The Quiet Revolution

In the Season 1 Finale of The Quiet Revolution, we travel to South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust. With 40,000 people in care and a staff of 3,000, the Trust is both a lifeline and a mirror of the inequalities it cannot ignore.
Host Joy Warmington speaks exclusively with senior and clinical leaders to explore a critical piece of the puzzle: what happens when leaders stop treating anti-racism as a theoretical project for marginalised groups, and start reckoning with what it demands of them personally?
From the visceral shock of the "doll experiment" to the PR nightmare of admitting "our organisation is racist," this episode tracks the journey from personal awakening to structural accountability. We explore why the fear of saying the wrong thing paralyses leadership, the radical act of simply believing staff, and how anti-racism is fundamentally linked to life-or-death clinical metrics, like detention and restraint.
Guest Bios:
Vanessa Ford is the Chief Executive at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
Ian Garlington is the Better Communities Programme Director.
Jenna Khalfan is the Director of Communications and Engagement.
Dr. Yvonne Hemmings is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist.
In this episode, we cover:
Unseeing the Norm: Why Ian Garlington described confronting racism as having "the skin peeled from your eyes."
The PR Taboo: Why a Director of Comms and a CEO decided to start telling inductees that the organisation has systemic racism.
Believing the Experience: Why organisations demand "proof" of racism, and the power of changing the default response to belief.
Clinical Outcomes: Why anti-racism isn't just an HR issue, it's about shifting the data on patient restraint, seclusion, and detention under the Mental Health Act.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
brap Website: https://www.brap.org.uk
Equality Republic: https://www.brap.org.uk/republic
Music Featured:
Melting Glass by Eden Avery
Floods
Neutral State by Blue Saga
Signs by Lennon Hutton
Missing Memories by Christopher Moe Ditlevsen
Fauna
This is a brap production by www.wearefieldwork.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"It's having the skin peeled from your eyes, because once you've seen it, you see it everywhere and you can't unsee it again."
What happens when white NHS leaders stop treating anti-racism as an intellectual exercise, and start reckoning with what it asks of them personally?
In the Season Finale of The Quiet Revolution, we head to South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust. We hear from Ian Garlington and CEO Vanessa Ford about the moments that shattered their illusions, and why the fear of "getting the language wrong" is no longer an excuse to stay silent.
Episode 5 launches Tuesday 7th April.
Subscribe to the podcast here: https://podfollow.com/the-quiet-revolution
#TheQuietRevolution #brap #NHS #AntiRacism #Podcast #Leadership
This is a brap production by www.wearefieldwork.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 4 of The Quiet Revolution, we step into the charity sector, a space defined by its values, public promises, and mission to do good. But what happens when that external promise collides with the messy internal reality of confronting inequality?
Host Joy Warmington explores the journeys of two household names: Comic Relief and UNICEF UK. We hear from Mabinty Esho (Head of DEIB, Comic Relief) about the grueling personal toll of leading this work as a Black woman, feeling like she is constantly stepping into a "boxing ring". Comic Relief CEO Samir Patel candidly discusses the fallout when the work moves from safe "diversity" to charged "anti-racism," and how a leader holds belief when teams start to lose hope.
Finally, UNICEF UK CEO Phillip Goodwin unpacks the tightrope walk of integrity for a "white boss": how do you celebrate progress without dismissing the pain your staff is still experiencing?
Guest Bios:
Mabinty Esho is the Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Comic Relief.
Samir Patel is the CEO of Comic Relief.
Dr Philip Goodwin is the Chief Executive of the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK). Between 2015 and 2024, he was Chief Executive of VSO, a charity that brings together local, national and international volunteers to work alongside the world's most marginalised and vulnerable communities to build generational change. He was previously CEO of TREEAID, a development organisation working on agro-forestry in dryland Africa. He spent 11 years with British Council and held leadership positions in Kenya, Uganda, Pakistan and Belgium including being Regional Director for sub-Saharan Africa. Philip has been a community development volunteer in Timbuktu, Mali and a researcher on poverty issues at the Overseas Development Institute. He has a PhD and MSc in rural resource planning and environmental policy and a degree in agricultural economics.
In this episode, we cover:
The Illusion of Kumbaya: Why the naive assumption that anti-racism is just "the right thing to do" crumbles upon contact with reality.
The Boxing Ring: The immense personal weight placed on Global Majority staff tasked with fixing the system.
The "White Boss" Dilemma: The tension leaders face when trying to express pride in progress while colleagues are still suffering.
The Slow March of Progress: Why leaders must become architects of change, not just sponsors, and commit to the long haul.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
brap Website: https://www.brap.org.uk
Equality Republic: https://www.brap.org.uk/republic
Music Featured:
Melting Glass by Eden Avery
Floods
Neutral State by Blue Saga
Out the the world by Axon Terminal
Missing Memories by Christopher Moe Ditlevsen
Come to, Alan Ellis
The Great White North by Eden Avery
Hara Noda, Wood and Skin
Fauna

This is a brap production by www.wearefieldwork.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"It feels like you're being knocked out, but then having to come back again and enter that fight again."
When organisations commit to anti-racism, the stress is often channeled onto the people of colour leading the work.
In our next episode, we step inside the charity sector. Mabinty Esho, Head of DEIB at Comic Relief, speaks with profound vulnerability about the personal toll of this work, the challenge of keeping hope, and why it feels like stepping into a boxing ring every day.
If you want to understand the human weight of dismantling systemic racism, this is essential listening.
Episode 4 launches Tuesday 24th March.
Subscribe to the podcast here: https://podfollow.com/the-quiet-revolution
#TheQuietRevolution #brap #AntiRacism #CharitySector #Podcast #Leadership
This is a brap production by www.wearefieldwork.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 3 of The Quiet Revolution, we hit the pause button on the outside world to take you straight into the "brap engine room". If our previous episode showed you part of the practice of anti-racism, this episode gives you the map to navigate the territory.
Host Joy Warmington sits down with brap colleagues Cheryl Garvey and Lakshnie Hettihewa to break down the six core ideas that guide every part of their practice. We move past the desire for easy toolkits and checklists to explore what it really means to dismantle racialised thinking and challenge systemic oppression.
From the absurdity of judging human value by "ear size" to the necessity of looking at white-dominated power structures instead of just minoritised groups, this conversation unpacks the "jigsaw puzzle" of genuine equity. It is a rally call to realise that you are the system, and that disrupting power starts with you.
Guest Bios:
Cheryl Garvey and Lakshnie Hettihewa are senior brap Associates and long-time activists at brap, bringing decades of experience in navigating systemic oppression, community cohesion, and organisational change.

In this episode, we cover:
Dismantling Racialised Thinking: Why race is an idea, not a biological fact, and why we must constantly catch ourselves remaking it.
The Unexamined Norm: Why we need to stop looking at marginalised groups as the "problem" and turn our gaze toward how white power is held and used.
The "Tick Box" Trap: Why a "complexity mindset" is crucial, and how the desire for simple, scalable solutions prevents us from treating the root causes of racism.
Building a Coalition: Why anti-racism cannot be left solely to Black and Brown people, and why collectivising is our most powerful tool against oppression.
Disrupting Power: The realisation that you don't just exist within a system, you are the system, and making a different choice creates a ripple effect.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
brap Website: https://www.brap.org.uk
Equality Republic: https://www.brap.org.uk/republic
Music Featured:
Melting Glass by Eden Avery
Floods
Neutral State by Blue Saga
Ostinato Vieveri
Crucial Calculations by Gavin Luke
Out the the world by Axon Terminal
Fauna
This is a brap production by www.wearefieldwork.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.