Mariana Behr Andrade is a Leadership Development Specialist and Self Compassion Advocate who is also a Fellow at Harvard University. Mariana talks to Dr Mealey about her work on compassionate leadership, focussing in particular on the distinction between ‘resonant’ and ‘dissonant’ leadership approaches and informed by current scholarship in the field. She explains the importance of ‘psychological safety’ in teams and stresses the need for everyone to exercise self- compassion in their lives and ...
Jul 02, 2025•27 min
Alison Lowe, OBE, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime for West Yorkshire, talks to Dr Ann Marie Mealey about her journey to Deputy Mayor, her career and the life experiences that shaped what she supports and works on nationally and locally today. She gives a detailed account of her work as well as integrating her own personal story into the conversation. The combination of her life story and life’s work clearly shows how her values have been shaped and continue to drive her ambition and hopes fo...
Jul 02, 2025•36 min
In this episode, Dr Ann Marie Mealey speaks to a group of students from St Teresa of Calcutta’s Multi Academy Company about their values, their experiences of studying in a Catholic setting and what they would like to see from their local leaders regarding litter in the City of Birmingham and protection of earth globally. They also express their hopes for the future of St Teresa’s and for the next generation of students as well making some suggestions for global leaders, policy makers and others...
Jun 02, 2025•31 min
In this episode, Jamie Bykov- Brett, award- winning human-centric innovator, talks to Dr Mealey about his own journey in education which continues to shape his approach to AI -assisted learned. His values-driven approach is inspirational and thought-provoking in an age where we are seeking to understand learners and the workforce on a more individual basis. Jamie is a advocate for the use of AI in HE as it can cater for diverse needs of students. Jamie also gives some key hopes for the future of...
Apr 16, 2025•30 min
Devika Shekhawat, a social entrepreneur and founder of Dhara Shakti Foundation. With a decade of experience driving social impact, Devika also serves as a director at The Global Education and Leadership Foundation. She has worked as a project lead for Values 20 India in 2023 on behalf of the foundation. Her academic credentials include a Master's degree from the prestigious School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, equipping her with expertise to create lasting chan...
Mar 12, 2025•34 min
Andi Brierley is a Senior Lecturer and PhD researcher at Leeds Trinity University with a 15-year career in Youth Justice. His professional journey has been shaped, in part, by his own personal experiences with childhood trauma, family separation, care placements, school exclusion, heroin addiction, and the subsequent cycle of incarceration. Motivated by a sense of social responsibility to improve the lives of others facing similar challenges, Andi has written and edited four books focused on enh...
Mar 12, 2025•37 min
Dr Anshul Gupta holds a Ph.D in Human resources. Her research focuses on deriving an innovative dimension to manage Human Resources that is known as "Workplace Spirituality" in the Indian context. Her profile includes a mix of corporate and research experience. She has worked with Brands like Unilever, Essel group, Cadbury, ITC on projects like Competency Mapping, Career planning, Training and Development for values, content development for training, training the trainers, on boarding, managemen...
Feb 06, 2025•33 min
Dr Lampkin is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at York St John University where he have also worked as a Lecturer in Police Studies and Course Lead for the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) in partnership with Humberside Police. Prior to joining York St John, Jack was Programme Lead for the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) at Leeds Trinity University, working in collaboration with West Yorkshire Police. I have also worked as a Lecturer in Policing, Law, and Criminology at Teessid...
Feb 06, 2025•32 min
Alan Williams talks to Dr Ann Marie Mealey about his journey to being an advocate of values-driven leadership, his work as a business promoting values-driven behaviours in the workplace and for the world at large. The discussion also includes thoughts on the freedom of choice that is involved in becoming a values – driven professional and the need to have an informed conscience in the search for truth and understanding.
Dec 19, 2024•37 min
John Rainford frsa ftls talks to Dr Ann Marie Mealey about the need for emotional intelligence and values driving business and leadership in the future. He gives examples of how he has worked with companies to develop long term, sustainable business strategies that include care for the environment, values, EQ and financially rewarding outcomes.
