The Inclusion Bites Podcast

Joanne Lockwood is joined by executive coach and strategic advisor Samreen McGregor for a wide-ranging conversation about adversity and authentic leadership, set against a backdrop of global uncertainty and everyday personal pressures. Samreen unpacks how adversity can show up both externally and internally, and why the language and stigma around trauma can prevent people from recognising its impa...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by leadership coach and facilitator Debbie Danon for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to lead with care in a world that often feels unsafe and polarised. Debbie reflects on growing up as a Turkish Jewish Londoner and how early experiences of being “a minority within a minority” shaped her relationship with identity, belonging, and the constant pressure to e...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by environmentalist and solutionist Nicola Peel to explore why environmental action so often gets stuck, and what it takes to shift from awareness to practical change. They begin by unpacking how environmentalists are portrayed in the media and how ownership, advertising and lobbying influence what stories are told and which voices are amplified. From there, the discussio...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by author Nonir Amicitia, who co-writes as O E Tearmann, to explore the idea of “mirrors and doorways” in storytelling: mirrors that let marginalised readers see themselves as full characters, and doorways that invite others into empathy and conversation. They discuss how queer and trans characters are too often defined only by their identity or framed through tragedy, an...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by linguistic anthropologist Suzanne Wertheim to explore what inclusive communication looks like in practice, and why it’s more helpful to focus on behaviours and outcomes than memorising lists of “good” and “bad” words. Suzanne shares a set of guiding principles for inclusive language, from reflecting reality and showing respect to preventing erasure and recognising pain...

Joanne Lockwood speaks with Dr Joel A Davis-Brown about what they call “queer genius”: the skills, values, and ways of navigating the world that many queer people develop through self-discovery, coming out, and living outside social norms. They discuss how negative stereotypes and hostile narratives continue to shape how queer people are perceived, and why it matters to move from merely “including...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by workplace bullying expert Nicki Eyre to unpack what workplace bullying is, how it shows up day-to-day, and why it can be so difficult to evidence and challenge through formal routes. They explore the spectrum of bullying behaviours—from incivility and exclusion through to intimidation and psychological manipulation—and the way repeated patterns and power dynamics can k...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by diversity and inclusion consultant and clinical hypnotherapist Belinda Riley for a wide-ranging conversation about what it takes to go “beyond the barriers” that limit people at work. They explore impostor feelings and limiting beliefs, including how they show up as self-doubt, fear of being found out, and a sense of not belonging. Belinda connects these experiences to...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by talent lead and podcast host Sophie Power to explore what it feels like to discover, in adulthood, that you have been “running on a different operating system” all along. Sophie shares her experience of being diagnosed as autistic in her early thirties, what it changed, and what it didn’t, as she reframed years of school, relationships, and work through a new lens. The...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by professor and author Evelyn Alsultany to examine why “humanising” Arabs and Muslims is still necessary, and how dehumanising portrayals in media have shaped public attitudes and political decisions for decades. Evelyn shares research on the long history of Hollywood and news narratives that conflate Arab and Muslim identities and repeatedly frame them through threat an...

Holly Straker-Humphreys reflects on growing up as a mixed-race woman in predominantly white spaces, and the long process of becoming comfortable “in the middle” of two worlds. She shares how subtle signals—especially around Afro hair, media representation, and workplace norms—shaped her sense of identity and belonging, even without overt racism. From there, the conversation widens into what inclus...

Joanne Lockwood talks with vocal coach and vocal health expert Jamie Read about how breath fuels the voice and how vocal choices shape the way we’re perceived in workplaces and everyday life. They unpack how anxiety, confidence, and presence affect breathing and vocal delivery, exploring practical ideas like pausing, posture, and the relationship between emotion and vocal “gestures” such as laught...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by leadership coach Ian Hatton to explore what it means to “awaken dreams” in others and how that connects to conscious leadership. Ian shares his “Morpheus” framing as someone who helps others step into leadership and influence, focusing less on personal spotlight and more on the legacy created through other people’s growth. They unpack conscious leadership as an evoluti...

