Shows
UCL MindsHow Can Crypto Protect Forests and Empower CommunitiesDiscover how technology and innovative finance are helping communities protect forests and build sustainable economies. In this episode of Life of PIE, host Onye Idoko speaks with Nicolas Prieto, MSc Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship alum and CEO of climate tech startup Voltiva, and Tereza Bízková., co-founder of Refi Medellin. They explore real-world examples of crypto and regenerative finance in action in Colombia.
Date of episode recording: 2025-11-09
Duration: 00:35:17
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Onya Idoko
Guests: Nicolas Prieto and Tereza Bízková
Producer: Juan Manuel Fournier Castillo
Names of the podcast owner: Victoria Howard
2025-11-1835 min
UCL MindsGrowing Pains: Mastering Sustainable Growth in Social EnterprisesIn the final episode of series 2 of The Life of PIE, we explore the unique challenges social enterprises face as they balance growth with their mission. How can social enterprises expand while staying true to their core purpose?
Onya and Jacob McMahon, a Life of PIE alum from the 22-23 cohort, discuss external pressures, such as securing funding and managing customer expectations, alongside internal struggles like aligning diverse activities and maintaining focus. Jacob shares strategies organisations use to manage these tensions, including creating flexible structures, monitoring staff and stakeholder engagement, and fostering collaboration within networks. How can growth both ease an...
2024-12-1334 min
UCL MindsThe Cost of Losing Our Public Spaces: From London to LimaPublic spaces like parks are increasingly becoming less accessible. This phenomenon, observable from London to Lima, affects how we socialise, engage in physical activities and participate in our communities. One reason for this lack of access is the commodification of these spaces but what are the consequences of charging a fee to access a park?
In this episode, Onya speaks with Nadir Chioino, an MSc PIE alum and multidisciplinary designer, and Daniela Chong, a city planner, architect and designer from Lima, Peru. What are the benefits of public spaces for our well-being, and what are the consequences when these spaces...
2024-10-1447 min
UCL MindsThe Complex World of Women’s Health: With guest Kris TeowCelebrate International Women's Day with a special first episode of the new series of Life of PIE! Onya, your host, delves into the complex world of women's health alongside Kris Teow, an MSc PIE alum from the 2022-23 cohort. Kris shares findings from her qualitative study on the experiences of Malaysian corporate women, shedding light on the diverse ways women's health is perceived and managed globally. From the cultural construction of women's bodies to the stigma surrounding menstruation and menopause, the conversation explores the nuanced factors that shape women's health. Join them as they navigate cultural nuances and societal expectations...
2024-03-0835 minUCL MindsSeason 2 TrailerWe are back with the second series of the Life of PIE podcast. Dr Onya Idoko lets us know what we can expect from this season.
Date of episode recording: 2024-03-04T00:00:00Z
Duration: 00:02:28
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Dr Onya Idoko; Juan Manuel Castillo
Producer: Juan Manuel Castillo
2024-03-0602 min
Life of PIEThe Complex World of Women's Health: With guest Kris TeowCelebrate International Women's Day with a special first episode of new series of Life of PIE! Onya, your host, delves into the complex world of women's health alongside Kris, an MSc PI alum from the 2022-23 cohort. Kris shares findings from her qualitative study on the experiences of Malaysian corporate women, shedding light on the diverse ways women's health is perceived and managed globally.
From the cultural construction of women's bodies to the stigma surrounding menstruation and menopause, the conversation explores the nuanced factors that shape women's health. Join them as they navigate cultural nuances and societal...
2024-03-0635 minLife of PIESeason 2 TrailerLife of PIE (Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship) is an original podcast from UCL Institute for Global Prosperity. We are starting a different kind of conversation with researchers, practitioners and entrepreneurs doing cutting edge work rethinking entrepreneurship and innovation. In each episode, you’ll hear host Dr Onya Idoko speak to guests about their research on environmental and social problems, as well as solutions that can create pathways to long term structural and systemic transformations.
2024-03-0502 min
Life of PIETPaB E5: Finale_Concluding the Journey by Co-Hosts Rp & SamIn the final episode of To Prosperity and Beyond, RP and Sam are joined by MSc PIE programme leads, Dr. Onya Idoko and Dr. Konrad Miciukiewicz. They discuss their research interests and professional backgrounds and give insights on how the PIE programme was built and designed to support aspiring transformative leaders from all over the world. They discuss the necessary lens of prosperity in approaching entrepreneurship and how a diversity of voices can be the avenue for the most innovative solutions. They explain how the direction of the programme has changed over the years and provide key lessons on...
2024-01-2547 min
Life of PIETPaB E4: Elevating Entrepreneurship by Co-Hosts Rp & SamTransformative entrepreneurs are leading the charge in addressing wicked problems by creating relevant and scalable solutions that are poised to make a lasting and sustainable impact. They employ similar methodologies to conventional business practices but capitalise on market failures around social issues and environmental challenges.
Arthur Kay, a seasoned entrepreneur and Co-Chair and Co-Founder of FastForward 2030, chats with Sam and RP about his vast experience as a CEO of several start-ups and organisations, including Skyroom and Bio-Bean, and as an all-around creator and problem solver. To Prosperity and Beyond is a mini-series embedded in the IGP’s Life...
