Journeys to Equity

Trista Engel, CEO of Paragon Legal, and Jessica Markowitz, President & COO of Paragon Legal, share their journey from the 2008 Wall Street Financial Crisis to raising money to buying Paragon Legal and now successfully growing the business.  Listen to this inspiring journey. What were and how did they overcome the Gender Stereotypes and challenges they faced raising money and in pitching VCs? W...

In this episode, we are joined by Tonya Mitchem Grindon, a trailblazing Partner at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, as she shares her remarkable journey to equity in the corporate world. From her humble beginnings in rural Alabama to assuming the helm of the business department, Tonya's narrative epitomizes ambition, resilience, and triumph over biases. Reflecting on he...

In this episode, we shine a spotlight on Nancy Del Pizzo, Partner at Rivkin Radler LLP, as she shares her remarkable journey from the publishing industry to the legal profession, with a focus on intellectual property law. Nancy offers candid insights into her career transition, discussing the challenges she encountered in publishing, the appeal of intellectual property law, and the pivotal moments...

In this podcast episode, Jenna Gabay, a seasoned attorney and partner at Rivkin Radler LLP, unfolds her journey through the legal profession, placing a spotlight on her interplay between motherhood and career ambitions. Jenna provides nuanced insights into her distinctive legal practice, seamlessly navigating the realms of commercial litigation and trust and estates litigation. She also candidly r...

In this episode Colleen Sweeney, Jennifer Andres, Janet Hamilton, and John Mielitz from TCDI discuss the unique challenges faced by military spouses that can make it difficult for them to pursue their personal and professional goals. Frequent moves, deployments, and the demands of military life can make it difficult to build a stable career or find a supportive community. TCDI is committed to prov...

Building a Foundation for Success    This episode highlights the career journey of Eva Heintz, Chair of The Board of Directors at Solvay GGF. Eva initially trained as a chemist, and therefore, understands the advantage that comes with being exposed to science at a young age. This goes doubly so for women and traditionally underrepresented groups. As an Asian woman, Eva learned how to leverage that...

We can all do something to become better. In this episode, Desiree Wolfe, Senior Director at Salesforce, highlights the importance of intentionality in our processes towards progress. She emphasizes that as leaders, peers, colleagues, and professionals, it is imperative that we all be transparent in recognizing the areas of our workspaces and mindsets that need to be transformed. She tells her aud...

Honoring Commitments to Others While Honoring Commitments to Yourself In this episode, Noreen Kelly, Partner at McGuireWoods, shares her career development from a junior associate to a partner while being a single mother of two. The key to her success is getting clear with what she wants and actively advocating for herself. Her stories reveal the same struggles many working moms have with balancin...

Taking Affirmative Steps Towards Inclusivity In this episode, Deborah Solmor, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at TCS Education System, shares her journey up the legal ladder. She highlights her interest in and passion for the general counsel culture and also provides a perspective that usurps misconceptions and assumptions of her role. Deborah emphasizes that in all spaces, diversity is ne...

Using your Power to Empower In this episode, Nicole Kelsey, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary at Amyris, Inc., shares how we can all step up to the plate by using our compounded experiences to adjust, adapt, and aid in advancing ourselves and others through advocacy. Nicole shares how her familial upbringing stemmed her interest in justice and equity at an early age. Realizing that the systematic...

How Women of Color Can Self-Advocate In this episode, Sabria A. McElroy, Partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, shares her perspectives on the challenges women and people of color face in the legal industry. She offers her insights on how firms and clients can create change by understanding the importance of the ROI of DE&I. She knows that gaining confidence and overcoming internal struggles were...

Being Purposeful in Progress In this episode, Indhira Arrington, Managing Director and Global Chief Diversity Officer at Ares Management, gives us valuable takeaways on how to succeed in the corporate space. She highlights that success is always accompanied with support and shares how her support team and sponsors have equipped her with the needed skills, attributes, and attitude to climb up the c...

Show Up For the Job You Want Not the Role You Have   In this episode, Courtney Statfeld, Principal at McKool Smith, addresses the importance of confidence, preparation and staying true to yourself as you progress in your career. Early on, she stayed open to different experiences which eventually led her to the law. Her passion for her work and competitive spirit has been instrumental in propelling...

Creating a Culture of Belonging This episode highlights the career journey of Kyle Lewis, Senior Counsel, Safety & Insurance Litigation, US East at Uber. Here, Kyle discusses the importance of cultivating a diverse talent pool. He also talks about vulnerability in leadership and its impact on company culture. Being open creates a forum for your team to fully express themselves, and this in tur...

Cultivating a Sense of Belonging  In this episode, Cassandra Labbees, Firm Member at Epstein Becker & Green, P.C., shares the importance of creating a culture of belonging. As a child of Haitian immigrants, Cassandra highlights her unique experience of integration into American culture. Having gone to a primary school that celebrated her ethnic roots, Cassandra developed a strong sense of iden...

Moving Past Passion and Utilizing Strategy  In this episode, Natalie Edwards, Global Chief Diversity Officer at National Grid, highlights the impact of expertise in DEI initiatives. Her insights on DEI prompt change agents to examine their current inclusion strategy and ask the important question: “What does diversity mean and look like for our company?” Natalie encourages Chief Diversity Officers...

Listen to All Voices but Trust Your Own  This episode highlights the career journey of Marla Sofer, Financial Services Lead, Industry Solutions CTO at Microsoft. She has followed her passion through various sectors including Wall Street and Fintech. Marla emphasizes the significance of understanding your strengths and positioning them to evolve into new opportunities. Self-evaluation, commitment,...

The Price and the Rewards of Pursuing Growth   In this episode, Tamara O’Neill Moreland, Shareholder at Larkin Hoffman, discusses her journey from  young attorney to making partner, and the difficulties women must overcome to make their voices heard. Tamara provides a candid perspective on the challenges of recruiting and retaining diverse candidates, calling out micro-aggressions, and developing...

Creating a Culture of Acceptance and Belonging In this episode, LeeAnn Jones, Partner at Taylor English Duma LLP, shares her thoughts on the recruitment and retention of diverse attorneys.  With so much emphasis being placed on front-end recruiting, long-term impact is bound to fail if the follow-up back-end process, diversity retention, isn’t equally as effective. LeeAnn has experienced this firs...

Creating Opportunities to Change our Behavior  In this episode, Janine Jansen, Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Lead at Organon, shares what it means to be authentic in our equity journeys. Janine explains how we all have the opportunity to change our behavior, but real change happens in our hearts and minds. This is what leads to true allyship and advocacy for those impacted by...

Handling Responsibility and Recognizing High Potential  In this episode, Lori Stacy, CEO at Trader Interactive, shares how to balance the responsibilities of career and caretaking. As a woman in a male-dominated field, Lori emphasizes how her professional and occupational experiences have equipped her with the skills, mindset, and motivation to juggle her passion for her work with all the commitme...

Bigger is Not Always Better In this episode, Susanne Jones, Founder of Jones Robb–a boutique law firm handling patent prosecution and counseling–and Elizabeth Burke, a Member of the firm, share their insights on being women in STEM and how they steering their small firm to success. Because both Susie and Liz pursued careers in engineering, they are used to being the only woman in the room. They th...

Defying the Odds through Science, Law, and Ambition  As a physics major at Oxford University, Emily Collins, VP of Kilburn & Strode’s San Francisco’s Liaison office, knew early on that science was her passion, but she also had a unique knack for interacting with people. Patent law allowed her to blend the two into a rewarding career. But the path to success in the highly male-dominated field h...

Breaking the Glass Ceiling In this episode, Lale Topcuoglu, Head of Credits at Swiss Re gives her outlook on what true inclusivity looks like. She provides a unique point of view by expounding on her experience immigrating to the United States. Lale explains how transitioning to this country provided the opportunity to compare her preconceptions of equity in western culture with reality. Her own e...

Performing Progressiveness In this episode, Lara McLeod, Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at FullStory connects the intersection between identity and DEI work. She opens up about the impact racism, sexism, bias, and stereotypes have on women of color in the legal world and provides solutions for leveling the playing field. Lara offers insight into the difficulties of addressing macr...