7 episodes
Talk It Forward City of Vancouver
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- Society & Culture
A podcast that uses the power of dialogue to advance equity and diversity in the workplace -- hosted by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, with support from the City of Vancouver.
Workplace culture has changed a lot in terms of equity and diversity, but still has a long way to go. From micro-aggressions to workplace harassment and everything in between, there’s a lot to talk about. Women and people of marginalized genders are still struggling to make it to leadership positions and even just be accepted in some workplaces, especially the trades.
When you’re trying to make positive change happen, the first step is to get honest about the things that are broken. That’s where this podcast comes in. Hosted by Carla Grimann, Fleet Supervisor at the Vancouver Park Board, the show talks to people at all levels of work - from on-the-ground operations teams to management - about their workplace experiences, both positive and negative. Through these candid conversations, we’ll ultimately learn about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to creating a more inclusive and productive workplace.
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Confidence and Resilience
Betty Lepps has felt the impact of using her voice and speaking up for herself and encourages others to do the same. In our final episode of the season, Betty, the new Director of Urban Relationships at the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, discusses how her confidence and resiliency have been challenged throughout her career, and shares her advice for young women about how powerful their voices are. Carol Shier, a Learning Practitioner, later joins us to talk about strategies for building and projecting confidence and resiliency, including being vulnerable and having gratitude.
Learn more about the City of Vancouver’s Women’s Equity Strategy at vancouver.ca/womensequity.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the City of Vancouver or Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Inside the Boy’s Club: Bringing Men into the Convo
This season, we’ve talked to women about the challenges they’re facing at work and the barriers there still are to leadership. But we can’t do it alone. If anything is going to change, we’ll need men on our side.
Today, Carla chats with Joe McLeod, City Arborist and Supervisor of Urban Forestry, and Amit Gandha, Director of Parks at the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, about how equity will help everyone. They discuss issues they’ve seen at work and how they’ve reacted, as well as the importance of improving hiring practices and increasing women’s representation in the trades and leadership roles. Learn more about the City of Vancouver’s Women’s Equity Strategy at vancouver.ca/womensequity.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the City of Vancouver or Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Bend like a Willow: Self Advocacy and Setting Boundaries
In a work culture that expects employees to be constantly "on" and available, should our definition of success include being tethered to a phone 24/7?
How do we set healthy boundaries between our personal lives and our careers? And how can we advocate for ourselves while maintaining the balance? We'll explore two stories from people who had to define those boundaries in the workplace and the impact of those choices.
Celene Lemire, Deputy Chief, Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, talks about advocating for herself in a job interview with the police, telling them what she thought rather than what they wanted to hear.
Donnie Rosa discusses self-advocating throughout their career, from professional hockey player to GM of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, and the importance of balance and making commitments to loved ones and personal time.
Learn more about the City of Vancouver’s Women’s Equity Strategy at vancouver.ca/womensequity.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the City of Vancouver or Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
The Family Episode: Juggling Caregiving, Self-Care, and Leadership
Why do women still feel the need to hide their pregnancies at work? Juggling caregiving with a career is a struggle. People are living and working longer and starting families later. Women and others often struggle in silence with the impacts of infertility treatments, pregnancy loss, postpartum depression, adoption processes, finding quality childcare, and more. While caring for parents and other elders is becoming a larger responsibility.
This week host Carla Grimman and Sarah Iacoe, Director of Strategic Operations and Board Relations for the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, talk about “the juggle.” Then Carla is joined by Michele Pankratz, Manager of Organizational Development at the City of Vancouver, to discuss the complications and strategies of caregiving and pursuing leadership.
Learn more about the City of Vancouver’s Women’s Equity Strategy at vancouver.ca/womensequity.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the City of Vancouver or Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
You’re an engineer?!: Entering the workforce and standing out as the only woman
Nadine Maurus, a Junior Engineer, still hears this on the job. As she progresses through school and a career in engineering, she notices fewer and fewer women around her each year.
Host Carla Grimann wants young women to pursue leadership roles and not face the same challenges she has working in the trades. She chats with Nadine about why some jobs still feel like “men’s work,” with cultures revolving around hockey and fishing, and why it’s still rare to see women working in some industries.
Next, we hear from Aftab Erfan, City of Vancouver Equity Officer, about strategies for women who find themselves in these lonely positions and how hiring practices have to change. She discusses the importance of creating a work culture of people advocating for each other and personal strategies to maintain ourselves and not get crushed by it all.
Learn more about the City of Vancouver’s Women’s Equity Strategy at vancouver.ca/womensequity
Additional Resources:
Top city hall wage earners in Metro Vancouver are still primarily white and male https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/top-wage-earners-2020-metro-vancouver-1.6236364
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the City of Vancouver or Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Are We There Yet?: Challenges women still face in the modern workplace
Women have been told to lean in and speak up at work. But when a woman, or those with a marginalized gender, asserts themselves in the workplace, they can be called angry, demanding, or emotional. The old boy’s network is still very much in operation, so how are we supposed to succeed at work?
Host Carla Grimann chats with Sarah Greenwood of the Minerva Foundation about the barriers women are currently facing in progressing their careers, how to encourage authentic and inclusive leadership and aligning work with personal values.
Therese Boullard, former Equity Consultant at the City of Vancouver, breaks down complex concepts like unconscious bias and microaggressions and describes the factors preventing women from becoming leaders.
Learn more about the City of Vancouver’s Women’s Equity Strategy at vancouver.ca/womensequity.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the City of Vancouver or Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.