The 21st Century Change Agent

Welcome to the second of this two part episode. On this episode I will continue my conversation with an author, blogger and story-teller Hannah Drake on the role of ally and how to be and do better as an ally.

Please note: some of the material we cover on this episode, in relation to racism and slavery, some people might find upsetting.

Make an active choice to be better and do better and start from a space of self love. This work starts with you and within you. 

We as citizens of the world and even more so leaders need to pay vigilant attention to how women and especially women of colour experience the world, in professional settings stay alert to inequities and disparities. As one white male executive once said: “Once you put on that lens, you can’t take it off. The world never looks the same.”

Assume racism is everywhere, every day. Just as economics influences everything we do, just as gender and gender politics influence everything we do, assume that racism is affecting your daily life. Because it’s true, and because a privilege of being white is the freedom to not deal with racism all the time. However, we have to learn to see the effect that racism has. Notice who speaks, what is said, how things are done and described. Notice who isn’t present. You already notice the skin colour of everyone you meet—now notice what difference it makes.

Taking a stand against injustice can feel scary and difficult at first, it may bring up feelings of lack of self-confidence or fear of making mistakes, but
ultimately it is the only healthy and moral human thing to do. 

On this episode Hannah and I talked about:

1) Are white women really innocent bystanders?
2) YOU have the power the change the narrative
3) Who are you taking in the room with you that others have no access to?
4) Ally vs. accomplice
5) Are you willing to pay the price of standing on the right side of the history?

Liked the conversation? Let me know by rating & reviewing this podcast and engage in the conversation on Twitter by using #changeagentpodcast.

You can follow and reach out to Hannah via:
Twitter: @HannahDrake628
Instagram: hannahdrake628
Website: www.writesomeshit.com

Get in touch with Baiba via:
Twitter: @BaibaZiga and @Consulting_LHC
LinkedIn & Instagram: Baiba Ziga
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lakehouse-consulting.com (subscribe to a weekly newsletter with handpicked articles, podcasts, videos and books)

Baiba is a People and Culture Transformation Consultant, with passion for cultural intelligence and leadership development. Get in touch with Baiba to talk about how she can help your organisation with cultural intelligence and leadership development on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion topics.

Sources quotes & further reading:
https://reflections.yale.edu/article/future-race/becoming-trustworthy-white-allies

https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/kivel3.pdf

https://www.forbes.com/sites/elissasangster/2020/09/28/how-allyship-makes-workplaces-more-inclusive/?sh=515704e884ae

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/socf.12148

https://hbr.org/2020/11/be-a-better-ally

Welcome to an episode #3 of 2021! For this episode I got together with the amazing author, blogger and story-teller Hannah Drake to talk about, what is the role of an ally and how to be and do better as an ally.

Please note: some of the material we cover on this episode, in relation to racism and slavery, some people might find upsetting.

In most parts of the world, we’re finally engaging in substantive conversations about a once untouchable issue: the white privilege. The #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, as well as the systemic inequalities ingrained in our systems, structures, processes and institutions have been laid bare by the Covid-19 pandemic and have forced people in positions of power to realise that they must step up to make organisations more diverse, fair, and inclusive.

For too long, leaders from the privileged groups have helped perpetuate the system that favours them, by relegating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts to human resources or another employee group who engage in this work as a side project and rarely get remunerated for the extra work and emotional load this puts on them. Very few understand the problem and what steps they can take to be effective allies with marginalised groups.

Hannah is from Tennessee, US, and has seen and experienced a lot of the systematic racism first hand. Now her life's work is to speak up about these issues and very boldly share this through her blogs, articles and books. On this episode we covered:

1) Terminology: Language rules everything!
2) Who told you this is going to feel good?
3) Being a 'good person' doesn't mean you are anti-racist or an ally
4) 'White-washing' of history
5) Show me a place that white people have made better!

Liked the conversation? Let me know by rating & reviewing this podcast and engage in the conversation on Twitter by using #changeagentpodcast.

