In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue talks to Solène Anglaret who is currently a D&I partner at innovative KK tn. Solène is originally from France, but has a career spanning across six different countries. Solène discusses her entry point into DEI, what fascinated her by looking at humans' different backgrounds and different ways of thinking. Causing her to also see the many similarities in humans and opportunity for compassion. All of this contributed to Solène writing her blog called Beyond Borders, which is all about belonging across different countries and looking for home, where is home and what is home.

“We are encouraging other people, maybe who don't have the responsibilities or D&I goals, to do their own education and learning. And so if we don't do it, it's kind of like you put the oxygen mask on the other person before yourself, it's not going to work, right, you're going to run out of oxygen. So that peace around leadership, I think, is also really important. ”

Episode Highlights: 

● Surprises discovered whilst being in a DEI role

● How we as DEI professionals can innovate inclusively

● What advice Solène would share with aspiring DEI professionals

About Solène Anglaret: 

Born and raised in France, Solène moved abroad for the first time when she was 18. She has since lived in 6 countries and travelled to over 50. After starting her career in the environmental sector, Solène then joined the travel industry, before finding her way into the world of diversity and inclusion in innovation. Over the past 10 years, she has gathered experience across a wide range of areas from strategy to project management, transformation, events, communication, leadership, coaching, culture change, diversity, and inclusion. She currently works as Diversity & Inclusion Partner at Innovate UK KTN.

Solène is also an Author, Presenter, and Entrepreneur. Four years ago, she created Be Beyond Borders and published four books: Where to Next? (travel memoir), Where Are You From? (children's story), Where? (poetry) and Pensées d'Ailleurs (poetry) - all around the themes of identity, home, and belonging. She also spoke at TEDx Melbourne and many other events. In 2022, she launched The Inclusion Conversation, a talkshow which aims to break down borders and bring the world closer together, one conversation at a time. 

When not working or hustling, you'll find Solène travelling at every opportunity, spending time with her partner and family, walking in nature, and/or eating (too much) chocolate...!

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here. 

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https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home 

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In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue talks to Rajiv Desai, a DEI practitioner originally from India, living in Berlin Germany, but considers himself a citizen of the world. Rajiv not only owns his own consulting practice, where he helps small and medium sized organisations get started on their diversity, equity and inclusion journey. He also serves as a Board Chair for Oran, which is the organisation for refugee asylum and migration to help LGBT IQ refugees, find safe spaces in the world. During this episode Rajiv and Ashanti will highlight many different topics,like why it is important to find your own personal niche as a practitioner whilst working in the field of DEI.

“What I tell every person who's aspiring to get into the DEI world is truly know your why. Why are you trying to get into this? Is it because everybody has told you it's the place to make money? I would say maybe not right? It's still, pretty hard to make money in this space. You know, really know your why in terms of why do you want to do this?

Episode Highlights: 

● What’s it like working with German companies in the field of Dei

● As  a professional what skills do i need to acquire in order to be competent in this space

● Understanding the importance of the inside of a business

About Rajiv Desai: 

Rajiv Desai (He/Him) is a leader in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion  

(DEI) space. He takes a global and enterprise-wide approach to DEI,  

focusing not only on talent processes, but the business as well, and  

canvasses his efforts from internal focus to external clients and  

communities, through a lens of impact and equity.  

He has a particular interest and passion in getting smaller and more  

nascent organisations get started on the DEI journey. He founded Chrysalis LLC in October 2020  (incorporated in Washington DC), with the goal of helping small and medium-sized enterprises (both for  and non-profit) initiate their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) journey in an incremental, sustainable  and thoughtful manner. Some of his clients include Equal Justice Works, Relief International, Mathison,  Avita Pharmacy, Board.org etc.  

Prior to Chrysalis, he served as Vice President – DEI and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at  Gartner, where he helped build the function and strategy from scratch and ensured DEI efforts were  part of the broader organisational fabric. As Gartner’s first-ever head of DEI, he was also tasked with  building Gartner’s strategic CSR efforts and led the publication of their first CSR Report in 2019.  

Before Gartner acquired CEB, through CEB’s Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council, Rajiv advised  senior D&I leaders at over 100 organisations, helping them with their DEI strategies through best  practices research, tools, and executive networking. He started his time at CEB in the Financial  Services practice since 2014, during which time, he was also involved with all employee resource  groups (ERG) and helped build the Pride ERG. Before 2014, Rajiv worked with FedEx for almost nine  years in Belgium, Dubai and the US, where he gained extensive business, operations, audit and  consulting experience.  

Rajiv holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Finance & Marketing; minor in Spanish)  from the University of Pittsburgh. He also completed a certificate course in Strategic Diversity &  Inclusion Management from Georgetown University in 2017 and an Executive Education certificate in  Inclusive Leadership from University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. Rajiv is fluent in  Spanish and Hindi and conversational in Bengali and Gujarati.  

Rajiv is an active philanthropist. Since March 2020, he serves as the Board Chair for ORAM  (Organization for Refuge, Asylum & Migration, which protects and empowers LGBTIQ asylum seekers  and refugees globally). He also served on the board of The Rainbow Theatre Project from 2016 – 2020.  At an international level, Rajiv has completed volunteering projects in Mexico, focusing on LGBTQ  rights and Costa Rica, focusing on marine wildlife and turtle conservation. He is also a proud foster  parent to 3 baby elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya.  

In the past, Rajiv has lived in India, Spain, Mongolia, the UAE, and Belgium; and has traveled to over  65 countries, bringing a truly global perspective and cultural agility to his DEI work. As an openly gay  person, Rajiv is currently working on his memoir that captures lived experiences of his coming out  journey across multiple countries. Effective March 2022, Rajiv calls Berlin, Germany home and is  excited about working in the DEI world in Berlin.  

Connect with Rajiv Desai: 

Phone: +49 151 65142748 

Email: rajiv@chrysalisdei.com 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajivdesai/

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here. 

You can find out about the services we offer here: 

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home 

Join the mailing list link: 

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9 

Stay Connected with Ashanti: 

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch: 

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue talks to Nadi Fantastic, an anti oppression business consultant, and inclusive leadership coach who helps businesses define, design and implement their anti oppression values into their operations. 

During this episode, Ashanti and Nadi explore many different subjects including the way Nadi works with leaders to really get them to figure out what they need to know and understand and dismantle in order to leave marginalised groups. 

“You're pulling the answers from them, which means you're asking the kinds of questions that are making them ponder, pause, consider, get uncomfortable sweat a little bit. So that they themselves are finding the answers.” 

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of actively seeking out different perspectives

• Research and understanding cultural differences

• How to heal yourself

About Nadi Fantastic:

Nadi Fantastic (she/they)

Nadi is an Anti-Oppression Business Consultant, Inclusive Leadership Coach, Justice Activist and Single Mama for 2 Magical Teens. 

Nadi's work supports business owners and leaders to transform idle business goals for inclusive and anti-oppressive operations into systems, policies + sustainable, non-performative practices.

After working with corporate teams for a number of years, Nadi has since shifted her focus to specifically support small teams and leaders seeking to develop their inclusive leadership abilities. 

You can learn more about their work via www.nadifantastic.com

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any 

questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email:

operations@goodsoilleaders.com

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue talks to Meera Somji, a DEI professional and the Co- founder of technology platform Clusivity. During this episode, Ashanti and Meera speak about data, specifically the integrity of data. As Well as Merra’s transition into being a  DEI professional.

“These concepts are not self evident, you know, the word diversity, the word equity, the word inclusion, they mean many different things to many different people. And so really being able to communicate that dispel myths and misunderstandings.”

Episode Highlights:

• Meera’s journey transitioning into diversity and inclusion

• How to nurture and develop data protection and privacy

• Creative ways to present data and concepts

About Meera Somji:

Meera is the co-founder of technology platform, Clusivity. Clusivity is a data and analytics platform helping customers to improve the retention of historically marginalised employees across gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and socio-economic background. 

