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As humans, we often shy away from scenarios that make us uncomfortable or nervous. Don't worry, it’s our brains trying to protect us. The thing is, great people first leaders don’t shy away from loss or conflict, they embrace it. Sven Lauch, Tedx speaker and founder of Eyes Up Training came on the Leading People First podcast to share how we need to raise emotionally intelligent leaders to be able to handle and lead through loss and conflict. In this episode, Sven and Chris Lin also discuss Sven's upbringing in communist Germany, his experience in the army, the importance of emotional logic, and embracing conflict. Connect with Sven Lauch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svenlauch/ Website: https://eyesup.eu/ Sven's Tedx Talk: https://youtu.be/jDJ7LfSfbag Sven on the Adelaide Entrepreneur Club podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adelaide-entrepreneur-club-episode-15-interview-sven/id1504862235?i=1000484067270 Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

The world is getting smaller as access to information gets easier and more readily available. This makes it even more important for leaders to understand what their values are and to be prepared to take a stance on it. Even more important is to have these values be reflective of humanity and hopefully in a way that leads people first. Jennifer Thompson comes on the podcast to share her tips as an executive manager and public relations professional for aligning organizational action with their values. Jennifer and Chris Lin talk about the importance of cultural competency, individualism in the workplace, and the application of humane orientation to better the employee experience. Connect with Jennifer Thompson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-thompson-cprw/ Website: https://socialsweettreats.com/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

As we continually see venture capital and startups sprout up and grow rapidly, I wanted to know if there were any people first leaders influencing these companies that may be the next big thing that transforms society. Joining the Leading People First podcast is Mark McNally, one of the original innovators in the e-commerce space and founder of Nobody Studios, a venture studio aimed to create meaningful organizations with a people first mentality. Mark and Chris Lin discuss how leaders can get employees to buy into what they're doing and the need to give freely as an investment into people. Connect with Mark McNally LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrkmcnally/ Website: https://nobodystudios.com/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

How many times have you been asked for feedback and then nothing came of it? According to Katherine McCord, leading people first is about servitude and taking action when something is brought up. This is why recruiting, diversity, equity, and inclusion can be so hard, and at the same time is so ripe for transformation. Katherine has been fascinated with recruiting since childhood. She has strong experience recruiting everything from Customer Service to CFOs, and has a background in process improvement and growing employee satisfaction. She founded Titan in 2014 with the dream of innovating hiring, and to help entrepreneurs realize their visions without breaking the bank. She is also striving to improve the hiring process on a national level by spreading good practices and generating proactive conversations via media. In April 2020, she founded a career show, Career Launch Live. Katherine and Chris Lin talk about how the organizations need to be revolutionized like the candidate experience, recruiting, and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Connect with Katherine McCord LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-mccord-093bb343/ Website: https://titanmanagementusa.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katherine.mccord.5 Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

The marginalized community of those who identify as LGBTQIA2S+ is already severe, dealing with a range of hate and ignorance from invisibility to harassment to violence and death. The Leaders for Equity, Allyship, and Diversity wanted to dive deep into the intersectionalities of those within the LGBTQIA2S+ community and bring to light those who are often forgotten. Kicking off part one are Heather Holmes, Mandy Carter, and Michael Sachs to discuss how Ageism frequently leads to them being forgotten, and their identities ignored. Connect with the Panelists Heather Holmes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-h-14022b25/ Mandy Carter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandycarter/ Michael Sachs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsachs/ Programmed and Moderated by: Sarah Phelps: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsarahphelps/ Mark Travis Rivera: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-travis-rivera/ This episode is brought to you by the Leaders for Equity, Allyship, and Diversity, where we are having honest and uncomfortable conversations to make a difference in the world. We host these events to allow leaders to come together, discuss, learn, share, activate, and empower to make a difference in this world. These occur every Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern/4:30pm Pacific. You can find our group and upcoming events on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13938399/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

