319: Courage Over Fear, Leadership Lessons from Tesla and the Marines with Kristen Kavanaugh
Allyship in Action
Kristen Kavanaugh is the author of Courage Over Fear and the founder of The Agency Initiative, working to connect people's work with meaning in alignment with their values. Previously, she was the vice chair of the Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity & Inclusion and the senior director of inclusion, talent & learning at Tesla. Here are my key takeaways: Values Dissonance Drives Talent Away: The conflict between personal values and the actions or culture of a company—especially at the leadership level—causes significant personal distress and ultimately leads to attrition....
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318: The Bold Move for Higher Ed: Why Onboarding is the Key to Unlocking Women's Leadership Potential with Shanna Hocking
Allyship in Action
This week, I welcome Shanna Hocking to the podcast to talk about her new research in higher education and what's holding women back in university advancement. You might be surprised that the answer is disturbingly simple. Here are my favorite takeaways: The Crisis in Higher Education Leadership: A shift is needed from a scarcity mindset focused only on fundraising to a focus on leadership and culture as the key to success. The profession is at a crossroads, needing to re-evaluate what has historically worked versus what is needed for the future, especially post-pandemic. Structural...
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317: Why Now is the Time to Uncompete with Ruchika Malhotra
Allyship in Action
I have to admit, I was nervous to do this interview. I met Ruchika Malhotra by chance years ago, and have been in awe of her work ever since. She is the visionary author behind the new book, Uncompete. Building on her viral conversation about imposter syndrome, Ruchika delves into the core thesis of her latest work: the necessity of rejecting a destructive culture of competition to unlock true, sustainable success. She challenges the ingrained notion that scarcity and cutthroat individualism are the only paths to achievement, arguing instead that collaboration, abundance, radical...
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316: Why Your Company Culture Needs to Be Measured Like Revenue with Kae Kronthaler-Williams
Allyship in Action
Kae Williams is a global software marketing executive on a mission to empower women in their careers through her work and her forthcoming book, Not Made For You. Kae works diligently to raise awareness about bias and hostile work cultures so that every woman will feel supported, respected, and enabled to achieve her full potential. Here are three key takeaways from the conversation about measuring organizational culture: Culture Needs Tangible Metrics, Not Just Talk: Organizations must treat culture like a business outcome, measuring it with the same rigor they apply to revenue and profit....
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315: How to Go On with Filmmaker Landon Ashworth
Allyship in Action
This episode features Landon Ashworth, an actor, director, and filmmaker with a background as a pilot and a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He discusses his personal journey as an autistic individual and the inspiration behind his award-winning new film, Go On. Here are three key takeaways from the discussion: A Journey of Resilience and Reinvention. Landon Ashworth shared that as a child, he was a bullied autistic kid who was advised to try acting classes to mask his autism and learn to fit in. This led to a lifelong background in the arts, even as he pursued...
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314: Pushing back Against the Zeitgeist with Dr. Chantelle Jessica Lewis and Jason Arday
Allyship in Action
Chantelle Lewis and Jason Arday, co-authors of the book We See Things They'll Never See, join the show to discuss their work. Arday, a professor of sociology of education at the University of Cambridge, and Lewis, an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Black British Studies at Pembroke College, the University of Oxford, delve into how their experiences as Black, neurodivergent academics influenced their book. Together, they share the motivation behind their work, highlighting the importance of challenging societal infringements and advocating for marginalized communities. Here are...
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313: Why DEI Pushback is a False Narrative with Nancy Levine Stearns
Allyship in Action
Nancy Levine Stearns, founder of ImpactDevise, a nonprofit journalism project, discusses the corporate response to the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) backlash. Stearns' project covers DEI initiatives in the private sector, and her reporting on corporate social responsibility has been cited by publications like The New York Times, NBC News, and Forbes. Stearns, a former executive recruiter, began focusing on the DEI space after the "heated" backlash following a recent election. She was initially intrigued by a story about Costco taking a public stance on DEI. This led her to...
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312: Pipeline Proactivity with Julie Kratz
Allyship in Action
Developing a strong talent pipeline is no longer just a good idea—it's a business imperative. But how can companies be more proactive and intentional about building the workforce of tomorrow? In this episode, we explore innovative strategies for proactive talent pipeline development. We'll discuss the importance of starting earlier to engage with potential talent long before they're looking for a job, and how to create relationships that last. We'll also break down what it means to be ready for Gen Z, a generation with unique expectations around purpose, flexibility, and communication....
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311: Building Allyship Programs with Julie Kratz
Allyship in Action
Building an impactful allyship program requires a strategic and thoughtful approach. This video breaks down the key steps to creating a program that goes beyond good intentions and drives real change within your organization. In this episode, I will guide you through the process, covering: Research: How to conduct a needs assessment to understand your organization's unique challenges and where to focus your efforts. Format: The different program structures you can use, from workshops and training modules to mentorship and sponsorship programs. Audience: How to identify and engage the...
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310: Inclusive Policies with Julie Kratz
Allyship in Action
Join us for a powerful conversation about building a truly inclusive workplace. In this episode, we're moving beyond buzzwords to discuss the concrete policies and practices that make a difference. We'll dive into the vital role of inclusive caregiving leave policies and how they support all employees, not just parents. We'll also unpack what inclusive hiring practices really look like—from writing unbiased job descriptions to creating a fair and equitable interview process. Finally, we'll explore how to embed inclusion into your company's culture so it's not just a set of rules, but a...
info_outlineHere are three key takeaways from the discussion:
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A Journey of Resilience and Reinvention. Landon Ashworth shared that as a child, he was a bullied autistic kid who was advised to try acting classes to mask his autism and learn to fit in. This led to a lifelong background in the arts, even as he pursued his primary dream of becoming an astronaut, which involved flight school, becoming a test pilot, and earning advanced degrees in astrophysics and filmmaking. After repeatedly facing setbacks in his astronaut career due to changing NASA requirements and budget cuts, he turned back to filmmaking.
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Creating One's Own Opportunities. A casting director advised Ashworth that every A-list celebrity has their own production company, encouraging him to create his own work instead of waiting for opportunities. Initially, his black-and-white interpretation of this advice led him to write, direct, and edit nearly a thousand comedy sketches completely by himself, as he struggled with the social dynamics and unreliability of collaboration. However, his career plateaued until he began to seek advice from showrunners, ultimately leading him on a path of scriptwriting and short filmmaking, culminating in the creation of his feature film.
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The Power and Purpose of Go On. Ashworth's feature film, Go On, was written in a single 36-hour period as he processed the loss of his young autistic cousin to suicide. The film is his attempt to pay tribute to his cousin and is a story about a person in purgatory wrestling with past trauma and unable to process it, ultimately exploring themes of grief, healing, and the resilience of the human mind. He shared that his ultimate hope is that the film gives people hope, and he has already received messages from three individuals stating that watching the film helped prevent them from taking their own lives. Ashworth is committed to answering every message he receives, seeing his platform as a space for the "underdog".