The Belonging Project Podcast

I'm dedicating this episode of the Belonging Project podcast to all the amazing fathers out there. I really enjoyed talking with Tomasso Maggio about fatherhood, parenthood and increasing representation of fathers as the main caregiver, especially online.   As you know, recently out of my second mat leave, I have attended many baby groups and activities and not only it's mostly mums, when...

In celebration of the Pride Month, we are delighted to share an episode with Jamie Love - a heartfelt conversation on themes of authenticity, inclusivity, and belonging. Jamie is the visionary founder and CEO of Monumental , a digital marketing and PR agency. Growing up in a conservative environment and struggling to be yourself is something many can relate to, but few can tell the story as Jamie...

As we hear about some personal stories and societal landscapes of nursing, in this episode, we confronted the gamut of reactions to breastfeeding in different context: at work, in public, beyond a certain time period and within different cultural contexts. From acceptance to negativity, the dialogue serves as a reminder of the need for visibility and community. The surprising shifts in breastfeedi...

I really enjoyed diving into Justin Reinert's model of Belonging, following up on his book Creating Belonging, a Practical Guide to Accelerate Belonging in Organisations and Communities. Justin's work poses a model where belonging is created at the intersection of authenticity and acceptance. I really wanted to explore with him strategies to help us navigate toxic work environments. The un...

Our host Fiorenza sits down with Tim Mart, CEO and co-founder of the socially driven coaching platform Know You More. They talk about transitioning from corporate career into entrepreneurship and Tim's personal journey since he was diagnosed with ADHD a few months earlier. Entrepreneurship: we get to learn about what prompted Tim's decision, how his family adapted, and why the projects his...

Women make on average 15% less than men across countries. As I was pregnant with my second baby and ahead of my mat leave, Allison Venditti and I got to talk on the Belonging Project Podcast. Allison is the founder of Moms at Work, a Canada-based organisation providing community, resources and advocacy for working mothers. In this podcast episode, we talk about: - the Motherhood Penalty - the impa...

More than a decade ago, Kerstin Graebner moved across the globe from Germany to India - interestingly enough she was not the first in her family to do so. It's a journey that her grandparents had also taken.   Reflecting on this cultural and life journey with my dear friend Kerstin brought up many shared experiences: arriving in a new place, being in culture shock, stepping out of the expat ci...

What’s a hidden disability? A hidden disability is a disability that may not visible or immediately obvious when looking or talking to someone but can have a significant impact on a person’s life. 'Hidden disabilities' is an umbrella term that captures a spectrum of disabilities, and can include: Sensory Disabilities Mental Health Conditions Specific learning differences Autism Long-term a...

Isaac Harvey was born and raised in East London with a disability called limb pelvic hypo aplasia, which in short means no arms and short legs. Even with this disability it has not stopped him from achieving things such skiing, skydiving, tall ship sailing and much more. For the past ten years he has used his feet to use the computer to edit videos, answer emails and communicate to the wider world...

Kemo Camara is the founder of OMEK, the home of the global bicultural community. OMEK’s mission is to amplify the talent, voices, and energy of bicultural of African descent.   I know first hand how meaningful it can be to meet people that have a shared cultural identity, especially for biculturals (or TCKs). I wanted to know more about how Kemo came up with the idea of creating this community spa...

Growing up as a a child of immigrant parents, Mehdi Tounsi did not feel like he belonged - neither in the country he lived in, nor in the country his parents were from. He always felt “different”.   This really resonated with me, so I invited him on the podcast! 🎙️   We had such a great conversation about being an immigrant across cultures, trying to “belong” in various times of life (childhood, s...

In this episode, we explore all about psychological safety with Anna Gibson, Clinical Psychologist and Organizational Consultant. Psychological safety matters in any relational system of any kind (e.g. families, friendship, workplace) We explore the common behaviours that characterize psychologically safe environments or psychologically safe relationships: behaviours that promote curiosity, that p...

