The Belonging Project

As we hear about some personal stories and societal landscapes of nursing, in this episode, we confronted the gamut of reactions to breastfeeding in different context: at work, in public, beyond a certain time period and within different cultural contexts.

From acceptance to negativity, the dialogue serves as a reminder of the need for visibility and community. The surprising shifts in breastfeeding rates during lockdowns and the discussion about nursing older children further reveal the intricate societal tapestry surrounding this natural aspect of motherhood.

Join me as I sit down with Lea Henry, co-founder of Cocorio, for a heartfelt conversation about the triumphs and tribulations of breastfeeding. Lea opens up about her personal struggles and the societal scrutiny that accompanies a mother's decision to breastfeed or formula feed. We tackle the stigma surrounding public breastfeeding and the importance of supporting mothers in their choices without judgment.

Later, I sit down with Katie Muir, a health visitor with the NHS Scotland, to explore her personal breastfeeding experiences with her two children. Despite facing a range of challenges, including faltering growth and latch difficulties, Katie's resilience shines through. We delve into the crucial role of support from partners and healthcare professionals. Katie's insights reveal the complexities of breastfeeding and underscore the importance of a robust support system for new mothers.

Our discussion is a powerful reminder of the need for compassion and understanding in the journey of new motherhood. We explore:

(11:22) - Breastfeeding Norms and Challenges

(23:22) - Normalizing Conversations Around Breastfeeding

(27:45) - Empowerment and Belonging in Breastfeeding

(34:39) - Breastfeeding Experiences and Support

(45:51) - Supportive Workplace for Breastfeeding Mothers

(51:48) - Transitioning Away From Breastfeeding

(56:16) - Breastfeeding Challenges and Belonging

** Selected Resources from the episode:

More than a decade ago, Kerstin Graebner moved across the globe from Germany to India - interestingly enough she was not the first in her family to do so. It's a journey that her grandparents had also taken.

Reflecting on this cultural and life journey with my dear friend Kerstin brought up many shared experiences: arriving in a new place, being in culture shock, stepping out of the expat circle, finding roots in a new professional path, finding a sense of real arriving many years after.

We had such a great conversation, I can’t wait for you to tune in this episode! 🎧

What’s a hidden disability?
A hidden disability is a disability that may not visible or immediately obvious when looking or talking to someone but can have a significant impact on a person’s life.

'Hidden disabilities' is an umbrella term that captures a spectrum of disabilities, and can include:

• Sensory Disabilities
• Mental Health Conditions
• Specific learning differences
• Autism
• Long-term and physical health conditions

*not and exhaustive list

For The Belonging Project Podcast, I talked with Serena Savini. Serena has experienced a life changing event a few years ago, for which she had to undergo several surgeries and face chronic pain. In our conversation we talk about the emotional impact this had for her generally and for her career within HR.

More recently, Serena has started her own podcast I’m Back!, a platform for many to share about their life changing events and how they came back to work after that.

🎙️ We had such a great conversation, I can’t wait for you to tune in this episode!

***Resources from the episode:

Isaac Harvey was born and raised in East London with a disability called limb pelvic hypo aplasia, which in short means no arms and short legs. Even with this disability it has not stopped him from achieving things such skiing, skydiving, tall ship sailing and much more. For the past ten years he has used his feet to use the computer to edit videos, answer emails and communicate to the wider world. He is now a prominent disability advocate in the community, public speaker, president of Wheels and Wheelchairs.

I wanted to know more about Isaac’s life and the projects he’s currently involved in, so I invited him on the podcast! 🎙️

We talk about his engagement in adaptive fashion, or in Seated Perspectives which showcases accessible venues to a wider audience.

We had such a great conversation, I can’t wait for you to tune in this episode!

***Resources from the episode:

Kemo Camara is the founder of OMEK, the home of the global bicultural community. OMEK’s mission is to amplify the talent, voices, and energy of bicultural of African descent.

I know first hand how meaningful it can be to meet people that have a shared cultural identity, especially for biculturals (or TCKs).

I wanted to know more about how Kemo came up with the idea of creating this community space, so I invited him on the podcast! 🎙️
We had such a great conversation, I can’t wait for you to tune in!

