Joanne is an engaging and compelling public speaker, whose style of delivery combines passion with pragmatism: she speaks from her experiences and this authenticity kept our attendees engaged throughout but also motivated to think differently. On behalf of the IEDP (Institute of Equality & Diversity Professionals)

We were absolutely delighted to have Joanne present at RECex 2018; she has been a pleasure to work with. As other event organisers will know having a speaker who responds to every request in a timely and thorough manner is an unexpected joy! Jo gave an excellent presentation in our challenging TED Talk style format. The preparation she had undertook ahead of the event clearly showed in the quality of her slides and talk and the audience absolutely loved her.

Joanne, I wanted to thank you for your insight into your personal journey and the challenges you face. It was the most powerful talk of the day [at #RECex] (and most courageous). Top respect and admiration for you. Patrik

The most extraordinary (on so many levels) talk and insight of the day [at #RECex]. Thank you Joanne for spellbinding and touching me and others with your story and message. No I am not transgender, no I am not active in the area that you focus on I am simply just another HUMAN BEING that get it, that think we can for the sake of human evolution do so much better, if we start to act rather than talk and that we show what it all about, being human, being open minded, embrace, care and understand.

Joanne is a a highly accomplished and trusted D&I advisor, with proven success in delivering diversity, inclusion and awareness talks to a wide ranging audience. I had the pleasure of meeting Joanne 2.5 years ago and since then have built a wonderful business relationship with her, witnessing her speak at many events, creating engaging and inspiring talks and discussions. Being able to witness the work Joanne has done in pushing diversity and inclusion within organisations has been wonderful, where she has helped drive organisations towards being at the forefront of workplace equality.

Joanne is down-to-earth and much more friendly than I thought an international speaker would be (there go my assumptions!!). She has helped me reflect on how I view difference and diversity. Her approach is thoughtful and thought-provoking; it's based on common-sense and she doesn't 'tell' people how they should behave or what they should think. As an HR specialist I'm well versed in the Equality Act and the common approaches that businesses take in (so-called) 'managing diversity', however, Joanne has turned this on it's head and I'm beginning to see that most businesses haven't got the point thus far. Joanne presents ideas and experiences that make sense and actually simplify what we can all do, as individuals and as businesses, to help ensure we include everyone. A great presenter and someone from whom we can all learn a great deal. I wholeheartedly recommend Joanne to businesses who would like a fresh approach to diversity in all its forms and, particularly, transgender.

Jo enthralled the audience at Chichester Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chichester College Big Breakfast this morning with her presentation on embracing diversity and valuing people for being themselves. It was thought provoking and informative, engaging and interesting and there were some lightbulb moments among many of us.

To write Joanne a recommendation has put me in somewhat of a dichotomy. On the one hand, the world needs to know about how utterly engaging, factual, personable and insightful Jo is around her space. She absolutely took the roof off on Stage 2 at #RecFest18 this year, and was one of the stand-out talks given amongst the 40+ Speakers we had during the day!. ...But on the other hand, we want to keep Jo for ourselves! To have access to someone of Jo's calibre and knowledge is a truly valuable asset, but I guess it's only fair to (begrudgingly) share her with the rest of the industry! So, if you're looking to educate, inform and entice your people into knowing more about Trans issues and how embracing and supporting the community can & should be a vital and integral part of your Company's strategy, then I strongly urge you to make contact with Joanne Lockwood now. I mean it, right now!!! Matt Jones

Joanne kindly agreed to be a part of the Q&A panel for Outsource's recent Diversity Matters: Inspiring Inclusion in the Workplace event. I have followed a lot of Jo's speaking projects on social media and was thrilled that she took the time to travel to Swindon to support us in our quest to 'inspire' total inclusion, and share her ideas and experiences to support our Clients with their D&I initiatives. After spending just a few hours with Jo, I felt empowered, and her messages around the benefits a transgender colleague can bring to the workplace, such as increased emotional intelligence, really gave me a lot to think about. Jo is totally open, very articulate, and incredibly passionate about her work, and I look forward to partnering with her in the future, with the goal of promoting 100% inclusive hiring within the IT and engineering sectors. If you need a keynote speaker for your next event, look no further than Jo!

Recently I had the privilege of working with Joanne on a Diversity and Inclusion event. Joanne was inspiring and insightful with a healthy dose of humour. Jo can captivate an audience, taking them with her on a journey. A very engaging lady.

Jo recently took part in our Diversity within Diversity event organised through MPride, Metro Banks LGBT + network. She gave a really engaging presentation talking about the growing LGBT+ family, what all those letters mean and the difference between sexuality and gender identity. She also sat on our panel and gave open, honest and frank responses to the questions raised. I would highly recommend Jo for future events or training sessions. Thanks Jo for taking part!

I recently saw Joanne speak about Diversity and Inclusion at a conference. I was very impressed and was lucky enough to spend an hour or so afterwards discussing Joanne's personal journey. The conversation made a deep impression on me. The insights I gained will help my own personal journey towards a more inclusive culture and I would very much recommend finding time to listen to and meet Joanne in person.

Joanne was attached to our trans themed arts project as a keynote speaker, delivering a talk followed by Q&A sessions which also tied into the themes of the play. Joanne was the ultimate professional and captivated the audiences through her natural ability to engage and communicate in a manner that generated discussion, raised questions and dispelled many myths. I would highly recommend Joanne for any event, she is a natural storyteller with a warm heart, generous soul and powerful message that hits home without being preachy. We will definitely be asking Joanne to return to our events in the future.

I was asked to arrange a keynote speaker for our first event at the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator for International Women's Day (#iwd2018), Joanne was front of mind. Joanne was engaging, sharing her personal and entrepreneurial journey in a refreshingly honest and humourous way. All those in attendance we inspired by Joanne's story. As always, an absolute pleasure working with you.

I just wanted to say a very big thank you for joining the team and sharing your insights on transgender inclusion with us. I know the team found your session informative, challenging and inspiring - so well done! As an organisation there is more we can and will do to ensure we are ever more inclusive and your session will help us drive forward.

Hi Joanne, I was at the talk in Leeds today and although I didn't get to meet you, I wanted to connect just to say I really enjoyed your talk . It was funny engaging and very honest. Starting out in any business is tough and I know I need to believe in myself more. Thank you again Rebecca

Joanne was a fantastic guest speaker at our NatWest Women In Business event! A really inspirational personal story which lit up the whole room. From a real struggle to a great success you should be very proud of yourself.  I would jump at the opportunity to work with Joanne on future events and would encourage others to collaborate!  I do hope our paths across again on a future event plus you continue to share your fantastic story and raise awareness for a real issues in our industry!  Wishing you all the best for the future! 

Joanne presents the issues faced by the Transgender community with great clarity and knowledge. As an organisation P3 promotes inclusion, supports individuals and embraces individuality and as such we are always seeking ways to extend our knowledge and inform best practice. Joanne’s training not only prompted positive discussion but has also given us some key tools when working with individuals who disclose they are part of the Transgender community and may need further support to explore what this means for him or her in a none judgmental way. I would recommend Joanne’s training to any organisation considering educating staff on the issues and legislation and how to best incorporate best practice for both Service Users and staff.

Hi Jo. Thank you a most enjoyable and inspiring study day on Thursday. I learnt so much and will be able to include so much of your session in my work. The workshop session was most useful. I wish that sessions like yours were more widely available especially within the NHS.

In my experience Joanne is an engaging and thought-provoking speaker on a wide range of diversity and inclusion topics, including recruitment and employment. At a panel discussion hosted by HS2 Ltd and convened by leading online diversity recruiter VERCIDA, Joanne brought specialist insight to a broader debate around the gig economy, the experiences that women and transgender women have, and the barriers they encounter. Her contributions were highly relevant and helped to steer the thinking in the room. Delivered with confidence and humour, Joanne’s contribution was punctuated with excellent case studies and practical examples of how to progress.

Joanne was a guest speaker at one of our events and provided excellent insights. Her input into the conversation was really informative and there was feedback given that Joanne's comments had been the most thought-provoking from the day. Joanne is professional, friendly and I would definitely recommend inviting her to speak at your diversity events.

Joanne recently spoke at my event ‘LGBT Inclusion in Business’. Her delivery and talk was both informative and engaging. Her passion for the subject shines through and her ability to be personable and honest while navigating what could be perceived as a difficult subject to address is what makes you pay attention and listen. I know that attendees on the day were inspired by Joanne’s talk and I am so pleased she was our Keynote speaker for the event. The work she does to further the Diversity and Inclusion agenda is incredibly inspirational.

It was really enlightening and educational to listen to Jo's presentation yesterday but on a human level. I feel she presented in a way which immediately linked the audience into her experience of life thus far. We can all take so much from this talk especially if we have not had this experience thus far. For me a resounding 10 out of 10.

You took a sensitive subject and made it fun and thought-provoking! I took so much away from it and have a much better understanding of how to generally be a more compassionate human being

Joanne came to our Leeds NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator as one of inspirational speakers to celebrate International Women in Business Day. Joanne was instantly able to connect with her audience as an entrepreneur with years of credible experience but also as a human who has faced and overcome challenges. It was a superb session and I would highly recommend Joanne as a speaker.

I found Jo's talk clear and relevant to the topic and felt that it was information transferable to many areas of like other than just her story e.g. Race, Disability etc. I think that Jo's presentation was well put together and kept everyone's attention along with her information and the two complimented each other.

I've seen Joanne talk at several events recently - an annual conference, a networking event and a diversity and inclusion event - each time I've learned something new and seen first-hand how Jo has helped people to start to re-condition their thought processes. Through her presentations she addresses an array of subjects affecting the LGBT community and helps people to look at their actions as going beyond awareness, tolerance and acceptance to coexistence, and opportunities to create collaboration and connection where "people are just treated as people and labels are meant for baked beans." As a speaker, Joanne is extremely open and honest about her experiences and speaks in a jargon-free, people-friendly way.