Beyond The Dark Clouds Podcast

Charli Kemp, Ed.L.D is the Adrian Cheng Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. She is also the founder of ‘Change the Tune’ and had designed an innovative way of engaging learning through their own music genres and learning styles. Charli speaks to Dr Mealey about her values-driven approach to learning, entrepreneurship and the use of AI.  She discusses ways of working with learners that engages them fully in understanding the ‘why?’ of specific subject disciplines.

Inês is a psychologist with specializations in Positive Psychology, the Science of Self-Realization, and Wellbeing. With over 20 years of experience across Brazil, Latin America, and Europe, she works as a humandevelopment consultant and senior leadership coach, with a strong focus on cultural transformation,conscious leadership, and organizational well-being. Her practice is recognized for positively impacting C-level leaders and executive teams in multinationalcompanies and organizations across diverse sectors, including: Financial Markets and Insurance | Industry, Logistics and Package | Healthcare and Services | Educationand the Third Sector. She is a certified Evolutionary Coach in the Barrett Model, Values-Based Coaching (Simon Dolan),Psychological Safety (Timothy Clark), and by the Jungian Coaching School International, under thementorship of Dr. Avi Goren-Bar and Master Trainer Accountability Circles (Bcon). Inês is the founder of Values Move, a consultancy specialized in systemic transformation with a focus onpurpose-driven leadership and regenerative organizational culture. She serves as a Global Partner &Trainer at the Barrett Values Center®, and is internationally recognized for her work in training leadersand consultants in the Barrett Cultural Transformation Model. A Fearless Organization Practitioner (Amy Edmondson) and a facilitator of systemic change processesthrough TransformAction, Inês combines advanced methodologies with human sensitivity, building bridgesbetween strategy, culture, and values. Additionally, she is a founding member of Values 20 (V20) — an official G20 engagement group focused onvalue-based public policy — and served as Chair of V20 Brazil in 2024. Ines talks to Dr Mealey about all things ‘values’: values move, the Values 20 group, her research and to hope for the future of the work she leads across the world. 

Syed Kamall is Professor of politics and international relations at St Mary’s University, Twickenham; Visiting Scholar at the Vinson Centre, University of Buckingham; a Member of the UK House of Lords; Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care) and co-chair of the APPG Commonwealth.Previously roles include: UK government Minister for Health; Minister for Civil Society; Academic and Research Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs, the UK’s leading classical liberal think tank; a Member of the European Parliament (MEP); leader of the Conservative MEPs; and leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group.He regularly meets and supports neighbourhood non-state civil society organisations tackling social exclusion and improving wellbeing.In his spare time, he enjoys travelling, reading and playing guitar and electric bass in blues and rock bands. In this episode,  Lord Kamall talks to Dr Mealey about his work and his special interest in community based solutions to poverty, his hope for the role that education can play in this endeavour, and the need for us to promote more local groups that seek to be self-reliant (SRGs).  He discusses his career journey and shares his views on the need for good character education, ethical leadership and service learning as part and parcel of what society needs right now for the common good.

Barbara Best (https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-best-6131368/) is acommunity organizer, youth advocate, and system change leader who is passionateabout building systems of care to empower youth and communities to thrive. Guidedby a north star of healthy interconnectedness, she inspires joy, purpose, andconnection in the people and communities she serves.Barbara serves as Executive Director of Convu, a vibrant community that buildscapacity for deep listening and peer coaching in schools, workplaces, andcommunities. Convu generates positive community impact in cultivating dialogue,listening, and belonging through the Harvard University Peer Coaching Initiative(HUPCI) and the Massachusetts General Hospital Peer Coaching Initiative (MGHPCI). We’re excited to expand peer coaching in organizations and communities acrosssectors and create spaces for people to listen, learn, and grow together. We believethat leadership is a shared practice – and that real change starts in the quality of ourconversations. Barbara holds a Doctor in Education Leadership (EdLD) from the Harvard GraduateSchool of Education. She led a three year initiative to cultivate school and communityconnectedness in Reading Public Schools in Massachusetts, United States.Barbara is committed to centering compassion in leadership – to meet suffering withkindness and know that we are not alone as we work for transformation.Barabara talks to Dr Mealey about the importance of compassionate leadership,listening to create communities of belonging and a culture of nurturing and safety forfuture generations.

Pam is a chartered psychologist (British Psychological Society) and qualified teacher withadditional academic qualifications in history and education. She is also a Fellow of the HigherEducation Academy. She joined Leeds Trinity University in 2013 as a senior lecturer, and waspromoted to Reader in Childhood, Youth and Education in 2016. She has a keen interest in amulti-disciplinary research perspective, considering psychological, biological, social andhistorical perspectives. Her PhD research focused upon play-based learning in 4-6 year olds.She is an extensively published academic author whose edited book ‘Perspectives on Play’has been published in three successive English editions, and additionally in Greek andPortuguese (Brazil) where it was adopted as a set text by the national teacher trainingprogramme.She is also an active blogger and conference/training presenter, seeking to create accessibledissemination formats to bring insights from psychological and educational research to theattention of non-psychologist professional audiences, education professionals in particular;and to the general public. Her key focus is the well-being of children, young people and theirfamilies, and the development of social policy to support this. She completed her firstdegree in Psychology with The Open University while caring for her three young children,becoming a graduate psychologist in 1995, and between 1995 and 2019 taught psychology,sociology, social policy and child development in Higher Education, School, FurtherEducation and Community Education. This includes over 20 years as an Open Universitytutor and resource writer.Since retiring from LTU at the end of 2019 to focus on consulting and writing projects, shehas added to her academic publications and writes regularly in Bylines Network publicationsas a citizen journalist. She has also published 2 novels  ‘On Time’ (2021) and ‘On Time forEco’, (2025), and is currently working on the third book in the series: ‘On Time for Love.’  Pam talks to Dr Mealey about citizen journalism and academia, her passion for ethics andvalues in social work and suggests an all-inclusive interpretation of psychology to shape abetter context for relationships to flourish in today’s complex society.

Paul de Beer is a seasoned business leader, consultant, and educator with a background thatspans technology, manufacturing, and organisational transformation. He began his career asan electronics engineer and went on to lead pioneering online business ventures in SouthAfrica and China during the early years of the digital economy. Since then, he has heldsenior leadership roles in sectors ranging from online gaming to textile manufacturing, oftenstepping in to turn around struggling businesses and realign them for long-term growth.Paul is the founder of Evolve Leadership Consulting, where he works with business ownersand leadership teams to align strategy with culture and improve performance. He alsoteaches and supervises at York St John Business School, with a focus on ethical leadership,innovation, and change.With an MBA from the University of Stellenbosch Business School and a deep interest inhow values shape organisations, Paul brings a grounded yet forward-looking perspective toleadership. His work sits at the intersection of commercial success and ethical responsibility.Outside of work, Paul is a keen writer, runner, and lifelong learner, with a growing interestin the ethical implications of emerging technologies like AI.Paul speaks to Dr Mealey about ethics in business, AI and the need to keep values in ourconsiderations of what the future of business might look like.

Mariana Behr Andrade is a Leadership Development Specialist and Self Compassion Advocate who is also a Fellow at Harvard University. Mariana talks to Dr Mealey about her work on compassionate leadership, focussing in particular on the distinction between ‘resonant’ and ‘dissonant’ leadership approaches and informed by current scholarship in the field. She explains the importance of ‘psychological safety’ in teams and stresses the need for everyone to exercise self- compassion in their lives and in their work. Mariana ends her discussion with some helpful insights and hopes for the future of leadership and of organisations.

Alison Lowe, OBE, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime for West Yorkshire, talks to Dr Ann Marie Mealey about her journey to Deputy Mayor, her career and the life experiences that shaped what she supports and works on nationally and locally today.  She gives a detailed account of her work as well as integrating her own personal story into the conversation.  The combination of her life story and life’s work clearly shows how her values have been shaped and continue to drive her ambition and hopes for the future of policing, safer communities and awareness around support for women and girls who may have experienced domestic violence or other risks.

In this episode, Dr Ann Marie Mealey speaks to a group of students from St Teresa of Calcutta’s Multi Academy Company about their values, their experiences of studying in a Catholic setting and what they would like to see from their local leaders regarding litter in the City of Birmingham and protection of earth globally.  They also express their hopes for the future of St Teresa’s and for the next generation of students as well making  some suggestions for global leaders, policy makers and others to consider regarding climate change, mental health and social media in their work and respective roles.

In this episode, Jamie Bykov- Brett, award- winning  human-centric innovator, talks to Dr Mealey about his own journey in education which continues to shape his approach to AI -assisted learned. His values-driven approach is inspirational and thought-provoking in an age where we are seeking to understand learners and the workforce on a more individual basis.  Jamie is a advocate for the use of AI in HE as it can cater for diverse needs of students.  Jamie also gives some key hopes for the future of AI and learning in Higher Education which are based on personal experiences of learning and teaching as well as the use of AI in business.

Devika Shekhawat, a social entrepreneur and founder of Dhara Shakti Foundation. With a decade of experience driving social impact, Devika also serves as a director at The Global Education and Leadership Foundation. She has worked as a project lead for Values 20 India in 2023 on behalf of the foundation. Her academic credentials include a Master's degree from the prestigious School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, equipping her with expertise to create lasting change. Devika has spearheaded numerous high-impact global initiatives, with a special focus on holistic education and women's health, reflecting her passion for empowering individuals and communities to thrive.

Andi Brierley is a Senior Lecturer and PhD researcher at Leeds Trinity University with a 15-year career in Youth Justice. His professional journey has been shaped, in part, by his own personal experiences with childhood trauma, family separation, care placements, school exclusion, heroin addiction, and the subsequent cycle of incarceration. Motivated by a sense of social responsibility to improve the lives of others facing similar challenges, Andi has written and edited four books focused on enhancing the criminal justice system’s ability to facilitate pathways out of crime and addiction. 

Dr Anshul Gupta holds a Ph.D in Human resources. Her research focuses on deriving an innovative dimension to manage Human Resources that is known as "Workplace Spirituality" in the Indian context. Her profile includes a mix of corporate and research experience. She has worked with Brands like Unilever, Essel group, Cadbury, ITC on projects like Competency Mapping, Career planning, Training and Development for values, content development for training, training the trainers, on boarding, management of end to end employee life cycle and other HR Processes – and corporate values. Author of a best selling book on embedding values into organisations, she talks to Dr Ann Marie Mealey about her work in this area.

Dr Lampkin is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at York St John University where he have also worked as a Lecturer in Police Studies and Course Lead for the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) in partnership with Humberside Police. Prior to joining York St John, Jack was Programme Lead for the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) at Leeds Trinity University, working in collaboration with West Yorkshire Police. I have also worked as a Lecturer in Policing, Law, and Criminology at Teesside University and the University of Lincoln. In 2019, he worked as a Police Constable for West Yorkshire Police serving the Leeds District including Leeds South and Leeds City Centre.  Jack has published extensively in the areas of green criminology and environmental crime.  He talks to Dr Ann Marie Mealey about his latest into space crime and the ethics of outer space! Enjoy everyone!

Alan Williams talks to Dr Ann Marie Mealey about his journey to being an advocate of values-driven leadership, his work as a business promoting values-driven behaviours in the workplace and for the world at large. The discussion also includes thoughts on the freedom of choice that is involved in becoming a values – driven professional and the need to have an informed conscience in the search for truth and understanding.

John Rainford frsa ftls talks to Dr Ann Marie Mealey about the need for emotional intelligence and values driving business and leadership in the future. He gives examples of how he has worked with companies to develop long term, sustainable business strategies that include care for the environment, values, EQ and financially rewarding outcomes.

Bill Barton talks with Dr Ann Marie Mealey about ethics and the law, his journey to setting up a business and his hopes for the law profession going forward.  Bill also advocates for an inherent ‘respect’ for the law to be embedded into university provision and encourages everyone to be aware of ‘who’ they are as people. Character, values, and the just application of the law are important for a more hopeful future for everyone.

Nancy M. Rourke teaches courses in religion and ethics at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, NY where she is Assistant Professor of religious studies. Her research is in ecological ethics and health care ethics. Her most recent book is titled Ecological Moral Character (Georgetown University Press, 2024). Her forthcoming edited volume is The Locus of Theological Vocation (Orbis Press, 2026). She earned her PhD in theology at St. Patrick’s University of Maynooth, Ireland and presents on her research nationally and internationally. Her lecture will discuss the relevance of Catholic moral theology and virtue ethics for understanding sustainability. She also offers deep insight into the theology of the concept of hope which helps everyone that listens to the ‘Beyond the Dark Clouds’ podcast to understand how ‘education for hope’ enables a powerful view of education that unfolds in every aspect of a person’s life – even long after they graduate from university.

Dr Neil Hawkes talks to Dr Ann Marie Mealey about his experience and journey to devoting himself to promoting Values-based Education (VbE) in schools and other educational settings. More widely, he also emphasises his wish to promote Ethical leadership and Values-based Living throughout society.   ​To promote Values-based Living Neil founded the influential International Values-based Trust, known as (The IVET Foundation), and its educational arm Values-based Education (VbE). He is an Ambassador for the Foundation for Education Development (FED) and a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.​Neil is an international trainer for Compass for Life. and a prolific author in his field.Neil's bestselling books are, From My Heart, transforming lives through values, celebrates the success of VbE worldwide and is a great “how to” book. The other book co-authored with Jane Hawkes, is called The Inner Curriculum, how to nurture wellbeing, resilience and self-leadership. This book is heralding a new era in education, as it proposes a new more liberating way of educating children’s inner worlds. Neil's latest book is a joint publication with Bridget Knight, Mick Waters, Mark Chater,with contributions from practitioners.  It is called, On the Subject of Values and the Value of Subjects.​

Paul Charles, NLPAA, CIPD, Director of Organisational Talent Development at GBS, which is part of GEDU, speaks to Ann Marie about the need for values driving leadership, talent development, sport and people development. Paul discusses how the corporate sector can remain competitive whilst upholding values and ethics and that this is a credible position to hold in a business environment. Paul is an expert in leadership development and has worked extensively with England and Middlesex County Rugby, is an advocate for women’s rugby, and has been a recipient of the Coach of the Year award in 2019. This podcast is a ‘must listen’ to anyone who is curious about how we uphold values in a corporate world that is keen to get-ahead and deliver results as well as in the sporting world where winning at all costs doesn’t mean we lose our values! 

Joseph Nelson, Pastor in the Lutheran Church in Great Britain and alumnus of Leeds Trinity University, discusses the need to reflect carefully on the advent of AI technology in light of the CST principle of human dignity and the work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Joseph provides a very insightful presentation of the issues as they stand right now and suggests that we need to participate in the ethical discussions and reflect together on the criteria needed to really understand the ethics of AI and know exactly what is at stake with the advent of some of the new technologies that exist right now and those that are forthcoming in the not too distant future.

Professor Neil Messer, Professor of Theological Bioethics at Baylor University in Texas, gives a fascinating lecture on neurotechnologies and the common good. Neil’s talk is expertly crafted to give everyone the science and the theological and ethical frameworks that we need to make the distinction between what might be considered as the good ‘therapeutic’ use of AI in health care and what might be simply ‘enhancement’ for enhancement’s sake. The questions raised by Neil’s research are relevant to everyone who is interested in protecting the common good of society – a key principle of Catholic Social Teaching which seeks to provide the good of all individuals and groups in our society.

Dr Catriona Russell, Assistant Professor of Ethics in the School of Religion at Trinity College Dublin, takes us on a journey back to the meaning of the word techné so that we can be re-introduced into what the etymology of the word technology is. She then discusses the current marketisation of urban life and whether or not the idea of sustainability is authentically expressed  in attempts to introduce technology in the city that will off-set our human behaviours that contribute to environmental degradation. Catriona’s lecture provides much hope as we seek to navigate the ethical questions and choices that face us as we embrace technology in a world which also requires ecological conversion and simplicity of living.  There is much food for thought also in the phrases that Catriona uses in her lecture. The ‘commodification of the sky is something we will all need to consider about going forward…’.  A must listen!

CHARLES FOWLER chairs the Human Values Foundation, which uses positive values to promote young people’s social and emotional development, helps run the UK Values Alliance and is project partner of the Collaborating Centre for Values-based Practice for Health and Social Care at Oxford University. He is a delegate at Values20, the G20 engagement group, and Global Coordinator of World Values Day.

Professor Jackie Dunne, Vice- Chancellor of Birmingham Newman University, shares her leadership journey in Higher Education, offers advice and guidance to aspiring leaders as well as discussing how creating a sense of ‘community’ is essential for student development and learning. She also shares her thoughts on the mission and values at Birmingham Newman University along with some insights that resonate with her linked to Saint John Henry Newman. For Jackie, the ‘soul’ of a university can be seen in and through its students. In other words, students are the measure for who we are and how our values plays out at university. Students are our hope!

Professor Damien Page, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University, talks about what gives him ‘hope’ in the current HE climate whilst also sharing advice and guidance for our current student body on what he feels are important points to keep in mind for a positive future. Being a ‘disrupter’, asking questions as well as being critical of ideas and concepts is something that Damien mentions as being key to becoming employable in today’s job market. He also gives advice to the sector about the need to ‘listen’ to our young people more as they are already innovators in their own right.

Christine Allen, Director of CAFOD, (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development), shares her own leadership journey as well as what gives her hope in the world and in what she is leading as part of CAFOD’s global mission. She also explains CAFOD’s role in raising awareness at events such as COP28 (which took place in Dubai this year) as well as sharing some examples of how her team have made a difference to people's lives in poverty stricken areas around the world. Faith in action is what this podcast is all about.

Tom Riordan CBE – leader of Leeds City Council – discusses the importance of the faith communities in Leeds and their contribution to the city during Covid lockdown in particular. He also discusses his own journey to senior executive positions at the Council and offers guidance and support to students as post-graduation. He also shares his ‘hope’ for education more generally in Leeds.

Sir John Battle shares his theological perspectives on hope and asks whether it matters whether we are rich or poor in the face of some of the most challenging moral problems of our time. Sir John also argues that people of faith should continuously ask questions about how their faith translates into action. He argues for what Jean Guillett (advisor to Pope Paul VI) called a ‘approfundimento continuo’ (i.e. deeping) of our perspectives so that we can continuously engage again and again with truth in every age. He also applies this concept to the role and mission of the Catholic University so that it remains relevant and close to its primary mission in each generation.

Professor Jane de Gay shares her insight on the mission and values of a Catholic University today and links it to the stages of enquiry about ‘faith’ and ‘conversion’ as described in the works of Virginia Wolfe. Jane engages in a profound, in-depth analysis of Wolfe’s texts in order to show the complexities surrounding professing a faith and links this to contemporary challenges that many experience today.

Anthony McClaran, Vice-Chancellor at St Mary’s University in Twickenham, shares his thoughts on the mission and purpose of the Catholic University as well as aspects of his own journey to executive level leadership. Listeners will be inspired by his honesty about the highs and lows of leadership as well as his description of what he loves about HE, especially when he see students graduate. He closes the interview with some hopes for the future of Catholic HE as well as for the sector as a whole.

