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Allyship in Action
Allyship in Action episodes
- 97: Helen Aboah - Mapping Diversity and Inclusion to Purpose
Helen Aboah, CEO of Urban Zen, joins us to share her personal story of intersectionality and the importance of inclusive leadership.
Together, we discuss:
- The unique experiences of women of color in Corporate America
- Why leaders need to ask "what is it that you need to be successful?' as a leader
- Connecting diversity and inclusion to purpose rather than focusing on it as a initiative
Learn more about Helen at https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-aboah-a0b00193/. Find Julie at https://nextpivotpoint.com/ or @nextpivotpoint.
31 min - 96: Dr. Stefanie Johnson - How to Inclusify Your Team
Dr. Stefanie Johnson discusses her new book, Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams. In this episode you will learn:
- How to combine uniqueness and belonging to drive long-term team success and innovation
- The good-intentioned yet unhelpful behaviors for leaders in Corporate America that want to lead like allies
- What to do to demonstrate authentic inclusion in your workplace
Get in touch with Stefanie and access the Inclusify quiz and book at https://inclusifybook.com/. Find Julie at https://nextpivotpoint.com/ or @nextpivotpoint.
38 min - 95: Ericka Young - Unpacking Racism
Ericka Young returns as a guest to unpack racism and the last 40 days of the Black Lives Matter movement. Together, we discuss what we have learned from recent events, where the conversation is now, and how to lean into hard conversations about race in America.
Like this content? Julie and Ericka are hosting a virtual series "Unpacking Racism: The Journey to Being an Ally" starting August 21. Virtual spots are limited to the first 20 people. Learn more at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unpacking-racism-the-jouney-to-being-an-ally-tickets-112130988806.
28 min - Preview Episode of Season Six: The Future of Work
Julie shares a glimpse of season six as she interviews experts leading the way on defining and studying the future of work. She shares the top ten themes from her research and how leaders now more than ever will need to be inclusive.
Check out the full video series at https://nextpivotpoint.com/future/.
9 min - The Five Questions to Start the Diversity and Inclusion Conversation
Back for a bonus round to share a new tool and video series Julie has been working on during the pandemic. Julie shares the five questions to guide your organization into the conversation about diversity and inclusion and practical exercises all allies can do lead inclusively.
Get all five questions videos and guides NextPivotPoint.com/5-Questions.
10 min - Bonus Episode: Celebrating Pride Month
Back for one more bonus episode, Julie would be remissed to not spotlight the LGBTQ+ community for Pride month. While allies engage in their support beyond just Pride month, this is an opportunity for renewed solidarity in these challenging times.
Julie shares her top three ways to demonstrate you are an ally in this week's episode.
Check out my ally Bernadette Smith for more on virtual Pride celebrations.
13 min - Bonus Episode Part II on Race: White Men as Allies
Back by popular demand, Julie takes the mic to give her take on the recent renewal of energy for antiracism in America and globally. She shares the what this means for the future of antiracism, why white men are the key to sustaining this positive change, and three tangible ways for white men can engage as allies through empathy, listening sessions, and checking their own bias and privilege.
Take the implicit bias test Julie mentions here.
Know an ally who could benefit from this message? Share this podcast and Julie's book Lead Like an Ally.
15 min - Bonus Episode: How to be an Ally Against Racism
In this special bonus episode, Julie takes the opportunity to explore why now is the time for allies on racism.
She shares simple ideas for those that want to be an ally for African Americans.
Silence is not okay. This is the time to listen, to learn, and to engage in the conversation on race.
Resources Julie mentioned on the podcast:
- HBR Avoiding Missteps Article https://hbr.org/2020/06/u-s-businesses-must-take-meaningful-action-against-racism
- Her LinkedIn post that went viral
- Recent Parade article feature
20 min - 94: Jeremy York - The Business Case for Diversity & Inclusion
Jeremy York, HR expert & President of Invigorate HR, joins us to discuss:
- The importance of bringing your full self to work and how to invigorate a culture of belonging in the workplace
- Recent SHRM data on the business case for diversity and inclusion
- Strong examples of organizations getting diversity and inclusion right
- How to ask questions the best way you know how, especially about sensitive issues
Learn more about Jeremy York at https://www.invigoratehr.com/.
28 min - 93: Susan Freeman - Gendered Language in the Workplace
Susan Freeman, Founder & CEO of Freeman Means Business, joins us to discuss:
- Communication theory and its impact on gender in the workplace
- How white males have created the operating systems of Corporate America and changes organizations can make to be more inclusive to women and other minorities
- The tool of storytelling and its role in diversity and inclusion
- The likeability trap for women and language swaps you can make to protect against this gender bias
- What to say when someone says something unhelpful at work about diversity and inclusion
Learn more about Susan at: https://freemanmeansbusiness.com/.
34 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.