Embracing Lived Experience in the Workplace (For Businesses)

About the workshop

This workshop is tailored for businesses and organizations aiming to cultivate a more inclusive and diverse workplace by recognizing and embracing the unique lived experiences of their team members. Whether individuals have openly shared their lived experiences or kept them private, these unique journeys often equip them with invaluable insights, skills, and perspectives that cannot be replicated merely through academic or external learning. Learn to harness and support your team!

This workshop is face-to-face and 2 hours in length.

Target audience

• Leaders and executives 
• Managers and supervisors 
• Human resources professionals 
• Team members interested in fostering inclusivity and diversity 

What is lived experience? 

Lived experience encompasses a range of personal backgrounds and circumstances, including but not limited to: 

• Individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds 
• Individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds 
• LGBTQIA+ community members 
• Individuals with disabilities 
• Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander people 
• Neurodivergent individuals 
• Those who have experienced involuntary treatment 
• Individuals navigating mental health 
• Veterans 
• Individuals with experience incarceration or homelessness 
• Substance use recovery 
• Other diverse experiences 
• Supporting others (i.e. family, or partner) through these experiences




Note: We acknowledge some individuals may have overlapping or intersecting experiences. 




Learning outcomes: 

• Apply the value of lived experience: recognise the inherent value and contributions that individuals with diverse lived experiences bring to the workplace. 

• Enhance inclusive hiring practices: gain insights into ethical and effective hiring strategies that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion.   

• Foster collaborative and supportive environments: develop skills and strategies for creating a supportive workplace culture that values and empowers team members with diverse backgrounds and experiences. 

Key takeaways: 

• In-depth understanding: participants will acquire a deeper knowledge of how to effectively recruit, onboard, and support team members with lived experiences. 

• Strengths-based approach: the workshop emphasizes a strength-based approach, empowering leaders and professionals to leverage the unique gifts, knowledge, and experiences of their diverse team members. 

• Ethical and collaborative leadership: participants will learn how to foster an ethical, collaborative, and inclusive work environment that values diversity and promotes mutual respect among team members.