The Role of Governance in Effective ERG Leadership

Alyssa Dver explores the empowering journey of ageing, the importance of nurturing valuable relationships, and the enriching experience of diverse perspectives while advocating for inclusive and psychologically safe work environments.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood welcomes guest Alyssa Dver to discuss the nuances of creating and sustaining a sense of belonging. Joanne reflects on turning 60, sharing how she feels more settled in her personality and wisdom gained over the past decade. Alyssa appreciates this perspective, noting that age often brings the ability to simplify and enrich life by focusing on what truly matters. The conversation touches on shedding unnecessary relationships and valuing meaningful connections as they age.

Maintaining the Importance of Diversity: “The constructs are still, maybe even more so, important.”

Understanding Trauma in the Classroom: “You’re never going to understand, nor should you, nor, you know, it’s almost a waste of time in many cases to try and really understand the trauma. But there are ways we can support that child in learning better, knowing that they’ve been through trauma.”

The Importance of Vulnerability in Leadership: “I can’t bring my whole self to work if you’re not even letting me open my mouth in a meeting.”

**Importance of Clear Mission Statements**: “Those fundamentals are really important. And and in light of those, when you’re clear about who that group is for, the structure of the group, the processes of the group, the roles of the different not just in the leadership chain, but the executive sponsors, the role of the allies. When you have those fundamentals updated regularly, then everything else gets easier.”

The Future of Employee Resource Groups: “Now, here’s where the ERGs and the whole world is changing a lot. And you were in the London event. You know that my trends report for 2025 is all about the numbers.”

The Importance of Quantitative Outcomes in Business: “The ERGs have been there, but there never really been this rally cry of we’ve got to show the quantitative outcome to the business because the businesses are funding this.”

**The Importance of Executive Sponsorship in Organisational Success**: “The only way one of these groups really does well is if it has good executive sponsorship. Why? Because they have the visibility, they have the ear, they have the power really to ensure that that group is respected.”

Balancing Diversity and Community Building: “But to expect a single diversity person or department for that matter, if there’s still a department in your organisation, or to expect the employees to do it on their own, it’s kind of naive.”

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Embracing Imperfection and Progress

Steph VanHaverbeke explores personal transformation, the liberation in letting go of perfection, and navigating gender identity, while championing empathy and critical thinking to foster inclusion and growth.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood engages in a thought-provoking dialogue with guest Steph VanHaverbeke. They explore the complex notion of perfection, examining how striving for it can coexist with embracing imperfection. Joanne introduces the idea that "perfection is the enemy of progress," encouraging acceptance of "good enough" as a worthy aim. This episode is enriched with personal stories and practical insights that highlight the beauty of impermanence, the importance of self-acceptance, and the need to unload unnecessary baggage to achieve personal growth.

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Navigating Mental Health and Personal Trauma

Alex Williams unravels the profound journey of resilience, mental health advocacy, and the transformative power of hope, authenticity, and personal responsibility in overcoming life's profound challenges and societal pressures.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood engages in a profound conversation with Alex Williams, uncovering the depths of resilience and authenticity in the face of life's adversities. Joanne and Alex traverse the challenging terrain of navigating personal trauma and the pivotal role of hope and community in recovery and mental health advocacy.

The Challenge of Chronic Health Issues: “The NHS in this country, for example, it was designed to treat acute problems, not really complex chronic issues.”

The Impact of Constant Connectivity on Mental Well-Being: “I don’t think we realize as a society is how we’re so busy because we’re plugged into all these things with all these stresses coming at us.”

The Double-Edged Sword of Social Media Comparison: “Most people I would say have terrible relationships with themselves even though on the surface on social media, they act like everything’s, you know, got everything together.”

“The Illusion of Success on Social Media”: “I don’t believe any influence in social media or anyone out is doing as well as they’re doing. So it’s really important when I’m when you’re viewing that to go actually, is this real or is this just a glimpse of what they’re showing or actually what they’re trying to make me believe?”

The Importance of Validation: “If we don’t feel like we can be ourselves and express how we really feel and do the things we want to in life, and if we have to feel like we could constantly at the high parts and wear masks in a sense of showing up in different ways to appease everyone else, eventually, you will get to a point where we’re like, what the hell is going on here?”

