Ronderings

Collective responsibility resonates strongly in supporting our communities, urging us to recognize the beauty and brilliance present within our own people. Dr. Nancy B. Gutierrez, President & Lead Executive Officer of The Leadership Academy, and Dr. Roberto Padilla, superintendent of Community School District 7 in the Bronx, share their journeys as educators and advocates for students of color. Together, they challenge the prevalent belief that success necessitates leaving one’s community. In a world that often promotes the idea that leaving one’s community is essential for success, this episode celebrates and elevates leaders who choose to remain rooted in their community. It advocates for inclusive educational practices and a new definition of success that is closely tied to community strength and identity. Listeners are invited to reflect on their role in reshaping societal ideas around success and community. We help promote a culture that honors and celebrates the unique richness of different places. By amplifying voices and experience Notes: 🚪 Roberto was brought into foster care at the age of four: initially not prioritizing school, significant life events shifted his approach. 02:58 👩🏽‍🏫 Nancy’s passion for learning blossomed in 8th grade: she pursued a career as a teacher and later as a school principal in her hometown of San Jose. 07:52 🚶🏽‍♂️ “Leave to succeed” mindset: Roberto reflected on feeling compelled to walk away from his community and motivated others to share their stories about it in the ‘Stay and Prevail’ book. 11:25 🥰 A love story about their home communities everyone said they should not love. 15:08 ⚠️ We have an obligation in educational space: be aware of the messages we convey to children, our perceptions of their communities, and how we are redefining success.18:58 🌞 Equity as a problem we are trying to solve VS equity as an opportunity we want to cultivate. 21:01 🤯 Sometimes messages are repeated across generations of loved ones: home is not good enough, disconnect from the identity and source of your character. 23:03 ⚡ Ron’s personal life crisis: leaving a meaningful legacy and empowering kids to mirror his background to make a difference in their communities. 23:55 🔥 Stop comparing ourselves to what people have told us we need to be. 26:32 😇 “Stay and prevail” community leaders are fully connected and accessible: take on those hard conversations and stay in that space. 28:44 😍 Roberto’s journey of leaving and returning: carrying “home” with you wherever you are, fostering love and support for numerous children in the district. 31:48 😇 A “hardcore home girl” who found success in NY: offering mentorship and inspiration to everyone in San Jose. 34:27 🌞 Don’t bash children’s communities, let them choose whether to leave or stay: embracing the power of family connections. 38:55 💎 Nancy’s RONdering: Why is my brain trained to think I don’t deserve some things, and I’m not enough? 41:50 💎 Roberto’s RONdering of ongoing growth: not seeing black and brown children from very tough areas in the real light of their talents and worthiness. 43:39 Links: Book: https://www.amazon.com/Stay-Prevail-Students-Communities-Succeed/dp/1416632026/ Nancy's LI:https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-b-gutierrez-edld/ Roberto's LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-roberto-padilla-243b1028/ Rapatalo Group: rapataloconsulting@gmail.com Leverage Publishing: www.leveragepublishinggroup.com Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Building communities is essential for creating opportunity, acceptance and prosperity. Kwamara Thompson is a leader, community builder and angel investor who pours herself into numerous organizations that foster a culture of unity and positive social change. From a young age, she has been passionate about fighting for equity and empathy-focused growth, and continues to dedicate herself to lifting others up by providing opportunities for those in need. In a world where your zip code can determine the opportunities you are given in life and promote segregation, it is more important than ever that we focus on building communities of love and support. If you are in a position where you can relate to a variety of different people, it's time to leverage your social talents and create safe spaces and communities for people to come together as they are. Everybody needs to be reminded and encouraged to be their truest selves so we can all show up, have authentic conversations, and create a positive impact together. A love of humanity is a love of self, so you and everybody in your community are worthy of love! Notes: 😎 Ron and Kwamara are NYU friends. 01:05 🤯 How New York and New Orleans shaped Kwamara’s life: zip code differences in education and segregation. 02:44 📹 Private school gave her freedom and skills, so she filmed a race relations documentary in high school. 07:11 ⚡ Graduation and working in science camp: the story of how the trajectory of her life changed in one day. 09:46 👧🏾 Embracing her authenticity: being a ‘weird kid’, with an interesting style. 13:04 🌞 Human beings are relational: her love for community and having a place to fail productively. 17:56 🙃 Having the ‘odd person out’ feeling: creating a safe space for being yourself and building it for others too. 21:23 😇 Creating space and fighting for space: come as you are. 26:05 😍 Moving to Miami: a great space to be during the pandemic and build a softer, joyful life. 30:00 🍎 Living in New Jersey and New York: suburb of chaotic New York. 36:27 🏖️ Moving patterns and Seasonal Affective Disorder: living in Miami’s sun is great. 39:50 🪞 Kwamara’s RONdering: love for humanity and self-love - find something you love about yourself. 40:33 🕯️ Advents and the effects of candles: seeing people who they are. 41:25 👉🏾 Angel investing: Your Family and Friends Fund helps 10 businesses a year while building portfolios for investors. 44:31 Links: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12398474/ Community: https://blackwomenmatter.givitas.com/ Merch http://blackwomen-matter.com/ @kwamaradenise and @iamablackwomanyes Rapatalo Group: rapataloconsulting@gmail.com Leverage Publishing: www.leveragepublishinggroup.com Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Leading with discernment is a vital part of unlocking the greatness in others. Shanita Rapatalo is a national consultant and expert on literacy, DEI, and education, and helps to create systemic changes to the education system that promote equity, compassion and acceptance. With 20 years of experience in the education sector, she continues to follow her passion for helping to develop and strengthen leaders and practices in the industry to ensure that students can become the best versions of themselves. In order to unlock the true potential of education, it's crucial to step back and weigh the intent of the education practices with the impact they are having. While students may be happy and making positive connections, if they are not being held to a high standard and being given the opportunity to struggle through difficult content, they are not being given what they need to thrive. Truly leading with love means receiving people as they are, giving them access, but putting them to work and allowing them to struggle and experience the hard things they need to get ready for the real world. Equal access and leading with love can be a double-edged sword, so receive others as they are, but lead with mindfulness! Notes 👩🏾‍💼 National Literacy expert, mother, a family rock of Rapatalo household: Shanita is a leader and facilitator. 