Care Work with Alida Miranda-Wolff

How would the professional world change if it were truly equitable? And what would this mean for women-identifying people, specifically? In this episode, Alida talks with Minal Bopaiah, the founder of a groundbreaking DEI-focused design and strategy firm and the author of Equity: How to Design Organizations Where Everyone Thrives.

They explore the idea of a future where the system prioritizes the care of its citizens instead of relying on individuals—namely care workers—to carry out this vital but often unpaid and usually underappreciated role.

Broaden your definition of equity with Minal’s insights on systemic change. She explores:

• How much our society still relies on the unpaid work of women
• What the research tells us about the inequality of salary negotiations
• How power, money, and time could be reimagined to be fair for all
• Why women shouldn’t be ashamed if giving care isn’t their calling

Important resources from this episode:

• Brevity & Wit - https://brevityandwit.com/ 
• Equity: How to Design Organizations Where Everyone Thrives by Minal Bopaiah - https://theequitybook.com/ 
• The Power Manual by Cyndi Suarez - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-powermanual-how-to-master-complex-power-dynamics-cyndi-suarez/8078688?ean=9780865718814
• Terry McAdam Book Award - https://allianceonlinecommunity.org/page/terry-mcadam-book-award 
• Money as Medicine by Edgar Villaneuva - https://nonprofitquarterly.org/money-as-medicine-leveraging-philanthropy-to-decolonize-wealth/#:~:text=Money%20should%20be%20a%20tool,medicine%2C%20can%20help%20us%20decolonize. 
• Riane Eisler - https://rianeeisler.com/ 
• How States Can Extend the Child Tax Credit to the Poor by Matt Bruenig - https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/project/how-states-can-extend-the-child-tax-credit-to-the-poor/ 
• Jakob Wolf-Barnett - https://brevityandwit.com/team/jakob-wolf-barnett/ 

Connect with Minal Bopaiah: 

• Website: https://brevityandwit.com/team/minal-bopaiah/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbopaiah/ 

Connect With Alida:

• Share your feedback on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidamw
• Order Alida’s book “Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last” and gain exclusive access to bonus content! - https://bookshop.org/p/books/cultures-of-belonging-building-inclusive-organizations-that-last-alida-miranda-wolff/17372555?ean=9781400229253
• Learn more about Alida Miranda-Wolff - https://alidamirandawolff.com/

Advocate for underrepresented and underserved groups in organizations with Ethos - https://www.ethostalent.com/

When gathering a community together, how do you make sure every experience is celebrated and every voice is heard?

On this episode of the Care Work podcast, join your host Alida Miranda-Wolff as she talks with Kim Hunt, an activist and community initiative facilitator, about ensuring every citizen is heard and valued in the effort to enact social change. Together they explore the winding road that brought Kim to this important work.

Get ready to fill your own table with Kim’s insights:

• Discover why urban planning and public policy play so well together
• Learn how Kim fosters collaboration between government representatives and citizens
• Consider the influences in your own life that inspire your care work
• Take away tips on the practical process of creating a space that encourages conversations about change

Important resources from this episode:

• Outspoken Chicago: https://www.sidetrackchicago.com/outspokenchicago/ 
• Affinity Community Services: https://www.affinity95.org/ 
• Pride Action Tank: https://prideactiontank.org/ 
• Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame: https://chicagolgbthalloffame.org/hunt-kim/  

Connect with Kim Hunt: 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-l-hunt-mupp-mpp-7028674/  

Connect With Alida:

• Share your feedback on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidamw 
• Order Alida’s book “Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last” and gain exclusive access to bonus content! - https://bookshop.org/p/books/cultures-of-belonging-building-inclusive-organizations-that-last-alida-miranda-wolff/17372555?ean=9781400229253 
• Learn more about Alida Miranda-Wolff - https://alidamirandawolff.com/ 

Advocate for underrepresented and underserved groups in organizations with Ethos - https://www.ethostalent.com/

What’s the last digital product you wish you hadn’t bought? From paid newsletter subscriptions to full-fledged how-to guides on making your first million, too few online offerings these days are created with enough care to be helpful to those who consume them.

