Explore every episode of the podcast The Shaping Portsmouth Podcast

CP Robinson takes the host's chair for the first time to chat with Jo Alexander, Managing Director of Creative Clique, about starting and growing the business over the last 20 years and their roots in Portsmouth, the changing world of marketing and the rise of AI, working with Shaping to rebrand the annual conference as the Shaping Summit.

The post Episode 106: Creative Clique first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

We're saying goodbye to Charla Grant! (Boooo!)

Dave Humphries chats with podcast co-host Charla Grant about how she first came to join the Shaping Portsmouth team via Sarah Roads from SLR, how the organisation has changed over her time with us, making an impact in the city, conference and connection, her favourite Shaping Portsmouth memories, gratitude, and where the world is taking her next.

#WhatWouldCharlaDo

The post Episode 105: Charla Grant first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant chats with Hannah Jeffrey about joining the Shaping Team supporting our social media, how she got into Marketing and completing a Digital Marketing Masters at the University of Portsmouth, her role in The Marketing Agency which provides free marketing support and guidance to local businesses, and Harry Styles!

The post Episode 104: The Marketing Agency first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant welcomes Courtnee Mitchell, our Community Pillar Lead, to chat about joining the Shaping Portsmouth team, how her varied career path led her to this point, her love of being involved with the local community and why it is so important to make connections, and her hopes for how the Community Pillar will develop over the coming years.

The post Episode 103: Courtnee Mitchell first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

In this episode, Charla Grant talks to Mark Baumfield, Managing Director at Southern Motor Contracts, about how the business was founded and evolved into its current form, the benefits of leasing vehicles, how he came to join and then take ownership of the business, becoming a partner of Shaping Portsmouth and how it inspired them to take on an apprentice, and what's next for the business.

The post Episode 102: Southern Motor Contracts first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries talks to Andy Gallie, from the Beacon Counselling Trust and author of HMS To HMP, about his career in the Royal Navy, his decision to leave and ensuing career, his struggles with gambling addiction, how it led to spending time in prison, his recovery, and his work with the Beacon Counselling Trust helping others in similar situations.

The post Episode 101: Beacon Counselling Trust first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

This week we're celebrating our own Portsmouth centenary… Episode 100 of the Shaping Portsmouth Podcast! 🥳🎉
In this special episode, Dave Humphries and Charla Grant welcome Portsmouth icon Jane Lamer! Dave and Charla chat with Jane about growing up as a Pompey girl, her role at Portsmouth City Council, why Portsmouth is the best city to do business in, the community spirit within the city, Portsmouth100 and the City of Culture 2029 bid, and all of Jane's local recommendations!

The post Episode 100: Jane Lamer first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant talks to Rachel Lowe MBE, Creator of the Destination Board Game Series, about coming up with the idea for the game while driving a taxi as a student at the University of Portsmouth, developing it from the initial idea to releasing a final product, growing up playing games, her experience on Dragon's Den, and launching a special edition as part of Portsmouth's centenary celebrations.

The post Episode 99: Rachel Lowe MBE first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries talks to Andrew Major about falling in love with Pompey, His career in Business Intelligence & Marketing, and how experiencing burnout led him to earn the nickname Atlantic Rocketman by taking part in the World's Toughest Row, solo rowing 3,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic, raising money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

The post Episode 98: Atlantic Rocketman first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant talks to Bianca Carr, Founder and CEO of Final Straw Foundation, about starting the organisation, how a single campaign grew into a fully-fledged charity, and the projects they run along the Solent tackling single use plastics and pollution, including Wild Beach Schools getting children to the beach and helping them fall in love with the sea, and restoring native oysters.

The post Episode 97: Final Straw Foundation first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant welcomes another new member of the Shaping Portsmouth Team, Sarah Thompson, who has joined us as our new Education Pillar Lead. Charla and Sarah chat about her previous career in teaching, her role at Shaping and how she's finding it so far, and setting down roots in the city.

