4 in 10 men believe that inclusion has gone too far the other way. This is according to Lee Chambers’ research with Male Allies UK. Lee was awarded the UN Women’s Changemaker Award in 2023, and in this episode, it’s clear to see why. Lee started Male Allies UK, an inclusive wellbeing business after exiting from his first business and going through an eye-opening period of discovery. Lee shares with us the inspiring journey to breaking all expectations to build a highly successful business...

Are you connecting with the communities that you serve in a meaningful way? In this episode, we speak with Tomasz Dyl, founder of GottaBe! - a marketing agency that specialises in multicultural marketing. Tomasz moved from Poland to the UK 20 years ago. He didn’t speak a word of English, but four years later, at the age of 17, he started his journey and took Western Union as a client. Tomasz found a gap in the market - brands looking to reach out to Polish people living and working in the...

Sports recruitment has a ways to go in its journey to truly inclusive hiring. Founder of levelequals, Francis Kelly, joins us in this episode to share with us the answers to inclusive recruitment. levelequals is a consciously inclusive talent partner for sports organisations that creates a fair and inclusive process for candidates. They’ve worked with large organisations such as the Premier League and Premiership Rugby and small NGOs like UK Deaf Sport and Cerebral Palsy Sport. We speak...

Is prison-ism the next bias we need to address? Our guest today believes it is, and shares with us his fascinating lived experience that’s sure to get you thinking. In this episode, we’re joined by Jazz Singh and we delve into the often-overlooked talent within the prison leaver community and tackle the concept of the prison skills economy. Jazz grew up in East London and suffered racist bullying throughout his education. His education put him on a path towards a career in law, but the...

The theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is #InspireInclusion, and our guest today fits that theme perfectly. Shelmina Babai Abji is a prolific keynote speaker and former VP of IBM. She is also the author of SHOW YOUR WORTH - the book that helps underrepresented women accelerate career success and fast-track into leadership roles. Shelmina shares with us her inspiring story from her humble beginnings in Tanzania, to travelling the world to attain her degrees before realising her life’s...

Rocki Howard became frustrated with the lack of resources that leaders of SMBs have to create safe environments for their people, which drove her to build Diversiology.io - a platform designed to support SMBs in their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. She is also a speaker, podcaster, a mother of four and so much more. But the road to get to where she is now wasn’t easy. Rocki grew up in an abusive household and poor economic conditions. She shares with us the inspiring story of how...

Before Shell was diagnosed with ADHD, she found herself struggling to keep hold of a job. After being fired from over 10 jobs and directing the blame on herself she embarked on a journey to find the career that was right for her. In this episode, ADHD Career Coach, Shell Mendelson, sits down with us to share her journey and her expertise on careers for people with ADHD. Shell left college with a Bachelors in Communications and teaching qualifications, but she struggled to find the right...

On the outside, the fashion industry paints a picture of inclusivity, but the backstage narrative tells a different story. In this episode of the D&Igest, we’re joined by Jamie Gill. Jamie is the Founder of The Outsider’s Perspective, a not-for-profit organisation that helps people from underrepresented groups break into the fashion industry. He also finds the time to hold a non-exec director seat, he’s on the board of the British Fashion Council and he’s a former CEO of luxury fashion...

What many of us have been told about autism is all wrong. The ‘autistic traits’ that are seen as typical don’t necessarily define everyone with autism. In this episode, we sit down with Louisa Van Vessem, Creative Business Strategist and Mentor at Ingenious Corner. Louisa shares her journey as a solo parent raising an autistic child while managing her own late-diagnosed autism at the age of 43, along with several other health challenges. And on top of all of this, running her own...

Dr. Roxy Manning didn’t initially realise how much race was impacting her experience as a black immigrant in the US, but she faced racism in numerous forms throughout her education - despite her aptitude for learning. The effects racism had on her education were exemplified when she wrote a brilliant paper which awarded Roxy an F, being told that “Black folks can’t write like that”. In this episode, Dr. Roxy Manning shares with us an incredibly transparent look into her background and helps...

Marie-Liesse Calméjane shares with us her powerful journey of resilience, in this episode. Marie-Liesse started her career in communications and marketing at Danone in France. After she moved with her family to Asia, Marie-Liesse’s fourth child was diagnosed achondroplasia, a rare genetic condition which is the most common form of dwarfism. Marie-Liesse gives us a look into her experiences as a parent of four and a parent to a child with dwarfism. We learn about how she found support as an...

Bahaa faced shocking day-to-day risks to his life while living in Syria. Now, he works in the UK for one of the UK’s largest construction companies. In this episode, we speak with Bahaa and discover his fascinating journey. We’re also joined by Hannah Brooke, Head of Partnerships at Renaisi - the organisation that supported Bahaa with finding employment through their ‘Transitions’ programme. We dive deep into Bahaa’s journey of attaining his PhD and his experiences of gaining refugee status...

Creating an inclusive environment takes continuous work. Heeral Gudka, Founder of Convergent, joins us in this episode to talk about her pragmatic approach to EDI. Heeral helps businesses implement long-lasting, strategic EDI initiatives. We dive deep into how this looks in action, and how Heeral ensures that these initiatives stick. D&I professionals are quitting and D&I roles are being cut from some organisations. Heeral tells us why in this episode. Convincing leaders to take...

For ADHD Awareness Month, we’re speaking with musician, international public speaker and neurodiversity advocate, J Grange. In episode 49, we spoke with J Grange’s dad. In this episode, we hear the other half of his incredible story, from J’s perspective. J struggled throughout his childhood with being misunderstood and not being supported at school. He shares with us his story of the challenge of navigating school with undiagnosed ADHD which led him to feel isolated and suicidal. Since...

11th October is National Coming Out Day in the US. That’s why in this episode, in a first for The D&Igest, we’re joined by two guests - John Volturo and Peter Gandolfo -  Partner and Executive Coaches at Evolution.  Evolution offers executive coaching, facilitation and training. Mainly working with startups and tech companies, Evolution supports LGBTQ+ workers and helps organisations recognise the role they play in creating a more inclusive environment. John and Peter share the pivotal...

Dyslexia affects one in five people. So why aren’t we talking about it more? In this episode, Joan Bohan, Founder of Dyslexia, Inc. chats with us about her story and how her organisation is raising awareness of how businesses can leverage dyslexia as an opportunity. Joan emigrated from the US to France 30 years ago. After her son was diagnosed with dyslexia, she founded Project “Dysnie” during her tenure at The Walt Disney Company - a project which sought to empower people with dyslexia....

We are bombarded with all sorts of micro and macro messaging, daily. Often that messaging is giving us inaccurate expectations of what is expected of us both in and out of work - and it’s not doing us any good. Even those who are ‘successful on paper’ are suffering. In this episode, we speak with relationship & sexuality expert and author of Not Tonight, Honey, Courtney Boyer. Courtney helps people with their sex lives and those who are experiencing a disconnect with their bodies. Many...

The NHS is the largest employer in the UK. Therefore it’s essential that it stays ahead when it comes to providing a working environment that’s inclusive and equitable. Paul Deemer is the Head of D&I at NHS Employers, and in this episode, we dive deep into how the NHS approaches D&I and his journey into the space. Paul shares the story of how he got into D&I, how D&I has changed over the past 20 years and how the Equality Act affected D&I across the UK. We speak about how...

1 in 5 people is neurodivergent. So why is it so hard for so many people to get diagnosed? In this episode, we speak with Gary Grange about his work with The ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity and his journey with his neurodivergent son. Gary’s son began to exhibit challenging behaviours at school during his teenage years caused by his ADHD and dyspraxia. Gary and his wife sought out a diagnosis for their son, but as many parents do, they faced an uphill battle. Their son was labelled...

Is D&I made too complicated? Isn’t it just about being kind, compassionate and accepting of the fact that people have different experiences? In this episode, we speak with award-winning LGBT+ change agent, Shaun Dellenty. He has been in the education sector since 1996 and is also a speaker, author, present and more. Despite his impressive list of credentials, Shaun sums up his role as ‘encouraging people to be the kindest, most compassionate version of themselves’. Shaun shares with us...

The fight for achieving gender parity can feel like an uphill battle. One step forward and two steps back. Vanessa Vallely OBE joins us in this episode for an inspiring, hundred-mile-an-hour conversation on how we can work to achieve gender balance in the UK. Vanessa is CEO & Founder of WeAreTheCity and WeAreTechWomen, amongst many other initiatives that aim at achieving gender parity and raising the profile of women in the workplace. She began the journey when she started her first...

When you hear the word ‘disability’, what comes to mind? For most, it’s charity, vulnerability, welfare and government responsibility. Purple seeks to change that. Disability inclusion is more than just lifts and ramps. In this episode, we speak with Mike Adams OBE, CEO at Purple. Purple aims to shift the disability conversation towards one of opportunity, value, contribution and community. Mike shares with us how Purple is doing this and how they’re improving the customer experience for...

Ageism is the one “ism” we will all face - if we’re lucky. This is a quote from our first-ever episode on The D&Igest, and it applies perfectly to this episode. Michael O’Reilly, Founder of Age Diversity Network, joins us today to share his journey and his insights into ageism. Age Diversity Network was set up to help older people re-enter the workforce or remain within it. Michael set up the organisation for two reasons - out of frustrations that he’s faced as an older worker in getting...

Diverse boards make better business decisions. The data doesn’t lie! And without specific and measurable targets, we’re in for a much bumpier ride in making the progress that is needed.  In this episode, Kristen Anderson, CEO of European Women on Boards joins us for a fascinating chat. European Women on Boards (EWOB) is a non-profit with the sole objective to have more gender diversity in decision-making around Europe. EWOB provides training and networking opportunities, as well as working...