Lessons in Innovative Home Care Leadership and Inclusion

Amrit Dhaliwal explores the reinvention of UK home care through entrepreneurial vision, purposeful franchising, and a steadfast commitment to dignifying care workers while championing prevention, inclusion, and sustainable well-being for all.

In this powerful episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood is joined by Amrit Dhaliwal to explore how compassionate care can be scaled across the UK through entrepreneurial innovation. The discussion begins with the personal motivations behind entering the social care sector and swiftly moves into the structural challenges facing both providers and recipients—including unsustainable government funding, undervaluation of care workers, and the complexities families face when navigating the care system. Joanne shares first-hand experiences as a family member procuring domiciliary care, painting a vivid picture of the gaps between intention and reality, while Amrit details the shifts needed to professionalise and rebrand the care sector, elevate careers, and centre the user’s dignity and independence.

Amrit is a dynamic entrepreneur and the CEO of Wolfinch, a purpose-led franchising model transforming home care provision across the UK. Inspired by both his wife’s and his own family’s lived experience, Amrit broke away from traditional hospitality ventures and established a successful home care franchise built on quality, values-based recruitment, and sustainable business practice. His vision extends into social impact, professionalisation of care roles, and advocating for a reimagined funding structure that rewards innovation, retention, and upskilling. Amrit’s work is fuelled by the belief that scalable, quality care should empower both the cared-for and those who deliver it.

Joanne and Amrit dissect the root causes of care sector instability—from restrictive 15-minute local authority contracts to public misunderstandings about the breadth and skill within social care roles. They highlight the importance of prevention, workplace flexibility for family carers, and the need for policymakers to shift their focus from lifespan to healthspan. Amrit discusses franchise-led solutions to empower new entrants into home care, rooted in community engagement, robust training, and equitable business models.

A key takeaway from this episode is that transforming social care requires disrupting outdated paradigms while recognising the human side of scalable, compassionate services. For listeners navigating care for loved ones or interested in innovative, values-driven business models, this conversation provides both practical insights and a rallying cry for meaningful social change.

Turning Point: “But when I think about the time and the emotional investment, the financial reward just wasn’t really there comparatively.”

Social Care Funding Crisis: “the government’s really kind of left us to our own devices. We get paid through local authority contracts, a rate that is not sustainable and is not reasonable. You know, we can’t run sustainable businesses from that”

Viral Topic: Redefining Home Care

Viral Topic: The Challenges of Short Care Visits

Scaling Solutions in Domiciliary Care: “And I think really that for me is all part of creating, creating a solution because we all know the problem and certainly if you’re within the sector, you know what the problems are and we can sit and we can talk for an hour about all of the problems that are there, which is vast, or we can actually start taking some action and saying, well, okay, what am I doing differently as a provider? Am I charging enough so I can pay my staff enough?”

Viral Topic: Solving Staffing Challenges in Home Care

Retention Crisis in Home Care Recruitment: “he’s getting 10 people in but then losing nine and then having a net growth of one.”

Empowering Care Workers Through Upskilling: “Why can we not give the care workers some of the most responsible work within the business? Because they are the ones that are out there the whole time. You know, the only thing stopping us is upskilling them.”

Viral Topic: Building Muscle Mass for Healthy Ageing: “And it’s really talking to people at much earlier age and stage when they’re fitter, healthy and so on, say well, you know, what are we doing to increase bone density, increase muscle mass? You know, when we’re talking about your, your father or father in law that had the fall, you know, it’s, it’s really then saying, well, okay, have I really worked on, in the early years on my quads, my glutes and really kind of made that strong enough because I know that after a certain age or you know, even after the age of like 40, the deterioration is going to increase, the muscle mass is going to decrease and so I’m left in a much kind of weaker position.”

Viral Topic: Rethinking Ageing

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Navigating Hidden Disabilities: Life Beyond Sight

Hannah Cohen unpacks the realities of hidden disabilities, navigating lived experience, resilience, and practical inclusion, while empowering leaders and teams to foster conscious inclusion and deeper understanding within organisations and society.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood invites Hannah Cohen to share her lived experience and expert perspective on hidden disabilities, focusing particularly on visual impairment. Hannah articulates the nuanced realities of navigating a world largely constructed for those without such challenges. Together, Joanne and Hannah discuss societal perceptions and misunderstandings of blindness, the impact of accessibility technology, and the often-invisible barriers faced by individuals with disabilities. Their candid conversation spotlights the importance of conscious inclusion, highlighting real-life examples from Hannah’s day-to-day life to illustrate the persistent need for genuine empathy and practical support.

