Dina Bhudia and Richard Goppy reflect on changes both in their own lives and in the industry since their last trailblazer podcasts. Have we taken strides forward, do they feel they are being heard and what comes next? They also discuss the tricky issue of what it means to be ‘woke’.

In this #DIFF episode, guest host Anna Sagar, reporter at Mortgage Solutions, talks to Chloe Hylton, regional manager and surveyor at Legal & General Surveying Services, and Rob Gill, managing director of Altura Finance, about their lived experiences of mixed race identity.

In this honest discussion, the three share their personal stories, looking at assumptions made about mixed race identity, the experience of pale or white privilege, otherness and what companies can do better to support, attract and retain mixed race employees.

In this #DIFF episode, two of the most respected leaders in the mortgage industry discuss their personal experiences with the biggest mental health condition in the world. In a full and frank discussion, Rob Jupp chronicles his personal battles with depression from its start through work life, various treatments and how he is now accepting and even thriving with it.

Ben Thompson talks about having close family members with depression and the life choices that he has made as a result.

An inspiring and essential listen.

In the final instalment of this month’s #DIFF podcast, Stephanie Charman and Sarah Hartwell discuss what businesses could be doing in order to support their employees through fertility challenges. Danielle Moore joins the conversation to touch upon the wider impact on family members and partners, and what support should be in place for them. An important listen for business leaders, colleagues and anyone undergoing treatment.

*Please note this episode does deal with pregnancy loss which some listeners may find difficult to listen to.

With one in six couples in the UK facing infertility, this is a very real issue. Those who experience this will be impacted emotionally as well as physically and often financially, meaning companies, whatever the size, need to be educated on the best way to support employees who are on this journey. In this episode, Danielle Moore speaks to the hugely courageous Stephanie Charman and Sarah Hartwell who will share their own very personal accounts. An important listen for business leaders, colleagues and anyone undergoing treatment.

*Please note this episode does deal with pregnancy loss which some listeners may find difficult to listen to.

Bharat Sagar discusses the real and potential issues facing gay women in the mortgage industry. Through lived experiences and knowledgeable observations, Lauren Bagley and Vicky Kenny give their insight.

Alcoholism can wreck lives but with the support of others it doesn’t have to. In a hugely courageous and selfless act, Paul Adams details his decline into alcoholism and how colleagues, family and critically senior management helped him get back on track. Claire Smith joins the discussion and talks about practical things everyone can do from companies, colleagues and clients to help people in a similar situation.

In this month’s #DIFF podcast, a very personal lived experience discussion on the core issues around mothers returning to work. Danielle Moore, operations director of mortgage solutions, talks to Sarah Tucker, founder of The Mortgage Mum and Esther Dijkstra, managing director, intermediaries at Lloyd Banking Group, about attitudes at work, at home and on the playground. They discuss what has changed, what still needs to change and what the differences for working mothers are when it comes to a self-employed versus a corporate environment.

In this episode Bharat Sagar talks to HSBC’s Tracie Burton about her journey through the industry with dyslexia, from private coaching and the challenges of lockdown to how dyslexia is now a recognised benefit on LinkedIn. They are joined by Primis COO Toni Smith who discusses what employers can do to tap into the huge wealth of talent that traditional employment processes can miss out on and what employers should be doing right now to support their staff.

In this month’s #DIFF podcast and in celebration of national carers week Bharat Sagar speaks to Steve Ellis, The Phoenix Group and Geoff Garrett, Henry Dannell about their experiences of being fathers to differently abled children and issues of male carers in the corporate and self employed worlds. With a huge openness they share experiences, challenges and joys.