In this episode of Care Work, Tara McMullin—host of the What Works podcast, author of the book of the same name, speaker, and business strategist—discusses her exploration of how we make a living in this digital age, the continued corporate disinterest in paying for care work, and how entrepreneurs can incorporate intention and care in their digital creations while still making money.

Consider how to bring care back into economic pursuits with Tara’s questions: 

• How do we move away from the alienation of Capitalism?
• Why does the Capitalist system still vastly undervalue care work?
• If information itself is not the value of digital products, what is?
• How can we put the humanity back into information delivery?
• What is our responsibility to one another in our modern consumer economy? 

Important resources from this episode:

• Why Care Work Is Critical to the Value of Information by Tara McMullin - https://explorewhatworks.com/care-work-critical-to-value-of-information/ 
• Sylvia Federici: Reproductive Labor - https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ziRHEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA85&dq=Silvia+Federici+reproductive+labor&ots=ITMBwkOul-&sig=7gXVK1FZ9rWB89C7p-Xn4uXjMFA#v=onepage&q=Silvia%20Federici%20reproductive%20labor&f=false 
• Dan Olsen’s Youtube Explainer on the Mikkelsen Twins - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biYciU1uiUw 
• Marie Forleo’s B-School - https://www.marieforleo.com/bschool 
• Lauren Berlant’s Book: On the Inconvenience  of Other People - https://bookshop.org/p/books/on-the-inconvenience-of-other-people-lauren-berlant/17477688?ean=9781478018452 
• Zygmunt Bauman: Liquid Love - https://bookshop.org/p/books/liquid-love-on-the-frailty-of-human-bonds-zygmunt-bauman/11008429?ean=9780745624891 

Connect with Tara McMullin:

• Check out Tara’s book - What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal Setting - https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-works-a-comprehensive-framework-to-change-the-way-we-approach-goal-setting-tara-mcmullin/18237146?ean=9781119906070 
• Podcast - https://www.whatworkspodcast.com/ 
• Website - https://explorewhatworks.com/ 
• Newsletter - https://www.whatworks.fyi/ 
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/taragentile 
• Instagram - https://www.insta

Connect With Ali

Caring for patients, clients, or family members keeps care workers incredibly busy—but where does that time go? Our society and economy are so focused on win-lose scenarios, it’s easy to forget that when we give freely of our time and care, we don’t come out at a loss. Instead, we—not to mention our community—get so much more in return.

In the second minisode of the Care Work Podcast, host Alida Miranda-Wolff discusses how care work relates to cultivating a garden, a concept explored by the author Jenny Odell.

Listen to Alida unearth some of society’s misunderstandings:

• The concept of time as a finite resource
• Society’s fascination with zero-sum games
• Undervaluing the time given by those who came before us
• The notion that we must lose time if we give time

Important resources from this episode:

• Saving Time by Jenny Odell: https://bookshop.org/p/books/saving-time-discovering-a-life-beyond-the-clock-jenny-odell/18556369?ean=9780593242704
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer’s: https://bookshop.org/p/books/braiding-sweetgrass-robin-wall-kimmerer/16712606?ean=9781571313560 
• “How To Do Nothing” on Medium: https://medium.com/@the_jennitaur/how-to-do-nothing-57e100f59bbb
• The Book of Difficult Fruit by Kate Lebo: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-book-of-difficult-fruit-arguments-for-the-tart-tender-and-unruly-with-recipes-kate-lebo/16725751?ean=9780374110321 
• New York Times Article: The Rise of the Productivity Score by Jodi Kantor & Arya Sundaram: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/14/business/worker-productivity-tracking.html 
• Ivan Illich: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ivan-Illich 
• Thomas Killman - TKI Model: https://kilmanndiagnostics.com/assessments/thomas-kilmann-instrument-one-assessment-person/ 

Connect With Alida:

• Share your feedback on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidamw
• Order Alida’s book “Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last” and gain exclusive access to bonus content! - https://bookshop.org/p/books/cultures-of-belonging-building-inclusive-organizations-that-last-alida-miranda-wolff/17372555?ean=9781400229253
• Learn more about Alida Miranda-Wolff - https://alidamirandawolff.com/

Advocate for underrepresented and underserved groups in organizations with Ethos - https://www.ethostalent.com/

How do you strike a balance between committing to your work and honoring your own personhood? The simple answer is by setting boundaries. What’s more complicated, though, is that these boundaries are hugely individual and can be difficult to set and to maintain, especially for people in care work. In this interview, Karyn Oates, the consulting director for Ethos and a former nonprofit leader, shares her thoughts on the importance of choice and respect at work and the role of organizations in making sure their employees know their choices and feel that respect. 

