Two Inconvenient Women

Why is criticism often so hard to take? What is it inside us that shrinks when someone points out something we've missed, we lack or we've done 'wrong'? Who sets the parameters for 'right and wrong' and what does it actually mean to 'critique' someone?

In this week's episode we explore the qualities of criticism and why - all too often - it can elicit feelings of shame and worthlessness in the recipient. We explore some of the nuances of shame; explore the different qualities of 'lack' that are sometimes apparent in the giver and receiver of criticism and discuss at length the value and strength of criticism that allows both parties to grow together - something that is perhaps hard to do but so generative when it happens.

In the conversation we reference the following:

• Listening to Shame - Brené Brown (TED talk video)
• 'How Not to Be Defensive in Relationships' - The School of Life (video)
• The support/challenge matrix (PDF)
• Peonies opening (video)
• Being Nice vs Being Kind - Trevor Noah (video)

It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.

Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognise, accept, and celebrate those differences.” – Audre Lorde 

Across the world we're seeing polarisation, division and othering increase - exacerbated by political decisions which fuel division and a dismissal of difference. And at the same time, we're seeing a rise in diversity in communities, in the workplace, in communities, in mindsets, and a growing appreciation that the health and resilience of any community lies in its diversity.

In this week's podcast, we celebrate the wonder of diversity and difference, from cultural to psychological to ecological and everything in between. We discuss the issues surrounding the word 'tolerance' and the hierarchical othering that it connotates; explore some of the qualities of fear that keep us divided and reflect on the power, resourcing and resilient qualities that any system which is diverse brings.

In the conversation we reference the following:

• The Danger of a single story - Chimamanda Adiche (TED Talk video)
• The Tyranny of the should - Karen Horny (article)
• Betwixt The Sheets - A History of Homophobia - Kate Lister with guest Dr Harry Tanner (podcast)
• The Science and value of diversity - Talia H. Swartz, Ann-Gel S. Palermo, Sandra K. Masur and Judith A. Aberg (article)
• The Wheel of power & privilege (PDF / website)
• The Story of Triple WellBeing - Rachel Musson (PDF ebook)
• Transforming Leadership Course - online workshop (website page)

It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.

Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel and Holly are having a reading week, so in this special short episode Holly shares about the books she's currently reading, including:

• Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
• The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien
• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
• Generation Hope by Arunjay Katakam

It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.

Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month and support us to keep making Two Inconvenient Women and the rest of our work at ThoughtBox. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel and Holly are getting ready for some time off next week, so in this special short episode Rachel shares about the book she's currently reading, 'The Listening Book' by W.A Matheieu.

It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.

Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month and support us to keep making Two Inconvenient Women and the rest of our work at ThoughtBox. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whilst systems-change, systems-thinking and systems-transformation are becoming much more common terms used in conversations these days, discussions around 'inner systems change' are only just beginning to emerge in more public discourse. When we start to focus on systems change from the inside out, it is an invitation into introspection and exploring some of the habits, mindsets, behaviours and thought patterns that may be keeping us stuck in external behaviours contributing to many of the crises we face.

This sort of 'inner work' - as it is often coined - can feel overwhelming, yet offers a doorway into profound change in the wider world as well as within ourselves, and begins by simply paying attention.

In this week's episode we dive into the connections between inner and outer systems transformation, with the appreciation that how we think, feel and connect with the world shapes our outward actions. We talk about our own personal journeys, struggles and growth points in the journey of systems change, and how the Triple WellBeing approach that sits at the heart of ThoughtBox is an invitation to be working from the inside out and outside in at the same time.

In this episode we reference the following:

• Theory U - The Presencing Institute / Otto Scharmer (book & website)
• Thinking in Systems - Donella Meadows (book)
• The work of Joanna Macy (website / books)
• Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet - Thich Nhat Hanh (book)
• Impossible Choices - Gregory Bateson (article)
• Warm Data - Nora Bateson (website)
• The Triple WellBeing Framework (PDF / website)

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It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're  inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.

Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Know thyself" is often cited as the foundation of philosophy and self-awareness. Yet what does this mean? How can we 'know ourselves' and where might this journey of exploration begin and end?

In this week's episode, we explore the quality of self-awareness, thinking about why this level of conscious awareness is more needed than ever in our world. From exploring the qualities that make up the 'self' (e.g. mind, body, heart, soul) to the journey to find our core essence, this conversation meanders to the depths and back of the human experience, touching upon some of the key practices, tools, approaches and inquiries we can take to become more self-aware and, as a result, more consciously connected to the world around us.

In this episode we reference the following:

• Atlas of the Heart - Brene Brown (book)
• Triple WellBeing practice cards - ThoughtBox (card deck)
• The Medicine Wheel - ancient indigenous map (website)
• Watching the English - Kate Fox (book)
• The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle (book)
• Neuroplasticity in action - Sentis (video)

It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're  inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.

Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club

• NVC - The Centre for Non-Violent Communication (website)
• The Guesthouse - Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (poem)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whilst many different models of schooling have evolved across recent history, the predominant mainstream model of school which has prevalence in countries and cultures across the world (spread through colonial history, missionaries and the rapid onset of a globalised world) remains deeply problematic. As the world rapidly changes around us, this structure remains designed around an archaic framing in a world far different from the one we're now living in. So what is the point of school?

In this conversation we ask this question from several vantage points: What was the point of school when it was first designed? What is the point of school in our current context? What might the point of school be for the world we're moving into? By diving into each of these questions, we take time to better understand some of the constraints and limitations within the contexts of school which continue to shape the challenges being faced in our current contexts.

This week's conversation dives into some of the deep complexities being faced in our current schooling system; zooming out to understand the parameters of limitation and opportunities for evolution and engages with many of the alternative pathways for an education transformation happening across the world.

In this episode we reference the following:

• Changing Education Paradigms - Ken Robinson (RSA Animation)
• The Factory of Memory - Richard Hames / The Hames Report (substack)
• Person School Report 2026 (PDF)
• The Story of Triple WellBeing - Rachel Musson (Ebook)

It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're  inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.

Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the foundational premises that underpins the work of ThoughtBox is our inconvenience. We're an organisation that questions the status quo; that raises a hand in conversations to ask the vital question: "Why?"; the folks who appreciate that there are always other stories to be heard, to listen to and to perhaps follow instead. It's not easy being inconvenient - it's often quite a lonely place, but it is a place that allows us to do what is right, not what is easy. It takes courage, conviction and a lot of energy - and the recognition that the more of us there are being inconvenient, the more likely we are to turn the tide towards a more health-ful way of living together.

In this episode we shine a light on some of the reasons for standing up for the moral injury of these times and how becoming inconvenient can be both liberating and energising in the work ahead. We are (excitedly!) launching in this episode The Inconvenient Club: a place for all of you out there who also question the status-quo to come join us and be part of a movement of inconvenience.

In this episode we reference the following:

• The Inconvenient Club - membership club (website)
• Moral injury (website definition)
• A profession built on hope, strained by loss - Rhett Ayers Butler (article)

It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're  inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.

Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RE-LISTEN: This episode was recorded in October 2025.

A painful truth in our current cultures is how much we are all struggling with our mental and emotional wellbeing. This is especially true in young people who are facing an increasing amount of overwhelm in their lives in this VUCA* world (*volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous). And yet the ways of suffering and the ways of wellbeing are actually two sides of the same coin...

Holly and Rachel are just back from Europe's largest trauma, mental health and wellbeing conference hosted at Oxford University, under the title 'Healing our relational world'. Bringing together over 3000 educators, therapists, mental health practitioners and healers with world-renowned trauma and emotional health experts, the conference was an extraordinarily rich and deep insight and exploration of how to heal our connection with ourselves, each other and the wider world.

In this episode we dive deeply into some of the 'brokenness' of our world (our inner and outer worlds) bringing in our own decade of research along with learnings from the conference. We look at some of the patterns in human behaviours that connect all of these elements of brokenness to better understand how to notice them and how to heal. We explore the impact of early attachment on shaping our relationships and the profound ways of healing in ourselves, our communities and with the planet. We touch on how the ways to respond to the symptoms and root causes of disconnection are the same and explore the foundational routes to healing.

In this episode we reference the following:

• Dr Dan Siegel - professor (website)
• Dr Bessel van der Kolk - psychiatrist (website)
• Dr Richard Shwartz - therapist, author (website)
• Linda Thai - trauma therapist (website)
• Interpersonal Neurobiology - Dan Siegel (video)
• The Body Keeps The Score - Bessel van der Kolk (book / website)
• Internal Family Systems - Dr Richard Shwartz (website)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THROWBACK EPISODE: This podcast was first recorded in July 2025

“I will never apologise for embracing joy and beauty - even when the world is falling apart – for joy and beauty are the fuel for my activism”. 

These words by Karen Walrond are one of the inspirations for this week’s conversation on 'Joy', exploring how cultivating joy is both a way to resource ourselves and build the resilience needed to meet the challenges of our world. Joy is often seen as being the same thing as happiness, and yet these two emotions are profoundly different; one coming from external sources, one being cultivated from within. It is not a surprise that the practice of joy is embedded into all world religions as it can become a deeply spiritual practice – as well as a beautifully infectious state to find ourselves in.

In this week's conversation we dive into the meaning of joy, how it shows up in our lives; how activists across history have cultivated joy in their lives and work and what happens when we learn to practice joy as part of our daily rhythms.

In this episode we reference the following:

• Mission: Joy – Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu (video)
• Habits for practising joy - ThoughtBox (PDF)
• Seeking Language Large Enough – David Whyte / On Being (podcast)
• Climate Courage Campaign – Climate Majority Project (website)
• Joy Over Fear – St Ebbe’s School (website)
• Schools of Dreams - Kimberley Oliff Cooper TEDx Talk (video)
• The Fun Habit - Mike Rucker (book)
• Glorious – MaMuse (Rachel’s current favourite joyful song)

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