Catherine Herring from Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College explains how and why she set up the Leadership Award for students at Notre Dame to develop character virtues and to develop as leaders whilst making a difference to their school context, their peers and their communities. Students also give their views on the award and on how transformative it was for them as students.

John gives a poetic outline of the concept of friendship as the seedbed for spiritual learning and synodality in the contemporary Church context. The experience of friendship plays a very important role in how people access, and welcome truth in their lives and along their path towards transformation. Friendship is a form of peer-ministry. There can be no social friendship without personal friendship in the laboratory of life and everyday life.

Dr Mealey draws out the significance of the principles contained mainly in Laborem Exercens about human dignity and how it can help the challenges of the contemporary HE sector to highlight the intrinsic value of everyone and to re-position how some of the tensions regarding pay, zero hours contracts, working conditions and how people feel about themselves at University can be overcome. When people feel valued, respected and part of the common good, a shift in culture can take place which can lead to greater productivity and satisfaction above all else. The example of the ‘homeless Jesus’ is referred to as a reminder to do ethics and reflections on the relevance of the principles of CST for human living from the ground, from the margins and from the perspective of those who are most vulnerable.

Kate Adams, Professor of Education at Leeds Trinity University, shares her research on children’s spirituality. She gives an in-depth account of the literature in the field of spirituality and suggests that the school curriculum should provide more opportunities for children to explore concepts such as spirituality and advises us to ‘listen’ to, and to engage with, children’s experiences as much as possible. Dr Ann Marie Mealey gives her thoughts on the matter as part of the introduction and the conclusion to the podcast as part of Leeds Trinity’s ‘Beyond the Dark Clouds’ podcast series.

Nicolas Vergier, from the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), shares his reflections on the nature and purpose of a Catholic university. A concept that is often misunderstood in today’s world and, at times, within the HE sector itself, this podcast should help to promote a positive vision for the ‘good’ that the Catholic university is called to do in the world. Dr Ann Marie Mealey shares her own reflections on what it means to those who work and study at a Catholic university and suggest how transformative this can be for individuals.

Philip Booth gives his perspectives on how Catholic Social Teaching can help to humanise economic life and provide the much-needed ‘check and balance’ to ensure that businesses remain ethical and just.Dr Ann Marie Mealey gives her thoughts on what an ‘ethical’ business might look like in a competitive job market as well as sharing her thoughts on what her students – over a 16-year career in teaching in Higher Education – thought of the idea that businesses could be ethical.

Tony Blockley, Professor of policing at Leeds Trinity University, speaks about his experiences as a detective and as a person who has worked at various levels of the police force. Tony advocates for the need for ethics and values to be part of the training of police officers, and for there to be a greater awareness of the relevance that faith can play in our communities as it can be both unifying as well as being the basis for tensions. Dr Ann Marie Mealey, Ethicist and Director of Catholic Mission at Leeds Trinity University, shares her thoughts on Professor Blockley’s talk as part of the introduction and conclusion to the ‘Beyond the Dark Clouds Podcast.’

Dr Tobias Winright, Professor of Moral Theology at Saint Patrick’s Pontifical University in Maynooth, Ireland, gives a talk on what ‘just policing’ might look like in the contemporary world. He also probes the possibility of using the ‘just war’ tradition as a basis for reconceptualising the police as ‘servants of life’ rather than as merely agents of law enforcement. Reflections from Dr Ann Marie Mealey, Ethicist and Director of Catholic Mission at Leeds Trinity University, are offered in the introductory and closing sections of the Podcast.

A preview of the upcoming lecture series 'Beyond The Dark Clouds' curated by Dr Ann Marie Mealey at Leeds Trinity University. Dr Ann-Marie chats with Darren Harper about her role at LTU as Director of Catholic Mission - and what she hopes to achieve through the conversations we'll have on this podcast which runs alongside the lecture series....