In this first of our 'summer specials' episodes, we chat with political scientist of China, published author and TED speaker, Chris Kutarna. As an intellectual and academic he usually spends his time thinking, writing and bringing diverse groups of people to think differently together. But that all changed when Covid hit and Chris's new normal was as the middle man between Chinese manufacturers and western governments panic buying Personal Protective Equipment.

If you want to connect with Chris he's https://twitter.com/ChrisKutarna on Twitter or https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniker/ on LinkedIn.

Seeking Out is a podcast about everyday people with interesting experiences to share. In our first series we focused on the next generation of under 30s and we are working on bringing a second series or The Next Generation in the Autumn. In between these two we will be bringing you ad hoc special episodes over the summer.

-- About Seeking Out --

Seeking Out the Next Generation is a podcast about everyday people who have inspiring stories to share.

Seeking Out is supported by Storm, an agency that builds world-class digital products and services for startups, scale-ups and corporate innovators. Find them on Twitter @StormUK.

And also by Dialect, the full service marketing agency that specialises in the art and science of engaging tech and gaming audiences.

Due to the social distancing measures, this episode of Seeking Out was recorded on Zencastr!

The Seeking Out team:

Co-hosts: Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts

Show idents: Ellie Beaven

Music: AudioNetworks, Tom Summers

Design and Artwork: Annabel Miller, Dylan Channon

Social Media: Adele Burrows

Editing: Kizzy Bray, Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts

Storytellers: Ellie Beaven, Ella Maher Roberts, Adele Burrows, Annabel Miller

Researcher: Kath Russell

Transcription: Juliet Gupta

Executive Producers: David Boddington, David Maher Roberts

Have we got a treat for you this week! To mark and celebrate the end of our first series, we have put together a 'Best Of' special episode featuring all of the Seeking Out team's favourite moments from the last 16 episodes. If you have dipped in and out during the series or are a new listener, then this episode is the perfect way to get a feel for what Seeking Out is all about. 

We will be returning after the summer with a new series. In the mean time, make sure you subscribe to our newsletter (on our website) or subscribe to the podcast on Apple or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from, that way you will be notified when the new series drops.

Thanks to all of you for listening and encouraging us, thank you to all of our guests and a very big thank you to the amazing Seeking Out team: Lou Bray, Ellie Beaven, Adele Burrows, Dylan Channon, Annabel Miller, Ella Maher Roberts, Kizzy Bray, Tom Summers, Juliet Gupta, David Boddington and Kath Russell. Thanks also to our two sponsors (Storm and Dialect) who have supported us throughout the last 3+ months.

-- About Seeking Out --
Seeking Out the Next Generation is a podcast about everyday people who have inspiring stories to share.

Seeking Out is supported by Storm, an agency that builds world-class digital products and services for startups, scale-ups and corporate innovators. Find them on Twitter @StormUK.

And also by Dialect, the full service marketing agency that specialises in the art and science of engaging tech and gaming audiences.

Due to the social distancing measures, this episode of Seeking Out was recorded on Zencastr!

The Seeking Out team:
Co-hosts: Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Show idents: Ellie Beaven
Music: AudioNetworks, Tom Summers
Design and Artwork: Annabel Miller, Dylan Channon
Social Media: Adele Burrows
Editing: Kizzy Bray, Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Storytellers: Ellie Beaven, Ella Maher Roberts, Adele Burrows, Annabel Miller
Researcher: Kath Russell
Transcription: Juliet Gupta
Executive Producers: David Boddington, David Maher Roberts

On this week’s episode Seeking Out co-host Lou Bray interviews presenter and gamer Shay Thompson. We tap into the games industry, and learn about Shay's experiences from the early days as a runner to more recently presenting the finals of a sim-racing tournament. Shay also talks about the challenges of being a black woman in the games industry and we find out more about her own initiatives to make gaming more inclusive.

If you want to find out more about what Shay is working on, you can find her presenting Glass House Games on YouTube or discover more about the Level Up Link Up initiative on Twitter, @leveluplinkup.

-- About Seeking Out --
Seeking Out the Next Generation is a podcast about everyday people who have inspiring stories to share.

Seeking Out is supported by Storm, an agency that builds world-class digital products and services for startups, scale-ups and corporate innovators. Find them on Twitter @StormUK.

And also by Dialect, the full service marketing agency that specialises in the art and science of engaging tech and gaming audiences.

Due to the social distancing measures, this episode of Seeking Out was recorded on Zencastr!

The Seeking Out team:
Co-hosts: Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Show idents: Ellie Beaven
Music: AudioNetworks, Tom Summers
Design and Artwork: Annabel Miller, Dylan Channon
Social Media: Adele Burrows
Editing: Kizzy Bray, Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Storytellers: Ellie Beaven, Ella Maher Roberts, Adele Burrows, Annabel Miller
Researcher: Kath Russell
Transcription: Juliet Gupta
Executive Producers: David Boddington, David Maher Roberts

This week we delve back into the world of young entrepreneurs and we ask, "How the hell does a music graduate end up running a company that makes mind-controlled, beer-pouring robots?" And the answer comes from our guest, Ed Howell, who is the Managing Director of Thirsty Thoughts, a company focused on marrying technology with drinks!

If you want to find out more about Thirsty Thoughts, pop along to their website and you can also follow them on Instagram (@thirstythoughtsteam).

-- About Seeking Out --
Seeking Out the Next Generation is a podcast about everyday people who have inspiring stories to share.

Seeking Out is supported by Storm, an agency that builds world-class digital products and services for startups, scale-ups and corporate innovators. Find them on Twitter @StormUK.

And also by Dialect, the full service marketing agency that specialises in the art and science of engaging tech and gaming audiences.

