Inside The Ride

Saif Ali is a social entrepreneur from Iraq who spent 18 years as an asylum seeker. He's also an artist, a filmmaker, a photographer, a designer, an engineer and speaker. He founded Integr8 UK, a social enterprise based in South Devon that enables people of all cultures in the UK to connect and create a positive change in their own lives and the world. Saif's Instagram, Website & Ted Talk Integra8 UK's Website

Too Many T's are two UK based rappers who are breaking the mould with their bass heavy, golden era influenced, Hip Hop records. It was great to catch up with them just after they'd returned from a three month tour in Australia and Asia with some hilarious stories to share. Emil’s Website and Instagram Too Many T’s Website and Instagram

Angelique Pouponneau is an environmental lawyer, a legal expert in climate change, oceans and global commons and the CEO of Seyccat - an organisation based in the Seychelles that was set up to pioneer a groundbreaking $21.6m debt-for-nature swap that was completed in 2016 with the support of the US environmental organisation, The Nature Conservancy. Emil’s Website and Instagram Seyccat's Website

Perhaps even more interesting than Richard Eckersley's previous career as a professional footballer, is the fact that alongside his wife, he opened up the UK's first organic zero waste food shop called Earth.Food.Love. While playing football for Manchester United in front of 75,000 people was obviously a milestone for him, he finds his true passion in providing solutions for a zero-waste lifestyle to the locals of Totnes, Devon where his shop is based. Emil’s Website and Instagram Earth.Food.Love. Website and Instagram

A modern day Renaissance man, Henry works in graphic design and branding, and is also a talented rapper, writer and poet. As a well-read individual, he's amassed knowledge and developed his own interesting and informed perspectives on the detriment of human activity on the environment, world politics, religion, and social issues.Emil’s Website and InstagramHenry Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

DR. Nirmal Shah is a celebrated environmentalist and the CEO of Nature Seychelles, an NGO that works to conserve and recover biodiversity through scientific and educational programs. Through Nature Seychelles, Nirmal has played an integral role in coral reef restoration and creation of the world’s first carbon neutral nature reserve. Check out our website for more information  Emil’s Website and Instagram Nature Seychelles Website and Instagram

Alyson Noele Sagala is a writer and traveler turned devoted social impact worker. She splits her time between the Bay Area in California and Nepal where she is the Youth Program Coordinator for Conscious Impact, a nonprofit and NGO that began as a Gorkha earthquake relief effort but has grown significantly and is now rehabilitating entire communities through agriculture, natural building, and youth programs. Emil’s Website and Instagram Alyson’s Website and Instagram 

A former marine officer working on ships for nearly 10 years, Praveen Chaturvedi’s chance meeting with a Canadian film crew that came onboard one of the ships changed his life course forever. He moved to Canada and Los Angeles to master his cinematography and storytelling skills. Now an award-winning filmmaker he runs a production company called Moonlight Pictures and is based in Varanasi, India. If you’re interested to check out some more of Praveen’s work you can find it on the Moonlight Pictures website. Emil’s Website and Instagram

Based in the renowned progressive and creative county of Devon, UK, Lou Rainbow is a ceramicist and “maker” by trade who teaches courses on crafts and skills that involve the use of one’s hands. Through her work and her classes, her goal is to inspire people to reconnect with their hands and immerse themselves in the meditative process of creating tangible goods amidst a largely digital age. Emil’s Website and Instagram The Craft Revolution Website & Instagram

Joe Harvey is a fellow filmmaker and good friend who I’ve been sharing a studio in London with for the past couple of years. When I first met Joe he was super keen to grab every opportunity that came his way no matter how big or small, it's been really cool to see where that's got him and he’s now working on productions with much bigger budgets as a director and DP. He’s also in the process of starting up a new production company and agency with his mate Robbie called Raygun, so we chat quite a bit about the processes they’ve been going through to get that off the ground.  Outside of creating video content he makes a lot of time for rollerblading which has also crossed over into his work and from time to time he gets booked to skate around with a camera in his hand and has even been a gimbal operator on ice skates before.  Recently he's been exploring new ways of making money through his rollerblading videos. We chat about VoD (video on demand) which takes the old model of videos you would have bought in a skate shop in the 90’s but now you can buy a download and 100% of the money goes straight to the filmmaker and skater. He was about to head to Barcelona with a pro rollerblader to shoot one of these videos so that should be available on sellfy.com in the next couple of months. It was fun to chat to Joe about everything he’s got going on at the moment, if you’re someone who’s looking to get into film production this will probably be a great podcast for you! Emil’s Website and InstagramJoe's Facebook and Instagram Raygun Website

Allen is the co-founder of Conscious Impact, a non-profit based in Takure which is a small village about a five hour bus ride from Kathmandu in Nepal. Back in 2015 he was out there trekking with a couple of friends when the earthquake hit and instead of flying back to safety he started working as a volunteer. Having seen how badly affected the more remote areas were, he and his friends decided to start their own organisation to bring as much help and support as possible to the community in and around Takure. Here’s the mission statement from their website:"Through long-term, collaborative development, we are working to meet global challenges with sustainable solutions and help deep transformation take place in rural communities."From natural building to agriculture to youth empowerment, if there’s something the community needs, Conscious Impact are literally there to figure out a way to make it happen!Allen's been living between the US and Nepal for the past four years, leaving camp during the monsoon seasons and also to seek medical care back home which we chat about too. The camp set-up is very modest with everyone sleeping in tents that he says are definitely not made for years of use in the Nepali mountains but they do keep you dry for the most part which is all you really need from a tent! Living this way, being so close and connected to nature with very little need for many material possessions is something I would highly recommend to anyone - even if just for a short amount of time. There’s definitely something to be said about cutting yourself off from all the daily distractions and really engaging with the environment and people you're with, I certainly need a bit more of that in my life that is for sure!I had an awesome time chatting with Allen about the work he’s doing and the many experiences he’s been through since starting conscious impact. He’s a super passionate and humble guy and is clearly living a very fulfilling life through generously giving his time to serve those who need it most. I hope you guys enjoy listening, I'll post some links below if you're interested to find out more information on volunteering with Conscious Impact.Conscious Impact website and InstagramAllen's InstagramEmil’s Website and Instagram

Abha is the co-founder and creator behind a quirky card shop called Little Things based in Kathmandu, Nepal. She comes from a background in journalism and writes regular articles for the Kathmandu Post alongside running the store and designing cards. She took a huge leap of faith when opening up the store which almost backfired when they thought it might be too big. Looking to fill the extra space they collaborated with local artists to help sell their products and merchandise as well which in turn has made the space a creative hub for members of the local community.  Last year she was one of seven women to be honoured with the Yellow Rose Day award by Zonta Club and Google for the inspiring work she has been doing in Kathmandu which is quite the achievement! Alongside the store, Little Things did their first speed dating event recently which was a huge success so we chatted quite a bit about the dating scene in Nepal and also how marriage works out there as well. It was super fun meeting and chatting to Abha. We recorded the podcast in the little things shop which is next to a pretty busy road so apologies if you hear a few horns and cars in the background - hopefully they’re not too distracting!  Links: Little Things Facebook and InstagramAbha Instagram and LinkedInEmil’s Website and Instagram

Rob Hopkins is an environmental activist who’s written a number of books and also founded the Transition Town movement which he initiated in my hometown of Totnes, Devon in 2005. Here’s a bit of text from their website, Transition Town Totnes is a community-led and run local charity that exists to strengthen the local economy, reduce our environmental impact, and build our resilience for a future with less cheap energy and a changing climate.The global financial crash of 2008 made it clear that thriving communities need flourishing local economies to weather large global events. Economic growth, as measured by governments and mainstream economists, is utterly dependent on energy use. It always has been. Transition challenges the idea that we need economic growth in conventional terms. Transition proposes new ways to regenerate the economy by making things much more local again and really cutting down on fossil fuel dependence. This could be hugely economically advantageous to our communities, with significant potential for more local skills and employment.I was very excited to get Rob on the podcast. He has an overwhelming sense of optimism and enthusiasm for protecting and saving our environments that are being destroyed by the day. We chatted about loads of stuff - starting off with a book he's currently writing on imagination which has led him to conduct an extensive amount of research around that. We also discussed the Extinction Rebellion protest that has been going on in London which he attended - his wife got arrested twice! Here’s a few other things we covered: Climate change  Totnes Transition Town Shopping for food locally  Environmental optimism  Smart phone addiction  Positives from flying less Damages from climate increasing by 1°C  Useful links:Totnes Transition TownExtinction Rebellion Fair PhoneYou can find more info on Rob by checking out his websiteEmil’s Website and Instagram

