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Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why we often feel discomfort discussing differences that make a difference, and why opening dialog is necessary even if it is uncomfortable How our subconscious minds take in 11 million pieces of information per second, but our conscious minds are only aware of 40 at most What “stereotype threat” is and how it causes us to second-guess our subconscious thoughts, and how it impacts our behaviors How our worries caused by stereotype threat cause us to act differently when navigating challenging situations How our concern about inadvertently stereotyping others can affect our interactions across differences How “racial anxiety” is a specific type of stereotype threat that happens when interacting across racial differences Sara provides examples of stereotype threat and racial anxiety from her own professional experiences What strategies we can employ to reduce racial anxiety, and why it is important to recognize and acknowledge it when it is happening Why more frequent exposure to people who are different from us can help alleviate stereotype threat and racial anxiety Why developing cultural competence can help improve our ability to interact with difference and reduce polarization Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Kjirsten Mickesh is Co-Founder and CEO of ConnectHuman. She has been a student of human and organizational behavior for over two decades, having led all aspects of Human Resources at global companies in multiple industries. Kjirsten is an ICF certified coach with specialized training in social and emotional intelligence. Kjirsten is known for her courageous leadership and ability to address complex opportunities with focus and alignment to achieve differential results. Her approach to building relationships allows her to create boundaryless partnerships and collaboration. In Kjirsten’s own words: “I have experienced a life-long journey with anxiety AND have also experienced great success in life and work. But I traveled most of my journey alone because I was ashamed and afraid. It makes me sad to think about how alone and scared I often felt, and that I never asked the people in my life who loved me and were there to support me for help. But I can’t go back. So, as I look back, I choose to focus on the gifts I discovered in my fear and all that I have learned along the way. So many people suffer alone, and they don’t have to. Now I hope my story can inspire others to ask for the support they need or be the person others can come to for support.” What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Kjirsten has found a balance between her lifelong experiences of anxiety with her successful career How a fear of being seen as weak led Kjirsten to hiding her anxiety, from others and from herself How Kjirsten’s fear and anxiety impacted Kjirsten’s behaviors in her workplace, and how she realized her anxiety was affecting her work How giving herself permission to feel and to cry helped Kjirsten manage her feelings in a healthier way How the global pandemic, the election, the murder of George Floyd, and other societal issues have amplified our anxiety and depression Why the pandemic and social distancing is forcing many mental health facilities to close, causing even more strain on our support systems What steps we can take to improve our mental health fitness each day, and why self-awareness is key Why our feelings often come in layers, for example feeling anxiety on the surface but with a layer of fear underneath the anxiety Why being aware of mental health issues and creating a workplace space for employees to feel safe in expressing what they are feeling is critically important How to encourage team members to share their feelings, and how to be receptive and responsive to those feelings Additional resources: Website: https://connecthuman.net/ Website: https://connectionzoo.com/ Blog: https://connecthuman.net/blog/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kjirstenmickesh/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/connecthuman/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kjir @Kjir

In this unique episode of What’s The Difference, you’ll hear audio from Sara Taylor’s recent guest appearance on the Undeclared podcast. Undeclared is a higher education marketing podcast hosted by Allison Lanier and Scott Fogleman from Up&Up, a branding and marketing agency focused exclusively on the unique challenges and needs of colleges and universities. Scott and Allison speak with Sara about the importance of diverse, equitable and inclusive marketing in the higher education space, and how it plays a key role in creating a welcoming and safe environment for students of all backgrounds. Allison Lanier’s Bio: As a Business Development Manager for Up&Up, Allison Lanier brings her experience in sales leadership and execution from past employers such as Verizon Wireless and PepsiCo. At Up&Up, she uses her passion for people to create a positive, effective, and rewarding campaign experience for the West Sales Region. Allison is our resident mud lover and spends most of her free time at obstacle course races with her husband, David. They also enjoy various outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, geocaching, and Pokemon hunting. Scott Fogleman’s Bio: Scott Fogleman is The Director of Business Development for Up&Up and he brings together his passions for the creative world and the impact education has on students. After graduating from Clemson University, he began his career in advertising sales at The Wall Street Journal, followed most recently by a successful sales career with SYNNEX Corporation managing the Google Brand inclusive of Chrome Education. Scott’s passion for higher education began during his time with Clemson’s Undergraduate Student Government and as a member of the President’s Cabinet. At Up&Up, he leads the East Sales Region with a mission to impact change by bringing strong, positive, executable campaigns to his clients and their constituents. Outside of work, Scott