2024-01-1140 min
Life of PIETPaB E3: Unpacking Innovation by Co-Hosts Rp & SamChange management is a broad and complex discipline, but at its core, it is about helping organisations successfully adopt and sustain change. It necessitates a structured approach to prepare, support, and guide individuals and teams through significant shifts in their operations, processes, or culture.
When applied to solving social problems and improving people’s lives, it ushers the implementation of social innovations at a localised level.
Peter Ptashko FRSA, Founder and CEO of Cambio Consultancy, talks with RP and Sam about how social innovation works from the perspective of change management specifically in different entrepreneurial set...
2023-12-2837 min
Life of PIETPaB E2: Navigating Prosperity by Co-Hosts Rp & SamThe Institute for Global Prosperity (IGP) conducts transdisciplinary research aligned to local needs and stakeholders, and works with Citizen Scientists across the UK, Lebanon and Kenya as part of its Prosperity Co-Labs (PROCOLs). The teams address what prosperity means in a localised context, and how we can build scalable solutions that acknowledge the challenges facing different communities.
Dr. Nikolay Mintchev, Director of Research at the IGP and core team member of PROCOL Lebanon, joins Sam and RP to discuss how the understanding of prosperity is evolving. He talks about the nuances involved when talking about prosperity, the pr...
2023-12-1431 min
Life of PIETPaB E1: Making To Prosperity and Beyond (Trailer) by Co-Hosts Rp & SamThe IGP’s Prosperity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (PIE) MSc programme prepares students to be a new generation of global leaders and entrepreneurs; understanding the concept of transformative entrepreneurship and the implementation of innovations to address wicked problems.
MSc PIE alumni students and co-hosts RP Duterte and Sam Tamayo introduce the mini-series, and discuss why there is a need to bring out conversations about prosperity from academia and provide perspectives of practitioners in the field.
To Prosperity and Beyond is a mini-series embedded in the IGP’s Life of PIE podcast. It focuses on the liv...
2023-11-3004 minLife of PIEEnergy transition policies for sustainable development in China: With guest Lydia QiuReducing coal consumption is crucial for China's sustainable development. To achieve this goal, the Chinese government has implemented various policies aimed at promoting a transition to clean energy, such as the "coal to gas" and "coal to electricity" initiatives. In this particular episode, Lydia Qui, an alumna of the MSc PIE program and currently a Risk analyst at TikTok, focuses on the metropolitan region of Jing-Jin-Ji. She analyses the impact of the "coal to gas" and "coal to electricity" policies on the winter heating sector, a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. During their conversation, Onya and Lydia discuss...
2023-06-0835 minLife of PIESocial inclusion, green spaces and community-led social change: With guests Nyma Haqqani and Paul ElyEven when ethnic minorities have physical access to parks and other forms of green space, they still aren't using them, leading to social exclusion and environmental inequities. How do we encourage ethnic minority participation in green spaces? Perhaps the answer lies in community-led social change. Join Nyma Haqqani (MSc Global Prosperity alumni), Paul Ely (Trustee for the National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces) and Onya Idoko in their conversation about wellbeing, ethnic minorities and urban green spaces.
2023-04-2546 minLife of PIEAdvancing climate justice: With guests Sarah Wyns and James PerryCan climate justice principles be applied to businesses? The research on climate justice has grown significantly in the last decade, however, its practical implications are still unclear, and research has mostly been limited to national government responses rather than corporations. How can B Corp businesses advance a just transformation to sustainability? How do they manage the tensions that exist between mission and market-oriented practices? In this episode we discuss these questions with Sarah Wyns (UCL MSc PIE alumna) and James Perry (Co-chairman of Cook & Co-founder of the B Corp movement in the UK).
2023-04-0138 minLife of PIEBeyond GDP: With guests Justin Van Wyk and Robert CostanzaHow do we measure the wellbeing of a society? Is Gross Domestic Product (GDP) an appropriate indicator of both economic progress and wellbeing? GDP is based on a liberal theory of progress which equates economic growth to progress and wellbeing. However, researchers have found that the link between economic growth and wellbeing isn’t as strong as we would like to think. Yet, governments use GDP as a primary indicator for decision making and economic planning. This ‘addiction’ to GDP has led to policies that favour increased economic production without consideration of the effects on society or the environment. In thi...
2023-03-0136 min
Life of PIEDealing with adversity: With guest Bidisha PandeyDealing with 'crises' and not a crisis is becoming the norm for us today. During times of crisis or adversity, female entrepreneurs find themselves faced with multidimensional challenges which they have to navigate using the resources available to them. More often than not, they are hit the hardest by a crisis and find themselves experiencing inter-role conflict. How do they navigate such challenges? In this first episode of Life of PIE with Onya Idoko, we discuss this question with Bidisha Pandey a former UCL Institute for Global Prosperity MSc PIE student.
Life of PIE is an original p...
2022-12-1532 min
Life of PIELife of PIE trailerLife of PIE (Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship) is an original podcast from UCL Institute for Global Prosperity. We are starting a different kind of conversation with researchers, practitioners and entrepreneurs doing cutting edge work and rethinking entrepreneurship in new ways. The first episode will be available on December 15th. Listen to the trailer and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
2022-11-1803 min