Karyn weighs in on:

• How “being from the south side of Chicago” has shaped her 
• Her philosophy on what makes for a living wage
• The problematic history of the theater industry
• Whether we all should live for work or log out at five
• The importance of curiosity in life and career

Important resources from this episode:

• Posse Scholarship - https://www.possefoundation.org/ 
• Upton Sinclair's book about Chicago - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-jungle-upton-sinclair/17820709?ean=9781945186042 

Connect with Karyn Oates:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/karyn-oates-mshrm-b1004123 
• Ethos - https://www.ethostalent.com/team/karyn-oates 
• Definition Theater  - https://www.definitiontheatre.org/ 

Connect With Alida:

• Share your feedback on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidamw
• Order Alida’s book “Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last” and gain exclusive access to bonus content! - https://bookshop.org/p/books/cultures-of-belonging-building-inclusive-organizations-that-last-alida-miranda-wolff/17372555?ean=9781400229253
• Learn more about Alida Miranda-Wolff - https://alidamirandawolff.com/

Advocate for underrepresented and underserved groups in organizations with Ethos - https://www.ethostalent.com/

Think of the people in your life. What makes them who they are? And, how can you honor their unique preferences, experiences, and needs while still holding space for yourself? In this episode of Care Work, Karen Thomas, the content facilitation manager at Ethos, a former K-12 teacher, and an adult educator of parents with transracially adopted children, talks about how her own life experiences and direct work with kids and parents taught her how do just that. 

Press play for a deep dive into:

• The importance of balancing what you can and can’t control
• How to navigate  the multi-layered trauma of transracial adoption among parents and kids
• What it takes to create safe spaces for every learning style
• What changes the education system needs to make to support true equity in learning

Important resources from this episode:

• Eve Ewing - https://eveewing.com/ 

Connect with Karen Thomas:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmariet 
• Ethos - https://www.ethostalent.com/team/karen-thomas 

Connect With Alida:

• Share your feedback on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidamw
• Order Alida’s book “Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last” and gain exclusive access to bonus content! - https://bookshop.org/p/books/cultures-of-belonging-building-inclusive-organizations-that-last-alida-miranda-wolff/17372555?ean=9781400229253
• Learn more about Alida Miranda-Wolff - https://alidamirandawolff.com/

Advocate for underrepresented and underserved groups in organizations with Ethos - https://www.ethostalent.com/

How do you discover and define your purpose? To understand who you are as you create the conditions for others to heal, you must spend time exploring and uncovering your identity and how it affects your interactions with the world. Miriame Cherbib, the founder of Speaking Justice and member of the Ethos team, shares her story of finding belonging and purpose on her own care work journey. As a first and second-generation immigrant, Miriame has taken her human rights roots and transformed herself and the communities around her. Join us as we speak about growing up in an unfamiliar culture and how she was empowered to become an advocate for others. 

Listen in as we discuss: 

• Why building a strong community is a source of growth
• How Miriame receives care from her local community
• How stereotypes and cultural differences affect your worldview and sense of belonging

Important resources from this episode:

• Nancy Folbre’s definition of “Caring Labor” (transcript from video) - https://transversal.at/transversal/0805/folbre/en

Connect with Miriame Cherbib:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriame-cherbib-2a60b416
• Ethos  - https://www.ethostalent.com/team/miriame-cherbib

Connect With Alida:

• Share your feedback on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidamw
• Order Alida’s book “Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last” and gain exclusive access to bonus content! - https://bookshop.org/p/books/cultures-of-belonging-building-inclusive-organizations-that-last-alida-miranda-wolff/17372555?ean=9781400229253
• Learn more about Alida Miranda-Wolff - https://alidamirandawolff.com/

Advocate for underrepresented and underserved groups in organizations with Ethos - https://www.ethostalent.com/

Many of us will do care work at some point in our lives. If you are responsible for someone else’s wellbeing, whether personally, professionally, or communally, you are a care worker. If you have had your own wellbeing tended to by someone else, you have benefited from care work. So, with such a broad definition, what falls under the umbrella of care work? In this episode, Alida goes solo for the first time to explain what is considered care work, why isolated and smaller communities experience higher forms of burnout, and how your social identities influence your relationship to care. 

