Shows
Holding It Both WaysTransitionsCynthia shared her personal journey of growing up in Northern Ireland and later moving to Canada, reflecting on how both privilege and oppression shaped her leadership journey through various transitions. She discussed her spiritual and gender transitions, which broadened her perspective and deepened her empathy and courage, leading her to explore leadership in diverse contexts. Through her experiences across countries, religions, and careers, Cynthia has developed unique insights into leadership and inclusion, working with organizations to help leaders create workplaces of real belonging. Get full access to FORTLAGE Collective: Insights on Inclusive Leadership at fortlage.substack...
2025-12-0505 min
Holding It Both WaysCommunicating Belonging at Work, our guest Heera RehmanIn this conversation, Cynthia speaks with tech founder Heera Rehman, who spent a decade leading internal communications for large, global companies before launching WorldTone AI. Together, they explore the heart of inclusive, people-first communication in rapidly shifting workplaces. Heera shares how aligning messaging with values builds trust, why diversity storytelling should not be seasonal, and how emerging technology can support rather than replace humanity in today’s leadership. From finding your voice as a communicator to building tools that elevate belonging, this episode offers practical insight for leaders and communicators who want to create messaging that respects people and re...
2025-11-2649 min
Holding It Both WaysIf we practised emotional intelligence like a skill, what would change at work? Our guest Amanda DavieIn this episode, Amanda Davie and Cynthia get specific about treating emotional intelligence as a skill you practise, not a trait you either have or lack. We talk about coaching moves any leader can use this week, the inclusive norms that make collaboration work, and how communities accelerate careers. Amanda shares lessons from co‑leading Equal Talent, building She Has No Limits, and coaching inside high‑growth, high‑pressure environments. Cynthia layers in Acceptance Without Understanding and the 4P Catalyst Framework to turn values into daily behaviours. You will leave with simple rituals for meetings, feedback, and decisions that grow t...
2025-11-1253 min
Rádio DebateO que crianças e adolescentes pensam sobre o mundoQuem comanda o mundo são os adultos. Pode até parecer óbvio, mas é importante chamar atenção que nós não estamos indo bem em muitas responsabilidades individuais e coletivas.Por sua vez, crianças e adolescentes até pouco tempo não tinham direitos reconhecidos e, portanto, nem eram entendidas como cidadãs. E uma das dimensões mais importantes da cidadania é o direito de participação nas questões que interessam à sociedade. Eu me pergunto e faço a mesma pergunta pra você: se o mundo adulto abrisse espaço para contemplar as opiniões de crianças e adoles...
2025-10-1058 min
Holding It Both WaysIf Not Now, When? Clarity, Courage & Simple Systems with Jeanne OmlorJeanne Omlor joins Cynthia for a straight‑talk conversation about moving from hesitation to action. We explore how to build a values‑aligned business (or team) by choosing clarity over complexity, getting crystal‑clear on the offer, who it serves, and the result it creates—and then using simple, repeatable systems you will actually stick to. Jeanne shares candid lessons from building online after previous offline success, the mindset shift behind her mantra “if not now, when?”, and why service‑led selling beats performative hustle. You will leave with practical prompts to make decisions faster, reduce friction in your workflow, and...
2025-10-0245 min
Holding It Both WaysSmall Teams, Big Culture — Leading Well in SMEs (with Heather McDaniel)SMEs run hot: fewer people, faster decisions, and almost no safety net. In this conversation, Heather McDaniel shares how small and medium enterprises can build strong cultures without big‑company budgets. We explore the realities of “trial‑by‑fire” leadership, what to do when training is thin, and how deep listening and clear practices create psychological safety on small teams. Heather traces her journey from the U.S. to Spain and why she founded the Life Love Leadership Project, plus a client story that shows culture change in action. Leaders will leave with practical ways to steady teams in uncertaint...
2025-09-1841 min
Holding It Both WaysBeyond the Good Girl: Working Mothers, Burnout & the Bias TrapsGifty Enright joins Cynthia to get practical about the real pressures facing working mothers—and what leaders can do beyond platitudes. We unpack why parents are the most stressed demographic, how the “good girl” social script and performance bias stack the deck against women, and why meritocracy often micro‑analyses women while macro‑analysing men. Gifty shares lessons from her own burnout and from her book, Octopus on a Treadmill, offering usable ideas for cultivating presence (not just more hours), setting boundaries, and driving culture change. We also touch on intersectionality, from being a Black woman and an immigrant to navigatin...
2025-09-0337 min
Holding It Both WaysThe Courage to Rethink Power – with Natascha Radclyffe-ThomasIn this episode of Gender Equity Rebels, Cynthia Fortlage sits down with Professor Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas to explore the intersections of gender, power, privilege, and purpose within the global fashion industry. As a seasoned academic, a social impact leader, and the first UK winner of the prestigious Fashion Education Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Natascha brings clarity and courage to a topic that too often shies away from complexity.The conversation weaves through her own leadership journey and the pivotal moments where she chose to challenge accepted narratives of success. They discuss how...
2025-09-0247 min
Holding It Both WaysWhen Equal Isn’t Enough – with EmilyIn this final episode of the Gender Equity Rebels series, Cynthia Fortlage sits down with Emily Button-Ham, founder of Emily Button Coaching, to discuss the reality behind Pay Gap Day in the UK (15 November 2023). What begins as a conversation about the numbers quickly becomes something more deeply human.Emily shares her professional insights and personal reflections on what it means to navigate workplace systems that still undervalue women. The two discuss confidence, reconditioning, pay transparency, and the cumulative impact of inequity across a woman’s career journey. Cynthia adds powerful perspective from her own experience living and le...
2025-08-2617 min
Holding It Both WaysWhat If It’s Not Just PMS?🏳️🌈 Gender Rebel Series: Hormones, Health, and the WorkplaceInclusion isn’t just about who’s in the room—it’s also about what’s understood once we get there.In this episode of Gender Equity Rebels, I sit down with Rachel Grewal, a startup leader and recruiter, to talk about something that impacts countless women and AFAB individuals in silence: PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder).Rachel shares the emotional and professional impact of PMDD—how it affects energy, mood, productivity, and leadership presence. We talk openly about the stigma around hormonal health, the silence in the workplace, and...
2025-08-1940 min
Holding It Both WaysEpisode: Seeing in Full Colour – Men’s Mental Health, Privilege, and Mindfulness (with Dave James)Dave joins Cynthia to explore what men’s mental health looks like when we move beyond stoicism toward language, curiosity, and connection. Starting from teen years shaped by anger and loss, Dave traces a path through healthcare roles into speaking and coaching. Together, we unpack how hormones, health, and gendered expectations shape behaviour and safety, and why mindfulness helps leaders respond rather than react. We also look squarely at privilege. Dave explains how recognising his own advantages did not lead to guilt, but to responsibility and allyship. If you lead teams that include men, or you are a man wh...
2025-08-1455 min
Holding It Both WaysStrategy Is the StoryOver the past few years, some of my most viewed posts have been the most personal. When I write about the messy middle of my life, people engage. When I share something raw or unresolved, the response is often overwhelming, and I’m grateful for it.But those moments aren’t the work.The work is the inclusion frameworks.The strategy.The metrics.The boardroom conversations.The mentoring that helps leaders build inclusive confidence.The quiet systems that make belonging feel possible, not performative.And that story? That’s the one I most want p...
2025-08-1201 min
Holding It Both WaysA Bold Conversation on Inclusion, Resilience, and the Future of WorkWhen Abigail Wilmore of People Flow invited me to join her Monthly Mentoring Chat, I knew it would be more than a friendly catch-up. Abigail’s work with HR leaders and change-makers creates space for honest, practical conversations about the challenges and opportunities shaping our workplaces today.In this wide-ranging conversation, we dive into the topics that keep many of us awake at night—and fuel us to keep going in the morning:* How to lead with hope and resilience in uncertain times.* What designing for inclusion really looks like inside organisations....
