What I Wish I Knew Sooner

What It Takes to Make It in the Creative Industry: Rejection, Risk & Resilience with Actor Brahmdeo Ramana

Breaking into a creative industry can look glamorous from the outside… but behind every role, opportunity and success story are years of rejection, resilience and backing yourself when nobody else can. In this episode, we're joined by actor Brahmdeo Ramana, whose credits include The Bay, Emmerdale, Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, as well as projects for Netflix and Apple TV+, to talk about what it really takes to build a career in TV, film and the creative industries. From leaving a career in finance to pursuing acting full-time, Brahmdeo shares the realities of navigating an industry with no clear roadmap, dealing with rejection and staying motivated when success doesn't happen overnight. We talk about: 🎭 Breaking into the acting industry 💼 Leaving a traditional career to pursue a creative path 💪 Rejection, resilience & building confidence 🎬 Working on productions including Marvel, Emmerdale & The Bay 🧠 Comparison, self-belief & trusting your own journey 🎨 Creativity, passion projects & building a career you love 🤖 AI and the future of creative industries ✨ And the advice Brahmdeo wishes he knew sooner KEY MOMENTS: 00:00 Introducing Brahmdeo Ramana 02:00 The biggest misconceptions about acting 03:30 Leaving acting behind and finding his way back 06:00 Why creative careers are never linear 07:30 Booking his first major TV role 09:00 Working on The Bay & Emmerdale 11:00 How to break into the industry today 13:00 Staying motivated through rejection 17:00 Why your ideas are worth pursuing 18:00 The person who believed in him first 21:30 Taking risks and leaving finance behind 23:00 Confidence, rejection & self-belief 24:30 Working on a Marvel production 32:30 AI and the future of acting 38:00 Following passion over money 39:30 What Brahmdeo wishes he knew sooner Whether you're pursuing a creative career, considering a big career change, or simply trying to trust your own path a little more, this episode is a reminder that success rarely follows a script. Follow us on socials @whatiwishiknewsoonerpod 💛

The Right Time Doesn’t Exist: Start Before You’re Ready

We hear it all the time: start before you’re ready. But if it were that easy… why do so many of us still wait? Whether it’s fear of failure, perfectionism, self-doubt or waiting for the “right time,” so many of us hold ourselves back from starting the things we really want to do. But what if the right time isn’t something you wait for… what if it’s something you create? In this mini episode, we unpack: 🚀 Why so many people wait to feel “ready” before they start ⏰ Why the perfect time often never comes 😬 How perfectionism and procrastination can keep us stuck 🧠 The role self-doubt plays in holding us back 💛 Why you don’t need permission to go after what you want ✨ Why taking imperfect action can change everything KEY MOMENTS: 00:00 The right time isn’t something you wait for 01:00 Why so many people hold themselves back 02:00 Start before you’re ready 03:00 The fear of failure vs learning as you go 04:00 Perfectionism, procrastination & self-doubt 06:00 Why social media can make us feel behind 08:00 Why you don’t need permission to start 10:00 Building self-trust and backing yourself 12:00 Why action creates confidence If you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to start something… this episode is your reminder that maybe the time is now. Follow us on socials @whatiwishiknewsoonerpod and send this to someone who needs to hear it 💛

Everything You Need To Know About Money: Saving, Investing & Building Wealth with Ola Majekodunmi

