Progress

Em Burnip is passionate about nature and the environment and when her daughter Grace was born she matched her business skills with her values to create Eco Wedding Festivals.But taking control of her own career path was less straightforward than simply setting up an eco-business while she was on maternity leave. She had developed a secure, good, if not always satisfying, career as a personal assistant and events executive for a Big 4 consulting firm for 17 years, with a special interest in sustainability. Her efforts to get into a sustainability-led role were always thwarted, however, until she was given a nudge to find her own niche as an eco-entrepreneur. With a small child to consider she paused before making taking a leap and making the necessary sacrifices to move forward.Em advises people who want to secure a green job or to become an eco-entrepreneur to first find out what they are good at, to put in research and start connecting with people in the field they want to work in. From her own viewpoint, while she is passionate about nature and biodiversity, she considered where her skills and training would be best used, knowing that she didn’t want to spend the rest of her working life in a job she didn’t enjoy. As she puts it: “At what point do I go for something that I really believe in and love?” Having her daughter Grace put perspective around that decision, as she considered what she would say to her own child when she was making future career choices. “I’d rather she was happy in a job and loved it than earning lots and not being happy,” says Em, who gives credit to Helen Jennings-Petz and Kerry North for the nudges and support. Grace, now aged 10, currently wants to be a marine biologist. Em talks about the importance of teaching young children about the environment in a way that doesn’t scare them. She believes in helping people discover the green jobs they'll find in every sector and she volunteers at an eco learning charity, Greener Stourport, and completed a course in environmental studies at the Open University. Em explains that as people are becoming more eco-conscious, they are demanding more sustainable choices to spend their own money on. But weddings are notoriously expensive and it is possible to buy cheap unsustainable alternatives online. She delivers the shocking statistic that the average UK wedding has a carbon footprint similar to the annual footprint of a UK family of four – and there are around a quarter of a million weddings in the UK alone.Em encourages couples who want to put the planet on their guest list to come to one of her Eco Wedding Festivals to speak to eco-friendly, ethical businesses as they showcase their offerings. Done right, it makes for a music-filled fun day out with sample food from caterers, displays from florists, and a chance to meet sustainable suppliers in beautiful venues. Links mentioned in this episode:Eco Wedding Festivals Greener StourportYou might also like to listen to:Dr Jess Tipton, head of the National Education Nature Park S6 E1Beccy Dickson, co-founder of Branded Bio and eco entrepreneur S3 E12Don Weatherbee, CEO RegenX S3 E7Shaheer Hafeez, Director of sustainability advisory at KPMG S3 E2Lydia Carrington, sustainability manager at Edgbaston Stadium S2 E1About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Fraser invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastOriginal content © Sandra FraserOriginal music © Lyze KessellEmail: [email protected]'s guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.We've interviewed all kinds of people in interesting roles.You'll hear from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. You'll also hear about jobs you may never have known existed, such as green comedians, serious games creators, city planners, garden planners, and green data centre champions.Subscribe to Progress wherever you usually listen for inspiring stories and insights into brilliant career ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Holly Westgarth-Graham has returned to her studies after a spell working as an intern for sustainable travel company Byway, the flight-free holiday platform. She explains how her course is helping her carve out her own future, bringing ethical and eco-storytelling together with ethical innovation and strategic foresight, which she is specialising in, along with AI implementation, at Edinburgh Futures Institute.Influenced by Byway Travel colleagues such as Kurt Henderson, a polymath designer, musician and eco-traveller, and business founder and CEO Cat Jones, plus COO Holly Clarke and CTO Richard Levy, (as well as many others), Holly talks about learning to call on interdisciplinary skills, artistic and scientific, when she started her internship. She also explains more about expanding her knowledge with a Masters, with the help of mentors such as Joshua Ryan Saha, plus her expectations of future employers. Holly thinks back to when her eyes were opened to greenwashing by a trip to Tanzania as a 16-year-old, and discusses the benefits of travel, plus finding her core values as she has studied and grown.Influenced by wisdom from her dad, who says there's no such thing as time wasted seeking knowledge, Holly teaches music, and finds that, plus art and connecting with nature, help her retain her optimism and energy.Holly's progress will definitely be one to watch as her career unfolds.Mentioned in this podcastUniversity of York literatureUniversity of Edinburgh MSc Narrative futures, art, data and societyByway TravelVisit AarhusAarhus UniversityYou might also like to listen to:Johnathon Miller-McCall, science communicator and conservationist S5 E6Kurt Henderson, senior product designer, Byway Travel S2 E4Connor Cashell, campaigns officer Cycling UK S5 E5Stuart Mabbutt, nature, learning campaigner and teacher Part 1 S3 E3About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Fraser discusses pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities with her guests and asks for their real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to their purposeful life.