The christinethomasz's Podcast

Stephen Paul with Alex a student from North Durham Academy | Accountant

Stephen Paul talks with Y12 student Alex, who is interested in studying finance. Stephen tells us about the reality of accounting, the different aspects of accounting, the future of the profession and how COVID may have changed this forever. Listen to hear about how accounting may not be what you thought!

Rachel Habergham | Programme Head in NHS

Rachel Habergham leads some of the largest projects in the NHS, creating services that help all of us on a daily basis. Her current focus is health data but all roles have strong links to project and programme management with a good dose of stakeholder engagement. She also has a passion for ensuring our working environment is truly inclusive so everybody can thrive, including serving as Chair of the Women's Network at NHS Digital. This network supports women in this cutting-edge technology organisation. She brings to this her personal experience as a professional woman bringing up children, including a daughter with autism.

Rosalie Epstein | Beautician and Drama School

Rosalie Epstein’s dream of being an actor took her to study drama at degree level, to Hollywood, LA to study and Lee Strasburg Theatre and Film Institute. What she also describes to us is the realisation that she preferred behind the scenes. It was the makeup that truly inspired her, and how this led to her career as a beautician. She gives lots of helpful tips and advice for how to approach and manage a career in the beauty industry.

Andrea McGuigan | Apprenticeships

Andrea McGuigan provides information about apprenticeships, what they can entail and how great an option it can be. A bitesize clip for those interested in apprenticeships!

Gary Scott | Business Support

Gary Scott has led the Do Business Network for many years. One of the reasons he was so successful at running a business network was because he has so many of his own experiences in business to share with others. Gary tells us all about the jobs he has done over the years and he shares with us what he has learned from his experiences. He also gives young people some great advice about how they can advance their own careers.

Nathaniel J Thompson | Commercial Filmmaker, Fashion Designer

Nathaniel shares his experiences in a variety of roles. He is a commercial filmmaker, specialising in school videos. He tells us about his degree and internship as a fashion designer. He also describes working as a teaching assistant and how he had to persevere and re-sit his Maths and English Language at GCSE to truly realise his ambitions. There is lots of great advice and life lessons for young people interested in exploring their creativity.

Jo Sandiford | Speech Therapist and Senior Lecturer

Jo Sandiford describes the career of a Speech Therapist and the opportunities this career has brought, from working in the NHS, travelling to Madagascar and now being a senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett university and doing a PhD. A great insight into a healthcare career you may not know much about.

Matthew Barton | Haines Watts

Matthew Barton joined the Leeds office of Haines Watts as a graduate trainee in 2007. Matthew describes his journey where he started as a graduate trainee and how he has worked his way up to being general practice manager and Associate Partner in October 2018. He describes his various roles over the years and the many opportunities Haines Watts have given him to develop within the profession. Matthew covers all areas of general practice across  the firm and therefore provides young people with a brilliant insight into the world of finance and ways to develop personally as well as make a difference in this field of work.

James Ibbitson | Filmmaker

James had a variety of jobs as a youngster, but eventually decided that it was filmmaking that was the career that he wanted to pursue. Having achieved a First class degree, he found getting work difficult without the experience behind him, this led him into setting up his own film making company and he has gone from strength to strength. He specialises in commercial films for companies and training films. He has also produced some excellent films for Building Self-Belief. He is a great example of how, if you really work for it, you can achieve your professional goals in life.

Victoria Phillips | Animal Nutritionist

Victoria Phillips describes how she has made a career out of her love of animals. She did not take the traditional veterinary route, she decided that looking and developing animal feed and ensuring animals were as well cared for as they could possibly be by becoming an animal nutritionist. This role involves auditing the places that feed their food to animals as well as creating the recipes for the animals themselves. Victoria has gone on to set up her own business called Apheya. This is an excellent example of a little known career that young people can investigate if they would like to work with animals in the future.