Thriving in Intersectionality

In this episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with Adriana Vaccaro to explore how her leadership has been shaped across identity, culture, and the systems she has navigated over time.

Adriana shares her journey from Bogotá, Colombia, to U.S. corporate spaces and how those early experiences shaped how she learned to communicate, show up, and make sense of the unspoken rules of the workplace.

As her career evolved, so did her perspective—moving from navigating those systems to understanding the human behavior behind them, and eventually to helping organizations think more intentionally about how culture is actually experienced.

Through her story, we explore the intersection of immigrant identity, voice, and visibility, and organizational systems—and how those layers continue to shape the way she leads today.

This conversation offers a closer look at how leadership is not just developed through experience - but shaped by how we interpret and respond to the environments we move through.

Adriana Vaccaro is an entrepreneur and organizational culture strategist, and the Founder and CEO of Culture Redesigned. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, her work focuses on helping organizations align people, performance, and culture through a deeper understanding of human behavior and workplace systems.

Thriving in Intersectionality explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today’s workplace. Through conversations and reflections, host Dr. Lola Adeyemo uncovers insights, challenges, and leadership lessons that help professionals not just survive in the workplace but truly thrive.

Each episode invites leaders to define intersectionality in their own words and reflect on how their layered identities shape how they navigate, lead, and build impact within organizations.

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⭐ Share with a colleague or leader
⭐ Leave a review to help others discover the show

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Thank you for listening to Thriving in Intersectionality with Dr. Lola Adeyemo.

This podcast explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today's workplace and beyond. Through conversations with leaders, founders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, we uncover stories and insights that help people thrive across the many intersections of their lives.

💬 Share your thoughts: Have a thought or question about this episode? Send me a Fan Mail message directly on our Buzzsprout podcast page. I'd love to hear what resonated with you.

❤️ Support the show: If these conversations bring you value, consider becoming a supporter. Your support helps keep meaningful stories, diverse perspectives, and new conversations coming.

⭐ Help others discover the podcast: Follow, share, rate, or review the show.

📬 Continue the conversation: Read my companion reflections, After the Conversation, on Substack.

🌍 For immigrant and first-generation professionals: Join our free community at Immigrants in Corporate.

Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters.

Leadership journeys are rarely linear. They are shaped by identity, experience, opportunity, and sometimes the courage to step forward when others hesitate.

In this episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with Julia C. Rock — keynote speaker, leadership consultant, and executive coach — to explore how layered identities influence leadership journeys and workplace dynamics.

Julia shares how growing up as a first-generation American with Caribbean immigrant parents from Barbados, combined with her faith background and experience navigating corporate America as a Black woman, shaped how she approaches leadership, visibility, and resilience.

Before becoming an entrepreneur and leadership advisor, Julia built her career in financial services and the energy industry, where she managed global teams and oversaw billions in operational responsibilities. Along the way, she discovered that leadership growth often comes from raising your hand for the assignments others avoid and learning to take up space in rooms where your voice matters.

Together, Lola and Julia unpack powerful lessons about career ownership, sponsorship, burnout prevention, and the future of work.

This conversation offers practical insights for professionals navigating leadership while balancing identity, ambition, and wellbeing.

✔ How immigrant upbringing and faith shaped Julia’s leadership mindset
✔ Why raising your hand for difficult assignments can accelerate your career
✔ The difference between mentors and sponsors — and why both matter
✔ Why visibility and taking up space are critical leadership skills
✔ How burnout often stems from misaligned expectations and lack of boundaries
✔ Practical strategies for advocating for yourself at work
✔ Why leadership in the future workplace requires human skills alongside technology

“You are the CEO of your career and your life. Focus on what you can control, and don’t let the obstacles you can’t control define your path.”

Julia C. Rock is a keynote speaker, leadership consultant, and certified executive coach dedicated to transforming workplace dynamics and helping leaders create environments where employees can thrive.

