Welcome to Season Three of Reconstructing Inclusion!
This season focuses on opening dialogue about who we are rather than what we ascribe to one another—shifting patterns and practices in the diversity and inclusion space with fresh eyes.
In our Season Three premiere, host Amri Johnson sits down with Ingrid Hu Dahl, leadership coach, consultant, and author of a powerful memoir about identity, loss, and living boldly. Ingrid shares her journey from daily "othering" to authentic belonging, exploring how racial categorization creates artificial divisions and why true safety must come from within.
🔥 Standout Quotes:
"I share that a daily experience with mine, especially growing up in Central New Jersey, in this predominantly white neighborhood, was a reminder that I was different and didn't belong." [00:14:00]
"At your funeral. What does the eulogy say if you continue on this path? What are they saying about you if they couldn't read your resume?" [00:26:00]
"The most poetic answer to that is after my mother died. That was a really big, big, big, big moment of an unleashing of so much." [00:20:00]
About Our Guest:
Ingrid Hu Dahl is an author, speaker, and leadership coach. She is the founder of a coaching and consulting business dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders.
With over two decades of experience in learning and development, she brings her expertise to a wide range of industries, from corporate and media to nonprofit and social justice organizations. A TEDx speaker and a founding member of the Willie Mae Rock Camp in Brooklyn, Ingrid has a lifelong passion for amplifying underrepresented voices.
Resources Mentioned:
Sun Shining on Morning Snow: A Memoir of Identity, Loss, and Living Boldly by Ingrid Hu Dahl
Works of Audre Lorde - Influential in Ingrid's understanding of intersectional oppression
Adrian Piper's art and writings - Particularly her piece, "Cornered"
Time Stamps:
Double Rejection Across Communities [00:11:00]Experiencing othering from both white and Asian communities as a child
Loss as Liberation [00:20:00] How her mother's death created a massive opening for healing and authenticity
Corporate Identity Crisis [00:24:00] Recognizing how titles and external validation became another limiting categorization
The Funeral Question [00:26:00] What would your eulogy say if they couldn't read your resume?
Global Citizen Experience [00:37:00] Finding belonging internationally where difference becomes an asset rather than othering
Retiring From Race [00:36:00] Discussing Adrian Piper's decision to exist outside racial binaries
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