You can follow and reach out to Hannah via:
Twitter: @HannahDrake628
Instagram: hannahdrake628
Website: www.writesomeshit.com

Get in touch with Baiba via:
Twitter: @BaibaZiga and @Consulting_LHC
LinkedIn & Instagram: Baiba Ziga
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lakehouse-consulting.com (subscribe to a weekly newsletter with handpicked articles, podcasts, videos and books)

Baiba is a People and Culture Transformation Consultant, with passion for cultural intelligence and leadership development. Get in touch with Baiba to talk about how she can help your organisation with cultural intelligence and leadership development on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion topics.

Sources quotes & further reading:
https://reflections.yale.edu/article/future-race/becoming-trustworthy-white-allies

https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/kivel3.pdf

https://www.forbes.com/sites/elissasangster/2020/09/28/how-allyship-makes-workplaces-more-inclusive/?sh=515704e884ae

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/socf.12148

https://hbr.org/2020/11/be-a-better-ally

Welcome to an episode #2 of 2021! I didn't lie when I told you that I have an extra special line up for you this year!

For today's episode I got together with Matteo Bergamini, the Founder and CEO of ShoutOut UK, which is an award winning education brand, which providing world class training and programmes on Media & Political literacy.

Matteo is a social entrepreneur and political and media literacy expert. His success record is very impressive that include such achievements as partnering with the Channel 4 to host the first ever Youth Leader's Debate to revamping the Political Literacy Course to include Media Literacy. He is now working with over 700 schools across the UK.

On this episode you'll learn about: 

1) How do we know that something is real and has happened?
2) Understanding your bias
3) How do we ensure quality journalism in the 'digital age'?
4) Facebook's role in combating the 'fake news'
5) How has language evolved & how has media used (and misused it)?

Liked the conversation? Let me know by rating & reviewing this podcast and engage in the conversation on Twitter by using #changeagentpodcast.

You can follow and reach out to Matteo via:
Twitter: @MatteoBergamini & @Shoutout_UK
Instagram: shoutoutuk_official
LinkedIn: matteobergamini
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.shoutoutuk.org

Get in touch with Baiba via:
Twitter: @BaibaZiga and @Consulting_LHC
LinkedIn & Instagram: Baiba Ziga
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lakehouse-consulting.com

Baiba is a People and Culture Transformation Consultant, with passion for cultural intelligence and leadership development. Get in touch with Baiba to talk about how she can help your organisation with cultural literacy and leadership development on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion intelligence.

To hear from Baiba with a weekly handpicked newsletter, subscribe here: www.lakehouse-consulting.com

Further reading:
https://theconversation.com/how-fake-accounts-constantly-manipulate-what-you-see-on-social-media-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-139610

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10584609.2019.1674979

This episode is on hiring for impact. After spending good few years in recruitment and talent roles myself, both agency and in-house, recruiting and talent management are topics close to my heart. So, I know that this time of the year is time when we often reflect on the year so far, what we have achieved personally and professional, do we feel fulfilled, satisfied, valued, recognised, rewarded.

For today's episode I got together with the amazing Niani Tolbert to talk about hiring for impact. Niani is from Brooklyn, New York and as many of us at the peak of the pandemic found herself furloughed and many of her colleagues and friends laid off. All that mixed with what happened with George Floyd, left her anxious about what she can do to help from the safety of her own home. Her offer to help 19 black women with their resumes, turned into a movement that is now known as the Hire Black Initiative with a mission of getting 10,000 women hired, trained and promoted.

I spoke with Niani Tolbert about:
1) Where do we begin with disrupting this system?
2) Building a strong and credible employer brand
3) Hiring for speed and hiring for impact
4) Training hiring managers to be hiring managers
5) People hire people: removing the unconscious bias

Please share this conversation and let me know your thoughts and feelings by rating this podcast or using #changeagentpodcast on Twitter.

Thank you for listening!

You can follow and reach out to Niani via:
Twitter: @NianiTolbert
Instagram: @hireblacknow
LinkedIn: Niani Tolbert
E-mail:  [email protected]
Website: www.hireblacknow.com

Get in touch with me via:
Twitter: @BaibaZiga and @Consulting_LHC
LinkedIn: Baiba Ziga
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lakehouse-consulting.com

Wherever you are, thank you so much for joining me! On todays episode you will hear me talking to Hayley Bennett about diversity, equity and inclusion in sport. 

