Two Inconvenient Women

What is the point of hope? This question is so perfectly poised between nihilism and optimism, and the conversation explores the territory in between. When hope can so often feel like an avoidance of the present moment, or a vacuous space of impossibility, what does it have to offer us in such complex times? Conversely, hope is an act of faith in something far bigger than the human experience, and...

✨ Today's magic moment features our new ThoughtBox website ✨ Play is not just for children; it is an essential adult survival tool. And yet we find ourselves living in so many cultures where play is being eroded from childhood and is virtually non-existent amongst adults. Beyond the core developmental qualities that play enables in children, engaging in recreational activities that bring joy low...

This week in the UK, we're in the middle of a heatwave. Record-breaking temperatures, flash floods, thunderstorms and lightning fires are all bringing the climate emergency into an immediacy of awareness for many people who previously may not have wanted or been able to look at it. But in the face of this emergency, how do we talk about what's happening without instilling more fear? And how do we...

All of us are former children: a fact so often forgotten and yet so powerful when we remember just what is waiting inside all of us to be re-ignited. Within the wide threads of a conversation on childhood is the desire to tap beneath the cultural stories of modern childhood to re-ignite the essence of wonder that sits within us all and that is being threatened by so many of our modern problems. Gr...

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 rec...

“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 commun...

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 There's an inconvenient movement growing... It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We'...

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. There's an inconvenient movement growing... 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 Inconvenien...

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 t...

"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 's...

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...

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 plac...

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...

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...

All of us are former children and for most have memories of some of the stories we read or were told when we were children. As adults, many of us still encounter these stories - whether from reading to young ones or for our own enjoyment. As a medium, children's stories are doing more than just keeping young people entertained - they are pathways for growth; helping to navigate some of the challen...

The concept of social contracts in modern culture came through the work and philosophies of folks such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau as a way of communities agreeing to behave and trust in collective ideals. Whilst intentions may be valid, the structures of this imposed model of organising communities falls down when trust is broken - and we're finding ourselves in that st...

Many organisations and governments work within a strategy of Futures Thinking - a strategic concept to make predictions and pathways for probable and plausible futures. Yet how useful is this when the variables around us are changing so rapidly? And how plausible can any strategic planning be within structures only designed with short-term foundations? In this week's episode we explore the future...

We are living in increasingly turbulent times and the shockwaves as old systems fall apart are starting to impact ever more people. Whilst we talk a lot in this podcast about why systems are changing and about the healthier systems waiting to emerge, it feels important to keep talking about the pain and discomfort of this 'in between part' as things fall away and new things arrive. Pressures of da...

In many modern cultures, we find ourselves spending ever more time indoors, sitting down and separated from nature - both the nature within us and the nature all around us. At the same time, we're drawn to want to spend time outdoors and in natural environments, and we have a deep sense of ease when connected to nature. So why is it so hard? In this week's thow-back episode, we explore the inconve...

What sort of learning do we need to support young people with in a rapidly changing world? What does it mean to be a life-long-learner? What qualities of learning do we all possess? What is 'unlearning' and how might it be a vital form of our own growth? What is spiral-learning and how does this shape the way we grow in the world? What if learning was as much about the why and the how as it is abo...

Holly and Rachel are away this week, so we're re-sharing an episode from this time last year on the inconvenience of systems change. Systems thinking isn’t just a concept—it’s how life works. Every action, choice and relationship is part of something bigger. So why do we resist seeing the connections? In this episode, we explore what it really means to understand the world as an interconnected who...

Singing is a deeply healing and cathartic experience for humans - mentally, emotionally, neurologically and spiritually. It is a primal quality we all possess, and something that has formed an innate and constant part of human culture since the dawn of our species. Singing is a birthright, yet many of us have been told that 'we can't sing'. We often mention singing on this podcast as both Holly an...

Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us. It is primal - something that we all yearn for constantly and can find in different places and spaces across our lives. So were are the places that we can find and really feel a sense of belonging? And what happens when belonging means a sacrifice of our authenticity? In this week's episode of Two Inconvenient Women, we e...

There has been a lot emerging in the media recently about countries making decisions to ban social media for under 16s. Australia has been leading the way in this movement, with many other countries now passing legislation through government and widening the public discourse. So why social media? Why 16? Why now? In this week's podcast we begin to untangle many of the complexities that living in a...

Whilst many parts of the world experience a climate of winter, how many of us allow ourselves to 'winter' during this season? Or anytime? What does it mean to 'winter' - to follow nature's rhythms and allow things to slow down, to fall away, to be still, quiet. What does it mean to sit in the dark (literally and metaphorically) - how might this be allowing us to grow on a much deeper level? And wh...