Tiny Experiments and Reframing

Photo by vigor poodo on Unsplash

Listen to article here. 

 

There comes a point for nearly everyone when we might get stuck in a rut, in either our professional or personal lives, or, even harder, both. Sometimes we need something to shake us out of that rut or to help us find a new path. That’s where the idea of Tiny Experiments comes in.

Anne-Laure Le Cunff is a neuroscientist, author and former high-level Google employee. Her latest book, Tiny Experiments, and her regular newsletter offer just the inspiration we might need. Her most recent article, entitled The Art of Seeing Things Differently, is worth exploring in more depth, but before that, let’s have a brief overview of Le Cunff’s work and ideas more generally.

Le Cunff runs Ness Labs, which she calls a “playground for curiosity”. The “Ness” comes not from, say, the Loch Ness monster but in fact from the suffix “ness”. Le Cunff references awareness, consciousness, and mindfulness, but we could add many others, including resourcefulness, happiness, healthfulness, kindness, and so on. Part of the concept behind Ness Labs is that we lose some of our natural curiosity and playfulness (another “ness” word!) as we get older, and this negatively affects how we feel about ourselves, our lives and our work. If we can attempt to view things in new and different ways and if we can try out new approaches, activities and ways of thinking and being, we might find ourselves feeling better and actually being more successful at work.

In Tiny Experiments, Le Cunff describes how she gave up her well paid, very respected job at the massive and influential corporation that is Google and wanted to bring back creativity into her life and to challenge herself. Her main idea is that people should make a small pact with themselves and to just show up for themselves, without causing additional stress. It’s a way to try out new activities without pressuring themselves to make it a permanent habit or part of their life. So someone decides, “I will do X for Y [days or weeks].” This could mean, “I will take a salsa class once a week for three months” or “I will meditate for ten minutes every morning before I get out of bed for eight weeks” or “I will spend one hour each Sunday afternoon researching other job options” or “I will invite a different colleague for coffee each month for a year so I can learn more about what other people in my company do”, or whatever else it might be. It’s pretty low-risk, unlike, say, a New Year’s resolution or a firm decision to “get in shape” or “find a new job” or “network more” and so on. People can then see how it goes. After the period has ended, they can either continue the activity, stop it, or change it in some way; Le Cunff refers to this as persist, pause, or pivot. For instance, a person might decide they liked salsa dancing and wanted to continue, or they might find they’d rather try tap lessons, or they might feel that dancing isn’t for them after all and they’d rather try knitting. That’s it. It’s simply a way to try new things.

 

Written by Dr B.J. Woodstein (Research Associate, PILAA)

To read the full article, you must be a PILAA Member.

Mr Loverman: Coming out, lights, camera, action!

Listen to article here. 

 

Mr Loverman was the BAFTA award-winning TV series adaptation of the book by the same name, by acclaimed author, Booker Prize winner and most recent awarded recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Bernadine Evaristo. In the series British actor Lennie James took home the award for Leading actor for his role as Barrington “Barry” Walker (James) and his co-star Ariyon Bakare, who played the role of Morris, won the award for supporting actor. Mr Loverman’s success, despite a strong lineup of contenders, highlights how important it is to show stories like these, that make visible the hidden experiences of topics we are often too afraid to speak about.

If you haven’t watched the series, then this is a spoiler alert. This particular story was not what I expected it to be, for how often do we hear a word like loverman and assume that the male protagonist on the show is actually a 74-year-old Black man of Antiguan heritage, living in London, married to his wife, has two grown up daughters, a teenage grandson, but who happens to be in a secret long-term relationship with his best friend and lover, known to the family as Uncle Morris.

The series showed the complex relationship the main protagonist had with living an authentic life, one free of the trappings of past histories, where being homosexual was frowned upon. Barry is in the closet and has been for all of his life, not only to those around him, but to him, himself. His smart dress, matching one-piece suit and Fedora hat, worn to precision, accompanied by a charming personality, only masks his true identity. Beautifully captured, this was a series deserving of its awards, especially where both actors, who are not known to be gay themselves, play the roles so well, that any argument that only gay men should be cast in such parts, goes out of the window. It was Evaristo herself who said in the Radio Times, of what is often seen as a contentious casting issue, that:

 

“From my position as the writer of the book, I want it to go to the person who can play the part, and it’s not important whether they’re homosexual or not.”

 

Indeed, Lennie James and Ariyon Bakare are the perfect choice, because of what they were able to convey on camera, which far exceeded their identities. They were able to capture the pain, denial, fear and vulnerability with coming to terms with one’s sexual orientation, the difficult and often emotional process of coming out, juxtaposed with the feeling of being trapped in the closet for much of your entire life.

The unravelling of Barry’s secret strikes the family, by unearthing complex familial relationship dynamics; failed interrelationships and unresolved grievances between husband and wife, father and daughter, within the context of varying intergenerational dialogues. Indeed, with the show fluctuating from past to present, through the memories of Barry re-telling his story and that of his wife Carmel, it is a stark reminder of how far things have changed in the inclusion of LGBTQ+ communities in society. 

 

Written by Dr Ope Lori (Founder & CEO, PILAA)

To read the full article, you must be a PILAA Member.

Rules of Engagement

 

You can listen to Rules of Engagement here.

 

We look forward to seeing you all at the upcoming EDI IS, EDI ISN’T Virtual Town Hall Debate – Featuring CeLillianne Green to open the discussion, on the 29th of May at 15:00 – 17:00 (BST). To make sure that everyone who is attending can participate openly and freely, we have put together the following Rules of Engagement. These are key points and behaviours to consider, when participating and interacting with others.

In addition, we have put together a suggested Glossary of terms. Whilst many of these terms will come up naturally, we have listed a few here, which will act as prompts and can be drawn upon by the facilitator (or any other participant) throughout the meeting.

 

GLOSSARY (not exhaustive)

 

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

 

o Be courageous

Speaking up can be difficult, especially in a room full of strangers. However, remember why you’re here and know that you’re amongst others with a common goal. The likelihood is that whatever you’re thinking about saying, there’s someone else in the room who’s already thinking it. So pluck up your courage, take a deep breath and speak your mind.

o Cameras

For best engagement, we ask that all cameras are turned on, however we appreciate that this doesn’t work for everyone. If you are blind, partially sighted, neurodivergent or have accessibility needs or are none of the above and just have technology gremlins working on the day, then that’s no problem. Keep your cameras off.

o Chat box

For best engagement we also advise that everyone uses their audio to speak, however if this is not possible for any reason, please use the Zoom chat box feature. The session facilitator will monitor the chat box as best as possible.

o Listen

It’s not possible to think clearly, without listening to others or even to yourself. We encourage you to actively listen to what’s being said before responding. Remember it’s not a race, so take your time, listen and respond.

o Open and safe

We want the town hall to be an open and safe space where everyone can speak honestly and freely without judgment. We appreciate that there will a mixture of people in the room, with different perspectives and viewpoints and so we ask for everyone to be respectful of each other. Feel free to challenge or support what others are saying, but please do so with politeness.

o Prompts

We know how awkward it can get when you have those uncomfortable silences and so to avoid those moments (unless the discomfort is related to a theme or argument, in which case do bring it up in the discussion), we have prepared a list of terms to be used as prompts. Feel free to familiarise yourself with these terms or come as you are, ready to expect the unexpected.

o Raise hands

Please use the raise hand Zoom function when you want to speak. The facilitator will moderate hands as fairly and quickly as possible.

o THINK

If all fails, we encourage you to THINK before speaking. Yes, THINK! We don’t want you to censor what you say, but by utilising the acronym THINK, consider whether what you’re saying is True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary or Kind?

o Time and response

We know how passionate people can get when wanting to get a point across. We encourage your enthusiasm but ask that everyone is mindful about how long you speak for. If you find yourself speaking over 2 to 3 minutes when it’s your turn, wrap up your point and give the floor to someone else. We won’t be monitoring how often you speak; you can respond as little or as much as you like, but just be mindful of giving the floor to others. The facilitator will also help to move conversations along.

o Transcription

If you are deaf, have hearing impairments or want to aid accessibility and clarity with conversations, please make use of Zoom captions and transcripts. These will be activated at the beginning of the meeting and all participants can control whether they display or not.

