January 29, 2024 • 45 mins
The ultimate playground for social learning, conferences foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and a sense of community.
Learn from founder of Black in L&D, Mallori Steele, how to leverage the transformative power that conferences have, how to shift from traditional in-person to virtual conferences, and how she's creating a space ripe for connection with her upcoming conference, The Learning Exchange™.
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Your Hosts
Diego Diaz, Jr Digital Designer
Rocio Granela, Jr Project Manager
Katie Hynes, Instructional Designer
Nicole Papaioannou Lugara, Founder & Learning Strategist
Special Guest
Mallori Steele, CEO of Growductive Consulting, Founder of Black in L&D and The Learning Exchange
Mallori is a CEO, Founder, Coach, and Mentor for driven consultants, freelancers, and transplant L&D professionals who want to build, grow, and improve their professional careers. Her entrepreneurial and multi-passionate spirit shines not only through Growductive Consulting, where she strategically works to improve organizations' training needs. She is also the Founder of Black in L&D, a non-profit professional organization, and The Learning Exchange, an annual global virtual conference featuring Black professionals. Mallori is committed to helping organizations and individuals grow by standing on her deep-seated belief in the transformative power of sharing experiences, building community, recognizing our connections, and equitable representation.
Learn more about The Learning Exchange or Black in L&D
Connect with Mallori on LinkedIn
Check us out at
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Ever wondered what happens when curiousminds, groundbreaking ideas, and a
dash of serendipity come together?
Picture this, a world whereconferences aren't just gatherings,
but playgrounds for social learning.
Hi, lab mates.
Welcome to the Social Learning Lab, apodclass about social learning at work.
In today's episode, we'll be sitting downwith Mallori Steele, the founder of Black
(00:22):
in L&D, to discuss how she's reimaginedthe traditional conference format into a
virtual experience that fosters greaterknowledge sharing, connection making,
and global outreach for her upcomingconference, the Learning Exchange.
Ready to dive in?
Welcome back, lab mates to anotherepisode of the Social Learning Lab.
I'm Diego and I'm here with myco-hosts Katie, Rocio, and Nicole.
(00:42):
And, today, we have avery special episode.
Lab mates, please join us in welcomingour special guest, Mallori Steele.
Mallori is a CEO, founder, coach,and mentor for driven consultants,
freelancers, and transplant L and Dprofessionals who wanna build, grow,
and improve their professional careers.
Her entrepreneurial and multi-passionatespirit shines not only through Growductive
(01:04):
Consulting, where she strategically worksto improve organization's training needs.
She's also the founder of Blackin L&D, a nonprofit professional
organization, and the Learning Exchange,an annual Global virtual Conference
featuring black professionals.
Mallori is committed to helpingorganizations and individuals grow by
standing on her deep seated belief inthe transformative power of sharing
(01:25):
experiences, building community,and recognizing our connections
and equitable representation.
Thank you so much, Mallori, forjoining us today, and welcome
to the Social Learning Lab.
Yeah.
Thank you.
I love that Diego It's always niceto hear someone else read about
you, It's like, oh yeah, I'm that.
Thank you!
(01:46):
Yes, of course.
Well, we are so excited that yougot to be here with us today.
You know, we've worked on a lot ofprojects with you, and so we are
very excited to share your expertisewith our audience, and, you know,
just have a little fun today.
I love it.
I'm ready.
All right, so why don't weget into what is Black in L&D?
You know, the kind of organizationthat you started there.
(02:06):
Yes, Black in L&D is slowly becomingits own thing, so today, Black and L
and D is a professional organizationof pretty much just black professionals
in learning and development.
So, it's pretty broad because as weknow, L and D is vast and the positions
and the roles and all that is pretty,I would say pretty, ever changing.
(02:29):
Right?
It's ever changing.
It's probably a good way to put it.
So, it's kind of an all encompassingplace for people in talent,
training, learning development.
So, we started off in 2020 as BlackInstructional Designers, and that
was kinda how the group started offon Facebook and LinkedIn, and it
slowly transitioned into Black inL&D, because of how much things are
(02:51):
growing and changing and how manypeople are like L and D adjacent.
And so, right now yeah, we're stillour private kind of Facebook and
LinkedIn group is where we really kindof engage and then we're turning into
a nonprofit, and so now we are havingmore public engagement and public
spaces for people to get involved.
So, in short, it's a professionalorganization for black professionals,
(03:12):
but I feel like that doesn't encompassall of kind of what it is for the members
You should never keep it short.
I know, because you have peoplewho are new to L and D, right?
And, or, people who are transitioning,they're not in the industry at all,
and they're just curious and they, andthey wanna learn about it and grow.
Then, you have people who've been 20years and have years and years and
(03:35):
years of experience in this space.
You have people who are PhD level andpeople who are just like, they just
have a certificate, or you have peoplelike me and I don't have either, right?
And so, L and D is such a fun place whereyou can get into the industry in such
unique in unconventional ways, or youcan go kind of the straight and narrow.
I knew I wanted to get into thisspace since high school, college.
(03:58):
Most people don't.
I've yet to hear that story where ifyou where someone's like, yeah, I went
to college for learning and development
I grow up, when I grow up, I wannabe an instructional designer.
So, it's nice, it's nice becauseeveryone has their story and their
experience of getting into thisspace, and so, it's sometimes hard
to explain it as in like, oh, this isan organization for lawyers, right?
(04:20):
It's a little bit more straightforwardor architects or whatever.
It's L and D is an interesting space.
Yeah.
How do I explain it?
Where you're excited as muchas I'm excited you know.
For Black and L and D?
Like how do I explain that?
How do I transfer thatexcitement to people?
Right.
Yeah.
That's hard.
I feel like, I feel I have my highs andlows, because it's you know, you, you have
(04:46):
the questions of like, why is this needed?
Why do you have it?
Why is this existent?
You know, or people who wanna get intothe, into Black and L and D and it's like,
you know, you're not black, so sorry,sorry this space isn't for you, but we
love you, we want you to support us andthere's so many other ways to engage.
So there's like the highs and the lows ofkind of having a group like this, but I
(05:09):
think it's, I think I know it's needed.
I've seen that it's needed.
The support and the help and just thesafe space within the organization, and
then also it's given people, and thenwe'll get into the Learning Exchange,
but it's given people a lot of confidenceto, kind of go out of the group, right?
And go into, in the other spaces and orconferences or organizations and just
(05:35):
feel more confident in their career orlike where they're going and what they
wanna do because they privately havebeen able to ask some questions and have
some support, and I don't know if I everreally shared the story, maybe at some
point back in the day with Nicole, butwhen I first got into L and D, you know,
the, L and D industry is interesting.
It's so large, but it's also very small,so I was on LinkedIn and I posted a
(06:02):
question on somebody's post, right?
I just posted a question to somethingthat they said and someone replied to
my comment, but they replied to the po-to the person who posted the comment.
I mean, the post.
Does that make sense?
Right.
So I commented, and then person,a person replied to it, but they
didn't respond to my comment.
They just commented on my comment and thenthe poster, the original poster responded
(06:27):
to that person, but then still didn'tanswer me and it became like the thread
was like, how do you guys not see me?
Like, hello, I'm here you're commentingon my thread and it was like the beginning
of me feeling very invisible in thisspace, and I was just wondering, I'm like,
and obviously I can't initially say, oh,this is because I'm a black woman, right?
It was just a pattern of like, "Hey,I'm asking this question too," or "hey,
(06:50):
like, I need a little help or I need somedirection," and me noticing, within like
the l and d groups that this was veryodd, continual experience, and I think I
was more so heightened, because that wasthe summer that George Floyd was killed
and it was just all these emotions.
So, that was the start of mestarting Black and L and D.
I was like, we just need to just need aprivate space, a safe space where I can
(07:13):
ask a question without feeling like thisis a stupid question; or, oh my gosh, he
doesn't know the answer to this; or like,you don't have this degree, or it just,
it was, it felt like a lot of judgmentand I just wanted to have a safe space.
I will say as a caveat.
I've had a lot of supportoutside of Black in L&D.
A lot of support, a lot of positivity,but that was like the catalyst of,
(07:33):
of me feeling I think other peoplemay be feeling like this too, like
I'm a solutionist, so I'm like,what do you, what do I do about it?
Right.
I don't wanna complain about it.
What can I do about it?
And, so, that was the birth of this space.
It is, you know, like I mentioned, it'sjust transitioned to its own thing.
That's just so amazing to like hear,because it's so true, like representation,
(07:56):
especially, is just so needed and I think,you know, you empowering that, you know,
group of minorities is so important and,especially, in this world today where
there's so much just anger and frustrationand hatred towards so many people.
I think, you know, giving thesepeople a platform to share their
voice and really grow together andlearn together is so important.
So, that's just amazing, and, you know, wejust wanna recognize you for doing this.
(08:19):
It's so great seeing what you'redoing out there in the world today.
Thank you.
Yes.
I also wanna highlight what you said,which I thought was really interesting,
that you've got this amazing communityand we've gotten to witness Black and
L and D grow, but it doesn't just stay
Mm-Hmm.
The having this safe space makesyour members more able to go
out and do big things beyond
(08:42):
Mm-Hmm.
And to me, that's like such a wowpowerful statement, because that is like
where growth and things are happening.
You know, it's not just like, "Hey,we join, we get to chat," but like
I, I built confidence; I'm makingprogress in my career; I'm getting
into spaces where I didn't once feelcomfortable or feel like I had the
support to go up against challenges.
So, that's really amazing.
(09:02):
I don't, I don't know if you'vegotten to celebrate that as
much as you should, but wow.
I know, I feel like, I feel likeI need to take those moments.
We all do.
Right?
And celebrate those wins.
There's moments where peoplewill come back into the group and
they'll share those success stories.
They'll share like, Hey, I got thisjob that somebody posted in here.
Right?
'cause we'll post jobsand post opportunities.
(09:23):
We need more internships and L andD so when there are internships,
we kind of post about that.
So we have those success stories whereyou can see it, you can see the impact,
but you're right, Nicole, I think Idefinitely to celebrate the impact more,
because it is, it's you come to the, youcome into the group to add value and get
value, but you really make the impactoutside that space and in your own lives.
(09:46):
And, for many black professionals,especially in the states, like we're
one of very few in our organizations orour L and D teams, and so to have this
space to come to and to ask a questionor to share an experience or to get
some feedback or advice, I love it.
I love that we have it
(10:07):
Yeah, I, I really admire that you saw aneed and you were like, I am gonna take
care of, of that need, and, you know, it'ssuch a basic emotional need for people
to want to belong someplace, and a lot ofpeople don't have that sense of belonging.
which is also social learning in a way.
Yeah.
To do social learning, youhave to feel like you belong in
(10:29):
Mm-Hmm.
a connection there, but you know,a little, I can't, pat in the back.
Yeah.
Thank you.
I feel it.
That's awesome.
Yes, that is definitely amazing.