The Importance of Pets for Mental Health: “But it was, well, if it to be honest, if it wasn’t for my dog and feeling the need and the worry to be there for him, I think I wouldn’t be here today.”

The Power of Choice: “Everything can be taken from you, sorry, except your ability to choose how you respond, your ability to choose your own way.”

The Power of Sharing Your Story: “Talking about my own story kind of I think it was good because it made me stop being the person who was held the answers to everyone else’s problems and made me realise that, actually, I’m just like all of you.”

The Importance of Supportive Relationships: “I think we all want someone in our lives who can just be there for us when we’re struggling, when we’re happy, like, when we celebrate our achievements or maybe just to redirect us if we’re going off the path a little bit.”

Overcoming Rejection Fears:

The post Getting Back Up appeared first on SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts.

Media Sensationalism and Constructive Conversations

John Sands shares a deeply personal and transformative journey through a severe COVID-19 experience, underscoring the profound importance of vaccination, allyship, and the delicate balance of empathy and inclusion in navigating a polarised world.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood is joined by John Sands to explore the transformative power of turning challenges into opportunities. John dives into a range of pressing issues, including media sensationalism, the polarisation of opinions in social debates, and the ways in which remote work statistics are often misrepresented. The conversation is not just about identifying problems but also about creating actionable solutions in the workplace, particularly through the use of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

Empowering ERGs to Make a Difference: “The goal is created by the people that I’m teaching, or just facilitating, getting these people to speak and to take an idea and make it real, and for it to really make a difference in the workplace.”

Employee Resource Groups: “I helped to create an ERG around disability and also was an ally for the LGBTQIA plus ERG, the black alliance ERG, and also, I was part of the veterans ERG.”

**The Pitfalls of Corporate Diversity Initiatives**: “And that’s another big pitfall for this kind of thing is they’ll say, yeah, we need it. We want it on the website. We wanna show we’re, you know, we’re a diverse, corporation, but then they don’t, they don’t help to make that survive. So it withers on the vine, basically.”

Importance of Allyship in ERGs: “we’re not only looking to support and educate the people within that group, but we’re also looking to then support people outside of that group to understand. And education is very important.”

Growing Up in a Different Era: “I grew up at a time, where, is looked back as, being, you know, a, the, a black time, the black time, a, a dark time where, I was doing, I’m trying to put together actually, a presentation around and I call it poor little white boy.”

The Problem with Generalizations: “You just get people that are bad no matter what what where they come from, whether they’re, you know, LGBTQIA, whether they’re black, whether they’re white, whether they’re Christian, whether they’re Catholic, whatever. You just get bad people.”

**The True Impact of Political Polarization**: “Even parts of the same family no longer speak to each other because of the way that they’re they’re voting. So it’s got that polarization is, is incredible.”

The Double-Edged Sword of Technology: “It’s it’s it’s a beast of, you know, of of two sides, really, because we’ve got the the amazing technology that allows us to communicate and to to share information.”

**The Harsh Reality of Isolation**: “I don’t think I’m gonna finish this diary, because my breathing was getting so bad.”

Facing Mortality: “I’ve never ever never ever lost that feeling. The feeling I had when I thought I was lying on the bed, and I was thinking, what’s it gonna be like to die?”

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Beyond Comfort Zones: Empowerment Through Self-Discovery and Growth

Claire Payne explores the significance of stepping beyond comfort zones to achieve empowerment, the essential role of self-assessment in personal growth, and the transformative impact of recognising emotions and fostering genuine inclusivity.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood welcomes Claire Payne to explore the journey of embracing one's full potential. Claire, a partner in an international law firm and seasoned tribunal judge, delves into the dynamics of stepping beyond comfort zones as a route to empowerment. They discuss the significance of self-assessment, addressing emotions, and the power of fun and experiential learning in the pursuit of personal growth.

The Importance of Workplace Culture: “And it actually all came down to the culture, it came down to how much they allowed people to be themselves and bring themselves to work.”

“Indigenous Wisdom on Wolves”: “Whereas if you go back to the indigenous people, they see them very much still with this view that they are teachers, that they are guides, that they are to be looked to as a source of wisdom.”

Modern Conflict Resolution: “…finding a solution rather than just digging themselves into a trench and hurling things at each other from either side until one of them gives in.”

