Another incredible week of talks has come to a close and we’ve been left inspired, motivated, and more than a little bit educated about the amazing world of careers and opportunities out there!
If you’re just finding out, Learn Lounge is our new and free online career education initiative. It’s part of our initiative at Springpod to give you as many insights and resources as possible, in order to help you make more informed decisions about your future.
A big thank you to everyone who tuned in and took the time to engage with us and our speakers so far, especially through the Q&A. If you weren’t able to log in live for the talks, don’t worry! We’re keeping you up to speed with our weekly recaps and all talks are available to replay On Demand.
Here’s who we heard from this week:
Samantha Hope
Head of Student Recruitment, Shoosmiths
Samantha took us on a deep dive into the world of law careers, with an incredibly insightful talk that helped us better understand the options and pathways available. She talked us through the different types of law and the areas available in each, the different academic routes into becoming a lawyer (it’s not all about a law degree!), pay scales, job titles, and career progression routes!
Samantha advises that it’s an incredibly competitive field but equally rewarding when you find your place in the sector. Her best advice for budding lawyers is to work hard! Choose a mixture of traditional subjects and subjects you deeply enjoy as this will help you be well-rounded and more likely to achieve successful grades. If a career in law is on your radar, you do not want to miss her talk!
“It’s important to think about the values you have as a person and to make sure that these align to the career you go after.”
Samantha Hope
Watch Samantha’s talk here: Suit Up! An Insider’s Guide To A Career In Law
Dalton Leong
CEO, The Children’s Trust
After two decades in the private financial sector, Dalton found his true calling for work supporting the charity sector. Dalton found it was a mixture of luck and being open to new opportunities that led him to what has ultimately been an incredibly fulfilling career path. He also shared with us his Key CRITERIA for success: Composure, Rigour, Innovation, Transparency, Empathy, Resilience, Initiative, and Agility.
Change has been one of the biggest constants for Dalton in his career and his advice is to embrace it - it might be hard or scary, but it’s also necessary and worthwhile.
“Your attitude determines your altitude. You can have all the right skills and knowledge but if you don’t have the right attitude you won’t get anywhere.”
Dalton Leong
Watch Dalton’s talk here: Making A Difference: Swapping A Career In Financial Services To Lead A UK Charity
Anna Hemmings
Two Time Olympian & Six Times World Champion
Anna spent 12 years as a professional athlete. In her incredibly empowering talk, she describes just how much resilience, persistence, and commitment it took to achieve her dream of becoming an Olympic champion, despite setbacks and a coach telling her it wouldn’t happen. Anna shares with us her strategies for achieving your dreams that are widely applicable across every area of life including building a team, setting goals, reflecting and reviewing your progress, and controlling the controllable.
She left us with a powerful message to choose your attitude and embrace unavoidable challenges for the lessons they teach us.
“A dream is the essential drive of life. It’s the part that keeps us going when that lazy part of us wants us to give up.”
Anna Hemmings
Watch Anna’s talk here: Resilience: Transforming Challenge Into Opportunity
Monty Panesar
Ex-England International Cricketer
Spin-King Monty took us on an emotional journey through his early beginnings, his love of sport, and his complete dislike of cricket training when he was starting out! But he stuck with it and eventually found his niche: Spinning. For Monty, it’s always been about finding his ‘why’ and he advises no matter what it is you think you want to do in life, make sure you find your why. A talk not to be missed by Cricket fans, Monty shares some remarkable inside stories and tips, as well as what it means to be such a huge representative on a world stage.
Watch Monty’s talk here: Howzzat: Spinning My Way From Luton To Lords
Hayley Mulenda
Award Winning International Speaker & Author
Hayley’s inspiring talk taught us the importance of finding your own voice and moving past the pressures of our social media-oriented culture to forge your own path. She believes that vulnerability should not be seen as a weakness but a superpower. As we grow through life we are continuously learning lessons that aid us to be successful in the next stages of our life, Hayley calls these the ABC of life: Acceptance, Brighter Days, and Comfort. Her honesty will be a light for many during these uncertain times.
“We get the choice to go through life or grow through life.”
Hayley Mulenda
Watch Hayley’s talk here: How To Sustain Your Wellbeing During Times Of Uncertainty
Toby Storie-Pugh
International Explorer & Social Entrepreneur
After spending all his teenage years gearing up to join the army, Toby was left at a complete loss when his dreams feel through. How do you come back from such an experience? Well, for Toby, it meant heading out into the world and striking his own path. He talks to us about his jaw-dropping adventures by bike from the Asian subcontinent to the UK, from France to Angola.
Along the way, Toby learned what it really means to contribute to a community and how to use your skills to give back in positive ways.
Watch Toby’s talk here: Walking The Talk: How Following Your Passion Can Take You Down Surprising Routes
Sophie Darlington
BAFTA Winning Wildlife Filmmaker & Cinematographer
A refreshingly honest and totally inspiring talk from Sophie, whose passion for her work shines through in her talk all about her life as one of the most sought after wildlife filmmakers in the business. She says there are so many options now available to get started in the industry, and it’s really important to do your research if you’re genuinely interested in pursuing these careers (and now is a perfect opportunity to get stuck in!).
After completing an apprenticeship herself, she talks us through her early years, making tea and carrying bags, and the exhilarating feeling of getting ‘the shot’. Sophie says it’s a career for everyone, with so many roles available - but the passion for nature is vital.
Budding nature filmmakers need to watch her talk!
“There are many challenges, a lot of logistics, a lot of planning, and a lot of uncertainty. I think that people who want to be in this industry, really really want to be in this industry and the passion is real.”
Sophie Darlington
Watch Sophie’s talk here: Carve Your Own Path: Life Lessons From My Journey As A Wildlife Filmmaker
That's A Wrap!
A massive thank you to all our speakers, and to everyone who tuned in! We’ve loved the engagement in the Q&A sections of the talks and we know our speakers have too! Be sure to check them out via the links above or head to our On-Demand Library.
Our line-up for week three of Learn Lounge is shaping to be just as inspiring as weeks one and two, so make sure you’re signed up to receive all the notifications when these talks go live.
