What does it take to turn personal memories into powerful theatre? In this episode of the ALSA UK Podcast, we sit down with Loresa Leka , an actress, writer, and performer whose bold storytelling has captured national stages and now, our hearts. From navigating identity in the diaspora to writing her award-winning play Teapot Troubles , Loresa opens up about her creative process, the legacy of her family’s journey, and the reality of making space in an industry that doesn’t always make room. Thi...
Jul 08, 2025•59 min•Season 2Ep. 26
What does it mean to come back, not just to a place, but to yourself?In this episode of the ALSA UK Podcast, we sit down with Ariana Krasniqi, a communicator, strategist, and one of the most thoughtful voices in the Albanian diaspora. Ariana returned to Kosova to take part in the Citizen Diplomacy Fellowship, helping to shape how her country is seen by the world.From her early career in Denmark to working with Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ariana shares the deeply personal and strategic ...
Jun 24, 2025•52 min•Season 2Ep. 25
What does it really mean to engage the diaspora? Not just through remittances, but through identity, innovation, and long-term impact.In this episode of Tea with ALSA, we speak with Lirim Krasniqi, Co-Executive Director at GERMIN, one of the leading organisations working to connect the Western Balkans with its global diaspora.We explore how migration has shaped our collective story, how programmes like OriginAL are reconnecting second and third generations with their roots, and why the average d...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Alice Taylor: The Journalist Who Made Albania Her Home What happens when a three-day holiday turns into a lifetime commitment? Alice Taylor visited Albania in 2017, and never left. In this powerful episode of Tea with ALSA UK, we sit down with the British-born journalist who has become one of Albania’s most recognisable storytellers. Now a naturalised Albanian citizen, Alice shares the deeply personal and political reasons behind her move, her career in journalism, and what it means to belong so...
Jun 09, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Would you set your CV on fire in a job interview? Emir Allen did, and it worked.In this episode of Tea with ALSA UK, Emir shares his unbelievable journey from arriving in the UK with no safety net to selling his first tech company to James Caan of Dragon’s Den. We dive into his time on the trading floor at Citi during the 2008 financial crash, the infamous job interview that changed his life, and how he went on to build and scale businesses across banking, recruitment, and Web3.This is a story a...
May 13, 2025•59 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Is leaving a high-paying job worth it? Arta Ramaj thought so, and she did it without a finance degree. From waitressing tables on Oxford Street to founding a thriving financial strategy firm, Arta shares how she broke into finance in the most unconventional way, what financial modelling actually means, and why leaving a comfortable 9–5 was the best decision she ever made. In this episode, Arta reveals how she battled imposter syndrome, landed her first finance job without formal experience, and ...
Apr 29, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 2Ep. 21
In this episode, Dite Gashi discusses his journey in the Web3 ecosystem, focusing on his startup Web3Wiz, which aims to simplify the development of decentralized applications. He emphasizes the importance of solving real problems in startups, the transition from tech to sales, and the significance of community building. The conversation also explores the future of blockchain technology, the role of AI, and the entrepreneurial landscape in Europe, particularly in Albania and Kosovo. Dite shares v...
Apr 25, 2025•59 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Join us in Episode 19 as we dive into the inspiring journey of Kanita , the Co-founder and CEO of Browniegod. From humble beginnings in her home kitchen, Kanita transformed her passion for baking into a successful business that has captured the hearts (and taste buds) of dessert lovers across the country.In this episode, you'll hear Kanita's story of entrepreneurship, innovation, and perseverance. Discover how she navigated the challenges of scaling from a small home operation to a national powe...
Apr 25, 2025•58 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Jasin, the founder of Naked Chips and G&G Potatoes, a thriving potato chip company that has taken the food industry by storm. Despite dropping out of university, Jasin has defied expectations and achieved remarkable success in the business world. In this episode, Jasin shares their incredible journey from uni dropout to potato chip mogul. They'll discuss the challenges they faced along the way, the importance of self-belief and perseverance, and the...
Nov 24, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Today we interview the founder of TIMA, Arjeta Puca. We delve into how she got her start, what made her want to go back to Albania and TIMAKS vision for the future of Albanian Vehicle Manufacturing. TIMAK is focused on production, conversion and installation of structures of various vehicles, such as ambulances, fire trucks, water tanks, winter and summer maintenance vehicles, sewage machines, pile drivers, mobile truck solutions and other similar conversions. TIMAK’s mission is to contribute to...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Today we interview the founder of Learnshqip, Klaudio Spirollari. We delve into how he got his start and the best practices he used to grow his social media presence. Klaudio has been a big supporter of ALSA since the beginning, so seeing him grow and having him share his journey has been a privilege. Learnshqip https://www.instagram.com/learn.shqip/ https://www.youtube.com/@learnshqip https://www.tiktok.com/@learnshqip
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Welcome to Season 2 of Tea with ALSA, where we sit down with inspiring individuals from different fields to discuss their journey to success, the individual habits they rely on, and the advice they have for an entrepreneurially-minded audience. This season, we have an exciting line-up of guests, including accomplished entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and experts in their field. We'll be diving into their stories, uncovering the challenges they faced, and learning about the strategies they used t...
Jun 19, 2023•52 min
Welcome to Season 2 of Tea with ALSA, where we sit down with inspiring individuals from different fields to discuss their journey to success, the individual habits they rely on, and the advice they have for an entrepreneurially-minded audience. This season, we have an exciting line-up of guests, including accomplished entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and experts in their field. We'll be diving into their stories, uncovering the challenges they faced, and learning about the strategies they used t...
