Black Create Connect Podcast

Ep 83 - What it’s like to work for DEPOP ft. Kelliesha White

Kelliesha White is an esteemed Marketer who is the Senior Brand and cultural Impact manager at tech platform Depop. She is at the core of youth culture, bringing insights into the wider business and is constantly challenging the business to ask ‘ Why should our communities care?’. Kelliesha has delivered talks at Loreal group, London College of Fashion, Youth Marketing Strategy, BIMA, Samsung, Performance Marketing world Unlocked & more – exploring topics such as Gen Z,  Culture and Community Marketing and creating access to the creative industry. Outside of her work Kelliesha mentors Fashion university students and is on the Advisory board for Youth Violence Charity Power The Fight. 
 
About Depop
Depop is a peer-to-peer social shopping app1. It is an online marketplace where people can buy and sell clothes2. Depop was founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Simon Beckerman at man on man, an Italian technological incubator and business start-up centre1. Its headquarters moved to London in 2012
 
To Apply for jobs at Depop visit - https://blackcreateconnect.co.uk/job-board/ 
Follow the BCC Depop Content Creators
https://www.instagram.com/bamikuteyi/ 
https://www.instagram.com/mabel.tech/ 
https://www.tiktok.com/@cyberdaniella
 

Ep 82 - Sister Sister Christmas Special ft. Simone Richardson

This is a Christmas special with Alicia and 1 of her sisters Simone. They discuss:
 
- The importance of mending broken relationships with loved ones
- How to mend broken relationships 
- How God proves himself time and time again
- The Richardson menu on Christmas Day 
- Christmas games suggestions section 
 
To connect with Black Create Connect on all platforms follow @blackcreateconnect

Ep 81 - My Autism is my superpower ft Lee Chambers

Lee Chambers is a British psychologist, entrepreneur, male ally and speaker. He is the founder of PhenomGames and Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing. Chambers was inducted as a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in 2023.
He has been interviewed by Vogue, The Guardian and Newsweek, and is known for analyzing the psychological aspects of the workplaces, wellbeing and intersectionality. He is one of the UK’s leading voices on male allyship and gender equity.
He was named as a Marie Claire Future Shaper 2022, alongside Harry Styles and Tom Daley, and was inducted into the Black Cultural Archives in 2022 for services to Business and Health.
He is trusted by publications such as Medical News Today, the BBC and Healthline, and recently featured as an expert in IKEA’s docuseries, “It won’t feel like home, ‘til it feels like you.”
Lee won the Professional Service Startup of the Year at the National Startup Awards, and has also been awarded the Service Entrepreneur of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. He was named as an Exceptional Entrepreneur by the Startups 100 Index and a Man for Gender Balance at the Rising Star Awards.
Based in the North West, and working globally, he is passionate about conscious leadership, equality of health opportunity and menopause awareness.
 
In this episode Alicia and Lee discuss:
How he founded, built and sold a business before 30 
Life challenges and successes as a autistic adult 
Understanding the strengths of autism
The idea that everyone is on the spectrum 
The reality of having an autistic black son
Late Neurodiverse diagnosis - the importance of being diagnosed 
What motivated him to be a wellbeing consultant 
See more about Lee here - https://leechambers.org/

Ep 80 - Thriving and Surviving; Anti-Gay Laws, Death Threats, and HIV didn’t stop me Ft. Bisi Alimi

Bisi Alimi is the founder and the Executive Director of the Bisi Alimi Foundation, an organisation working to accelerate social acceptance of LGBT people in Nigeria.
Alimi has a BA in Theatre Arts (2004) from the University of Lagos Nigeria and MSc in Global Governance and Public Policy (2011) from Birkbeck College University of London.
Alimi is a multitalented storyteller, actor, activist and angelic troublemaker. He has over 15 years experience working on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Africa.
Before starting Bisi Alimi Foundation, he was a lecturer at the Humboldt University in Berlin teaching “Pre and Post Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Africa”.
In his spare time, he loves to read, watch television and cook. He lives in London with his husband and his two dogs.
 