Before taking this lead into entrepreneurship, Meera trained as a strategy consultant with Plural Strategy Group in London and in New York. In 2019, she moved into tech. Meera joined as Senior Manager, Product & Customer Success at Smartxpo, a fast-growing data and analytics start-up. She has also worked as a researcher into business, human rights and gender for UNDP Asia.

Meera has an undergraduate degree in Politics, Psychology and Sociology from the University of Cambridge and a Master's degree in Gender Studies from LSE. 

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any 

questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email 

operations@goodsoilleaders.com

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue talks to Louise Moulié, a DEI professional and the founder and host of the site diversity secret podcast. During this episode, Ashanti and Louise explore many different subjects including the different kinds of toolkits which are needed to really be able to move forward, completely dedicating oneself to the role of diversity and inclusion.

“Being a facilitator is just learning to be patient with oneself and with your journey, and with everyone else's journey as well.” 

Episode Highlights:

• There is no experience too small

• What value you can gain by being a facilitator

• Highlighting the taboo around diversity and inclusion

About Louise Moulié:

Louise Moulié, Founder and Podcast Host at Diversity Secrets

Louise started her DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) journey as Public Affairs and CSR Manager at the American Chamber of Commerce in France. There, she worked hand in hand with a wide range of multinationals and leading DEI experts to build tangible and actionable toolboxes in order to help organisations implement and promote DEI. 

Today, Louise helps organisations drive sustainable change in our society, through authentic and impactful DEI. Louise created the Diversity Secrets Podcast with the core belief that the secret to successful DEI is learning from the experience of others, through meaningful dialogue. Leading DEI experts from around the globe join her weekly for honest conversations where they share their unique insights, inspiring experiences and pragmatic advice. Louise puts these teachings into practice as a DEI consultant, helping organisations across the business field develop and implement impactful and sustainable DEI strategies.

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any 

questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email 

operations@goodsoilleaders.com

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue shares some insights from coaching DEI PROs in their first 90 days of a new role in an organization. 

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here. 

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email operations@goodsoilleaders.com 

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In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue talks to Kay Fabella, the CEO and founder of inclusion in progress, who also has a podcast of the same name,  where they really dive into the dynamics of global teams. Advising the likes of companies mostly in the tech industry. Sitting down with organisations to figure out what is it that could be preventing their remote teams from reaching their full potential, by looking at dynamics such as virtual versus in person, as well as the different cultural things that might be present. 

“When you have a face that isn't easy to place like mine, you will always get the second question. The first being where are you from? And the second, where are you really from? And you realise very early on, once you go through the whole thing of I just want to belong, and I don't like being asked that question because it points out my difference of embracing the role that you have of telling your own story in the rooms that you walk into. And so that really formed an impression on me from a young age, the power of stories to connect people.” 

Episode Highlights:

• The power of stories to connect people

• How important is mental health in the field of DEI?

• The issue of cookie-cutter approaches

• Creating psychological safety in remote teams

About Kay Fabella:

Kay Fabella is a DEI Consultant whose approach combines inclusion, intercultural communication and her understanding of supporting global teams in a remote environment. She’s partnered with companies including Red Hat, Instagram, the IMF, and Philips to improve inclusive communication skills between team members, to retain top talent and reduce turnover, and to build a culture of inclusion that helps companies maintain their competitive edge in the future of work.

A Filipina American in Spain since 2010, Kay draws from her own lived experiences as a "multihyphenate" woman of colour, a daughter of immigrants, and an immigrant herself running a fully remote team to inform her DEI work. She believes that more inclusive workplace cultures start with sharing non-linear stories — to expand worldviews and increase connectivity and collaboration. 

Areas of Expertise:

Diversity and Inclusion Consulting, Remote Team Strategies, Employer Branding, Future of Work & Intersectionality, Millennial and Gen Z Recruitment, Mental Health in DEI.

Available for Comment On:

Cross-cultural inclusion strategies for global teams

Intersectionality initiatives for women of colour

Mental health for historically excluded employees

Remote team inclusion & the future of work Work Featured In:

Forbes, Fast Company, Thrive Global.

Connect with Kay Fabella:

           kay@inclusioninprogress.com

           inclusioninprogress.com

           LinkedIn: kayfabella

           Twitter: @KayFab

           IG: @InclusionInProgress

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email 

operations@goodsoilleaders.com

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

In this episode, I am going to share with you some of the mistakes I have made over the years as a DEI professional, but also what I was able to learn from these mistakes.

“Being aware of pace, and that was something I had to learn. I've been able to turn it into a strength, it's one of the reasons why organisations work with us, because we focus on laying the right foundation, making sure they have the good soil, healthy, moist soil, that allows them to launch initiatives and programmes that have a relative chance of success, of the buds coming forth.”

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of saying no and providing alternatives

• Resentment, jealousy and ego

• Peer-to-peer interaction in training

• The importance of style versus substance

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email: operations@goodsoilleaders.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue talks to Katy Penman, a DEI professional based in Scotland whose experience in DEI has been in txhe regulatory sector of health care, social care and the charity sector. Katy Penman discusses how hearing the stories that people have to tell about their experiences with their health primarily, and uncovering a lot of stuff about health inequalities really spoke to her. Thus spurring her to pursue and get involved in lots of different working groups and increasing her knowledge and awareness resulting in applying for DEI roles.

“You have to start with your own self awareness, you have to start with your limitations, you know that over-promising and under delivering is so easy because you want positive experiences for everyone. And you really have to pull back and say, That's great. And I would love to do that for you. But these are our corporate priorities, this is where it sits in our strategy.  ” 

Episode Highlights:

• What has surprised me about working in the DEI field?

• Specific skills and competencies you need to develop to be a good practitioner

• The importance of Building influence within an organisation

About Katy Penman:

Katy Penman

Freelance consultant and trainer in public engagement, DEI and volunteer practice.

Katy Penman works with organisations who engage with the public and who consider volunteers as part of their service delivery teams – from statutory bodies to social enterprises to social media-based patient support groups.  

With 20 years’ experience in quality assurance via health and social care regulation and experience of engaging with communities from grassroots involvement to international research, Katy is passionate about engaging with people as part of the continuous improvement cycle and to ensure quality of service or product that speaks to all consumers in a language that is meaningful to them and aligns with the values of the organisation.    

Areas of expertise:

Creating inclusive organisational culture, engaging with historically excluded stakeholders and individuals, understanding and meeting your legal duties around DEI, mentoring and development for volunteer practitioners and leaders, reverse culture shock for workplace returners, supporting people with non-disclosed protected characteristics.

Connect with Katy Penman:

Email: katypenman.iiv@gmail.com">katypenman.iiv@gmail.com

Mobile: 07740 422 691

Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-p-b3372b22/

Twitter: @katypenman

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email 

operations@goodsoilleaders.com

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

In this episode, I am going to highlight what you need to know when it comes to inclusion Training in 2023.

Episode Highlights:

• Practical and role relevant training

• The importance of pre-assessment and pre-communications

• Managers involvement in inclusion training

• Why the learner journey needs to be more structured and integrated

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email: operations@goodsoilleaders.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue talks to Julie Dennis, a menopause in the workplace specialist who has partnered with various organisations across the UK to help create positive behaviours, and conversations around menopause, In helping to make sure that anyone working through menopause is able to stay on track with their career.

“ Learning to say no early on, when it's not your specialism or making a decision. Are you going to be a DNI generalist, or are you going to be a DNI specialist like I am? I specialise in menopause in the workplace. But what I have done is created a network of referral specialists, so when I'm asked to talk about topics that I am not competent in, I don't try and wing it, or say yes. Knowing I've got a competent professional expert that I can share that work with. So learning to say no, recognising your boundaries and creating that referral network, I think are absolutely crucial to be successful in this space.” 

Episode Highlights:

• Changes in the way menopause is being addressed in the workplace.

• What skills do you need to develop to be a good practitioner?

