Theme
Race & Ethnicity
Conversations that centre racialised experience — belonging, bias, and the work of building genuinely anti-racist cultures.
41 episodes on this theme
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Cultural Agility in Action
with Mary Lynn Parnell
In this thought-provoking episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood welcomes Mary Lynn Parnell for an exploration into the real meaning and lived experience of cultural agility. The conversation weaves through Mary Lynn’s…
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How Acts of Inclusion Tear Down Barriers and Build Belonging
with Celeste Warren
In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood speaks with Celeste Warren about equity by design and what it takes to build truly inclusive workplaces. Celeste shares formative family stories, including her father’s…
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From Swan Lake to Leopard Tails
with Nena Gilreath
In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood speaks with Nena Gilreath, co-founder of Ballethnic, about redefining ballet through African dance concepts, cultural truth, and community inclusion. The conversation explores…
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Shattering Stereotypes Immigrant Experiences
with Solveiga Jaskunas
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…
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Navigating Trauma, Bias, and Belonging in the Modern Workplace
with Adrianne Arendse, Silvia Causo
Joanne Lockwood is joined by Silvia Causo and Adrianne Arendse, co-founders of Lead and Belong, to explore how healing happens through human connection—and what that means for workplaces. They share the personal roots of their work:…
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Breaking Free from Limiting Labels
with Dr Khutso Madubanya
Joanne Lockwood is joined by Dr Khutso Madubanya for a wide-ranging conversation about difference, identity, and what it takes to reclaim self-worth when the world keeps trying to define you. Khutso reflects on growing up in apartheid-era…
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Creating a Gayer and More Colourful Disney
with AJ Hannah
Joanne Lockwood is joined by AJ Hannah, founder and creative director of FWDIO Studios, to talk about what it takes to build an indie animation studio committed to unapologetically queer, more representative storytelling. AJ shares why “a…
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Journey from Crisis to Community
with Dr Cedric Howard
Joanne Lockwood is joined by Dr Cedric Howard to explore how leadership, learning, and belonging intersect in higher education and beyond. Cedric reflects on the formative crisis that shaped his career: the Rodney King verdict and the…
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Why Human Rights Should Never Be About Winning or Losing
with Jenny Chen
Joanne Lockwood is joined by DEI consultant and former finance leader Jenny Chen for a wide-ranging conversation about what it really takes to choose authenticity over assimilation They explore how political rhetoric and workplace norms…
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Navigating Dual Identities: Building Belonging Across Cultural Borders
with Mina Sharif
Joanne Lockwood is joined by writer and media producer Mina Sharif to explore what belonging looks like when your life spans countries, cultures and competing narratives. Mina reflects on being born in Afghanistan, raised in Canada as part…
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Sustaining Inclusion in Uncertain Times
with Wema Hoover
Joanne Lockwood is joined by global DEI expert and former Chief Diversity Officer Wema Hoover to explore what sits behind today’s DEI backlash and what organisations can do to sustain inclusion in uncertain times. They discuss how…
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Amplifying Marginalised Voices
with Saba Ali
Joanne Lockwood is joined by Saba Ali for a wide-ranging conversation about speaking truth to power and turning advocacy into institutional change. Saba shares her personal story, including childhood abuse and cultural abuse, periods of…
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From Personal Growth to Professional Triumphs
with Sheena Yap Chan
Joanne Lockwood is joined by Sheena Yap Chan to explore what persistence really looks like behind the scenes—moving past the myth of overnight success and continuing to take action through rejection, setbacks, and self-doubt. Sheena…
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Decolonising Minds and Bodies
with Lorie Solis
Joanne Lockwood is joined by somatic trauma worker and educator Lorie Solis to explore “Claiming Each Other” — Lorie’s approach to building resilient relationships when charged, values-led conflict shows up in our closest circles.…
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Understanding Cultural Integration through Language Education
with Caroline Praveen
Caroline Praveen shares how moving from India to the United States as a child reshaped her confidence, sense of self, and connection to her mother tongue as she learned English. She describes the long, uneven path from feeling like an…
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Moving Beyond Meritocracy and Systemic Inequities
with Sharitta Marshall
Joanne Lockwood is joined by Sharitta Marshall, founder of Visionary Development Consulting, for a wide-ranging conversation about what “equity in action” really looks like inside organisations. Sharitta challenges the myth of meritocracy…
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Understanding and Overcoming Cultural Barriers in the Workplace
with Ritika Wadwha
Joanne Lockwood is joined by Ritika Wadhwa, founder and CEO of Prabhaav Global, for a wide-ranging discussion on Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and why it has become a practical capability for modern leadership. Ritika breaks CQ down into…
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The Power of Courageous Questions in Leadership
with Dr Shelley Jones-Holt
Joanne Lockwood speaks with leadership coach Dr Shelley Jones-Holt about what it really means to lead with authenticity, and why “being yourself” isn’t a free pass to be careless with impact. Shelley argues that authentic leadership starts…
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Empathy in Action: a Journey from Resilience to Inspiratiom
with Paris Bartholomew
Joanne Lockwood speaks with Paris Bartholomew, a speaker, writer, lecturer and trainer, about growing up in the British care system and the long path from instability and trauma to building a life rooted in empathy and purpose. Paris…
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Beyond Labels: Dismantling Judgements
with Vanessa Raath
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,”…
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Striving for Fairness: Navigating Inequities in Business
with Pamela Permalloo Bass
Joanne Lockwood speaks with EDI coach and consultant Pamela Permalloo Bass about what it really means to strive for fairness in workplaces and wider society. Drawing on Pamela’s experience in NHS roles and consulting, they explore how…
