Beckett Talks: Recent Episodes
Leeds Beckett University
Introducing a new podcast sharing voices from across Leeds Beckett University. Hear from some of our world-leading researchers, how they’re transforming the world around us today and how they aspire to create a better tomorrow.
Join Tanya Arnold for a very special episode celebrating the remarkable people inducted into the Leeds Beckett University Sport Hall of Fame.
More than 20 alumni were inducted in June 2026, recognising their outstanding achievements and lasting impact on sport and society.
Tanya speaks to Sir Kevin Sinfield CBE, Natalie Metcalf, Jamie Peacock MBE, Stuart Lancaster, Alexandra Bell and Ali Jawad about their careers, defining moments and the people and experiences that inspired them along the way.
Listen now to hear their stories.
Or you can watch the conversations here: https://youtu.be/Ypx6cUue7BE
In this episode of the Dancing Class Podcast, dance artist, choreographer and cabaret performer Josh Haigh discuses growing up in Rochdale, discovering dance through GCSE Dance, and navigating a creative career as a working-class queer artist. From finding safety and belonging in dance education after coming out as gay, to developing a distinctive artistic practice rooted in class, identity and performance, Josh reflects on the experiences that have shaped both his work and worldview.
The conversation explores perceptions of poverty, access to higher education, and the transformative role of dance as a vehicle for confidence and self-expression. Josh discusses his acclaimed student work Scum, which examined representations of working-class identity, and his ongoing involvement with the Leeds-based drag cabaret collective Glamour Pussy, where performance, humour and community come together in a distinctly northern and proud celebration of queer culture.
Date Recorded: 6th July 2026
Sound Recordist: Dr Laura Taylor
Editing: Dr Laura Taylor
Audio accompaniment: Dr Jess Blaise Ward
Audio accompaniment mastering: Michael Ward
https://oldwoollen.seetickets.com/event/glamour-pussy/the-old-woollen/3674897
In this episode of the Dancing Class podcast, choreographer and performer Keira Martin reflects on how her working-class upbringing in Barnsley, Irish heritage, and immersion in traditional dance have shaped her identity and career. Keira reflects on the power of dance as a space for belonging, self-expression, and social mobility, while sharing her experiences of navigating the arts as a working-class woman. The conversation explores class, culture, education, imposter syndrome, and the importance of representing overlooked stories and communities through dance. Ultimately, Keira celebrates dance as a force for empowerment, connection, and change.
Image Credit: Sean O’Connel
Date Recorded: 21st November 2025
Sound Recordist: Cody Mellor
Editing: Dr Laura Taylor
Audio accompaniment: Dr Jess Blaise Ward
Audio accompaniment mastering: Michael Ward
Tanya Richam Odoi reflects on her journey from a working-class childhood in Dundee to a successful career as a dancer, teacher, and craniosacral therapist. She describes how a chance encounter with community dance at Dundee Rep transformed her life, providing a sense of belonging, purpose, and opportunity during a challenging family period.
The conversation explores dance as a vehicle for confidence, social mobility, and self-discovery, taking Tanya from local community projects to Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Phoenix Dance Theatre, and DV8. She also discusses class, identity, imposter syndrome, and the importance of accessible arts provision for young people. Passionate and candid, Tanya argues that dance can change lives, build community, and offer opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.
Date Recorded: 27th March 2025
Sound Recordist: Igor Mieczkowski
Editing: Dr Laura Taylor
Audio accompaniment: Dr Jess Blaise Ward
Audio accompaniment mastering: Michael Ward
In this episode, Karen reflects on her career in dance, leadership, and cultural advocacy. She shares stories of family pride, professional recognition, and receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award, while considering the impact of her work across the Liverpool cultural sector.
The conversation explores issues of inequality, community, and the idea of "levelling up," with Karen arguing for approaches that celebrate local identity and strengths rather than suggesting communities need fixing. She highlights the vital role of arts and culture in bringing people together, fostering empathy, and creating spaces for dialogue and connection.
Karen also reflects on how experiences of race, class, and belonging have shaped her personal and professional journey. She discusses her commitment to increasing representation in the dance sector and supporting African and Caribbean artists, emphasising the importance of community, inclusion, and shared humanity throughout her work.
Sound Recordist: Dr Laura Taylor
Editing: Dr Laura Taylor
Audio accompaniment: Dr Jess Blaise Ward
Audio accompaniment mastering: Michael Ward
In this Dancing Class episode, Laura and Rachel host Farooq Chaudhry, who reflects on his journey from childhood in Pakistan to a career in UK dance, earning him an OBE. Farooq explains how he navigated poverty, racism, and the transformative power of education and art. He recalls being inspired by Namron and later supporting a young Akram Khan, taking bold risks to help launch his early works. He explains how his more recent projects confront barriers of representation and identity in the arts. The conversation explores resilience, vision, and creating space for all in dance.
Content Guidance: Light reference to abuse, crime
- Date Recorded: 17th June 2025
- Sound Recordist: Dr Laura Taylor
- Editing: Amelie Thomas
- Audio accompaniment: Dr Jess Blaise Ward
- Audio accompaniment mastering: Michael Ward
Inspired by David Bowie and raised in Walthamstow by Irish parents, Brendan Keaney’s journey into dance was anything but predictable. Keaney’s career took off in Wales with Jumpers (later NDCW) then led him to Ludus Dance, where he began developing educational strategies he describes as offering the kind of 'thinking time' many people associate with university. He describes how strong mentorship throughout his career within the Arts Council England, Greenwich Dance and at Dance East deepened his understanding of leadership in the sector. He praises these organisations as vital hubs for artistic growth and highlights the profound loss caused by closing schemes such as the CAT for young people who might never otherwise find their way into dance.
Date Recorded: 3rd July 2025
Sound Recordist: Dr Laura Taylor
Editing: Dr Laura Taylor
Audio accompaniment: Dr Jess Blaise Ward
Audio accompaniment mastering: Michael Ward
In this episode of Dancing Class, Laura and Rachel invite artist and researcher Kate Marsh to discuss her journey from growing up in Peterborough to becoming a dance professional and academic. Kate reflects on childhood encounters with movement, the impact of supportive teachers, and how class, disability, and identity continue to inform her relationship with dance. Kate discusses key mentors in her career, barriers to access, and the role of confidence and community in navigating dance and academia. The conversation highlights dance as both precarious a catalyst for empowerment and social mobility.
- Date recorded: 21st February 2025
- Sound Recordists: Dr Laura Taylor, Charlotte Ryan, Igor Mieczkowski
- Editing: Dr Laura Taylor/Amelie Thomas
- Audio accompaniment: Dr Jess Blaise Ward
- Audio accompaniment mastering: Michael Ward
In this episode of Dancing Class, pioneering hip hop artist Jonzi D shares how growing up in a creative family and discovering hip hop shaped his identity and ambitions. From early school performances to training at The Place, he reflects on navigating class and cultural barriers within the world of contemporary dance to carve his own path.
Jonzi recounts the creation of groundbreaking works like Aeroplane Man and Lyrical Theatre, which fused rap, poetry and movement, giving voice to political and social realities often absent from mainstream stages. He also discusses founding Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells, an international festival that redefined how hip hop is seen in theatre and challenged entrenched notions of “high” and “low” art, Jonzi speaks about identity, community, race, and the limitless potential he found in hip hop culture.
- Content Guidance: Light reference to drug use
- Recorded: 1st October 2025
- Sound Recordist: Dr Laura Taylor
- Editing: Dr Laura Taylor
- Audio accompaniment: Dr Jess Blaise Ward
- Audio accompaniment mastering: Michael Ward
In this Dancing Class podcast episode, Martin Hargreaves reflects on his journey from a working-class upbringing in Wallasey near Liverpool to becoming Head of the Rose Choreographic School at Sadler’s Wells. Raised in a family with little direct connection to the arts, his early exposure to dance came indirectly through his sister’s ballet classes and films like West Side Story. He discusses how dance shaped his sense of identity and confidence as a queer teenager, and how it has remained central to his life through writing, teaching, and critical engagement.
- Image Credit: Jason Dimmock
- Content Guidance: Recorded 14th March 2025
- Sound Recordist: Charlotte Ryan
- Editing: Dr Laura Taylor
- Audio accompaniment: Dr Jess Blaise Ward
- Audio accompaniment mastering: Michael Ward
In this episode of Dancing Class, dance artist Sarah Blanc vibrantly explores her journey from a council estate in Waterford, Ireland, to becoming a freelance choreographer and performer in the UK. Sarah shares candid reflections of navigating the challenges of class and access alongside themes of ambition, identity, imposter syndrome, and the freelance hustle. The discussion is wrapped in Sarah’s humour and warmth. Recorded in binaural sound, this immersive episode invites listeners to reflect on how dance and class identity can shape careers in the UK.
Content Guidance: Bi-neural
In this episode of Dancing Class, choreographer Gary Clarke shares his journey from growing up in the mining village of Grimethorpe to founding his own dance company. Gary reflects on childhood memories of the miners’ strike, discovering movement through rave culture and baton twirling, and the teachers who helped him along the way. He shares stories of training at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, performing with Lea Anderson, and creating politically charged works like Coal and Wasteland. The conversation explores resilience, class, creativity, and how dance can tell working-class stories.
Content Guidance: Reference to drug use
In this episode of Carnegie Conversations, Tanya Arnold looks at why women remain under-represented in coaching and why the answer isn’t simply “more programmes.” With Leanne Norman (Director of the Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub), Annette Stride (Director of Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society), and Vicky Huyton (Female Coaching Network), the discussion unpacks the stubborn numbers and the tougher truth behind them: many women who do enter coaching report poor experiences, from exclusion and discrimination to bullying and unsafe cultures.
The guests argue the focus must shift from fixing women to fixing the system... pay gaps, costly CPD, informal recruitment networks, and job designs built around the “unencumbered worker.” They also challenge the idea that women should only coach in women’s sport, pointing to the National Football League as an example of how deliberate intervention can normalise women in elite roles.
Listen now to learn how we can begin to reimagining coaching culture!
In this episode of Carnegie Conversations, Tanya Arnold explores the world of elite boxing performance and how strength and conditioning, sports science, and biomechanics are shaping modern fight preparation. Joined by two-time world featherweight champion Josh Warrington, strength and conditioning coach Andrew Langford, and senior lecturer in sport and exercise biomechanics, Dr Alex Dinsdale (Leeds Beckett University), the discussion reveals what it really takes to perform at the highest level.
Discover how Josh’s training has evolved into a data-led approach focused on building power, speed, conditioning, and recovery at the right time in camp. The panel breaks down the challenge of increasing punch power without losing endurance, managing fatigue, and making weight... while highlighting why collaboration between athlete, coach, and sport science is crucial.
Listen now to learn how boxing, strength & conditioning, performance testing, and recovery come together to prepare for the rematch!
In this episode, Tanya Arnold dives into the groundbreaking technology of instrumented mouthguards. These cutting-edge devices measure head acceleration to help detect and prevent head injuries in rugby. Professor Ben Jones (Leeds Beckett University), Ross Tucker (World Rugby), and Karl Hogan (Prevent Biometrics), reveal how reveal how this technology works, the science that proves it, and what it means for the future of the sport.
Discover why real-time data is changing concussion protocols, what adoption of this technology looks like across men’s and women’s rugby, and how this innovation could shape the future of contact sports worldwide. From elite athletes to grassroots players, this conversation reveals the long-term vision for reducing risk and protecting players.
Listen now to learn how technology, research, and sport are coming together to tackle one of rugby’s biggest challenges.
Join Tanya Arnold as she brings you a very special episode, we celebrate the remarkable people who’ve passed through the doors of the Leeds Beckett University. Nearly 40 alumni have been inducted into our first Sport Hall of Fame, including Alistair Brownlee, Laura Weightman, Emily Campbell and Paul Heckingbottom, to name just a few. Tanya had a chance to chat to a few of our inductees at the launch, listen now to hear their stories, insights, and inspirations as we honour their lasting impact on impact on sport and society.
Hannah Cockroft is a nine-time Paralympic champion. Nearly twenty years into her career, she’s still finding ways to get faster. In this conversation, she talks about how biomechanical analysis has helped her make small but meaningful changes. The kind of changes that give her those marginal gains… that keep her at the top of her sport.
In this episodeTanya Arnold is in conversation with para-athlete Hannah Cockroft, her coach Paul Moseley and Biomechanics Researcher, Dr Gareth Nicholson at Carnegie School of Sport.
- Dr Gareth Nicholson | Leeds Beckett University
- Carnegie School of Sport | Leeds Beckett University
How is Leeds City Council driving the play agenda? Ali Long, course leader of playwork and childhood development at Leeds Beckett University, talks to Leeds City Council’s playwork strategy officer, Jen Rutherford about the impact of Child Friendly Leeds, the opportunity for the sector presented by the Play Festival, the power of play streets and, of course, our wonderful students.
Emma Bearman of Playful Anywhere is a driving force advocating for all things force for playful and creative in Leeds. In this episode Ali Long talks about Emma's role as Chief of Play, Galaxy Division, what the festival of play means for the city and what the city can expect during the fun-filled week.
Leeds is hosting its first ever festival of play and creativity. Drs Ali Long and Mike Wragg from Leeds Beckett University’s playwork and childhood development course outline why its important, what it means for the sector and the movers and the shakers to come in future episodes.
In the latest Leeds Law School podcast Dr Jill Dickinson, Reader of Law at Leeds Beckett is joined by Teri-Lisa Griffiths, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Sheffield Hallam University and Dr Lousia Ashley, Head of Subject (Postgraduate) at Leeds Beckett University to discuss Professional Development for Practitioners in Academia.
Dr Louisa Ashley, Head of Subject (Postgraduate) interviews Dr Jill Dickinson, Dr Agata Fijalkowski, Dr Suzzie Oyakhire, and Dr Anne-Marie Greenslade around the projects they’re working on, their motivations behind them, benefits and challenges to their research, and next steps for their work.
We are delighted to announce that the Obesity Institute and Obesity UK have just been awarded an NIHR grant to work together with South Asian women and the LGBTQ+ community to codevelop much needed tailored support groups and more inclusive research.
In the latest episode of the We Inspire series, Dr Fiona Fylan from the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing talks about the science of behavioural changes and how we can use research to determine people to make more sustainable choices.
In the latest of our series focusing on our academics, their research and its impact on students and communities, Dr Philomena Commons from the School of Health talks about the work she and her students are doing with St George's Crypt, a charity supporting the homeless population in Leeds.
In the latest of our We Inspire series, Dr Ah-Lian Kor from the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing explains how we can make more sustainable choices through the technology we use every day.
In the latest of our series focusing on our academics' research and its global impact, Dr Olayinka Ajala from the Leeds School of Social Sciences talks about the correlation between conflict and climate change and how this affects human security in Africa.
In the latest in our series focusing on our academics and their research, Professor Christopher Gorse from the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing explains how we can create more sustainable places and contribute to a better environment in our communities.
Andy Cunningham, a Masters by Research student in the Carnegie School of Sport talks about spending two weeks alone in the Scottish wilderness as part of his research on the impact of nature. He discusses the positive benefits of being outdoors and how we could appreciate the aesthetics more.
Professor Claire Surr talks to people living with dementia and their carers about their experiences of diagnosis and support.
On the night of 14 March 1941, Leeds suffered its worst bombing raid of World War II. In 2020, Leeds Beckett history students undertook a research project to look at the impact of this raid on the city and the lives of the people who lived there. In this episode of Beckett Talks, Dr Henry Irving talks to Leanne Speight, one of the students involved in the project, about what they learned. They are joined by Diana Bell, whose parents were married the day after the raid. She tells them about the impact the Blitz had on their wedding and its importance as a piece of social history.
Dr Nicole Whitworth explains where regional accents come from, how they develop and how they are perceived by others. Dr Whitworth discusses accents in other English-speaking countries and considers the future of the accent.
In the latest of our collection focusing on our academics, their research, and how this benefits our students through their teaching, Dr Mercedes Rosello discusses the role of the law in supporting healthy oceans and the communities that depend on them.
In the latest of our collection focusing on our academics, their research, and how this benefits our students through their teaching, Dr Peter Robinson talks about how we ensure tourists benefit the places they visit.
In the latest of our collection focusing on our academics, their research, and how this benefits our students through their teaching, Dr Karen Horwood considers how we can plan towns and cities better for women and girls.
In the first of a new collection of Beckett Talks podcasts focusing on our academics, their research, and how this benefits our students through their teaching, Alistair MacAuley discusses challenges facing the retail sector and the future of fast fashion.
Welfare and Community Officer Lucy MacDonald discusses how the university's students are benefitting from its involvement in the Student Minds University Mental Health Charter project.
This week on Beckett Talks we speak to Carnegie School of Sport PhD student and part-time lecturer, Richard Simpson, on his research around the psychological wellbeing of athletes. Richard also provides tips to help everyone look after their mental wellbeing during the winter months.
Professor Paul Gately, from the Carnegie School of Sport, talks about how Leeds Beckett and his company MoreLife are helping to tackle obesity in the UK. With 63% of the adult population and one in three primary school children currently overweight, national campaigns such as National Obesity Awareness Week and the Government’s Obesity strategy are becoming more important than ever.
New Year, same you. Dr Steve Taylor, senior lecturer in Psychology in the Leeds School of Social Sciences and bestselling author joins us to talk about new beginnings. Exploring his research in consciousness, spirituality, mindfulness and perception we discuss ways we can all be more present, positive and grateful for the lives we have.
Shona Hunter and Christi van der Westhuizen talk about their new book, the Routledge International Handbook in Critical Studies in Whiteness. It is a unique decolonial take on Critical Whiteness Studies, challenging its Western parochialism by bringing diverse scholarship from across the world into conversation about knowledges, subjectivities and the newly defensive whiteness of the Radical Right.
Can exhibitions help us to define the modern history of our towns? Dr Lisa Taylor and artist Catherine Bertola explain more about their Intertwining Threads project, and Bailiff Bridge residents Angela and George speak about the work’s impact.
Are you currently deciding which university to apply to? Abi, Laura and Owen share their top tips on how to choose the right university for you and provide support with your UCAS application.
To mark UK Disability History Month, Dr James McGrath looks into one of its main themes: hidden impairments and hidden disabilities. James also shares his own story of being diagnosed with autism as an adult and talks in depth about his works including Naming Adult Autism.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion manager Craig Downing talks to Rainbow Rose chair Dr Ian Lamond and postgraduate student Choj about challenges facing transgender and non-binary people, and how we work together to embrace a more inclusive environment for all.
To mark Remembrance Day, we look at the work Leeds Beckett’s Carnegie Great Outdoors does with The Royal British Legion's Battle Back Centre providing courses for wounded, injured and sick Service personnel to help them recover and rebuild their resilience.
Here at Leeds Beckett we want to support every student in getting the most of out their time with us. Katie, who has ADHD and mental health conditions, shares her experience of accessing support at Leeds Beckett. She discusses with one of the university Disability Advisers what support is available and how to access it.
When Mohamed Mohamed-Ali returned to a quiet house in Newhaven, Essex on the afternoon of Friday 12 February 2016, he knew something was wrong. Fatima, his wife of 34 years, was nowhere to be seen and had left behind her keys, phone and handbag. Nearly six years have now passed, but a team of students, academics and former police officers at Leeds Beckett University have taken up the case to try to discover what happened on that day and in the years since. If you have information that may help please contact: - Sussex Police: https://www.sussex.police.uk/ or call 101 - Cold Case Unit: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/leeds-school-of-social-sciences/cold-case-unit/ Use the ‘Express Your Interest’ form or click contact Kirsty Bennett
For Open Access Week, Ellie Clement and Amy Campbell from the Leeds Beckett Research Services Team talk to researchers Dr Chris Till and Dr Sofia Persson about the current Open Access landscape. Opportunities and challenges a round publisher’s Transformational Deals are highlighted along with the implications of major policy changes on research.
Following the abuse that Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka faced after the men’s European Championship Final in July 2021, Dr Thomas Fletcher (School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management) and Dr Daniel Kilvington (School of Cultural Studies and Humanities) talk to Professor Leanne Norman (Director of the Research Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society) about a new major Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project entitled ‘Tackling online hate in football’. Specifically, Tom and Dan discuss the need for this project, the scale of online hate in football and other sports, as well as how this project will contribute to tackling the problem.
Hear from Daniel Tidmarsh, director of LDC Radio, about the launch of his radio station, and how a partnership with Leeds Beckett brought LDC to its permanent location in Headingley Campus. In honour of Local Radio Day, Daniel talks about the importance of local radio and how Leeds Beckett students can work with LDC.
To mark Black History Month, counselling and mental health lecturer Maryam Riaz, from the School of Health, talks about her personal journey to becoming a psychotherapist and how important diverse role models are in improving inclusivity.
Hear from LBU graduates from the Classes of 2020 and 2021 about their Leeds Beckett experiences as they celebrate their achievements at our recent event on the Acre, at Headingley campus.
Leeds Beckett sustainability manager, Mark Warner explains how the university's policies, such as the student bike hire scheme, make a positive social, economic and environmental impact. Mark provides handy hints on recycling in Leeds and gives his thoughts on what the future of waste management looks like.
From fabrics to ethics, inspiration to recognition, Dean of Leeds School of Arts Lisa Stansbie, talks to award winning designer and Leeds Beckett senior lecturer Matty Bovan about his journey to the top of the design world and how he’s now helping to fuel creativity in the next generation of fashion designers.
Professor Rachel Lofthouse is the Director of CollectivED: The centre for coaching, mentoring and professional learning at the Carnegie School of Education. She joins us to talk about the importance of mentors for early career teachers.
Dr Peter Mills of the School of Cultutral Studies and Humanities reflects on the musical history of Roundhay Park in Leeds, beginning with 19th century brass bands and moving onto the series of huge arena pop concerts which began in the 1980s, coming up to the present day while also considering the park's musical future.
When beloved family man Joseph Shann left his home in East Leeds on 10 December 2010, there were no signs that he wouldn't be returning. Now a team of students and academics from Leeds Beckett University and former police officers are on the hunt for vital information that could help them to understand what happened on that day and in the months and years that have followed. If you have information that may help please contact: West Yorkshire Police - Use the Live Chat function online (https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/) or call 101 Crimestoppers 0800 555 1111 Cold Case Unit: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/leeds-school-of-social-sciences/cold-case-unit/ Use the ‘Express Your Interest’ form or click contact Kirsty Bennett
Making friends at university is something most students think about before they arrive. Steph and Heppni share their experiences of how they made friends and what social life at university is really like.
Moving into halls is an exciting time. Owen, Abi and Laura have all stayed in university accommodation and so have top tips on what to bring, how to make friends and what you can expect.
It’s time to prepare for university. Maria, Hollie and Tom share their experiences in the run up to uni and top tips on how to make that September start as smooth as possible.
We take a look at Clearing from a parents’ perspective. Hear from Charlotte, Denise and Sarah – all of whom are parents and who work at Leeds Beckett supporting students looking for a university place every year. Whether it’s useful tips on how to help your child prepare for Results Day and insights into how the process works, or how you can contact universities and secure accommodation, find out how you can support your son or daughter.
In this, the first of our short series focusing on student life current students Tom and Megan talk about their experience applying to Leeds Beckett through Clearing. They discuss why they went through Clearing, how the process works, the support available and top tips for students who are also thinking about Clearing.
From the frontlines at the Toxteth Riots to Special Branch during the Irish Troubles, Dr David Lowe is a specialist in counter-terrorism and globally recognised expert in the UK Government’s PREVENT policy. Now a Senior Research Fellow at Leeds Law School, here he recounts his fascinating career and experiences from the Police CID and Special Branch to university academic and advisor.
Leeds Beckett University are supporting one man’s attempt to row solo across the North Atlantic using only the stars to guide him. Listen to Professor John O’Hara and Dr Barney Wainwright, from the Carnegie School of Sport, talk about how they’ll support former SAS soldier Ian Rivers while he’s in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and how they’ve helped prepare him for the ultimate endurance challenge.
Leeds Beckett Student Lauren Delany is an elite Irish Rugby player, a Performance Nutritionist for Leeds Rhinos and currently studying a PhD in Sport and Exercise Physiology. Listen as she talks to us about her sporting journey, from Basketball to starting Rugby at 25 and her nutritional work at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. She also looks ahead to the future where she’s set her sights on the Rugby World Cup and using the platform she has to continue inspiring women in sport.
Professor Emeritus Kevin Hylton of Carnegie School of Sport provokes a need for a more critical personal and professional understanding of ‘race’ and racism.
Dr Mohamad Hafeda from Leeds School of Arts discusses the research into how artistic methods can be used to negotiate conflict mechanisms and border conditions in cities of conflict across Europe and the UK.
The School of Cultural Studies and Humanities presents 'Bodies In-Form-Ation'. This podcast explores the ways students experience life from within the classroom and beyond. There is an experimental video for you to watch that accompanies this podcast. You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/hjLhP9rM9Ys (https://youtu.be/hjLhP9rM9Ys).
Professor Louisa Ells and Ken Clare will discuss the critical role of public and patient involvement (PPI) in our applied obesity research at the School of Health. They discuss how they worked together with a fantastic PPI group to codevelop and run the NIHR funded Re:Mission study. Louisa and Ken provide insights from the researcher and PPI members perspective, and describe how they continue to work together to further develop PPI activity at Leeds Beckett.
Dr Kate Dashper from the School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management discusses if mentoring can be an effective tool for promoting greater gender equality in organisations. Based on a longitudinal study of a women’s mentoring programme, she argues that such initiatives can be best understood as paradoxical in that they can help empower individual women in their careers, but at the same time do little to challenge wider structures and practices that contribute to persistent inequality.
Dr Tanefa Apekey from the Nutrition and Dietetics groups talks about her current work on assessing the nutrient composition of the foods (i.e. dishes, beverages and snacks) popularly consumed by minority ethnic groups, as well as modification of the recipes of these traditional foods into healthier ones. She also talks about her current work with a local charity to produce healthy eating resources for their health and well-being interventions and activities in the most deprived communities in Leeds. Her pilot project is an example of the inclusion of communities being researched in the research that concerns them.
Dr Tom Quarmby from the Carnegie School of Sport outlines a British Academy funded research project that explored care-experienced young people’s engagement with sport and physical activity. In so doing, it highlights the innovative design and use of concept-cartoons as a means of portraying a range of equality and diversity issues and for sharing the findings with young people and adult stakeholders in two dissemination events.
Craig Downing, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, offers some tips on becoming a more inclusive culture. He talks about enabling you to see things through an inclusive lens and being an agent of change. Being a part of creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace is certainly challenging. As an agent of change you can demonstrate your commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion by making a difference in your own working environment.
Ken Scott, Senior Lecturer in the Leeds School of Arts, has worked with some of the biggest names in music royalty, The Beatles and David Bowie to name a few… Listen as he shares what he has learned from a lifetime in the music industry. He also explains why in the era of endless possibilities, no-one makes decisions anymore and why modern producers should be embracing a bolder, more intuitive approach.
The discourse implies that the sporting world is at war with the deadly foe of doping, but how effective is this warfare mentality at actually tackling the problem? Professor Susan Backhouse of the Carnegie School of Sport explains how a different approach that moves beyond individual blame to address the systemic pressures faced by athletes is necessary to prevent doping in sport.
By 2025, it is estimated that over 1 million people in the UK will have dementia. With any potential cure a long way off, Professor Claire Surr tells us how her research is already helping to improve quality of life for people living with dementia and their family members and why we should be investing more in care practice.
Have we completely lost trust in what our leaders tell us? For the heroes of ancient Rome, if you could speak well it was seen as impossible that you could be lying. Fast-forward 2,000 years and Dr Oliver Bray, Director of Arts at the Leeds School of Arts illuminates how oratory has been devalued by slick, media-trained politicians in a post-truth world. He also explains how he uses sound poetry to reveal where the meaning really lies in modern speechmaking.
In this podcast by Professor Ben Jones, he shares the research being undertaken with professional sports and athletes within the Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) centre, within the Carnegie School of Sport.
Academic journals are essential for anyone studying at university. But how do they get made? From the Leeds School of Social Sciences, researchers and journal editors, Dr Chris Byrne and Dr Chris Till go behind the scenes and explain how articles are selected, reviewed and published.
Jill Gibbon from the Leeds School of Arts talks about her research drawing undercover in arms fairs to reveal the secretive world of the international arms trade.
Is it possible to recreate life inside a computer? Dr John George from the School of Health shares how mapping cell behaviour 'in silico' is improving our understanding of how life develops and providing potential breakthroughs against anti-microbial resistance.
Poetry is as much an excuse to be a creative reader as it is to be a creative writer. Conceptual writer Dr Nasser Hussain from the School of Cultural Studies and Humanities explains how playing with the raw material of language can expand our ideas of what writing and poetry is.
Public health nutritionist Dr Maria Maynard from the School of Health shares how she works across disciplines to remove the systematic barriers that make it harder for people to improve their health outcomes.
Dr Louisa Ashley, Head of Subject at Leeds Law School, is in conversation with four of her colleagues to find out more about their research. Join them as they discuss perspectives on vulnerability and sexual assault, therapeutic jurisprudence and problem solving courts, show trials and fishing.
In a country where opportunity is so tied to education, girls are frequently left behind due to their cultural and economic circumstances. Senior Lecturer at the Carnegie School of Sport, Dr Lisa O’Keeffe explains how sports programmes are providing new growth and leadership opportunities for young women in Kenya to discover and use their potential.
You've been given one life and one body, why would you ever let the anti-aging industry dictate how you feel about it?" Professsor Jayne Raisborough of the School of Cultural Studies and Humanities shares her research on the role of imagination in breaking free from harmful stereotypes, ageism and body shaming.
How do we build trust in the era of fake news? Professor Ralph Tench from Leeds Business School shares his research-based thinking on the importance of listening and how organisations can communicate more effectively in a society where trust in our media and institutions has been so undermined. Ralph also touches on how the inter-generational communication gap has been closing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What has Virginia Woolf got to tell us about the way we live (and love) now? In this conversation Professor Ruth Robbins and Professor Susan Watkins discuss Woolf’s own life and loves, and think about the ways in which she rewrote history to rewrite the codes of desire in her novel Orlando.
In the final episode of this mini-series the panel examine how we can see positive personal and wider changes via writing as, hopefully, the pandemic eases or we emerge from it.
This is the third in our podcast series on Covid-19 and Culture. Today we examine how Covid 19 and lockdown have made stigma and social inequality worse, but also how we can see resistance and challenge to that in the culture around us.
This is the second in our podcast series on COVID-19 and Culture. In this episode we look at a few examples of how our lives and our engagement with culture have changed because of COVID-19. Professor Susan Watkins discusses the topic with other members of the Leeds Beckett Centre for Culture and the Arts.
This is the first in our podcast series on COVID-19 and Culture and today we are exploring what we can learn from history about coping with pandemic and lockdown. Professor Susan Watkins discusses the topic with other members of the Leeds Beckett Centre for Culture and the Arts.
https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/staff/professor-james-mckenna/ (Professor McKenna) from https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/ (Leeds Beckett's) https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/carnegie-school-of-sport/ (Carnegie School of Sport), shares his research on the factors that increase activity in individuals and communities.
Professor Paul Gately from the Carnegie School of Sport talks about his work and research in the field of obesity.
https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/staff/dr-gareth-jowett/ (Dr Gareth Jowett), a Senior Lecturer in Sports and Exercise Psychology at the https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/carnegie-school-of-sport/ (Carnegie School of Sport) (part of https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/ (Leeds Beckett),) talks to individuals who have experienced periods of extreme or long term isolation. They examine their experiences and how they coped in a range of situations.