takes full advantage of the wonders of the outdoors ranging from hiking, water sports, snow skiing, photography, concerts, as well as lawn care (yes, he actually loves to cut grass)! Scott also enjoys spending time with his wife, Kate, their cat George, and friends and family. Sara Taylor’s Bio: Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why Sara and her team at deepSEE Consulting define diversity as “differences that make a difference” What unconscious bias is and how, of the millions of pieces of information we take in every second, we are only conscious of around 40 of them Why bias isn’t just about negative feelings toward marginalized groups but also includes positive feelings toward dominant groups What the five stages of cultural competence are and how each stage affects our ability to navigate difference How Sara helps people overcome feelings of self-consciousness over their unconscious biases and move forward How diversity can be included in marketing in an authentic and effective way, and what organizations should avoid doing Why diversity alone isn’t enough to improve productivity, and why a team’s cultural competence makes a big difference Why developing cultural competence is a process that starts with your own subconscious bias first How to best deal with situations in which people push back against diversity and inclusion work, and why commonality is the key Why equality isn’t the same as equity, and how doing the work can impact all aspects of an organization Resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency Scott Fogleman’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/foglemanscott Allison Lanier’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allison-lanier Facebook: www.facebook.com/upandupagency Twitter: https://twitter.com/upandupagency @upandupagency Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the individual traumas we experience differ from our collective, societal traumas such as the murder of George Floyd How the murders of unarmed Black men by police officers have continued unabated, even since George Floyd’s murder Why the staggering number of reported murders of unarmed Black men only speaks to part of the story and represents only part of the true tragedy Why the desensitization of these tragic experiences causes us as a society to keep going under the status quo Why organizations need to create resources to support people directly or indirectly affected by these societal traumas Why it is important for diversity, equity and inclusion practitioners to take the time for self-care Why Sara considers conducting focus groups to be the most draining and difficult part of her work in the DEI space Why the number one challenge that marginalized people in organizations face is feeling the need to operate at 150% just to be perceived as working at 80% How diversity, equity and inclusion practitioners are positioned to stop the downward spiral in organizations, but only if they take care of themselves Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara  

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why equality and equity are very different concepts, and why working toward equality rarely creates equal results Why equality doesn’t take into account of individual bias, structural bias, systemic bias, and lack of cultural competence How individual bias can begin to create patterns that impact different social groups in profound ways How the two types of individual bias (stereotypical and preferential) are magnified when we come together in groups How Sara believes structural bias and systemic bias differ, and how both are challenging to recognize How systemic bias is impacting the world of education, and how the global pandemic is amplifying this bias and its impact on students and teachers How systemic bias touches almost every aspect of our lives and our society, from economics to healthcare to criminal justice How the five stages of cultural competence interact with the dynamic of equality versus equity Why we only focus on equality within the first three stages of cultural competence, and why it is only in the last two stages that we can shift our focus to equity Why we must begin recognizing and addressing disparities now, and how deepSEE Consulting’s Equity Framework can help Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Kristen Anderson is currently the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for Barilla and has been a member of the D&I Board since its formation in 2013. Kristen reports to the CEO of Barilla and leads a 12-member D&I Board, comprised of internal members from eight key countries and two external advisors. Previously, Kristen was VP of R&D for the Asia, Africa and Australia region for Barilla, based in Singapore. She joined Barilla in 2010 as VP of Research, and she is now based at the Barilla Headquarters in Parma, Italy. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Kristen made the transition from working in research and development at Barilla to her role as Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Why a strong commitment and engagement from leadership at Barilla is instrumental to the work Kristen does, and how D&I work at the global scale differs How the individual circumstances of countries around the world drive the need to focus on different initiatives at the local level What significant achievements, milestones and progress Kristen and her team have made, including how they were able to achieve gender pay equality Why Kristen and her team have found strong backing data, a clearly defined process and intentionality crucial for their effort to close the gender pay gap How Barilla partnered with Microsoft to develop an app to help team members manage their time working physically in the office and use of common spaces How Italy-based Barilla has seen an influx of refugees and has created a refugee program to help refugees enter, integrate and train for new careers How Barilla has worked closely with Italian government agencies and local organizations to help place refugees in jobs with the company What important lessons Kristen has learned in her work in the diversity, equity and inclusion space, and what advice she has to share with other practitioners Additional resources: Website: www.barillagroup.com/en/diversity-inclusion LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-anderson-aaa44a8/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/barilla_group/ Twitter: @barillagroup  