01:06 🌞 Growing up in Baltimore City with her grandparents: she set the trajectory for her entire life in high school. 03:27 👩🏾‍🏫 Her dream was to get into medical school: working at Teach For America and realizing the impact of being a young black woman in the class. 09:27 😇 Grad school and Hello Friends Foundation: creating literacy systems and structures for Rapatalo Group. 13:43 🩹 From nonprofit to entrepreneurship: subtle racism wounded her, and she needed time to heal. 16:53 🤰🏾 Rough family circumstances in 2020 and entrepreneurship as a touchdown. 19:57 👉🏾 Hustling journey in entrepreneurship: you get control over your life, but it is a grind. 23:55 😍 Shanita’s Grandma ran her daycare, teaching children, and buying them clothes: feeding people and helping everyone. 26:47 🎯 Community of learners and no judgment zone for kids: family legacy in the classroom is helping kids get out of the class 10 times better. 32:53 🆚 Judgment versus discernment: seeing things as they are and not harming kids with lowering standards. 37:27 🎶 Love for hip-hop: her brilliance in deciphering and spitting lyrics and her love for Jay-Z. 43:23 👨🏾‍🎤 Hip-hop culture in the golden era: telling stories through lyrics that are smart, slick, and showing real life. 47:25 💎 Shanita’s RONdering is acceptance: how you show up is how I receive you. 52:15 ✌🏾 Rapatalo Group work: facilitating literacy structures and support systems, professional development, and career coaching. 53:11 📘 Leverage Publishing Group: speak your book into existence with us. 54:51 Links: Connect with Shanita www.linkedin.com/in/shanita-rapatalo-she-her-44460190 Rapatalo Group: rapataloconsulting@gmail.com Leverage Publishing: www.leveragepublishinggroup.com Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Break free from your scripted role and uncover your authentic self. Rick Andrews is a highly respected trainer, educator, and improv artist with expertise in team development, creativity, innovation, public speaking, and leadership. He brings a treasure trove of hands-on expertise to these key areas. Rick shares his journey through the labyrinth of improv, illuminating the trail it blazed toward personal authenticity. The narrative peels away the layers of his initial motivations for diving into improv and how it inexorably shaped his career choices. This episode is all about a profound exploration of authenticity’s irreplaceable role in both improv comedy and public speaking. It magnifies the transformative power of genuine connection, transcending the superficial to strike at the core of human engagement. Discover the transformative potential of embracing your true self and connecting with others on a deeper level. Show Notes: 🎭 Rick Andrews is a performer and instructor of improvisation: exercises for listening, team building, and public speaking. 01:01 😇 Journey through improv: battling ADD in high school and embracing the flow state. 03:29 🗽 Finding an artistic home in NY: balancing research psychology studies with his love for comedy. 08:22 🙃 Making your stage partner laugh: translating connection on the stage to the audience in improv comedy. 13:26 🗣️ Public speaking and what is really important to people: TED talk voice vs. your authenticity. 17:07 ⚡ Trust first, transaction second: approaching personal brand differently and selling yourself. 22:54 👉 The perfect personal ambassador is Deion Sanders: Mr Beast’s work with algorithms. 27:47 ⚠️ Reframing your life with social media content instead of just living your life. 33:40 🌊 LinkedIn posts and strategies: ‘don’t rock the boat’ platform. 35:52 🆚 TikTok vs. LinkedIn’s system and Netflix vs. HBO - what really changes and impacts Rick. 39:02 😎 Rick’s non-scalability concept: doing only things he loves and sizing his ambitions correctly. 44:02 🌞 When you get big, how much will you give up on yourself? 47:21 🎯 Being good these days means getting more followers: being impactful and being a better teacher are Rick’s goals for success. 49:48 ✂️ Teaching improv in theater and in companies: tailoring exercises to achieve team’s goals in the working environment. 53:11 💎 Rick’s RONdering: being authentic because who we are always changes by the places. 55:01 Links: Connect with Improv: www.rickandrewsimprov.com Connect with Rick: www.linkedin.com/in/rkandrews Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Studies have shown that cognition is related to movement. Using dance to transform the STEM experience for girls, has allowed Yamilée to see the progress being made, after finding out that only 5% of people in STEM are women of color. Having to initially choose between dance and STEM as she was applying for college, Yamilée has made it her mission to integrate the two. Studying at MIT as one of few women of color in the room, Yamilée could see that a shift was required. With dance, allowing girls to feel good about themselves and seeing how they progress as they perfect movements and routines. Watching her dance student accessing a scholarship as an artistic as well as technical person, Yamilée knows she will offer perspectives others cannot. If dance is what it takes to unlock the potential for girls all over the world, then that is the ultimate goal. Notes: 💃🏾 Violin, love for dance, and love for math: studying MIT and being a few women of color in the room. 02:33 👩🏾‍💼 Using dance to transform the experience that girls have in STEM: founding her own company, STEM from dance. 06:33 ⚡ Cognition is related to movement: Yamilée felt powerful while she danced. 09:26 🎇 Integrations between dance and technology: using lights and making content approachable to younger generations. 13:08 😇 The story of how Yamilée’s student became a computer engineering scholar: support that opens many doors. 17:45 😍 Support and sacrifices from her parents: support network around her. 21:19 😎 Ron’s parents hustled and networked, despite facing systemic racism and inequity. 23:00 🥅 Her father's forming of a non-profit planted a seed in Yamilée for later: if dad can do it, I can do it mindset. 25:37 ✌ Confident dancer and not-so-confident entrepreneur: financial, race, and gender barriers. 31:54 🌞 Yamilée’s circle of champions: friend, coach, and father as a first safety net of wisdom and support. 34:46 💎 Yamilée’s RONdering: the power of being anchored in the purpose. 37:19 🌎 Yamilée’s dream: getting global and helping girls worldwide. 38:37 Links: Dance with Yamilée: www.stemfromdance.org Connect with Yamilée: www.linkedin.com/company/stem-from-dance Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Deciding that your belief system will overflow into every aspect of your life, allows you to focus on what you have decided is important. Born into a home upheld by justice and faith, Kenan worked towards a career in education. Driven by a passion for restoration and the justice he grew up desiring, Kenan has risen to a position of leadership within education equity. Being surrounded by and in relationships with people who hold a different belief, values or come from a different culture, allows an opportunity to learn and rethink the way you work across lines of difference. As people are treated with love and feel a sense of belonging, they will be more comfortable when it comes to opening up, feeling connected, and allowing a culture of adult-to-adult communication in working spaces. Everyone has a story, and any place that’s worth itself will provide space for people to feel comfortable enough to share theirs. We all take a little bit from everybody and every culture around us! Notes 👓 Kenan’s cool red glasses. 