Running OffScript With the Next Generation

On a Saturday morning in deep winter, I arrived at South Kensington Underground Station before the weekend rush started.

The air felt light. The kind of quiet that doesn’t last, but invites you to notice it while it’s there.

I was on my way to the Royal Geographical Society for the first day of the OffScript Generation Summit, an event co-founder Calypso Rose had been shaping for months with her team. OffScript is designed for 16–25 year olds who are curious about non‑traditional careers, entrepreneurship, and what work might look like alongside AI. It felt special because it was an event designed to be enjoyed by young people and their parents!

As I walked along Exhibition Road, sunlight bouncing off the museums on either side, I ran into Reese Wong, a Season 2 Low to Grow guest and Diana Award winner. He was heading to the summit to host a small group personal branding clinic. Seeing Reese, thriving in his post‑university life and still giving back to the local community, reaffirmed to me the compassionate thinkers and doers that Low to Grow is for.

My boyfriend dropped me off at the gate with a kiss as he was meeting a friend in the area for lunch. I felt a sudden wave of nostalgia and remembered all the times that my mum dropped me off at my school gate. That feeling intensified as I walked into the crowd of parents, teachers and teenagers coming out of the main lecture hall.

I wasn’t a student.
I wasn’t a parent.

I am somewhere in-between.

I wondered how often we get to return to a former version of our lives, not to relive it, but to witness it from the sidelines.

I began the day seated in the audience, listening to Max Fosh, a YouTuber and now international comedian that many people my age grew up watching. I remembered the video of him printing his CV on the top of a car and parking it outside the BBC trying to get a job. Needless to say, his advice to the next generation in the room was that there is always room for a new voice, regardless of how saturated you may think a platform has become. I took this as encouragement for podcasting, as I only started Low to Grow last year but have been a solid podcast fan since 2018!

Max also encouraged people to just get started if they have an idea, and I took that to heart. I had an insider tip that Max would be leaving soon after the talk, and because I knew just how impactful having him in Calypso’s episode will be, I snuck out of the auditorium shortly after he left, determined to put his words on stage to good use. Luckily there was just one exit out of the venue. I hung around there and was delighted to catch Max as he was heading out and grabbed him for a quickfire interview.

Annie Wenmiao Yu: How do you build mental resilience as a comedian and creator?

Max Fosh: Understanding that not everything you make is going to do well, the success of the content is out of your career, and knowing that the most important viewer is yourself.

Annie Wenmiao Yu: What is the one thing that you believe will allow more people to have better mental health?

Max Fosh: Communication with core group, movement and deep friendship.

Annie Wenmiao Yu: Why is the OffScript Generation Summit special for you?

Max Fosh: It’s an incredible space for the next generation to come to learn about different subjects, and to be able to contribute to it is an honour!

Edited for brevity, full interview here!

Later that morning, I interviewed serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the OffScript Generation Summit, Calypso Rose.

Calypso was as dynamic in real life as she was online. We spoke about her first business, Clippy London, which she began at 21, making clear tote bags designed to showcase your Polaroid collection in the 2000s, which somehow found their way into the hands of Helena Bonham Carter, Jools and Jamie Oliver, and Thandie Newton. She ran it for eleven years with the help of her mum before stepping away, and the concept still exists today!

Wanting to step away from a tradeshow-focused business, Calypso built Indytute as her second venture, an experiences platform designed for people who wanted to do something together, not just sit in a pub. I later learnt that Indytute began on a small glittery table in Selfridges, where Calypso ran workshops over 90 days from the gift department and sold the experiences as gifts to the clients. I did some online digging and excavated the fact that Calypso brought swing dancers in the aisles at Selfridges and at one point there were 40 ukulele players in the Selfridges bedding department!

OffScript Gen is Calypso’s third venture, and this time around, her only wish is to create something generational, and socially meaningful. In this interview, Calypso shared the main lessons that she learnt from scaling and selling her previous business, what she believes networking with people in real life brings over chatting online, and how she is teaching her son about resilience as a successful entrepreneur.

Annie Wenmiao Yu: How do you feel you’ve changed as a business owner and female entrepreneur?

Calypso Rose: At 21, I wanted to be a millionaire. My second business was about creating a more balanced lifestyle. Offscript is about purpose. I want to support the journeys of the young people we help, from start to finish, and build something with real longevity.

Annie Wenmiao Yu: Why are in-person events still important in such a digital age?

Calypso Rose: Because real connections are memorable. You’re not just being scrolled past. Events like this allow you to ask speakers questions and realise you’re not alone. LinkedIn, for me, is like everyone else’s Instagram — it gives me FOMO and makes me feel I’m not doing enough. But when you’re in a room with people, you see how much you actually are doing.

