The Intersection

“I believe that the current standards of professionalism within the capitalist system were not made for or by people of the global majority and of marginalized groups,” Desi Carson shares. “Debunking professionalism, for me, is just bringing back the human component of it and how we can lead with love, compassion, kindness and understanding within the workplace.” Desi Carson is Development Partner...

PLEASE NOTE: This episode touches on sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised. If you are uncomfortable with that topic, we encourage you to avoid this episode. “When it's about finding our voice and speaking our truth… what I like to draw back to is: this is a job that you have, but who you are, how you feel about yourself and the way you function in the world is more paramount,” Minit...

“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...

“[Things] have changed some, but if you look at technology teams at most companies in America, it still skews quite a bit to male and white,” John Higginson remarks. “There has been progress, but there’s still a lot of way to go.”John Higginson is Chief Technology Officer at Chief, where he oversees the creation of the technology and data science that underlies the sites and mobile apps used every...

“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 years of academic experie...

“The courageous space is saying ‘Not only am I feeling comfortable and safe [enough] that I can have these conversations and not be attacked, I’m also going to be completely transparent,’” Dr. Dwight Rhodes says. Dr. Dwight Rhondes is the Founder and CEO of Rhodes2Equity Consulting. He is on a mission to create equitable and just classrooms where ALL students thrive. He is an experienced educator...

In honor of Women’s History month, I'm speaking with amazing women who are pushing boundaries and uplifting others by the great work they are doing.“When we were shopping this idea to agents, people really wanted to focus on the sensational stories that were raw in pain and misery,” Melonie Boone shares, “but we were trying to focus on overcoming the pain versus keeping people in it.” Melonie...

“We work in silos,” Leona Christy claims. “We have a certain set of people we know well, who have probably gone through similar sets of professional experiences as us, and that really limits our worldview; what kind of solutions are possible, who we might want to work with, what kinds of value those people can add, as well as how we can learn as individuals and as teams.”It’s International Women’s...

“We talk about diversity, equity and inclusion as if it’s a program or a series of dashboards with an endpoint,” Betsy Leonard remarks, “when what we’re really doing is transforming the very water we swim in and the very air we breathe. It’s never-ending work.”Betsy Leonard is Executive Director of Kartemquin Films, an Oscar-winning collaborative non-profit that uplifts and empowers documentary ma...

“Sincere and sustained behavior change almost always involves a certain amount of identity change,” Joe Gernstandt believes. “You’ve got to uncover some stuff about yourself and why you care about this work if you’re really going to be a leader.”Joe Gernstandt is a DEI consultant, keynote speaker, and author dedicated to helping leaders understand that the work of DEI starts within yourself. In th...

“There was this misunderstanding that the work of DE&I just lies within changing policies, processes, and procedures, but what’s emerging now is the idea that all of this work ultimately starts within,” Emily Nordquist says. “You can’t go to your company and say, ‘I love that DE&I statement; that’s really good for us’ and then go sit down at your dinner table and not live out those values....

Although 65% of HR is white and female, things like pay equity still haven’t been achieved because the organizational structure of companies was designed by white men for white men, Nicole Dessain claims. “This isn’t to blame HR; it’s to understand the context of why things are the way they are,” she adds. Nicole Dessain is Chief Employee Experience Designer at talent.imperative inc and the founde...

“I hope that you will join us as we embark on new things and focus on what's possible in the new year,” Nancy shares. “I want to thank everyone for your time, for sharing, for all that you do in terms of making the workplace more equitable, more inclusive and more just.” In this week’s show, host Nancy Harris wraps up the year with a special message to listeners, guests, and all contributors...

I’m bringing back one of the most popular episodes of 2021, Aaron Walker, founder and CEO of Camelback Ventures. Camelback Ventures is dedicated to supporting innovative, diverse leaders ready to take their social impact vision to the next level. Aaron talks about how Camelback was founded and their professional journey. He gives insights about growing a small business. One such insight is $60-$90...

“We’re at the transformation trifecta right now, which is this pivot point of change,” Angela Howard claims. “A huge piece of this is this emerging generation, who is a different breed of holding organizations accountable to things like social justice and environmental sustainability… They’re expecting them to walk the walk and talk the talk.”Angela Howard is founder and Chief Transformation Offic...

“I think collectively we are suffering from a form of PTSD,” says Alexandra Levit, “and we’ll continue to do so because there's never been an opportunity to stop and grieve for what we've lost over the last 18 months.” Alexandra Levit is the founder and CEO of Inspiration at Work, an organization dedicated to preparing organizations and their employees to be competitive and marketable in...

“The higher you go up the corporate ladder, the more you need a coach,” says Maria Campillo. “The information you have and the way you receive feedback may be a little tainted, due to your position and perspective.” Maria Campillo is Associate Director of Leadership Development at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is also a Global Design specialist at BTS Coach. Maria is dedi...

“There are three factors to below the surface leadership,” LaTonya shares. “There’s REAL leadership, which is relatable, equitable, aware, and loyal; empathetic leadership; and psychologically safe relationships.”LaTonya Wilkins is a leadership, executive, and team coach, keynote speaker, and founder of The Change Coaches. She is passionate about influencing real change in the workplace. LaTonya i...

“Meritocracy is a myth. It suggests that your success is based solely on your work ethic, your grit, your resilience, your ability to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and go make something of yourself,” John says. “I would suggest that there has [historically] been no one who has worked harder in this country than a Black American, and yet the outcomes don’t reflect that.”John Graham Jr. is VP...

“When we say the arts are not diverse or that ballet is the foundation of all dance forms, it's actually doing us harm by being exclusive; by disregarding the art forms of people, by disregarding the voices, by disregarding what makes us individuals and what makes our communities special,” José says. José Ochoa is the Founder of The Chicago School for the Arts (ChiArts) and now the President...

“Within a culture that is as flawed and filled with errors as the American public school system is, you [have to] do bits and pieces [to fix it],” Andrea Smith-Morgan shares. “The amount of work needed to be done was overwhelming, but once I started internally equipping myself to fix it, it became easier.”Andrea Smith-Morgan is founder and CEO of Mindful Awareness Academy for Children (MAAC). Andr...

" ...There is something too, when you don't have a diverse staff, it's harder to create the systemic change to your marketing that you got to do in order to create...a huge change in your audience. Those things go together, they just do,” Laura Burgos shares. Laura Burgos is Director of Marketing and Communications at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She specializes in marketing and bus...

“I’ve always worked with women in engineering, but what I’ve been trying to do in the past few months is talk to girls as they’re exploring what they want to be when they grow up.” Reem Jaghlit says. There are lots of examples that demonstrate amazing careers for women, but none that highlight women in engineering, so she decided to start those conversations with girls to see what they think about...

“I always bang my head against a wall at how difficult diversity and inclusion is to cultivate in organizations,” Kevin McFall shares. “It’s a business imperative. A significant percentage of high-performing companies are ones that have embraced diversity and inclusion.”He's a Diversity and Inclusion expert focused on dismantling systems that hold back people of color in tech. He is also a co...

According to Megan McCann, the last 12 months have been pivotal in bringing a much needed and frank dialogue to the  forefront regarding diversity, equity and inclusion in tech. Megan McCann is CEO and founder of McCann Partners. The co-founder of ARA (Attract, Retain and Advance) a national organization focused on helping women navigate and advance in tech.  Megan is dedicated to advancing divers...