The Inclusion Bites Podcast

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Jackie Handy to explore how organisations can make inclusion feel more practical and achievable by focusing on everyday behaviours and language, rather than relying on unconscious bias training as a standalone solution. They discuss why bias training can sometimes trigger defensiveness or shame, and why inclusion efforts work best when they are part of a broader, ongoi...

Madeline Black joins Joanne Lockwood to talk about what it took to find the courage to speak publicly about being gang raped at 13, and how shame and fear kept her silent for decades. She describes how victim-blaming culture and gaps in societal and justice-system support can reinforce that silence, and why shifting responsibility back to perpetrators matters. Madeline reflects on the long-term im...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Ling Salter, a former mental health nurse and founder of the social enterprise Compassionate Cuppa, to explore why love, respect, connection and acceptance matter for wellbeing. They discuss how being truly listened to can create connection and belonging, and how disconnection and unmet needs can contribute to distress. The conversation examines the stigma around “ment...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Hend Halim, an HR professional who grew up in Egypt and has lived in Holland and the UK, to explore the tension between cultural norms and shared humanity. Hend reflects on how early cultural messaging shaped her understanding of LGBTQ+ people, and how education and direct relationships challenged stereotypes. She describes learning to separate morality and character f...

Recorded during the early months of COVID-19 and amid the global resurgence of Black Lives Matter following the murder of George Floyd, Joanne Lockwood speaks with Gamal Turawa about why we need more open, honest dialogue about race. Gamal shares reflections as a Black, openly gay, now-retired police officer and diversity and dignity facilitator, including how emotions like fear, anger and frustra...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Joseph Galliano-Doig, co-founder and CEO of Queer Britain, to explore how the word “queer” shifted from a weaponised slur to a reclaimed, inclusive umbrella term. They discuss generational differences in how the term lands, the importance of self-identification, and how language, intent, and context shape who holds power in a conversation. Joe shares his career across...

Joanne Lockwood speaks with statistician and trained therapist Nic Marks about what the science of happiness can tell us, and how positive emotions and wellbeing can be understood and measured. They discuss how happiness can mean different things (contentment versus joy), how population statistics can hide individual stories, and how biases and fast/slow thinking shape our judgments of other peopl...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by transformational life coach Michael Cerasi to explore his AAA philosophy: acceptance and authenticity as foundations for achievement. They unpack what active listening really means, why compassion matters, and how coaching differs from counselling and mentoring. The conversation looks at common barriers such as limiting beliefs, imposter feelings, and the challenge of...

Lewis Bell-Cawthra reflects on what it has meant to “swim upstream” as a gay man moving from an accepting environment into a corporate recruitment culture where he experienced exclusion, stereotyping and homophobic abuse. He and Joanne Lockwood explore how everyday assumptions and workplace “banter” can escalate into real harm when leaders and HR minimise incidents rather than address them. Lewis...

Joanne Lockwood speaks with keynote speaker and former BBC broadcaster Jeremy Nicholas about how humour can help people connect and feel included at work. They explore why shared laughter builds rapport, how humour can quickly reduce tension, and why people sometimes hold back their lighter side in professional settings. Jeremy explains the difference between laughing with people and laughing at t...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Scott McArthur to explore “diversity fatigue” and what happens when inclusion conversations become polarised, overly labelled, or reduced to training and statistics that don’t shift culture. Scott shares professional and personal reflections from his background in HR and employee experience work, including why storytelling changes people more than facts, and how cognit...

Katie Neeves joins Joanne Lockwood to talk about coming out publicly as transgender while running an established photography and filmmaking business, and the risks and uncertainties that came with that decision. Katie describes the practical and emotional lead-up to “pressing send” on her announcement to clients, the support she received, and the clients and connections she lost along the way. She...

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Dr Lynda Shaw, a cognitive neuroscientist specialising in unconscious emotional processing and behavioural change, to explore how the brain forms shortcuts and why those shortcuts can become bias. They discuss heuristics, the dominance of unconscious processing, and how deliberate reframing can build new neural pathways. The conversation also challenges popularised neu...