Beyond Labels

Joanne Lockwood is joined by talent sourcing trainer Vanessa Raath to unpack how quickly we label other people, and the consequences those snap judgements can have in workplaces and beyond.

Starting with recruitment and “culture fit,” they explore how assumptions can narrow opportunity and reinforce sameness, and why doing the work to look beyond first impressions matters. The conversation expands into how labels show up in everyday life—diet, drinking, humour, and ageing—and how these can become subtle signals of who is seen as “in” or “out.”

Vanessa also shares her experience of being diagnosed with ADHD, the stigma that can follow, and what it has meant to openly embrace it while running her own business. Alongside this, she reflects on growing up in apartheid South Africa and how that history shaped her perspective on race, segregation, and the long-term impact of structural labelling.

Across the episode, both Joanne and Vanessa return to the idea of noticing judgement in real time, creating space to challenge assumptions, and choosing more empathetic ways to connect—so people can be seen and valued beyond the labels placed on them.