01:38 👵🏾 Ohio boy who wants to make his grandmother proud: justice and being sacrificial for the overall good of society. 02:22 👦🏾 Having trust issues with local police from teenage years: awakening his blackness and becoming a president of Black United Students 06:02 🚓 Common issues African Americans have in interaction with police: the presumption of guilt. 08:53 📚 Becoming a voracious reader: working with kids in the YMCA. 14:20 🌞 Meeting his wife in Bible study classes: being in relationships with people who are different is an important process of learning. 16:37 💥 Ron met Kenan through his wife, Shanita: equity-driven leadership and work in Rethink. 19:00 😎 Rethinc as Wu-Tang Clan of education systems. 22:25 ✌🏾 Love, justice, and belonging in the workplace: how to unpack love even with different backgrounds. 25:47 🥰 Love looks different in different ages of life: love is critical repentance and restoration. 29:39 👨🏾‍💼 Advocating for adult-to-adult communication in working space: create the conditions for safety in conversations and inclusion. 34:05 🎤 Kenan was rapping from a teenager: mixing rapping and his faith and values. 38:02 🤯 Believing in God means getting rid of your hip-hop CD collection: Kenan’s musical project Seriously 40:36 🎧 Do we value life or not: sharing questions about the consistency in our world. 43:41 💎 Kenan’s RONdering: Everybody samples - taking different pieces and mixing it well into the workplace, our lives, and DEI. 46:55 🎯 Providing spaces for people to feel comfortable, courageous, and safe to share their story. 50:36 ✅ His projects: Rethinc podcast, DEI improvement and Kenan’s and Jonesy's album. 51:28 Links DEI work with Rethink: www.rethinc.us Music page: https://drum.io/kenanbishop Music project: www.music.apple.com/us/album/seriously/1696603724 Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Realizing the power of your connections is the key to success in business and life. Marcela is the President and CEO of designEDengagement where she co-creates roadmaps to help strengthen the partnership between families, communities and educators. In cities across the country, Marcela passionately oversees projects dedicated to cultivating the power of connections to strengthen communities and create better opportunities for students. Asking for help can feel like a shameful and transactional experience, but we all have a community of generous people who care about us and are happy to help. Once you realize that trust is the biggest currency within this support network, your community becomes a psychological safety net that will help you navigate your way through any hardships you face. When you work together with the mission-aligned people in your life, magic happens, and everybody can enjoy the fruits of the labor together. Your community is your parachute, so don't be afraid to jump your way towards opportunity and success! Notes: 😇 Growing up in poverty as a child of immigrants: Marcela’s mother, family, and community are instrumental to her life and story. 02:56 🦸🏻‍♂️ Making the ask: the desperation, shame, and feeling of failure that comes with asking for help. 08:07 ⚡ Being a Latina founder is not easy: asking for help is the key her mom gave her by breaking the mental mold. 11:22 🔥 Marcela’s circle of champions: church, mission-aligned networks, and wine time with a 96-year-old neighbor. 13:06 🤔 How leveraging works: using the closest circles for personal issues and broader networks for professional ones. 17:20 🥅 Funding issues and receiving support: building a strong safety net. 19:25 ⚠️ Trust as your biggest currency: what Marcela says to all Latina entrepreneurs. 21:29 😅 The first business lesson Marcela learned about business and entrepreneurship: don’t eat your product! 24:49 🪂 Your community is your parachute: from work in Mexico and opening schools, Harvard graduation, building a family engagement program for the state of Texas and starting her own company. 25:29 🌞 Education consulting, podcast, and her book: Marcela is supporting people to intentionally design engagement and supporting students’ hopes and dreams. 34:11 💎 Marcela’s RONdering: Measuring vs. experience in your cooking, leadership, and life - experiencing things with others is always better. 39:18 Links: Website: https://designEDengagement.com LinkedIn: designEDengagement, PBC Book and podcast:https://linktr.ee/designEDengagement Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Being confident in your identity is the key to growth. Marc Etienne is a Partner at Rethinc where he helps to provide the support and coaching needed to evolve communities and organizations away from inequitable practices. With over 25 years of experience in helping students achieve their potential, regardless of their background, Marc continues to follow his passionate pursuit of the dismantling of systemic racism. A big part of unsubscribing from systemic racism and inequitable traditions is breaking free from the chains, refusing to conform, and being comfortable and confident with who we are. To achieve this growth, and help our communities evolve toward a stronger and more equitable future, we must willingly and confidently face discomfort, commit to practice, and become the best versions of ourselves. If we aren't fulfilling our potential by putting in the practice, we can't properly love and support others, and we can't face discomfort with confidence. Invest in yourself, practice what you are passionate about, and move towards your purpose and potential! 🇭🇹 Marc is a New Yorker born in a Haitian immigrant family: celebrating his family’s legacy. 02:38 🍪 Getting into an elite private school was not easy: the difference between being Black and being Haitian. 04:03 👦🏽 The first time he realized he was Black: seeing how whiteness was playing out all around him and getting detentions for asking questions about it. 05:49 👨🏽‍🏫 Trying to find himself and living in anger and confrontations during college: becoming a teacher and learning from kids and parents.15:36 ✨ New Leaders and becoming a principal at 26 within their innovative programs. 20:35 🥰 Moving to Maryland and race equity policy: his wife is his best friend. 23:05 😲 COVID took 9 close friends: the day when Marc decided it is time to do something different. 28:24 🧒🏽 What it really means to be educated for kids of color: an appropriate curriculum for minority groups is essential. 32:50 ⭐ Joining Rethinc and finding how to be yourself at work and do good work without being conformed to fit in the box and cutting your culture. 37:08 ⚠️ Identify where whiteness exists and prevails and what anti-Blackness is: systems are enforcing the idea of whiteness. 39:11 😇 Marc finds joy in yoga, being with his wife, and connecting with his kids and family, but doesn’t like masking and faking it. 42:57 🎯 Growth and discomfort are inextricably linked: the best friends are ones that push you to get into uncomfortable situations you will handle. 46:27 🤩 The martyrdom is killing us - we never do anything good alone: interconnectedness in your community is the key. 53:27 🌌 The universe conspires to have you get what you want, as long as you believe it. 55:57 💎 Marc’s RONdering: everybody has the ability to be great, but don’t be afraid to practice. 57:55 🎆 Practicing consistently means putting yourself first: fulfill your potential, so you can help others around you. 1:04:56 🤓 The Lion’s Story and Rethinc: equitable and just world and workspaces. 1:08:42 🙏🏽 Being a teacher is the hardest job in US: being a principal is also very hard, so find time to thank them. 1:12:02 Links: Connect with Marc: www.linkedin.com/in/keepreading Website: http://rethinc.us/ Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

