Unlocked is a series of independent interviews conducted by Phil Cluff with his friends and family. All the interviewees are uniquely interesting. There’s a lot to share about how they’ve navigated the uncertainty and pressure of Covid-19 in a light hearted environment. Hope you enjoy!
Smashing everything you thought you knew about entrepreneurship is the relentlessly hard working and optimistic Roxy Marrone, she really does think for her self and had a lot of interesting opinions about how to get the best out of situations where it’s tough to find motivation. Thanks Roxy !
20 May 2021
XR
Switching jobs is stressful at the best of times, let alone in a pandemic against inhospitable circumstances. So if you need any encouragement or advice on how to move through that then this is ideal. Thanks Xenia !
20 May 2021
JNR
Gardening, Barcelona, football. Basically Joe’s a legend and a bloody nice guy with a lot of great ideas and suggestions for how to handle negativity. Thanks mate !
29 Apr 2021
GA
G.A. was already the head of commercial at two of Africa’s leading investment firms in his mid 20’s. Having left the LSE with a Master’s Degree in African history. George’s polite, kind, and intelligent disposition has allowed him to work productively alongside world leaders (pictured alongside the President of Zimbabwe Emerson Mnangagwa), interview them, and help all kinds of investment vehicles to get off the ground in Africa. We spoke about the effect of the pandemic on one’s enthusiasm, some of the new implications of responsibility for wealthier countries working in the developing world, and how one’s definition of ‘success’ can be so important to actually obtaining it. Huge thanks to George for taking the time.
29 Apr 2021
C. C.
A young fashion designer and aspiring filmmaker. We talked about facing the prospect of university during the pandemic, the perception pressures on teenagers from social media outlets, and how one’s sense of humour can fall into unexpected interests when a pandemic makes things more dull. We also name dropped a fashion brand that everyone should check out (it’s unisex) !
29 Apr 2021
ARP
Humble genius and candidate for nicest person on earth, so this was rare in being both laid back and highly informative. As she trains to become a lawyer, we discussed why she had taken that decision in the context of the virus, whether or not people put too much pressure on themselves (and each other) to be happy, and the inexplicable economics of the Super Bowl halftime show!
29 Apr 2021
MW (PhD)
The most educated and zen guest yet, we had the rare privilege of having this discussion in person. Over breakfast we talked about things like fear (of animals), why being a scientist is harder than ever with Covid, and how to build healthier habits. This was also the last recorded interview in the series and a really nice note to end on!
20 Apr 2021
TK (Future of Africa)
The hardships of growing up in the developing world are usually marked by discussions around disease or nutrition; malaria, locust induced famines, the Zika virus are all examples. Consequently, the degenerative effects on peoples mental healths in developing countries is sadly underreported. That is why it was such a privilege to discuss the effects of Covid with the President and Founder of the charity Future of Africa, Torwomenye Kwasi (TK) Mawuli Azaglo. TK and his team have worked tirelessly for over a decade, not just to get impoverished children off the streets of Accra, but also to make sure that they are not thrust back into society without their traumas and anxieties being treated. TK explained to me why the political situation in Africa is not sufficient to solve a mental health crisis, what young Africans with the benefit of foreign educations can do to help, and what the reality of charity work is like in the grip of a pandemic. Many thanks to TK for sharing ! Please follow FOA on Instagram.
15 Apr 2021
LK
2021 began with political drama, as Joe Biden narrowly defeated Donald Trump despite having the largest vote share in US history. President Biden’s campaign focused on novelty and youth, so it’s great to get an insight into the rigours and pleasures of that successful Presidential bid with one of the Biden team’s younger administrators. Lauren Kerner graduated from Oxford University with a Master’s Degree in Middle Eastern Studies in 2019 and immediately set out to work for President Joe Biden’s campaign as his campaign's Regional Organising Director (she’s also been interviewed on Palestinian TV!) . Lauren shared her outlook on issues like recovering from loss, working in an eclectic field with little long term certainty, and even the unfortunate connection between mental health issues and gun crime. Many thanks Lauren!
5 Apr 2021
GC
Painting, meditating, and ‘maximising’! I had a great discussion with Georgina Carson who told me all about her recent work around mental health charities, the virtues of prevantative measures in mental health crises, and some of the demands around helping more junior colleagues through lockdown stress. Georgina has a multi-faceted career with an educational background in Neuroscience at Imperial College London, and unsurprisingly had a lot of fascinating insights to share. Please enjoy !
13 Mar 2021
AS and CT
Keeping mentally healthy is vital when your work is creative. So it was really cool to speak with two influential and experienced young players in the art world. Adrian and Caio have been involved in art shows across Europe and the US, taking on the pressure of new challenges regularly. They told me candidly how the last year in lockdown has been difficult but also inspirational for them, and how the intend to put a lot of the upheavals of 2020 to good use.
9 Mar 2021
PP
Interior Design, Test Cricket, Rocket League... Paddy Pike told me all about the good and bad from the last year with work. We also spoke about how to deal with some social difficulties at a time like this and the silver linings in creativity! Hope you guys enjoy this and the amazing works on Paddy’s website, linked here https://www.paddypike.com (Occasional swearing throughout, sorry y’all!)
4 Mar 2021
KO
Wildlife photography, finding the right career path, and some intense World War 2 memorabilia. Kiko Opfermann told me all about his mental health in lockdown and some very unique experiences over the past year. Thank you for sharing buddy! (Also contains swearing, sorry!)
20 Feb 2021
MC
Argentina, MF Doom, Frida Kahlo. Miguel Cullen talks me through his experiences with them all, as we go over his struggles as an independent writer and parent throughout the pandemic. He mentioned a book he’s working on for release this year so keep an eye out, you can’t go wrong with any of this man’s work! (Contains swearing, sorry!)
17 Feb 2021
JW
Jessy is a photographer from London, who studied and worked in Brighton until the beginning of the pandemic. Jessy has a long association with mental health charities for whom she’s worked tirelessly and enthusiastically. She gave an insight into how she’s been handling pandemic related pressures, and I’m happy to share it with you now.
11 Feb 2021
HB
Skiing, Wallace & Gromit, Club Med...?Hugo Bamberger tells me all about how his musical process has helped him through the pandemic, what it’s like to go from living with friends and family to isolating alone, and the stories behind some of his tattoos. You don’t fix mental health issues by keeping your mouth shut, so big thank you to Hugo for giving his take on how being creative can help at a time like this. Beyond that, it’s just two friends catching up after a long time apart. Hope you enjoy ! (Contains swearing, sorry!)
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