Pearl Conversations with Maro Itoje is your new favourite podcast

Podcasts have become a bit like Netflix shows – there are so many, you don't even know where to begin.

And yes, inevitably, you're bound to miss out on some good content. 

Just make sure you don't miss this one... 

Launched earlier this month, instantly becoming the highest new entry in the UK Podcast charts, Pearl Conversations is the new podcast from England and Lions rugby star Maro Itoje.

With competitive rugby and team training put on hold during the coronavirus outbreak, Itoje recorded conversations during lockdown with a number of fascinating names, including Kyle Sinckler, Eni Aluko, Cuppy Music, Leomie Anderson, Beno Obano, Temi Mwale and Alastair Campbell. 

The latest guest is founder of SBTV – and friend of Square Mile – Jamal Edwards and photographer Timi Marcel. The trio discuss the lack of inspirational black entrepreneurs when they were growing up, the pitfalls of the music industry and male mental health during lockdown.

Read some choice quotes from Edwards below. 

Edwards on...Entrepreneurship

"When I was at school and I said I wanted to be an entrepreneur my teachers would look at me like, yeah right that's not even possible. Obviously I knew about Richard Branson because my mum used to work for Virgin, but there weren't other inspirations that I had to look at especially ones that looked like me."

The Music Industry

"If I wanted certain videos I've gotta make sure I look fly innit with artists and that, cause at the end of the day if you turned up with a rubbish pair of trainers or just look scruffy I don't think people will buy into you as much unfortunately, regardless of how sick your idea is."

Mental Health

"I wanted to show I had my mental health anxiety, I had really bad anxiety and I still do every now and then, and I just wanted to show people the honest truth. Show them that even someone that's in my field and in my career, to show them that I go through stuff as well."

Being Inspired

"I was gaining inspiration from people like Dave, Rapman, Jessie J, Ed Sheeran, looking into Benjamin Zephaniah, I always get mad inspired when I watch Akala... So if I'm having mad low moments I'll just go watch an interview with Akala or something and be like 'this guy's sick', and it'll just get my morale back up and I'll go back to the drawing board and get creative again. So I look at a lot of my peers when I'm having low moments and just gain inspiration from them."

Listen to Pearl Conversations on Apple Podcasts