The 20s Project podcast - navigating careers, cultures, and life-altering moments

When Master’s students Christina Güntensperger and Jacqueline Liu met on the HEC Paris campus, they quickly realized that they had a lot in common. A shared interest in HR and talent acquisition, in understanding the whys behind people’s choices and decision-making processes, as well as a genuine passion for podcasts.
 

This shared passion gave them the inspiration and motivation to create The 20s Project - a weekly podcast series to share the unique stories of the highly international and diverse HEC Paris community. Many brainstorming sessions and a lot of hard work later, they successfully launched their podcast in December 2023.

How is the series organized?

The 20s Project deep dives into a wide range of topics such as consulting, finance, HR, engineering, marketing, and hospitality. Each episode focuses on a specific sector or theme and guests are asked to share their backgrounds, interests, insights, tips, personal reflections, doubts, and aspirations. A platform for people to speak openly about their successes, failures, and doubts and what we can learn from them. 

It also offers three different types of episodes. Coffee chitchats during which Christina and Jacqueline share their thoughts and insights on subjects as wide-ranging as navigating cultural diversity, self-awareness, work-life balance, and sense of purpose. The 20s stories, where guests are invited to share their stories and explore a specific theme from different angles and perspectives. Be my mentor, which features experts and professionals such as the Executive Director of the HEC Career Center, MBA graduates and entrepreneurs, who share their experience and provide invaluable insights for anyone at a different stage of their journey. Explore the diverse content, and you will find something that resonates with you on a personal level, creating an interactive and engaging experience for all!

What is the aim of the The 20s Project?

Christina and Jacqueline really wanted to create a safe space for HEC Paris students and experts to share their experiences, aspirations, successes, and failures as openly and as honestly as possible. The podcast format makes it so much easier for the guests and interviewers to share on a deeper level. They don’t have to worry about their facial expressions or body language, and they can take more time to organize their thoughts. Not being in front of the camera gives them the freedom to express themselves in a much more candid and open way.

Christina and Jacqueline want to reach and resonate with as wide an audience as possible and create a strong sense of community. Their aim is to do more than just scratch the surface and go beyond the superficial. They want to deep dive into all the topics they explore and bring out the emotional dimension in the choices and decisions that drive us forward on our individual journeys.

What will the listeners get from the podcast?
 
The three different types of episodes and the wide range of topics on offer, mean that the listeners can tune into the subjects that resonate with them the most.  One of the key goals of The 20s Project is to learn from each other. Listeners will get insights, tips and food-for-thought to make wiser and more informed decisions on their future personal and professional paths, study decisions, and experiences abroad. This podcast really offers a unique opportunity to connect with many different people, learn a lot from different angles and gain invaluable insights from the diverse journeys of peers. 

Christina and Jacqueline are convinced that a common pain point for people in their 20s is the constant pressure of having to always show how successful they are. By sharing their own doubts and failures transparently, and by inviting their guests to do the same, they hope that this platform will help to normalize the fact that none of us are perfect. We can all learn from our failures and those of others and they help us to develop the necessary resilience to meet the challenges of our fast-changing and complex world.

What have Christina and Jacqueline learned from the project so far?

A key lesson they have both learned is that when you do something that you're truly passionate about then everything is so much easier and enjoyable. All their guests so far have brought something different to the table and have something unique to share – different challenges, insights, and approaches. 

The 20s Project has been an invaluable source for both Christina and Jacqueline to get to know themselves better. Connecting with such a rich diversity of people has enabled them to question where they are, what they want to do and how they deal with challenges, setbacks, and failure. 

At its core, the 20s Project is driven by a sense of purpose – the ultimate goal being to help people and have a positive impact on their lives. If this podcast can truly resonate with even just one person and spark self-reflection, Christina and Jacqueline will both be extremely happy and feel that the project has been a success.

The 20s Project is more than just a podcast. It invites listeners to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery, by embracing their doubts and imperfections and by finding inspiration in the shared experiences of others. So, if you’re looking for thought-provoking content, insights, and life lessons that transcend the confines of age and circumstance, tune in on Spotify or Apple Podcast.

You can also follow The 20s Project on Instagram.

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