Gender-based violence and inequality do not happen in isolation. They are deeply connected threads in a larger system that intersects with mental health, race, and power dynamics. Solving systemic issues requires unravelling these interconnected pieces, together. In today's deeply reflective interview, Stephanie sits down with award-winning campaigner, facilitator, and educator Jess Leigh. She discusses her vital work at the intersection of gender, mental health, and anti-racism, focusing on how we dismantle gender-based violence through systemic change rather than isolated reactions. Drawing on over a decade of designing workshops across schools, universities, and corporate spaces, learn how everyday language, media stereotypes, and cultural conditioning lay the groundwork for structural harm, and why true prevention means transforming our norms long before crisis hits. Jess’s upcoming book, From Words to Wounds, examines why storytelling is our most powerful antidote to polarisation and isolation. At its core, storytelling reconnects our shared humanity, regardless of our background, race, or religion. Our deepest human desires to love, feel safe, and belong are universal. She is on a mission to unravel the tapestry of inequality, proving that small shifts, from the words we use every day to the jokes we normalise, the media we consume, and our awareness, can spark powerful ripple effects of lasting cultural change.
00:00 Introduction & Welcoming Jess Leigh 01:05 The Scale of Gender Inequality & Systemic Conditioning 02:04 From Words to Wounds 04:02 Moving from Reaction to Upstream Prevention 06:23 Personal Pivots: Recognising Inequality Early On 08:06 Transforming Debate into Curious, Empathy-Led Conversation 09:59 Core Learnings: Language is Never Neutral & Growth Lives in Discomfort 11:51 Campaigning, Policy, and Grassroots Education 14:14 Redefining Success 17:21 Facing Resistance, Emotional Labour, and Building Community 21:20 Advice to Younger Selves 22:34 Future Goals
#WECAN #JessLeigh #GenderEquality #FromWordsToWounds #SystemicChange #WomenInLeadership #YouthEmpowerment #StorytellingAsResistance Watch her TEDx talk: "Street harassment - it's not ok", which she delivered at TEDxExeter, addressing the systemic nature of public sexual harassment and why society must stop blaming women and girls and instead take a stand against unacceptable behaviour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGZbyUGm3vs
Subscribe to her Substack for a living journal of curiosity, essays, and reflections on the intersections of gender, justice, and joy: https://jesssjleigh.substack.com/ _______________________________________________________________________
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