Uplifting Impact

Uplifting Impact

By Deanna SinghSociety & CultureBusinessEducationSelf-Improvement
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Uplifting Impact episodes

  • Connecting The Dots: Creating a Safe Space for Healthy Inclusion

    Gena Pemberton is the VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at OmniCom Health Group and in this role she is responsible for developing and driving forward the diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy for the network. Her background includes corporate finance roles over 13 years at Johnson and Johnson, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a diversity and inclusion certificate from Cornell University. 

    In our conversation, she talks about the role of bringing current events into the workplace, and how to incorporate our whole selves along with the work of the organization so that team members can have mutual understanding and connection with each other. We discuss the difficulty of DEI and the importance of doing it anyway, and how to lean into those difficult conversations. To connect with Gena, find her on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gena-pemberton

    Topics In This Episode
    • What brings Gena joy with DEI work
    • Ways to create connection so that people feel included
    • Intentionally making sure that the workplace isn’t separate from events taking place in the society we are in - Making sure we don’t work in a bubble
    • Creating a safe space for difficult conversations
    • Healthy inclusion - Dealing with difficult conversations in a healthy way 
    • Putting anger to work 
    • How to manage fear and worry around DEI work 
      • Connect
      • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gena-pemberton
      • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamgenap/

        • Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

        • Innovation through inclusion: Trends in the DEI Space
        • Closing the gap: Access, inclusion, and opportunities for minorities

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          23 min
        • Justin Ponder: Innovation through inclusion: Trends in the DEI Space

          Welcome to season 2 of our Uplifting Impact! We have some exciting changes heading your way this season, and one of those is that we have added Justin Ponder as our co-host. Justin is the Chief Information Officer of Uplifting Impact, as well as an educator in the area of ethnic studies. In this episode, we talk about some of the updates and changes we’re making to the podcast, we introduce Justin and the work he has done, and he talks about some of the trends he is seeing in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space.

          We are also excited to announce our 3-day virtual summit, How To Be An Ally, where we provide a safe space and tools for passionate leaders and change-makers to learn action-oriented techniques for creating a community that prepares them for bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion into their practice. Tickets are now available. To learn more, go to https://www.upliftingimpact.com/

          Topics In This Episode:

          • Insight into Justin’s role as Chief Information Officer at Uplifting Impact
          • Asking for your feedback
          • Current trends in the DEI space
          • The relationship between inclusion and retention
          • Turnover within an organization, and the powerful effect DEI can have
          • Making connections between the needs of the organization and the needs of the individual
          • Ways to make changes within an organization for the most positive impact

            •  Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

            • Closing the gap: Access, inclusion, and opportunities for minorities
            • Top to Bottom: Cross-cultural competency and DEI at every level

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              22 min
            • Closing the gap: Access, inclusion, and opportunities for minorities

              Daniel Shaffer is a freelance nonprofit consultant and grant writer, focusing on women and minority owned businesses. After graduating with a degree in international relations, he joined a program working in predominantly Black and underserved communities within Pittsburgh, and shortly after found himself wanting to leverage his privilege to help open doors for members within his network that may not have had the same access otherwise.  

               In our conversation, we talk about the landscape of nonprofit funding, some of his tips for clients looking for funding, and how Covid has impacted access and processes for funding. To connect with Daniel, find him on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-e-f-shaffer 

              Topics In This Episode 

              • Working within a personal network for professional connections 
              • The catch-22 of funding and running programs as a nonprofit  
              • Challenges of getting funded as a woman and/or a person of color 
              • Navigating the unwritten rules for getting funded 
              • Shifts in funding as a response to covid 
              • Measuring the commitment of funders to stay dedicated to positive change  

                •  Connect 

                LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-e-f-shaffer 

                 

                Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed 

                • Preventing an “Us vs Them” workspace through inclusion
                • Top to Bottom: Cross-cultural competency and DEI at every level

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                  25 min
                • Top to Bottom: Cross-cultural competency and DEI at every level

                  Mita Mallick is the head of inclusion, equity, and impact at Carta, and has previously served in cross-cultural marketing roles, such as the Head of Diversity and Cross Cultural Marketing at Unilever and worked on projects like the Vaseline Healing project. She has been named Working Mother of the Year by She Runs It, as well as being listed as one of the 50 People Under 40 who are shaking up beauty. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of diversity within an organization from end-to-end, meaning, all aspects of the business. I was also personally excited to share with her how much I loved a recent article she wrote, “I don't want to be a super mom. I just want to be a mom” and the expectations our society has on mothers and motherhood. To learn more and connect with Mita, you can find her on Linked In.

