Podcasts about tech inclusion

Guest: François Bitouzet, Managing Director at Viva Technology [@VivaTech]On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fran%C3%A7ois-bitouzet-180a89/____________________________Host: Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society PodcastOn ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/marco-ciappelli____________________________Episode NotesEvent Recap and HighlightsMarco Ciappelli opens the discussion with a warm greeting, reflecting on his recent travel experiences and upcoming conferences. François Bitouzet, the guest of honor, then dives straight into the heart of the Viva Tech 2024 event, providing detailed insights into its scope, significance, and impact.An Overview of Viva TechFrançois explains that Viva Tech is a four-day event held annually in Paris, focusing on bringing together stakeholders in the innovation sphere. This year's event saw the participation of 155,000 attendees from 120 countries, showcasing thousands of startups, tech leaders from companies like Google and Meta, corporate giants such as Audi and LVMH, as well as public sector representatives.The Unique Format and InitiativesOne of the most distinctive features of Viva Tech 2024 was its two-fold format. For the first three days, the event catered to the B2B audience, allowing startups and investors to network and collaborate. On the final day, it opened its doors to the general public. This approach aimed to make technology accessible to everyone, regardless of their professional background.François highlighted various initiatives like the “100+100” program, where 100 successful business women in tech spent a day mentoring young girls. This not only promoted diversity and inclusion but also inspired the next generation to pursue careers in technology.Focus on AI and Other InnovationsWhile Artificial Intelligence (AI) was a major talking point, François emphasized that the event delved deeper into how AI is shaping different business sectors rather than just focusing on the technology itself. By bringing in sector-specific insights, the event sought to provide a realistic perspective on the current impact and future potential of AI.Memorable Moments and CreativityFrançois shared several memorable moments from the event, including a live Q&A session with Elon Musk, who joined virtually to answer unfiltered questions from the audience. This showcased the raw and authentic engagement the event aims to foster.Another highlight was the collaboration with the European retailer FNAC, which set up a kiosk where speakers could sign books for the attendees. This initiative bridged the gap between traditional formats and modern technology, exemplifying how the old and the new can coexist harmoniously.Looking AheadAs the conversation winded down, Marco and François discussed the future of Viva Tech, hinting at more surprises and creative content for next year. François emphasized the importance of injecting poetry and romance—metaphorically speaking—into the world of tech to retain its human touch and inspirational value.Call to ActionFinally, Marco encouraged listeners to make plans to attend Viva Tech 2025, expressing his excitement about potentially meeting his audience in person. François echoed this sentiment, inviting everyone to experience the blend of innovation, business, and meaningful impact that Viva Tech promises.ConclusionThe episode concluded with both Marco and François expressing their shared optimism for the future of technology and its potential to not only transform industries but also enhance our quality of life. They agreed that events like Viva Tech are crucial in driving this change by making technology accessible, inclusive, and genuinely impactful.____________________________Catch all of our event coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/technology-cybersecurity-society-humanity-conference-and-event-coverage____________________________ResourcesLearn more about VIVA TECH 2024: https://vivatechnology.com/____________________________To see and hear more Redefining Society stories on ITSPmagazine, visit:https://www.itspmagazine.com/redefining-society-podcastAre you interested in sponsoring our event coverage with an ad placement in the podcast?Learn More

In this episode of Elixir Wizards, Xiang Ji and Nathan Hessler join hosts Sundi Myint and Owen Bickford to compare actor model implementation in Elixir, Ruby, and Clojure. In Elixir, the actor model is core to how the BEAM VM works, with lightweight processes communicating asynchronously via message passing. GenServers provide a common abstraction for building actors, handling messages, and maintaining internal state. In Ruby, the actor model is represented through Ractors, which currently map to OS threads. They discuss what we can learn by comparing models, understanding tradeoffs between VMs, languages, and concurrency primitives, and how this knowledge can help us choose the best tools for a project. Topics discussed in this episode: Difference between actor model and shared memory concurrency Isolation of actor state and communication via message passing BEAM VM design for high concurrency via lightweight processes GenServers as common abstraction for building stateful actors GenServer callbacks for message handling and state updates Agents as similar process abstraction to GenServers Shared state utilities like ETS for inter-process communication Global Interpreter Lock in older Ruby VMs Ractors as initial actor implementation in Ruby mapping to threads Planned improvements to Ruby concurrency in 3.3 Akka implementation of actor model on JVM using thread scheduling Limitations of shared memory concurrency on JVM Project Loom bringing lightweight processes to JVM Building GenServer behavior in Ruby using metaprogramming CSP model of communication using channels in Clojure Differences between BEAM scheduler and thread-based VMs Comparing Elixir to academic languages like Haskell Remote and theScore are hiring! Links mentioned in this episode: theScore is hiring! https://www.thescore.com/ Remote is also hiring! https://remote.com/ Comparing the Actor Model and CSP with Elixir and Clojure (https://xiangji.me/2023/12/18/comparing-the-actor-model-and-csp-with-elixir-and-clojure/) Blog Post by Xiang Ji Comparing the Actor model & CSP concurrency with Elixir & Clojure (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIQCQKPRNCI) Xiang Ji at ElixirConf EU 2022 Clojure Programming Language https://clojure.org/ Akka https://akka.io/ Go Programming Language https://github.com/golang/go Proto Actor for Golang https://proto.actor/ RabbitMQ Open-Source Message Broker Software  https://github.com/rabbitmq JVM Project Loom https://github.com/openjdk/loom Ractor for Ruby  https://docs.ruby-lang.org/en/master/ractor_md.html Seven Concurrency Models in Seven Weeks: When Threads Unravel (https://pragprog.com/titles/pb7con/seven-concurrency-models-in-seven-weeks/)by Paul Butcher Seven Languages in Seven Weeks (https://pragprog.com/titles/btlang/seven-languages-in-seven-weeks/) by Bruce A. Tate GenServer https://hexdocs.pm/elixir/1.12/GenServer.html ets https://www.erlang.org/doc/man/ets.html Elixir in Action (https://pragprog.com/titles/btlang/seven-languages-in-seven-weeks/) by Saša Jurić Redis https://github.com/redis/redis Designing for Scalability with Erlang/OTP (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/designing-for-scalability/9781449361556/) by Francesco Cesarini & Steve Vinoski Discord Blog: Using Rust to Scale Elixir for 11 Million Concurrent Users (https://discord.com/blog/using-rust-to-scale-elixir-for-11-million-concurrent-users) Xiang's website https://xiangji.me/ Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/feeling-good-the-new-mood-therapy-by-david-d-burns/250046/?resultid=7691fb71-d8f9-4435-a7a3-db3441d2272b#edition=2377541&idiq=3913925) by David D. Burns Special Guests: Nathan Hessler and Xiang Ji.

In Episode 119, Natalia Villalobos, VP of Inclusion at The New York Times, joins Melinda in a transformative discussion on ways to empower individuals to be agents of change within organizations. They delve into the importance of active listening and learning about the workplace culture to understand the change model before taking action. They explore creative and practical ways to collaborate as a team on solutions to drive meaningful change together. They also discuss how leaders can give people grace throughout the change process by cultivating a learning-oriented workplace culture and providing support and resources to help everyone navigate the change.About Natalia Villalobos (she/her)Natalia Villalobos is the first Vice President of Inclusion Strategy & Execution at The New York Times. There she is responsible for the DEI strategy for 5,800+ employees within the US and internationally.Prior to joining The Times, Natalia was Google's "Feminist-in-Residence" leading internal and external global diversity programs. She created Women Techmakers, Google's outreach program for women in technology. Natalia also led DEI for Developer Relations, Google's outreach organization for developers.She believes in meeting and listening to users where they are with an empathetic, human-centered yet data-focused approach. Natalia has applied her background in civil rights and social movements to the tech industry where she is a recognized leader in gender equality and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) broadly.Natalia has been featured in USA Today, CBS News, Newsweek, Inc. Magazine, BBC, Business Insider, and more. She has enjoyed speaking at Stanford, Harvard Business School, SXSW, Tech Inclusion, among others. She is currently on the board of Micro and the Tribal Link Foundation.In 2010, Natalia founded 300 Acres, a digital storytelling campaign that went viral to save 300 acres of the Ecuadorian rainforest for the Quichua people. Prior to Google, Natalia had a successful career as a Community Manager for Yahoo!, Digg, The Institute for the Future, Get Satisfaction, The Seasteading Institute, and StyleMob. As a public face and voice for companies, and as a conduit for global online/offline communities, Natalia was an effective advocate for products and experiences totaling 400M+ users.For educational resources and highlights from this episode, visit https://ally.cc.Connect With Natalia On SocialLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/natalianvillalobos/Twitter: twitter.com/nataliaenvyConnect With Us On SocialYouTube: youtube.com/c/changecatalystTwitter: twitter.com/changecatalystsFacebook: facebook.com/changecatalystsInstagram: instagram.com/techinclusionLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/changecatalystsProduction TeamCreator & Host: Melinda Briana EplerCo-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst ChanPodcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth & Nina Rugeles[Image description: Leading With Empathy & Allyship promo and photos of Natalia Villalobos, a mixed-race White-presenting cisgender woman with long wavy brown hair, gold dangly earrings, pendant necklace, and button-up blush shirt; and host Melinda Briana Epler, a White woman with blonde and red hair, glasses, red shirt, and black jaSupport the show

Today my special guest joins us all the way from Israel! Limor Bergman has worked in the tech industry for over 20 years as a software engineer, engineering manager and Director of Engineering. She knows firsthand what its like to be a woman in a male-dominated field. After spending 9 years living in the USA, she returned to her home country and decided to focus on her passion for supporting women's career growth in Tech and helping them to break the glass ceiling.Roberto and Limor discuss the challenges faced by women in male-dominated workplaces today, how to create diversity and foster an environment of inclusion within your workplace, getting ahead on LinkedIn and compare notes on summer fashion between London and Tel Aviv!Enjoy!Get in touch! Got a particular Bond film you love? Would you like to be on the show to review and discuss it with Roberto? Then what are you waiting for, get in touch!  Email Roberto at  tailoringtalkpodcast@gmail.com or get in touch via the show's new Instagram page @tailoringtalkpodcast ! Links:Roberto on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/robertorevillalondonTailoring Talk on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/tailoringtalkpodcastLimor Bergman on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/limorbergmanLimor Bergman on Twitter https://twitter.com/limor_bergmanCredits:Tailoring Talk intro and outro music by Wataboy on PixabayTailoring Talk Edited & Produced by Roberto RevillaSupport the show

For our first episode, we are tackling the thorny issues surrounding tech inclusion for excluded communities. We'll be exploring the barriers that candidates from geographically segregated neighborhoods face, why common approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion aren't working. On the show, we have co-authors Linda Jakob Sadeh, research associate at the Harry Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, and Smadar Nehab, an experienced high-tech executive and the founder of Tsofen, a nonprofit that aims to fully integrate the Arab community in Israel into the Israeli high-tech industry. Read the article co-written by Linda & Smadar titled “Tech Inclusion for Excluded Communities” here. Purchase a print or digital subscription to the magazine here. This series is a partnership between Spring Impact and SSIR and is produced by Hueman Group Media. -- Learn more about Spring Impact. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

In this episode, Temple Grandin interviews Ruthe Farmer, CEO and Founder of the Last Mile Education Fund. Previously, Farmer served as the Senior Policy Advisor for Tech Inclusion at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy focusing on President Obama's call to action for Computer Science for All, as well as serving as Chief Strategy & Growth Officer and K-12 Alliance Director at the National Center for Women & Information Technology. Farmer is an advocate for equity in education, and has championed computer science education initiatives across the country for two decades.

In this interview with Ruthe Farmer, we discuss Ruthe's perspectives on feminism in education, Ruthe's journey through tech inclusion entrepreneurship, finding ways outside of the classroom to have an impact on education, Ruthe's work with the Last Mile Education Fund, and so much more.Click here for this episode's show notes.This podcast is powered by BootUp Professional Development.

In the final installment of Season 2 of the Demystifying Diversity Podcast, Daralyse Lyons and Zack James conclude the season with an interview of guest Melinda Briana Epler, an expert in building allyship and empathy skills. This Q&A conversation explores not only what it means to be an ally, but also provides concrete strategies that each and every one of us can implement to be better allies in our workplaces, in our communities, and in our relationships. In this episode, you will learn about: The spectrum-nature of privilege and the fact that each and every one of us enjoys some level of privilege, whether we realize and acknowledge it or not. The importance of being an ally in actions, as opposed to just in words. The role that storytelling plays in relating the experiences of marginalization and exclusion, and how these stories substantiate the need for allyship. How to strike the balance between challenging our loved ones to become better allies, while also meeting them where they are to prevent division and alienation. The fact that doing nothing is an act of tacit compliance in perpetuating racism and many other -isms that our society faces. The reminder that the work of allyship is difficult, but the effects of racism and other -isms are even more difficult, and destructive, as opposed to constructive. How our culture of “rugged individualism” not only harms individual groups, but also harms us as a collective, on a national and global scale. Our guest experts this episode include: Melinda Briana Epler - Founder and CEO of Change Catalyst, Melinda is a TED speaker, a diversity and inclusion advocate, and a leader building inclusive innovation around the world. Melinda has 25 years of experience elevating brands and developing business innovation strategies for start-ups, Fortune 500 companies, global NGOs, and so much more. As the CEO of Change Catalyst, Melinda works with her clients and partners to solve diversity and inclusion issues together. Using her background in storytelling, behavioral science and large-scale culture change, she is a strategic advisor for companies, innovation hubs, and governments around the world. She also co-founded Tech Inclusion, a series of global solutions-focused conferences, where she has partnered with over 450 tech companies and community organizations and hosted over 50 solutions-focused diversity and inclusion events. Previously, Melinda was a marketing and culture executive, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. She speaks, mentors and writes about diversity and inclusion, inclusive innovation, empathy, and entrepreneurship. She is the author of the book, How to Be an Ally, and she hosts the popular Leading With Empathy and Allyship Podcast. Resources in this episode include: Melinda Briana Epler's Book: How to Be An Ally Melinda's TedTalk: 3 Ways to Be a Better Ally in the Workplace Melinda's Podcast: Leading with Empathy and Allyship More of Melinda's writings on Medium.com Change Catalyst website Change Catalyst's State of Allyship Report Connect with Melinda: Twitter: @mbrianaepler Instagram: @changecatalysts Facebook LinkedIn Click here for a full transcript of this episode.

