January 19, 2025 • 13 mins
Listen as Raven Heyward, founder and host of DiversifyHER, reflects on her journey with the podcast thus far. In this heartfelt solo episode, Raven opens up about the challenges of balancing college life, internships, and hosting a platform dedicated to empowerment and inclusion. She shares how taking time to pause and reflect has helped her realign with her purpose, set intentional goals, and move toward the next level of growth. Tune in for an honest conversation about the ups and downs of juggling multiple commitments and the importance of giving yourself grace while pursuing your passions.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello everyone and welcome back to Diversify Her.
I'm your host, draven Hayward,and today's episode is a little
different than normal.
It's just me, no guest, nointerviews, just a solo episode
where I share some personalreflections and updates on where
I've been.
So, first of all, I want tothank you all for tuning in and
(00:25):
sticking with Diversify Her.
This platform has been a passionproject of mine since the
beginning.
I started it actually thesummer after my junior year in
high school, because I took anAP research course where I
wanted to know more about theeffects of diversity, equity and
(00:47):
inclusion policies,specifically on Black women in
corporate America, and from alot of those discussions I heard
that, you know, the companieswere making efforts.
They did feel that there werespaces created, but they didn't
think that the topics weretalked more enough about and it
just started with education.
(01:07):
So that began me wanting to goon a journey of just learning
more about it, and so I cameupon the idea to start a podcast
, and I've been involved indoing episodes.
This will actually be my 40thepisode, which is crazy to think
.
And so this platform, like Imentioned, it's been a passion
(01:30):
project of mine since thebeginning and it's something
that I've always been proud of.
But if I'm being honest,balancing everything college
schoolwork, my extracurricularsand this podcast it's been a
journey of its own.
So let's dive in.
I have not posted since July,so where have I been these past
(01:56):
few months?
They have been a whirlwindbetween being a junior at UNC,
chapel Hill, interning, wantingto stay involved in leadership
roles at my university and justmanaging life in general.
It felt like there weren'tenough hours in the day, if I'm
being completely honest, and ontop of that, trying to plan,
(02:18):
record and edit the episodeswhile delivering meaningful
conversations.
It felt overwhelming at times.
So I found myself in a cycle ofover committing and trying to
do it all and then feelingguilty when I couldn't meet my
own expectations.
So I had to step back for amoment, not because I was giving
(02:39):
up on this platform, butbecause I wanted to give myself
space to reflect.
So that pause, it gave me timeto think about why I started
Diversify Her in the first place, and it was meant to empower
and to educate and to inspire,and I realized that I needed to
realign with that purpose myself, because it got to a point
(03:03):
where I was just thinking okay,I need to push out an, because
it got to a point where I wasjust Thinking, okay, I need to
push out an episode, I need topush out an episode, but I
didn't really give myself timeTo think, okay, what Is do I
think would be a great episoderight now, what do I think the
world needs right now?
And sometimes my episodes wouldbe like that, and other times I
would find an amazing guest.
I would be excited that he orshe agreed to be on the show,
(03:26):
but I don't think I put my fulleffort into those episodes,
sometimes because I was just sofocused on wanting to get
content out.
So I also reflected on what Ineeded to do, not just as a
podcast host, but as a collegestudent and young professional
trying to make an impact.
So I've set goals for the newyear and I'm moving forward with
(03:47):
intention.
That word intention it's reallybeen guiding my guiding light
lately, because you know, it'seasy to get caught up in the
chaos, but when you approachyour work, your relationships
and your passions with intention, it feels different and you're
not just going through themotions, but you're setting
yourself up for progress and forgrowth, and that's exactly what
(04:10):
I wanted this podcast space tobe so with my goals for the new
year, one of my biggest goals isto take diversify her to the
next level, and that means beingconsistent with my episodes,
bringing on more impactfulguests, potentially having some
videos with some of my episodes.
(04:31):
I know, typically I just giveyou guys audio, but I think,
moving forward, I would love tohave a visual component and also
just making sure that theconversations that we have on
here are ones that truly matter.
But it's also about pacingmyself.
So another goal is toprioritize my own well-being,
(04:52):
and that means being okay withsaying no sometimes and taking
breaks when I need to andcelebrating my small wins along
the way.
