Conversations on A More Beautiful Way

In this conversation, Bethaney Wilkinson talks to attorney, author, and guide, Katharine Manning about what it takes to create a trauma informed workspace. Katharine shares a 5-point method to equip leaders with the skills they need to listen well when their employees and team members express difficult experiences and circumstances at work. In this winding and thoughtful conversation, Bethaney and Katharine get to the heart of creating a workplace culture where all people feel valued in their humanity. 

As a Senior Attorney Advisor with the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, for fifteen years Katharine guided the Justice Department through its response to victims in cases ranging from terrorism to large-scale financial fraud to child exploitation. She now uses her expertise to help organizations prepare for and respond to the challenges they face involving employees and clients who may be in trauma.

Insight: Trauma is showing up in your workplace regardless of your readiness to receive it. 

Action: Begin taking steps to become a trauma informed organization by providing culturally specific resources.  

Episode Transcript Available Here: www.thediversitygap.com/podcast

About the Diversity Gap:



The Diversity Gap is for everyday people who want to pair their good intentions for diversity with true cultural change.

You can order the book, The Diversity Gap, at www.thediversitygap.com.

Bethaney Wilkinson is the Host and Executive Producer.

Thank you to our guests and patrons who make this podcast possible!

Instagram - @bethaneybree @thediversitygap

Website - www.bethaneywilkinson.com, www.thediversitygap.com

Links from the Show:

Submit a listener question of your own by visiting thediversitygap.com/podcast

Learn more about OfColor: Disruptive Discourse by visiting www.ofcolor.com/disruptive-discourse

Learn more about Katharine Manning: www.katharinemanning.com/

You can order Katharine's book here: www.katharinemanning.com/my-book/

For today’s conversation, Bethaney has a conversation with thought leader, artist, public theologian, and cultural anthropologist David Bailey. He is the founder and CEO of Arrabon, an organization that equips communities to pursue healing and reconciliation in a racially divided world. For the past 5 years, Arrabon has successfully partnered with organizations across the country, providing guidance, education and the tools to build more empathetic, reconciled communities.

Insight: Everyone interprets life through their cultural location.  

Action: Increase your cultural intelligence by engaging in healthy cross cultural collaboration. 

Episode Transcript Available Here: www.thediversitygap.com/podcast

About the Diversity Gap:



The Diversity Gap is for everyday people who want to pair their good intentions for diversity with true cultural change.

You can order the book, The Diversity Gap, at www.thediversitygap.com.

Bethaney Wilkinson is the Host and Executive Producer.

Thank you to our guests and patrons who make this podcast possible!

Instagram - @bethaneybree @thediversitygap

Website - www.bethaneywilkinson.com, www.thediversitygap.com

Links from the Show:

Submit a listener question of your own by visiting thediversitygap.com/podcast

Learn more and apply to The Growth Collective thediversitygap.com/growth-collective

Arrabon: www.arrabon.com/

Account David referenced: www.instagram.com/davidmbailey/

Urban Doxology: www.urbandoxology.com/

For today’s conversation, Bethaney kicks off season four with a conversation on race-conscious leadership. Afterwards, you get to learn from Noemí Jimenez. Noemí has corporate communications, strategy, branding, and market research experience across the non-profit, corporate and social impact sectors. She manages ESG issues across equity, inclusion and diversity in the workplace and representative communications across sectors. Based in Austin, Texas, Noemí works with executive teams to understand the strategic implications of inclusion and sustainability and develop approaches to drive business value.

Insight: Your lived experience is invaluable.

Action: Learn to articulate your lived experience through story.

About the Diversity Gap:



The Diversity Gap is for everyday people who want to pair their good intentions for diversity with true cultural change.

You can order the book, The Diversity Gap, at www.thediversitygap.com.

Bethaney Wilkinson is the Host and Executive Producer.

Thank you to our guests and patrons who make this podcast possible!

Instagram - @bethaneybree @thediversitygap

Website - www.bethaneywilkinson.com, www.thediversitygap.com

Links from the Show:

Submit a listener question of your own by visiting thediversitygap.com/podcast

QB Consulting: https://www.consultqb.com/

QB Consulting LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/qbadvisory/

Chapter 9: Bonus Episode: A Conversation w/ Aiko Bethea

For today’s conversation, you get to learn from Aiko Bethea. Aiko is a leader, builder, and the founder of RARE Coaching & Consulting. RARE Coaching & Consulting works with leaders and organizations to remove internal and external barriers to inclusion, and allowing them to understand each other as people, colleagues, and teams in more collective ways.  In addition to her work at RARE Coaching & Consulting, Aiko is Sr. Director of the Daring Way™ and the Dare to Lead™ global facilitator communities of Brené Brown Education and Research Group. She is also a Senior Director at Frontline Solutions, a black-owned consulting firm. 

