Closing the Gap

In this thought-provoking episode, Denise Cooper interviews Vanessa Russell, the founder of Love Never Fails, a non-profit dedicated to the restoration, education, and protection of those involved or at risk of becoming involved in domestic human trafficking. Vanessa discusses her research on 114 barriers to employment faced by diverse candidates, the importance of diversity in the workplace, and how organizations can create more inclusive hiring processes to ensure success for everyone.

During this conversation, Vanessa shares her personal experiences and journey, which led her to establish Love Never Fails, and the significant impact it has had on human trafficking survivors. She also delves into the challenges faced by diverse candidates in the job market, offering insights on how both candidates and employers can work together to break down these barriers.

If you're looking to better understand the challenges faced by diverse candidates in the job market and learn how to create more inclusive hiring processes, this is the episode for you.

1. What would you say to women who aren't sure why they can't get or keep corporate jobs?[10:57]
2. How can hybrid and remote work help diverse job candidates?[19:14]
3. How do you provide trauma-informed support? [24:11]

Website

114 Specific Barriers to Employment (PDF)

Linkedin

Check out her book: Fight For Love: Small Group Study

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Vanessa Russell Vanessa Russell has developed children in the area of dance, teaching hundreds, ages 3-25, lyrical, flags, hip hop, mime, since 2000. In 2010 one of her 15 year old dance students was sold into human trafficking. Although she was eventually located and is now being restored, Vanessa encountered many others who, like her student, were US born women, men and children trapped in modern day slavery.

Her response was to launch Love Never Fails, a non-profit dedicated to the restoration, education and protection of those involved or at risk of becoming involved in domestic human trafficking. Love Never Fails has educated thousands of children and community members on the issue of human trafficking, opened four homes that provide long-term safe housing and restorative services for over 176+ women, men, youth and children impacted by human trafficking and launched an IT Academy connecting under-served community members with financially sustainable careers. Vanessa believes that the issue of human trafficking can be solved through love expressed in prayer, safe housing, mentoring, job training, outreach, and education.

Vanessa also worked 23 years in the IT industry leading technology and sales organizations. She retired from Cisco Systems in January 2019 to lead Love Never Fails full-time. Her professional hope is to inspire and motivate people to develop business and themselves.  She and her husband, Pastor Timothy Russell, are blessed to have a seven children and four grandchildren.

Vanessa graduated from the University of San Francisco with a B.S. in Information Systems Management. She is a sought-out keynote speaker, a Professor of Computer Science and Information Systems for Peralta Colleges, a Vistage Worldwide Professional Speaker, and published author of the Fight For Love workbook. Vanessa sits on the Contra Costa County Family Justice Center Board (Board of Directors – Family Justice Center (cocofamilyjustice.org) ), East Bay Interagency Council, and Thrivent Financial Pacific Sierra Board ( About Thrivent Financial | Thrivent Member Network). She co-leads Oakland's Violence Prevention Coalition Gender-Based Violence Committee (Our Work (oaklandvpc.org). 

Vanessa is the recipient of the following awards:

• 2013 Jefferson
• 2015 Jesse Curtis Homeless Advocacy in Action
• 2015 Hayward Heart
• 2015 Top 20 Dynamic Women-Owned Nonprofits
• 2017 Ujima Catholic Community Service
• 2017 Cisco Hero
• 2017 Discovery Investigation & People Magazine Everyday Hero
• 2018 CRN Women of the Channel
• 2018 Cisco Bridge
• 2019 Luke 14
• 2020 Modern Day Abolitionist of the Year (SFCAHT)
• 2021 Adamika Village Dick Gregory
• 2021 Sisters Sowing Seeds

In this episode of our podcast, we are joined by Meredith Broussard, an associate professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University and the research director at the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology.

During our conversation, we discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion in the tech industry and how AI can be leveraged to improve belonging, inclusivity, and diversity in the workplace. We also delve into the ethical concerns that arise when developing and deploying AI systems in various sectors, such as healthcare or finance. Meredith shares her insights on how we can ensure that AI technologies are developed in a way that doesn't perpetuate or exacerbate existing biases and inequalities.

Meredith's extensive experience as a former features editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer and a software developer at AT&T Bell Labs and the MIT Media Lab, as well as her research in AI ethics and data analysis for social good, provide a unique perspective on the intersection between AI and bias.