Julia has managed and scaled global teams across industries, navigating challenges like burnout, disengagement, and inequality. Her work focuses on helping leaders simplify leadership, build strong workplace cultures, and develop practical approaches that improve team performance and retention.

Her personal leadership journey has empowered her to coach and mentor over 1,000 professionals and leaders in building meaningful and fulfilling careers.

🌐 Website:
https://leaduncomplicated.com 

📰 Julia’s Substack: Leadership, Uncomplicated, where she shares daily insights on practical leadership and how organizations can create environments where employees feel seen, heard, and valued.

If this episode resonated with you:

⭐ Follow Thriving in Intersectionality deepdive on Substack
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⭐ Share this episode with someone navigating leadership in today’s workplace

Thriving in Intersectionality explores the real experiences of professionals navigating the workplace with layered identities — including immigrants, first-generation professionals, working parents, veterans, and more.

Through conversations and reflections, host Dr. Lola Adeyemo uncovers the insights, challenges, and leadership lessons that help professionals not just survive in the workplace — but truly thrive. 

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Thriving in Intersectionality with Dr. Lola Adeyemo.

This podcast explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today's workplace and beyond. Through conversations with leaders, founders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, we uncover stories and insights that help people thrive across the many intersections of their lives.

💬 Share your thoughts: Have a thought or question about this episode? Send me a Fan Mail message directly on our Buzzsprout podcast page. I'd love to hear what resonated with you.

❤️ Support the show: If these conversations bring you value, consider becoming a supporter. Your support helps keep meaningful stories, diverse perspectives, and new conversations coming.

⭐ Help others discover the podcast: Follow, share, rate, or review the show.

📬 Continue the conversation: Read my companion reflections, After the Conversation, on Substack.

🌍 For immigrant and first-generation professionals: Join our free community at Immigrants in Corporate.

Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters.

What does it take to move from technical expert to strategic leader — especially in industries where leadership paths are not always clearly defined?

In this episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, Dr. Lola Adeyemo welcomes Limor Bergman Gross, a former Director of Engineering with over 20 years of experience in the tech industry and host of the podcast From a Woman to a Leader.

Limor shares her leadership journey across continents, reflecting on the transition from hands-on engineering work to managing teams and eventually stepping into strategic leadership roles. Along the way, she discusses how identity, culture, and life experiences shaped her decisions — including navigating her career as a woman in tech, relocating internationally, and balancing leadership growth with motherhood.

Together, Dr. Lola and Limor explore the identity shifts that often accompany career advancement, why many high performers struggle when transitioning into leadership roles, and how professionals can become more intentional about designing their careers.

This conversation offers practical insight for professionals navigating leadership growth while managing the complex intersections of identity, ambition, and workplace culture.

• The leadership transition from technical expert to people leader
• How intersectional identity shapes leadership experiences in tech
• Navigating career growth as a woman in a male-dominated industry
• The impact of motherhood and personal life on leadership decisions
• Why intentional career planning matters earlier than we think
• The difference between mentoring, coaching, and sponsorship
• Why asking questions and seeking feedback accelerates growth
• How managers can better support diverse career paths on their teams

Limor Bergman Gross is a former Director of Engineering with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. She has led engineering organizations across continents, scaled global teams, and guided professionals through the shift from technical execution to strategic leadership.

She is also the host of the podcast From a Woman to a Leader, where she shares real leadership journeys and practical frameworks that help women in tech grow into executive impact.

Today, Limor coaches ambitious women in technology into leadership roles and speaks globally on leadership development, visibility, influence, and career growth.

Podcast
From a Woman to a Leader
https://limorbergman.com/podcast 

Website
https://limorbergman.com 

LinkedIn
Limor Bergman Gross

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is a workplace inclusion strategist, speaker, and founder of EQImindset and the nonprofit Immigrants in Corporate Inc.

Through her work, she partners with organizations to design inclusive workplace communities and leadership ecosystems that strengthen belonging, engagement, and organizational performance.

