She+ Geeks Out Podcast

In this episode of the She+ Geeks Out podcast, we welcome guest Huriyyah Muhammad, a writer, director, and producer, to discuss her journey in the film industry, the role of lifting up others in creative work, and her latest project 'Chocolate with Sprinkles'. Huriyyah also shares insights on breaking into directing, the impact of representation in Hollywood, and co-founding the Black TV and Film Collective. Before the interview, Felicia and Rachel discuss the importance of setting workplace boundaries and acknowledging how challenging it can be to maintain professional and personal well-being.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to She Geeks Out Podcast

00:26 Discussing Workplace Boundaries

01:59 Navigating Authenticity and Boundaries at Work

05:21 The Impact of Values in the Workplace

08:45 Introducing Huriyyah Muhammad

10:06 Huriyyah's Journey into Film

21:13 Chocolate with Sprinkles: A Personal Story

25:48 Exploring Magical Realism in Film

28:26 Introduction to the Black TV and Film Collective

30:09 Challenges and Growth of the Collective

31:40 Industry Shifts and Representation

34:49 Media Literacy and Misinformation

39:38 Directing Ramadan America

43:18 Breaking into Directing

50:23 Personal Reflections and Parenthood

56:50 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Links:

• We Are Not Family Blog post
• 40% of Gen Zers, millennials say they would quit over political differences at work
• https://www.afi.com/news/tag/afi-dww/
• https://www.blacktvfilmcollective.org/
• DEI Is A Trillion Dollar Blind Spot. Sephora Gets It - You Should Too
• Chocolate With Sprinkles
• Huriyyah Muhammad Instagram

Visit us at InclusionGeeks.com to stay up to date on all the ways you can make the workplace work for everyone! Check out Inclusion Geeks Academy and InclusionGeeks.com/podcast for the code to get a free mini course.

Looking for more support in having uncomfortable conversations? Join us for our upcoming program on Leading DEI Conversations!

Welcome to She+ Geeks Out, the podcast bringing you the voices of women+ from all walks of life to share with you what they geek out about-- their passions, talents, struggles, and successes. In each episode, hosts Rachel Murray and Felicia Jadczak will feature different guests and discussions about topics including health, psychology, art, music, learning, and more. Episodes are fun, engaging, and provide some nuggets of information that you can take away. Oh, and yeah, they might be awkward sometimes. That's just how we roll.

This season of She+ Geeks Out is unlike any other so far. Together, we will be unpacking what the future of work looks like for different groups of people in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion. In addition to our special guests, listeners will also get to hear snippets from our facilitation team on what DEI really looks like in the workplace from a practical, actionable standpoint.

Last week we talked about what it looks like to build a DEI program in an organization, and this week we’ll look at what it looks like when these initiatives are up and running. The truth is, in many cases, it’s going to mean more open dialogue and the potential for having uncomfortable conversations. To begin, DEI and Leadership Consultant and Coach Dr. Erika Powell talks about performative DEI. When someone is accused of this, it usually means that they are not engaging with psychological safety. Often, it is the silence of those of uncommon identities that we should be paying attention to. Somatics starts to help people to have difficult conversations. Dr. Victoria Verlezza, DEI Facilitator at SGO, joins to tell us more. Difficult conversations, she believes, stem from 2 places: wanting to have them but not knowing how, or being fearful of having them. However, it is important to think about identity and realizing that is more than being offensive, but being harmful. Research suggests that people don’t feel confident having harder conversations at work in an open setting.

Next, we talk to Becca Shanksy, Associate Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, about the conversations she is having to move beyond biases in academia. Translation neuroscience, she explains, is really about understanding what the brain is capable of translated to people of any gender or sex. Anna Whitlock, Director of People Strategy & Culture at LabCentral, joins to discuss the lack of awareness across the board that, for most, DEI practices are a learning experience. We are all just trying to do the right thing while accommodating everybody’s life experiences, but we aren’t always going to get it perfectly right. This work is a daily struggle and she hopes other people find comfort in her vulnerability.

We hear again from Dr. Victoria Verlezza on the key of talking across differences. We all have either dominant or oppressed identity that inevitably plays out in the workplace. When thinking of how to be inclusive leaders, it comes down to how we show up in these types of conversations. So much of professional life has been traditionally set up for people to put aside what makes them unique, but we need to feel comfortable embracing our identities and acknowledging the injustices which exist in our world. Then, she shares her usual reaction items when witnessing someone in the workplace express bias, unconscious or not. Next, SGO facilitator Fatima Dainkeh shares what it means to be an ally. Language supports us in our actions and behaviors and helps us in our mindset. However, it is possible to co-opt certain terminology based on how we perceive them. For her, the term ally means practicing something in your day to day life to support someone else who may not have the same social power you do. She explains the difference in calling in vs. calling out when giving feedback to colleagues who might say something inappropriate. When it comes to topics related to DEI, it is very important to know how to give effective feedback. She also notes that we should consider our relationship to a person before giving feedback to them. Part of doing this work is giving grace to everybody.

