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On today’s episode we’re joined by, author, activist, television presenter and personality, Katie Piper, who encompasses the true essence of being a leader.

Delving straight in to discuss the driving force behind the charity she founded, The Katie Piper Foundation, Katie explains that establishing a charity was never a route she expected to go down. A life-changing experience gave her clear insight of the support those dealing with burn injuries need. When her life changed overnight, she quickly became aware of treatments she needed that weren’t available to her in the UK. So the idea behind her foundation was born – to help make what she had to travel for, more easily accessible for others.

After a documentary about her story aired, Katie found that people wanted to help. She and her family paid any donations they received into a bank account with charitable status, with the view to donate this to other survivors of burns and enable them to receive the treatment she had in France. The generosity of these people was a healing experience for Katie and her gratitude to those who helped her was palpable.

As time went on, Katie’s platform expanded and support never stopped. Eventually, The Katie Piper Foundation became a formalised charity, and she and her team worked on setting up mentoring and workshops, eventually leading to opening their very own centre, enabling treatment to happen in the UK instead of abroad.

From being in a coma and having to rebuild her life, to becoming a best-selling author among so many other achievements, Katie’s excitement for life and love for connecting with people is infectious. When discussing the importance of consistency and showing up for ourselves, her words are incredibly powerful – “trauma is a part of life, but it doesn’t have to be a life sentence”.

As Katie shares her closing messages with us, she encourages listeners not to fear the dark times and instead to embrace them. Some of the best times of your life will be the hardest ones, but they can be a catalyst for change – something Katie proves in her own experiences. “Don’t just dream and wish, make it happen”.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:31 — 27.0MB)

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Today we’re joined by Roianne Nedd, Global Inclusion and Diversity Leader, motivational speaker, and author of ‘The Trusted Black Girl’.

Taking us right back to the beginning, Roianne tells us about her childhood within a patriarchal society in Guyana, born to a family with incredible work ethic. Her father part of the second generation free of slavery, her grandmother a descendant of Indian indentured workers – Roianne explains that her multicultural background provided her with a mindset that you can achieve anything if you work hard… and that’s exactly what she did.

As the conversation progresses, Roianne delves into the elements of her leadership style and how she developed this, including the part active listening plays. Discussing the actions we need to take with regards to diversity and inclusion, Roianne touches on the importance of seeing talent in a different way, and ensuring organisations take time to step back and look at the people they need to bring in for the next generation.

Moving on to talk about her book, ‘The Trusted Black Girl’, Roianne tells us the concept, including the twists and turns she took while writing, and the philosophical shift that occurred when she realised the audience for the book should not be black women as she’d originally thought. As she recalls being told by colleagues that they would ‘forget she was black’, Roianne discusses the realisation that she had transcended race for people, the internal battle this created, and the meaning behind the name of her book.

Speaking about the work she does with women in Guyana, the importance of expecting more, the collective courage that drives change and so much more, this show is as powerful as it is inspiring. Listen now.