Her podcast Thriving in Intersectionality explores the real experiences of professionals navigating leadership through layered identities, including immigrants, women, first-generation professionals, and other underrepresented leaders.

Immigrants in Corporate
https://www.immigrantsincorporate.org 

EQImindset /Employee Resource Groups (ERG) Resources
https://www.eqimindset.com 

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review the podcast. Your support helps others discover these conversations and continue building workplaces where everyone can thrive.

🎧 Listen and reflect:
What leadership shift might your career be asking you to make next?

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Thriving in Intersectionality with Dr. Lola Adeyemo.

This podcast explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today's workplace and beyond. Through conversations with leaders, founders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, we uncover stories and insights that help people thrive across the many intersections of their lives.

💬 Share your thoughts: Have a thought or question about this episode? Send me a Fan Mail message directly on our Buzzsprout podcast page. I'd love to hear what resonated with you.

❤️ Support the show: If these conversations bring you value, consider becoming a supporter. Your support helps keep meaningful stories, diverse perspectives, and new conversations coming.

⭐ Help others discover the podcast: Follow, share, rate, or review the show.

📬 Continue the conversation: Read my companion reflections, After the Conversation, on Substack.

🌍 For immigrant and first-generation professionals: Join our free community at Immigrants in Corporate.

Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters.

What does it take to lead at the highest levels — without losing yourself in the process?

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with Victoria Pelletier — corporate executive, board director, author, and public speaker — to explore what it truly means to lead as your whole self.

Nicknamed the “Turnaround Queen” and “CEO Whisperer,” Victoria has spent more than two decades driving business transformation, leading global teams, and navigating the path to the C-suite. But behind the titles is a deeply human story of resilience, identity, and intentional growth.

Victoria shares how her lived experiences — growing up in the child welfare system, overcoming early trauma, rising to executive leadership at 24, and navigating her identity as a queer leader and parent — shaped her leadership philosophy.

Together, Lola and Victoria unpack:

This episode challenges the outdated belief that strength and empathy are mutually exclusive.

Whole human leadership isn’t soft.
It’s strategic.
It’s sustainable.
And it’s the future of leadership.

Victoria Pelletier is a 20+ year corporate executive, board director, bestselling author, and professional public speaker. She has served as COO at 24, President at 35, and CEO at 41. She is the author of The Power of Whole Human Leadership and Influence Unleashed, and is passionate about helping organizations transform culture, leadership, and growth.

Connect with Victoria:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriapelletier/
Website: https://victoria-pelletier.com/

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is a speaker, consultant, and founder of EQI Mindset and Immigrants in Corporate. She partners with organizations to build cultures of belonging through strategy, storytelling, and inclusive workplace communities.

Dr. Lola's Website: www.drlola-adeyemo.com   Dr Lola's Linkedin
 

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Thriving in Intersectionality with Dr. Lola Adeyemo.

This podcast explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today's workplace and beyond. Through conversations with leaders, founders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, we uncover stories and insights that help people thrive across the many intersections of their lives.

💬 Share your thoughts: Have a thought or question about this episode? Send me a Fan Mail message directly on our Buzzsprout podcast page. I'd love to hear what resonated with you.

❤️ Support the show: If these conversations bring you value, consider becoming a supporter. Your support helps keep meaningful stories, diverse perspectives, and new conversations coming.

⭐ Help others discover the podcast: Follow, share, rate, or review the show.

📬 Continue the conversation: Read my companion reflections, After the Conversation, on Substack.

🌍 For immigrant and first-generation professionals: Join our free community at Immigrants in Corporate.

Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters.

What does ambition look like when you’re navigating identity, immigration, and leadership — all at once?

In this episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with award-winning author, tech leader, and podcast host Sheekha Singh to explore immigrant ambition, women in tech, burnout, and redefining success beyond hustle culture.