Jun 05, 2023•55 min
Welcome to Season 2 of Tea with ALSA, where we sit down with inspiring individuals from different fields to discuss their journey to success, the individual habits they rely on, and the advice they have for an entrepreneurially-minded audience. This season, we have an exciting line-up of guests, including accomplished entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and experts in their field. We'll be diving into their stories, uncovering the challenges they faced, and learning about the strategies they used t...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Welcome to Season 2 of Tea with ALSA, where we sit down with inspiring individuals from different fields to discuss their journey to success, the individual habits they rely on, and the advice they have for an entrepreneurially-minded audience. This season, we have an exciting line-up of guests, including accomplished entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and experts in their field. We'll be diving into their stories, uncovering the challenges they faced, and learning about the strategies they used t...
May 08, 2023•54 min
Welcome to Season 2 of Tea with ALSA, where we sit down with inspiring individuals from different fields to discuss their journey to success, the individual habits they rely on, and the advice they have for an entrepreneurially-minded audience. This season, we have an exciting line-up of guests, including accomplished entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and experts in their field. We'll be diving into their stories, uncovering the challenges they faced, and learning about the strategies they used t...
Apr 24, 2023•40 min
This episode we are joined by fashion stylist and entrepreneur, Albana Janjeva. From working with football stars to creating a swimwear brand focused on body positivity, Albana shares how she started and the lessons she has learned along the way.
Apr 08, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Arlinda is the co-founder of Kaia Mar, a sustainable fashion brand based in the UK. Alongside her co-founder Laura, the company sources cactus leather from a supplier in Mexico and aims to be as ethical as possible throughout their entire supply chain. In this episode, we discuss how Kaia Mar got started, working with international fashion designers, and how the company plans to create significant change within the fashion industry, as well as balancing a full-time job in finance and tackling yo...
Mar 18, 2022•37 min
Smeraldo is the founder of Blinkoo. This new platform allows users to find, live and share unique travel experiences, everywhere in the world, with trust. A community of professional travel vloggers, content creators and travel passionate who wander the world inspiring other people's journeys. They are a fast growing, young and innovative start up, that strongly believes in the power of multicultural exchange and inclusion. In this episode, you will discover how the world of social media and cry...
Mar 04, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Jonada Shukrasi is the co-founder of the app GjejZa, created to assist in the fight against gender based violence. The app provides victims with avenues of support and various features such as myth busting exercises. This episode we discuss the rewards and challenges of developing an app to address a societal issue. We also explore the overwhelming, but exciting experience of being given a platform to voice your views as a young person. You can find out more about GjejZa here: https://www.instag...
Feb 18, 2022•58 min
Veton Derguti is the founder of VR Livin, an interior design company based out of London that uses Virtual Reality to turn clients dream designs into reality. Although fresh and new to the scene, Veton takes us through the process of how the idea came about and how he has stayed the course whilst also working a 9-5. He also delves into the future of Interior Design and Real Estate and what that could mean for buyers and sellers. You can find out more about VR Livin at About | VR Livin Be sure to...
Feb 11, 2022•51 min
Granit Doshlaku is the co-founder of Manaferra, an SEO agency based out of Kosovo. Manaferra have made a name for themselves internationally across the US and EU by helping brands get more business through the optimisation of search algorithms. They have won several awards including the ‘Global 2021 Search Awards’ and have also been a finalist of the ‘European 2021 Search Awards’. Granit takes us through how and why he started this company, but also provides useful advice to young aspiring entre...
Jan 21, 2022•55 min
Dea Manaj is a successful Albanian social media influencer and business owner. Having over 460,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, and recently starting her own clothing brand called Manaj Design, we have a look at Dea's journey in navigating the social media world. In this episode, we talk about how she started with YouTube, working with brands and artists, streamlining and separating her various brands, freelancing, copyrighting, mental health and much more! You can find Dea at the followi...
Jan 07, 2022•50 min
Samedina is a self-taught artist based in the UK, recently graduating in Architecture. Samedina has always been passionate about art but only got into it by early 2017. Since then, she has been experimenting with a variety of mediums and teaching herself new techniques to improve her craft. Samedina has been freelancing with her art since May 2019, with her work mostly consisting of oil and Acrylic paint. In this interview for ALSA, she shares her journey as an artist, and how she is merging the...
Dec 10, 2021•33 min
Starting up an Albanian-owned fashion brand - with Ëmbël Design | Tea With ALSA #2 Nora and Albina are two sisters, on a mission to create their own Albanian-inspired and owned fashion and clothing brand. Nora is a graduate from the London College of Fashion who had a vision to build a brand based on her Albanian identity. Together with her sister Albina, they share their creative journey with us in this hour-long podcast. In this episode, we talk about the challenges and rewards of setting up y...
Nov 26, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Rinora is a Contact Strategy Analyst at The Financial Times (FT), one of the world’s leading news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. In her free time, she is continuously involved with a UK Start-Up (Caura), and Switzerland-based Start-ups (One-Versus-One, My Premium Europe & My Premium Switzerland). She holds a BA in Computer Science & Economics, as well as a Masters Degree in Information Systems in Economy from the University of Tirana,...
Nov 12, 2021•36 min