What you accomplish is not a measure of your value as a human. Stephanie Morimoto is the owner and CEO of Asutra where she shares her passion for self-care through her products and business practices. With nearly 20 years of compassionate leadership and serving those in need under her belt, she continues to provide equitable career pathways and opportunities to her employees and her community. Many people today are stuck on the proverbial hamster wheel and don't stop to appreciate the journey or take care of themselves along the way, and this can lead to burnout. We need to shift the paradigm of what it means to be successful and create the conditions and systems within the workplace that allow us to focus on who we are, instead of what we do, and listen to the needs of our mind, body and soul. Real success is having a well-rounded and joyful life where we can practice self-care, set boundaries for ourselves and live and work in alignment with our values. Decouple your productivity from your self-worth, slow down, and reflect on who you want to be! 👩🏻 From teacher to entrepreneur: Stephanie is the owner of Asutra and a social justice activist. 01:00 😍 Reflecting on who you are, and who you want to be in the world, is just as important as what you accomplish. 02:41 2️⃣ Two main forces in Stephanie’s life: growing up without an Asian American role model, but having the influence of her parents and her grandfather. 04:03 🔥 The push for achievement and to be perfect led Stephanie to burnout: the balance her grandfather achieved was a perfect example for Stephanie’s new business model. 07:54 👴 Her grandfather as the pillar of caregiving and community impact: joy, balance, and success are possible. 09:03 👧🏻 Hardworking parents and a push to be perfect in order to fit in. 11:47 ⭐ Freedom to explore intellectually and academically: life at Brown University and how DEI was back then. 15:43 7️⃣ Seven seminal moments in your life: burnout, and understanding how to live differently and be a good human being. 19:51 😇 Do you treat yourself and others with love and kindness: what is enough? 23:27 🛋️ Recovering from burnout and one more seminal moment for Stephanie. 25:01 👩🏻‍💼 Creating a business and culture she always wanted with Asutra: the journey from a customer to owner through acquisition. 29:34 🤩 Active self-care concept and Asutra products: magnesium products for better sleep and pain relief. 34:18 💪🏻 Ron’s post about his fitness routine inspired Stephanie: sleeping and eating as a foundation. 37:56 ‼️ The benefits of topical magnesium: which Asutra product Oprah loves the most! 39:35 🎯 Creating a workspace culture: changing the lives of people is the best gift for Stephanie. 43:53 ✌🏻 Safety and integrity for all as pillars for the business: humanity and care for employees. 48:03 ☯️ The importance of sustainability, spirit, body, and mind. 50:05 ⚠️ Challenge: try to reduce your hours to see how many things you can still get done. 53:48 💎 Stephanie’s RONdering: incorporating real self-care into your life is a game changer. 54:30 🤓 Stephanie and Hope Chicago: helping students and parents. 56:06 Links: Connect with Stephanie: www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-morimoto Check out Asutra: www.linkedin.com/company/asutra Hope Chicago: www.hopechicago.org/

Learning ways to hack the system is the key to living the lives we deserve to live. Atnre Alleyne is the founder of The Proximity Project, where he advocates for diversity and inclusion and helps organizations build authentic connections with marginalized communities. Founding multiple advocacy organizations, Atnre is an impassioned leader that empowers other leaders with equity-centered values as he fights for racial justice. Despite the dependence on funding that many advocacy groups have, the system is designed to hand over resources to the most privileged, so it's imperative that we build communities that can help strengthen us. In order to move forward in a healthy and sustainable direction, we need to innovate new ways to apply ourselves because many of these organizations are filled with people doing superhuman levels of work. We have to hack the system to fight inequality and design new cultures and spaces so we can continue to fight for the community in a system that is inherently oppressive and inequitable. If it is no longer serving us to wait for blessings from founders to fix the problems with the world, we need self-determination and to lead with our hearts, so we can make our dreams of an equitable future a reality! 👦🏾 Growing up in New Jersey as the youngest of five children: his unusual name and his mother's influence on him. 02:25 🇬🇭 Going to boarding school in Ghana: empowering communities and fighting for social justice. 05:51 🎯 Travelling abroad provided him with an understanding of all perspectives: finding yourself and things that are really important. 11:55 🎓 Helping marginalized groups get the best education: the reason why Atnre created an advocacy organization. 15:28 😇 Tatiana and Atnre founded TeenSHARP: the difference between having a big national brand connected to an advocacy organization vs a grassroots organization. 20:35 ⚡ Events in 2020 made him write a lot about the racial justice front: the Proximity Project as a critical, foundational piece that was missing. 24:31 💸 From non-profit to profit founder: work in communities of color in the nonprofit space is being hindered, hampered, and undercut due to dependency on funding. 32:06 ✌🏾 Philanthropy imbalance: two important tips for non-profit founders. 36:37 🇺🇦 Atnre’s experience with Pahara, and moving to Ukraine and having an amazing life. 41:44 ⭐ Spaces for re-invention: seeing different cultures is giving us easier insight into the core of who we are and what really matters. 49:08 3️⃣ Three questions to ask in interviews. 53:01 💎 Atnre’s RONdering: how to hack the system to have true power, true agency, and self-determination. 54:54 ✍🏾 Atnre’s project and new book: The Guide to Starting and Growing a Nonprofit in an Unjust World. 57:47 Links: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theproximitypro LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-proximity-project Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

