Baskets Of Knowledge

What happens when a young person refuses to accept broken systems as “just the way things are”?

In this episode of Baskets of Knowledge, we sit down with Kenisha Mediratta, founder of REdefine Aotearoa, to explore creating support systems, navigating change, and leading through lived experience.

Kenisha shares her journey from growing up in West Auckland public schools to founding a youth-led platform addressing systemic racism and youth mental health. We unpack how anger in young people is often misunderstood, why access and opportunity matter more than punishment, and how real change happens when communities are empowered, not silenced.

This conversation goes beyond inspiration.
It’s about systems, leadership, health, and the courage to ask for help.

🎧 If you care about:
• Youth leadership and advocacy
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Anti-racism and systemic change
• Building sustainable support systems

This episode will stay with you.

🔔 Listen now on Spotify and add this insight to your Basket of Knowledge.

What happens when doing “everything right” still doesn’t feel right?

In this episode of Baskets of Knowledge, we sit down with Ritu Saxena, founder of Project UpgradeHer, to explore what confidence really looks like when it’s built, not inherited.

Born and raised in Mumbai, Ritu became a Chartered Accountant and moved to New Zealand to experiment with independence and live on her own terms. On paper, she was successful. Internally, she struggled with imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and feeling invisible in environments she was fully qualified to be in.

Moving countries didn’t fix that, it amplified it.

Ritu shares the loneliness of starting over, the cultural shock of navigating systems that reward confidence but never teach it, and the breaking point that forced her to confront a hard truth: effort alone isn’t enough if you don’t advocate for yourself.

That moment led her into therapy, coaching, and deep inner work, transforming not just her career, but her relationship with herself. Today, she’s recognised as one of the Top 20 Chartered Accountants and empowers women of colour to build clarity, confidence, and income through Project UpgradeHer.

This is a powerful conversation about identity, belonging, courage, and what happens when you finally choose yourself.

🎧 Listen now and add this conversation to your basket of knowledge.

What if the thing you rely on for productivity is actually working against you?

In this episode of Baskets of Knowledge, we sit down with Amber Scott, a fourth-year law student and the founder of PIQ, to explore how personal frustration with caffeine, chronic fatigue, and burnout turned into a science-backed solution for focus and energy.

Amber shares her journey of building PIQ while studying law, navigating imposter syndrome, researching neuroscience and caffeine, and learning what it really takes to turn an idea into a physical product. This is a very real conversation about curiosity, failure, values, and choosing depth over noise, especially as a young founder.

If you’ve ever questioned your energy levels, your direction, or whether you’re “doing life right,” this episode will resonate deeply.

🎧 Listen now to discover how turning frustration into focus can change the way you work, build, and live.

What does it mean to belong,  to a place, a people, and yourself?

In this episode of Baskets of Knowledge, we speak with Rinad Tamimi, a Palestinian woman who grew up in Al-Khalil (Hebron) and moved to New Zealand at 13. Rinad shares her lived experience of migration, identity, racism, motherhood, and returning home after nine years away.

This is a conversation about Palestine beyond the headlines, about gratitude and grief existing side by side, and about the responsibility of using your voice when you can. Rinad also reflects on her podcast The Watermelon Report and why storytelling is a form of service.

A deeply human conversation that invites reflection, empathy, and perspective.

What does real leadership look like at 19?

In this episode of Baskets of Knowledge, we sit down with Mackenzie, a student at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. She is a youth advocate who is quietly reshaping what leadership, empathy, and impact truly mean.

This conversation explores people-first leadership, the power of reflection, and why real change doesn’t come from titles, it comes from showing up for others.

Mackenzie shares her lived experience working in youth advocacy within a fast-growing rural district, navigating leadership at a young age, and becoming one of only 37 people globally to receive the Zonta International Young Women in Leadership Scholarship.

We dive deep into:
Leadership driven by empathy, not ego

Youth voice, advocacy, and community change

Mental health and social media, the good, the bad, and the dangerous

Online hate, clickbait media, and resilience

Grief, loss, and continuing to show up when life is heavy

Why banning social media won’t solve the problem, conversation will

The importance of reflection and enjoying the process of becoming

This episode is for leaders, parents, educators, coaches, and anyone who believes leadership starts with humanity.

🎧 Listen now and add this conversation to your basket of knowledge.