Intentional Conversations

We were honored to welcome DeAnna Minus-Vincent to the Intentional Conversations vodcast and are excited to share this encore presentation with you!

Be sure to subscribe to our channel to never miss an episode.

Want to WATCH the full replay? Visit the NWC YouTube channel HERE.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Housing: People should have it and it should be affordable. 

It’s critical for Black women to seek careers in health care to ensure we are listened to and cared for.

It’s critical for Black women to seek careers in health care to change policy and procedures to ensure doctors are asking the correct questions and POC feel ok asking questions. We also need allies who can tell the message. 

We need to look at DEI as everyone’s responsibility, not just a person or department. DEI must be written into policies and procedures and needs to start at the top and move to everyone and every department. 

We need to be courageous enough to point out racism.

DEI must be built in not bolted on.

To move forward, we must remove outdated systems and stats and serve the whole, diverse person in health care.

Black women have been leaving corporate America, which is great for entrepreneurship, but bad for Corporate America. 

Make sure to create tangible DEIB changes and structures... what are people actually doing? 

CONNECT WITH DEANNA:

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH NIKA WHITE CONSULTING:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

We were honored to welcome Rahimeh Ramezany to the Intentional Conversations vodcast and are excited to share this encore presentation with you!

Be sure to subscribe to our channel to never miss an episode.

Want to WATCH the full replay? Visit the NWC YouTube channel HERE.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Why isn’t there a term for blended immigrant families where one parent is an immigrant and the other is not?

2. Intercultural communication is very important to learn and should be included in DEI strategy when trying to bridge gaps and understanding.     

3. Direct communicators should give grace to indirect communicators. Make sure to view nonverbal cues, facial expressions, jokes and the context of the joke.

4. Faith and religious identity are a huge part of an individual's identity. You can’t check it at the door because faith is deeply embedded in people.

5. Best practices for organizations

   a. Religious harassment needs to be in the HR policy

   b. Training for managers for religious inclusion and psychological safety

   c. Don’t set boundaries for success     

6. We need to work towards creating an intergenerational mentoring process.

7. Leaders must build trust; you can’t just say or perform inclusion and show that they will make structural changes.

CONNECT WITH RAHIMEH:

Website

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH NIKA WHITE CONSULTING:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

We were honored to welcome Ann Kowal Smith to the Intentional Conversations vodcast and are excited to share this encore presentation with you!

Subscribe to our channel to never miss an episode.

Want to WATCH the full replay? Visit the NWC YouTube channel HERE.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM ANN:

1. No matter how you see yourself, people will see you how they want to. DEI matters because we all have something to contribute.

2. Flipping understanding– some people believe what they see is reality. Life experience colors us in different ways... we need to understand someone else's world as much as possible.

3. 5 pillars of collective intelligence: 1) listening with humility, 2) asking good and curious questions, 3)challenging assumptions, 4) disagreeing with respect and without retribution, and 5) widening the circle of empathy. 

4. Leaders should not manage diversity but lead it. Build social sensitivity to build diverse teams which will make them even better because they may begin with challenges.

5. Collective intelligence is about being able to work together, not individual intelligence.

6. Psychological safety is needed to be a fundamental driver of learning at an organization. Good leaders talk about psychological safety.

7. Distinguish between Learning meetings vs. Decision meetings...learn and share before deciding.

CONNECT WITH ANN:

Reflection Point

LinkedIn

Forbes Contributor Page

Twitter

CONNECT WITH NIKA WHITE CONSULTING:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

We were honored to welcome Sharon Hurley Hall to the Intentional Conversations guest co-host seat and are excited to share this encore presentation of the live vodcast with you here!

Be sure to subscribe to never miss an episode.

And you can WATCH the full replay on our Nika White Consulting YouTube channel HERE.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

The dangers of overlooking microaggressions: Tiny acts of aggression accumulate into trauma. 

I have experienced racism in every country I have visited regardless of if it’s White majority or Black majority. White supremacy and systematic racism are built into many systems; however, your life is at risk in the US. 

Shadeism has decreased over the years, however, it’s still prevalent. 

Where there’s Black and Brown people who are decedents of slavery, there are different variations of shadeism. 

We all have a part to play in breaking the cycle of harmful racist attitudes and acknowledging privilege of your history. 

We’ve done a lot just by surviving. 

The systems we are raised in are steeped in White Supremacy and center Whiteness. Even Black and Brown people can perpetuate racism. 

You must take a break from doing this work. It can get heavy. 

Anti-racism is foundational to DEI. When you undo the harms of racism you benefit all disenfranchised groups.

Nothing about us, without us. It’s hard to do anti-racism work without credentials and lived experience.  

CONNECT WITH SHARON:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

CONNECT WITH NIKA WHITE CONSULTING:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

LinkedIn

We were honored to welcome Valerie Williams to the Intentional Conversations guest co-host seat and are excited to share this encore presentation of the live vodcast with you here!

Be sure to subscribe to never miss an episode.

And you can WATCH the full replay on our Nika White Consulting YouTube channel HERE.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. When building DEI programing, cross functional efforts work best. Organizations must also have some type of process and strategy and be crystal clear and their ‘why.’

2. If an organization isn’t clear on their ‘why’ they may end up just trying things and won’t understand why nothing their efforts aren’t working.

3. When building DEI programing, ask yourself: How do we create a program that honors all opinions of stakeholders and is stainable? Start with understanding your ‘why?’ Why DEI? Why now?