Indigenous people often face an array of barriers to economic opportunity. Poverty, oppression and simple lack of access to the Internet service are among them. We'll talk about expanding opportunity through education, career preparation and extension of broadband to indigenous communities in Canada. What you'll hear applies to any population whose physical separation diminishes opportunity.

Indigenous people often face an array of barriers to economic opportunity. Poverty, oppression and simple lack of access to the Internet service are among them. We'll talk about expanding opportunity through education, career preparation and extension of broadband to indigenous communities in Canada. What you'll hear applies to any population whose physical separation diminishes opportunity.

Leaders are the ones who have the courage to go first, to put themselves at personal risk to open a path for others to follow and my guest today Wayne Sutton has done just that as one of the early voices working to create change in Silicon Valley. Wayne Sutton is a serial entrepreneur and founder of the Icon Project, he is also the co-founder of Change Catalyst and its Tech Inclusion programs (Over the years we introduced 11,700+ job candidates to tech companies, hosted events with over 28,000 attendees in 50+ Countries). He is a mentor and advisor to early-stage startups, one of the first 1000 people on Twitter and a leading voice for diversity and inclusion in tech which has seen him featured in TechCrunch, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, CNN, BBC, USA Today, Mashable, Black Enterprise, and various online media outlets. Connect With Wayne Sutton: Twitter LinkedIn Instagram Change Catalyst The Icon Project Some topics we cover in this episode: Being intentional about creating an inclusive event for all intersectionalities Childhood experience connected to trauma and how that drove him to change the tech world The reality of trying to change an industry that does not want to change The impact besmirching words from people you look up to can have on you Impacting one person in a positive way The truth about working with his wife and where the can difficulties arise from Interracial relationships and dealing with bias and stereotypes The power of self-awareness & how to develop self-awareness Addressing mental health and professional development needs for black and brown men in tech. The mental health benefits of riding a bike Connect with me Website: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sopeagbelusi/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sopeagbelusi/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sope_Agbelusi Email: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPREAD THE WORD. LEAVE A RATING, REVIEW, AND FEEDBACKYou can do this on Apple podcast or on Stitcher Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. I appreciate you and your support! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have a question, comment or a topic you want to be discussed? Send me a voice message: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything

“Leaders are the ones who have the courage to go first, to put themselves at personal risk to open a path for others to follow” and my guest today Wayne Sutton has done just that as one of the early voices working to create change in Silicon Valley. Wayne Sutton is a serial entrepreneur and founder of the Icon Project, he is also the co-founder of Change Catalyst and its Tech Inclusion programs (Over the years' we introduced 11,700+ job candidates to tech companies, hosted events with over 28,000 attendees in 50+ Countries). He is a mentor and advisor to early-stage startups, one of the first 1000 people on Twitter and a leading voice for diversity and inclusion in tech which has seen him featured in TechCrunch, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, CNN, BBC, USA Today, Mashable, Black Enterprise, and various online media outlets. Connect With Wayne Sutton:  Twitter  LinkedIn Instagram  Change Catalyst  The Icon Project  Some topics we cover in this episode:  Being intentional about creating an inclusive event for all intersectionalities Childhood experience connected to trauma and how that drove him to change the tech world The reality of trying to change an industry that does not want to change The impact besmirching words from people you look up to can have on you Impacting one person in a positive way The truth about working with his wife and where the can difficulties arise from Interracial relationships and dealing with bias and stereotypes  The power of self-awareness & how to develop self-awareness Addressing mental health and professional development needs for black and brown men in tech.  The mental health benefits of riding a bike Connect with me Website: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sopeagbelusi/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sopeagbelusi/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sope_Agbelusi Email: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPREAD THE WORD. LEAVE A RATING, REVIEW, AND FEEDBACKYou can do this on Apple podcast or on Stitcher Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. I appreciate you and your support! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have a question, comment or a topic you want to be discussed? Send me a voice message: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything

“Leaders are the ones who have the courage to go first, to put themselves at personal risk to open a path for others to follow” and my guest today Wayne Sutton has done just that as one of the early voices working to create change in Silicon Valley.Wayne Sutton is a serial entrepreneur and founder of the Icon Project, he is also the co-founder of Change Catalyst and its Tech Inclusion programs (Over the years' we introduced 11,700+ job candidates to tech companies, hosted events with over 28,000 attendees in 50+ Countries). He is a mentor and advisor to early-stage startups, one of the first 1000 people on Twitter and a leading voice for diversity and inclusion in tech which has seen him featured in TechCrunch, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, CNN, BBC, USA Today, Mashable, Black Enterprise, and various online media outlets. Connect With Wayne Sutton: Twitter LinkedInInstagram Change Catalyst The Icon Project Some topics we cover in this episode: Being intentional about creating an inclusive event for all intersectionalitiesChildhood experience connected to trauma and how that drove him to change the tech worldThe reality of trying to change an industry that does not want to changeThe impact besmirching words from people you look up to can have on youImpacting one person in a positive wayThe truth about working with his wife and where the can difficulties arise fromInterracial relationships and dealing with bias and stereotypes The power of self-awareness & how to develop self-awarenessAddressing mental health and professional development needs for black and brown men in tech. The mental health benefits of riding a bikeConnect with meWebsite: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sopeagbelusi/LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sopeagbelusi/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sope_AgbelusiEmail: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SPREAD THE WORD. LEAVE A RATING, REVIEW, AND FEEDBACKYou can do this on Apple podcast or on StitcherYour ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners.I appreciate you and your support!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Have a question, comment or a topic you want to be discussed?Send me a voice message: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything

Bhavana Bartholf is the Global Chief Digital and Transformation Officer for the Microsoft Commercial Solutions Area team which is part of the Worldwide Commercial Business. Responsible for building and landing the transformation strategy to accelerate the evolution and shift of Microsoft's solution sales bringing together industry aligned to solution aligned customer/partner strategy. Bhavana is an exceptional People leader, culture impactor and global business executive. She has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Women in Tech at Tech Inclusion. Recognized as a transformational leader, innovative technologist, STEM advocate and ally for women and racial/ethnic minorities (REM). She has a strong proven track record for growing the female/REM workforce while promoting diversity and inclusion. Dedicated to fostering positive, transparent, and collaborative work environments. Bartholf has served for 6 years on the board of The Gift of Adoption, a nonprofit that provides adoption assistance through grants. She also continues to support her passion for Women in technology. Bhavana joined me over this session to talk to me about her leadership journey, lessons learned along the way and some of the factors that drive her to contribute to human society and lead! Enjoy, RB

Rex Academy: Let's Talk Computer Science In our 33rd episode, we had the opportunity to interview Ms. Ruthe Farmer, formerly a Senior Policy Advisor for Tech Inclusion at the White House now working as the Chief Evangelist at CSforAll, on her journey and her thoughts regarding the prevalence of computer science.Curriculum Licensing to K12 Schools | Online Private Classes | Self Paced Online Lessons. Visit www.Rex.academy for more information or Call us on : +1 972-215-9962

In this fantastic episode of The EdUp Experience, sponsored by The Evolllution, we talk with Glen Patterson, Co-Founder, WorkSchool. WorkSchool connects the learner to aggregated certificate programs, then connects the earned skill to employment opportunities. Hear Glen talk about the necessity of offering students valuable learning opportunities without becoming frustrated. With so many non-credit and certificate opportunities available, finding the right program can even seem overwhelming. Glen discusses the importance of end-to-end solutions providing an outstanding user experience. Not every student is ready for, or wants, the traditional path! Glen Patterson is the Co-Founder of WorkSchool - The world's leading learning platform for human capital with end-to-end solutions for learners and job-seekers. Educating the workforce of today and tomorrow. Smart, Intelligent, Creative. He is also Co-Founder of Trifecta Ventures, Founder of Harlem Tech Summit, a Speaker on Tech Inclusion, and an E-Lecturer pn Entrepreneurship, Startup, Innovation for Marketing. Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode! Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening! We make education your business!

If you have a podcast or are interested in starting one, today’s episode is for you! Casey chats with Ahyiana Angel about all things podcasting and entrepreneurship. There are so many gems for business owners and anyone looking to transition from where there are to something that is fulfilling and in line with their purpose and passion.   Ahyiana shares cautionary anecdotes and lessons learned over the years. You don’t want to miss this conversation!   Subscribe Website | Apple | Stitcher | Spotify   Meet our Guest Ahyiana Angel is the Founder of Mayzie Media, a podcast production company, and host of the personal growth podcast Switch, Pivot, or Quit®. She is also a traditionally published author and speaker, who for her proven track record of success and dedication to her craft, has been invited to speak at companies and conferences including Google, Spotify, Create & Cultivate, Tech Inclusion, and more. Ahyiana and her work have been featured by Apple, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Girlboss among others. Quit Playing Small is her latest buzzed-about book that's a must-have for the ambitious person's morning routine.   Connect with Ahyiana Instagram Website   Show Notes   [0:36] – Casey opens the episode with a little background about Ahyiana.      [4:34] – The interview begins.   [5:00] – Ahyiana shares a little more about who she is and what she does.   [7:26] – Casey asks Ahyiana what drew her to the podcast space.   [11:26] – Casey asks Ahyiana how corporate podcasting is different from consumer podcasting, and they talk about the benefits of internal podcasts for corporations.   [16:20] – Ahyiana shares tips for new podcasters.   [19:28] – Casey asks about Ahyiana’s transition from corporate to entrepreneurship.   [27:50] – Ahyiana talks about her recent book, Quit Playing Small, and how it came to be.   [32:12] – Casey asks Ahyiana to share any legal or financial lessons she’s learned along the way.   [39:10] – Casey asks Ahyiana how her business has changed due to the global pandemic.   [42:18] – Ahyiana shares some last tips for entrepreneurship.   Resources mentioned during this episode: Get Ahyiana’s Book   Meet our Host Casey is an entertainment and digital media law attorney who helps influencers and creative entrepreneurs who struggle with navigating the legal side of their businesses and brands, specifically as it relates to contracts. She prides herself on helping creatives negotiate fair deals with Fortune 500 companies and leading entertainment brands, all while helping them build legally sound businesses that are built for generational wealth and impact. Here on the podcast, she normally does that by sharing the stories of successful entrepreneurs and influencers to help you learn from their mistakes. But occasionally, like today, switches things up and highlights popular culture.    Subscribe Website | Apple | Stitcher | Spotify

In this episode we talk with Danny Guillory -- head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Dropbox -- and Dropbox's use of NCWIT's research-based strategic approach to creating more inclusive cultures. This powerful online platform has led Dropbox through a self-reflective and action-oriented process, which Danny discusses in terms of lessons learned and guidance for other companies engaged in this important work.

