This is a special International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025 episode of Transform and Lead. With everything happening in the US and growing noise here in Australia, I wanted to see if we could have a sensible conversation on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). It's too important to see it topple and find ourselves in the same situation yet the conversation is getting messy and worse, it's becoming about men rather than the patriachy (they're not the same thing). This year’s IWD theme, “Accelerate Action”, isn’t about lip service—it’s about doing the work to create workplaces where everyone can thrive.

️ In this episode, I share:
✔️ My personal experience seeing some of the fallout from DEI going wrong.
✔️ Why DEI shouldn’t be divisive—how we move from an “us vs. them” mindset to real, inclusive leadership.
✔️ Three areas of DEI that are at risk of getting lost in the noise: equal parental leave for fathers, workplace flexibility for everyone (not just parents), and fixing leadership pipelines so the next generation doesn’t hit the same barriers.
✔️ Four actions leaders can take right now to support DEI in a way that actually works—without backlash, performative gestures, or exhausting “tick-the-box” exercises.

This episode is about real stories, real change, and real leadership—because DEI isn’t about guilt or exclusion, it’s about making workplaces better for everyone.

What are your thoughts? How are you accelerating action this International Women’s Day? Drop me a message or share your insights!

️ Hit play and let's get into it!

Music by audionautix.com

References:

• The Broken Rung - https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace


• DEI Isn’t Working. Inclusive Economics Might - https://time.com/7022544/inclusive-economics-dei-impact-business/


• Why longer paternity leave is a step forward for gender equality - https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/12/parental-leave-equal-rights-for-women-and-men/


• Paid paternity leave should be the norm in the US - https://www.weforum.org/stories/2020/11/paid-paternity-leave-in-the-united-states/


• AIFS Fathers and parental leave - https://aifs.gov.au/resources/short-articles/fathers-and-parental-leave


• What is DEI and why is Trump opposed to it? - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/24/diversity-backlash-what-is-dei-and-why-is-trump-opposed-to-it


• Rollback on diversity policies ‘risks undoing decades of progress’, says Co-op - https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/14/ditching-diversity-risks-progress-co-op


• Rollback on diversity policies ‘risks undoing decades of progress’, says Co-op - https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/14/ditching-diversity-risks-progress-co-op


• Could Japan's paternity leave policy narrow the gender gap? - https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/10/could-japans-paternity-leave-policy-help-narrow-the-gender-gap/


• Paternity leave increases life satisfaction for women - new study - https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/03/earmarked-paternity-leave-increases-parental-wellbeing/


• Why diversity matters 2015 - https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/why-diversity-matters


• Diversity wins: How inclusion matters 2020 - https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters


• Diversity matters even more: The case for holistic impact 2023 - https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-matters-even-more-the-case-for-holistic-impact


• Why Diversity Programs Fail - https://hbr.org/2016/07/why-diversity-programs-fail


• https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_departments/Parliamentary_Library/Research/FlagPost/2021/April/Quotas_for_women_in_parliament


• https://pathwaystopolitics.org.au/knowledge-hub/scorecard-women-political-representation/#federal


• https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/women-still-underrepresented-in-australian-parliaments/