PIP PIP Hooray - Disability: People, Potential, and the Art of the Possible

Welcome to Fearless Diversity the podcast that tackles the tricky bits of life in work and has the conversation that you want to. This week Simon and Rachel dive into disability after the huge public, media and Parliamentary furore about welfare reform and the implications for disabled people receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP). In our conversation we unpick some of the biggest issues facing disabled people in the UK today, from societal stigma, employment and pay gaps to the ongoing complexity of reasonable adjustments, the increase in mental health issues and guess what? Donkeys, yes donkeys, play a starring role.

Expect frank conversation as we explore the uncomfortable truths of workplace discrimination and the baffling obstacles of physical and digital accessibility. There’s plenty of laughter too, as Rachel recounts her uniquely blunt doctor's appointment, and Simon shares a surprisingly profound life lesson learned during a spirited game of croquet!

Follow our conversation moving beyond the importance of just considering the needs of people living with disability to seeing that as a crucial step in unlocking human potential at work and in life.

Settle in and join us as we ask why we are still so hesitant to embrace the art of the possible when it comes to disability and how we can reframe the entire conversation into one that is human, and focuses on the potential of everyone.

How Kendall can stop this national sickness - Fraser Nelson (The Times)

https://shorturl.at/rFvnK

Professor Peter Fonagy - Understanding the crisis in young people’s mental health

https://www.health.org.uk/features-and-opinion/blogs/understanding-the-crisis-in-young-people-s-mental-health

Government advice on disability and employment

https://www.gov.uk/rights-disabled-person/employment

The employment of disabled people updated 20 June 2025

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2024/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2024

Team Domenica

https://teamdomenica.com/

The scenario

Sally has a diagnosis of autism. But she has not told anyone. Not her colleagues, not her manager, not HR. She is a high performer.

Colleagues have noticed that she can take statements very literally which can cause problems or that she sometimes appears to struggle to figure out when it’s her turn to talk or listen during a conversation. As a result, she sometimes talks for an excessive period of time or at others seems disinterested in what colleagues are saying.

Quite often people in the team will joke that: “Oh, I park my car in the same spot every day … I must be a bit autistic” or “I’m super OCD about my desk being tidy”. Finally one day having coffee with her team in the canteen her frustration boils over. “Well I am autistic”, she says. Two of her colleagues say, trying to be sympathetic, “Gosh, well we’re all a bit on the spectrum”. And Sally leaves.

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

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Let’s face it: conversations about race make even the most fearless among us uneasy, awkward or just very nervous. In this episode of Fearless Diversity, Simon Fanshawe (Diversity Dissident) and Rachel Cashman (Fearless Facilitator) dive headlong into the silence, discomfort, and tiptoeing that surrounds race at work and in everyday life.

Prompted to record this episode by the publication of Baroness Casey's 'National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse' and the associated headlines -defensive and offensive - Simon and Rachel felt it was time to talk about race.

Ever found yourself tippexing out uncomfortable truths, dodging controversy, or simply holding back from fear of saying the unsayable? You’re not alone. Simon and Rachel unravel why so many of us, particularly well-intentioned liberals, get tied in knots over race. From performance management gone wrong to navigating everyday interactions loaded with uncertainty, they explore why good intentions too often lead to bad outcomes.

Expect honest reflections, laugh-out-loud insights, and some genuinely uncomfortable moments (yes, they’re going there). But above all, prepare for a much-needed call to courage because if we don’t fill the conversational vacuum, someone far less helpful certainly will.

Baroness Casey 'National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse':

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-audit-on-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse

Baroness Casey Newsnight Interview: https://youtu.be/_1u7-dXwhs0

People Management: https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1919974/black-employees-disproportionately-subjected-worker-surveillance-report-finds

Ten Years of Snowy White Peaks, Workforce Race Equality in the NHS: https://bmjleader.bmj.com/content/9/2/178

Nazir Afzal Comment Piece in Observer: https://observer.co.uk/news/opinion-and-ideas/article/cowardice-and-inaction-left-children-to-be-abused

The Good Ally by Nova Reid: https://amzn.eu/d/1l72wVl

The Power of Difference – Simon Fanshawe (stereotypes pp 114-115)

https://shorturl.at/eiBgb

What Casey Did - The real report, not the one in the papers by David Aaronovitch

https://davidaaronovitch.substack.com/p/what-casey-did?utm_campaign=email-post&r=u6e8&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Simon Fanshawe, the Diversity Dissident, and Rachel Cashman, the Fearless Facilitator, as they boldly dive into one of everyone's least favourite topics: Failure! With wit, honesty, and plenty of personal anecdotes (Rachel fails daily, Simon hourly!), they tackle why failing isn't just inevitable, but essential for growth.

From Edison’s famous quip about discovering "10,000 ways not to do it," to dramatic real-world examples including nuclear reactors and Broadway producers, Simon and Rachel explore how embracing failure can become a powerful force for learning and innovation.

This episode unpacks practical questions leaders often wrestle with: How much failure is acceptable? What's our real tolerance for risk? And how can leaders build cultures where failure doesn't trigger shame, but instead sparks collective insight and adaptation?

Expect laughter, levity, and serious wisdom as Rachel and Simon reveal why "Failure Fridays" could become your organisation's most valuable weekly meeting—and how learning to pivot well can transform setbacks into breakthroughs.

Turn your failures into food for thought with Simon and Rachel, listen in and learn how falling flat on your face might just be the best thing you do all day!

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

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Get ready to tackle another hot topic with Simon and Rachel as they have the conversations you want to In this episode, they're diving deep into the question: What exactly do we mean by free speech, especially at work?