Guest: Rebecca Garcia About this episode: It's the SEASON FINALE!!! This week, I had the opportunity to speak with Rebecca Garcia. Rebecca is a Mindset & Career Coach for women in tech. She helps women build fulfilling six-figure careers in tech by leveraging their existing skills and experiences. Previously she was a self-taught Developer at Squarespace, Program Manager at Microsoft and is currently a Program Manager at Facebook for Developer Outreach. She's been named one of the 'Top Women Under 35 Changing the Tech Industry' by Glamour Magazine, a 'Champion of Change for Tech Inclusion' by former President Barack Obama and was a fellow at Columbia University (SIPA) in social entrepreneurship. Tune in as Rebecca discusses how she taught herself how to code, how she landed all types of opportunities in tech (without a college degree), and what she learned from those experiences. You don't want to miss it! Get Connected with Rebecca Garcia: Website: http://rebeccagarcia.tech/ Instagram: @rebeccagarcia.tech Twitter: beccagarciatech Win in STEM Scholarship Link: https://www.cognitoforms.com/WinInSTEM/WinInSTEMScholarship Deadline to apply: January 16, 2021 11:59 EST Questions or Feedback? Email: wininstempodcast@gmail.com Follow the podcast on IG: @thewininstempodcast Beats by Femi, IG: @fe.astro

This episode is sponsored by Davwill Consulting Inc. Have you audited your team and ensured their whole health? Elizabeth Adams is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Digital Civil Society Lab in Partnership with the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity.Elizabeth is a technology integrator, working at the intersection of Cyber Security, AI Ethics, and AI Governance focused on Ethical Tech Design. She also passionately teaches, advises, consults speaks, and writes on the critical subjects within Diversity & Inclusion in Artificial Intelligence, such as racial bias in Facial Recognition Technology, Video Surveillance, Predictive Analytics, and Children's Rights. Elizabeth impacts the world around her every day serving as a member of the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems helping to build global standards for AI Nudging & Emotion AI, and as an appointed member of the Racial Equity Community Advisory Committee for the City of Minneapolis influencing the local Civic Tech & Tech Design Racial Equity conversation and framework.Over the last 20 years, she's refined her leadership acumen in tech design by leading a variety of technology initiatives in the Washington D.C. metro area.  Now back in her home state of Minnesota, she remains dedicated to embedding ethics and human-centricity in artificial intelligence systems and also makes time to pursue her passion for lifting up other women in tech. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit debcrowe.substack.com

“I’m really interested in figuring out what it’s going to take to level the playing field.”— Ruthe Farmer Ruthe Farmer strives for the greater inclusion of women, minority, and low-income students in computer science and engineering. Tired of barriers that keep too many promising young people out of STEM-related fields, Ruthe has committed her career to breaking them down for good.  As the Chief Evangelist at CSforALL and Senior Policy Advisor for Tech Inclusion in the Obama White House, Ruth’s been integral to the design, launch, and scale-up of multiple national initiatives including the Aspirations in Computing, TECHNOLOchicas, AspireIT, CSEdWeek, CS and Cyber for Girl Scouts, CSforALL Summit, and the Last Mile Education Fund.  She has served as Chair of CSEDWeek, was named a White House Champion of Change for Technology Inclusion, received the Anita Borg Institute Award for Social Impact, and the UK Alumni Award for Social Impact. She holds a BA from Lewis & Clark College and an MBA from Oxford.   In this episode, you’ll learn: Why so few women and minorities are in STEM-related fields How Ruthe’s initiatives break down barriers into tech What obstacles women, minorities, and low-income students face in tech Why traditional scholarships increase inequity About Ruthe’s “Camelot” experience at the Obama White House What accomplishments Ruthe achieved while there About her amazing organization CSforALL How the Last Mile Fund supports students in completing their education Why Ruthe doesn’t love the phrase “STEM” The difference between computer science vs. coding How Ruthe integrated STEM-related badges into the Girls Scouts Why the Girl Scouts might be the most successful social enterprise Some fascinating facts about Thin Mint cookies Which smart inventions and solutions her students have developed Why Ruth Bader Ginsburg was such an inspiration to Ruthe Farmer Why everyone should find inspiration from RBG And so much more!   Connect with Ruthe FarmerTwitter twitter.com/ruthefLinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/ruthefarmer   Learn About the Last Mile FundThe Last Mile Fund invests in the next generation of technology talent. Most scholarship programs seek to identify ‘top’ talent and reward them with support—as long as they stay on top. The Last Mile Fund takes an investment approach and identifies young people with aspirations in technology and engineering fields. They provide support for challenges they face beyond their control and incubate them to be the next generation of innovators. Websitewww.lastmile-ed.org Twittertwitter.com/MileFund Learn About CSforALLCSforALL’s mission is to make high-quality computer science an integral part of the educational experience of all K-12 students and teachers and to support student pathways to college and career success. Websitewww.csforall.org Twitter twitter.com/CSforALL   Get Rob’s Weekly Newsletter Never miss an inspiring conversation about compassionate, positive leadership on the Leading with Genuine Care podcast. Plus, get other great articles and insights. Click below and you’ll also get a download of his favorite mindful resources. www.donothingbook.com/resource-guide     Follow Rob Dube on Social Media  LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/robdube  Facebook:  www.facebook.com/rob.dube.1  Twitter:  twitter.com/robddube    Rob Dube’s Website www.donothingbook.com   Buy Rob’s book, donothing: The Most Rewarding Leadership Challenge You'll Ever Takeamzn.to/2y9N1TK

Join Change Catalyst Founder & CEO Melinda Briana Epler with Danny Allen, VP of Tech Diversity & Inclusion at SAP Labs in conversation about Using Data to Drive Change.Danny Allen has been an engineer in the tech industry for over 30 years, and the last four as an executive focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. In this episode he talks about why he made the jump to create change, and the different projects he oversees across the tech ecosystem to make that happen. We discuss how he uses a diversity dashboard to help drive understanding, accountability, behavior change and equity across the organization.Learn more about Diversity and Inclusion at SAP - including their integrated report: https://www.sap.com/corporate/en/company/diversity.html ⭑⭑If this is helpful, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and like this episode!⭑⭑Additional Resources:SAP.IO's inclusive entrepreneurship initiative No Boundaries "Driving Inclusion and Innovation In Workplace Culture" at Tech Inclusion - with Danny Allen, Melinda Briana Epler, Candice Morgan and Candi Castleberry SingletonSAP's Project Propel, working with HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities)Producer: Juliette RoyProject Manager: Sally MoywaywaFinance & Operations: Renzo SantosDiversity & Inclusion Specialist: Antonia FordCreated by: Melinda Briana EplerFor more about Change Catalyst, and to join us for a live recording, visit changecatalyst.co/allyshipseriesSupport this series: patreon.com/changecatalystsYoutube: youtube.com/c/changecatalystTwitter: twitter.com/changecatalystsFacebook: facebook.com/changecatalystsLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/changecatalysts Support the show (http://patreon.com/changecatalysts)

Tami M. Forman is the chief executive of Path Forward, a nonprofit organization that creates mid-career internship programs to ease the transition back to work for women (and men) after taking a break for raising children or other caregiving responsibilities. Before founding Path Forward, Tami spent a decade as a tech marketing executive with data solutions provider, Return Path. Before that she worked in book publishing at Simon & Schuster and Houghton Mifflin and held senior-level editorial positions at iVillage and News Corporation. She is a frequent speaker on issues related to women’s participation in the workforce, having presented at the Grace Hopper Celebration, DisruptHR, Tech Inclusion, and the Conference Board’s Women’s Leadership Conference. She writes a career column for https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamiforman/#54fa03c85c2e (Forbes), is a https://fairygodboss.com/users/profile/Tami%2520M.%2520Forman (Fairygodboss VIP), and was named by Flexjobs as https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/top-career-experts-for-working-moms-follow-on-twitter/ (one of the top 20 career experts for working moms). She lives in New York City with her husband and two kids, aged 10 and 12.  On This Episode: Tami explains why she left media to move into the tech software company. Find out what social constructs hold women back. Discover why Tami is so inspired by Melinda Gates. Learn how leaders can be a catalyst for success by allowing their team to tap into their talents. Key Takeaways: Women’s lack of empowerment holds back entire countries. Leadership is within all of us. You must place a lot of emphasis on sustainability in addition to revenue. Tweetable Quotes: “To be a successful leader you have to be willing to admit when you don’t know.” “The radical transparency with which we live is not going away – it’s accelerating.” Tami Forman: pathforward.org Denis Gianoutsos: denis@leadingchangepartners.com https://my.captivate.fm/www.LeadingChangePartners.com%C2%A0 (www.LeadingChangePartners.com )

Join Change Catalyst Founder & CEO Melinda Briana Epler with Rachel Williams, Head of Equity, Inclusion & Diversity at X – the moonshot factory to discuss Creating Structural Change in the Workplace.Learn more about Rachel on her website: www.rachelannwilliams.com/⭑⭑If this is helpful, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and like this episode!⭑⭑Additional resources:➡ "Continuing DEI Work During a Pandemic" with Melinda Briana Epler, Rachel Williams, Ulysses Smith and Jennifer Brown at Tech Inclusion Global Summit 2020 https://youtu.be/fS_RR4sUbsI  ➡ "Keeping It 100: What's Next with Culture & Inclusion in Tech?" with Melinda Briana Epler, Rachel Williams, Aubrey Blanche, and Candice Morgan at Tech Inclusion 2019 https://youtu.be/fU81EBsTJoY➡ Equity 101: Learn the basics of Startup Employee Stock Options carta.com/blog/equity-101-stock-option-basics/➡ Suggested Reading: There Are Actually 3 Types of Empathy. Here's How They Differ--and How You Can Develop Them All www.inc.com/justin-bariso/there…velop-them-all.html➡ Learn from HRC President Alphonso David on the Hierarchy of Identities https://youtu.be/ksuEv4Q6dhM?t=714 For more about Change Catalyst, and to join us for a live recording, visit changecatalyst.co/allyshipseries.Support this series: patreon.com/changecatalystsYoutube: youtube.com/c/changecatalystTwitter: twitter.com/changecatalystsFacebook: facebook.com/changecatalystsLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/changecatalystsSupport the show (http://patreon.com/changecatalysts)

Join Change Catalyst Founder & CEO Melinda Briana Epler with Michael Thomas, Shareholder at Ogletree Deakins, to discuss Intergenerational Trauma & Its Impact in the Workplace.We discuss deep, intergenerational racial trauma that can be passed from generation to generation. We explore how that can show up physically, emotionally and spiritually; what some triggers are; how we can recognize and heal these in ourselves; and how we can collectively recognize and correct continued trauma and make space for healing.Please note this episode does talk about trauma, as well as ways to heal. Please make sure you watch in a safe space where you have time to reflect and practice self-care afterward.Learn more about Michael's work at ogletree.com/ and www.linkedin.com/in/michael-thomas-46b7a212/⭑⭑If this is helpful, don't forget to subscribe to our channel and like this video!⭑⭑Resources:➡ Ogletree Deakin's D&I Compliance Tools, Training & Resources tcin.co/OgletreeDIFlyer➡ Michael's Tech Inclusion 2016 Talk: tcin.co/MichaelTechInclusion➡ Niroga Institute (Oakland, CA): www.niroga.org/➡ Centre for Restorative Justice and Reconciliation tcin.co/RestorativeJusticeCirclesReading:➡ Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy DeGruy www.joydegruy.com/shop➡ The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk tcin.co/BodyKeepsScore➡ The Black Body As a Fetish Object by Anthony Farley tcin.co/AnthonyFarley➡ CDC-Kaiser Study on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) tcin.co/ACEstudyFor more about Change Catalyst, and to join us for a live recording, visit changecatalyst.co/allyshipseriesSupport this series: patreon.com/changecatalystsYoutube: youtube.com/c/changecatalystTwitter: twitter.com/changecatalystsFacebook: facebook.com/changecatalystsLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/changecatalystsSupport the show (http://patreon.com/changecatalysts)

Join Change Catalyst Founder & CEO Melinda Briana Epler with Tiffany Yu, CEO & Founder at Diversability to discuss ways to be an effective ally and advocate for people with diverse disabilities.In this episode, we talk about Tiffany's disability origin story, and her path to growing into her disability identity. We speak a bit about #NoBodyIsDisposable and what people with disabilities are experiencing during COVID19. Tiffany shares her experience as a person with intersectional identities as an Asian disabled woman, we discuss the significance of the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and go over disability identity language. And we go over many ways that leaders can better lead with empathy and allyship for people with disabilities.Learn more about Tiffany's work at Diversability http://www.mydiversability.com/⭑⭑If this is helpful, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and like this episode!⭑⭑More to learn for Allies - Tiffany mentioned many of these in this episode:1 ➡ Diversability's Resources for Allies:http://www.mydiversability.com/be-an-ally2 ➡ "Building Equity and Allyship for People with Disabilities” at Tech Inclusion 2019, panel moderated by Tiffany Yu https://youtu.be/Uz3c5tXYndI3 ➡ "Disability is Diversity" - Tiffany's Tech Inclusion talk: https://youtu.be/U1r6AaqudfE 4 ➡ "The Power of Exclusion" - Tiffany's TEDx talk https://youtu.be/qVtDejw8ZBw 5 ➡ Change Catalyst's Ability in Tech playlist on Youtube: https://tcin.co/AbilityinTechPlaylist6 ➡ Watch "Crip Camp" on Netflix https://tcin.co/CripCamp7 ➡ "I'm disabled and need a ventilator to live. Am I expendable during this pandemic?" by Alice Wong on Vox https://tcin.co/AliceWongArticle8 ➡ "I'm not your inspiration, thank you very much" by Stella Young on TED https://tcin.co/StellaYoungTED9 ➡ No Body Is Disposable https://nobodyisdisposable.org/ 10 ➡ Stop AAPI Hate http://www.asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org/stop-aapi-hate/ For more about Change Catalyst, and to join us for a live recording, visit changecatalyst.co/allyshipseriesSupport this series: patreon.com/changecatalystsYoutube: youtube.com/c/changecatalystTwitter: twitter.com/changecatalystsFacebook: facebook.com/changecatalystsLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/changecatalystsSupport the show (http://patreon.com/changecatalysts)

Girls Scouts, the Obama administration, and computer science in public school. What do these three things have in common? The answer is the amazing Ruthe Farmer. Learn about how this communications specialist became and evangelist for bringing computer science to all. In this episode former Dean JB Holston and Ruthe Farmer discuss her work, her passions, and how to bring Computer Science to public school classrooms. About Ruthe Ruthe Farmer is a national advocate for gender equity and diversity in technology, and has focused her efforts on diversity in technology and engineering since 2001. At CSforALL, she serves as Chief Evangelist, working to invite new stakeholders to the CSforALL table - and make the table bigger. Prior to joining CSforALL, Ruthe served as Senior Policy Advisor for Tech Inclusion at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy focusing on President Obama's call to action for Computer Science for All, led strategy and K-12 programs at the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), and implemented national tech and engineering programs at Girl Scouts of the USA. She has launched multiple national inclusion programs including Aspirations in Computing, TECHNOLOchicas, the AspireIT outreach program, Lego Robotics for Girl Scouts, Intel Design & Discovery and more. She served as 2012 Chair of CSEDWeek, was named a White House Champion of Change for Technology Inclusion in 2013, received the Anita Borg Institute Award for Social Impact in 2014, and the UK Alumni Award for Social Impact in 2015. Ruthe holds a BA from Lewis & Clark College and an MBA in Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Oxford.

The show attempts to make assessments. To make critical analysis of what's happening in our society today from news, social issues, cultural issues politics issues, the goal is to open up one's mind. To give a critical analysis as to what's happening in our world today. To provide solutions and strategies.Change One Mind And You Change The World Dark Matter Consciousness Black Thought... San Francisco State Alumni, Rehab therapist mental health, YouTuber and Radio Podcaster. (PODCAST) 2019.......Truth

The show attempts to make assessments. To make critical analysis of what's happening in our society today from news, social issues, cultural issues politics issues, the goal is to open up one's mind. To give a critical analysis as to what's happening in our world today. To provide solutions and strategies.Change One Mind And You Change The World Dark Matter Consciousness Black Thought... San Francisco State Alumni, Rehab therapist mental health, YouTuber and Radio Podcaster. (PODCAST) 2019.......Truth

At OfferZen, we believe that talent is universally distributed but opportunity isn’t. Underserved South Africans often struggle to thrive in the tech workplace, even if they have the correct technical skills, because they are not ready for the challenges that the workplace presents. We asked Baratang Miya, CEO of GirlHype, and Alwyn van Wyk, Chairperson of Younglings Africa, about what it means to be work-ready and how we can collaborate to improve inclusion in the tech space.If you missed our event ‘A Discussion on Tech Inclusion in SA’, you can check out the pictures, video or blog post. Otherwise let’s check out the top insights from the evening.

In Episode 4, we’ll hear from Colleen Finnegan, Senior Manager, Employer Brand & Recruitment Marketing at Instacart. We’ll chat about how employers can invest in diversifying their workplaces in every level of the organization, and make sure they fulfill their brand promise and values when it comes to the employee experience. Of course, there will be plenty of food puns.About Colleen FinneganPassionate about mindfulness in the workplace, corporate social responsibility, and diversifying tech through nontraditional pipelines, Colleen believes a great employee experience fuels a great employer brand, and a great employer brand will attract people who will thrive and fuel a positive employee experience.Through working in a variety of roles in music tech, digital marketing, and concert production, Colleen discovered their passion in Employer Branding, Recruitment Marketing, and Employee Experience, all of which are a part of Colleen's current role at Instacart. They also serve on the board of Maven Youth, a nonprofit that empowers LGBTQ+ youth to network, organize, and educate for social change. Speaking engagements include LinkedIn TalentConnect 2018 (and at the forthcoming 2019 iteration) Tech Inclusion 2018, RallyFwd 2018, SXSW 2016, and Northeastern University's Panel on Women's Equality in the Music Industry.Show notes and related linksColleen's websiteCelebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month at InstacartAbout EmpoweredWhat does it take to radically transform and disrupt our workplaces? How can we bring about the changes we need and wish to see in the physical and virtual spaces we spend over a third of our waking lives in? Empowered: Envisioning Workplaces That Work explores what thriving, diverse, and innovative workplaces look and feel like, and what makes them tick. Spoiler alert: it’s the people. In conversation with the folks doing this vital work, join me, Susannah Magers, a content creator at Envoy, as we engage in timely discussions about the workplace experience and celebrate those who challenge the status quo in all aspects of the contemporary workplace through the lens of the all-important human elements. Hear workplace experience leaders, creative problem solvers, and other cultural producers reveal how they create the workplaces they want to see in the world: their wins, pain points, and all the moments in between.Find Empowered OnlineWe all have a story to tell. You can read Empowered episode recaps on the Envoy blog, as well as discover more resources on how to challenge the status quo in your workplace.

Thinking about how to change careers at 50+? In this episode, we catch up with Jeff Tidwell, who is the CEO and Co-Founder of Next For Me, a resource that “connects and inspires our generation to evolve our post-50 lives through new work, a new purpose, or a new social contribution.”   Ready for a Career Change? Jeff shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities faced by the 50+ generation, the resources needed to overcome obstacles and make a midlife career change, build a second-act career, or create a new entrepreneurial path. It's practical and insightful advice on how to change careers at any age, but especially at 50+. Jeff also discusses his own experiences as an entrepreneur and his key lessons learned so far. Are you curious about what’s next for you? Tune in to the story of Jeff Tidwell, his company Next for Me – and what he’s hearing from the 50+ crowd at their events.Click To Tweet ___________________________ Wise Quotes On Mindset “Well, number one is the mindset. Are you open to new ways of doing things? Because so often we hear, I don’t want to learn Slack, I don’t need another data input. Why are you using Google Docs when I’m so comfortable with Microsoft Word and so we’re getting in our own way because we’re limiting our creativity around ways to do work. And so you got to step away from the way you’ve been doing things, be open to new ways of doing things, hang out with people who are digital natives. It might be a little confounding to you, ask them – they’re usually wide open to helping out.” “Be open to new ways of doing things. Lifelong learning is (key). If you’re into that anyway, you already know the benefits of it, but be open to learning new things, trying new things, not getting stuck on the old ways you’re accustomed to doing things. The world’s moving fast and things change, run with it, have fun.” _________________________ Bio Jeff Tidwell began his career with alternative newspapers and then moved online, where he has worked in Silicon Valley and New York overseeing online communities and user experience for E*TRADE, WebMD, Oncology.com, MarketTools, Chirp Interactive, and many startups via his consulting practice prepop. Today, he’s the CEO and Co-Founder of Next For Me. He has been a featured speaker at Tech Inclusion, is a regular contributor to Forbes “Chronicles . of a 50+Entrepreneur” and is a regular guest on podcasts and ‘longevity economy’ conferences and events. _________________________ For more on Jeff Tidwell and Next For Me Next for Me website Buy Next For Me: A Guide to Startups for Dreamers by Carol McManus & Jeff Tidwell on Amazon Forbes series on startups and entrepreneurship _________________________ Related Retirement Wisdom Podcast episodes you may like How to Build a Non-Profit Encore Career – Betsy Werley Why People Make a Career Change with Purpose Top of Mind – Chris Farrell How Life Hacks Can Help Make Your Retirement the Best Time of Your Life – Sam Horn Design Your Life and Get Unstuck – Dave Evans __________________________ About Retirement Wisdom We help people who are retiring from their primary career – and aren’t done yet – discover what’s next. A long retirement is a terrible thing to waste. And a meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident. Schedule a call today to discuss how we can help you make yours great.    

Who thought a young serial entrepreneur from North Carolina and a former filmmaker would be join forces to combat the issue of diversity in tech? Well that's exactly what Melinda Epler and Wayne Sutton did when they created Change Catalyst and Tech Inclusion. In episode 020, Wayne & Melinda discuss their tech journey with me. We also discuss allyship and the importance of mental health while being in tech. Full show notes are available here: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2018/10/16/ep-020-wayne-sutton-melinda-epler-unplugged/