• Advice for people aspiring to be a part of history.

About Julie Dennis:

Julie Dennis

Director & Lead Trainer

Menopause at Work

Julie Dennis runs one of the UK’s leading menopause consultancies for organisations who want to create positive conversations and behaviours around menopause to help retain top talent, impact the gender pay gap and reduce business costs and risks.

Over the past five years Julie has partnered with organisations across the UK to deliver tailored menopause at work training solutions that promote an environment where everyone can be themselves and perform at their peak.

Julie regularly demonstrates her expertise as a speaker and commentator on menopause issues.  When not talking about menopause you will often find her at the piano or out running!

Connect with Julie Dennis:

Email:      julie@juliedennis.net

Mobile:   07801 811768

Website: www.juliedennis.net

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-dennis

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email 

operations@goodsoilleaders.com

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

In this episode, I'm going to share with you some of the common mistakes that I have seen DEI professionals make over the last 18 months. 

Episode Highlights:

• Lack of boundaries 

• Not knowing their limits, remits and capacity

• Poor social media diet 

• Saviour Complex 

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email: operations@goodsoilleaders.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue talks to Hayley Bennett about her experience being a multi-award-winning DEI consultant and campaigner who began her career at football’s inclusion organisation Kick it Out, before moving out of football to become a DEI consultant and advisor within other sectors and roles.

“As DEI practitioners, I'm not saying we have to be perfect, but we have to have self awareness. And we have to be cognizant of our own privileges, and how it impacts our work, and also where our weaknesses are.” 

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of having humility and influence

• Critical thinking, design thinking and problem solving Skills you can utilise

• Where you can go to source your knowledge 

About Hayley Bennett:

Hayley Bennett is a multi-award-winning DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Consultant and campaigner. She began her career at Kick it Out, football’s inclusion organisation, before moving out of football to learn and create best practice within other sectors in multiple roles as a DEI consultant and advisor. Over the past ten years, Hayley has been providing advice and consultancy to over 200 of the world’s largest employers and global brands. She now runs own consultancy, working to support clients across business and sport through DEI strategy development, training facilitation, programme development and creative consultancy. She is well recognised as a leader in her field and has been featured in The Times, The Telegraph, Metro.co.uk and The Washington Post. Hayley has a passion and determination for promoting equity in sport. She runs Nutmegs, a football community for women and non-binary people of colour and was named one of the most influential Black people in football on the 2020 Football Blacklist. In 2021, Nike recognised her as a game-changer in sport; she was a Sports Industry Next Gen 30 under 30 Leader for 2021. Hayley is a Director for Spirit of 2012, the London 2012 legacy charity and a trustee for Goals4Girls. She lectures on Race and Sport at University of Bolton and is researching the experiences of women from Black and minority-ethnic backgrounds in sports leadership positions.

Connect with Haley Bennett:

Linkedin: Hayley Bennett | LinkedIn

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email 

operations@goodsoilleaders.com

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

In this episode, I Ashanti Bentil-Dhue want to share some specific reasons as to why the upcoming intimate, peer led DEI Pro Live event, which is essentially for those of us who practise DEI in the workplace, is a Must Attend Event in 2023. I will be reflecting on conversations which have taken place with individuals who booked into the DEI Pro Live event in November 2022. Some great questions were asked, so I thought it would be really useful to answer some on the podcast for those contemplating if DEI Pro Live 2023 is for you. 

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email: operations@goodsoilleaders.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue talks to Hady Mendez about her experience being the Director of Quality at Slack. Hady has an extensive career that actually started not in dei, but started at the intersection of technology and finance. Then as time progressed, she became increasingly more focused on social justice and DEI.

“ Always be finding new ways to partner and advocate for people that are different from you….yes, start where something may be familiar, but don't just stay with what's familiar, push yourself. Because if you're going to be developing strategies, and working with leaders and trying to get them to push themselves, you need to be pushing yourself too. So you can't just stay in your comfortable place and be like, this is my happy place. You need to really also be expanding the people that you surround yourself with, and what you're learning about and really supporting and advocating for other people and making the same mistakes. I make mistakes, too. ” 

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of having courage and how this can help you to have difficult conversations

• Why making mistakes is not something to be afraid of

• How you can become a better DEI professional by learning the importance of Problem-Solving

About Hady Mendez:

Hady Mendez is Director of Equality at Slack where she is responsible forshaping and advancing Slack’s near and long-term focus on inclusion andbelonging, while simultaneously supporting Slack’s work of attracting, growing,and retaining underrepresented talent at all levels. She considers herself a DEIBevangelist, change agent, trusted customer advisor, respected voice and thoughtleader, and social justice advocate.

With a diverse career spanning over 25 years, Hady has held multiplecustomer-facing roles in high tech and financial services, served as a leaderacross various Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), volunteered as an international champion for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women, andserved as Community School Director at an elementary school in the South Bronx.

Hady’s academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Manhattan College, plus graduate certificates in eBusiness and eCommerce from NYU and NJIT, respectively. She also holds a Family Development Credential from the University of Connecticut. Hady’s additional advocacy work has her serving as both co-chair of the Equity Council and a member of the NY Advisory Board at Room to Grow, a nonprofit organization based in the South Bronx. In her free time, Hady is an amateur street art photographer and an avid podcast listener.

Connect with Hady Mendez:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hadymendez

Instagram: @hadyontheweb

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email: operations@goodsoilleaders.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue wants to specifically talk about something that is coming up time and time again within the world of DEI, budgets related to inclusion training. 

“Organisations who may be looking at inclusion training, and if you've ever wondered why it costs, what it costs, or you've wondered why you've seen very little results from the training that you have procured so far, these are just some of the elements to be aware of that might help you make different decisions when you're pulling together your training budget.”

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

If you'd like to discuss how we can provide support for you or your organisation, please email: operations@goodsoilleaders.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks to Gemma Stow about her company No More Hiding Ltd partners helps organisations to build inclusive cultures that identify, develop and retain female talent and encourage senior level progression to close the gender gap. This is through consultation, training and coaching.

“ Understanding the lens in which you see the world, describing this as your map, and then looking at ways that you can go beyond that within the work that you do ” 

Episode Highlights:

• Learning about the importance of being resilient, implementing self-development, and looking after yourself.
• How certain skills that you develop and nurture over time can help with being a DEI professional.
• What DEI professionals can learn about finding a balance between having the rigour that the work requires and having a personal life.

About Gemma Stow:

Gemma Stow specialises in the importance of visibility when it comes to women’s career progression and helps ambitious women have the confidence to promote themselves in a positive and constructive way so that they own and showcase their expertise.  This allows them the space to see what is really holding them back and breakthrough their own ceiling and limitations, realise their potential, take responsibility and act on it.

She also supports male leaders and the wider organisation so that they can be better allies with the appropriate processes and procedures in place that support greater gender equity in the workplace.  Host of the ‘No More Hiding: Self Promotion at Work’ podcast.

Connect with Gemma Stow:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmastow/

Email address: https://gemmastow.libsyn.com/

Company Website: www.gemmastow.com

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue will be sharing what she learnt whilst watching a particular episode of Grey’s Anatomy and what she thinks DEI professionals can learn and take away from watching Grey's Anatomy. 

“The human experience is always evolving and changing. The workforce of today is not the workforce of five years ago or even ten years ago, so we cannot make assumptions about who people are, and why they behave in the way they do. Every time we go into a new workplace, we can't make assumptions and rely on the way we have done things five, ten or even fifteen times over a course of years. We have to always be aware of ego because sometimes ego and overconfidence can mean that we make mistakes. It can mean that we miss something important; it can mean that we miss label, miss judge, miss assess a situation or a person, and that can have implications on the work that we're doing in the workplace ”

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks to G Sabini-Roberts about their experience as an activist and specialist consultant helping organisations and brands with the transgender inclusion. 

