Hello, and welcome back to the Intersection Podcast. This is the third conversation in our series that celebrates and lifts up Black leaders. These conversations are near and dear to my heart. After spending years in Corporate America, often feeling unseen and unheard, I wanted to give voice to our unique experiences. This series provides resources, tools, and a community to let you know you’re not alone. In this episode, "Owning Your Story - One Leader's Journey to Healing & Wholeness" with...
Mar 06, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of the Intersection Podcast. In this second installment of “A Love Letter to Black Leaders” we are delighted to have Shayna Hammond. Shayna is Founder & CEO of Lead For Liberation and IndigoWomen. Shayna centers spiritually-inspired and research based coaching methods to center Black leaders and entrepreneurs. She is also an author with extensive expertise in leadership and life coaching, workplace culture redesign, business strategy, and education. ...
Feb 14, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Hello, and welcome back to the Intersection Podcast. This is the first installment of three entitled "It’s Not You - Navigating Leadership As A Black Woman." The conversations over the next few weeks are near and dear to my heart. As a Black woman who spent 20+ years in Corporate America, often feeling unseen and unheard, I wanted to give voice to our unique experiences and provide resources, tools, and a community to let you know you’re not alone. Over the course of the series, we'll explore wh...
Feb 07, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Welcome back! I hope your 2024 is off to a healthy and nurturing start. We’re kicking off this first episode of the season with a focus on money. Delving into what’s possible when organizations align financial objectives with their mission and values. I’m thrilled to welcome Dana Britto, Founder & Principal of Cultivar Consulting. Dana is a bold champion for greater equity within nonprofit management and philanthropy. Her expertise as a Lender and Board Treasurer help organizations strengthe...
Jan 24, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 101
Welcome to a momentous occasion— celebrating the 100th episode of The Intersection Podcast! Your support, engagement, and commitment to not only this podcast, but fostering diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces, has been instrumental in making this podcast what it is today. Thank you for being a part of this remarkable community we've created. In this special episode, I reflect on how far we've come, celebrate accomplishments, and renew my commitment to the podcast’s mission. But that's n...
Jan 11, 2024•10 min•Season 1Ep. 100
“The purpose of equity work is [so we can all] exist as full humans. White supremacy culture [and] other systems of oppression [are] about dehumanization,” Rachel Vicente shares. “Equity work is about [ensuring] people [can] be human - all of the emotions, life experiences, and complexities that come with it, and for us to be able to learn from each other and grow from each other.” Rachel Vicente is the founder and CEO of Rachel Vicente Consulting, where she provides coaching, professional devel...
Dec 06, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Hello and welcome to this weeks episode of the Intersection Podcast! We don’t often equate creativity and imagination with DEI. My guest is busting that myth and bringing a unique lens to the way we approach DEI. We’re joined by Michaela Ayers, a multi-disciplinary artist and Art Historian who blends creativity into DEIA. Michaela is a seasoned facilitator who offers a human-centered approach to learning that promotes true and lasting behavior change. A spirited storyteller, Michaela is also the...
Nov 15, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 298
Welcome back to the Intersection Podcast! This week we have a replay of an episode from the pandemic, that applies today. When our world feels chaotic, we return to community and culture for support. Tatyana Fertelmeyster is a diversity and inclusion consultant and expert, and is the founder and Principal of Connecting Differences. For over 20 years, Tatyana has been working as an intercultural professional, having started her career as a therapist for Soviet Union refugees. She also specializes...
Oct 25, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 97
In this podcast replay, we revisit a compelling conversation with Ericka Carmona-Vega, a dedicated Human Resources Leadership Advisor at Streigenics' Latin American branch. Ericka's journey towards advocating for social justice and activism began in the aftermath of the 1992 LA riots, sparking her involvement in community organizing and protests. During our discussion, Ericka shared her profound insights and experiences in the realm of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She emphasizes that achiev...
Oct 11, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Intersection Podcast! If you’re a hiring manager this is a must listen to. Today we’re joined by Dr. Mira Brancu to discuss the imperative of equitable workplace cultures to attract, retain, and advance underrepresented leaders. Dr. Brancu shares specific advice for women navigating careers, guidance for male allies, and insights on changing systems versus dismantling them. Dr. Mira Brancu is the Founder and CEO of Towerscope, an award-winning soci...
Sep 27, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Intersection Podcast! This week we are joined by Sonia Thompson. Sonia is a luminary in the realm of inclusive marketing and branding. As an inclusive brand coach, strategist, and consultant, Sonia has carved out a niche by helping brands expand their reach by authentically catering to a diverse clientele. Not only does she boast a formidable resume with columns in prestigious publications like Forbes, but she also leads the conversation on belonging i...
Sep 13, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Welcome to another episode of the Intersection Podcast! In 2020 during the height of the Pandemic, I joined Clubhouse and found myself in a room called Shared Sisterhood co-facilitated by Dr. Tina Opie and Dr. Beth A. Livingston. The conversations in that room had a tremendous impact on me. They went on to coauthor Shared Sisterhood: How to Take Collective Action for Racial and Gender Equity at Work . Dr. Tina Opie is an Associate Professor of Management and a prominent voice in the fields of re...
Aug 23, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Welcome to another edition of The Intersection Podcast! Today's guest is Stacye Thrasher Brim, the Founder and Principal Consultant of STB Consulting. STB partners with organizations to develop and execute meaningful strategic plans. Stacye has over 20 years of experience leading corporate and nonprofit clients in project management, process improvement, and strategic planning. We explore the following topics in our conversation today: What it looks like to embed DEIJ into your strategic plan. T...
Aug 16, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Welcome to another enlightening episode of The Intersection Podcast. This week, we delve into the transformative power of The Libertory Consciousness Framework, with our special guest, Julye Williams. This framework consists of four essential pillars: awareness, analysis, action, and accountable allyship. Julye Williams founded The Project 2043 Institute, whose mission is to educate and prepare organizations for the multiracial society we live in today and in the future. Julye spent 20 years in ...
Aug 02, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 91
“Something that has become even more clear to me is that in all the different ways that we're doing the work [of social justice], we need support,” says Stephanie Hicks. Stephanie Hicks is the founder and director of Yoga for Black Lives, a series of donation-based yoga classes to support Chicago organizations resisting state violence against Black people. She is a lecturer at The Program on Intergroup Relations and a faculty affiliate of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at U-M. Us...
Jul 19, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 91
This week's podcast is a replay from a conversation I had with Dr. Eleanor Gil-Kashiwabara, who is the founder and CEO of Luminosa Psychology Services. Eleanor is a licensed psychologist and has done extensive work in tribal communities. She also conducts training on diversity, equity, inclusion, and racism. Eleanor is passionate about helping people be comfortable in the space they occupy. She also advocates for creating avenues and services that everyone can access. In this week’s show, she ta...
Jul 05, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Welcome back to The Intersection Podcast. In this episode, I am speaking with Dr. Lisa Bowleg. Lisa Bowleg, PhD, MA, is a leading scholar of the application of intersectionality to social and behavioral science health research. She is Professor of Applied Social Psychology in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the George Washington University (GW) and a Co-Director of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Core of the DC Center for AIDS Research (DC CFAR). She is also the Founder ...
Jun 21, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Welcome back to another episode of "What's on Your Mind," where we delve into your most pressing DEJI questions. In this week's episode, we discuss Moving beyond performative DEIJ Doing your own inner work - why as a leader you must to do you own work to effectively create change in your organization Why it’s no longer acceptable (not that it ever was) to rely on employees to do the work of DEIJ Leaders need to embark on their own DEI learning journey. It is not your ERG’s responsibility to lead...
Jun 07, 2023•11 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Whether we like it or not, in today's current climate conversations about DEIJ can be polarizing. What if you had a framework to navigate those conversations? In this week's episode with Dr. Ahmmad Brown (more about him below), we delve into: Effective strategies for communicating about DEIJ that help with “diversity fatigue” and encourages leaders to engage in conversation. The Intergroup Dialouge framework arose from academics but can be a powerful framework for communication. Bonus…we also sh...
May 24, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 87
In this week’s episode, Bernadette Smith joins us. She is the founder and CEO of Equality Institute and the award-winning author of four books, including the bestseller Inclusive 360: Proven Solutions for an Equitable Organization. Bernadette has been named one of Chicago’s Notable LGBTQ Executives by Crain’s Chicago Business and hosts the weekly podcast 5 Things in 15 Minutes: Bringing Good Vibes to DEI. Bernadette likes to begin working with companies by setting up a series of quick wins. She ...
May 03, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 86
In this week’s episode, Nancy shares several reasons why your DEI training is not having the impact it could have and what you can do to move from performative to sustainable change. She shares a powerful client example that demonstrates how you can create policies and processes that operationalize your traininig. “Before investing money, time, energy and resources in any type of training be it DEI or anything else. Start with knowing your why. Why are you doing this in the first place?” Nancy s...
Apr 19, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 85
On this week's episode, we’re talking the talk, and walking the walk! We’ll be talking about actually building the processes to reflect our values in our organizations to create more equitable spaces for POC and women. “Business leaders thought that if they gave an inch, everybody was gonna take a mile, right? That if they made any sort of a concession that the whole system was gonna break.,” Podge Thomas commented. Podge Thomas is the founder of the Small Business Co-pilot. Five years ago when ...
Apr 04, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 84
This week we’re going back to The Intersection archives and discussing the limiting beliefs that make up imposter syndrome “A lot of people recognize the concept of imposter syndrome, but what they don’t identify is that these limiting beliefs that we learn and internalize throughout our lives come from a patriarchal system,” Michelle Mokert comments. Michelle Morkert is a coach and Global Gender Scholar and Professor. She is the founder of Michelle Morkert Coaching, where she incorporates 17 ye...
Mar 22, 2023•44 min•Ep. 83
I’m excited to introduce a new series called "What's on Your Mind?" where I answer your questions related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in the workplace. This week, I’m addressing the common feeling of being stuck that many individuals and organizations face when trying to implement change in these areas. I also identify three key factors that could be causing this stagnation and providing actionable steps to overcome them.You’ll hear me discussing ideas, such as:The lack of under...
Mar 08, 2023•9 min•Ep. 82
What’s the difference between DEI and antiracism? I’m excited to welcome back Christian Harris to dive into this topic. Christian is a DEI consultant, coach, and community advocate who is dedicated to promoting equity and justice. In the past, he has run for political office, served on several non-profit boards, and pushed forward grassroots policy initiatives. We'll be discussing the nuances of DEI and antiracism, including how they overlap and differ from each other. As well as highlighting th...
Feb 22, 2023•43 min•Ep. 81
What are you carrying in your invisible knapsack that you need to unpack? In today's episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Emily Roh, an antiracist coach and facilitator and the founder of My Invisible Knapsack. Emily's passion for social justice and equity is evident in the work she does, and she shares her journey to becoming an advocate for change. With her unique perspective and experiences, Emily offers valuable insights on how we can all work towards creating a more just and equita...
Feb 01, 2023•34 min•Ep. 80
Being clear is being kind. Establishing clarity about where your organization is heading will help everyone understand what they should be doing and even who should stay or leave. Tania Bhattacharyya, founder of Lumos Marketing and host of the Campfire Circle podcast, defines vision and its importance in equitable and inclusive leadership.In this week’s episode, we discuss:Advocacy vs. activism. Advocacy is about publicly supporting something, whereas activism focuses on bringing about positive ...
Jan 11, 2023•45 min•Ep. 79
In this final episode of the 2022 season of The Intersection, I’m reflecting on the highs and lows and previewing exciting changes in the new year.The loss of my dad made last year quite challenging and painful. My dad inspired my passion and commitment to DEI and social justice. I am honored and empowered to carry on his legacy. A heartfelt thank you to all the guests who have shared their time and thought-provoking insights on the show this year. And a big thank you to all the listeners. The I...
Dec 28, 2022•8 min•Ep. 78
How often have I heard the phrase, "we just can’t find diverse talent.” It’s a statement that bothers me because it’s not true. It may require effort or not defaulting to how things are always done. In this week's episode, Jennifer Tardy and I disrupt this myth and give you actionable steps. Let me tell you about Jennifer Tardy. She is the founder and CEO of Jennifer Tardy Consulting, and it is her mission to help organizations break the myth of “there is no diverse talent. She also supports job...
Dec 14, 2022•40 min•Ep. 77
Historically, women, and black women, in particular, have been treated in ways that actively hinder their professional development. Laura Knights, founder and CEO of Knights Consulting LLC, joins me to discuss the systemic barriers and what we can do to dismantle them. You’ll hear us discussing ideas, such as:The glass ceiling. This concept does not accurately describe the experience of black women at work. According to research conducted by McKinsey, it doesn’t fit most women at all. The bigges...
Nov 30, 2022•40 min•Ep. 76