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastLinkedIn: ProGRESS, the green, values-led careers podcastOriginal content © Sandra FraserOriginal music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello [@] mypro-gress.comProgress's guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.We've interviewed all kinds of people in interesting roles.You'll hear from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. You'll also hear about jobs you may never have known existed, such as green comedians, serious games creators, city planners, garden planners, and green data centre champions.Subscribe to Progress wherever you usually listen for inspiring stories and insights into brilliant career ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode drops in January, traditionally the month when people quit their jobs or evaluate whether what they are doing is the right thing for them.As an independent career coach alongside working as head of Change Agents UK's People and Placements team, Elspeth Yates helps people find their purpose in green careers.She encourages them to look at their existing skills and examine how they might use them in a company more in line with their values, or enables them to bring their values to the workplace they're already in.In this episode, Elspeth talks about the importance of not ignoring those values, because we spend so much of our time working and deserve to be happy there. She remembers how a chance meeting at a careers fair boosted her own start in working life when she was fresh out of university and her surprising path to a role that now does so much for sustainability professionals.Elspeth reveals how her own happy nature and positive outlook were labelled a negative because it made her look less professional and why she’s an optimist.Find out how Elspeth came to recognise the new opportunities she could bring to other people by delivering talks, and combining working at Change Agents with one-to-one coaching and business workshops.Passionate about the environment and sustainability, Elspeth shares how she maintains her own energy when she's juggling all her different roles and whizzing around the country and internationally. Listen out for key tips for finding your way if you're looking for a change of direction and job. Even if you’re not seeking change, there’s plenty in Elspeth’s experience to leave you feeling uplifted and positive about making a difference, however small.Mentioned in this podcastElspeth Yates Coaching Happy HumansChange Agents UKUniversity of Leicester GeologyTime TeamSimon Sinek – Start with Why Group GTI graduate careers hubYou might also like to listen to:Shaheer Hafeez, ACA, Director of ESG and Climate Risk, KPMG S3 E2Sarah Flynn, psychologist, author and human sustainability coach S5 E8Matteo Menapace, serious ethical games designer S5 E7Glen Burrows, photographer, disrupter, regenerative food entrepreneur S2 E5Duncan Goose, founder of Global Ethics and One Water S1 E10About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Fraser discusses pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities with her guests and asks for their real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to their purposeful life.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastLinkedIn: ProGRESS, the green, values-led careers podcastOriginal content © Sandra FraserOriginal music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello [@] mypro-gress.comProgress's guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.We've interviewed all kinds of people in interesting roles.You'll hear from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. You'll also hear about jobs you may never have known existed, such as green comedians, serious games creators, city planners, garden planners, and green data centre champions.Subscribe to Progress wherever you usually listen for inspiring stories and insights into brilliant career ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you land a job at a bank that creates positive social, environmental and cultural change? And how do you get to hear about banks like Triodos in the first place?Whitni Thomas, the daughter of missionaries (her father is a vicar), says that she never meant to go into banking.Yet she landed a plum (and highly sought-after) graduate role at JP Morgan, despite telling her careers advisor at university that she did not want a corporate career and she didn't want to work in New York.But one day, stopping and pausing, she realised her job wasn't fulfilling and Whitni set about finding something that aligned with her values - the values she was brought up with.She pivoted, thinking her future lay in development work, took on a role in Mexico with two grassroots organisations that provided microcredit