No, learning programs and trainings are not free from bias, even if the topic is diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is why it is critical to bake DEI into the very programs that develop your team and employees. Paul Zaentz-Lewis joined the Leaders for Equity, Allyship, and Diversityto facilitate a discussion on: Identifying common pitfalls when designing training or programs for diverse audiences or on diversity Providing an instructional design model adjusted to focus on DEI challenges and considerations Teaching the use of a unique type of persona to tailor your instruction to your audience #JoinLEAD as we continue growing and learning in order to reach and activate others in DEI. This session will include practical breakout sessions and Q&A for all who are curious. Connect with Paul Zaentz-Lewis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulzaentzlewis/ Moderated by Sarah Phelps: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsarahphelps/ This episode is brought to you by the Leaders for Equity, Allyship, and Diversity, where we are having honest and uncomfortable conversations to make a difference in the world. We host these events to allow leaders to come together, discuss, learn, share, activate, and empower to make a difference in this world. These occur every Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern/4:30pm Pacific. You can find our group and upcoming events on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13938399/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

As much as DEI is a current “hot topic” for organizations very few are taking the opportunity to question the assumptions that underpin the foundation of their talent selection process: resumes and interviews. If those tools are fundamentally harmful to creating an inclusive environment, then anything built on them will always fail on those agendas. Michelle Olivier's argument is that until we remove these tools of oppression from the systems we use no real change can occur. #JoinLEAD in this discussion analyzing the efficacy and unintended consequences of resumes and interviews, before finding better options and a new hope. Connect with Michelle Olivier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-olivier/ Moderated by Sarah Phelps: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsarahphelps/ This episode is brought to you by the Leaders for Equity, Allyship, and Diversity, where we are having honest and uncomfortable conversations to make a difference in the world. We host these events to allow leaders to come together, discuss, learn, share, activate, and empower to make a difference in this world. These occur every Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern/4:30pm Pacific. You can find our group and upcoming events on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13938399/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

Mark Travis Rivera leads us through a discussion about existing at the intersections of multiple identities. Mark identifies as Latinx, Disabled, Queer, Gender Nonconforming Man who serves as a DEI Coordinator for Nike White Consulting. Connect with Mark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-travis-rivera/ Moderated by Sarah Phelps: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsarahphelps/ This episode is brought to you by the Leaders for Equity, Allyship, and Diversity, where we are having honest and uncomfortable conversations to make a difference in the world. We host these events to allow leaders to come together, discuss, learn, share, activate, and empower to make a difference in this world. These occur every Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern/4:30pm Pacific. You can find our group and upcoming events on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13938399/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

Police Violence stems from white supremacy values and is unacceptable. Because of this, we recognize that we must reform the system to make it just and equitable for all people. In this episode, we brought together a group of panelists to discuss their reactions to the verdict of the policeman who murdered George Floyd and what we need to do to Reimagine Reform because of the Police Violence Across America. Note: This is Part TWO of this conversation. You can find Part One here: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/a61f1f7f-5417-452e-9272-a895741ba6c4 The panelists for this conversation include: LeRon Barton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/leron-barton-cwna-2b700b1/) Kenny Green (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenny-green-cpa-01494b92/) Eli Rigatuso (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elirigatuso/) Moderated by Yvonne Alston of Indelible Impressions Consulting. https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonnealston/ This episode is brought to you by the Leaders for Equity, Allyship, and Diversity, where we are having honest and uncomfortable conversations to make a difference in the world. We host these events to allow leaders to come together, discuss, learn, share, activate, and empower to make a difference in this world. These occur every Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern/4:30pm Pacific. You can find our group and upcoming events on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13938399/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

It’s so easy for us to sit back and be comfortable as leaders, because learning and growing is tough. Yet those who have been discriminated against and those who have been marginalized have it even tougher, and sometimes in the simplest ways. Nik Kacy is a queer, trans-masculine, gender non-binary, Chinese immigrant who is now an L.A.-based entrepreneur/designer/ and event producer who refuses to be confined by societal boundaries or limited by the gender binary. Passionate about visibility, equality & equity, NiK created Equality Fashion Week in 2018, the first queer Fashion Week in LA, featuring over 150 QBIPOC talent. Nik is also the founder of NiK Kacy Footwear, the first luxury gender-free footwear & accessories brand in 2014.on the importance for leaders to get out of their comfort zones so they can create environments that allow individuals to stand tall in their own shoes. Nik and Chris Lin discuss the importance of creating safe employee experiences and environments that allow individuals to stand tall in their own shoes, and how leaders need to become uncomfortable in order to grow. Connect with Nik Kacy Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkacy/ Footwear Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkacyfootwear/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkacy/ Website: http://www.nikkacy.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/nikkacyfootwear Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