In this episode Alicia and Bisi discuss: 
Battling his sexuality and religion
Why Bisi is The Angelic Troublemaker 
Why he came out at Gay on Nigerian National TV 
Near death experiences based on homophobic behaviors 
The experience of seeking asylum in the UK
Why he became a HIV activist 
How he has achieved his credibility and success during his career
 
See more more about Bisi here
https://bisialimi.com/ 
https://www.bisialimifoundation.org/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CvuTYFHtO3w/?hl=en 
 

Ep 79 - From Professional Football to a Corporate Career ft Ryan Gonsalves Founder 2ndwind

Ryan Gonsalves, Born in England, started his career as a Professional football (soccer) player at Huddersfield Town, before moving on to play semi-professional around Europe and coaching in the US.  That team ethic and the need for a single, cohesive, passionate strategy has underpinned his work in global giants General Electric and HSBC, in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and now Australia.
Ryan is now the founder of 2ndwind, which inspires high-performing individuals to discover a lifestyle and career they love.
In this Episode Alicia and Ryan discuss:
His reality as a black Footballer 
Having a champion mindset and sharing race-related challenges 
Travelling the world, experiencing living in multiple countries 
What life looks like as a retired athlete
Practical steps to transforming into a corporate career 
The importance of having support whilst transitioning between careers 
Connect here & Listen to his podcast - https://www.2ndwind.io/
Contact - letschat@2ndwind.io

Black Create Connect - Nov 2023 Announcements

BCC ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Remember to subscribe to our newsletter so you do not to miss any updates on events here. Our end-of-year event will be Dec 2024 - https://blackcreateconnect.co.uk/ 
Subscribe to us on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWBjnCLoSUHe6Xpg_-I7mKg 
Grab your TED x Live Ticket here. USE CODE 'ALICIA5' FOR £5 OFF - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxshoreditch-women-2023-tickets-749853099807?aff=oddtdtcreator  
Fill in our end of year Survey here, we NEED your feedback to help us help YOU https://blackcreateconnect.wispform.com/0cd4110d
Sign up to the career crafting course here - https://alicialatoyarichardson.com/cashhoutcourse 
Remember to follow us on all socials - @blackcreateconnect
Enquires - hello@blackcreateconnect.co.uk
 

Ep 78 - Teacher Black ft James Prescott-Kerr

James is an experienced copywriter, blogger, and social media manager with a proven track record of assisting growing businesses in connecting with their audiences and positioning themselves as industry experts. With a strong background in email marketing, blogging, and writing website pages, the individual excels at capturing the voice of a brand.
Having worked on successful B2B business development teams, James has generated millions in revenue for employers. His expertise in sales cycles allows them to effectively identify prospects and tailor their messaging based on demographic and brand familiarity.
In his previous role as Head of Music Partnerships at Fever, James oversaw various event campaigns, providing input on strategies, content, and delivery for multiple sold-out events. His skills extend beyond copywriting, as they also possess the ability to consult on strategy and guide teams in optimizing delivery.
As a published author and creative writer, James passion for storytelling translates into crafting enjoyable and impactful sentences. His business development experience ensures that every piece of writing has a clear objective and is successful in achieving it. In summary, his focus is on delivering visible results with style.
 
In this episode Alicia and James discuss:
Being Black in China 
The realities of teaching in China 
Some of the beautiful experience you gain from living in a different country 
Why James wrote his book Teacher Black
Dealing with racist CEO’s ans workplace environments 
Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Teacher-Black-My-Year-China-ebook/dp/B08R7X919T
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jprescottkerr/
Insta - https://www.instagram.com/jamespkwrites/
Writing Portfolio - https://www.canva.com/design/DAFopiDkdZo/W55E9Y5glJBbmcQ9trcIPg/view

Ep 77 - The real history of racism and what they didn’t teach us in school ft. Romain Muhammad Founder Diversify

