🎧 Navigating Life in Western Europe
Chatting about changing countries and contexts.
Just dropping in with something a little different today...
This week a new episode of the
You might remember I highlighted an older Lazy Women podcast episode in the recent Career Compass issue with Ellie Sugden, which we had recorded together last year, with me firmly wearing my interviewer hat.
In this latest episode, my input is more that of a commentator (and quite minimal!) but being involved in this series of the podcast, ‘Making it’ in Western Europe: Experiences of Young Eastern-European Women, has felt like a real privilege. All about how young women are navigating life moves and career opportunities in one country from another, the themes explored align well with what gets discussed here on
.
This episode is focused on the experiences of Basia Binkowska growing up in Poland, leaving to study in the UK, becoming a theatre set and costume designer, and now working on projects internationally. Basia talks about education, politics in theatre, returning home - and so much more.
As is the style of the series, I chip in at the end as a native UK resident (identifying strongly as Welsh) to share my reflections on Basia’s experiences and nuanced thoughts on growing up in the countryside, the importance of the arts, and how listening to and learning from others can open our minds.
The wider series echoes this, each episode providing a small case study or a microcosm of the wider political context of interviewee’s points of departure in Eastern or Central Europe, and arrival in Western Europe, and what this says of the opportunities and socio-political contexts within and across Europe as a whole. Though the stories told by women through this series are incredibly diverse, there are parallels that emerge, and the personal focus of each conversation makes them entirely relatable for the listener, even if we’ve never been to the county or countries being discussed.
Co-funded by the European Cultural Foundation’s Display Europe grant, this series really shows the tenacity and dedication of
, an independent media organisation I’ve been involved with since around 2021, to rewrite the global narrative around womanhood.Behind the scenes I've been working with the team on partnerships and outreach, to spread the word about this latest podcast series, and it's ethos of opening up curious conversations. Whether it's this episode you take a listen to, or another from the series (check out the full list here), or the whole thing(!), I hope you enjoy, find something interesting or learn something new - and if you feel so compelled, share with a friend.
Happy listening! 🎧🧭
If you liked this post, or indeed this episode, and would like to show some support without a paid subscription, a Ko-fi coffee is always welcome.☕