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Working For Progress
Working for Progress is a podcast about work, wellbeing, and what it means to live a meaningful life.
Hosted by social entrepreneur Dani Trudeau and rooted in the community of Tribe Porty in Edinburgh, each season explores a theme, The Body, through honest, unhurried conversations with people who are shaping their working lives with intention. These aren't interviews about career advice or productivity hacks. They're deeper conversations about values, identity, creativity, burnout, purpose, and the quiet grit behind the work people do.
If you love podcasts like On Being or The Pause, and you're asking bigger questions about how you want to work and live, this is for you.
Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Episodes
36 episodes
Working For Progress with Isobel Mercer: From Rainforest Realisations to Climate Action
Sometimes in life there are defining moments that set us on a path. For Isobel Mercer, one came while riding on the back of a motorbike through miles of decimated palm-oil plantations. When she finally reached the lush rainforest beyond, the st...
Andrea Fraser on Justice, Human Rights, and Staying Human Inside the Law
What does it take to stay human inside powerful legal systems?In this episode of Working For Progress, Dani is joined by Andrea Fraser, a Civil Justice Lawyer at JUSTICE, whose career has spanned employment law, hu...
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Working For Progress with Liz Gration: Strategy, Story, and Strongwoman Grit
Liz Gration is a freelance marketer specialising in SEO, digital PR, and content writing. She helps businesses of all sizes, from small Edinburgh shops and venues to international retailers, healthcare companies, charities, and environmental or...
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Working For Progress with Gael Drummond: Quiet Power, Bold Impact.
Gael Drummond has been quietly making waves in the social enterprise world, bringing a leadership style that is both tenacious and refreshingly ego-less. With a background in sport and physical activity, she brings the same determination and wi...
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Sonny Ruggiero on Art History, Yoga, and Creating Home in a New Place
Sonny Ruggiero is a yoga teacher, art historian, and community builder who recently joined Tribe Porty as our Community Support Assistant. Originally from California, Sonny moved to Scotland to pursue her PhD in the History of Art at the Univer...
Dr. Jane Booth on Leadership, Boundaries, and Realising What You're Capable Of
In this episode, Dani speaks with Dr. Jane Booth, a leadership development specialist and founder of Opus 29., whose PhD-informed, practitioner-led approach helps people lead themselves and others with gr...
Paul Lambie on Creative Life, Community, and Choosing a Different Kind of Progress
In this episode, Dani speaks with Paul Lambie — writer, designer, poet, and community gatherer, known to many as Poetry Paul and Paul's Props.Paul's path has taken him from the world of TV and film to becoming a full-time stay-at-home da...
Dawn Thomson on Love, Sex, and Learning to Fancy Yourself
In this episode, Dani speaks with Dawn Thomson, energy psychologist, relationships coach, and one of the original TEDxPortobello speakers, about the relationship most of us neglect the most: the one with ourselves.Dawn's work sits at the...
Maureen Evans on Mathematics, Movement, and Finding a Different Kind of Leadership
In this episode, Dani speaks with Maureen Evans, executive coach, Pilates teacher, and founder of two practices built around movement and leadership development.Maureen's path is an unexpected one: from a degree in pure mathematics and a...
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Julie Cluley on Burnout, Dog Behaviour, and the Mindset Shift That Changed Everything
In this episode, Dani speaks with Julie Cluley, dog behaviour coach and creator of Peaceful Paws, a course and community that brings together 3P coaching and Dog Listening to help dog trainers work in a calmer, more sustainable way.Julie...
Matilda Mayne on Stress, Resilience, and Why Rawdogging Might Be Good for You
In this episode, Dani speaks with Matilda Mayne , mental skills coach and performance psychology consultant based in Edinburgh, working with athletes, businesses, and academic institutions on resilience and coping with pressure.Matilda's...