Dwight Hamilton, J.D. is the Director of the Office of Equity and Access for the Adtalem Global Education Group. Prior to coming to Adtalem, Mr. Hamilton worked at Northwestern University as its Associate Vice President for Equity and Smith College as its Vice President for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity and was its first Chief Diversity Officer. After practicing law for fifteen years, Mr. Hamilton transitioned into higher education by working at Grand Valley State University as its Associate Vice President for Affirmative Action and Title IX Coordinator. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Dwight’s background in legal practice transitioned into his career in diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education How the Adtalem Global Education Group runs a number of educational institutions in the US and throughout the world What impact Dwight recognizes from the global pandemic on diversity, equity and inclusion in the online education space Why there are differences between diversity, equity and inclusion work within higher education versus in other settings, and how those differences impact the work itself Why faculty play such a crucial role in creating an inclusive learning environment, and why there is an important power dynamic between tenured and non-tenured faculty What Dwight believes the diversity, equity and inclusion field can do better, both within and outside higher education Why a double standard exists where people sometimes look down on students getting in through Affirmative Action initiatives but not through being legacy students Why “food, flags and festivals” are great for engagement but aren’t sufficient for creating meaningful change within an organization Why greater diversity at higher education institutions benefits all students, and why the Supreme Court agrees that it is a compelling governmental interest What advice Dwight would share with people who are just beginning to enter diversity, equity and inclusion work Additional resources: Website: www.adtalem.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dwight-hamilton-9571623/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/adtalemglobaleducation/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/AdtalemGlobalEducation Twitter: @adtalemglobal

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the office of the President of the United States has issued an executive order banning diversity and inclusion training for all federal agencies and employees How the census is predicting that the US will be a majority-minority country by the year 2044, and why diversity and inclusion training is more important than ever How research shows that homogenous teams have mediocre performance, while diverse teams represent the lowest and highest performing teams How cultural competence determines whether diverse teams are in the lowest or highest performing brackets, and why diversity and inclusion training is critical Why polarization, the second stage of cultural competence, is based on fear and on a win/lose mentality How a pair of segments on FOX News featuring Chrisotopher Rufo and his so-called “critical race theory research” led to this executive order from the President’s office How Christopher Rufo stoked race-based fear and polarization with his segments, and why turning to solid research is vitally important to make fact-based policy decisions How the research that Christopher Rufo cited is based on misconstrued information, and how the claims he made come from a place of polarization Why the claims Rufo makes about diversity and inclusion training being unAmerican aren’t backed by facts or reality Why viewing the world through a lens of polarization is a choice we make, and why moving beyond the polarization stage is also a choice we can make Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Andie Kramer is a partner at an international law firm. Alongside her demanding legal career, she has become a nationally known advocate for women’s advancement. Because mentorship opportunities for young executive and professional women are often limited, she co-founded the Women’s Leadership and Mentoring Alliance (WLMA) and has developed numerous women-specific leadership training programs. Andie is the recipient of a long list of accolades and awards for both achievements in her legal career and her advocacy of women. Among her accolades is being named on National Law Review’s 50 most influential women lawyers in America for her “demonstrated power to change the legal landscape, shape public affairs, launch industries, and do big things.” What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why the impact of the global pandemic has been different on women than they have been on men, and why women are shouldering a disproportionate amount of the burden How working mothers with school age or younger children are struggling with a lack of support during social distancing from both their workplaces and their partners at home Why women are paying a higher emotional tax during the pandemic due to increased bias and expectations on women Why men need to accept increased personal accountability to pick up some of the slack, and why the bias that women should be doing the heavy lifting is magnifying the disparity How the intersectionality of gender bias and racism is creating even greater challenges for women of color Why white people need to make the effort to understand how much more difficult things are in the workplace and in our culture for people of color How the present environment is creating a crucial turning point and the dual crises of the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd are magnifying the strain What steps organizations can take and strategies they can use to help overcome gender and intersectionality bias How forcing people to think more slowly as opposed to making knee-jerk reactions can help eliminate bias Additional resources: Breaking Through Bias 2nd Edition by Andie Kramer and Alton Harris: https://amzn.to/3b7vui5 It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace by Andie Kramer and Alton Harris: https://amzn.to/2QUeAtD Website: www.andieandal.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andiekramer/ Twitter: @AndieandAl

