Embracing Only Archita Fritz , Olivia Cream and Meha Chiraya

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into leveraging your uniqueness as an “only” for success in professional settings with Lisa Hurley, an entrepreneur, writer, and Anthem award-winning activist. Being an “only” gives you visibility and accessibility. Two things you need for success. Discover how you can flip the narrative of being an “only” and use it to your advantage.
 
Lisa’s work centers on Black women and encompasses self-care, community care, and Black joy. She is the Founder & CEO of The Great Exhale, an award-winning private membership community that is a soft, safe space for Black women. She is also the Founder of For The Culture And The Coins, a movement dedicated to inspiring Black people to build whole-life wealth. She is known for her warmth, wisdom, and wit.
 
Key Discussion Points:
04:012 Valuing Work and Compensation: Balancing the need for compensation with opportunities for a broader impact or reaching underserved communities.
10:03 Gender Bias in the Workplace: Women are socialized to prioritize likability and it is contributing to the gender pay gap.
15:14 Surviving and Navigating Corporate America: Corporations will take care of themselves, you have to make sure you are looking out for yourself.
25:31 Empowerment as an “Only”: You can leverage your uniqueness into an advantage despite feeling the weight of being an “only”.
28:17 Representation in Career Success: There is value in being surrounded by people who look like you but it is not a requirement for your success.
34:31 Delay vs. Denial: Whatever you want and whatever is for you in this life will not pass you by. Sometimes a ‘no’ may just mean ‘not now’.
40:01 Authenticity in Social Media: When you put your authentic self out there on social media, like-minded people can find you.
 
In Summary: Lisa Hurley encourages us to rethink our approach to being an “only” and to use it to our advantage. Utilize this competitive advantage instead of shying away from it.
 
Resources from this episode:
Follow Lisa on Linkedin or check out her website.
 
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
 

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into cultural intelligence in the workplace with Shiva Roofeh, a self-described organizational justice practitioner and curious rebel. Discover how you can confront prejudice in leadership and uncover your unconscious biases to ultimately make you a better and more just leader.
Shiva has been a refugee, an immigrant, and a migrant, and she's lived and worked in six countries across Asia, Europe, and North America. Shiva says that her lived experience is as valuable as her work experience. She leverages both to create mile-deep change and relationships with and for her clients. She's worked with Fortune 500 companies helping leaders be and do better by understanding their systemic collective and individual power so they can use it in service of the greater good.
 
Key Discussion Points:
06:08 Valuing Lived Experience in Corporate Spaces: Your lived experience is as valuable as your work experience. It provides you with a unique perspective that can inform your work.
10:18 Turning Passion into a Career: Start by examining your life and your resources and take small steps towards your goals.
15:31 White-Passing Privilege: As a white-passing individual, Shiva has come to understand the power and the privilege this gives her in different spaces.
22:30 Confronting Prejudice in Leadership: If a leader truly wants to help their team become as equitable as possible, it has to start with them.
29:05 Recognizing Unconscious Biases: In your journey of discovery, you have a chance to go back and reconcile with pieces of yourself that you can fix and heal to be better for others moving forward.
35:21 Equality, Equity, and Justice: Justice involves addressing systemic inequalities, rather than simply giving everyone resources to reach the same outcome.
 
In Summary: Shiva Roofeh reminds us that it is an honor and a privilege to lead people and impact their lives. She challenges us to remain curious when doing the work on ourselves even when we are triggered by our learnings.
 
Resources from this episode:
White Supremacy Culture by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun
Follow Shiva on Linkedin or check out her website.
 
Connect with your hosts: Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into embracing the unpredictable nature of life with Rupal Patel, a CIA agent turned CEO. In a world that often forces us to conform, Rupal’s journey of embracing her uniqueness stands out. Rupal shares her insights on owning your weirdness, finding your tribe, and embracing the uncertainties of life.
 
Rupal’s career is notably defined by her remarkable tenure at the CIA. Her service and dedication were recognized with warzone service medals and a prestigious commendation from the CIA director for her superior support to the President of the United States, highlighting her critical role in shaping national security decisions. She transitioned from her impactful career at the CIA and leveraged her insights and strategic acumen into the business world. And she has founded her first award-winning business. 
 
Key Discussion Points:
02:35 Owning Your Weirdness: The things that make you unique and that you may not like about yourself are things that can empower you.
09:34 Advice for Women Struggling to Fit In: You will find your tribe if you are willing to look, and they may not look like what you expect.
16:41 Commit to the Process, Not the Outcome: If you care enough about something, then you have to commit to the repetition, the tedium, and the trade-offs required to get it. 
27:58 Moving Through Fear: Our minds tend to go to the darkest places. Instead of worrying about theoretical situations, concentrate on the facts and the things that you can control.
35:25 The “Let’s See” Approach: Nothing in life is certain or predictable and you never know where your next breakthrough is going to come from. You have to be open and willing to try things.
45:44 Investing Your Time: We only have a certain amount of time on this planet so be intentional and thoughtful with how you spend this precious asset.
 
In Summary: Rupal Patel reminds us that nothing in this life is certain, but if you enjoy your life experience and work hard to try new things, you never know where those paths will take you.
 