to marginalised women and from there went on to work with fair trade organisations.From there, she went to study for a masters in development studies at London School of Economics and Political Science, gaining a distinction.So what's different about Triodos and why has Whitni been there for two decades?At the time, it was a small organisation, based in the Netherlands. Though it's still not a mainstream name in the UK, it is well-known as a 'green' bank there, offering complete transparency so there are no nasty surprises if you're an investor or choose to bank with the organisation. Now there are 100,000 customers who want to put their money into an organisation with values-led guiding principles.On top of her day job, Whitni believes in putting something back into society, locally and further afield and says she has learned so much from being a trustee at several foundations, including those with Quaker-based principles such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.Whitni says it is difficult to give advice to young people who want to find careers with genuine, authentic values, because the job market has changed so much recently. But she says challenging oneself, and challenging organisations from within is key and considers B Corps which don't just pay lip service to 'green' values to be a good place to start.Triodos Bank UKBetter Society CapitalThe Joseph Rowntree FoundationPaces Sheffield London School of Economics and Political SciencesYou might also like to listen to:David Kohnstamm, Chief sustainability officer, Leafcloud S4 E3Justin Kelly, CEO of Glass Futures, chair of Sustainable Ventures S4 E1Shaheer Hafeez, ACA, Director of ESG and Climate Risk, KPMG S3 E2Sarah Daly, sustainability consultant and climate champion S3 E1About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Fraser invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastLinkedIn: ProGRESS, the green, values-led careers podcastOriginal content © Sandra FraserOriginal music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello [@] mypro-gress.comProgress's guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.We've interviewed all kinds of people in interesting roles.You'll hear from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. You'll also hear about jobs you may never have known existed, such as green comedians, serious games creators, city planners, garden planners, and green data centre champions.Subscribe to Progress wherever you usually listen for inspiring stories and insights into brilliant career ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carlos Terol is a founder at Good Ripple, a community of change-makers who want to make a difference in the world.He describes his fascinating journey to find meaning and purpose in his work life over the last 10 years, and how he is enabling others to make positive, ethical social impact through their own jobs.To wind the clock back to his early career, Carlos's love of maths, problem solving and science led him into a civil engineering degree, but he became downhearted after applying for hundreds of jobs and getting nowhere. Then a friend suggested a leap of faith to set up a business in Western Sahara.Despite its proximity to where he'd grown up in Gran Canaria, Western Sahara, gave Carlos a whole new different perspective. Seeing how other people were living, he reassessed his own life, resolving to try to be a better person and live more sustainably.Now, when he's not meeting change-makers through Good Ripple, Carlos runs educational workshops through Climate Fresk, and he's also a co-founder of The Ecstatic Collective.As an ambassador for Responsible Entrepreneurship at the Tomorrow University of applied Sciences, he seems like a human dynamo, but there are few things Carlos loves more than taking time out for meditation - though he confesses he has taken up the didgeridoo and that's a current passion that helps with his breath work. Links mentioned in the podcastGood RippleClimate FreskEcstatic DanceShake it off! Raphael SantandreuEl arte de no amargarse la vida Raphael SantandreuDan Pink booksTomorrow UniversityYou might also like to listen to:Matteo Menapace, Serious, ethical, cooperative games designer S5 E7Connor Cashell, Campaigns officer, Cycling UK, ethical campaigner S5 E5Dr Bushra Schuitemaker, Zoologist, microbiologist and award winning communicator S4 E2About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Fraser invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially Responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastOriginal content © Sandra FraserOriginal music © Lyze KessellEmail: [email protected]'s guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.We've interviewed all kinds of people in interesting roles.You'll hear from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. You'll also hear about jobs you may never have known existed, such as green comedians, serious games creators, city planners, garden planners, and green data centre champions.Subscribe to Progress wherever you usually listen for inspiring stories and insights into brilliant career ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Jessica Tipton, or Jess as she is known, is head of the National Education Nature Park at the Natural History Museum, a project commissioned by the Department for Education as part of its Sustainability and Climate Strategy.In 2020 Jess founded the UK Schools