In this episode, we sit down with Shantelle Thompson, Barkindji and Ngiyampaa Woman, three-time world champion in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, mother of five, educator, entrepreneur, and founder of the Kiilalaana Foundation and Warrior Heart movement. Shantelle shares her journey of becoming, reflecting on self-leadership, responsibility, and listening to her ancestors, whose voices continue to guide her as she walks a path grounded in strength, sovereignty and purpose.

Shantelle openly reflects on her experience with burnout, survival, healing intergenerational trauma, and the ongoing work of holding herself accountable both as a mother and a leader. She discusses the importance of finding your people, nervous system regulation, being well as a responsibility, and her vision for her community and the next generation. We also dive into her sporting journey, the significance of Jiu Jitsu, and her advocacy for Women's empowerment in sport and culture.

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In this episode of the Impact Policy Podcast, we sit down with Associate Professor BJ Newton for a grounded conversation on child removal, restoration, and the systemic realities facing Aboriginal families navigating the child protection system. Drawing on the Bring Them Home, Keep Them Home research, BJ reflects on the role of research as advocacy, the importance of community-embedded approaches, and why restoration must be centred in conversations about reform.

The discussion explores the structural drivers that continue to see Aboriginal children over represented in out-of-home care, the barriers families face in reunification processes, and the need to shift from surveillance and intervention toward family-led, culturally responsive support. BJ also speaks to initiatives including Know Your Rights and ARC (Aboriginal Authority for Restoring Children), and the importance of returning decision-making and authority back to Aboriginal communities.

Alongside systems analysis and policy discussion, the episode also reflects on the role practitioners can play in creating safe, relational spaces for families through informed judgement, empathy and culturally responsive practice.

If you work across child protection, Aboriginal affairs, policy, research, or community services, this episode offers an honest and important conversation on restoration, accountability, and what meaningful systems change can look like in practice.

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In this special episode of the Impact Policy Podcast, we sit down with our Director of Policy and Research, Sean McCarthy, for an in-depth reflection on his journey at Impact Policy and his work across the New South Wales public sector. As Sean McCarthy prepares to take on new opportunities, we discuss key projects including systems readiness, structural reform, and the importance of moving from cultural safety to cultural responsiveness in policy and community engagement.

Sean McCarthy shares valuable insights on shifting from the public sector to consultancy, the complexities of Aboriginal procurement, and building strong collaborative relationships among black businesses and government agencies. We delve into the nuances of co-design, organizational maturity, tackling lateral violence, and why genuine shared decision-making is essential for sustainable systems change.

If you work in Aboriginal affairs, policy, or want to create more culturally responsive practices in your organization, this episode is a must-listen. Subscribe and share if you find value in our conversation—your support helps us continue to deliver impactful content as a resource for the sector and the community.

Topics Covered:

The dynamics of cultural responsiveness vs. cultural safety

Learnings from systems reform and governance projects

Best practices for co-design and partnering with communities

Organizational readiness, maturity, and anti-racism strategies

The ongoing evolution of cultural awareness in workplaces

Key Topics Covered

Transition from Public Sector to Consulting

Sean McCarthy shares insights about moving from the public sector into consulting, emphasizing the shift to more creative and solutions-based approaches 03:29.

Aboriginal Procurement and Business Collaboration

Discussion of unique challenges and opportunities faced by Aboriginal businesses in procurement and the importance of collaboration over competition 06:05.

Structural Reform and Shared Decision-Making

Reflections on the importance of increased agency and shared power for Aboriginal communities within policy and governance structures 11:34.

Lessons from Co-Design and Governance Work

Sean McCarthy covers communication challenges, the significance of language, and strategies for implementing new models where little precedent exists 17:21.

Incremental Change and Systems Readiness

The complexities of systems change, the balance between incremental and uncompromisable standards, and how organizations can genuinely prepare for large-scale reform 26:12.

Cultural Safety vs. Cultural Responsiveness

In-depth discussion of the difference between achieving minimum standards (cultural safety) and embedding continual, responsive change (cultural responsiveness) in organizations 44:05.

Organizational Maturity and Readiness Assessment

Approaches to measuring organizational maturity from anti-racism and cultural responsiveness perspectives; policy analysis, stakeholder feedback, and maturity frameworks 39:17.

Cultural Supervision and Continuous Learning

The evolution from static cultural awareness training to ongoing cultural supervision and readiness as a demonstration of organizational maturity 54:10.

Notable Quotes

“Cultural safety is like a minimum requirement... best practice is cultural responsiveness, right? Because you’re actually responding to cultural need and feedback.” — Sean McCarthy 32:04

“It's about that continual improvement. You’re never going to be perfect at it... but what you want to do is be better every day, every year, every whatever it might be.” — Sean McCarthy 48:43

Additional Resources

Mention of “Women’s Training” as an example that breaks down static notions of cultural awareness (51:10); link to be added in episode description.

Listeners are encouraged to subscribe and share the podcast to support self-funded, sector-building work (01:51).

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