We also talked to Melanie Ho, author of Beyond Leaning In and Naomi Seddon, author of Milk and Margaritas, about the conversations they’re taking part in. Weaponizing competence is a popular topic that has just recently gotten traction in the last year. For Melanie, she is noticing much more of a shift towards having these difficult discussions with others rather than brushing things under the rug. Naomi adds that this is not just an issue relevant to the workplace, but something we need to be practicing within our homes as well. Conversa...

This week on the She Geeks Out podcast, we chat with Erica Becks, the Confidence Guru, a seasoned leadership and transformative mindset coach. Erica empowers women to break barriers and boost confidence using a personalized and evidence-based approach. With a Master's from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor's from Brown University, Erica's impactful coaching has been featured in major outlets like the Today Show and the Huffington Post. Tune in to gain insights from Erica's wisdom!

[00:02:36] Mexico's first woman president.

[00:05:26] Gender parity in Mexico.

[00:08:03] Supreme Court justices controversy.

[00:10:31] Interview with Erica starts.

[00:15:27] Entrepreneurial opportunity at social networking.

[00:19:36] Conquering fear of public speaking.

[00:23:25] The power of confidence.

[00:25:55] Trauma in the workplace.

[00:28:41] Therapeutic background in coaching.

[00:32:38] Internal barriers for women.

[00:38:58] Overcoming self-doubt and building confidence.

[00:39:44] Neuroplasticity in brain science.

[00:43:38] Cultivating Confidence Quickly.

[00:47:25] Meditation and its benefits.

[00:51:33] The power of positive self-talk.

[00:55:26] Positive self-talk app.

[00:58:29] Generational differences in parenting.

[01:02:28] Evolution of leadership mindset coaching.

[01:05:29] Manifesting with the Mindvalley app.

[01:09:07] Stay updated on all things.

Links mentioned:

• Self Talk Plus app
• Mind Valley app
• Follow Erica on LinkedIn

Visit us at InclusionGeeks.com to stay up to date on all the ways you can make the workplace work for everyone! Check out Inclusion Geeks Academy and InclusionGeeks.com/podcast for the code to get a free mini course.

In this episode of the She+ Geeks Out podcast, hosts Rachel and Felicia welcome return guest Rachele Pojednic, an expert in nutrition and wellness. Rachele discusses her career trajectory, from teaching at Simmons University to her current roles at Restore Hyper Wellness and Stanford University's Center on Longevity. We talk about complementary therapies such as cryotherapy, the importance of consistent healthy habits, and the role of social connections in health. Rachele also addresses public health misconceptions, the challenges of scientific research, and the influence of popular science communicators like Andrew Huberman and Joe Rogan. We also explore the complexity of balancing between scientific integrity and public dissemination of health information.

Links:

• Episode 64: Creating a Strong Process with Rachele Pojednic
• Episode 23: Fitness and Nutrition with Rachele Pojednic
• Restore Hyper Wellness
• Rachele Pojednic
• Strong Process
• October Webinar Registration

Chapters:

00:32 Preparing for Election Season

01:35 Election Day and Workplace Policies

04:25 Scenarios for Election Outcomes

08:16 Introducing Guest Rachele Pojednic

11:45 Rachel Pojednic's Career Journey

18:54 The Role of Science in Wellness

30:58 Challenges in Public Health and Science

34:49 The Honey Study: Unveiling Bias in Research

37:07 The Rise of Science Communicators

40:00 Navigating Trust in Science and Media

42:06 Understanding Longevity and Healthspan

47:09 The Basics of a Healthy Lifestyle

50:45 Complementary Therapies: Cryotherapy and More

55:43 The Debate on IV Drips and Micronutrients

01:02:59 The Role of Social Connection in Health

01:09:02 Conclusion and Upcoming Events

Visit us at InclusionGeeks.com to stay up to date on all the ways you can make the workplace work for everyone! Check out Inclusion Geeks Academy and InclusionGeeks.com/podcast for the code to get a free mini course.

Did you know that Quidditch isn't just something you watch in a Harry Potter movie? There are real life Quidditch teams and leagues and competitions! We had no idea either, at least not until we met Katie at one of our Inclusion Geeks events. Katie Stack has a long history with Quidditch, which we completely nerd out about. But that's not all-- Katie's also done some really amazing work in the areas of advocacy and development.

Visit us at InclusionGeeks.com to stay up to date on all the ways you can make the workplace work for everyone! Check out Inclusion Geeks Academy and InclusionGeeks.com/podcast for the code to get a free mini course.