The mic turns inward for a final time as we trace how a remote‑recorded show became a global home for honest stories about inclusion.

Host Lisa Mulligan shares the spark that started A Dog Called Diversity, the WhatsApp brainstorm that shaped the name and cover art, and the scrappy, reliable tech stack that kept conversations flowing across time zones.

This is a frank debrief on what worked, what was hard, and why ending now is the right call.

We walk through the big themes that defined the feed including:

• Disability in its many forms,
• Gender and sexuality,
• Indigenous identity
• Being an immigrant
• Data‑driven inclusion,
• Employee resource groups,
• Flexible work,
• Inclusive leadership, and much more.

Along the way, Lisa highlights three unforgettable conversations and opens the ledger on time and cost: pre‑chats, editing, hosting, social posts, and why video raises the stakes for independant creators.

There’s candour about surprises and sharing of stats that add colour to this creative medium.

If you’ve ever wondered how to start a podcast, how to keep one going, or how to end gracefully, this send‑off offers insights and practical tips.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

The Culture Ministry we specialise in building sustainable businesses through productive and effective work cultures.

We do this through:

🟡 Culture Audits, Surveys, Benchmarking and Data Work

🟡 Crafting Culture Strategy that connects with Organisational Purpose

🟡 Long term leadership programs to advance leadership teams in building sustainable and inclusive cultures. What that leaders say, do, and measure, has a massive impact on your culture and the sustainability of your business.

🟡 Providing structure and tools for Employee Resource Groups to be successful, and drive better business outcomes.

We love working with organisations who know change is needed.

Go to https://www.thecultureministry.com/ to learn more

Sign up to our newsletter.

If you enjoyed this episode and maybe learnt something please share with your friends on social media, give a 5 star rating on Apple podcasts and leave a comment. This makes it easier for others to find A Dog Called Diversity.

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What actually moves women into leadership? And what just makes work bearable?

Lisa Mulligan sits down with Dr Amanda Sterling to connect years of PhD research on mothers in leadership with a new survey of 212 women leaders across New Zealand.

The research asks the question on what makes the biggest different to women successfully navigating their career into leadership roles.

So what are the results? Listen in to learn why partner support and manager sponsorship top the list, followed by flexible work and targeted women’s leadership programs.

And what surprises were at the bottom of the list?

We talk about:

• How embodied experiences like pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and early caregiving, can forge stronger leaders through vulnerability and connection with others.
• How outdated leadership models that demand assimilation and overwork need to be reviewed, and
• The cost of traditional male/female norms such as intensive mothering, and male breadwinner scripts that quietly shape who asks for help, how care is shared, and who opts out of senior roles altogether.

Practical takeaways run throughout so listen in now!

Go to https://dramandasterling.com/ to download Amanda's research.

Support the show

The Culture Ministry we specialise in building sustainable businesses through productive and effective work cultures.

We do this through:

🟡 Culture Audits, Surveys, Benchmarking and Data Work

🟡 Crafting Culture Strategy that connects with Organisational Purpose

🟡 Long term leadership programs to advance leadership teams in building sustainable and inclusive cultures. What that leaders say, do, and measure, has a massive impact on your culture and the sustainability of your business.

🟡 Providing structure and tools for Employee Resource Groups to be successful, and drive better business outcomes.

We love working with organisations who know change is needed.

Go to https://www.thecultureministry.com/ to learn more

Sign up to our newsletter.

If you enjoyed this episode and maybe learnt something please share with your friends on social media, give a 5 star rating on Apple podcasts and leave a comment. This makes it easier for others to find A Dog Called Diversity.

A Dog Called Diversity is proud to be featured in Feedsp...

What if your workplace could be someone's only safe space to exist authentically? Martin King, founder of Pride Pledge, reveals how organisations can become sanctuaries for rainbow communities in ways that transform lives and businesses alike.

After nearly three decades in corporate HR roles, Martin experienced burnout that led to an epiphany. His passion for creating inclusive environments could become his purpose. Seven years ago, he founded Pride Pledge, now New Zealand's largest rainbow workplace inclusion consultancy, helping organisations of all sizes to create safer spaces for LGBTIQ+ people and customers.

Martin challenges our assumptions about where people feel safest to be themselves. "Our workplaces actually have the power to be the safest place for our queer communities," he explains, noting that many rainbow people must hide their identities outside work. This perspective shifts how we understand workplace inclusion—not as a nice-to-have initiative, but potentially as someone's lifeline.

The conversation explores how authentic leadership creates psychological safety. When leaders share aspects of themselves—whether it's their family responsibilities, cultural backgrounds, or sexual orientations—they signal that bringing one's whole self to work is valued. "Vulnerability is strength, not weakness," Martin emphasizes, explaining how this openness leads to innovation, better decisions, and richer conversations.

Against the backdrop of concerning global rollbacks in LGBTIQ+ rights, Martin offers hope and practical strategies: comprehensive training programs, inclusive policies, gender affirmation leave, measurement frameworks, and certification models. His mantra that "the rainbow creates a halo" reminds us that organizations visibly committed to LGBTIQ+ inclusion naturally become more attractive to all diverse talent.

Ready to make your workplace a beacon of inclusion? Connect with Pride Pledge to discover how small changes can create profound impact for your people, and your organisation.

Support the show

The Culture Ministry we specialise in building sustainable businesses through productive and effective work cultures.

We do this through:

🟡 Culture Audits, Surveys, Benchmarking and Data Work

🟡 Crafting Culture Strategy that connects with Organisational Purpose

🟡 Long term leadership programs to advance leadership teams in building sustainable and inclusive cultures. What that leaders say, do, and measure, has a massive impact on your culture and the sustainability of your business.

🟡 Providing structure and tools for Employee Resource Groups to be successful, and drive better business outcomes.

We love working with organisations who know change is needed.

Go to https://www.thecultureministry.com/ to learn more

Sign up to our newsletter.

If you enjoyed this episode and maybe learnt something please share with your friends on social media, give a 5 star rating on Apple podcasts and leave a comment. This makes it easier for others to find A Dog Called Diversity.

A Dog Called Diversity is proud to be featured in Feedsp...