Diverse Matters

Diverse Matters Diverse Matters is a diversity and inclusion consultancy that works with organisations to embed diversity and inclusion within their practices.

We use a tailored approach to ensure that the services required meets the specific needs of the organisation.

18/09/2026

What happens when menstruation meets the workplace?

For millions of people, menstruation is simply part of life. Yet our workplaces do not always make it easy to talk about, manage or ask for support when it is needed.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 16.7 million women aged 16 and over were in employment in the UK in May–July 2026. So why is menstrual health still something we can find difficult to discuss openly at work?

In the upcoming episode of Diverse Talk Matters, Natasha Broomfield-Reid is joined by Chiara Cocco, a postdoctoral research associate working with Professor Kate Sang and the EDI Caucus, to explore research involving more than 60 women and people who menstruate.

And one of the important findings is this:
Sometimes menstruation itself isn't the biggest barrier. The workplace is.

Inflexible working practices, inaccessible environments and workplace cultures where people don't feel able to talk about their health or ask for what they need can make an experience far more difficult than it needs to be.

Menstrual experiences are also not the same for everyone. Health, age, job role, disability, race, neurodivergence, gender identity and other aspects of identity can all shape how someone experiences menstruation at work.

That is why this conversation needs to come into the light.

It is also why thinking only about menopause is not enough. Employers need to consider menstrual health as part of the wider reproductive health journey and ask a bigger question: Who is our workplace designed for, and where are we creating barriers without realising it?

In Episode 34, Natasha and Chiara explore menstrual health through the social model of disability, the role of workplace culture and flexibility, why policies alone are not enough, and how listening, co-design and evaluation can lead to more meaningful support.

🎙️ Episode 34 of Diverse Talk Matters: Menstruation Matters in the Workplace is coming soon, so watch this space.

In the meantime we invite you to listen, subscribe and share the conversation that are already available on our YouTube channel and your favourite podcast platform.



Being promoted into management is not the same as being ready to lead…Too often, people step into management because the...
17/09/2026

Being promoted into management is not the same as being ready to lead…

Too often, people step into management because they have demonstrated expertise in their role, without necessarily having had the opportunity to develop the skills needed to manage and lead others.

That raises an important question:
Are we giving people the development they need to lead well, or simply expecting them to figure it out as they go?

Effective leadership involves much more than managing tasks and meeting targets.

It requires the ability to communicate, build trust, navigate conflict, have difficult conversations, coach and develop others, lead through change and understand how different people experience the workplace.

These are not just ‘soft skills’. They are essential leadership capabilities.

At Diverse Matters, we design leadership and management development around the realities of your organisation and the people within it.

From inclusive and compassionate leadership to coaching, communication, confidence, conflict management, authentic leadership and leading change, our programmes help managers build the capability to lead people more effectively.

Because leadership development should not start when something goes wrong.

If you are developing managers, building your leadership pipeline or preparing people for their next step, let’s talk about what your organisation needs.

Get in touch with Diverse Matters to explore a tailored leadership and management development programme.



Episode 33 of Diverse Talk Matters is LIVE! Inclusive Schools: Turning Commitment Into ActionWhat does inclusion actuall...
10/09/2026

Episode 33 of Diverse Talk Matters is LIVE! Inclusive Schools: Turning Commitment Into Action

What does inclusion actually look like when the school day begins?
Not just in a policy.
Not just on an awareness day.
But in the curriculum choices we make, the voices we listen to, the behaviour we challenge and the decisions we make every day.

In this episode, Natasha Broomfield-Reid is joined by Gemma Hathaway, EDI Lead at Inspire Education Trust and Assistant Headteacher at Bluecoats School in Coventry, to explore what it really takes to turn a commitment to inclusion into everyday practice.