 

Finally, we want to remind everyone to have fun and to remember that by participating in the town hall, you’re already contributing to an important conversation.

We look forward to seeing you there and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

 

The Team at PILAA

EDI IS, EDI ISN’T: A Virtual Town Hall Debate

Listen to Event Description here.

Listen to Event Contributors here. 

 

Join this virtual (online) Town Hall for a timely debate on what EDI IS, EDI ISN’T. Featuring CeLillianne Green to open the Town Hall.

 

About this event

“We have to be courageous Reverand. Al Sharpton. We have to continue to make them say the words, diversity, equity and inclusion, not just DEI, because the virtues are in the words. “Diversity. Equity. Inclusion.” Every humane society respects those things.” – US Attorney Benjamin Crump

 

To address the current state of affairs around EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) in the UK or DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) as it is typically referred to in the US, we will be hosting a virtual Town Hall debate to address what EDI IS, EDI ISN’T. Whichever iteration one uses, our understanding of the essence of this work must continue despite some of the misunderstandings, negative rhetoric’s, and scapegoating of initiatives that seek to re-address inequalities and injustices.

In the advent of US Executive orders that are having an impact globally, to the detriment of the many faces of EDI work and its lasting legacies, we invite anyone who is interested in holding space on this topic, in joining us at our virtual Town Hall, on Thursday the 29th of May 2025 at 3 – 5PM BST, for a timely debate on what EDI IS, EDI ISN’T.

The Town Hall is open to everyone, irrespective of role or position. We want the space to be free of barriers (and ego), so that all participants can deep dive into exactly what is at stake, in our pursuit of the meaning of EDI. Whether you’re an EDI practitioner, work in HR, an academic, student, researcher, activist, creative, a thought leader, a leader in a leadership position, a staff network chair, a network member, or are just curious and passionate about EDI, without any work affiliations – we want to hear from you.

From the anecdotal, to the real, to the lived experiences, and best and worst practices in this area, we invite you to participate in some real talk!

We are honoured to feature CeLillianne Green, poet and lawyer, who will be opening the Town Hall debate. In 2016 CeLillianne Green wrote The Present, a poem to commemorate the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The Present is now a poetic reaffirmation of the importance of the NMAAHC in response to the 3-27-25 Executive Order of the current U.S. President about the NMAAHC. Such orders undo many decades of work that museums, galleries and other educational and non-educational institutions have done in the decolonising project and in making these spaces inclusive to all. You can watch the present here.

We hope that at the end of the Town Hall, we’ll be able to create a 21st century PILAA visual guide on EDI, which we’ll be able to share with all participants. So we welcome you to be part of this diverstory.

 

To register your spot to participate, please visit Eventbrite here.

We will share the joining instructions and Town Hall rules of engagement closer to the time.

We look forward to seeing you there, for what we think will be a timely and open discussion!

 

Event Contributors

 

CeLillianne Green

CeLillianne Green (opening Town Hall) is an internationally known poet, as well as a lawyer, teacher, and speaker. She is a graduate of Drexel and Howard Universities. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Howard Law Journal, and is admitted to the Bar in PA, NY, DC, and MD. Her legal career includes a federal clerkship, Wall Street law firm associate, and an AUSA who tried cases from misdemeanors to 1st degree murders, and presented appellate arguments. She was a partner in a private law practice, served as a legislative counsel, a mediator, and as a law school instructor. In 2003, Ms. Green published her first poem, Because I Love You. In 2005, more poems started, and in 2009, the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity recognized her as a Social Justice Thought Leader for her poem, Lifted. Her first book, That Word, an epic poem was published in 2010. The recording, CeLillianne Says and her poetry collection, A Bridge were published in 2011 and 2015. She has been interviewed on radio and TV, quoted in newspapers, cited in law journals, and in online publications. She has contributed to anthologies, documentaries, and presented at public schools, universities, and organizations. Her 2023 production, CeLillianne Green’s Evening of Poetry & Jazz and other works are on YouTube / www.CeLillianneGreen.com. She is currently an Adjunct Lecturer in the English Department of Howard University teaching Technical Writing Professional / Pre-Law. Ms. Green continues to write poetry and prose about life, love, spirituality, relationships, history, and politics. www.CeLillianneGreen.com

 

Photo credit: Dr Ope Lori by Ajamu X

 

Dr Ope Lori (PILAA Founder & CEO)

Dr. Ope Lori (Town Hall facilitator) is the Founder and CEO of Pre-Image Learning and Action (PILAA), an Arts & Diversity company she founded in 2017. Some of their clients include, ACME, Tate, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, the Courtauld, the Open College of Arts, Corps Security and GamCare. She is also a practising visual artist; specializing using video and photography in her political practice. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at La Fondation Blachére, France; 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning and at Autograph in London.

She was a Lecturer at both Chelsea School of Arts and Leeds Arts University between 2009-2019, and continued to guest lecture at the Royal College of Arts until 2021, amongst other leading institutions of Art. She completed her PhD in Fine Art in 2013 and held one of the first Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships at TrAIN (Transnational, Art, Identity and Nation) Research Centre UAL between 2016-2018, before fully utilising her knowledge and training in the diversity and Inclusion industry.

She is the author of “Should I, shouldn’t I?’: A self-reflexive study in unpacking ideologies of race while devising a critical studies fine art programme”, in Hatton, K. (ed.) Inclusion and Intersectionality in Visual Arts Education, (UCL Institute of Education Press, 2019). She is also the author of her first solo forthcoming book, Beyond The Feminine: The Politics of Skin Colour and Gender in Visual Culture (Bloomsbury, 2025) due to be released on the 24th of July 2025.

Dr. Lori featured in the first ever UK Black Pride (UKBP) The Black Lesbian Power List 2024, brought together by UK Black Pride CEO Phyll Opoku-Gyimah and supported by DIVA.

More female doctors than male doctors in the UK for the first time: Why diversifying matters

 

“Increasing representation begins at the roots

– with children and young people – and is a process

that continues throughout education, applications

and interviewing, employment and promotion. “

Last month, some exciting news was published that shows that for the first time, there are more female doctors than male ones and also more ethnic minority doctors than white ones. It may go without saying that no one is claiming that white people and/or males shouldn’t be doctors or aren’t good ones; rather, the point is that a field that was often closed to certain groups of people, is now more diverse and inclusive and more reflective of society, which is something to celebrate.

These new statistics lead to some interesting questions that all workplaces can learn from. For instance, how do you increase the representation of underrepresented groups in certain industries (such as women in male-dominated fields)? How can we break down these systemic barriers? What do traditionally underrepresented groups offer and, therefore, why and how should workplaces look to hire them? These are, of course, huge and challenging questions, but they’re worth talking about in brief here.

In terms of increasing representation, some of the main methods include encouraging underrepresented groups to study and join that field and also to develop inclusive hiring and promotion practices. When it comes to doctors, for example, women have traditionally been encouraged to be nurses rather than doctors (i.e. to have the lower-ranking and more “caring” roles) or to think that studying STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) wasn’t for them. To help combat this, more schools have implemented stronger STEM curricula and have developed ways of ensuring that girls are also engaged in these subjects, and that has led, down the line, to more young women choosing to study medicine or other STEM areas later in their school years and at university. They have also had more talks in schools by women who are doctors, so that the role models are visible and younger females can be inspired by them. These sorts of activities should be continued and expanded where possible.

Simultaneously, workplaces, including hospitals or doctors’ practices, have made an effort to take female candidates seriously, whereas in years past, they might have automatically dismissed them. This means making application processes transparent and fair for everyone, and also ensuring that all applications are treated equally. Then, once women are employed, those same workplaces might provide programmes such as mentoring, support groups, further professional development, awareness-raising training, courses in confidence or combatting imposter syndrome, and other such activities, in order to help that group of employees feel confident at work and to have the skills they need to succeed. Human resources managers also have to make an effort to encourage underrepresented groups, such as women in this example, to apply for promotion, and they need to offer unconscious bias training to all who review applications for employment or promotion so that such processes are fair.

All this is to say that increasing representation begins at the roots – with children and young people – and is a process that continues throughout education, applications and interviewing, employment and promotion.

 

Written by B.J Woodstein, PhD

To read the full article, you must be a PILAA Member.