“Within the world of DEI we're trying to encourage everyone to recognize the diversity. The diversities that they don't yet recognize themselves. The ways that they haven't yet looked at the world; the people that they work with; the people that they need to work well with, and opening those doors to bring those realisations out. That is one of the really juicy bits of the work that we personally get to do. It is those realisations that we see in people that make me think, right, now I can do what I do better.” 

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of activism for specific communities like the LGBTQ+ community
• How their work with organisations has developed over time
• What DEI professionals need to know and understand about transgender inclusion and the importance of pronouns

About G Sabini-Roberts:

G Sabini-Roberts uses They, Them pronouns. They are White, Non-binary, queer and autistic. They run two successful businesses, the first has nothing to do with DEI as it is a brand design business that served the entrepreneurial and small business communities over the past 10 years.

Back in the year 2000 G Sabini-Roberts and two business partners set up The Queer Box because they were constantly getting requests from different business owners to help them understand more about what they didn’t know relating to LGBTQ inclusion. Since starting The Queer Box, they have worked with over 100 businesses ranging in different sizes, such as  HS to the cast and crew of Hollyoaks, the Local NHS Trust and several Universities. The Queer box has shown itself to be a business which has grown over the years and continues to successfully grow.

Connect with G Sabini-Roberts:

Linkedin:linkedin.com/in/gsabiniroberts

Email address: brandingbyg@gmail.com

Company Website: thequeerbox.co.uk 

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue will be sharing what she’s learned over the summer while completing some coach training and coaching DEI professionals. She also covers what topics are upcoming on the podcast over the next few months. 

“Within an organisation, you have to be proficient, you have to be a master at communicating and influencing at facilitating nevermind the subject matter. However, Ashanti will be digging deeper into growth, mindset, and how DEI professionals can understand the brain and how it works. Resulting in becoming better, more competent, and transformational DEI professionals”

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks to Femily Howe about her experience as a DEI practitioner working with startup founders and navigating the challenges they face.

“Figure out your “self -help” statement, it doesn't have to be the one that lasts forever but you picking a niche off the bat will really help you ……Are you helping their leadership get better at contributing finances back to underserved communities that are aligned with the mission? Are you helping entry level people be less bias with their colleagues? Or are you helping like minded managers understand your rights, your race, your gender or your orientation”

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of branding to a DEI practitioner 
• How critical leadership skills are when building your DEI brand 
• How to build a niche as a DEI practitioner  

About Femily Howe :

As a Gender/Cultural Studies MA with a big firm management consulting background, Femily speaks at and advises tech and other male-majority sectors and teams, like law, finance, and engineering - on gender, equity, and building an ally culture across race and orientation as well.

From Silicon Valley’s Watermark Conference for Women to South  by Southwest (SXSW), Femily frequently speaks to companies, conferences, and women’s events.

Femily is an expert media source for outlets including ABC, CBS, C-SPAN, NPRM Fast Company, and US News and World Report.

In 2018, Femily founded the American Association of Corporate Gender Strategies (corporategender.org) to address a growing demand for rigor in the field.

Connect with Femily:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilymeghanmorrowhowe/

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue discusses what existing data and feedback tells us about the perception of Chief Diversity Officers within organizations, the challenges which arise when non black people of colour are in these roles and the impact lack of trust has on organisations. 

Sometimes Chief Diversity Officers dismiss employee sentiments - ‘but a lot of that is because they don't understand the historical distrust, disappointment and frustration that people might have about the things happening in their workplace. For example, the broken promises, empty pledges, and the impact this can have on people's morale and investment in contributing towards driving forward DEI goals.”

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks to Ellie Highwood about her transition to becoming a DEI practitioner from the world of academia and research, and the similarities involved in the two fields.

Episode Highlights:

• Ellie Highwood’s journey to becoming a DEI Independent consultant 
• The skills needed in other to become a competent DEI practitioner 
• How important continuous learning is to DEI practitioners 

About Ellie Highwood:

Ellie Highwood is a diversity and inclusion consultant, and a career and personal development coach to academics and scientists. Ellie has been running her own portfolio career since 2019 following more than 20 years as a leading climate scientist and 4 years in a strategic leadership role as Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Reading in the UK.

As a Diversity and Inclusion specialist, Ellie works in depth with HR and leadership teams, inclusion networks or diversity and inclusion champions to review or develop strategy, develop meaningful action plans, deliver or develop training, and support diversity and inclusion champions in their role. Her recent and current clients span the world of Higher Education, Learned and Professional Societies, the UK military and co-ownership organisations in the UK. Ellie utilises all her experience working in and managing international research collaborations and leadership teams, teaching and talking to audiences from age 5 to 85, collecting, analysing and interpreting data, and “leading through influence” at Board level to identify where they need to drive change in culture and process.

As a Career and Personal Development Coach Ellie specialises in helping academics and researchers grow in their roles, plan their careers and deal with the deluge of demands on their time and energy. She also loves working with would-be career changers to discover what is right for them, and empowering women in science, engineering and leadership to find confidence and success whilst remaining true to their values in these traditionally male dominated environments. 

These roles give Ellie the opportunity to work with fascinating people and organisations, and use all her experience of juggling leadership, research, management, parenthood and life to contribute to making the world a fairer place. When she is not working you can find her walking, crocheting, baking, listening to audio books or dancing in the kitchen.

Connect with Ellie:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-highwood/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EllieHighwood

Website: www.equasense.co.uk

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue dives into the value of the necessity for DEI certifications.

“They want to know whether you are competent, when they're hiring you for time, or for a particular project externally. They want to know what the return on investment is, when I hear a lot of people speak about return on investment is very flaky, very fluffy, very high level. They're not talking about business transformations at all. They're not able to articulate tangible outcomes for our business for the piece of work they're working on. That is a problem that goes back to competency here. It's not enough to just say, because it's the right thing to do”

Episode Highlights:

• The various reason a DEI practitioner may need a certification 
• Do certifications prove the competency level of a DEI practitioner
• What to look for when hiring a competent DEI practitioner  

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks to Darjene Graham-Perez about her journey transitioning into the DEI space within an organisational setting.

Episode Highlights:

• Darjene’s transition into DEI space within an organizational setting.
• The surprises she encountered along the way, as well as, cultural changes within the organsiation 
• How to build relationships with stakeholders.
• The key skills she developed or nurtured in other to succeed in her role 

About Darjene Graham-Perez:

Dr. Darjené is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Leader with 10+ years of experience in developing and facilitating corporate and non-profit diversity & inclusion training. As a Diversity Executive, HR Partner, and Trainer, she has extensive experience in expertise in leading team development, coaching, strategic planning, and goal setting. Dr. Darjené has excellent strategic and process thinking abilities with an emphasis on human resource practices, diversity and inclusion, organizational development, facilitation and customer service.

 She has experience in developing and implementing successful diversity and inclusion strategies for leadership accountability and development of employee engagement and retention efforts. Ability to drive and manage change within diverse organizations and engage with executives and staff at all levels. 

 Connect with Darjene:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-darjene-graham-perez/

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks about overconfidence in your DEI practice, the risks involved, and ways to avoid it. 

“ If you find yourself coming up with the same solutions all of the time, it's really important to ask yourself; why does this business or team need this? What would be the benefits? Are these outcomes any different from what we've sought out before? What are the results we've received before that are super crucial?”

Episode Highlights:

• The 3 main areas in which overconfidence can affect DEI practitioners 
• Forgetting or forsaking the basis of DEI practice in terms of your diagnostics within an organization
• How to properly assess the needs of a company 

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks to Dee Jas about his journey from HR to the world of DEI, how he was able to become a competent DEI practitioner and the steps he took to get there.

Episode Highlights:

• The important role learning and being curious plays when becoming a competent DEI practitioner 
• Surprising facts about working as a DEI practitioner 
• Tips for upcoming DEI practitioners 

About Dee Jas:

Dee is the founder of we are colourfull - a consultancy and media platform that aims to increase visibility and the inclusion of the LGBTQ community and People of Colour in the workplace as well as wider society - using data, storytelling and design thinking. Prior to this, Dee held HR Leadership roles in creative organisations inc. the BBC, Net-A-Porter and Girl Effect.