The post Episode 96: Sarah Thompson first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant welcomes Jane Moody, a new member of the Shaping Portsmouth Team, and chats about how she came to join us, her own organisation Marvellous Fabulous Projects, what she's learned about Shaping and the City since starting her role, and how she brings her values and joy to her life and work.

The post Episode 95: Jane Moody first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant talks to Joe Weston-McDowell, Head of Fundraising & Marketing at Motiv8, about supporting Portsmouth's City of Culture bid, the latest updates from the campaign, how businesses can support the bid by taking the Proper Pompey Pledge, and how it will impact the whole city WHEN we win!

The post Episode 94: City of Culture first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Recorded during National Volunteers Week, Dave Humphries talks to Andrew Starr, Co-Lead of the Portsmouth Ambassadors, about his various roles around the city, speaking and teaching multiple languages, Portsmouth's twin cities and other links around the world, the Portsmouth Ambassador programme, what the role of Ambassador entails and opportunities available to Ambassadors, and the new online Portsmouth Ambassador induction course which will be launching soon, and other volunteering opportunities available in the city.

The post Episode 93: Portsmouth Ambassadors first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant talks to CP Robinson about his first few weeks in the Chief Operations Officer role, why he joined the team, his management and leadership style, some of his other roles across the city, and his plans for Shaping Portsmouth.

The post Episode 92: CP Robinson first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant talks to Chris West, Co-Lead of our Workplace Health & Wellbeing programme, about Burnout, what it is and what you can do about it, the difference between burnout and stress, as well as the importance of looking after your mental health and wellbeing in general.

The post Episode 91: Burnout first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant talks to Jo Dallas about the work Headway Portsmouth & South East Hampshire does supporting people with acquired brain injuries and their families and carers, how these injuries affect lives, how things have changed over the 40 years since Headway launched, how local businesses could support them, and their upcoming abseil of the Spinnaker Tower!

The post Episode 90: Headway Portsmouth & South East Hampshire first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries talks to Sam about his role at Airbus, the history of Airbus and what they do in Portsmouth and around the world (and in space!), managing sustainability and their Portsmouth initiatives, and their apprenticeship scheme.

The post Episode 89: Airbus first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant talks to Nathalie Russell-Clarke, co-director, and Emma Stallard, participant and artist, about This New Ground, an Arts organisation which elevates the artistic voices and talents of people with learning disabilities, their exhibition running at Aspex Portsmouth until 7th June called Inside, their festival, Pivot Fest, taking place in Portsmouth between 8th and 10th May, and what they'll be doing next including their upcoming cultural exchange.

The post Episode 88: This New Ground first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant talks to Clare Seek about Share (Portsmouth), which runs the Repair Café and Portsmouth Library of Things, creating a cultural revolution in the city, the right to repair and circular economy, and how businesses and individuals can get involved.

The post Episode 87: Share (Portsmouth) first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries talks to Mark Waldron, Editor in Chief of The News, about his career in journalism, the importance of local journalism and the changes it has gone through, the Business Excellence Awards, and being Co-Chair of Shaping Portsmouth.

The post Episode 86: Mark Waldron first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

In this episode Charla Grant talks to Sohaila Sophia about what led her to a career in coaching, the various types of one-to-one coaching and group talks she offers across lifestyle, therapeutic style, and corporate & business, the importance of wellbeing, and being Co-Lead for Shaping's Workplace Health & Wellbeing programme.

The post Episode 85: Sohaila Sophia Coaching first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant talks to Trevor Payne from Athletic Performance & Therapy about working in knee and lower limb therapy and the psychological links, his clinic in the John Pounds Centre, PEACE and LOVE, and getting Clare Martin MBE running.

The post Episode 84: Athletic Performance & Therapy first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries talks to Bev about how she came to leave her job and found Frank HR, being a workaholic and a people person, the difficulties of setting up a business, and how Frank HR works as a retainer service for businesses.

