Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is vital to a positive and welcoming culture, but it can be scary to tackle. How do you go about it? What if  you’re unsure what to do next? What if you make a mistake? In this episode, we talk with Carmen DeMint, a DEI strategist who created community and opportunity for women in gaming before it was a main topic of discussion. We talk about the dos and don’ts when it comes to DEI, and how you can apply best practices at your own organization or company.   Carmen DeMint is a passionate Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Strategist and Human Resource Generalist leader with more than 20 years of experience working with diverse businesses. She is thoroughly invested in supporting organizations to cultivate equitable, diverse, and inclusive work cultures and environments where their employees can thrive, feel seen, be safe, have a sense of belonging, show up as their most authentic self, and do their best work.

In this Women in Esports episode, we dive into How to Become a Pro Gamer in Highschool and middle school. Getting into Esports as a young person.

Women In Esports S3E3 // Pitfalls, Pitstops, and Opportunities: What You Need To Know When Considering A Career in Esports/Sports

Do you seek to become a pro player/driver, engineer/mechanic, do you sit in front of the camera as a caster or do you run the show as a production lead? There are more opportunities than ever for women to get involved in esports/sports, and the landscape is ever changing.

In this panel, leaders from PNC and members of the Knights Invstr Rocket League team and members of the PNC Chip Ganassi IndyCar team come together to deliver a roadmap of opportunities, pitfalls, and considerations women looking to enter the esports/sports industry should keep in mind.

Guests: PNC, Knights Valerie Shin-lau, Knights Women Rocket league team members Zoelle gg, Pepper and Jade and members of PNC’s Chip Ganassi IndyCar Racing team.

Advocacy and Activism isn’t a new concept in the gaming and esports industry, but there are certainly right and wrong ways to go about creating lasting change. In this episode, we talk with Verta Maloney, Co-Founder of the*GameHERS, about how she’s built a thriving and supportive community for femme-identifying gamers, why authenticy always matters, and some tips for women who want to enter the gaming industry.

As more and more colleges and universities adopt esports programs, students who want to go pro in competitive esports or build a career in the industry have more choices than ever. In this episode we speak with Sari Kitelyn, the woman responsible for building out the esports program at Full Sail University. From tips on making the most of a collegiate program to a glimpse at how Full Sail University pulls women into the gaming community, this episode is one you don’t want to miss if you’re running a collegiate esports program or are looking to join one.

After seven incredible episodes spanning how women can go pro and advocate for themselves to mental health and how non-endemic companies are powering the growth of esports, we needed to take a minute to reflect on everything we learned. In this episode, we host a roundtable with Jonathan, Angelica, Valerie, and Matt (dare we say, Knights of the roundtable?) to wrap up Season Two of the Women in Esports Podcast. Join us to reflect on what resonated most throughout the season, dive into why the Women in Esports initiative is so important, and what the Knights have in store for 2022.

In the same way game development studios and the titles they create fuel the esports scene, other contemporary media platforms are also supporting the growth and evolution of the overall industry. Often, this means creating new pathways for people to learn more about esports and find different ways to get involved.   In this episode, we’re speaking with Laurie Lockilear, Executive Producer of the upcoming esports reality competition series Gamemaster. We’ll take a look at how the esports industry is including other forms of media like television and music, and how esports adjacent initiatives can create a more inclusive landscape.

It’s Dangerous to Go Alone: Take This!  A conversation about mental health for gamers  As the conversation around mental health awareness continues to grow in the United States, it is increasingly apparent that different groups of people have different needs to address and support mental health. Stressors and social dynamics that affect one group may not affect others in the same way, but this doesn't decrease the need to find positive ways to manage stress, change, and life in general.  In this episode, we're exploring what unique mental health needs exist for gamers and the gaming community with Dr. Sarah Hays, Clinical Contributor for Take This — a gaming-focused mental health organization. Whether you're a pro player, a streamer, or a diehard fan who loves to queue up in multiplayer games, you don't want to miss this episode. Tune in—you’ll be glad you did.

A lack of representation in esports doesn't solely depend on women being more proactive or esports organizations being more inclusive. It is also vital for endemic and non-endemic brand partners to hold communities accountable and implement programming that drives change. In this episode, leaders at PNC share the roadmap they use internally and externally to create culture-aligned programming that drives meaningful change for the tech industry. Tune in to see how these best practices and initiatives can be applied to create a more inclusive landscape in the esports and gaming ecosystem.

Path to Pro: Embracing a Champion Mentality

Guest: Emmalee “Emuhleet” Garrido, Professional CS:GO/Valorant Player & Team Leader For Dignitas

Description:

As the esports scene continues to grow in popularity, many are wondering just what it takes to go pro in esports. This can be particularly challenging for women as the pathway is nebulous and there are significantly fewer women or femme-identifying pro athletes actively competing.

In this episode, we talk with EMUHLEET —-- a 5x CSGO Women’s World Championship Winner and Captain of Dignitas’ Valorant Team. If you’re wondering how you can take your love of gaming to the next level, you definitely don’t want to miss Episode 4 of the Women in Esports Podcast

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