The brilliant Holly Ellis joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast – bringing honesty, resilience, and a fierce commitment to breaking barriers in science. Known to her growing online community as The Scouse Scientist, Holly is redefining what it means to belong in STEM while balancing the realities of motherhood, identity, and advocacy.

From Liverpool to Oxford University, Holly’s story is one of challenging perceptions and proving that background and accent should never be barriers to opportunity. She opens up about navigating motherhood after a traumatic birth, her experience with postnatal depression, and why caring for her daughter Ada tested her in ways academia never could.

With trademark candor, Holly tackles accent bias head-on, sharing how her Liverpool voice has become both her superpower and a source of prejudice. She reflects on once believing Oxford “wasn’t for people like me,” and how stepping into those spaces gave her the confidence to show others that they can belong too.

What began as a handful of social media videos has grown into a movement, as Holly uses her platforms to make science accessible and inclusive for everyone. Now signed with a talent agency, her ambition is to take STEM into mainstream media – showing the next generation that scientists can come from anywhere, sound like anyone, and look like everyone.

In this episode:

• From Liverpool to Oxford: proving she belonged in elite spaces
• Navigating motherhood and postnatal depression with honesty
• Breaking down accent bias and why it still matters
• Making STEM accessible through social media and beyond
• Turning trolls into proof of why her work matters
• The dream of hosting a science TV show that changes perceptions

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

The brilliant Saeeda Ahmed joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast – bringing faith, resilience, and a bold vision for building sustainable cities that put people first. As Founder and President of Sustainable Cities Global and a trailblazer named on the global stage, Saeeda is transforming how communities are designed, governed, and grown.

From the inner cities of Bradford to international contracts across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa, Saeeda’s story is one of breaking barriers and rewriting the rules. She shares how missing parts of her early education didn’t stop her from thriving at Cambridge, why her father’s wisdom still guides her today, and how her innovative model rejects “copy-and-paste” development in favour of solutions rooted in healthcare, education, and enterprise.

With honesty and conviction, Saeeda opens up about facing condescension and ridicule in male-dominated spaces, how she reframes failure as the “nuances of life,” and why she believes every single person is a living miracle. Her work is not just about sustainability—it’s about dignity, inclusion, and creating pathways so others never have to face the same barriers she did.

In this episode:
From Bradford to Cambridge: defying expectations and embracing faith
Why no city should ever be “copy-and-paste”
Building tailored, sustainable communities across three continents
Facing ridicule and turning hardship into strength
Reframing failure as life’s nuances, not setbacks
Why “you are already a success today” is Saeeda’s message to the world

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

The brilliant Nazir Afzal OBE joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast – bringing honesty, courage, and a lifetime of fighting for justice and inclusion. Chancellor of the University of Manchester, Chair of the Lowry, and tireless advocate for equity, Nazir refuses to let diversity become a tick-box exercise – instead, he challenges leaders to make allyship active, authentic, and accountable.

From calling out institutional misogyny to championing gender equality, Nazir shares why the retreat from diversity initiatives is not only harmful but deeply damaging to employees who are told, in effect, "we don’t believe in you anymore." He reminds us that while men are often part of the problem, they are also essential to the solution – and must step up, not out, when the work feels difficult.

In a conversation rich with challenge and hope, Nazir and Simone explore what real leadership looks like when values are tested, why measuring social impact matters, and how storytelling and community are vital tools for lasting change. For Nazir, the bottom line is clear: courage in leadership isn’t about following trends, but about standing firm when it matters most.

00:00 Welcome to the We Are Power Podcast
00:46 Introduction to Nazir Afzal OBE
02:06 Achievements and Roles
05:01 Advocacy and Leadership
08:23 Challenges and Pushbacks
12:29 The Importance of Inclusion
16:21 Celebrating Achievements
18:23 The Role of Male Leaders in Gender Equality
18:53 The Power of Advocacy and Support
20:06 Challenges Faced by Women in Male-Dominated Fields
21:37 Institutional Misogyny and Safety Measures
24:12 The Importance of Genuine Leadership Engagement
27:44 Measuring Social Impact and Value
29:44 Encouraging Community and Storytelling
32:18 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