Hannah is a visually impaired inclusion coach, leveraging both her professional background as a solicitor and her personal journey following significant vision loss. She supports teams, leaders, and individuals through workshops and coaching, focusing on the authentic understanding of hidden disabilities. Hannah’s work is dedicated to empowering others and dismantling misconceptions, particularly around visual impairment. Her insights are shaped not just by her professional training, but also by her experience as a parent and sole carer, and by her resilience in adapting to changing circumstances. Through this episode, listeners gain a valuable understanding of the spectrum of sight loss, self-advocacy, and the emotional complexity of living with a hidden disability, informed by Hannah’s engaging, compassionate approach.

Joanne and Hannah explore the challenges of adjusting to new realities—such as learning to work with inaccessible technology, rethinking everyday independence, and advocating for support in social and business environments. They delve into the necessity of conscious inclusion in society and the workplace, drawing parallels to broader themes of neurodiversity and physical disability. The episode concludes with practical reflections, reminding listeners that fostering inclusion is not about meeting minimum standards, but about creating communities where everyone is seen, heard, and valued.

A key takeaway from this episode is the transformative impact of honest dialogue, self-advocacy, and intentional inclusion. Listeners are encouraged to reconsider their assumptions, adopt a mindset open to empathy and action, and to engage with the Inclusion Bites Podcast community as part of driving meaningful cultural change.

Viral Topic: The Power of Inclusion

Embracing Neurodiversity: “Well, I’ve got friends who are neurodiverse, neurospicy, sometimes whatever language they use to describe themselves. And some of them will start every sentence with my adhd, you know, sort of. It’s almost like they’re everything. It revolves around their ADHD or their autistic traits or whatever it may be. And there are other people who are arguably undiagnosed, but exhibit the characteristics of someone with ADHD or autism, ausd, and they just get on with life. And it’s different, isn’t it? People have told me I’ve got a level of neurodiversity. I don’t. I don’t need to be diagnosed.”

Viral Topic: The Hidden Struggles of Accessibility

Travel Frustrations Go Viral: “We are not going to be happy if we miss our train and my mum cannot run, okay? And I know you don’t want to hold the train up, so what are we going to do here?”

Viral Topic: Accessibility in Dining

Hidden Gaps in Disability Support: “And this is the crazy thing about the Equality act is that a disability is only class of disability if it persists for over a year. So the fact that my wife’s had a total knee replacement, she’s not entitled to any support, blue badge or anything like that because it’s a transient condition and not more than a year.”

Bureaucratic Barriers to Support: “Well, he’s not broken enough, you know, he’s. He’s recovered. It’s like, yeah, but if you don’t help him, he’ll fall over and he’ll be back in hospital and he’ll be back where we started. Well, we’re not set up for that.”

Viral Topic: Autonomy and Disability

Viral Topic: Accessibility Failures at Major Events: “On the first day, she turned up and said the entrance wasn’t accessible.”

Viral Topic: Amplifying Voices for Inclusion: “Let’s amplify the voices that matter.”

The post Beyond Sight appeared first on SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts.

Radical Empathy and the Power of Inclusion for Deaf and Hearing People

Maria Gallucci explores the transformative role of radical empathy as she navigates life as a child of deaf adults, illuminating the nuanced realities of bridging deaf and hearing communities and championing true inclusion and belonging.

In this deeply personal episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne welcomes Maria Gallucci for a conversation that truly bridges silent worlds. The discussion explores the lived realities of being a hearing child in a Deaf family, challenging misconceptions, and unpicking the nuances of deaf culture. Together, Joanne and Maria reflect on radical empathy, stigma, and the importance of genuine communication—offering listeners practical guidance for creating more inclusive interactions. From being the main family interpreter as a child to navigating the sometimes comical, often frustrating misunderstandings of mainstream society, Maria shares stories rich in humour, honesty, and hope.

Maria Gallucci is a multi-award-winning realtor, author, and proud CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), whose journey has been shaped by both her Italian American heritage and her deeply embedded connection to the Deaf community. Born in New Hampshire and raised in Colorado, Maria’s first language was American Sign Language, and her formative years were spent interpreting for her parents in a range of vital settings. Her book, "Raised in Silence", chronicles this unique perspective and provides essential insights into the joys and challenges experienced by families straddling both hearing and Deaf worlds. In addition to her advocacy, Maria works to make home buying more accessible and champions wider understanding between Deaf and hearing communities. Her story is one of resilience, empathy, and steadfast commitment to inclusion.

The conversation highlights the evolution of accessibility technology, the pride that exists within Deaf identity, and how simple acts—like learning a few signs or facing the person rather than their interpreter—can be transformative. Joanne and Maria also discuss intersectionality, the weight of child interpreting, and how modern tools have improved, but not resolved, issues of invisibility and exclusion. A key takeaway from this episode is the enduring power of trying: that even imperfect attempts at inclusive communication foster belonging and connection. Listeners are encouraged to be brave, reach out, and listen deeply—unlocking the true potential for empathy and inclusion in their everyday lives.