Insight: Assess your values, and discover how you will implement them in your life. 

Action: Set and live into your value-based boundaries.  

Episode Transcript Available Here

About The Diversity Gap The Diversity Gap Academy exists to help leaders pair their good intentions for diversity with true cultural change.

You can order the book, The Diversity Gap, at www.thediversitygap.com.

Bethaney Wilkinson is the Host and Executive Producer.

Final Production is by Live Grace Productions.

Thank you to our guests and patrons who make this podcast possible!

Instagram - @bethaneywilkinson @thediversitygap

Website - www.bethaneywilkinson.com

Links from the Show 

Website: https://www.rarecoaching.net/

Instagram: @rare_coach

Chapter 8: New Leaders, New Futures - Embodied and Authentic Leadership w/ Tracey Gee

Insight: No one is asking you to be perfect. We are asking you to get uncomfortable, be creative, take some risks, and show up with consistency.

Action: You have to do your work.

My conversation partner for this episode is Tracey Gee, who is a certified coach and facilitator. She is trained in the Gallup StrengthsFinder, Cultural Intelligence, and the Enneagram. She is also a member of the International Coaching Federation, so she knows her stuff and is committed to helping people amplify their authentic leadership genius. She has over 20 years of non-profit leadership experience and brings such relevant and incisive leadership acumen to the table. I hope you enjoy learning from Tracey as much as I did.

Episode Transcript Available Here

About The Diversity Gap

The Diversity Gap Academy exists to help leaders pair their good intentions for diversity with true cultural change.

You can order the book, The Diversity Gap, at www.thediversitygap.com.

Bethaney Wilkinson is the Host and Executive Producer.

Final Production is by Live Grace Productions.

Thank you to our guests and patrons who make this podcast possible!

Instagram - @bethaneywilkinson @thediversitygap

Website - www.bethaneywilkinson.com

Links from the Show

Website: https://traceygee.me

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traceygee.me/

Account Tracey Referenced: @asiansformentalhealth

Chapter 7: Lead with Courage - w/ Sandra Maria Van Opstal

Insight: People don’t just want a job; people want to belong.

Action: Your intentionality and vulnerability as the leader set the tone for how much belonging is possible. Your willingness to own your journey of growth and change paves the way for others working in your organization.

Now for today’s conversation, you get to learn from the brilliant Sandra Maria Van Opstal. I have known Sandra for many years and am always inspired by how her activism and leadership are firmly rooted in the context of her neighborhood and the relationships she’s cultivating there. Sandra is an author, pastor, speaker, and social entrepreneur who leads an organization called Chasing Justice. The mission of Chasing Justice to rebuild a just world. It is a faith-inspired movement led by a diverse array of people of color. And the organization works to elevate stories and pathways for justice practitioners and advocates. So after you hear from Sandra in this conversation, definitely check out the show notes to tap into all that this team is doing to inspire folks to get involved in addressing the most pressing issues we’re facing as a global community.

Episode Transcript Available Here



About The Diversity Gap

The Diversity Gap Academy exists to help leaders pair their good intentions for diversity with true cultural change.

You can order the book, The Diversity Gap, at www.thediversitygap.com.

Bethaney Wilkinson is the Host and Executive Producer.

Final Production is by Live Grace Productions.

Thank you to our guests and patrons who make this podcast possible!

Instagram - @bethaneywilkinson @thediversitygap

Website - www.bethaneywilkinson.com



Links from the Show

Website:http://www.sandravanopstal.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandravanopstal/

Chasing Justice: https://chasingjustice.com

You are invited to The Diversity Gap Workshop, a day-long experience designed to help you create the culture you say you want! 

Your level of racial self awareness sets the tone for how much, or how little, racial equity is possible in your organization or community. When you unravel the cultural narratives informing who you are and how you lead,  you will become a more effective leader. The growth you experience will positively impact your community and workplace for years to come.

The Diversity Gap Workshop is not about sharing more information. This workshop is about transformation.



In this one-day event, you will be prepared to pursue diversity, equity, and inclusion with integrity and authenticity.

Learn more and register at www.thediversitygap.com/workshop.

Chapter 6: Diversify Your Life - The Heartwork and Homework of Justice w/ Dani Coke

Insight: Your ability to cultivate a diverse personal life is directly tied to your ability to lead a diverse team

Action: Resist racism and pursue diversity in every area of your life.



