The Leading Below the Surface Podcast with LaTonya Wilkins

Welcome to Season Two of the Leading Below the Surface podcast, where we kick off with a special episode for Black History Month featuring Mayor Bruce Teague, the first Black LGBTQ+ mayor of Iowa City, Iowa. In our conversation, we discuss the challenges of leading a diverse community in today's polarized world, Mayor Teague's approach to navigating difficult conversations and decisions, and the r...

In episode 18 of the Leading Below the Surface podcast, host LaTonya Wilkins interviews special guest Amy Yip. Amy shares her experiences as a former corporate professional at companies like Clorox, Booz Allen, and Google, and discusses her decision to leave her job to travel and volunteer in Ghana with her husband. Amy's book, "Unfinished Business: Breaking Down the Great Wall Between Adult Child...

Host LaTonya Wilkins discusses the challenges faced by Black women in leadership roles, particularly focusing on the concept of the "glass cliff" and its impact on Dr. Claudine Gay, Harvard's first Black woman president. The episode also discusses several other examples of Black women who have been pushed off this cliff after being hired to lead during difficult times (Rosalind Brewer at Walgreens...

In this episode, LaTonya Wilkins welcomes change management expert, Oneka Jefferson-Cornelius. Oneka is a seasoned Talent & Organization Effectiveness Executive with diverse experience in HR, Employee Onboarding, Change Management, Communications, Learning, Talent Management, Mentoring, Leadership Development, and Workforce Transformation. Her expertise leverages over 15 years in internal and...

In this episode, LaTonya Wilkins offers three coaching prompts to close the year strong. She also explores questions we often forget to ask ourselves at the end of the year. The episode wraps with meaningful tips to end 2023 and start 2024 on a positive note. Tips from Today's Episode: -Explore what motivates you. -Avoid extremes and negativity bias.  -Start less, continue more.  Resources from to...

In this episode, LaTonya Wilkins dives into the topic: “What is Trauma Intelligence?” with special guest Blythe Landry. Blythe is a dually mastered LCSW/MSW and M.Ed with 20 years of experience helping people around the world recover from trauma, grief, and addictions. She is also a certified Grief Recovery Method specialist, Death Doula, and the creator of Trauma Intelligence Training. Blythe's p...

In this episode, LaTonya Wilkins dives into the topic: “What is coaching?” She explores a few other questions that she often hears as well: What are the benefits of coaching? Is coaching too expensive? Why should coaching be a part of your leadership or professional development plan? She ends with tips to integrate coaching into your organization.  Tips from Today's Episode: -How to bring manageri...

In this episode LaTonya welcomes special guest Farah Harris. Farah Harris is a psychotherapist and workplace belonging and well-being expert dedicated to disrupting unhealthy work environments. She is the founder and CEO of WorkingWell Daily®, a company that approaches workplace belonging and well-being from a psycho-social and emotional intelligence lens. Farah has helped individuals and Fortune...

On this week’s episode of the Leading Below the Surface podcast, LaTonya discusses the effects of anxiety and trauma in the workplace and outlines some concrete steps leaders can take to support employees through difficult situations. Whether it’s war, pandemics, elections, systemic oppression, or other traumatic world events, the truth is anxiety is at an all time high. How can you support employ...

In this episode, LaTonya is joined by Stacey Stevenson (she/they) who is the first Black Chief Executive Officer for Family Equality. LaTonya and Stacey discuss the historical and life saving work they have engaged in. They also share a few unconventional ways, beyond “allyship,” in which people can support the LGBTQ+ community. A bit more about Stacey: A powerful speaker and motivator, Stacey reg...

Six Sigma Black Belts, quiet quitting, core competencies, and industry best practices – all of these are business fads that made us cringe, and, ultimately didn't stick around. Will psychological safety be the next big fad or is it here to stay? In this episode, LaTonya Wilkins explores this exact question. She also discusses what psychological safety is, what it is not, and why it is here to stay...

LaTonya welcomes a special guest, José Torres-Don, Executive Vice President of Organizational Development, People and Culture of MissionWired. In this episode, LaTonya and José discuss the following: how to hire and retain a diverse workplace, how to scale DEIB hiring, and how to double (or triple) your organization’s size without losing track of diversity. Tips from Today's Episode: -When recruit...

What happens when you have clients that don't share your DEIB values? When should you take on a new client (or role) and when should you walk away? In this episode, LaTonya will candidly explore these exact topics. She will also discuss how buycotts, boycotts, and microaggressions affect these dilemmas.  Inspired by real client challenges, you won’t want to miss this episode! Tips from Today's Epi...

Today we welcome our special guest Khadi Oluwatoyin and we discuss an important but not widely discussed topic: sobriety in the workplace. Khadi shares her personal journey and how she founded The Sober Black Girls Club, a global community that helps black women with a common goal, to stay sober. LaTonya and Khadi talk about awareness and ways to ensure you are building an inclusive and psychologi...

What is the current state of DEI today? In this episode, LaTonya dives into three bleak statistics, and three hopeful statistics around DEI while exploring how Affirmative Action plays a role. She also discusses how belonging and psychological safety come into play. The episode ends with a few tips on how to navigate the shifts in the DEI industry, and things you can do today to maintain it as a p...

This episode dives into the DEI Backlash since post 2020 and how things have shifted, most recently in light of the Supreme Court of the United States of America’s decision to overturn Affirmative Action. Our special guest, Denise Lewin Loyd, talks about DEI within higher education in addition to steps organizations can take to promote DEI. Denise Lewin Loyd is associate dean for equity, an associ...

In this episode, LaTonya discusses the recent Supreme Court decision from both a personal and professional perspective. She also evaluates the impact of Affirmative Action throughout the years and provides perspective on how to move forward in your organization without race as a part of it.  3 Tips from Today's Episode: -Reflection: What does diversity mean for you? What are you trying to do? -Mer...

Are you a leader who is always trying to stay ahead of today’s and tomorrow’s challenges? What keeps employees most engaged today may surprise you. LaTonya dives into three current trends that impact employee engagement and retention and how to lead below the surface to overcome these challenges. 3 Tips from Today's Episode: -Assess psychological safety for you and your team members -Share vulnera...

Are you a leader looking to connect better and build more trust across differences? Do you want to learn more about empathy and psychological safety? Have you read Leading Below the Surface but want more? If so, you are in the right place! In this episode, LaTonya Wilkins explains why she is launching this podcast, introduces REAL leadership, and discusses why you need to subscribe to Leading Belo...