163-Breaking the Silence: Workplace Culture Challenges and Change in Forestry with Kelly Cooper & Greg Herringer

In this episode of YourForest Podcast, host Matthew Kristoff is joined by Kelly Cooper, founder of the Free to Grow in Forestry initiative, and Greg Herringer, chair of the Canadian Institute of Forestry’s DEI leadership team. 
Through honest and eye-opening conversation, they unpack why change is so difficult, highlighting deep-rooted resistance, fear of change, and power dynamics that hold progress back. Kelly shares her personal experience of being excluded from the very DEI work she was leading, while Greg reflects on how bias shows up in both personal and professional spaces. 

🌟 Key Points 🌟
👉 DEI in Forestry Faces Systemic Resistance
👉 Kelly Cooper’s Experience Reflects the Broader Challenge
👉 Invisible Privilege Shapes Workplace Dynamics
👉 Allyship Requires Action, Not Just Agreement
👉 Cultural Change Requires Structural Support
👉 Emotional Intelligence Is a Key Leadership Skill

💬 Quotes 💬
[00:11:06] Greg Herringer: “Our culture isn't as far as long as we would like to believe.”
[00:27:52] Kelly Cooper: “I wrote a book called Lead the Change The Competitive Advantage of Gender Diversity and Inclusion. And the reason I wrote that is because I could see quite clearly there was a gap in the leadership levels of understanding this and common-sense way.”
[00:13:35] Matthew Kristoff: “It's easy for me to have rose colored glasses. I think I'm optimistic. Like, things are good, life is good. We're going well. But then you talk to Kelly and you're like, oh, well, shit.”

⌛ Takeaways with Complete Timestamps ⌛
[00:00:00] - Introduction & Theme Setup.
[00:06:52] - Kelly Cooper’s Background & Motivation
[00:09:46] - Greg Herringer’s Story & Racial Awareness2a
[00:17:32] - Launch and Growth of Free to Grow in Forestry
[00:26:17] - Breakdown of the Initiative and Industry Pushback
[00:35:03] - Institutional and Psychological Resistance
[00:42:50] - The Impact of Exclusion and Bystander Culture
[00:54:00] - Leadership Bias and Power Dynamics
[01:08:00] - Redefining Allyship: From Support to Accompliceship
[01:13:10] - Tools for Change and Empathy in Practice
[01:18:38] - Emotional Impact and Reputational Harm
[01:27:12] - Rebuilding DEI Momentum & Leadership Accountability
[01:49:55] - Conclusion: Staying the Course and Hope for the Future

🔗 Important Links:
👉 Canadian Institute of Forestry: https://www.cif-ifc.org/
👉 Free to Grow in Forestry: https://www.cif-ifc.org/what-we-do/free-to-grow/
👉 Lead the Change: The Competitive Advantage of Gender Diversity and Inclusion: https://a.co/d/5yAbpUp
👉 Greenlink Forestry Ltd: https://www.greenlinkforestry.co.uk/
👉 Registered Professional Foresters: https://www.fpbc.ca/become-a-forest-professional/registered-professional-foresters/
👉 On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century: https://a.co/d/fWV2HlF

Follow the Guests on:
👉 Kelly Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-cooper-6b742966/ 
👉 Greg Herringer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-herringer-48882a109/

Sponsors
👉 West Fraser: https://www.westfraser.com/
👉 GreenLink Forestry Inc.: https://greenlinkforestry.com/

Follow YourForest Podcast on:
👉 Website: https://yourforestpodcast.com/
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