Andie Kramer is a partner at an international law firm. Alongside her demanding legal career, she has become a nationally known advocate for women’s advancement. Because mentorship opportunities for young executive and professional women are often limited, she co-founded the Women’s Leadership and Mentoring Alliance (WLMA) and has developed numerous women-specific leadership training programs. Andie is the recipient of a long list of accolades and awards for both achievements in her legal career and her advocacy of women. Among her accolades is being named on National Law Review’s 50 most influential women lawyers in America for her “demonstrated power to change the legal landscape, shape public affairs, launch industries, and do big things.” What you’ll learn about in this episode: How making the transition from a tiny law firm to a large international firm opened Andie’s eyes to the realities of gender inequity How the men at Andie’s firm would give themselves glowing praise in their self-evaluations but the women would credit the entire team in theirs Why Andie is releasing the second edition of her book focusing more on the increased prevalence of explicit bias since the election of Donald Trump Why there are certain communication techniques women are hesitant to use, and how using a sense of humor to navigate situations can be a powerful tool How implicit gender bias typically shows up in the workplace, and why women must walk a careful tightrope between “nice, kind and sweet” and “competent and confident” How women often have to adapt to situations to be able to navigate through the workplace, and how to do so in an authentic, true-to-yourself way What suggestions and advice Andie would offer to women experiencing gender bias in the workplace Why men must understand that the workplace isn’t a perfect meritocracy, and why men have a responsibility to help solve these issues Why men shouldn’t just be a part of the conversation but should be starting the conversation when they identify problems Additional resources: Breaking Through Bias 2nd Edition by Andie Kramer and Alton Harris: https://amzn.to/3b7vui5 Website: www.andieandal.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andiekramer/ Twitter: @AndieandAl

Born and raised in Ukraine, professional diversiculturalist Dr. Fiona Citkin came to the US as a Fulbright Scholar studying languages and cultures at Kent State University, OH. Fiona’s first book was on language/translation (Terminology and Translation, Lviv, Vischa Shkola, 1988, in Russian) and it brought her recognition in European academia. For the book “Transformational Diversity: Why and How Intercultural Competencies Can Help Organizations to Survive and Thrive” (SHRM Publishing, 2011), Fiona has been recognized as a Top 2012 Champion of Diversity by diversitybusiness.com, a think-tank. This book was a seminal stepping stone for further exploration of the diverse American culture and the real-world ways to instill inclusion. Fiona’s new book, “How They Made It in America”, started with a desire to explore how diverse talented individuals make it big in America. She focused on prominent women immigrants as the book subjects—just because she knew from her own experiences that women face frequent tribulations on their way to success. The topic appeared so rich that it soon became clear she’ll need to write a book series to at least solidly scratch it. Since April 2013, Fiona’s monthly Huffington Post column explores the issues of multicultural women and what it takes to make it in America: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fiona-citkin-phd/. It was Arianna Huffington (an immigrant from Greece) who invited Fiona to blog there, build the future readership, and see how the public responds to the issues covered. And Arianna’s insights made her a perfect role model for Fiona. With experience as Director of Berlitz, FGI, and a personal consulting portfolio with major corporations, Fiona accumulated skills in public speaking, marketing, coaching, training, magazine and TV interviews, entrepreneurship, and of course, intercultural communication and languages. Fiona speaks three languages: English, Russian, and Ukrainian. After living and working in Europe (Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Austria, Great Britain, and Switzerland) she now resides in Warren, NJ, USA, and can be reached at fiona@fionacitkin.com. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Fiona first came to the United States under a Fulbright scholarship 25 years ago, and how her unique perspective as a female immigrant has informed her work How Fiona transitioned from teaching in Ukraine to becoming a consultant in the United States, and how her career took a “downgrade” when she immigrated How women immigrants often have to start over regardless of their professional background in their nations of origin How immigrant men and women share common challenges like language barriers, and how women experience additional challenges like sexual harassment and the glass ceiling Fiona shares her advice for practitioners looking to create a more welcoming, inclusive and equitable workplace for immigrant employees What important topics and lessons Fiona discussed in her book, and how human resources professionals can help strengthen a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment Why offering new skills to immigrant employees is only the first step, and why creating a safe and welcoming environment is the other critical part of the equation Why having an exit strategy is vital, and why understanding the immigrant experience during these difficult times is critical Fiona shares her perspective on the growing sense of nationalism and hostility toward immigrants, both in the United States and globally What wisdom Fiona would share for new immigrants before they enter the workplace in their new home country Additional resources: How They Made It in America by Fiona Citkin: https://amzn.to/2YiCHGN The Bridge: Women Worldwide YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCtnjxZ7nqAi83I-EHOqdVlw Website: http://fionacitkin.com/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-citkin-b7416310/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/FionaCitkinAuthor/ Twitter: @FionaCitkin