Overcoming adversity is nothing new to Steven Matly. A high school dropout turned entrepreneur, he has twice created six figure revenue generating companies with less than $5,000 startup capital. Raised by a single mother in the South Seattle housing projects, Steven entered the workforce at age fifteen and quickly recognized the limited resources, mentors, and role models available to families like his in the area. In the years that followed Steven worked for both small companies and large corporations in a number of different roles. In 2014, Steven launched SM Diversity, a boutique hiring agency committed to helping businesses create a more diverse and inclusive workforce. By connecting them with community based organizations, subject matter experts, and experienced recruiters, his clients are able to leverage a broader network of diverse talent, ultimately resulting in an expanded marketplace. Steven has become one of the up and coming thought leaders in the area of diversity and inclusion employment practices. He was recently featured in the Seattle Times October 2016 issue around “Untapped Talent” and was selected to be a speaker for TED TALKS at University of Washington in May 2017 as it relates to organizational behavior and Inclusive Leadership. He has conducted ground breaking workshops such as their HACK Diversity & Inclusion Program to serving on panels alongside organizations such as SHRM, Tech Inclusion, Seattle Interactive Conference, Chase Startup Week, WTIA, Uber, F5, Boeing, Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Bank Of America, Amazon, Zillow, Expedia, Wells Fargo, Slalom, Progressive, Seattle Police Department, Starbucks, BECU, Comcast, IBM, and other Fortune companies. In his quest for continued education, Steven successfully completed his Cornell University's online Strategic Human Resource Leadership program focusing on diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Steven also completed the Business Certificate Program at University of Washington Foster School of Business in August 2017 and serves as a Partner at SDS Consulting in September 2017 to focus on providing end to end resources towards current and future Professional Cleaners. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’re probably all aware of the famous proverb: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”   I think it’s very apropos when it comes to diversity and inclusion efforts. Too many of us think that having a diversity and inclusion initiative within our company will produce the change we want to see in the world.   Yes, it’s a necessary step, but sadly many initiatives and programs have failed to get off the ground and make a mark.   Why?   The first culprit is stopping at intentions and not really thinking through what is needed in terms of budget, resources, and timing.   The second culprit is not being realistic about expectations. Really asking the question what do you expect to see at the end of a year from a program and is that achievable?   Just like we build a business case around running an experience when it comes to our product, process, or policies, the same rigor needs to be applied to diversity and inclusion initiatives.   In today’s Build episode, Melinda Epler and Wayne Sutton, who are the founders of Change Catalyst and Tech Inclusion are back.   We’re going to talk about best practices and what to look for if you are interested in starting a program at your company or participating in one outside.   So if you’re thinking about starting an employee resource group or another program, or want to know how you can improve an existing program, you’ll want to watch this episode to learn:   Why it’s important to start with a business case — just like you would for any product, process or policy change in a company Why you can’t expect immediate results, but it’s OK to celebrate incremental progress What to do when people within your organization say no to your proposal The microchanges you can into practice daily as you lead and work with teams Build is produced as a partnership between Femgineer (http://femgineer.com/) and Pivotal Tracker (https://www.pivotaltracker.com/). San Francisco video production by StartMotionMEDIA (http://www.startmotionmedia.com/design/). --  ## Diversity and Inclusion: Why You Need To Rethink Your Approach to Diversity And Inclusion Transcript   Poornima Vijayashanker:        In the last episode of *Build*, we talked about how diversity and inclusion initiatives are impacting tech, and how to navigate conversations with teammates and peers. If you missed that episode, I've included a link to it below. In today's episode, we're going to dive a little bit deeper and talk about some of the best practices that you can use to kickstart a diversity and inclusion effort at your company, or if you want to go and contribute somewhere else, what to look out for, so stay tuned.   Welcome to *Build*, brought to you by Pivotal Tracker. I'm your host, Poornima Vijayashanker. In each episode of *Build*, innovators and I debunk a number of myths and misconceptions related to building products, companies, and your career in tech.   We're continuing our conversation with Melinda Epler and Wayne Sutton, who are the founders of Change Catalyst and Tech Inclusion. In today's episode, we're going to dive a little bit deeper into some of the best practices that you can use to kickstart a diversity and inclusion effort in your organization, as well as get others to help you out. Wayne and Melinda, thanks for coming back on the show.   Melinda Epler:      Absolutely.   How To Measure Success For Diversity And Inclusion Initiatives   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Before we jump into the best practices, I want to just remind our viewers and our listeners out there how can we measure success before we start to pursue any sort of tech practice?   Melinda Epler:      It gets to our number one—the most important thing to start with is measuring where you are now, really benchmarking where you are now in terms of diversity and inclusion. That means doing—if it hasn't been done already—looking at the demographics from race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, veterans, people with disabilities, people all across diverse backgrounds, and then also looking at engagement, and inclusion, and really measuring those as well. There are some surveys out there that you can take internally in a company to really gauge where you are. Before you start, you need to know where you are.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Oh, yeah. Of course.   Melinda Epler:      That ranges from obviously looking at the demographics, but also looking at how do people feel? Do they belong? Are they supported? Are they able to really thrive in the company? Are they allowed to rise in the company? Are they supported in growing as a leader in the company? All those things you want to know before you really dive in to programs.   Under-Resourced Diversity And Inclusion Programs Are Rampant   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yeah. Now, I know one issue that I run into, and you've probably experienced the same, I think we touched upon this on the last episode, is people come with a lot of great intentions, and a lot of times when you come into these internal groups though, they haven't really thought beyond those intentions. When I ask them questions like, "Who's going to be working with me?" or, "What are the meetings going to look like on the calendar? Is there a budget?" Just the basic logistics, it's like, "Oh, I guess there's some more work to be done," right? Because they haven't thought through what's budget, what's a roll out, what sort of opposition. How can we get around that initially, and what's the homework you would recommend after doing what you said about the benchmarking?   Melinda Epler:      Yeah, I think you need...if you're going to start an employee resource group, an ERG, or an affinity group, or something like that in your company, you need to know what are your objectives? What are your goals? What does it look like at the end of the year? What have you accomplished at the end of the year, and how do you design a program that's really going to get to those outcomes, because we see that as well. We see a lot of affinity groups, and it's important to find a safe space for people to get together, and then the next step is how do we go further? How do we do more? How do we start to develop each other as leaders? How do we grow as an organization? How do we help the company change its processes and systems? How do we get to the next level?   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yeah.   How To Set Expectations Around Diversity And Inclusion Efforts   Wayne Sutton:       Yeah. I believe, also, in setting realistic expectations around what the goals and outcomes could be. Often people come to us like, well, they put resources towards this, they made this type of investment, they hired this person, they did this event, and they expected magic to happen. They expected the doors open where all the other underrepresented categories is gonna come apply to the company. They expect their brand to change. They expect some heat from the press to take off. It's like, "No, you did one thing."   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Right.   Wayne Sutton:       It's like you send one tweet, you don't expect the world to follow you, right?   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yeah.   Wayne Sutton:       There's certain expectations around diversity and inclusion, as well.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yeah. I think a lot of the product analogies apply here, as well. Like you said, you don't do one marketing campaign hoping that you're gonna 10x your revenue, so why would it be any different with a lot of these efforts?   Wayne Sutton:       Exactly.   Melinda Epler:      Yeah, and also you need to use agile design, as well, like really think. If it's not working, change it. If something is not effective, do something different.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yeah. Let's get onto the first best practice that you would recommend to our audience out there who wants to kickstart an effort.   Connect Diversity And Inclusion Programs To A Business Case   Wayne Sutton:       Yeah. I'd probably say the first best practice is one where we need to identify who our core audience is, right?   Poornima Vijayashanker:        OK.   Wayne Sutton:       If you are someone in HR, or is in a role of heading diversity inclusion, or even in product, it's like Melinda articulated, you do need a measure, right? You need to start with see where we are. See what our numbers look like. Or, it could be, "Let's talk with executive leadership about how creating inclusive culture, having a focus on diversity and inclusion is connected to our core values and our business goals."   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yeah, that's great.   Wayne Sutton:       Let's start right there.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yep.   Wayne Sutton:       Right? Not “let's just run with it, or we're gonna do diversity and inclusion,” because in a day what we've seen, and what has been happening is people say they're working on diversity and inclusion, they put resources behind it, it's not connected to the business goals, and they haven't set the benchmarks around measuring success.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Right.   Why Diversity And Inclusion Programs Fail   Wayne Sutton:       It's like end of year, what do you have to show for it, or at the end of a program, what do you have to show for it?   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yeah, and there's a huge disconnect, and then people feel like, "Oh, nothing's changing."   Wayne Sutton:       Exactly.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        "All these programs are useless. Let's just go back to the way things were." Yeah, yeah.   Wayne Sutton:       Yeah, exactly.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        I like that you mentioned tying it back to business goals, so do you have an example or a case study you can share of either a company that you worked with that was really good at doing this, or even took a first step?   Wayne Sutton:       We have several companies that we worked with, but it goes back to what we were saying earlier. It's like the reason why we pause is because there's not a single company we can point to to say that it's doing it well.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Sure.   Wayne Sutton:       In doing this work what Melinda and I have learned is that there's also this opportunity of shaming.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yeah.   Wayne Sutton:       Right? We can say we work with Asana, right? We work with Reddit, also. We work B Corp. That's just in some of the consulting training or workshops. We also worked with Capital One. We did a workshop for their network of startups on how to create inclusive cultures from the start with. That was about 20 startups from the size of five to 200, and we could name...there's some well-known name companies in that area, as well.                     At the same time, we can say that some of the impact at those companies, we can give an example saying that we worked with them, they completed X, but that's not necessarily an endorsement that those companies have it all figured out.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        OK.   Wayne Sutton:       It's almost I'd like to say a disclaimer on that. We're not saying that, "Oh, here's an example that Asana's doing, or Reddit is doing, and everybody should copy it."   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Right.   Wayne Sutton:       That's not saying that they have everything figured out, not saying that they don't have everything figured out.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        OK.   Wayne Sutton:       It's just the state of the narrative around this industry, and around the conversation about diversity and inclusion. It gets emotional fast.   Why Immediate Results For Diversity And Inclusion Efforts Are Unlikely   Poornima Vijayashanker:        OK, so maybe a best practice is to not expect immediate results, but to say, "OK, you did one thing. Let's see if that's replicable, and then maybe in five or ten months, years, whatever your benchmark for time is, then take a look back."   Wayne Sutton:       Yes, yeah.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Right, so don't call it an early success until you've really seen a number of dots lining up.   Wayne Sutton:       Yeah, but we have—   Melinda Epler:      Yeah. You can celebrate incremental successes, but it's not fundamentally shifting yet.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        OK. OK. Do you have—   Wayne Sutton:       But one example is we did work with Asana around their recruitment process. Melinda and I, we held a workshop training on mapping out the entire recruitment flow, and identified areas where they can make some improvement on sourcing differently, and how they can do some of their screening and their in-person interviews better, and they implemented some of those changes, and we're also communicating with their head diversity officer around how did that affect their goals around increasing their numbers around diverse employees or underrepresented employees.                     That is one example, but was that a success?   Define What Success Looks Like For Your Company   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Right.   Wayne Sutton:       We know change was made. We know that there was a learning window created. We know that some process was changed, and people grew from that session, but they're still measuring numbers, and there's also these other quantified elements that goes into play when you're talking about success, so yeah. It could've made success from us working with them to help change culture, mindset, and the process, but for the company in itself it is yet to determine in these other variables. Well, if the goal is to hire us to do that to help them increase those numbers, well, what other factors went into play around them increasing their numbers that's outside of our control, and that's where this work we do, we've been doing it now for a long time, and we feel like people need to broaden their mindset, or understand the impact of measuring success on diversity and inclusion. Success could be one thing, or success could be 1% or 2%.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Right. What's another best practice, then, if we're thinking a little bit more broader?   Melinda Epler:      Yeah, I'm thinking a lot of people come to us who aren't necessarily in a position to go to leadership, or they've gone to leadership and leadership has said, "No." What do you do there?   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Right.   Melinda Epler:      Do you just give up, or do you think about other things that you can do outside of that, and I think one of the big things that you can do regardless is lead with empathy, and whether that's leading teams, that's leading products, that's just being a leader in your life and modeling inclusion and empathy, it starts with listening, and really understanding people for who they are and what they bring to the conversation, understanding the perspectives that people bring, and the unique issues that they're dealing with in their work life. It's also listening to your customers. Really, if you don't have a diverse team, you can't change that, listen to your customers, go out and learn from diverse people who are using your product.                    If you are leading a team, you can change the way you're leading you team. You can change who you bring on in your team, you can change how inclusive that team is. You can change a lot of things about your team, and really make a difference.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        So there's a lot of those micro changes that you can implement, like we were talking about in the last episode, on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, that are eventually gonna add up. Like you said, start with your team, your customers, your leadership, and then go from there, rather than always wanting to enact change top-down.   Wayne Sutton:       Yeah.   Melinda Epler:      Right, exactly. Exactly. There are a lot of things that underrepresented...that you can do as an ally, as well. There are a lot of really amazing things that you can do that make a big difference in somebody's life.   How To Be An Ally For Diversity And Inclusion   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Let's talk about what an ally is first.   Melinda Epler:      Yeah, so an ally can really be anyone. It can be you, it can be me, it can be Wayne. Pretty much anybody can be an ally to someone who has less privilege, or someone who has equal privilege, quite frankly, and really looking at the little things you can do to help support others. If you're in a position of greater power or leadership you can bring others up with you that are underrepresented. You can disrupt little biases and microaggressions that come to play in daily meetings. For example, you see somebody who's consistently, their ideas are being shot down, or taken over, or they're never able to get a word out, then you can do something to disrupt that.                     You can do something to disrupt...I mean, if you see harassment or something like that, there's definitely something you can do about it. It's really hard for an underrepresented person to come out against their own suppression, and so there are lots of things that allies can do, little things that can make a big difference in somebody's life. There's also mentorship, and sponsorship. Mentoring somebody who is underrepresented and really helping them grow their career, giving them advice about how to take the next step and become a leader. Sponsorship is more around, again, that if you're in a position of power, really helping sponsor somebody else to be there, as well.                    It also could be, as an ally, maybe you're a part of a dominant group being asked to speak on a panel, and it's the same group of people. It's all white men, or it's all white women on a panel. Part of ally-ship is actually taking a step back and allowing somebody else to speak, and allowing other perspectives.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yeah. Take a break for a while.   Melinda Epler:      Yeah.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Rest your voice. Let someone else have a turn.   Why It’s Important To Be Proactive When It Comes To Diversity And Inclusion   Wayne Sutton:       When I think about the tech industry, and this conversation around diversity and inclusion, and everything that is bundled up in that, there's been a constant theme that most tech companies and individuals have been reactive instead of proactive, and that is disheartening. It's like, "Let's wait for something bad to happen," someone to leave and write a leaving article, a sexual harassment situation, or some shaming to happen online, then let's talk about diversity and inclusion. I would say that if there's an individual on the inside of an organization, and they're working in tech, and they want to create change, don't wait.                     Don't wait until something negative happened before looking at creating change. That could be, yes, talk with an executive, talk with a manager, talk with the CEO. Set up a meeting, track it, let them know that, "I'm taking note that I had this conversation."   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Right.   Wayne Sutton:       Look at the values of the company and speak up. That's kind of more like, "Hey, go straight to the top. Go to the manager," but it also could be just in meetings, right? Just in meetings say, it could be me saying, "I don't feel like my voice, my opinion was heard," or are you thinking about a program or a product and saying, "Well, are you thinking about black women, are you thinking about LGBTQ community, are you thinking about vets? Are we really looking at a targeted customer base from a global and inclusive scale, or a mindset?"   Melinda Epler:      And also accessibility, really looking at accessibility from the beginning rather than a reaction to, "Oh, wait. It didn't work. We have to do that now."   Poornima Vijayashanker:        People are dropping off, yeah. Why is that?   Wayne Sutton:       If people want to create change, and they want to implement a diversity and inclusion strategy, or just get started, just speak up. Speak up, and there's tons of articles, I mean tons of research. We have a blog, we have plenty of resources online, and some of it is finding the allies Melinda was articulating, and knowing that you're not alone, and speak up.   Melinda Epler:      Yeah, and take some of those daily steps like taking your vitamins every day, eating your veggies.   How You Can Get Involved With Change Catalyst   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Let's end with this note of how can our audience get involved with you two and your company?   Melinda Epler:      Yeah, a few different ways. One thing is as an organization focused on diversity and inclusion, we need funding. We always do, and so if you have the ability in your company to support us, we have sponsorship. We also can do training and consulting with your company, as well. That's one. Another is we always need volunteers, and we cannot do this work without volunteers. They're amazing. They are part of our team, and they really help make our events, in particular, happen, so volunteer. What are some others?   Wayne Sutton:       Yeah. What I say to people who want to get involved is just if you're working on diversity and inclusion, be successful, or often have a conversation with other underrepresented individuals and saying that if you're working in tech, don't forget to open the door for someone else.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yeah.   Wayne Sutton:       The tech industry, we know the numbers. We also know the numbers of our growing global population, how diverse it is, and if you can get in the door, we can do the best of our ability to help consult, train organizations to create inclusive culture, but if you get in the door and you need help, we're here to help.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Yeah.   Melinda Epler:      Yeah, and I just want to end with, I firmly believe that if we change tech, we can change the world, because tech is so much a part of the world, and it's increasingly so. Almost every company is becoming a tech company, and we have the power to really make a difference, whether it's in your startup, whether it's in your team, whether it's in your company, whether it's in tech as a whole, the entire industry. If you can affect change in any one of those areas, even if it's you becoming a successful entrepreneur, that in itself, as an underrepresented entrepreneur, that can make a big difference.                     You have the power to create change. Do it.   Poornima Vijayashanker:        Well, thank you so much for ending on that inspiring note, and to all of you audience out there, thank you for tuning in today. Be sure to share this episode with your teammates and your boss, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive more great episodes like this one. Ciao for now.                     This episode of *Build* is brought to you by our sponsor, Pivotal Tracker.

I’m sure you’re aware of the talk and debate around the topic of diversity and inclusion. Maybe it’s left you feeling frustrated, tired, or downright apathetic…   I get it.   Much of the emotional rollercoaster stems from the challenges of navigating conversations with your teammates and peers on top of your day-to-day responsibilities.   Plus you’re probably wondering: Are these programs actually working?   You know how much I love busting myths! So in today’s Build episode, we’re going to talk about the issues specific to tech and provide you with some strategies for navigating those tricky conversations with your teammates and your peers. We’ll also dive into what isn’t working and why.   If you're curious about starting a diversity and inclusion initiative at your company or participating in another organization, then keep an eye out for the next episode where we'll do a deeper dive into a number of best practices.   To help us out I’ve invited Melinda Epler and Wayne Sutton, who are the founders of Change Catalyst and Tech Inclusion.   As you listen to this episode, you’ll learn the following:   Why we may shy away from talking about diversity and inclusion How shaming people and companies doesn’t help the cause Why awareness isn’t enough — how to shift to being more process oriented Why it’s hard to take action individually and how to get support How to know if diversity and inclusion are worth it   Build is produced as a partnership between Femgineer and Pivotal Tracker. San Francisco video production by StartMotionMEDIA.   ## Diversity and Inclusion: How To Navigate Conversations About Diversity And Inclusion in Tech Transcript   Poornima Vijayashanker:           There's been a lot of talk and debate around the topic of diversity and inclusion. And regardless of what side you are on, in today's episode, we're going to talk about the issues pertaining to tech, as well as how to navigate conversations with your teammates and peers. So stay tuned.   Welcome to *Build*, brought to you by Pivotal Tracker. I'm your host, Poornima Vijayashanker. In each episode of *Build*, innovators and I debunk a number of myths and misconceptions related to building products, companies, and your career in tech.   Now, as you can imagine, there are a lot of myths and misconceptions around diversity and inclusion. Conversations can be really hard to navigate. And that's why in today's episode, we're going to talk about the issues that pertain specifically to tech and help you navigate those conversations with teammates and peers. And if you're curious about starting a diversity and inclusion initiative at your company or participating in another organization, then stick around for the next episode where we'll do a deeper dive into those practices.   In today's episode, I invited Melinda Epler and Wayne Sutton, who are the founders of Change Catalyst and Tech Inclusion. Thanks you guys for joining us today.   Melinda Epler:            Thanks. Thanks for having us.   Wayne Sutton:              Thanks for having us.   What does diversity and inclusion mean?   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Yeah. So, let's start by talking about what exactly is diversity and inclusion?   Melinda Epler:            I'd like to say that diversity is about bringing diverse people to the table and inclusion is about inviting them to speak, encouraging them to lead, and supporting them in leadership. Diversity is really about the demographics and inclusion is about how people show up, how people thrive, and how people feel that they belong in their culture.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Yeah. And how do you think it pertains to tech?   Wayne Sutton:              I like to say diversity includes everything, how it pertains to tech. Tech impacts the world, it impacts everything we do in our daily lives, from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep. Tech creates wealth. Tech creates innovation. You look at all the products. They got some of the products living on your shelf. We're thinking about the customers. We're thinking about the followers. We're thinking about the equity or the inequity and all the opportunities that is connected to tech. And without diversity, right, you see problems being built by a homogeneous culture. You see solutions not brought to the table because it's being built by one or two mindsets.   You see a lot of disparity gaps in terms of access and wealth. So, without diversity, really, the tech industry is not as thriving as it should be or could be. And the impact is having, in a positive and a negative way, is not where it could be as a whole, as well.   Why Diversity And Inclusion Are Important                    At the same time, if the tech industry were more inclusive, I could imagine more innovative products. I can imagine an industry that is really identifying or being held accountable to its actions as current culture, where we wouldn't have issues that existed in the ‘60s, ‘70s, in terms of not having equal pay, not having women or other representative groups, African Americans in leadership positions, cultural and sexual harassment. If we had inclusion, these negative issues that is in the face of our society right now, in tech, wouldn't exist.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           So, let's talk about what drew you to focus on diversity and inclusion, because you both had different backgrounds before you were working on this.   Melinda Epler:            Yeah. My background actually started back in cultural anthropology and really looking at how individuals create change in societies, how culture changes. Then, I moved into the documentary filmmaking. I was a documentary filmmaker for about 10 years, became a consultant, and then, actually became an executive at an engineering firm. That experience of being a woman, and the only woman, in leadership in that engineering firm was what made me rethink what needs to change in society. I was not thriving in that culture and it was because it wasn't set up for me, it wasn't set up for my success. And so, I actually left that job as an executive to go into diversity and inclusion. I started Change Catalyst and Tech Inclusion programs, really addressing the inequities in our society. My whole life has been focused on creating social and environmental change.                    And I believe, now, that if we don't change leadership, if we don't change who can be a leader and who is leading our countries, who's leading our companies, who's leading our technologies, our stories, then we can't change what's really happening in the world. I am here because I believe that this is the most important thing for me to be working on to create positive social change in the world.   Early Attempts To Foster Diversity And Inclusion In Tech   Poornima Vijayashanker:           What about yourself, Wayne? Your background is also from a different angle.   Wayne Sutton:              Yeah, yeah. I started off doing design, graphic design—I'm showing my age some. Then, got into design UI/UX and computer graphic design. I did IT for about 8 years in North Carolina—Research Triangle Park—then became a tech founder. Had a startup back in 2007 or 8, and didn't realize that in North Carolina that I was one of very few unrepresented tech founders, a black tech founder. And then, experienced the challenges of growing and scaling a company. Then, fast-forward to 2011, the data from CB Insights said that 1% of the tech startups, that raise "angel" or VC are founded by African Americans and Latinos. They actually grouped that data together. So it really was less than 1% Black and Latino that received any angel or venture capital in 2011.   By that time, I knew various colleagues across the country that was also working on startups. I was basically like address the problem. What can we create a solution around? Some other colleagues and I, we decided to move to Mountain View and create the very first incubator and accelerator, focused on underrepresented tech founders. That led to a whole other window of opportunity. Moved to Silicon Valley, then moved to San Francisco. And then went through a period where, after that, I realized that the tech industry did not want to talk about diversity and inclusion, did not want to talk about the disparities of access and inequality for founders to receive capital. The tech industry was priding itself on being a meritocracy. It was like: Anyone can create a tech company, anyone can create a product, it doesn't matter.                     That may be true.   How The “Pattern Of Action” Created A Period Where People Didn’t Talk About Diversity And Inclusion   Poornima Vijayashanker:           But it wasn't happening.   Wayne Sutton:              No. It was not happening. And the data already showed that everyone was not raising angel capital. It wasn't because of lack of talent. It was not because the products were not as good. It was because what the VC industry would call "a pattern of action."   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Right.   Wayne Sutton:              And we went through a period where we’re not talking about diversity or inclusion at all. We're not talking about a lack of funding for underrepresented entrepreneurs. And then the tech industry released a diversity report, that was in 2014. And then email—and I want to say the phone, but more the email and Twitter DMs started come in. It was like, "Hey! We need to talk about diversity. I remember you used to talk about it in the day..." And Dan Blenman and I started collaborating. We met and started collaborating on solutions. We got invited to so many roundtables, kind of private conversations, one-on-one meetings around what can we do to fix this diversity problem.   Melinda Epler:            Yeah, those were from the White House, to the Small Business Administration, to the FTC, the FCC. And then local tech companies and local conversations as well all kind of talking about that.   Wayne Sutton:              That was at the White House during the Obama Administration.   Melinda Epler:            Yes, just so we're clear…   Why There Isn’t A Single Solution To Improving Diversity And Inclusion   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Yes, yes, of course. Well, we know who was in the Administration in 2014. So you already touched upon some of them in your intro, but what were some of the problems specific to tech that you continue to see in this phase and maybe even today?   Wayne Sutton:              I would say that the biggest problem is still that happened then that we see today is still the state of denial that there is an issue. There is also the problem that it's going to be one technology solution or you do one thing that's going to fix everything.                     And then—   Melinda Epler:            One cheap thing.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Yeah.   Wayne Sutton:              And then one problem is still thinking that companies and individuals can focus on one demographic or one category. I don't want to say category. But one part of the conversation. And use it saying that it's solving all the problems.                     And I would probably say lastly, it's another problem in that I was shocked at how many companies when they started talking about wanting to do work around solutions around diversity and inclusion, they will not even connecting it to their business. Or their customers. Or their direct culture. They were just trying to say, "Hey, we're working on this. Get off our backs! Here's our solution. It's hard." And all those things combined is not really good for the goal we want to achieve.   Melinda Epler:            I think there's a few different reasons that this is happening. And this happened in tech differently than in other industries. It started back when Steve Jobs and some of the big, great tech CEOs became "the" story around tech. And the story revolved around that being the kind of...that is the tech founder: the white male CEO is the tech founder.                     And when those white male tech founders built their companies, they hired their friends. They just didn't think about it. They hired their friends and their friends hired their friends and the tech companies are still set up for referrals mostly. When you have the same people referring their friends, then you're going to have a homogeneous culture. And so the issue is, now that those companies are so big, it's really hard to create change in them.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Yeah.   How Success Patterns Have Bred The Current Culture In Tech   Wayne Sutton:              That brings up another good point. Because the industry is manipulated by market trends and success patterns, right? So the VCs while they represent the founders, because they hadn't seen any. Or there hadn't been enough for them to say this is a good model, right? But in the culture of the tech industry, you look at your Microsofts, your Intels, your HPs. That's like one era of American business and society, how they grew and scaled companies.                     Then the second wave is the Googles, the Facebooks, the Twitter, the Snaps, the Instagrams, the Salesforce. Those companies basically, like Melinda said, they hired their friends when they started. Larry and Sergei were Stanford grads. And then they got funding from Ron Conway and the network. And there was a lot of luck involved, a lot of sweat, a lot of hard work, they built innovative products, but then because those companies made a lot of money, everybody just replicated that same pattern.                     I'm old enough to remember where it didn't matter what school we went to. You can code, you can build, you can design—it mattered. Let's get to work! Let's build something! But then because it became a new norm of like, "Let's copy Google, let's copy Facebook, let's copy other companies." Then that became the standard like, "We must do this." And if we look at that demographic data…   How to Measure Diversity And Inclusion In Tech   Poornima Vijayashanker:           So, obviously this isn't the first time that people are having this conversation. Like I mentioned in the intro, there have been many, many years that we've been having this. I know even for myself, moving out here in 2004, there were some rumblings, but not a whole lot, to the level it's at today. But obviously people have tried to fix this problem once before, and where have they fallen short? Like, what didn't work?   Melinda Epler:            Part of it is not measuring. And that changed in 2014. That was a big shift for everyone, where they really could see these are the diversity...these are the actual demographics of our companies. "Oh! Whoa! Those are really bad! We need to figure out how to solve them."   Why Measuring And Building Awareness For Diversity And Inclusion Isn’t Enough                     And then, once they said that, they kind of put those numbers out there. It hasn't changed all that much, because the first year was just about measuring. And then starting to hire diversity and inclusion managers and directors, but not putting a lot of money and resources into really...you can't hire one person to change a whole company with very little resources. That's just not possible.   So, as those diversity and inclusion managers have gained traction in their own companies, they're starting to get bigger budgets and things are starting to change a little bit faster in the companies. Now that does not discount the fact that people have been working on diversity and inclusion in some of the tech companies for quite some time. One of the issues is that many of the initiatives around diversity and inclusion in the past have focused on employee resource groups, community groups, and really helping support underrepresented people in the companies. And I think, on the other hand, some work has been done on education and awareness building. And this happens in every kind of major culture shift. It happened in the sustainability movement as well. There's an expectation that if you tell somebody there's something wrong, they'll do something about it.                     But the problem is, you actually have to help them change their behaviors. And really fundamentally think about how to shift culture. How to shift processes and systems that are ingrained and perpetuating the problem.   Why Shaming People And Companies Doesn’t Enact Change   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Yeah, talk is cheap.   Melinda Epler:            Yeah, and it doesn't really change anything. And the third component is really about shaming. There's also a really deep and disturbing trend around shaming people into changing. That doesn't really change people either! So, there's a new and growing movement and at least an understanding—I wouldn't say movement yet—and understanding that it takes more. It takes a bigger effort to really look at your culture. How do you change your culture? How do you change individual behavior? How do you fundamentally look at your recruiting process? And say, "Oh, wow!" From the very beginning. We need to change the way we're doing things. There are biases in the system, but also there are some mismatched systemic problems in the process.   Change Catalyst’s Approach To Helping Companies With Diversity And Inclusion   Poornima Vijayashanker:           So let's talk about Change Catalyst and how do you approach this differently?   Melinda Epler:            We have a few different things that we do. We have events, our Tech Inclusion events. And when we were talking earlier about having those roundtable discussions back in 2014, we started getting pretty frustrated that those roundtable discussions kept talking about the same things over and over. We had the same conversations over and over again. And they were really problems focused, which is important…   Is A Diversity And Inclusion Program Worth It?   Poornima Vijayashanker:           What's an example of that?   Wayne Sutton:              An example would be the question we get asked over and over again. "Who's doing it well?" And the reason why everybody wanted to know...   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Like they're a benchmark.   Wayne Sutton:             ...No, no, not that! The reason everybody wanted to know who's...everybody wanted to know what company was having any type of success around diversity and inclusion. Any type of success.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Oh! To see if it was worth it.   Wayne Sutton:              They wanted to know if it was worth it, but also wanted to know if they could copy it. They wanted to replicate it. And that was really it. Because everybody wanted one moonshot idea to say, "We're implementing change." That they could say, "We're working on it." And that was a repetitive question across the board.                     At times, really, there wasn't a company that had all the answers or all the ideas or...   Poornima Vijayashanker:           You guys all suck!   Melinda Epler:            Exactly!   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Or it's not making an impact.   Melinda Epler:            I'd say it's still the case. There's no one company that's doing everything right.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           I'd agree!   What Diversity And Inclusion Training Looks Like   Melinda Epler:            Largely because the diversity and inclusion programs are under resourced. But there are gems. There are some people that are doing some really great programs that we can point to.   I think also, in 2014, there was a lot of talk amongst underrepresented people that were feeling disenfranchised. Feeling like the opportunities weren't there for them. Feeling, hearing over and over again that there are barriers, there are barriers, there are barriers. But less about solutions. How do we break down those barriers? What do we do? How do we solve that problem?   So that was one. We really wanted to focus on solutions, and that's what we have done. We've designed it to focus on solutions. The second is we really with our Tech Inclusion Programs...it's a systemic problem across the tech industry. So, it starts in education, and then there's huge problems in terms of entrepreneurship. Lack of investing. Lack of investors who are underrepresented. And then also lack of investing in underrepresented founders.   And then of course, the workplace. At the time, it was really focused on recruiting. As we talked about, you also have to change the culture. You can't just change recruiting, because you're bringing underrepresented people into a culture that's not creative for them. And they're going to leave! Like I left my position, right?   So workplace, and then policymakers as well. Policy and government agencies, and their power and wealth, and ability to create change in the system. And now we also focus on storytelling, like you do as well, to really help raise the underrepresented voices and perspectives, and have more diverse perspectives out there.   So for our events, that what we really focus across the tech ecosystem, bringing everybody together to focus on solutions.   For our consulting, training, and toolkits, we're also solutions focused. And focused on behavior and culture change, and really going beyond recruiting—recruiting is a part of that, but all the way through creating a culture of belonging.   Change Comes From Multiple Sources   Wayne Sutton:              Yeah, for us, it's that how change comes is different. We're not a "come in and look at one problem or one sector of the goal you want to accomplish around diversity and inclusion." We want to really discover and look at your entire company from a culture and a systematic perspective to help identify opportunities to create real change.                     What we've seen in the past is that a lot of companies contact us after taking unconscious bias training, and saying "We did that, now what? What do we do now? That has had some effectiveness, but we need more." And it's been an opportunity and a challenge aspect is that smaller companies—and even larger companies—they really have to be committed to put their resources in to explore what real change looks like. Whether you implement a new tool to remove names from resumes—that's just one thing. That's just one task you can do to help affect your recruiting process.                     But what about when you have your product team, your design team, your engineering team and there's different negative and positive behaviors in that one team dynamic. A software tool is not necessarily going to fix that. One unconscious bias training is not going to fix that. There needs to be a discovery and a real heart-to-heart conversation around employee behavior with accountability. And we come in and have those harder conversations, put together a report, talk with the executive team, and if they have a head of diversity officer, work with that individual to put together some strategies that can create change.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Nice! So what's the impact that you've seen so far through your programs and your offerings?   Wayne Sutton:              We see impact across the board. There's impact from the consulting, has been from a company not having any strategy at all from everybody saying like, "Well, we care about this. We want to do something," to now that there is a board level, and executive-level type solution with a plan in place that they can measure and track results over time with some accountability involved, where there's an individual or team saying that, "This is the team that is working on creating inclusive culture." That's been in some of my trainings. A consultant impact.                     The other impact we've seen around our conferences and events that we've done now mostly across the globe. We've been overseas. Across the globe, has been everything from gender-neutral bathrooms to new jobs created.   How To Navigate Conversations About Diversity and Inclusion   Poornima Vijayashanker:           That's a great segue into my next question. I know a lot of people—especially in our audience—care deeply about diversity and inclusion. But they may find it hard to navigate those conversations or to even initiate them with their teams, with their bosses. So how have you kind of facilitated that?   Melinda Epler:            We start by asking everyone in the company, at least a broad set of people across the company, what diversity means to them. What inclusion means to them. Start to develop a company-wide definition of diversity and inclusion. And then, literally we talk to people across the company about the ideas that they have, the experiences that they've had, and really develop a strategy that includes all of those voices. I think you have to do that.                     So that's what we do at the kind of company-wide level, and including the executives all across the executive teams and the board as well. For an individual wanting to create individual change, who may not be an executive in a company, I think that there are some different resources for understanding the language around diversity and inclusion and there are some courses out there around allyship. And some information around allyship that I think can be really beneficial to really...there are so many different things that you can do.   Why It’s Hard To Take Action As An Individual Leading Diversity And Inclusion Initiatives   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Before we dive into that, because I want to talk about that in a future episode, maybe we can talk about why it's been hard for them to take action individually.   Wayne Sutton:              We have been contacted about a lot of individuals saying that they care about diversity and inclusion and they want to implement change in their company. They need help, right? And ultimately we go back and have a one-on-one call or face-to-face, and we say, “Well what does this conversation allow with the company values? What has been done? Have they discovered what has been done in the past?” And then question if they don't feel confident to have a conversation with their manager or someone, a colleague or someone in an executive role around diversity and inclusion, they need to see if this is a place they want to work. Because it can be a difficult conversation.                     I mean, an article just came out today where an individual, he quit a well-known company because his manager or executive said that, "Stop talking about diversity and inclusion!" Right? So this topic is sensitive to a lot of people. They're afraid of it, they don't want to talk about it. It creates a sense of fear and anger and frustration for others. So whenever people come to us and say, "I want to talk about it," a suggestion is approach it with a business case. That’s one. Approach it with an empathy case. Approach it with an idea versus, "Hey, I want to work on diversity and inclusion at my company."   That's how we get asked. It's like “diversity and inclusion” is such a big umbrella word. So for your organization...   #1 Reason That Keeps People For Taking Action   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Loaded   Wayne Sutton:              Loaded, right? Well a lot of emotions with a lot of history. So if you are an individual and you say you work in product and you want to work on diversity and inclusion at your SaaS company, right? So a suggestion would be to identify that you're going to talk to your manager. “I want to reach this audience that we haven't been talking with or connecting with. With this lens, how can we make that happen?”   That's gonna cost them a product. But from a cultural perspective, it could be "Have we measured?" Or "I noticed that I'm the only female or African American, Latino, LGBT. There are some issues to mean that are not being brought up." Or, "How can we have a dialog about it?"   Melinda Epler:            I mean, your question was "What keeps people from taking action?" I think, really. And the #1 thing is fear.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Yeah. Losing their jobs.   Melinda Epler:            Losing their jobs, but also just fear of making a mistake. It can be hard to navigate. There are definitely people who are good at shaming, publicly shaming. And that doesn't make it easier to create change and to take action. So I think that inherent in what Wayne is saying is that just take the first step. Take one step. Try something new. Talk to someone. Understand basic things. Understand what their experience is. Listen. Those can be really powerful first steps.   Wayne Sutton:              It seems like the tech industry has forgotten that we are humans. We had a conversation as a team talking about...   Melinda Epler:            Human first.   Wayne Sutton:             ...Human first. Right? And just because I'm different. Just because I'm a black male from the South doesn't mean I can't have an intellectual conversation around topics that are passionate to me. That could be black man, STEM products, that could be how can we look at different demographics or location. Why can't we have a real conversation?                     If we can talk about growth. We can talk about APR. We could talk about growth hack and design thinking. Why can't we talk about working together as humans and expanding your mindset, opportunity, and behaviors for all humans? What's the problem?   Why People Are Reluctant To Talk About Diversity And Inclusion   Poornima Vijayashanker:           So maybe you can touch upon that. What's some of the resistance around the conversations?   Wayne Sutton:              It goes back to what Melinda says: Fear! It's fear. But it's also fear because the tech industry traditionally has been a Type A, god-like mentality. Where everybody has all the answers and so if you go to someone and say—talking about diversity and inclusion—you want to have all the answers, so there's it can create a sense of fear. And/or the tech industry we know today, right, is in Silicon Valley, it's in San Francisco, it's in the East Bay some, and the data just in terms of population, in terms of African American in San Francisco is like 6 percent. And if we know the numbers that at Google and at tech roles is average 2 percent within the entire organization. So the culture that these companies traditionally haven't been diverse. So now you want to take an individual, who maybe the one only diverse individual—African American, Latino, women, or Latino or on the team—they want to talk about a cultural topic that is relevant to them, to someone who doesn't have the same experiences, it could be sensing like fear and they don’t have all the answers and not understand why. And that right there creates tension.   Melinda Epler:            There are also studies that show that if a company is talking about diversity, then people within the company think it's changing. That is another aspect of this. That's just psychology involved in all of this. When you start talking about diversity, people think that it's changing.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Changing for the better? Or like…   Diversity And Inclusion Is Not A Zero Sum Game   Melinda Epler:            Changing for the better. People think if you're talking about it, it's changing for the positive. And then there's also on the fear side, though, there's also a fear that if other people rise up, you'll fall down.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           A zero-sum game.   Melinda Epler:            Exactly. But it's not. This tech industry is growing rapidly. There aren't enough people to fill all the tech jobs. That's absolutely not the case. So we just need to change that perception   Poornima Vijayashanker:           So, in the next episode we're going to talk about best practices, but before we wrap up this one, I want to just address some of the objections that our audience may come across when trying to broach the topic. They might have somebody say, "Oh, we're not going to talk about it all, it's not a priority. Like ship product." Or, "Hey, we had lovely little meetup the other day, with some great female engineers. What's the problem? We're making incremental progress." Or, "Hey, we've got to move really fast and whatever you do, how do I know it's going to be a 10x impact?" Right?                     And that can be overwhelming for the person on the receiving end. So how do we deal with some of those objections?   Wayne Sutton:              Yeah.   First Step Is To Measure Your Diversity And Inclusion Efforts   Melinda Epler:            I think one of the things people in tech react really well to is data. So the first thing is measure. And find out that information. Find out the demographics of the company. Find out—if you can—the engagement metrics as well, because you can start to look at engagement metrics as it relates to race and gender and ethnicity. And that can...and people with disabilities. And you can really see something is not right.   And once you look at the data, then you can say, "Oh, wait! We have a really high turnover rate among women. That's a big..."   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Well, everyone's making babies!   Melinda Epler:            That's a problem! There are lots of data that shows...   Poornima Vijayashanker:           I know...   Melinda Epler:            An important part of society. But that is only one. Most of the women who leave tech just so we’re absolutely clear, most of the women that leave tech go to other industries and become leaders in those industries.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           So we're missing out on opportunities.   Melinda Epler:            We're missing out on opportunities. The cost of turnover is high in a company. You don't want to lose people. That's a huge cost.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           So that's just employment. What about with the product itself? Because you had been touching upon some of that.   Wayne Sutton:              Yeah, I want to say that for individuals who want to create change or they've experienced some—they're in a culture they want to make improvements in, you start with the data like Melinda articulated. But it's also starting documenting examples, right? Like we worked with one company where the CEO had heard some stories but it was coming second and third hand.   Poornima Vijayashanker:            Yeah, that's a challenge.   Document And Show Proof Around The Need For Diversity And Inclusion Efforts   Wayne Sutton:              So if you're an individual, you work on your product team, your engineering team, or you could be a product manager. And you constantly see these examples, these situations happening. Take note that this happened on this day. This was the experience. And therefore you are able to have proof. The opportunity to create change may come under the window or umbrella of diversity and inclusion, but it could be just how can we conduct an inclusive meeting? Just a better meeting? How could we make sure all the voices are heard?                   If you've got a product team, like seven guys, three women, and the women hardly ever speak up or talk, you have a communication and culture problem where the women either don't feel empowered or the men are being assholes. Or both, right?                     And so, it's like that is culture. So the change you want to make may not say…”I want to create diversity and inclusion strategies.” Or, “I want to increase #1 my product team.” Or, “I want to make sure the voices are heard.” Or, “I want to talk about how we can conduct a better meeting that benefits the company, and everyone.”   Poornima Vijayashanker:           So start small. And that makes a big difference compounded over time.   Wayne Sutton:              But track it! Because you've got to have real examples that's relative to the change you want to make.   Melinda Epler:            Yeah, it affects product design in a huge way. And I don't think we talk about it enough. That if you want to grow your customer base, and if that customer base is diverse, your designers and developers need to reflect that customer base. If you're designing for the wrong customer base, you're not going to have a success. And it has huge implications—I mean some really terrible ones out there. Even when the airbags were designed, for example, they were designed by men. And in the first rollout, several women died, children died, because they didn't test it out on women and children. That's just a really basic example.                     Then we see that in the tech industry a lot now, where especially when AI is being developed and things come out on Google search where black people are mislabeled. That is a really dreadful outcome of not having diverse people design your programs.   Diversity And Inclusion Doesn’t Just Impact A Single Group Or Criteria   Wayne Sutton:              I'll probably say here another problem is that—or opportunity—is that when people are talking about diversity and inclusion. You got to remember that if you're going to focus on inclusion, look at it from the perspective of everyone. Right? Think about diversity is beyond just a color of someone's skin.                     We were talking earlier about people who are hidden, invisible disabilities. Think about accessibility. Think about age. Think about class. You have people with different heritage.   Melinda Epler:            Veterans.   Wayne Sutton:              Veterans. It's not just black and white. It's not just gender. It's literally everyone. But the solution that may pertain to a company can be one thing—and that's OK if you're going to focus on, "OK, we're going to focus on STEM youth, kids' pipeline." That's OK.                     But identify, communicate that this is what we're doing as part of a solution, but not "the" solution. Or, “We're going to focus on college students.” That's OK. That's good. We need to do that. But identify and be clear and authentic about where your solution is around college students affects your business and your culture.                     Understand that if you're a person in that culture, say my company's all, "We've got a diversity and inclusion plan. We focus on college students." Yay! Great! But if most of your employees want to focus on a different demographic, want to do something around veterans, then as a team, as a company, depending on what size, you've got to understand why. OK, there's an opportunity and a need to focus on these areas as well.   Poornima Vijayashanker:           Well, thank you both for joining us today. And now for all of you out there in the audience, let us know in the comments below this video if your organization has put in place any diversity and inclusion initiatives. And what's been the impact?                     And be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive the next episode, where we'll dive a little bit deeper and share some of the best practices if you're thinking about putting in place a diversity and inclusion initiative at your organization, or want to join another one.                     Ciao for now!                     This episode of *Build* is brought to you by our sponsor, Pivotal Tracker.

