Denim jeans have become an integral part of modern-day life.  The majority of us own at least one pair (I personally have to confess to seven)! But how are these garments made? At what cost to the environment? And when they reach end of life how many of us give proper thought to where our once-loved products end up?Josh Myers is on a mission to turn these discarded garments into aesthetically beautiful products that see the material being given a second life, good news for the environment, and with his patented product Denimolite providing beauty, strength and flexibility of use, the potential uses are endless.In this episode, we follow Josh's journey from a rural upbringing in Cumbria to life in London and South Bank University, where during the Covid lockdown, he started to experiment with materials and shredded denim mixed with resin (encouraged by his father, who is a prosthetic engineer brought some favourable results. Hundreds of hours of experimentation later, Josh has created a beautiful and highly adaptable material that takes discarded garments and turns them into something really quite special https://indd.adobe.com/view/f1af327f-41e9-4353-8185-6bab9e26ac50Join us in this conversation, within which we follow Josh's journey from school to university and through the creation to date of his award winning material. This is a story of success over adversity, of persistence, and of tenacity...through his own words, Josh has become slightly "obsessed" with making Denimolite a success for the good of others and for environmental good. So grab the dog for a walk, take us to the gym, or just find a cosy chair, pour a coffee and listen to Designed for Life, in conversation with Innovator, founder and company owner Josh Myers. https://www.denimolite.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/denimolite-ltd/

This episode sees us in conversation with Sophie Hague - 2022 RSA Student Award winner and UX Designer. Sophie found school difficult, not so much academically, but she found it over-stimulating, crowded and overall, just not an enjoyable experience. The one exception to this was design and technology lessons, where she enjoyed the 'open-endedness' of problem-solving activities and just 'clicked'. As she progressed on her learning journey, Sophie found out just how she liked to learn. Experiential learning worked for her and she realised that to truly understand a topic, she needed to touch it, to feel it or to see the problem set within a real-world context that she could relate to. This metacognition became a major part of Sophie's development, and she developed a sound and blossoming love of learning. At the age of 11, Sophie decided she wanted to be a designer, and she has been following that pathway since. Her first degree opened doors in her mind that naturally led to a post-graduate Masters taken at Leeds University. It was here that Sophie was introduced to the RSA Awards, of which she says: "The brief allowed me to explore who I wanted to be, not only as a designer but also as a person. It changed my perception of what design is, what it can be and what I can make it".This episode is the story of a young designer discovering her own academic ability as she explores the world of design. It was a joy to record, and I just know you are going to enjoy it too. https://www.thersa.org/blog/2023/11/rsa-student-design-awards-winnerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-hague-b08b66197?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_apphttps://www.instagram.com/sophs.design.stuff?igsh=MWNia2dra3hhN2J3cQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qrhttps://www.sophiehague.co.uk/

Where was the first music concert you ever attended? Who was the artist? Who did you see this artist/band with? And finally, how did you feel as you left the gig? If you are like me and love your live music, these are questions that will roll off the tongue. For me, it was the Police. I was fifteen years old and with my best mate from school, the gig was at Hammersmith Odean, and it left me buzzing and wanting more!In this podcast, we are in conversation with Becky Pell. Becky is a sound engineer touring internationally with some of the biggest names in music. In this conversation, we trace her journey from school to a career that drew her in from her very first concert as a fifteen-year-old, where she saw A-ha live and found her attention split between Morten Harket and the other band members and the engineers working the sound desk in front of her. As she left that concert with her dad, her mind was made up; this was the career for her!Through this conversation, we gain a glimpse of what life ‘on the road’ is like, explore what it takes as a woman to carve out a career in what is sadly still a male-dominated profession and hear from Becky about the pure joy of her job as she watches thousands of people enjoy the night of their lives...partly because she has done her job well, allowing the performers to do what they do to the very best of their ability. This is a joyful podcast and one that will change the way that you look at the engineers working at a concert the next time you listen to live music. So grab the dog lead and plug us in your ears, take us to the gym, or just sit back and relax and listen to Designed for Life in conversation with Becky Pell. To find out more about Tomorrow’s Engineers Week and access their free teaching resources and on-demand schools broadcast, you can visit www.teweek.org.uk/ To find out more about EngineeringUK’s work to drive change so that more young people choose engineering and technology careers, visit www.engineeringuk.comAs always, thanks to The Edge Foundation for their continued sponsorship of this podcast. 

In this latest podcast, we are in conversation with Alex Knight, award-winning founder and CEO of the amazing STEMazing initiative. The best way to introduce you to STEMazing's mission and work is to take this quote directly from their website:"STEMAZING is a Call to Action to collectively amplify the voice of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths so we can create a more diverse and inclusive STEM future".In the podcast, we track Alex's journey from school to a successful career as an engineering consultant.  We explore the passion to make a difference that drove Alex to leave her role and follow her heart to set up STEMazing. This is an episode that you will not want to miss. Alex is making a real difference to the perception and reality of women engineers nationally and has aspirations to grow this impact on an international stage. So get those earbuds in and listen to Designed for Life in conversation with Alexandra Knight CEng, FIMechE,  FWES. Some information about STEMazing and the Inspiration Academy:Look out for the launch of our Autumn/Winter round of the 2023 award-winning Inspiration Academy programme, which will run from September until December this year.  |  | The STEMAZING Inspiration Academy supports women in STEM to shine as visible role models and inspires young people through fun, interactive online STEM sessions.  The women in STEM participants take part in training and workshops to build their public engagement skills and confidence on camera, plus their STEM delivery toolbox. These newly empowered role models then deliver a 6-week programme of LIVE online STEM sessions designed to engage children aged 7 - 9 years old. Schools benefit from this FREE programme by taking part in hands-on simple STEM activities and experiments to promote children's curiosity, creativity and courage led by a woman in STEM role model. Thanks to our Partners, we can deliver this programme free of charge to down-selected women and schools.  Doors will be open for registration on 3rd July. If you are considering signing up for the programme, or you are interested in Partnering with us to support our work whilst directly benefitting your female talent and your community, CLICK HERE for more information and to register your interest!  

Magway is a values-driven startup technology business situated in Wembley, North West London. Started in 2017, their staged vision is to take cargo off our roads and instead run the bulk of this cargo emissions-free on magnetic motor-driven 'trains' either set above or below ground.  They are working to drive an electrical revolution, unlock new economies and connect cities, towns and communities like never before.Cecile Searle took over as CEO in 2022, convinced by the founders that she "was already effectively doing the job anyway".  In this podcast, we follow her journey from a degree in civil engineering through a career which has focused on delivering airport and rail strategic systems projects. We also take the opportunity to explore the values that drive you as a company CEO and the concept of "leading with kindness", one that Cecile believes in deeply as she seeks to lead with both heart and head. This is a deeply insightful conversation with a sector leader seeking to quietly lead her way, as Magway look to fulfil their ambition to "look back and tell our grandchildren "we did that".So grab a coffee, take the dog for a walk or take us to the gym and listen to Designed for Life in conversation with Cecile Searle. https://www.magway.com/The Design and Technology Association is indebted to the Edge Foundation for their continued sponsorship of the Designed for Life series of podcasts. Without their support, this venture simply would not be possible. https://www.edge.co.uk/