Samira Stalks: Entrepreneurship | Business Education | Innovation

Latest Episodes:

#16 Harness the maker mindset in kids with a hands-on kit subscription box, Sahar Meghani Sep 11, 2016

Show notes

"Kids are born scientists, born explorers, born tinkerers! They touch, they feel, they ask questions – that's how they learn." Sahar Meghani is one of many girls who enjoyed science growing up. She was bored of the lack of sophisticated toys on offer for her nieces and couldn't understand why houses in the UK aren't full of craft kits, like the US. She's on a mission to teach kids with Trunkaroo– a subscription box with hands-on DIY arts and science maker kits for the home which both entertain and educate the little ones. In today's episode we'll hear about: - Making that painful switch from a stable career in finance to tech startups - Why hands-on learning is back on the rise in the age of instant gratification as the iPad becomes the modern babysitter - The need to instill a maker mindset in kids through gender neutral toys - The key factors in nailing a subscription model as every e-commerce business aspires to become the next Dollar Shave Club!

The post #16 Harness the maker mindset in kids with a hands-on kit subscription box, Sahar Meghani appeared first on Samira Stalks.

#15 A farm feeding profits into schools with Rocco Falconer, Planting Promise Aug 28, 2016

Show notes

"I used to watch young men and pigs fight for the same resources on a rubbish dump- just being moved by it was a totally inadequate response." Rocco Falconer is in my serial entrepreneur category with a handful of agricultural companies across West Africa. He founded Planting Promise a farm which feeds profits back into schools in Sierra Leone, educating over 1500 kids and is just at the start of bringing Ghanaian coconut water to shelves in the UK, US and South Africa. Not even 30 yet, he had a quintessentially British upbringing in London, attended Cambridge, spent a short stint in the army with a thirst for adventure and a north star to solve social global issues.

The post #15 A farm feeding profits into schools with Rocco Falconer, Planting Promise appeared first on Samira Stalks.

#14 Ali G, The Inbetweeners and People Just Do Nothing- the mastermind behind British comedy w/ Shane Allen BBC Aug 14, 2016

Show notes

"We like misfits here! There's a big streak of anti- authoritarianism in British comedy… people who are a bit flawed and not that self aware".

Fancy yourself a bit of a comedian? Join Shane Allen who heads up Comedy at the BBC- the UK's public service broadcaster. He's sourced and collaborated with mavericks such as Ricky Gervais, James Cordon and Sacha Baron Cohen and is the mastermind behind some of your best loved shows with a hand in Ali G, Peep Show, The Inbetweeners to more recently People Just Do Nothing. We'll journey behind the scenes through his escapades in the media industry to understand what makes something funny!

The post #14 Ali G, The Inbetweeners and People Just Do Nothing- the mastermind behind British comedy w/ Shane Allen BBC appeared first on Samira Stalks.

#13 Bossing a fashion line- the city, Cambodia and designer coats with Leah Rodrigues from Holi Jul 31, 2016

Show notes

"I was spat at, abused and told I would never work in this town again… but it made sense to me and the women I wanted to help."

We discuss fashion, business and social impact with my guest – Leah Rodrigues- the founder of Holi, a premium outerwear fashion line for women.

She was one of four raised by a single mother who instilled what I call graft! Born in New Zealand and turning up in London with a bag and a couple of hundred pounds, she worked literally any job to the pay the bills to be able to start her own designer coat line, Holi.

The post #13 Bossing a fashion line- the city, Cambodia and designer coats with Leah Rodrigues from Holi appeared first on Samira Stalks.

#12 The digital Disney of Africa video subscription service- DreamAfrica with Franco Abott Jul 13, 2016

Show notes

"We experienced the frustration of being a small startup so went back to the vision of it's about the people and stories can help us transcend cultural barriers" Hear Franco's story of DreamAfrica – it curates stories from local African communities, animates them and whips them together in a digital subscription service reaching kids, families and schools across smartphones, tablets and laptops. It wants kids to grow up with a more diverse selection of stories, more relevant to them and importantly shedding a new light on Africa.

The post #12 The digital Disney of Africa video subscription service- DreamAfrica with Franco Abott appeared first on Samira Stalks.