And, lastly, I'm focused onsetting up my long term vision.
I don't just want to succeed inthe moment.
Of course, I want to celebratethose wins when I do succeed in
the moment, but I also want tolook ahead and I want to create
(05:13):
something that lasts and haslongevity, whether it's in my
career or my podcast or the wayI show up in the world.
But I want to truly work onbuilding a legacy.
So I've set all my goals, butnow is the real task of how I'm
going to balance it all, becauseeven listening to my past
(05:35):
episodes with my guests, ofcourse you know they talked
about how it's not always whereyou end up, but it's the journey
and learning to extend yourselfgrace.
That's something that Icontinuously talk about and I
won't lie, having to balancecollege and this podcast is
still a challenge that I facemyself, and some days are better
(05:57):
than others.
But one thing I've learned isthat balance isn't about doing
everything perfectly.
It's about prioritizing.
What matters most, and that'ssomething that I found myself
struggling with is being aperfectionist, or having an
episode and not necessarilyfeeling like it's perfect, or
(06:18):
even with an assignment, notfeeling like it's perfect.
And these goals that I set formyself, these expectations that
I have sometimes, you know, Idon't necessarily have them as a
smart goal per se.
So for anyone listening who'sjuggling multiple commitments, I
(06:38):
see you, I get you, and it'shard, but it's also so rewarding
when you want to give yourselfgrace and keep moving forward.
So I've started breaking mygoals into smaller, actionable
steps.
So, instead of just saying Iwant to grow my podcast, I ask
myself okay, what can I do thisweek to make that progress,
(07:00):
whether it's planning foranother episode or reaching out
to different guests or doing apoll on my podcast Instagram
page just to see what mylisteners, what you guys, may
want to hear next.
So just taking the time to restas well, so I can show up as my
best self and moving forward.
(07:22):
So what's next for Diversifier,I'm really excited to bring you
all some fresh content, moresolo episodes like this one and
guest speakers who align withour mission, and I want to be a
space where we can grow together, where we talk about diversity,
professional development, allthe ups and downs and trying to
(07:44):
make a difference in the world.
I also want to continue to getmore guests that are part of
Generation Z.
I go to a university with someamazing people, and I was even
just telling my parents aboutthis earlier.
You know, college is one of thefew times in your life you're
gonna truly be surrounded bylike-minded individuals and have
(08:07):
such close access to everyone.
Because we're all on campus, weall sometimes have similar
schedules.
You can easily just send anemail or dm someone on instagram
asking if they can get togetherand do something, and so I
really want to take advantage,with these next three semesters
that I have left as a junior,and this summer I'll be
(08:30):
interning with visa on theirconsulting and analytics team.
I'm super excited to be in inAtlanta this summer.
I'm going to once again besurrounded by so many
like-minded individuals that aredoing amazing things out in the
world, and I would just love toget the opportunity to talk to
them.
And if they could come up andshare their journey and whether
(08:52):
it's only helping me or just onelistener out there, I think
that it's going to be a lot offun.
Thank you so much.
That's incredible and that'ssomething that I've gotten
compliments on all the time withmy episodes of how you know I
don't do this for money.
It's not like this is a job.
It's truly a passion of mineand I really do love doing it.
And I noticed that the periodof time where I wasn't doing
(09:15):
this last semester, I foundmyself kind of getting in a
grunt.
I found myself kind of gettingin a grunt and I didn't
necessarily know why.
But now, once I did reflecting,I know it's because I missed
doing my podcast.
I missed being able to meetincredible guests and be able to
edit the content and put it outand see how everyone engaged
with it.
And so if there's one thingthat I want you to take away
(09:40):
from this episode, it's thisGrowth is not linear, and it is
okay to take your time.
It's okay to take breaks toreflect and to come back
stronger, and what matters isthat you keep moving with
intention, even if it's onesmall step at a time, and
(10:01):
especially with this new year2025,.
I have my vision board thatI've created for myself.
My friends, they've all heardabout my goals and my plans.