                  Topics In This Episode

                  • The impact of people seeing themselves reflected in marketing
                  • Her motivation behind her work in marketing
                  • Opportunities for growth within the United States
                  • Unseen areas for better DEI within companies
                  • You can say you stand for values - are you ready to stand up for them when it matters?

                    • Connect

                    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mita-mallick-2b165822

                    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mita_mallick13/

                    Article: https://www.mother.ly/life/pressure-to-be-super-mom


                    Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

                    • Diversity and Listening: The new standard for an inclusive workspace
                    • Preventing an “Us vs Them” workspace through inclusion

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                      22 min
                    • Preventing an “Us vs Them” workspace through inclusion

                      Laura Kriska is an internationally recognized expert, with over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural relationships and providing that to help organizations bridge gaps in diverse workplaces. Early in her career, she worked for a large Japanese corporation, where she got first-hand experience in what it was like to be an outsider of what she calls a company’s “home team”. From that experience, and throughout her career, she developed strategies to help create inclusion and has written all about the “us versus them'' dynamic in her book, The Business of We. To learn more, connect with Laura, and order her book, you can find her on LinkedIn or at her website, https://www.laurakriska.com/.

                      Topics In This Episode

                      • The dynamics that are created in department mandates
                      • Unspoken relationships and how they play out in the workplace
                      • How to identify unspoken dynamics
                      • Making changes before it’s too late
                      • Examples of when “us versus them” is ok in an organization
                      • The “us versus them” self-assessment: https://www.laurakriska.com/assessment

                        • Connect

                        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-kriska-she-her-0a93902a

                        Website: https://www.laurakriska.com/

                         

                        Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

                        • Evolve or Regress: A Mindset Shift
                        • Diversity and Listening: The new standard for an inclusive workspace

                          • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

                          21 min
                        • Diversity and Listening: The new standard for an inclusive workspace

                          Lori Costew is the Chief Diversity Officer and Director of People Strategy at Ford Motor Company. In her role, she oversees corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion and all of the efforts within the company to cultivate a sense of belonging and to advance the company’s mission and business objectives, and ensures that Ford strategy supports all of the corporate goals and the transformation efforts within the organization. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of DEI for such a large enterprise and some of the strategies Lori has used, particularly in the area of leadership and listening. To connect with Lori and learn more, you can find her on LinkedIn.

                          Topics In This Episode

                          • The relationship between diversity and innovation
                          • Communication strategies within the Ford organization
                          • Different styles of listening sessions
                          • Changes made based on employee engagement surveys and polling
                          • A strategy for creating empathy among leadership
                          • The motivation for change
                          • Creating psychological safe places for employees
                          • How to continue the work, outside of the listening sessions

                            • Connect

                            LinkedIn: Lori Costew

                             

                            Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

                            • Workplace Mental Health: How To Support Every Group
                            • Evolve or Regress: A Mindset Shift

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                              23 min
                            • Workplace Mental Health: How To Support Every Group

                              Leyla Okhai is the founder and director of Diverse Minds UK LTD, which aims to create a positively productive workplace for all through training, coaching and consultancy, by focusing on wellbeing and mental health. Leyla is also the host of the Diverse Minds podcast, a weekly show about race equality, mental health, and inclusion for a modern world. In our conversation, we discuss the eurocentric approach to mental health, particularly in the workplace. And we also talk about some of the shifts she is seeing and that she recommends to employers in order to recognize the needs of a diverse workforce.