The Rise of Mediation in Modern Legal Practice: “We’re seeing a lot more mediation now, a lot more people willing to get into a meeting and lawyers willing to get their clients to the table to have a discussion where they can start collaborating about how they can find a solution and find a way forward.”

Experiencing Leadership: “I take them in to meet the wolves, to feel what it feels like to be part of that pack, part of that community. And you feel it at such a visceral level.”

Reflecting on Failure: “And the reason for that is because even when it’s gone wrong, there will be absolute nuggets of gold to be gathered there that tell you how to get it right next time, what can we do better next time? What can we do to make sure that the next time we give this a go, it’s a bigger success?”

“Stop Putting People in Boxes”: “And I think in a way we’ve got to stop putting people in boxes and start recognising people as individuals rather than trying so desperately to categorise everybody, because somebody is not their, you know, neurodiverse tag or their sexuality tag or their gender tag.”

Common Ground and Understanding: “But sometimes it just takes someone standing in the middle to see it, to step back as a neutral observer and go, do you actually realise that there is a common ground here?”

“Stretching Your Comfort Zone”: “We’re not meant to spend, you know, 99% of our lives in a burning house trying to escape that. That’s not what our system was built for.”

Life and Fun: “And that’s the thing, you know, if life isn’t fun, then what’s the point, really?”

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Unpacking Harm and Inclusivity in Everyday Language

Katie Allen explores the intricate balance of intention versus impact, urging for mindful language use and deeper understanding to foster genuine inclusivity, while emphasising the evolving nature of identity and the role of authentic conversations.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood hosts an engaging conversation with Katie Allen on the nuances of sexual orientation and relationships. Katie shares her insights into asexuality, highlighting how understanding and communication stand as pillars in any relationship, particularly through the lens of her own experiences. Together, Joanne and Katie discuss the importance of cultivating environments that promote openness, authenticity, and inclusion.

“Leadership and Inclusion”: “Then you say, okay, how do you feel about having a conversation about racism? Nope, nobody wants to have that conversation. All of a sudden the psychological safety is not there.”

Language Evolution and Acceptance: “We can use figuratively and literally interchangeably because literally sometimes means figuratively now.”

The Importance of Engaging with Others: “People exist all around you. Why would we not engage?”

“Influence of Public Figures on Identity”: “The likes of Andrew Tate are one of them in the sense that they believe what they believe, and it serves them to double down on that harder and harder every time, because that’s their brand now.”

The Reality of Safety Concerns: “When you’re a woman, that’s something you have to think about.”

Broadening Perspectives: “Are we just following people who are just like us with the same experiences as us that went to the same school that we did, you know, or how are we looking for content and information to help educate us about experiences that exist outside that?”

“Understanding Misogyny in Reality TV: You see over the seasons the absolute misogyny that exists within a lot of the goings on.”

Understanding Different Perspectives: “I want to understand you. I want to understand how you’ve arrived, where you’ve arrived at, what are your experiences that are shaping that and really listen and then engage in a dialogue.”

The Power of Sharing Experiences: “You can just listen, listen to somebody else’s experience and think, okay, that’s different to mine. What, what does that make me feel now? Like, has that challenged any of my beliefs? And, and sit. You know, for me, I treat everything as data. So emotions are data.”

Navigating Emotional Reactions: “Which of my values are being challenged? Which of my, my beliefs are being challenged and is that fair?”

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From Personal Growth to Professional Triumphs

Sheena Yap Chan explores the essential role of persistence in achieving success, delves into the impact of social media on self-perception, and highlights the necessity of embracing authenticity and addressing personal and ancestral traumas.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood is joined by Sheena Yap Chan to explore "The Power of Persistence." The conversation delves deep into the essence of persistence, debunking the myth of overnight success and illuminating the relentless effort required to achieve one's goals. Joanne and Sheena share personal anecdotes, discuss societal dynamics, and highlight the importance of authenticity and vulnerability in today's fast-paced world.

Persistence and Passion: “But we also have to learn to pick ourselves back up and keep moving forward if what we’re doing is something that we’re super passionate about, if it’s in alignment with our values.”

Viral Topic: The Power of Vulnerability on Social Media

Viral Topic: The Hidden Struggles of Influencers

Mental Health Awareness: “Just because someone’s smiling on a photo doesn’t mean they’re they’re happy.”

Persistence Pays Off: “I realized persistence was my power because without it, I wouldn’t be here today.”