Topics you’ll learn about, including: 

• The five elements involved in care work 
• How burnout easily affects everyone who does care work 
• How gendered roles in care work are seen as “woman’s work”

Important Resources From This Episode: 

• Nancy Folbre’s  Interview, (Unpaid Work) - https://transversal.at/transversal/0805/folbre/en
• Jonathan Malesic, “The End of Burnout” - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-end-of-burnout-why-work-drains-us-and-how-to-build-better-lives-jonathan-malesic/18197214?ean=9780520344075
• Sarah Jaffe, “Work Won’t Love You Back” - https://bookshop.org/p/books/work-won-t-love-you-back-how-devotion-to-our-jobs-keeps-us-exploited-exhausted-and-alone-sarah-jaffe/14597284?ean=9781568589374
• Angela Garbes, “Essential Labour” - https://bookshop.org/p/books/essential-labor-mothering-as-social-change-angela-garbes/17364605?ean=9780062937360
• Amy Westervelt’s tool, “The Invisible Labour Calculator” - https://www.amywestervelt.com/unpaid-labor-calculator
• Maslach Burnout Inventory - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslach_Burnout_Inventory

Connect With Alida:

• Share your feedback over on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidamw
• Order Alida’s book, “Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last,” and gain exclusive access to bonus content! - https://bookshop.org/p/books/cultures-of-belonging-building-inclusive-organizations-that-last-alida-miranda-wolff/17372555?ean=9781400229253
• Learn more about Alida Miranda-Wolff - https://alidamirandawolff.com/

Advocate for underrepresented and underserved groups in organizations with Ethos - https://www.ethostalent.com/

Self-care expert Taylor Elyse Morrison is a serial entrepreneur, mostly notably running Gateway Coaching, Inner Workout, the Inner Warmup podcast, and The Process Report. She has engaged in several partnerships, including a recent collaboration with ban.do on the Tune In collection. Her forthcoming book, Inner Workout, breaks down her method for listening within and responding in the most loving way possible.

Topics Discussed:

• How Taylor arrived at her definition of self care (2:01)
• What is has meant for Taylor to take care of herself during her career pivots (4:47)
• What has allowed Taylor the freedom to take time for herself during a workday (7:20)
• How Taylor defines burnout (12:18)
• How Taylor helps people care for themselves vs how she cares for herself (16:44)
• Defining the Inner Workout process (20:19)
• How Taylor helps people connect to those who can offer them a sense of community (27:38)
• Where and how Taylor learned to care for other people (30:35)
• What led Taylor to start The Process Report (33:20)
• Behind the scenes of Taylor's new book, Inner Workout (35:59)

Resources Mentioned:

• Inner Workout by Taylor Elyse Morrison
• The Process Report

Where to Find Taylor Elyse Morrison:

• Website: taylorelyse.com
• TikTok: @taylorelysemorrison
• Instagram: @taylorelysemorrison

Erica Courdae is a certified coach, beauty industry veteran, and DEI practitioner who in 2018 co-founded Pause on the Play, an award-winning podcast and community for imperfect allies. In our conversation, Erica shares the parallels between hairdressing and DEI, how care work and energy work are directly connected, and the power of setting boundaries.

Topics Discussed:

• How Erica describes herself in the context of care work (2:22)
• What it means to be an imperfect ally (5:59)
• The push for inclusive language vs taking action (8:23)
• What brought Erica to the place of wanting to bring together imperfect allies (11:40)
• What encouraged Erica to enter the beauty industry (15:14)
• How to talk to allies that want to help but may not be a good fit (21:59)
• Why it's important to set boundaries to protect yourself (25:18)
• What Erica reads after a hard day (26:43)
• How Erica takes care of herself (30:18)

Where to Find Erica Courdae:

• Website: ericacourdae.com
• Podcast: Pause On The Play
• Instagram: @ericacourdae