Connect with Dee Jas:

Dee Jas (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepakjas/

Colourfull (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/company/colourfull

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearecolourfull

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks about how to gain the trust of your corporate clients. As practitioners, we need to ensure we are well researched and know the pros and cons of the strategies and methodologies we suggest. 

Episode Highlights:

• How to gain the trust of your clients in terms of your strategy and the methodologies you might be using.
• Talk about scenarios relating the importance of transparency.
• Importance of being transparent about what is to be discussed.
• How traditional form unconscious bias training is ineffective.

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks to Anna Pinkerton about trauma, how it relates to the DEI space and practitioners. We need to be aware of what trauma is and how to identify it so that we can do the appropriate signposting, particularly if we are not trained ourselves.

Episode Highlights:

• What trauma is and how it relates to the DEI space and Practitioners.
• Examples of how trauma affects us. 
• The importance of practitioners being aware of their own trauma.
• How to Identify trauma
• The difference between being trauma informed and trauma aware.
• The work Anna’s been doing with practitioners to help them to become trauma informed.

And so much more!

About Anna Pinkerton:

Trauma specialist, Therapeutic Coach and Founder of the My Kinda Life® Methodology 

Anna Pinkerton is a leading expert in stress awareness, chronic stress, and trauma. She’s a clinician of 28 years’ experience and works with individual leaders, athletes, people in the public eye & companies worldwide as a trainer, and leadership coach.  

She’s the author & founder of the My Kinda Life® leadership development methodology. Anna is a best-selling author and has two books MY KINDA LIFE – in Leadership:  Live & Lead with Kindness for Better Relationships, Be Respected, Create Impact and SMILE AGAIN: Your Recovery from Burnout, Breakdown & Overwhelming Stress.  

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Diversity committees are allies to you as an organisation, but also to the wider employee cohort. Helping them to get their structure together, decide roles on their objectives and learn to navigate corporate structure can contribute to organisation’s overall DNI objectives while also having some of their objectives met.

These committees are made up of people with passion, who have passion, who are volunteers, and what you want to do is get them into a place where they are identifying the skills, the competencies they need, in the actual committee to meet the objectives that they end up agreeing upon

Episode Highlights:

• How to get the best from your diversity committees.
• What you can do to support your diversity committee.

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks to Birgit Neu about what skill and competencies she had to develop or nurture to carry out her role as a DEI practitioner.

“DEI and successful DEI plans, they're about storytelling. They're about bringing people on that journey with us. So people who are great communicators and understand how to motivate, inspire people and get them moving on that journey with us.”

Episode Highlights:

-The difference between working within an organization doing DEI work is and working with multiple organizations and an external partner. 

-The competencies Birgit had to develop to carry out her role.

-Things that surprised Birgit about working in the field that didn’t know about before she started.

And so much more!

About Birgit Neu:

Birgit Neu is a senior DEI advisor and the former Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at HSBC, with a broad career spanning multiple sectors including digital, retail, publishing and financial services. She has been named in LinkedIn’s Top 10 UK Voices for Gender Equity 2022, Top 20 Diversity Professionals in Industry 2020 by the Global Diversity List, and was Head of Diversity of the Year at the 2019 European Diversity Awards. Birgit is a founding member of the 30% Club’s Strategy Best Practices Working Group focussing on commercial DEI best practices, and is a regular contributor to thought leadership and advisory groups across different aspects of DEI and ESG for leading organisations worldwide.

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks about looking after stakeholders and the main point of contact throughout  the project life span.

“Understanding their role, what they do, who they interface with, what the challenges of their role is trying to ascertain, and  what seniority and authority they have, because sometimes, even if the head of HR has the budget and has proved of the piece of work, your day to day contact may not be with them, it may be with another stakeholder. So make sure you really understand what their role is, who they are in the business and what their challenges are super important.”

Episode Highlights: 

• The various methodologies and techniques used to build confidence of stakeholders
• The importance of good communication with your stakeholders
• Sending comprehensive proposals to stakeholders

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

You can find out about the services we offer here:

https://sites.google.com/benhue.com/dei-pro-training-and-coaching/home

Join the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

“So you need the foundational skills, you need to be educated about things like unconscious bias, you need to really spend a lot of time educating yourself about different identities that maybe you don't align with. So being someone who's a constant researcher, and a learner is really important”

If your foundation is not good, don't go building a beautiful house on top of it, because the house is gonna fall down.-Andrea G. Tatum

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks to Andrea G. Tatum about the skills that she had to nurture and develop to carry out consulting, also the things that surprised her about doing DEI consulting that she didn't anticipate before starting.

Episode Highlights 

• Andrea Tatum shares the skills and competencies she has chosen to nurture and develop to carry out consulting.

- How Andrea Tatum improved her listening skills 

-Andrea Tatum shared why she started her business

-What and why transferable skills are important in workplace DEI 

-Why people should know what they're applying for when applying for DEI jobs 

-Why it’s important to set up a good foundation.

And so much more!

About Andrea G. Tatum:

Andrea G. Tatum spent her early career as a marketer in non-profit arts organizations including theatres, ballets, and symphonies. She was named one of the most influential women in Atlanta by Rolling Out Magazine for her focus on diversifying audiences.

Shortly after moving to the Bay Area, she pivoted into tech as a product marketing and events manager. And while her entire career has been about creating more diverse and inclusive spaces, she pivoted into a full-time DEI Career after running several of Tableau’s DEI programs. 

Andrea began AGT Diversity Consulting in 2020. As a DEI consultant, she works with a range of clients from Fortune 500s to startups to arts organizations. As a DEI Career Coach, she brings her unique insights to help experienced professionals who are passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion gain clarity about their transferable skills and experience so that they can move past self doubt in order to start their journey into a DEI career. 

Andrea graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Advertising/Public Relations and holds a CAPM from the Project Management Institute.

Connect with Andrea G. Tatum:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrea_g_tatum/

Website: andreagtatum.com  & Deicareer.com

Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreagtatum/or https://www.linkedin.com/company/deicareercenter 

Join the DEI Prof Academy now! If you’re ready to level up in your practice and competence and get expert, practical and proven support then apply to join the academy today. 

DEI Competency Training Event (September, London 2022) Pre-register Today!

Here is the link to the pre-registration form for the event: https://forms.gle/jdmrpMvgyZ7Myhyr8

Pre-register today if you're interested in being notified when tickets go on sale for this groundbreaking one of a kind training event for those who do workplace DEI. This will be a 2 day in-person training event.

Early bird tickets will be £550 + VAT.

Event Timing: 12-13 September, 2022 (9.30am-5pm)

Event Address: London Venue Location TBC

Here is the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

“If you want to make your mark, you want to make a difference, being transformational and seeking to be transformational in those competencies is the key here.”

In this episode I discuss the pros and cons of certification in the diversity, equity and inclusion industry. Do we need certifications? What are the benefits of certification? Do they prepare you for the reality of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace of work?

And so much more!

Join the DEI Prof Academy now! If you’re ready to level up in your practice and competence and get expert, practical and proven support then apply to join the academy today. 

DEI Competency Training Event (September, London 2022) Pre-register Today!

Here is the link to the pre-registration form for the event: https://forms.gle/jdmrpMvgyZ7Myhyr8

Pre-register today if you're interested in being notified when tickets go on sale for this groundbreaking one of a kind training event for those who do workplace DEI. This will be a 2 day in-person training event.

Early bird tickets will be £550 + VAT.

Event Timing: 12-13 September, 2022 (9.30am-5pm)

Event Address: London Venue Location TBC

Here is the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Join the DEI Prof Academy now! If you’re ready to level up in your practice and competence and get expert, practical and proven support then apply to join the academy today. 

DEI Competency Training Event (September, London 2022) Pre-register Today!