Police Violence stems from white supremacy values and is unacceptable. Because of this, we recognize that we must reform the system to make it just and equitable for all people. In this episode, we brought together a group of panelists to discuss their reactions to the verdict of the policeman who murdered George Floyd and what we need to do to Reimagine Reform because of the Police Violence Across America. You can listen to Part TWO of this conversation here: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/a61f1f7f-5417-452e-9272-a895741ba6c4 The panelists for this conversation include: LeRon Barton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/leron-barton-cwna-2b700b1/) Kenny Green (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenny-green-cpa-01494b92/) Eli Rigatuso (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elirigatuso/) Moderated by Yvonne Alston of Indelible Impressions Consulting. https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonnealston/ This episode is brought to you by the Leaders for Equity, Allyship, and Diversity, where we are having honest and uncomfortable conversations to make a difference in the world. We host these events to allow leaders to come together, discuss, learn, share, activate, and empower to make a difference in this world. These occur every Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern/4:30pm Pacific. You can find our group and upcoming events on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13938399/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

Warning: This episode covers the topic of human trafficking and may be triggering to some. Diversity, especially amongst Americans, is a crucial misunderstanding. Being able to appreciate and recognize cultural diversity is key in many aspects of helping build foundations, but especially in human trafficking. From being able to recognize signs, to the appropriate approach to after care can all be traced back to the culture of all involved. Kelli White leads this L.E.A.D. discussion on human trafficking and our different cultural backgrounds and normalcies as they relate to human trafficking, how we need to work to identify barriers and to overcome them, and the problem with the "numbers". Connect with Kelli White: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelli-white-msn-fnp-bc-aprn-rnfa-9928a818a/ Moderated by Sarah Phelps: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsarahphelps/ This episode is brought to you by the Leaders for Equity, Allyship, and Diversity, where we are having honest and uncomfortable conversations to make a difference in the world. We host these events to allow leaders to come together, discuss, learn, share, activate, and empower to make a difference in this world. These occur every Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern/4:30pm Pacific. You can find our group and upcoming events on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13938399/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn YouTube LeadingPeopleFirst.com

Our work in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion is now in a period of transformation and self-awakening. We need to all to further our journey toward inclusive excellence. Welcome Leaders for Equity, Allyship, and Diversity where we are having honest and uncomfortable conversations to make a difference in the world. What you’re about to listen to is the presentation on why one white male, Tom Bayley, decided to be the change. We host these events to allow leaders to come together, discuss, learn, share, activate, and empower to make a difference in this world. These occur every Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern/4:30pm Pacific. You can find our group and upcoming events on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13938399/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn LeadingPeopleFirst.com

There’s been a lot of growth in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space over the last year. However, many people, like in other periods of growth and opportunity, get into the work for the wrong reasons. This is the reason you need a strong WHY in DEI. And this is exactly what this episode’s guest helps leaders and businesses do. Natajia Miller is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant and the founder of Mind Fro Travel, promoting humanity through cultural awareness, and focusing on showing businesses how to create strategies that lead to more inclusivity within their own organizations. Natajia and Chris Lin also discuss the difference between cultural competency and cultural humility, how various DEI approaches can resonate differently with the individual, and how to combat internalized racism in order to create a better employee experience. Connect with Natajia Miller LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natajia-miller-mind-fro-travel-founder-diversity-inclusion-consultant-antiracism/ Website: http://www.natajia.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDf-rL1-aVkwK3RJwdOllVA Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn LeadingPeopleFirst.com