This episode is a must-listen for C-Suite Leaders (and aspiring ones!) who seek to leverage technology to improve their performance outcomes while promoting diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace. Follow Meredith on Twitter @merbroussard or visit her website, meredithbroussard.com, to learn more about her work.

1. How can you tell if AI algorithms are making decisions that are unfair and unjust? [07:22]
2. You talk about how AI is not neutral, what does that mean? [08:19]
3. What considerations should you reflect on before buying data? [11:06]
4. Can you give an example of what can happen when data is not being used responsibly? [15:28]
5. How might an AI based system perpetuate bias in a hiring process? [19:29]
6. Are there other misconceptions or areas of bias that just kind of show up in different kinds of companies, of manufacturing, supply chain, all of those areas? Have you seen instances of that in the book? [25:38]

Check out her book

Keep up with her on Linkedin

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Meredith Broussard is an associate professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University and the research director at the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology. She is the author of an upcoming book, More Than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech (MIT Press, 2023), as well as the award-winning 2018 book Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence in investigative reporting, with particular interests in AI ethics and using data analysis for social good. She appears in the Emmy-nominated documentary “Coded Bias,” now streaming on Netflix. Her work has been supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Institute of Museum & Library Services, and the Tow Center at Columbia Journalism School. A former features editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, she has also worked as a software developer at AT&T Bell Labs and the MIT Media Lab. Her features and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, Vox, and other outlets. Follow her on Twitter @merbroussard or contact her via meredithbroussard.com.

In this insightful episode, host Denise Cooper is joined by Pamela Brooks Richards, an expert on change management. In this interview, Brooks-Richards gives us a deep dive look into the role that employee recognition plays in sustaining motivation over time.

Pamela also shares her thoughts on the importance of celebration in overcoming challenges in our professional lives and how recognition and rewards play a crucial role in fostering a positive work environment.

When an organization invests in celebrating its employees and recognizing their accomplishments, it fosters a positive work environment, which can lead to increased employee satisfaction, productivity, and loyalty.

Pamela shares examples of how even small acts of recognition and appreciation can have a significant impact on employee morale and overall organizational success.

Join us for this enlightening discussion with Pamela Brooks Richards and learn how to harness the power of celebration and recognition to overcome challenges and create a thriving professional life.

1. What is the difference between recognition and rewards? [03:19]
2. How do we show our team members that they are valued? [06:10]
3. How do the 5 languages of appreciation show up in the ways that we show up for our employees? [10:56] [17:30]
4. What are the benefits of co-regulating with our team members? [21:55]
5. What are the benefits of tying positive behaviors to negative emotions? [34:29]

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

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Pam is known for her passion for people and facilitating positive change for anyone in need with an open mind.  She enjoys being an executive coach and helping people discover their strengths to make life transformations. Pam has helped design and run several leadership programs at ASU and continues to help organizations with executive staffing and teambuilding.  She appreciates her many opportunities to work with others and being a part of their discovery process, including running Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead™ program as a Certified Facilitator and running Conversational Intelligence™ by Judith Glaser.

Pam's passion for performance grew throughout her athletic career and playing volleyball for the University of Washington.  She studied organizational and interpersonal development in her first masters and counseling in her second.   She uses her assessment tools and understanding of people to create workshops and experiences that can create transformational performance breakthroughs for both individuals and teams. She loves all the work coming out of neuroscience today and what actually leads to better performers and what helps us enjoy life to the fullest.

She has presented to large groups, such as the Philip 66 – International Conference and Baxter Asia Pacific's International Strategic Thinking Workshop in Shanghai. She has facilitated large groups in Dare to Lead ™ and been a part of the smaller conferences such as BADD, 101 Black Women's Coalition, and ASU's Commission on the Status of Women and is a Master SPARK facilitator for ASU.

In her spare time, she loves to ride her bike, hiking, sailing and even playing a bit of golf now with her husband

In this week's show, we are flipping the script and having long-time guest Deborah Snow Walsh interview our host, Denise Cooper for a change.

Deborah Snow Walsh is a talent executive who pulls on her experience selling outplacement services for large, multi-national organizations to demonstrate the levels an interview wants an applicant to speak to during their first meeting.

