Side of the Desk

NOVEMBER 2023

With Gaby Mendes

Gaby Mendes is the founder of Talk Twenties and TwentiesFest, an award-winning media and events platform that helps young people navigate the rollercoaster years of their adult life.

Talk Twenties launched in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. It initially set out to host in-person events but had to pivot to the virtual world, resulting in the creation of the Talk Twenties Podcast. The podcast hits all of the topics of what it’s like to explore the world as someone in your twenties, discussing the highs and lows of leaving full-time education.

The podcast has received great success since, with over 120,000 listeners and was even a finalist in the British Podcast Awards just one year after it’s launch.

Talk Twenties recognises that school doesn’t exactly set you up for the real world. The mission is to support those entering adult life with things such as getting ahold of your finances, navigating a new career, managing your health and even making new friends.

Now, out of the pandemic, the Talk Twenties Team launched TwentiesFest in October 2023, an immersive event full of talks, live music and opportunities to make new friends, bringing 500 young people together in Liverpool.