Behind The Future

Are you feeling pressured to fill out your UCAS application and follow the traditional university route to start a successful marketing career? If sitting in a lecture theatre for another three years sounds like your absolute worst nightmare, this episode is exactly what you need to hear. In this episode of Behind the Future, we sit down with Helen Banyard, one half of The Good Stuff group, to talk about her incredibly wiggly path from answering phones to founding her own brand consultancy.
Helen's story is the ultimate proof that you don't need a degree to make it big. In fact, she decided uni just wasn't for her, leaving her girls' grammar school after Year 12 to finish her final year at college, whilst turning her Saturday job at Safeway into a full-time role. When she told her mum she wanted to go into advertising, she was met with doubt, but she didn't let that stop her. She secured a role answering phones and sending faxes at a small radio production office. By acting like a sponge, staying endlessly curious, and simply saying yes to every opportunity, she worked her way up from an account executive all the way to running an entire agency for seventeen years!
We dive deep into the reality of networking, which Helen admits she used to absolutely hate, especially the awkwardness of standing around a table of beige food. She shares a game-changing piece of advice that completely flipped her mindset: stop trying to talk about work, and just focus on making a friend. We also discuss why the soft skills you already have, like making eye contact, holding a conversation, and showing your true personality, are secretly your biggest superpowers when attending interviews or trying to break into the industry.
If you are stressing out about picking the perfect path or feeling lost about your next steps, Helen reminds us that you don't need to have your entire marketing career figured out right now. She didn't even realise she was officially a brand "strategist" until she was in her forties! Whether you want to build a lasting marketing career or just figure out your next move, tune in to discover why bringing your authentic self to the table is the ultimate secret to success, and why every random job you take is secretly building the exact skills you need for your future.
Behind the Future is a podcast for the next generation of digital talent, offering weekly interviews, real-world insights and career advice. Subscribe for more conversations like this, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram @aspirationdigital.
Hosts: Becky Simms & Bella Ashlee
Guest: Helen Banyard
Would you like to see an Aspiration Digital event near you? Let us know by registering your interest here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV9Rg8QzZdtsauF5B7YURVFpK48wWrKZCIE6uCaeiEBFUZEA/viewform

Want to launch an epic digital career but feel like you need to have your entire life figured out first? If you have always been the unofficial tech support person for your parents, you are absolutely in the right place. In this episode of Behind the Future, we sit down with Mike, the Search Strategist and founder of Tangible Digital, to talk about his incredibly relatable journey from school side-hustles to running his own successful SEO agency.
If you are currently stressing about your exams and feeling the pressure to get perfect marks, Mike’s story will definitely make you feel a whole lot better. Even though he runs a tech and marketing agency today, he actually admits that his absolute lowest grade at A-Level was in IT! Instead of letting a grade define his future, he leaned into his natural entrepreneurial spirit, which started by buying cheap sunglasses and selling them to his classmates for a profit.
Mike breaks down exactly what SEO (Search Engine Optimization) actually means and shares how he truly learned the ropes. He didn’t just read textbooks; he literally built his own messy website selling fidget spinners. Through trial and error, he learned how to buy domains, secure hosting, and even order stock from China. He explains why putting an imperfect project out into the world and making massive mistakes is secretly the ultimate cheat code for building a highly successful digital career.
We also dive deep into the reality of AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude. Mike explains how teenagers today can use them to build websites from scratch without knowing how to code, but he drops a major warning about why you can't just blindly trust a robot to do all your work, because AI is notorious for being confidently wrong. Finally, Mike shares incredible advice on why you shouldn't rush to be a founder right out of school. Tune in to discover why joining a great company to learn the ropes, taking the pressure off yourself to be perfect, and unapologetically bringing your true personality to the workplace is the ultimate secret to winning in your digital career!
Behind the Future is a podcast for the next generation of digital talent, offering weekly interviews, real-world insights and career advice. Subscribe for more conversations like this, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram @aspirationdigital.
Hosts: Becky Simms & Kiya Lawford
Guest: Mike Alexander
Would you like to see an Aspiration Digital event near you? Let us know by registering your interest here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV9Rg8QzZdtsauF5B7YURVFpK48wWrKZCIE6uCaeiEBFUZEA/viewform

