The Equal Group's Podcast

Sharon MacArthur is the founder of Miss Menopause, which works with employers to support anyone who is going through menopause. From group awareness training to HR-specific sessions, Sharon helps both public and private organisations to become better employers by educating workplaces to be menopause inclusive. In this episode of ‘Representation Matters’, Sharon discusses the story behind Miss Menopause, the impact of menopause and how to manage it, as well as the reasons why menopause needs to urgently become part of workplace wellbeing agendas. https://www.missmenopause.co.uk/  Episode Highlights: 1) Sharon’s career journey: from senior business leader to the founder of Miss Menopause. 2) Making the menopause business as usual: demystifying myths about menopause. 3) How to support colleagues who are going through menopause.

Cherron Inko-Tariah MBE is a former civil servant and has undertaken various leadership roles in policy and strategic positions across Whitehall. In 2012, Cherron left the Civil Service to follow what she is passionate about: staff networks and the positive impact these can have on individuals and organisations.  After publishing her book: The Incredible Power of Staff Networks, Cherron founded The Power of Staff Networks consultancy where she provides a wide range of services. Cherron also founded the National Day for Staff Networks in 2017– the first of its kind celebrating the added value of networks.  In this episode of ‘Representation Matters’, Cherron shares her insights on the benefits staff networks bring to organisations and discusses her top tips for successfully establishing a staff network. Podcast Highlights: How Cherron turned her passion for staff networks into a specialist career. Staff Networks: what they are and how they can benefit an organisation. How to make staff networks a success for your company. Twitter: https://twitter.com/posnetworks LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherroninkotariah/

Suzy is the Managing Director of The Red Plate. She is a great Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) advocate and has decades of experience in helping leaders and leadership teams make complex changes in the way EDI is embedded in their organisations. Suzy worked for Accenture until 2015 and led the strategy and implementation of progressive inclusion and diversity, employee engagement and talent initiatives in the UK.  Suzy has also recently written a book about inclusion called ‘Mind the Inclusion Gap’, with a view of getting self-proclaimed “nice people” to be more active in EDI.  In this episode of ‘Representation Matters’, Suzy shares her thoughts and experiences of working in the EDI space.  Podcast highlights: How Diversity and Inclusion became a career for Suzy. Why being just “nice” isn’t enough when it comes to inclusion. Navigating diversity in the workplace. Turning intention into action The importance of diversity and inclusion as a skill set.

Kiran Everix is a public speaker and a Diversity, Inclusion and Equity advocate. Kiran is currently working as a consultant, but they are passionate campaigner for Transgender and Non-binary equality. Kiran is the founder of QnityNetwork, an LGBTQ+ network promoting networks, organisations, creatives and resources. Qnity aims to unite communities, build meaningful connections and promote mental health and wellbeing. In this episode of ‘Representation Matters’, Kiran shares their story and gender identity journey. Podcast Highlights: Kiran’s journey exploring their non-binary identity. The challenges transgender and gender non-conforming individuals face. How to create a culture of authentic allyship. Gender rhetoric in British media. Healthcare inequalities for Transgender and Non-binary people. Twitter and Instagram:  @kiraneverix Resources: https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/ https://genderedintelligence.co.uk/ The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye

Shannon Crossland is a limb difference awareness influencer and activist. Born with a limb difference called Ectrodactyly, it was not until last year that she began to truly accept her body with full confidence. Today Shannon has 13,000 Instagram followers and she is also an ambassador for the I Am Possible foundation. In this episode of ‘Representation Matters’, Shannon discusses her experiences of living with a limb difference, the media’s portrayal of those with physical differences and her journey to self- love.   Podcast Highlights:  Shannon’s experience of living with a limb difference  Shannon’s journey towards self-love  How to be a better ally to the limb difference community  The media’s portrayal of disability. Socials:  @crosslandshannon  @theiampossiblefoundation  

Ewan Corlett is a fully qualified person-centred, integrative counsellor and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. As a transformational men’s coach and therapist, Ewan has a wealth of experience working with issues predominantly around trauma and addiction. As well as sharing his own mental health journey, in this episode of ‘Representation Matters’, Ewan also discusses his mission to help other men heal and step into their full potential and purpose. Episode highlights: Navigating struggle and overcoming addiction. Finding direction, healing and living as your most authentic self. Toxic musicality, men and mental health stigmas. The concept of Body Wisdom. How to be a good support network for others. Ewan’s website:  https://www.counsellingwithewan.com/ Ewan’s Instagram:  @ewan_corlett