To fight inequity, we must slow down enough to review and understand the behaviors that contribute to it. Alli Myatt is the co-founder of The Equity Practice and helps organizations redesign themselves to embody more equitable practices. Throughout her life and her long career in advising organizations, Alli has followed her passion of advocating for more human connection and liberatory principles in the workplace. Business is inherently about performance, urgency, and moving at a fast pace to meet deadlines and achieve milestones, but many of these structures are deeply ingrained with patterns of oppression. In order to disrupt the behaviors and mindsets that create inequity, we need to slow down and examine these processes and structures so we can deconstruct them and refocus on less oppressive practices. If we are mindful and willing to unlearn the behaviors and mindsets that create inequity, we can create a workplace where people can build real connections and thrive in a more abundant and human-centered work environment. There is more to life than deadlines and productivity, so slow down and become invested in the connection with others! Show Notes: 🤩 A different approach to equity work: Alli’s and Ron’s friendship. 00:40 👧🏾 Getting through life in unsupportive, predominantly white spaces: Alli’s Mom and Dad taught her to advocate for herself and others. 03:18 🤯 How the expectations of a role can differ for some people: not getting into the Gifted and Talented program, even with perfect results. 05:43 ⚡ The unwritten rules for Black women: the unwritten rule of power. 08:44 👮🏾 Being funny but not too funny: policing your body and facial expressions. 10:15 😠 Gaslighting in the workplace: Black women don’t get developmental feedback from management. 13:00 ⚠️ Building new rules in her equity practice: oppression is everywhere in the workplace. 15:13 ⏸️ How behaviors contribute to inequity issues: slow down to see where you are, see issues, and re-wire.18:03 🦥 The power of urgency and the white supremacy norm: slow down to learn your behaviors. 20:32 🎯 Slowing down builds trust: see how others are trying to share. 24:42 🙈 Getting out of the shame spiral: how to change your practices to get the space of shame and blame. 26:03 ☯️ Mindfulness work helped Ron to say grounded: being present is crucial. 28:52 🔥 Results are not the most important thing: identity should not be attached to the result. 32:04 ⭐ What we are doing on this planet: what matters in the end. 35:19 😍 Deepening humanity and living the gift we have. 38:11 🏃🏾‍♂️ Urgency is creeping on us in so many different and unhealthy ways. 39:45 🫶🏾 The art of business: let’s enjoy what we can make together. 41:39 😇 The influence that the service businesses had on Alli: the power of hotels is in caring for the well-being of people. 42:23 🏨 Ron’s experience with the Marriott Hotel and Alli’s best experience in a Greek hotel. 46:11 👂 Why it is important to slow down in order to hear the equity culture: treating your team abundantly. 50:45 💎 Alli’s RONdering: people are resistant to having relationships at work because of vulnerability. 53:02 🫱🏾‍🫲🏻 The RPR triangle and understanding how to build collective energy. 54:54 🎇 New projects and experiments Alli is working on. 57:50 Links: Connect with Alli: www.linkedin.com/in/allimyatt The Equity Place: www.linkedin.com/company/the-equity-practice Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Self-care is essential in the mission to advance inclusivity and racial equity. Laura Donald is the founder and CEO of Axis Talent Partners, where she focuses on supporting leaders of color in accessing positions of power. Through a career in teaching and recruiting, Laura has followed her lifelong passion for spreading a culture of liberation and leaving a positive impact with her liberatory values. Centering the experiences of people of color and cultivating a sense of belonging is a challenging goal in the fight to advance equity and justice. There are many tensions and hurdles along the path to defining and constructing the roadmap in liberation-focused work, and it requires constant examination along the way. To lead with clarity in the fight for liberation, you have to commit to your own endless journey of healing and learning and truly feel like you are enough. Remember to self-care and self-reflect in this ongoing balance between self-leadership and our shared liberatory leadership journey! 👉 Executive search can be equitable. 00:10 😇 Laura is a biracial daughter of educators. 02:21 🤓 The inspirations for becoming a consultant and entrepreneur. 06:18 🎯 Designing her work life was beautiful and liberating for Laura: putting all her energy into recruiting leaders of color and inspiring others. 09:52 🤔 Unapologetic, unequivocal focus and values are insufficient for your mission: equity work requires constant examination.17:33 👩🏽‍🦱 Centering the experiences of people of color: having a preference for people of color in your searches. 21:03 ⚡ How do you build diverse candidate pools: laser focus on qualifications, reaching out to as many people of color as possible, and rechecking the application and interview processes. 22:49 🔥 The power of naming things: gathering the evidence on competencies and then connecting with people as humans. 25:33 🔠 After going through equity practice, the core-competency, alignment, interviewing and evaluating, it is time to see if the fit is real. 29:33 🗝️ From the hardcore superscripted core-competency interviewing to the beginning of the onboarding: the key is in honesty and authentic conversation with potential leaders. 31:33 🤩 Laura’s big revelation about liberatory culture: intentional and conscious choices about what's conventional, what's different, and balancing all constantly. 33:32 📋 There is no one way to do this: operating in shared leadership while the default is hierarchy. 35:15 ⚖️ Balancing a delicate ecosystem and navigating tensions at every turn: keeping liberatory culture and bringing in revenue. 38:13 ☯️ Laura’s healing journey: inner work, leadership development, therapy, and sabbatical are all needed for staying focused and adapting to the constant spinning cycle of her work. 41:04 ☑️ Dynamics of changes and healing: healthy interconnectedness starts within you as a leader. 44:25 💎 Laura’s RONdering: how we truly heal and cultivate our own liberation, to feel enough, and bring it to other people. 49:03 🫱🏼‍🫲🏾 Laura’s team truly brings equity-centered search work for their clients and is an example of a different kind of paradigm of work. 51:42 Links: Connect with Laura: www.linkedin.com/in/lauradonald Check out www.axistalentpartners.com Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

In the fight to create more equitable job opportunities, transparency is a must. Ify Walker is the founder and CEO of Offor, where she leads with her values to ensure equitable opportunities for marginalized groups in the executive search industry. From teaching to attending law school, Ify has followed her passion for identifying and understanding broken systems and designing equitable solutions. It’s no secret that we still live in a world where meritocracy is overshadowed by the unfortunate truth that opportunities are awarded to people inequitably based on race. We must pave the way forward by increasing friction, disrupting norms, and calling out industries and organizations that lack transparency in their values. When values are made clear, it’s easier for businesses to hire the talent they truly need, and for that talent to feel aligned with and empowered by their work. Let’s challenge the power dynamic and create a new and diverse generation of leaders! 👧🏽 The oldest of six children and daughter of Nigerian immigrants: Ify was the only black girl in her school. 01:51 👉🏽 Going forward to teaching: opening moment for fighting against inequity. 02:50 👂🏽 Meritocracy myth dispelled: different rules for different sets of people. 05:47 🤩 Growing up in an immigrant family means being innovative and solving problems with the tools you’ve got. 10:30 🛡️ How “family armor” became a guide in Ify’s professional life to fight corrupt and inhumane systems. 🙃 The cultural differences in immigrant families. 20:41 🤯 Figuring out the rules of the system: how genius is equally distributed, but access is not. 24:59 🧐 How to challenge power imbalances, and prioritize cultural alignment to create opportunities for black women and promote inclusivity in the process. 