Entering The Inspiration Zone Juliette Mayers

Juliette talks with diversity powerhouse Colette Phillips about the untold narratives of white male allies in the movement for equity. Colette details the seven traits of culturally savvy anti racist leaders from her book, The Includers, as they delve deep into the uncharted territory of inclusion while challenging the status quo.
Colette brings her unique blend of cultural intelligence and heartfelt anecdotes from her own experiences as a trailblazer in the field.
Episode Highlights:
10:10 - I believe very strongly that one your network is your net worth and number two that people do business with people they know, people they like, and people they feel add value.
10:53 - Get Konnected was born out of a necessity to see diversity reflected in every room, at every event. Face-to-face networking, to me, is the backbone of creating lasting, valuable relationships – it's where opportunities are seized and solidified.
19:24 - If we are going to move the dial on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, in this country we cannot do so and exclude white men from the conversation or from the table, it just does not make sense.
22:32 - Eric and Bob's work behind the scenes illustrates the silent yet impactful role of allyship. Their efforts epitomize the courage and commitment needed to facilitate real change in our society.
29:00 - The concept of the '7 C’s of Inclusion'. Building bridges requires certain foundational qualities. It all starts with character — without it, you can't hope to genuinely promote diversity.
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Juliette sits down with Lesli Suggs, President and CEO of The Home For Little Wanderers. Lesli shares her inspirational journey of advocating for at-risk children and families for over 35 years.
Lesli's commitment to community service and the power of relationship-building shines through as she shares her leadership lessons and offers practical advice for leveraging networks and building authentic connections.
Episode Highlights
06:34 - Education is the great equalizer and we'll never have equal access to education if we continue to fund education through property taxes.
08:49 - We've come to understand and know that child welfare does not do a good job of raising children. It's there to provide a critical service for children who need it, children who experienced abuse and neglect.
16:24 - To have influence, people have to be able to want to listen to me, be able to listen to me, which means I need to be in a relationship and have connection. And the power of relationships having being authentically interested in other people's journeys and what they have to say and their own perspectives, which may be similar to mine or different.
19:08 - Mentoring is sort of a strange word, I think, actually, because it implies that somebody's mentoring the other person. I always find that relationships that are connected in that way are so reciprocal. I learned everyone learn where I still have folks that I reach out to all the time who mentor me.
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In this episode, the spotlight is on the remarkable Tonie Leatherberry as she shares her insights on the journey from transition to transformation. Join Juliette and Tonie as they explore the power of strategic networking and the importance of investing early and often in yourself.
Tonie's personal framework for navigating transitions and transformations offers valuable guidance for professionals and leaders. Tune in as they discuss the significance of rebranding and crafting a new value proposition, especially in the current evolving landscape.
Episode Highlights
10:07 - Setting Goals During Challenging Times: "I start with a time frame or a date in mind. And so if you were to think about it on a piece of paper, it's a vertical line that says, by this date, I want to be here. I wanna be at this destination in my journey."
14:56 - The Lifelong Learning Journey: "Well, becoming a student again after 30 years, just even knowing with what some of the tools were and how to do plagiarism checks, and and we might laugh about that today, but now we realize how important being on top of some of that stuff really is."
18:59 - Reflections on Career Transition: "And there's a little bit of fear of the unknown, right, around that. And so I had to just be faithful, I guess, is the basic way of saying it to say I'm financially secure. So what are the fears? What are the fears? Are the fears, you know, sort of a lack of identity because this has been my identity for 30 years? Are the fears a lack of, again, continuing for me to grow and to learn and to experience? Are the fears related to just sort of, you know, as, as particularly as women of a certain vintage or becoming women of a certain vintage, thinking about I'm closing a certain chapter and, you know, I'm going on to the next chapter. But then I just said, let it flow for me. I didn't over think it. I just let it flow."
25:59 - Leadership Through Strategic Networking: "strategic networking is about investing in. It's not about showing up at some gala or some conference and meeting people. But it is that is a leadership opportunity. How can you lead? How can you be on their board? How can you create a certain program within that not for profit organization that is investing in?"

