Conversations on Character

A Developmental Psychologist and senior lecturer at Kenya's Kisii University, Dr. Pamela Wadende talks to Professor Tom Harrison about developing gratitude when part of a global village, how her work in Kenya and across Africa has broken traditionally western and global north led understandings of measurement and evaluation in research, the place of Utu in forging community, and how gratitude is the parent of all virtues.This podcast was produced and engineered in 2026 for the Jubilee Centre For Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, by JMcDowell Engagement.

Regional Director for Latin America at the Varkey Foundation, in his conversation with Professor Tom Harrison, Augustin Porres shares how the work of Dandelion Project has been integral to sharing and developing the uniquely South American approach to Character. Building on the work of the foundation to develop more Spanish language resources and elevate the status of teachers and teaching around the world, Augustin shares the impact of taking a ‘Better Training, Better Understating, Better Education’ mindset and why Americas could be the heart of future global character development.This podcast was produced and engineered in 2026 for the Jubilee Centre For Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, by JMcDowell Engagement.

Principal Advisor to the Templeton World Charity Foundation for the Global Innovations in Character Innovations (GICD) programme, Ellen Morgan opens this special series of the Jubilee Centre’s Conversations of Character Podcast.Ellen talks to our host Professor Tom Harrison about the origins of the initiative, how it has cultivated and strengthened research relationships around the world through an active listening approach, and how we should all seek to better develop the virtue of curiosity in our day to day lives.This podcast was produced and engineered in 2026 for the Jubilee Centre For Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, by JMcDowell Engagement.

Professor Tom Harrison returns for a fourth series of Conversations on Character. Made possible thanks to the Tempelton World Charitable Foundation, this special series focuses on project leaders from around the world who led Global Innovations in Character Development (GICD) programme.This podcast was produced and engineered in 2026 for the Jubilee Centre For Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, by JMcDowell Engagement.

Presented once again in partnership with the Sport Legacy Foundation in this special bonus episode, the final edition of Conversations on Character for 2022, Professor Tom Harrison welcomes World Cup Winning Cricketer, Director of Surrey County Cricket Club, Trustee of Chance to Shine and Founder of The ACE Programme Charity, Ebony-Jewel Rainford-Brent MBE. In this conversation Ebony reflects on how she developed positive virtues as young black woman playing cricket, what ‘being better’ means for her, how responsive coaching, positive facilitation, and adaptive engagement has been key in redefining remodelling so that it more effectively supports a more diverse pool of grassroots talent in sport, and who for her personifies courage.

In the final episode of our miniseries on the character developing potential of sport and in celebration of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games Conversations on Character welcome’s West Midlands cricketing hero Moeen Ali OBE. Worcestershire, CSK, Warwickshire, and Phoenix All-rounder, the England short form Vice Captain Moeen talks to Professor Tom Harrison about his early days on the cricket pitch and the resilience required to become a success, the sense of humility his family help forge in him and how that has shaped how his gives back to his community, his place as a role model for young people and what legacy would mean to him.

In the latest Conversations on Character: Commonwealth Games Special we welcome GB&NI Paralympian Medallist, 2015 US Open Singles champion, and 12 times Grand Slam winning Doubles Wheelchair tennis player (including a calendar grand slam in 2014 and 5 Wimbledon titles) Jordanne Whiley MBE. Part of the special mini series looking at the character developing potential of sport, Jordanne shares the particular importance of determination and resilience throughout her career, the unique role her parents played as role models in her life, the place of the positive virtues traits that allowed her to not just return but thrive on the court after having her son, and who for her is a leading exemplar of courage.

In the fourth of our Commonwealth Games Special's, Conversations on Character welcomes England Cricket Allrounder Heather Knight OBE.  England’s World Cup Winning Cricket Captain and one of Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2017, in this episode Heather reflects on her role as a mentor, the virtue traits required to make a successful captain and leader, and why is it important that children and young people, especially young girls, are positively supported and encouraged to play and stick with sport early on in thier lives.

In episode three of this special miniseries celebrating the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Professor Tom Harrison speaks to three sixth Form Students from Waverley School part of the Waverley Education Foundation Trust A partner of the Sport Legacy Foundation, and recipients of the coaching programmes coordinated by Sport for Life International (an initiative ran by the SLF) Imad, Isah, and Zoyah share how they make a difference in their communities, who their role models are and the virtues of their sporting heroes, and how they believe the Games could inspire a generation and bring a city together.

The second guest of this Commonwealth Games special mini-series is the ICC General Manager of Cricket, Wasim Khan MBE. A former double winning Country Championship cricket player with Warwickshire, Managing Director of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and CEO of the Chance to Shine campaign and Leicestershire County Cricket Club, Wasim talks with Professor Tom Harrison about those character traits that have been integral to his career since breaking though in the 90’s, his work at Chance to Shine, and his hopes for how the Women’s T20 Cricket, making its debut at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, could inspire both a generation and a city.