Born and raised in India, educated in the United States, and now based in Canada, Sheekha brings a global immigrant lens to leadership and high performance.

She is the author of:

Unburnable Ambition — a practical, reflective guide for overachievers who want to win without burning out.

The IT Girl — winner of the 2021 Dan Poynter Global Ebook Award (Gold) in Technology/Engineering.

In this conversation, we explore:

• The immigrant perspective on burnout
• Cultural expectations and pressure to succeed
• Women in tech and representation gaps
• H1B transitions and cross-border leadership journeys
• Why overcompensating leads to exhaustion
• How to advocate for yourself without playing the victim
• Boundaries as a leadership skill

Sheekha’s core belief:
Ambition doesn’t have to cost you your peace.

If you are an immigrant professional, a first-generation leader, a woman in tech, or someone navigating layered identities in the workplace, this episode will resonate.

🔗 Connect with Shika Singh

Podcast: Rise and Tell with Shika
Books: The IT Girl and Unburnable Ambition
Website: shikasingh.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlolaadeyemo/
Website: Www.Drlola-Adeyemo.com

Belonging isn’t just a bonus — it’s a catalyst for sustainable growth.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Thriving in Intersectionality with Dr. Lola Adeyemo.

This podcast explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today's workplace and beyond. Through conversations with leaders, founders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, we uncover stories and insights that help people thrive across the many intersections of their lives.

💬 Share your thoughts: Have a thought or question about this episode? Send me a Fan Mail message directly on our Buzzsprout podcast page. I'd love to hear what resonated with you.

❤️ Support the show: If these conversations bring you value, consider becoming a supporter. Your support helps keep meaningful stories, diverse perspectives, and new conversations coming.

⭐ Help others discover the podcast: Follow, share, rate, or review the show.

📬 Continue the conversation: Read my companion reflections, After the Conversation, on Substack.

🌍 For immigrant and first-generation professionals: Join our free community at Immigrants in Corporate.

Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters.

In this episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with Oksana Lukash, Chief People Officer, business owner, and leadership advisor with more than 20 years of experience helping teams scale, navigate chaos, and build cultures where people can thrive.

Oksana shares her powerful journey as an immigrant who grew up during the fall of the Soviet Union, spent formative years separated from her mother, and later rebuilt her life in the United States. She also speaks candidly about becoming a teen mom, navigating divorce and blended family life, and how those lived experiences shaped her approach to leadership.

Together, Lola and Oksana explore what it means to lead with humanity, build cultures that last, and grow your career through value — not just time in role.

Oksana Lukash is a Chief People Officer, business owner, and leadership advisor who’s spent 20+ years helping teams scale, survive chaos, and actually enjoy working together. She blends strategy with psychology, candor with compassion, and believes culture is the only real competitive advantage.

When she’s not building high-performing teams, she’s challenging leaders to think bigger, speak up, and stop settling for mediocrity.

Website: https://oksanalukash.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksusha45/
Business: People, Culture, You, LLC

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is the CEO of EQI Mindset and founder of Immigrants in Corporate. She partners with organizations to build cultures of belonging through ERGs, strategy, and storytelling.

Website: https://www.drlola-adeyemo.com
Community: https://www.immigrantsincorporate.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlolaadeyemo/

🎧 Want to take a deeper dive and engage?

Listen now and reflect via Substack.
 

What lessons from your journey are shaping how you lead today?

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Thriving in Intersectionality with Dr. Lola Adeyemo.

This podcast explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today's workplace and beyond. Through conversations with leaders, founders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, we uncover stories and insights that help people thrive across the many intersections of their lives.

💬 Share your thoughts: Have a thought or question about this episode? Send me a Fan Mail message directly on our Buzzsprout podcast page. I'd love to hear what resonated with you.

❤️ Support the show: If these conversations bring you value, consider becoming a supporter. Your support helps keep meaningful stories, diverse perspectives, and new conversations coming.

⭐ Help others discover the podcast: Follow, share, rate, or review the show.