Joe Gerstandt is a speaker, author, and advisor bringing greater clarity, action, and impact to organizational diversity and inclusion efforts. Joe has worked with Fortune 100 corporations, small non-profits, government entities, and everything in between. He speaks at numerous conferences and summits and is a featured contributor for the Workforce Diversity Network Expert Forum. His insights have been published in Diversity Best Practices, Diversity Executive, HR Executive, numerous other print and on-line journals, and he co-authored the book Social Gravity: Harnessing the Natural Laws of Relationships. Joe has also served on the Intersectional Culture and Diversity Advisory (ICD) Council for the social networking platform, Twitter, and currently the board of directors for the Tri-Faith Initiative, which brings together in permanent residency a synagogue, church, mosque, and interfaith center on one 38-acre campus in the middle of America’s heartland. Joe grew up on a family farm in NW Iowa, served four years in the United States Marine Corps, including participation in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, attended Iowa State University and then spent 6 years working in management and business development for technology and communication companies. He then made a career change and went to work for a grassroots non-profit organization, and this is where he found himself drawn to issues related to diversity and inclusion and then became actively involved in that work. Today, Joe believes that we can ill afford to continue applying a 20th century approach to an increasingly critical set of 21st century issues. A strong advocate for resetting the diversity and inclusion conversation, Joe sees diversity and inclusion as poorly understood and often misunderstood. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Joe came to work in diversity, equity and inclusion through working in the nonprofit sector What factors Joe believes have contributed to our slowed progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and why leaders often see confuse this work with compliance issues Why Joe isn’t a fan of best practices since organizations and their needs vary so greatly from each other Why organizations often forget that inclusion is separate from diversity and often don’t understand why inclusion matters What major challenges organizations are facing today, and why the global pandemic is having a major impact on diversity and inclusion Why our society is more polarized than ever, and why organizations must work for clarity on the behavioral component of the issue Why diversity, equity, and inclusion within organizations isn’t inherently partisan or political and why organizations must set a standard of expected behaviors What Joe hopes we will be doing differently in this work ten years from now, and why organizations who are doing the work now are laying the foundation for a strong future What advice Joe would offer to new practitioners in this space, and why getting clear on why the work is important to you matters Why you should define and work toward the unique contribution you can make within the realm of diversity, equity and inclusion Additional resources: Website: www.joegerstandt.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joegerstandt/ Twitter: @joegerstandt

With fifteen years of HR leadership experience, Anthony Paradiso has become very passionate about Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace. He is the owner and founder of AllThingzAP, where their primary mission is for all to always be your authentic self. Anthony is a Human Resources Business Partner with Industrial U.I. Services and enjoys being on a host of boards and committees, such as the Diversity & Inclusion Director for the Garden State Council – SHRM (GSC-SHRM) and the VP of D&I with the North Jersey – Rockland Chapter SHRM. Additionally, he is on the Board of Advisors with the American Conference of Diversity and a Bergen County Human Relations Commissioner. Anthony has written a number of published articles for SHRM, WorkHuman, Workology, Rezoomo, Achievers, etc. and has been quoted in HR Magazine, Namely, & Bonusly. He has given a number of presentations and lectures about D&I, inclusion, being your authentic self, unconscious bias, employee relations and facilitated workshops surrounding diversity & inclusion that include the privilege walk. His education includes a BA from Binghamton University, MS in Human Relations & Business, and HR Certified. Serving as a Speaker, Influencer, Blogger, and Educator, Anthony is proud to have influenced the industry regarding unbiased and inclusive work environments. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Anthony discovered his passion for diversity, equity and inclusion work, and how coming out as a gay man fuels his passion for helping others Why, for the last 20 years, too many companies have focused on diversity without giving enough attention to inclusion for existing employees How sharing our stories are the necessary starting point for inclusion and equity, and why it is important to pay attention to leading indicators within organizations Anthony shares a story of a “privilege walk” activity and how a participant’s story made a powerful impact on the group Why sharing our unique stories helps connect us with the people we work with and can help us form strong, productive relationships based on commonality and empathy Why it is important to conduct a privilege walk activity correctly with the help of an experienced practitioner to avoid reinforcing participants’ bias How Anthony sharing his own coming-out story helps develop trust between himself and his audience Why all of our stories are valuable and worth telling, and why being a great orator isn’t necessary for sharing your story What advice Anthony has for HR practitioners with regards to developing their skills in diversity, equity and inclusion work Why mental health stories are important to share, and why mental health is becoming a growing part of diversity, equity and inclusion Additional resources: Website: www.allthingzap.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aparadiso/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/allthingzap/ Twitter: @allthingzap Instagram: @allthingzap

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why companies often treat diversity, equity and inclusion work differently than they do any other aspect of the organization, and why comparisons between the ways companies approach DEI work with the way they treat other major decisions can be valuable to help highlight the disparity Sara compares a CEO announcing sudden changes they want to see in their company’s DEI to a CEO announcing relocating the business to Brussels Sara compares a CEO dodging bold action suggested by a DEI practitioner within the company by consulting a non-practitioner first to a CEO consulting a DEI practitioner about the company’s marketing Sara provides another example of an organization forming a committee of volunteers to make DEI decisions, compared to forming a committee to revamp the organization’s finances Sara compares a company who says DEI work is important but then allows employees to do whatever they want with no coordination, with allowing everyone in the organization to choose their own company retreat location individually Sara compares a CEO sending a Diversity 101 video from YouTube to their DEI practitioner as if it’s new and exciting information with sending a patient care 101 video to the chief medical officer Sara compares an experienced practitioner telling a new leader about the efforts they’ve been making and the leader sending them a link to an organization doing elementary work and wanting to do the same, compared to a school principal sending a 7th grade teacher the kindergarten lesson plans and asking them to do that same work with the 7th graders Sara compares people suddenly interested in DEI work going to the company’s practitioner and asking why they aren’t doing anything with a teacher of another subject telling the math teachers what to teach when they have no idea what the math teachers have been teaching all along Sara compares a company assigning DEI work to the HR department three levels down with a company assigning their marketing work to the operations team three levels down Sara compares a CEO sending out public messages after the murder of George Floyd without consulting their DEI practitioners but instead consulting their black friend, with a governor sending out a message about the pandemic without consulting their health department but instead consulting a a podiatrist Why taking this work seriously by including DEI practitioners and their expertise is the only way our companies will create solutions Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How companies and organizations of all kinds spoke out with clear, decisive messaging after the murder of George Floyd, and why following those messages with action is vital Why the first step to taking action is to decide your approach of whether you want to take a transactional strategy or a transformational strategy Why you should only promise what you truly plan to deliver, and why you should conduct an equity audit to identify gaps that exist within your organization Why you need to shift from an equality-based approach to an equity-based approach, and why the two are fundamentally different Why an effective equity strategy must go beyond the obvious, and how a cadre of culturally competent equity coaches throughout the organization can be powerful How a Safe Space program can be invaluable for employees who have experienced identity-based trauma How springboard positions can help prepare and elevate employees from marginalized communities into higher positions within the organization Why an organization must focus on developing leaders first and then holding them accountable for creating an equitable workplace Why focusing on leading indicators rather than lagging indicators can help you steer your organization toward a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace Why it is important to only put people who are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in charge of your organization’s efforts Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds are reluctant to start or join the difficult conversations about race How “IVI” (intent, vulnerability, inoculation) can help you overcome your fear in talking about race Why signaling your intent to join the conversation can help prepare you and others for the discussion Why signaling positive intent is healthy and helps give others perspective on your hopes for the conversation Why entering conversations about race requires courage, and why people may be afraid to enter these conversations Why we are socialized and conditioned to remain silent about race, and not to talk about difference in a broad sense Why leaders, in particular, can build trust with their teams by expressing their own vulnerability How inoculation, preempting resistance and acknowledging discomfort from the people you’re speaking with, can help you address potential reactions Why these important conversations are the foundation on which our organizations can begin to take action Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Sara discusses the impact of a recent post listing the names of Black individuals who