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Allyship in Action
Allyship in Action episodes
- 268: DEI Backlash: 4 Legitimate Concerns To Avoid with Julie Kratz
Hiring quotas, "bad guy" training, diversity tokenism and public-education overstep are four legitimate concerns organizations can use to avoid DEI backlash.
Read full article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2024/08/25/dei-backlash-4-legitimate-concerns-to-avoid/
Find Julie at: https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/
8 min - 267: DEI May Be Challenged But Its Impact Is Undeniable with Julie Kratz
With anti-DEI messages dominating the headlines, it's critical that leaders show the importance of DEI work through its impact.
Read full article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2024/06/19/dei-may-be-challenged-but-its-impact-is-undeniable/
Find Julie at: https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/
7 min - 266: Is It Time To Rename Diversity Equity And Inclusion with Julie Kratz
Language matters. If DEI is the right acronym for your organization, don't let the naysayers force you to pivot. If people understand what it means, why it matters and how the organization is using DEI to create a competitive sustainable advantage, it is likely a long-term fit. If you're getting resistance where people are not willing to be allies, perhaps pivoting to a word like "inclusion" or "belonging" might be a better fit.
Read full article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2024/08/21/is-it-time-to-rename-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-dei/
Find Julie at: https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/
6 min - 265: Why Are We Still Talking About The Business Case For Diversity with Julie Kratz
The business case for diversity is not new. It has been around for decades. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) leaders have been sharing the same business case for years. It has been demonstrated time and again that diverse-led organizations are:
- Thirty-nine percent more likely to outperform those lacking diversity
- Twelve times more likely to engage and retain employees
- Nearly eight and a half times more likely to inspire a sense of belonging
- Eight and a half times more likely to satisfy and retain customers
Read the full article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2024/06/26/why-are-we-still-talking-about-the-business-case-for-diversity/
Find Julie at: https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/
7 min - 264: How To Talk About DEI At Work In A Polarizing Political Climate with Julie Kratz
Successful organizations embed DEI into their cultures to avoid political polarization and keep a steady drum beat of DEI communications.
Read full article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2024/07/14/how-to-talk-about-dei-work-in-a-polarizing-political-climate/
Find Julie at: https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/
7 min - 263: How Psychologically Safe Is Your Workplace with Julie Kratz
Psychological safety, simply put, means creating a place where people can share hard things. In the workplace, that means employees feel safe to speak up about mistakes, weaknesses and failures, and they feel they can challenge the status quo openly without fear of retribution.
Julie unpacks what it is and why it matters in this week's podcast.
Read full article at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2024/03/08/how-psychologically-safe-is-your-workplace/
Find Julie at: https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/
7 min - 262: True White Allies with Aisha Suleiman
Aisha Suleiman is Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for IPG Mediabrands EMEA region, overseeing 21 diverse markets. As a founding member of Amazon UK's Black Employee Resource Group (BEN), she championed change while serving as Chair. In 2022, Aisha launched True White Allies, a groundbreaking film project spotlighting historical White anti-racists from the 1700s onward, inspiring greater allyship and action. Together, we unpack:
- How she chose 8 historical figures that showcase white allyship
- Why these stories are hidden as a way to keep other allies quiet
- How to make the workplace more accessible and a part of your job, rather than a separate function
Follow Aisha at https://www.theinclusiveculture.com/ and find Julie at https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/
35 min - 261: See It to Believe It, Women in Gaming with Aubree White
Aubree White is a passionate gamer and coach who led the Bob Jones High School Rocket League team to a victory at the 2019 through 2024 PlayVS Alabama state championships. She is an outspoken advocate in driving diversity in esports, encouraging more women to get involved, and has seen first-hand how gaming can help drive more inclusive, community-based HS experiences. Together, we discuss:
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The lessons sports transfers to life and work
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Microaggressions facing women in sports today
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How to shift the culture to be more inclusive for gaming for girls
Read more about Aubree here and find at Julie at https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/
26 min -
- 260: Getting Senior Leadership Engaged in DEI with Yasmina Passeri
Yasmina Passeri, a distinguished Senior Project Manager in the Tech industry with over 12 years of stellar experience, stands as a testament to resilience, passion, and a relentless commitment to fostering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the dynamic realm of technology. Her journey, marked by cultural richness and a dedication to breaking barriers, has made her a beacon for change and empowerment.
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The current state of DEI in Europe
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How to engage leaders in DEI work
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How ESG and CSR are driving change
Find Yasmina on Linkedin and find Julie at https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/
27 min -
- 259: How to Upskill the Workforce with Jennifer Schwab Wangers
Jennifer Schwab Wangers, the founder and CEO of ENTITY Academy, has one goal in mind: to support and empower diverse talent through education and mentorship. Together, we discuss:
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The challenges facing underserved communities with higher education
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Systemic issues and fixes that will upskill our labor force
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How to be a better ally to upskill those around you
Learn more at https://www.entityacademy.com/ and find Julie at https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/
28 min -
About Allyship in Action
From the publisher's feed
I left Corporate America because the workplace culture sucked.
That realization was my personal pivot point, and it's the entire driving force behind my podcast, Allyship in Action.
Inclusive workplace culture doesn't happen by accident. It is built through intentional, consistent choices. In every episode of Allyship in Action, my goal is simple. My goal is to cut through the noise, skip the performative shiny stuff, and deliver real, practical tools that turn good intentions into sustainable workplace culture change.
Here is the core summary of what Allyship in Action is all about, and how all leaders can be better allies.
From Performative Statements to Everyday Practice
We've all seen standard corporate declarations like posting a statement on social media or making a grand pledge. While public support isn't inherently bad, true allyship begins when the cameras are off. Allyship isn't a badge you wear or a title you give yourself. Allyship is a verb. It requires continuous learning, unlearning, and showing up even when things get messy or uncomfortable.
In our conversations with workplace culture experts, we repeatedly unpack how real allies move from passive empathy to proactive intervention. That means noticing who gets interrupted in meetings, recognizing whose ideas are credited, and ensuring that opportunities are distributed equitably across the entire team.
Rewiring Workplace Culture for True Inclusion
A healthy workplace culture isn't created by ping-pong tables or free snacks. Inclusive workplace cultures are built on psychological safety, fairness, and trust. For genuine inclusion to take root, organizations must audit the subtle systems that drive daily behavior. How are your meetings structured? How are performance reviews conducted? Who holds the informal power, and how is feedback delivered?
On the podcast, we showcase practical tactics—like rotating an Inclusion Booster role during weekly staff meetings to monitor airtime and ensure introverted or underrepresented voices are heard. When you design everyday workflows with inclusion in mind, you stop relying on heroic individual acts and start embedding equity into the DNA of your organization.
Protecting the Pipeline and How Inclusion Drives Talent Retention
There is both a deep human case and a rock-solid business case for DEI. In today's shifting marketplace, talent retention is one of the single biggest operational challenges leaders face. High performers, especially women, racially diverse team members, neurodivergent colleagues, and Gen Z workers, simply will not stay where they have to mask their true selves or fight uphill against systemic microaggressions.
When employees feel seen, heard, and valued for their unique lived experiences, engagement skyrockets, innovation thrives, and turnover drops. Protecting your talent pipeline isn't about complex retention gimmicks; it's about fostering an environment where people know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they belong.
Engaging People with Power
One of our biggest research insights is that inclusion work stalls when it remains isolated in ERGs or HR departments. Without people in positions of power actively engaged as allies, systemic progress hits a ceiling. Powerful leaders often stay on the sidelines out of a fear of making a mistake or saying the wrong thing.
Allyship in Action serves as a compassionate, pushback-proof invitation for leaders to step up. Allyship isn't about having all the answers or acting like a superhero. It's about having the humility to say, "I don't know, but I'm here to listen, learn, and leverage my influence to help."
Allyship is a Continuous Journey
Allyship is progress over perfection. It's a practice. We are all works in progress. If we want better workplaces, we have to stay curious, challenge our own blind spots, and commit to taking small, consistent micro-actions every single day.
When we do allyship well, we don't just change our teams, we also redefine what it means to lead for all.