Leadership and Innovation Unlocked

Michele Kawamoto Perry of the Forward Project, joins Nadia and Rob to reflect on the year in leadership that was 2025 and to help us think about what will matter most in 2026. Nadia and Rob also check out an investment analysts' assessment that the federal poverty line should be $140K and discuss the latest McKinsey/Lean In survey on the state of women in the workplace. Later, the rare double rant Nadia rants SHRM's less than model...

Dana Weekes, host of The Rest of Us podcast, joins Nadia and Rob to help us see signs of burnout culture and to share strategies for leaders to help fix it. Nadia and Rob also reflect on a Wall Street Journal story about conservative women opting for kids earlier in their career and a Campbell's soup exec is recorded disparaging the company's customers and products. Later, the rare double rant! Nadia rants about the US Coa...

Employee Experience expert Dr. Nicole Boyko joins Nadia and Rob to share how companies are working to understand belonging now, how she helps leaders see themselves in survey results, and why companies have to listen to employees continuously. Nadia and Rob also break down a Mercer report on how leaders are missing the mark in AI communications and highlight an NBA executive's risky move that ended in disaster. Later, Nadia ran...

Dr. Golnaz Golnaraghi joins Nadia and Rob to talk about why trust is the new ROI, the importance of listening, and why command leadership can't drive innovation. Also, Nadia and Rob break down SHRM's "Listening Across Lines" DEI debate between Van Jones and Robby Starbuck. Plus Rob rants about and Nadia raves about...

Learn more about the topics discussed in the episode today: 

SHRM Conversation: https://www.linkedin.com/events/shrm...

The Inclusive Collective team returns to bring you Season 5: Leadership & Innovation Unlocked! ⁠Dr. Nadia Butt⁠ and ⁠Rob Hadley⁠ are back with fresh takes on what’s shaping the modern workplace.  This week, ⁠Google tightens remote work policies⁠ and ⁠Toyota brings childcare to rural Iowa⁠. They'll also answer listener questions about generational divides at work, navigating uncertainty, and how to assess and drive accountab...

Inclusive Collective Podcast turns 100 as Nadia and Rob reflect on their favorite guests, changes in DEI, what is next for the show, and how to pick the best podcast co-host.

Hosted by Nadia Butt and Rob Hadley.

Produced by Rifelion Media.

Contact us: inclusivecollective@rifelion.com

Find episode transcripts here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nqh7hCZOp7EQc6SekaYmT2QHqCvjsYdH?usp=sharing

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Paul MacLoughlin, Phd. stops by to break down what leadership is, why it's so hard, and what drives him to help others get better at it. Nadia and Rob also discuss gaps in diversity in clinical trials and some insensitive comments from New York's governor. Finally, Rob raves about a different kind of culture conference and Nadia finds a Supreme Court justice's ethics lacking.

Hosted by Nadia Butt and Rob Hadley.

Produced by Rifelion ...

Dr. Amanda Carroll stops by to talk about the "Island of Training", why a human element in learning and development is vital, and how to integrate DEI with leadership learning. Also, Nadia and Rob discuss Adidas' DEI troubles beyond Kanye and a trio of McKinsey studies on underrepresentation in media. Later, Rob lightly rants about his latest conference observations, and Nadia raves about faculty support for anti-war protesters.

Che...

Grace Yung Foster, Founder and CEO of The Inclusion Initiative, joins Nadia & Rob this week to discuss the barriers transracial adoptees and foster alumni professionals often face and the preliminary findings of a study her organization conducted for this community. Also, Nadia and Rob chat about Major League Soccer's (MLS) latest endeavors to increase diversity and Google's recent firings. Finally, Nadia rants about a Universi...

Lina Cañon of Nur Group joins Nadia and Rob to talk about the lack of lived experience in non-profit leadership, gaps in philanthropy and venture capital systems, and why we all need to get together (in person) in community to solve societal problems. Also, Nadia and Rob discuss Congress shutting down a DEI office and changes to how the US Census collects race data. Later, Rob rants about SHRM endorsing an anti-DEI politician and N...

Rob interviews Nadia about her experience attending the "Ramadan America" film debut. Nadia then discusses the Biden push for disability care expansion and Rob talks about American workers' rights to disconnect from their devices after work hours. Later, they rant about Iowa going backward on gender parity in government and rave about Dermatologists' pushback against anti-DEI pushback.

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Executive Director of CAIR Massachusetts, Tahirah Amatul-Wadud joins Nadia and Rob to talk about how to make the most of Ramadan accommodations requests, where discrimination and harassment is growing, and how to remind ourselves that we deserve joy. Also, Nadia and Rob are embarrassed for Johns Hopkins Medical's repudiation of their DEI leader's definition of privilege and Goldman comes up short on women's progress in leadership p...

Nadia and Rob get wonky with labor rules for gig workers and get jealous about a great idea from The North Face. Then, Rob hosts Call For Culture CEO Angela R. Howard to talk about how companies can look outside of themselves to see what is coming in workplace culture and how HR should be thinking about its role in cultural transformation. Then, Nadia rants about companies pulling back on paying for employees' weight loss drugs and...

Nadia and Rob zoom in on a strange anti-DEI resolution from dermatologists and discuss Google's Gemini AI's racially inaccurate depiction of historical events. Then, an Alabama mayor suggests Black athletes bypass the state over anti-DEI bill. 'Tide and Chanel's CEO is named a Time Woman of the Year. Finally, Nadia calls out all the heavy stuff going on in the world and Rob celebrates a big time score for an African music label.

Lea...

Nadia and Rob break down the latest tech DEI layoffs and a Supreme Court (lack of a) ruling that may signal a path forward in education and for companies. Then, they discuss a big deal for underrepresented founders and reveal a new entrant in the fight for greater diversity. Finally, Rob rants about the impact lawsuits have had on the Fearless Fund and Nadia gives us a preview of the upcoming Rifelion film, Ramadan America.

Learn mo...

Dr. Fadia Nordtveit joins Inclusive Collective to talk about the link between sustainability and DEIB, how to align DEIB across functions as you develop you business model, and why she leans on data to drive change. Also, Nadia and Rob discuss Disney characters' efforts to unionize (and Rob gives a review of Goofy's Kitchen at Disneyland) and Wisconsin Republicans' constitutional amendment limiting DEI in government. Later, Nadia r...

Nadia and Rob sort through the big moments from this year's Grammy Awards before circling back to Zoom's DEI layoffs and the results of a study on remote work. Then, they talk about the US Census' backtracking on a proposed change to identifying disability, and companies' efforts to root out child labor in their supply chains. Finally, Rob rants about age bias and Nadia highlights the work of a special music educator.

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Nadia and Rob welcome Shahzia Noorally, host of the Equity Gap podcast and discuss Canada's polite racism, how leaders can acknowledge emotions and manage conflict this year, and the power of group career mentorship. They also discuss a report on a lack of gender representation in the music industry and a groundbreaking expose of slave labor in the US prison system. Later, they check in on Tesla's deemphasis of underrepresented wor...