Brewing Equity with Melissa Villanueva

05/17/23 • 28 min

In this thought-provoking episode we sit down with the inspiring Melissa Villanueva, a visionary leader in the coffee industry and an advocate for social justice. Join us as we delve into the captivating world of coffee and explore how it can be a catalyst for building a more equitable society.

Melissa Villanueva is the CEO and owner of Brewpoint Coffee in Elmhurst, IL. Brewpoint Coffee has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Sprudge, and a number of other publications for their inspiring small business journey.

During our conversation, Melissa shares her personal journey and the experiences that shaped her passion for social impact. She delves into the challenges faced by coffee farmers, particularly in developing countries, and how their livelihoods are impacted by systemic issues such as poverty, gender inequality, and climate change.

Throughout the episode, Melissa shares inspiring stories of individuals and communities who have benefited from the transformative power of equitable coffee practices. She emphasizes the need for collaboration and collective action to create a fairer and more sustainable coffee industry that benefits everyone involved.

Tune in to this enlightening conversation with Melissa Villanueva, where we explore the incredible potential of coffee as a vehicle for positive change. Whether you're a coffee lover, an advocate for social justice, or simply curious about the intersection of business and social impact, this episode will leave you inspired to take action and support a more equitable world.

Connect with Melissa:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-villanueva-95579340/

Grab Some Coffee:

https://brewpointcoffee.com/

Connect with Melissa:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-villanueva-95579340/

Grab Some Coffee:

https://brewpointcoffee.com/

Previous Episode

Transforming HR From Paper-first to People-first with Tracie Sponenberg

People, not policies.

This is the major shift that our guest, Tracie Sponenberg, is looking to enact in HR departments around the world. Modern HR is more than just compliance, it’s about connecting with community and designing employee experiences so workers can do the best work of their lives and feel true satisfaction in their roles.

Tracie is Chief People Officer at The Granite Group and a highly sought after keynote speaker who specializes in helping HR departments move from a “paper-first” to “people-first” model. As a long time practitioner Tracie has over 25 years of experience helping organizations focus on culture, authenticity, and transparency. She is the recipient of the 2022 Boston HR Council Speaker of the Year Award, the global 2022 and 2021 OnCON Global Icon Top 50 Human Resources Professional Awards and the 2019 RY Perry HR Hero Award.

“HR needs to be passionate about the people experience. We can design journeys and implement employee feedback models to design experiences that they truly love.”

In this episode we get a glimpse into how Tracie found her place in HR and how she was able to move from “Karen in HR,” to “Caring HR” through empathizing with her workforce and building experiences that brought the best out in them.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. Thanks, as always, for tuning in to our show.

Connect with Tracie:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/traciesponenberg/

Next Episode

Reimagine Inclusion with Mita Mallick

I’m so excited to share this in depth discussion with you. Mita Mallick shares insights from her new book, Reimagine Inclusion, where she debunks 13 myths that hold us back from transforming our workplaces. She delivers powerful storytelling combined with practical and hands-on ways for us to be more inclusive leaders.

In this episode she demonstrates that when we show up as more inclusive leaders, we have the power to change our organizations, ultimately creating a ripple effect across our ecosystem. She discusses how to understand, confront, and mitigate our own biases as we commit to do the work that starts with leaders.

You’ll also discover how to coach future leaders, how to be intentional about how you lead in your organization―both in public and behind closed doors―and how you can become an active participant in building your workplace’s culture.

Throughout the episode we discuss how leaders can:

Understand the individual's journey in your organization
Interrupt bias at every key decision point
Transform your organization’s systems, processes, and policies to improve inclusivity at every level.

“I believe diversity of thought doesn’t happen without diversity of representation. When you have all those points of views, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds coming together around a table. Colliding, clashing, and collaborating- that’s when magic happens. That’s when we come up with that one break through innovative idea, campaign, innovation- to authentically and purposefully serve customers and communities.”

Mita is currently the head of inclusion, equity and impact at Carta and is a top LinkedIn voice of 2020. Don’t hesitate to pick up her book today.

Connect with Mita: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mita-mallick-2b165822/

Mita’s Book Reimagine Inclusion: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1394177097