Equality Matters The Race Equ(al)ity Project

This episode was so special to me because I got to speak to Blaire G Harvey and Karen Foster, two incredible women that inspire me and are a continuous reminder that being yourself is your most valuable asset!

Blaire and Karen are the founders of The Visionary Squad, a design studio that specialises in creating networking experiences that cultivate meaningful relationships, powerful connections and transformative conversations. In this episode, we talk about their show called "2020 Ain't Cancelled" which brought together a global community of boss women from different industries to learn from each other every week. I personally found these sessions so fulfilling and a gift, especially during quarantine and lockdown.

I hope that you enjoy this episode and get some inspiration from these amazing women as I do.

You can sign up for their 2021 show for free every Monday at 5 pm PST on Eventbrite.



We have just launched phase 2 of the Race Equality Index so get in touch if you would like to join the likes of Uber and New Relic in our second cohort.

In this episode, we hear from my friend and industry colleague Lily Zheng.

Lily is an adviser, thought leader, and equity consultant, She’s been featured in Forbes, CNBC, Entrepreneur & Fairy Godboss. Lily the author of The Ethical Sellout

She shares her journey, experiences, and feelings about writing her two books, about her career as an Activist turned Academic to independent consultant and entrepreneur.

Lily is honestly one of the most well rounded DEI practitioners I have met. If you are looking to hire a DEI consultant for your company or thinking about making a jump into a full-time equity & inclusion position or simply are curious about how people like Lily make sustainable change in corporate America, this episode is for you.

To find out more about Lily check out her website Lilyzheng.co

You can buy her book The Ethical Sellout here: https://bkconnection.com/books/title/The-Ethical-Sellout

It was bitter-sweet recording this episode because it's my last conversation for season one of the Equ(al)ity Matters Podcast.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Jason Roberts, Founder and CEO of Kaleida, the UK's first online, interactive and fully inclusive B2B marketplace for Tenders (RFPs).

Jason brings a dynamic perspective that addresses multiple levels that racism operates on. He illustrates how society's perception of black people will often dictate the opportunities and interactions they face and also shows how corporations have the power to break down generations of systemic inequity simply by choosing diverse suppliers, who in turn benefit their own communities.

We started this podcast to share stories of some incredible people who are doing amazing things in the fight for Racial Equity and how their own life experiences and careers have influenced that fight. We feel honored to have had these conversations with all of our guests because not only have they been a source of great learning but they have also validated the work that we are doing here at the Race Equ(al)ity Project.

I hope that you have been inspired by our guests as I have and I cant wait to bring you more in our next season.

DEIB isn’t a side project, initiative or program. Inequity affects us all whether we choose to ignore it. We ultimately have a lot more growth potential to tackle Inequality if we are mindful of our own individual ability to change and make change.

In this episode, we speak to KC Jorgensen, the CEO of Textio about the part they are playing in this movement. Textio is a tool that gives talent teams, instant access to the most extensive and up to date performance data in the industry, in real-time as they write.

Language is so important in the practice of inclusion and staying on top of the latest terms being used can be a challenge especially if you’re not keenly aware of how things evolve to become more inclusive.

KC also talks about her experiences as a black woman in corporate America her way of 'Rebelling against the system' - Normalizing failure for minorities, creating a space where minorities can fail, make mistakes and still succeed because that is the advantage that’s afforded to our white counterparts.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

We have just launched phase 2 of the Race Equality Index so get in touch if you would like to join the likes of Uber and New Relic in our second cohort.

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Zaina Orbai, Chief People Officer at The Real Real.

The RealReal is the leader in authenticated luxury consignment sales and we talk about how they are disrupting the luxury retail industry, a space that is the epitome of exclusion by making luxury retail items more accessible. 

Zaina is someone that I have known and admired for a very long time. She is a fellow brown female leader and someone I can always trust in a sea of white male leaders. We talk about how her role as a HR leader takes on different forms in different situations and the importance of being flexible and listening so that you can meet the needs of that individual at that moment. Zaina is someone that does equity work as part of the business and not just as a percentage of her time, and it makes a huge difference when people at any company actually care about the holistic view of the company from a 'human as an asset' perspective as opposed to revenue first.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

Check out The Real Real to find out more, they are hiring too in case you're in the market.

Find out more about our work with the Race Equ(al)ity Project on our website.

This episode features a super entertaining talk with Donnie Belcher and Lauren Burke, Founders of Camp Equity.

We talk about the sacrifices it takes to start doing the work that you are passionate about, the dynamic role cis white women can play in anti-racism work and the much-needed work that one camp is doing to embed Social Justice into children's lives as young as age 9.

Camp Equity is a virtual online program that educates 3rd through 12th graders about social justice issues at all levels. The program covers everything from disability rights, immigration rights to mass incarceration and environmental justice. You can find out more about camp equity on campequity.com



To find out more about the Race Equ(al)ity Project, check out our website.