Allyship in Action

This week, Celeste Warren, a globally recognized thought leader, author, and former Fortune 100 Vice President, returns to discuss her latest book, The Truth About Equity.

Celeste shares her insights on:

• Defining Equity: Moving beyond the buzzwords to understand equity as a pragmatic approach to meeting people where they are.

• The "Fence" Analogy: Exploring the systemic "isms" that create barriers and how acts of equity can help dismantle them.

• Equity in the Workplace: From recruitment and talent development to succession planning and performance management, Celeste identifies key areas where organizations can foster a more equitable culture.

• The Future of DEI: Discussing the evolving landscape of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the importance of transparent, data-driven strategies.

Join us for a candid and insightful conversation about the power of equity to transform organizations and communities.

Find Celeste Warren online:

• Website: crwdiversity.com

• Book: The Truth About Equity

• TEDx Talk: The Cost of Standing Still (forthcoming)

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Janice Gassam Asare, founder of BWG Business Solutions and author of the new book, Rise and Resist: How to Reclaim Workplace Equity and Justice .

Following a period of intense personal and professional backlash—including being targeted by high-profile political figures—Janice discusses why looking to historical legacies of resistance is the key to enduring today's challenging DEI landscape.

We explore how "everything is cyclical" and how we can draw strength from the stories of lesser-known figures who challenged the status quo long before us. Whether you are feeling powerless or looking for strategic ways to advocate for change, this conversation provides a roadmap for using your unique gifts to push for equity.

• Resistance as a Historical Blueprint: Current opposition to DEI and civil rights is not new; by studying the legacies of figures like Ida B. Wells and Toni Morrison, we can find proven strategies to navigate and endure modern-day backlash.

• The Strategy of "Exiting": Resistance doesn't always mean staying and fighting in a toxic environment. Taking a leave of absence or exiting a harmful workplace can serve as a powerful catalyst for institutional change, as seen in the career of legal scholar Derrick Bell.

• Micro-Resistance and Personal Gifts: You don't need to lead a country to create impact. Meaningful resistance can be as simple as using your specific skills—such as graphic design, baking, or providing a safe space—to support larger movements and build community coalitions.

Follow Dr. Janice's work at https://www.drjanicegassam.com/

Jennifer Brown is back to unpack her new book, The Shape of Change, the journey through allyship and change. Together, we discuss:

How change can feel like being in a dark hallway and trying to find the path forward in uncertain times

What inclusive leadership looks like when we are called to be brave in unprecedented times

The tools to build resilience to shape the changes necessary to our important work

Follow Jennifer and get her book at https://jenniferbrownspeaks.com/

Culture isn't just a poster on the wall. Culture is the heartbeat of a thriving business. This interview with Teresa Johnson, CEO of Color Me Mine, explores the incredible journey from being a single mom to purchasing a pottery studio on a credit card, leading a franchise empire of over 150 locations. Teresa shares her secret sauce for scaling businesses through intentional culture and the unique challenges of leading remote teams across the country.

Key Takeaways

Leading Without Hallways: Building culture in a remote or franchised environment requires a new leadership skillset. Teresa emphasizes the importance of micro-moments—small, intentional interactions—over corporate slogans to ensure every team member feels they belong and understands what winning looks like.

The Power of Clarity & Belonging: Effective culture is built on three pillars: Clarity (teaching people how to make decisions rather than just giving them tasks), Belonging (creating psychological safety), and Growth (investing in a skill path for employees).

Empathy as a Business Outcome: Contrary to the soft skill stereotype, Teresa argues that empathy and psychological safety are direct drivers of financial impact and talent retention. Leaders who care about the organization must show they care about the people, as a business cannot exist without them.

Follow Teresa's work at https://www.colormemine.com/.

In this episode, Julie Kratz welcomes Jennifer McCollum, President and CEO of Catalyst, a global nonprofit focused on workplace equity. They discuss the critical role of men in gender partnership and the release of Jennifer's book, Men at Work. The conversation delves into the systemic challenges women face, the data supporting inclusive leadership, and how men can transition from passive support to active, mutually accountable leadership.

