On 12 November 2025, staff from across the Defence Academy gathered for the fifth iteration of the Big Conversation, the organisation’s annual Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) event. This year’s theme was ‘Resilience is a Team Sport’.
Five diverse speakers shared their perspectives, exploring how individuals and teams can thrive in challenging environments, embed resilience across teams, and promote shared responsibility for wellbeing and operational effectiveness.
Major General Peter Rowell MBE, Chief Executive and Commandant of the Defence Academy, set the tone for a day focused on practical steps to help individuals and teams thrive. He remarked:
“Resilience is the ability of individuals and teams to grow through difficult circumstances,” and “dignity is the bridge to resilience”.
He made it clear that resilience is not just a leadership issue; it is a shared responsibility across the organisation.
Keynote speaker Phil Holdcroft shared powerful insights on resilience in practice. Drawing on his deeply personal experience of coping with the devastating news of his child’s leukemia diagnosis, he explained how he used endurance events and charitable fundraising as a pathway to resilience.
Phil Holdcroft
Some of the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre team, Reverend (Group Captain) Ian Brown and Reverend (Wing Commander) David Richardson, gave an inspiring presentation on the role of spiritual resilience. Using a Lord of the Rings analogy to reflect a mixed fellowship, and two compasses - the first with oneself at the centre, the second a north-facing compass with a shared purpose - they highlighted the strength found in diversity and mutual support within teams.
Reverent (Wing Commander) David Richardson
Sharing her personal experience, Nadine Wood, Senior Burnham Lecturer, International Group, spoke candidly about rebuilding resilience after a serious road traffic collision during lockdown. Strict COVID-19 restrictions meant she had to rely on neighbours for support. After she returned to work too soon, she emphasised the need to ask colleagues for help and reflected:
“Team resilience means being in an environment where everyone has each other’s backs.”
Nadine Wood
Major (Dr) Burgess, the UK Defence Mindfulness Lead, offered the audience an important tool to improve mental and emotional wellbeing by reducing stress and anxiety. He noted:
“You own your mind, not the other way around.”
He guided the audience through a mindfulness exercise, encouraging focus on breath and surroundings to foster mental clarity.
Major (Dr) Pat Burgess
Dr Sorana Jude from King’s College London moderated the concluding panel discussion, weaving together insights from earlier presentations and inviting audience engagement. Throughout the seminar, interactive elements such as a Slido Q&A, live polling, and audience participation encouraged staff to engage. The panel set the stage for follow-on conversations about how teams and individuals can embed resilience and access tools going forward.
Speaker panelists with Dr Jude (centre)
Major General Rowell closed the event by emphasising that the organisation will continue the momentum through a programme of activities that embed resilience into the Defence Academy’s culture. He highlighted that the Defence Learning Environment (DLE) offers resources and urged attendees to apply the lessons learned to strengthen individual and team resilience.
Major General Peter Rowell