In this episode you’ll hear from Melanie Stewart, Lead Structural Welding Engineer at Merit.

Has a single moment defined the rest of your life? For Mel, it was looking out of an office window and seeing the sparks fly as some people were welding. Mel was amazed. The magnetism of that moment – the sound, the light, the creative power – pulled her away from a mundane office job and into a challenging yet deeply fulfilling career path she never knew existed.

Mel reveals that she was always arty and into crafts but struggled with academia. She left school without qualifications which later became a barrier to entry for her into some professions. She admits, had she known she’d need them to be a welder she’d have worked harder.

Mel recalls how she faced relentless bullying during her apprenticeship years, being assigned menial tasks while male counterparts received proper training. She also encountered systemic barriers like job rejections due to her gender. Yet through it all, her passion for welding never dimmed.

To learn more about STEMazing, and this week’s guest, head to https://www.stemazing.co.uk/podcast

In this episode you’ll hear from Monisha Gower, Assets Director for Northumbrian Water Group.

Originally from Nigeria, Monisha developed an early fascination with how things worked—taking apart VHS players and televisions, only to reassemble them with a few "spare parts" left over. Despite her father being a chemical engineer who inspired her interest in engineering, cultural expectations initially limited her options. In an act of defiance that would define her approach to barriers, Monisha secretly changed her university registration from her father's choice to electrical engineering, causing a temporary rift that healed only when her excellent grades proved her capability.

Monisha talks extensively about her experiences defiantly persuing a career in a male-dominated industry. She recalls how she ‘went on strike’ for not being allowed to do the things the boys could do, like change a lightbulb. Monisha doggedly pushed the boundaries. ‘When you don't push, you don't get’, Monisha says.

Monsiha also describes how she’s looked after her own wellbeing throughout adversary, recognising her ‘sheer workaholic willpower’ at the start of her career. She reflects also on how she found resilience through her faith: “it's work, it's life, it's spirituality, and I definitely have a lot more equilibrium”. The most revealing aspect of Monisha's journey is her evolution from trying to "be a guy in a man's world"—adopting an aggressive persona she thought necessary for success, to discovering the power of authentic leadership.

To learn more about STEMazing, and this week’s guest, head to https://www.stemazing.co.uk/podcast

In this episode you’ll hear from Kat Parsons, Group Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Centrica.

Kat reflects on her childhood love for the outdoors, which led her to the challenging field of contaminated land management. She describes making ‘mud pies’ as a child, only to end up doing the same thing as an adult in a more professional capacity!

Kat’s story of discovering the power of authenticity is inspirational. Working in male-dominated industries like construction Kat explains how she adopted the ‘chameleon effect’, becoming more masculine and swearing to try and fit in.“I'd turn up to site, put my hard hats and rigger boots on and I'd be a different person”, Kat says. She would also shy away from being honest about her sexuality.

Kat moved from Construction to facilities management, and was surprised to learn the organisation had an LGBTQIA network, something she hadn’t experienced previously. She also reveals how this was the most diverse workforce she has ever been a part of; “It was actually just such a breath of fresh air that I could be the same person inside and outside work”. Kat then became Head of Diversity and Inclusion and, with insight from her own personal experiences, took the company to Highly Commended at the European Diversity Awards.

To learn more about STEMazing, and this week’s guest, head to https://www.stemazing.co.uk/podcast