Romain Muhammad is a is a distinguished professional with over a decade of corporate experience, making significant contributions on both national and international levels. He is the Founder and CEO of Diversify, an agency focused on empowering marginalised communities in the professional world. 
Romain is widely recognised for his expertise in DEI, and corporate social responsibility and is a respected writer and public speaker. 
Currently, he holds the prestigious position of Aziz Foundation Scholar at Birkbeck, University of London, where he conducts research on the histories and cartographies of 'race' and racism, culture, ethnicity, diaspora, and postcoloniality in post-war Britain. Romain earned his Bachelor of Arts in History & Politics from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London
His debut book "The Others We Became: Exploring Race, Identity & Belonging in Postwar Britain will be released in 2024
In this episode Alicia and Romain discuss: 
Untold facts about Black history 
Why the education system is flawed and encourages racism 
Why Race, Class and Culture matters in all areas of life 
How racism and slavery was justified to white supremacist
The part systematic racism plays in all areas of society 
The myth behind Black’s having a higher pain threshhold 
How Diversify helps to dismantle systemic barriers 
Learn more about Diversify here -  www.wediversifytalent.com 
Connect with Romain here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/romain-muhammad-diversify/

Ep 76 - I started coding from the age of 8 ft Charlene Hunter Founder Coding Black Females

Charlene Hunter is the CEO & founder of Coding Black Females. Charlene has a strong academic background with a BSc in Mathematical Sciences and an MSc in Computer Science from the University of Birmingham.
She has over 10 years of experience as a Java and C# developer and technical architect and has skills in requirements capture, technical architecture, testing, and various other aspects of building successful software applications.
She has a strong passion to increase and showcase the skills and talents of Black women in tech and is determined to diversify the tech sector.
Charlene set up Coding Black Females because in her years as a Software Developer, she discovered Black women were heavily underrepresented in tech. She wanted this to change, and ensure that Black women were able to discover role models and see familiar faces within the industry.
Charlene has received multiple awards and recognition work she does to support Black women in tech.
 
In this episode Alicia and Charlene discuss: 
Coding from the age of 8 
Being brought up with a community mindset 
How to progress into leadership within a short timeframe 
The reality of starting a community 
How to get involved with Coding Black Females 
The impact of Bootcamps, events and careers fairs
To learn more about Coding Black Females:
https://codingblackfemales.com/ 
Connect with Charlene here - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/charlenephunter 

Ep 75 - From £200 a week to 1.4 million tech empire ft Oyin Adebayo Founder Niyo

Oyin Is a Serial Tech entrepreneur and Angel Investor. She has built her businesses from bootstrap to 7 figures. She runs Niyo, a multi-award-winning company specialising in using technology to empower black women economically.
 
Niyo Hair and Beauty is a brand looking to reimagine the end-to-end beauty experience for black and brown women starting with their AR and AI mobile platform. Customers get to try on hairstyles before they book appointments in the exciting and exclusive premium salon. The beauty tech company has served over 1000 clients across the UK whilst economically empowering hairstylists through an academy to get accredited. Niyo Bootcamps is a learn-to-earn ed-tech platform focused on enabling 1 million black women globally to be upskilled. She has worked with clients like Goldman Sachs, KPMG, The Department for Education and much more.
 
Her work has been recognised in BBC News, The Voice, Metro, Black Beauty and Hair Magazine, Nottingham Post and many more. She has also won many awards including Women in Tech Innovation Awards, Great British Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Barclays Social Impact Awards, MBCC Entrepreneur of the Year and Female Innovator of the Year. She has spoken at Women In Tech Festival, Vodafone UK, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Africa Tech Week, Birmingham Tech Week and many more.
 
In this episode, Alicia and Oyin discuss:
The misconception of being raised in Nigeria 
Where her desire for helping others comes from 
How she won awards and was recognised for noteworthy achievements from the age of 14
The journey of Niyo Bootcamp and Niyo Hair 
Managing finances and a profitable business from a young age
Investing in Black women tech businesses 
The future for Niyo
See more about Niyo & Oyin here:
https://www.niyo.co/
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/oyinkansola-adebayo 
https://www.oyinadebayo.com/