Are you considering a career in sport? In this podcast we meet Tess Howard MBE, a GB Olympian, athlete, changemaker, trailblazer and academic.

Tess is an elite hockey player, representing her country at the highest level, including the Paris Olympics in 2024 and the Commonwealth Games in 2022, where she was part of the winning team, earning a gold medal. Tess established the Inclusive Sportswear Foundation, to build a future where sportswear is not a barrier to participation, enjoyment and performance in sport, especially for women and girls.

In 2023 Tess won the Changemaker Award at the Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards, which recognised her campaign to amend international kit regulations allowing athletes freedom in their choice of clothing in competitions.

Tess was awarded an MBE in the 2025 New Year Honours.

In this conversation Tess and Claire Ziwa discuss topics including:

Playing hockey for team GB at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Dealing with setbacks and an ACL injury that prevented Tess from going to the Olympics in Tokyo.
Being part of the winning team at the Commonwealth Games.
Reading Geography at University.
The barriers to girls playing sport.
The effects of gendered school sport uniform on girls’ participation in sport.
Gender coding at schools.
Getting more girls to play sport and to understand the benefits.
Body image.
The impact of the clothes that boys and girls wear and playing sport.
Launching the Inclusive Sportswear Foundation.
Campaigning for change.
Future hopes and plans.

Find out more about the Inclusive Sportswear https://www.inclusivesportswear.com/

You can also watch this podcast on The Perse School Cambridge YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/sun5e1g9N_k

Do you dream of becoming a doctor and making a difference to the lives of patients? In this podcast we meet Dr Amelia Peak, working at the heart of patient care within the NHS.

In this podcast Amelia and Claire Ziwa discuss the following areas:

Working as a resident doctor in Oxfordshire.
What a typical day looks like working with patients and preparing their treatment plans.
The difference between working on the hospital wards compared to life at medical school.
Balancing professional development and patient care.
The rewarding nature of an empathetic and patient centred approach to care.
The most important skills needed to become a doctor.
Dealing with challenging situations and supporting patients throughout.
Advice for students who are thinking about a career in medicine.
Future aspirations and working with sick children.

You can also watch this podcast on The Perse School Cambridge YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/sOhPWzAxcxA

Head of School Marcus Wentzell shares his experience of being a student at The Perse, reflecting on his exciting Rouse research into the effectiveness of muometric positioning systems in underground navigation, as well as his passion for playing the saxophone and his important role as an anti-bullying ambassador.

In this podcast Marcus and Claire Ziwa discuss:

Marcus's experience as Head of School.
Looking back on the last 15 years as a student at The Perse School, Cambridge.
The breadth of skills learned at the school.
Playing the saxophone and taking part in music competitions.
The balance of academic and extra-curricular work.
The Rouse award and Marcus's physics research into positionings systems and how GPS doesn't work underground.
Applying to university to read Physics.

Having a curiosity for learning.

Taking on a leadership role as an anti-bullying ambassador.

You can also watch this podcast on The Perse School Cambridge YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/5bIVrOczbRM?si=QCrKUB29Xu55UvST