📬 Continue the conversation: Read my companion reflections, After the Conversation, on Substack.

🌍 For immigrant and first-generation professionals: Join our free community at Immigrants in Corporate.

Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters.

What if leadership isn’t about constantly pushing forward — but about pausing long enough to reflect?

In this solo episode, Dr. Lola Adeyemo shares a simple framework that has shaped how she thinks about growth, career pivots, and impact:

Learn back. Lead forward.

Drawing on conversations with past guests and her own journey across science, consulting, and workplace inclusion strategy, Lola explores how the strongest leaders don’t just accumulate experience — they make meaning from it.

Through three powerful stories, you’ll hear how curiosity, values alignment, and community responsibility shape sustainable leadership.

If you’re entering a new season, considering a pivot, or rethinking what leadership looks like for you, this episode will help you move forward with intention.

Why reflection is a leadership skill

How non-linear careers often lead to the greatest impact

The difference between achievement and alignment

Why leadership eventually becomes service to others

3 practical ways to design your next chapter intentionally

Dr. Meklit Workneh
From Ethiopia to Stanford to Moderna, Meklit shares how curiosity and courageous pivots shaped her path into biotech leadership and AI-driven clinical trials.

🎧 Listen: Dr.Workneh's Episode Link

Funmi Onamusi
A people-first executive leader who models how values alignment — not title chasing — creates sustainable, integrated leadership. 

🎧 Listen: Funmi's Episode Link

Ukeme Awakessien Jeter
Engineer, lawyer, and mayor, Ukeme shares how belonging and representation inspired her to move from personal success to civic impact.

🎧 Listen: Mayor Ukeme's Episode Link

Audit the beliefs you’re still carrying

Lead from integration — your lived experience is an asset

Build community intentionally — leadership isn’t solo work

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is a speaker, consultant, and founder of EQI Mindset and Immigrants in Corporate, helping organizations build cultures of belonging through ERGs and workplace community strategy.

Website: www.drlola-adeyemo.com 
LinkedIn: @drlolaadeyemo

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Thriving in Intersectionality with Dr. Lola Adeyemo.

This podcast explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today's workplace and beyond. Through conversations with leaders, founders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, we uncover stories and insights that help people thrive across the many intersections of their lives.

💬 Share your thoughts: Have a thought or question about this episode? Send me a Fan Mail message directly on our Buzzsprout podcast page. I'd love to hear what resonated with you.

❤️ Support the show: If these conversations bring you value, consider becoming a supporter. Your support helps keep meaningful stories, diverse perspectives, and new conversations coming.

⭐ Help others discover the podcast: Follow, share, rate, or review the show.

📬 Continue the conversation: Read my companion reflections, After the Conversation, on Substack.

🌍 For immigrant and first-generation professionals: Join our free community at Immigrants in Corporate.

Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters.

In this episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, Dr. Lola Adeyemo is joined by Karen Jones, a seasoned leadership and organizational effectiveness consultant and the founder of Sacred Leadership Solutions, for a grounded and deeply human conversation about what it really takes to build workplaces where people can thrive.

Karen brings more than 15 years of experience across Fortune 500 organizations including American Express, Sara Lee, U.S. Cellular, and Ulta Beauty, with a career rooted at the intersection of leadership development, change, and organizational effectiveness. She is also an executive leader at NextUp, a nonprofit dedicated to developing the next generation of leaders.

Together, Lola and Karen explore leadership not as theory, but as lived practice — examining how feedback, identity, privilege, and psychological safety shape the way people experience work.

In this conversation, you’ll hear:

How Karen understands intersectionality through her lived experience as a Black woman leader in corporate America

Why psychological safety is foundational — especially when conversations get complex or uncomfortable

What giving and receiving feedback looks like when development is the real goal

How privilege and identity influence access, perception, and opportunity at work

Why networking and influence matter more than ever for career growth

What professionals should focus on now as the future of work continues to evolve

How leaders can develop talent while building cultures that actually work in practice — not just on paper

Karen also shares powerful personal stories that illuminate how leadership, privilege, and humanity intersect in ways that no framework alone can explain.