Viral Topic: Growing Up with Deaf Parents

Growing Up with Diverse Accents: “And I think it’s because I grew up with that because you’re, you have to listen and, and try to figure out what, what they’re, they’re saying. So for me it’s very easy to have different accents and things like that.”

Dream Perception: “I had asked my mom and dad if they can hear in their, in their Dreams. And they said yes.”

Viral Topic: Building Awareness in Inclusive Communication: “And so I think that’s where awareness comes in and just trying to learn about the culture.”

Viral Topic – Balancing Success and Inclusion: “I feel like there was a moment in my life when I realised I was building a. A successful career and watching people I cared about get, like, left out in the process. So I was doing very well in industry standards and everything, but I wasn’t.”

Viral Topic – Empowerment through Inclusion: “seeing Them feel very included and happy, you know, buying their first home and because that’s a big life investment and so not being able to understand what they’re signing or what. What they’re. They’re doing.”

The Power of Multilingual Empathy: “So I’ve always had a bigger heart because I’ve always thought that I don’t want anybody hurting and I don’t want anybody feeling left out or made fun of because I was growing up, growing up as a kid. So I would never want anybody to feel bad about their own selves. So for me, I think it gave me more of like a bigger heart, I think.”

Viral Topic: Stuttering and Sign Language: “But I don’t stutter when I sign, like at all. It’s just when I speak. So it’s kind of ironic.”

Viral Topic – The Importance of Inclusion: “I think just like including people and knowing that later on in life they may not have their hearing. And so I think that that’s where, it’s where you want to make people feel like, be inclusive and not isolated because it is an isolating feeling that you can’t hear.”

Viral Topic: Embracing Inclusion

The post Bridging Silent Worlds appeared first on SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts.

Bridging Cultures and Building Connection

Amanda Van Der Heiden explores the dynamics of organising chaos by translating complexity into people-centred momentum, sharing profound insights on cultivating belonging, navigating change, and empowering diverse teams through authentic leadership.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood welcomes Amanda Van Der Heiden to explore what it means to organise chaos and spark belonging. Drawing from both personal and professional experiences, Joanne and Amanda discuss the complexities of fostering inclusion across cultures, industries, and individual perspectives. Amanda unpacks how a sense of belonging encompasses more than just inclusion or diversity policies; it is a lived feeling rooted in being truly seen and valued. The conversation moves through challenges of polarity in today’s world, the subtle art of balancing authenticity and respect, and the importance of understanding others’ communication styles to bridge divides. Joanne brings a rich context in the DEI space to highlight how businesses often overlook the “magic” of belonging, even as they engage with diversity and equity initiatives.

Amanda Van Der Heiden brings over twenty years’ experience as a chaos coordinator and relationship builder, having led global L&D rollouts across companies and continents. Her unique perspective is shaped by a childhood spent navigating two starkly different worlds—Kentucky and New York—with Dutch roots and her own visible difference, piebalism. This experience has endowed Amanda with an innate ability to connect across divides and to build momentum from complexity. A lifelong advocate for people-first solutions, Amanda’s superpower lies in translating complexity into people-centred action that empowers teams and promotes genuine connection. She believes in nurturing cultures where people don’t simply fit in but thrive authentically, sharing actionable frameworks for leaders keen to create spaces of true belonging.

Throughout their discussion, Joanne and Amanda delve into practical techniques for fostering inclusion, from reframing internal dialogue to tailoring learning experiences with autonomy and intent. They challenge listeners to reflect on why they do what they do and to question the organisational habits that shape culture. The episode emphasises the need for transparency, active listening, and continuous self-reflection to unite diverse groups, especially in times of change.

The key takeaway from this episode is the transformative power of consciously organising workplace chaos and nurturing a culture of authentic belonging. By embracing curiosity, embracing difference, and placing people first, leaders and teams can break through the noise and generate meaningful impact. This episode equips listeners with insights to ignite the spark of inclusion and embed belonging into daily action, encouraging them to subscribe and share their own stories as part of the wider Inclusion Bites community.

Viral Topic: The Surprising Similarity in People’s Thoughts: “it’s very rare for someone to say something truly unique and different. And when they do, I’m like, ooh, your brain works different. You’re interesting because usually it’s like one of five things that people say.”

Viral Topic: The Power of Bringing People Together

The Importance of Lifelong Learning: “You have to continue to learn and adapt because of the pace of everything moving.”

Viral Topic – The Art of True Communication: “So if you still be you and still give the message, but do it in a way where they can actually hear you and actually understand what you’re trying to gain, then you start to have common ground and understanding. So you’re truly being yourself, but you’re doing it in a way that the other person can receive the information and that’s, it’s a hard line to walk.”

Viral Topic: Rethinking Success at Work: “There’s no such thing as an organisation, it’s a collection of people. So if you, if you want your organisation to do well, you want your people to do well. If your people are doing well, your organisation will do well.”

