Joanne Lockwood is joined by PR and communications specialist Sarah McCracken to explore how public relations can be used as a genuine tool for meaningful change, rather than “spin.” They unpack how organisations and individuals can align what they do with what they say publicly, build credibility, and communicate with intention in a noisy media landscape.

The conversation looks at what makes a story land: clarity of purpose, a defined audience, and human interest. Sarah shares practical approaches to reputation management and campaigning, including when to avoid public arguments, how to myth-bust without amplifying misinformation, and why listening to stakeholders matters as much as broadcasting messages.

They also discuss visibility and confidence, especially for women and marginalised voices, touching on imposter feelings, building a voice on platforms like LinkedIn, and using small, consistent steps to grow influence. Along the way, they reflect on lobbying, speaking directly to decision-makers, and why emotional storytelling often shifts behaviour more effectively than facts alone.

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 homelessness and addiction, and the long-term work of therapy and recovery that helped her reclaim her voice. She reflects on the impact of intersectionality in her life as a queer woman of colour with hidden disabilities, and why being listened to with compassion is often the starting point for change.

The discussion explores allyship in practice, particularly Saba’s work as a critical friend to the criminal justice system. She describes the importance of ensuring diverse representation in advisory spaces and bringing community voices directly into decision-making rooms rather than speaking over people.

Joanne adds her own experiences as a trans woman, including reporting hate crime and the difference empathetic policing can make. Together they discuss trust, safety, community support, and the need for connection and collaboration in challenging times for LGBTQIA+ people and other marginalised groups.

Joanne Lockwood speaks with Susie Green, co-founder and co-director of Anne Health, about what it takes to provide compassionate, medically responsible healthcare for trans people at a time when access is increasingly politicised.

Susie shares how becoming the parent of a trans child led her into advocacy and support work, and how early isolation and the search for community shaped her understanding of what families need. Together, Joanne and Susie unpack today’s hostile media narratives and the practical impact they have on real lives, including fear, burnout, and people being pushed into unsafe routes when healthcare is denied.

The conversation explores systemic barriers across the UK and beyond: long waiting lists, GP reluctance, the effects of policy decisions such as the puberty blockers ban, and why denying care is not a neutral act. Susie outlines why Anne Health was created, the model it uses to prioritise personalised care and access to real human support, and the organisation’s commitment to doing this work legally, safely, and with appropriate clinical oversight.

The episode closes with a call for empathy, informed practice, and sustained allyship, highlighting the importance of support networks and accessible, affirming healthcare for trans people and their families.

Joanne Lockwood is joined by learning and development manager Emma Parnell to explore what burnout can look like, how it can creep up even when you understand the theory, and what recovery requires in practice. Emma shares her own experience of reaching a point where stress, grief, and depleted wellbeing left her feeling unable to function in a new role, prompting her to step away and reassess how she was living and working.

Together they unpack the patterns that often sit underneath burnout: perfectionism, fear of being “found out”, taking on too much responsibility, and not setting boundaries at work and at home. Emma reflects on the mindset shift that helped her most—seeing self-care as essential rather than selfish—and describes changes she’s making around nutrition, health, energy management, and gratitude.

The conversation also widens into workplace practice: how organisations can embed DEI into everyday culture rather than treating it as a tick-box exercise, and how learning design can drive real behavioural change. Joanne and Emma discuss scenario-based learning, human-centred storytelling, accessibility considerations, and the importance of psychological safety—especially the ability to speak up, make mistakes, and set boundaries without fear.

The episode closes with a focus on hope and practical takeaways: noticing early warning signs, seeking help, and building environments where people feel valued, heard, and able to thrive.

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Anna VanAgtmael, founder of Wandering Roots, to explore what it looks like to step off the career conveyor belt and build a life around purpose, connection, and managed risk.

Anna shares how building a laboratory from the ground up gave her early entrepreneurial confidence, but it was an unexpected neck surgery and months of enforced pause that crystallised a deeper truth: outward success didn’t equal fulfilment. From yoga teacher training and a powerful experience of supportive community, she began experimenting with retreats—starting locally, then expanding internationally.

Together they unpack what makes retreats meaningful beyond the buzzwords: creating space away from daily responsibilities, building trust with strangers, and encouraging small, supported steps outside comfort zones. The conversation also moves into the practical realities of entrepreneurship—risk management, learning through trial and error, scaling in a way that suits your life, and using contractors and tools to stay sustainable.

