The Inclusion Bites Podcast

Joanne Lockwood is joined by workplace wellbeing advocate and dietitian Celynn Morin for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to live with vitality, even under pressure. Starting with the gut–brain connection, Celynn explains how food choices, digestion, and the microbiome can influence stress, energy, and mood, and why context matters as much as ingredients when it comes to how we resp...

Joanne Lockwood speaks with Hannah Bellamy, Managing Director of Charity: Water UK, about what “clean water” really means and why lack of access remains a daily reality for hundreds of millions of people. They explore how unsafe or distant water sources drive preventable illness and child deaths, and how the burden of collecting water and managing sanitation falls disproportionately on women and g...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by researcher and storyteller Georgie Williams to explore what we can learn from queer lives and communities across borders, and why narrowly defined gender and sexuality “boxes” fail to reflect human diversity. Georgie shares the origins of their project Slash Queer: building an open, accessible archive of oral histories from around the world, shaped by the people tellin...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by gender diversity speaker and consultant Cynthia Fortlage for a wide-ranging conversation about how binary thinking has shaped society and workplaces, and what it takes to build cultures where people can belong. Cynthia unpacks what she means by gender as an innate sense of self as well as a set of social expectations, and explores how language and norms shift over time...

Joanne Lockwood speaks with Paris Bartholomew, a speaker, writer, lecturer and trainer, about growing up in the British care system and the long path from instability and trauma to building a life rooted in empathy and purpose. Paris recounts entering care at six after severe abuse, navigating frequent placement moves, and the impact this had on trust, identity, and relationships. They reflect on...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by management development specialist Helen Joy to explore why middle managers often have one of the toughest roles in an organisation: translating decisions made “above” into day-to-day reality, while also trying to feed insights and concerns back up the chain. Together they unpack what helps managers create teams where people can thrive—especially through psychological s...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Stephen Whitton to explore why inclusion work in male-dominated industries can be so hard to shift, and what it takes to change a deep-rooted culture from the inside. Stephen reflects on his decades in the motor trade, from early dealership roles to leadership positions, and how pressure, stress, and ‘banter’ can create environments where difference is treated as a ris...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by voice and speech coach Fiona Brennan-Scott to explore what it really means to find your “Voice for change” — not just the sound you make, but the identity you bring into a room. Together they unpack why speaking up can feel so vulnerable, how judgement and fear show up in public speaking, and what helps people build confidence when they need to communicate as leaders o...

Joanne Lockwood speaks with wellness coach and speaker Jason Archdale about his journey from joining the Army at 16 to struggling with poor mental health after leaving service. Jason describes the gradual slide into anxiety and depression amid a relationship breakdown, financial stress and isolation, culminating in a suicide attempt. He shares what interrupted that moment, what support looked like...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Dr Helen Webberley, founder of GenderGP, to examine why healthcare can still feel out of reach for transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse people. They discuss the barriers that show up at the first point of contact in primary care: fear of being judged, inconsistent GP knowledge, cancelled appointments, and the “postcode lottery” of support. Helen argues that much...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by stylist Kay Korsh to explore how clothing and personal presentation influence credibility, connection, and impact when you’re speaking in public. Kay shares how her career evolved from working with high-profile clients and fashion brands to building her own approach through “Mind over Fashion”, combining style with an understanding of human behaviour and first impressi...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Ben Afia, a language and communication specialist whose work focuses on making organisations feel more human. They explore how large organisations can become dehumanising through bureaucracy and process, and how changing internal relationships and communication can improve the experience people have with customers. Ben shares practical insights on building a consistent...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by talent sourcing trainer Vanessa Raath to unpack how quickly we label other people, and the consequences those snap judgements can have in workplaces and beyond. Starting with recruitment and “culture fit,” they explore how assumptions can narrow opportunity and reinforce sameness, and why doing the work to look beyond first impressions matters. The conversation expands...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by global leadership and DEI consultant Jason Patten to examine why conversations about power and privilege so often stall, and what it takes to make them constructive. They unpack how myths of meritocracy, defensiveness, and fear of loss can prevent people from recognising the systems that distribute power unevenly. Drawing on intercultural leadership, Jason shares pract...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by multi-Emmy award-winning comedy writer and speaker Beth Sherman to explore how humour can create faster human connection in professional communication. Beth shares how she built her career in TV comedy and stand-up, and how that experience shaped her work coaching leaders and speakers to add levity without forcing jokes or sounding rehearsed. Together they unpack why p...

Joanne Lockwood speaks with EDI coach and consultant Pamela Permalloo Bass about what it really means to strive for fairness in workplaces and wider society. Drawing on Pamela’s experience in NHS roles and consulting, they explore how inequity shows up through organisational structures, hierarchy, and decision-making, and why data alone (including workforce equality standards) is only a starting p...

Joanne Lockwood talks with business strategist Elsa Caleb about what it takes to turn setbacks into comebacks, especially for women whose careers and income were disrupted by Brexit, Covid, and the cost of living crisis. Elsa explains how she helps clients move from feeling stuck to taking practical steps: reframing circumstances, identifying transferable skills, and building the mindset needed to...

Lee Gilbert joins Joanne Lockwood to talk through what it took to move from decades of masking to living openly and authentically. Lee reflects on knowing she was transgender from childhood, the absence of information and role models in the 1980s and 1990s, and how that isolation contributed to shame and a severe mental health crisis in her teens. She describes building a life that looked successf...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by media communication specialist Michael Dodd to explore what makes difficult conversations go well, whether in the media, at work, or in high-pressure public situations. Drawing on his background in broadcast journalism and media training, Michael shares practical approaches for preparing ahead of time: anticipating “blowtorch” questions, clarifying the message you need...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by TJ Richards for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to move “beyond the closet” and live with fewer self-imposed boundaries. Together they explore how identity, safety, and belonging intersect, and how coming out is often less a single moment than an ongoing process of becoming. TJ shares the realities of coming out to family, the uneven pace of other peopl...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Claire Angliss, Head of Learning for Thales UK and an inclusive coach, to explore what “inclusive excellence” looks like inside an engineering organisation. They unpack the real-world tension behind “bring your whole self to work”, focusing on choice, masking, and the cognitive load created when people feel they must sanitise or hide parts of their lives. The conversat...

Joanne Lockwood talks with Greg Wasserman about the difference between listening to someone and trying to solve them. Greg shares how a lifelong “fix it” culture and a perfectionist, fixed mindset fed a deep sense of not being good enough, leading him to a crisis point and a period in rehab. Together they unpack how validation, presence, and simple language like “thank you for sharing” can help pe...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Sam Warner, a neurodivergent communication specialist, to explore what it means to go beyond “the corporate robot” and build workplaces that work for more brains. Sam shares her experience of leaving the corporate world after years of feeling exhausted, out of place, and unable to navigate unspoken workplace politics. That turning point led her to research neurodiverge...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by leadership consultant and DEIB strategist Kaumudi Goda (KG) to explore what it takes to have inclusive conversations across cultures, geographies, and lived experiences. KG reflects on feeling like she didn’t fit in while growing up in South India and later living and working across New York, Singapore, and now Amsterdam, and how those experiences shaped her focus on h...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Sara Dalsfelt, Chief Marketing Officer at Adway, to unpack why traditional CV-led recruitment can be a poor proxy for readiness, transferable skills, and future potential. Sara argues that over-reliance on resumes and cover letters bakes bias into hiring and encourages employers to exclude early, rather than designing processes that actively include. The conversation e...