Joanne Lockwood speaks with professional speaker and author Steve Judge about helping people find and pursue their “GOLD” — a personal definition of goals, opportunity, love, and dreams. Steve shares his own journey from being in a wheelchair after a serious car crash to becoming a world champion, and how that experience reshaped his mindset around living without regrets. Together they explore why...

Matt Gupwell joins Joanne Lockwood to unpack what he means by “lighting the blue touch paper of understanding”: giving people enough grounded knowledge about neurodiversity to start better conversations, rather than trying to turn a one-hour session into instant expertise. Matt shares his own late-diagnosis journey, including living for decades without a formal explanation for how his brain worked...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by personal branding and first-impression expert Sylvie di Giusto to unpack what really happens in the first few seconds of meeting someone, and why it matters for credibility, opportunity and inclusion. Sylvie shares her ABCDE framework for first impressions: appearance, behaviour, communication, digital footprint and environment. Together they explore how these cues inf...

Joanne Lockwood speaks with Arnaud Saint-Paul about what it means to “leave no stone unturned” in understanding our lives: noticing repeating patterns, stepping off autopilot, and making conscious choices that realign us with who we are. Arnaud outlines a framework he has developed over decades to help people interpret everyday events as signals that reveal underlying beliefs, and he shares how sm...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by clinical psychologist and social justice consultant Erica Simon to explore why “ally” is not an identity you can claim, but a set of actions you consistently take. Together they unpack what it means to be an accomplice or co-conspirator: having “skin in the game,” speaking up when it’s uncomfortable, and aligning values with behaviour rather than seeking recognition. T...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Neerja Singh to explore “a new diversity”: generational diversity, and why it creates distinctive tensions in today’s workplaces and wider society. They discuss how rapid technological change, unfiltered online information, and shifting expectations of authority are widening the gap between age groups, creating different definitions of work, purpose, success, and even...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by master coach and author Kate Trafford to explore why diversity, equity and inclusion should be seen as a “mother of all win-wins” rather than an added business cost. They discuss what it takes to build environments where people can bring their best selves to work, including psychological safety, belonging and the courage to challenge norms without creating “drama.” Kat...

Lynne Erasmus and Joanne Lockwood explore the idea that “life is a game” and what changes when you stop handing your power to other people and start playing by rules you consciously choose. They talk candidly about confidence, self-worth and the stories we tell ourselves, including Lynne’s early experience of losing her mother to suicide and how that shaped her mindset and determination to choose...

Kat Kibben joins Joanne Lockwood to explore what it means to hide and “unhide” at work, and the personal cost of living with two versions of yourself. Kat reflects on growing up in a military family, navigating conservative workplaces, and the repeated process of coming out—first as a lesbian and later as trans/nonbinary—while trying to protect their career and personal safety. The conversation co...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by anxiety specialist and speaker Caroline Cavanagh for a practical conversation about staying positive when the world feels relentlessly negative. Caroline explains how attention and focus shape our emotions, and why anxiety is better understood as fear doing its job to keep us safe. Together they explore comfort zones, how confidence is built through repeated acts of br...

Lis Cashin joins Joanne Lockwood to explore why self-forgiveness can feel impossible when shame and guilt have taken hold for years. Lis shares the defining event of her childhood: at 13, during a school sports day javelin event, a tragic accident led to the death of a friend. With no trauma support at the time, Lis internalised blame, developed an identity-level shame, and spent decades punishing...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Mike Pagan to explore his mantra “do what you love, love what you do” through the lens of what he calls mental wealth. Mike explains how energy, motivation and enjoyment are closely tied to the people around us, and why isolation and loneliness can drain confidence, reduce creativity, and make change feel impossible. The conversation centres on building a practical sup...