Dec 19, 2024•45 min
Bill Barton talks with Dr Ann Marie Mealey about ethics and the law, his journey to setting up a business and his hopes for the law profession going forward. Bill also advocates for an inherent ‘respect’ for the law to be embedded into university provision and encourages everyone to be aware of ‘who’ they are as people. Character, values, and the just application of the law are important for a more hopeful future for everyone.
Dec 19, 2024•50 min
Nancy M. Rourke teaches courses in religion and ethics at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, NY where she is Assistant Professor of religious studies. Her research is in ecological ethics and health care ethics. Her most recent book is titled Ecological Moral Character (Georgetown University Press, 2024). Her forthcoming edited volume is The Locus of Theological Vocation (Orbis Press, 2026). She earned her PhD in theology at St. Patrick’s University of Maynooth, Ireland and presents on her...
Oct 23, 2024•47 min
Dr Neil Hawkes talks to Dr Ann Marie Mealey about his experience and journey to devoting himself to promoting Values-based Education (VbE) in schools and other educational settings. More widely, he also emphasises his wish to promote Ethical leadership and Values-based Living throughout society. To promote Values-based Living Neil founded the influential International Values-based Trust, known as ( The IVET Foundation ), and its educational arm Values-based Education (VbE). He is an Ambassador ...
Jul 29, 2024•42 min
Paul Charles, NLPAA, CIPD, Director of Organisational Talent Development at GBS, which is part of GEDU, speaks to Ann Marie about the need for values driving leadership, talent development, sport and people development. Paul discusses how the corporate sector can remain competitive whilst upholding values and ethics and that this is a credible position to hold in a business environment. Paul is an expert in leadership development and has worked extensively with England and Middlesex County Rugby...
Jun 10, 2024•34 min
Joseph Nelson, Pastor in the Lutheran Church in Great Britain and alumnus of Leeds Trinity University, discusses the need to reflect carefully on the advent of AI technology in light of the CST principle of human dignity and the work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Joseph provides a very insightful presentation of the issues as they stand right now and suggests that we need to participate in the ethical discussions and reflect together on the criteria needed to really understand the ethics of AI and kno...
May 24, 2024•40 min
Professor Neil Messer, Professor of Theological Bioethics at Baylor University in Texas, gives a fascinating lecture on neurotechnologies and the common good. Neil’s talk is expertly crafted to give everyone the science and the theological and ethical frameworks that we need to make the distinction between what might be considered as the good ‘therapeutic’ use of AI in health care and what might be simply ‘enhancement’ for enhancement’s sake. The questions raised by Neil’s research are relevant ...
May 24, 2024•40 min
Dr Catriona Russell, Assistant Professor of Ethics in the School of Religion at Trinity College Dublin, takes us on a journey back to the meaning of the word techn é so that we can be re-introduced into what the etymology of the word technology is. She then discusses the current marketisation of urban life and whether or not the idea of sustainability is authentically expressed in attempts to introduce technology in the city that will off-set our human behaviours that contribute to environmental...
May 24, 2024•48 min
CHARLES FOWLER chairs the Human Values Foundation, which uses positive values to promote young people’s social and emotional development, helps run the UK Values Alliance and is project partner of the Collaborating Centre for Values-based Practice for Health and Social Care at Oxford University. He is a delegate at Values20, the G20 engagement group, and Global Coordinator of World Values Day.
Apr 17, 2024•47 min
Professor Jackie Dunne, Vice- Chancellor of Birmingham Newman University, shares her leadership journey in Higher Education, offers advice and guidance to aspiring leaders as well as discussing how creating a sense of ‘community’ is essential for student development and learning. She also shares her thoughts on the mission and values at Birmingham Newman University along with some insights that resonate with her linked to Saint John Henry Newman. For Jackie, the ‘soul’ of a university can be see...
Feb 29, 2024•28 min
Professor Damien Page, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University, talks about what gives him ‘hope’ in the current HE climate whilst also sharing advice and guidance for our current student body on what he feels are important points to keep in mind for a positive future. Being a ‘disrupter’, asking questions as well as being critical of ideas and concepts is something that Damien mentions as being key to becoming employable in today’s job market. He also gives advice to the sector...
