Make Room at the Table: Corporate Panels to Podcasting Pioneer | Replay with Deneen L Garrett

In a revealing conversation on the Dear Business Coach podcast, diversity advocate Denine shares how she transformed corporate representation by creating space for LGBTQ+ women of color. "I looked around and saw who was missing," she explains, describing her initiative to launch a groundbreaking panel that became one of the most popular sessions for three consecutive years. Her approach emphasizes more than mere inclusion: "When you invite people to the table, don't just invite them there, engage them, make them feel like they're welcome." This philosophy extends to her podcast "Women of Color in Intimate Conversation," which she launched in April 2020. When asked about building audiences for diverse voices, Denine focuses on authenticity over marketing: "I wasn't focused on the audience per se. I was focused on providing the women who I knew were missing a platform to use their voices." Her success was evident when, by the second year of her corporate panel, "there were people who were lined up against the walls, sitting on a floor because all the seats were full," demonstrating the profound impact of creating platforms for underrepresented voices.