Ali & Clive return to their old stomping ground of Kingston University and meet with a prominent figure who directly influenced their own journey, namely Dr Baljit Thatti, Head of Department in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Having recently been awarded an impressive grant under the Royal Society of Chemistry's Missing Elements fund, Dr Bal's work takes her right to the heart of the themes that we try to explore on the STEMinism podcast. Our conversation touched on many of the crucial aspects of race and equity. They touched on the limitations to networking imposed by cultural barriers and dove deeply into the importance of role models and allies. Specifically, the importance of having sponsors who are willing to vouch for you when you aren't in the room. We explored the differences in culture and experience between racial groups who are usually lumped into the same category (e.g. BAME) and Dr Bal shared her views on how to create an equitable future through coaching, mentoring, and through nurturing students to achieve success through self-empowerment. This episode was a joy to record. Not only for the sentimental value, but also because we benefitted greatly from the keen insights that Dr Bal had to share. Follow Vanta STEM https://vantastem.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/vantastem/ https://www.instagram.com/vanta.stem