Growing up as a a child of immigrant parents, Mehdi Tounsi did not feel like he belonged - neither in the country he lived in, nor in the country his parents were from. He always felt “different”.

This really resonated with me, so I invited him on the podcast! 🎙️

We had such a great conversation about being an immigrant across cultures, trying to “belong” in various times of life (childhood, school, work), and learning to accept yourself to find a true sense of belonging.

Tune in to get actionable tips and learn what’s needed in ANY situation to feel youbelong. There are also some fun cultural references if you are French-British! 😜

In this episode, we explore all about psychological safety with Anna Gibson, Clinical Psychologist and Organizational Consultant.

Psychological safety matters in any relational system of any kind (e.g. families, friendship, workplace)

We explore the common behaviours that characterize psychologically safe environments or psychologically safe relationships: behaviours that promote curiosity, that promote deep listening, that promote a sense that it's okay to make mistakes. (and you'll hear more about this in the episode!)

We discuss what psychological safety facilitates. At the top of the list we find:

✅ Inclusion
✅ Belonging

✅ Getting closer to achieving DEIB goals

✅ Innovation

✅ Healthier relationships

Tune in for a deep dive on psychological safety, in the workplace and beyond!

Abda has been a lawyer for over 30 years and a writer of fiction and historical novels, passionate to increase the representation of underrepresented groups in books.

In this episode, Abda talks to us about her books (I cannot wait to read her latest fiction which will address gaslighting as a form of emotional abuse) and her work to raise awareness around culturally-sensitive writing.

Abda shares her journey to Law and then writing. She recalls a dialogue with her career counsellor when she was 15.

“Girls like you don't go to university, do they?”, the career counsellor said.

How can we get a sense of belonging unless we are encouraged to belong?

Abda shares with us how she found determination and strength to go against expectations.

Tune in for more!

** Links from the episode:

Parents, this episode is for you!

In this episode, we talk with Dr Sharon Lo, Licensed Child Clinical Psychologist.

We explore the different shapes that Belonging can take from early childhood, to adolescent and then adulthood; what factors are important (people, cultural context, environment and groups we are exposed to). We also debunk what's usual to experience at key developmental stages.

I loved the strategies that Dr Sharon Lo shared for parents that may be facing challenging behaviours with their children. My top takeaway strategy is to differentiate the child from, for example, the worry bully voice. By the way, I am obsessed with the Pixar Movie Inside Out: as Dr Sharon Lo mentioned, it does offer a visualisation of our inner voices and different parts of ourselves + it’s super accessible for kids!

I've also loved hearing more about Sharon’s professional journey and the importance of having a community that supports you, understands you and validate you, within the workplace and beyond.

Give this episode a listen and share it with all your parent friends please!

Links from the episode:

In this episode, our returning guest is Helene Bejjani, Global Learning and Development Leader.

We explore how we can leverage our awareness, both of self and of a corporate culture, as a tool to experience a stronger sense of belonging at work.

We provide practical steps on:

• How to increase your self-awareness, including how to get clear on what you’re looking for in a workplace environment.
• How to cultivate a sense of belonging in high turnover contexts

We reflect on:

• What and who influences our workplace culture
• The impact of culture in the workplace

We also provide real-life examples of steps taken by successful leaders and teams to create an environment and culture in which people feel themselves, making them feel like they belong.

Links from the episode:

In this episode, we talk with Human Performance Optimization Subject-Matter Expert, Dr. Ford Dyke.

We explore his journey from psychology, exercise science to mind-body connection and human performance optimisation.

We truly stand with the impact of Dr. Dyke’s work, dedicated to making information and education available outside of the academic classroom and we get to know more about it in our conversation.

We also talk about:

• The human experience
• Music and movement as a      universal language, leading to connection and belonging.

In this episode, we talk with Niti Nadarajah, DEI advocate and freelance general counsel.

