DeepSummary
The episode features an interview with Jennifer Brown, founder and CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting, about her DEI Foundations program and her journey discovering her purpose in diversity, equity, and inclusion work. She shares her personal story of coming out as LGBTQ, losing her operatic voice due to injuries, and finding her passion in organizational leadership and change.
Jennifer discusses the importance of authenticity, resilience, and creating inclusive environments. She emphasizes the need for leaders to challenge themselves, seek out discomfort, and appreciate different lived experiences to drive positive change in the workplace. The privilege walk exercise is highlighted as an eye-opening way to understand diverse perspectives.
The conversation explores the concept of resilience, its connection to values, and whether it is innate or can be developed. Jennifer underscores the role of adversity in building resilience and the need for self-awareness, empathy, and emotional intelligence to navigate challenges and support inclusion.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Authenticity and embracing one's true self are essential for building resilience and driving positive change.
- Leaders must challenge themselves by seeking out discomfort and leaning into difficult conversations to foster inclusive environments.
- Resilience is a practice that involves flexibility, emotional intelligence, and the ability to learn from adversity.
- Appreciating diverse perspectives and lived experiences is crucial for fostering empathy and understanding in the workplace.
- Building resilience involves acknowledging and addressing privilege, as well as recognizing the systemic challenges faced by marginalized communities.
- Values such as compassion, fairness, and justice can shape one's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
- Sharing personal stories and fostering open dialogue are powerful tools for promoting understanding and driving change.
- Continuous learning, self-awareness, and a growth mindset are essential for personal and professional growth in the realm of diversity and inclusion.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Is comfort the enemy of resilience? I don't know. I mean, this gets back to all the privileged, quote, unquote, leaders that I work with. The question of how do you put yourself in discomfort as a choice? If you want to learn something, if you want to challenge yourself, how do you sort of intentionally deprive yourself of the comforts so that you can get to that raw, that vulnerable that. I don't know, that I am super uncomfortable right now, that piece.“ by Jennifer Brown
- “Yeah. Gosh. Those of us who are super change resilient, like, we're flexible by nature. You know, it's, some of this is going to be easier for some of us than others, you know, who welcome challenges, who seek, you know, the dissonance of life and say, like, so what am I, you know, dispassionately without ego, considering, like, what am I meant to learn?“ by Jennifer Brown
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Episode Information
The Will To Change: Uncovering True Stories of Diversity & Inclusion
Jennifer Brown
4/23/21
This episode was originally recorded on the Resiliency Theory Podcast, and features a conversation between Jennifer and host Ashley Carson as they discuss what it takes for us to be brave, speak our truths, and be our authentic selves. Discover how authenticity supports building your resiliency muscle.