Difficult Conversations is a podcast series in production with Chaos Created for I-REACCH (Inclusive Research Environment Achieved through Culture Change), a project at the University of Leicester working to change how research is done, informed by research, authentic voices, and the real experiences of staff and students.
I-REACCH is working to address the decline in diversity from postgraduate to professor and beyond, 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, creating space for the frank, sometimes uncomfortable discussions that meaningful change depends on.
The team wanted to bridge the gap between academia and society, taking important research out of papers and policy documents and into a format people would actually listen to. The goal is a series that feels honest and human, led by the lived experiences of those facing barriers, and accessible to an audience well beyond the university.
We’re producing the series end-to-end. Working remotely to keep things flexible and affordable, we handle studio-quality recording, guiding hosts and guests through a simple setup, then take care of full post-production, including editing, music, intros and outros. Alongside the audio, we’re producing artwork and promotional assets, and will manage distribution across all the major podcast platforms.
Hosted by Dr Gez Williams and Dr Kike Ladipo, the series covers 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 on her Catalyst for Change project and the everyday reality of harassment in universities.