Holly Westgarth-Graham, Masters student at Edinburgh Futures Institute

Holly Westgarth-Graham, Masters student at Edinburgh Futures Institute

Author: Host Sandra F January 17, 2026 Duration: 24:17

Holly Westgarth-Graham has returned to her studies after a spell working as an intern for sustainable travel company Byway, the flight-free holiday platform. She explains how her course is helping her carve out her own future, bringing ethical and eco-storytelling together with ethical innovation and strategic foresight, which she is specialising in, along with AI implementation, at Edinburgh Futures Institute.


Influenced by Byway Travel colleagues such as Kurt Henderson, a polymath designer, musician and eco-traveller, and business founder and CEO Cat Jones, plus COO Holly Clarke and CTO Richard Levy, (as well as many others), Holly talks about learning to call on interdisciplinary skills, artistic and scientific, when she started her internship. She also explains more about expanding her knowledge with a Masters, with the help of mentors such as Joshua Ryan Saha, plus her expectations of future employers.


Holly thinks back to when her eyes were opened to greenwashing by a trip to Tanzania as a 16-year-old, and discusses the benefits of travel, plus finding her core values as she has studied and grown.


Influenced by wisdom from her dad, who says there's no such thing as time wasted seeking knowledge, Holly teaches music, and finds that, plus art and connecting with nature, help her retain her optimism and energy.


Holly's progress will definitely be one to watch as her career unfolds.


Mentioned in this podcast

University of York literature

University of Edinburgh MSc Narrative futures, art, data and society

Byway Travel

Visit Aarhus

Aarhus University


You might also like to listen to:

Johnathon Miller-McCall, science communicator and conservationist S5 E6

Kurt Henderson, senior product designer, Byway Travel S2 E4

Connor Cashell, campaigns officer Cycling UK S5 E5

Stuart Mabbutt, nature, learning campaigner and teacher Part 1 S3 E3



About ProGRESS:

Host Sandra Fraser discusses pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities with her guests and asks for their real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to their purposeful life.


Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcast

LinkedIn: ProGRESS, the green, values-led careers podcast

Original content © Sandra Fraser

Original music © Lyze Kessell

Email: hello [@] mypro-gress.com

Progress's guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.


We've interviewed all kinds of people in interesting roles.

You'll hear from sustainability consultants and managers, researchers, green and ethical entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ecologists and conservationists plus others working and studying in architecture.

You'll also hear about jobs you may never have known existed, such as green comedians, serious games creators, city planners, garden planners, and green data centre champions.


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Host Sandra F guides ProGRESS, a podcast built on conversations with people who have chosen to align their work with their principles. This isn't about generic career advice; it's a deep dive into the daily realities of building a life in green, ethical, and socially responsible fields. Each episode features a direct, unscripted talk with someone navigating this landscape-from sustainability consultants and environmental researchers to ethical entrepreneurs and conservationists. You'll also hear from voices shaping our world in less expected ways, including city planners, campaigners, architects, and even a philosopher or a comedian, all offering their unique perspective on what it means to work with purpose. The discussions are grounded in personal experience, covering the challenges, breakthroughs, and practical insights gained from their eclectic paths. Listening to this podcast feels like pulling up a chair to a candid coffee chat with someone who's actively building a career that matters to them, offering genuine inspiration and actionable understanding for anyone curious about where their own skills and values might intersect.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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