27:22 🆚 High-level fluff and lack of information vs. buddy treatment in executive hiring. 32:21 📘 Ify is the Visionary in Ron’s book: balancing the tension of doing what is right and what it can feel like to do it right. 35:01 😇 When values are clear, decisions are easy: change in one company is not an easy thing to do, but being open can result in amazing opportunities. 38:52 ✌🏽 Putting myself first: there is a cost to being so close to the ‘fire’ of racism, and Ify has a new chapter ahead of her. 42:53 🎙️ Building a career portfolio: the creation of this podcast was a sub-product of years of Ron’s work with people and interviewing. 47:35 💎 Ify’s RONdering: The most difficult part is making the decision - the rest falls into place. 51:07 🎯 When we are upfront about our values, that attracts the energy of the universe and people to the pathway of where we want to go. 53:43 🔥 The question that makes all decisions very clear for Ify: what do I want to tell my kids I did? 56:54 ⚡ Building powerful and impactful executive teams: culture is everything, and diversity is the path to excellence. 57:34 Links: Connect with Ify: www.linkedin.com/in/ifywalker Check Offor: www.offor.co Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

In order to continue the fight against inequality, we need to create a culture where people are taking care of each other. Kate Gerson is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Rethnic, where she partners with leaders to create evolved workspaces that promote healthier and happier work cultures through inclusivity. Throughout her journey, Kate has been the architect of numerous successful organizations, where she has poured her passion for anti-racism and dismantling systems of inequality into crafting disruptive education programs and training strategies. It’s no secret that many DEI initiatives are getting it wrong, and there is still a growing blob of hatred to confront in the modern workspace. In order to bring more connection and a sense of wholeness into the work culture, we need to adopt a spiritual level of focus on the humanity and dignity of every single person around us and promote a sense of care and belonging. When you feel seen and heard, and you can ground yourself in a workspace of harmony, compassion, and grace, it allows you to show up as the best possible resource you can be for clients and live with a sense of true belonging. Help dismantle systemic hatred and inequality by promoting connection and growth with a culture of spiritual healing! Show notes: ✨ Kate takes anti-racism seriously. 00:10 🏫 Kate’s childhood and a need for dismantling a system of white supremacy, inequity, and toxic patriarchy: sticky school systems were a good place to start that. 01:36 ▶️ When the mission became more important than the people: her evolution and healing trauma with a great team of people around her. 07:59 🤓 The system is not changing: making a change through corporate spaces by helping adults with grace and decency. 09:47 🎯 Fighting a war on consciousness: everyone needs healing now. 12:35 👩🏽‍🦱 Gina Breedlove’s healing in corporate spaces: learning journey and understanding humans around you. 16:07 😇 Accumulation of power and access shifted for Kate: everyone has a secret shame and fear, and we need to care about each other. 18:34 🛑 New generations are not rooted in work and careers; new generations are showing boundaries in the working space. 22:29 🕊️ Spiritual healing as the core of our liberation: white leaders who are ready for evolution and injuries in the working space and allowing room for everybody to be whole. 26:00 💣 The truth bomb that hit Ron. 31:09 🤯 Giving up ancestors and lineage for the construct of whiteness and access to capital: Kate’s spiritual healing journey. 33:47 😻 Shifts in their clients’ lives are so profound: articulating standards for proficiency in belonging and inclusion for managers and leaders. 37:34 ⚡ Kate had a profound influence on Ron’s professional growth and sense of belonging while working for New Leaders. 41:35 💎 Kate’s RONderings: prioritizing the humanity and dignity of everybody you meet, vs. being stuck in your cause or mission. Links Facebook: www.facebook.com/rethinc.us Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinc.us LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/rethinc-us Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Learning who you are and what values you represent is the key to leading and networking with others authentically. Russ Finkelstein is a career coach and advisor who helps other people become aware of their possibilities. Acting as a conduit and connector of people, Russ’s passion is in his idealist approach, where he combines empathy and structure to help people discover who they truly are. Making a connection requires trust, and the best way to gain trust is to show up consistently as your authentic self. Without a sense of connection, people can feel isolated, and like they lack value, so it’s important that we show up for others when they need affirmation and support. Connections and networking help make the world a better place if we’re all willing to take the time to build trust and help others value themselves. Commit to being the best use of yourself, be proud of what you represent, and provide hope to others! 🙋🏽‍♂️ Russ is Ron’s friend, coach, and mentor - they met with the help of social media. 00:10 ✨ Russ always thought he was an outlier: finding the spark and possibility for people motivates him. 02:50 🤓 Being a truth-teller and being a conduit to connect people: what is the best use of me? 10:04 🤯 Russ’s trade-offs are flexibility, enough time to help unstuck people, working for free and choosing his clients. 16:42 😇 Ross thought he would go to law school, but realized it is not his goal: being curious about people while being empathetic and hyper-logical. 21:33 ⚡ Ron’s sense of interconnectedness with all people comes with huge empathy. 25:15 🤩 Understanding the interesting intersections and building trust: getting money out of the picture in coaching work. 28:13 🎯 Understanding the power of trust: the importance of showing up, being consistent, and remembering details in fostering human connections. 31:46 😎 Russ’s document “Why I’m helping you” and becoming a Generation Z influencer. 39:19 👂🏽 Russ doesn’t like public speaking: going deep with helping others to recast the negative stories. 41:31 💎 Russ’s RONdering: the importance of finding your authenticity and figuring out yourself, your values, and feeling proud of that. 43:51 🥅 How to fit your goals: being in the weeds of having no choices. 47:54 📰 Russ’s posts on LinkedIn and his future plans. 50:00 Links: Connect with Russ: www.linkedin.com/in/russfinkelstein Website: www.russfinkelstein.com Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Using inclusion and innovation to align the interests of all humans is the best strategy to move forward into a more positive future. Ron J. Williams is a venture builder and corporate innovation leader that focuses on companies that want to build a better future. From making tutoring accessible to underprivileged kids to helping startups make positive impacts in their communities, Ron continues to pursue his passion for helping real people make real progress. Today’s society is filled with selfish systems that don’t align with consumer needs, and don’t internalize the cost of their misdeeds. If we want to create an impact that will shape a better and more positive future, we need to invest in innovative ways to help people make progress and overcome the challenges they face in today’s world. The solution is to innovate ways to drive our commercial and market economies into a space that aligns with sustainable living, and creates positive impacts on the environment and humanity as a whole. Expand your circle of impact and live in the light now, so we can build a better future together! Show Notes Timestamps: 🗽 Ron is a ‘small-town kid’: born and raised in Brooklyn, with a stern but fortunate upbringing. 