I have a great support system,so I know that I'm definitely
going to be able to accomplishmy goals this year, but I also
know that that does not comewithout work and sacrifices and,
(10:28):
like I said before, knowingwhen to say no, and something
that I think is really important, especially as a college
student.
This semester, that I'mpracticing is just more
discipline.
I've been waking up early inthe morning and going to the gym
, and that just allows me tostart my day off strong.
My workout's already out theway, you know.
(10:48):
I don't have to worry aboutworking out for the rest of the
day.
So, once I go to class and I goto my meetings and I do my
homework and I make myselfdinner, it's not an afterthought
of oh, I need to go work out,and it's also a great time for
me to just clear my head andplan out my day.
And another component of that aswell is, you know, sometimes
(11:12):
those hangouts I can'tnecessarily go to, or you know,
even at certain times if there'san event going on but it might
be past eight o'clock, I don'tknow if I'm gonna make it out,
even if it is on the weekend.
You know just having to reallyset boundaries and stay
consistent with those boundariesand stay disciplined.
(11:33):
And I saw a quote somewhere Icannot remember where I saw it,
but it said that discipline isthe highest level of
self-respect.
And that really stuck with mebecause it is so true.
It's so easy to say that youwant to do something and plan it
out, but what really pushes youthere and what really helps you
(11:56):
accomplish your goals is howdisciplined you are and how you
stick to your plan, even on thehard days.
And that's not saying that youcan't instill in yourself grace
or take moments to reflect ortake small breaks, but in the
end it really is about theconsistency and knowing that at
the end of the day it's going tobe so much more worth it.
(12:19):
So I want to thank you all forletting me share my heart with
you today and to have avulnerable moment.
I know something that Istruggle with is I always want
to present the best of myselfand always seem perfect, and no
one's perfect.
I know that that is not thecase, but it's really hard to
(12:40):
get on here and, you know,sometimes admit your faults or
tell you guys, you know I havenot tell you all that I have not
posted, and you know, just takethat moment to really sit in
that self-reflection.
So if this episode resonatedwith you, I'd love to hear your
thoughts.
(13:00):
So please send me a message,share it with a friend, or even
take a moment to reflect on whatintention means for you in your
own life.
And, as always, thank you forbeing a part of the diversify
her community.
Until next time, stay inspired,stay and keep diversifying the
(13:23):
world around you.
Thank you so much.
I'll catch you all next time onDiversify Her.
Hello everyone and welcome back to Diversify Her.
I'm your host, draven Hayward,and today's episode is a little
different than normal.
It's just me, no guest, nointerviews, just a solo episode
where I share some personalreflections and updates on where
I've been.
So, first of all, I want tothank you all for tuning in and
(00:25):
sticking with Diversify Her.
This platform has been a passionproject of mine since the
beginning.
I started it actually thesummer after my junior year in
high school, because I took anAP research course where I
wanted to know more about theeffects of diversity, equity and
(00:47):
inclusion policies,specifically on Black women in
corporate America, and from alot of those discussions I heard
that, you know, the companieswere making efforts.
They did feel that there werespaces created, but they didn't
think that the topics weretalked more enough about and it
just started with education.
(01:07):
So that began me wanting to goon a journey of just learning
more about it, and so I cameupon the idea to start a podcast
, and I've been involved indoing episodes.
This will actually be my 40thepisode, which is crazy to think
.
And so this platform, like Imentioned, it's been a passion
(01:30):
project of mine since thebeginning and it's something
that I've always been proud of.
But if I'm being honest,balancing everything college
schoolwork, my extracurricularsand this podcast it's been a
journey of its own.
So let's dive in.
I have not posted since July,so where have I been these past
(01:56):
few months?
They have been a whirlwindbetween being a junior at UNC,
chapel Hill, interning, wantingto stay involved in leadership
roles at my university and justmanaging life in general.
It felt like there weren'tenough hours in the day, if I'm
being completely honest, and ontop of that, trying to plan,
(02:18):
record and edit the episodeswhile delivering meaningful
conversations.
It felt overwhelming at times.
So I found myself in a cycle ofover committing and trying to
do it all and then feelingguilty when I couldn't meet my
own expectations.
So I had to step back for amoment, not because I was giving
(02:39):
up on this platform, butbecause I wanted to give myself
space to reflect.
So that pause, it gave me timeto think about why I started
Diversify Her in the first place, and it was meant to empower
and to educate and to inspire,and I realized that I needed to
realign with that purpose myself, because it got to a point
(03:03):
where I was just thinking okay,I need to push out an, because
it got to a point where I wasjust Thinking, okay, I need to
push out an episode, I need topush out an episode, but I
didn't really give myself timeTo think, okay, what Is do I
think would be a great episoderight now, what do I think the
world needs right now?
And sometimes my episodes wouldbe like that, and other times I
would find an amazing guest.
I would be excited that he orshe agreed to be on the show,
(03:26):
but I don't think I put my fulleffort into those episodes,
sometimes because I was just sofocused on wanting to get
content out.
So I also reflected on what Ineeded to do, not just as a
podcast host, but as a collegestudent and young professional
trying to make an impact.
So I've set goals for the newyear and I'm moving forward with
(03:47):
intention.
That word intention it's reallybeen guiding my guiding light
lately, because you know, it'seasy to get caught up in the
chaos, but when you approachyour work, your relationships
and your passions with intention, it feels different and you're
not just going through themotions, but you're setting
yourself up for progress and forgrowth, and that's exactly what
(04:10):
I wanted this podcast space tobe so with my goals for the new
year, one of my biggest goals isto take diversify her to the
next level, and that means beingconsistent with my episodes,
bringing on more impactfulguests, potentially having some
videos with some of my episodes.
(04:31):
I know, typically I just giveyou guys audio, but I think,
moving forward, I would love tohave a visual component and also
just making sure that theconversations that we have on
here are ones that truly matter.
But it's also about pacingmyself.
So another goal is toprioritize my own well-being,
(04:52):
and that means being okay withsaying no sometimes and taking
breaks when I need to andcelebrating my small wins along
the way.
And, lastly, I'm focused onsetting up my long term vision.
I don't just want to succeed inthe moment.
Of course, I want to celebratethose wins when I do succeed in
the moment, but I also want tolook ahead and I want to create
(05:13):
something that lasts and haslongevity, whether it's in my
career or my podcast or the wayI show up in the world.
But I want to truly work onbuilding a legacy.
So I've set all my goals, butnow is the real task of how I'm
going to balance it all, becauseeven listening to my past
(05:35):
episodes with my guests, ofcourse you know they talked
about how it's not always whereyou end up, but it's the journey
and learning to extend yourselfgrace.
That's something that Icontinuously talk about and I
won't lie, having to balancecollege and this podcast is
still a challenge that I facemyself, and some days are better
(05:57):
than others.
But one thing I've learned isthat balance isn't about doing
everything perfectly.
It's about prioritizing.
What matters most, and that'ssomething that I found myself
struggling with is being aperfectionist, or having an
episode and not necessarilyfeeling like it's perfect, or
(06:18):
even with an assignment, notfeeling like it's perfect.
And these goals that I set formyself, these expectations that
I have sometimes, you know, Idon't necessarily have them as a
smart goal per se.
So for anyone listening who'sjuggling multiple commitments, I
(06:38):
see you, I get you, and it'shard, but it's also so rewarding
when you want to give yourselfgrace and keep moving forward.
So I've started breaking mygoals into smaller, actionable
steps.
So, instead of just saying Iwant to grow my podcast, I ask
myself okay, what can I do thisweek to make that progress,
(07:00):
whether it's planning foranother episode or reaching out
to different guests or doing apoll on my podcast Instagram
page just to see what mylisteners, what you guys, may
want to hear next.
So just taking the time to restas well, so I can show up as my
best self and moving forward.
(07:22):
So what's next for Diversifier,I'm really excited to bring you
all some fresh content, moresolo episodes like this one and
guest speakers who align withour mission, and I want to be a
space where we can grow together, where we talk about diversity,
professional development, allthe ups and downs and trying to
(07:44):
make a difference in the world.
I also want to continue to getmore guests that are part of
Generation Z.
I go to a university with someamazing people, and I was even
just telling my parents aboutthis earlier.
You know, college is one of thefew times in your life you're
gonna truly be surrounded bylike-minded individuals and have
(08:07):
such close access to everyone.
Because we're all on campus, weall sometimes have similar
schedules.
You can easily just send anemail or dm someone on instagram
asking if they can get togetherand do something, and so I
really want to take advantage,with these next three semesters
that I have left as a junior,and this summer I'll be
(08:30):
interning with visa on theirconsulting and analytics team.
I'm super excited to be in inAtlanta this summer.
I'm going to once again besurrounded by so many
like-minded individuals that aredoing amazing things out in the
world, and I would just love toget the opportunity to talk to
them.
And if they could come up andshare their journey and whether
(08:52):
it's only helping me or just onelistener out there, I think
that it's going to be a lot offun.
Thank you so much.
That's incredible and that'ssomething that I've gotten
compliments on all the time withmy episodes of how you know I
don't do this for money.
It's not like this is a job.
It's truly a passion of mineand I really do love doing it.
And I noticed that the periodof time where I wasn't doing
(09:15):
this last semester, I foundmyself kind of getting in a
grunt.
I found myself kind of gettingin a grunt and I didn't
necessarily know why.
But now, once I did reflecting,I know it's because I missed
doing my podcast.
I missed being able to meetincredible guests and be able to
edit the content and put it outand see how everyone engaged
with it.
And so if there's one thingthat I want you to take away
(09:40):
from this episode, it's thisGrowth is not linear, and it is
okay to take your time.
It's okay to take breaks toreflect and to come back
stronger, and what matters isthat you keep moving with
intention, even if it's onesmall step at a time, and
(10:01):
especially with this new year2025,.
I have my vision board thatI've created for myself.
My friends, they've all heardabout my goals and my plans.
I have a great support system,so I know that I'm definitely
going to be able to accomplishmy goals this year, but I also
know that that does not comewithout work and sacrifices and,
(10:28):
like I said before, knowingwhen to say no, and something
that I think is really important, especially as a college
student.
This semester, that I'mpracticing is just more
discipline.
I've been waking up early inthe morning and going to the gym
, and that just allows me tostart my day off strong.
My workout's already out theway, you know.
(10:48):
I don't have to worry aboutworking out for the rest of the
day.
So, once I go to class and I goto my meetings and I do my
homework and I make myselfdinner, it's not an afterthought
of oh, I need to go work out,and it's also a great time for
me to just clear my head andplan out my day.
And another component of that aswell is, you know, sometimes
(11:12):
those hangouts I can'tnecessarily go to, or you know,
even at certain times if there'san event going on but it might
be past eight o'clock, I don'tknow if I'm gonna make it out,
even if it is on the weekend.
You know just having to reallyset boundaries and stay
consistent with those boundariesand stay disciplined.
(11:33):
And I saw a quote somewhere Icannot remember where I saw it,
but it said that discipline isthe highest level of
self-respect.
And that really stuck with mebecause it is so true.
It's so easy to say that youwant to do something and plan it
out, but what really pushes youthere and what really helps you
(11:56):
accomplish your goals is howdisciplined you are and how you
stick to your plan, even on thehard days.
And that's not saying that youcan't instill in yourself grace
or take moments to reflect ortake small breaks, but in the
end it really is about theconsistency and knowing that at
the end of the day it's going tobe so much more worth it.
(12:19):
So I want to thank you all forletting me share my heart with
you today and to have avulnerable moment.
I know something that Istruggle with is I always want
to present the best of myselfand always seem perfect, and no
one's perfect.
I know that that is not thecase, but it's really hard to
(12:40):
get on here and, you know,sometimes admit your faults or
tell you guys, you know I havenot tell you all that I have not
posted, and you know, just takethat moment to really sit in
that self-reflection.
So if this episode resonatedwith you, I'd love to hear your
thoughts.
(13:00):
So please send me a message,share it with a friend, or even
take a moment to reflect on whatintention means for you in your
own life.
And, as always, thank you forbeing a part of the diversify
her community.
Until next time, stay inspired,stay and keep diversifying the
(13:23):
world around you.
Thank you so much.
I'll catch you all next time onDiversify Her.
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