Sustainability Network (UKSSN) as head of youth networks at Global Action Plan. She led a delegation of students to the COP26 global climate summit and instigated the annual online Youth Climate Summit.In addition to all of the above, Jess has worked as a policy adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and has researched Russia and international climate policy.But Jess didn’t set out for a career in sustainability. She studied Russian and French, and played the clarinet to a high standard. The common theme running through everything she has done is contributing to events, society and positive things. That’s what the National Education Nature Park project is all about – introducing children of all ages and young people to their outdoor spaces and connecting them to the power and pleasure of nature. In this episode Jess explains how she landed her high profile job (the project was visited by the Prince and Princess of Wales in the summer of 2025) and why she considers languages an subject choice through which to launch yourself into anything.Jess thinks of herself as a Jack of all trades - and as explained, has enjoyed a portfolio career – but she has never had a plan for her career, and that means she’s never been bored either. In fact, at the time the recording she was about to embark on a role researching and translating Russian literature – particularly environmental and feminist themes – at the University of East Anglia.A key career tip from Jess is to enjoy what you are really good at and go and study that rather than targeting an environmental science degree at university - then take your values into other areas of work and spread the word.Mentioned in this podcastNational Education Nature ParkNatural History Museum garden visit DEFRA careersHow Bad Are Bananas? Mike Berners-LeeYou might also like to listen to:Johnathon Miller-McCall S5 E6Divya Kumar S4 E4Katie Goldsbrough S5 E1Rachel Warren S1 E7About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Fraser invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastLinkedIn: ProGRESS, the green, values-led careers podcastOriginal content © Sandra FraserOriginal music © Lyze KessellEmail: [email protected]'s guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.We've interviewed all kinds of people in interesting roles.You'll hear from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. You'll also hear about jobs you may never have known existed, such as green comedians, serious games creators, city planners, garden planners, and green data centre champions.Subscribe to Progress wherever you usually listen for inspiring stories and insights into brilliant career ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here's the Series 5 grand finale, featuring the best bits of the latest guests on ProGRESS, the podcast promoting green, ethical, sustainable and socially responsible careers.The podcast was set up with the notion that listeners might like tips and ideas for how to follow in guests’ footsteps if they wanted to do something similar. As time has gone on, and 50 episodes in, it’s apparent that many of the guests have good human interest stories to tell about making a difference to the planet so win-win!Everyone on the show has brought something special - and usually more than one single thing - to their episode, so here’s a round up of some, by no means all, of the best bits from Season 5.Featuring:Reena MahajanConnor CashellMatthew PayneDr Fernanda da Silva TatleyStuart GoldsmithMatteo Menapace Sarah FlynnJohnathon Miller-McCallKatie GoldsbroughIf you enjoy this little meander through some of Season 5 subscribe to the podcast wherever you usually listen so you don’t miss out.And please share the link to the podcast, here on Acast, through or our webpage, LinkedIn group or wherever you usually listen.Keep listening for more career insights. Season 6 will start dropping in September.About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them. Subscribe and find out how they got there and how you can too.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastLinkedInOriginal content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: [email protected]'s guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.We've interviewed all kinds of people in interesting roles.You'll hear from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. You'll also hear about jobs you may never have known existed, such as green comedians, serious games creators, city planners, garden planners, and green data centre champions.Subscribe to Progress wherever you usually listen for inspiring stories and insights into brilliant career ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drawn to both science and the arts when she was at school, Reena Mahajan’s studies and work took her to three continents. She studied architecture in New Delhi before moving to Paris to study urban planning and sustainable development. When she moved to Uruguay, she broadened her horizons and studies into gender responsive design and children-friendly planning.Now a strong advocate for sustainable development, women’s mobility, social impact and gender equality – among other things – Reena founded Studio Divercity, with a mission to transform car-dominated urban areas into people-centric spaces. She recently set up StreetSmart, a digital platform that enables communities to reimagine their streets and environment, and she has