Leading With Empathy & Allyship

What is holistic resistance? How can we practice it to break historical narratives and challenge oppression in the workplace?

In Episode 131, Aaron Johnson, Professional Speaker at The CUT, joins Melinda in an honest conversation on the power of touch and the Black brute narrative in the workplace. They explore holistic resistance as a response to the profound impact of the Black brute narrative on African heritage men. Th...

What exactly is political intelligence? And why is it important to have in the workplace?

In Episode 130, Cari Guittard, Chief Strategy Officer & Partner at ChangeX & purposewerx and Leadership Professor at Hult International Business School, joins Melinda in a conversation around the constructive approach to addressing politics within the workplace. Drawing from her multiple experiences in the DEI, ESG, and politi...

What are the key principles of inclusive design? How can we use those principles to create equitable and anti-oppressive products and services?

In Episode 129, Sandra Camacho, Inclusive Design Consultant, Educator & Strategist at Sandra By Design, joins Melinda in an informative discussion on techniques for designing anti-oppressive products & services. They discuss the importance of centering the needs of marginal...

What is conscious empathy? How can humor help engage people in DEI efforts?

In Episode 128, Karith Foster, CEO, Co-Founder, Author, Humorist & DEI Consultant at Inversity Solutions, joins Melinda in a conversation about using humor and empowerment to improve inclusion. They discuss how we can practice conscious empathy to expand our understanding of each other's experiences and foster noble compassion. They also e...

What’s the difference between social power and personal power? And how is our personal power tied to our sense of belonging?

In Episode 127, Ritu Bhasin, Belonging and Leadership Speaker, Consultant, Author, and Expert at bhasin consulting inc., joins Melinda in an insightful conversation on unlocking the beauty of belonging. Drawing from Ritu’s book, We’ve Got This: Unlocking the Beauty of Belonging, they share their stor...

How can male allies help cultivate a supportive workplace environment? And what does it look like to build a male allyship program?

In Episode 126, Brian Boche, Solution Architect at Boche Networks, joins Melinda in an empowering conversation around strategies for encouraging men to become better allies. Brian delves into his allyship journey and shares insights from developing and co-leading multiple allyship programs for individua...

In Episode 125, Megan Carle, Author and Consultant at Carle Consulting, joins Melinda in an insightful conversation on ways to address workplace bullying. They draw from Megan’s book, WALK AWAY TO WIN: A Playbook to Combat Workplace Bullying (McGraw Hill), to discuss various forms of workplace bullying and how to recognize and respond to these harmful behaviors. They share their own workplace experiences and dive into opportunities...

When is cultural transformation crucial for teams and organizations? What can leaders do to empower people in times of change?

In Episode 124, Marissa Andrada, Culture Master & Kindness Catalyst, joins Melinda in a solution-focused discussion on transforming workplace cultures. Marissa draws from her experience in planning and executing culture change across different industries. She shares insights on how we can harn...

How does a lack of diversity limit one's cognitive potential? What steps can leaders take to cultivate radical equality and belonging?

In Episode 123, Ellen Petry Leanse, Author, Speaker, and Podcast Host of The Brain and Beyond, joins Melinda in a thought-provoking conversation about the neuroscience behind ethical leadership. They explore how you can engage both hemispheres of the brain to break free from binary thi...

What does it take to maintain confidence and resilience while engaging in equity work? How can self-grace and allyship help underrepresented changemakers?

In Episode 122, Cory Ervin-Stewart, Founder and CEO of Stewart Consulting and Management, LLC, joins Melinda in a candid conversation on navigating the challenges of equity work as a marginalized changemaker. They share personal insights from their experiences in interra...

What are the strategies for managing cultural change? How can we measure the impact? And what are the emerging trends that may have an influence? In EP121, Toby Mildon, Founder & Director of Mildon, joins Melinda in an action-oriented discussion on creating organizational culture change. They explore various change management models and strategic frameworks leaders can implement to drive DEI initiatives and measure their impact...

What does 10 years of work in DEI look like? How do you transform an industry? And why is Change Catalyst changing to Empovia? In episode 120, Melinda Briana Epler, Founder & CEO of Empovia (formerly Change Catalyst) and Wayne Sutton, Co-Founder & Advisor of Empovia, kick off season 10 with a reflective conversation on a decade of DEI work across various industries, including their impactful work in building inclusive tech ...

In Episode 119, Natalia Villalobos, VP of Inclusion at The New York Times, joins Melinda in a transformative discussion on ways to empower individuals to be agents of change within organizations. They delve into the importance of active listening and learning about the workplace culture to understand the change model before taking action. They explore creative and practical ways to collaborate as a team on solutions to drive meanin...

In Episode 118, Nina Simons, Co-Founder & Chief Relationship Strategist at Bioneers, joins Melinda in an honest conversation about ways to reinvent leadership by embracing intersectional allyship. They draw from Nina’s book, Nature, Culture & the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership, and explore how women from diverse backgrounds possess unique talents that can be leveraged in leadership. They discuss how intentional ally...

In Episode 117, Dima Ghawi, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Influencer at Dima Ghawi, LLC, joins Melinda in an informative discussion on how to bridge the generational divide in the workplace. They explore the four main generations in the American workforce, what motivates employees from different generations, and why organizations should recognize diverse work styles across multigenerational teams. They also discuss how managers ...

In Episode 116, David Glasgow, Executive Director of the New York University Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, joins Melinda in an enlightening discussion on how to have inclusive conversations about identity in the workplace. They explore key skills for having identity conversations, such as adopting a growth mindset and acknowledging where we are on the controversy scale when we disagree with others' pe...

In Episode 115, Melinda shares talks from previous Empovia events made by Black leaders Daisy Ozim, Angel Acosta, and Ashantè Fray that tackle the impact of Black history on our present and future. At Tech Inclusion 2019, Daisy discusses the long-term impacts of intergenerational trauma and how it is perpetuated through technology. She dives into 10 things allies can do to help create systemic change. In Angel’s talk on mindfulness...

In Episode 114, Claudia Miller, Career Coach at Claudia T. Miller, LLC, joins Melinda in an empowering conversation about strategies and guidelines we can all implement to help close the gender wage gap. They explore mindset shifts and techniques that underrepresented identities can use to build confidence and better negotiate what they are worth. They elaborate on the importance of organizations implementing pay transparency polic...

In Episode 113, Gabriela de Queiroz, Principal Cloud Advocate Manager at Microsoft, joins Melinda in an impactful discussion on building global inclusion through community. They dive into the importance of building inclusive communities to address the global gap in access and opportunity. They discuss how people can start to advocate for social change by finding out what issues they're passionate about and recognizing what the...