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Blended

Blended

Auteur(s): Sarah Barnes-Humphrey
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 Welcome to Blended – the podcast where transformative conversations spark real change. Imagine the raw honesty of a Red Table Talk, but with a laser focus on the critical conversations around inclusion in the workplace. Each episode brings together five individuals from vastly different walks of life, creating a vibrant space where unique perspectives collide, and meaningful dialogue takes center stage. We tackle the topics others shy away from, addressing the uncomfortable, the overlooked, and the necessary with authenticity and courage. If you’re ready to challenge your assumptions, embrace new perspectives, and gain actionable insights into creating truly inclusive environments, this is the podcast you can’t afford to miss. Let’s lean in, listen, and grow together. Sciences sociales Économie
Épisodes
  • 57 - The Different Faces of Identity: Navigating Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression

    57 - The Different Faces of Identity: Navigating Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression
    Jun 24 2025
    The different faces of identity: Navigating sexual orientation and gender expression Welcome back to Blended! Today, we’re talking about sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. Discussions around these issues have been hitting the headlines more and more in recent months. And it’s fair to say that many recent rulings and debates have felt like a step backward for a lot of different communities – they just want the freedom to be themselves. But there’s a fundamental lack of understanding. A lot of people just don’t understand what it means to have a different identity or expression. And a lack of understanding, the unfamiliar or unknown, is what often sits behind fear. So today we’re going to be opening up a conversation to encourage understanding, so we can fight that fear and create spaces that are safe and welcoming for everyone. IN THIS EPISODE: [01.02] Introductions to our Blended panelists. · Kai – Social Scientist, President of TransFocus and speaker · Ross – Vice President at GLAAD Media Institute, author and speaker · Kiara-Kumail – Employee at White Ribbon and actor [04.23] The group explore sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression and the many factors around these topics, from pronouns and labels, to authenticity and fear. · Sex vs gender · Labels · Evolution of labels/identities · Words/identities mean different things to different people · ‘I am’ vs ‘I identify as’ · Asking open-ended questions · Creating safe spaces o What are they? o How do we create them? o Language o Infrastructure o Support/listening · We’re more than just our identities · Definitions becoming reductive · Problems with identity becoming politicized · The growth of LGBTQIA+ · Pronouns · How we introduce ourselves · The nuance of curiosity and asking questions · Respect · Fear of making a mistake · Being open to being corrected · Acknowledging, and apologizing for, mistakes · Making assumptions · Internal vs external · Control · Cultural rules · How gender expression relates to physical safety · Masculinity and femininity · Shifting gender expression to suit different environments · Belonging · Authenticity · How anti-trans sentiment also harms cisgender people “Labels will never fully be able to capture everything, though they help people identify in certain ways. Ultimately, it’s not about fully understanding everything, it’s about respect and being a good human being. And labels expand and mean different things to different people. The community exists beyond a monolith, we all have different opinions – there’s no one easy answer unfortunately.” Kiara-Kumail “Sexual orientation and gender identity are not just LGBTQ things, they’re something we all have. We all have a way in which we know and understand ourselves, and share it out with the world.” Ross “There’s no right or wrong… But the way we can be more expansive is to say: ‘Tell me about yourself.’ It’s an open-ended question, and then people can feel free to share whatever they want... Sometimes people are hesitant, because they don’t know whether it’s safe to share.” Kai “If someone raises an issue, that’s a big deal because it takes so much energy. Most people in the research we do, do not raise issues. About 75% have issues, but don’t raise them.” Kai “Introducing yourself is a good way to do it. Because, if you’re asking, be honest: Are you asking the only visibly trans person in the room, or are you asking everybody that? Sometimes inclusion can actually be exclusionary. It’s good practice not to single one person out.” Kiara-Kumail “For trans and non-binary folks, people often misread them – we look at the exterior and jump to conclusions… They’re misgendered about 70% of the time, it’s on a daily basis, and that’s a heavy burden to bear.” Kai [40.44] The panel share an overview of where the US currently is with gender and sexuality issues, why many feel that we’ve taken a step backwards, and why it’s so important to continue to talk about these issues openly and without judgement. · Similarity to the persecution of gay men during the AIDs crisis in the 1980s · Modern radicalization of boys and men · Manosphere · Danger of discriminatory echo chambers · Dehumanization · Allyship · Honest, open dialogue ·...
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    1 h et 22 min
  • 56 - Designing Inclusive Spaces: Neurodiversity, Accessibility, and Mindful Communication

