Being Brown at Work

At the start of 2021, I chose 'Resilience' as my word of the year. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity with courage and momentum. It's more than just regaining one's previous position, it's about going beyond and achieving more than expected.

But how can Black women in corporate America cultivate and strengthen our resilience? How does it factor in to our corporate journey?

This week on the podcast, I speak with Amanda Muhammad, a mindfulness-based stress management consultant, to discuss 5 ways to build resilience for Black women in corporate America.

Amanda Muhammed is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Business Psychology studying Psychological Safety, holds a Masters in Organizational Leadership and a Bachelor's Degree in Management and Leadership.

She teaches professionals to take a preventative approach to stress management, and how to introduce these techniques to their staff, students and clients as a base for social-emotional learning, restoration, and building resilience.

Download Amanda's free guide to learn 50 quick ways to manage your stress and practice mindfulness: https://teewithlinda.co/2TcpmjT

Connect with Linda:

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You're in hot pursuit of the perfect leadership position. Sure, YOU know you have what it takes...but how do you demonstrate that you'd be good in a leadership position if you're not working in one? In this episode, I'm speaking with Kimberly Brown, Founder and CEO of Manifest Yourself. We discuss how to be seen as a leader, what it means to become more than an employee, and getting to that next level. Kimberly also shares her unique insight on career and leadership development, and on creating strategies that enable professionals to do more, be more, and achieve more. Kimberly Brown is a career and leadership expert whose mission is to help women and people of color navigate the workplace, make more money, and become industry leaders. Her company, Manifest Yourself, LLC, provides in-person and virtual workshops, training, and consulting to organizations looking to empower and educate their workforce. She is a Career Development Adviser in some of the nation's top universities and a Diversity and Inclusion Professional in a Fortune 500 company. Connect with Kimberly: www.kimberlybonline.com Connect with Linda:

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What is allyship, and why is it important in the workplace?

This week on the podcast, I chat with Tricia Ruby, President & CEO of Ruby+Associates, Inc. to discuss the importance of diversity from a white woman's perspective, and the importance of allyship.

As President and CEO, Tricia Ruby oversees every aspect of the company. Her industrial engineering background allows her to see the big picture, set a direction, and build an effective team to get it done.

Over her many years at Ruby, she has performed or managed all of the key business functions. She enjoys building a strong workplace culture, built on trust, laughter, and respect.

Outside of work, she served as Chair for the 2018 Go Red Goes STEM event in Detroit, an American Heart Association initiative aimed at empowering girls to take control of their health and to consider STEM careers.

Connect with Tricia:

https://www.rubyandassociates.com/

Connect with Linda:

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What does it mean to authentically show up?

In this episode, April Miller Boise joins me to discuss how to authentically show up throughout your career and assess your path.

We also cover how to pay respects to those who came before you and assure a pathway for those who will follow in your footsteps.

April Miller Boise is the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Eaton, a power management company.

At Eaton, April is actively engaged in many business activities, including developing and implementing strategic initiatives through investment in digital technologies, mergers, acquisitions, and other adjacencies.

Her responsibilities include legal, compliance, corporate governance matters, and managing enterprise-wide risks. As an accomplished C-suite executive and corporate board member with 25 years of experience, she is passionate about the role of women in society.

Connect with Linda:

bit.ly/teeconnect

https://www.lindataliaferro.com/

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How do you conquer racial isolation when you're the only Black person in the room?

It's a situation many Black & Brown professional women face on a regular basis. An alarming side effect of being the "only" is that bosses and managers are less likely to socialize with them outside of work.

Join me and my guest Monique Wells as we discuss the importance of perception vs. self-perception, how her Christian faith aided in her journey to self-discovery, and how being the "only " in many situations affected her.

Monique Wells is the director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for DTE Energy and is responsible for accelerating DTE's progress in building a workplace where everyone feels valued and able to contribute their best energy toward serving our customers, communities and each other.

Connect with Linda:

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In an ideal world, having the degree, the experience, and the competence to do your job would be all you needed to get ahead in your career.

However, in reality, it takes going above and beyond just being good at what you do to get ahead.

Listen in to find out how to step into the spotlight as the leader you know you are!

Connect with Linda:

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I've often talked about the challenges I've encountered in my 30+ year corporate journey not to discourage you, but to show an example that getting the seat at the table despite challenges is possible.

Dr. Amina Gilyard James joins me in this episode to talk about how Black women can reframe their challenges in the workplace and succeed in doing so.

She also shares the results of her in-depth study of women of color and their experiences establishing professional identities.

Dr. Amina is the Founder and CEO of Influence|OD and Chronicle Lodging & Events. She is a talent and organization development strategist with a passion for helping individuals and organizations transform.

She has extensive experience working in public sector, higher education, and non-profit organizations and is currently an adjunct professor in Organizational Leadership & Learning at the George Washington University.

Dr. Amina's dissertation: Voices Rising: A Narrative Inquiry into Black Women U.S. Government Senior Service Members' Professional Identity Construction at the Intersection of Race and Gender (Chapters 4 & 5) https://www.proquest.com/docview/2085918926/AE9F4FBFF1B64237PQ/1

Connect with Dr. Amina: https://teewithlinda.co/2QpPs1x

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While hiring more Black professionals in the workplace is a good first step toward diversity, it's not enough especially if the company doesn't provide the necessary support for advancement.

Terry Allen, the CEO of 1016 Media, joins me in this episode to talk about diversity and what it really means to Black professionals.

Terry is a business owner and a consultant for small businesses. He is a co-author of the best-selling Simon and Schuster book, "Real Men Cook: Rites, Rituals, and Recipes for Living". He is considered one of the top marketing specialists in the South and Southwest markets.

McKinsey's report Why diversity matters:

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/why-diversity-matters#

Connect with Terry: https://teewithlinda.co/2SH2vfJ

Connect with Linda: bit.ly/teeconnect https://www.lindataliaferro.com/ https://www.facebook.com/theteewithlinda/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindataliaferro https://www.instagram.com/TheTeeWithLinda/

In this episode, Glenn McIntosh joins me to talk about his philosophy on race and social justice and how people of color can successfully navigate a career in a predominantly white profession. Glenn McIntosh's career is filled with pioneering experiences. He currently holds the dual role of senior vice president for student affairs and chief diversity officer at Oakland University (Rochester, Michigan). This position appointment made him the first person at a major university to hold such a unique role. He provides visionary strategic leadership for one of the largest divisions with 24 departments. He also serves as the co-chair of the Oakland University and City of Pontiac Initiative. Connect with Glenn: https://teewithlinda.co/3aXXQMR Connect with Linda: bit.ly/teeconnect https://www.lindataliaferro.com/ https://www.facebook.com/theteewithlinda/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindataliaferro https://www.instagram.com/TheTeeWithLinda/

Learn what is needed from a broader perspective to get the next level.

When I started working, all I wanted to do was to keep my head down and do the best work that I could. I would always say, I didn't come to work to make friends. And in a way, this mentality kept me invisible in the workplace.

I did far more professional growth by signing up for initiatives that scared me and then fumbling through them than I ever did by staying in my bubble aspiring to be perfect enough to someday get promoted.

This is exactly the work that Dr. Elizabeth Carter, Director of Finance Highmark, Inc. is doing. She's helping women who feel unseen in the workplace make their voices visible.

Connect with Dr. Elizabeth:

Website: https://www.eac-aappeal.com/home.html

PIVoT audit: https://www.eac-aappeal.com/pivot.html

Connect with Linda:

bit.ly/teeconnect

https://www.lindataliaferro.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theteewithlinda/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindataliaferro

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