Embracing Only: Workplace Culture & Career Development for BIPOC Leaders

Dr. Kimberly Young-McLear is a Black, queer, scholar, engineer, and educator who is unreservedly committed to human resilience, human dignity, and human rights. Inspired by her educational foundation at Florida A&M University and the long legacy of freedom fighters from the African diaspora, she became an anti-bullying and anti-harassment policy expert who uses evidence-based research to promo...

Jessica Michalak, a two time cancer survivor #chosetochallenge two diagnosis as she fought Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Jess was first diagnosed at the age of 19 and then seven years later she found herself as a patient in the stem cell transplant unit where she served as an ICU nurse. She finds strength in her meditation, prayer, mindfulness and gratitude practice. She encourages all to embrace the challe...

On this episode of The Nine Oh Six, Archita and Olivia unpack how we all can intentionally ride the ship vs. the wave of the social injustice movement. They then look at the workplace and talk through the impact of the bystander effect and how important it is to choose to challenge our limiting beliefs, those of others in a way, in which you can control the controllables. They wrap it up with talk...

Jeanine McIntosh Menze was awarded her ‘wings of gold’ on June 24, 2005 and became the first Black female aviator in the 215-year history of the United States Coast Guard! In this episode of The Nine Oh Six Jeanine shares how her staying true to not only her why but her how helps her conquer fear in all walks of her life. She challenges us to cancel out the noise, especially the negative self talk...

In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, Sanhita Sen who works for the District Attorney’s Office of Philadelphia. shares how she is choosing to challenge systemic racism in the United States Justice system by helping Philadelphia launch a Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission.  She shares how this is the most important and challenging work she has ever done. She deconstructs how her class, car...

This episode provides a sneak peek into Season Three of The Nine Oh Six. Lots of changes: new guest co-host Olivia Cream join us this season! Focus this season is #ChoosetoChallenge. We will interview extraordinary women who are being intentional in what they #ChoosetoChallenge. Season 3 episodes drop March 8th!

In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, Meha and Archita reflect on the year that was 2020 - our personal journeys, how we navigated the year and what continues to shape us and our approach to life, including the social justice reckoning in the U.S. We also share how we plan to show up in 2021, and most importantly, we express our gratitude to our listeners, our family and our friends.   About Embraci...

Olivia Grant-Cream is a U.S. Veteran born and raised in Jamaica, and is one of the first Black female Engineer Officers of a major Coast Guard cutter to graduate from the United States Coast Guard Academy. Olivia has spent the past decade working in the healthcare industry in Human Resources, and is passionate about changing the face of Corporate America. Recently, she started a coaching practice...

Anastasia Thatcher Marceau is an executive in social impact consulting at Accenture. She's also a world traveler, an adjunct professor at The New School in New York City, and mom to two young daughters. In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, Anastasia shares with us how she dealt with the new reality of going back to corporate life after maternity leave, and how she is teaching her daughters the...

Monique Ball continues to break stereotypes society has and continues to place on her. Very early on, education empowered her to her first job in broadcasting and has been her cornerstone as she moved up the ladder in digital advertising prior to transitioning to be a stay at home mom and most recently a licensed real estate agent. In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, Monique highlights how she dec...

Saloni Multani is the Chief Financial Officer of the Biden-Harris campaign for the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, Saloni underscores for us why we all have a responsibility in playing our part in our democracy. She shares how her journey in corporate America took on a different turn when she reflected on what she can do as an individual to make a difference in...

Annette Maxberry-Carrara has many stories. From helping her Afghan daughter escape the Taliban, Annette herself escaping the Algerian civil war to political activism in the United States, her experiences are rich and unencumbered. She lives her life through the power of imagination to battle chronic pain from lupus and fibromyalgia, not giving failure power and working through adversity. Episode 2...

Tamika Jean-Baptiste is an executive in the diversity, inclusion and belonging space. She is also a mother who is raising her young son with a strong, value-based multicultural identity. In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, Tamika shares how her life experiences, role models and her 'village' have all shaped her into the strong leader and mother that she is today. Tamika also emphasizes t...

In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, we catch up with Dr. Ashlesha Tawde - a Major in the Indian Army. Ashlesha is a Soldier, a Doctor, and a Mother - and today, she is an active physician working in rural India, in the midst of a global pandemic. Ashlesha shares with us how how her army background has trained her for facing crisis situations. She discusses the revolutionary impact of technology in...

In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, we catch up with Elsbeth Hurry - an entrepreneur and life coach. Elsbeth discusses how she has prioritised an important leadership skill: making strong connections during the time of a crisis. This has led her to reset short-term goals while not losing sight of her vision of what she wants to accomplish. She shares how resilience and self-awareness coupled with...

In this mini episode of The Nine Oh Six, we check back in with Trisha Oreta. Trisha is an international banking executive based in New York City. Today, we talk about managing a team during a global crisis, and how she's had to reset expectations for herself with what success looks like as we adjust to this new normal. We also reflect on the importance of showing vulnerability, particularly a...

In this mini-episode, our guest from Season One Episode 12, Nes Reign shares how showing gratitude and taking moments to reflect is a blessing. A former hip hop artist, self-proclaimed ‘hustlepreneur’ and an individual who has navigated a lot of personal pain shares how she is staying positive and encourages us to not loose sight of the bigger picture with her closing thoughts. Episode 19: Gratitu...

In this mini-episode of The Nine Oh Six, we check back in with Kristie Savage, a data scientist at Spotify. On Episode 2 of Season One, Kristie had shared her passion for increasing STEM education. Now, she explains to us the power of virtual mentoring and shares actionable steps on how we can support each other. She also shares how she stays motivated despite the uncertainty, while sheltering in...

In this mini episode of The Nine Oh Six, we check back in with Dr. Andrea Bouman. When we interviewed Andrea in Episode 8, Andrea reflected on her journey of pursuing her passion in medicine to serve her rural community, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, while becoming a new mom at the same time. Now, we check in with Andrea as she reflects on how she manages to stay positive despite the challen...

Courtney Boehrer, a Human Resources leader in the MEdTech industry and coach of Team HeartStrong was our guest on Season One, Episode 3 of The Nine Oh Six. Courtney shares how she is navigating the new normal for her and her family amidst the crisis.  She tackles mental toughness, the evolution of the workplace and giving ourselves grace while we lead with our hearts during this mini episode of Th...

Priyanka Lugani, founder and creator of Alma Deli and guest on Season One, Episode 10 of The Nine Oh Six shares how she is defining success, staying positive and how her motivation mantra that "everything is rigged in your favour" keeps her pushing forward. She tackles anxiety, finding your fears, and healthy eating in this mini-episode of The Nine Oh Six. Episode 15: Clapping to the Con...

A sneak peek into a few short mini episodes we will share to wrap up Season One of The Nine Oh Six. We are living in peculiar times and we tackle how our guests on Season One are navigating their new normal. 

In Season 1 of The Nine Oh Six Podcast, we asked the 9 inspirational women we interviewed how they define success - and we learned that success comes in many different forms. Too often we are told that success comes from reaching the top of the proverbial corporate ladder. What about those who might have different journeys, and are defining success on their own terms? In this episode, we celebrate...

In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, we interview Nes Reign - a musician, writer, podcaster, author, former hip-hop artist and self-proclaimed 'hustlepreneur', who identifies as a proud Muslim of Moroccan origin. Nes reflects on creativity, building resilience, and finding one’s place in this world. She takes us on a journey from how an operation at age 5 left her blind, to signing her fi...

Meet Trisha Oreta, a banking executive and Wharton MBA grad based in New York City. In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, we take an introspective look into Trisha's life, from her parents’ intentionality to expose her to many cultures, to her ability to persist through difficult experiences. Listen to how the formational moments in Trisha's life shaped the success story she is today, a co...