We talk about:

• Her career transition: out of her successful law career for a big corporation into entrepreneurship
• Growing up in a multicultural setting and the impact on the sense of Belonging
• Leaning into other people, being inclusively curious, meeting people where they are, compassion, empathy and psychological safety: the key ingredients to Belonging
• Intrusive vs Inclusive curiosity

In this episode, we talk with Ashiedu Joel, inclusive leadership and cultural capital consultant. We are honoured to hear more about her story!

We talk about:

• Her journey, as a Black African woman in modern Britain, from school to the workplace
• Stereotypes, biases and microagressions
• Compassionate leadership
• Why we need more open conversations

Ashiedu also shared with us strategies that helped her find belonging in the workplace. For the most part, those strategies were reliant on herself - deciding when to engage, educate, and when not to. This may have such a toll on one’s mental health.

Hi everyone! The Belonging Project Podcast is back for a third season!

There are a few updates we wanted to share with you ahead of diving into our first episode:

• The Belonging Project Podcast is evolving! Following two amazing seasons of co-leadership by Fiorenza Rossini and Andrea Fleishfresser, Andrea has decided to step away from the podcast leadership. On behalf of our podcast’s community, we want to thank Andrea and we will truly miss her.
• Going forward, Fiorenza will be leading the podcast. Rest assured that our mission and purpose remains unchanged: we are exploring how Belonging can show up in our life, what it feels like to belong and the impact of truly belonging.
• We’re also going to bring you some new types of interventions with our episodes. We want to diversify the kind of information and strategies provided so it gives you even more opportunities to grow on your journey of finding your true belonging.

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Paula Tavares, Senior Legal and Gender Specialist at The World Bank, her work focuses on promoting gender-informed policy-making, improving the legal framework protecting women from discrimination, and gender-based violence, and enhancing women’s economic opportunity.

“Fortunately nowadays, with more visibility of the current reality, companies in the private and public sector are creating more laws and policies to support more women in the workplace”, says Paula. She shared her experience working with countries in Africa and South America supporting women's equality, and also how the pandemic has affected and exacerbated existing problems especially regarding gender-based violence and equality in the workplace and the needs for women who have been overburdened for many years.

Belonging to her is being accepted for who you are,  having the emotional and physical safety, feeling as equal. Accepting the differences and accepting the individuals for who they are. Belonging is feeling at ease and comfortable being yourself, wherever you are.

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we chat with Alexandre Fleury, Global Human Talent Manager at Chiper. Alexandre has over 20 years of experience working in the Human Resources sector and is passionate about human connection and diversity and inclusion issues.

He shared with us his quest for belonging and independence, moving to another city to embrace his sexuality and relationship. He told us about challenges he had in the past like working in an organization where he felt he didn't belong because of his sexual orientation, and the joy and prejudice he is facing after he became the father of two black brothers.

Belonging to him is more than a feeling, belonging is being, uniting who I plan to be with who I believe to be. He also shared that true belonging is being WHO I am and not WHERE I am. For him, our legacy is ourselves, our own identity. Belonging is an evolving journey as we engage as a person and learn more about ourselves.

This episode of The Belonging Project features a conversation between the two co-hosts: Fiorenza Rossini and Andrea Fleischfresser.

They talk about:

- How the Belonging Project Podcast came to life

- Personal experiences around Belonging

- Microagressions

-  The importance of who we are at our core

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!

Ahead of wrapping up the year and getting into the holiday season, we’d appreciate any shares, reviews or feedback if you listened to our podcast in 2021! Thank you!

In this episode of The Belonging  Project Podcast, we talk with Dylan Shimmon, D&I Project Coordinator  and Learning Experience Designer at Equality Leaders.

This episode is an open heart  conversation with our guest Dylan as he lets us in into his personal  journey exploring his identity as a queer person over the years. We  learn about the value of community in finding rootedness and belonging.

We also explore Dylan’s new professional path, at the intersection of meaningful work, passion and alignment.

Links from this episode:

In this episode of The Belonging  Project Podcast, we talk with Dr Jessica Jackson, licensed psychologist  and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Care Lead at Modern  Health and we loved to learn about her journey into her field and area  of expertise.

