Thoughts from Limbo

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Marie Brueser, Entrepreneurship Leader at Thought for Food, a social organization that’s committed to helping pioneering start-ups all over the world achieve sustainable growth and ultimate success. Through their programs, they unlock their potential and deliver targeted, cutting-edge, science and technology-driven innovation to lead a sustainable food and agricultural revolution. Marie spoke to us about her role and gave us a glimpse of what it’s like to work as a digital nomad. Originally from Belgium, Marie was living in Lisbon at the time of our call and I loved hearing about her experience in the growing community of nomads, who very literally have the luxury of working from a beach bar should they wish.

This week we’re joined by the wonderful Emma-Louise Boynton, presenter, producer, and co-founder at Her Hustle, a mission-driven creative production agency working to elevate women’s voices and tell stories with impact. She shares the events that motivated her to start the company and we discuss some of the hurdles that women continue to face in the world of work, and generally, in life. From body-shaming to aging, to workplace culture and promotions, we go there. Please enjoy!

McKenzie Ryan was ranked #1 New York City Power Broker by Forbes, the youngest broker ever to receive this recognition. She is known as the go-to agent for selling properties that others are unable to sell and has recently joined the Douglas Elliman team. As a former Olympic Gymnast, her work ethic and positive energy is like nothing we’ve ever seen. We talk about her impressive athletic background, where she gets the confidence to fervently follow her passions, and how she manages the ups and downs of such a turbulent and competitive industry. She also shares some of the habits that help power through when things get tough and continue to radiate joy and positive energy everywhere she goes. Follow McKenzie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mckenzie_ryan/?hl=en Learn about “a day in a life”: A day in the life of 29-year-old star broker McKenzie Ryan, who's closed over $34 million in sales this year — and did her first deal in high school

In this week’s episode, we were joined by the wonderful Tania Diggory. Tania is an entrepreneur, international Burnout Prevention speaker, and both the Founder and Director of Calmer, an award-winning training organization that empowers entrepreneurs, freelancers, and business teams to nurture good mental health and wellbeing. Having run three different businesses before the age of 30, Tania is passionate about raising awareness about the importance of balancing mental wellbeing with business success. She has consulted and trained over 300 companies on their mental health and wellbeing strategy, and she joins us on the pod to discuss the events that motivated her to start a company dedicated to putting an end to employee burnout. We discuss our own experiences, the shame around discussing mental health issues, and Tania shares some tips that can help us all better manage our anxiety. More on Tania: https://www.thisiscalmer.com/tania-diggory Entrepreneur’s Handbook: https://www.thisiscalmer.com/book Working from Home Guide: https://www.thisiscalmer.com/wfh-guide

Ameer Shakeel on founding a $14m+ company that's revolutionizing the future of agriculture. Ameer Shakeel was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30s list for his work as the CTO and co-founder of AgroSpheres, an eco-friendly company that makes bio-based crop protection that replaces the dangerous pesticides that degrade the environment. We talk about why and how he started the company, the highs and the challenges that come with entrepreneurship, and goal setting. We also talk about his fascinating journey as an immigrant from his home country of Pakistan, now innovating to shape the future of agriculture in the US. For more about agrospheres: https://agrospheres.com/ For more about Ameer: https://www.forbes.com/profile/agrospheres/ Or get in touch via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameer-shakeel-39322b126/ Ikigai: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170807-ikigai-a-japanese-concept-to-improve-work-and-life

Elizabeth Tweedale is the founder of Cypher Coders, the UK’s leading coding school for kids aged 6-12. We cover entrepreneurship, motherhood, and take a deep dive into her 20s to prove just how different everyone’s journey is. She shares some invaluable life lessons and advice for those of us in our 20s keen for a little guidance, and we discuss some of the hurdles faced by women in tech, what we can do to encourage young girls to consider careers in STEM, and she explains why our understanding of “STEM” needs to be broader. We also discuss the daunting reality of just how critical coding knowledge is, especially for younger generations, since it’s the foundation on which the future is largely built. Anyone with coding skills can create a website or an online product and reach global markets – the opportunities for those who understand are huge in contrast to those available for those who don’t. Cypher Coders Website: https://www.cyphercoders.com/gbr/

This week, we discuss Nez's covid-dodging nightmare before Christmas, our new fitness goals, impossible puzzles, and our holiday plans. The festive season is about spending time with family and friends, having fun, relaxing, and celebrating. So, over the next two weeks, we want to share some of our time with you, our listeners! Whatever you're doing over the festive season, we hope you enjoy! Love, Laura and Nerea

