Aspiration Digital, the UK’s largest digital careers conference for sixth-form students, has launched a new podcast, ‘Behind the Future’, to inspire the next generation of digital professionals.
In its latest episode, launching today, bestselling author and entrepreneur Daniel Priestley, known for his appearances on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO, shares his journey from university dropout to building seven businesses, including three with £10m+ turnover. He offers practical advice on entrepreneurship, personal branding, and thriving in today’s fast-paced digital economy, alongside candid thoughts on education and the value of visibility over perfection.
Hosted weekly by Aspiration Digital CEO Becky Simms, alongside a sixth-form co-host, Behind the Future offers 16–24 year olds practical advice and real-world insights into digital careers in media, marketing, business, technology and IT. Each episode features digital leaders, creators, and rising stars sharing their untold stories, challenges and tips for success – from AI and innovation to mental wellbeing and side hustles.
Commenting on the launch of the podcast, Daniel says: “I love what Aspiration Digital is doing to inspire the next generation of digital leaders and entrepreneurs – it has never been more important and relevant to learn these skills of the fast-growth digital economy.
“I believe it is a fantastic time to be a teenager right now. More young people are going to be able to start businesses because of AI, and more young people are going to have inspiring projects on the go because of AI. Young people have superpowers today that no generation before them has had. Embracing this and learning the skills of business and entrepreneurship will set young people up for a very exciting and rewarding future.”
The podcast launches following the success of Aspiration Digital’s annual digital skills conference. Now in its sixth year, the conference, attended by over 1,000 students in 2025, educates on the various career paths in digital industries while offering valuable networking opportunities.
Building on this momentum, the Aspiration Digital Dinner has held its second annual event. Bringing together influential voices from commercial businesses, government, education, and the tech sector, this year’s dinner included leading organisations such as Sky, IBM, and Cisco, uniting stakeholders to address the digital skills and inspiration gap facing young people. Designed to spark new connections and foster collaboration, the annual dinner plays a key role in advancing the mission to help students discover and pursue careers in digital.
Becky Simms, CEO of Aspiration Digital, says, “We are thrilled to have Daniel Priestley join us for our latest ‘Behind the Future’ episode. His enthusiasm and passion for building the next generation of digital entrepreneurs aligns perfectly with our goal to encourage more young people into the industry. From his inspiring success story to practical, real-world advice, this is an episode not to be missed.
“The success of Aspiration Digital over the last six years has shown us just how powerful collaboration and conversation can be in inspiring the next generation to pursue a career in the digital world. And we wanted this to continue beyond our event schedule. With more young people turning to podcasts for work and entertainment, and government and businesses placing a greater focus on bridging the digital skills gap, now was the perfect opportunity to launch the Aspiration Digital podcast series.”
Aspirational Digital is part of The Human First Collective, which also includes Reflect Digital and LAB.
Podcast recordings take place at The Drum Studios. You can listen to ‘Behind the Future’ podcast on: