Episode 377: Creating space for every voice with Shona McGlashan

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I’m speaking with Shona McGlashan about inclusive board cultures. Shona is chair of Pain BC; Vice-chair and governance committee chair of Bard on the Beach Theatre Society. Shona is a governance professional, board director, and consultant who believes boards are only as effective as the culture they create.

Shona discusses why everyone in the boardroom must actively create inclusion, sharing an early-career lesson about “total football” and making space for people to speak up. She outlines practical accessibility and psychological safety practices, recruitment approaches that brought millennial directors onto Pain BC’s board, and how diverse lived experience strengthens decision-making while directors are not delegates.