The Diverse Minds Podcast

Welcome to the 222nd episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. November is all about parenting with equity and well-being in mind. Today we are focussing on cross-cultural parenting and to join me is Carolina Albuerne Rodriguez.

About my guest

With 20 years dedicated to the third sector, I've been a steadfast advocate for human rights, specialising in issues like refugee protection, human trafficking, torture, and access to justice.

My academic journey, marked by a focus on Postcolonial Literature and a Post Graduate Diploma in Conflict, Security, and Development, laid the groundwork for my deep understanding of complex challenges.

A pivotal achievement in my career was leading the Good Practice and Partnerships Team at Refugee Action—the first infrastructure-dedicated team in the UK to cater to the needs of the refugee and migrant sector.

This initiative built capacity within third-sector organisations and integrated collaboration, early action and access to justice whilst driving systemic change.

In various roles, from volunteer to board chair, I've gained a holistic perspective on the not-for-profit sector. Fundraising and project development have been integral to my journey, showcasing my commitment to driving meaningful change.

My passion lies in co-creating transformative strategies for secure, stable, and agile organisations. Over seven years, I've supported a team working with 300+ organisations across the UK, providing valuable insights into the sector's challenges and opportunities.

My mission is to foster change, bringing organisations and funders together for a future prepared and eager to embrace positive transformation.

• About Carolina and what being a parent means to her. [02:30]
• Her thoughts around parenting cross-culturally. [06:36]
• What the term “anti-racist parenting” means to her. [13:59]
• Some things workplaces can do to discuss and create safe spaces for cross-cultural parenting. [20:53]
• Her top three mental health tips. [26:23]

• Parenting for me is unique.
• There are loads of pros and cons of being a solo parent.
• Language has been very important in bringing up my son.
• I’m very used to a lot more diversity.
• There’s still very little employers are doing to support parents.

• Follow Carolina on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Join my Mailing List and receive my free e-book here
• Check out my TEDx talk: The Connection between Culture, Race and Mental Health

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC

Welcome to the 221st episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. November is all about parenting with equity and well-being in mind. Today we are focussing on wellbeing and to join me on the podcast is Dr Naomi Irvine. 

Dr Naomi Irvine specialises in helping leaders improve their relationships and results in complex organisations, through Fierce Conversations, gender empowerment, personal effectiveness, leadership development, and coaching and mentoring.

Her services support organisations to maximise retention of valued staff members, attract a diverse workforce, build resilience and creativity, and promote the advancement of under-represented groups.

She has trained in fierce conversations and interventions to support organizational change. 

She delivers mandatory qualities training and bespoke away days for the third sector as well as leadership development for emergent leaders in the higher education sector and knowledge transfer particularly with research culture in STEM. 

She's had a career that spans many organizations, with a PhD from the University of Cambridge, followed by being a research associate and working at Nottingham Trent University and the University of Leicester. 

Now she's the owner of Dr. Naomi Unlimited and I'm delighted to have her on the show to talk more about parenting with well-being in mind as a professional running her own business.

In today’s show

• About Dr Naomi and what she’s working on at the moment [01:59]
• A summary of her parenting journey so far. [03:57]
• What the term “parenting with wellbeing in mind” mean to her. [06:54]
• Her biggest challenge when it comes to talking to her kids about mental well-being. [11:12]
• Her top three mental health tips. [25:12]

• I was a great parent until I had kids.
• I wear different hats.
• As I’ve become more experienced as a parent, the less I know about parenting.
• People parent boys and girls differently.
• Keeping life going is not all for me.

• Follow Dr. Naomi on LinkedIn
• Join my Mailing List and receive my free e-book here
• Check out my TEDx talk: The Connection between Culture, Race and Mental Health

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC

Welcome to the 220th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. November is all about parenting with equity and well-being in mind.

Our first guest for the series is the brilliant Prof Keon West! Someone I have known since working at Oxford, and someone I am very proud to know.