Viral Topic: Remote Work Exposes Leadership Gaps: “The difference is the best leaders, the best communicators, pre Covid knew they have to do it. There’s an effort that goes into it, there’s strategy that goes into making sure people are heard and you’re setting things up and there’s success in that.”

Viral Topic: Leveraging Strengths over Fixing Weaknesses

Diversity Drives Success: “You need all, all the different types and roles in order for it to succeed. Because again, study after study has shown and the results are proof. In the pudding, right, is that the organisations that have more diverse thinking. You talked about groupthink earlier, but if you have more diverse, if you are, you need to be at least as diverse as your client base from an organisation perspective. So the more diverse thoughts and viewpoints and backgrounds and training that you have, the better the end product or end result is going to be. And the companies that do that, that incorporate that have seen time and time again that improve their profit margins, improve their sales because you have more different ideas saying like hey this might work for this type of person but it’s not going to work for that. So how do we make sure to think through that and think of different perspectives?”

Viral Topic: Rethinking Office Culture

Viral Topic: The Power of Asking ‘Why’ in Leadership

The post Organising Chaos, Sparking Belonging appeared first on SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts.

Finding Self-Love and Resilience

Denise Cesare explores the resilience found through disability, self-acceptance, and mindful creativity, weaving together disability rights, mental health advocacy, and the transformative embrace of inclusive fashion and self-love.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood welcomes Denise Cesare for an open-hearted conversation entitled "Love in Motion." Denise shares her journey of resilience and innovation, moving from a traumatic voice loss caused by spasmodic dysphonia to creating inclusive, empowering fashion with her swimwear brand T Suit. They explore the intersection of mental health, disability advocacy, and body positivity, weaving Denise’s lived experiences with broader themes of belonging, self-love, and navigating societal expectations. Joanne and Denise examine the pressures and prejudices surrounding body image, the deficiencies in mental health support post-COVID, and the importance of mindful living for personal growth and collective inclusion.

Denise is a published author, keynote speaker, and specialist in social emotional learning, championing disability rights and body confidence. Her advocacy is grounded in personal experience as a speech language pathologist who reconsidered what it means to have—and lose—one’s voice. Her brand T Suit, founded on the premise that "we are not a size, we are a fit," offers swimmable cover-ups designed to enable anyone to feel confident and comfortable at the poolside. Denise has also penned "Moments in Motion with Love," a book born from the challenges of remote learning during the pandemic, aiming to reconnect young people with mindfulness and emotional resilience. Her holistic approach radiates through each project, seamlessly combining practical compassion with creative design.

Joanne and Denise discuss the impact of polarised politics, instant gratification culture, and the ways social media warps perceptions of self-worth. They underscore the significance of loving oneself, healing the “inner child,” and replacing judgement with acceptance, especially when supporting those facing adversity. The episode addresses how fashionable innovations, like Denise's T Suit, can drive social change by resisting exclusion and encouraging authenticity.

The key takeaway from this episode is the transformative power of practical compassion—whether in the classroom, at home, or through fashion. By advocating for fit over size and self-acceptance over conformity, Denise reminds listeners that resilience is rooted in self-love and belonging. Tune in for actionable insights, uplifting narratives, and a push to make inclusion visible, felt, and lived.

Viral Topic: Finding Connection During Lockdown: “We were all put on lockdown and we had to work remotely with speech. Speech and language students.”

Viral Topic: How Inspiration Strikes Creatives Overnight: At five o’ clock in the morning, I woke up with a book. The book came out of me in my sleep. Some people might not believe me, but I have the proof because I woke up my husband. I said, wake up. I wrote a book.

Viral Topic: Body Confidence and Inclusive Fashion: “But what I create, my creations are something special just to enhance the skin you’re in. So if you don’t really feel comfortable even in a swimsuit, because a lot of people do not.”

Viral Topic: The People’s Voice in Government: “We the people don’t have a voice, really. I mean, I have a voice, but not in government. Just don’t.”

The Power of Early Learning: “You have to infuse arts and music and all of these awesome things in the brain from birth to seven, that’s putting love in your brain.”

Overcoming Darkness and Finding Resilience: “During that time it was very dark. It was a dark time in my life. It was so dark and people go through this. That’s of the mental illness.”

The Power of Self-Love in Overcoming Darkness: “as much as I loved him, it wasn’t about my love for him that kept me here. It was my love for myself and the resilience and not wanting to give up and seeking things to get me to the next step.”

The Power of Self-Love: “So the bottom line with why I’m still here and sitting is I learned that love myself. Because if you don’t have self love, you don’t want to be here straight, straight out.”

Viral Topic – Understanding the Complexity of Pain: “So people do say people are selfish when they do that. I’m like, just go read up. Because it’s not about that. Because if they have everything, why would they do that?”