Annie Wenmiao Yu: How do you teach resilience [to your son]?

Calypso Rose: I tell my son it doesn’t matter if things go wrong — just keep trying. He’s nine and already an amazing little salesman. When he sells at markets and gets rejected, he just says “Next!” That thick skin is so important. You need to be able to ask without taking “no” personally. If you can relate to people, listen, and remember their names, that’s a superpower.

Full episode here!

Over lunch in the green room, I found myself talking about rats with Kristen Davis, former head of technology and innovation at the International New York Times, and now founder of a Paris‑based consulting firm CinqC.

Why was I talking about rats with an international businesswoman of such pedigree? Because Kristen Davis is also Chairwoman of the US Board of Directors of APOPO, a Belgian non-profit organisation that trains African giant pouched rats, known as HeroRATs to detect landmines and tuberculosis in developing countries. She even brought along 3D printed replicas of the vests that APOPO rats wear, which were resting beside the sandwiches. Super cool.

It struck me how often meaningful conversations begin sideways.

Having spent a good few years networking as an entrepreneur, I rarely dither about introducing myself to a stranger. However, I admit that I spent a good 10 mins debating if it’s good manners go up to the English Etiquette Coach, William Hanson in the Green Room to ask him to contribute to Calypso’s Low to Grow Episode. Some of you may know William Hanson as the guy on Instagram who showed the world how to eat a banana the correct way with a knife and fork.

I’m sure glad I did because William very graciously said yes, if I will allow him a few minutes to finish freshening up his breath with some gum. I had just finished a cheese and pickle sandwich (which was delicious) and felt extraordinarily self conscious. I quickly gulped down some water before we stepped outside.

Annie Wenmiao Yu: How do you build mental resilience as a creator and etiquette coach?

William Hanson: Building mental resilience can be difficult, especially online. The digital world is democratic: everyone can share their thoughts and opinions, even when those comments are abrasive or bigoted. That’s part and parcel of free speech. One thing that helps me is simply not reading the comments and not taking things too seriously.

Annie Wenmiao Yu: What is one thing that you believe will allow more people to have better mental health?

William Hanson: We need to prioritise interacting with people rather than relying entirely on devices. Phones and laptops are useful and essential, but they should complement human interaction, not replace it. Developing people skills, focusing on real human contact. This boosts confidence and improves mental health.

Annie Wenmiao Yu: And what makes the OffScript Summit special to you?

William Hanson: The Summit is special because it’s a chance to connect with the next generation as they step into the workplace. It allows me to talk about something that isn’t discussed enough: treating others with respect, civility, charm, and grace. You only have to glance at the news to see how much we need that right now.

Watch my interview with William Hanson, THE etiquette coach here!

Before leaving, I spoke with the influencer Charlotte Liebling, who is also the CEO and founder of Loved Before, a sustainable soft toy adoption agency that has already partnered with Bloomingdales, Selfridges and Fenwick on their mission to save soft toys from death in landfill.

Annie Wenmiao Yu: How do you build resilience as a female entrepreneur, and influencer?

Charlotte Liebling: For me, it’s been about accepting that doubt, failure, and even profile-related hate will always be part of the journey. That energy sits with you, but I’ve learned to turn it into rocket fuel, not something that pushes me down, but something that helps lift me into who I know I can be.

Annie Wenmiao Yu: What is one thing that you believe will allow more people to have better mental health?

Charlotte Liebling: For better mental health, I think we need to invest more time in imagining the positive. It’s easy to get swept up in negative news and catastrophising, but we rarely allow ourselves to envision the possibilities of good things happening. Whatever the opposite of catastrophising is, that needs to become a habit.

Watch my interview with Charlotte Liebling, influencer and CEO of Loved Before here!

As the day closed, I noticed a quiet thread weaving through every conversation: the importance of being in the room, of building a career that is meaningful to you.

I think that the quote below from Charlotte really sums up the value of what Calypso, John and the OffScript team have done for the future generation, and why their work is so important especially in a modern society that is fracturing socially, economically and digitally.

Maybe our understanding of careers will evolve from simple role descriptions into stanzas of activity that underline each of our lives.

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Learn from a compassionate community with the Low to Grow podcast. It features people such as Erika Brodnock MBE who turned tough times into opportunities for growth. They each demonstrate that same philosophy of slow, grounded progress. Let your growth be steady and intentional.

If all you manage today is this article, I hope you walk away feeling seen, and reminded that you’re not alone, you have Low to Grow.

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