The Secret Sauce to Success: “Most people who are successful have no clue what they’re doing, and I think it’s okay to say that.”

The Importance of Persistence: “You don’t you know, people think you have to be the smartest. You have to know everything. Actually, you don’t because I don’t know everything.”

Childhood Failures and Life Lessons: “I failed kindergarten in the Philippines for colouring outside the lines of a photo. So, I mean, that traumatised me until my adult life.”

Gender Inequality in Venture Capital: “I mean, you look at the VC the VC world, like, only 2% of women get funding. And when they do get funding, it’s only, like, $1,000,000 versus, like, you look at the guy who owned WeWork. He got he made it bankrupt, opened a new company, and got, like, $300,000,000 funding just because you know, even though his track record isn’t great, meanwhile, women over you know, are very smart or very capable, have prepared such an amazing presentation, and yet they’d be lucky if they get 7 figure funding.”

Gender Parity Struggles: “The World Economic Forum mentioned it’s gonna take a 130 years for gender parity to be achieved, at least. But I feel like at the rate we’re going, it’s gonna take longer.”

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Resilience Through Diversity: Navigating Cancer and Sobriety

Sam Rathling shares her inspiring journey of overcoming cancer, highlighting the power of sobriety, authentic social media storytelling, and the importance of health vigilance, all while balancing her role as a single mother of neurodivergent children

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood engages in a deeply resonant conversation with Sam Rathling about resilience, diversity, and wellbeing. Sam Rathling discusses the significant role sobriety and authenticity played during her cancer journey, providing an insightful look into the emotional and physical challenges of battling breast cancer. Joanne and Sam explore the pivotal moments that shaped Sam's experience, from her decision to quit drinking to the transformative power of sharing personal stories on social media.

Anniversary Reflection: “And this week that we’re recording this episode is the year anniversary of me going to the doctors and then obviously getting diagnosed with breast cancer.”

Trust the Process: “You have to trust the process and, like, for the whole time that from diagnosis to, you know, going through everything when you’re literally your whole life is determined by hospital appointments and waiting rooms and everything gets put on hold.”

Returning to Work After Cancer: “There’s a lot of challenges around people returning to the workforce, like, who have been through a cancer diagnosis.”

Facing Mortality as a Single Mum: “So of course, as a single mom, like, that for me my biggest concern immediately around my mortality was, like, what what are the what’s gonna happen to the kids, you know?”

The Reality of Chemotherapy: “And I mean, just the one little chemo ward that I go to, they see 2,800 patients a month and they have the stats up on the board and it’s like, wow, like 2,000 and that’s just a tiny little I live in Derby.”

“Holiday Horror in Bali: I came back to a crime scene and 27 teenage boys had moved into my property and had destroyed it to the point of no return.”

The Power of Sobriety During Cancer Treatment: “If I’d have actually been still drinking when I got diagnosed, I don’t think I would have handled it as well. Like emotionally or physically, I think my sobriety made a massive difference to my treatment, I believe.”

Viral Topic: The Power of Vulnerability on LinkedIn: “When I did a post about Oscar last week and how he’s come through bullying and, you know, through his challenges through neurodivergence and how we’ve our relationship has come through the other side. And that post has had a 160,000 impressions, which is a lot on LinkedIn at the moment. The algorithm does not do that these days. The amount of amazing things that have happened off the back of that one post about his neurodivergence and his differences and his bullying and all of those things.”

Social Selling Tips: “Just think about just what you champion. Like, get behind you probably care passionately about 3 things outside of work that you would be happy to talk about so you don’t have to share every deepest secret that you’ve got or every, like, everything that’s happened to you, but just think about what you can champion.”

“Living for Every Moment”: “It’s definitely about living for every day and living for every moment and just not putting too much pressure on myself to achieve all these amazing things that I always have on my goals list.”

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Decolonising Minds and Bodies

Lorie Solis explores the generative potential of conflict, the significance of somatic healing, and the complexity of embracing mixed heritage and ancestral practices to foster belonging and connection across divides.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood and guest Lorie Solis explore the journey of reclaiming identity and belonging. Lorie, a profound healer and educator, shares her transformative experiences in reconciling her heritage and addressing personal traumas. The discussion delves into how Lorie's move to Portugal, near Europe's first slave market, prompted crucial self-reflection about her mixed ancestry, thus facilitating her healing journey.