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In this captivating episode, Myechia Minter-Jordan, President and CEO of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, opens up about the interconnectedness of oral health and overall wellness and shines a light on the communities often overlooked in the healthcare system.
Join us as we unravel the complexities of oral health and the important connection to overall health. Delve into the significance of equity in healthcare, and explore actionable steps towards a more inclusive future.
Myechia also talks about the important work of The New Commonwealth Fund. Tune in to learn more.
Episode Highlights: 
07:57 - The Missing Connection: It’s more than just a smile. Our oral health is intricately linked to our overall well-being. Addressing oral health is among the initial steps in achieving holistic healthcare for all.
10:58 - Breaking the Stigma: Engaging in open conversations and acknowledging the barriers to oral healthcare is essential in paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system.
18:11 - Shaping the Future: By amplifying the voices of marginalized communities, we can create a system that truly serves everyone.
Let's bridge the gap and revolutionize healthcare together.
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In this thought-provoking episode, Juliette Mayers delves into the compelling theme of prioritizing yourself. Drawing from her extensive experience as an accomplished author, speaker, and DEI strategist, Juliette unpacks the importance of having a big dream and integrating self-care into the pursuit of that dream.
Juliette shares insights from her own journey as a DEI strategist, emphasizing the need for professionals to prioritize their wellness and mental health. She reflects on the struggles faced by individuals, particularly amidst the challenges of work-life balance, burnout, and the endless to-do list. Through her own experiences and interactions with business owners, Juliette highlights the frustration many face in finding time to pursue their goals while juggling personal and professional responsibilities.
Tune in to this empowering episode as Juliette Mayers sheds light on the importance of prioritizing oneself, setting boundaries, and honoring individual values in the pursuit of personal and professional fulfillment.
Episode Highlights:
03:05 - Prioritizing Professional Development: "The journey that we've been on and the way in which we have been approaching things is to acknowledge that those challenges are really not new. And so how do we make sure that we just modify our strategies and so forth to go forward?"
08:17 - Struggles of Finding Balance: "The struggle to find balance. And therefore, there's a sense that there's simply no time to pursue aspirational goals or passions, whether that's personal or professional."
10:08 - "How are you going to hold yourself accountable? How are you going to monitor and measure your effectiveness or your success? So some people were candid in saying, you know what? That all sounds really, really exhausting, and we're already tired."
16:44 - "When you are clear about what is expected, your are training others to change their behaviors."
17:18 -  "We have to train people to prioritize us and we first, have to prioritize ourselves."
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In this episode, Juliette talks to Lee Pelton, the President and CEO of The Boston Foundation, about his experience with double consciousness as a Black man. He shared how equity is now central to everything done by The Boston Foundation in order to close the racial wealth gap. He highlights that closing this gap would benefit everyone economically and offer security and well-being for all regardless of race or ethnicity.
Growing up in a working class Black enclave located in the middle of a predominantly White neighborhood, Lee became interested in making the invisible visible for young people, so they could see all of the opportunities and connections that would otherwise be unavailable to them. Lee believes that equity is about closing opportunity gaps between students instead of providing equal inputs as equality does, while acknowledging there are still narratives around zero-sum games which can lead to hate rooted from fear and ignorance.
Listen to hear Lee explain some examples such as Black homeowners facing appraisal levels 38% lower than their White counterparts due to historical challenges preventing people of color from creating wealth through home ownership, credit scores not taking into account rental history when assessing credit worthiness, banks experimenting with no down payments on mortgages, and cultural education around different cultures’ views on debt being necessary for lenders understanding alternative methods for evaluating creditworthiness without disadvantaging potential borrowers.
Episode Highlights
08:17 - It's really an opportunity gap and so, equity is about closing the opportunity gap. That's the difference between equality and equity is opportunity. And equality is about inputs. Equity is about outputs.
20:42 - This is part of a trend. It's not anything new that equity sits in the center of everything that we do. I should say one of our most significant projects is an effort to close a racial wealth gap.
33:13 - I often quote James Baldwin who said that not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it's faced, and that's truth telling. And so, none of the issues that we have discussed today happened by accident. I would encourage us, ourselves and others, to understand how we got here. There's a history here that we need to understand, and understanding it will help us resolve those issues.
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