Together, they explore:
• Why inclusion needs to be part of the whole school culture, not confined to SEND
• What happens when schools genuinely listen to student voice
• How curriculum choices can create belonging through representation, identity and the ‘mirrors and windows’ approach
• The difference between visible EDI activity and meaningful change
• How schools can tackle racism, misogyny and harmful online content
• The role of care, compassion and safeguarding
• The questions teachers, leaders and parents can ask to understand how inclusive a school really is

With more than 16 years in education and a continuing role in the classroom, Gemma brings both strategic insight and practical experience, sharing examples from Inspire Education Trust and Bluecoats School.

Because an inclusive school isn't simply one that has the right policies in place. It is one that listens, reflects and is prepared to change.

Share this episode with someone working to make education more inclusive.
YouTube - https://youtu.be/Uz8MXi_QApc
BuzzSprout - https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2260784/episodes/19780680-episode-thirty-three-inclusive-schools-turning-commitment-into-action

09/09/2026

🎙️ Today we share another snippet from our next episode of Diverse Talk Matters which is coming soon!

For schools, inclusion cannot stop at awareness days, campaigns or statements of commitment. Those things matter, but the real work is embedding inclusion into everyday school life.

That means listening to students, challenging barriers, thinking about representation and making decisions that help every child feel they belong.

In this episode, Natasha Broomfield-Reid is joined by Gemma Hathaway, EDI Lead at Inspire Education Trust and Assistant Headteacher at Bluecoats School, to explore what turning commitment into action really looks like.

📌 Episode 33 Inclusive Schools: Turning Commitment Into Action will be out this week!

While you wait, catch up on our 32 episodes already available on your favourite podcast platform or our YouTube channel.

🎧 Listen, subscribe and share with someone working to make education more inclusive.

We’re excited to share some very good news… Diverse Matters has been shortlisted for the Inclusive Awards 2026! We’re in...
07/09/2026

We’re excited to share some very good news… Diverse Matters has been shortlisted for the Inclusive Awards 2026!

We’re incredibly proud to have been shortlisted for Consultancy of the Year, particularly knowing that we were selected from more than 1,000 nominations this year.

To have our work recognised alongside so many organisations and individuals committed to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion is something we’re genuinely delighted about.

A huge thank you to the Inclusive Awards organisers for recognising the work being done across our sector and for creating a platform that celebrates meaningful progress and impact.

The award ceremony details:

📅 Thursday 12 November 2026
🕡 6:30pm – midnight
📍 The Hilton Hotel Liverpool, Thomas Steers Way, Liverpool, L1 8LW

https://inclusiveawards.co.uk/tickets/

We’re looking forward to celebrating with everyone on the night and, of course, honouring the finalists and winners of the Inclusive Awards.

03/09/2026

Inclusion isn't about making every child the same.

And how boring would our lives be if we only spent time with people who looked like us, sounded like us and believed the same things as us?

In our latest Diverse Talk Matters teaser, Gemma Hathaway makes a powerful point about what inclusion really means in education.

If children encounter the same curriculum, the same perspectives and the same voices every day, but rarely see themselves reflected in what they are learning, we have to ask what that means for their sense of belonging.

Gemma suggests starting small.

Take just one lesson and ask:

"Whose voice is present?
Whose voice is missing?"

It is a simple question, but it can open up a much bigger conversation about representation, identity, curriculum diversity and belonging.

In Episode 33, Inclusive Schools: Turning Commitment Into Action, Tash talks to Gemma, EDI Lead at Inspire Education Trust and Assistant Headteacher at Bluecoats School in Coventry, about what it takes to move inclusion beyond policies and visible EDI activity and into everyday school practice.

This episode is coming soon, so watch this space.

In the meantime, catch up on previous episodes of Diverse Talk Matters on your favourite podcast platform or on our YouTube channel.

02/09/2026

As children return to school across the UK, our latest podcast episode feels especially timely.

Episode 33: Inclusive Schools Matter: Turning Commitment into Action explores what it really takes to create schools where every child belongs, every child matters and inclusion is embedded in everyday practice.