Resources from this episode: Follow Rupal on LinkedIn or Instagram, or check out her website.
From CIA To CEO: Unconventional Life Lessons for Thinking Bigger, Leading Better and Being Bolder by Rupal Patel
My Unexpected Discovery About Working at the CIA | Rupal Patel | TEDxManchester
 
Connect with your hosts: Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
 

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are recapping some of the common themes that have been coming up between our recent guests. In the current political climate, something that continues to come up is being brave, being bold, and stepping out of your comfort zone to create an impact not only on yourself but on the people around you. At the same time, you have to have boundaries in place and honor saying no—so you can embrace saying yes.
 
Key Discussion Points:
01:24 Who Are You Fighting for? Creating space and opportunities for other people while you are journeying through your own career as a minority.
12:03 Speaking Out and Showing Up: Privilege, its impact on speaking out in the workplace, and showing up the way it best serves you.
18:51 Transforming Companies: It is not your responsibility to do the DEI work at your company. There are other spaces for activism work that can have a much greater impact.
23:58 Prioritizing Rest: Schedule in time for rest and do not attach your worth to your output. When you build rest into your schedule, your productivity increases.
35:13 Dealing with Haters: Every time you are on a path to something big, there will be haters. When you are triggered by haters, you need to turn inward and figure out why it is affecting you.
 
In Summary: Archita and Oliva encourage us to embrace activism in a way that best serves us. They highlight just how important it is to have boundaries and make time for rest so that what you do say yes to can have the greatest impact.
 
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
_________
Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the Embracing “Only" podcast, we delve into pursuing the liberation of your time, love, and freedom while achieving moral clarity with Sibil Patri, a dynamic and visionary leader whose career spans over two decades across finance and strategy. Sibil shares her experience of leaving a harmful corporate culture and how you can claim back your power and break generational curses.
Sibil’s work focuses on impact-driven coaching, speaking, and collaborating and she uses her 20 years of financial services industry expertise and lived experiences as a POC to create a systematic movement in corporate, non-profit, and academic environments.
 
Key Discussion Points:
02:39 Liberating the Mind: Recognizing the harm of corporate culture and taking action to prioritize mental and emotional well-being.
09:33 Recharging Your Energy: Rest and alignment are key to unlocking productivity, creativity, motivation, and fulfillment.
15:43 Personal Sacrifices for Pursuing Social Justice: Breaking free from societal norms to advocate for fundamental human rights and dignity.
24:19 Speaking Your Truth: Gaining resilience and clarity through speaking truth to power, despite initial fear and anxiety.
29:33 Unlearning People-Pleasing: Knowing who you are, seeking validation from internal sources, and breaking generational and systematic traumas. 
41:19 Prioritizing marginalized groups in leadership development: Helping the most marginalized person on your team is only going to make your whole team stronger.
 
In Summary: Sibil Patri challenges us to recognize that true liberation comes from belonging to yourself, finding validation from within rather than external sources, and claiming your identity and purpose.
  Resources from this episode: Follow Sibil on LinkedIn and Instagram, or check out her website.
 
Connect with your hosts: Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.
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Produced by Ideablossoms
 

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the Embracing “Only" podcast, we delve into the importance of self-reflection and understanding diverse perspectives to refine and better workplace dynamics. To do that, we invited Mita Mallik, a renowned corporate leader and best-selling author, her book 'Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths to Transform Your Workplace' is discussed as well as a powerful tool for anyone, particularly those in the HR and DEI space. 
 
Mita shares her personal experiences and insights on overcoming microaggressions, advocating for diverse talent, creating a balance between risk and responsibility when taking a stand, and maintaining personal identity and happiness separate from work.
 
Key Discussion Points:
05:02 Intent Versus Impact: How leaders and teams can build more cultural intelligence and minimize workplace prejudice
10:00 "Speak Up" Isn't Enough: Questions and reflections to consider if we want to be inclusive leaders
13:27 Asserting Yourself as "An Only:" How can you ensure that regardless of people's intentions (good or bad) your voice gets heard when you're in the room?
21:57 The Concept of Family in The Workplace: How this sometimes well-meaning corporate mindset can do more harm than good – and what we can do about it.
30:49 Assessing Performance And Hiring Diverse Talent: Looking at facts instead of feelings and owning our responsibility as diverse leaders in the corporate space.
41:53 Finding Balance in DEI: How we can spend our resources and efforts more intentionally to get the best results and protect our boundaries.
 
In Summary: Mita Mallick challenges leaders – especially diverse leaders in corporate spaces –  to create and foster an environment of inclusivity and understanding. One in which everyone's voice can be heard and valued, independently of their gender, ethnicity, background, or personality.
 
Resources from this episode:
Mita’s Book: Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths to Transform Your Workplace
Follow Mita on Linkedin and Instagram.
Check out Brown Table Talk at browntabletalkpodcast.com
Olivia’s book recommendation: Mind Your Mindset
 
Connect with your hosts:
Follow Archita and Olivia on Linkedin.
Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook.
_________
Produced by Ideablossoms