Here is the link to the pre-registration form for the event: https://forms.gle/jdmrpMvgyZ7Myhyr8

Pre-register today if you're interested in being notified when tickets go on sale for this groundbreaking one of a kind training event for those who do workplace DEI. This will be a 2 day in-person training event.

Early bird tickets will be £550 + VAT.

Event Timing: 12-13 September, 2022 (9.30am-5pm)

Event Address: London Venue Location TBC

Here is the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

“The coaching qualification really helped me work with people from underrepresented groups, which I do and support them as their values and authentic leadership and what their strengths are and support them to create the career that they won't be absolutely, as opposed to me work with people that want to be inclusive leaders as well, and apply the coaching skills to that space”

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks to Anita Phagura about her project management experience and she used those skills in the DEI Space. Anita also opens up about her experience of burnout and how that has impacted the way she practices DEI now.

Episode Highlights:

• How project management experience helps in the DEI Space
• How Anita coped with burnout and what she learned from that experience
• How Anita used visual thinking in her DEI practice 
• How becoming an accredited coach has impacted her DEI practice.
• Things you should know if you wanted to get started in DEI field

And so much more!

About Anita Phagura:

Anita Phagura is a Misfit Inclusion Specialist, ICF Accredited Leadership Coach and Masters Qualified Project Manager with over a decade of experience in the male-dominated industry of railway construction.

As an Asian woman leading railway projects, she was used to being the only one in the room like her…and that wasn’t a problem necessarily until she realised, as she became a manager, that she was being treated differently BECAUSE of her identity - she 'miss-fit' no matter how she tried to adjust to ‘fit’. Eventually these experiences knocked her ambitions, until after becoming a mum in the workplace and another series of knocks - she chose to reclaim her ambition and her career. She now helps others to do the same as well as supporting leaders in organisations to create cultures where misfits can belong. 

Anita has worked with many ambitious leaders and aspiring leaders within projects and small businesses who felt like they didn’t belong or fit in. She has supported them to embrace their Misfit to achieve career success on their terms. Anita works with project teams and corporate leaders to create cultures of belonging in the workplace, not just because it's the right thing to do but because businesses and projects are losing out on such amazing talent by minimising the contributions from 'misfit' groups. She works to disrupt the status quo for fairness and equity, to improve the wellbeing of people who miss-fit because of their identity and so that projects are ultimately delivered better. 

Connect with Anita Pagura:

Website: http://fierceprojectmanagement.com/

Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-phagura/

Email: anitaphagura@fierceprojectmanagement.com

Join the DEI Prof Academy now! If you’re ready to level up in your practice and competence and get expert, practical and proven support then apply to join the academy today. 

Here is the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

In this episode, I will be discussing how you can use pilot training sessions to demonstrate your expertise, your facilitation skills and ensure that your training sessions meets its objectives. 

‘ But it also means that we are building relationships with the clients, they are able to preview and see the content and how we build our training programs or the coaching program. It also enables us to understand our stakeholders more so when they're in this scenario, they share their perspectives on the topic on the organization on what they intend to do with the training or seek to achieve with the training’. 

Episode Highlights:

• What is a pilot session
• Why do we run them
• How do we prepare for them
• How do we use them to demonstrate expertise and gain trust 
• How pilot sessions ensure that organisations get a return on their investment
• Why pilot sessions are good for gathering data on learning styles, content, format and structure 

Join the DEI Prof Academy now! If you’re ready to level up in your practice and competence and get expert, practical and proven support then apply to join the academy today. 

Here is the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

‘Rightness has never transformed anything of significance’ - Amri Johnson.

In this episode, Ashanti Bentil - Dhue talks to Amri Johnson about taking a global anthropological approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, how his background in research influences his practice as well as his thoughts on how to approach including the lived experience of everyone in an organisation.

“But what I think I've had to nurture is perspective taking. So that means reflecting on context, whether I'm aligned with it or not, I need to reflect on it. And it gives me the ability to hold views that are seemingly contradictory, at the same time for me to also stay open to being influenced by the perspectives of the so-called other”

Episode Highlights:

• What Amri learned about DEI in Europe.

• Understanding how to use cultural intellegence in this work 
• Practice based evidence vs evidence based practice 
• The importance of enquiry and curiosity as a DEI practitioner 
• The challenge of managing and balancing your personal, perspective and political views when working within DEI
• The power of using discernment and ways to develop your discernment skills in DEI practice 
• Setting conditions what and how we work with organisations as a DEI professionals 
• The benefits of having coaching experience and training within the workplace and for DEI professionals 
• Amri talks about why ‘learning is your street cred’ and why ‘learning with’ organisations is important for DEI professionals
• How to avoid doing harm in DEI practice 

And so much more!

About Amri Johnson:

Amri Johnson is an Executive Advisor, Inclusion Strategist, Social Capitalist. For over 20 years, Amri Johnson has been instrumental in helping organizations and their people create extraordinary business outcomes. Johnson is the CEO/Founder of Inclusion Wins and the author of the new book "Reconstructing Inclusion: Making Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Accessible, Actionable, and Sustainable." An inclusion strategist, executive advisor, social capitalist, epidemiologist, and entrepreneur, Johnson's mission is to create thousands of organizations that thrive via inclusive behaviors, leadership, structures, and practices. With an English and Biology degree from Morehouse College and a Master’s degree in Public Health from Emory, Johnson is building a global cooperative of people-focused solution providers whose work is informed and enhanced by inclusiveness. He is currently based in Basel, Switzerland with his wife and children, and works with organizations around the world. 

Connect with Amri:

Website: https://inclusionwins.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amrijohnson/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmriJohnson

Book(Pre-order): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/710903/reconstructing-inclusion-by-amri-johnson/

Join the DEI Prof Academy now! If you’re ready to level up in your practice and competence and get expert, practical and proven support then apply to join the academy today. 

Here is the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

This week was very challenging in my business and it made me reflect on the reality of the work we do and how we manage sustainability and longevity as practitioners. I discuss the difference between doing DEI work as a side hustle or interest and building a career in DEI. 

Join the DEI Prof Academy now! If you’re ready to level up in your practice and competence and get expert, practical and proven support then apply to join the academy today. 

Here is the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

You already know that I don’t believe that passion and lived experience are required competencies for those who are DEI professionals. I decided to find out what other DEI professionals think around the world. In this episode, I share what I learned from talking to over 50 DEI professionals about how they ensure they are competent and transformational in their work. I also share the reason why competence is so important in this work. Special thanks to all of the DEI professionals who took the time to have a conversation with me.

Episode Highlights:

• My financial regulatory background and how it impacts the approach I take to DEI practice 
• Whether or not introducing standards into the DEI industry is an attempt to ‘gatekeep’ the industry and create exclusion 
• Why passion, lived experience and identity is not enough of a qualifier for this work 
• The insights I gained from talking to DEI professionals around the world 
• The importance of understanding organizational change and how organizations work
• The need to access and use verified regionally relevant research about what's happening in the world of DEI in our practice 
• The most common area of continuous development for DEI professionals according to them 
• The story behind why facilitation and training are within my zone of expertise 
• What to expect from this podcast moving forward 
• What to do if you would like to be a guest on the podcast (drop me an email)

And so much more!

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

Join the DEI Prof Academy now! If you’re ready to level up in your practice and competence and get expert, practical and proven support then apply to join the academy today. 

Here is the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Here is the DEI Prof Academy application form link:

https://forms.gle/XjpHydV7XYw52u3U8

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

The wonderful thing about the work I do is that I do get to see a lot of training programs, I get to see those of my competitors and my peers and I get to see what elements are commonly included and which elements are commonly excluded or forgotten. 

In today’s episode, I will be discussing the key things often missed from the foundational pieces of training programs and workshops when delivering diversity, equity and inclusion content. Adult learning methodologies, neurodiversity and good programme design skills are essential and should not be overlooked. It’s all well and good including provocative memes and social media content but we must not forget to ensure the content, format and delivery of diversity, equity and inclusion training programs and workshops. 