#11 Keep Calm and Meditate- there's an app for that! with Alex Tew Jul 03, 2016

Show notes

"At the same time I started meditating at 14, I built a prototype in 2005 for the Calm app but never launched it." Join Alex Tew – a serial entrepreneur- the founder of the Calm mindfulness app and one of those who made his $1m in his bedroom, whilst in his teens, with a marketing viral hit called the Million Dollar Homepage.

A meditator since the age of 14, he's bringing mindfulness to the masses through the app- the latest craze in the wellbeing space for happier, healthier living. It's taken the western world by storm, starting with just 10 minutes a day- its no wonder it has over 5m downloads and is in the top 150 of the Apple's highest grossing apps!

The post #11 Keep Calm and Meditate- there's an app for that! with Alex Tew appeared first on Samira Stalks.

#10 Bringing finance to the 'rest of us' with Sheel Mohnot Jun 19, 2016

Show notes

"I had a hard time selling my first company to Groupon… I always wonder what could have been." Join Sheel Mohnot- a serial entrepreneur from Silicon Valley- who has not one but two startup exits under his belt. His first venture was structuring one of the highest stakes auction of our time where the likes of Amazon, Google and others went head to head in a battle over internet domain names! Currently a Partner at 500 startups and an angel investor focussed on FinTech, we will journey through his mission of bringing "finance to the rest of us".

The post #10 Bringing finance to the 'rest of us' with Sheel Mohnot appeared first on Samira Stalks.

#9 Run to the bloody beat with MIA's former drummer, Kiran Gandhi Jun 05, 2016

Show notes

"Whilst running, I had the chance to reject my own shame whilst free-bleeding but millions don't- only 12% of women in India have access to sanitary pads…" Shake s&!t up! We hear from another crazy, badass lady on the show- Kiran Gandhi- a drummer, activist and music artist. Still under 30, she ran the marathon free-bleeding, after being on tour with M.I.A as her drummer, whilst at Harvard Business School.

We'll hear her story of: - what touring the world with MIA was like whilst studying for an MBA at Harvard; - as a rising activist, we'll get into what drove her to run the London marathon last year free-bleeding - - whilst on her period- she ran with blood dripping down her leggings to raise awareness of menstruation issues in the developing world… Eyebrows raised? Me too- we'll hear how she dealt with the media aftermath; - lastly, we touch on her her four-step formula for promoting any social justice cause as she continues to move forward the 'future is female' campaign, inspiring young women across the world through her own solo music career as MADAME GANDHI

The post #9 Run to the bloody beat with MIA's former drummer, Kiran Gandhi appeared first on Samira Stalks.

#8 Why I'm on a one-way ticket to MARS!!! with Adriana Marais Apr 11, 2016

Show notes

"The allure of the unknown is far more comfortable than the known – go further. More important than leaving a legacy is that my ideas will remain behind in the minds of people. Let's be proudly human – let's do things that makes us a proud species"

In this episode, we hear from aspiring martian Adriana Marais, one of the last one hundred finalist's of the Mars 1 mission, hoping to jet off to Mars on a one way ticket in 2026. Born and raised on Earth in South Africa, she is one of the many who had hopes of becoming an astronaut but one of the few who carried through with it. Currently an academic researcher with scientific pursuits in the emerging field of quantum astrobiology, she read about the mission to send humans, on a one way ticket, to Mars at breakfast one morning…Her body shivered as she knew at that moment, she was going to attempt to leave Earth and dedicate her own life to the advancement of human knowledge.

The post #8 Why I'm on a one-way ticket to MARS!!! with Adriana Marais appeared first on Samira Stalks.

#1 Welcome to Samira Stalks - What's this all about? Mar 05, 2016

Show notes

The podcast that brings you interviews with reckless dreamers and their stories of entrepreneurship, innovation and impact. Each week, we'll talk to dreamers from an eclectic mix of fields- the arts, sciences, education, digital, social enterprise, sport, retail- you name it! We'll weave through their professional and personal journey to uncover the secrets to their success but sure to talk about failure too! You'll pick up the business education you need, from funding, strategy, and operations to marketing. It's all to help you follow your own reckless dream so if you're curious, creative and ready to make an impact on this world then this is for you!

Inspired by StartUp, TED and Desert Island Discs.

www.samirastalks.com

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Samira Stalks: Entrepreneurship | Business Education | Innovation | Impact

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected