Mar 15, 2023
In this episode we dive deep into the world of conflict and conflict resolution. When she was twenty-seven years old, Jo’s father Sir Anthony Berry was killed by the IRA in the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing. Faced with her grief, Jo chose to give up on revenge and instead find a way to bring peace to the situation. Sixteen years later Jo met with the man responsible, Pat Magee and since then they have shared a platform speaking together on more than 300 occasions. As Jo shares her story, we explore how replacing our need to control and blame others with unbounded empathy can help us become better leaders.
KEY TAKEAWAY
“Leadership is the ability to have empathy with everyone in the organisation, to recognise one's own patterns of wanting to blame and control. I don't think controlling works. Leadership works with people. They're not there with all the answers, that does not create a safe listening, empathic culture. A leader will be able to have boundaries and will be able to challenge people, but in a way, which is about the dignity, without shaming, without making them wrong. And they'll give people space to make mistakes and learn from them.”
ABOUT JO
Jo Berry is an inspiring speaker who works to resolve conflict around the world. Founder of the charity ‘Building Bridges for Peace’, Jo advocates that unbounded empathy is the biggest weapon we have to end conflict. With political, religious, and racial divides deepening as global and local events unfold, her words offer a message of hope and encourage us all to see the humanity in others.
Jo is frequently invited to address international conferences and seminars on themes of reconciliation, conflict resolution and peace. She has given talks and workshops in areas around the world including Lebanon and Rwanda, India, South Korea, Palestine, and Israel as well as throughout the U.K. She has also joined panels and discussions forums on radio and TV.
In recent years Jo has developed workshops in schools and with youth groups on topics of conflict transformation, storytelling, becoming positive changemakers, and challenging violent extremism. She is a TEDx speaker and a Visiting Fellow with the University of Nottingham (Research Primary Area in Rights and Justice). Jo is also trained as a Restorative Justice facilitator and is an advocate for Restorative Justice around the country.
CONNECT WITH JO
Jo’s Website: https://jo-berry.com/
Building Bridges for Peace Website: https://buildingbridgesforpeace.org/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joberry9
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoBerry9
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jo__berry/
ABOUT THE HOST – MEL LOIZOU
Mel is a Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Speaker, Podcast Host & Mum. Specialising in leadership and change management in the Higher Education sector, Mel uses her Fish Climb Trees philosophy to help individuals, teams and organisations, shift from that place of believing they can’t, to one where they know they absolutely can.
If you would like Mel to help you with your leadership and change management challenges, then please book a free 30 min call via https://calendly.com/melloizou/initialchat
Check out Mel’s Book, When Fish Climb Trees*: When Fish Climb Trees
Check out Mel’s TEDx Talk, Ditch Your Fishnets, Boost Your Resilience: https://www.ted.com/talks/mel_loizou_ditch_your_fishnets_boost_your_resilience
CONNECT WITH MEL
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melloizou/
https://www.instagram.com/mel.loizou/
https://twitter.com/Mel_Loizou
https://www.fishclimbtrees.co.uk
HOSTED BY: Mel Loizou
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence.
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