We explore:

• Mental health, Belonging and the intersection of culture and mental health.
• The foundational (yet often forgotten!) step to creating psychological safety in the workplace
• How our social identities impact our mental health
• The reasons why self-compassion is a needed pre-work to empathy and kindness.
  

We also deep dive into Jessica’s  latest research on Modern Belonging, particularly how a lack of sense of  belonging is correlated to symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Links from this episode:

NEW EPISODE of The Belonging Project Podcast with Ritika Wadhwa, Director of the UK Operation at The Cultural Intelligence Center.

Ritika shares her personal story of moving from a patriarchal family in India to live and study by herself in the UK, then Canada, then in the UK again. She tells us how her personal experience really shaped who she is now personally and professionally.

After working in different corporate sectors, she discovered her purpose which is making a difference and impact from her own experiences. As Director of UK Operations at the Cultural Intelligence Center, Ritika mentions the importance of developing self awareness in the CQ journey, which is the biggest single change a leader can make within themselves, to foster a culture of acceptance and respect for differences that will lead to belonging which will then lead to innovation, creativity and happiness.

Her definition of Belonging really resonated with us "belonging is when you are wholly and completely yourself and know that you're wholly and completely accepted for being yourself when your difference is celebrated. That to me is belonging which really is the most basic human needs it drives our actions and motivations in every way in an every day"

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Sydney Coleman, Product Inclusion & Equity Program Manager, at Google.

We explore the different facets of data from the pros and cons of self-labelling our race and ethnicity, to its purpose in the identification of differences in how people are treated in the workplace, and beyond.

Sydney explains what Product Inclusion is all about in the tech industry and she shares examples of the dimensions to be found in a product-inclusive model (race, gender, geo, language, body size, criminal history, ability/disability, and more).

We talk about Sydney’s journey into Product Inclusion, and how she was able to fully integrate her passion into her work at Google. Finally, we discuss the role Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) can play in driving change and the factors needed for their success.

“Belonging has a lot to do with psychological safety. Feeling that you can be your true self and not gonna be penalised or in jeopardy to be shamed, harmed or losing your job. Feeling like I belong allows me not to put on an act or a specific version of myself. Showing up as I am takes away the emotional labour of overthinking. I don’t need other people to like me, I need them to be accepting and empathetic, not enforce their own values” says Sydney.

Links from this episode:

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Audry Bron, Diversity & Inclusion Expert and Global Communication Expert at Bontekoning & Bron

At the age of 5, Audry migrated with her family from their birth country Suriname to the Netherlands as political asylum seekers, where she has been living ever since. She draws her inspiration in D&I from her lived experiences and 15 years of experience working in multicultural and multidisciplinary teams.

She shared with us her testimony being a woman of color in the corporate world and some examples of microaggression that she experienced in the past. These experiences make her even stronger and passionate about supporting organizations to create diverse and inclusive environments.

Microaggressions are really things that people need to be taught about, especially if companies want to invest in Diversity and Inclusion, they need to make people aware of the bias they hold, says Audry.

Links from this episode:

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Cory Stewart, integrative counsellor, with an interest on the topic of identity.

We talk about Cory’s belonging  journey over time, going back to childhood and teenage years with  moments of fitting in instead of bringing his whole self and identity,  later experiencing a shift in his relationship with his cultural  heritage, to his now deeply embodied definition of Belonging.

As young parents, Cory and Fiorenza  talk about the importance in providing their children understanding and  education, in a way that is fully inclusive and representative, starting  in early years education.

Fiorenza and Cory openly discuss the feelings when asked THE question - where are you from?

Mental health can very much be  impacted when reflecting or being in the midst of an identity crisis or  even when feeling that we don’t fit in. Cory offers insightful  reflections from his counselling room.

Fiorenza and Cory also talk about  Racial Trauma and its cross-generational dimension: there may be a  generational burden from a trauma one hasn’t directly experienced, but  their parents, grandparents or ancestors have. This can be very  challenging to unpack, especially as it may not feel ours at first. Cory  shares as this is becoming more and more common and how one’s attempt  to heal may antagonize others, that aren't ready yet.

Links from this episode:

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Lorrena Black, Vice-President of Leadership Development at Inforum.