Hayley has just been included in the Football Blacklist 2020, that celebrates the most influential black people in football. This year Hayley was listed alongside such well known players as Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings.

Everyone knows and you know that participating in sports is one of the best ways to look after your health, both physical and mental. It’s also a lot of fun.

But what if you’re put off because you don’t feel confident there is a sport you can participate in where you’ll be accepted and supported? This is something that affects people from all sorts of backgrounds daily due to prejudice around race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender and even age.

Most fans will have witnessed some form of discrimination in sports – be it on the field, in dressing rooms or on social media. So more needs to be done to move from awareness to action.

On today's episode I am joined by Hayley who is as she says 'obsessed with football'. And she is not alone. However there still are huge gaps between opportunities in sport for women compared to their male colleagues. Hayley believes that football has the power to bring people together. However, she says this with a pinch of salt, because it still excludes a lot of people. What does the diversity and inclusion look like in sport? Find out by listening to this podcast episode.

Please share this conversation and let me know your thoughts and feelings by rating this podcast or using #changeagentpodcast on Twitter.

Thank you for listening!

You can follow and reach out to Hayley via:
Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn: @Hayley_TVB
Website: www.wearenutmegs.co.uk

Get in touch with me via:
Twitter: @BaibaZiga and @Consulting_LHC
LinkedIn: Baiba Ziga
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lakehouse-consulting.com

Welcome to this podcast episode on burnout!

Mental health in the UK in more prevalent today than ever before. Heavy workloads and deadline pressures are a fact of working life. We all know the feeling of being overwhelmed or stretched. However when relentless stress pushes you into a debilitating state. That most often leads to burnout. And that is not something that affects just someone's performance and wellbeing but also the one of their teams' and organisation's. 

According to statistics, in 2020 of British Adults in Employment, a staggering 79% commonly experience work related stress which is 20% higher that reported in 2018. 

Over 50% of working days lost are reported due to stress, depression or anxiety. 

One of the biggest developments in the business world has been the World Health Organisation recognising burnout as an occupational phenomenon. They define burnout as "a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive or prolonged stress that can leave people feeling exhausted and unable to cope with the demands of life."

What is the responsibility of an organisation and what is our individual responsibility to manage and prevent burnout? I shall explore that with my today's guest Michael Levitt. 

Michael is the Founder and Chief Burnout Officer at Breakfast Leadership Network in Toronto Canada, where he consults organisations on creating a burnout free working environment.  

Please share this conversation and let me know your thoughts and feelings by rating this podcast or using #changeagentpodcast on Twitter.

Thank you for listening!

You can follow and reach out to Michael via:
Twitter: @levittmike and @bfastleadership
Website: https://levittmichael.com
e-mail: [email protected]

Get in touch with me via:
Twitter: @BaibaZiga and @Consulting_LHC
LinkedIn: Baiba Ziga
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lakehouse-consulting.com

Resources mentioned in the podcast: 
1) How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen:  https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/millennials-burnout-generation-debt-work

2) Burnout Is About Your Workplace, Not Your People: https://hbr.org/2019/12/burnout-is-about-your-workplace-not-your-people 

3) Transforms.me by Prof. Agnis Stibe: https://transforms.me/

Welcome to this episode everyone and to the month of December! 

Hang in there, we are almost done with this year... and I am here to help you with finishing this year strong and energised! We all love to travel, as it allows us to meet new people and immerse ourselves in the local culture. Though, I cannot get you on a plane, I can bring some international flavour to your home. This month I will be taking you to Lagos, Nigeria; Toronto, Canada, New York and we will be landing back in London. Make sure you subscribe, so you don’t miss out this trip! 

Our first stop today is Lagos, Nigeria, where I speak with Amanda Obidike. Amanda is one of the most inspirational, forward-thinking and driven individuals I have met. Her mission is to make “Africa by us, for us”. I had a very bold and open conversation with Amanda about being a business woman in Africa, the role of government and the society, “white heroes” and there being no black people in Africa. 

Amanda is a data scientist, STEM educationalist, entrepreneur, human rights activist, international speaker and the list goes on. She founded STEMi Makers Africa three years ago, and since then has expanded across 19 countries in Africa, where with the help of local volunteers she provides education on STEM subjects to students, better teaching material and skills on these topics to the teachers, and engage with policy makers to challenge the unfavourable and rigid systems. 