02:10 ▶️ The importance of parents’ advocating and the amazing teachers in Montessori school: the foundation for Ron’s potential and success. 04:29 🎓 Harvard and the Hood: Ron decided he wanted to be a person who provides better service to kids and families. 07:20 🎯 Business and startup innovations in education: You can earn money doing good. 10:05 ✌🏾 Good ideas are not enough: peaceful co-parenting with Onward, and building ventures to invest in a better future. 13:54 🌊 Innovation for inclusion: perspective taking and empathy together are a fucking superpower. 16:15 🤓 Inclusion is innovation because innovation is helping real people make real progress: systematically execute and unstuck marginalized groups. 21:09 ⚡ Parents, be careful what you are saying to your kids: they can do anything, there is nothing they can’t do. 25:02 🎧 Ron’s love for hip-hop, his first cypher, and freestyling: life is a cypher, you can’t do it alone. 26:21 ✨ The single inventor fallacy - nobody did anything worth doing by themselves: Ron’s admiration for his wife and his friends and brothers. 38:48 🏋🏽‍♂️ Being relentless: Ron’s first powerlifting competition taught him so much about habits. 45:56 🤩 Willingness to commit and invest in a new version of self: don't wait for a breakthrough or to be great. 49:25 💎 Ron’s RONdering: How to scale impact and find a sustainable way to keep investing in the good - we need to change how we do business. 55:36 Links: Connect with Ron J. Williams: www.linkedin.com/in/ronjwilliams Sign up for the Launch of the Redefiners: https://theredefiners.substack.com/ Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Tony Delarosa is the Author of Teaching the Invisible Race: Embodying a Pro-Asian American Lens in Schools. He is a Filipino American anti-bias and anti-racist educator who studies ethnic policies and practices and fights to instill a pro-Asian lens in the education sector. With his work featured on many prestigious platforms, Tony continues to pursue his passion for Asian American activism and fighting for a more expansive racial equity narrative. Racial equity in America is an endless uphill battle, but with each step forward, we must continue to broaden the goal to include more racial minorities. The civil infrastructure that exists to support racial communities today can pave the way for Asian Americans and other racial communities to move forward in the same positive direction. The first step is to form policy and advocacy for these forgotten ethnicities and expand their presence in the education system as teachers and as part of the curriculum. From systems to policies to program development, we must all work together to fight for racial equity in America! ✨ The journey from the military base in CA to rural Lebanon, OH: writing and speaking poetry, Asian American studies, Teach for America, and Asian American organizing. 03:12 🎤 How Def Poetry Jam and Saul Williams influenced him: Tony’s first open mic. 07:44 💣 Tony reads his poem “I am Filipino”. 10:55 🤯 Ron's experiences with Def Poetry Jam in NY. 13:32 🗝️ The whole history of the Philippines has been “colonial football” between China, Japan, Spain, and the USA: reclaiming their ancestral belonging and name. 16:06 👀 Colonial projects - internalized colonial oppression: supporting whiteness and colorism, supporting the military-industrial complex, and pushing Asian Americans into engineering roles. 19:58 🛑 Ethnic studies, Asian American activism, literacy and collectivism: influence of women, queer and trans people - Stop Asian hate movement! 24:33 ⚡ Asian American Policy and Education: a different history should be taught in all K-12 schools. 27:09 📙 Tony is co-writing a book: Teaching the Invisible Race. 28:51 🤩 Pro-Asian-Americanness is tied to pro-Blackness: you can't ignore that history - we are bound together. 31:09 👨🏽 Fatherhood transforms you every day and gives you a clear view of values: “My legacy is my son.” 35:59 🌸 Understanding the legacy and foundation of females and queer trans leaders in communities: you can't take that leadership out of DEI and racial literacy. 39:49 👨🏽‍🏫 How do we get more male educators of color into K12 education: expose men to opportunities and build the leadership pipelines. 44:18 🌱 Planting a seed to grow Asian American Coalitions for education: we need to expand racial movements to other groups as well. 48:45 ⚠️ Disrupting stereotypes about Asian Americans: we have tensions about multiracial coalitions - don’t stay divided and conquered! 52:50 💎 Tony’s RONdering: We all fall, we all rise together - cross-ethnic-racial coalition building, as a core value, as a way of being. 56:30 👏🏽 Tony is one of nine nominees for The Asian American Unsung Hero Community Trailblazer Award at TAAF. 57:27 Links: Connect with Tony: www.tonyrosaspeaks.com IG / Twitter @TonyRosaSpeaks Pre-order Tony’s book: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Tony-DelaRosa/dp/1119930235/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1680563856&refinements=p_27%3ATony+DelaRosa&s=english-books&sr=1-1&text=Tony+DelaRosa Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Discovering your voice and choice is the key to growth and success. Elsa Marquez is an executive leadership coach who works with individuals and organizations to help them fulfill their full potential and become the best version of themselves. With a long and passionate career in leadership and coaching, Elsa fosters leadership-based culture and values that drive individuals and organizations toward valuable changes and success. Many people struggle with a lack of self-awareness that prevents them from adequately identifying and taking action on their goals. Once you are ready and willing to make significant, impactful changes in this world, you need a clear pathway toward what you want and how you will get there. Success, growth, and reaching your employment milestones will occur when you are ready to show up and start taking action with incremental steps made with purpose and confidence. Achieve personal growth and change with immediate, confident actions! 👩‍💼 Elsa helps people find voice and choice through leadership development: she understands the power of leadership in daily life. 01:58 ✨ Being a child with a very definitive mind: she saw her skills were teachable so she opened her own practice. 03:36 🌸 Elsa has a different style of coaching: diagnose, listen, and partner with the person she is supporting. 05:37 🌱 How to grow someone’s self-awareness: three pillars of self-awareness. 07:46 ⚠️ Fear is the mother of frustration: it wastes time and holds you back. 10:39 😎 Ron is Elsa’s ideal client: Elsa appreciates people who have come to a moment where they want to do the work sincerely. 11:51 📈 Elsa loves seeing fast changes and success with their clients: helping people reach into the rooms where big decisions are made. 13:06 ⚡ The power of asking questions: Ron’s and Elsa’s first conversation. 16:03 💎 “A Latina of a certain age” - “I trust Elsa”: the power of self-awareness and trusting yourself. 19:41 🤩 She is not a life coach: leadership in the context of the workplace and not being afraid to be judged by results. 23:12 🙃 How to stay relevant with other generations: working with high-schoolers and leaders and introducing them to all the things that are possible for them. 27:06 🤓 How the American workplace is shaping up right now and the incredible impact and implications it will have. 30:18 👀 Elsa’s RONdering: how to keep vital, rigorous, alive, and thriving so other people can do what they imagined. 33:00 💡 How Elsa is finding rigor in life and work: thoughtfulness and finding space for reflection are crucial for every leader. 35:20 Links: Connect with Elsa: www.linkedin.com/in/elsa-marquez-8660a9268 Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: www.twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