Keon West is a Professor of Social Psychology who specialises in bias and bias reduction. A fundamentally international thinker, Keon was born in Trinidad, raised in Jamaica and educated at Macalester (in Minnesota, USA), the Sorbonne (in Paris, France) and Oxford (in Oxford, UK) under a Rhodes Scholarship.

He currently works at Goldsmiths, part of the University of London. He's published over 75 empirical articles which have been cited over 2000 times in the wider academic literature.

He's served on the governing board of multiple national and international psychological societies including the British Psychological Society and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (in which he served as president from 2020 - 2021).  

A deep believer in the importance of good science communication, as well as good science, Professor West appears regularly on television and radio as an expert on prejudice and improving intergroup relations.

He's also the author of 2 lay books - (1) Skewed: Decoding Media Bias published by Howes and currently available on audible and (2) The Science of Racism, published by MacMillan with an agreed release date in early 2025. He is and has always been Black.

• About Prof Keon and what he’s working on at the moment. [02:10]
• What the term “anti-racist parenting” means to him. [07:33]
• The biggest challenge about having conversations about racism with children. [12:05]
• What workplaces can do to understand the need of parents. [23:15]
• His top three mental health tips. [28:12]

• I grew up as a black person in a black country.
• I want people to start having new conversations about racism.
• What really frustrates me is when people flatly claim that racism doesn’t occur.
• I won’t be one of those people who say personal experiences trump science.
• I don’t try to take on everything on my own.

• Visit Prof Keon's website
• Check out his citations
• Listen to I Can't Be Racist
• Download my new audiobook - SKEWED
• Have a media query? Contact his agent, Jo Wander: email | 07771 760 226
• Join my Mailing List and receive my free e-book here
• Check out my TEDx talk: The Connection between Culture, Race and Mental Health

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC

Complete the form to discuss your training needs: https://forms.gle/hgnYtmTu33Zeem489

Check out my FAQs here: http://diverseminds.co.uk/solutions/coaching/

You can learn more about the coaching I do to support your wellbeing here. 

If you enjoyed this episode, then consider subscribing on Apple podcast, Spotify or wherever you access your podcasts from.

If you enjoyed it, why not leave a review? 

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  

Remember to tune in next week, where I’ll bring you more insights on mental health and inclusion.

Welcome to the 219th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. This month’s series is all about equity and well-being in parenting.

• Why I decided to make an episode on today’s topic [01:10]
• About my TEDx talk on the connection between culture, race and mental health. [00:41]
• Abiding by flexible and agile working. [03:43]
• The importance of creating safe spaces for parents to talk about equity and parenting. [07:36]
• Why it’s important to recognise that parenting isn’t one-size-fits-all. [11:57]

• Parents' priorities are centred around protecting children's health and well-being.
• Family spaces can be very scary and frightening for most of us.
• Parenting is not one size fits all.
• Mothers with children are at work in higher numbers.
• We’ve got a significant number of people who are working and suffer from mental ill-health

• UK Labour Market stats
• Mental Health Foundation statistics 
• Barnado’s Guide for Parents on White Privilege
• Episode #135: Recognising Different Ways to Have a Family
• Join my Mailing List and receive my free e-book here
• Check out my TEDx talk: The Connection between Culture, Race and Mental Health

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC

Complete the form to discuss your training needs: https://forms.gle/hgnYtmTu33Zeem489

Check out my FAQs here: http://diverseminds.co.uk/solutions/coaching/

You can learn more about the coaching I do to support your wellbeing here. 

If you enjoyed this episode, then consider subscribing on Apple podcast, Spotify or wherever you access your podcasts from.

If you enjoyed it, why not leave a review? 

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  

Remember to tune in next week, where I’ll bring you more insights on mental health and inclusion.

Welcome to the 220th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast.  To wrap up this year's Black History Month, I am talking about Workplace Behaviour Change Journeys, what this means and how to do this.