For today’s conversation I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with the one and the only Danielle Coke. You may know her as Oh Happy Dani on Instagram. Dani is an illustrator and advocate whose artwork  and words are all about helping good people become better neighbors. She has been featured on the Today Show, in Forbes, on NBC, BuzzFeed, Alive News, and on USA Today.

What I love so much about Dani is that she is able to take complex ideas and even painful experiences and translate them into meaningful creations that as she says, “Speak to the heart of the matter.” She is just so down-to-earth, full of wisdom and joy. And in this conversation, she shares generously about what it looks like to do the heartwork and homework of antiracism in our everyday lives.

Episode Transcripts Available Here



About The Diversity Gap

The Diversity Gap Academy exists to help leaders pair their good intentions for diversity with true cultural change.

You can order the book, The Diversity Gap, at www.thediversitygap.com.

Bethaney Wilkinson is the Host and Executive Producer.

Final Production is by Live Grace Productions.

Thank you to our guests and patrons who make this podcast possible!

Instagram - @bethaneywilkinson @thediversitygap

Website - www.bethaneywilkinson.com



Links from the Show

Website: https://ohhappydani.com

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/ohhappydani/

Chapter 5: Embrace Cultural Change - Psychological Safety and Belonging w/ Liz Fosslien

Insight: You have to adopt new and more liberating values, and behaviors, if you want diverse groups of people to flourish as they follow you.

Action: You have to practice liberation and you must embody a new way of thinking and leading.

To add texture to this insight, I sat down with Liz Fosselien, an illustrator and the co-author of the Wall Street Journal best-seller No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work. Liz is an expert on how to make work better. As the Head of Content at Humu, she helps teams and leaders develop the skills and habits that allow them to unlock their full potential.

She regularly leads interactive, scientifically-backed workshops about how to build resilience, how to help remote workers avoid burnout, and how to effectively harness emotion as a leader. Her work has been featured by TED, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, The Economist, and NPR.

In our conversation, we talk about Liz’s professional journey as well as what it takes to create psychological safety within your organizational culture. Check it out!

Episode Transcript Available Here

About The Diversity Gap

The Diversity Gap Academy exists to help leaders pair their good intentions for diversity with true cultural change.

You can order the book, The Diversity Gap, at www.thediversitygap.com.

Bethaney Wilkinson is the Host and Executive Producer.

Final Production is by Live Grace Productions.

Thank you to our guests and patrons who make this podcast possible!

Instagram - @bethaneywilkinson @thediversitygap

Website - www.bethaneywilkinson.com

Links from the Show

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizandmollie/

Website: https://www.lizandmollie.com

Book: https://www.lizandmollie.com/book

Chapter 4: Choose Your Framework - The Equity Imperative w/ Ale Trevino and Deshawn Adams

Insight: There are many frameworks for pursuing organizational culture and diversity, and each has different objectives.

Action: Choose your framework and know why.

The conversation I’m sharing with you today is with my friends Deshawn Adams and Ale Trevino. Deshawn is a human capital consultant for Deloitte and he and I connected many years ago through a racial justice education program we were co-leading at our church. And Ale is an MBA Candidate at Kellogg School of Management, but prior to being a grad student was also at Deloitte working as a consultant and strategist. I got to know Ale through an organization we both love called Plywood People. I had Deshawn and Ale on the podcast because last year, they were on the team at Deloitte that created a report called The Equity Imperative. This report, which is linked in the show notes, is full of world-class research and business insights for leaders who want to do more than talk a good game about DEI. I was so grateful to be able to talk Ale and Deshawn about the equity imperative and about what racial equity requires of us in this day and age.

Quick note, while Deshawn and Ale created this report at Deloitte, the opinions they express in our conversation belong to Deshawn and Ale alone, and do not reflect an official perspective of Deloitte as a company.

Episode Transcript is available Here



About The Diversity Gap

The Diversity Gap Academy exists to help leaders pair their good intentions for diversity with true cultural change.

You can order the book, The Diversity Gap, at www.thediversitygap.com.

Bethaney Wilkinson is the Host and Executive Producer.

Final Production is by Live Grace Productions.

Thank you to our guests and patrons who make this podcast possible!

Instagram - @bethaneywilkinson @thediversitygap

Website - www.bethaneywilkinson.com

Links from the Show Notes

The Equity Imperative Report - https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/the-equity-imperative.html

Closing the Racial Inequity Gap by Citigroup - https://ir.citi.com/NvIUklHPilz14Hwd3oxqZBLMn1_XPqo5FrxsZD0x6hhil84ZxaxEuJUWmak51UHvYk75VKeHCMI%3D