During this interview, Denise Cooper describes her experiences working with a senior leader who wouldn't accept help and the importance of respecting and finding a way to work with difficult people. She also talks about her experience creating a global new hire orientation program and the importance of clearing obstacles for the teams underneath you.

How do you display vision, your ability to be a change agent, your ability to drive financial results through teams, your drive for developing people, as well as your ethics and integrity while meeting someone for the first time? Keep listening to find out.

1. Describe a time when you've worked somewhere where you could do your best work because you felt respected, you felt that you had the intellectual capital to do the job in front of you, and because you worked with a collaborative team? What did that feel like? [05:47]
2. I want you to give me two things you've done anywhere in your career that you're really proud of. [20:18]

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Denise Cooper is the Founder and CEO of Remarkable Leadership Lessons, a company founded over 10 years ago to assist C-suite, senior-level business leaders, and managers in raising their game as contributors to profitability.     

Denise serves as an Executive Coach and Keynote Speaker, with a proven process for grooming diverse candidates for succession. She does this through one-on-one customized development plans, professional assessments, and time-proven case studies. 

Her expertise and wisdom are grounded in neuro-leadership, behavioral & psychological principles along with 25 years of experience. Denise has worked across a wide range of industries and organizations from Fortune 500 corporations, small to mid-market & nonprofit businesses. Change is impacting every aspect of business and executives need leadership skills that inspire trust, enable quick response times, clarify purpose and create work cultures where belonging and contribution are foundational principles. 

This week's conversation builds off of last week's interview with Zahara Jade. This week we're talking about how to tune into your body while you're at work, particularly in stressful situations like expanding workplace responsibilities or while you're in conflict with colleagues.

Listen in while Zahara Jade shares her top tips for somatic exercises to help slow the nervous system in times of change. Stress ages our minds and bodies by putting often unnecessary weight on our processing systems. With these simple techniques, you can slow down, re-evaluate, and get the work done in a way that creates the largest impact for yourself, your team, and your organization.

1. What do people not understand when it comes to our body's responses to change (fight, flight, freeze, and appease)? [03:44]
2. What is the difference between "Big T" Trauma and"little t" trauma? [07:12]
3. What are some of your techniques to help others tune into their body, particularly when they feel a sense of conflict at work?[10:52]

https://www.thetruthcatalyst.com/

Zahara Jade's TEDx Talk

https://instagram.com/truthcatalyst

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Zahara Jade, M.A. is the Founder of The Truth Catalyst. She supports high-achievers on their quest to transform trauma, chronic pain, and illness into unapologetic authenticity, unbound wellness, and unabashed prosperity. For nearly two decades, she has helped clients worldwide overcome lifetimes of anxiety, depression, eradicate addictions, reduce cycles of chronic pain and dysfunctional relationship patterns. Jade’s uniquely formulated approach, The Truth Catalyst Method, can help clients who have lost hope when every other method has failed them. She is currently building a training program to teach other practitioners her method. Zahara is a TEDx speaker, a contributor to Entrepreneur, Thrive Global, and Buzzfeed, and has been featured in SELF and Inc.

Do you know how to work with your bodily reactions to conflict in the workplace?Throughout the workday, your nervous system can come in and out of activated states as you enter into challenging conversations with your boss, colleagues, and vendors. More often than not, our reactions to difficult situations at work can often be linked back to experiences we've had throughout our life, sometimes even as early as foundational memories from childhood.

In today's episode our guest, Zahara Jade, explains how and why traumatic memories are often stored somatically in the body, and how emotional access can be a crucial component of healing.

Zahara also shares her wisdom on how childhood experiences can lead to disconnection from emotions and the importance of reconnecting with the body to access important emotional truths. By tuning in to this episode, you will not only gain a better understanding of your approach to conflict in the workplace, but in your life as a whole.

Be sure to tune in next week to listen in to part two of this engaging conversation with Zahara Jade.