So, I kind of want to go back to whatyou mentioned earlier about the Learning
Exchange Conference, because, you know,as a, being a social learning podcast,
(10:49):
we talk a lot about, you know, sociallearning in all aspects in a conference.
We had just done an episode on sociallearning activities, and so we felt,
we wanted to highlight, you know,your, the Learning Exchange conference
that's coming up in February.
Yeah.
I love that you guys arehighlighting it, and thank you.
Gosh, I am, I think today I'mreally excited about the Learning
(11:09):
Exchange, because I have these,like bursts of creative, like energy
and that this was this week for me.
So, I think you caught me at areally good time, because I was
able to just like, bust out somestuff that we needed to get done.
But, the Learning Exchange is a virtualconference featuring all black speakers.
That's pretty much what it is in short.
I think, you know, it's, it's puton by Black and L and D, sponsored
(11:33):
by different organizations, butmainly partnered with my company,
which is Growductive Consulting.
So, you know, as we're building thisout, building this, this conference and
this platform, it costs money, right?
So, that's where like Growductivehas been like footing the bill to
kind of make this happen, and, so, Ijust strongly believe in this vision.
(11:55):
I strongly believe in the needfor the Learning Exchange and, so
it's definitely social learning.
I, I'll make some, a few clarificationsfor those who never heard of it, so it's
not, while it is you know, put on by Blackin L&D, it's not an L and D conference.
There's a lot of L and D topics andsessions, but it's really, we have
tracks every conference, right?
(12:16):
Conferences have tracks.
We have six tracks, and as longas the sessions that our speakers
wanna propose fits within thosetracks, then we judge them and
accept them; and, we do it that way.
So it's a, it's a range, right?
There's, there's tech, there's, Iknow this year, surprisingly, we had
(12:36):
a lot of healthcare proposals whichI don't know if we have any of them
like that's running this particularLearning Exchange, but we have, DE
D and I, obviously, and then we havegosh, I'm missing a few, finance, right?
Some HR, consulting, freelancing,so it's a range of topics that
(12:57):
really anyone can kind of pickand choose during these tracks.
So, it's not a L and D conference,but how this all started you know,
I'm a solutionist so in 2021, Ireally became aware of like how big
of a deal conferences are in L and D.
Like, it's such a big deal, right?
(13:18):
Everybody's like, if you didn't goto a con- a conference or speak at a
conference, and so my first L and Dconference was in 2021, and it was really
when I was really paying attention andI just noticed, you know, there, there
wasn't that many people who looked likeme, there wasn't that many people who
looked close to like me, like a littlebit of melanin, and when I physically went
(13:43):
to one of the conferences, thing, right?
And I was like, wow, you know, I'mjust curious what this is about.
I asked around a little bit,and again, I'm like, well, how
about we just create it, right?
If you're not invited to the tableor you can't get a seat at the table,
you build your own table, right?
And so that was a Learning Exchange, andthe first Learning Exchange was in 2021.
We had like eight sessions.
(14:03):
It was over four days.
Why did we do it over four days?
I have no idea, but it was over afour day period, eight sessions.
And, we didn't do one in 2022,and then 2023 we did, and so, I
think 2023, this past June is whenwe had it during the the week of
Juneteenth, and it really confirmedthat vision to me like this is needed.
(14:29):
We had, I wanna say, maybe like35, 40 sessions, over 50 speakers,
36 different countries, you know,in attendance and represented.
It was awesome.
It was just an awesome experience and a,and an awesome conference, and all the
(14:49):
private feedback was very helpful forme, like just to have that validation
and it's crazy 'cause we don't need avalidation for our id- our, ideas, right?
But it was nice to have a little bitof like, okay, yes, this is needed.
The Learning Exchange whileit features black speakers,
right, to have that opportunity.
It's for a variety of reasons.
One, if you wanna speak at conferencesin the L and D space, I can only
(15:13):
speak about the L and D space.
I don't know about other industries.
A lot of times you have to shareprevious experience, right?
You have to share yourprevious speaking experience.
you kinda have to really sell yourselfand have a really good proposal,
have a really good topic, and ifyou don't have that, it's a little
bit of a barrier to entry, right?
(15:33):
So, the Learning Exchange providesfirst time speakers that experience.
One, you get the recorded video,so you have that to share.
Two, you just get the experience,you get to be amongst other speakers
and just engage and just like testout what you wanna talk about, right?
What are your passions?
Because everybody kindof has their topics.
So that's one, and then two, it reallyprovides a space for our perspective
(15:57):
and our lived experience to share.
So, while yes, anybody can get up and talkabout storyboarding, anybody can get up
and talk about analytics, your experiencein that space makes a difference, right?
That's where the social learningfor me plays a part, right?
Because we all have a different experienceand a different vantage point, and
so to be able to have black speakersshare from their perspective about
(16:18):
some of these topics about ai, right?
About, learning architecture,et cetera, et cetera.
List can go on.
That's what's a bit unique about it.
Then it also provides everyone who'snot black who usually do not have
an opportunity to hear of blackspeakers or hear their perspectives.
This is time for you, right?
(16:39):
It's time for you to come and listenand learn and grow yourself and network
and meet new people and see new faces,so it's, it's kind of a win-win.
It's not kind of, it's a win-win.
It's a win-win for everyone.
We changed it for Black to be during BlackHistory month, because one of two things.
It's not a big conference seasonin, in February compared to June.
(17:01):
So it's a, it's a better timeto do a conference a virtual
conference for us and to get intothe conference world, so to speak.
two, know, probably like mid, mid-January,people are digging into trying to
find a black history fact, right?
They're like, okay, okay, we gotta saysomething, we don't necessarily care.
(17:21):
Sometimes they do care, but it'slike we have to say something or do
something for Black History Month,and it's like it is what you can do.
You know, we have the LearningExchange, our history is our history,
but it's better to be part of makinghistory, and be part of, you know,
moving forward versus like, there'sonly so many times and so many quotes
we can share from Martin Luther Kingor Curtis Scott King or Rosa Parks.
(17:43):
Right?
And, I'm here today, because of themlike, I'm grateful, but it's also like
all of these amazing people who aredoing things today that we can also
share and talk about, and, so, it'slike a double, you know, connection of
saying let's be part of making historyversus only looking back at history.
I know I said a mouthful,so I'll take a pause.
No, that was great.
(18:04):
I mean, it's so true though, likeyou want to give this next generation
that voice and, you know, be a partof making history, like you said.
So, I think that's such an amazing thing,you know, just giving that platform,
like you said, and allowing peopleto, you know, network with each other.
I think that's something that, youknow, is so important, especially
that's where you gain a lot of insightand a lot of expertise is through your
(18:24):
network, and so, you know, going intothis part, you know, it's a virtual
conference, so how do you kind of getthese engagement from your audience base?
Like how do you get them to engagewith each other and connect with
each other in a virtual setting?
That's a great question.
I feel like we have todo it anyways, right?
We're doing it now.
We do it all the time.
It's just part of life.
I think what's unique about whatwe're doing this time with the
(18:47):
Learning Exchange is that technicallyit's now a three day conference.
So, we're doing a pre-conference, andso that pre-conference is on Wednesday,
and it's more like coaching workshopsthat's happening on that pre-conference.
It's not presentations or panels,so it's all kind of very tangible.
The best way to put it is coaching,but, in between those sessions that
day, we have speed networking, so likeone-on-one networking opportunities.
(19:11):
And, then, we have these likenetworking circles where you can,
it's a little bit more structured,but that'll be that Wednesday.
And, then, the day of the conference,so that Thursday and Friday.
So, February 7th is thepre-conference, February 8th and
9th is the the Learning Exchange.
We have a social lounge, and sothink of it just like a virtual,
(19:31):
how, what it looks like is, it lookslike a bunch of little tables right?
It looks like a bunch of little tablesand they have different topics and you
just pick which one you wanna go to.
So, if you're like, oh, I'mreally interested in this topic,
then I'll go to that table.
You can turn on your camera,you can, get turn off mute.
You can engage and talk and meet people.
The platform also has an opportunitywhere you can click on someone's
profile and you can see, you know, theirbio, you can see whatever information
(19:55):
they wanna share, you can see it,and then you can connect with them.
So, you can send them a private messagethat way, or you can also just connect
with them on LinkedIn or whereverthey, whatever they decided to post.
So Sometimes, you know, when you're ina session, when you're in a, the virtual
conference, what we noticed in the lastconference was that people, the chat,
was like, was like fire, like the chatwas just like, you couldn't keep up.
(20:16):
It was so much and it was going sofast, and so, sometimes, somebody
will write a comment that you reallyresonate with and so it's a really easy
way to just immediately message them,and just, or connect with them and
say, oh, like, I, I like that person,or, or, I like what they said, or I
wanna learn more about what they said.
So, that's kind of the networking.
It's very, you have tobe intentional, right?
It's virtual, so there's no waythat we're gonna force you in.
(20:38):
You have to show up, you have to engage,you have to come off mute, but there's
plenty of opportunity to network.
Then, one thing that we're also excitedabout that we're doing this year.
Last year, once everything wrappedin the, you know, excitement ended
after the Learning Exchange, andthen I slept the feedback was
like, we have to do this in person.
(20:59):
We have to do this in person, and,as someone who lived abroad for
over 10 years, like I, I was tryingto pinpoint like, why is it so
important to me to keep this virtual?
And, I realize it's because whenyou change it to in person, you like
remove access for so many peoplebecause so many people cannot.
We had 36 countries, right?
(21:19):
That of people who attended theLearning Exchange virtually, and,
then if you cut that off and say,okay, we're gonna do it in DC.
Realistically, how manypeople can fly and come?
You know, from to DC not justphysically be here, but just even
like financially, like what goesinto traveling to a conference.
And so, definitely keeping the LearningExchange virtual, but we're adding what
we call our "we outside events," and theseare in-person networking events the night
(21:45):
before the conference, so the Wednesdaynight, and they'll be in select cities.
So, right now, on our list, there's36 cities including international.
Those will likely narrow down, so, ifyou're listening to this in January
and you're like, Mallory, 36 countriesare not listed on the website.
Thank you for your grace, but we aregoing to have in-person networking
(22:07):
events and this is just like showup if you're registered for the
Learning Exchange, and this is anopportunity to just meet in person.
What's unique about this is we havehosts in those cities who are like,
yes, I wanna host a "we outside".
A "we outside" by the way, thewhole conference is very black
culture, so all the tracks are likeCREAM, CREAM is our finance track.
CREAM is Cash Rules isEverything Around Me, C.R.E.A.M?
So if you know, like the song, right?
(22:28):
We have a track Rootingfor Everybody Black.
That's our DEI.
So, if you've ever heard of Issa Rae,there's a quote where she's like,
somebody asked her at some award show,like, "oh, who do you wanna win tonight?"
And, she's like, "I'mrooting for everybody black."
So, we have a lot of these likeblack culture references, and so
the "we outside", is that right?