Please share this conversation and let me know your thoughts and feelings by rating this podcast or using #changeagentpodcast on Twitter.

Thank you for listening!

You can follow and reach out to Amanda via:
Twitter: @Amandachirpy and @STEMiAfrica
Website: https://stemiafrica.org/
e-mail: [email protected]

Get in touch with me via:
Twitter: @BaibaZiga and @Consulting_LHC
LinkedIn: Baiba Ziga
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lakehouse-consulting.com

Resources mentioned in the podcast: 
1) There Are No Black People In Africa by Shourya Agarwal: https://medium.com/an-injustice/there-are-no-black-people-in-africa-84fbeabb39c6

2) Prisoners Of Geography by Tim Marshall: https://www.amazon.com/Prisoners-Geography-Explain-Everything-Politics/dp/1501121472

3) The Alex Wolf Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-alex-wolf-podcast/id1537282245

Welcome to this episode everyone and thank you for tuning in! The topic of today's episode is disability and accessibility. 

I wanted to have a conversation on this topic early on on my podcast, for two reasons. First of all, it is a very personal subject to me, which you will hear more about as you continue to listen; and, secondly, having been in the business world, I know that this is one of those taboo subjects that has a lot of stigma associated with it, and many leaders including HR leaders still find this a very uncomfortable topic to cover. I have witnesses all sorts of awkward conversations, moments of silence, ignorance and also some truly inspirational moments. However they are too far and few. 

On today's episode I am having a bold and open conversation with Molly Watt who has experienced every barrier that comes with the Usher syndrome that she was diagnosed with as a child that left her both deaf and blind. 

Molly is a usability and accessibility consultant in Sigma’s experience design team. A keynote speaker, Molly divides her time between inspiring people to consider inclusion in their everyday jobs and working as a consultant, for her own company, for Sigma and for the Molly Watt Trust, her charity. Molly has a condition called Usher Syndrome, which causes deafblindness and has no cure.

Molly is a motivational speaker, author and illustrator of 2 children's books and avid blogger. She is an advocate and ambassador of both GN Resound and Sense, a national deafblind charity in the UK. Using her negative experiences to make a positive difference to others, Molly is proud to have spoken at the Houses of Parliament, Harvard Medical School, Apple Campus, Camp Digital, the BBC, the NHS and for private audiologists around the UK. Her passion is accessibility and the use of assistive technology to enable and enhance the lives of people living with life-changing conditions.

Please share this conversation and let me know your thoughts and feelings by rating this podcast or using #changeagentpodcast on Twitter.

Thank you for listening!

You can follow and reach out to Molly via:
Twitter: @MollyWattTalks and @mollywatttrust
Website: www.mollywatt.com
Charity website: www.molly-watt-trust.org

Get in touch with me via:
Twitter: @BaibaZiga and @Consulting_LHC
LinkedIn: Baiba Ziga
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lakehouse-consulting.com

Welcome to my very first show everyone and thank you so much for tuning in! 

On today’s episode I sit down with Lisa Mae Brunson. Lisa Mae is a Founder and Chief Visionary at Wonder Women Tech Foundation, a registered charity, founded in Long Beach, California. Over the past 7 years Lisa Mae has been running a year-round series of events, conferences, hackathons and various other programmes that help to elevate underrepresented individuals in STEAM subjects.

She has co-written books, been on the covers of magazines and received various awards, including most recently a Senate award from Sen. Ben Allen on her work in Tech field. However her real mission is getting marginalised people at the table and collectively changing the narratives and creating opportunities. 

On this podcast I had a very raw and open talk with Lisa Mae about:
1) Life as an entrepreneur and a human rights activist while being marginalised herself;
2) Corporate sponsors and building meaningful partnerships;
3) Reality around Diversity & Inclusion;
4) Sharing the table with virtual influencers.

Thank you for listening and don’t forget to subscribe and rate this podcast!

You can connect with Lisa Mae via:
Twitter: @MissLisaMae and @wonderwomentech
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamae/
E-Mail: [email protected]

You can connect with me via:
Twitter: @BaibaZiga
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baibaziga-consulting/
E-mail: [email protected]