joined the contributors to Lab of Thought, a Netherlands-based organisation set to transform urban environments. So far so stellar – so what's next? She has some brilliant advice for anyone searching for values-led employment and says optimism comes from action, even if it's small.Read more... Mentioned in this podcastProf Dr Marco Te Brömmelstroet and the Lab of ThoughtThe Mayor of Paris Anne HidalgoOther episodes to listen to:Sanjuktar Jithendar, Architect, Mikhail Riches S1 E9Nick Molden, CEO and founder of Emissions Analytics S1 E4Sarah Daly, Sustainability strategist, marketing professional, lobbyist, entrepreneur, thought-leader and visionary S3 E1Divya Kumar, Community engagement manager at Earthwatch Europe S4 E4David Kohnstamm, Chief sustainability officer and co-founder, Leafcloud S4 E3Connor Cashell, Campaigns manager, Cycling UK S5 E5About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them. Subscribe and find out how they got there and how you can too.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastOriginal content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: [email protected]'s guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.We've interviewed all kinds of people in interesting roles.You'll hear from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. You'll also hear about jobs you may never have known existed, such as green comedians, serious games creators, city planners, garden planners, and green data centre champions.Subscribe to Progress wherever you usually listen for inspiring stories and insights into brilliant career ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Flynn is a career coach who works with purpose-led, empathic leaders making a difference to the world. In addition, Sarah teaches resilience for sustainability leaders on the Cambridge sustainability leaders masters.Discussing her own squiggly career journey, Sarah explains how she felt when she discovered psychology as a teenager and then became inspired to study it in depth, thinking she’d work in clinical psychology. She talks about moving to Italy to teach English as a foreign language, what led her into working in psychotherapy and how she became first a research psychologist and then a corporate career coach.Listen in to hear Sarah's tips for developing a career in psychology, her co-authored book Climate Change Coaching: The Power of Connection to Create Climate Action, and how to introduce resilience and empowerment into life.Mentioned in this podcastAssociation of Sustainability PractitionersClimate Change Coaches Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)IkigaiBooksParenting out loud – Elliott RaeFind your zone of genius – Laura GarnettYou might also like to listen to: Shaheer Hafeez Director ESG strategy and climate risk KPMG S3 E2Jonathan Mearns OBE careers coach, sustainability entrepreneur and adventurer S3 E9Lydia Carrington Sustainability manager, Edgbaston cricket stadium S2 E1Stuart Mabbutt Wildman environmental learning S3 E3Dr Matthew C. Halteman Professor of philosophy S3 E10About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastOriginal content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: [email protected]'s guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.We've interviewed all kinds of people in interesting roles.You'll hear from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. You'll also hear about jobs you may never have known existed, such as green comedians, serious games creators, city planners, garden planners, and green data centre champions.Subscribe to Progress wherever you usually listen for inspiring stories and insights into brilliant career ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When he was young Matteo Menapace spent many afternoons playing video games and learnt to code so he could hack his first game. So how does a kid playing video games (with a Saturday job making pizzas) turn his hobby into a professional career that challenges people to think about the most pressing issues of the era, including climate change?Listen to hear the philosophy and ethics behind serious games design, why you don’t need to have studied graphics, games design or even to have a degree to be a successful games designer and what Matteo does in a typical week. Read more...Mentioned in this podcastPaolo Pedercini aka MolleindustriaDr Chloe GermaineElizabeth Magie and the story of MonopolyGoldsmiths University Norwich University of the Arts Matteo MenapaceMatteo's LinkedIn profileYou might also like to listen to:Maddie Booth Sustainability consultant, educator and speaker S4 E6David Kohnstamm  Chief sustainability officer and co-founder of Leafcloud S4 E3Rachel Warren Professor of global change and environmental biology S1 E7About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastOriginal content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: [email protected]'s guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.We've interviewed all kinds of people in interesting roles.You'll hear from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture. You'll also hear about jobs you may never have known existed, such as green comedians, serious games creators, city planners, garden planners, and green data centre champions.Subscribe to Progress wherever you usually listen for inspiring stories and insights into brilliant career ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.