downs but if you have a passion for food and the drive to do well, it can be incredibly rewarding. A real pleasure to chat with Tim.  

We chat with India about life as a Sommelier and wine blogger. India was born in Italy and moved over to the Netherlands when she was very young, but being from an Italian family meant that she was exposed to wine culture from the get go, being allowed to try a drop of wine mixed with water on the odd occasion at dinner. It wasn't until India was twenty one that she really got into wine, after attending her first wine course she realised she had a real passion for the industry. From then on India continued to grow her knowledge of wine and the industry itself, working as a sommelier in Amsterdam as well as starting her own wine blog which is called Winespicegirl where India writes about wines and her adventures from all across the world. India's approach to wine is very modern, its all about being inviting, inclusive and most importantly fun. If your thinking about entering into the world of wine, this chat has some great advice about how to get started and how to progress. 

We chat with Jake Meyer about life as a Mountaineer and Adventurer. Jake has had a passion for mountaineering since he was about fourteen and once he caught the adventure bug he set his sights on some pretty lofty goals from the get go, deciding that he would aim to be the youngest person to complete the "seven summits" (the highest mountain on each continent) completing the task got of to a pretty good start, seeing in the new millennium from the summit of Kilimanjaro at the age of fifteen. Jake completed his challenge on the 4th June 2005 at the age of twenty one becoming the youngest Britain to climb Everest and the youngest man in the world to complete the seven summits. Jake holds numerous other mountaineering records as well. Jake does all of this as well as having a day job in management consulting and being an officer in the British Army reserves, to top it off he even finds the time to do charity work for Walking with the wounded. What our chat with Jake offers is an example of someone who's career has taken a number of twists and turns and the skill set that Jake has used to progress from one opportunity to the next, while keeping his passion for climbing burning in the background. Jake gives out loads of great advice about the mountaineering industry, from how to get started, the career paths you can take as well as how to go about getting funding for your expeditions. It was a real pleasure to chat with Jake, he's incredibly driven and motivating. A huge congratulations to Jake for being awarded a BEM on this years Honours list for his services to mountaineering, young people and charity.   

We chat with Dan Rumsey about life as a Zookeeper and conservationist. Dan talks about his love for reptiles and animals of all shapes and sizes and how he was able to take that passion and turn it into an amazing career. Dans career has taken him all over the world, helping with conservation projects as well as observing some of the animals he looks after in the zoo in their natural environment which helps Dan to provide as natural an environment as possible at the zoo. We chat about the positives and negatives of the industry, everything from salary expectations, to people management, to admin, to the amazing opportunities to travel and work with amazing animals everyday, as well as dealing with the loss of animals that you take care of everyday. If your as passionate about animals and conservation as Dan is and you are thinking about becoming a zookeeper, then this is a must listen, Dan gives out some brilliant advice about getting into the industry and progressing. A real pleasure to chat with Dan who clearly loves his job and wouldn't change it for the world. 

We chat with Carla Grace about life as a wildlife artist, having grown up all over Africa Carla was exposed to some amazing wildlife right on her door step which would later influence her brand as an artist. Carla's Grandma is a landscape painter so a love of art runs in her family, at the age of seven Carla's Grandma gave her, her first art lesson on how to draw a vase, Carla drew it so well that her grandma decided she didn't need anymore lessons. Carla gives a very honest account about the realities of becoming an artist from the years it takes to develop your brand and build up demand for your work to the stresses of running a small business. If your an aspiring artist then this is a must listen, Carla gives some brilliant advice for getting started and building up your name, finding inspiration and what to do when you can't find inspiration as well as the business side you need to develop to make a living from your passion. 

We chat with Mark Thompson about life as a scientific broadcaster and Author. Marks Broadcasting career is a really interesting example of creating opportunity for yourself. Mark never studied a scientific subject formally at university, but from the age of ten he developed a real passion for science and specifically astronomy having joint a local astronomy club, which would come together to learn about the wonders of space. Mark started his career in the media industry presenting some scientific segments on the One Show, which lead to being a presenter on Stargazing live along side Brain cox and Dara O'Briain. Recently Mark had been touring his spectacular science show around theatres all across the UK, (the show consists of an hour of live scientific experiments on stage), as well as presenting his own podcast called "Pocket Astronomer" in which mark guides listeners around the night sky. We really enjoyed chatting to mark because he has been relentless in pursing his passion for science despite not having a formal eduction in the subject, it goes to show you that if you work hard and create opportunities for yourself the world is your oyster.  

We chat with Steve Woods about life as a wildlife photographer. Steve has had an amazing career to date, having worked in sports and press photography for national newspapers in the UK. Steve wanted to use his photography skill set as a force for good and to aid in conservation efforts, so he moved over to Canada and has been working as a conservation photographer ever since. Steve is incredibly lucky to live in a country with such a huge plethora of amazing photographers who regularly come together to go on trips around Canada and the world taking amazing photographs as well as helping each other to learn and grow. Steve gives a brilliant account of life as a photographer in the modern era, with the advent of social media and platforms such as youtube, showcasing your skill set to millions of people and potential clients has never been easier, but that also means that it is an incredible competitive industry, but also a very helpful and giving industry. Being a photographer requires a certain amount of patience and a keen eye for composition, Steve talks very honestly about the positives and negatives of the industry a must listen for any budding photographers, it sounds like a fantastic time to get involved in the world of photography.