In this episode of Diverse Talk Matters, Natasha Broomfield-Reid is joined by Gemma Hathaway, EDI Lead at Inspire Education Trust and Assistant Headteacher at Bluecoats School in Coventry.

With more than 16 years in education, Gemma brings both strategic leadership experience and the perspective of someone who remains firmly connected to the classroom.

She shares powerful insights into student voice, curriculum diversity, belonging, representation and what it means to move beyond visible EDI activity and make inclusion part of how a school operates every day.

And, as this clip reminds us, there is a much bigger picture at stake.
“We're creating future leaders. We're nurturing future leaders.”

The young people in our schools today will become tomorrow's leaders. The question is: what are we doing now to ensure they experience education in environments where they can belong, be heard and thrive?

Episode 33 is coming soon, so watch this space.

In the meantime, catch up on previous episodes of Diverse Talk Matters on your favourite podcast platform or on our YouTube channel.

Today is Women’s Equality Day in the US, marking the certification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, securing women’s const...
26/08/2026

Today is Women’s Equality Day in the US, marking the certification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, securing women’s constitutional right to vote.

While this is a US observance, we feel it is important to stand in solidarity with women in the US as hard-won rights are being rolled back, with implications that extend far beyond US borders.

Today it also gives us an opportunity to talk about something that matters everywhere:

Women’s equality is still very much unfinished business.

In the UK, the gender pay gap for full-time employees was 6.9% in 2025. Women continue to earn less, progress less quickly and face barriers that men do not.
And for some women, those inequalities are compounded by other forms of marginalisation.

For example, disabled women earned a median £13.11 an hour in 2023, compared with £14.50 for non-disabled women and £17.08 for non-disabled men.
This is just one example.

If we are serious about equality, we need to understand how gender intersects with race, disability, age, class and other characteristics to shape people’s experiences and opportunities.

Because equality for women means all women.



At Diverse Matters, we offer personal development and leadership programmes that build the skills, confidence and self-a...
20/08/2026

At Diverse Matters, we offer personal development and leadership programmes that build the skills, confidence and self-awareness managers need to lead effectively and create workplaces where people can be themselves and perform at their best.

Our programmes include:
• Inclusive and compassionate leadership
• Communication, confidence and assertiveness
• Confidence building
• Coaching and mentoring
• Reverse mentoring
• Conflict and difficult conversations
• Leading change and motivating teams
• Professional boundaries and self-care
• Authentic leadership
• Talent and succession planning

We also offer Everything DiSC®, helping people understand themselves and others to build stronger, more effective working relationships.

And where your organisation has a specific challenge, we can develop bespoke leadership programmes, including around disability, gender and racial equity and underrepresentation in management.

Developing your managers is an investment in your people, your culture and your organisation.

If you’re looking to strengthen your managers or develop your next generation of leaders, get in touch to discuss what your organisation needs.



Human dignity should never depend on where you live, what you have experienced or the crisis you are facing.Today, 19 Au...
19/08/2026

Human dignity should never depend on where you live, what you have experienced or the crisis you are facing.

Today, 19 August, is World Humanitarian Day. It is a day to recognise humanitarian workers around the world, remember those who have lost their lives helping others and stand with people affected by conflict, disaster and crisis.

The day was established by the United Nations in memory of the 22 people killed in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August 2003, including humanitarian workers.

With conflicts continuing across the world, its message feels particularly important.

Humanitarian workers provide food, shelter, healthcare, protection and vital support in some of the most challenging and dangerous circumstances imaginable, often at considerable personal risk.

But at the heart of humanitarian action is something fundamental: human dignity. Every person deserves to be treated with dignity, respect and compassion, regardless of their circumstances.

Today, we recognise those providing support, remember those who have lost their lives and stand with the millions of people affected by conflict and crisis.

Because recognising our shared humanity is where inclusion begins.



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