🎙 Thick No More – Season 2, Episode 1: From Performative to Practiced Inclusion — Fixing Workplace Neurodiversity
Welcome to Season 2 of Thick No More, the podcast that challenges old narratives about neurodiversity, inclusion, and what it really means to thrive at work. In this powerful opening episode, host Jay Giddens sits down with Trisha S. Daho, founder and CEO of Empowered Leadership & Culture (EmpoweredLC) an international people and culture strategist helping organisations move from performative to practiced inclusion.
Trisha built her career as a Partner at a Big Four accounting firm, leading diverse teams and driving measurable, lasting change. Today, she works with firms across the US, UK, and Europe to build cultures that grow people and performance, not just profits.
🔊 In this conversation:
Why so few UK companies (under 1%) are Disability Confident and how ignorance, not malice, keeps progress stuck.
What it really takes for leaders to build neuroinclusive workplaces that empower, not exclude.
How self-awareness is the foundation of effective leadership and why most DEI programs fail without it.
The small, simple actions that make a massive difference for employees who are “hiding” in plain sight.
How inclusive hiring should start by asking: “What do we really need and why?” instead of filtering by CVs, psychometric tests, or outdated assumptions.
The “magic wand” moment: what Trisha would have every CEO say tomorrow to transform trust across their teams.
Why “you’re not going to struggle on my watch” might just be the most powerful leadership promise of all.
Trisha’s insights are deeply human, practical, and refreshingly direct. Her work strips away the corporate jargon and focuses on truth, courage, and creating real belonging where everyone can show up as their full selves.
đź’¬ Key takeaway:
Inclusion isn’t a checkbox. It’s a covenant a mutual commitment between leaders and teams to meet people where they are, to listen, adapt, and make change that lasts.
✨ About Trisha S. Daho
Trisha is the Founder and CEO of Empowered Leadership & Culture, helping global firms evolve from traditional power structures to inclusive, high-performing environments. She has decades of experience leading cultural transformation and advising executives on inclusion strategy, leadership accountability, and sustainable change.
📧 Contact Trisha:
đź“© Email: trisha@empoweredlc.com
đź”— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/trishadaho
🌍 Website: www.empoweredlc.com
Even if you just want to bounce ideas or start a conversation about inclusive leadership, Trisha welcomes your message.
🎧 Host: Jay Giddens
Thick No More is a podcast for anyone who’s ever been labelled, misunderstood, or underestimated and for leaders ready to rethink what inclusion really looks like in practice.
🧠Listen. Learn. Lead.
Because there are no labels and there are no limits.
🎵 Music Credit:
Intro music by Cris Lowis.