The post Episode 83: Frank HR first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant, Suzan Win Latt, and Marian Glover reflect on International Women's Day and this years theme of Give to Gain, the SLR Recruitment IWD event, their own lunch meeting about how to extend the IWD celebration across the whole year, and their plans for a new Women in Business initiative that came out of it.

The post Episode 82: Women in Business first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant chats with Hannah Murray about how she came to work in mental health, starting out as The Beautiful Mind Coach and how that evolved into Seed Wellbeing, the importance of healthy workplace culture, and the impact she'd like Seed Wellbeing to have in the city.

The post Episode 81: Seed Wellbeing first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant chats with Dave Humphries (CEO of a local organisation you may know called Shaping Portsmouth!) looking back over the last year of Shaping Portsmouth activities, including the Conference, collaboration in the city, community cohesion, the importance of listening to young people, and Dave's experiences in his role.

The post Episode 80: Dave Humphries first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

This week we have a special episode for International Women's Day, which will be on Sunday 8th March! In this episode, Charla Grant chats with Roni Edwards-Wilson from Pamodzi about her decision to pause the Inspirational Women's Awards this year, how she's been keeping busy, the importance of the awards, and this year's IWD theme of Give to Gain.

The post Episode 79: International Women’s Day first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

CEO Dave Humphries speaks to Steve Piper, founder of Si Digital, about the business, Artificial Intelligence, and how attending the Shaping Portsmouth Conference in 2025 led to taking a PSA test, which led to a prostate cancer diagnosis.

The post Episode 78: Steve Piper first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Charla Grant chats with apprentices Aidan Whitlock from Mountjoy, Lauren Owen from Comserv, and Christopher Munday from South Western Railway about why they chose the Apprenticeship route and their experiences on the Apprenticeship Bus.

The post Episode 77: Apprenticeship Bus Special – Part 2 first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

As we prepare for National Apprenticeship Week next week, it's the first part of our Apprenticeship Bus Special! Charla Grant chats with apprentices Katie House from Specsavers, Jake Bull from KBS Maritime, and Lauren Spooner from Portsmouth City Council about why they chose the Apprenticeship route and their experiences on the Apprenticeship Bus.

The post Episode 76: Apprenticeship Bus Special – Part 1 first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

CEO Dave Humphries speaks to Katy about taking part in the Shaping Conference, how she went from joining Portsmouth Northsea Swimming Club at age six to swimming at an elite level and beyond, how training prepared her for parenthood and life in general, and her current project promoting water safety with The Gogglehedz.

The post Episode 75: Katy Sexton first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Recorded live at the Shaping Portsmouth Conference on Friday 16th January 2026, Education Pillar Director Hayden Taylor talks to Maheep Kaur, about her roles as Member of the UK Youth Parliament for Portsmouth and on the Executive Committee of the Portsmouth Youth Cabinet, then Hayden and Maheep are joined by Theo Proca to interview Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North.

The post Episode 74: Amanda Martin MP Vs Portsmouth Youth Cabinet first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries talks to Steve Squires, founder of Odigo Driving School, about the switch from history teacher to starting a driving school, running a local small business, his work with Models for Heroes, and some scary driving moments.

The post Episode 73: Odigo Driving School first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries has a chaotic chat with Lulu Whitmore, founder of Love Southsea, about growing up in Portsmouth, the origins and growth of the Love Southsea Market, the Love Portsmouth pop up shop in Gunwharf Quays, and her plans for what's coming next.

The post Episode 72: Love Southsea first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries talks to Gemma Nichols, CEO of Portsmouth Creates, about her history working in Culture and how it led her to Portsmouth, joining Portsmouth Creates, and her passion for supporting the creative sector. They also discuss some of the projects Portsmouth Creates has been running, the variety of creative industries they support, and the impact they've had across the city.

The post Episode 71: Portsmouth Creates first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

In this episode, Charla Grant talks to Nadia Arab, Founder of Road From Karachi, about growing up in Portsmouth, her mother launching a cookery school in the 80s, rediscovering her recipes and publishing them with her own contributions in Road From Karachi, and the amazing charity work that came from it,running workshops in the city and donating clean water pumps across the world.