In today’s show

• About today’s topic and why I decided to create it. [01:22]
• What is race-reciprocal mentoring. [03:32]
• How to create non-hierarchical relationships in an organisation. [05:35]
• Why there’s a need for race-reciprocal mentoring. [07:15]
• Some things you can do to create a behavioural change journey at your workplace. [09:00]

• We have to be open to continuous learning.
• Think about the clarity of your program.
• I always train the senior leadership and staff mentors separately.
• The matching needs to be done carefully.
• Celebrate the successes you have with your program.

• 200th Episode Celebration
• Setting-up Race Reciprocal Mentoring Programmes
• Black History Month Resource Pack 2023
• Join my Mailing List and receive my free e-book here
• Check out my TEDx talk: The Connection between Culture, Race and Mental Health

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC

Complete the form to discuss your training needs: https://forms.gle/hgnYtmTu33Zeem489

Check out my FAQs here: http://diverseminds.co.uk/solutions/coaching/

You can learn more about the coaching I do to support your wellbeing here. 

If you enjoyed this episode, then consider subscribing on Apple podcast, Spotify or wherever you access your podcasts from.

If you enjoyed it, why not leave a review? 

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  

Remember to tune in next week, where I’ll bring you more insights on mental health and inclusion.

Welcome to the 217th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast.  It’s Black History Month, a momentous occasion to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions of Black people to British society.

Black people have always been at the forefront of social justice movements, fighting against oppression and paving the way for change. However, despite their countless contributions to society, the achievements of Black women, in particular, have too often been overlooked or forgotten. That is why, this year, we will be celebrating the exceptional achievements of Black women.

To join me on the show today is Jimi Okubanjo.

If you enjoyed this episode, then consider subscribing on Apple podcast, Spotify or wherever you access your podcasts from.

Jimi has successfully led operational transformations across multiple industries and has generated over $250 Million in performance improvements. She's worked in energy, mining, infrastructure, and financial services.

Jimi's extensive experience equips her with a deep understanding of leading successful transformations in various industries.

Jimi's corporate background influenced her transition to capturing stories that impact leaders' perspectives profoundly, leading to the mission of collaborating with executives and their teams.

Her film Arising Firebird Tells the stories of seasoned professional women of Color who left the workplace due to toxic sexism and racism, and how they are rebuilding their lives/careers on their own terms.

She’s on a mission to get the message of Arising Firebird to 1 million women of Color (plus any allies) to help us overcome toxic work, and build their careers and lives on their own terms.

• About Jimi and what she’s working on at the moment. [02:40]
• How she got into her line of work. [04:37]
• Why she made the film, Arise Firebird. [15:30]
• The biggest challenge for black women in the UK in getting support. [21:53]
• Her top three mental health tips [35:02]

• One of the great things about being a filmmaker is that there will always be stories to be told.
• I like doing hard things.
• Humans are emotional.
• Leaders set the culture.
• We need to support people by listening.

• Connect with Jimi on Facebook and LinkedIn
• Visit her website
• Email her
• Join my Mailing List and receive my free e-book here
• Check out my TEDx talk: The Connection between Culture, Race and Mental Health

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC

Welcome to the 216th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast.  It’s Black History Month, a momentous occasion to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions of Black people to British society.

This year's theme of ‘Saluting our Sisters’ highlights the crucial role that black women have played in shaping history, inspiring change, and building communities. This year’s celebration will showcase pioneering black women who have made remarkable contributions to literature, music, fashion, sport, business, politics, academia, social and health care, and more.

To join me on the show today is Mukelwa Hlatshwayo.

If you enjoyed this episode, then consider subscribing on Apple podcast, Spotify or wherever you access your podcasts from.

Mukelwa Hlatshwayo is an award-winning Nairobi-based journalist, covering general news in East Africa.