                              Topics in this episode

                              • What inspired Leyla do begin doing this work
                              • Mental health recovery is more than just time off of work
                              • How to make mental health a priority in the work place
                              • Different approaches for mental health nourishment
                              • Recognizing the different needs of various races and nationalities
                              • Ensuring cultural awareness around mental support for employees and organization members
                              • Thinking about the impact of the pandemic on different groups

                                • Connect

                                • Twitter: @diversemindsuk
                                • Facebook page: Diverse Minds
                                • LinkedIn: Leyla Okhai
                                • Podcast

                                  •  

                                  Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

                                  • Evolve or Regress: A Mindset Shift
                                  • The Race For Talent: A Cultural Shift In The Workplace

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                                    21 min
                                  • Evolve or Regress: A Mindset Shift

                                    Paula Phillips is a school board member for Milwaukee Public Schools and currently with the YWCA Southeast Wisconsin. Her mission is to actively build a society in which all of us are seen, heard, and cared for. Throughout her career, she has served in many different leadership roles across different industries, from academia to large corporations and the nonprofit space. With the experiences she has had across different sectors, she has built expertise in sharing and teaching the skills of diversity, equity, and inclusion in each of her roles. In my conversation with her, we talk about her work, the importance of creating space for learning and growth, and how to build programs with accountability and consistency.

                                    Topics in this episode

                                    • Trends in DEI across different sectors
                                    • DEI and it’s effects on the bottom line
                                    • The shift from “Is DEI important?” into “How do we implement DEI practices into our organization?”
                                    • Techniques for implementing new programs to ensure their success
                                    • The value of recognition and celebration along the journey
                                    • Helping people explore what shaped their ideas around diversity, equity, and inclusion
                                    • The constant evolution and change within the DEI space
                                    • Giving people the confidence to have difficult conversations

                                      • Connect

                                      • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpaulaphillips/
                                      • Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPDBP
                                      • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpdbp/

                                        • Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

                                        • The Race For Talent: A Cultural Shift In The Workplace
                                        • C-Suite Executives' Responsibility In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion

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                                          24 min
                                        • The Race For Talent: A Cultural Shift In The Workplace

                                          Ify Walker is the Founder and CEO of Offor, a national talent brokerage, working to place board members and CEOs, create high-performing teams, and break up the myth of meritocracy. She is also an advocate for a 30-hour workweek. We discuss how organizations can begin to make the shift to a 30-hour workweek, why they should, and how it benefit Black women in particular. We also dive into the topic of how companies can begin the work of DEI, the importance of data, and the willingness it takes to confront the status quo.

                                           

                                          Topics in this episode

                                          • Shifts in the workplace as a result of the pandemic
                                          • The origins of the modern workday model
                                          • Looking at changes companies should be making based on our knowledge-economy
                                          • Leveraging technology for optimal productivity
                                          • Responding to the idea, “The talent just doesn’t exist”
                                          • How to evaluate the culture of an organization
                                          • The places within organizations where there are often issues

                                            • Connect

                                            • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifywalker/
                                            • Website:https://www.offor.co/


                                              • Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

                                              • C-Suite Executives' Responsibility In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion
                                              • Valuing Diversity Among Veterans

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                                                26 min
                                              • From Top to Bottom: C-Suite Executives' Responsibility In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion

                                                Donald Thompson is a serial entrepreneur, public speaker, author, podcaster, and executive coach, using his skills and expertise to serve as a thought leader on goal achievement and company culture, and I am very excited to have him on the show today. We have an insightful conversation about the relationship between C-Suite executives and the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within an organization. He shares with us some of the tools he finds helpful in starting conversations around DEI, and the importance of expanding our networks, both personally and professionally.

                                                Topics in this episode
                                                • The ground-zero of company culture within an organization
                                                • Examining personal journeys of discovery around DEI work within the corporate setting
                                                • Driving forces of momentum and change outside of company policies
                                                • Giving leaders the space to be vulnerable, and the ability to practice without punishment
                                                • Changes in empathy when you surround yourself with a range of different types of diversity
                                                • Tips for actively expanding your personal network

                                                  •  Connect

                                                  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldthompsonjr/

                                                  Thediversitymovement.com - free resources and information


                                                  Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

                                                  • Valuing Diversity Among Veterans
                                                  • How To Diversify Your Corporate Board

                                                    • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

                                                    22 min

                                                  About Uplifting Impact

                                                  From the publisher's feed

                                                  We explore the intersection of leadership and meaningful change. While many highlight the challenges that divide us, few focus on how to bridge the gaps. This podcast is for leaders ready to break the…