Dreams Into Action

Joanne Lockwood

Tags: inclusive leadership, personal transformation, cultural heritage, Vision Boarding, Entrepreneurial Journeys, Creative Strategy, Empowering Dreams, Marginalised Voices, Authentic Networking, Super Connector

Vision Boarding, Creativity, and Inclusive Empowerment

Janet Tanguay explores the journey of transforming dreams into action, weaving together vision boarding, inclusion, and the profound impact of authentic connection to inspire self-belief and meaningful change.

In this energising episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood welcomes Janet Tanguay for an enlightening conversation on turning ‘Dreams Into Action.’ Joanne explores her own journey of self-employment and the shift from working in her business to working on it, whilst Janet explains how she helps clients clarify, visualise, and manifest their aspirations using inclusive visioning practices. The discussion traverses the emotional realities of leaving the safety of employment, breaking routine, and building entrepreneurial purpose through authenticity and resilience. They also consider the significance of vision boards and how powerful it is to crystallise hopes and dreams into visual, tangible representations, making the dream-building process accessible and inclusive to all, regardless of background or means.

Janet is a business strategist, creative catalyst, and self-described ‘super connector’ who takes pride in her Abenaki First Nation heritage. Based in upstate New York, she draws on her ancestral roots and wide-ranging experience in community building, entrepreneurship, and expressive arts to support others in manifesting their dreams. Her work spans diverse groups—from marginalised communities to high-net-worth individuals—focusing on inclusivity, cultural relevance, and creating spaces where authentic aspirations can take shape. Janet’s approach features vision board workshops that integrate everything from traditional collage making to AI technology, sound healing, and even music composition through platforms such as Suno, ensuring clients can see themselves in their dreams and express them in ways that feel meaningful and achievable.

Throughout their conversation, Joanne and Janet challenge listeners to recognise common blocks to pursuing dreams, such as cultural conditioning, self-doubt, and practical constraints, and offer practical strategies to move beyond them. The episode highlights the deep human need for belonging, purpose, and joy, and showcases how intentional inclusivity, creativity, and connection can help individuals and communities to thrive. A key takeaway from this episode is the invitation to actively visualise, articulate, and nurture your dreams—proving that real change begins with having the courage to imagine and the commitment to act. Listeners will be inspired to build their own vision boards and harness the power of community and creativity to turn dreams into reality.

Published: 27.03.2026

Recorded: 25.11.2025 Episode Length

Duration: 0:57:14

Shownotes:

AI Extracts and Interpretations
app.castmagic.io The Inclusion Bites Podcast #202: Dreams Into Action/a>
Other Links
seechangehappen.co.uk SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts
Inclusion Bites Podcast on YouTube

Clips and Timestamps

Viral Topic: Creating a World of Inclusion
“Remember, everyone not only belongs, but thrives.”
— Janet Tanguay [00:00:26 → 00:00:29]

Viral Topic: Creating Inclusive Spaces in Business
“I really wanted to create an inclusive, safe place where my job was just to hold space for people to be their authentic selves.”
— Janet Tanguay [00:04:35 → 00:04:43]

Pursuing Your Dreams: “Well, my dream is to be in a hammock more often.”
— Janet Tanguay [00:05:11 → 00:05:13]

Modern Vision Boarding: “We’re taking vision boards boarding now and using AI tools in them. We also bring in sound healers and improv actors and business, business model canvas. And it just depends on what the client wants.”
— Janet Tanguay [00:13:57 → 00:14:10]

Neuroscience Behind Daily Visualization: “by looking at these pictures and words on a daily basis, it somehow wires your brain to be able to say, oh, this is coming to me.”
— Janet Tanguay [00:15:23 → 00:15:32]

Dress Codes Gone Too Far: “But really what put me over the edge was they were going to make me wear a sweater vest with a white shirt for the rest of my life.”
— Janet Tanguay [00:18:51 → 00:18:57]

Viral Topic: Understanding Audience Needs
“I really made an effort to know my audience and dive deeper into who are these people and what are their dreams and goals before I enter the room, just like we did. You talked to me before.”
— Janet Tanguay [00:20:45 → 00:20:57]

Inclusive Creativity in Community Work: “One of the things that I bring into some of the places that I work with, instead of post award, I bring in cake boxes because not everyone wants to share their dreams with people so that people can show what they want to show through the clear top of the cake box and then not show whatever else. It’s also three dimensional, so they can put different, different things in there.”
— Janet Tanguay [00:21:09 → 00:21:27]

Viral Topic Title: The Hidden Strengths of Foster Care Teens
Quote: In very, very, very tiny print, it said, I survived my childhood. And I don’t think his peers saw it, but certainly the leaders in the group. And I saw it again, it was virtual, so it was. I had a chance to see it up close where maybe other people didn’t.
— Janet Tanguay [00:22:01 → 00:22:18]

Collaborative Creativity in Music Production: “It was so collaborative and I didn’t know all the players. So sometimes the engineer would recommend somebody in their network and we’d bring in a saxophonist and they weren’t quite understanding what I was Trying to do. And so the second one just got it right. And so, yeah, so it was really a creative process to get everybody on board to understand the. The vision of.”
— Janet Tanguay [00:29:45 → 00:30:05]

Definition of Terms Used

What is Vision Boarding?