Viral Topic: The Benefits of Buying Directly from Authors:

The post Love in Motion appeared first on SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts.

Creating a Gayer and More Colourful Disney

AJ explores the power of authentic queer and bipoc storytelling, the challenges of independent animation, and the importance of creating unapologetically inclusive media that offers hope, validation, and representation to communities.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood welcomes AJ Hannah to explore the vibrant, challenging, and timely subject of animating queer futures. Together, they consider what it means to reimagine the animation industry—traditionally dominated by mainstream narratives—through unapologetically queer and intersectional lenses. AJ and Joanne unpack how authentic representation behind and in front of the camera can disrupt stereotypes, empower marginalised creators, and spark meaningful social change, especially amidst political and cultural backlash against inclusion. Their discussion deftly traverses the realities of building a grassroots, diversity-first studio, funding hurdles, the significance of community-driven support, and the defiant joy of making space where others refuse to tread.

AJ is the founder and creative director of FWDIO Studios, a queer-led, BIPOC woman-founded indie animation studio. Her current projects, including the adult animated series Poison Us, position her on the frontline of championing globally resonant LGBTQ+ storytelling. Drawing on her background in journalism, personal journey as a gender fluid person of colour, and determination to provide platforms for talent overlooked by traditional Hollywood, AJ weaves her lived experiences into the narratives and opportunities she creates. Her focus is on telling the stories major studios eschew, ensuring characters and talent genuinely reflect the communities they represent both on screen and behind the microphone.

Joanne and AJ probe the nuances of representation, from refusing to erase queer identities for wider market appeal to the importance of paying underrepresented artists a fair wage. They address the responsibilities of queer-led organisations to hold space for authentic narratives and discuss the realities of operating without corporate safety nets—fuelled by defiant hope, community investment, and the will to dismantle outdated norms. With stories of resilience, creative chaos, and the pleasure of minor acts of rebellion, this episode offers both practical insight and inspiration, urging listeners to consider how inclusion is brought to life—not just in storylines, but within every line drawn and every voice amplified.

A key takeaway from this conversation is the transformative power of authentic, unapologetic storytelling that centres queer and BIPOC voices—not as an act of tokenism, but as an act of justice, hope, and cultural reclamation. Listeners will be inspired to reflect on whose narratives are missing, understand the value of investing in grassroots inclusion, and feel encouraged to be part of the movement animating a more inclusive future.

Viral Topic: Diversity in Animation

Viral Topic: Diversity in Animation

Viral Topic: Queer Youth and Censorship: “even in China, where sometimes you’ll get censored stuff, they’ll still go, and the queer young people of China will still go and they’ll find what they want to watch.”

Authentic Representation in Media: “But if you don’t have the people behind it, the storyboard artists, the writers, the voice actors behind it that can actually tell that storey in a representative and authentic sort of way, then what are you doing?”

Hollywood’s Talent Gatekeeping: “There are so many talented people that are not seen in Hollywood because it’s very much a who you know, or this person knows this person and recommended them. So you end up, or you went to school with this person. And that leaves out a whole demographic that leaves out several demographics of people. That leaves out people in other countries that maybe couldn’t afford to go to scad. That leaves out people that, you know, even in this country that couldn’t afford to go to acting school or, you know, knew that, hey, acting school is probably not my best choice. As a queer person of colour. I need something that I can fall back on, that’s going to spend more money, but at the same time, they’re a great voice actor or voice actress and they, you know, do it on the side. They’re not represented, they’re not being seen by people or they’re just.”

Indie Animation Release Strategies: “We get to decide when we’re putting them out, which gives us amount of time, whatever amount of time we need to finish it or to make it so if somebody has.”

Viral Topic: Funding Queer Indie Animation

Viral Topic: Overcoming Personal Barriers

Viral Topic: The Decline of Journalism and Finding Representation

Viral Topic: Hidden Subversion in Art: “how can we be there and very much still be loud and showy, but also like just under their nose enough to where we’re able to paint on their ceiling?”

The post Animating Queer Futures appeared first on SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts.

Bridging Identity and Organisational Inclusion

Sile Walsh explores the complexities of authentic inclusion, the interplay between lived experience and organisational culture, and how compassionate leadership can bridge divides without sacrificing psychological safety or succumbing to performative

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood is joined by Sile Walsh to explore what lies beyond mere performative inclusion in workplace culture. Their conversation traverses psychological safety, organisational power dynamics, and the nuances of identity and belonging. Sile bridges lived experience with leadership insight, laying bare the tensions between conforming to cultural expectations and remaining authentic at work. Joanne shares candid reflections on multiculturalism and its impact on identity formation, prompting Sile to examine how formative experiences in Ireland and the UK have shaped their perspectives on inclusion. The episode dives deep into the complexity of cultural adaptation, the relativity of gender identity, and the importance of creating environments where all individuals—regardless of their background—can thrive.