Freelance Writer Claire Stapley joins us again, for an episode all about how to build your client base – advice which is really helpful for anyone looking to build their own business, because building and growing a client base is always going to be a must! Claire became a freelance writer at the young age of just 15. She began to contribute to an online publication as a fashion journalist, before pursuing a BA Hons in Journalism at university. She then landed a marketing role and gained experience in recruitment, before deciding to become her own boss and pursue her love of writing. To find out what she’s up to, visit her website, at: https://clairestapley.com/

Sabinna Rachimova is the founder of the fair fashion brand SABINNA. She runs a female-led conscious lifestyle brand that offers both products and experiences in a studio retail space in East London, and a knitwear studio in Vienna. Sabinna has been featured in publications including Forbes, VOGUE, Huffington post, and, after graduating from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, in London, she worked for the leading Parisian Fashion house Christian Dior and London brand Mary Katrantzou. Since 2018 she is also a lecturer at the University of Arts London, teaching on the MA Fashion Entrepreneurship & Innovation course. In 2019, Sabinna was named one of Forbes 30under30 DACH. Mic drop. We learned so much about the world of sustainable fashion in this episode, as well as her incredible journey as a young entrepreneur.

Taylor writes about topics like creativity, writing, personal growth, and his articles are always verging on philosophical yet scattered with wit. Which, is why I love reading his stuff. In this episode, he tells me about his experience at a Meditation retreat. We talk about the healing power of out-of-body experiences, our modern detachment from mythology, and the power of storytelling. He also shares his career journey and we find common ground in our belief that working in traditionally blue-collar roles can be a great predictor of career success. Taylor’s blog: https://foremanjamestaylor.medium.com/ Article: Blue-Collar Is a Better Predictor of Writing Success Than Ivy League For anyone looking to get philosophical, here’s a fun article based on Taylor’s comment that there are even more possible variations of chess games than there are atoms in the observable universe: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/which-greater-number-of-atoms-universe-or-number-of-chess-moves

Theresa Anderson, Vice President of Marketing Communications, and Sales Operations at Bureau Veritas Group joins me to discuss her career journey and the many lessons she’s learned along the way, including what it is that gives her that very clear devotion to what she does, the things that inspire her to get up in the morning, and women in STEM. Her work-ethic is inspirational; she’s a rare form approachable and vibrant high achiever who somehow manages to find a workable healthy work-life balance and exudes a palpable passion for providing women and girls with mentorship opportunities. https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresacanderson/

Travis joins us to share how he founded his own media company after the startup he worked for went bankrupt at the outset of covid. We talk about overcoming the struggle to achieve success, and how to find true freedom through entrepreneurship. Travis is also the co-founder of the “Struggle to Strength” podcast, in which he and his friend Josh teach themselves and their listeners how to turn struggles into strengths, follow their passion, and pursue greatness in everything mind, muscle, and money. Check them out at the link below: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/struggle-to-strength-podcast-travis-hatch-mUpcNyj_xkH/

Gabriela Rosa is a world-renowned fertility specialist, author, and reproductive health educator. She explains why our hormonal health is vital for both our physical and mental health and wellbeing – whatever your sex, age, or life plans. Gabriela is the founder and director of the Rosa Institute and a Harvard University awarded scholar with two decades of clinical experience in helping couples overcome reproductive challenges. Her latest book Fertility Breakthrough: Overcoming infertility and recurrent miscarriage when other treatments have failed, is available now at the link below: https://naturalfertilitybreakthrough.com/product/fertility-breakthrough-overcoming-infertility-and-recurrent-miscarriage-when-other-treatments-have-failed/ Use the coupon code: TFLGR for your FREE copy. For updates on Gabriela's latest initiatives, visit www.naturalfertilitybreakthrough.com or follow Gabriela on Instagram and TikTok @gabrielarosafertility @gabrielarosa_talksex