This is a thoughtful and practical episode for leaders, HR and DEI professionals, and anyone navigating their career while carrying layered identities — with insights you can apply immediately this year and beyond.

Karen Jones is the founder of Sacred Leadership Solutions and a leadership and organizational effectiveness consultant with more than 15 years of experience designing and delivering learning and development experiences that produce sustainable outcomes. She is known for creating psychologically safe environments where people can grow, learn, and lead authentically. Karen currently serves as an executive leader at NextUp, a nonprofit focused on advancing women and building inclusive leadership pipelines.

🔗 Learn more about NextUp: https://www.nextupisnow.org 
🔗 Connect with Karen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-jones-36785b18 

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is a leadership strategist, speaker, and CEO of EQImindset, partnering with organizations to build inclusive cultures through ERG strategy, leadership development, and belonging-centered systems. She is the creator and host of the Thriving in Intersectionality podcast, where she amplifies the voices of leaders navigating layered identities in today’s workplace.

🔗 Explore all podcast episodes & resources:
https://www.DrLola-Adeyemo.com/podcast 

🔗 Connect with Lola on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlolaadeyemo/ 

If this conversation resonates and you're looking to strengthen leadership development, ERG strategy, or inclusive culture within your organization, explore Dr. Lola’s consulting and workshops through EQImindset.

🔗 https://www.eqimindset.com

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Thriving in Intersectionality with Dr. Lola Adeyemo.

This podcast explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today's workplace and beyond. Through conversations with leaders, founders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, we uncover stories and insights that help people thrive across the many intersections of their lives.

💬 Share your thoughts: Have a thought or question about this episode? Send me a Fan Mail message directly on our Buzzsprout podcast page. I'd love to hear what resonated with you.

❤️ Support the show: If these conversations bring you value, consider becoming a supporter. Your support helps keep meaningful stories, diverse perspectives, and new conversations coming.

⭐ Help others discover the podcast: Follow, share, rate, or review the show.

📬 Continue the conversation: Read my companion reflections, After the Conversation, on Substack.

🌍 For immigrant and first-generation professionals: Join our free community at Immigrants in Corporate.

Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters.

In this episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with Olufunke Olufon — communications strategist, TEDx speaker, and founder of IWA Consulting — for a rich conversation on purpose-driven communication, leadership presence, and navigating career pivots without shrinking who you are.

Olufunke’s career spans some of the world’s most influential institutions — from directing executive communications at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to serving as a spokesperson at the World Bank, to leading transformation-era communications at EY. Across industries and continents, her work has helped translate complex ideas into narratives that move people to action.

Together, Lola and Olufunke explore what it means to show up with layered identity in corporate America, how culture shapes leadership, why relationships are career currency, and how the Yoruba concept of “IWA” (character) becomes a powerful lens for brand, reputation, and credibility.

This episode is for anyone navigating reinvention — especially professionals who want to communicate with clarity, lead with confidence, and align their voice with their purpose.

Olufunke “Funke” Olufon is a communications strategist, TEDx speaker, and founder of IWA Consulting, where she helps mission-driven leaders and organizations find, refine, and amplify their authentic voice. Her work spans global communications, executive positioning, and narrative strategy across major institutions including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, and EY.

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is a workplace inclusion strategist, author, speaker, and CEO of EQImindset, and founder of Immigrants in Corporate Inc. She helps organizations build communities of belonging through strategy, storytelling, and systems change.

