The christinethomasz's Podcast

Alan Swinburne | Consett Heritage

Alan worked at the Steelworks for 17 years in the Technical Research Dept. Over the last 20 years he has researched the History of the Steelworks given several talks about his memories of his life at the Works. He also has an extensive collection of photographs and memorabilia from the steelworks. Many of the talks have been to the members of the community to tell them about the heritage of the area. This project is a perfect opportunity for Alan to share his memories and ensure the history of the steelworks lives on.

Andy Tait | Videographer/Photographer

Andy tells us all about his journey through his formal education in Music, his few years working at call centres and his work as a part time photographer. Andy's change of professional direction through studying a masters in IT and software did not lead him to the to the career he had anticipated, but resulted in him working in the creative arts as a filmmaker. Please take a listen, Andy offers some great advice to young people about their career choices.

Helen Cowan | Founder of The Tall Wall and Executive Coach

Helen describes how her positions at KPMG evolved into her creating her own company as a collective of executive coaches. She gives young people brilliant advice about how to create a positive approach to embarking on a career. Most notably 'If you don't ask, you don't get'. Take a listen and get some expert career coaching tips from Helen.

Tim Mallon | Tax Specialist

Tim gives us an interesting insight into the variety of career paths that can be chosen when considering Accountancy as a career. He describes how being forced to go out of his comfort zone was the making of his professional career and he has some great advice for young people who need some assurances about the best steps to take on the threshold of their own career choices.

Nathalie Paris | Geordie French Storyteller

Nathalie's personal and professional journey from France to England is an inspiration for young people who are tempted to take the leap to go abroad to study. She tells us about how her career as a French teacher and England had evolved into her own unique brand of French Geordie storytelling. Nathalie gives us a brilliant insight into how speaking a variety of languages can lead to a fulfilling career.

Ben Gilhepsy | Director of Operations

Ben tells us all about his journey from working in the labs, doing the job he thought he wanted to do, to how his professional life took a different turn where he realised his real skills were managing people. Ben has worked in industry for many years and as part of his role has supported lots of professionals and young people in their quests to work in engineering. He also has some great advice for young people embarking on careers in engineering and STEM subjects as well as  the role of apprenticeships in the modern workplace.

Ann English | Digital Communicator

Ann's career in marketing spans the opening of the Metro Centre and the need for a new approach to attract visitors in the 1980. She then goes on to describe how her ideas and skills in marketing have evolved over time,  in particular her new found confidence in public speaking. Ann's journey through marketing is a brilliant insight into how some things have changed in this industry, but how many of the core ideas remain the same. For anyone interested in embarking on a career in marketing, listen to Ann, she gives some great advice.

Melanie Cant | Social Media and Web Design

Melanie tells us all about the different roles she has had in the workplace, and how she is particularly proud of how she left a full time job to set up her own business as Elm Marketing. She is now an award winning web designer who also specialises in social media marketing. Melanie is a classic example of someone who has retrained and carved a career for herself in something that when she entered the job market as a teenager, these roles did not even exist. She gives young people excellent advice about marketing and web design, and is a great example of how being adaptable and hard working can bring a great deal of success.

Lauren Brown | Junior Doctor

Dr Lauren Brown gives us a brilliant insight into the role of a junior doctor. Her journey through the application process for Medicine, the course, the choices within the course, the opportunities to work abroad and the social events that support the success of the students. She explains the many different career paths that can be taken and gives us an insight into her own career choices now that she is a qualified doctor.

Kate McGuigan | Youth Work and Teaching Early Years

Kate McGuigan, our young trustee has had numerous experiences before deciding what she wanted to do in her career. She describes the mistakes she made as well as the fabulous experiences that put her career back on track. She has worked as a teaching assistant a youth worker and her work in McDonald's! She is now training to be an early year’s teacher and loving her new profession in teaching.