From academic freedom and artistic expression to controversial workplace debates and social media snafus, Rachel and Simon fearlessly (and humorously) navigate the delicate dance of speaking your mind without breaking the office etiquette. Simon boldly explores how free speech can quickly turn chaotic without clear boundaries, while Rachel brings her trademark clarity, unpacking the mechanics and dynamics behind workplace conduct, speech, and silence, she has talked before about measuring it and today she majors on leveraging it and lessons from a silent retreat!

Expect sharp wit, real-life scenarios (awkward comedy clubs, anyone?), and insightful tips as they tackle whether expressing your "authentic self" at work is a freedom or a potential landmine. With stories ranging from protest encampments to inappropriate office outfits, Simon and Rachel offer practical wisdom and plenty of laughs on managing tricky conversations, setting boundaries, and embracing the essential art of disagreeing well.

Join Simon and Rachel as they redefine free speech at work where sometimes the bravest thing you can say is nothing at all!

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

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Hold on tight as Simon and Rachel tackle a red-hot question: Are your employees still just employees, or are they morphing into activists? From baked beans to workplace tussles about toilets (a subject that disproportionately is vexing employers and their staff right now!) and drag pantos at Christmas parties, this conversation has everything, and a few surprises.

Find out why Rachel was kettled by the Metropolitan Police outside Miss World in her younger years, while Simon fondly remembers being “bullied” by bolshy feminists into joining activism life-changing, he insists! Together they dive headfirst into the messy business of workplace activism, staff networks, and how companies are struggling to balance societal debates with core business objectives.

Expect insightful banter, playful disagreement, and a healthy dose of practical wisdom as they explore whether activism at work builds belonging or creates division, and why some issues spark genuine progress while others ignite polarisation. Is your CEO secretly terrified of town halls? Could your company accidentally silence the majority while amplifying a few loud voices? And just why are women’s networks sometimes named so awkwardly?

Join Rachel and Simon as they fearlessly unpack this sensitive, complex topic with humour, empathy, and (of course!) courageous candour.

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our second episode on the Supreme Court Judgement on the meaning of sex in the Equality Act, Rachel and Simon again explore the complexities. The re-statement of the law by the Court is crystal clear. But the reaction has ranged from the practical and sensible to the defiant and the downright defamatory. And from some people who should know better. Why did one of the leading law firms in the UK host a session where the Supreme Court Judges were described by a panellist to laughter as “f******g idiots”? Who shouted what insult at Simon on the bus? Why was Rachel’s conversation with a bricky on the train so surprising? What's the article with the best legal advice that we've found so far? Why should leaders be very cautious about them or their company grandstanding on the issues rather than remaining impartial and lawful and practical? Which is the best and most straightforward advice to be found for leaders navigating all this? More conversation and common sense from R&S on a subject to which we will undoubtedly return

Links:

Joanne Moseley - Irwin Mitchell

Do retailers have to provide single sex toilets and changing rooms for their customers and staff?

https://www.irwinmitchell.com/news-and-insights/expert-comment/post/102kb9l/do-retailers-have-to-provide-single-sex-toilets-and-changing-rooms-for-their-cust

Strathclyde Uni Law Blog

https://www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/lawschool/blog/genderdoesntmatter/

https://www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/lawschool/blog/gendermatters/

Times Editorial: Opponents of trans ruling should put pragmatism over ideology

Supreme Court judgement: For Women Scotland Ltd (Appellant) v The Scottish Ministers (Respondent)

EHRC Statement: An interim update on the practical implications of the UK Supreme Court judgment | EHRC

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are you consulting? Why thinking about Parking Schemes will help you to do it well – honestly! Work is not a democracy? Don’t be kind, be clear. How do you make staff feel genuinely involved while being straight forward that it’s you who will take the final decision? How do you keep those who don’t agree with your decision on side? How do you say ‘No’. Can you cope with not being liked? All this and more as Rachel and Simon find the complexity in consultation. Is it a bit of a dry topic? Not the way we talk about it. Helpful hints, some more stories from our own experience and time to take out for you just to reflect.

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is A Woman?

The Supreme Court judgement of April 16th has sent shockwaves through the national conversation about women's rights, where trans people stand, what single sex services and sports mean and what are the actual obligations for employers and organisations to their staff and the public. The noise is incredibly loud… So, if you need some calm about all this, listen to Rachel and Simon’s first of two episodes on the judgement where we will explore what the judgment actually said - and of course what it didn’t (beware of what you read and hear in all media), how we got here and what it means in practice.

Simon, one of the co founders of Stonewall, tells the story of their significant role and tells of his sadness about how they’ve turned their back on the legacy of how they achieved equality for lesbians and gay men up to 2014. And how leaders need to look to the law not lobby groups to ensure rights for their staff to protect their organisation.

Rachel explores what "woman” means in policy making, politics and organisational leadership and what it means to her personally through her deeply personal account from her recent medical experience and where she draws the lines around biological men and trans-women involved in her care.

Listen, like and share

https://supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc_2024_0042_judgment_aea6c48cee.pdf Yes it is long, but for a Court Judgement it is well written in terms of clarity for those of us who are not lawyers.

https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-and-opinion/clarifying-definition-of-woman-in-the-equality-act/5123032.article Article worth reading. Particularly around the implications for trans men and women historically and now in relation to equal pay claims.

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/media-centre/interim-update-practical-implications-uk-supreme-court-judgment Interim update from the U.K. Equality and Human Rights Commission

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.