Inclusion Moments: Insights, Reflections, and Actions to Inspire Change

Inclusion isn’t always about grand gestures. Sometimes, it can begin in the smallest of moments.

Inclusion Moments is a collection of short stories and reflections drawn from the lived and professional experience of the author, Poggy Murray Whitham, from the world of engineering and beyond, seen through their perspective as a Black, Queer, Disabled, and Autistic person.

Each Moment captures how small biases, barriers, or acts of allyship can have a large impact on someone’s day, career, or even life, and offers practical ways to respond with empathy and action.

From being spoken over in meetings to having your expertise doubted because of your identity, the emotional labour of having to educate others, and small actions that really can make a difference, these stories blend honesty, vulnerability, and insight to help readers take meaningful action towards inclusion.

Inclusion Moments invites you to pause and reflect on what inclusion really means in practice. Whether you are a leader, an ally, an advocate, or simply someone wanting to do better, this book is a very human and practical guide to creating more inclusion moments in any community.

Testimonials

＂Powerfully written, eye-opening, delivered with reason, and above all a truth.＂
Ian D. Hall, Author of ’Ghost Apples’, ’Underneath’, and ’Colony’.

＂I would recommend all allies, especially those who don’t have the lived experience of those they support, read this book. Each story has a different set of reflections and actions that will challenge you and help you on your journey to better allyship. I know it’s helping me.＂
Commander Jamie Chestnutt CEng MIET FRAeS RN (ret.), Executive Director & NED, former Director of Engineering and Supply at RNLI and Royal Navy Senior Officer.

＂An invaluable resource for anyone seeking to understand lived experiences they can never share. Taken in totality it is a powerful witness, which I will use with my clients to work more inclusively.＂
Dr Stewart Eyres, Principal Consultant, Eyres Inclusion Consulting

＂A truly great read. I really like that it is so personal and practical. I find so many books in this genre are too hypothetical or theoretical.＂
Fiona Connor, Associate Geotechnical Engineer at Stantec and Co-Chair of InterEngineering

＂Through honest and thought-provoking storytelling, Poggy reminds us that inclusion is not an extra, it is fundamental to the human experience.＂
Kat Culyer, Consultant at EqualEngineers and Girls into Physics & Engineering Coordinator for Institute of Physics Scotland

＂An excellent read. Poggy invites us into their world and offers perspectives where we can all learn. It has been a pleasure to witness Poggy transition from engineer to successful consultant making a positive impact on the profession.＂
Dr Mark McBride-Wright MBE CEng FIChemE FEI, Founder and CEO of EqualEngineers, Author of ’The SAFE Leader’, and MBE Recipient for Services to Diversity and Inclusion in Engineering.