Sile Walsh is an award-winning coach, author, and leadership specialist from Dublin, with a reputation for embedding equity and psychological safety into global leadership and organisational practice. Volunteering from an early age and working with marginalised communities have given Sile a unique lens on the inequities that shape workplaces and society. Their work draws on lived experience, academic study, and community engagement, encouraging leaders to move from simply “being nice” to taking practical action. Sile runs LS Advantage and has authored "Inclusive Leadership: Navigating Organisational Complexity", equipping organisations with tools for genuinely systemic inclusion. Their approach prioritises meeting people where they are, fostering compassionate accountability, and addressing collective harm rather than seeking superficial approval.

Together, Joanne and Sile scrutinise the pitfalls of performative inclusivity, challenge the misconceptions around “bringing your whole self to work”, and unpack the unintended oppression within affinity groups. They dissect the dangers of power struggles, the perils of “cancel culture”, and the necessity of allowing room for diverse—even oppositional—beliefs, provided they do not result in harm. The episode unearths how polarisation and moral superiority can be antithetical to true inclusion, questioning whether workplace environments actually encourage authentic dialogue or simply reinforce groupthink.

A key takeaway from this episode is the distinction between genuine inclusion and shallow performance. Listeners are invited to reconsider organisational norms, engage curiously with opposing perspectives, and advocate for environments that value psychological safety above binary labels. Joanne and Sile encourage ongoing dialogue, urging listeners to share their stories and challenge their own assumptions—to help create workplaces where everyone is not only welcomed, but empowered to thrive.

Viral Topic: The Complexity of Cultural Identity: “this sense of home is so, so different. And I really resonate with that because I have brothers who have. So also my accent, it might not be obvious to you, Joanne, but my accent in Ireland is considered English and in England my accent is consider considered Irish, but my brothers have Irish accents.”

Viral Topic: Cultural Identity and School Lunches

Viral Topic: The Relevance of Gender in Social Interactions

Viral Topic: The Inequality Gap in Communities: “I was constantly seeing that the same thing didn’t result in the same outcome for everyone.”

The Power of Environment in Leadership: “I was always using inclusion without that word, because I was helping people understand that the environment you put people in has as much impact on their performance as their capability, and that if that environment is set up correctly.”

Viral Topic: The Pitfalls of Identity-Based Hiring in DEI

Viral Topic: Who Is Inclusion Actually For?: “if you are dealing with an effective inclusive practitioner, they’re not focused on the minority, they’re focused on what is required for the whole group, which includes the minority.”

Viral Topic: Working with Homophobia in Organisations: “just because they have belief that I am less human doesn’t make me less human. And when I’m working with them, if I make them less human in my interaction, I’m just replicating the very thing I don’t want to occur.”

Viral Topic: Political Polarisation and Workplace Compassion

The post Beyond Performative Inclusion appeared first on SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts.

Surviving Adversity and Choosing Happiness

Naseem Rochette shares her profound journey of resilience, reframing trauma, and the radiance of joyful energy, exploring how vulnerability, gratitude, and authentic connection can foster unbreakable spirit and inclusive belonging.

In this powerful episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood is joined by Naseem Rochette to explore the profound impact of reframing adversity into opportunities for growth and connection. Naseem recounts the harrowing experience of being run over by a car three times and the resulting journey through trauma, resilience, and transformation. Their conversation delves deep into the emotional realities faced in the aftermath of life-changing events—from the disorienting lack of remorse from others, to the necessity of accepting help, and the discovery that energy, whether positive or negative, shapes both one’s perception and the reactions of those around us. Joanne and Naseem discuss the significance of ‘Unbreakable Day’, choosing joy as a principle, and the challenges of staying centred on kindness and optimism in a fragmented world.

Naseem is an award-winning author, renowned keynote speaker, and advocate for joy who helps others reframe their stories and embrace personal growth during life’s toughest moments. Rooted in her Indian heritage and shaped by a childhood of both insecurity and festivity, Naseem’s journey spans corporate experience at Microsoft, extensive recovery from significant trauma, and the authorship of ‘The Unexpected Benefits of Being Run Over’. She brings an authentic voice, blending vulnerability with optimism, and now supports individuals through coaching, speaking, and candid storytelling—demonstrating that openness about struggle builds deeper connections and that reframing adversity can lead to renewed strength and self-acceptance.

Joanne and Naseem reflect on the transformative power of shifting perspective, the myth of instant resilience, and the importance of building inclusive, meaningful relationships—especially in times of crisis. They highlight the need to allow space for difficult emotions, to show grace to oneself and others, and to celebrate not only large achievements but also the incremental steps towards healing and connection.