Due to the social distancing measures, this episode of Seeking Out was recorded on Zencastr!

The Seeking Out team:
Co-hosts: Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Show idents: Ellie Beaven
Music: AudioNetworks, Tom Summers
Design and Artwork: Annabel Miller, Dylan Channon
Social Media: Adele Burrows
Editing: Kizzy Bray, Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Storytellers: Ellie Beaven, Ella Maher Roberts, Adele Burrows, Annabel Miller
Researcher: Kath Russell
Transcription: Juliet Gupta
Executive Producers: David Boddington, David Maher Roberts

This week, we speak with Millie Clare, the 21 year-old founder of the inclusive cosmetics brand, Human Beauty. We find out what drives Millie's mission to make cosmetics accessible to all and how her own disability has become her critical edge in the world of beauty.

You can find out more about Human Beauty on their website humanbeauty.co.uk, and you can head over to Instagram (@humanbeautyldn) and you can also connect with Millie (also on Instagram) here @milliefclarex.

-- About Seeking Out --
Seeking Out the Next Generation is a podcast about everyday people who have inspiring stories to share.

Seeking Out is supported by Storm, an agency that builds world-class digital products and services for startups, scale-ups and corporate innovators. Find them on Twitter @StormUK.

And also by Dialect, the full service marketing agency that specialises in the art and science of engaging tech and gaming audiences.

Due to the social distancing measures, this episode of Seeking Out was recorded on Zencastr!

The Seeking Out team:
Co-hosts: Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Show idents: Ellie Beaven
Music: AudioNetworks, Tom Summers
Design and Artwork: Annabel Miller, Dylan Channon
Social Media: Adele Burrows
Editing: Kizzy Bray, Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Storytellers: Ellie Beaven, Ella Maher Roberts, Adele Burrows, Annabel Miller
Researcher: Kath Russell
Transcription: Juliet Gupta
Executive Producers: David Boddington, David Maher Roberts

We are in the process of editing a few more interviews which we will share with you in the next few weeks, so in the meantime, we have something a little different for you this week.

Regular listeners of the podcast will know that we always end every episode of Seeking Out by asking our guests to share their mantra or favourite inspirational quote. So, sticking to that theme, this week we have a short episode about mantras. More specifically... about the mantra that has guided Seeking Out co-host, David Maher Roberts. Where it comes from, what it means to him and how and when hr found myself leaning heavily on its meaning.

-- About Seeking Out --

Seeking Out the Next Generation is a podcast about everyday people who have inspiring stories to share.

Seeking Out is supported by Storm, an agency that builds world-class digital products and services for startups, scale-ups and corporate innovators. Find them on Twitter @StormUK.

And also by Dialect, the full service marketing agency that specialises in the art and science of engaging tech and gaming audiences.

The Seeking Out team:
Co-hosts: Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Show idents: Ellie Beaven
Music: AudioNetworks, Tom Summers
Design and Artwork: Annabel Miller, Dylan Channon
Social Media: Adele Burrows
Editing: Kizzy Bray, Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Storytellers: Ellie Beaven, Ella Maher Roberts, Adele Burrows, Annabel Miller
Researcher: Kath Russell
Transcription: Juliet Gupta
Executive Producers: David Boddington, David Maher Roberts

This week we talk with Femke Vroom whose passion for dance from a very early age saw her push herself and overcome a load of obstacles so that she could compete at the Dutch national championships, then the Europeans and finally The World UDO Championships for Street Dance which took place in Scotland during the summer of 2018. She tells us about that amazing year and what happened on the road to Glasgow.

You can find out more about The UDO World Championships on their website. And if you want to connect with Femke on social media she's @femke.vroom on Instagram!

-- About Seeking Out --
Seeking Out the Next Generation is a podcast about everyday people who have inspiring stories to share.

Seeking Out is supported by Storm, an agency that builds world-class digital products and services for startups, scale-ups and corporate innovators. Find them on Twitter @StormUK.

And also by Dialect, the full service marketing agency that specialises in the art and science of engaging tech and gaming audiences.

Due to the social distancing measures, this episode of Seeking Out was recorded on Zencastr!

The Seeking Out team:
Co-hosts: Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Show idents: Ellie Beaven
Music: AudioNetworks, Tom Summers
Design and Artwork: Annabel Miller, Dylan Channon
Social Media: Adele Burrows
Editing: Kizzy Bray, Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Storytellers: Ellie Beaven, Ella Maher Roberts, Adele Burrows, Annabel Miller
Researcher: Kath Russell
Transcription: Juliet Gupta
Executive Producers: David Boddington, David Maher Roberts

This week we speak with diversity and inclusion advocate, Joyann Boyce about her journey from studying Psychology to setting up her own social media marketing agency, The Social Detail.

You can find out more about The Social Detail on their website. And if you want to connect with Joyann on social media she's on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn!

-- About Seeking Out --
Seeking Out the Next Generation is a podcast about everyday people who have inspiring stories to share.

Seeking Out is supported by Storm, an agency that builds world-class digital products and services for startups, scale-ups and corporate innovators. Find them on Twitter @StormUK.

And also by Dialect, the full service marketing agency that specialises in the art and science of engaging tech and gaming audiences.

Due to the social distancing measures, this episode of Seeking Out was recorded on Zencastr!

The Seeking Out team:
Co-hosts: Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Show idents: Ellie Beaven
Music: AudioNetworks, Tom Summers
Design and Artwork: Annabel Miller, Dylan Channon
Social Media: Adele Burrows
Editing: Kizzy Bray, Lou Bray, David Maher Roberts
Storytellers: Ellie Beaven, Ella Maher Roberts, Adele Burrows, Annabel Miller
Researcher: Kath Russell
Transcription: Juliet Gupta
Executive Producers: David Boddington, David Maher Roberts