Tessa Khan is an international climate change and human rights lawyer, campaigner and strategist. She is the founder and director of Uplift, a new organisation helping to move the UK towards a fossil fuel-free future. They strategically resource, connect, and elevate ideas and voices to set in motion a just transition away from fossil fuel production that is in proportion with the scale of the climate crisis. Before this role, she co-founded and is co-director of the Climate Litigation...

[CW: sexual assault] Gina Martin is a campaigner, speaker and writer, best known for founding and running the national campaign to make upskirting illegal and changing English and Welsh law by creating the Voyeurism Act. Three other countries have since followed suit. In 2020, alongside Black plus size model Nyome Nicholas Williams and photographer Alex Cameron, Gina helped change Instagram’s Nudity policy, which previously censored larger Black women’s bodies.  Gina’s first book Be The...

Hassan Akkad is a photographer, filmmaker and activist. He came to the UK in 2015 after fleeing Damascus after he was tortured by Assad's regime. He documented his journey in the BAFTA award winning documentary “Exodus: Our Journey to Europe and later caught public attention again when he applied to be a cleaner at his local hospital at the start of the COVID 19 pandemic. During his time on the COVID ward, Hassan shared images of his fellow cleaners, porters and cooks on his social media...

Welcome to a series 3! Aja Barber is a writer, stylist and consultant whose work deals with the intersections of sustainability and the fashion landscape, building heavily on ideas behind privilege, wealth inequality, racism, feminism and colonialism. Her brand new debut book “Consumed: The need for collective change; colonialism, climate change & consumerism”, is a blazing polemic against both the exploitation and injustice of the fashion industry and the cynical manipulation of consumer...

Rachel Ama (she/her) is a cookery author and YouTuber with over half a million subscribers. A new Mum, Rachel has spent the last year in London, writing her most accessible and delicious book yet “One Pot, Three Ways: Save Time With Vibrant, Versatile, Vegan Recipes.” The recipes revolve around one main centrepiece dish that makes flavour-packed vegetables the worthy hero of every meal. With over 80 brand new recipes inspired by her Caribbean and African roots, Rachel offers three creative...

Jazmin Sawyers (she/her) is a professional long jumper, former bobsledder and singer-songwriter from Stoke. A personal philosophy to say "yes" to as much as possible has taken her to the final of the Rio Olympic Games, Will.I.Am's team on The Voice UK and hosting the red carpet at BBC's Sports Personality of the Year. She is the current British long jump champion and is taking part in the Olympics in Japan this month. Find Jaz on Instagram: @JazminSawyers Find me @VenetiaLaManna and follow...

Tom Rasmussen (they/them) is a Lancaster born, London based writer and singer. When out of drag, they are contributing editor at Dazed Beauty, LOVE Magazine and Refinery29, and a regular contributor to the Independent and i-D. Their work has also been featured in Vice, Broadly, Tank and the Gay Times. In 2018 they were named an LGBT trailblazer by The Dots and one of the voices of now for i-D. Tom also forms half of the radical queer punk band ACM. Their first book, Diary of a Drag Queen, was...

Ashley ‘Dotty’ Charles is a broadcaster and writer from south London. After joining the BBC in 2014 she became the first solo female to host the BBC Radio 1Xtra Breakfast Show in 2016, leading the breakfast show to its highest-ever audience and interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Will Smith. She has presented TV programmes including BBC One’s music show, ’Sounds Like Friday Night’, and BBC Three’s ’Story of Grime’ documentary series.   Dotty is currently the Lead Cultural Curator at...

Otegha Uwagba is the author of the Sunday Times Bestselling Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women published in 2017 and Whites: On Race and Other Falsehoods in 2020. She is also a speaker, brand consultant and founder of Women Who, a London-based multi-media platform aimed at creative women that operated from 2016 - 2020. She also hosts the culture and ideas podcast In Good Company. Her forthcoming book We Need To Talk About Money - part memoir, part cultural commentary - is...

Cathy Raey (she/her) is a writer, editor and disability consultant. She covers disability rights and representation, with a particular interest in the beauty and film industries. She is also a single mother of two and speaks about her life and her experiences on her instagram @ThatSingleMum.  There is so much in this conversation. We hear about Cathy's childhood, her advice for her teenage self, we discuss her experience of motherhood, both online and offline. We also talk about what a...

Paris Lees (she/her) is a writer, presenter and the first openly trans person to be a contributing editor for Vogue. Last month, she released her debut book ‘What It Feels Like For A Girl’, an unmissable coming of age memoir, following the story of Byron Lees, growing up on a council estate in a dead-end town in the East Midlands. It’s written in an evocative vernacular style with an utterly immersive depiction of early 2000s culture. The book is not always an easy read as Paris’...

Michael James Wong (he/him) is the founder of Just Breathe and a leading voice in the global movement for modern mindfulness. He is an author, speaker, community leader and meditation teacher who is dedicated to expanding the conversation around the mind and mental health. Michael is internationally recognised for his work in the wellness community as both as an advocate and entrepreneur. He writes books about hope and is the voice behind the Just Breathe meditation app. In his inspiring...