The key takeaway from this episode is that cultivating joyful energy and embracing vulnerability enables genuine inclusion and belonging. Listeners will discover practical wisdom on reframing traumatic experiences, supporting others through adversity, and prioritising connection over perfection. This episode is an essential listen for anyone seeking hope, resilience, and inspiration to navigate life’s challenges with an unbreakable spirit.

The Power of Joy: “I think it’s that desire to get back to joy and the, you know, when I was. Thought I was dying, you know, like thinking about the joy of my life, I think those things kept me going, you know, and so I try to keep that front and centre.”

Near-Death Epiphany: “And one of those things was when I was underneath the car thinking, you know, I don’t even say 99, I was a hundred percent sure I was going to die. I started reflecting back on my life and you know, having those end of life thoughts.”

The Importance of Presence Over Perfection: “even though I’m. They’re going to lose their mom, they know who I am because we’ve had that joy. I’ve been present, I’ve, I’ve filled, you know, their life with love and I felt so good about that.”

Viral Topic: The Power of Accepting Help

Viral Topic: The Power of Reframing

Viral Topic – The Power of Sharing Personal Struggles: “We’ve all gone through something and when we share what we’ve been through, we, we also give licence to other people to share.”

Viral Topic: The Power of Self-Kindness: “many of the people that first read the book said that’s what they took, that they needed to learn to be kinder to themselves because we are so judgy with ourselves, you know, but if we, we remember, like, it’s okay if we’re not. Life is going to change. It is absolutely going to change.”

The Transformative Power of Trauma: “There’s so much power in those tough moments. There’s so much we learn and grow from that most of us don’t spend any time thinking about because tough moments always seem like downers.”

Viral Topic – Embracing Change After Trauma: “But it turns out the new ways in which I solve problems and delve into things has been more successful for me.”

Viral Topic: Navigating Grief and Trauma Conversations: “I know that now that when somebody’s in trauma, asking them how they are is a really tough question because they don’t know how they are and they don’t want to lie to you and they don’t want to pretend everything’s fine.”

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Journey from Crisis to Community

Cedric explores the pivotal intersection of leadership, educational empowerment, and belonging by weaving personal narratives, social context, and intergenerational transformation to illuminate the path from adversity to inclusive systemic change

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood explores the intersection of leadership, learning, and belonging in a conversation with Dr. Cedric Howard. Cedric unpacks the realities and misconceptions surrounding diversity and inclusion in higher education, reflecting on his personal journey from a crisis moment during the Rodney King verdict, through becoming a respected thought leader and advocate for financial empowerment. Joanne and Cedric examine how educational institutions mirror wider society, why authentic student voice is essential in decision-making, and the challenges of tackling systemic disadvantage. The conversation is rich with anecdotes—ranging from the vibrant inclusivity of Seattle to the importance of failure as a component in growth—and offers actionable insights for listeners seeking to create lasting change in their own organisations and communities.

Cedric is a higher educational thought leader and financial empowerment advocate whose life’s work is dedicated to breaking cycles of poverty through inclusive leadership and real-world impact. As a first-generation graduate, Cedric transformed challenges into opportunities, nurturing a legacy of achievement for his entire family. His superpower—translating complex policy into everyday stories—shines as he recounts how his intervention during campus unrest redirected his career towards higher education. His expertise is regularly sought in national publications and policy discussions, with over thirty years in transformative educational leadership. Joanne draws on his experience to unpick what it truly means to humanise policy, empower young people, and create a culture where everyone can belong and thrive.

Listeners will come away from this episode with a renewed appreciation for the role of authentic relationships and shared experience in educational and societal change. Key takeaways include the necessity to centre lived experience in leadership, the power of resilience forged through failure, and how systemic expectations and habits can be reimagined for collective advancement. This episode is a call to ground leadership in empathy and action—be that through duct tape moments or rethinking how we define success—tailored for anyone passionate about making inclusion a lived reality.

Pacific Northwest’s Tax Advantage: “You make your money in California, but you have your permanent residence and address here in Washington state so that you don’t have to necessarily pay the taxes or as many taxes on your income.”

Viral Redemption: “We was like, Cedric was involved. I can’t believe he was, you know, involved in this particular situation in a negative way and realised, no, you were actually the saving grace.”

Viral Topic: Championing Access for Disadvantaged Students

Viral Topic: Overcoming Inner Struggles

The Power of Context in Leadership: “What I have learned about the convenience of leaders is that you may have content, but it’s also important to have context. Because when you have content with context, you have clarity.”

Putting Students First in Higher Education: “my primary customer in higher education are students. And what I do is create an environment where access and success becomes the guiding principles for leading decisions that ultimately serve our primary customer, which are students.”

Viral Topic: The Power of Including Student Voices in Decision Making

Viral Topic: The Value of Education Beyond College

Generational Wealth and Success: “The more successful we become as a family, the more resources that are available for the next generation.”

