Episode Guest:

Samreen Khan is a Store Leader at Virgin Media O2 with over seven years' experience in telecommunications, progressing from sales into leadership. She is passionate about developing people, coaching high-performing teams, and delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Episode Partner:

This episode is part of My Duvet Flip's Choose Customer series, produced in partnership with Virgin Media O2. Virgin Media O2 is one of the UK's largest and most recognisable connectivity brands, delivering mobile, broadband, TV and business services to millions of customers across the country.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:42 Meet Samreen: From Student to Store Leader

3:22 Starting Work at 18 and Finding an Unexpected Career

4:32 Why Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone Matters

5:59 Learning to Deal with Customers Every Day

7:15 Building Resilience While Living with Anxiety

8:28 Why Great Customer Service Is About How People Feel

9:50 Falling Into a Career in Telecoms

11:04 The Skills Every Young Person Needs at Work

12:15 The Family Story That Built Samreen's Drive

13:28 The Book That Changed Samreen's Perspective on Failure

14:47 Turning the Region's Worst Store into One of the Best

16:18 Leading a Team Through Consistency

18:17 Why Caring About People Makes You a Better Leader

20:10 Why Samreen Loves Working at Virgin Media O2

21:11 Helping Young Team Members Grow

22:11 Career Progression at Virgin Media O2

23:13 Samreen's Duvet Flip

24:25 Final Thoughts

Disclaimer:

The content provided on Duvet Flip is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. The views expressed by hosts, guests, brands or contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the show's producers, sponsors, or affiliates. The information shared is not a substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to career counselling, financial guidance, legal consultation, or mental health support. Listeners and viewers are responsible for their own decisions and actions based on the content provided, and Duvet Flip assumes no liability for any outcomes resulting from reliance on the information shared. By engaging with the show, you acknowledge and agree to this disclaimer.

If you're struggling with debt, trusted advice and free support can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/debt-advice

If you're struggling with mental health of any kind, you can find free support here: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/

About Guest

Sam Collier is the Chief Operating Officer at Achieve Together, one of the UK's leading social care providers. Having started his career as a support worker, Sam has spent more than 25 years championing high-quality care and creating opportunities for people to live their best lives.

About Achieve Together

Achieve Together supports people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, and complex health conditions to live independently in their communities. With more than 6,500 employees across England and Wales, the organisation helps people lead ordinary lives in ordinary homes with the right support.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

2:06 Sam's First Jobs and Early Lessons

3:09 Why Social Care Became Sam's Purpose

5:32 Sam's Advice for Anyone Considering Social Care

7:46 How to Be Your Authentic Self in Interviews

9:42 How Values Evolve Throughout Your Career

11:02 Why Social Care Is a Professional Industry

12:42 Young Sam Never Planned to Become a COO

15:07 Inside Achieve Together and Its Mission

17:07 What a Group COO Actually Does

18:26 How Sam Manages 6,500 Employees

19:34 The Skills Needed to Become a COO

21:45 What Sam Loves Most About Leadership

23:19 Opportunities Across Achieve Together

24:53 Apprenticeships and Career Progression

26:35 How AI Is Transforming Social Care

28:22 Sam's Invisible Success: Never Give Up

29:46 Sam's Duvet Flip

Episode Partners:

Compare the Market Discover how you can make a difference at Compare the Market, the company behind one of the UK's most popular comparison sites. From tech and data to marketing and operations, they're on a mission to simplify decisions for millions.

https://bit.ly/4i53Svj

Disclaimer:

The content provided on Duvet Flip is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. The views expressed by hosts, guests, brands or contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the show's producers, sponsors, or affiliates. The information shared is not a substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to career counseling, financial guidance, legal consultation, or mental health support.

Listeners and viewers are responsible for their own decisions and actions based on the content provided, and Duvet Flip assumes no liability for any outcomes resulting from reliance on the information shared. By engaging with the show, you acknowledge and agree to this disclaimer.

If you're struggling with debt, trusted advice and free support can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/debt-advice

If you're struggling with mental health of any kind, you can find free support here: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/

Episode Guest

Josephine Parmee is Head of Social Equity at Virgin Media O2, where she leads initiatives focused on digital inclusion, online safety, and helping people thrive in an increasingly connected world. With a background spanning human rights, consumer rights, and social impact, she is passionate about using business as a force for positive societal change.

Episode Partner

This episode is part of My Duvet Flip's Choose Customer series, produced in partnership with Virgin Media O2. Virgin Media O2 is one of the UK's largest and most recognisable connectivity brands, delivering mobile, broadband, TV and business services to millions of customers across the country.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

2:04 Meeting Josephine Parmee

3:18 How Josephine's Career Started

4:50 Advice for Speaking to Senior Leaders

5:58 14 Years in Human Rights and Social Impact

7:28 Adapting to New Organisations and Roles

9:02 The Skills Needed to Influence Change

11:43 What Does a Head of Social Equity Do?

13:07 Why Digital Inclusion Matters

13:44 The Reality of Digital Poverty in the UK

15:13 Tackling Digital Wellbeing and Online Safety

16:25 How Virgin Media O2 Supports Digital Wellbeing

19:31 Connecting People to What Matters Most

21:38 Why Josephine Chose Telecoms

22:20 The Side Project That Changed Her Career

23:55 Why You Should Create Opportunities Outside Work

25:31 Finding a Career in Digital Consumer Rights

26:29 What Virgin Media O2 Taught Josephine About Trust

27:30 Why Career Paths Are Never Linear

28:04 The Power of Following Your Passion

29:22 Josephine's Duvet Flip

30:40 Final Reflections on Digital Inclusion

Disclaimer:

The content provided on Duvet Flip is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. The views expressed by hosts, guests, brands or contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the show's producers, sponsors, or affiliates. The information shared is not a substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to career counselling, financial guidance, legal consultation, or mental health support. Listeners and viewers are responsible for their own decisions and actions based on the content provided, and Duvet Flip assumes no liability for any outcomes resulting from reliance on the information shared. By engaging with the show, you acknowledge and agree to this disclaimer.

If you're struggling with debt, trusted advice and free support can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/debt-advice

If you're struggling with mental health of any kind, you can find free support here: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/