Are you dreaming of building an epic digital career but have no idea where to start? Whether you want to work in video games, marketing, or tech, stepping into the professional world can feel incredibly daunting. In this episode of Behind the Future, we sit down with Rob Murray, the Head of Talent Acquisition at Push Gaming (and formerly PlayStation!), to get the ultimate insider secrets on how to stand out and get hired.
If you are currently stressing over A-levels or worrying about whether university is the only path to success, Rob’s story will put your mind at ease. As the first person in his family to go to university, Rob studied maths, physics, psychology, and economics before taking a completely unpredictable path that eventually led him to recruit top talent for some of the biggest names in the gaming world. He breaks down the reality of the gaming industry, revealing that it takes way more than just coders to build a game, they need artists, HR teams, marketers, legal experts, and so much more!
So, how do you actually land that first job and kickstart your digital career? Rob drops a massive truth bomb: projects over paper. While qualifications are great, showing employers a personal project, a portfolio, or a creative video cover letter will put you ahead of 95% of other applicants. He also explains why you should stop stressing about having the perfect CV and start networking on LinkedIn today, even while you are still studying!
We also dive into the reality of imposter syndrome and why it is perfectly normal to feel like you don't belong in the room. Rob reminds us that a job interview is a two-way street; you are interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing you! If you want to know exactly what recruiters are looking for and how to confidently launch your digital career, this is the ultimate cheat code episode you cannot afford to miss. Tune in, take notes, and get ready to level up your future!
Behind the Future is a podcast for the next generation of digital talent, offering weekly interviews, real-world insights and career advice. Subscribe for more conversations like this, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram @aspirationdigital.
Hosts: Becky Simms & Kiya Lawford
Guest: Rob Murray
Would you like to see an Aspiration Digital event near you? Let us know by registering your interest here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV9Rg8QzZdtsauF5B7YURVFpK48wWrKZCIE6uCaeiEBFUZEA/viewform

Are you dreading the constant pressure from teachers and parents to figure out your entire future? Building a successful digital career doesn't mean you need to have a perfect ten-year plan mapped out right now. In this episode of Behind the Future, we sit down with Terry May, the founder of Marqeting, a specialist PPC and performance marketing agency, to talk about his incredibly unpredictable journey.
If you are sitting in class right now and absolutely hating school, Terry’s story will make you feel completely understood. He couldn't wait to leave school after Year 11. Instead of a traditional academic path, he studied music at college, trained as a chef, worked exhausting late-night bar shifts, and even spent years giving careers advice to disadvantaged students. It wasn’t until he was in his early thirties that he combined his passion for gaming with networking on LinkedIn to secure an apprenticeship. This leap of faith ultimately launched his successful journey in marketing.
In our chat, Terry breaks down exactly what paid media and PPC actually mean, explaining how they help push products to specific audiences online. More importantly, he explains why he absolutely despises the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?". Terry believes you should stop worrying about the absolute final destination and just focus on taking your next step. We also dive into real-talk about how to make your CV genuinely unique instead of just copying a standard AI template, and how to quiet the imposter syndrome that everyone faces.
Tune in to discover why every random hobby or part-time job you have right now is secretly building the transferable skills you need. Whether you want to start a digital career or just figure out what to do after your exams, Terry proves that it is never too late to pivot, change your mind, and follow your passions!
Behind the Future is a podcast for the next generation of digital talent, offering weekly interviews, real-world insights and career advice. Subscribe for more conversations like this, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram @aspirationdigital.
Hosts: Becky Simms & Kiya Lawford
Guest: Terry May
Would you like to see an Aspiration Digital event near you? Let us know by registering your interest here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV9Rg8QzZdtsauF5B7YURVFpK48wWrKZCIE6uCaeiEBFUZEA/viewform

Are you stressed about university and wondering how to build amazing digital careers? Take a deep breath, because this episode proves that you don't need to have your entire life figured out at 16, and sometimes the untraditional path is actually the most fun!
Host Becky Simms and Year 12 student co-host Daisy chat with Beth Puxley, Affiliate Development Manager at Holiday Extras. Beth shares her incredibly relatable story of dropping out of university halfway through her second year because the boring routine of a 9 AM seminar and a 5 PM lecture just was not working for her.
Instead of panicking, Beth went with the flow. She shares the hilarious story of how she applied for her first tech agency job simply because she liked the look of the ball pit in their office! Even better? She had absolutely no idea what SEO or PPC actually meant during her interview, but her personality and drive won them over anyway. Fast forward to today, and Beth has traveled to 22 countries in a single year, all while working full-time, and now negotiates major partnerships in the travel industry, sometimes even while riding a Ferris wheel at Dreamland!
Beth explains why people skills, adaptability, and networking are actually way more valuable for modern digital careers than a perfect exam score. We also chat about how students can use AI as a secret weapon to prep for job interviews, and how getting an adult ADHD diagnosis helped her understand her super-powered brain.
Beth's biggest piece of advice for students is simple: do not wait for the perfect moment and do not let school pressure you into rushing your life. There are so many fun, unconventional ways to launch successful digital careers!
Behind the Future is a podcast for the next generation of digital talent, offering weekly interviews, real-world insights and career advice. Subscribe for more conversations like this, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram @aspirationdigital.
Hosts: Becky Simms & Daisy Rundeko
Guest: Beth Puxley
Would you like to see an Aspiration Digital event near you? Let us know by registering your interest here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV9Rg8QzZdtsauF5B7YURVFpK48wWrKZCIE6uCaeiEBFUZEA/viewform