EP64 Toni Kent on Class, Social Mobility and Sensationalist Media

For our last episode of the year, I’m so pleased to be chatting with stand-up comedian and corporate speaker Toni Kent.

Having grown up on a council estate, and spent her early teenage years in circumstances described by social services as “chaotic”, Toni set out on a path to create a life different to what had been predicted for her. This involved leaving home and the town Toni grew up in and led to a career in the tech industry and 10 years at Microsoft.

Toni is focused on humanising discussions around class structures and social mobility. In this episode, Toni generously shares her personal experience of growing up in a low socioeconomic household with five siblings, and the challenges she faced when leaving her home and social circle to build a rewarding career and financial stability.

We also discuss the UK’s current social system and how the Covid pandemic has highlighted the true levels of disparity in our communities, as people require help and support from local services which are already stretched to their limits.

And finally, we discuss the media discourse surrounding class, the blame culture, sensationalism and stigma that comes with it, and how Toni is working to dismantle this with open conversation and humour.

This conversation was recorded on 14th December 2020. I hope you enjoy listening, and I also wish you a really restful Christmas break. Take care of yourselves and we’ll be back on the 11th Jan 2021.

This episode is brought to you by Ohne. Find out more - https://www.thewotpod.com/ohne

Team Guest - Toni Kent
Host - Frankie Cotton
Production Support - Georgia Buchanan
Sound Editor - Beth Davison

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Connect with Toni Kent:
https://tonikent.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/tonijkent
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonijkent/
https://www.instagram.com/toni_j_kent/

Connect with Frankie Cotton
https://twitter.com/FrankieCotton_
https://www.instagram.com/frankiecotton_/

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