246: Decentering Whiteness with Dr. Janice Gassam Assare
The Diversity Pivot
Dr. Janice Gassam Assare has over 10 years of experience facilitating racial dialogue and educating others about equity and inclusion. The work that she does is inspired by her mom and her willingness to speak up and speak out against the oppressive systems that she had to navigate in her workplace. Through the strength and perseverance personified through her, she is invigorated to be the change I seek in the world and the workplace. Dr. J centers her work around the liberation of Black people and more specifically, Black womxn. The reason for this is echoed in the words of the Combahee River...
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245: April is Autism Acceptance Month with Matt Lowry
The Diversity Pivot
It goes without saying that autistic people are human. Yet, for the longest time, autism has been contextualized as robots or needing to be fixed. Matt Lowry is an Autistic adult and Licensed Psychological Practitioner who works exclusively with Autistic clients, performing neurodiversity-affirming Autism evaluations and providing Autistic Centered Therapy (AuCT)--a form of therapy that he helped create. Together, we cover: Why intersectionality is critical to the future of autism False assumptions people make about autism How to make workplaces more inclusive to people with autism ...
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244: An Allyship Approach to Dismantling Systems with Wema Hoover
The Diversity Pivot
Wema Hoover is a global executive and transformational leader of diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI) and human resources and Principal & CEO of Wema Hoover Advisors, executive coaching firm and Be Limitless Consulting a DEI and Culture firm. Wema has a proven track record of creating systemic change in organizational culture by embedding diversity and inclusion into people practices, processes, and product approach on a global scale. Wema is a former global Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Culture who has lived in four (4) countries and ran global teams in 26 countries for Google,...
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243: Why Pronouns Are Important And How They Should Be Used with Julie Kratz
The Diversity Pivot
For folks who identify as non-binary or transgender, pronouns are essential to their identity. For folks who identify as cisgender (meaning you identify as the same gender you were assigned at birth where your gender generally corresponds to your biological sex), it may seem silly to share pronouns that may seem obvious to others. Sharing your pronouns is a way to lift the burden off others whose pronouns may not be as clear. Sharing pronouns creates a welcoming environment for individuals of all gender identities. It helps avoid assumptions based on appearance and ensures that everyone...
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242: How Do DEI and AI Coexist with Julie Kratz
The Diversity Pivot
Leaders are being tasked with managing a record level of change from politics to social issues due to the rapid pace of technological change. Those who embrace the human skills along with the technical skills will thrive. AI cannot replace human skills. To establish a competitive advantage in a tight labor market, it's smart to balance these skills in the workplace. This balance boosts retention, productivity and the quality of work performance. Learn more on and find Julie at www.Nextpivotpoint.com
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241: Middle Managers Are The Missing Key To DEI Success with Julie Kratz
The Diversity Pivot
In an era of cancel culture there is a fear of saying or doing the wrong thing that often leads to inaction. The dominant group could fear feeling less relevant, could be concerned about the reputation risk involved in speaking up and could have a zero-sum-game mentality (one person or group wins and one loses). In my interview with Sandra Quince, CEO of Paradigm for Parity, she explained that “diversity is the next dirty word. What people don’t get is that DEI is not a replacement strategy. The goal of DEI is for everyone to feel valued. This is especially true for women and marginalized...
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240: Why Inclusive Leadership Needs To Be Top Learning Priority with Julie Kratz
The Diversity Pivot
According to a recent report titled “The State of L&D in 2024,” employers see a $7 ROI for every $1 spent on leadership programs, citing that traditional “soft” skills such as emotional intelligence and effective communication are not just nice-to-have, but rather must-have skills for leaders of the future. In this episode Julie shares key reasons why inclusive leadership is a must have for business leaders: Sixty percent of learning leaders pinpointed leadership as the most significant gap in current employee development. Sixty-six percent of learning and development (L...
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239: Why DEI Will Not DIE with Julie Kratz
The Diversity Pivot
DEI is at an inflection point. There is a mixed bag of evidence showing continued slow support of DEI: Job postings for DEI are down. Most employees perceive DEI as positive, yet there is a significant political divide. DEI investment is steady and projected to double by 2026. Investors and legislation are continuing to pressure organizations to prioritize DEI. Younger employees see DEI as non-negotiable. Learn the 10 actionable tips in this week's podcast with Julie Kratz. and find Julie at
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238: The Growing Psychological Safety Disconnect Between Leaders And Employees with Julie Kratz
The Diversity Pivot
Psychological safety, defined simply, is the ability to say or do hard things without the fear of retaliation at work. In a competitive labor market, it is a must-have, not a nice-to-have. Julie breaks down new research showing: 42% of managers feel psychologically safe compared to 57% of executives 40% of leaders agreed that if they made a mistake, it would be held against them 53% of employees feel safe to take a risk versus 76% of executives 68% of employees agreed that no one on their teams would deliberately undermine them Read more on and find Julie at...
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237: Are You an Active or Performative Ally with Poornima Luthra
The Diversity Pivot
Dr. Poornima Luthra is the author of ‘Diversifying Diversity: Your guide to being an active ally of inclusion in the workplace’ and ‘The Art of Active Allyship’, the author of the HBR articles ‘Do your global teams see DEI as an American issue?’ and ‘7 ways to practice active allyship’, and a Tedx speaker. Her third book, ‘Leading through Bias.’ Luthra is also Associate Professor at the Copenhagen Business School and the founder and CEO of TalentED Consultancy. She joins the podcast to share: Her unique definition of allyship and why it is hard to translate into other...
info_outlineDiversity awareness cannot be a one and done discussion. April is a great opportunity to build upon past successes with diversity and inclusion and intentionally build another moment of awareness and activity for allies to engage more.
In this solo-episode, I share ideas to have a successful discussion with your organization:
- Be intentional. Ensure any program has a follow up exercise or application and it is clear what is expected.
- Try out the diversity wheel or diversity storytelling exercises.
- Check out my resources page with free videos, blogs, podcasts and book lists to help you facilitate this important, ongoing dialogue.
More at www.nextpivotpoint.com/resources