An hour long chat about academia over coffee/tea/boba in central London.

Xine Yao is Associate Professor in American Literature to 1900 and co-director of the queer studies network qUCL at University College London. She has experience with British, American, and Canadian academia and her interests include intersections between Black, Asian diasporic, and Indigenous studies through queer crip of colour critique. Yao's first book Disaffected: The Cultural Politics of Unfeeling in Nineteenth-Century America (Duke UP) won multiple awards including the Robert K Martin Book Award from the Canadian Association of American Studies, Duke University Press's Scholars of Color First Book Award, an honourable mention for the Arthur Miller First Book Prize from the British Association of American Studies, and was shortlisted for the University English Book Prize. Accolades include the American Studies Association's Yasuo Sakakibara Essay Prize. She is a BBC Radio 3/AHRC New Generation Thinker. She is happy to talk about any of the above, but is also open to chatting about horror, anime, makeup, fashion, and skincare.

An hour of mentoring for filmmaking, law practice or any general career development.

Kaushik Ray is a lawyer, strategist, and filmmaker whose career spans international law and creative storytelling. A Partner at global boutique law firm Trinity International LLP, he has built a distinguished reputation advising on complex cross-border development projects and global strategy. Alongside his legal career, he is the founder of Taran Tantra Telefilms, where he develops and produces socially-conscious, globally minded films. His debut short film, The Lime Green Shirt, has been recognised on the international festival circuit and his first feature as Producer, Sabar Bonda, won at Sundance. Combining commercial insight with artistic vision, Kaushik offers mentorship grounded in leadership, reinvention, and the power of purpose-driven careers.

A signed copy of 'Demystifying Shariah', which includes a section on LGBTQ+ rights in Islam.

A half hour mentoring session on Gender and Sexuality Studies with Rohit Das Gupta.

Dr Rohit K Dasgupta is Associate Professor of Gender and Sexuality and Deputy Head of Department (Research). Using ethnographic and creative methodologies he has explored the relationship between sexuality, class and belonging in contemporary India which led to his first monograph Digital Queer Cultures in India: Politics, Intimacies & Belonging and the subsequent books Queering Digital India: Activisms, Identities, Subjectivities; Social Media, Sexuality & Sexual Health Advocacy in Kolkata, India; and Friendship as Social Justice Activism. He currently edits two book series: Ethnographic Innovations, South Asian Perspectives (with Niharika Banerjea & Paul Boyce) for Routledge and South Asian Screens (with Sangita Gopal) for Bloomsbury.

Lunch and mentoring in Cambridge on sociology, masculinity studies.

Shannon is a queer-feminist sociologist of colour. His research focuses on the relationship between masculinities, femininities and sexualities in cities of the Global South. He has carried out long-term ethnographic and qualitative fieldwork in New Delhi and Johannesburg exploring questions of men's violence towards women and queer people, embodied performances of class, gender and sexuality, as well as the transforming articulations of heteropatriarchal and heteronormative power. Shannon's research is intersectional, focusing on the ways in which race, class, caste, sexuality and gender operate in everyday social processes and their many consequences.

Mini Mentoring Sessions: Clarify Purpose, Direction & Progression

Drawing on nearly three decades of experience in social justice and human rights across national and international contexts, I’m offering 30-minute mentoring sessions designed to help you think clearly and move forward with intention.

These sessions aim to provide a supportive, thoughtful space to explore your personal purpose, reflect on your professional direction, and identify practical pathways for career progression. Whether you’re navigating a transition, seeking greater alignment in your work, or looking to expand your impact, we’ll work together to clarify your goals and map realistic next steps.

Each session is tailored to you—combining strategic insight, reflective questioning, and grounded advice shaped by long-standing experience in complex, values-driven environments.

What you can expect:

* Honest, experience-based guidance

* Structured yet flexible conversations

* Practical strategies alongside deeper reflection

* A focus on both purpose and progression

This is as a space to pause, think, and move forward with greater clarity and purpose.

You know that Pinterest board? Or that one digital picture you keep looking back at? You have that photo.

Let’s make it into something you can actually hold, frame, tape onto your wall or stick into your journal. I’ll turn your chosen picture into a vibrant, hand-painted watercolour keepsake or your Pinterest board into a painted collage you’ll love.

Includes: one custom A4/A5 watercolour based on your chosen photograph or series of images from your ideas board.

https://www.instagram.com/josh_elie/

With Jashan Elizabeth.

Be honest- we’re all hurting with ideas, sometimes we just lack a little bit of momentum.

This offering is a structured, supportive accountability space over a set period (2–3 weeks) to help you move a creative project forward. Whether it’s writing, art, applications, or something you’ve been putting off, you’ll have regular check-ins, clarity conversations, and gentle pressure to follow through. Supportive, but not too forgiving.

Perfect for that project you keep thinking about instead of finishing.

Let’s get it done. Finally.

https://www.instagram.com/josh_elie/

With Jashan Elizabeth.

If your thoughts currently feel like 14 tabs open and one of them is playing music - you’re not alone.

This is a 1:1 conversation where we slow things down and actually think. You bring the question/chaos/decision, I’ll help you untangle it into something clear, grounded, and surprisingly doable.

You’ll leave lighter, sharper, and a little more in control of your own narrative.

Ideal for navigating crossroads, creative blocks, or simply wanting to think more deeply than everyday noise around us allows.

Duration: 60–90 minutes.

https://www.instagram.com/josh_elie/

A drink with Shiv Sivakumar at a private members’ club in London.

Shiv is a driven founder building a fast-growing, science-led pet nutrition brand. He pitched in front of the nation on Dragons’ Den and secured investment from 2 leading dragons.

12" x 12" watercolour

See image at raffle table for a visual!

https://www.instagram.com/rosettasartworks?igsh=Ymx4YWY4ejU2MGFq

24" x 9" acrylic on canvas

See image at raffle table for a visual!

https://www.instagram.com/rosettasartworks?igsh=Ymx4YWY4ejU2MGFq