Nourishing minds

We know that if our people feel safe, respected and continuously growing, the work we deliver for our community and customers is better. That’s why our ongoing programme of lunch and learns isn’t just a perk; it’s a vital part of building the psychological safety, inclusion, and equity we strive for.

These informal and optional sessions bring our team, freelancers, and partners together to explore topics designed to expand our perspectives and enhance our capabilities. Here’s a look at three sessions that helped drive connection and growth this year:

Finding the funny: leading with play and kindness

Session focus: Harnessing creativity, humour, and empathy in leadership and teamwork.

We were thrilled to be joined by Em Stroud, The Comic Coach. Em, an author, speaker, and coach, is passionate about the power of laughter and kindness and uses her background in comedy to help leaders bring more play into their everyday lives.

This session was a powerful reminder that complex, serious work doesn’t have to mean being serious all the time. By encouraging a mindset of play, we can lead, inspire and engage more authentically. The tools we learned are directly applicable to cultivating a safe environment where creativity flows and people feel comfortable sharing new, sometimes vulnerable, ideas.

Navigating challenging conversations with COAST

Session focus: Equipping the team with practical tools for effective feedback and conflict resolution.

As a growing, remote-first team, transparent and constructive communication is more important than ever. We welcomed the London Speech Workshop to introduce the COAST tool—a powerful, straightforward model for having potentially challenging conversations or giving feedback.

The framework uses the acronym C.O.A.S.T.:

• Connecting: Creating receptivity so the other person is open to hearing the feedback.

• Observing Facts: Sharing what isn’t working using clean, non-evaluative language.

• Asking Them: Finding out their story and perspective.

• Sharing Impact: Explaining the consequences for you or the project.

• Taking Steps: Outlining desired results and co-creating an action plan.

This session gave our team a shared language and process to navigate disagreements constructively, strengthening our culture of mutual trust and respect.

Designing with empathy: Inclusive co-design

Session focus: Deepening our understanding of trauma-informed and inclusive research practices, especially when working with vulnerable populations.

Our work revolves around delivering accessible digital products for charities and universities, which means frequently engaging with underserved populations. Charley Pothecary from Inclusively – a collaborator we’ve partnered with – shared her deep experience on inclusive research and co-design, particularly with children and young people.

Charley stressed that to ensure research is truly caring and inclusive, we must co-design the co-design approach with people who have lived experience. Key learnings that reinforce our commitment to trauma-informed practices include:

• Safeguarding and support: Always have a mental health first aider and clear safeguarding protocols for both participants and researchers.

• Informed consent: Provide clear, participant-friendly information sheets that outline what will be involved and what topics will be covered, making it clear they don’t have to share their personal story.

• Follow-up: Always ensure participants see the impact of their time by following up with project updates and findings.

These sessions don’t just teach us what to do, but how to approach our work with greater empathy and skill, which is critical to fulfilling our social impact mission.