4. DEI practitioners need to hear from all stakeholders, so your goals and strategy feel authentic.

5. DEI work can be isolating. Create a community for collaboration, conferences, and get direct help with efforts.

6. Organizational support starts with resources. Support your DEI leaders in an uncertain economy by repurposing resources.

7. Workplace wellness is important. Organizations should create infrastructure for people to recharge in many ways.

8. The concept of diversity opens if you work with virtual or hybrid individuals.

9. As DEI practitioners, take a pulse on your employees when creating new policy. How are people feeling? How do we measure impact and tell that story which will impact development?

CONNECT WITH NIKA WHITE CONSULTING:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

LinkedIn

We were honored to welcome Jacquie Abram to the Intentional Conversations guest co-host seat and are excited to share this encore presentation of the live vodcast with you here!

Be sure to subscribe to never miss an episode.

And you can WATCH the full replay on our Nika White Consulting YouTube channel HERE.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM JACQUIE:

• Covert racism is hidden, it’s harder to prove, and the people experiencing it can’t tell that they're experiencing racism and as a result it is socially acceptable.
• Many organizations don’t want to tackle covert racism because it is uncomfortable to do a deep dive into what the root of the issues are.
• The people who lead DEI discussions about what Black people struggle with and often this is deprecating to the cause.
• It's important to document all pertinent information to build your case when you are feeling racially targeted in the workplace.

CONNECT WITH JACQUIE:

LinkedIn

Hush Money - Jacquie's Book

CONNECT WITH NIKA WHITE CONSULTING:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

LinkedIn

We were honored to welcome Joquina Reed to the Intentional Conversations guest co-host seat and are excited to share this encore presentation of the live vodcast with you here!

Be sure to subscribe to never miss an episode.

And you can WATCH the full replay on our Nika White Consulting YouTube channel HERE

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Any attack on democracy is an anti-blackness attack.
• Urgency is a tenant of supremacy culture, but when it subsides the activity goes away.
• Divesting from whiteness is not subscribing to the belief that whiteness is the standard of living.
• Look at results and budgeting within an organization to know whether their actions are performative or not.
• DEI work and initiatives should be budgeted within the operational costs.

CONNECT WITH JOQUINA:

Website

Instagram

CONNECT WITH NIKA WHITE CONSULTING:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

LinkedIn

We were honored to welcome Anton Gunn to the Intentional Conversations guest co-host seat and are excited to share this encore presentation of the live vodcast with you here!

Be sure to subscribe to never miss an episode.

And you can WATCH the full replay on our Nika White Consulting YouTube channel HERE

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Everyone asks the same 3 questions and how you respond impacts your leadership. The questions are "Do you care about me? Will you help me to be successful? And can I trust you?"
• 50% of people are living in an oblivion of what’s occurring in an organization. 35% are suffering paralysis by analysis and are not taking action for the problems they see. 10% of people have the greatest awareness of what’s wrong and they don’t do anything because they’re benefiting from all that is wrong.
• Woke is about consciousness, and being aware of your surroundings, being in tune with your community and acknowledging the shifts that occur.
• Find allies who can help elevate the issues with you, so you’re not on an island. We all must find those times in our lives that require us to standup and be a catalyst for change.
• Don’t worry about taking credit. You can't work alone and be successful, and don’t be afraid to do the dirty work. If you do your job well your team will win.

CONNECT WITH ANTON:

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH NIKA WHITE CONSULTING:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

LinkedIn

We were honored to welcome Francine Parham to the Intentional Conversations guest co-host seat and are excited to share this encore presentation of the live vodcast with you here!

Be sure to subscribe to never miss an episode.

And you can WATCH the full replay on our Nika White Consulting YouTube channel HERE

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Align yourself with those individuals that are doing what you would like to do as these individuals become your mentors.
• We must start with our mindset to move the needle for success and think strategically.
• As women we must understand the environment we are in and how your voice can show up. Who are the voices in your organization?
• Men are often judged by their potential, and women are unfortunately judged by what proof there is that shows success.
• There is weight in your name when you have ally’s that mention it to others in rooms you are not in. You don’t have to have a lot of people talking about you, but the impact of a few can be profound.
• We all need to understand our social currency and how we spend it.
• Never bring an issue to the forefront that you don’t have a solution for.

CONNECT WITH FRANCINE:

Website

LinkedIn (Francine Parham & Co.)

LinkedIn (Francine Parham)

Facebook

Twitter

Francine's Audible Page

CONNECT WITH NIKA WHITE CONSULTING:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

LinkedIn

We were honored to welcome Aubrey Blanche to the Intentional Conversations guest co-host seat and are excited to share this encore presentation of the vodcast with you here!

Be sure to subscribe to never miss an episode.

And you can WATCH the full replay on our Nika White Consulting YouTube channel HERE

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM AUBREY:

• DEI practices we created from an anti-racism lens naturally extended itself into gender discrimination.
• Equity order of operations in essence you focus on anti-racism which starts to dismantle other areas of discrimination.
• It could feel like a trade-off, but we need to understand the benefits we all reap when one group has access to equity.
• Listen to those who are disabled, and they will tell you if they’re experiencing ableism. Also, listen to people with a broad sense of disability.
• Even the most well intentioned people can’t assist you if you don’t ask for support.
• There is no cost to foster a culture where your team can feel confident and safe to name their disability needs.

CONNECT WITH AUBREY:

Linkedin

Twitter

Website

CONNECT WITH NIKA WHITE CONSULTING:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

LinkedIn