Abda has been a lawyer for over 30 years and a writer of fiction and historical novels, passionate to increase the representation of underrepresented groups in books. In this episode, Abda talks to us about her books (I cannot wait to read her latest fiction which will address gaslighting as a form of emotional abuse) and her work to raise awareness around culturally-sensitive writing. Abda shares...

Parents, this episode is for you! In this episode, we talk with Dr Sharon Lo, Licensed Child Clinical Psychologist. We explore the different shapes that Belonging can take from early childhood, to adolescent and then adulthood; what factors are important (people, cultural context, environment and groups we are exposed to). We also debunk what's usual to experience at key developmental stages. I lo...

In this episode, our returning guest is Helene Bejjani, Global Learning and Development Leader. We explore how we can leverage our awareness, both of self and of a corporate culture, as a tool to experience a stronger sense of belonging at work. We provide practical steps on: How to increase your self-awareness, including how to get clear on what you’re looking for in a workplace environment. How...

In this episode, we talk with Human Performance Optimization Subject-Matter Expert, Dr. Ford Dyke. We explore his journey from psychology, exercise science to mind-body connection and human performance optimisation. We truly stand with the impact of Dr. Dyke’s work, dedicated to making information and education available outside of the academic classroom and we get to know more about it in our con...

In this episode, we talk with Niti Nadarajah, DEI advocate and freelance general counsel. We talk about: Her career transition: out of her successful law career for a big corporation into entrepreneurship Growing up in a multicultural setting and the impact on the sense of Belonging Leaning into other people, being inclusively curious, meeting people where they are, compassion, empathy and psychol...

In this episode, we talk with Ashiedu Joel, inclusive leadership and cultural capital consultant. We are honoured to hear more about her story! We talk about: Her journey, as a Black African woman in modern Britain, from school to the workplace Stereotypes, biases and microagressions Compassionate leadership Why we need more open conversations Ashiedu also shared with us strategies that helped her...

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we meet our community and we explore the lived experiences of not-belonging and the learnings they offer. Alongside podcast’s host Fiorenza, we hear experiences from three members of our community: - Tanisha Dayal, DE&I consultant for the Resource Key, - Pun Chong Hiu, now a Learning and Training Consultant after 9 years of working as staff dev...

Hi everyone! The Belonging Project Podcast is back for a third season! There are a few updates we wanted to share with you ahead of diving into our first episode: The Belonging Project Podcast is evolving! Following two amazing seasons of co-leadership by Fiorenza Rossini and Andrea Fleishfresser, Andrea has decided to step away from the podcast leadership. On behalf of our podcast’s community, we...

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Paula Tavares, Senior Legal and Gender Specialist at The World Bank, her work focuses on promoting gender-informed policy-making, improving the legal framework protecting women from discrimination, and gender-based violence, and enhancing women’s economic opportunity. “Fortunately nowadays, with more visibility of the current reality,...

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we chat with Alexandre Fleury, Global Human Talent Manager at Chiper. Alexandre has over 20 years of experience working in the Human Resources sector and is passionate about human connection and diversity and inclusion issues. He shared with us his quest for belonging and independence, moving to another city to embrace his sexuality and relationshi...

This episode of The Belonging Project features a conversation between the two co-hosts: Fiorenza Rossini and Andrea Fleischfresser. They talk about: - How the Belonging Project Podcast came to life - Personal experiences around Belonging - Microagressions -  The importance of who we are at our core We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did! Ahead of wrapping up the year and getting into the...

In this episode of The Belonging  Project Podcast, we talk with Dylan Shimmon, D&I Project Coordinator  and Learning Experience Designer at Equality Leaders. This episode is an open heart  conversation with our guest Dylan as he lets us in into his personal  journey exploring his identity as a queer person over the years. We  learn about the value of community in finding rootedness and belongi...

In this episode of The Belonging  Project Podcast, we talk with Dr Jessica Jackson, licensed psychologist  and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Care Lead at Modern  Health and we loved to learn about her journey into her field and area  of expertise. We explore: Mental health, Belonging and the intersection of culture and mental health. The foundational (yet often forgotten!) step to cre...