Sibyl Edwards is a true advocate for tech inclusion and women in technology. She's the chief creative inclusion officer for strategy agency Wetogethr, serves as president of DC Web Women, and is a co-founder of Black Female Founders, an organization and platform for Black women entrepreneurs. And that's not even everything she does! Sibyl talked to me about how she started out as a front-end web developer and the journey she went through to get to her current success. We also chatted about the ongoing conversations around diversity and inclusion in the tech and design industries, and she shared her latest venture -- wellness in tech. Make no mistake, y'all -- Sibyl is the real deal! Sibyl Edwards on LinkedIn Wetogethr DC Web Women Black Female Founders We are having our first live event! Revision Path: Live with Facebook Design is taking place on November 7 at 6:30pm in Atlanta! This is a special event, so if you want to attend, send us an email at revisionpathlive@fb.com! Help support Revision Path by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon! For just $5 per month, you’ll receive behind-the-scenes access to Revision Path, including special patron-only updates, early access to future episodes, and a lot more! Join today! Shop our store on Threadless! Get t-shirts, tanks, mugs, and more! http://revisionpath.com/store We're on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher as well! Visit http://revisionpath.com/iTunes or http://revisionpath.com/stitcher, subscribe, and leave us a 5-star rating and a review! Thanks so much to all of you who have already rated and reviewed us! Revision Path is brought to you by Facebook Design, MailChimp, Hover, and SiteGround. Save 10% off your first purchase at Hover by visiting hover.com/revisionpath! Get 60% off all hosting plans at SiteGround by visiting siteground.com/revisionpath! Follow Revision Path on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Melinda Epler is the Founder and CEO of Change Catalyst, a company (and fellow B Corp!) that provides education and resources on diversity and inclusion to the tech community. We talk about the importance of D&I in the tech community, her SXSW experience, and we get into the weeds a bit about what it's like to work in the diversity and inclusion space. If you're around, check out one of their MANY upcoming Tech Inclusion conferences here! Make sure you visit www.shegeeksout.com!