Definition: Vision boarding is a creative goal-setting technique where individuals or groups assemble visual representations (such as images, words, or affirmations) on a board to symbolise their aspirations, dreams, and desired outcomes in life or work.
Relevance: Vision boarding is used as a tool for manifesting intentions and motivating actions, frequently implemented in coaching, teambuilding, and personal development sessions to help clarify and crystallise ambitions.
Examples: Creating a collage from magazines that features dream holidays, career goals, or well-being milestones; a digital vision board built with platforms like Canva or Pinterest that represents a person’s future business aims or life goals.
Related Terms: Goal-Setting, Manifestation, Visualisation, Dream Mapping, Business Model Canvas Common Misconceptions: Vision boarding is solely ‘wishful thinking’ or magical; in practice, it combines neuroscience, intention, and reflection, making it an evidence-based exercise for motivation and behaviour change.

What is a Super Connector?

Definition: A super connector is an individual who excels at bringing people together from diverse backgrounds, industries, or communities and fosters valuable relationships for mutual benefit.
Relevance: Super connectors often build bridges that facilitate collaboration, knowledge transfer, and opportunity creation, particularly in entrepreneurial ecosystems and inclusive environments.
Examples: Someone who introduces a jobseeker to a recruiter, connects an artist with a gallery owner, or organises networking events spanning a range of industries and cultures.
Related Terms: Networking, Relationship Building, Social Capital, Influencer, Community Catalyst Common Misconceptions: Super connectors are sometimes mistaken for opportunists; authentic super connectors act from a place of mutual benefit rather than personal gain, and prioritise the quality of relationships over quantity.

What is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

Definition: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory that arranges human needs in a pyramid, starting with basic physiological needs at the bottom and ascending through safety, love and belonging, esteem, to self-actualisation at the top.
Relevance: Referenced in the episode to illustrate how individual vision boards reflect where someone is on their journey—for example, those lacking food and security focus on basic needs, whilst those with stability may aim for fulfilment or aspiration-related goals.
Examples: Unhoused individuals creating vision boards with images of food and a sofa (basic needs), while others may depict world travel or new businesses (self-actualisation).
Related Terms: Well-being, Self-Actualisation, Psychological Safety, Human Motivation Common Misconceptions: It is wrongly assumed that people only move up the hierarchy in a linear manner, but in reality, individuals may shift between needs or revisit foundational ones during life changes.

What is the ‘Hammock Way of Life’?

Definition: The ‘Hammock Way of Life’ is a concept developed by Janet Tanguay, referring to her personal and professional philosophy of fostering joy, work-life harmony, and fulfilment by helping others manifest their dreams—often symbolised by the imagery of a relaxed, intentional lifestyle (“being in a hammock more often”).
Relevance: It encapsulates the ethos behind Janet’s approach to coaching, entrepreneurship, and business development, encouraging both herself and clients to prioritise well-being and meaningful accomplishment.
Examples: Naming an enterprise after one’s lifestyle aspiration (a hammock) and guiding clients to make choices that align not just with financial success but with joy and balance.
Related Terms: Lifestyle Business, Well-being, Intentional Living, Work–Life Balance Common Misconceptions: The phrase is sometimes mistaken as suggesting laziness or inactivity, whereas it promotes thoughtful, values-based success and reimagining achievement beyond mere hard work.

What is Six Degrees of Separation?

Definition: The Six Degrees of Separation is the theory that any two people on Earth can be connected through a chain of acquaintances with no more than five intermediaries, popularised through the ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’ game in popular culture.
Relevance: Used in the episode to describe the power and reach of one’s network—highlighting how being a ‘super connector’ enhances the ability to create broad and diverse connections with significant impact.
Examples: Realising that a friend’s acquaintance knows a famous public figure or tracing connections between professionals in different fields to identify collaborative opportunities.
Related Terms: Networking, Social Graph, Community Ties, Interpersonal Connections Common Misconceptions: People often mistake this as meaning everyone is equally connected or has influence through these links, but the quality of connections and credibility within a network matters greatly.

Frequently Asked Questions — Episode Key Concepts

What is Vision Boarding? Vision boarding is a process of creating a visual representation of your aspirations and goals, used in coaching and team-building for motivation and clarity of purpose.
What is a Super Connector? A super connector is someone skilled at building extensive, meaningful networks between diverse individuals or groups to foster collaboration and opportunity.
What is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory of human motivation structured as a pyramid, showing how people prioritise basic needs before higher psychological needs and self-fulfilment.
What is the ‘Hammock Way of Life’? The ‘Hammock Way of Life’ is Janet Tanguay’s philosophy and business ethos, representing a harmonious, joyous approach to success, with an emphasis on well-being and helping others realise their dreams.
What is Six Degrees of Separation? This is the notion that everyone in the world is six or fewer social connections away from anyone else, underpinning the power of networks and connection-building in personal and professional life.