It's like we're going outside, we're gonnaactually be kids always say touch grass.
(22:48):
They actually go outside and engagewith people, and so it's open to anyone,
and one thing I really wanna stress andshare is that we really want everyone
to attend this conference, right?
And so, the our, the last LearningExchange, majority of the people in
attendance who registered are notblack, and so, one because we're
(23:10):
minorities and so we're obviously notthe, the majority, but two, you know,
there's a lot of support and it's morelike silent, quiet, behind the scenes
support, which we really appreciate.
And so, if you wanna show up andyou're not black, that's fine.
You know, we'll be at the "we outside".
Like we, we want you to engage with us.
We want really allyship, right?
(23:30):
Because we, need it andjust diversity in general.
So, while yes, this, all our speakers areblack, we're not, it's not an exclusive
to black people or the black community,but there's some references you may
not initially get, so just Google it.
I love it.
Maybe, maybe one day you'll havea Black and L and D retreat.
Yeah.
It's on my list.
(23:51):
Okay.
Okay
I already have it.
It's called the Reset.
It's, I have, you know,I'm an ideas person.
I have so many things thatI'm like, I would love to do,
because, there's it there, it'simportant to get together, right?
It's just, I don't think you have to stopsomething that's working to like, adjust,
you know, to make it something else.
I think you just need something else.
(24:12):
So, but yeah, we definitely wanna havea retreat and I'm a retreat girly.
If I can go on a retreat, it's happening.
That's so amazing, and it's so really,you know, inspiring to see that, you
know, you're sticking to the virtualsetting, because like you said, a lot
of people would prefer that in person,but to see that you're showing that it's
more in strength on virtual setting isso much, you know, a good thing, because
(24:35):
it's like, you know, a lot of us arewondering, are these virtual settings
really the best space to learn and shareand exchange ideas, because we're not
face-to-face, because we don't get theinteraction, but seeing the success
you're having with your own teams, and,you know, your own or, conference and
how people can connect around the world.
I think that's an experience that alot of people aren't gonna be able
to get is that cultural experiencefrom having people from around the
(24:57):
country or around the globe, and that'ssomething that you don't get to do
every day in an in-person conference.
So that's really great.
I was gonna say, we just, you know,we have two of our speakers are in
South Africa, and it's like, you know.
Well, I wanna have more andmore as we continue to grow
speakers all around the world.
It's like, like you said, Diego,it's, would we have that option if it
(25:18):
was, you know, if it was in person?
And, would you even be able tosit and listen to their experience
and their perspective and likewhat they have to, to share?
And, and also, having thatrepresentation of South Africans, right?
And so, I love it.
I love the fact that it's accessibleto people, and I, and I love the fact
that, it still feels like you're partof something and not just like you're
(25:41):
logging onto a webinar, you know?
I was, I was just gonna say thatthe, the accessibility part of
having things in the digital world.
Hmm.
You know, it, it changed a lot ofthings and it creates also kind
of like an equitable space, right?
For everybody to come inand share their ideas.
I mean, South Africa, and eventuallyyou'll probably have people from
(26:02):
other countries and that wouldn'thappen if maybe, but more than likely
it wouldn't be to that extent ifyou had in-person conferences that
people had to travel to the US to.
Attend, right?
Yeah, and I, you know, this was my firstyear like of traveling and speaking at
conferences, and I did a lot, and I hada lot of takeaways from it, and one of
(26:22):
those is that, you know, I'm not, andyou guys would probably would never guess,
and I'm actually, I actually relativelyintroverted, and so the, the in-person,
there are so many people, and there'sso many people to talk to, and someone
like me, I can get drained really easily.
Although, I do wanna talk toyou and I do wanna engage.
I was like, I'm going back to myhotel room like it was a lot, but
(26:45):
also it's like, where do you turnbecause people know each other, so many
people knew each other and so you're,when you're, I'm, I work for myself,
so I'm not going with the company.
I'm not going with theteam or organization.
And so, I found myself like trying tolike inch my way into conversations
and inch my way into engagement or likeself invite myself to certain lunch,
like sit with, you know, and that's hardin a, in a comfort setting in person.
(27:08):
Not impossible, obviously this happensall the time, and I think it's a
time and a place, but I think forpeople who are, who are similar to
me in any of those ways I mentioned.
A virtual setting is awesome,because you can engage in a
way that's comfortable for you.
You can jump in or jump out andit doesn't require you, you know,
try to get back to a hotel room.
(27:28):
Also, I, I kind of feel like you meetmore people like, or at least you have
an opportunity to meet more peopleand kind of engage with more people,
and, also, attend more sessions,because we have like the replays.
I think that's was hard for the in-personconference 'cause you're like, gosh,
which session do I go to, right?
Like, there's so many, and it'sthe same thing with our conference.
(27:49):
There's a lot of sessionsand they're doubled up.
So, you really have to pick, butyou'll have an option once you're
registered to like go watch areplay of a session that you missed.
And so, that's not the case,right, with in-person conferences.
Like, you missed it, you missed it.
And so, there's a lot ofperks, but there's, there's
good and bad to both, right?
But I think that the virtualsetting when appropriate, especially
(28:13):
in this case, works awesome.
Plus, you've been, I just wannasay you've been very intentional.
Like, there are, especiallyduring, you know, the whole
covid, everything online.
A lot of people treated webinar,you know, they treated like webinar,
it was like an afterthought, butyou've really created this beautiful
community space and true, right?
It's Learning Exchange, but thereis a true exchange of learning,
(28:33):
because you've been intentional andthoughtful about how you're gonna,
you know, get people to interact.
And, I could, I hear it, you know,in all of the things you're talking
about, you cre- created spaces.
You've thought about, youknow, the branding, the
terminology you're going to use.
There's a lot happening there.
It's not like you were just like, alrightwe are going to meet online today.
It sounds great.
(28:53):
It's just go and hangout, like it, I love that.
I love the intentionality of,
I agree.
everything, and I love how inclusive itis because, you know, it, it really allows
for people like that have social anxietyor people that, you know, when you go to
conference, like you said, it drains you,but there's people that just don't wanna
talk to people, and it's just so awkwardto sit in a conference and everybody's
(29:16):
talking around you and you're just sittingthere like you don't know how to engage.
So.
and I'm big on like, I'm big on havingsubstantial, I mean, not substantial,
like more genuine conversations.
I don't do great with smalltalk, let's put it that way.
Like I don't, I don't do that great.
I, I always tell people I hate small talk,like it makes me feel so awkward, and
(29:39):
so like, I don't know what to say next.
Yeah, so it's like I'm either gonna likeask you about your life, you know, like
I'm just like, very intentional, orI'm maybe just not talking, you know?
So it can, I mean people say firstimpressions are everything, but it kind
of sucks, because if you are someone who'snot that way, it's like, well, you're
gonna walk away with not a great firstimpression of me, because you caught me in
(29:59):
a moment where like my battery's at 10%,because I just talked to 30 other people.
And so, I think the, what wasactually interesting about the
last conference, you know, 'causewe get all the data back, right?
Is that, people spent a lot of time onthe platform, meaning they just like
kept the browser open and they wouldgo do their work and they would come
back and they would interact and chat.
(30:19):
And so, that was really interestingthat it was nice for people to just
have it there for those two days.
Come and go as they needed to, andso the minutes, like the, the amount
of minutes that's like, this is howmuch time that people spend on it.
We were like, what really like, itwas really surprising for us, but I
think it was that freedom to come andgo as you need, and so I know that
(30:40):
there's such a drastic, like differencein perspective about in person.
And, I think it's only gonna,the conversation's only gonna
continue, because, partially,it's a generational thing as well.
Don't get me talking aboutthe generational thing.
It's such a passion of mine, but you know,and so to see what's gonna transpire when
we have gen, um, Gen Z and then GenerationAlpha and like how they view in person
(31:02):
versus, versus virtual because it's gonnabe such a normal part of their life.
It's not gonna be either or, it'sjust, it's just part of life.
Versus for us, it's like this sometimesthis dilemma of like, oh, let's, you know,
discuss it and should we do it this way?
And, what about this?
And, if it should be hybrid.
But for them, it's just,this is, it's just life.
And, I think seeing it that way to wheresome things are appropriate virtual
(31:23):
and some things work really well inperson, and then you can switch it up
when you need it, when you need to.
So, you know, I've, I've definitely beenvery intentional about it, and intentional
about the fact that I think when itcomes to social learning, that there's,
there's always like that one person.
I'm sure if when I say this, youguys will think of it for yourselves.
There's always that one person or thatone story or that one, experience that
(31:46):
you are able to observe that reallylike, change things for you personally.
Like you sometimes justneed to see example, right?
Or, you need to hear someone's careerstory or like the journey that they
took or like the choice that theymade, and you're like, oh, right?
It's either inspiring toyou or it's a lesson to you.
And so, to be able to hear from eachother in that way, without it being
(32:07):
so dictated of like, you have to talkabout this versus like, I'm coming to
talk about what I wanna talk about.
This is in from my perspective, and I hopeit and pray that it helps someone, right?
Or you can take somethingfrom this or it benefits you.
I think that for the younger generation,like that's what they need to hear
more of is just hear our stories,because none of us have a very linear
(32:29):
path, and when you don't know whatyou don't know, it can feel very,
like, you can feel very insecure.
You can feel like youhave imposter syndrome.
You can feel all these things, butwhen you hear that, okay, nobody
knows what they're doing and nobodynobody has a very clear direct path.
Everybody's figuring it out as they,you know, as they go or making their
plans or changing their plans, and itbuilt that confidence in you, and so,
(32:52):
like that exchange for me is reallyimportant, because you're learning
something, but it doesn't have to be insuch, the typical way that conferences
function where you sit and you'retalked at and it's like, okay, notes,
notes, notes, and then walk away.
Sometimes, you can just literallybe there to receive, and it could
be that one little thing that helpsyou or changes things for you.
(33:13):
And so, those moments is what I'mhoping that, that's where my intention,
when I think about it, I'm like, Ijust need, I need to hear somebody's
story about that one thing, right?
That one moment.
And that's what really like keepsme encouraged with doing this work.
I definitely agree.
It reminds
me of our conversation whenwe went for lunch, Diego.
No.
Yeah, I mean, especially, speakingon behalf of Gen Zs, 'cause I
(33:35):
guess that's where I fit into this.
Oh yeah.
I definitely agree with you thoughthat is such a big part, because
it is kind of scary not knowinglike you said, the unknown.
It's very hard.
It's very nerve wrecking and youknow, listening to people like you
and like Nicole and all you inspiringpeople, it's like you've gone through
(33:55):
the experiences, and you can offerthose experiences to us to be like,
you're gonna be okay in the future.
Like, there's not one set paththat you can go through all these
paths in life, and you're gonna beokay and you're gonna find success.
And, I think, you know,especially, looking from being
a minority myself and all that.
It is great hearing from other minoritieswho have gone through these experiences,
because our experiences vary from therest of the majority in the world today.
(34:18):
It's like we don't getthe same experiences.
So, you know, I do think you're onthe right path with your intention,
because as a, you know, being from thisgeneration, I do see that being such a
success for us, because we have peoplelike you to help us, give us the guidance
where we need to go in the future.
So, I think it's really greatwhat you're doing there.
Thank you, Diego.
I'll say like, you know, I'm trying towork on changing my language, because,
(34:41):
actually, Diego we're the majority.
True
Mostly, we're the global majority, butfor some reason, right, we've been like
gaslit to be like, you're the minority.
It's like, well, actually,hold on a second.
Globally, we're global majority, butI'll say as someone who's, you know,
considered a minority and who's aGen Z, and kind of figuring it out.
I think like it's, it's so muchbeauty in that because one, you guys
(35:04):
have so much information availableto you, but it could also be nerve
wrecking, where it's too much, right?
Too much information can be problematicdepending on how you view it.
And, I was at dinner with Black inL&D, actually a group from Black in
L&D, when we were at a conference,and I was sharing, just talking with
them, and I told them like, "oh yeah,I'm thinking about kind of writing
(35:25):
this book", and I was, and I was like,I don't know what to call it, right?
And, I was like, talking throughit and whatever I said, both of
them stopped and they're like,that's the name of your book.
And, it, and I guess what Isaid was, "there is no right
way, there is no wrong way".
And, I think that's my, that's beenmy lessons in this journey of me
being in L and D is that there is noright way and there's no wrong way.
(35:47):
Even, when people think there's a rightway and they're like, this is the way it
goes and this is the way you have to doit, and maybe because the nature of my
work and I work in different organizationsand companies and clients, they all think
they're doing it the right way, right?
They all, like, we call it this,we call it like whatever, even
the, the terminology like thisis, they think they're right.
Another company does it totallydifferent and they think they're
(36:09):
right and it's like, it's okay.
There is no right way,there is no wrong way.
And then, when it comes to our careers,it's the same thing to me like, and
that's what I'm learning to embrace.
It's there's no rightway, there's no wrong way.
It's the way that's best for Diego.
Yeah.
And no one else.
I love those conversations, especially,with the younger generations and
(36:29):
they're like talking about theirfuture, and you know how they don't
know, and I'm like, hold on, sit down.
Let me talk to you about how I'vechanged career four times and
how it hasn't been a linear path.
Not at all.
No one taught us that.
No one taught us, you know, whenwe're young, we are told, oh, what
do you want to, do you wanna be?
mm
When you grow up?
And, that be part is like who you become.
(36:52):
Yes.
That you have to be that andit shouldn't be like that.
So, when I talk to my children,I'm very specific about asking
them what you want to do
Mm.
and not what you want to be, becausethat really, you know, messed us up.
We thought that like, oh, I'm gonna bea, from eight years old, I wanted to be
a teacher, and I'm gonna be a teacher,and that's what I'm gonna be, and then
you got that job, and you're like nope.
(37:12):
This is not it.
Yeah.
This does not fulfill me, you know?
And, you feel so guilty, becausethis was your dream and this is
what your parents hope for you,and this is, you know, all of that.
So, I hope little by little we're alltaking that away with this, you know,
newer, the, the newer, the generation,
That it's okay to changeyour mind as well.
(37:33):
Change your mind, and if you're like 40,and you wanna go and go to med school,
you can still be 40 and go to med school.
You know, like you don't haveto finish college in four years.
You don't have to, youknow, do all of that.
Yeah, and that's the beauty ofbeing like a lifelong learner.
Of saying, you know, we're here to just,just being open and continue, continually
(37:53):
learn, and I think when you have kids.
Obviously, you mentioned your kids,they kind of teach you that 'cause
you start to notice things, and,for me, I try to work on like, what
type of person do you wanna be?
Like what type of life do youwanna have versus like what you're
gonna be doing for money, right?
Because, I feel like it kindof separates, you know, yes, I
want you to do great in school.
(38:13):
Yes, I want you to get good grades,you know, all of that, but kind of
having more of those conversationsabout you as a person, and I think it
would've been lovely for me if I gotto know Mallori a lot sooner, right?
Because then you're like, okay,this is, I, I'm meant to have all
these things that I, that I do.
I'm, I'm multi-passionate.
I enjoy being multi-passionate.
(38:34):
Mm-Hmm.
I may change my mind in sixmonths and like, that's okay too.
So, yeah, I think that hearing thosestories, which is part of the my, me
doing the Grow podcast that I've been,you know, just trying to finally do, which
I'm gonna do, you're gonna see it in 2024,but it's all about career journeys, right?
Where you've been, where youare and where you're going.
And you know, I, like I said, I haveyet to meet anybody who's linear, and
(38:58):
so I don't know why, you know, societyteaches us that there's this linear path,
and when we get to hear each other'scareer stories and career journeys,
and sometimes you're like, oh, I didn'teven know that was a thing, right?
I didn't even really know that youcould like, merge change management
and L and D or you could mergelike finance and L and D and like,
how do I do those two passions?
So, you know, just hearing people'sstories and social learning
(39:23):
Yeah.
Just I don't know if you would allsay this is true, but I've, it really
makes me feel good, and, also, it'sterrifying in some ways, but it makes me
feel good in knowing that I had no ideaI was gonna end up here, and there's
no way I could have planned my path.
Like, sure, once I knew that Iwanted a job in ID, I applied
to jobs in ID, whatever.
Actually, I didn't even know I, Ijust stumbled upon an ID job and I
(39:44):
was like, I think I could do this,but it's a lot of serendipity.
And so, for me, when I get anxious,it's helpful to, for me to just
be like, well, I don't even knowwhat opportunities are coming.
And, the fact that you've built Blackin L&D and the Learning Exchange.
It also just opens up this wholecrowd to moments of serendipity that
may not have come along otherwise.
And so, it's like this beautiful thingof this unexpected unexplored moment
(40:08):
might come from these opportunitiesto talk to other people, and, in your
case, you know, maybe part of the blackcommunity, seeing other people in the
black community doing things of interestthat they hadn't considered before.
But maybe, it's somethingtotally different, you know?
Yeah, that representation, you know,it means, it means a lot and it helps
a lot and it's, I think it's under.
I think people don't realize howbig of a deal, like it matters
(40:31):
when you have representation andwhen you see yourself, in spaces.
And, I have a friend, and she's, we metin Hong Kong and she's from Barbados.
And, I forgot the conversation wewere talking about, but she had this
moment where she was sharing to me,she's like, she, it took her a while
to understand from African American orBlack American's perspective, because
(40:52):
she grew up where she saw like, alllike her doctors, her teachers, the
mailman, like the people at the grocerystore, like everyone looked like her.
So, there was never a moment oflike, oh, I- can't be the mayor, or I
can't be this, or I can't, you know,because you just haven't seen it.
And so, when you see that and you havethose moments, you're like, oh, I can see
someone who's a director of L and D atthis company doing this, or I can, you
(41:14):
know, I've, that just seeing that, right?
As I've seen someone who's running theirown business or as, as a freelancer or
an entrepreneur, and something aboutit internal just like, makes that
click in you like, oh, I can do it too.
And, like, as women, we know this,because we've seen it and we've
experienced it as, you know, of like,okay, we're, you know, we're rooting
for the, for the ladies here, becausewe, you know, we see them making moves
(41:34):
and like you're just so proud and you'relike, it's, it does something for you.
It's the same thing when you have thatexperience, no matter what background you
are, if you know, if you're Latina, ifyou are Pakistani, like whatever you may
be, having that representation, and justseeing a little glimpse of it matters.
And so, when I get to hear thoseserendipity moments, Nicole,
(41:54):
they're, yeah, they're so fulfilling'cause it's like, okay, you know,
you're, you're on the right path.
Like, I'm doing the right thing, andI have these moments of confirmation
for that, because it's not easy,you know, building these communities
is not easy, and that's okay.
Like, hard things aren'tnecessarily meant to be easy, so
We went a little bitoff topic there, Diego.
(42:16):
yeah.
No, but it was great and,you know, I really liked it.
There was so much that you covered inthis short amount of time about, you know,
just social learning, being at play, youknow, finding your voice, finding your
passion, you know, really growing as aperson, and using these platforms and
these social spaces to grow your networkin order to better yourself as a, not only
(42:38):
as you know your professional career, butas a person, and really learn from those
stories and exchange those stories witheach other, because your story is what
helps you become the person you want tobe and your best version of yourself.
So, you know, Mallori, we just wannathank you today for being here.
It's been so great listeningto you and you're so inspiring.
And, I, you know, I know our audienceis gonna love hearing what you had to
(43:00):
say and you know, seeing this come tolife and how your vision turned into
this new thing that everybody's gettinga part of, and, you know, we're really
excited for your upcoming LearningExchange in February and we can't
wait to see and hear all about it.
So, thank you so muchfor being with us today.
Yeah.
Thank you for having me.
This is awesome.
So, if people wanna learn moreabout, you know, Black in L and D
(43:21):
or the Learning Exchange, or evenjust you, where can they find you?
Yeah, you can find me on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is like my, my vibe, myspace, and so LinkedIn is the best
place Mallori Steel, but for Black andL and D, blackinld.org is the best.
place and just please follow uson LinkedIn, follow our page on
LinkedIn as we're trying to growand get exposure and visibility.
(43:44):
And, whenever people ask melike, oh, how can I help?
The biggest thing that we need rightnow as an organization is visibility.
I feel like what we're doing willlike the right connections, the
right partnerships, the rightsponsors, like everything will come.
Like, I strongly believe that, butwe need visibility to get there.
And so, you know, liking, sharing,commenting, engaging with us, like we
(44:04):
need the visibility as an organization.
It's truly grassroots, likeit's truly a grassroots built
organization from the bottom up.
And so, I'm excited to see whereit's gonna go, but yeah, black
in ld dot org and then LinkedIn.
Perfect.
Well, thank you againso much for being here.
We all appreciate it and best of luck atBlack in L&D and the Learning Exchange.
(44:24):
Thank you.
Thank you,
Alright, lab mates.
We will see you next time.
Bye everyone.
Bye.
Bye.
Wow, who knew conferencescould be this fun?
Black in L&D's conference, TheLearning Exchange, is just one
example of how communities are comingtogether to learn from one another.
Mallori shared how virtualconferences invite a greater global
perspective and reach that traditionalin-person conferences cannot offer.
(44:47):
She honed in on the importancethat conferences serve as a way
to network, connecting generationsand creating lifelong connections.
And, finally, she highlights how speakersand attendees sharing their unique and
unconventional paths in these conferencesis the greatest aspect of social learning.
No matter virtual or in-person,social learning continues to be the
transformative heartbeat of conferences,fostering collaboration, knowledge
(45:08):
exchange, and a sense of community.
Now it's your turn for your experiment.
It's time to design yourown virtual conference.
Think about your intention.
What do you want your attendeesto gain out of their experience?
Who will be your guest speakers?
What kind of activities willyou have to get your attendees
to interact with one another?
Will you offer in personevents like the "We Outside"?
You can check out the full experimentbrief in the show notes or the Social
(45:31):
Learning Lab community on Facebook.
In the community, you can alsoshare your virtual conference
plan, get feedback and insight frompeers, and comment on others ideas.
Now, I'd like to ask you a little favor.
If you enjoyed the episode, weinvite you to leave a review, like,
subscribe, or share, so we cancontinue to build a supportive group
of social learning enthusiasts.
Until next time, keep makinglearning that matters.
Ever wondered what happens when curiousminds, groundbreaking ideas, and a
dash of serendipity come together?
Picture this, a world whereconferences aren't just gatherings,
but playgrounds for social learning.
Hi, lab mates.
Welcome to the Social Learning Lab, apodclass about social learning at work.
In today's episode, we'll be sitting downwith Mallori Steele, the founder of Black
(00:22):
in L&D, to discuss how she's reimaginedthe traditional conference format into a
virtual experience that fosters greaterknowledge sharing, connection making,
and global outreach for her upcomingconference, the Learning Exchange.
Ready to dive in?
Welcome back, lab mates to anotherepisode of the Social Learning Lab.
I'm Diego and I'm here with myco-hosts Katie, Rocio, and Nicole.
(00:42):
And, today, we have avery special episode.
Lab mates, please join us in welcomingour special guest, Mallori Steele.
Mallori is a CEO, founder, coach,and mentor for driven consultants,
freelancers, and transplant L and Dprofessionals who wanna build, grow,
and improve their professional careers.
Her entrepreneurial and multi-passionatespirit shines not only through Growductive
(01:04):
Consulting, where she strategically worksto improve organization's training needs.
She's also the founder of Blackin L&D, a nonprofit professional
organization, and the Learning Exchange,an annual Global virtual Conference
featuring black professionals.
Mallori is committed to helpingorganizations and individuals grow by
standing on her deep seated belief inthe transformative power of sharing
(01:25):
experiences, building community,and recognizing our connections
and equitable representation.
Thank you so much, Mallori, forjoining us today, and welcome
to the Social Learning Lab.
Yeah.
Thank you.
I love that Diego It's always niceto hear someone else read about
you, It's like, oh yeah, I'm that.
Thank you!
(01:46):
Yes, of course.
Well, we are so excited that yougot to be here with us today.
You know, we've worked on a lot ofprojects with you, and so we are
very excited to share your expertisewith our audience, and, you know,
just have a little fun today.
I love it.
I'm ready.
All right, so why don't weget into what is Black in L&D?
You know, the kind of organizationthat you started there.
(02:06):
Yes, Black in L&D is slowly becomingits own thing, so today, Black and L
and D is a professional organizationof pretty much just black professionals
in learning and development.
So, it's pretty broad because as weknow, L and D is vast and the positions
and the roles and all that is pretty,I would say pretty, ever changing.
(02:29):
Right?
It's ever changing.
It's probably a good way to put it.
So, it's kind of an all encompassingplace for people in talent,
training, learning development.
So, we started off in 2020 as BlackInstructional Designers, and that
was kinda how the group started offon Facebook and LinkedIn, and it
slowly transitioned into Black inL&D, because of how much things are
(02:51):
growing and changing and how manypeople are like L and D adjacent.
And so, right now yeah, we're stillour private kind of Facebook and
LinkedIn group is where we really kindof engage and then we're turning into
a nonprofit, and so now we are havingmore public engagement and public
spaces for people to get involved.
So, in short, it's a professionalorganization for black professionals,
(03:12):
but I feel like that doesn't encompassall of kind of what it is for the members
You should never keep it short.
I know, because you have peoplewho are new to L and D, right?
And, or, people who are transitioning,they're not in the industry at all,
and they're just curious and they, andthey wanna learn about it and grow.
Then, you have people who've been 20years and have years and years and
(03:35):
years of experience in this space.
You have people who are PhD level andpeople who are just like, they just
have a certificate, or you have peoplelike me and I don't have either, right?
And so, L and D is such a fun place whereyou can get into the industry in such
unique in unconventional ways, or youcan go kind of the straight and narrow.
I knew I wanted to get into thisspace since high school, college.
(03:58):
Most people don't.
I've yet to hear that story where ifyou where someone's like, yeah, I went
to college for learning and development
I grow up, when I grow up, I wannabe an instructional designer.
So, it's nice, it's nice becauseeveryone has their story and their
experience of getting into thisspace, and so, it's sometimes hard
to explain it as in like, oh, this isan organization for lawyers, right?
(04:20):
It's a little bit more straightforwardor architects or whatever.
It's L and D is an interesting space.
Yeah.
How do I explain it?
Where you're excited as muchas I'm excited you know.
For Black and L and D?
Like how do I explain that?
How do I transfer thatexcitement to people?
Right.
Yeah.
That's hard.
I feel like, I feel I have my highs andlows, because it's you know, you, you have
(04:46):
the questions of like, why is this needed?
Why do you have it?
Why is this existent?
You know, or people who wanna get intothe, into Black and L and D and it's like,
you know, you're not black, so sorry,sorry this space isn't for you, but we
love you, we want you to support us andthere's so many other ways to engage.
So there's like the highs and the lows ofkind of having a group like this, but I
(05:09):
think it's, I think I know it's needed.
I've seen that it's needed.
The support and the help and just thesafe space within the organization, and
then also it's given people, and thenwe'll get into the Learning Exchange,
but it's given people a lot of confidenceto, kind of go out of the group, right?
And go into, in the other spaces and orconferences or organizations and just
(05:35):
feel more confident in their career orlike where they're going and what they
wanna do because they privately havebeen able to ask some questions and have
some support, and I don't know if I everreally shared the story, maybe at some
point back in the day with Nicole, butwhen I first got into L and D, you know,
the, L and D industry is interesting.
It's so large, but it's also very small,so I was on LinkedIn and I posted a
(06:02):
question on somebody's post, right?
I just posted a question to somethingthat they said and someone replied to
my comment, but they replied to the po-to the person who posted the comment.
I mean, the post.
Does that make sense?
Right.
So I commented, and then person,a person replied to it, but they
didn't respond to my comment.
They just commented on my comment and thenthe poster, the original poster responded
(06:27):
to that person, but then still didn'tanswer me and it became like the thread
was like, how do you guys not see me?
Like, hello, I'm here you're commentingon my thread and it was like the beginning
of me feeling very invisible in thisspace, and I was just wondering, I'm like,
and obviously I can't initially say, oh,this is because I'm a black woman, right?
It was just a pattern of like, "Hey,I'm asking this question too," or "hey,
(06:50):
like, I need a little help or I need somedirection," and me noticing, within like
the l and d groups that this was veryodd, continual experience, and I think I
was more so heightened, because that wasthe summer that George Floyd was killed
and it was just all these emotions.
So, that was the start of mestarting Black and L and D.
I was like, we just need to just need aprivate space, a safe space where I can
(07:13):
ask a question without feeling like thisis a stupid question; or, oh my gosh, he
doesn't know the answer to this; or like,you don't have this degree, or it just,
it was, it felt like a lot of judgmentand I just wanted to have a safe space.
I will say as a caveat.
I've had a lot of supportoutside of Black in L&D.
A lot of support, a lot of positivity,but that was like the catalyst of,
(07:33):
of me feeling I think other peoplemay be feeling like this too, like
I'm a solutionist, so I'm like,what do you, what do I do about it?
Right.
I don't wanna complain about it.
What can I do about it?
And, so, that was the birth of this space.
It is, you know, like I mentioned, it'sjust transitioned to its own thing.
That's just so amazing to like hear,because it's so true, like representation,
(07:56):
especially, is just so needed and I think,you know, you empowering that, you know,
group of minorities is so important and,especially, in this world today where
there's so much just anger and frustrationand hatred towards so many people.
I think, you know, giving thesepeople a platform to share their
voice and really grow together andlearn together is so important.
So, that's just amazing, and, you know, wejust wanna recognize you for doing this.
(08:19):
It's so great seeing what you'redoing out there in the world today.
Thank you.
Yes.
I also wanna highlight what you said,which I thought was really interesting,
that you've got this amazing communityand we've gotten to witness Black and
L and D grow, but it doesn't just stay
Mm-Hmm.
The having this safe space makesyour members more able to go
out and do big things beyond
(08:42):
Mm-Hmm.
And to me, that's like such a wowpowerful statement, because that is like
where growth and things are happening.
You know, it's not just like, "Hey,we join, we get to chat," but like
I, I built confidence; I'm makingprogress in my career; I'm getting
into spaces where I didn't once feelcomfortable or feel like I had the
support to go up against challenges.
So, that's really amazing.
(09:02):
I don't, I don't know if you'vegotten to celebrate that as
much as you should, but wow.
I know, I feel like, I feel likeI need to take those moments.
We all do.
Right?
And celebrate those wins.
There's moments where peoplewill come back into the group and
they'll share those success stories.
They'll share like, Hey, I got thisjob that somebody posted in here.
Right?
'cause we'll post jobsand post opportunities.
(09:23):
We need more internships and L andD so when there are internships,
we kind of post about that.
So we have those success stories whereyou can see it, you can see the impact,
but you're right, Nicole, I think Idefinitely to celebrate the impact more,
because it is, it's you come to the, youcome into the group to add value and get
value, but you really make the impactoutside that space and in your own lives.
(09:46):
And, for many black professionals,especially in the states, like we're
one of very few in our organizations orour L and D teams, and so to have this
space to come to and to ask a questionor to share an experience or to get
some feedback or advice, I love it.
I love that we have it
(10:07):
Yeah, I, I really admire that you saw aneed and you were like, I am gonna take
care of, of that need, and, you know, it'ssuch a basic emotional need for people
to want to belong someplace, and a lot ofpeople don't have that sense of belonging.
which is also social learning in a way.
Yeah.
To do social learning, youhave to feel like you belong in
(10:29):
Mm-Hmm.
a connection there, but you know,a little, I can't, pat in the back.
Yeah.
Thank you.
I feel it.
That's awesome.
Yes, that is definitely amazing.
So, I kind of want to go back to whatyou mentioned earlier about the Learning
Exchange Conference, because, you know,as a, being a social learning podcast,
(10:49):
we talk a lot about, you know, sociallearning in all aspects in a conference.
We had just done an episode on sociallearning activities, and so we felt,
we wanted to highlight, you know,your, the Learning Exchange conference
that's coming up in February.
Yeah.
I love that you guys arehighlighting it, and thank you.
Gosh, I am, I think today I'mreally excited about the Learning
(11:09):
Exchange, because I have these,like bursts of creative, like energy
and that this was this week for me.
So, I think you caught me at areally good time, because I was
able to just like, bust out somestuff that we needed to get done.
But, the Learning Exchange is a virtualconference featuring all black speakers.
That's pretty much what it is in short.
I think, you know, it's, it's puton by Black and L and D, sponsored
(11:33):
by different organizations, butmainly partnered with my company,
which is Growductive Consulting.
So, you know, as we're building thisout, building this, this conference and
this platform, it costs money, right?
So, that's where like Growductivehas been like footing the bill to
kind of make this happen, and, so, Ijust strongly believe in this vision.
(11:55):
I strongly believe in the needfor the Learning Exchange and, so
it's definitely social learning.
I, I'll make some, a few clarificationsfor those who never heard of it, so it's
not, while it is you know, put on by Blackin L&D, it's not an L and D conference.
There's a lot of L and D topics andsessions, but it's really, we have
tracks every conference, right?
(12:16):
Conferences have tracks.
We have six tracks, and as longas the sessions that our speakers
wanna propose fits within thosetracks, then we judge them and
accept them; and, we do it that way.
So it's a, it's a range, right?
There's, there's tech, there's, Iknow this year, surprisingly, we had
(12:36):
a lot of healthcare proposals whichI don't know if we have any of them
like that's running this particularLearning Exchange, but we have, DE
D and I, obviously, and then we havegosh, I'm missing a few, finance, right?
Some HR, consulting, freelancing,so it's a range of topics that
(12:57):
really anyone can kind of pickand choose during these tracks.
So, it's not a L and D conference,but how this all started you know,
I'm a solutionist so in 2021, Ireally became aware of like how big
of a deal conferences are in L and D.
Like, it's such a big deal, right?
(13:18):
Everybody's like, if you didn't goto a con- a conference or speak at a
conference, and so my first L and Dconference was in 2021, and it was really
when I was really paying attention andI just noticed, you know, there, there
wasn't that many people who looked likeme, there wasn't that many people who
looked close to like me, like a littlebit of melanin, and when I physically went
(13:43):
to one of the conferences, thing, right?
And I was like, wow, you know, I'mjust curious what this is about.
I asked around a little bit,and again, I'm like, well, how
about we just create it, right?
If you're not invited to the tableor you can't get a seat at the table,
you build your own table, right?
And so that was a Learning Exchange, andthe first Learning Exchange was in 2021.
We had like eight sessions.
(14:03):
It was over four days.
Why did we do it over four days?
I have no idea, but it was over afour day period, eight sessions.
And, we didn't do one in 2022,and then 2023 we did, and so, I
think 2023, this past June is whenwe had it during the the week of
Juneteenth, and it really confirmedthat vision to me like this is needed.
(14:29):
We had, I wanna say, maybe like35, 40 sessions, over 50 speakers,
36 different countries, you know,in attendance and represented.
It was awesome.
It was just an awesome experience and a,and an awesome conference, and all the
(14:49):
private feedback was very helpful forme, like just to have that validation
and it's crazy 'cause we don't need avalidation for our id- our, ideas, right?
But it was nice to have a little bitof like, okay, yes, this is needed.
The Learning Exchange whileit features black speakers,
right, to have that opportunity.
It's for a variety of reasons.
One, if you wanna speak at conferencesin the L and D space, I can only
(15:13):
speak about the L and D space.
I don't know about other industries.
A lot of times you have to shareprevious experience, right?
You have to share yourprevious speaking experience.
you kinda have to really sell yourselfand have a really good proposal,
have a really good topic, and ifyou don't have that, it's a little
bit of a barrier to entry, right?
(15:33):
So, the Learning Exchange providesfirst time speakers that experience.
One, you get the recorded video,so you have that to share.
Two, you just get the experience,you get to be amongst other speakers
and just engage and just like testout what you wanna talk about, right?
What are your passions?
Because everybody kindof has their topics.
So that's one, and then two, it reallyprovides a space for our perspective
(15:57):
and our lived experience to share.
So, while yes, anybody can get up and talkabout storyboarding, anybody can get up
and talk about analytics, your experiencein that space makes a difference, right?
That's where the social learningfor me plays a part, right?
Because we all have a different experienceand a different vantage point, and
so to be able to have black speakersshare from their perspective about
(16:18):
some of these topics about ai, right?
About, learning architecture,et cetera, et cetera.
List can go on.
That's what's a bit unique about it.
Then it also provides everyone who'snot black who usually do not have
an opportunity to hear of blackspeakers or hear their perspectives.
This is time for you, right?
(16:39):
It's time for you to come and listenand learn and grow yourself and network
and meet new people and see new faces,so it's, it's kind of a win-win.
It's not kind of, it's a win-win.
It's a win-win for everyone.
We changed it for Black to be during BlackHistory month, because one of two things.
It's not a big conference seasonin, in February compared to June.
(17:01):
So it's a, it's a better timeto do a conference a virtual
conference for us and to get intothe conference world, so to speak.
two, know, probably like mid, mid-January,people are digging into trying to
find a black history fact, right?
They're like, okay, okay, we gotta saysomething, we don't necessarily care.
(17:21):
Sometimes they do care, but it'slike we have to say something or do
something for Black History Month,and it's like it is what you can do.
You know, we have the LearningExchange, our history is our history,
but it's better to be part of makinghistory, and be part of, you know,
moving forward versus like, there'sonly so many times and so many quotes
we can share from Martin Luther Kingor Curtis Scott King or Rosa Parks.
(17:43):
Right?
And, I'm here today, because of themlike, I'm grateful, but it's also like
all of these amazing people who aredoing things today that we can also
share and talk about, and, so, it'slike a double, you know, connection of
saying let's be part of making historyversus only looking back at history.
I know I said a mouthful,so I'll take a pause.
No, that was great.
(18:04):
I mean, it's so true though, likeyou want to give this next generation
that voice and, you know, be a partof making history, like you said.
So, I think that's such an amazing thing,you know, just giving that platform,
like you said, and allowing peopleto, you know, network with each other.
I think that's something that, youknow, is so important, especially
that's where you gain a lot of insightand a lot of expertise is through your
(18:24):
network, and so, you know, going intothis part, you know, it's a virtual
conference, so how do you kind of getthese engagement from your audience base?
Like how do you get them to engagewith each other and connect with
each other in a virtual setting?
That's a great question.
I feel like we have todo it anyways, right?
We're doing it now.
We do it all the time.
It's just part of life.
I think what's unique about whatwe're doing this time with the
(18:47):
Learning Exchange is that technicallyit's now a three day conference.
So, we're doing a pre-conference, andso that pre-conference is on Wednesday,
and it's more like coaching workshopsthat's happening on that pre-conference.
It's not presentations or panels,so it's all kind of very tangible.
The best way to put it is coaching,but, in between those sessions that
day, we have speed networking, so likeone-on-one networking opportunities.
(19:11):
And, then, we have these likenetworking circles where you can,
it's a little bit more structured,but that'll be that Wednesday.
And, then, the day of the conference,so that Thursday and Friday.
So, February 7th is thepre-conference, February 8th and
9th is the the Learning Exchange.
We have a social lounge, and sothink of it just like a virtual,
(19:31):
how, what it looks like is, it lookslike a bunch of little tables right?
It looks like a bunch of little tablesand they have different topics and you
just pick which one you wanna go to.
So, if you're like, oh, I'mreally interested in this topic,
then I'll go to that table.
You can turn on your camera,you can, get turn off mute.
You can engage and talk and meet people.
The platform also has an opportunitywhere you can click on someone's
profile and you can see, you know, theirbio, you can see whatever information
(19:55):
they wanna share, you can see it,and then you can connect with them.
So, you can send them a private messagethat way, or you can also just connect
with them on LinkedIn or whereverthey, whatever they decided to post.
So Sometimes, you know, when you're ina session, when you're in a, the virtual
conference, what we noticed in the lastconference was that people, the chat,
was like, was like fire, like the chatwas just like, you couldn't keep up.
(20:16):
It was so much and it was going sofast, and so, sometimes, somebody
will write a comment that you reallyresonate with and so it's a really easy
way to just immediately message them,and just, or connect with them and
say, oh, like, I, I like that person,or, or, I like what they said, or I
wanna learn more about what they said.
So, that's kind of the networking.
It's very, you have tobe intentional, right?
It's virtual, so there's no waythat we're gonna force you in.
(20:38):
You have to show up, you have to engage,you have to come off mute, but there's
plenty of opportunity to network.
Then, one thing that we're also excitedabout that we're doing this year.
Last year, once everything wrappedin the, you know, excitement ended
after the Learning Exchange, andthen I slept the feedback was
like, we have to do this in person.
(20:59):
We have to do this in person, and,as someone who lived abroad for
over 10 years, like I, I was tryingto pinpoint like, why is it so
important to me to keep this virtual?
And, I realize it's because whenyou change it to in person, you like
remove access for so many peoplebecause so many people cannot.
We had 36 countries, right?
(21:19):
That of people who attended theLearning Exchange virtually, and,
then if you cut that off and say,okay, we're gonna do it in DC.
Realistically, how manypeople can fly and come?
You know, from to DC not justphysically be here, but just even
like financially, like what goesinto traveling to a conference.
And so, definitely keeping the LearningExchange virtual, but we're adding what
we call our "we outside events," and theseare in-person networking events the night
(21:45):
before the conference, so the Wednesdaynight, and they'll be in select cities.
So, right now, on our list, there's36 cities including international.
Those will likely narrow down, so, ifyou're listening to this in January
and you're like, Mallory, 36 countriesare not listed on the website.
Thank you for your grace, but we aregoing to have in-person networking
(22:07):
events and this is just like showup if you're registered for the
Learning Exchange, and this is anopportunity to just meet in person.
What's unique about this is we havehosts in those cities who are like,
yes, I wanna host a "we outside".
A "we outside" by the way, thewhole conference is very black
culture, so all the tracks are likeCREAM, CREAM is our finance track.
CREAM is Cash Rules isEverything Around Me, C.R.E.A.M?
So if you know, like the song, right?
(22:28):
We have a track Rootingfor Everybody Black.
That's our DEI.
So, if you've ever heard of Issa Rae,there's a quote where she's like,
somebody asked her at some award show,like, "oh, who do you wanna win tonight?"
And, she's like, "I'mrooting for everybody black."
So, we have a lot of these likeblack culture references, and so
the "we outside", is that right?
It's like we're going outside, we're gonnaactually be kids always say touch grass.
(22:48):
They actually go outside and engagewith people, and so it's open to anyone,
and one thing I really wanna stress andshare is that we really want everyone
to attend this conference, right?
And so, the our, the last LearningExchange, majority of the people in
attendance who registered are notblack, and so, one because we're
(23:10):
minorities and so we're obviously notthe, the majority, but two, you know,
there's a lot of support and it's morelike silent, quiet, behind the scenes
support, which we really appreciate.
And so, if you wanna show up andyou're not black, that's fine.
You know, we'll be at the "we outside".
Like we, we want you to engage with us.
We want really allyship, right?
(23:30):
Because we, need it andjust diversity in general.
So, while yes, this, all our speakers areblack, we're not, it's not an exclusive
to black people or the black community,but there's some references you may
not initially get, so just Google it.
I love it.
Maybe, maybe one day you'll havea Black and L and D retreat.
Yeah.
It's on my list.
(23:51):
Okay.
Okay
I already have it.
It's called the Reset.
It's, I have, you know,I'm an ideas person.
I have so many things thatI'm like, I would love to do,
because, there's it there, it'simportant to get together, right?
It's just, I don't think you have to stopsomething that's working to like, adjust,
you know, to make it something else.
I think you just need something else.
(24:12):
So, but yeah, we definitely wanna havea retreat and I'm a retreat girly.
If I can go on a retreat, it's happening.
That's so amazing, and it's so really,you know, inspiring to see that, you
know, you're sticking to the virtualsetting, because like you said, a lot
of people would prefer that in person,but to see that you're showing that it's
more in strength on virtual setting isso much, you know, a good thing, because
(24:35):
it's like, you know, a lot of us arewondering, are these virtual settings
really the best space to learn and shareand exchange ideas, because we're not
face-to-face, because we don't get theinteraction, but seeing the success
you're having with your own teams, and,you know, your own or, conference and
how people can connect around the world.
I think that's an experience that alot of people aren't gonna be able
to get is that cultural experiencefrom having people from around the
(24:57):
country or around the globe, and that'ssomething that you don't get to do
every day in an in-person conference.
So that's really great.
I was gonna say, we just, you know,we have two of our speakers are in
South Africa, and it's like, you know.
Well, I wanna have more andmore as we continue to grow
speakers all around the world.
It's like, like you said, Diego,it's, would we have that option if it
(25:18):
was, you know, if it was in person?
And, would you even be able tosit and listen to their experience
and their perspective and likewhat they have to, to share?
And, and also, having thatrepresentation of South Africans, right?
And so, I love it.
I love the fact that it's accessibleto people, and I, and I love the fact
that, it still feels like you're partof something and not just like you're
(25:41):
logging onto a webinar, you know?
I was, I was just gonna say thatthe, the accessibility part of
having things in the digital world.
Hmm.
You know, it, it changed a lot ofthings and it creates also kind
of like an equitable space, right?
For everybody to come inand share their ideas.
I mean, South Africa, and eventuallyyou'll probably have people from
(26:02):
other countries and that wouldn'thappen if maybe, but more than likely
it wouldn't be to that extent ifyou had in-person conferences that
people had to travel to the US to.
Attend, right?
Yeah, and I, you know, this was my firstyear like of traveling and speaking at
conferences, and I did a lot, and I hada lot of takeaways from it, and one of
(26:22):
those is that, you know, I'm not, andyou guys would probably would never guess,
and I'm actually, I actually relativelyintroverted, and so the, the in-person,
there are so many people, and there'sso many people to talk to, and someone
like me, I can get drained really easily.
Although, I do wanna talk toyou and I do wanna engage.
I was like, I'm going back to myhotel room like it was a lot, but
(26:45):
also it's like, where do you turnbecause people know each other, so many
people knew each other and so you're,when you're, I'm, I work for myself,
so I'm not going with the company.
I'm not going with theteam or organization.
And so, I found myself like trying tolike inch my way into conversations
and inch my way into engagement or likeself invite myself to certain lunch,
like sit with, you know, and that's hardin a, in a comfort setting in person.
(27:08):
Not impossible, obviously this happensall the time, and I think it's a
time and a place, but I think forpeople who are, who are similar to
me in any of those ways I mentioned.
A virtual setting is awesome,because you can engage in a
way that's comfortable for you.
You can jump in or jump out andit doesn't require you, you know,
try to get back to a hotel room.
(27:28):
Also, I, I kind of feel like you meetmore people like, or at least you have
an opportunity to meet more peopleand kind of engage with more people,
and, also, attend more sessions,because we have like the replays.
I think that's was hard for the in-personconference 'cause you're like, gosh,
which session do I go to, right?
Like, there's so many, and it'sthe same thing with our conference.
(27:49):
There's a lot of sessionsand they're doubled up.
So, you really have to pick, butyou'll have an option once you're
registered to like go watch areplay of a session that you missed.
And so, that's not the case,right, with in-person conferences.
Like, you missed it, you missed it.
And so, there's a lot ofperks, but there's, there's
good and bad to both, right?
But I think that the virtualsetting when appropriate, especially
(28:13):
in this case, works awesome.
Plus, you've been, I just wannasay you've been very intentional.
Like, there are, especiallyduring, you know, the whole
covid, everything online.
A lot of people treated webinar,you know, they treated like webinar,
it was like an afterthought, butyou've really created this beautiful
community space and true, right?
It's Learning Exchange, but thereis a true exchange of learning,
(28:33):
because you've been intentional andthoughtful about how you're gonna,
you know, get people to interact.
And, I could, I hear it, you know,in all of the things you're talking
about, you cre- created spaces.
You've thought about, youknow, the branding, the
terminology you're going to use.
There's a lot happening there.
It's not like you were just like, alrightwe are going to meet online today.
It sounds great.
(28:53):
It's just go and hangout, like it, I love that.
I love the intentionality of,
I agree.
everything, and I love how inclusive itis because, you know, it, it really allows
for people like that have social anxietyor people that, you know, when you go to
conference, like you said, it drains you,but there's people that just don't wanna
talk to people, and it's just so awkwardto sit in a conference and everybody's
(29:16):
talking around you and you're just sittingthere like you don't know how to engage.
So.
and I'm big on like, I'm big on havingsubstantial, I mean, not substantial,
like more genuine conversations.
I don't do great with smalltalk, let's put it that way.
Like I don't, I don't do that great.
I, I always tell people I hate small talk,like it makes me feel so awkward, and
(29:39):
so like, I don't know what to say next.
Yeah, so it's like I'm either gonna likeask you about your life, you know, like
I'm just like, very intentional, orI'm maybe just not talking, you know?
So it can, I mean people say firstimpressions are everything, but it kind
of sucks, because if you are someone who'snot that way, it's like, well, you're
gonna walk away with not a great firstimpression of me, because you caught me in
(29:59):
a moment where like my battery's at 10%,because I just talked to 30 other people.
And so, I think the, what wasactually interesting about the
last conference, you know, 'causewe get all the data back, right?
Is that, people spent a lot of time onthe platform, meaning they just like
kept the browser open and they wouldgo do their work and they would come
back and they would interact and chat.
(30:19):
And so, that was really interestingthat it was nice for people to just
have it there for those two days.
Come and go as they needed to, andso the minutes, like the, the amount
of minutes that's like, this is howmuch time that people spend on it.
We were like, what really like, itwas really surprising for us, but I
think it was that freedom to come andgo as you need, and so I know that
(30:40):
there's such a drastic, like differencein perspective about in person.
And, I think it's only gonna,the conversation's only gonna
continue, because, partially,it's a generational thing as well.
Don't get me talking aboutthe generational thing.
It's such a passion of mine, but you know,and so to see what's gonna transpire when
we have gen, um, Gen Z and then GenerationAlpha and like how they view in person
(31:02):
versus, versus virtual because it's gonnabe such a normal part of their life.
It's not gonna be either or, it'sjust, it's just part of life.
Versus for us, it's like this sometimesthis dilemma of like, oh, let's, you know,
discuss it and should we do it this way?
And, what about this?
And, if it should be hybrid.
But for them, it's just,this is, it's just life.
And, I think seeing it that way to wheresome things are appropriate virtual
(31:23):
and some things work really well inperson, and then you can switch it up
when you need it, when you need to.
So, you know, I've, I've definitely beenvery intentional about it, and intentional
about the fact that I think when itcomes to social learning, that there's,
there's always like that one person.
I'm sure if when I say this, youguys will think of it for yourselves.
There's always that one person or thatone story or that one, experience that
(31:46):
you are able to observe that reallylike, change things for you personally.
Like you sometimes justneed to see example, right?
Or, you need to hear someone's careerstory or like the journey that they
took or like the choice that theymade, and you're like, oh, right?
It's either inspiring toyou or it's a lesson to you.
And so, to be able to hear from eachother in that way, without it being
(32:07):
so dictated of like, you have to talkabout this versus like, I'm coming to
talk about what I wanna talk about.
This is in from my perspective, and I hopeit and pray that it helps someone, right?
Or you can take somethingfrom this or it benefits you.
I think that for the younger generation,like that's what they need to hear
more of is just hear our stories,because none of us have a very linear
(32:29):
path, and when you don't know whatyou don't know, it can feel very,
like, you can feel very insecure.
You can feel like youhave imposter syndrome.
You can feel all these things, butwhen you hear that, okay, nobody
knows what they're doing and nobodynobody has a very clear direct path.
Everybody's figuring it out as they,you know, as they go or making their
plans or changing their plans, and itbuilt that confidence in you, and so,
(32:52):
like that exchange for me is reallyimportant, because you're learning
something, but it doesn't have to be insuch, the typical way that conferences
function where you sit and you'retalked at and it's like, okay, notes,
notes, notes, and then walk away.
Sometimes, you can just literallybe there to receive, and it could
be that one little thing that helpsyou or changes things for you.
(33:13):
And so, those moments is what I'mhoping that, that's where my intention,
when I think about it, I'm like, Ijust need, I need to hear somebody's
story about that one thing, right?
That one moment.
And that's what really like keepsme encouraged with doing this work.
I definitely agree.
It reminds
me of our conversation whenwe went for lunch, Diego.
No.
Yeah, I mean, especially, speakingon behalf of Gen Zs, 'cause I
(33:35):
guess that's where I fit into this.
Oh yeah.
I definitely agree with you thoughthat is such a big part, because
it is kind of scary not knowinglike you said, the unknown.
It's very hard.
It's very nerve wrecking and youknow, listening to people like you
and like Nicole and all you inspiringpeople, it's like you've gone through
(33:55):
the experiences, and you can offerthose experiences to us to be like,
you're gonna be okay in the future.
Like, there's not one set paththat you can go through all these
paths in life, and you're gonna beokay and you're gonna find success.
And, I think, you know,especially, looking from being
a minority myself and all that.
It is great hearing from other minoritieswho have gone through these experiences,
because our experiences vary from therest of the majority in the world today.
(34:18):
It's like we don't getthe same experiences.
So, you know, I do think you're onthe right path with your intention,
because as a, you know, being from thisgeneration, I do see that being such a
success for us, because we have peoplelike you to help us, give us the guidance
where we need to go in the future.
So, I think it's really greatwhat you're doing there.
Thank you, Diego.
I'll say like, you know, I'm trying towork on changing my language, because,
(34:41):
actually, Diego we're the majority.
True
Mostly, we're the global majority, butfor some reason, right, we've been like
gaslit to be like, you're the minority.
It's like, well, actually,hold on a second.
Globally, we're global majority, butI'll say as someone who's, you know,
considered a minority and who's aGen Z, and kind of figuring it out.
I think like it's, it's so muchbeauty in that because one, you guys
(35:04):
have so much information availableto you, but it could also be nerve
wrecking, where it's too much, right?
Too much information can be problematicdepending on how you view it.
And, I was at dinner with Black inL&D, actually a group from Black in
L&D, when we were at a conference,and I was sharing, just talking with
them, and I told them like, "oh yeah,I'm thinking about kind of writing
(35:25):
this book", and I was, and I was like,I don't know what to call it, right?
And, I was like, talking throughit and whatever I said, both of
them stopped and they're like,that's the name of your book.
And, it, and I guess what Isaid was, "there is no right
way, there is no wrong way".
And, I think that's my, that's beenmy lessons in this journey of me
being in L and D is that there is noright way and there's no wrong way.
(35:47):
Even, when people think there's a rightway and they're like, this is the way it
goes and this is the way you have to doit, and maybe because the nature of my
work and I work in different organizationsand companies and clients, they all think
they're doing it the right way, right?
They all, like, we call it this,we call it like whatever, even
the, the terminology like thisis, they think they're right.
Another company does it totallydifferent and they think they're
(36:09):
right and it's like, it's okay.
There is no right way,there is no wrong way.
And then, when it comes to our careers,it's the same thing to me like, and
that's what I'm learning to embrace.
It's there's no rightway, there's no wrong way.
It's the way that's best for Diego.
Yeah.
And no one else.
I love those conversations, especially,with the younger generations and
(36:29):
they're like talking about theirfuture, and you know how they don't
know, and I'm like, hold on, sit down.
Let me talk to you about how I'vechanged career four times and
how it hasn't been a linear path.
Not at all.
No one taught us that.
No one taught us, you know, whenwe're young, we are told, oh, what
do you want to, do you wanna be?
mm
When you grow up?
And, that be part is like who you become.
(36:52):
Yes.
That you have to be that andit shouldn't be like that.
So, when I talk to my children,I'm very specific about asking
them what you want to do
Mm.
and not what you want to be, becausethat really, you know, messed us up.
We thought that like, oh, I'm gonna bea, from eight years old, I wanted to be
a teacher, and I'm gonna be a teacher,and that's what I'm gonna be, and then
you got that job, and you're like nope.
(37:12):
This is not it.
Yeah.
This does not fulfill me, you know?
And, you feel so guilty, becausethis was your dream and this is
what your parents hope for you,and this is, you know, all of that.
So, I hope little by little we're alltaking that away with this, you know,
newer, the, the newer, the generation,
That it's okay to changeyour mind as well.
(37:33):
Change your mind, and if you're like 40,and you wanna go and go to med school,
you can still be 40 and go to med school.
You know, like you don't haveto finish college in four years.
You don't have to, youknow, do all of that.
Yeah, and that's the beauty ofbeing like a lifelong learner.
Of saying, you know, we're here to just,just being open and continue, continually
(37:53):
learn, and I think when you have kids.
Obviously, you mentioned your kids,they kind of teach you that 'cause
you start to notice things, and,for me, I try to work on like, what
type of person do you wanna be?
Like what type of life do youwanna have versus like what you're
gonna be doing for money, right?
Because, I feel like it kindof separates, you know, yes, I
want you to do great in school.
(38:13):
Yes, I want you to get good grades,you know, all of that, but kind of
having more of those conversationsabout you as a person, and I think it
would've been lovely for me if I gotto know Mallori a lot sooner, right?
Because then you're like, okay,this is, I, I'm meant to have all
these things that I, that I do.
I'm, I'm multi-passionate.
I enjoy being multi-passionate.
(38:34):
Mm-Hmm.
I may change my mind in sixmonths and like, that's okay too.
So, yeah, I think that hearing thosestories, which is part of the my, me
doing the Grow podcast that I've been,you know, just trying to finally do, which
I'm gonna do, you're gonna see it in 2024,but it's all about career journeys, right?
Where you've been, where youare and where you're going.
And you know, I, like I said, I haveyet to meet anybody who's linear, and
(38:58):
so I don't know why, you know, societyteaches us that there's this linear path,
and when we get to hear each other'scareer stories and career journeys,
and sometimes you're like, oh, I didn'teven know that was a thing, right?
I didn't even really know that youcould like, merge change management
and L and D or you could mergelike finance and L and D and like,
how do I do those two passions?
So, you know, just hearing people'sstories and social learning
(39:23):
Yeah.
Just I don't know if you would allsay this is true, but I've, it really
makes me feel good, and, also, it'sterrifying in some ways, but it makes me
feel good in knowing that I had no ideaI was gonna end up here, and there's
no way I could have planned my path.
Like, sure, once I knew that Iwanted a job in ID, I applied
to jobs in ID, whatever.
Actually, I didn't even know I, Ijust stumbled upon an ID job and I
(39:44):
was like, I think I could do this,but it's a lot of serendipity.
And so, for me, when I get anxious,it's helpful to, for me to just
be like, well, I don't even knowwhat opportunities are coming.
And, the fact that you've built Blackin L&D and the Learning Exchange.
It also just opens up this wholecrowd to moments of serendipity that
may not have come along otherwise.
And so, it's like this beautiful thingof this unexpected unexplored moment
(40:08):
might come from these opportunitiesto talk to other people, and, in your
case, you know, maybe part of the blackcommunity, seeing other people in the
black community doing things of interestthat they hadn't considered before.
But maybe, it's somethingtotally different, you know?
Yeah, that representation, you know,it means, it means a lot and it helps
a lot and it's, I think it's under.
I think people don't realize howbig of a deal, like it matters
(40:31):
when you have representation andwhen you see yourself, in spaces.
And, I have a friend, and she's, we metin Hong Kong and she's from Barbados.
And, I forgot the conversation wewere talking about, but she had this
moment where she was sharing to me,she's like, she, it took her a while
to understand from African American orBlack American's perspective, because
(40:52):
she grew up where she saw like, alllike her doctors, her teachers, the
mailman, like the people at the grocerystore, like everyone looked like her.
So, there was never a moment oflike, oh, I- can't be the mayor, or I
can't be this, or I can't, you know,because you just haven't seen it.
And so, when you see that and you havethose moments, you're like, oh, I can see
someone who's a director of L and D atthis company doing this, or I can, you
(41:14):
know, I've, that just seeing that, right?
As I've seen someone who's running theirown business or as, as a freelancer or
an entrepreneur, and something aboutit internal just like, makes that
click in you like, oh, I can do it too.
And, like, as women, we know this,because we've seen it and we've
experienced it as, you know, of like,okay, we're, you know, we're rooting
for the, for the ladies here, becausewe, you know, we see them making moves
(41:34):
and like you're just so proud and you'relike, it's, it does something for you.
It's the same thing when you have thatexperience, no matter what background you
are, if you know, if you're Latina, ifyou are Pakistani, like whatever you may
be, having that representation, and justseeing a little glimpse of it matters.
And so, when I get to hear thoseserendipity moments, Nicole,
(41:54):
they're, yeah, they're so fulfilling'cause it's like, okay, you know,
you're, you're on the right path.
Like, I'm doing the right thing, andI have these moments of confirmation
for that, because it's not easy,you know, building these communities
is not easy, and that's okay.
Like, hard things aren'tnecessarily meant to be easy, so
We went a little bitoff topic there, Diego.
(42:16):
yeah.
No, but it was great and,you know, I really liked it.
There was so much that you covered inthis short amount of time about, you know,
just social learning, being at play, youknow, finding your voice, finding your
passion, you know, really growing as aperson, and using these platforms and
these social spaces to grow your networkin order to better yourself as a, not only
(42:38):
as you know your professional career, butas a person, and really learn from those
stories and exchange those stories witheach other, because your story is what
helps you become the person you want tobe and your best version of yourself.
So, you know, Mallori, we just wannathank you today for being here.
It's been so great listeningto you and you're so inspiring.
And, I, you know, I know our audienceis gonna love hearing what you had to
(43:00):
say and you know, seeing this come tolife and how your vision turned into
this new thing that everybody's gettinga part of, and, you know, we're really
excited for your upcoming LearningExchange in February and we can't
wait to see and hear all about it.
So, thank you so muchfor being with us today.
Yeah.
Thank you for having me.
This is awesome.
So, if people wanna learn moreabout, you know, Black in L and D
(43:21):
or the Learning Exchange, or evenjust you, where can they find you?
Yeah, you can find me on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is like my, my vibe, myspace, and so LinkedIn is the best
place Mallori Steel, but for Black andL and D, blackinld.org is the best.
place and just please follow uson LinkedIn, follow our page on
LinkedIn as we're trying to growand get exposure and visibility.
(43:44):
And, whenever people ask melike, oh, how can I help?
The biggest thing that we need rightnow as an organization is visibility.
I feel like what we're doing willlike the right connections, the
right partnerships, the rightsponsors, like everything will come.
Like, I strongly believe that, butwe need visibility to get there.
And so, you know, liking, sharing,commenting, engaging with us, like we
(44:04):
need the visibility as an organization.
It's truly grassroots, likeit's truly a grassroots built
organization from the bottom up.
And so, I'm excited to see whereit's gonna go, but yeah, black
in ld dot org and then LinkedIn.
Perfect.
Well, thank you againso much for being here.
We all appreciate it and best of luck atBlack in L&D and the Learning Exchange.
(44:24):
Thank you.
Thank you,
Alright, lab mates.
We will see you next time.
Bye everyone.
Bye.
Bye.
Wow, who knew conferencescould be this fun?
Black in L&D's conference, TheLearning Exchange, is just one
example of how communities are comingtogether to learn from one another.
Mallori shared how virtualconferences invite a greater global
perspective and reach that traditionalin-person conferences cannot offer.
(44:47):
She honed in on the importancethat conferences serve as a way
to network, connecting generationsand creating lifelong connections.
And, finally, she highlights how speakersand attendees sharing their unique and
unconventional paths in these conferencesis the greatest aspect of social learning.
No matter virtual or in-person,social learning continues to be the
transformative heartbeat of conferences,fostering collaboration, knowledge
(45:08):
exchange, and a sense of community.
Now it's your turn for your experiment.
It's time to design yourown virtual conference.
Think about your intention.
What do you want your attendeesto gain out of their experience?
Who will be your guest speakers?
What kind of activities willyou have to get your attendees
to interact with one another?
Will you offer in personevents like the "We Outside"?
You can check out the full experimentbrief in the show notes or the Social
(45:31):
Learning Lab community on Facebook.
In the community, you can alsoshare your virtual conference
plan, get feedback and insight frompeers, and comment on others ideas.
Now, I'd like to ask you a little favor.
If you enjoyed the episode, weinvite you to leave a review, like,
subscribe, or share, so we cancontinue to build a supportive group
of social learning enthusiasts.
Until next time, keep makinglearning that matters.
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