Talking with Lorrena Black for The Belonging Project Podcast was inspiring and grounding: her long-serving US Army experience, giving life and raising 2 kids while still serving in the Army across the world, and her transition into Women’s Leadership Development working with Inforum.

We also explored her experiences of being bi-racial in life and in the Army: finding a sense of belonging wasn’t always easy and the willingness to fit in was real.

Links from this episode:

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Hélène Bejjani, global L&D leader at Atlantis. Hélène is on a mission to build better workplaces where people feel empowered to learn and grow. She focuses her work on 3 key areas: the corporate culture and work environment, leadership development and employee development.

"In the workplace, all behaviours matter, including those that are tolerated or accepted. In fact, they often are the true indicators of a company’s culture.", says Hélène.

Building on Hélène’s personal and professional experiences, we explore:

🔸 Cross-cultural awareness and how it helps you understand others on a deeper level and adapt

🔸 The importance of intentionality in the virtual world

🔸 How the pandemic has been a catalyst to influence the workplace transformation

Links from this episode:

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Anna Chen, founder of @etrefemmeasiatique. Anna is a French born Chinese living in Paris, France. In 2020, she launched @etrefemmeasiatique, a vibrant Instagram community of Asian women living in France. She shares her experience as an Asian woman living in France. She talks about her struggles and inspirations about identity, racism, the relationship with Asian parents, the generational gap, cultural transmission and being a daughter of immigrants. She gathered a thriving community of Asian women who feel heard and seen.

In this episode, we talk about:

🔸 Growing up in France as the child of immigrant Chinese parents

🔸 Microagressions

🔸 Positive stereotypes can be as damaging

"To feel that you belong you need to be able to see that who you are is accepted entirely. You don't feel that you need to stretch yourself to feel that you belong. You don't need to fulfil somebody else’s expectations.", says Anna.

Links from this episode:

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Nicole Barile, founder of NB Intercultural. We explore:

🔸Growing up in a multi-cultural and multi-faith family

🔸How can workplaces adapt to the diversity of their people’s celebrations and why that's important to feel included and build a sense of belonging

🔸How your gut feel can serve you AND how you may want to cross check it sometimes too!

"Belonging is being able to be myself, to be honest and open, without fear of any repercussions. Belonging is when somebody gets you", says Nicole Barile.

Links from this episode:

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Camille Deniau, ex-Google and now artist and founder of Project Roots. We talk about her personal journey growing up across cultures and also about her professional journey, across different countries, and from Google to her art and setting up her own business.

We explore:

🔸Growing up across countries and cultures

🔸The feeling of rootlessness

🔸The soul-searching journey for our identity and true belonging.

"Belonging is knowing who I am and what I need", says Camille Deniau.

Links from this episode:

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Dr Sandra Upton, Vice-President of Global Diversity Practice at the Cultural Intelligence Center.

We talk about the connections between Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging in the workplace and beyond. We also talk about how Cultural Intelligence provides practical strategies that allow us to move from awareness and conceptual knowledge to action, helping us on our journey towards Belonging and in managing unconscious biases.

"Belonging for me is a space where I can bring all of who I am to an experience. There's no shrinking back. The environment is such that it celebrates and embraces that. I am not asking permission to be there.", says Dr Sandra Upton.

Links from this episode:

In this episode of The Belonging Project Podcast, we talk with Kristen Lisanti, BCW's Chief Culture Officer. We explore how she combines different approaches into her organisational change and culture work -leadership development, mindfulness, neuroscience- and the impact on Belonging. We also explore how a mindfulness approach can help to be a more inclusive leader.

"When I think about belonging, I think of organizational accountability. We can’t place the burden of belonging on the individual. We need to make sure the organization's leaders are prioritising creating an environment where people feel they can belong and show up as themselves", says Kristen.

Links from this episode:

In the first episode of the Belonging Project Podcast, our guest is Viviana Premazzi, founder of Global Mindset Development. We talk about how Viviana's second life started in Malta and her personal journey towards Belonging.

"Belonging is to be able to shine, with all your light, and be what you are. It's finding a place where you can, indeed, shine", says Viviana.

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