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Building Inclusive Excellence in Engineering
with Claire Angliss
Joanne Lockwood is joined by Claire Angliss, Head of Learning for Thales UK and an inclusive coach, to explore what “inclusive excellence” looks like inside an engineering organisation. They unpack the real-world tension behind “bring…
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Inclusive Conversations Across Borders: Navigating Global Challenges
with Kaumudi Goda
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…
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Embracing Adversity: Unveiling Authentic Leadership
with Samreen McGregor
Joanne Lockwood is joined by executive coach and strategic advisor Samreen McGregor for a wide-ranging conversation about adversity and authentic leadership, set against a backdrop of global uncertainty and everyday personal pressures.…
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Rebel Hearts and Healing Paths: Navigating Trauma, Privilege, and Inclusion Challenges
with Debbie Danon
Joanne Lockwood is joined by leadership coach and facilitator Debbie Danon for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to lead with care in a world that often feels unsafe and polarised. Debbie reflects on growing up as a Turkish…
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Uplifting Queer Genius: Challenging Negative Narratives and Celebrating Queer Contributions
with Dr Joel A Davis-Brown
Joanne Lockwood speaks with Dr Joel A Davis-Brown about what they call “queer genius”: the skills, values, and ways of navigating the world that many queer people develop through self-discovery, coming out, and living outside social norms.…
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The Power of Media: Humanising Arabs and Muslims through Diverse Narratives
with Dr Evelyn Alsultany
Joanne Lockwood is joined by professor and author Evelyn Alsultany to examine why “humanising” Arabs and Muslims is still necessary, and how dehumanising portrayals in media have shaped public attitudes and political decisions for decades.…
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Balancing Two Worlds: Navigating the Complexity of Mixed Identity
with Holly Straker-Humphreys
Holly Straker-Humphreys reflects on growing up as a mixed-race woman in predominantly white spaces, and the long process of becoming comfortable “in the middle” of two worlds. She shares how subtle signals—especially around Afro hair,…
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Awakening Leadership Dreams to Leave the World a Better Place
with Ian Hatton
Joanne Lockwood is joined by leadership coach Ian Hatton to explore what it means to “awaken dreams” in others and how that connects to conscious leadership. Ian shares his “Morpheus” framing as someone who helps others step into…
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Pushback on Equality: Understanding Privilege and Oppression
with Erica Simon
Joanne Lockwood is joined by clinical psychologist and social justice consultant Erica Simon to explore why “ally” is not an identity you can claim, but a set of actions you consistently take. Together they unpack what it means to be an…
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Only Ourselves Can Free Our Minds
with Moreen Pascal
Moreen Pascal joins Joanne Lockwood to explore what it means to “free our minds” from the norms, assumptions and internalised beliefs that keep oppressive cultural and institutional practices in place. Drawing on her Caribbean heritage and…
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Being on the periphery of society
with Khakan Qureshi
Khakan Qureshi reflects on growing up feeling different and on the edges of multiple communities, from school playground dynamics and gender expectations to the pressures of culture, faith, and community norms. He describes how not fitting…
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Assimilation is not necessary
with Hung Lee
Hung Lee, curator of Recruiting Brainfood, joins Joanne Lockwood to unpack the pressures many people feel to assimilate when living in a country where their ethnic background is not considered “native”. Drawing on his childhood experiences…
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Losing the Labels
with Briana Tucker
Briana Tucker describes what it feels like to live under constant scrutiny as a woman of colour in Wisconsin, where everyday situations can carry the risk of being stereotyped, labelled, or treated as a threat. She shares stark examples of…
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Secrets from the habitologist
with Tony Winyard
Joanne Lockwood talks with Tony Winyard about why lasting change tends to come from starting small. Tony explains how his work in health and his training in the “Tiny Habits” approach helped him move beyond simply sharing information, to…
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Freeing women from being prisoners of their pain
with Diksha Chakravarti
Diksha Chakravarti, a long-practising therapist, explains how she uses “pain” as a wide lens that includes physical discomfort alongside emotional, mental, societal and spiritual suffering. She describes an integrated approach that brings…
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None of us are included fully in the world until all of us are!
with Stacy Hart
Joanne Lockwood is joined by Stacey Hart to explore what it really means to say that none of us are included fully in the world until all of us are. Together they unpack how discrimination and exclusion harm everyone, and why a “bit of the…
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Personal is Political and How Silence Speaks
with Professor Laura Serrant OBE
Professor Laura Serrant OBE joins Joanne Lockwood to unpack what it means for “the personal to be political”, and why our everyday experiences of inclusion, exclusion, and being given (or denied) equal chances reflect how society…
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Anti-racism work is not rocket science
with Merel van Haastert
Joanne Lockwood is joined by Merel van Haastert to explore why anti-racism work can feel daunting for white people, and why the work starts with seeing racism as a system rather than an individual moral failing. Together they unpack how…
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Understanding the conflict between Culture vs Humanity
with Hend Halim
Joanne Lockwood is joined by Hend Halim, an HR professional who grew up in Egypt and has lived in Holland and the UK, to explore the tension between cultural norms and shared humanity. Hend reflects on how early cultural messaging shaped…
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Why we need a more open dialogue on race
with Gamal Turawa
Recorded during the early months of COVID-19 and amid the global resurgence of Black Lives Matter following the murder of George Floyd, Joanne Lockwood speaks with Gamal Turawa about why we need more open, honest dialogue about race.…
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