I met Laneesh in Darjeeling in North West India whilst I was eating dinner with my girlfriend one evening a few weeks ago. He told us about this insane trip he was on in which he was attempting to travel through all of India’s 29 states by motorbike - he’s currently done 16! Having started in his Southern home state of Kerala, his bike has taken him through all sorts of different terrains and typographies over the past few months. He’s had some crazy experiences so far like accidentally driving through a wildlife reserve with leopards and tigers at 2am, and said that the prejudices and stereotypes he had of rural India have been completely crushed. If you want to follow his journey on Instagram you can find a link below.Here’s a few things we covered in the podcast: Exploring India by motorbike Worrying parents Culture changes in India Stereotypes and prejudices  Relating to people from all walks of life  Getting out of your comfort zone Earning less money for work that makes you happy Emil’s Website and InstagramLaneesh Instagram

Gaurav is a Reiki healer from India. He’s the first guest I interviewed during a month long trip there which was a truly incredible experience! He’s a spiritual person and we discuss his religious practices as well as the Holi festival which was going on whilst we were there. If you’re interested in Reiki or any sort of alternative medicine I’m sure this will be a podcast you’ll find intriguing!  Here’s a few things we covered in the podcast: Krishna Holi festival  Forgiveness dissolving the mind Reiki  Different Gods and religious beliefs  Technology and social media bringing Eastern practices to the West  Emil’s Website and InstagramGaurav LinkedInArnelle Website and Instagram

Derek is an entrepreneur, a traveller and is super passionate about health and fitness - so as you can imagine this was a super interesting conversation! He’s been involved with various projects over the past 12 years in the Bay Area around San Francisco focusing heavily on tech and adverting. Here’s a few things we covered in the podcast: Grain Brain/Nutrition/Diets Aermetric - predicting aeroplane faults Entrepreneurship  Modern Art  Documentaries  Alcohol  Crypto currency  LinksGrain BrainAermetricShredded Banksy PaintingThe Price of Everything Emil’s Website and InstagramDerek's LinkedIn and Instagram

Liv East & CD Spinz are two London based artists from the TwoSixtySix music collective. Their music takes inspiration from various genres, with an eclectic mix of lyrical poetic genius, soulful harmonies and some next level production - they are most definitely worth a listen! Their new release “The X Tape” is due to drop 14th March 2019. The single from the project which is in collaboration with Root 73 can be found here. A few things we chatted about in the podcast: Music inspirations in the 90’sFinding your creative community Millennials  Self promotion Acting weird around famous people Mental Health Links:Emil’s Website and InstagramLiv's Instagram and SpotifyCD Spinz Instagram and Spotify

Evan is the founder, creator and designer behind Adapt - a successful, independent streetwear brand he started 16 years ago in San Francisco, California. The brand has developed a strong and dedicated following since then and has also raised over $100,000 for charitable causes. A few things we talked about:Adapt  Adap+ - raising money for charity Daily inspiration  Evans battle with cancer  Practicing gratitude Advice for new brand owners  Links:AdaptClothing waste Ted talkChristopher Raeburn recycled football kitsSpice girls T-shirts Emil’s Website and InstagramEvan's Website and Instagram 

Tom is a commercials director based in London who also hosts a live, comedy sketch/game show called Mr Thing. Alongside his co-hosts, they'll be performing at the London Vaults Festival 27th February - 3rd March 2019. If you want to head down, Tom has supplied a promo code for 25% discount on tickets which is - chirpycheapA few things we chatted about in the podcast:Writing pitches for TV commercials  Lego Mr Thing Performing at Edinburgh Fringe Festival Charlie Chaplin Where comedy is heading in advertising Dogs and photography  Failure  Enjoy! Emil’s Website and Instagram Tom's Website and Instagram Mr Thing at Vaults Festival 

Emily is a producer who works primarily in branded content but also gets stuck into the occasional longer form project too. She discusses the many aspects of her job role, how she got to where she is now and drops a few hilarious anecdotes - one where she had to become a stunt double and fall off a bicycle dressed as a nun!  With over a decade of experience in London and having worked on sets and locations across the planet, Emily has an incredible insight into what it takes to be a killer producer in 2019! Emil’s Website and Instagram Emily's Instagram and LinkedIn