We’re delighted to share that we’ve begun production on a new podcast series, Difficult Conversations, made for the I-REACCH study at the University of Leicester.
I-REACCH (Inclusive Research Environment Achieved through Culture Change) is a project set up to change how research is done at the University of Leicester, informed by research, authentic voices, and the real experiences of staff and students. Its mission is to address the decline in diversity from postgraduate to professor and beyond, by identifying and tackling the unique challenges faced by underrepresented groups, and building genuine pathways to progression and belonging.
The podcast gives that mission a voice. Across the series, hosts Dr Gez Williams and Dr Kike Ladipo lead the kind of frank, sometimes uncomfortable discussions that meaningful change depends on, covering harassment in research, rebuilding research cultures, positionality across different cultural contexts, the pressures of “publish or perish”, equity, diversity and inclusion, and allyship.
The first episode features Dr Amy Clarke, who we previously worked with on the Hidden Hate podcast. It looks at her Catalyst for Change project and the reality of harassment in universities: how often it goes unrecognised because it’s been so normalised, and why postgraduate researchers, part staff and part student, can find it hardest of all to come forward.
Bringing research to a wider audience
Difficult Conversations is the latest in our growing body of podcast work, following projects such as Shaking It Up with Parkinson’s and Hidden Hate. From remote studio-quality recording and full post-production through to artwork, trailers, dedicated podcast websites and distribution across all the major platforms, we handle the whole process, so our partners can focus on the conversations that matter.
There’s a brilliant line-up of guests recording over the coming weeks, with the first episode releasing later this year. We’ll share more as the series takes shape.
Difficult Conversations is produced by Chaos Created for the I-REACCH project at the University of Leicester.