For HR & DEI Leaders (ERG/BRG strategy support, workshops, or fractional partnership): 📩 [email protected]

For Immigrants & First-Gen Professionals:
Join the free community: www.immigrantsincorporate.org

Go deeper on Substack (extended reflections + community):

Connect with Funke / IWA Consulting:

Intersectionality, workplace inclusion, communication strategy, leadership, cultural background, career pivots, authentic voice, Yoruba culture, corporate America, storytelling, purpose-driven leadership, mentorship, relationships, entrepreneurial journey, IWA Consulting.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Thriving in Intersectionality with Dr. Lola Adeyemo.

This podcast explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today's workplace and beyond. Through conversations with leaders, founders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, we uncover stories and insights that help people thrive across the many intersections of their lives.

💬 Share your thoughts: Have a thought or question about this episode? Send me a Fan Mail message directly on our Buzzsprout podcast page. I'd love to hear what resonated with you.

❤️ Support the show: If these conversations bring you value, consider becoming a supporter. Your support helps keep meaningful stories, diverse perspectives, and new conversations coming.

⭐ Help others discover the podcast: Follow, share, rate, or review the show.

📬 Continue the conversation: Read my companion reflections, After the Conversation, on Substack.

🌍 For immigrant and first-generation professionals: Join our free community at Immigrants in Corporate.

Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters.

In this final Veteran & Military Family Appreciation Month spotlight, Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with Tahnohn and Sherry Hayes — a dual-military couple, proud parents, and the founders of NutFrusion, a San Diego–based handcrafted snack company rooted in resilience, clean ingredients, and purpose.

Their story spans deployments, parenthood, medical transition, entrepreneurship, and faith — offering a raw, inspiring look into what it means to rebuild after service and create a business grounded in health, community, and lived experience.

Tahnohn Hayes – U.S. Navy Veteran & Founder, NutFrusion

A Navy veteran whose career was cut short by a sudden MS diagnosis, Tahnohn rebuilt his life one decision at a time, ultimately founding NutFrusion — a handcrafted snack company focused on flavor, clean ingredients, and wellness. Through entrepreneurship, he reclaimed purpose, control, and a mission to serve others through nourishing food.

Sherry Hayes – U.S. Navy Veteran, UCSD Lecturer & Operations Leader

Sherry served 21 years in the Navy, advancing from Hospital Corpsman to Environmental Health Officer, with assignments across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Today she is a Continuing Lecturer at UCSD Rady School of Management, a project management & public health expert, and the operations backbone of NutFrusion.
Her certifications include PMP, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, CPH, and she is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach.

NutFrusion – Handcrafted Trail Mixes & Fruit Chips

Website: https://www.nutfrusion.com
Instagram: @nutfrusion
Facebook: NutFrusion
LinkedIn (Sherry): https://www.linkedin.com/in/servewithexcellence

Tahnohn and Sherry are featured in the 2025 Military Shoppers Guide, a curated collection of veteran-owned businesses, gift ideas, and resources designed to support military families and entrepreneurs.

👉 Download the 2025 Military Shoppers Guide (PDF)

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is an Inclusive Workplace Strategist, author, and CEO of EQImindset. She helps organizations build communities of belonging through ERG/BRG strategy, leadership development, and storytelling.

Connect with Dr. Lola on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

✨ Your intersections are powerful. Your story matters. Keep thriving. — Dr. Lola Adeyemo

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Thriving in Intersectionality with Dr. Lola Adeyemo.

This podcast explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today's workplace and beyond. Through conversations with leaders, founders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, we uncover stories and insights that help people thrive across the many intersections of their lives.

💬 Share your thoughts: Have a thought or question about this episode? Send me a Fan Mail message directly on our Buzzsprout podcast page. I'd love to hear what resonated with you.

❤️ Support the show: If these conversations bring you value, consider becoming a supporter. Your support helps keep meaningful stories, diverse perspectives, and new conversations coming.

⭐ Help others discover the podcast: Follow, share, rate, or review the show.

📬 Continue the conversation: Read my companion reflections, After the Conversation, on Substack.

🌍 For immigrant and first-generation professionals: Join our free community at Immigrants in Corporate.

Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters.