Thriving in Intersectionality

In this episode, our spotlight series continues with our veteran guests. Host Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with Dr. Keith Dorsey — a board strategist, researcher, executive advisor, and author of The Boardroom Journey — to explore how identity, service, and intentional growth come together to form a successful and fulfilling professional journey.

From the U.S. Air Force to nearly three decades in corporate America to doctoral research on corporate board diversity, Dr. Dorsey’s story is a masterclass in clarity, reinvention, and using lived experience to create impact.

He brings a rare intersection of perspectives as a veteran, a Black executive, a turnaround specialist, a multi-board member, a global search leader, and now a portfolio-career strategist whose work is centered on leadership, governance, and generational impact.

✅ Identity & Intersectionality in Leadership

How Dr. Dorsey’s intersections — from military service to corporate leadership to academia — inform how he shows up, leads, and serves today.

✅ Three Career Chapters & the Power of Reinvention

A journey from the Air Force ➡️ corporate executive ➡️ board strategist and researcher — and why he calls this season not retirement, but rewirement.

✅ Education Beyond the Classroom

Why he earned his bachelor’s degree in his 40s, how he completed an MBA surrounded by other executives, and what it means to be a lifelong learner in the real world — not just on paper.

✅ Becoming a Turnaround Specialist

How investing in himself, reading voraciously, and studying his craft helped him lead large teams, solve people/product/process problems, and transform underperforming business units.

✅ What a Portfolio Career Really Is

He breaks down how he built a career that includes board service, executive advising, writing, speaking, consulting, and research — all aligned under a single theme of leadership and governance.

✅ Reflection, Pruning & Finding Your Joy

His philosophy on reflection, identifying what energizes you, pruning what doesn’t, and uncovering your “secret sauce” to guide your next chapter.

✅ Reverse Engineering Success

Why successful people do what others won’t — and how clarity + intentional action can make your goals inevitable.

✅ Food, Culture & Conversation

What he would bring to share with colleagues — and how even a simple meal can spark connection, inclusion, and rich conversation.

Dr. Keith Dorsey is a board strategist, researcher, and executive advisor with decades of leadership experience across military service, corporate America, executive search, and governance. He is the author of The Boardroom Journey and has published work in Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, Forbes, Directors & Boards, and more.

Dr. Dorsey holds a doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from USC and an MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Dorsey on LinkedIn
🔗 Explore The Boardroom Journey

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is a workplace inclusion strategist, author, and CEO of EQImindset.
She helps organizations strengthen ERG/BRG programs and build cultures of belonging through strategy, storytelling, and systems change.

🔗 Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lola Adeyemo

For HR & DEI Leaders:
Need ERG/BRG strategy support or fractional partnership?
📩 [email protected]

For Immigrants & First-Gen Professionals:
Join the free community for networking, resources, and peer support:
👉 www.immigrantsincorporate.org

Want to Dive Deeper into this Conversation and Engage?

Follow on Substack for extended reflections, storytelling, and community insights tied to every episode. Your story matters. Keep thriving in your intersections.
— 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.

(Veterans/Military Appreciation Month Series)

In honor of Military Appreciation Month, this episode celebrates service, transition, and purpose-driven leadership through a conversation that bridges military, corporate, and public service spaces.

Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with Cinnamon Clark — a U.S. Navy veteran, Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Officer at the California Department of Justice, and Chair of the San Diego Citizens’ Equal Opportunity Commission — to explore what it really takes to make inclusion actionable.

From maintaining aircraft in the Navy to leading equity initiatives for global corporations to shaping equity policies for one of the largest justice departments in the country, Cinnamon’s story demonstrates how leadership, courage, and curiosity can open doors not only for oneself but for everyone who follows.

✅ What “Inclusion as a Verb” Looks Like
Cinnamon shares how inclusion happens through daily choices — the way we ask, listen, and lead — and why it’s everyone’s responsibility, not just a DEI department’s.

✅ From “Only” to “Opening Doors”
One of the first women integrated into shipboard squadrons, Cinnamon turned isolation into advocacy — clearing pathways for others, including the first enlisted woman to complete Naval Special Warfare training.

✅ Equity vs. Equality — The Boots Story
She illustrates the difference between equality and equity with a memorable lesson from her military days: same-sized boots don’t mean the same fit.

✅ Intersectionality as Leadership
Why every leader needs to understand intersectionality as a competency — the ability to pause, ask questions, and see the full context before reacting or judging.

✅ Transitioning from Military to Corporate to Civic Leadership
Cinnamon walks through her evolution from aviation electrician to global DEI advisor and state executive, offering insights for professionals navigating their own career pivots.

✅ The Power of Curiosity and Self-Belief
Her message for emerging professionals: stay curious, say yes to opportunities that stretch you, and never measure your success against someone else’s timeline.

✅ Food, Culture, and Connection
How something as simple as sharing a meal — becomes a bridge for belonging.

Cinnamon Clark is a retired Chief Petty Officer with over 20 years in the U.S. Navy. She has since become a respected diversity and inclusion leader, serving as Chief Diversity Inclusion and Belonging Officer at the California Department of Justice and Chair of the San Diego CEOC.

Her career spans military service, corporate consulting with McLean & Company, and state leadership — all centered on embedding equity into systems, structures, and culture.

🔗 Connect with Cinnamon on LinkedIn

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is a workplace inclusion strategist, author, and CEO of EQImindset, where she helps organizations build communities of belonging through strategy, storytelling, and systems change.

💬 Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lola Adeyemo

Follow Dr. Lola on Substack, where each episode continues through reflection, storytelling, and community discussion.

For HR & DEI Leaders: Do you need ERG or BRG strategy support? Connect with Dr. Lola to explore fractional partnership or organizational [email protected]

For Immigrants & First-Gen Professionals: Join the free community at www.immigrantsincorporate.org for networking, resources, and peer support.

✨ Your story matters. Keep thriving in your intersections.
— 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.

In honor of Veterans Month, this episode celebrates service, transition, and purpose-driven leadership through a conversation that transcends military, corporate, and nonprofit spaces.

Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with Chris Thorne, a U.S. Navy veteran turned business and community leader, to explore what leadership looks like beyond the uniform. Chris shares powerful lessons from his 30-year military career and his journey into executive leadership as CEO of the North San Diego Business Chamber.

Together, they unpack the layers of identity, resilience, and community that shape purposeful leadership today. This conversation reminds us that every leader carries more than a title—they carry stories, intersections, and lived experiences that inform how they serve others.

✅ How military service shapes purpose and leadership in civilian life
Chris reveals why he joined at 17, what kept him serving for three decades, and how those experiences translate into building thriving business communities.

✅ The power of community in building connection and legacy
Hear Chris's profound perspective: "Life is a terminal disease. Immortality is having a positive impact on others that grows long after you're gone—whether anyone remembers your name or not."

✅ Why intersectionality matters in leadership and belonging
From growing up in Arizona to becoming a Navy Corpsman running with Marines, Chris breaks down how we're all "blankets made of different fibers"—and why understanding that depth in others changes everything.

✅ Chris's transition from service to civic and business impact
The real story of transition—from stepping out of the Navy to leading HR consulting, standing up the Gary Sinise Foundation's San Diego presence, and becoming a chamber CEO.

✅ Advice for emerging professionals on self-belief and finding their place at the table
"I am so incredibly impressed with this next generation. You deserve to be in that room. You deserve your seat at that table. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

✅ The Chili Philosophy
Why Chris's signature slow-cooked, blazing-hot chili is the perfect metaphor for patient, intentional leadership.

Chris Thorne is the CEO of the North San Diego Business Chamber and a retired U.S. Navy veteran. Named 2024 CEO of the Year for Business Nonprofit and recognized among San Diego's 500 Most Influential People for four consecutive years, Chris leads with a deep commitment to service, strategy, and community impact.

🔗 [North San Diego Business Chamber]
🔗 [Connect with Chris on LinkedIn]

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is a workplace inclusion strategist, speaker, and CEO of EQImindset, where she helps organizations build communities of belonging through strategy, storytelling, and systems change.

🌍 Learn more: www.lolaspeaker.com
💬 Connect with Lola on LinkedIn: [Dr. Lola Adeyemo]

Follow Dr. Lola on Substack, where she explores key concepts from each episode and invites reflections and community engagement!

For HR & DEI Leaders: Need employee resource group(ERG) or business resource group support? Connect with Dr. Lola on LinkedIn for strategy, storytelling, and inclusive workplace community building.

For Immigrants & First-Gen Professionals: Join our free community at www.immigrantsincorporate.org for career support, networking, and resources with peers who understand your journey.

Your story matters. Keep thriving in your intersections.

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.

To close out Global Diversity Month, Thriving in Intersectionality presents a special storytelling episode — three powerful stories of courage, transition, and belonging shared live during the “Belonging Beyond Borders” virtual event on October 29, 2025, hosted by Immigrants in Corporate Inc.

In this reflective and inspiring episode, host Dr. Lola Adeyemo brings together voices from around the world whose immigrant journeys redefine what it means to succeed, to belong, and to be seen. Through stories of reinvention, purpose, and resilience, these storytellers remind us that belonging is not something we wait to find — it’s something we build together.

This conversation is a tapestry of humanity — honest, layered, and full of hope — and a fitting close to Global Diversity Month.

🌍 Redefining Success Beyond Immigrant Expectations
How Ambition, Family, and Cultural Pressures Intersect for Global Professionals.

💫 Courage in Transition
Stories of starting over, navigating identity, and pursuing growth in unfamiliar spaces.

💖 Owning Your Worth
The power of self-acceptance and belonging without needing to prove your value.

🤝 Community as Catalyst
Why shared stories are essential to building inclusive workplaces and societies.

✨ Bami Iroko — Redefining Success Beyond Immigrant Pressures
A marketing and communications strategist, talent manager, and creative consultant, Bami helps brands and artists tell impactful stories that connect across cultures. Her work bridges marketing, entertainment, and technology, championing inclusive innovation and responsible AI. Bami’s story explores the invisible expectations placed on immigrant professionals — and the liberation of defining success on your own terms. Her new book, “All In: Choosing Faith over Fear,” is available now on Amazon. 

🔗 Connect with BAMI IROKO on LinkedIn:  📘 Link to her book. 

✨ Joe Kyaw Kyaw Htin — Courage in Transition
A globally experienced chartered accountant from Myanmar, Joe has led internal audit and finance teams across Asia and the U.S. His story reflects the resilience of rebuilding a career abroad and the quiet strength that comes from choosing growth over comfort.
🔗 Connect with Joe Kayw Kyaw Htin on LinkedIn

✨ Raneen Rheem — The Power of Self-Worth
As CEO of RISE (Refugee Immigrant Student Embassy), Raneen empowers refugee and immigrant youth to lead with confidence and purpose. A student of Political Science and Human Rights at the University of Iowa, she reminds us that belonging begins when we stop trying to prove our value — and start embracing it.
🔗 Connect with Raneen Rheem on LinkedIn

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is the CEO of EQImindset and founder of the nonprofit Immigrants in Corporate Inc. She helps organizations move inclusion from intention to impact through strategy, storytelling, and workplace communities. A scientist-turned-ERG strategist, speaker, and author, Lola is passionate about amplifying the voices of leaders and professionals navigating layered identities at work.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Lola Adeyemo on Linkedin

If today’s episode resonated with you:
⭐ Please rate and review the podcast to help others discover these stories.
📲 Share your takeaways and tag us on LinkedIn @ThrivinginIntersectionality podcast
🌍 Immigrant and first-gen professionals: Join our free community at www.immigrantsincorporate.org for career support, networking, resources, and to be a part of our monthly events.

Keep thriving in your intersections — your story matters.

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 honest and inspiring solo episode, Host Dr. Lola Adeyemo explores the power of recalibration — the intentional act of learning, realigning, and moving forward after the moments that didn’t go as planned.

From canceled contracts to failed partnerships and unexpected career pivots, Dr. Lola opens up about her own experiences with “false starts” and how they’ve shaped her leadership, courage, and clarity.

She reminds us that fear and foresight can often feel the same — but one holds you back, while the other prepares you to begin again. Through storytelling and reflection, Dr. Lola offers three powerful anchors to guide you through transitions in your business, career, or advocacy journey:

1️⃣ Learn, don’t linger — take the lessons, not the limits.
2️⃣ Filter, don’t freeze — refine your focus without losing your fire.
3️⃣ Move with clarity, not fear — let experience strengthen your confidence.

This episode is a reminder that every false start is proof of courage — not failure. You’re not behind; you’re aligning.

If this message resonates, share your reflections on LinkedIn and tag @Thriving in Intersectionality Podcast.  And don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe — your support helps others discover these stories of courage and belonging.

Keep thriving in your intersections — and remember, recalibration is not retreat. 💙

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.

She climbed the ranks on Wall Street. Then she left it all behind to become a doctor. Dr. Manna Semby has a lot to say about reinvention, resilience, and thriving in midlife.

In this episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, Dr. Lola Adeyemo speaks with Dr. Manna Semby, founder of Aruna Personalized Medicine, functional medicine doctor, and former Vice President at Goldman Sachs. Drawing on her own journey from finance to healthcare, Dr. Manna shares how career pivots, layered identities, and health all intersect to shape how we lead and thrive.

We explore how leaders can protect their cognitive edge through transitions, why decision-making style is a hidden superpower, and how organizations can reframe midlife health as a performance and equity strategy—not a taboo.

This conversation is about more than perimenopause or career change—it’s about the courage to design work and life that honor all of who you are.

🧠 Protecting Cognitive Edge
How the brain–hormone–metabolism axis shapes leadership energy, focus, and resilience.

🔄 Career Reinvention
Why Dr. Manna left a VP role at Goldman Sachs to pursue medicine—and what it takes to pivot with purpose.

💡 Decision-Making as a Superpower
How knowing your decision-making style can transform both career moves and life satisfaction.

🌍 Intersectionality in Action
How immigrant identity, motherhood, caregiving, and corporate experience inform her practice and advocacy.

🏢 Workplace Change
Why ERGs and HR leaders must create brain- and menopause-ready cultures to retain talent and sustain performance.

Dr. Manna Semby, ND, MSCP, IFMCP is a functional medicine doctor and founder of Aruna Personalized Medicine. Formerly a Vice President at Goldman Sachs, she brings an insider’s perspective to the health needs of career women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Her Aruna Method targets the brain–hormone–metabolism axis to protect cognitive edge, metabolic resilience, and long-term vitality.

Today she partners with corporations to deliver executive education and implement menopause-supportive policies that strengthen retention, performance, and culture.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Manna:

Website: arunamed.com 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/manna-semby 

Instagram: @drmannasemby 

Brain Health Quiz: arunamed.com/brainquiz 

Video: Brain Clarity & Renewal Program 

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is the CEO of EQImindset and founder of the nonprofit Immigrants in Corporate Inc. She helps organizations move inclusion from intention to impact through strategy, storytelling, and workplace communities. A scientist-turned-ERG strategist, speaker, and author, Lola is passionate about amplifying voices at the intersections of identity and work.

If today’s episode resonated with you:

⭐ Please rate and review the podcast to help others discover it.

📲 Share your takeaways and tag us on LinkedIn.

🌍 Immigrant and first-gen professionals: Join our free community at immigrantsincorporate.org  for career support, networking, and resources.

Keep thriving in your intersections—your story matters.

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.

"Two truths can coexist: you can be proud of your career and ready for something new."

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Lola Adeyemo chats with Celeste Warren—founder of Celeste Warren Consulting and co-founder of Destination STEM—to explore what it really means to lead with authenticity and create lasting change.

Celeste brings her full self to leadership: Black woman, mother, wife, aunt, caregiver, and entrepreneur. These intersecting identities aren't just who she is—they're how she leads, informing her belief that inclusive leadership isn't performative theater. It's about practical, repeatable acts of equity that meet people exactly where they are.

Sometimes one moment of visibility can reshape an entire trajectory. Celeste shares how a single national presentation became a key catalyst that transformed her career path, proving that excellence paired with strategic exposure creates opportunities that "heads-down" work alone cannot.

Her journey spans 28+ years at Merck, and originated from journalism roots to becoming Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Now, through her consulting practice and new book The Truth About Equity, she's translating decades of wisdom into actionable guidance for the next generation of leaders.

The Exposure Equation
Why preparation without visibility limits your potential, and how to strategically position yourself for career-defining moments.

Building Careers on Learning, Not Titles
How choosing roles for skills and stretch over status creates compound leadership readiness that serves you for decades.

Equity, Demystified
Clear, practical language for what equity actually is—and what it isn't—cutting through today's polarized debates with actionable everyday practices.

ERGs as Talent Accelerators
Why Employee Resource Group leadership often provides more management experience and cross-functional visibility than traditional org charts.

Influence Without Authority
Practical moves for individual contributors to shape culture without waiting for permission or the perfect job title.

Inclusive Leadership at Scale
How senior roles don't make the work easier—just different—and why aligning diverse teams around shared purpose is both art and science.

Celeste's leadership philosophy is inextricably linked to her lived experience. As she puts it, "We're not one identity. We're the cross-section of what's seen and unseen—life experiences that shape how we lead."

Her path from reporter to global DEI leader to entrepreneur demonstrates how diverse experiences compound into unique leadership strengths:

Whether you're an early-career professional learning to navigate corporate spaces, an ERG leader looking to maximize impact, or an Executive working to move inclusion from intention to measurable results—this conversation offers both inspiration and practical guidance.

Founder, Celeste Warren Consulting, LLC - Connect on Linkedin
Former VP & Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Merck
Author of How to Be a Diversity & Inclusion Ambassador and The Truth About Equity
Co-Founder, Destination STEM (supporting students of color in STEM)

Internationally recognized for DEI leadership, including 2024 Chief Diversity Officer of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council. Above all, she's a relentless believer in people and the power of authentic leadership.

An inclusive workplace advocate. She is the CEO of EQImindset (an ERG/BRG consulting firm) and the founder of Immigrants in Corporate Inc. A scientist-turned-ERG strategist, author, and speaker who helps organizations move inclusion from intention to measurable impact through strategy, storytelling, and workplace communities. Connect with Dr. Lola Adeyemo on Linkedin.

HR/Culture/DEI leaders: Email [email protected] to launch and scale ERGs that drive real business outcomes or to guest on the podcast.

Join our community for immigrant & first-gen professionals

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.

Two organizational psychologists walk into a bar in Portland, 2008.

The bartender? Dr. Victoria Mattingly—though she didn't have the "Dr." yet.

Fresh out of college during the Great Recession, she was pouring drinks to fund volunteer research work. That chance encounter became the pivot point of an extraordinary career—from serving drinks to earning a PhD, from corporate burnout to building her own consulting firm, from studying workplace inclusion to living it as a working mother, cancer survivor, mental health advocate, and alopecia warrior.

This conversation is for anyone navigating career uncertainty, trying to network authentically, or wondering how personal experiences can become professional assets.

Dr. Mattingly's unique perspective comes from:

"Depending on the context, I can either be the ally and leverage my privilege, or be the partner and work with allies."

The Recession Years: Graduated 2008 into economic crisis. No jobs for psychology majors. Bartended at Portland's fanciest establishment to fund volunteer research—a detour that proved strategic.

The Career Catalyst: Two organizational psychologists at her bar connected her to a research lab. This taught her networking isn't about collecting contacts—it's about leveraging networks to fill gaps.

Building Expertise: PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Years in corporate consulting. Published author. Her latest book is "Act Like an Ally / Work with an Ally."

The Breaking Point: Burned out as an organizational psychologist. "I had to practice what I preach."

The Pivot: Founded Mattingly Solutions to create sustainable, human-centered consulting aligned with her values.

Organizational psychologist, keynote speaker, and CEO of Mattingly Solutions. PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology with 15+ years helping organizations build inclusive workplaces. Author of "Act Like an Ally / Work with an Ally" and co-author of "Inclusalytics: How DEI Leaders Use Data to Drive Their Work."

Connect with Dr. V

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is an ERG strategist, keynote speaker, and author dedicated to building workplaces where people with layered identities can thrive. As CEO of EQImindset and founder of the nonprofit Immigrants in Corporate Inc., she partners with HR, DEI, and business leaders to move inclusion from intention into impact through strategy, storytelling, and systems change. A Nigerian-born immigrant and mom, Lola blends research, real-world experience, and heart. On Thriving in Intersectionality, she spotlights voices and tools that help leaders—and everyday professionals—create meaningful, measurable belonging.

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 happens when a DJ who started spinning tracks at 16 becomes a startup advisor, college professor, and business growth expert? He is building and developing, leveraging all of his diverse skills!. Corey Hart's journey through the "entrepreneurship spectrum" spans nightclub ownership, restaurant turnarounds, food tech innovation, and mental health scaling - all while learning to read business environments the same way he once read dance floors.

In this candid conversation, Corey shares how his naturally curious, entrepreneurial spirit has led him across industries, why he believes network building is the most underutilized career strategy, and how becoming a father fundamentally shifted his approach from people-pleasing to purpose-driven decision-making. From his 11-year college journey as a first-generation graduate to his current role scaling digital behavioral health solutions, Corey offers hard-won insights for anyone navigating career transitions or feeling stuck in their professional journey.

🎧 How DJ Skills Translate to Business Success

📈 The Entrepreneurship Spectrum Approach

🔗 Network Building That Actually Works

🎯 From Burnout to Purpose-Driven Growth

🚀 Career Navigation Strategies

Corey Hart is a connector, builder, and educator working at the intersection of growth, wellness, and innovation. He serves as Senior Director of Business Growth at Mentavi Health, scaling digital behavioral health solutions, and as a business professor at Grand Valley State University, teaching real-world skills like executive functioning, emotional intelligence, and values-driven leadership.

As Chapter Director of Startup Grind Grand Rapids (part of a global organization with 5.5 million members), Corey advises startups globally and designs experiences that spark genuine connection. His calendar is open for anyone feeling stuck in their career or entrepreneurial journey.

When he's not building businesses or teaching, you can find him DJing, chasing tennis matches around the globe, or learning executive functioning skills from his daughter.

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is the CEO of EQImindset and founder of the nonprofit Immigrants Incorporate Inc. She works with organizations to build inclusive workplaces and amplifies the voices of leaders and immigrants in the corporate space.

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Are you an HR, Culture, or DEI Leader? Email [email protected] to Get Your Workplace Community Employee Resource Groups (ERGs / BRGs) Launched, Leveraged, and Thriving!

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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.

A milestone celebration and heartfelt reflection on 100 episodes of authentic storytelling

What started as a simple mission to capture immigrant workplace and career stories in August 2022 has blossomed into something far more profound. Join Dr. Lola Adeyemo as she reflects on the incredible journey from "Immigrants in Corporate" to "Thriving in Intersectionality" – a transformation that mirrors the deeper truth she discovered: our careers and sense of belonging are shaped by the beautiful complexity of our intersecting identities.

This milestone episode is a love letter to every guest who trusted their story, every listener who found connection, and the transformative power of authentic storytelling in professional spaces.

Owning the Role of Storyteller: Dr. Lola shares how this podcast journey helped her embrace storytelling as her core identity – not just recording conversations, but crafting narratives that bridge gaps, clarify concepts, and bring people along for the journey.

Sharpening Advocacy Skills: Every published episode became an act of advocacy, amplifying voices that deserve boardroom representation but don't always get it. This wasn't just content creation – it was purposeful amplification of underrepresented perspectives.

Mastering the Craft: From outsourcing everything to loving the technical details – listening deeply, drawing out themes, crafting titles that capture the essence of each guest's wisdom.

Identity as Bridge, Not Just Barrier: The most powerful revelation – our layered identities bring perspective, resilience, and creativity. They're not obstacles to overcome but tools for thriving.

Community Accelerates Careers: A common thread among guests – breakthrough moments happen when we stop walking alone and find our people, our advocates, our spaces of belonging.

Leadership Grows Everywhere: From C-suite executives to early-career ERG leaders, the spectrum of guests revealed that leadership isn't about titles – it's about stepping up with courage and creating belonging for others.

"Stories don't just shape the listener. They shape the storyteller too."

"Leadership grows in unexpected places... without a title, with a title, in different spaces, you can play different roles."

"Identity could also be a bridge, a really important, much needed bridge when it comes to growing and advancing in the workplace."

Dr. Lola's vision continues to expand – more diverse voices, deeper career lessons, and ongoing proof that belonging isn't about fitting in, it's about showing up fully as yourself and finding community in that authenticity.

Question for Reflection: What's the most important career lesson your layered identity has taught you? Dr. Lola wants to hear from you – your story could inspire someone who shares your intersection.

"Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters." - Dr. Lola Adeyemo

Rate & Review to help others discover these vital conversations about belonging, identity, and professional growth.

Host: Dr. Lola Adeyemo, CEO of EQI Mindset, Founder of Immigrants in Corporate Inc., Author, Speaker, and Workplace Inclusion Strategist

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.