• 57 minutes 55 seconds
    Complexity of Mother - Daughter Relationship


    Social Workers Matter  - Episode Notes


    Content Warning
    This episode contains honest, detailed discussion of childhood emotional neglect and physical abuse, and touches on pregnancy loss by choice. Karen's story is raw and, at times, harrowing. This is not easy listening. Please take care while listening, and consider whether now is the right time for you - it's absolutely fine to pause or come back to it when you're ready.


    Episode Summary
    In this deeply personal conversation, Karen shares what it was like growing up in Belize as the twin sister who was treated as invisible while her brother was treated as the centre of the family's world. She speaks candidly about the emotional neglect and physical abuse she endured, and how those wounds followed her into her own experience of motherhood - including a decision she made about a pregnancy early in her marriage, shaped by the same cultural and generational pressures she was trying to understand.

    What makes this conversation so powerful is not just the pain Karen describes, but where she has arrived. Across the years since, she has done the work of holding two things at once - understanding her mother as a woman shaped by her own hardship, while still naming the harm without minimising it. Karen shares that forgiveness has come to her gradually, a little more with each passing year, and that it has never required her to excuse what happened or pretend it didn't.

    This is ultimately a story about interruption - about a daughter who became a mother and chose, deliberately, what would end with her and what she would carry forward instead.


    A Note on Karen
    Karen has shown real courage in sharing this material. These are not easy memories to put into words, let alone offer to listeners. We're grateful for her openness and for her generosity in letting others learn from a journey that has clearly asked a great deal of her.


    Key Themes

    • Growing up in Belize within a Central American and Caribbean cultural context
    • Being treated differently from a twin brother
    • The emotional stakes of unequal expectations for sons and daughters
    • Emotional neglect and childhood physical abuse
    • The long-term impact of abuse on identity, relationships, and motherhood
    • Generational trauma and inherited survival strategies
    • Loving one's culture while challenging harmful traditions
    • Becoming a mother and confronting one's own childhood
    • Seeing a mother as a complex woman without absolving her
    • Forgiveness as a gradual, ongoing process rather than a single decision
    • Transforming inherited wounds into intentional strength
    • Choosing what to pass on to the next generation


    Questions to Sit With

    • What does it mean to forgive someone a little more each year, rather than all at once?
    • How do you hold a parent accountable while also understanding the forces that shaped them?
    • What patterns have you noticed being passed down in your own family - and which ones are you choosing not to carry forward?
    • What would it take for you to offer yourself the same compassion Karen is learning to offer her mother?


    If This Episode Raises Something for You
    If anything in this conversation brings up difficult feelings or memories of your own, please be gentle with yourself. Reaching out to a trusted friend, a counsellor, or a support service is a sign of strength, not weakness.


    Thank You

    Thank you to Karen for trusting us with her story, and thank you for listening. Conversations like this one are part of how we break cycles - together. We look forward to the publication of her new book about her experiences.



    2 September 2026, 6:00 pm
  • 20 minutes 53 seconds
    A Tribute To Professor Jason Arday & Caring Is Not The Same As Thinking

    This episode opens differently. Before anything else, I pause to pay tribute to Professor Jason Arday, the youngest Black professor in Cambridge's history, who died after years of sustained public scrutiny. It's a moment to name a name, honour a life, and reflect on the particular weight carried by those who rise while being watched for a mistake.

    From there, the episode moves into a solo adaptation of the presentation I delivered for SCAPA, "Why Policies Fail Without Reflective Practice." Drawing on my doctoral work on Bion and Isabel Menzies Lyth, I unpack why even the best-written safeguarding policy collapses without the relational infrastructure of reflective supervision behind it, and what inspectors, leaders, and practitioners alike miss when they mistake procedure for practice.

    In This Episode

    A Tribute to Professor Jason Arday: I pause the usual format to honour Professor Jason Arday, who died in London following years of sustained media scrutiny after becoming Cambridge's youngest Black professor. Rather than relitigating the allegations made against him, this segment names the pattern beneath the story, using Menzies Lyth's thinking on institutions and anxiety to explore how public and organisational discomfort gets displaced onto individuals, particularly Black people who rise. A moment of stillness for anyone doing work that puts them in rooms they had to fight to enter.

    Why Policies Fail Without Reflective Practice (main segment). Adapted from my SCAPA conference session, this segment explores:

    • Why organisations can write increasingly sophisticated policy while practice on the ground quietly worsens
    • Menzies Lyth's Work on social defences against anxiety, and how bureaucracy can become a substitute for thinking rather than a support for it
    • What reflective supervision actually does when it's done well, and why it can't be replaced by a checklist
    • The difference between compliance and containment, and why "caring is not the same as thinking"
    • A grounding scenario (originally a live breakout exercise) inviting listeners to hold a case of their own, where the procedure was followed correctly, but the relational opportunity was missed
    • A closing three-level reflection: what this means for me, for my team, and for my organisation


    Key Themes

    #Reflective practice #Safeguarding culture #Menzies Lyth Bion & containment #Anti-racist practice #Institutional anxiety #Reflective Supervision #Leadership





    19 August 2026, 6:00 pm
  • 56 minutes 9 seconds
    Emotional healing, self discovery and connecting with the inner child

     In this episode, I sit down with Veronica Xavier-Leigh — author of The Mountain Beneath the Carpet: Healing the Little Child Hidden Within Us — for one of the most profound conversations we've had on the podcast.

    Together we explore:

    • Emotional Suppression and Childhood Trauma
    • Childhood Trauma and Adult Behaviour
    • Listening to the Inner Child
    • Pattern of Controlling Relationships
    • Personal Healing Journey
    • Faith Journey Transition
    • Self-Healing for Helping Professionals
    • Upcoming Book

    Veronica is open and generous about the hard lessons drawn from her lived experience, including her difficult marriages. Whether you're a practitioner, a leader, or someone simply navigating your own healing, her wisdom and insight will land.

    Find Veronica at https://veronicaxavierleigh.com/

    YouTube Channel: @Veronica Xavier Leigh - SoulRise Sounds for uplifting Lyrics, with every track being created to inspire, heal, and remind you of your strength.





    10 June 2026, 6:00 pm
  • 15 minutes 15 seconds
    Bringing Yourself: Use of Self in Social Work Practice - Solo Drop

    I've been away from this space longer than planned. 

    Life and loss asked something of me that I needed to honour first.

    I'm back. And the episode I'm returning with feels right.

    This is a solo episode. Personal. Reflective. And I hope, useful.

    I talk about a period in my career when I became the kind of manager I wouldn't have wanted for myself, not because I didn't care, but because nobody had given me the tools to lead differently.

    I talk about what use of self actually means in practice, not as theory, but as lived experience.

    I talk about why this concept is not neutral. For Black practitioners and leaders, bringing yourself has always carried a different weight.

    And I talk about what organisations must create, not as a luxury, but as a condition for people to do this Work sustainably.

    The Work is relational. Leadership is relational. And it begins with you.




    20 May 2026, 6:00 pm
  • 38 minutes 29 seconds
    Lifting as You Climb - Odeth Richardson

    Lifting as you climb: a conversation with Odeth Richardson


    Head of Service for Occupational Therapy, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust & Chair, Royal College of Occupational Therapists

    What does it look like to lead with purpose, replenish yourself honestly, and commit to leaving a profession better than you found it? In this episode of Social Workers Matter, Sylvia sits down with the remarkable Odeth Richardson, a trailblazing occupational therapist, published poet, and senior leader, for a conversation that is as warm and wise as it is professionally rich.

    From her childhood in Jamaica, where staying occupied with chores and daily activities was simply a way of life, to becoming the first Black Chair of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Odeth's journey is one of accidental leadership, intentional mentorship, and hard-won self-knowledge.

    IN THIS EPISODE

    What occupational therapy actually is, and why it's one of the most powerful tools for reducing inequality.

    The mentor who changed everything, and how Odeth now pays that forward.

    Stepping down to step up, the courageous decision to prioritise self-care over duty.

    Leading 36,000 occupational therapists across four nations, and doing it as a proud introvert.

    Poetry, baking, dancing — how Odeth truly replenishes herself

    The book, celebrating 'Caribbean perspectives in occupational therapy', has been three years in the making

    A live reading of Odeth's poem Like a Phoenix, inspired by Maya Angelou

    One of the most moving moments in this episode comes when Odeth reflects on stepping down as Chair of the Race Equality Staff Network after a decade of service. It wasn't failure, it was wisdom. She recognised that an empty cup cannot nourish others, and that the self-compassion she championed for colleagues had to begin with herself. It's a lesson that will resonate deeply with anyone working in the caring professions.

    Odeth also speaks candidly about the uneven distribution of stretch opportunities in the NHS, and why equity in development matters as much as equity in hiring. Her commitment to mentoring, whether through the Elizabeth Casson Trust, the Caribbean Writers Network, or her role as trustee at the Great North Children's Hospital Foundation, speaks to a leader who understands that legacy is built in people, not positions.