Rachel Maguire and Hannah Hall-Turner are the founders of @TheJobSharePair. As Great friends and work colleagues, Hannah and Rachel sought to balance their careers with their family lives too, and so they became the first ever job share duo in the UK arm of that Fortune 500 firm. Passionate about making flexible working options accessible to all, Hannah and Rachel’s ambition is for more people to have access to meaningful, progressive, senior roles through Job sharing, inspiring a truly diverse workforce through flexibility. In this episode of ‘Representation Matters’, Hannah and Rachel demystify the myths around job-sharing and discuss:   The benefits of Job-sharing for organisations and employees. The practicalities of job-sharing. Tips for successful job-sharing. How employers can begin to implement job-sharing. Website: https://www.thejobsharepair.com/

Terri Rodriguez-Hong is a UX/UI designer from Silicon Valley, bridging the gap with products to be accessible by all users. As a mother of two, with a hidden disability, Terri pivoted her mindset and made a huge career change into the UX/UI realm. She is also an accessibility advocate and mindset mentor, who wholeheartedly believes that we have to identify the barriers to our success and learn to recognise them when they pop up. Terri has made it her mission to advocate for change and help others who face the same stigma about hidden disabilities.  In this episode of ‘Representation Matters’, Terri shares her thoughts and experiences on hidden disabilities and accessibility. The free online course website Terri recommended: https://alison.com/ Episode Highlights: Terri’s journey of getting into UX/UI design Accessibility and what it means to Terri. The personal and professional challenges of living with a hidden disability. How to create a personal connection with someone you don’t know. How to turn a negative into a positive.

Fiona Hathorn is the CEO of Women on Boards UK (WOB), an organisation committed to accelerating women into non-executive director roles. She is also an expert in the areas of Governance, Regulation and Talent Management who has sat on marketing, audit and finance committees. Fiona is an advisory panel member for the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), an advisory board member of a gender pay gap technology company called Spktral, advisor to Peel Hunt (mid-cap stockbroker) and Chair of Hanx’s Nominations Committee (a relatively new FMCG sexual health start-up). In this episode of ‘Representation Matters’, Fiona discusses her decision to launch WOB UK, the leadership and company culture issues that hinder diversity in the boardroom and why data is so important in achieving greater diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Episode Highlights: Fiona’s upbringing and her career journey so far. How Fiona was inspired to found Women on Boards UK. Why companies need to openly and transparently publicise Board roles to increase diversity. What makes an effective C-Suite leader? Fostering conscious inclusion in the workplace. Quotes from the podcast: ‘Most boards want diversity, they want inclusion, but they don’t want anybody they don’t know…so they fish in the same ponds.’ (9:52) ‘If you really want to make a difference you need to fix the top, but you also need to fix the bottom and inspire people in society, no matter who they are, to make them understand that the boardroom matters, and that there is a boardroom position out there for everyone no matter what age you are.’ (7:43) ‘Diverse teams better, but they only perform better if you have the right leadership in place.’ (16:20)

Allan Reid is an experienced Equality, Diversity and Inclusion professional who is currently working as an EDI consultant here at The Equal Group. Allan has a wealth of experience in different roles and fields, most recently coming from the Rail Industry where they worked as a Signal Maintenance Operative and a Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Allan is part of the LGBTQ+ Movement and Queer Community, they have a strong belief that intersectional and empathetic EDI is the way forward. As well as being the membership lead for the Alba Alliance in Scotland, Allan has also presented on a number of topics for various groups, including the BI-Umbrella for Scottish Power and the Queer Community for Network Rail. In this episode of ‘Representation Matters’, Allan Reid shares their thoughts on Pride month, the expanding Queer terminology and the steps that organisations can take to create LGBTQ+ inclusive workplaces. Here is a link to the Islamic group that Allan was talking about in the podcast: https://www.hidayahlgbt.com/ Allan's list of resources  https://www.consortium.lgbt/ http://queerbeyondlondon.com/ https://blgbt.org/ https://www.lgbthealth.org.uk/ https://www.lgbtyouth.org.uk/ https://queerscotland.com/ Episode Highlights: - Allan’s upbringing and their professional journey so far. - Allan’s experience exploring gender identity, sexuality and their mental health. - Whether LGBTQ+ labels are helpful or harmful. - A brief history of the word ‘Queer’. - 5 strategies organisations can follow to help create a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ employees.