Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.

In this episode, Taisha Nurse, Senior Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at McDermott, explains the power of understanding your catalytic nature and then developing the skills and persistence to drive change in some of the most challenging change initiatives that intersect with people's identity. Having persistence allows us to navigate the impatience we can feel about the change not happening as fast as we want. Persistence requires us troubleshooting the cultural implications of change all the way down to the individual buy-in. Original music by ⁠Lynz Floren⁠.

How do you create systems of change in an organization of 75,000 employees? In this episode, Jesse Cortez, VP, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at McKesson, talks about the importance of being able to see the big picture before creating a clear vision that helps bring others along. "You have to be able to diagnose before you can prescribe." Then, Jesse says, you have to leverage storytelling to bring others along on the journey. Everyone is looking to belong and telling stories help bring people into the work to understand the 'why'. "This is where the magic comes to life." Original music by ⁠Lynz Floren⁠.

In this episode, we hear from Lauren Gutherie, VP, Americas Inclusion and Diversity, Talent Development and Acquisition, VF Corp (holding company of brands like Vans, Timberland, The North Face, SUPREME, with over 35,000 employees globally). In order to be an effective Catalyst, particularly in the DEIB space, Lauren shares that every strategy we build, every conversation we support, we're seeking to bring people along on the journey. And we must constantly find multiple entry points for others to find value in this work. She acknowledges that race and social justice aren't always the easiest entry points for some people. At VFC, they're always thinking about how they can pull people into the work, whether that's from an accessibility perspective or a gender identity perspective. Lauren and her team are constantly thinking through the full diversity of their consumers and tying it back to business initiatives in a way that's hyper-relevant for VFC's leaders and associates, pulling together multiple connection points to bring people along on the journey. Original music by ⁠Lynz Floren⁠.

In this episode, Giselle Mota, Chief of Product Inclusion at ADP, talks about how taking a holistic approach has helped her accelerate change. Her holisitic approach is heavily based on understanding where people are coming from and taking the time to understand their needs and perspectives. But she also talks about having a broader holistic approach that takes into account short- and long-term visions, holisitically monitoring the DEI space including legislation, other organization's approaches, and what's emergent in your own company. Giselle shares how she leveraged these skills to create her Chief of Product Inclusion position. Don't miss this insightful and high energy episode. Check out Giselle's TED Talk and learn more about NFTY Collective. Original music by ⁠Lynz Floren⁠.

In this episode, Jackie Cureton, Chief Diversity Officer at Bitly, talks about the importance of meeting people where they are (openness & listening) and "calling folks in" (instead of calling people out). Only by listening deeply, can DEI leaders hear the "whisper of the organization" which helps to create the space for courageous conversations. Jackie also shares about how her strong commitment to her personal rejuvenation practices (physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual) sustain her energy, and allow her sit in her power as a DEI leader. Her advice: "Be who you say you are." Learn more about Shirley Chisholm's history. Original music by ⁠Lynz Floren⁠.

Chris Williams first remembers becoming aware of race when his brother was stabbed several times in the back. His brother survived, but it gave Chris a lifelong passion of working for equity. As Global Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at CBRE, Chris is igniting change in a 68,000 person organization that operates in over 100 countries. To lead change on this scale, Chris talks about the importance of effective communication and collaboration. In order to create change with such a diverse audience, he notes it's important to be able to read the audience, practice active listening, and not assume that your normal messaging translates to different audiences. Chris shares stories of several times where he realized that his communication may have created a barrier and how his self- and situational awareness helped him recognize that he made a mistake. He explains how he apologized and learned from those experiences - modeling the power of humble DEI leadership. You won't want to miss this high-energy and deeply vulnerable conversation. Original music by ⁠Lynz Floren⁠.

In this episode, Jess Harvie, Global DEI and Social Impact Leader (formerly at Snap and Justworks), highlights how trust and curiosity underpinned the work she did bringing The Action to Catalyze Tech Report (ACT Report) to life. The ACT report is an initiative to get the entire tech industry to collaborate around DEI work to 10x DEI results. This initiative stemmed from the realization that tech companies have been trying for years to solve systemic DEI on their own, while the reality was that they end up playing a game of diversity musical chairs, with DEI employees shifting from one tech company to another. Jess shares that the key to creating this coalition to accelerate impact was building trust, which she did by communicating effectively and being vulnerable with other people. Curiosity helped her understand value to other stakeholders which allowed her to articulate the vision in a way that built trust and got them onboard. Original music by ⁠Lynz Floren⁠.

In this episode, Blair Taylor, Former N America DEI Practice Leader, Accenture & Former DEI Lead Partner N. America, PwC, speaks from his deep experience driving massive change as a Catalyst in very large roles including as the Chief Executive Officer of My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBKA), a nonprofit launched by then President Obama. Blair shares that though we face a lot of big problems in this world, we need to focus on the fact that the problems are actually solvable. But Blair points out that we can't solve these problems alone. He says that ideas can be a dime a dozen. It's the ability to take an idea and bring it to fruition by building the right diverse team, the right strategy, the right approach, and understanding the market conditions that Blair says are the skills necessary to be a successful Catalyst. Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, Krishna Manda, Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at Lenzing Group doesn't just talk about his commitment to slowing down to bring people along leveraging empathy, he embodies it. Krishna shares his simple framework: coherence, co-creation, co-elevation. Coherence is about finding shared value. Co-creation is necessary to both leverage everyone's expertise around the business, which is critical when driving company-wide sustainability initiatives, and helps people feel a sense of ownership. Co-elevation is about giving visibility and credit to your co-collaborators, so they have the permission to do this type of work again in the future. Original music by ⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠.

Gloria Caulfield is an ultra Catalyst, creating change in so many venues as the VP of Strategic Alliances for Tavistock, the President of the Lake Nona Institute and Founder of ⁠Lake Nona Impact Forum⁠ just to name a few. In this episode, Gloria shares the importance of strong communication skills. If you're just starting to realize your vision and don't have any data or testimonials, you have to paint a clear picture of the vision in a way that makes your potential partners want to come along on the journey. Developing partnership is the other key skill that has helped Gloria achieve her massive success. Check out The Medici Effect which is the book she mentioned on our talk. Original music by Lynz Floren.