were killed or experienced racism during everyday activities like walking home How Sara’s pain, frustration, and anger after George Floyd was murdered caused her to feel a rawness that her family’s loved ones didn’t understand the pain they were experiencing How Sara’s unique perspective as a white woman married to a black man with a mixed-race family has shown her two distinct worlds, with privilege and advantage when she is alone and a world of racism when she is with her family Sara shares her own list of the places and situations in which she has experienced bias and racial discrimination with her family How Sara’s own son was stopped and questioned by police simply for walking, on an almost weekly basis Why the fact that it isn’t every walk makes systemic racism all the more insidious and traumatic and make it easy for outsiders to dismiss and victims to second-guess themselves Why there are distinct parallels between systemic racism and familial dysfunction, and why gaslighting plays a major role in both Sara shares the definition of gaslighting from Wikipedia and explains why it applies both to disfunction within families and racial disfunction in society Why recognizing racism and acknowledging that it happens is the key to fighting back against the collective gaslighting Additional resources: “It’s Not All Walks”, source unknown: https://whatsthedifferencepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/image001.png Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why there are so many differing, personal opinions over what the words “Black Lives Matter” actually mean How our stages of cultural competence development determine how we view the message of Black Lives Matter Why some people view the statement as “Black Lives Matter More” while others hear “Black Lives Matter Equally” How people stuck in the second stage of development often retort with the response “Blue Lives Matter” Why some people view Black Lives Matter as a win/lose scenario, a viewpoint reinforced by centuries of systems of power and oppression How to download a free checklist to help you better communicate with your employees, external stakeholders, and the community during painful, traumatic events How 15% of the population exists within the polarizing second stage of development, while nearly 70% are in the third stage and still controlled by our unconscious biases Why people in the third stage of development minimize differences, replying to “Black Lives Matter” with “All Lives Matter” or “Black Lives Matter Equally” Why the second and third stages of cultural competence aren’t just ineffective but serve to perpetuate systemic inequities How the fourth stage of development allows us to move from an equality-based approach to a more effective equity-based approach Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Tali Lavarry is the founder of Yum Yum Morale, a DEI Consultancy that focuses on the retention and advancement of diverse hires. Organizations large and small look to her, to bridge the gap between their leadership team and marginalized hires. She is known for her ability to be diplomatic, approachable, educational, and understanding. Through her own personal stories, she boldly moves corporate power brokers from resistant to receptive. Candid conversations and vulnerability are her superpowers. Her talks, workshops, trainings, and retreats never fail to open minds and soften hearts. Tali is the author of Confessions from Your Token Black Colleague, a former collaborator with Haas Berkeley’s Center for Equity, Gender & Leadership; and a member of Washington State University’s Foster School of Business Alumni. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Tali’s experiences as a “token Black” informs her work in diversity and inclusion and became the backbone of her book “Confessions from Your Token Black Colleague” How a series of microaggressions at her workplace caused Tali to reach an internal breaking point in her career Why “white solidarity” is a real problem for People of Color in the workplace, making it even harder to push back against racial bias Where stereotypes such as “the angry Black woman” come from and why they live within our unconscious minds Tali discusses the process of writing her book and how it is structured, and what lead her to write it How Tali has experienced internal realizations that she deserves better than some of the experiences she has had in the workplace Why Tali found herself having to fight against conditioned responses and internal corrections when writing her book Why Tali teaches white male CEOs the importance of taking a stand and speaking out against racism Why the pressure shouldn’t be on Black employees, but on the business leaders who can affect change within the organization Where you will be able to find Tali’s book once it releases in August 2020 Additional resources: Website: https://yumyummorale.com/ Website: https://yourtokenblackcolleague.com/ Email: info@yourtokenblackcolleague.com

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Sara discusses the pain and trauma felt by “Fernando,” a gay man at a company she was working with, six months after the PULSE night club tragedy in Orlando Why a non-response from Fernando’s employer after the shooting made him feel unvalued, unrespected, and unimportant to his employer How hate-based violence targeting marginalized communities is on the rise, reflecting the injustice, inequities, and disparities built into our society’s systems Why employer silence after these attacks leaves their employees feeling unsupported and leaves external stakeholders in the dark about what the organization stands for Sara shares an important checklist of dos and don’ts organizations can use to better respond to and address these tragedies Why empathy, authenticity, sincerity, clear, and frequent communication, and deep commitment to your employees and their pain are vital Why short-term messaging isn’t enough, and what steps you can take to clearly demonstrate your support over the long-term Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara