Lucinda talks with Chris Jay, CEO of Bascule Disability Training, about transforming workplace cultures around disability. Chris draws from his personal experiences as a wheelchair user managing anxiety and depression to challenge negative stereotypes and explain how organisations can authentically support neurodiverse and disabled employees. By focusing on outcome-based performance rather than rigid traditional processes, Chris sheds light on why accessible recruitment, open communication, and proactive adjustments ultimately boost overall productivity and benefit everyone in the organisation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

BEST MOMENTS

"Sixty-seven percent of the British population feel uncomfortable talking to people with disabilities, so in my view, the drawbridge is up. My job is to bring it back down."

"We can never train people to deal with every possible permutation of disability... Our job is to create a culture where it's okay to talk about your needs."

"The psychological difference of the business going out to you first and saying, 'Hey, we're an inclusive organisation. How can we help you perform at your best?'—that really is everything I believe in."

"Look at the outcome of the work and not the process that gets the work done."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The HR Uprising Podcast | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Stitcher⁠  

⁠The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group⁠

⁠How to Prioritise Self-Care (The HR Uprising)⁠

⁠How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney⁠

HR Uprising Mastermind - ⁠https://hruprising.com/mastermind/⁠  

⁠www.changesuperhero.com⁠

⁠www.hruprising.com⁠           

Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at ⁠[email protected]⁠

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

CONTACT CHRIS

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jay-bascule/

CONTACT METHOD

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Author, keynote speaker, and Passion Collective community founder Laura Best shares her personal journey from corporate burnout to becoming a leading expert on the power of passion in the workplace. Moving beyond simple definitions of engagement and purpose, Laura introduces the academic framework of the Dualistic Model of Passion, distinguishing between healthy harmonious passion and destructive obsessive passion. 

She offers practical advice on how to stop running on pure grind, look past rigid corporate purpose statements, and intentionally sprinkle small, self-affirming sparks of personal passion back into their weekly routines.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

BEST MOMENTS

“I had the career that I always really wanted and that I'd built and sacrificed for. And yet, I got to this point where I literally felt like I was flatlining inside."

"Purpose can be a grounding, noble thing that we've got, but passion is truly the motivational force that can propel us forwards, upwards, sideways."

"Your goal should be based on what you want to acquire versus, how do you want to feel?"

"My word is 'fizzy' this sense of fizziness when I'm doing something that I love. And I know it sounds silly and stupid, but I don't care because when I focus on the fact that when I feel this way. I'm actually helping myself and helping other people."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The HR Uprising Podcast | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Stitcher⁠  

⁠The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group⁠

⁠How to Prioritise Self-Care (The HR Uprising)⁠

⁠How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney⁠

HR Uprising Mastermind - ⁠https://hruprising.com/mastermind/⁠  

⁠www.changesuperhero.com⁠

⁠www.hruprising.com⁠           

Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at ⁠[email protected]⁠

CONTACT LAURA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracbest/

Passion Collective Website: https://www.passioncollective.co/

Passion Collective Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passioncollective/

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

CONTACT METHOD

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Lucinda welcomes career and leadership coach Laura Ogilvie-Jones to explore the rising corporate phenomenon of "comparativitis" where high-performing, senior professionals secretly lose confidence due to the pressures of social media, rapid technological change, and AI. 

Laura shares her insightful, values-driven coaching methods such as the North Arrow and Buzz Sheets to reveal how HR professionals can spot warning signs of fading confidence and foster environments of vulnerability to help leaders rebuild their self-assurance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

BEST MOMENTS

"They may well appear very confident externally... but actually underneath they might be struggling, and they might be losing confidence and having wobbles, having doubts, but they don't feel able to verbalise that."

"The word I often use with my clients to talk about is 'comparativitis'. We are absolutely bombarded with images, news, communication about other people and what they're doing and how amazing they are."

"When I'm working with someone one-to-one, it's the first time they've ever actually been honest, vulnerable, and authentic about what is actually going on and how they're actually feeling."

"If you don't have that self-awareness, you're just, you know, blissfully carrying on."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The HR Uprising Podcast | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Stitcher⁠  

⁠The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group⁠

⁠How to Prioritise Self-Care (The HR Uprising)⁠

⁠How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney⁠

HR Uprising Mastermind - ⁠https://hruprising.com/mastermind/⁠  

⁠www.changesuperhero.com⁠

⁠www.hruprising.com⁠           

Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at ⁠[email protected]⁠

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

CONTACT METHOD

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Lucinda talks to HR transformation specialist Sharon Green to demystify the evolving world of independent people professionals. Sharon draws on her extensive 20-year career to clearly distinguish between traditional interim management and the emerging trend of fractional HR, which offers scalable, long-term strategic leadership for growing businesses that don't yet need a full-time executive. 

Packed with practical advice, the conversation explores the mindset, adaptability, and relationship-building skills required to thrive as a solo practitioner in a changing corporate landscape.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

BEST MOMENTS

"You're not really leveraging off your domain knowledge... it's more about the transferable skills and experience that you bring to that organisation and the outside-in perspective."

"Clients aren't paying to manage you... they're paying for you to manage the work that they are engaging you to deliver."

"Doing a good job at the ending is just as important as doing that good job right at the start to build those trusting relationships."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The HR Uprising Podcast | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Stitcher⁠  

⁠The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group⁠

⁠How to Prioritise Self-Care (The HR Uprising)⁠

⁠How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney⁠

HR Uprising Mastermind - ⁠https://hruprising.com/mastermind/⁠  

⁠www.changesuperhero.com⁠

⁠www.hruprising.com⁠           

Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at ⁠[email protected]⁠

CONTACT SHARON

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharongreenchiara/

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

CONTACT METHOD

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Lucinda talks to John Tarrant, Managing Partner at DNA, to dissect the critical role of the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) in 2026. Moving far beyond simple marketing imagery, John explains how modern EVP must be an authentic statement of intent that bridges the gap between leadership perception and the daily reality of the workforce. 

From navigating the post-COVID trust deficit to leveraging AI for data analysis without losing the human touch, this conversation provides a strategic seven-step roadmap for organisations looking to reduce attrition, slash recruitment costs, and build a truly distinct employer brand.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

BEST MOMENTS

“We’ve defined an EVP as the statement of intent as to what you stand for as an employer."

"If the rate of change in the external market is greater than that within the organisation, the end is nigh."

"Your EVP's got to be distinct. It’s got to be authentic, and it’s got to be compelling, because this thing is going to have to work hard for you."

"You’re not really in control of that narrative now, so you have to take control"

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The HR Uprising Podcast | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Stitcher⁠  

⁠The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group⁠

⁠How to Prioritise Self-Care (The HR Uprising)⁠

⁠How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney⁠

HR Uprising Mastermind - ⁠https://hruprising.com/mastermind/⁠  

⁠www.changesuperhero.com⁠

⁠www.hruprising.com⁠           

Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at ⁠[email protected]⁠

CONTACT JOHN

John LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-tarrant-494363a/

DNA Website: https://www.wearedna.co.uk/

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

CONTACT METHOD

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Lucinda reunites with leadership and culture specialist Aoife O’Brien to explore how organisational thinking has shifted over the last five years. 

Moving beyond the foundational concept of "belonging," Aoife introduces her Thriving Talent framework—a holistic temple model built upon psychological safety and supported by three critical pillars: Workplace Culture, Individual Drivers, and Organisational Capabilities. 

They dive deep into the nuances of psychological safety, the dangers of toxic cultures, and the essential role of self-awareness in leadership.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

BEST MOMENTS

"Psychological safety is not the answer to everything; it is the means to the end."

"Silence is a clear sign that you have not created psychological safety."

"We don’t set out to create a toxic work environment; it just accidentally happens. But it takes acknowledging the elephant in the room to change it."

"Leadership starts with leading ourselves first before we ever think about leading other people."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Download the Burke Litwin Model of Change Resource

The HR Uprising Podcast | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Stitcher⁠  

⁠The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group⁠

⁠How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney⁠

HR Uprising Mastermind - ⁠https://hruprising.com/mastermind/⁠  

⁠www.changesuperhero.com⁠

⁠www.hruprising.com⁠           

Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at ⁠[email protected]⁠

CONTACT AOIFE

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/

Thriving Talent: https://thrivingtalentbook.com/

Aoife's Previous Episode 107: Belonging at Work

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

CONTACT METHOD

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Lucinda explores the critical intersection of AI governance and compliance within modern organisations with special guest John Rude, founder of Perceptual, who emphasises that as major regulations like the EU AI Act emerge, AI oversight must transition from a niche IT concern to a cross-functional responsibility involving HR, legal, and executive leadership. 

They discuss how high-risk applications, such as recruitment and performance management, require robust documentation and ethical frameworks to mitigate bias and liability, providing a wake up call to action for businesses to implement internal AI policies and tiered literacy training to navigate the rapid evolution of technology safely and strategically.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

BEST MOMENTS

"If we say governance just belongs only in HR, or only in information security, or only in IT, it doesn't end up working... the policies we create to put governance into place have to filter throughout the entire organisation." 

"The EU often times sets a global standard based both on their desire to act quickly on new items... and the expansiveness with which they're willing to regulate." 

"It's the potential risk to individuals to over-benefit some and disadvantage the disadvantaged... it’s that kind of impact on humans if not used with great ethics." 

"Every organisation needs an internal AI use policy, and if you don't have it, that really is in my mind like an emergency."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The HR Uprising Podcast | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Stitcher⁠  

⁠The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group⁠

⁠How to Prioritise Self-Care (The HR Uprising)⁠

⁠How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney⁠

HR Uprising Mastermind - ⁠https://hruprising.com/mastermind/⁠  

⁠www.changesuperhero.com⁠

⁠www.hruprising.com⁠           

Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at ⁠[email protected]⁠

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

Lucinda talks to Paolo Gaudiano, a scientist and entrepreneur who applies computer simulations and analytics to the field of DEI. 

Paolo challenges traditional diversity initiatives that focus solely on demographic quotas, arguing instead for a data-driven focus on inclusion. By linking specific workplace problems, such as exclusion from meetings or career development disparities, to tangible financial losses like decreased productivity and increased attrition, he provides HR leaders with a powerful framework to align people strategies with the organisation’s bottom line

KEY TAKEAWAYS

BEST MOMENTS

"The problem is not so much that we're not hiring enough people... it's a problem that these people are more likely to leave because we're not treating them the same way as other employees."

"I want to get to the point where the HR leaders are able to use these simple concepts... to measure the right metrics and to be able to link them to the financial KPIs."

"It's easy to have a complicated idea, but it's very, very hard to have a simple idea."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The HR Uprising Podcast | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Stitcher⁠  

⁠The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group⁠

⁠How to Prioritise Self-Care (The HR Uprising)⁠

⁠How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney⁠

HR Uprising Mastermind - ⁠https://hruprising.com/mastermind/⁠  

⁠www.changesuperhero.com⁠

⁠www.hruprising.com⁠           

Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at ⁠[email protected]⁠

CONTACT PAOLO

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pgaudiano/

Book: https://measuringinclusion.com/book

Aleria Website: http://www.aleria.tech/paolo-gaudiano

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

CONTACT METHOD

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Lucinda welcomes Dr. Enya Doyle, known as the "harassment doctor," to discuss effective strategies for preventing harassment in the workplace. 

Dr. Doyle shares her background in academic research, particularly her PhD on sexism in classical music, and emphasises the importance of recognising and addressing harassment in all organisational settings, especially in smaller businesses where HR resources may be limited. 

The conversation explores the significance of awareness, the role of leadership in fostering a respectful culture, and practical steps for HR professionals to take, including the need for tailored policies and the value of open communication

KEY TAKEAWAYS

BEST MOMENTS

"It's really important... just because you are a HR department of one doesn't mean that people, individual bad actors or systems aren't going to create an environment where people are going to bully or harass their colleagues."

"If you were to receive a phone call from the police to say that one of your employees had been arrested for sexual assault, who do you not be surprised about?"

"Please don't make your entire harassment prevention strategy e-learning. If you do absolutely nothing else that I've said, please do not make that your entire strategy because it won't work."

"Curiosity is key. The one piece of advice that I always give... is ask one more question. Just be curious."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The HR Uprising Podcast | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Stitcher⁠  

⁠The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group⁠

⁠How to Prioritise Self-Care (The HR Uprising)⁠

⁠How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney⁠

HR Uprising Mastermind - ⁠https://hruprising.com/mastermind/⁠  

⁠www.changesuperhero.com⁠

⁠www.hruprising.com⁠           

Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at ⁠[email protected]⁠

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

CONTACT METHOD

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Lucinda welcomes special guest Gary Cookson, an expert in leadership development and author of the upcoming book, The Squeezed Middle, to talk about the evolving and often invisible role of middle managers, who act as vital buffers and translators between senior strategy and frontline execution. 

They explore how modern shifts like hybrid work, AI integration, and a greater organisational focus on individual well-being have transformed the middle management profile from a process-driven role into one defined by "learnership," high emotional intelligence, and lateral influence.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

BEST MOMENTS

"If you want to know the true value of a middle manager, get rid of them. See what doesn’t happen as a result, and see what does that they're not there to stop happening."

"Strategy becomes reality, plans become real... it's a very misunderstood and often quite intangible role."

"It’s never important to have all the right answers; it’s more important to have all the right questions."

"You can't expect people to just swim when you throw them in the water for the first time... if you throw somebody in the water for the first time and they drown, that's on you, not on them."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The HR Uprising Podcast | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Stitcher⁠  

⁠The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group⁠

⁠How to Prioritise Self-Care (The HR Uprising)⁠

⁠How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney⁠

HR Uprising Mastermind - ⁠https://hruprising.com/mastermind/⁠  

⁠www.changesuperhero.com⁠

⁠www.hruprising.com⁠           

Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at ⁠[email protected]⁠

CONTACT GARY

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garycookson/

Pre-order 'The Squeezed Middle': https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783111713748/html

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

CONTACT METHOD

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/