2025-08-1158 min
Holding It Both WaysSeen for MeI’ve done a lot of interviews across podcasts, panels, articles, and keynotes. Each one offers a different reflection. But one in particular has stayed with me.My conversation with Neil Hudson-Basing on his podcast Pause. And Rewind… wasn’t about my identity. It wasn’t even really about the work.It was about me.Neil’s approach is gentle, thoughtful, and deeply human. His podcast invites guests to pause… and rewind—to tell the story behind the story. And that invitation? It hit me in a way I didn’t expect.Toward the end...
2025-08-0501 min
Holding It Both WaysInterpreting the WorkOver the years, I’ve done dozens—possibly hundreds—of interviews, podcasts, and panels. Each one is its own little mirror.Sometimes it reflects my identity.Sometimes my leadership.Sometimes my advocacy.Sometimes my frameworks.And the more of them I do, the more I’ve come to realise something:Interpretation is part of impact.How someone sees the work is itself part of the work.And every version reveals something back to me—sometimes familiar, sometimes surprising.This short reflection is about what I’ve learned from being interpreted so many differe...
2025-07-2901 min
Holding It Both WaysThey Saw the StrategySometimes people focus on my story.My identity. My journey.And I understand why—it’s visible. It’s human. It’s real.But the work I do?The leadership strategy, the inclusion frameworks, and the economic models?That often lives beneath the surface.Recently, I read a forthcoming article for which I was interviewed—it won’t publish until later this summer.But when I read the draft, I felt something rare:They didn’t centre my identity.They saw the strategy.It’s not just a profile—it’s the most accurate ar...
2025-07-2201 min
Holding It Both WaysInternalised Misogyny, Allyship, and the Cost of Fitting InWelcome to the first official episode of Holding It Both Ways — a podcast about leadership, paradox, humanity, and strategy. In this opening conversation, Cynthia Fortlage and Katie Allen dig into the hard-to-name, often-unspoken realities that shape how women show up in leadership.Katie brings deep insight from her time in the male-dominated petrochemical industry, where she both challenged and conformed to workplace norms. She reflects on the internalised misogyny that shaped her leadership journey, the trade-offs she made to succeed, and the lingering impact those choices may have had on others.Cynthia shares her own st...
2025-07-1842 min
The Powered By Diversity PodcastEpisode 8 - Navigating Workplace Transitions: A Journey of Inclusion and Understanding with Cynthia FortlageJoin Cat Wildman and Cynthia Fortlage as they dive deep into the complexities of gender transition in the workplace.
Drawing from Cynthia's personal experience as a C-suite executive who transitioned, this powerful podcast explores the critical importance of creating inclusive policies, understanding workplace culture, and supporting employees through all types of life transitions.
Learn how organizations can develop authentic, supportive approaches that go beyond checkbox diversity and create genuine psychological safety for all employees.
You can connect with Cat Wildman here
You can connect with Cynthia Fortlage here
at...
2025-03-2035 min
Pause. And Rewind...Pause. And Rewind... with Cynthia Fortlage | Purposeful. Spiritual. Aspirational.“It’s not been an easy journey but it’s a journey I’d do again in a heartbeat. I know why I’m here & I don’t think there’s a lot of people that can say ‘I know why I’m on the planet right now’. I do. And what a blessing to know that.”This statement gave me chills during my chat with this week’s guest, Cynthia Fortlage, for ‘Pause. And Rewind…’. Cynthia (she/her) is referring to her mission to teach 1 billion people about acceptance by the year 2050 - which she describes herself as an “audacious goal”...
2024-11-061h 21
The Real Life BuyerThe Power of Acceptance: Unlocking Inclusive Workplaces with Cynthia FortlageWelcome to this special episode of The Real Life Buyer podcast. Today, we delve into the powerful theme of "Acceptance without Understanding." ABOUT THE GUESTCynthia Fortlage, is a transgender woman with over three decades of corporate experience, that brings a unique perspective on fostering a sense of belonging for all genders in the workplace. In this thought-provoking conversation, we explore how acceptance, without the need for complete understanding, can reshape our professional world.Cynthia's personal journey and her commitment to creating safe spaces are awe-inspiring. Join us as we uncover the transformative...
2024-05-281h 01
The Inclusion Bites PodcastBeyond Binaries: Unpacking Gender Diversity Beyond Binaries: Unpacking Gender Diversity
Cynthia Fortlage explores the complex tapestry of gender equity, historical roles, and the societal journey towards understanding and embracing the full spectrum of gender diversity.
In this thought-provoking episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne joins hands with Cynthia Fortlage, exploring the fluidity of gender roles throughout history, the impact of binaries on society, and the active role inclusion must play within workplaces. Cynthia draws from extensive research and personal experiences to question historical interpretations that enforced gender disparities and examines the broader implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on...
2024-05-0958 min
Speaking of Inclusion...Acceptance without Understanding - with Cynthia FortlageThis week I am joined by the remarkable Cynthia Fortlage, a Belfast-born Canadian raised global gender diversity speaker and consultant, and we are getting into "Acceptance without Understanding."
In this episode, Cynthia shares her wealth of knowledge and personal experiences touching on gender, identity, diversity, and the challenge of navigating societal norms.
We discuss the complex layers of human identity and how understanding our interactions with each other can shape the way we start to create acceptance for each other - especially with people who are different to us.
Three Key Takeaways from...
2024-05-071h 03
Post-Exertional MayonnaisePatricia Fortlage: Fine art photographer chronicles her Chronic Illness and ME/CFS journey - episode 15Patricia Fortlage is an award-winning photographic long-form storyteller and fine art photographer. In this episode we talk about her project 'Lemonade' which uses dramatic, personal and sometimes comical images to express her 'love letter to the chronic illness community'.
If you have the energy, we'd recommend visiting Patricia's website while you listen so that you can view her lemonade project and see the images we're discussing.
You can find Patricia's portfolio on her website:
https://www.patriciafortlage.com/
Contact us at: pempodcast23@gmail.com
https://www.pempod.com/
2023-11-1049 min
Connecting Conversations with Cohesia ConnectLGBTQ+ Understanding & Acceptance - Cynthia Fortlage - Cohesia Connect - Connecting Conversations
Cohesia Connect, Connecting Conversations - Through stories shared, we R.I.S.E
‘Acceptance without understanding is the first step, and understanding can be gained through dialogue and asking questions’, was a key message left with us by our guest Cynthia.
In this episode of Connecting Conversations, we had the privilege of speaking with Cynthia, who shares her experience and story as someone within the LGBTQ+ community. The conversation explores the importance of unlearning societal norms that contribute to othering, the power of acceptance, and intersectionality. Cynthia discusses the impact of discrimination within the working world and shares their pers...
2023-06-0851 min
Helping People PerformWords Matter, with Cynthia Fortlage: Ep 34A pleasure to chat with award winning Gender Diversity leader, speaker, writer and consultant Cynthia Fortlage
With a unique perspective of experiencing the boardroom from 2 genders, Cynthia shares some of her thoughts and insights into areas such as bias, culture and language.
Find Cynthia via:
Website: https://www.cynthiafortlage.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cfortlage/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cafservices/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cafservices
Link to article mentioned in the recording: https://www.cynthiafortlage.com/post/psychological-safety-is-complex-but-not-impossible
2023-05-1537 min
The Authentic Man Podcast with David ChambersEP136: Finding Your Authentic Self, Transitioning, Acceptance and Building An Intentional Culture with Cynthia FortlageHave you ever struggled to find your authentic self and authentic voice? Have you lived under a mask, pretending to be someone so the world accepts you? In this episode, I talk to Cynthia Fortlage about being a C-suite executive and transitioning to being a woman and the effects on her life, marriage and career. Cynthia is an award-winning, internationally recognised executive, speaker, writer, and board leader. This episode will leave you with a newfound compassion and understanding in so many ways for those who have to make huge identity changes an...
2023-04-191h 32
Helping People PerformInternational Womens Day specialIn celebration of International Womens Day 2023, and on the theme of #EmbraceEquity, I've pulled together a collection of clips from the amazing women that have been interviewed on the Helping People Perform podcast. Some of these inspiring ladies have had their podcast episode released already, and there are also some in there whose episode has been recorded, but not released at the time of pulling together this special episode.
Please take the time to check out each of the individual contributors' episodes and their websites (see below) and Embrace Equity in everything you do!
Georgie Rudd h...
2023-03-0817 min
Detrás Hay Una HistoriaEp 7 EL PODER DEL DIA A DIA - LORENA FORTLAGELorena Fortlage, es psicóloga deportiva y capitana del equipo paraguayo de golf Copa Andes. Nos comparte sus experiencias de golfista, su paso por la universidad en USA. Es fiel a los procesos, en los cuales ella destaca la importancia de vivirlos, buscar hacer cosas nuevas y así salir del modo automático de vivir. Valorar a los compañeros que nos desafían a ser mejores. Y por sobre todo entender el PODER DEL DIA A DIA.
2023-02-2252 min
Tech Can't Save UsExploring Gender Identity in Tech with Cynthia Fortlage from CAF ServicesIn this week's episode, we're joined by Cynthia Fortlage, Founder of CAF Services, who lets us in on her insight into creating safe spaces where all marginalised people experience a sense of belonging.
We start off by diving into a piece on emphasising and empowering the T in LGBTQ for transgender people in tech. Cynthia points out, "when we talk about trans, it's imperative to understand for organisations that those are three very different identities." What are those three identities? We discuss them in the episode.
The next piece by Rolling Stone lets us unpack the...
2023-01-121h 02
i Like HueHue at Home with Tracy Koga: Cynthia Fortlage - Courage, Compassion & HeartLongtime Hue friend Cynthia Fortlage is back on Hue at Home! We take a look back at our first ever taping with Cynthia back in 2019 at Deer Lodge Centre. Host Tracy Koga talks to Cynthia about how she’s become a world-renowned speaker and transgender activist. She is continuing to share her philosophy of ‘Understanding without Acceptance’. Watch past episodes of Hue at Home anytime! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp747HujJbh9JgyzkomF14bRy_B6Xp7-J And listen to our podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/i-like-hue/id1476157868 https://open.spotify.com/show/20TnELNwBdr3wal0BBiyhH . New episod...
2022-08-1840 min
i Like HueHue at Home with Tracy Koga: Cynthia Fortlage - Courage, Compassion, HeartWe spend some great time with Cynthia Fortlage who has become a world wide spokesperson for the transgender population and so much more. She is bridging the gaps between people with her philosophy of Understanding without Acceptance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2022-06-3040 min
i Like HueHue Living Room with Tracy Koga: Cynthia Fortlage, Charlotte Sytnyk, Rana Bokhari - Women And PowerDo we bode well with power? How does it make us stronger, or weaker? Plus how to handle it, these are just a few things our guests talk about, and how it affects our lives and relationships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2022-06-1555 min
boobs, bods & brainsAcceptance Without Understanding™ - Introducing Cynthia Fortlage, Gender Identity SpeakerYou spend your life doing all of the things that everyone has always told you that you should aspire to do. You have been the person you have been told you were supposed to be. You go to school, you get married, you have children and tick all of the boxes. And then you realize that you are not living your authentic life.
This week we are proud to welcome Cynthia to our program. Cynthia transitioned after the age of 50 to becoming the woman that she truly is. She now makes it her life‘s work to ed...
2022-06-1333 min
Inclusive Growth ShowA is for AcceptanceIn this conversation, I spoke with gender identity speaker, consultant and specialist Cynthia Fortlage. We spoke about her lived experience, how it brought her to this work and she shared her insights and unique method, not only of seeing the world, but making it a more inclusive space for all marginalised groups of people.Send us a messageIf you're enjoying this episode and looking to boost equity, inclusion, and diversity in your organisation, my team and I are here to help. Our team specialises in crafting data-driven strategies, developing inclusive leaders, designing fair recruitment...
2022-03-0227 min
A Woman in a Man's WorldStarting with Acceptance with Cynthia FortlageThis week my guest is Cynthia Fortlage. Cynthia is a Gender Identity Coach and is speaking with me about her experience of seeing the world through both sets of gendered eyes, how she educates people on first finding acceptance of one another before needing to understand, and how her experience of the world changed after she underwent her own transition.About CynthiaMs Fortlage is an international award-winning LGBT+ executive, entrepreneur, and board leader. For the past 30 years, she was an information technology executive in Canada. She has held various board roles throughout her...
2021-09-021h 03
i Like HueHue Virtual Chat with Tracy Koga: Cynthia Fortlage, Susie Erjavec Parker /Pronouns! Education!We talk about the new use of pronouns, not in the proper english sense but how we identify with them. And the growing crisis of mental health issues amongst students, teachers and family.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2021-05-191h 06
i Like HueHue Virtual Chat with Tracy Koga: Geraldine De Braune, Susie Erjavec Parker : Self PreservationWe discuss how it is OK to say no, step away from emails, social media and not having to feel bound to serve everyone but your self. Cynthia Fortlage speaks about her favourite season the fall of patriarchy, and that what is between our legs shouldn't define us, but what is between our ears. Susie reminds us of what parental unconditional love can do to grow well balanced children, and perhaps create an anti-racist society.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2021-04-281h 07
i Like HueHue Virtual Chat: Cynthia Fortlage, Susan Loewen, Robyn Priest Women in Power EquityWe have an explosive talk about getting women on par with wages, power and job security with men. Plus what does International Women’s Day really mean?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2021-03-101h 10
Wake Up to Real LoveAcceptance without Understanding - with Cynthia Fortlage (2 #57)Do you accept yourself or others without always understanding? Meet Cynthia Fortlage, a 30 year Technology Executive and finalist for CIO of the Year (2019) by Women in IT awards, who had an identity crisis a few years ago. She questioned all of her ideas, expectations, and beliefs about who she was in the world. Cynthia used her leadership skills to redefine herself emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically, while also navigating her family relationships and friendships. Cynthia gives us the secret of how to live with an open mind as well as heart, and to appreciate the diversity of this modern...
2020-12-011h 02
i Like HueHue Virtual Chat: Cynthia Fortlage, Primrose MK Author, Facing FUDWe celebrate some happy news with Primrose MK's new novel about to be published, but what will the book cover look like?? And world traveler Cynthia Fortlage joins us from a small town outside of London , England and talks about her epiphany dealing with her FUD, Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2020-10-2748 min
i Like HueHue Virtual Chat: Susie Erjavec Parker, Cynthia Fortlage, Our 30th Show!When Hue decided to keep the conversation going after The Hue Crew, we didn't anticipate doing 30 shows on Zoom! And getting to meet some remarkable people, with incredible minds and bold personalities. We talk about our take aways and now moving into another dimension of living with COVID 19 and how to still navigate through the unknown with a very battle fatigued crew of spouses, partners, family and a bubble of friends.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2020-09-011h 01
i Like HueHue Virtual Chat: Cynthia Fortlage, Robyn Priest, Susie Erjavec Parker, EmotionsIt’s half way through summer and more than halfway through the year! Will 2020 become the year to forget... or always remember? Our Virtual Chat takes us to some emotional feelings about our personal bubbles and living with uncertainty. We discuss the need for human touch and how hard love is during a global pandemic
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2020-07-281h 01
i Like HueThe Hue Crew learn Acceptance Without Understanding From Cynthia FortlageOne of the most powerful conversations the Hue Crew have done, as Cynthia Fortlage talks about leaving a 30 plus year career as an executive for a tech company to becoming a professional speaker and consultant, under her branding Acceptance Without Understanding. And she shares her own transgender story that has an amazing ending...
contact Cynthia at https://cfortlage.blogspot.ca
New Hue Crew Episodes every second Monday!
Watch this episodes video here!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2019-10-1431 min