The episode leaves listeners with an invitation to try what keeps calling them—without needing a perfect plan—and to build confidence through action, connection, and deliberate pauses that help clarify what matters next.

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Charlie Hart (Awesome Charlie) for a wide-ranging conversation on neurodiversity at work, grounded in Charlie’s experiences of late diagnosis and a career in HR.

Charlie shares what it was like to run into burnout, overwhelm and “meeting behaviours” that didn’t match workplace expectations, and how discovering autism, ADHD and complex PTSD reframed years of feeling “broken”. Together they explore neurodiversity as a natural form of human variation, unpacking ideas like neuronormativity, interest-based motivation, hyperfocus/monotropism, and why common stereotypes (including “superpower” narratives) can be unhelpful or reductive.

The episode also looks at what inclusion can mean in practice: recruitment and job descriptions that unintentionally screen people out, sensory and social pressures in open-plan offices and team culture, and the need to balance different access needs in real workplaces. The conversation includes reflections on identity language and intersectionality, including explicit references to trans and non-binary identities alongside neurodivergence.

Listeners will leave with a clearer understanding of how modern work can shift from expecting people to fit a narrow norm to creating environments where different minds feel safe, supported, and able to do their best work.

Joanne Lockwood is joined by autism advocate and author Crystal Jordan for a conversation about what it really means to “redefine normal” through the lens of autism and neurodiversity. Crystal shares how her son Zachariah’s diagnosis shaped her mission to amplify unheard voices, educate others, and push for environments where autistic people are treated with dignity and supported to thrive.

They discuss the practical realities of raising a nonverbal autistic child, including navigating multiple therapies, dealing with long waits for services, and the emotional load of parenting while advocating. Crystal explains why she often enters schools and service settings in “advocate mode,” and why families shouldn’t have to fight so hard to access what their children are entitled to.

The episode also explores long-term inclusion: preparing children for independence, the gaps in support once autistic young people become adults, and the need for employers and institutions to make work and life accessible to non-speaking and higher-support-needs individuals. Along the way, Crystal shares everyday moments that reveal Zachariah’s personality and progress, and offers concrete advice on how friends and communities can support parents with understanding, patience, and practical help.

Joanne Lockwood speaks with Christian Elliot, a certified personal trainer, nutritionist, life coach, and founder of Healing United, about holistic approaches to health and the idea of moving “from toxins to transformation.”

They explore why many people feel stuck in cycles of symptom management, discussing chronic conditions, medication dependence, and the practical and emotional challenges of coming off long-term prescriptions. The conversation also examines how language, incentives, and industry structures shape trust in “conventional” versus “alternative” approaches.

Across the episode, Joanne and Christian encourage listeners to take a more active role in understanding treatments, ask better questions about consent and risk, and consider lifestyle foundations such as nutrition, hydration, and sustainable habits as part of a broader, holistic path to wellbeing.

Joanne Lockwood speaks with Georges Córdoba about his decade-long experience of living with and recovering from stage IV melanoma, including multiple surgeries and the realities of enduring treatment while trying to protect family life and work.

Georges describes the turning point that led him to step away from chemotherapy and pursue a holistic health pathway, and how that shift reshaped his understanding of healing as something that involves lifestyle, mindset, stress, sleep, nutrition and emotional processing. He explains his “four legs of the table” model (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual) and the role that forgiveness, faith and daily habits played in his recovery.

The conversation also explores the pressures people can face from family and clinicians when choosing different approaches, the importance of support for caregivers, and Georges’ later transition into coaching others using his framework to build sustainable wellbeing.

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Julie Kratz to explore what “allyship in action” looks like when DEI faces backlash and misunderstanding. Julie shares how her own corporate experience led her to focus on belonging, psychological safety, and the day-to-day behaviours that shape whether people feel included at work.

Together they unpack how performative allyship can replace real change, and why simplifying language matters when acronyms and jargon create fear, division, or defensiveness. The conversation argues for focusing on outcomes—fairness, trust, respect, and access—rather than getting stuck defending labels, and it highlights the value of calling people in (not calling them out) to create more productive dialogue.

They also discuss the wider social and political context influencing workplace inclusion, including polarisation and power dynamics, and touch on how organisational leaders and brands can respond by staying aligned to mission and values. Listeners leave with a clearer, more practical framing for inclusion work: keep your radar up, notice unfairness, and take action that builds belonging over time.