“Use the coaching experience as a tool to move the needle within individuals and teams in the business so that they can contribute to organizational aims and objectives related to diversity and inclusion.”

Episode Highlights:

• What are the foundational pieces that need to be explored and discussed when it comes to creating training programs
• Why it's so important to always be evidence and research based when you are building and creating training programs and coaching programs within organizations
• Why intersectionality is key when creating program content 
• Why training and workshops should be relevant and practical for participants if you want them to take action after the session ends 

• Knowing the difference between information and transformation and how to take people on the journey 

• Understanding what neurodiversity is and how the awareness of it can impact and enhance the work you do and the content you produce in training

And so much more!

Book an exploratory call to discuss whether the DEI Prof Academy is right for you. You can ask any questions you may have. These spaces are very limited so if you’d like to have a chat with me directly about DEI competence and practice, then book a call here.

Join the DEI Prof Academy now! If you’re ready to level up in your practice and competence and get expert, practical and proven support then apply to join the academy today. 

Here is the DEI Prof Academy application form link:

https://forms.gle/XjpHydV7XYw52u3U8

Here is the mailing list link:

https://forms.gle/9GZtBkvkYgUbziho9

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• The difference between building a personal brand on Linkedin and building expertise and credibility 
• The things which will not make you money or build your credibility 
• Why it's important to understand what your current skill set or expertise are
• The importance of self care

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Featured in the Episode:

• Episode 4 - The difference between an influencer, activist, thought leader, expert and supporter in diversity, equity and inclusion industry
• Episode 13 - The problems with leading ‘lived experience’ in diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• Anti racism and anti blackness
• The common concern organisations have around ensuring predominantly white workforces attend training about racism 
• How to create psychological safety when before, during and after training 
• How to use lived experience appropriately during training and workshops 
• The question of whether Black people or minorities should be exempt from these training

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Featured in the Episode:

• Episode 16 - The safe space myth when discussing diversity and inclusion in the workplace with colleagues
• Episode 13 - The problems with leading with ‘lived experience’ in diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of identifying the awareness level of your stakeholders 
• Why you may need to educate your stakeholders.
• Why you need to discuss any potential challenges which may affect the delivery of your project 
• Why taking a step by step approach with clients makes the most difference to the client and makes you more money 

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of knowing the difference 
• The key elements which differentiate each of them 
• Why reverse mentoring is not a sustainable inclusion strategy by itself 
• The transformational benefits of coaching 

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• Three common problems or issues facing organizations today 
• Why the audit and assessment phase is critical to this work
• Why focus groups and gathering qualitative data is extremely useful

And so much more!

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• The complex construct of race 
• The importance of context when addressing race in the workplace 
• Why it’s essential to explore, question and challenge any existing hypothesis we have 
• Avoiding making assumptions and drawing premature conclusions 

And so much more! 

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• Why a strong principle based approach to DEI work is necessary 
• Why we need to enable and upskill clients to carry out DEI work when we are not present or providing support 
• Why it's important to encourage independent thinking which enables clients to explore solutions for themselves
• The problem with codependency 

And so much more! 

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• Challenges to be aware of when it comes to associate work and partnership agreements 
• Why it’s important to understand what the full scope of the work is  
• Being clear on the terms and conditions of your working arrangement
• Why it's really important to know and agree with the ethos and values of a partner before working with them 
• The issue with not recognising when making a referral is more appropriate than partnering on a project 

And so much more! 

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• Why knowing the current baseline / status of an organization is key before working with them 
• The common differences in culture, setup, etc. between organisations at the start of the journey vs those more advanced
• A few of the challenges facing organizations who are starting from scratch
• What it's like working with organisations who may be more advanced in their journey 
• Why we need to understand what the different dimensions of diversity, equity and inclusion work looks like 
• Why we need to help organizations to understand where they should start on their journey

And so much more!

NB: Please excuse the incorrect use of pronouns when referring to Lily Zheng. This was a genuine mistake. 

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Featured in the Episode:

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lilyzheng308_diversity-equity-inclusion-activity-6874764805220237312-7Bcc/

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• Why the art of conversation is a skill that all consultants and practitioner need to have 
• Why you need to be able to understand what type of conversation is needed
• How to manage difficult and uncomfortable conversations about client behaviour or actions 
• Why preparation in advance is key 
• The benefits of upskilling yourself in having difficult conversations as a consultant or practitioner

And so much more! 

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• Why this episode was recorded and the topic needs to be discussed 
• Some of the challenges professional  white women face in role when it comes to DEI work
• The history (and reality of gender diversity) - the euphemism for the advancement of white women in the workplace and why this may cause distrust 
• Why self awareness, and a willingness to consider the other perspectives, lived experiences and realities are important

And so much more! 

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

***You can now join the waiting list for the opening of the Good Soil Leaders Academy in January 2022***

Get your name on the waiting list and you will be contacted when the academy opens for enrolment: Fill out form here

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of  knowing yourself, your strengths, your expertise in order to guide your selection of projects and clients
• How (and why) you need to identify the right clients for your level of expertise and niche 

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Featured In The Episode:

• Carrie Rose - The Sauce

***You can now join the waiting list for the opening of the Good Soil Leaders Academy in January 2022***

Get your name on the waiting list and you will be contacted when the academy opens for enrolment: Fill out form here

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• Why ‘safe spaces’ are a fallacy in the workplace 
• Why an appropriate facilitator is key to ensuring no harm is caused to participants during conversations
• The need for aftercare after these conversations 
• Why structure, design and purpose is important to define in advance of the conversation 
• Conversations change people and change lives which is why we must approach them with care in the workplace 
• Some questions to ask yourself when planning conversations in the workplace: What are the risks of this conversation? And how do we mitigate them? And how can we avoid relying too heavily on individuals, personal individuals who are going to have to share personal experiences? How do we support those individuals? If they choose to still share those experiences? How do we support them when they choose to do so?

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Featured In The Episode:

• Episode 13 -The Problems with Leading with Lived Experiences in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace

***You can now join the waiting list for the opening of the Good Soil Leaders Academy in January 2022***

Get your name on the waiting list and you will be contacted when the academy opens for enrolment: Fill out form here

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• Why it is important and helpful to understand the challenges that a stakeholder’s experiencing.
• One of the biggest mistakes we make at times in DEI industry
• The benefits of building rapport in a particular organization
• The challenges that internal DEI roll holders are experiencing 

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

***You can now join the waiting list for the opening of the Good Soil Leaders Academy in January 2022***

Get your name on the waiting list and you will be contacted when the academy opens for enrolment: Fill out form here

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

We're coming to the end of year and it is that time where we tend to think about what our goals are and what we want for our business. Listen to today's episode as Ashanti will be sharing with us how she will prepare to be a better coach and practitioner in 2022.

Episode Highlights:

• Hal Elrod “Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development”
• Why we need to be more self aware as DEI practitioners
• The importance of making learning a top priority in 2022
• Two things that Ashanti is doing to prepare to up-skill and develop
• The tools and resources that will be very valuable to her client work in 2022

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

***You can now join the waiting list for the opening of the Good Soil Leaders Academy in January 2022***

Get your name on the waiting list and you will be contacted when the academy opens for enrolment: Fill out form here

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Lived experience is heralded as one of the vital ingredients for an inclusive leader or diversity consultant. In this episode I challenge this belief and explore the pitfalls of relying solely on lived experience in this work. 

Listen into today’s episode as Ashanti will be discussing the following:

• The value of lived experience
• Lived experience vs. learned experience 
• Why you have to know when and how to separate your personal values and emotions when working with an organization 

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

***You can now join the waiting list for the opening of the Good Soil Leaders Academy in January 2022***

Get your name on the waiting list and you will be contacted when the academy opens for enrolment: Fill out form here

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

This is a key episode that you might want to take notes on. What is the difference between an expert, an influencer, an activist and thought leaders within the DEI, particularly now, when social media is being used so widely, and people are doing more personal branding and becoming more visible online. How do you see beyond that to make sure you're engaging an actual expert, practitioner or consultancy that can help you get the work done? 

