Uplifting Impact
123 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago -We look at the intersection of Leadership and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. There are a lot of people who will discuss the challenges in the DEI space, but not how to solve them. Leaders who want to break the status quo, come here. We will build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world together.
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Episodes
Use Your Privilege to Uplift Others
November 11, 2021 09:00 - 24 minutesSheilina Henry is the Senior Vice President of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. She's responsible for cultivating an environment that celebrates diverse backgrounds while providing equitable access to opportunity. Sheilina has had a variety of roles within the company, but is now leading their diversity, equity and inclusion work. She is working to help make sure that everybody, whether you're coming into the dining space or whether you're on the team, is having a wonde...
Bringing the Human Back to Human Resources
November 04, 2021 08:00 - 24 minutesAndre Nellams is a human resource leader with more than 20 years of HR experience. In his current role as Senior Director of Talent Acquisition & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Accolade, Inc., he focuses on strategies that introduce, build and implement human resources programs and initiatives that deliver key results. He also enjoys creating and being a part of a work environment where the sense of belonging is true and honest. In our conversation, Andre shares many helpful strategies fo...
Strategies for wide-spread and long-lasting change
October 28, 2021 08:00 - 23 minutesAsif Sadiq has had a long and rich career in the equity and inclusion space with senior executive roles at Adidas, the Telegraph and EY Financial Services. He's been listed as one of the Most Influential Global D&I Leaders by Hive Learning, CIPD’s Top 20 Power List, and was honored with an MBE in 2017 by the Queen. As the Senior Vice President of Equity and Inclusion at WarnerMedia International, Asif works on globally driving the agenda around diversity. In our conversation, we address the g...
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
October 21, 2021 08:00 - 20 minutesJoseph Machicote is the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of Premier Inc. Joe partners with the CEO, executive team, and other stakeholders to formalize a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within the company. He also serves as premier spokesperson on matters related to DEI. Some of his specialties include human resource management, diversity and inclusion, organizational psychology and development, organizational design, employee relations, employment, labor law, and ...
DEI is the responsibility of all leaders, not just those with the ‘DEI’ title
October 14, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutesSheri Crosby Wheeler is the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for Fossil Group Inc, a global design marketing, distribution, and innovation company with distinctive watches, accessories, and wearables that are all created from some of the greatest brands in the world. She is a diversity leader, employment lawyer, and an avid community volunteer. She's also a member of the state bar of Texas. In our conversation, we really dive into DEI work within corporations, and the importance of b...
Breaking the Mold: Social Conditioning and Its Effect on Leadership
October 07, 2021 08:00 - 20 minutesHira Ali is a leadership trainer, career coach, and Founder of Advancing Your Potential. She is passionate about empowering women and ethnic minorities, closing the gender gap, and advocating diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Telegraph, BBC, Harper's Bazaar, and Huff Post, and in 2019 she released her first book, Her Way To The Top: A Guide to Smashing the Glass Ceiling. Just recently she released her second companion book, Her Allies: A Practical...
How to Rethink Society So It’s Inclusive Of All
September 30, 2021 08:00 - 24 minutesDebra Ruh is the founder and CEO of Ruh Global Impact to help empower clients to be global problem solvers and leaders of social change. Debra is also a global disability inclusion strategist, Keynote speaker, and a published author. She also is the host of The Human Potential At Work podcast, sharing inspirational stories and tips for bringing out the best in everyone. Debra Ruh has faced disability in her life and within her family, and as such, it has become her personal mission to create ...
Be Impatient in your Fight Against Social Injustices
September 23, 2021 08:00 - 26 minutesJose Antonio Tijerino is a proud immigrant from Nicaragua, and is President and CEO of the Hispanic heritage foundation, a national nonprofit focused on education, workforce, social impact and culture through the lens of innovative leadership. He also serves as executive producer of the Hispanic Heritage Awards at the Kennedy center, and co-founded the leadership Institute with Trinity university, which connects graduating high school seniors with mentors throughout college and their careers....
Empowering Employees To Be Part Of The Solution
September 16, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutesJenn Zephirin is the Vice President and Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Match Group, whose mission is to spark meaningful connections for every single person worldwide. In her role, she is responsible for developing and implementing programs to achieve Match Group’s diversity goals. Prior to her current position with Match Group, she worked as the diversity and inclusion business partner for technology at Uber technologies and served as a private DEI consultant for brands like Unilev...
How To Be A Responsible DEI Leader
September 09, 2021 08:00 - 21 minutesSharon Harvey Davis is the VP of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer for Ameren. In her role, she is responsible for leading all DEI strategic efforts, including diversity training, employee resource groups, diversity communications, and the executive diversity council. Under Sharon's leadership Amarin has been ranked as one of the nation's top utilities by diversity, Inc for 12 consecutive years. Throughout her 19 years of experience with Ameren, Sharon has seen many c...
Creating an Environment of Authenticity and Inclusivity in the Workplace
September 02, 2021 08:00 - 23 minutesKobena-Marcus J. Collins is the diversity and inclusion advisor for Kohl’s Corporate offices and serves as the diversity recruitment consultant for Bridge-Builder Professional Staffing. He has a passion for diversity and inclusion work, as well as helping candidates to get clear on what it is they are looking for, and to help them to find a great fit with an organization. His travels and multicultural background have given him personal insight into the importance of diversity and inclusion, a...
DEI Is Not “One Size Fits All”
August 26, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutesExcited to share a recent conversation with Girish Ganesan, a strategic leader and innovative thinker with a passion for improving organizational performance. In his current role as the Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at TD Bank Group, he is responsible for overseeing development, implementation of diversity and inclusion tactics, strategies, and programs for the customers, colleagues, and communities they serve. In our conversation, he details the importance of travelling and how impa...
Connecting The Dots: DEI, The Media Industry, and Inclusivity
August 19, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutesCaroline Chambers is the senior director of diversity equity and inclusion at Graham Media Group, in her role, she leads all aspects of the DEI strategy to ensure intentional, measurable practices for building core talent, fostering workplace culture programs that promote equity as well as inclusivity. While she may be relatively new to the broadcast space, she is definitely not new to the work of being a DEI practitioner. Her background includes management roles in financial services, health...
Starting From Scratch: How To Start The conversation Around DEI
August 12, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutesSabrina Griffith is a consultant, trainer, and strategist who works to encourage inclusion and belonging in corporations, businesses, and organizations, as they strive to create equitable practices. She uses her experience over the last 15 years as a DEI practitioner to develop and facilitate engaging and comprehensive sessions on DEI topics, including gender sexuality, LGBTQ+ allyship, bias, race, colorism, and classism to name a few. In our conversation, we discuss how she got started in DE...
Diversity In All Industries: Overcoming The Barriers To Entry
August 05, 2021 08:00 - 21 minutesHeather Holland is the founder and Chief People Officer of Holland Energy Consulting, and in her role, she raises awareness around diversity, equity, and inclusion work within the energy, manufacturing, education, and transportation industries. In our conversation, we discuss the lack of diversity within these industries and we respond to the argument that a diverse workforce just isn’t out there for positions in these industries. We also talk about how companies should examine where they fal...
Connecting The Dots: Creating a Safe Space for Healthy Inclusion
July 29, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutesGena Pemberton is the VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at OmniCom Health Group and in this role she is responsible for developing and driving forward the diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy for the network. Her background includes corporate finance roles over 13 years at Johnson and Johnson, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a diversity and inclusion certificate from Cornell University. In our conversation, she talks about the role of bringing current events into the wor...
Justin Ponder: Innovation through inclusion: Trends in the DEI Space
July 22, 2021 08:00 - 21 minutesWelcome to season 2 of our Uplifting Impact! We have some exciting changes heading your way this season, and one of those is that we have added Justin Ponder as our co-host. Justin is the Chief Information Officer of Uplifting Impact, as well as an educator in the area of ethnic studies. In this episode, we talk about some of the updates and changes we’re making to the podcast, we introduce Justin and the work he has done, and he talks about some of the trends he is seeing in the diversity, e...
Closing the gap: Access, inclusion, and opportunities for minorities
May 27, 2021 08:00 - 24 minutesDaniel Shaffer is a freelance nonprofit consultant and grant writer, focusing on women and minority owned businesses. After graduating with a degree in international relations, he joined a program working in predominantly Black and underserved communities within Pittsburgh, and shortly after found himself wanting to leverage his privilege to help open doors for members within his network that may not have had the same access otherwise. In our conversation, we talk about the landscape of no...
Top to Bottom: Cross-cultural competency and DEI at every level
May 20, 2021 21:05 - 21 minutesMita Mallick is the head of inclusion, equity, and impact at Carta, and has previously served in cross-cultural marketing roles, such as the Head of Diversity and Cross Cultural Marketing at Unilever and worked on projects like the Vaseline Healing project. She has been named Working Mother of the Year by She Runs It, as well as being listed as one of the 50 People Under 40 who are shaking up beauty. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of diversity within an organization from en...
Preventing an “Us vs Them” workspace through inclusion
May 13, 2021 08:00 - 20 minutesLaura Kriska is an internationally recognized expert, with over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural relationships and providing that to help organizations bridge gaps in diverse workplaces. Early in her career, she worked for a large Japanese corporation, where she got first-hand experience in what it was like to be an outsider of what she calls a company’s “home team”. From that experience, and throughout her career, she developed strategies to help create inclusion and has written all ...
Diversity and Listening: The new standard for an inclusive workspace
May 06, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutesLori Costew is the Chief Diversity Officer and Director of People Strategy at Ford Motor Company. In her role, she oversees corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion and all of the efforts within the company to cultivate a sense of belonging and to advance the company’s mission and business objectives, and ensures that Ford strategy supports all of the corporate goals and the transformation efforts within the organization. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of DEI for such a l...
Workplace Mental Health: How To Support Every Group
April 22, 2021 08:00 - 20 minutesLeyla Okhai is the founder and director of Diverse Minds UK LTD, which aims to create a positively productive workplace for all through training, coaching and consultancy, by focusing on wellbeing and mental health. Leyla is also the host of the Diverse Minds podcast, a weekly show about race equality, mental health, and inclusion for a modern world. In our conversation, we discuss the eurocentric approach to mental health, particularly in the workplace. And we also talk about some of the shi...
Evolve or Regress: A Mindset Shift
April 15, 2021 08:00 - 23 minutesPaula Phillips is a school board member for Milwaukee Public Schools and currently with the YWCA Southeast Wisconsin. Her mission is to actively build a society in which all of us are seen, heard, and cared for. Throughout her career, she has served in many different leadership roles across different industries, from academia to large corporations and the nonprofit space. With the experiences she has had across different sectors, she has built expertise in sharing and teaching the skills of d...
The Race For Talent: A Cultural Shift In The Workplace
April 08, 2021 08:00 - 25 minutesIfy Walker is the Founder and CEO of Offor, a national talent brokerage, working to place board members and CEOs, create high-performing teams, and break up the myth of meritocracy. She is also an advocate for a 30-hour workweek. We discuss how organizations can begin to make the shift to a 30-hour workweek, why they should, and how it benefit Black women in particular. We also dive into the topic of how companies can begin the work of DEI, the importance of data, and the willingness it takes...
From Top to Bottom: C-Suite Executives' Responsibility In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion
April 01, 2021 19:35 - 21 minutesDonald Thompson is a serial entrepreneur, public speaker, author, podcaster, and executive coach, using his skills and expertise to serve as a thought leader on goal achievement and company culture, and I am very excited to have him on the show today. We have an insightful conversation about the relationship between C-Suite executives and the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within an organization. He shares with us some of the tools he finds helpful in starting conversations arou...
Valuing Diversity Among Veterans
February 25, 2021 09:00 - 20 minutesI am so excited to be here with Jessica Hope, a diversity and inclusion strategist for USAA, where she develops holistic, data-driven strategies that advocate for people, marginalized populations, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a whole host of other amazing things. She shares with us how her background in the military and as a social worker, as well as through the art of storytelling, she is able to connect with others and do the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through our co...
How To Diversify Your Corporate Board
February 18, 2021 09:00 - 22 minutesI am so excited to share with you my conversation with Lesley Slaton Brown, the Chief Diversity Officer at HP Inc. Lesley was also named one of the most powerful women in corporate diversity by Black Enterprise, and a top influential woman in corporate America by Savoy Magazine. In our conversation, we talk at length about the strides HP has taken in prioritizing diversity, particularly at the board level. She also shares some of the strategies they are applying to ensure that the diversity o...
‘Demanding More’ From Systems, Leaders, and Ourselves
February 11, 2021 09:00 - 22 minutesToday we have an amazing guest, Sheree Atcheson - one of the UK’s most influential women in tech and an international multi-award winner for her services in diversity and inclusion in the industry. Sheree is currently the Global Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Peakon, an advisory board member for Women Who Code, contributor of Forbes, and author of Demanding More. In our conversation, we learn more about the reason she wrote Demanding More and the work to be done within the DEI ...
Onboarding as an Intentional Practice of Inclusivity
February 04, 2021 09:00 - 20 minutesI am so delighted to share with you the recent conversation I had with Michelle Bess, the Vice President of Talent and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at OppLoans. In her role, she focuses on creating systems and processes to ensure an equitable company where individuals from all backgrounds are seen, validated, and where they’re able to succeed. In this episode, we talk about the work that OppLoans is doing, what it looks like doing DEI within a company with a very small team, and some ofte...
Let's Link Arms to Bridge the Gap and Transform Ourselves
December 17, 2020 09:00 - 22 minutesGrady Crosby is a dynamic senior-level executive leader and corporate officer for Johnson Controls, which was honored to be called one of the world’s most ethical companies under his leadership from 2014-2020, and was ranked 18th on the 2020 list of the 100 best corporate citizens by CR Magazine. In his role he is responsible for driving Johnson Controls’ global strategies regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, sustainability, government relations, and its philanthropic endeavors to maintain...
Creating Equity and Social Justice Must Be Intentional, Methodical, and Continuous
December 10, 2020 09:00 - 23 minutesI am so excited to share with you the conversation I had with Rob Michalak, who has done some incredible things and works for a company that I love, Ben & Jerry’s. Rob is the Social Mission Special Projects Director there, and the core of his role is to ensure that their products and missions can thrive together. In our conversation, we talked about internal and external accountability, and how Ben & Jerry’s works to create equity and justice through the entire supply chain, from farmers to c...
Elevating Business Resource Groups into Business Practices
December 04, 2020 17:06 - 22 minutesToday I am talking with a woman who has done so many amazing things in our community and in her career. Lydia Smith is the director of diversity and inclusion at Kohl’s. She leads the development and execution of the company’s diversity and inclusion strategies. Outside of her role there, she is also the co-owner of Social X, a young professional diversity and inclusion consulting group, which provides professional development and connections in order to attract and retain talent in the city ...
Our Environment, Community, and Businesses All Impact Social Change
November 19, 2020 09:00 - 20 minutesI am so excited to share with you the conversation I had with Cristy Garcia-Thomas, the Chief External Affairs Officer at Advocate Aurora Healthcare, one of the top 10 largest healthcare systems in the United States. She is responsible for shaping the overall experience for patients, team members, and community partners in a broad and very strategic way. We talk about the relationship between diversity, equity, and inclusion on overall health, and how Advocate Aurora Healthcare is investing i...
Recognize Your Own Ability to Affect Change
November 12, 2020 09:00 - 20 minutesI am so excited to share with you my recent conversation with Melinda Briana Epler, the Founder and CEO of Change Catalyst, which works to create inclusive tech ecosystems through strategic advising, startup programs, and resources. In our conversation, she shares how her personal experiences gave her the opportunity to see inequalities as a result of the corporate culture, and how it inspired her to start Change Catalyst in order to have a bigger impact in the tech space. She shares the impo...
Making a Social Impact Starts with YOU First
November 05, 2020 09:00 - 21 minutesToday I am talking with Sadiki Etienne, who has spent the last ten years partnering with leaders at some of the world’s most influential organizations to address global development challenges and enhance economic inclusion. Throughout his career, he has applied his experience in operational strategy, program implementation, and public policy reform in over 25 countries! I am particularly excited to talk with him from the perspective of us both doing the work of social entrepreneurship, and ho...
Use Your Capital to Uplift Others
October 29, 2020 08:00 - 20 minutesI am so excited to be here with Julia Wuench, leadership and career coach, whose mission it is to enhance personal fulfillment at work and in life. In our conversation, we dive into what it means to be a necessity-entrepreneur, and the work she does with Helius to help entrepreneurs. She also shares the unique definition shared by Helius for what it looks like to be successful, and how the concepts of shifting qualifications can also be applied to corporate, university, and other large organi...
Sometimes You Need to Be a Sidekick, Not a Hero
October 22, 2020 08:00 - 22 minutesToday we have empathy warrior Corey Ponder with us. He has over 10 years of professional experience as a policy analyst in the public and private sectors and is a huge believer in the power of human connection and how that can drive impact. In our conversation, we really dig into the exploration of the idea that we all have some level of privilege, and how we can use that to leverage the voices of those around us to uplift them. He also shares the two lenses through which he approaches DEI wo...
Your Voice is an Act of Resistance
October 15, 2020 08:00 - 21 minutesI am so glad that you’re here joining us today for such a wonderful conversation I had with Isioma Nwabuzor, an attorney in the Milwaukee area. Currently, she works with Robert W. Baird, an employee-owned financial services firm, supporting the firm’s US and UK transactions in its private equity business. Isioma is a DREAMer, and in this episode, she shares some of the unseen and unknown hardships of what it is like to be an immigrant in the US, how companies can do a better job of being incl...
Start with the People Around You
October 08, 2020 08:00 - 21 minutesAshley Ladd is the Manager of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Hubspot, a global tech company, and I am so excited to have her own the show today. Hubspot is vital to the work we do here at Uplifting Impact, and after our conversation, it reinforces that I am so happy to use their platform. Ashley’s work is proof that this organization is a leader for D and I work in the tech space, and in our conversation, she shares the role of employee resource groups as part of a larger D and I stra...
Actualizing Your Intentions
October 01, 2020 08:00 - 24 minutesI am so excited to have the opportunity to speak with Tariq Meyers on this episode and to share our conversation with you. Tariq has spent many years advancing equity and inclusion in the private and nonprofit sectors, served at Lyft and Coinbase as their first Head of Belonging and Inclusion, and recently joined Jumpstart as their Vice President of Strategy. Jumpstart is an example of a company that does DEI very well, and in our conversation, we talk about some of the amazing work he’s doin...
You Have to Love the Process
September 24, 2020 08:00 - 21 minutesToday we have Torin Ellis with us, who uses his platform as a diversity strategist, published author, and host of Career Mix on Sirius XM, to assist clients in optimizing recruiting efforts using strategies of collaboration, transparency, and performance monitoring. Our conversation kicks off with Torin explaining that he approaches the work differently than other practitioners in this space, and we can see that through our discussion of his core values of love and process. He explains more a...
Creating Diversity Conversations
September 17, 2020 08:00 - 22 minutesI am so honored to have Fields Jackson Jr on the podcast today. Fields is a thought leader in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space and is currently the Founder and Chief Cheerleader of Racing Toward Diversity magazine, which is focused on showcasing the best DEI work being done all over the world. He is also the Executive Director of the HBCU Business Deans Roundtable, and as such, he has been able to connect students and young people with companies looking to hire. In our conversation,...
Approaching DEI and Belonging From a Place of Love
September 10, 2020 08:00 - 22 minutesI am so excited that we have Dawn Bennett-Alexander on the episode with us today. I have had the great fortune to watch and see how she has used her legal background with her educational background and blended that so beautifully in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space. Through her work in this space, she has received over 50 awards and recognitions for her work and has also lead a Ted talk on practical diversity, taking inclusion from theory to practice. In our conversation today, she ...
Finding Promise In Current Events
September 03, 2020 08:00 - 24 minutesToday our guest is Edward M. Jones, the Vice President of Programs at ABFE, a Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities. In his role, he brings together leaders across the country who are focusing on philanthropic work for organizations led by leaders of color. One of the great things about ABFE is that it creates a great space to learn, convene people, and make sure we are including everybody, particularly African-American issues in our conversations. In our conversation, Edward shares...
Staying positive when the work is hard
August 27, 2020 08:00 - 24 minutesIn this episode, I am very excited to share with you the conversation I had with Nate Todd. Nate has more than 14 years of experience in higher education and was named Tulsa Community College’s Dean of Diversity Equity and Inclusion in 2019. In that role, he’s responsible for leading and driving change through the development and implementation of strategic equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives across the college. In our conversation he explains the importance of bringing in students a...
Mentoring People Into Positions of Power
August 20, 2020 08:00 - 23 minutesToday I have a long-time friend Joseline Hardick on the show. She is a professor at WMU-Cooley Law School and has used her years of experience and knowledge as a federal judicial law clerk to create Journey to Esquire, where she is currently the director. This non-profit creates a pipeline for students to help them commit to a law career and gain the skills of leadership and professionalism, all while promoting diversity and inclusion and creating access for law students in the Tampa area. To...
Gladys Manzanet: Empowering Teams Towards Equity
August 13, 2020 08:00 - 20 minutesI’m super excited because I have my friend Gladys Manzanet here with us today. In addition to being an amazing community leader, she uses her wealth of experience and knowledge within her role at Northwestern Mutual to coach, consult, and support field leadership in their diversity and inclusion efforts. In our conversation, she shares all about what it feels like to have diversity, equity, and inclusion really help move your ideas around sales and help your thinking about how you can bring t...
Empowering Teams Towards Equity
August 13, 2020 08:00 - 21 minutesI’m super excited because I have my friend Gladys Manzanet here with us today. In addition to being an amazing community leader, she uses her wealth of experience and knowledge within her role at Northwestern Mutual to coach, consult, and support field leadership in their diversity and inclusion efforts. In our conversation, she shares all about what it feels like to have diversity, equity, and inclusion really help move your ideas around sales and help your thinking about how you can bring t...
al Intelligence in the Workplace
August 06, 2020 08:00 - 21 minutesToday we have Tyler Whipple from American Family Insurance with us. Tyler is the Vice President of Inclusive Excellence at American Family Insurance. He’s responsible for leading the company’s efforts to develop and implement strategies to advance inclusive excellence as a core value, resulting in a strong culture and great business results across the American Family enterprise. Tyler and I first connected because I was really curious about his role and what he was doing, particularly because...
Tyler Whipple: al Intelligence in the Workplace
August 06, 2020 08:00 - 20 minutesToday we have Tyler Whipple from American Family Insurance with us. Tyler is the Vice President of Inclusive Excellence at American Family Insurance. He’s responsible for leading the company’s efforts to develop and implement strategies to advance inclusive excellence as a core value, resulting in a strong culture and great business results across the American Family enterprise. Tyler and I first connected because I was really curious about his role and what he was doing, particularly because...