Feb 09, 2024•21 min
Christine Allen, Director of CAFOD, (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development), shares her own leadership journey as well as what gives her hope in the world and in what she is leading as part of CAFOD’s global mission. She also explains CAFOD’s role in raising awareness at events such as COP28 (which took place in Dubai this year) as well as sharing some examples of how her team have made a difference to people's lives in poverty stricken areas around the world. Faith in action is what this pod...
Feb 09, 2024•35 min
Tom Riordan CBE – leader of Leeds City Council – discusses the importance of the faith communities in Leeds and their contribution to the city during Covid lockdown in particular. He also discusses his own journey to senior executive positions at the Council and offers guidance and support to students as post-graduation. He also shares his ‘hope’ for education more generally in Leeds.
Dec 19, 2023•33 min
Sir John Battle shares his theological perspectives on hope and asks whether it matters whether we are rich or poor in the face of some of the most challenging moral problems of our time. Sir John also argues that people of faith should continuously ask questions about how their faith translates into action. He argues for what Jean Guillett (advisor to Pope Paul VI) called a ‘approfundimento continuo’ (i.e. deeping) of our perspectives so that we can continuously engage again and again with trut...
Nov 21, 2023•35 min
Professor Jane de Gay shares her insight on the mission and values of a Catholic University today and links it to the stages of enquiry about ‘faith’ and ‘conversion’ as described in the works of Virginia Wolfe. Jane engages in a profound, in-depth analysis of Wolfe’s texts in order to show the complexities surrounding professing a faith and links this to contemporary challenges that many experience today.
Nov 21, 2023•44 min
Anthony McClaran, Vice-Chancellor at St Mary’s University in Twickenham, shares his thoughts on the mission and purpose of the Catholic University as well as aspects of his own journey to executive level leadership. Listeners will be inspired by his honesty about the highs and lows of leadership as well as his description of what he loves about HE, especially when he see students graduate. He closes the interview with some hopes for the future of Catholic HE as well as for the sector as a whole.
Nov 21, 2023•33 min
Catherine Herring from Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College explains how and why she set up the Leadership Award for students at Notre Dame to develop character virtues and to develop as leaders whilst making a difference to their school context, their peers and their communities. Students also give their views on the award and on how transformative it was for them as students.
Oct 16, 2023•52 min
John gives a poetic outline of the concept of friendship as the seedbed for spiritual learning and synodality in the contemporary Church context. The experience of friendship plays a very important role in how people access, and welcome truth in their lives and along their path towards transformation. Friendship is a form of peer-ministry. There can be no social friendship without personal friendship in the laboratory of life and everyday life.
Oct 16, 2023•43 min
Dr Mealey draws out the significance of the principles contained mainly in Laborem Exercens about human dignity and how it can help the challenges of the contemporary HE sector to highlight the intrinsic value of everyone and to re-position how some of the tensions regarding pay, zero hours contracts, working conditions and how people feel about themselves at University can be overcome. When people feel valued, respected and part of the common good, a shift in culture can take place which can le...
Oct 16, 2023•41 min
Kate Adams, Professor of Education at Leeds Trinity University, shares her research on children’s spirituality. She gives an in-depth account of the literature in the field of spirituality and suggests that the school curriculum should provide more opportunities for children to explore concepts such as spirituality and advises us to ‘listen’ to, and to engage with, children’s experiences as much as possible. Dr Ann Marie Mealey gives her thoughts on the matter as part of the introduction and the...
Jul 14, 2023•48 min
Nicolas Vergier, from the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), shares his reflections on the nature and purpose of a Catholic university. A concept that is often misunderstood in today’s world and, at times, within the HE sector itself, this podcast should help to promote a positive vision for the ‘good’ that the Catholic university is called to do in the world. Dr Ann Marie Mealey shares her own reflections on what it means to those who work and study at a Catholic universi...
Jul 14, 2023•28 min