Episode Highlights 

• Types of activism and how to identify an activist
• The risks associated with hiring an activist by accident for workplace culture change work
• The risk for organizations who engage influencers for DEI work 
• Thought leaders and their role in the DEI industry
• Identifying experts in the DEI space

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

*** You can now join the waiting list for the opening of the Good Soil Leaders Academy in January 2022***

Good Soil Leaders is an inclusive leadership development and coaching company. Through our work, we keep the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Industry accountable, ethical, and competent by training and supporting practitioners, consultants, leaders and people managers to develop the transformational competencies needed to be effective in the industry. Get your name on the waiting list and you will be contacted when the academy opens for enrolment: Fill out form here

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Pricing is a challenge in any business and especially when you are a small business owner and independent service provider. Listen into today’s episode as Ashanti explores and shares her perspective based on research and experience of offering services for payment.

Episode Highlights:

• Does the emotional labor in DEI work warrant higher prices?
• Pricing based on experience, expertise and transferable skills
• Imposter syndrome and confidence challenges you might be having when it comes to pricing your services
• Where to go for good money mindset advice
• The charging 'what you're worth' fallacy

Featured In This Episode:

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mrdavidmcqueen_without-apology-some-people-like-to-be-all-activity-6847048027778101248-CJsL/

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ashantibd_pay-equity-within-the-dei-industry-activity-6867159216222703617-CZz7

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

***You can now join the waiting list for the opening of the Good Soil Leaders Academy in January 2022***

Get your name on the waiting list and you will be contacted when the academy opens for enrolment: Fill out form here

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Good Soil Leaders is an inclusive leadership development and coaching company. Through our work, we keep the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Industry accountable, ethical, and competent by training and supporting practitioners, consultants, leaders and people managers to develop the transformational competencies needed to be effective in the industry. Therefore it made sense that our flagship training and coaching program is called “The Good Soil Leaders Academy”. 

The Academy is a hybrid training and coaching program. There is a portal which has resources within it, a whole training resource program which all of our members have access to. There are some key areas that we focus on, and we're filling in the gaps that we don't see in existing accreditation and certifications but also the gaps that those of us who are experienced doing the actual work with organizations, the competencies, skills and abilities that we know are required in this particular work. 

In this episode I cover who the academy is for, what it’s about and why training and experience matters. 

Find out more when you listen to today’s episode!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

*** You can now join the waiting list for the opening of the Good Soil Leaders Academy in January 2022***

Get your name on the waiting list and you will be contacted when the academy opens for enrolment: Fill out form here

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue 

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Most stakeholders are going to be thinking about next year already. If you’re wondering what your competitors and clients will be focusing on and investing in next year, listen to this episode. Ashanti discusses emerging trends which might shape the way you manage your organizations and employees in 2022 and beyond.

Episode Highlights:

• The benefits of data transparency in DEI
• Identifying, collecting and understanding DEI Data
• The future of recruitment 
• Unconscious bias training 
• People Manager Development 
• AI Technology in Employee Development

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the Good Soil Leaders Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on Good Soil Leaders Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights Include:

• What to do if a stakeholder relationships is at risk

• The importance of identifying your stakeholders needs and challenges 
• Why the skill of leading an uncomfortable and complex conversation is critical for practitioners and leads 
• How you can help a stakeholder to become self aware and be more transparent 
• The need to remember that your stakeholder also needs care not just the wider employee cohort
• What stakeholders need from you as a practitioner (or lead)
• Why it is important to have a good relationship with stakeholders
• Why effective communication with stakeholders is important

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the DEI Standard Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on  DEI Standard Podcast 

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Interested in working in the DEI industry? Are you looking for job roles within organisations which are focused on DEI? In this episode, I share some ideas and guidance about how you can get started in the industry.  

Episode Highlights:

• Understanding where you are starting from and how your background can add value. 
• The need to focus on being a responsible and competent practitioner, consultant or lead
• Know why you want to work in this industry.because passion, lived experience and the pursuit of justice is not enough.  
• Some of the actual tasks carried out by those working in DEI beyond posting on Linkedin and speaking at events 
• Self awareness as a DEI professional 
• The need to carry out a skills inventory so you can identify areas of development
• Understanding and recognizing your weaknesses and strengths
• Ensuring you are aware of your own issues, traumas and bias and seeking to heal those.

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

And so much more!

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the DEI Standard Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on  DEI Standard Podcast 

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of doing research and upskilling yourself 
• The value of having an expertise within the sector 
• Some of the competencies needed by those doing work in DEI 
• Why coaching and mentoring can be useful for your development
• Are accreditations, certifications and courses worth it when starting out
• Why it is important that you keep abreast of the DEI issues relevant for your industry

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the DEI Standard Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on  DEI Standard Podcast 

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• Why its important to research the event organizer or brand who has invited you 
• Why asking for the agenda and questions in advance is wise 
• Why its important to speak only on topics you know well 
• Understanding the context within which the subject is being discussed 
• Considering the audience source / sector when speaking so that you add value as a speaker 

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

And so much more!

Have you heard our sister podcast series called, the DEI Standard Podcast?  We reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire.

Find out and Listen more on  DEI Standard Podcast 

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of knowing your level of experience and expertise if you want to offer paid services to organisations 
• Why it's important that organizations should understand the difference between practitioners and others who talk about diversity 
• Lack of depth, the lack of experience and knowledge. Why is it problematic for the industry and stakeholders? 
• The difference between thought leaders, influencers, and experts through the DEI lens 

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

In DEI Standard  Podcast hosted by Ashanti Bentil-Dhue, we will reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire..

 Listen more on  DEI Standard Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) industry is broad and growing. 

Episode Highlights:

• What diversity and inclusion could mean for a workplace setting
• The importance why you have to understand what you're actually doing and what this work entails
• What it's really like to be a DEI practitioner.
• What do we mean when we say you need to be more diverse
• DEI is not just gender diversity and inclusion 

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04 

Resources:

https://www.vevox.com/blog/defining-diversity-inclusion-why-is-it-important-in-the-workplace

https://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-inclusion/

In DEI Standard  Podcast hosted by Ashanti Bentil-Dhue, we will reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire..

 Listen more on  DEI Standard Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

How effective is DEI practice at the moment? Are we really having the impact we seek? What will happen if we don’t hold ourselves accountable? I share what to expect from this show moving forward. 

Check out these Episode Highlights:

• Why the DEI Industry is at risk
• How we can prevent the DEI industry from becoming performative
• Why it is important for DEI practitioners to be able to share their experiences with their peers 
• How do we make sure we continue to offer the best support we can to organizations?
• The purpose and mission of this podcast
• The importance of self-awareness 

And so much more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04

In DEI Standard  Podcast hosted by Ashanti Bentil-Dhue, we will reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire..

 Listen more on  DEI Standard Podcast

Find Ashanti on Social Media:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com

In this Introductory episode, I am going to discuss what exactly it is I want to share, why it's useful, the reasons you should listen to the podcast, and setting some context giving some wider background information on the meed.

Listen to today’s episode and find out more!

If you'd like to discuss how Ashanti Bentil-Dhue can work with you, please book a call: https://calendly.com/ashantibentildhue/meeting-with-ashanti?back=1&month=2022-04

Featured on this Episode:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/need-diversity-equity-inclusion-service-provider-ashanti-bentil-dhue/

In DEI Standard  Podcast hosted by Ashanti Bentil-Dhue, we will reveal exactly what you need to know and to be aware of as a corporate organization when selecting and engaging the right Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts. We also cover how you could prepare your key stakeholders, your organization for the culture change that you desire..

 Listen more on  DEI Standard Podcast

Stay Connected with Ashanti:

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue

Get in Touch:

ashanti@benhue.com