    GUEST

    Odeth Richardson

    Head of Service for OT, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Hospitals · Chair, Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Poet, Author of 'Reflections of an Island Girl'.

    If this episode moved you, share it with a colleague. And if you're a social worker, OT, or anyone working in health and care who sometimes forgets to fill their own cup, this one's for you.

    Reflections of an Island Girl by Odeth Richardson is available at Amazon here

    https://amzn.eu/d/07Fv7TGV




    22 April 2026, 6:00 pm
  • 45 minutes 55 seconds
    Caribbean Perspectives in Occupational Therapy in the UK

    Caribbean Perspectives in Occupational Therapy in the UK is a pioneering resource that brings cultural specificity into occupational therapy practice, centring the experiences and needs of Caribbean communities living in the UK. It is notably authored by occupational therapists of Caribbean heritage themselves, lending the work an authenticity and lived-experience grounding that sets it apart.

    The publication draws on biographical narratives and case studies to explore how cultural identity, heritage, and lived experience shape health outcomes and occupational engagement for Caribbean people in the UK. By weaving personal stories alongside practical applications, it bridges theory and real-world practice in an accessible way.

    A core theme running through the work is health inequalities — acknowledging the systemic and structural barriers that Caribbean communities face in healthcare settings and equipping occupational therapists with tools to address them more effectively. Alongside this, it champions cultural humility as a professional stance, encouraging practitioners to reflect critically on their own assumptions and to engage with clients in a respectful, curiosity-driven way rather than through a one-size-fits-all approach.

    The resource also emphasises social inclusion, recognising that meaningful participation in everyday life — the heart of occupational therapy — cannot be understood without attending to cultural context. At the same time, it celebrates the richness and vibrancy of Caribbean culture, framing it not merely as a backdrop to disadvantage but as a source of strength, identity, and resilience.

    For practitioners, the text offers concrete, actionable insights for continuing professional development, making it a valuable tool for both individual therapists and organisations working toward more culturally responsive and equitable care.

    In this SWM episode, we're joined by some of the great minds and committed colleagues, Dr Blaine Robin, Odeth Richardson, Jennie Alexander and Melisa Henry.  As the book's launch date draws closer, we will meet other contributors to this much-needed text.



    Caribbean Perspectives on Occupational Therapy in the United Kingdom: An Essential Practice Guide and Study Manual
    https://amzn.eu/d/04b1tnTr




    25 February 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 50 minutes 36 seconds
    A Different Valentines Message from Amja Unabashedly

    A Valentine’s Day to Social Workers

    In this powerful Valentine’s Day episode, Amja shares her transformative Self-Soothing Creative Steps (SSCS) framework—a lifeline born from her own journey through domestic abuse and a beacon for those who pour themselves into caring for others.

    The framework’s four pillars—support, self-love, spirituality, and security—challenge the extractive culture that demands women / social workers prove their worth through constant depletion. Amja speaks to a truth many recognise: the expectation, especially for Black women, to prioritise everyone else while neglecting themselves leads to burnout that serves no one.

    What makes this conversation revolutionary is its refusal to accept martyrdom as virtue. Asking for support isn’t weakness; setting boundaries isn’t selfishness. These are acts of preservation that enable sustainable, meaningful work. Amja’s background as both a service user and a consultant gives her unique insight into how organisational culture can either nurture or drain its people.

    The discussion addresses generational shifts in workplace expectations, in which younger professionals increasingly reject disrespectful treatment and demand compensation that reflects their value. This isn’t entitlement—it’s overdue recognition that caring professions deserve adequate resources and respect.

    Through art-led activities like “Let the Pen Speak,” Amja creates spaces for difficult conversations about harm and well-being. Her work reminds us that self-expression and reflection aren’t luxuries but necessities for those holding others’ pain daily.

    As AI threatens to further dehumanise work, this episode offers a counterpoint: What if technology freed us to bring more creativity, emotion, and humanity to our roles? What if organisations aligned their principles with employees’ well-being rather than extraction?

    This Valentine’s Day, Amja’s message resonates: true service begins with serving yourself. Only then can you offer others genuine, sustainable care.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​


    www.amjaunabashedly.com
    [email protected]
    "Let Art Be Your Becoming"




    10 February 2026, 2:00 pm
  • 1 hour 10 minutes
    I'm a new original - Antonia (Amja) Lee In Conversation

    Welcome to this new episode of Social Workers Matter, my guest today is Antonia Amja Lee  where creativity meets resilience and empowerment! Join us as we dive into Amja’s inspiring journey —a self-taught artist and motivational speaker who has transformed her life through art after overcoming the shadows of domestic abuse. In today’s episode, Amja introduces her innovative framework, the Self-Soothing Creative Steps, and shares how creativity can be a powerful catalyst for personal growth and advocacy.

    Prepare to be moved as Amja discusses how her artwork resonates deeply with audiences, tackling profound themes of self-love, cultural beauty standards, and Black identity. She reveals the transformative power of visual art to express complex ideas and foster understanding in our communities. 

    We explore her remarkable transition from focusing on trauma to embracing joy as a vital tool for healing and advocacy. Interestingly, discover her experiences in boxing and her current project, "Journey to the Ring," which honours stories of empowerment through creativity and movement.

    In this episode, Amja discusses:

    - Art as a Trauma Recovery Tool

    - Mindfulness and Personal Growth

    - The Power of Art to Connect and Inspire

    - Meaning and Audience Collaboration in Art

    - Black Artistry and Identity

    - Authentic Black Storytelling Through Art

    - Reclaiming Power Through Joy

    - Creative Empowerment Through Movement

    Amja's passion and joy are infectious, and her unwavering belief in her mission shines through every word. So, get ready to be inspired as we welcome Amja Lee—her love and light are sure to ignite your creative spirit!

    https://1drv.ms/b/c/6ae3883c84b04dc2/IQAAJLNZIG8TQbloh6SghJfaAXIl9rLnTTat1i6hymuDCashttps

    mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=f0b9e36446&attid=0.0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1848875935329232224&th=19a886de0f112560&view=att&zw&disp=inline


    www.amjaunabashedly.com     
    [email protected]
    "Let Art Be Your Becoming"





    19 November 2025, 7:00 pm
  • 1 hour 11 minutes
    In Conversation with Professor Prospera Tedam SFHEA

    In Conversation with Professor Prospera Tedam SFHEA
     
    Join me for an inspiring conversation with the remarkable Professor Prospera Tedam, from the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice at University College Dublin.  Professor Tedam takes us on a journey through her career spanning both academia and frontline practice, sharing insights which are sure to resonate with social work professionals, students, and those passionate about social justice.
     
    Professor Tedam opens up about her fascinating five-year experience working in the United Arab Emirates, offering her perspectives on how social work practice translates across different cultural contexts and what she learned from this vital experience.
     
    Professor Tedam is passionate about school social work as a specialism. She discusses:

    •  The tremendous value this field brings to children and their families
    •  How school-based social work creates impact in the lives of vulnerable children
    •  Why school placements offer enriching and invaluable learning experiences for social work students

    Professor Tedam created the MANDELA Model, which was designed to support and enhance the experiences of student social workers, with particular sensitivity toward Black and minoritised students who are not well served. Hear the story behind its creation and how it’s making a difference in social work education.
     
    Professor Tedam teases exciting upcoming research outcomes, scheduled for release in 2026.   
     
     
     
    Find Professor Tedam’s work available here:

    https://people.ucd.ie/prospera.tedam/publications





    5 November 2025, 7:00 pm
  • 1 hour 27 minutes
    A Promise-Driven Leader Dr. Andrea J. Boudreaux MPH, FACHE

    In conversation with Dr Andrea J. Boudreaux, a seasoned physician with a wealth of experience, she shares her insights on the pressing challenges within the U.S. healthcare system. In this thought-provoking episode, we dive into themes like trust, resilience, and the urgent need for change.

    Dr Boudreaux doesn’t shy away from discussing the stark realities of a broken system that often fails marginalised communities. Yet, amidst the challenges, she remains hopeful, embodying the spirit of a promise-driven leader. Her candid reflections on both her professional journey and personal experiences reveal the complexities of healthcare and the radical transformations needed to make it equitable for all.

    Get ready to be inspired as we explore how to navigate despair with determination and the importance of never giving up on creating a better future for healthcare. Listen to discover how one leader’s vision can spark change in an entire system!






    15 October 2025, 6:00 pm
  • 53 minutes 14 seconds
    Hugh Mayers

    This is episode 101 of SWM, and Psychotherapist Hugh Mayers is our special guest. In our conversation, Hugh shares details about his career, and we take a deeper dive into his interesting work with young men at HM Prison Feltham following a difficult period, as well as his work with several school Pupil Referral Units and his meaningful therapeutic work with young Black boys.

    Hugh can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and X, he hosts his own community radio talk show @https://erccommunityradio.co.uk/ to reach out to him directly, at [email protected]




    8 October 2025, 6:00 pm
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