As a journalist with more than 15 years of experience, she has covered a wide range of news items such as conflict, crime, and climate change. Mukelwa has reported for various international media houses including Sky News, France24, Al Jazeera, New York Times, and is currently the senior producer for Reuters, East Africa. 

Mukelwa began her career reporting current affairs for one of South Africa’s then flagship current affairs show, 3rd Degree, in 2006. From then she moved to the New York Times in their Southern Africa bureau, a position that initiated her journey reporting to global audiences. 

The news beat closest to her heart is women and children. This has taken her to the heart of Johannesburg's inner-city reporting on illegal backstreet abortions, hijacked buildings, and stories of survivors of what was called “corrective rape”.

• About Mukelwa and what she’s working on at the moment [02:51]
• The way she copes with the pressures of her work. [07:12]
• How she became a journalist. [12:40]
• Mukelwa thoughts on giving black women a platform to be heard globally. [14:28]
• Her top three mental health tips. [33:14]

• I was about 7 years old when I told my mum I wanted to become a journalist.
• It’s not easy for people to tell you their stories.
• It’s important to approach people as equals.
• Oftentimes, we misunderstand why people are angry.
• Exercise is so important.

• Connect with Mukelwa on Instagram and Twitter
• Join my Mailing List and receive my free e-book here
• Check out my TEDx talk: The Connection between Culture, Race and Mental Health

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC

Welcome to the 215th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. It’s Black History Month, a momentous occasion to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions of Black people to British society.

This year, we will be celebrating the exceptional achievements of Black women, and joining me on this episode is Abi Osho.

About my guest

Abi Osho is the founder of Soul Melanin Ltd. She is a leadership coach, author, speaker, and retreat creator. Abi came from humble beginnings, and she made a decision to change her life in order to heal herself and help other people heal from their own childhood trauma.

Abi believes that when we are empowered to change our own story from one of self-doubt to unwavering self-belief, this has a ripple effect that will further help other women connect back to their own inner place of personal power.  

As a holistic leadership coach, Abi supports Black and brown female leaders to reconnect with who they are becoming, cultivating a deeper level of embodiment for expansive leadership within.

Abi also creates nature-based retreats for women of colour in the UK (as featured in the Guardian January 2023) and in Africa, she is a keen advocate of holistic health and well-being,

Abi travels solo throughout the continent of Africa, meeting with indigenous communities, whilst sourcing the purest holistic indigenous African oils. 

• About Abi and what she’s currently working on. [02:50]
• What the term “mental well-being” means to her. [10:02]
• The biggest challenge for black women in the UK in getting support. [14:24]
• What workplaces can do to stop playing into the stereotypes [23:20]
• Her top three mental health tips [27:32]

• Mindful well-being is about being aware of what you're saying to yourself.
• We’re trained a lot in the “how we want to be”, but not enough in the “who we want to be”.
• There are allies and non-allies in every workplace.
• I think it’s important to listen to people’s language.
• I’m a big fan of everything nature.

• Connect with Abi on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram
• Visit her website
• Join my Mailing List and receive my free e-book here
• Check out my TEDx talk: The Connection between Culture, Race and Mental Health

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC

Complete the form to discuss your training needs: https://forms.gle/hgnYtmTu33Zeem489

Check out my FAQs here: http://diverseminds.co.uk/solutions/coaching/

You can learn more about the coaching I do to support your wellbeing here. 

Welcome to the 214th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. Welcome to October and it is of course Black History Month in the UK. This year’s theme is celebrating our sisters.

This year, Black History Month will be dedicated to honouring the achievements of Black women who are often forgotten heroines. The aim is to amplify their voices and challenge the systems that oppress them.

If you enjoyed this episode, then consider subscribing on Apple podcast, Spotify or wherever you access your podcasts from.

• About my TEDx talk and booking me as a speaker. [00:44]
• This year's black history month theme [01:50]
• Celebrating my black sisters that have been there for me. [03:55]
• Black women who have led the way around the globe. [06:!5]
• Some ways to salute black women at the workplace. [10:50]

• Black History Month is about placing anti-racism and anti-blackness at the core of what we do.
• It is about moving from simply listening to constant and consistent actions.
• Do not ask black women to speak at your organisation for free.
• There are so many black women who have led the way around the globe.
• Think about the black women in your area and around the world.

• Connect with Greta on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram
• Visit her website
• Stephen Washington Qigong Teacher
• Join my Mailing List and receive my free e-book here
• Check out my TEDx talk: The Connection between Culture, Race and Mental Health

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC

Complete the form to discuss your training needs: https://forms.gle/hgnYtmTu33Zeem489

Check out my FAQs here: http://diverseminds.co.uk/solutions/coaching/

You can learn more about the coaching I do to support your wellbeing here. 

If you enjoyed this episode, then consider subscribing on Apple podcast, Spotify or wherever you access your podcasts from.

If you enjoyed it, why not leave a review? 

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  

Remember to tune in next week, where I’ll bring you more insights on mental health and inclusion.

Welcome to the 213th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast.  It’s our final in the series on writing and wellbeing. Today you are in for a real treat as we're joined by the lovely Jackee Holder.

A well seasoned walker of London streets, parks and green spaces with over 10,000 walking and writing hours under her belt. Jackee describes herself as an urban city walker and enthusiast of the health and well-being benefits of connecting and engaging with trees and nature inside urban environments.

Jackee has a portfolio career as a Leadership coach at executive and board levels, on leadership development programmes and as an expert promoting the health and wellbeing benefits of journaling, expressive writing and nature wellness. 

Jackee has penned three non-fiction titles, two illustrated nature themed writing maps, Writing With Fabulous Trees and Re-Wilding The Page Writing Maps. In 2016 she self published the Inner & Outer Nature Self Discovery card deck, a collection of 49 nature inspired journal writing prompts bringing together the benefits of nature and therapeutic writing. 

Her work has been featured in several anthologies including; The Big Book Of Journaling, Transformational Journaling For Coaches, Therapists  and Clients, The Creativity Workbook For Coaches and Creatives, Inside Creativity Coaching and 101 Coaching Supervision Techniques, Approaches, Enquiries and Experiments. 

Jackee is regularly featured on a host of podcasts and summits. She currently pens a monthly column for Psychologies Magazine, the UK’s best selling emotional wellbeing magazine.

Jackee lives a calm and peaceful life on the edges of the city of London where she embraces the last faint traces of the ancient urban forests and woodlands that once marked this region of South London. Her favourite resilience tip is heading out for an early morning walk amongst the trees and gifting herself whenever she can ten precious minutes of early morning journaling before starting her day.

• About Jackee and what she’s working on at the moment [02:49]
• What the term healing through writing means to her [13:18]
• Her thoughts on who has the right to write [21:24]
• How workplaces can support staff in journaling [28:08]
• Her top three mental health tips [31:07]

• I think we can create spaces where people can write together
• There is nothing more liberating than writing in your own voice.
• Writing in analogue is so relaxing.
• My journal is something that is with me 24/7.
• I love to walk.

• Connect with Jackee on Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram
• Visit her website
• Join my Mailing List and receive my free e-book here
• Check out my TEDx talk: The Connection between Culture, Race and Mental Health

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC

Complete the form to discuss your training needs: https://forms.gle/hgnYtmTu33Zeem489

Check out my FAQs here: http://diverseminds.co.uk/solutions/coaching/

You can learn more about the coaching I do to support your wellbeing here. 

If you enjoyed this episode, then consider subscribing on Apple podcast, Spotify or wherever you access your podcasts from.

If you enjoyed it, why not leave a review? 

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  

Remember to tune in next week, where I’ll bring you more insights on mental health and inclusion.