Key Takeaways

Mutual Accountability Over Passive Support: The concept of "men as allies" has evolved into gender partnership, emphasizing that progress requires men and women working together with mutual accountability.

The "Man Box" Barriers: Many men want to support equity but are hindered by ignorance (unawareness of the issues), apathy (viewing it as an HR problem), or fear (of disrupting the status quo or personal job loss).

The Business Case for Inclusion: Inclusion isn't just a social goal; it's a performance driver. Data shows that inclusive cultures lead to a 49% increase in team problem-solving, 18% better innovation, and a 58% higher likelihood of improving company reputation.

As Jennifer says, "We need healthy men driving healthy organizations, and we need women partnering with men and men partnering with women to do that."

Follow Jennifer's work and research at https://www.catalyst.org/.

In this episode of Allyship in Action, Julie Kratz is joined by HBR writer, executive and team coach, Kathryn Landis, to explore capacity erosion—the gradual depletion of energy and focus facing today's leaders. In an era of constant change and cognitive overload, Landis shares how leaders can reclaim their impact by shifting from micromanagement to intentional empowerment and strategic reflection.

• Focus on Your "$100 Activities": Leaders often gravitate toward low-impact tasks for a quick sense of productivity. Reclaiming capacity requires identifying the high-level strategic work that only you can do.

  "Get really clear on what's the work that only you can do... what you actually could be focusing on that's going to move the needle the most is perhaps working with your cross-functional colleagues, the other members of the C-suite, to strengthen those ties." — Kathryn Landis

• Empower Your Team Through Clarity: High-performing teams thrive on a clear purpose and defined decision rights. To reduce your own workload, ensure your team understands exactly what they own and what success looks like.

  "Do people have a clear purpose? Do people know why they're a team? Most people know what their job description is... but I was leading an off-site last week; they didn't know what their team goals were. They don't know what success looks like." — Kathryn Landis

• Prioritize the "Lamp Post" for Reflection: Intentional reflection is a non-negotiable for effective leadership. Creating a dedicated space to process information—even just by talking to a metaphorical lamp post—can provide significant mental clarity.

  "If someone would go and speak to a lamp post for an hour every day at the same time, they'd get 60% of the benefit of coaching... just creating the space and time to be intentional about where you're spending your time, reflecting on what you're doing." — Kathryn Landis

  Connect with Kathryn and take her free team assessment here: https://kathryn-landis.kit.com/3dcf1c4440

Alyssa Dver, founder of the ERG Leadership Alliance, joins us this week to highlight the critical shift toward structured governance and the use of hard metrics to demonstrate how these groups drive corporate engagement and long-term business impact.

My Key Takeaways:

Governance is the future of ERGs: Alyssa emphasizes the shift from informal groups to structured organizations with clear governance and professional development paths for leaders.

Measurement is mandatory: To gain executive buy-in and sustainability, ERG leaders must track metrics ranging from membership growth and event participation to high-level retention and engagement data.

Allyship is a strategic bridge: Modern ERGs are moving away from exclusive "safe spaces" toward inclusive "brave spaces" where allies are formally invited to lead, learn, and advocate alongside marginalized groups.

My Fave Quotes:

"Got to have governance. Not because you want to control people, but because you want to have equity. And equity means budgeting is fair; the way that people apply and run these has to be fair."

"It's a professional development leadership pipeline. So if you're starting to see these group leaders getting hired into better jobs, getting promoted, that's also a really good metric." "Employees involved in healthy ERGs typically show 10% to 15% higher engagement levels than those who are not."

"There are currently at least 500 million people participating in ERGs around the world, and 95% of companies continue to offer and support ERGs because of their proven impact on organizational health."

Follow Alyssa's work and research at https://www.ergleadershipalliance.com/

In this episode, Julie Kratz discusses global workplace culture strategies with Abi Adamson, founder of the Culture Partnership and a LinkedIn Top Voice. Abi introduces her "SERN" framework—Soil, Exposure, Roots, and Nutrients—as a way for leaders to move beyond performative DE&I and begin gardening their organizations for sustainable growth.

Three Key Takeaways

Cultivate Your Culture Like a Living Ecosystem. Instead of treating culture like a static construction project with a fixed end date, leaders should act as gardeners who constantly tend to the environment. "Organizations still treat culture like a construction project instead of what it is. That is why I call workplace culture a living ecosystem."

Build Psychological Safety to Uncover the Truth. A healthy culture requires an environment where employees can be honest with leadership about what isn't working without fear of retaliation. "When you're able to have an organization that's built on psychological safety... everything else will follow."

Reframe Resistance as a Sign of Progress. Friction and pushback are natural responses to major social or organizational changes; history shows that these moments often precede a shift in the right direction. "History has always taught us: whenever big changes happen, there's always resistance... to get to a good place, you do need to go through a bit of a gauntlet."

Follow Abi at https://www.abiadamson.com/

Lily Zheng is a no-nonsense DEI strategist and best-selling author of DEI Deconstructed and Fixing Fairness. They discuss the limitations of traditional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and introduce Lily's FAIR framework: Fairness, Access, Inclusion, and Representation. Lily challenges the industry's reliance on "one-and-done" training and advocates for a 90/10 split—prioritizing system-level changes over individual interventions. This conversation is a masterclass for leaders who want to move beyond performative buzzwords to create workplaces that truly work for everyone.

• Evolving DEI to FAIR: Lily proposes replacing the broad, often misunderstood terms of DEI with the FAIR framework. This model focuses on whether everyone is set up for success, free from discrimination (Fairness), whether environments allow full participation (Access), if people feel respected and safe (Inclusion), and if employees truly trust their leaders (Representation).

• The 90/10 Systems: First Approach: Real change happens when organizations spend 90% of their effort on changing systems (incentives, hiring processes, and transparency) and only 10% on individual training. Training alone rarely solves systemic issues and can often lead to the "Cobra Effect," where poorly designed incentives actually make problems worse.

• Representation is About Trust, Not Tokens: True representation isn't just a "check-the-box" exercise of hiring diverse faces. It is achieved only when people from all social groups

"Rebranding DEI as FAIR will not save us. But reimagining how we conceptualize and execute what we used to call DEI just might."

"If you had $10,000 to invest... I'd invest maybe $100 into training. But everything else is going into creating that system, to creating the incentives, to creating the culture."

"We have to stop [teaching people how to jump over gaps]... we got to point at the missing stair and go, 'Why is there no stair there? We have to put a stair there.'"

Follow Lily Zheng at lilyzheng.co and get their book at https://www.lilyzheng.co/authorship

In this episode, I'm sitting down with the incredible Dr. Caroline Fleck, clinical psychologist and author of the transformative new book, Validation. We often talk about allyship as a series of seemingly small, intentional actions, and some of the most profound work happens in the small, everyday moments of how we see and hear one another.

Dr. Fleck joins me to pull back the curtain on validation—a skill that is frequently misunderstood but serves as a fundamental prerequisite for belonging and true connection. We dive into her "Validation Ladder" and explore how these techniques can revolutionize not just our corporate cultures, but our personal relationships and how we show up for ourselves.

• Validation is Not Agreement or Praise: One of the biggest hurdles to being a good ally is the fear that validating a perspective means you agree with it. Dr. Fleck clarifies that validation is about acknowledging the truth in someone's experience—showing them you're there, you get it, and you care—without needing to agree with their logic or offer a "good job."

• The "Validation Ladder" Framework: Effective validation is a tiered process. It starts at base camp with mindfulness (being fully present), moves through understanding (equalizing and contextualizing why someone feels the way they do), and reaches the top at empathy (authentically emoting and taking supportive action).

• The Power of Self-Validation: Especially for marginalized groups who have been conditioned to "cover" or minimize their feelings to fit in, practicing self-validation is an essential act of reclamation. Using these tools introspectively allows us to honor our own experiences as valid, which is the first step toward showing up as a confident, authentic leader.

Follow Dr. Caroline Fleck and get her book at https://drcarolinefleck.com/.