Candice Brathwaite is an author, journalist, TV presenter, and the founder of Make Motherhood Diverse – an online initiative that aims to ensure more people see themselves reflected online.  Candice’s new book, Sista Sister, is a compilation of essays about all the things she wishes she'd been told when she was a young Black girl growing up in London. From family and money to Black hair and fashion, as well as relationships between people of different races and colourism. Sista Sister is...

CW: suicide. Charlie Craggs (she/her) is an award-winning author, activist and speaker, hailed by Vogue as “the voice of a community”. Charlie is the founder of Nail Transphobia, a conversation-focused national campaign that tackles transphobia through education, empowerment and nail art. She is the author of To My Trans Sisters, an inspirational collection of letters written by successful trans women, sharing the lessons they learnt on their journeys to womanhood, celebrating their...

Poorna Bell (she/her) is an award-winning journalist, digital editorial expert, three-time author, mental health ambassador and badass power-lifter. This month sees the release of her fantastic new book: “Stronger: Changing Everything I Knew About Women's Strength”. Part memoir, part manifesto, this book starts a conversation about women’s strength and fitness, tapping into the reservoir of mental strength we each have, in a way that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss. Poorna...

Andria Zafirakou (she/her) is "the best teacher in the world". Andria is art and textiles teacher at Alperton Community School in Brent, one of the world’s most ethnically diverse places. She has worked her entire teaching career of 15 years at Alperton Community School and is now Associate Deputy Headteacher leading on staff professional development. In 2018, she won $1million when she was crowned “the best teacher in the world” by the Varkey Foundation. Using the prize money awarded by the...

Megan Jayne Crabbe (she/her), also known as her social media handle ‘BodyPosipanda’ is an eating disorder recovery advocate, unapologetic feminist, and body positivity campaigner. Her number one bestselling debut book Body Positive Power has taught tens of thousands of people how to stop dieting and make peace with their bodies for good. Megan's book: Body Positive Power Find Megan on Instagram: @BodyPosipanda Find me: @venetialamanna Find the show: @ATSTpodcast   Recommendations from this...

Uju Asika is a multiple award-nominated blogger, digital consultant and the author of the book 'Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World'. This book is for everyone who wants to instil a sense of open-minded inclusivity in their kids, and those who want to discuss difference instead of shying away from tough questions. In it, Uju draws on often shocking personal stories of prejudice along with opinions of experts, influencers and fellow parents to give prescriptive...

Pandora Sykes is a writer, journalist and broadcaster. She co-created and co-hosted The High Low which is one of the most loved podcasts out there, and she’s also the host of Doing It Right and The Missing. Last year, she released her debut essay collection, "How Do We Know We Are Doing It Right?" where Pandora interrogates the stories we’ve been sold and the ones we tell ourselves, exploring themes including wellness, faster than fast fashion, millennial burnout and the rise of cancel...

Gelong Thubten (he/him) is a Buddhist monk, meditation teacher and author. He became a monk 26 years ago at Samye Ling Tibetan Monastery in Scotland, and has spent over six years in intensive meditation retreats, the longest of which was 4 years long. He is now regarded as one of the UK’s most influential meditation teachers, with pioneering work teaching in universities, schools, companies such as Google, hospitals, prisons and rehab centres. He has lectured at Oxford University and for the...

Luvvie Ajayi Jones (she/her) is an award-winning author, speaker and ‘professional troublemaker’. Luvvie thrives at the intersection of comedy, media and justice. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller “I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual” and she is the co- founder of the global movement #SharetheMicNow. Her TED Talk ‘Get comfortable with being uncomfortable’ has had over 5 million views. Her new book “The Fear-Fighter Manual, Lessons from a Professional Troublemaker” is a...

Rina Sawayama (she/her) is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and one of the most exciting artists to break through from last year. Born in Japan and raised in London, Rina’s music confronts the issues of identity and conflict with a wild blend of nineties and early noughties influences - everything from Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera to Lady Gaga and Gwen Stefani, to Evanescence and Limp Bizkit.  Rina’s been singing since she was little, but took her first official steps into...

Hello, Venetia here. It's been a little while! I took a break from Talking Tastebuds to focus on my fashion campaigning, but I'm delighted to say that I am coming BACK with a brand new podcast called All The Small Things. I’m fascinated by how our daily habits shape us. Whether we're a ‘one task ticked off at a time’ type or we thrive with thirty-five tabs open, I want to learn more about the rituals that help provide structure when we need it most - or perhaps if creativity lies in the chaos...

I have some exciting news for you all! Remember Who Made Them is a brand new six part podcast series, digital campaign and fundraiser that aims to help energise a new solidarity economy in fashion. Listen to the show... On iTunes: https://apple.co/39xRxgS On Acast: https://play.acast.com/s/remember-who-made-them On Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2ZYRzew Find us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Rememberwhomadethem Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rememberwhomadethem/ Get in...

Evanna Lynch is an actress and animal rights activist. Evy rose to prominence when she played Luna Lovegood In the Harry Potter film series. She is the co-founder of a cruelty free and vegan and self-care delivery box Kinder Beauty Box, an ambassador for Veganuary and the co-host of the award-winning Chick Peeps podcast. In this episode we discuss eating disorders in regards to veganism, vegan abolitionists, wet markets, Tiger King, the fetisisation of animals, Harry Potter, fan culture and...