When we help others, the world becomes a better place for everybody. Delvin Burton is a professional leadership coach who uses his leadership skills to develop leadership programs and help businesses and people become the best versions of themselves. Delvin was raised by and surrounded by leaders and mentors through childhood and naturally grew into the man of diverse leadership talent he is today, where he uses his passion for creating a positive impact on people and businesses across the many facets of his professional career. Everybody’s personal and professional lives are filled with bumps in the road, but the key to moving forward with positivity and strength is finding the lessons in the mistakes and battles we endure. If you can be and lead in the service of others through their hardships and help them find and develop the opportunities in their struggles, individuals and communities can grow together and thrive. Help lead others and create a positive impact because everybody deserves the opportunity to succeed, and when we can help people be better in this world, everybody will be better for it. Don’t let life get you down, every loss can be a win if we work together and learn from it! Show notes: 👨🏽‍🦱 Delvin’s story begins with the foundation his dad built for him: working in service of other people and being a leader. 02:22 ✨ Being raised with a growth mindset before it was a popular term: life is about lessons, not losses. 05:49 😇 “I don’t need a quarterback”: the first lesson Delvin learned about glory and the importance of all roles in the team. 13:27 🤓 The mission-focused organization where Delvin and Ron met: Delvin’s role in the organization and how it evolved over time. 23:56 🎯 His leadership development: nurturing relationships and seeing everything as an opportunity to grow and help. 32:04 🏆 Marc Etienne’s journey from school leader to an executive leader as a skillful African American had a huge influence on Delvin. 38:55 😎 Observer and facilitator: program development has two ends and needs to be done the right way. 44:11 🚴🏽‍♂️ Indoor cycling franchise owner: the joy of exercise was transformative for Delvin. 49:15 🤩 Facilitation and improvisation within the franchise community during Covid: getting studios working during the pandemic. 53:27 💎 Delvin’s RONdering: How to take our losses and look at them as lessons. 59:33 Links: LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/delvinaburton/ Twitter - @delvinburton Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/delvin.burton Interested in connecting with Delvin feel free to email him at dabinspires@gmail.com Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenomeron

Society needs to re-evaluate its expectations to make room for identity. Travonnie Mackey is an associate partner and leader at Edgility, where she fiercely advocates for equitable access and works to close wage and opportunity gaps in the workplace. Through her journey of understanding how her identity and location have impacted her opportunities in life as a child, a teacher, a mother, and a leader, she has followed her passion for challenging existing systems and creating space for marginalized groups to be seen, heard, and valued. Today’s workplace is plagued with archaic systems that unintentionally perpetuate inequitable values and limit who has access to jobs and opportunities. To pioneer a path towards modern, progressive, and expansive value systems, we must reflect on our expectations and re-evaluate how we measure competency. In order to achieve a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, we need to stop gatekeeping opportunities and ensure that they are equally available to everybody. Challenge old behaviors and fight for change and inclusion! 🏆 Travonnie loves to win: losing is not fun. 01:22 👧🏽 Growing up in a small, kind, loving town where nobody looked like her: what moving to a better neighborhood to find a success really means. 03:34 🦸🏽‍♀️ Being a daughter of an entrepreneur mom: her mom’s work ethic and what real leadership skills are. 08:15 🤰🏽 Third pillar of her identity: being a teacher and becoming a mom brought some changes into her life. 11:22 ⚖️ Stumbling into coaching and finding her purpose: balancing work and being a present mom.13:56 🙃 Entrepreneurship is activism: backwards plan the big picture and execute it. 16:44 👩🏽‍💼 From vision to implementation: exposed to risks and business from an early age - everything is business. 18:30 🤩 There's no roadmap for running a business with all identities in mind: Travonnine and Ron help businesses to rebuild systems so marginalized groups can thrive. 23:23 ⚠️ Executive search has not been built with equity in mind - based on the history of how power and privilege has been built in this country. 26:40 🤔 Re-examining your values and why we are defaulted on pedigree: you get hired because of your connection or your competency. 28:44 ✨ Being experts on a lived experience: equitable talent system creation begins with inner work - systems for liberation and love. 32:17 🤓 Your identity shapes who you are and what your experiences will be - everyone should have access with the right competencies. 35:26 🎯 Let’s design performance management system that will work for everyone: explicit and clear expectations - different cultures have different values. 38:18 🆚 Expectations and intent versus impact: dealing with white leaders and making them comfortable. 42:21 ‼️ Organizations should be honest about what resources support they're giving. 45:17 😞 Travonnie’s identity as a mom and a worker: we weed people out with expectations of grind culture because no one has figured out what the bar for success looks like. 48:08 🌸 DEI in real life: getting explicit about expectations and unpacking the values that allow a diverse workforce to thrive. 52:10 🤯 Decisions based on connections vs. assessment of competency and skills. 52:52 👉🏽 Advantages and disadvantages: equity leadership competency and tension around interviews and hiring processes. 53:51 😉 Would you still make it to the top if the system is the same for everyone? 56:20 🤷🏽‍♀️ Blaming people for results: knowing only a handful of people in an identity groups makes our brain create stereotypes. 59:00 💎 Be intentional about your impact: everyone deserves access! 01:03:26 Links: Connect with Travonnine: www.linkedin.com/in/travonnie-mackey Book: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/transforming-the-ineffective-teacher-travonnie-mackey/1124097646?ean=9781684197965 Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenomeron Instagram:...