The States of Matter Podcast

I'm not technical, I'm visible

Starting a business is stressful. Now imagine starting a business when you’ve just had a baby. When Carley Fountain and her husband were faced with this situation, they thought “how hard can it be” and threw themselves into the challenge. Well, ten years later they have a thriving family business and have achieved a healthy and happy work-life balance.  Carley has also decided that it is time to give back and help encourage the next generation of engineers by becoming a STEM ambassador and active member of the IOR’s Women in RACHP Group. We’re not sure when she sleeps!
Additional information 
For more information about the Institute of Refrigeration and the Women in RACHP Network visit https://ior.org.uk/women-in-rachp
Looking for advice on careers or becoming a STEM Ambassador RACHP visit https://ior.org.uk/careers

No question is a stupid question

"Never shy away from any task and throw yourself in the deep end!” This is how Claryhs Radford lives her life and this belief has pushed her to leave a career in bar management to become a Project Sales Engineer with a passion for her job and an obsession with air conditioning. Claryhs is a fantastic example of what happens when you have the self-belief to chase your dreams and take the opportunities offered to you, no matter how daunting they may seem.
Additional information 
For more information about the Institute of Refrigeration and the Women in RACHP Network visit https://ior.org.uk/women-in-rachp
Looking for advice on careers or becoming a STEM Ambassador RACHP visit https://ior.org.uk/careers

How an envelope changed my life

According to this month's guest Caitlin Earle, if you want a job that's fun and interesting, engineering might be the perfect career for you. A talented project engineer, Caitlin describes what working in project management is like, and why, she believes supportive companies are vital to developing the next generation of RACHP professionals. She also explains how chatting with your neighbours can lead to unexpected opportunities and why you should always check the postcode!
Additional information 
For more information about the Institute of Refrigeration and the Women in RACHP Network visit https://ior.org.uk/women-in-rachp
Looking for advice on careers or becoming a STEM Ambassador RACHP visit https://ior.org.uk/careers

Engineering, you might think it’s a man’s job but it really isn’t

In this episode we have a shared episode with the IOR’s Tip of the Iceberg podcast.  Miriam Rodway talks to a student doing work experience at the IOR discussing how their views - and those of their friends - have changed about the sector and careers now they know more about refrigeration air conditioning and heat pumps.  We talked about what kind of career advice young people receive in schools, what they think of engineering and what we can do to raise awareness of this sector.  If you are unsure whether you should take on a student for a week's work experience, we hope this podcast will help convince you of how much value they can add!
Additional information 
For more information about the Institute of Refrigeration and the Women in RACHP Network visit https://ior.org.uk/women-in-rachp
Looking for advice on careers or becoming a STEM Ambassador RACHP visit https://ior.org.uk/careers

The gut is the mothership of our health

We all want to be healthier. In this episode, we talk to Angelika Cutuk-Short, a functional nutritionist with a special interest in perimenopause and menopausal women’s health. 
Angelika shares hints and tips for managing perimenopause and menopausal symptoms and explains how by using diet and exercise you can take back control and restore your gut health. 
Angelika Cutuk-Short
To find out more about Angelika visit https://nutritioninmind.uk/
More information about the IOR and WiRACHP
For more information about the  Institute of Refrigeration and the Women in RACHP Network visit https://ior.org.uk/women-in-rachp
 

No right, no wrong, just different

How do you grow both personally and professionally and develop a working life that brings you joy? This month we talk to Juliet Loiselle, Publisher of ACR Journal who explains the importance of staying true to your values, being brave and asking for advice. These are the attributes that have sustained Juliet’s career in the RACHP sector and led to her remarkable fantastic year of “Yes”.
Additional information 
For more information about the Institute of Refrigeration and the Women in RACHP Network visit https://ior.org.uk/women-in-rachp
Looking for advice on careers or becoming a STEM Ambassador RACHP visit https://ior.org.uk/careers

Professional Troublemakers

Discussing allyship is simple, but being a genuine ally can come with its own challenges and discomfort. Becoming an ally is a gradual process that requires not only recognising your positive actions but also acknowledging your mistakes. It involves raising awareness about how one's actions can affect others.
In this episode, we are joined by two guests, Lee Chambers and Steve Gill to shed light on the complexities and responsibilities of allyship. Lee is an acclaimed business psychologist, a committed male ally, and an expert in well-being. Steve is the Head of Sustainable Cooling at the Carbon Trust and the founder of Cool Mentoring, a platform dedicated to connecting and empowering young professionals and students in the refrigeration sector.
More information about the IOR and WiRACHP
For more information about the  Institute of Refrigeration and the Women in RACHP Network visit https://ior.org.uk/women-in-rachp

INWIC – a network to fall back on

Our featured guest this month is Colleen Keyworth, the President of the International Woman in Cooling (INWIC) Network. Colleen shares the positive impact her active participation in a professional network has had on her career development. She discusses the importance of tackling gender stereotyping when it comes to career choices and how raising the visibility of women in predominantly male roles is vital to help recruit the next generation of women into the RACHP and HVAC professions. She also shares the story of how she ended up leaving amateur rodeo and kayak tours behind to become part of the HVACR community.
About our guest 
Colleen Keyworth is the current president of the US group Women in HVACR and has recently been appointed as the first president of the International Network for Women in Cooling (INWIC). Colleen is also the director of sales and marketing for Online Access Inc, an HVACR web marketing company.
More information about the IOR, WiRACHP and INWIC
For more information about the  Institute of Refrigeration and the Women in RACHP Network visit https://ior.org.uk/women-in-rachp
Information about INWIC can be found at www.inwic.org
 

I’m human, hello!

This episode is dedicated to celebrating the positive impact of supporting mental health in the workplace and offers advice on how to nurture your own mental well-being.
From embracing neuro-atypical personalities and behaviours to supporting those experiencing mental health difficulties, fostering an inclusive work environment can create a space that welcomes and accommodates everyone, leading to happier and healthier staff. Recognising and prioritising mental health not only makes better leaders and managers but also creates a sense of belonging and promotes overall well-being within organisations. 
About our guest Solène Anglaret
Day-to-day, Solène is a diversity, inclusion, and belonging lead. Her mission is to break down borders and bring the world closer together one conversation and one story at a time.
As a neuroatypical individual, or “a round shape too large to fit in any box” as she often says, Solène is a vocal mental health and wellbeing advocate. She is constantly looking for ways to learn more about the human experience and break down stigmas and stereotypes.
To contact Solène:
Website: bebeyondborders.com
Instagram @bebeyondborders
More information about the IOR and WiRACHP
For more information about the  Institute of Refrigeration and the Women in RACHP Network visit https://ior.org.uk/women-in-rachp

Why be afraid of a chainsaw?

Self-belief, determination and role models. Three things that led both Catarina Marques and Nasheen Basha to have successful academic careers.
This month's guests discuss the importance of women realising they don’t have to be perfect, the advantages of working in diverse teams and how learning through failure is not as scary as it sounds.
Additional information 
More information about the  Institute of Refrigeration and the Women in RACHP Network visit https://ior.org.uk/women-in-rachp
Looking for advice on careers or becoming a STEM Ambassador RACHP visit https://ior.org.uk/careers