The post Episode 70: Road From Karachi first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

In this episode, CEO Dave Humphries speaks to Sally Spicer, Co-Founder of Talent Included, about working in Recruitment, founding Talent Included with Natalie Clark, the importance of EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion), and how Portsmouth Businesses can help and benefit.

The post Episode 69: Talent Included first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

In this episode, CEO Dave Humphries speaks to David Knight, CEO of the Royal Maritime Hotel, about his career in hospitality, the Hotel's charity status and work supporting Veterans and the Armed Forces Community, the history of the hotel, the services they currently provide, and their partnerships around Portsmouth.

The post Episode 68: Royal Maritime Hotel first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

CEO Dave Humphries speaks to Rob Cunningham, Leisure & Business Development Director at BH Live, about how he got into the Leisure industry, BH Live's work in Portsmouth and the South Coast, redeveloping the Pyramids and Mountbatten, and how the charity helps residents lead a healthy lifestyle.

The post Episode 67: BH Live first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

In this special Trustees' Week episode, Charla Grant is joined by Tony McCarthy from HIVE Portsmouth to discuss the role of trustees and benefits of being one, the need for more trustees, and how we're working together to fill those vacancies.

The post Episode 66: Trustees’ Week Special first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

In this episode, Operations Manager Steff Jones chats with Charla Grant about her role as Programme & Partnership Support, her previous career and work with the LOOKUP Portsmouth Street Art Festival and the importance of creativity, community, and wellbeing.

The post Episode 65: Charla Grant first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

As it was the Spinnaker Tower's anniversary this weekend, CEO Dave Humphries sat down with General Manager Richard Hale to talk about the celebrations, the logistics of running the tower, abseiling, becoming an icon of the city, and plans for what comes next.

The post Episode 64: Spinnaker Tower’s 20th Anniversary first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Amy Cusack chats with Lauren Bumstead and Kev Sadler from Portsmouth City Council about their roles in the Careers & Progression team, supporting Care Experienced young people and NEETs, launching Employability Academy in partnership with Shaping Portsmouth, and the positive impact it had on those who attended.

The post Episode 63: Employability Academy first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Andy Moss, Co-Lead of our Armed Forces Community programme, talks to Tim Jones, who leads the AFC programme Service Leavers pillar, about his career in the military, his transition into comms work in the civilian world, and his work with service leavers.

The post Episode 62: Armed Forces Community – Tim Jones first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries speaks to Joe Weston-McDowell about his journey to settling in Portsmouth and his previous work at Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, his current role at Motiv8, and the work Motiv8 is doing to create life chances for young people in Portsmouth.

The post Episode 61: Motiv8 first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries speaks to Luca Frederick about founding and launching LocalLinked, linking students to their community, getting support through the Portsmouth Business Support Service, volunteering at Spark Community Space and being beaten at Scrabble!

The post Episode 60: LocalLinked first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries speaks to Steve Bailey, Managing Director of Bailey's Buses, about how the family business was founded, the challenges they've faced as they've adapted to the changing cruise industry to grow into their role in the city, their plans for the future, working with the Portsmouth Ambassadors for the Cruise Meet & Greets, and celebrating their 25th anniversary.

The post Episode 59: Bailey’s Buses first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Dave Humphries speaks to Jacqui Scott from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation about her role there, how they're funded, and how community groups can access those funds to help support their projects.

The post Episode 58: Hampshire & IoW Community Foundation first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.

Andy Moss, Co-Lead of our Armed Forces Community programme, talks to Sue Oatley, who leads the AFC programme Charity & Support pillar, about growing up as a forces child and its effect on her and her families lives, how she's contributing to the AFC programme, and starting the Aftershock Project.

The post Episode 57: Armed Forces Community – Sue Oatley first appeared on Shaping Portsmouth.