Money is something that affects all of us… but most of us were never actually taught how to manage it. In this episode, we’re joined by Ola Majekodunmi, qualified financial advisor, public speaker and founder of All Things Money to talk about saving, investing, budgeting and building wealth in your 20s & 30s. From feeling behind financially to learning how to invest for the first time, we unpack the money conversations more people need to be having. We talk about: 💸 How to actually start saving & investing 📈 Building wealth even if you don’t earn loads 🧠 Money anxiety, comparison & financial confidence 🏡 Buying property, budgeting & financial goals 💳 Credit cards, debt & student loans 👩‍💻 Women & investing 📱 The impact of social media on how we view success ✨ And the financial advice we wish we knew sooner KEY MOMENTS: 00:00 Introducing Ola & All Things Money 02:30 Why schools don’t teach enough about money 05:00 The biggest money mistakes people are making 07:30 Feeling behind financially in your 20s & 30s 10:30 Where to start with saving & investing 14:00 Best investing platforms for beginners 15:30 Property, relationships & financial goals 19:30 “I don’t earn enough to save” 22:00 Saving vs investing explained 26:00 Debt, credit cards & student loans 32:00 What Ola wishes she knew sooner Whether you’re just starting your financial journey or trying to feel more confident with money, this episode is packed with practical advice and honest conversation. Follow us on socials @whatiwishiknewsoonerpod 🤍

Why Community Matters More Than Ever (and Why It’s So Hard to Find)

With everyone talking about community right now, we wanted to ask the question… why does it feel harder than ever to actually find it? We grew up in environments where connection felt easy — school, university, even early careers — but as we’ve got older, building meaningful friendships and feeling part of something has become a lot less straightforward. At the same time, we’re more “connected” than ever online… yet somehow more disconnected in real life. So why is that? And what can we actually do about it? In this mini episode, we unpack:  🏡 Why community used to feel easier (and what’s changed)  📱 How social media creates the illusion of connection  🤝 The difference between having friends vs feeling like you belong  🌍 Why everyone wants a “village” — but no one wants to build one  😬 Why putting yourself out there feels uncomfortable (but is necessary)  ☕ How small, everyday moments can lead to real connection  ✨ Why we decided to start building our own community for “5–9ers” KEY MOMENTS:  00:00 Everyone wants a village — but no one builds one  01:00 Why community feels more important than ever  02:00 From built-in communities to building your own  03:00 The impact of remote work & post-COVID life  04:00 Why it’s harder to make friends as an adult  05:00 Social media vs real connection  07:00 Why “catch-up culture” isn’t real connection  09:00 Building community in small, simple ways  11:00 Why you have to put yourself out there  13:00 Finding your people (and trusting your intuition) If you’ve ever felt like you’re missing “your people” — this episode is for you. Follow us on socials @whatiwishiknewsoonerpod and send this to someone who might need the reminder 💛

The Career Advice Women Aren’t Taught: Confidence, Strategy & Playing the Game with Jessica Lindfield

In this episode, we’re joined by Jessica Lindfield - career strategist, author of Play the Game and founder of EmbraceHer. From the outside, Jess’s career looks incredibly successful. But behind the scenes, her experience with ambition, burnout and navigating corporate life hasn't always been straightforward. We talk about what it really means to “play the game” at work and why working hard alone isn’t always enough to get ahead. ✨We also get into: * why ambition needs to be sustainable (not just impressive on paper) * confidence vs self-trust (and what actually moves the needle) * how to build visibility without it feeling forced * the career advice women aren’t always taught * and how to define success in a way that actually works for your life If you’ve ever felt stuck, overlooked, or unsure how to navigate your next move, this episode is for you. KEY MOMENTS: 00:00 – Introduction to Jess Linfield 02:00 – How her relationship with ambition has evolved 03:30 – Chasing promotions vs enjoying your day-to-day 04:30 – Rapid career growth at 24 (and realising it wasn’t what she wanted) 06:00 – Why she created Embrace Her 07:30 – What women are really struggling with: confidence vs career strategy 09:00 – Why self-trust matters more than confidence 10:30 – Imposter syndrome and getting out of your own way 12:30 – How confidence is actually built 21:00 – The DARE method explained 30:00 – Why working hard isn’t enough (visibility, strategy & impact) 💬 Follow us for more conversations on life, career & personal growth @whatiwishiknewsoonerpod 💛 And if you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to follow, rate and share the podcast - it helps us reach more people who might need these conversations.