Beyond the Training

Send us Fan Mail Who is responsible for changemaking? Is it you? Me? Us? Does social change start with the individual, or the system? Join our hosts as they work through the concept of social transformation and who (or, what, or where) is responsible for making change happen.  The work of Dr. Shawn A. Ginwright is the impetus of this conversation, so if you’re familiar, you are already ready for t...

Send us Fan Mail Can you trust your instincts? Have you ever considered some of the bias you have are positive and possibly even protect you? Join our hosts this week for a discussion (maybe a debate) about whether there’s something to be said for how biases are good for us, and how our instincts might be harmful too.  Welcome to the Beyond the Training Podcast! This is just a short intro you'll f...

Send us Fan Mail Ever heard that silence is profound? How about that silence is complicity? Even if that’s not always the case, being quiet is always sending a message. Coupled with body language, the silence of a learner or participant in a conversation (or, training) is telling.  Join our hosts this week as they discuss the impact of a quiet learner and how our biases and instincts get in the wa...

Send us Fan Mail What are we afraid of? What’s the worst that might happen in a DEI training?  This week, our hosts discuss how to better prepare for learners in a session, so they’re ready to engage and participate - even when they don’t want to.  Welcome to the Beyond the Training Podcast! This is just a short intro you'll find before each episode that will help you understand what you're about...

Send us Fan Mail We all have to participate in mandatory trainings at work.  We don't often think about the impacts of those educational opportunities - or whether they are actually as effective as we hope.  So, what's the point of making training mandatory?  And, is there a way to 'move the needle' if learning is not required? In this episode, our hosts discuss what they'...

Send us Fan Mail Seven Focus has seven Ways of Being: Reflective of Self Awareness of the Present Curiosity Over Certainty Culturally Agile Transparent Heightened Consciousness of the Past Diffuse Power and Privilege, Centering Historically Marginalized Identities In this episode, our hosts talk about another Way of Being, Awareness of the Present, which could also be called "Pay Attention!&q...

Send us Fan Mail “Out of the mouths of babes,” they say. Kids really do say the darndest things and instead of focusing on Jamie’s little truth tellers, our hosts have a different young person giving them inspiration as they learn age doesn’t matter when thinking of undoing systems of oppression…specifically, those that are setup based on gendered norms, practices, customs and traditions.  Welcome...

Send us Fan Mail Even if this wasn't the season of a US Presidential election, the conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion topics being political at work, at the dinner table, with family or friends would still be topical.  The old adage of not talking about politics or religion at work persists, even though politics and religion impact nearly every facet of life and work.  In this...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, our hosts discuss how ego shows up in diversity, equity and inclusion spaces - like trainings, consultations and other works.  Everyone has an ego, and some folx use theirs for good and for evil.  Still, is there an intentional space for ego in the work? Welcome to the Beyond the Training Podcast! This is just a short intro you'll find before each episode that wil...

Send us Fan Mail Join us for a special episode where you get to listen in on a dual keynote, led by our hosts as they work with a community serving organization, preparing to do work where they move from really great intentions (in their mission, their vision, and their 'why') to tangible, measurable impacts. If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you'll remember...

Send us Fan Mail No doubt you've heard the phrase, "when you assume, it makes an a** out of you and me."  That's about as popular as, "assume positive intent," especially in conversations about bias, equity and undoing oppression.  In this episode, our hosts debate the merits of assuming positive intent, what the phrase means and the impact(s) of leaning into or away...

Send us Fan Mail How do you make inclusion efforts 'stick'?  When the person or people who created or facilitate the activities and programming leave, how solid is the work for those who remain? In this episode, our hosts talk about the challenge of keeping programs that celebrate differences, highlight communities and honor those who are often marginalized - going, especially after a tr...

Send us Fan Mail For Your Consultation/Consideration, here are three challenges you can try on in the new year to increase the intentionality of your words, and conversations. Be mindful of who you talk to...and who you don't. Ask more (better) questions. Keep your "but" out of people's faces. Welcome to the Beyond the Training Podcast! This is just a short intro you'll find be...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we welcome a lifetime learner of diversity, equity and inclusion topics into the conversation to learn about her take on DEI training. When learning and talking about bias training, she has some specific thoughts for DEI practitioners out there, looking to improve their impact, beyond their intent. Welcome to the Beyond the Training Podcast! This is just a short in...

Send us Fan Mail For Your Consultation/Consideration: Take the Implicit Associations Tests.  Actually, take a few.  And make sure you have a plan for what comes next...you're going to need one. Welcome to the Beyond the Training Podcast! This is just a short intro you'll find before each episode that will help you understand what you're about to hear.  

Send us Fan Mail Certainly there are connections between language and culture.  In those connections we are able to understand what is expected of us in our communities, our organizations and our relationships. What, then, is the intersection between the language and culture of fashion and the work of diversity, equity and inclusion? In this episode, we welcome fashion professional, Malcolm to the...

Send us Fan Mail For Your Consultation/Consideration: Stop shudding on each other! You read that right...think about what you really mean when you use the word "should" in a sentence or question.  What expectations are you trying to communicate?  Are they fair? Are they inclusive? Most folx don't appreciate getting shud on, so let's work to keep that from happening. Welcome to...

Send us Fan Mail Is resistance positive?  Can pushback be a sign of good things? In this episode, our hosts debate the real messages, intentions and impacts of those who pushback in meetings, trainings and programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion. It's been said that 'there's no such thing as bad press'...what about ideological resistance? Welcome to the Beyond the T...

Send us Fan Mail Every trainer's done it...we've all been in training sessions and meetings with a facilitator who's trying to set the tone with an opener of some sort - before or after the ground rules and intention setting, there's almost always an obligatory ice breaker moment all the participants endure. In this episode, our hosts discuss the concept of the conversational i...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we hear from a member of our Seven Focus community about her experiences in diversity, equity and inclusion training spaces.  In a time when DEI training is under fire, being shifted from U.S. Federal Government priority, and as several corporate and community serving organizations consider their work, this is a timely conversation. Welcome to the Beyond the Traini...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, our hosts are honored to have Jen and Jason from the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC) along to talk about the way a stereotypical narrative of misappropriation and irresponsibility was told about people working to help lift others out of their circumstances with the criminal legal systems.   Again, we find that even the best intended repo...

Send us Fan Mail No doubt you've been in the news or the community hearing about and possibly being affected by the U.S. Presidential Executive Orders, Memoranda, or misguided vitriol to squash, discredit and illegalize the concepts of DEI and the work (and workers) therein.  In this episode, our hosts, like many in our communities discuss the impacts of what has happened to this moment in ti...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever been in a conversation and felt so passionately about something, you wanted to flip the table over in exasperation?  Have you ever really done that?  Or, are you the type to pound the table with a fist, maybe in your mind, if nothing else?  In this episode, our hosts debate the merits of flipping the table, and the potential impacts on learners, ourselves and our com...