    56 - Designing Inclusive Spaces: Neurodiversity, Accessibility, and Mindful Communication
    May 29 2025
    Welcome back to Blended! Today, we’re talking about inclusion – one of our favorite topics here on the show! But we’re thinking about it from a different angle. Not from the team we build or the people we hire, but the environment around us. We’re talking about inclusive spaces. This might be familiar to you, or maybe it’s a concept that’s fairly new but, guaranteed, you’ll be hearing about it more and more. As awareness of neurodiversity grows, designing spaces that cater to the needs of individuals with diverse cognitive and sensory processing styles is becoming increasingly important. By integrating neurodiversity into design, we can create environments that are not only more inclusive but also enhance the wellbeing and productivity of all individuals, fostering greater creativity and collaboration in both work and community spaces. And it’s not just neurodiversity we have to consider. More than a quarter of Americans have a disability, which is often intersectional with other areas of diversity as well, like race or age. So accessibility in all its forms is incredibly important to make sure we’re creating environments where people with all types of diverse needs can thrive. Today, our panel are talking all about formal diagnoses – the challenges, barriers and interplay with work – the basics of inclusive spaces, and some of the ways leaders and organizations can make changes to improve cultures and create more equitable working environments for everyone. IN THIS EPISODE: [01.26] Introductions to our Blended panelists. · Dan Roth– Strategic People Operations Executive · Dr. Tiffany Jameson– Organizational Psychologist and Founder and Managing Partner at grit & flow [07.15] The group explore diagnoses for neurodivergence – how people are diagnosed, the varied reasons for the recent increase in diagnoses, the barriers to achieving a formal diagnosis, and the importance of gaining a diagnosis for access to help. “The criteria that were used for ADHD and autism were very white, boy centered. Girls don’t present like a boy in school, and so they were being missed… There’s now a lot more awareness by pediatricians… And, as more kids are being diagnosed, their parents are going: ‘Oh my goodness, this is very familiar!’ And they go after a diagnosis for themselves.” Tiffany “A lot of people fake it till they make it – and they don’t make it. It’s called masking, where you’re pretending to be what society calls normal, and it’s hard to keep that front up.” Tiffany “From a diversity, equity and inclusion standpoint, let’s not beat around the bush – that term has been weaponized.” Dan · Increase in diagnoses o Increased awareness o Updated criteria o Child-parent knock-on effect · Burnout · Masking · Barriers to diagnosis o Cost o School system o Limited accessibility resources o Stigma · Societal expectations · Bias · Requirement to get a formal diagnosis to access help · Cultural impact · Generational trauma · Parental projection · Insecurity/fear · Parental grieving process – expectations “A lot of parents will reject diagnoses, not understanding the proactive measures it allows for.” Dan [32.42] The panel discuss the basics of inclusive spaces – what they are, what they can look like, and why we need them. · Inclusive spaces look different for different people o Sensory impacts o Lighting o Clothing o Movement · Self-awareness · Pace of change for US vs global · Advanced communication methods · Triggers · Rejecting ego · I vs we · Building psychological safety · Knowing/understanding what you need · Self-advocacy · Asking/listening · Ongoing conversation/process · Accommodations in hiring processes and potential biased impacts of using them · Social anxiety in working environments · Education · Change management · Step-by-step improvements · Work from home/work from office · Companies ticking boxes/policies ‘for show’ · Compromise/finding the middle ground · Issues with general education – setting kids up for success/failure · Unique point in time o Different generations working together o Different perspectives and concepts coming together o Different levels of understanding/acceptance o Difference in communication styles · Overwhelm · Grace · Empathy · ...
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    1 h et 34 min
  • 55 - Mental Health Awareness

    55 - Mental Health Awareness
    Apr 18 2025
    Taking care of your team: why you can’t afford to ignore mental health at work Welcome back to Blended! Today, we’re talking about something that is often a strand that weaves through many of the issues we talk about here on the show, from burnout to bias – and that’s mental health. But today we’re focusing in on mental health, and putting the spotlight onto how it interacts with work. Almost 60% of the world population is in work, and we spend a lot of time there. We often spend more time in a workplace than we do at home, more time with our colleagues than we do our families! That amount of time, the environment we’re in, the people around us, the culture – all those elements of work are going to massively impact us. And, of course, everything that happens at home, we’re inevitably going to take to work with us as well. So it’s incredibly important to prioritize mental health. But, unfortunately, the numbers show we’re not doing a good enough job. Globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. Not to mention the impact on those people’s wellbeing. So what we can do? Our panel are going to be exploring what’s going wrong, as well as sharing some of the ways we can all protect and promote good mental health at work. IN THIS EPISODE: [01.21] Introductions to our Blended panelists. · Mariana – Marketing Director at WSI and Kase · Prakash – Fulfilment Specialist and Founder of OTIM · Brandon – Founder of Warm Heart Life · Debra – SVP, Marketing and Strategy at Halo Effect Management “Mental health isn’t separate from work. It’s the foundation of what we’re doing.” Debra [07.53] The group discuss healthy work environments – what they look like, why they’re so important, and how we define performance in a healthy environment. “We have no problem talking about our physical wellbeing. It needs to be just as easy to talk about our mental wellbeing... At my office, we all got standing desks and we didn’t have to justify it: sitting for hours a day, it’s not good for your health. And, to me, a collaborative space where we come together and laugh and catch up on life is just as important as that standing desk.” Mariana “We need to be able to slow down and ask: ‘How are you?’ Actually seeing the person you’re working with, rather than just using them.” Debra · Work is a big proportion of our lives · Mental health does not equal mental illness · Focus on/acceptance of physical health, rejection of mental health · Brandon’s experience of both healthy and unhealthy working environments, their impact, and how they could have changed the course of his life and career forever · Impact of leadership · Importance of trying different things/working in different places · Communication · Tailoring environments – people work differently · Setting clear expectations and defining performance goals for individuals · Allowing teams to be safe in their honesty and communication · Recognizing burnout · Understanding individual’s holistic needs · Importance of timely feedback/regular check-ins · Building trust · Carrying weight of unhealthy cultures into new working environments · Psychological safety · Importance of slowing down · Over-focus on productivity · Resilience · Stress/pressure · Individual responsibility vs team collaboration · Measuring KPIs for individuals and leaders · Visibility · Leadership vulnerability – trust, leading by example and giving permission · Advocating for yourself · Community “It really comes down to individuals and, if you have the right few people around you, you can transform an entire team just by having the right conversations. It doesn’t have to be the corporate conversations where you’re giving all the right trigger words, talking to the C Suite... We’re all human.” Prakash “We assign value to people via their productivity. Leaders are feeling the pressures, employees are. And we’re not having the capacity conversation. Are we actually setting realistic expectations for ourselves, based in reality?” Debra [59.31] Brandon’s experiences with mental health, and his take on the importance of shifting your mindset away from negativity and towards positivity and problem-solving. · Importance of talking · Personal development [01.07.36] The panel explore responsibility, and the role individuals and leaders ...
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    1 h et 27 min

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