Chris: Welcome to the ‘Tech Lowdown Show’. I’m your host Chris Jones. Today we’ve got a special treat for you as we’re getting out of the studio and talking to speakers and attendees at the ‘Tech Inclusion Conference’ held in Seattle, created by ‘Change Catalyst’ and hosted by ‘Galvanized’. The...

Welcome to the second installment of our Tech Inclusion series. Tech Inclusion is a conference that brings tech investor, entrepreneurs and workers together to discuss solutions to the industry's diversity and inclusion challenges. They invited us to host a storytelling segment during the conference last year. This week's story comes from Leslie, who has led engineering teams at some of the largest and most influential tech companies. One day after a confrontation with his father, his dad goes missing and Leslie sets out in search of him. Produced by: Adizah Eghan After listening, join us on Twitter @youhadmeatblack

Last fall we were invited to host a storytelling segment at Tech Inclusion San Francisco. Tech Inclusion is a conference that brings together tech entrepreneurs, investors, policy makers and diversity workers to find solutions to the industry's diversity and inclusion issues. This and next week we're publishing the stories shared at the event. This story is from Hadiyah, founder of HBCU to Startup, a community that connects HBCU students and grads with opportunities at startups. But before Hadiyah was a founder, she was an engineer. During her first job out of college, she received some interesting advice on how to handle workplace microaggressions. Produced by: Adizah Eghan

Melinda Epler (@changecatalysts) is Founder and CEO of Change Catalyst, a certified B Corp whose mission is to empower diverse, inclusive and sustainable tech innovation through education, mentorship and funding. Change Catalyst won a Certified B Corporation "Best for the World” award for community impact in 2014 and “Best in the World” overall in 2015. Melinda has more than 20 years of experience elevating brands and developing business innovation strategies for social entrepreneurs, mature social enterprises, Fortune 500 companies and global NGOs. As Founder & CEO of Change Catalyst, Melinda empowers diverse, inclusive and sustainable tech innovation through events, education, mentorship and funding. Through Tech Inclusion, an initiative of Change Catalyst, she partners with the tech community to solve diversity and inclusion together. Her work spans the full tech ecosystem, from Education to Workplace, Entrepreneurship and Policy. Melinda speaks, mentors and writes about diversity and inclusion in tech, social entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurs and investing. She is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker – her film and television work includes projects that exposed the AIDS crisis in South Africa, explored women's rights in Turkey, and prepared communities for the effects of climate change. She has worked on several television shows, including NBC's The West Wing. In this episode, we discussed: building bridges toward inclusiveness in tech after a damaging and divisive presidential campaign season key areas the diversity and inclusion and policy communities should focus on in a Trump administration. Resources Insight Timer Headspace Tara Brach Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg NEWS ROUNDUP Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and members of the intelligence community want President Obama to fire National Security Agency Director Admiral Mike Rogers, according to Ellen Nakashima at The Washington Post. Clapper and Rogers cite numerous instances of security breaches under Rogers' watch, including one by Booz Allen Hamilton contractor Harold T. Martin III, who was arrested in August for the largest ever theft of classified government data. There was also another breach in 2015 allegedly carried out by an individual whose name has not been disclosed, but who has since been arrested. President-elect Trump is considering putting Rogers in charge of all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies, and Congressional Republican leaders have come out in support of Rogers, including California Representative David Nunes who also serves on Trump's transition team, who praised Rogers in the Washington Post. Rodgers is also the head of U.S. Cyber Command. Ash Carter has not been impressed with Rogers' performance in that role, either, as the cyber command's operations in Syria and Iraq have been largely unsuccessful, according to Carter. Further annoying Carter and Clapper is the fact that Rogers met with Trump last week unbeknownst to the White House. Further complicating matters, Clapper and Carter are also looking to split Cyber Command from the National Security Administration, a move opposed by Senate Republicans including John McCain. Meanwhile, as Mallory Shelbourne at The Hill reports, at a news conference in Peru last week, President Obama called Rogers a "patriot". In separate comments, Obama told German newspaper Der Spiegel that he had no plans to pardon Edward Snowden. The president said Snowden would first need to appear before a court. -- Mark Jamison, a member of Trump's tech policy transition team, suggested in a blog post last week that maybe the FCC shouldn't exist. Jamison wrote, "Most of the original motivations for having the FCC have gone away." He also said there are few monopolies in telecom, an assertion with which FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has disagreed. Brian Fung has this story in the Washington Post. -- A new Stanford University report found that most students from Middle School to college are unable to tell the difference between sponsored content and real news. The study of 7,804 students found 82% could not tell what was sponsored and what was real. Seventy percent of middle schoolers also found no reason to distrust a finance article that was written by the CEO of a bank. Amar Toor has the story on The Verge. -- Downloads of the encrypted messaging app Signal have soared by 400% since Donald Trump's election, according to Signal founder Moxie Marlinspike. Governments have the ability to tap unencrypted text messages for intelligence gathering. Paresh Dave has the story in the LA Times. -- Following a successful effort to get the FCC to clear its entire November meeting agenda, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton and Senate Commerce Committee Chair John Thune have now asked Federal Trade Commission Chair Edith Ramirez and Consumer Product Safety Commission Chair Elliott Kaye not to move forward on any controversial regulations. Upton and Thune wrote that the American people decided to make a change on November 8th and that agencies should this refrain from passing new regulations. Trump, of course, lost the popular vote by over 2 million. -- Finally, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai issued a statement last week praising Trump's Department of Justice nominee Jeff Sessions. The Washington Post reports that Sessions is widely seen as a climate change skeptic and his entire career has been dogged by accusations that Sessions is a virulent racist, which cost him a federal judgeship back in '86. Sessions has been quoted as saying that he thought the Ku Klux Klan was "okay, until he learned that they smoked marijuana." Pai is reportedly on the short list to become Trump's nominee to Chair the FCC.  

On this episode of #thePawdcast, we are joined by none other than Wayne Sutton. Wayne has founded Tech Inclusion, a conference dedicated to exploring innovative solutions to diversity and inclusion in tech through speakers, consulting and workshops, and BUILDUP, a non-profit designed to support an inclusive ecosystem of entrepreneurs through educational workshops and fellows program for underrepresented tech founders. We chat with Wayne about his successes and struggles as an entrepreneur, his journey from North Carolina to Silicon Valley, his views on diversity and the representation of minorities in tech, and how he plans to leave his legacy in the entrepreneurial scene. Wayne Sutton's Website: www.socialwayne.com Wayne Sutton's Facebook: www.facebook.com/wayneesutton Wayne Sutton's Twitter: www.twitter.com/waynesutton Wayne Sutton's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/waynesutton Wayne Sutton's Instagram: www.instagram.com/waynesutton Tech Inclusion Website: www.techinclusion.co BUILDUP.vc Website: www.buildup.vc About The Pawdcast — Discussing all things entrepreneurship, startups, creativity, businesses, innovations, self-awareness and everything in-between. Hosted by Joshua Davidson, Eddie Contento and Chris Coleman. Brought to you by ChopDawg.com.

Like Autism Live on Facebook at http://facebook.com/autismlive  Alumni from Hope Tech share their view on having attended a school where inclusion was paramount.  Hope Tech, located in Palo Alto, California has been providing inclusive education for 14 years for grades K-8.  This year Hope Tech will start its very first 9th grade class. For more information on Hope Tech visit: www.hopetechschool.org       Autism Live is a production of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), headquartered in Woodland Hills, California, and with offices throughout, the United States and around the globe. For more information on therapy for autism and other related disorders, visit the CARD website at http://centerforautism.com

Jesse Martinez is a Co-founder, Tech Entrepreneur, Philanthropist. He is originally from Houston, Texas, he  found his way to San Francisco in March 1997 where he first experienced what it meant to work for a startup.  He was employee 27, of a Silicon Valley company (funded by Sequoia Capital) that ultimately grew into a thousand employee+ Corporation in less than a year and was acquired for $180 million by Frontier Communications. That experience and access to his new mentors/advisors, led him  to cofound along with his brother in 1998 one of the first U.S. online bilingual Latino communities (Picosito.com) which was recognized by a U.S. Congressional Record by the House of Representatives  for their efforts around technology in Latino Community. They raised $2.3 million in seed capital and had two acquisition offers in less than six months. After the dot com era, he went back to Corporate America; spending over 10 years working with industry leaders such as Xerox Global Services, IKON, & Kofax as a Business Development Manager. Since  then he emerged into the tech scene again and is the cofounder of his third startup - Relevance and as the country director for Brasil. He also spends the rest of his time as Cofounder/Co-chair on his personal passion, Latino Startup Alliance , a non-profit supporting global Latino Tech Entrepreneurs and startup ecosystems. He is also very honored and proud to be co-founder of Youth Startups and AVION, team leader for the U.S. White House Team on Tech Inclusion, board Member for MEDA (Mission Economic Development Agency), 2014 Clinton Global Initiative Attendee, and advisor to several tech companies. In his free time, he likes participating in hackathons, outdoors sports, triathlons, and most importantly, supporting other entrepreneurs. What you'll learn Jesse's American Dream and his journey to pursue it Why we need to show more Latino success stories Why it is critical to create new Latino role models that can pay it forward to the community How his mentor influenced him to attend a great college How he walked away from $1 million dollars to pursue his entrepreneurial passion The biggest lessons he learned from his startup experience What he learned from his experience in corporate America How timing can sometimes make or break your startup How the Latino Startup Alliance is raising awareness and is providing Latino entrepreneurs access to the ecosystems, resources and capital they need to accelerate and make their startups successful How the Latino Startup Alliance is growing the pipeline of future Latino entrepreneurs Why there is a lack of capital for Latino entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, and what we can do about it The number of Latino VCs in the US Why Latinos working in corporate America are less likely to make the leap to work at a startup The Avion and the Spark SF Accelerator Jesse's formula for success Resources & Links The Latino Startup Alliance Avion Ventures Start-up Nation book by Dan Senor The Lean Startup book by Eric Ries info@latinostartupalliance.org Latino Startup Alliance