Hannah Low on Storytelling, the Arts, and Doing What You Love Anyway
In this episode, Dani speaks with Hannah Low, Chinese-Scottish actor, writer, and maker of vibrant, narrative-led work for stage, whose credits span Netflix, BBC Scotland, and the Royal Lyceum Theatre.Hannah talks about her deep love for...
Loretta Dunn on Birth, Death, and How Facing Both Changes Everything
In this episode, Dani speaks with Loretta Dunn. Life Celebrant, Death Doula, nurse, midwife, and one of those rare people who seems to hold the full span of human experience with extraordinary grace.Loretta's work sits at the threshold b...
Danni Gordon on Productivity, Parenthood, and Work-Life Challenges
In this episode, Dani speaks with Danni Gordon, former third sector project manager, personal assistant, and self-confessed lover of helping people get things done.Danni joined the conversation while on extended maternity leave, at one o...
Anna Considine on Brand Photography, Burnout, and Building a Business Around Your Values
In this episode, Dani speaks with Anna Considine. Edinburgh-based brand photographer, founder of Studio Gently, and new member of Tribe Porty, Anana talks about what it really takes to build a business that doesn't cost you your health.A...
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Ellie Morag on Photography, Community, and Finding What's Next
In this episode, Dani speaks with Ellie Morag, photographer, community gatherer, and a previous member of the Tribe Porty team.Ellie's working life has long revolved around photography and connecting with people. But she's at an interest...
Reema Vadoliya on Data, Inclusion, and Why the Human Story Always Comes First
In this episode, Dani speaks with Reema Vadoliya, founder of People of Data and a passionate advocate for putting humanity at the heart of how we gather, interpret, and use data.Reema's central argument is a simple but radical one: data ...
Keith Kirkwood on Technical Writing, Drumming, and Two Very Different Ways of Thinking
In this episode, Dani speaks with Keith Kirkwood. Senior Technical Writer by day, drummer and percussionist by night, and someone whose brain operates in two very different registers.Keith's working life is built around making complexity...
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Emma Christie on Psychological Thrillers, Campervans, and Building a Life You Actually Want
In this episode, Dani speaks with Emma Christie, psychological thriller writer, Portobello local, and someone who has deliberately built a working life that most people only dream about.Emma's debut novel The Silent Daughter was shortlis...
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Nicky Shallcross on Cancer, Colour, and Choosing a Different Kind of Working Life
In this episode, Dani speaks with Nicky Shallcross, former fashion and retail buying director, founder of Interior Superior, volunteer, and someone who knows exactly what it took to change her life.Nicky's shift from heading up buying an...
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Peter Jones on Watercolour, Place, and What Drawing Has Taught Him About Himself
In this episode, Dani speaks with Peter Jones. Watercolour artist, long-time Tribe Porty member, and one of Portobello's quieter treasures.Peter draws constantly. His work celebrates the built environments of the places he loves, from Po...
Briana Pegado on Purpose, Identity, and Doing Good Work on Working for Progress
Today we spoke with Briana Pegado, and we could have talked all day! With our longest episode to date, Briana and I talk about her experiences in the creative sector, how she is a menace (in the best possible way) and why it is important to liv...
Chris Hellawell on Tool Libraries, Community Resilience, and Building Something Scotland Needed
In this episode, Dani speaks with Chris Hellawell. Director of the Edinburgh Tool Library and one of those people who saw something working somewhere else and decided to bring it home.The origin story is a good one: Chris visited a tool ...
Season 1 Wrap Up — Reflections with Dani and Alice
Eleven episodes, one trailer, and a whole lot learned. In this special episode, Dani and producer Alice Hudson look back on Season 1 of Working for Progress.They reflect on the conversations that stayed with them — with Bob, Lorna, Osber...
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Inessa Rezanova on Storytelling, Scotland, and Finding Home at Tribe Porty
In this episode, Dani speaks with Inessa Rezanova. Ukrainian writer, screenwriter, and narrative producer, and one of Tribe Porty's most beloved members.Inessa arrived in Portobello through a simple connection a host family, a recommenda...
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