Episode 1 - The Pilot

In the finale of Series 1 of the PEP Talks Podcast, the PEP team come together to reflect back on the episodes, topics discussed and what they have taken away from these conversations. A huge thank you to all of our guest speakers who generously gave us their time and shared their experiences for the benefit of our listeners and wider community! Thank you also to all those who have tuned into the series and reached out with feedback and words of encouragement. To keep up to date with all things PEP, make sure you sign up to our mailing list via our website at www.pepcommunity.org and follow our social media platforms: Instagram: @pepldn / LinkedIn: Professional Eritrean Platform / Facebook: Professional Eritrean Platform / Twitter: @pepldn

In this episode, Liah from the PEP Team talks with Efrem Fesshaie about the tools and attitude he has developed which have helped him in paving his career. Efrem has worked through the corporate world to become head of technology in a global corporation leading teams in Asia, Europe and North America.  He has worked in a diverse range of industries such as Automotive, Banking and Oil and Gas. He credits a large part of his success to the work experiences gained at an early age in the various part time jobs; from market stalls to call centres. 

In this episode, we talk with Ruthie Zerai about the habits she has developed for her own career and personal success. Ruthie is a writer, digital media expert and a self-development coach and also one of two co-founders of Eriwellbeing, which helps to promote mental health and wellness in the Eritrean community & beyond. To learn more about Ruthie and her work, check out her website, and the Eriwellbeing Instagram page. Sign up to the PEP mailing list to get the latest episode updates and news.

This podcast episode is in memory of Ato Girmay Keleta, a pillar in the LA and California Eritrean community. He helped establish educational organisations providing youth access to the Eritrean language and culture and more widely served as a dedicated and active mentor to his community. Join Liah from the PEP Team, as she talks with Banna Girmay, founder and creative-director of Mamma Banna. Banna is a lawyer, stylist and Creative Director of Mama Banna, a streetwear brand inspired by the coasts of East Africa and Southern California. Prior to pursuing her interests in fashion, Banna worked as a Securities lawyer at Goldman Sachs and also as a management consultant. She launched Mama Banna in Fall 2019 with the goal of pushing the culture into the future. Currently, you can find her managing all cylinders of Mama Banna from design to branding/marketing, operations and more. Follow Mama Banna via @mamabanna and shop through the website.

In this episode, we were joined by Matt Gebre to talk about personal finances and why we should consider investing. Matt started his career in engineering and later set up an organisation called Habesha Finance, with the mission of helping people to build wealth and ultimately achieve financial independence. In this episode he shares some tips on how we can all start to invest for our futures. Learn more about Habesha Finance through the website and check out Matt's Youtube videos and podcast series. 

In this episode Milena talks to Elsabel, London based entrepreneur and founder of Bahri Fashion and Lifestyle. Elsabel shares her experiences of juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship and provides us with some key insights on how to start a business. Whether you are a parent yourself juggling work and childcare or are about to commence your journey as an entrepreneur, we hope that you take something away from this conversation.

In this episode, Harena talks to Arsema Fessehazion about how to make the most of LinkedIn. Arsema is a London-based recruitment consultant operating within the financial and technology markets in the UK. She shares some of her top tips on how you can elevate your LinkedIn profile and job hunting efforts. Whether you’re looking for a new role or want to expand your network, we hope you take away something from this conversation. To connect with Arsema please visit her LinkedIn profile.

In this episode Liah talks with Samer (aka Spongenuity) about how he forged a space in the generative art field alongside working as a software engineer. Samer is a lead software engineer and a generative artist based in the UK. By day he leads a team at ARM, but when he's not at work, Samer uses his technical knowledge to create art installations and portraits using projection mapping and robotics. His works can be seen in hotels in New York and Barcelona as well as homes around the world. Find out more about Spongenuity via the website and Instagram at @spongenuity. The Coding Train videos mentioned in the episode can be found here.

In this episode, Milena from the PEP Team speaks with Dr Mikal Woldu, an anthropologist who recently completed her PhD at SOAS University of London. Her doctoral research explores the experiences of first- and second-generation Eritreans in London and Milan, and it examines the role that migration policies have on their experiences. With a passion for mental health, Mikal is also the co-founder of Eriwellbeing, a social media platform created with her dear friend and cofounder Ruthie Zerai, to fight the silence and stigma around mental health in the Eritrean community. You can connect with Mikal through her social media handle @mikal_miki and find out more about her mental health advocacy work on @eriwellbeing. Sign up to the PEP mailing list to get the latest episode updates and news.

The PEP team co-leads Harena and Liah introduce how PEP came into existence including their individual inspirations. the antics of the first event and what to expect from the rest of the series!  Website: www.pepcommunity.org  Facebook: PEP- Professional Eritrean Platform  LinkedIn: Professional Eritrean Platform  Instagram: @pepldn  Twitter: @pepldn