Building Resilience in the Next Generation: “But don’t pick them up every time they struggle because they’re learning skills, grit, resilience, that’ll be much more conducive for them as adults than had we not put them in environments that we got put in, put into you.”

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Authenticity and Self-Responsibility in Modern Society

Dariya Krasnova explores the interconnectedness of holistic health, personal authenticity, and collective wellbeing, illuminating how energy, compassion, and self-responsibility can raise societal vibrations and foster genuine inclusion.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood explores the transformative power of raising collective vibrations with her guest, Dariya Krasnova. Dariya shines a light on holistic health, authenticity, and the interconnected nature of human experience. The conversation weaves through cultural identity, neurodiversity, and the importance of genuine human connection, all contextualised by Dariya’s own migration journey—from Vladivostok to Munich and ultimately Glasgow. Together, Joanne and Dariya interrogate what it truly means to belong and thrive in today’s complex society, unpacking the impact of environment, culture, and personal responsibility on wellbeing.

Dariya brings a wealth of lived experience and passion as a holistic health advocate and co-founder of Vibe Insight. Her work centres around educating people on alternative and complementary treatments, while championing authenticity and curiosity as vehicles for genuine connection and positive change. Drawing on her expertise and personal history, Dariya articulates the necessity of integrating body, mind, and soul, all underpinned by compassion, gratitude, and kindness. Her unique perspective bridges the fields of holistic health and quantum physics, offering practical steps for individuals to take charge of their own health and happiness. Dariya advocates for creating communities rooted in inclusion, diversity, and active self-betterment.

Joanne and Dariya’s dialogue covers the challenges of over-reliance on Western medicine, the impact of environment and diet on neurodiversity, and the societal traps which hinder connection and resilience. They discuss practical strategies for fostering wellbeing, encouraging listeners to reflect on personal values and take proactive ownership of their health. Central themes include the need to let go of limiting beliefs and step beyond the comfort zone, as well as the essential role of both self-awareness and community in nurturing a sense of belonging.

A key takeaway from this episode is the provocative invitation for listeners to cultivate self-awareness and curiosity without waiting for crisis or epiphany. By foregrounding personal responsibility, authentic connection, and holistic approaches to health, Joanne and Dariya empower the audience to co-create a future that is inclusive, compassionate, and consciously vibrant. This episode offers actionable insight for anyone seeking more meaning, wellbeing, and inclusivity in their own life and community.

Viral Topic: The Heart of Inclusion

Viral Topic: The Changing Dynamics of Work-Life Balance: “We don’t have the luxury, I call it a luxury that maybe my parents had back in the 1960s, 1970s, where my mum stayed at home raising three children. My father went off to work. Even though it was tight, they could afford to have one owner and one permanent house person. But women want to work, women want to work, women want their place in life.”

Childhood in the 60s and 70s: “I very rarely sat around watching telly because back in those days don’t sound like dark ages.”

Screen Time and Social Connections: “And people build relationships online, which is great, they connect with the world, but they’re not actually, you say, just hanging out and chatting face to face.”

Personal Responsibility and Equity: “But yeah, I’m a great believer that I have to take personal responsibility for being the best me I can be and not pushing it onto somebody else or society straight away.”

Viral Parenting Debate: “one of the reasons people are growing up into adulthood with more anxiety, with more stress, with more poor mental health, is we haven’t maybe spent enough time as a younger person with our parents, with our mum, learning resilience, learning about failure, learning about things not working where people are maybe being brought up in a world now where things have to work first time or someone’s going to fix it for you”

Viral Topic: “Is Our DNA Just Computer Code?”: Yeah, I’m, I’m a great believer that our DNA is effectively just a computer code. And you know, if you look at most computer programmes, computer code, it has core blocks as a beginning, a middle and end, it has subroutines, it has this. So it’s not surprising that our core code, if you like, is very related to other living organisms that are based on a carbon based ecosystem. So we’re all going to be processing oxygen, light. If we were silicon based culture, we would have different ways of processing things. But fundamentally, because we’re all growing up in a very similar ecosystem, our DNA and how we process things in this planet is going to be very similar. So, yeah, I completely, completely agree. And all our, all our programming is doing is telling how our atoms and molecules and, and, and, and cells in our body, how to configure themselves.

Viral Topic: The Power of Self Awareness in Emotional Intelligence: “You cannot influence yourself until you become aware of who you are and all those dynamics.”

Why Lifelong Friendships Survive: “But I’ve got a friend who I’ve known since I was about 6 years old, so that’s 54 years. We lost contact for about 20 years in the middle, but we’re still friends now.”

Timeless Family Bonds: “But that’s the hard thing about family is because those bonds are not transient. They’re kind of our social construct of family is that these bonds are permanent.”

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