1. What causes the gap between how our body processes traumatic memory vs. our minds?[07:14]
2. We live in a culture where we are taught to push our bodies to the brink of breaking down in order to achieve success. What would you say to someone who is trying to break this pattern while still making a living? [21:49]
3. How can you tell if you're working in an environment that is a match for you? [35:29]

https://www.thetruthcatalyst.com/

Zahara Jade's TEDx Talk

https://instagram.com/truthcatalyst

• Join the Remarkable Leadership Lessons Community Now
• Visit the Remarkable Leadership Lessons Site
• Got questions? Send them here
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Zahara Jade, M.A. is the Founder of The Truth Catalyst. She supports high-achievers on their quest to transform trauma, chronic pain, and illness into unapologetic authenticity, unbound wellness, and unabashed prosperity. For nearly two decades, she has helped clients worldwide overcome lifetimes of anxiety, depression, eradicate addictions, reduce cycles of chronic pain and dysfunctional relationship patterns. Jade’s uniquely formulated approach, The Truth Catalyst Method, can help clients who have lost hope when every other method has failed them. She is currently building a training program to teach other practitioners her method. Zahara is a TEDx speaker, a contributor to Entrepreneur, Thrive Global, and Buzzfeed, and has been featured in SELF and Inc.

What factors make up trust? What factors make others feel trust towards us and vice versa? When the trust factor goes up, the work gets done. But how can we move towards building it authentically during times where people are more politically divided than ever before?

In this week's episode, Denise Cooper interviews Pamela Brooks-Richards for her take on how we can build genuine trust in the face of change. It can feel extremely uncomfortable to say "no" to our bosses or other authority figures in our working life. What do we do when the noise in our head tells us we can't "be bad", and our nervous system gets activated in challenging work situations?

Trust is not only about telling the truth and keeping promises, but it is also about being accountable and restoring trust when it is broken. Building authentic trust in the workplace takes time and effort. It requires accountability, restoration, and confidentiality. Trust is built and destroyed in small moments, so it is essential to be consistent in actions and responses.

Accountability is not about micromanaging someone or holding them responsible for everything. It is about taking responsibility for your actions and admitting when you have made a mistake. If you've been looking for ways to build accountability through fostering a trusting work environment, this is the episode for you.

1. What is trust? [3:34]
2. What happens when we don't have trusting, safe spaces at work? [09:03]
3. What role do values play in managing dissonance? [24:25]
4. How do we overcome learned helplessness in the workplace? [36:55]

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

• Join the Remarkable Leadership Lessons Community Now
• Visit the Remarkable Leadership Lessons Site
• Got questions? Send them here
• Interested in being a guest? Schedule an introduction call!
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts, and leave us a rating or review

Pam is known for her passion for people and facilitating positive change for anyone in need with an open mind.  She enjoys being an executive coach and helping people discover their strengths to make life transformations. Pam has helped design and run several leadership programs at ASU and continues to help organizations with executive staffing and teambuilding.  She appreciates her many opportunities to work with others and being a part of their discovery process, including running Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead™ program as a Certified Facilitator and running Conversational Intelligence™ by Judith Glaser.

Pam's passion for performance grew throughout her athletic career and playing volleyball for the University of Washington.  She studied organizational and interpersonal development in her first masters and counseling in her second.   She uses her assessment tools and understanding of people to create workshops and experiences that can create transformational performance breakthroughs for both individuals and teams. She loves all the work coming out of neuroscience today and what actually leads to better performers and what helps us enjoy life to the fullest.

She has presented to large groups, such as the Philip 66 – International Conference and Baxter Asia Pacific's International Strategic Thinking Workshop in Shanghai. She has facilitated large groups in Dare to Lead ™ and been a part of the smaller conferences such as BADD, 101 Black Women's Coalition, and ASU's Commission on the Status of Women and is a Master SPARK facilitator for ASU.

In her spare time, she loves to ride her bike, hiking, sailing and even playing a bit of golf now with her husband

When we think about growing our influence and presence in the workplace, we often think of driving business metrics, increasing sales, or making ourselves more visible to higher-ups. However the numbers are simply one facet of your contribution to your team.

Have you considered that the language, tonality, and volume and inflection you use also plays a huge role in how others perceive you? In today's episode Dr. Miluna Fausch, an Executive Communication & Presence Coach, teaches listeners how to build confidence in their communication skills by leveraging one's whole self - physical, energetic, mental, and emotional - to influence others and achieve goals.

If you're looking for tips to uplevel your communication and presence in your career, this is the episode for you.

