Conversations Beyond Borders

Joanne Lockwood is joined by leadership consultant and DEIB strategist Kaumudi Goda (KG) to explore what it takes to have inclusive conversations across cultures, geographies, and lived experiences.

KG reflects on feeling like she didn’t fit in while growing up in South India and later living and working across New York, Singapore, and now Amsterdam, and how those experiences shaped her focus on human connection, curiosity, and compassion. Together, they unpack the challenges of working across difference, including how easily people default to “being right,” and why effective organisations need to hold space for more than one truth.

The conversation moves into workplace realities: psychological safety as a foundation for learning and collaboration; the costs of masking and code-switching; and how leadership norms can privilege certain styles while overlooking quieter voices. They discuss power and privilege using practical metaphors, and why inclusion efforts often fail when organisations invite people to the table but don’t change the subtle behaviours, consequences, and decision-making practices that shape who truly belongs.

They also examine why global DEI work can’t rely on blanket training, highlighting the need for cultural and role-based context, and the importance of systems that protect people who speak up. The episode closes with reflections on sustaining this work over time, setting boundaries, and staying committed to values-led change.