3 Podcasts to help you inspire your career path

How long do you spend commuting from one place to another? Imagine using that time to listen to a podcast that can help you improve your personal and professional life. Whether you are new to the workforce or considering a career change, it is important to have a clear career path in your mind. However, it becomes challenging to achieve that because during difficult times, one tends to make decisions based on opinions from family or friends or based on gut feeling which might result in making the wrong career choices.

Ellucian, the world’s leading provider of software and services built to power higher education, published a study last year which stated 58% of millennials change their major at least once while achieving their college education because of undefined career paths. Below are three podcasts to inspire you and get you pumped for months of hard work ahead.

Nathan Reddy, Founder of Grid Worldwide Branding & Design – A podcast by Matt Brown

Nathan Reddy, born and brought up in South Africa, the founder of Grid Worldwide Branding & Design and one of South Africa’s most passionate and respected design specialist. He has revived and rebranded some of the world’s most iconic brands, been the beneficiary of several honours, has judged both local and international design awards and his work has both been distributed & appreciated worldwide.

In this podcast, Matt Brown, a popular South African podcast host explores Nathan’s personal journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of the great creative exports from the African continent. He talks about the failures he had to overcome in the African design industry. Apart from that, he also provides insightful advice on how to overcome struggles in a modernizing economy.

Overcoming Adversity with Dr. Lulu Gwagwa

Dr. Lulu Gwagwa, born in a rural village is the CEO of Lereko Investments, an African-owned investment firm in South Africa. Growing up, Dr. Lulu wanted to pursue a medical career but unfortunately there was no math teacher in her village which put her dreams to a standstill. Graduated with her Bachelor's from University of Fort Hare, she moved on to pursue her masters in urban planning at the University of Natal where she was amongst a handful of African students. After her graduation, she left for London for further graduate studies from the London School of Economic with Masters in Social Policy & Planning. Under the reign of Nelson Mandela in 1994, Dr. Lulu then joined the government as a Director in the National Department of Public Works. For the next ten years, she worked in development, consulting, and research, notably for the World Bank. In the early 2000s, Dr. Lulu transformed her diverse professional experiences into business. She set up Lereko Investments with partners and quickly established herself as a power player in South Africa’s corporate world. She’s also a Non-Executive Director at FirstRand, Massmart, and Sun International.

In this podcast, the host explores Dr. Lulu Gwagwa’s many firsts, academically and professionally, alongside how she overcame her struggles, failures and more. She provides advice to all the young leaders who want to start up their own business, or join the government, or those on the verge of starting their career. Use Dr. Lulu’s story as a guidance on how you could start drawing up your career path.

Women who Lead: Daphne Mashile-Nkosi

For all the female leaders in Africa, this podcast is for you to get a head-start for your career. Daphne Mashile-Nkosi, Executive Chair of a mining company named Kalagadi Manganese, talks about her mining roots, time in prison, her failures, the frustrations and perceptions of being a female business leader. Other than talking about her journey to the top, she provides career advice for all the budding female leaders in Africa.