Former VP EMEA at Twitter, now #1 bestselling author and workplace culture expert, Bruce Daisley joins us for a riveting episode, in which we discuss workplace culture and the theme of his new book: Resilience. In his book, “The Joy of Work”, he outlines 30 ways in which we can fix our work culture and fall in love with our jobs again – it was the UK’s bestselling business hardback in 2019, and he’s also the host of the unmissable business podcast – Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat. From a young graduate who got his first break by mailing a cartoon resume of his life to prospective employers, to running a renowned tech-giant, Bruce shares his fascinating experience and some of the invaluable insights he has learned along the way. Bruce was named one of The Evening Standard’s most influential Londoners for 4 years, one of Debrett’s 500 most influential people in Britain, and “Campaign” asserted he’s one of the most talented people in media. This is truly an episode not to be missed. Enjoy! Newsletter: https://makeworkbetter.substack.com/ Book: https://eatsleepworkrepeat.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/brucedaisley?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Hi everyone! In this episode I welcome the inspirational Jordan Schwarzenberger, who in less than a decade has achieved what many aspire to in a lifetime. He began his career at 17 and worked at huge names in the media industry, including Vice and LadBible, before co-founding a new digital management company called Arcade Media, that already works with some huge names, including The Sidemen. Jordan tells me about his impressive career journey, why he decided to drop-out of university, and things get deep when we get into the subject of why university is often overrated and misunderstood by many.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This episode discusses a range of mental health issues. So please choose another episode if this isn’t the best option for you today 😊 I’m joined by the wonderful Sophie Gray, founder of DiveThru, a mental wellness company that helps you DiveThru what you go thru. They work with mental health professionals to create resources that help you to take charge of your mental wellbeing. Her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, People, Women’s Health, Refinery29, Marie Claire, Yahoo, Shape, Self, and many more. Prior to this, Sophie had built an audience of over 500,000 people through her social channels where she regularly talked about physical wellness. She tells us how it was after suffering a serious panic attack during a connecting flight, she decided to change course – and that’s where DiveThru came in. We talk about her experience and discuss a range of mental health issues, both social, and personal.

Victoria is a business and mindset coach, and public speaker dedicated to helping people get out of their own way and build their dream life. She quit her 6-figure job at Deloitte during the pandemic to become a TikToker and business coach and is on track to match her old salary! She tells us why and how she did it, and we have a refreshingly candid discussion about our careers.

We are super excited to bring you Season 2!!! We’ll be joined by even more guests, all of which have an abundance of advice to give, inspiration to share, and life stories that will undoubtedly captivate anyone listening. Our mission is to help you live life better, so you can embrace the uncertainty of limbo without getting lost amongst the chaos. So, in this season we’ll cover anything from entrepreneurship, mental health, social issues, sexual health, the world of work, freelancing, and more. We always love to hear from our listeners, so feel free to reach out anytime-all-the-time. Let us know what you’ve liked & what you’d like to see more of! Much love! Lau & Nez.

Our guest this week is @Monica Abbott! Also known as “the million-dollar arm”, Monica is one of the best female pitchers of all time! She's a professional softball player, and the first woman in the history of US team sports to have ever signed a million-dollar contract! She’s played for the Women’s Pro Softball League, and the National Japan Softball League, she’s won two silver Olympic medals for Team USA, 17 different championship titles, and multiple Most Valuable Player awards. In 2016, Monica signed a landmark $1 million contract with the Scrap Yard Dawgs of the National Pro Fastpitch League, the first-ever million dollar deal for a woman playing on a team sport in the United States. In doing so, she opened the door for young softball players interested in making a career in professional softball, and opened many doors for others across the landscape of women’s professional sports. About — Monica Abbott Scholarship — Monica Abbott

Professional Violinist, Naomi Wilmshurst joins us to share her story. She talks to us about how she went from busking in the streets of Mexico to becoming a professional violinist and playing in prestigious venues like the Royal Albert Hall and the Philarmonie Berlin, and she gives us some helpful tips about building confidence! Naomi has worked with internationally acclaimed musicians such as Peter Stark, Nina Martin and Vasily Petrenko, as well as various producers including Live Sessions Mexico, latin-grammy nominated Vladimir Suarez and for The Voice Mexico. Now based in London, Naomi plays acoustic and electric violin in both high impact pop/electro/latin shows as well as romantic classical shows. We’re huge fans of her work – she makes every piece truly her own. As always, we hope you enjoy! Naomi’s Website: https://www.naomiwilmshurst.com/ Watch Naomi Play: https://www.naomiwilmshurst.com/media Article about confidence: http://lauwri.com/index.php/2020/11/27/how-one-small-change-in-your-body-language-can-significantly-improve-your-performance/ Amy Cuddy Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWZluriQUzE&t=2s