Relationship Deal Breakers in Modern Times: “But in these last years, we’ve seen a lot of deal breakers around really big topics around the pandemic and around the me too movement and Black Lives Matter and trans liberation and Palestine, Israel.”

Grassroots Activism: “I’ve always been very politically active on grassroots levels in the states. But my activism or what I consider my activism has really moved towards focusing on my community scale relationships.”

The Power of Vulnerability: “And that challenges my opinions sometimes on who I think Israelis are, for example, and what I feel about the Israeli government to sit and care together and to be let in to their unique vulnerabilities. It’s really a privilege.”

Decolonization and Land: “When you speak to indigenous people across the globe, decolonization necessarily means land back.”

The Power of Reindigenization: “So decolonization for me is about a deep dive into my belief systems and how I embody them, where those came from, and purposely reconnecting to my indigenous landscapes.”

Decolonising Ancestry: “I when I do somatic decolonisation work with people that don’t have names, places, dates, don’t have access to that data, we go into the mind body, and we trust the wisdom of that with curiosity to see what kinds of landscapes are we really drawn to.”

“Dealing with Conflict”: “Conflict can feel like disconnection from someone I love and care about that’s saying they love and care about me, but yet they’re presenting some opinions or material here that’s making me feel uncared for, unseen.”

Healing on Unexpected Levels: “To have a space, like, literal space and time to be with those things gave me the opportunity for healing on a level that I didn’t even know that I needed.”

Healing Through Connection: “And I know that when I start to feel lonely or disconnected, that can lead to crabiness, resentment, some hostility, some bitchiness. Right? And then I’m more apt to create conflict. When I when what I need is connection.”

Brain and Ideology: “And people with more, like, liberal or progressive views are they’re activated with their insula in the brain, which is able to actually handle more complexity without the perception of external threat.”

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Navigating Conflict with Compassion: Transforming Adversity into Understanding

Maria Arpa explores the delicate transition from conflict to compassion, highlighting the balance of ethics, logic, and emotion in communication, the transformative power of empathy, and the profound impact of humanising dialogues.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood invites Maria Arpa for a heartfelt discussion on cultivating compassion in the face of conflict. Joanne underscores Aristotle's three pillars, emphasising the need for a balance of ethics, logic, and emotion in communication. Maria introduces the concept of moving conversations from intellectual realms to embodied experiences, stressing the importance of physical and emotional signals.

How Conflicts Can Lead to Authenticity and Creativity: “And what I’ve learned is that we can treat those conflicts and those disagreements and those tensions actually is an amazing resource for us to find a way to become authentic, to navigate into our common humanity, and to be our most creative.”

Building Connections First: “Let’s build those layers up first so we can see each other as human.”

The Pitfalls of Adversarial Processes: “What’s interesting about these pros adversarial processes where someone else is going to decide the outcome is now it’s even worse because now I’m competing with you to get the person on my side.”

Individual Perception: “How I experience the world is a result of everything that ever happened to me from birth and maybe, you know, maybe even actually intergenerational stuff that’s come down the line.”

Managing Workplace Boundaries: “So nobody needs to put up with stuff that they don’t wanna put up with.”

The Danger of Exclusive Clubs: “Once you start forming clubs based on beliefs and that you’re, you know, you’re forming a club and you’re building your membership based on an ideology or a belief, and you’re not open to the idea that there are other ideologies and beliefs and we can still love each other, still coexist, still, you know, do things together, still cooperate as humans, then you have a problem because firstly, there’s the otherizing.”

The Power of Self-Empowerment: “But there are other things that we need to do internally to find our own empowerment to be able to look beyond, you know, what you were talking about with the media and and this addiction to watching other people in adversarial positions, watching the love triangle, watching the gossip, watching one person triumph over another in the sub diffuse.”

Building Connection through Empathy: “Only when the person’s emptied out can we start to connect as humans, start to build that connection and safety, and and then we can start to talk about what could be different.”

Embracing Evolution in Thinking: “Maybe I’m so far behind that it’s not tangible for me and I reach it because so many times I got there later on.”

The Danger of Labels: “We have to start with I’m a person because one of the other things that’s happening in our society is categorizing people and, you know, making people less than by titles and labels rather than you’re a human, I’m a human.”

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