About this episode
?? This episode was recorded jointly with the So, Who Cares Anyway? podcast, hosted by Ruth Germaine.In this warm, wide-ranging episode, I’m chatting to fellow podcaster and Darzi alumna Ruth Germaine to explore what it really takes to tackle healthcare’s “wicked problems” through coproduction.A powerful invitation to think differently.Drawing on our shared roots in the Darzi Fellowship network, we reflect on why lived experience, curiosity and relationship-building matter far more than tick-boxes and tidy solutions.I share my journey from social care and local government, through cancer, to creating Whose Shoes?® - a deceptively simple, colourful board-game approach that opens up honest conversations between people, professionals and those in positions of power. Along the way, we explore the power of poetry, the beach-ball metaphor, and why Whose Shoes scenarios are so open-ended – the discussion will be the one YOU need to have.Our conversation ranges from maternity services in Buckinghamshire to SEND roadshows and a neonatal unit in Liverpool, illustrating how ‘planting seeds’ can lead to outcomes no one could predict at the start.We also reflect on the challenge of evidencing impact, the limits of KPIs, and a Whose Shoes hallmark: the pledge - small or bold actions, taken from the heart. #NoHierarchyJustPeopleThis is an episode about creativity, courage, and the quiet magic that happens when people feel truly heard.?? ? Lemon LightbulbsCo-production isn’t a method - it’s a mindset If people don’t genuinely feel valued and listened to, no tool will save you.The answers are in the room Real change starts with free-flowing conversations, not a prescriptive agendaYou can promise something will happen - just not what That uncertainty isn’t a flaw; it’s the essence of true co-productionPeople see through tick-box listening instantly You can’t fake curiosity or shortcut trustCreativity creates capacity - even when time is tight Fun, colour and poetry don’t distract from serious work; they unlock itRipples to ... IMPACT! A conversation can lead — unexpectedly — to things as big as a new neonatal unitJust because it's countable, doesn't mean it's what matters most What matters most (trust, insight, confidence, connection) rarely fits a KPIThe best change work draws people in When it’s real, people text friends: “Get down here — this is different.”Pledges work because they’re personal Small actions “from the heart” beat grand strategiesLearning happens with people, not to them Networks for learning together generally beat programmes and courses