1. What do we do if other people perceive us to be communicating in ways they don't like? [06:44]
2. How can I become more aware of my executive presence? [10:00]
3. What lead you to become an executive communication and presence coach? [12:41]
4. How do your clients find you? How can a person tell if they would benefit from presence coaching? [19:34]
5. How do you blend your background in show business and psychology? [20:26]

https://www.milunafausch.com/

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

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Dr. Miluna Fausch is an Executive Communication & Presence Coach. She comes from show business as a professional actor and singer with a B.S. in Music Business and a Ph.D. in Holistic Psychology.

Her book: Uplevel Your Communication: Evolve Your Presence and Speech to Change Everything is Best Book Finalist at the American Book Festival.

Are you aware of the ways in which our brain prepares us to embrace change?In this episode, Dr. Evian Gordon, founder of Brain Resource joins Denise Cooper to discuss the importance of change and innovation in today's rapidly evolving world.

Listen in to hear Dr. Gordgon's strategies for individuals and leaders to develop the necessary mindset and habits to succeed in a constantly changing environment. The ability to embrace change is an inside job - it starts with you. With awareness of our own brains, mindsets, and habits, we can shift the needle and become the agents of change we aim to be.

1. How did you get into integrated neuroscience? [05:03]
2. What do you mean when you say that our ability to embrace change is an inside job? [08:03]
3. What is the link between knowing and doing? How do relationships empower us to change? [11:53]
4. What does research show about our capacity for change over time? [24:09]
5. What companies are embracing the power of neuroscience? [36:00]

Totalbrain.com

Podcast: Total Brain with Evian Gordon

Book: The Brain: From Knowing to Doing

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Dr. Gordon is the founder and chief medical officer at Total Brain Limited, an applied, integrative neuroscience company, based in San Francisco and Sydney, that has developed and offers Total Brain, a mental health monitoring and support platform powered by the world’s largest standardized brain database. Its SaaS platform has helped more than one million registered users to-date scientifically measure and optimize their brain capacities while managing the risk of common mental conditions. Total Brain is used by thousands of employees from companies such as Boeing, Cerner and Kaiser Permanente.

Dr. Gordon has more than 30 years’ experience in human brain research and is considered one of the originators of the field of integrative neuroscience. Dr. Gordon has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. Most recently, he launched his latest book The Brain: From Knowing to Doing.

This week we're discussing how to thrive as a woman CEO in a male-dominated world. Although women have made significant progress in breaking through the glass ceiling, there is still a significant gender gap in leadership positions, especially at the CEO level. In this episode, Deborah Snow Walsh leads us through exploring some of the challenges that women face when trying to climb the corporate ladder and offers practical tips for women who aspire to become CEOs.

One of the main challenges is the lack of access to coaching and information. According to a study, only 15% of women receive detailed information compared to 50% of men. Listen in to hear us delve into why this disparity exists and how it can be overcome.

Lastly, we'll discuss the importance of networking, building a personal brand, and developing a leadership style that is authentic and effective. Deborah Snow Walsh also explore strategies for negotiating salaries and promotions, as well as ways to overcome imposter syndrome and other limiting beliefs.

Women can be successful CEOs, and with the right mindset, skills, and strategies, we can break through the glass ceiling and achieve our dreams.

1. 77% of women feel that they lack the information they need to advance their career. What do you think about that? [03:56]
2. How do you navigate when someone asks why you're wanting a job when you run your own business? [17:32]
3. How do we decide where to look for fresh talent?[21:43]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-snow-a0823b37

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Debbie is a builder of organizations and a talent executive, focused on DEI in thought and view.  Those are her passions.  She has a unique background in sales, having successfully started her career selling large benefits packages to the Fortune 200, working for AXA Equitable.  She knew nothing about benefits, or the Fortune 200.   She was recruited to Lee Hecht Harrison, where she excelled in selling outplacement and coaching services to large, multi national organizations.  When she was recruited again into the search business, she was already focused on female and minority talent and made the decision to become an entrepreneur and open her own firm.  Ultimately, her organization included ten professionals and served companies including IBM, JPMorgan Chase, the GAP, Pfizer, AXA Equitable, and Prudential among others.  In 2011 she was recruited to Zurich Insurance to run Talent Acquisition, University Relations and Diversity.  She enjoyed the opportunity to see talent in action and build an organization.  She returned to outside search and ultimately her own firm.  Her clients include those from her previous firm as well as CDW, Icahn Enterprises, Citizens Bank, Pet Supplies Plus, Bloomberg and AIG.