The leadership development space tends to be incredibly rigid, focused mostly on technical skills. And what happens when we teach rigid skillsets is we create rigid employee experiences and processes. Kay Ross is a storyteller focused in marketing, performing, and healing and is the creator of the Playground of Possibilities. In this episode, we talk about how leaders need to embrace change and go through leading without a script, and to explore new ways of being. Connect with Kay Ross LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayross/ Website: http://www.kayross.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kayross852 Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn LeadingPeopleFirst.com

We’ve been brought up to stick to one career path and climb the ladder. But in the the current environment, we no longer have to abide by those structures, and neither should those around you. Angelica Patlán joins the Leading People First podcast to share how leaders need to open up possibilities for those around them to create a transformational employee experience. Angelica is the proud daughter of a single mother and first-generation college graduate, making waves since day one by overcoming obstacles and breaking down barriers. Angelica brings her nontraditional background as a former 911 dispatcher, love of people, and drive for change to the HR space for a better future of work and HR. Angelica and Chris also talk about humanity being at the forefront of the workplace, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the state of human resources. Connect with Angelica Patlán LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apatlan/ Website: https://www.anewwaveofhr.com/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn LeadingPeopleFirst.com

Whether it's a crude neighbor during a flight, a creepy Uber driver, or the person at the hotel bar that's clearly had one too many, women live in a radically different world than men when they travel. And with the recent rise of nationalism and existing sexism and bigotry in the U.S. and abroad, discrimination and even violence are grave concerns. Once COVID-19 restrictions loosen, how do women and the marginalized get back to seeing the world while protecting themselves? Welcome Leaders for Equity, Allyship, and Diversity where we are having honest and uncomfortable conversations to make a difference in the world. What you’re about to listen to is the presentation on Diversity & Inclusion in the Travel Industry by Prachi Thakur. We host these events to allow leaders to come together, discuss, learn, share, activate, and empower to make a difference in this world. These occur every Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern/4:30pm Pacific. You can find our group and upcoming events on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13938399/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn LeadingPeopleFirst.com

Transparency and vulnerability are crucial for being a people first leader, so are you allowing your team to put everything on the table? Are you, yourself, putting everything on the table? John Hawley joins the Leading People First podcast to share how he uses his skills as a master facilitator to be a people first leader and create a dynamic employee experience. John Hawley is a master facilitator, father, husband, Virginia Tech Hokie, lukewarm Steeler fan, unicycle riding, military man, jokester, and forever learner. Andrew McCoy described him as, “John is one of the most enthusiastic, energetic raw talents I have met. 10 minutes with him and you feel empowered to reach into yourself and be better.” John and Chris Lin also discuss the importance of testing and experimentation, leadership lessons from the Navy, and having a growth mindset. Connect with John Hawley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwakefieldhawley/ Website: http://jwhawley.com/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn LeadingPeopleFirst.com

We all have difficult experiences that negatively affect us. Rather than spend energy on rejecting or hiding them, why not be uncomfortable and embrace them? Use them as launching points? That’s exactly what Michelle Vu does. Michelle is a corporate leadership coach helping organizations and their managers embrace the uncomfortable and difficult to grow. Michelle joined Chris Lin on the Leading People First podcast to share her own experiences, as well as the lessons she's learned from her clients to help businesses overcome adversity and to truly lead with heart. Michelle and Chris also discuss how to support inner work, vulnerability, and the entrepreneurial mindset for an impactful employee experience. Connect with Michelle Vu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hrmichellevu/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iammichellevu1 Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessownersfreedom  Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn LeadingPeopleFirst.com

How are you supporting and empowering women around you? Sam DeMase joins the Leading People First podcast to share how she empowers women to channel a fearless confidence to be their own advocates. Sam is focused on smashing the patriarchy and helping women get what they're worth as a Confidence Coach, social media powerhouse, and leader in recruiting, training, and leadership development. Sam and Chris Lin also discuss the importance of engaging biases and discrimination against women, advocacy, ally ship, authenticity, and channeling fearless confidence. Connect with Sam DeMase Website: https://www.apowermood.com/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/apowermood TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@apowermood?lang=en Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samdemase/ Subscribe & Follow Leading People First Instagram LinkedIn LeadingPeopleFirst.com