The Diverse Minds Podcast

Welcome to the 163rd episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. It’s Black History Month and the theme is action, not words. Today, I am joined by the esteemed professor Nicola Rollock to talk about her new book, The Racial Code, tales of resistance and survival about daily racism in the workplace. 

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

Nicola Rollock is a Professor of Social Policy and Race at King’s College London. Her work ranges widely across media. In addition to speaking, writing and facilitating conversations, she has appeared in the BAFTA-winning Channel 4 documentary ‘The school that tried to end racism.

She has curated the photo exhibition ‘Phenomenal Women’ which chronicled the experiences of Black female professors in the UK and was on display at the Southbank Centre. In 2020, she was included in the Duke & Duchess of Sussex's list of Next Generation Trailblazers. The Racial Code is her first trade book.

It is an unprecedented examination of the hidden rules of race and racism that govern our lives and how they maintain the status quo. Interweaving narrative with research and theory, Prof Nicola Rollock uniquely lays bare the pain and cost of navigating everyday racism and compels us to reconsider how to truly achieve racial justice.

In today’s show

• About Nicola and what she's currently working on. [02:01]
• How she became an academic [04:17]
• Nicola shares an interlude from her book. [07:38]
• What the word "resistance" means to her. [17:04]
• Her top 3 tips for looking after her mental health. [42:03]

• I am working on a project about white allies in the workplace.
• I'm really selective about who I agree to work with.
• I didn't start off wanting or thinking about academia as a career option.
• My book is about the subtleties of everyday racism.
• It's absolutely crucial that you're not relying on white mainstream spaces for affirmation, or for recognition of your talents, because you'd be there until you retire.

• Nicola on Twitter and Instagram

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

Welcome to the 162nd episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast.

It’s Black History Month and this year's theme is Time for Change: Action Not Words. This week we are focussing on social care and making it more inclusive. To do this, I am joined by Laurelle Brown, Founder and Director of Laurelle Brown Training and Consultancy.

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

 Laurelle is a senior Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and Youth and Community Work Professional with over 18 years of experience in the third, private and public sectors.

Laurelle has spent her entire career fostering greater equity and inclusion within services and practice in various capacities, from volunteer to systems leadership roles. She led or formed part of project teams delivering organisational EDI programmes, including at Barnet Council, The Children’s Society, London Violence Reduction Unit and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime. 

At LBTC, Laurelle and her team of Associates have collaborated with a range of public,

private and third sector clients to cultivate inclusive organisations through unapologetic,

intentional, and non-judgemental conversation and education, that enables the making good of commitments and intentions through action and impact. Laurelle is also Co-Founder and Director of KIJIJI, a membership organisation for Black Safeguarding Professionals

• About Laurelle and the work she does. [02:11]
• Why she decided to work in the safeguarding sector. [04:21]
• What the term "inclusive services" means to her. [07:14]
• Some things social services as a whole could be doing differently [12:59]
• Her top 3 tips for looking after her mental health. [25:18]

• Inclusive services are services that allow people to thrive in their work.
• People in social services roles do an incredible job.
• Thinking about how I look after my mental health is really important for me.
• One of the most important things that I do is manage exposure to content and stress, which I think has a massive, positive impact on my mental health.
• Routinely getting this feedback and using it to inform the design and delivery of our practice and our services is very important.

• Karen on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Two Trees Consultancy on Facebook and Twitter
• Women at UoL on Twitter

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 161st episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. This is the final episode in our series on personal development, and I am excited to say we are focussing on happiness, what it means and how it contributes to positive personal development. 

To join me in doing this is the joyous Klaudia Mitura. 

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

Klaudia is a  work psychologist who explores the science of happiness and tests out different methods for making a personal change and leading a happier life. She works as a learning and development specialist at the Science Museum Group building a learning culture and boosting happiness in the workplace to drive business growth and innovation.

She is the host of the award-winning & Happiness podcast, exploring the bold question "what makes us happy." Do check out the episode with me, How to Expand Our External Stories with me! Link in the show notes. 

For the last ten years, she’s been applying scientific research on employee engagement to design and implement energetic, creative and data-driven programs to empower individuals to be at their best at work. Her approach to learning and development is based on empowerment, mastery and purpose.

• About Klaudia and the work she does. [03:03]
• How she coped with a trying time in her life [06:10]
• What the term "happiness" means to her. [11:24]
• How workplaces can make people happy at work. [13:57]
• Her top 3 tips for looking after her mental health. [19:14]

• I gave myself a purpose that was beyond everything that was happening to me,
• I gave myself 30 minutes a day towards thinking about my happiness.
• People will feel happier if they are connected with their purpose.
• No one loves being micromanaged.
• Try different things and see how you feel.

• Klaudia on LinkedIn and Instagram
• Identity & Happiness: How to expand our internal stories to be happier with Leyla Okhai

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it

Welcome to the 160th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. September’s theme is all about personal development.

This week, we are focussing on the power of mentoring, and to join me in speaking about this is Karen Tsui (Choy). 

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

Karen  is the  Director of Two Trees Consultancy, specialising in enhancing inclusion in the workplace. Two Trees collaborate with organisations from the public, private and third sectors, facilitating them to find viable routes to enhanced inclusion through consultancy, training and coaching.

She is also Collaboration Development Manager for the White Rose University Consortium. She is an inclusive leader with 20 years of experience working in six research-intensive universities in the UK and Hong Kong. A trusted expert in collaborative research across regional (White Rose) and

international (Worldwide Universities Network) partners. A positive energiser generating enthusiasm and outstanding performance in others. She is Co-Chair of the Women at Leeds Network (1100 members) which creates opportunities to transform women’s lives, with mentoring discussions a key part in this.

• About Karen and the work she does. [01:56]
• How she became interested in the mentoring process. [03:08]
• What the term "mentoring" means to her. [05:44]
• Some things that need to happen for mentoring relationships to flourish in the workplace [07:51]
• Her top 3 tips for looking after her mental health. [23:16]

• To me, mentoring is a professional relationship between the mentor and the mentee, to help the mentee to progress in their career.
• I think it's extremely important to look after your mental health.
• I have suffered quite bad mental health that turned into physical challenges for me.
• Give yourself permission to rest.
• When I had my episode of mental health challenges, I found that I was no longer myself. I thought I was another person.

• Rosemary on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Twitter
• Rosemary's website

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 159th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. For September, the focus of the podcast is personal development, and this week, I'm going to be highlighting six reasons why personal development is important and why you should get involved.

• What is personal development? [00:46]
• How personal development can be difficult to pull off. [01:50]
• Some questions to get you in the mindset of personal development. [02:46]
• What happens when we don't focus on personal development [03:37]
• 6 reasons why personal development is important? [04:43]

• Personal development is all about activities that are designed to help us reflect on our talents improve our skills, potential employability and career opportunities.
• I think personal development is really important because it allows individuals to become the best versions of themselves and meet their potential.
• helps us to further our pathway knowledge and helps us to make better decisions with the knowledge that we acquire.
• When we don't focus on personal development, and we go through the motions, we are actually not being true to ourselves. We're letting ourselves down.
• No one has your best interests at heart more than you do.

• Leave me an anonymous message on my SpeakPipe
• Check out my course: The Mentally Healthy Professional
• Listen to Episode #156 The Power of Arts Therapy
• Check out Episode #155 Arts in Practice
• Listen to Episode #154 Book Review: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Check out Episode #153 How the arts support mental health

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

Join

Welcome to the 158th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. This month’s theme is all about professional development. To kick off the month I am going to be talking about MYnd Maps - not any mind maps - and to join me in doing this is Rosemary Ikpeme. 

Rosemary is the creator and founder of MYnd Map, the ultimate mindfulness, gratitude, and goals-setting journals, planners, and agendas.

She incorporates both productivity and mindfulness in all MYnd Map tools and designs them to help you build positive and healthy habits. Habits that will help you navigate through personal and professional challenges with awareness, focus, and balance; making sure that self-care, emotional, mental and physical health, and wellbeing are made a priority whilst boosting productivity.

She has been featured on Stylist Academy, Telegraph and Buzz Feed to name a few.

• About Rosmary and the work she does. [01:55]
• How she created Mynd Map. [03:39]
• What the term mental well-being means to her. [10:37]
• Some things managers could do to introduce balance into their workplaces? [21:07]
• Her top 3 tips for looking after her mental health. [25:19]

• When we say mental well-being, we might just think of mental health. But we know that so many different factors affect our mental health.
• Everything can have an effect on your mental health.
• I love seeing a lot of women speaking out now and being true and authentic to themselves.
• I don't wait for things to happen for me to start looking after my mental health.
• The idea of having something that is within my control gives me that sense of well-being. It helps my mental health.

• Rosemary on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Twitter
• Rosemary's website

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 157th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. it's the 3rd birthday of the podcast, and this month's episode is about celebrating the journey so far.

• The top ten episodes for the year. [03:11]
• A summary of the guests I featured during the year. [08:15]
• Some podcasts I was interviewed on last year. [09:42]
• Some key lessons I learned. [09:42]
• What I plan to do going forward. [13:51]

• Twitter has been really brilliant at finding guests.
• I'm pleased to say I'm currently on 24,592 downloads of the podcast.
• I've had the real privilege to speak to so many phenomenal people in the last year.
• I've had people from all over the world, and it's just been such an honour. I can't thank people enough for all the time and the attention that they've given.
• I've actually been on quite a few podcasts this year, which has been really lovely to be invited.

• Leave me an anonymous message on my SpeakPipe
• Check out my course: The Mentally Healthy Professional
• Listen to Episode #130 Trauma Recovery through Yoga
• Check out Episode #125 Doing Less Being More
• Listen to Episode #111 Black women in Menopause
• Check out Episode #126 Book Review: The Body Keeps the Score
• Listen to Episode #109 8 ways to create culturally inclusive meetings
• Check out Episode #108 What’s the big deal with Cultural appropriation?
• Listen to the Diverse Minds podcast trailer What’s the big deal with Cultural appropriation?
• Check out Episode #107 Book Review Culture Map by Erin Meyer
• Listen to Episode #37 Why bother with Inclusive Language?
• Check out Episode #39 Resilience and Mental Health
• The Mental Podcast
• Virtually Unbreakable podcast
• And Happiness podcast
• Tactical Magic podcast
• A life up to your dreams podcast
• Mentally Yours podcast
• 1 in 5 podcast 
• The Tunecreators Podcast

Welcome to the 156th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. This month’s focus is all about the arts and mental health. So this week, we are delving deeper into the power of arts therapy.

Joining me to do is Arts Therapist, Rebecca West.

About my guest

Rebecca studied graphic design at the University of the Creative Arts which gave her the opportunity to express and develop her creativity. She has worked with YMCA and Place2Be, learning to combine art, play and therapy together.

This type of therapy gives you the freedom to communicate your feelings through play and creativity which can be a powerful tool for both children and adults. Whether this is through drawing, painting or moulding with clay, it can be a deeply profound and freeing expression of our emotions. 

She is a fully trained integrative counsellor, which means she has a broader toolkit of

therapeutic support to work from. This means there is a mix between the creative and the cognitive. However, fundamentally, Rebecca believes in the power of simply listening to your story, your challenge, and your dream and helping you achieve or move through your chosen area of need.

Rebecca has also worked extensively with parents and caring professionals to get guidance and support so that they can go on to support those they teach or care for. 

• About Rebecca and the work she does. [02:05]
• How she got into therapy. [03:20]
• Her experience of training as an art therapist. [05:13]
• Some of the barriers people from black, global majority and diaspora backgrounds face when it comes to accessing support in the form of art therapy. [11:16]
• Her top 3 tips for looking after their mental health. [22:24]

• I've always just been really curious about the human condition and why people do what they do.
• When I have worked with people of colour, I think they chose me because they saw a part of themselves in me.
• If we can have more, particularly black male therapists, that's gold dust.
• I try to work quite hard with the community around me.
• One of the really important things about being a therapist is authenticity.

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

Welcome to the 155th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. As you know this month’s focus is all about the arts and mental health. So this week, we are delving deeper into the power of arts in practice, to join me in doing this is playwright Erinn Dhesi.

Erinn Dhesi is a playwright, performer and social media freelancer based in the West Midlands. Her work often focuses on topics such as social media, LGBTQ+ life and British Asian life, sometimes all at once, sometimes on their own.

She is currently an Associate Artist at Chronic Insanity Theatre.  Recently she wrote ʻQueensʼ an audio play with Tamasha Theatre and Holy Mountain Productions which delves in the colonial history of Royal Leamington Spa from the perspective of its British Asian diaspora.

Within the last year, she has been part of the BBC Coventry Voices Writersoom. She was commissioned by The Young Vic for their 5 Plays with ʻRun to The Moonʼ. Her monologue ʻChangeʼ premiered at Tara Theatre as part of their new ʻ2020: Collection 1ʼ season.

Errin's award-winning one-woman show ʻWigs Snatched, Perceptions Destroyed' about the effects of online influencer culture premiered at Vault Festival 2020, earning 4 Star reviews (A Younger Theatre & Broadwayworld.com). Her short plays Sesh (2019) and The Walk (2019) premiered at the Curve Theatre and her first full-length play ʻ#Adjustmentʼ received a rehearsed reading at the Belgrade Theatre (2017).

• About Erinn and the work she does. [02:24]
• Her journey into screenwriting and playwrighting. [08:08]
• What the term mental health means to her. [19:08]
• The biggest challenges for South Asian people working in the field of writing. [21:19]
• Her top 3 tips for looking after her mental health. [33:32]

• I have always been naturally creative and curious about the world.
• I think a lot of my mental health experience has been coloured through me having ADHD and dyslexia.
• A lot of workplaces really need to step up on being able to accommodate burnout in a way that's useful, and doesn't alienate somebody,
• One of the things that has really helped me is exercising.
• I had a personal trainer, as I knew I needed a body double and a motivator. Someone who could organise things for me when it came to working out!

• Erinn on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter
• Erinn's website

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

Welcome to the 154th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. This month’s theme is all about the arts and mental health. So, in today’s episode, I review the book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert.

• Why I decided to review the book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. [01:12]
• A key part of this book. [02:01]
• Some of the key themes that I picked up within the book. [03:56]
• Why I do a podcast instead of writing a blog. [09:42]
• Some of the pitfalls of the book. [11:40]

 Quotes

• We often forget that we are all creative beings, which is one of the tenants of this book.
• It's not about creating masterpieces. It's not about how to be the next big thing. It's not about how to monetize your creativity, but it's about the process.
• Fear keeps you rooted in inaction.
• We don't always have families that support us and champion us.
• There's no such thing as the greatest and the worst because of subjectivity and perspective.

• Leave me an anonymous message on my SpeakPipe
• Big Magic By Elizabeth Gilbert
• Check out my course: The Mentally Healthy Professional
• Listen to Episode #153 How the arts support mental health

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

Join