Belonging Beyond Borders

Joanne Lockwood is joined by HR consultant and keynote speaker Solveiga Jaskunas to explore what “belonging beyond borders” looks like when you build a life and career in a new country.

Solveiga shares her journey from Lithuania to the United States, including the early shock of navigating hiring processes, interviews, and everyday communication while being judged through the lens of accent and assumptions about competence. They unpack how language barriers and stereotypes can crush confidence, and how imposter feelings can follow even after years of success.

The conversation moves from personal experience into practical workplace realities: what organisations get wrong about immigrant and expat talent, how recruiting practices can exclude people before they’re even heard, and why visibility matters—especially when few people in HR and leadership roles “sound like” the communities they claim to include. Solveiga reflects on mentoring, building community outside familiar circles, and intentionally stepping into rooms where discomfort becomes a catalyst for growth.

They also touch on the current climate of political polarisation and how it can make it feel less safe to speak openly, particularly for people without citizenship status. The episode closes with a call to amplify immigrant voices, reframe difference as value, and take deliberate action to create workplaces where more people can belong and thrive.