Introduction
Podcasts can be a great source of ideas about Disability Inclusion and Diversity and Inclusion generally. They are free and come in manageable chunks. The speakers are often leading experts with global reputations. You get concentrated high-value content covering the spectrum of issues related to, and surrounding Inclusion.
Podcasts can make a commute a productive experience, and turn a trip to a supermarket, or a walk, into an education.
The trick with podcasts is to be okay with getting even just 5 mins listening in – but set yourself a larger target than that. Little and often is good. In fact it can be great.
There’s a huge amount of research on how we work and how it is changing – and how we understand Diversity and Inclusion challenges and opportunities. It helps to become more aware of what is possible. So, even catching 5 minutes a couple of times a day can be inspiring. This can be about both personal and professional development.
And be curious. You may come across a podcast title you think has nothing to do with you, check it out. But you may be surprised. You can always stop listening and move on to something else.
Some of the podcasts I have listed below are full on Diversity and Inclusion, and others have related shows only – but they are about work in some respect. If your podcast app allows, you can line up a few shows from different podcasts.
If you are time poor, be very selective. Pick a show and try to get 15 mins listening time in a day – even in 5-minute bites. That way you can get through a surprising amount of content.
The Podcasts
Leading with Empathy & Allyship
This is put together by Melinda Briana Epler, CEO of Change Catalyst and author of How to Be an Ally. That was a great book, and the shows are so good I have been going through all of them, but in a random way.
Coaching Real Leaders
An HBR podcast hosted by Muriel Wilkins. Great content for people in formal leadership roles. Includes shows that have useful content for anybody, for example ‘How to handle feeling overworked’ and ‘How do I get my confidence back?’
Your Brain at Work
This is put out by the US based NeuroLeadership Institute and features David Rock, an Australian co-founder of the institute and author of Your Brain at Work. It is worthwhile working through every episode, because there are useful discussions on what neurological research says, and how those insights are put into practice. This is one of my go-to podcasts at the moment. I am listening to all 70+ shows.
HBR Ideacast
Harvard Business Review’s flagship podcast is full of great content. There are over 600 episodes.
Diversity
Hosted by Jackie Ferguson, CDE. This fairly new for me. CDE means Certified Diversity Executive and Jackie is a co-founder of The Diversity Movement. It sounds good. And I signed up for The Diversity Movement’s newsletter.
With, not For
Produced by the Centre for Inclusive Design in Sydney and started just over a year ago. There are 9 shows at the time of writing. As you’d expect it is on inclusive design, and inclusion, with a variety of very interesting guests. A great podcast.
The Spark
This is a series put out by the NSW Public Service Commission. It is entirely HR focused. There are 12 shows broken into 3 groups – Smarter ways of working, People analytics, and the Changing role of HR. If you have an interest in HR it’s a good series from a public sector angle.
The 21st Century Workplace
This turned out to be a bit of a surprise. The topics of the shows I have listened to are non-obvious; but engaging and rewarding. There’s a limited number of shows in this current version. Its worth listening to the lot – or at least sampling them.
Walking Your Talk
This is a new one for me. Early on it sounds very good. This is straight from the podcast blurb: The Walking Your Talk podcast is about leadership, authenticity and courage. Every episode is a personal development experience showing you how you can transform yourself and thus transform those around you and ultimately the organisation within which you work.
Conclusion
A few years ago, I realised that I was talking a lot of nonsense to myself (self-indulgent BS that added no value to me or anybody else) as I lumbered along with my crutches. I figured I keep that up or I could use that time more productively. So, I plugged into the wonderful world of podcasts. The self-indulgent BS still creeps in at times and renders the podcast no more than verbal muzak jabbering away in the background. But I can always rewind.
Fifteen minutes a day isn’t much. It’s just over 1% of your day. Surely you are worth 1% of your daily time on personal and professional development.