How To Amplify Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion In The Workplace Feat Vivian Acquah

🔥 In this episode, John and La'Fayette are joined by special guest Vivian Acquah, an inclusive workplace wellness advocate, DEI consultant, trainer, strategist, and keynote speaker! Vivian gives key principles on how we can amplify diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace! Having the tough conversations, breaking down corporate systems, and creating new cultures that will benefit everyone in the workplace! To hear more you'll have to hit that PLAY & DOWNLOAD button!

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Transcript

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Welcome to the unscripted Authentic Leadership Podcast, a podcast we are seeking to lead change while also seeking to understand we are also here as a platform for leaders to come together, to unite, to develop and empower other leaders in the areas of business, family, faith and community. I'm your host, Lafeyette Lane. Drop by my co-host, John LeBrun. Today, we are joined by a special guest all the way from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Vivian ACWA, who is an inclusive workplace wellness advocate. She also advises managers on how to keep their team members engaged, energized and safe in a sustainable manner. Vivian is also making topics related to workplace wellness and DIY accessible to everyone. She provides people with the right tools at the right time to embrace inclusive changes. She also motivates people to think consciously inspires them to take action. Today, she has joined us right here on SCRYPT Authentic Leadership Podcast to have a conversation about amplifying diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Let's get right into the conversation, Vivian, again. Thanks for coming on. Let's get started. To our audience, a little bit more about who you are and what you do. First of all, I want to say, wow, I mean, starting a conversation with a very enlightening prayer, a very inspiring prayer, and then, you know, on top of that, the way you introduce me. So thank you for having me and thank you for this conversation. My name is Vivian ACWA, and I'm indeed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where when you hear my my last name, I quote means water. And at the moment I'm putting out fires related to workplace wellness and diversity, equity and inclusion, where my, my, my, my zone of genius lies into preventing those fires from happening. Because there's so much going on in the world. There's so much going on in the workplace. And if we can prevent fires that are related to diversity, equity, inclusion from happening in the workplace. Companies will be thriving. People will be thriving. And that's where I want to go as well. Wow, you talk about our introduction that just you know, you said your last name means water and you putting out fires. That's a drop the mic moment I love. So your specialty is about diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. And I think that word diversity is kind of like a buzz word in twenty one. And I think we just throw it around. Nobody really few knows what it really means. And so can we just start with the foundational? What does the diversity mean and what does that look like? OK, there's something that I have to warn you about. I don't know if I shared it with you when I approach you, but I talk about food in a way, and I talk about food is maybe a way that your listeners or maybe you are snacking about food. But I warned you, I told you to wait about the way that I look into diversity is the way that you are creating your best carrot cake. Right. You need to have your different ingredients for your character to be awesome as much. But one thing that we are forgetting is just putting in the diverse ingredients won't solve the problem. And this is what's happening right now in the workplace, assuming that when you hire people from diverse backgrounds, people from diverse sexes, religion, diverse, more diverse thinking, even you cannot just put them there and and assume that they will magically become a carrot cake. You need to put some steps into place for them to be that awesome carrot cake that you all know I am craving for. I love it, I love it so. So what are those ingredients? Because when I think of diversity, I think people just think of let me just put it this way, because this is our podcast. We're out there and hire more black people. Yeah. People get more minorities, more people of color. And hey, now we have a diverse culture. Now we're a diverse company. We believe in diversity, equity. And I think that's where it starts. And stop for a lot a lot of that's that's when the fire starts happening. Right, because you place you know, like I said, you cannot praise all the different ingredients into the bowl and assume that the magic will happen. Assume that the carrot cake will be created, you know, magically it will appear. Right. Another thing that is missing in the workplace is realizing to be able to create that carrot cake, you need to have different tools. You need to provide the equity part where maybe the carrot needs a great maybe the raisins. You know, they need different steps to be able to participate in the carrot cake or maybe the eggs. Right. The eggs also need some TLC in this whole process so that they will be able to face the barriers that some of us might facing. People with diverse backgrounds, but also people from definitely from minority groups of marginalized groups are dealing with different barriers. And if you're are not acknowledging that, if you're not providing the tools for them to be able to try, but also for them to be able to level up, then that's a part that you're missing out. And then the effort that a lot of companies are doing right now is focus, focus, focus on on hiring as much as they can or or focus on the inclusive recruiting and not realizing that they are leaking talent, they are leaking money, they are literally throwing money away, because the only focus, the main focus is on bringing those people with the diverse backgrounds in and not having tools and systems in place into about the culture. What are you doing about the culture? What is your open temperature or how does your kitchen look like? Right. Because if your oven temperature is too high, what will happen to that carrot cake? It will burn off or maybe it will look it will look amazing from the outside. But when you cut it open, it looks messy from the inside because you haven't set that right oven temperature and also haven't said the right standards. What are you using to create the best open temperature so that everybody can thrive in that workplace? I love that. That last piece you ended on about the interior exterior, because many people, many companies focus on let's just have a good p.c, look for the looks, ads like never. It looks OK, right? Well, we'll throw some color in on the ads. We'll throw some color in on the department for hire one department head here. But then you still go inside, as you said, and there are fires everywhere. How can you create that culture or a company that is desiring to change their culture? What can they do to not just have the outside look of diversity, but have that internal culture? At first, start with raising awareness. What the company wants, right. What is it that the people want as well? Include the people in the different conversation as well. And a lot of companies or a lot of managers are looking to the high end tech companies like Google or like Facebook or like Microsoft. But if you don't have the budget that they have to be able to tweak and to be able to craft your diversity journey, then look into your own budget. Right. Where are you? Ask your people, what do they want? What are the top five things that you they want the company to focus on so that you are open and transparent about what you're doing? And I encourage you to start from the inside before you go announcing it public saying that the next five years, this is what we're going to do, this is where we'll be. But instead of communicating that inside first do the steps inside first, and then after six months, then you go show this is what we are doing to achieve the five year goal and this is what we already done to achieve the five year. I want to see more action, less talk. There is enough talk already. So you had mentioned something about they have to change their standards, was the word you'd use before? Mm hmm. I can you can you kind of outline if you like? If I'm if I'm a company and I say, OK, our vision is we need to make sure that our company and this is right off the top of my head, I guess, is equal opportunity. And we are promoting people within the company. But it's based on, you know, obviously we're looking at the standard work things and so forth, but we want to make sure that as a company and as you mentioned, putting coming together internally, what do we want to look like? So all different sexes, different cultural and racial backgrounds and all those types of things. Right. Religious backgrounds, all those things are included. Because on one hand, somebody will say. Those things shouldn't matter. And I get what they're saying by saying that. But at the same time, I feel like if we don't have intent to make sure that they're important. Then we kind of miss the boat and go right back to where we started. Does that make sense? I hope that totally makes sense. I mean, if you if you're assuming and I make it very simple, if you have a coloring page and you don't give certain guidelines or you don't share, this is what diversity looks like, this is what inclusion looks like. This is what what equity looks like. And this is what we are doing to make it possible to let everybody feel like they belong in this workplace. Now, you're leaving that coloring page open for people to to fill in their own Disney story or to to create their own Disney story. What you are creating can be different. What I am creating and also for the people that are I know that the word privileges is a word that people sometimes cringe, but know that I have privileges as well. Everybody have privileges as well. But to realize that there is a white privilege in the conversation where only based on your color, the color of your skin, the doors are opening for you no matter what your background is, just because you're white and the doors are closed for me just because I'm black. We need to have more of this conversation, what it means to be the other, but also to realize that some people are dealing with ten thousand more barriers than the other people. And to to just say that you don't have to say that it's a given. It's not a given for a lot of people. It's not a given because some people don't understand the challenges people are facing when they come from an underrepresented group. I feel like for the longest time we said things like, people should be colorblind, essentially. Right. Right. You're saying that heard that maybe this is me. And what they mean by that is somebody's skin tone shouldn't matter. And so I understand the intent. But I've been teaching my kids is like because that's kind of. When you say that, I feel like that's somebody's intent might be correct, but I feel like it gives the wrong message. I feel like instead of that meaning that you don't see somebody's color on their skin, I'm like, well, but that's part of the person what makes them beautiful. And so instead, I think of saying we should all be colorblind, cause I feel like that almost makes people feel ignored. Yeah, maybe I'm wrong. And so you're ignoring my background or ignoring my superpower, just ignoring, you know, about me. And and I understand from the people, I mean, I have these heart to heart conversations, which I'm sure a white woman. That thing. I don't know. I don't know. I can only I can only. Yes, you do, Vivia. Yes, you speculate about what I do know. And you have to be very careful to who you say these comments to who you are saying that you are colorblind. Because I am very open. I will stop you and have a conversation and tell you that when I go through the same door as you, I am dealing with barriers just because of the color of my skin. So that. So you are saying that you don't see color. I understand that you don't want my color to be a blocker for us to establish our relationship. But then again, the hurdles that I'm facing, just because I'm a black woman, I also want you to acknowledge I rather have you say that you don't want color to be a blocker for us to to, you know, to have that connection. But I want you to be aware that I am black. I'm a black woman. And for you to say that you are not seeing that is for you to erase my identity, erase what makes me unique as well. Correct. I'm trying to teach my kids instead of what everybody says as far as ignoring. I'm like, well, what we should instead learn to appreciate. Right. And appreciate, as you said, the superpower's go to experience different cultures, even like we have cultural festivals here in Dayton, Ohio, where thousands of people show up. And I never heard of it until a handful of years ago when one of my Kenyan friends brought me with him to this festival. And I'm thinking it was 10 minutes from my house. How have I never heard of this? But you go in the experience and the people are representing different countries and so forth, and you can see like different foods and dances and things that they do there. And instead of saying this is weird, you say, wow, this is really cool. Yeah, I don't understand all of it. I don't have to. But how do we need to just appreciate the differences and understand that instead of acting like they don't exist. Yeah. To be to create some fake equality. Maybe we should understand that those differences can actually make can strengthen us. As you said by word this properly. You don't want someone to ignore that, like how you appear going into an interview. I would think that they should understand that, hey, there's things about you and your background that could enhance the company, not just that they want to ignore them. Exactly right. And that's why I believe that this whole conversation about bias or let's do a one one I call them the one night stand training, the AI training, where you can tick off the box because everybody has done a bias training. But you have to realize, I wish that when I go to the gym that my body looks like Naomi Campbell, but it doesn't work. I have to train. I have to train for that. I have to exercise. I have to eat. Right. We have to keep seeing the work that we're doing for diversity, equity and inclusion as a work as a continuous marathon, a way for you to dance a to the culture, but also understand that it's a everyday thing. It's a all year thing. It goes beyond the the age of the company. So for companies or for managers and people not to realize that it's upon them. Everybody has a role to play when it comes to inclusion, but everybody also needs to be activated. They need to be empowered to understand that as well. On your website, you talked about racism in the workplace, and you broke race down as a acronym. Mm hmm. Can you just break that down for us? That race acronym, what that stands for? Mm hmm. I have to I have to pick because it's a while ago that I shared that. But this just the minute I get a kick out of it, I'll read it all for you if you want. Yeah, please. OK. So solar race acronym, the R is reducing. But I just lost my place. OK, just a second here. So the answer is reducing anxiety about talking about race. Anyway, there is a lot of hurdles. And also understand that it depends to who you're talking to. And I want both parties in both parties. So the people that are, let's say, mazing making racist slurs, but also the people that are in in the victim space, I want both parties to be sitting at the table and understand that we need to reduce something, we need to unlearn about the way we engage in this conversation . And I do feel like we need to have this conversation with a mediator, with a facilitator, somebody who can neutralize the lava, because this conversation in itself, it's like the floor is literally lava when we are having this conversation. The A stands for accept that anything related to race is either going to be invisible or visible. There's something here in the Netherlands. I don't know how much you know about the Netherlands, but let's say in December for black people, there is this holiday going on with black facing black Pete. It's called Sweater. Don't ask me why they are doing that. It's not my tradition. And I distanced from that. But instead of now, more and more companies are distancing them away from that man. Recently, I found out an advert where they are portraying Mexicans, even though they don't talking Mexicans, they have the lowriders, they have their began outfit. And I can definitely share the link of that of that ad. And I told this ad agency and also shared it online, saying that this is an invisible blackface thing that you're doing wrong facing that you're doing so. Meanwhile, this is happening in Europe. I know the Netherlands is very progressive, but there are things here that are happening here where they are hurting people. Vivian, before you go any further, I know what blackface means, our audience may not know what that means, because we see it in cultural appropriation in America all the time and it goes unseen. Can you let our audience know what blackface means? So blackface thing is mimicking a black person by putting in some black mink on your face and basically mimicking them? Right. So in the past, I think in the early nineteen hundreds or 2000 thousands? No, nineteen hundreds. It was something that was happening in the US as well. If you look at and Jemima, which now is different. Right. She was also being blackface. So there's a lot of Kurds in go into that when people are reenacting certain culture, certain people just out of fun. And it's not fun. You're dehumanizing people, you're humiliating people. You're humiliating a race. And it's not fun. And I know that in the U.S., it's banned. Now the rest of the world. You know, people don't know it was ingrained or through a lot of like youth cartoons and stuff for years and years and years, most of those have been sort of stripped. But I remember as a kid seeing I'm not thinking much of it. I didn't know that was a term. But when you look back, you thought, wow, it was kind of intertwined all through just everything that kids are watching and so forth. But we've also seen it recently, and that's that cultural appropriation, not just of blackface, but as Viviana pointed out, how black women look, their braids, things like that is looked down upon. But then you have a Khloe Kardashian that will go and braid her hair and profit off of what is deemed as ugly for the black woman in the black culture. Yeah. But I'll let you go ahead. I'm going to race. I was at the C. So C is call your internal and external allies for help. And that's where I believe that it helps to have a mediator or facilitator. But also it helps when you're having these conversations, have these conversations in a group, in a small, intimate group setting where you are intentional about the conversation that you want to have, intentional about where you want to see the conversation leading, intentional about doing better. That's where it's then. And we expect that you need to provide some answers, some tools, some some skill based frameworks. So from E! Is where do you want to be? Where do you want it to go and what to do after? Because now that you are aware of bias, now that you are aware of maybe the whole racial thing, now that you are aware of all the things that might be hurting people like microaggression, what will you do next? What is your micro action that you are going to take to do better? You said microaggression. Hmm. What do you mean by that? Microaggression, the way that I describe microaggression is putting your hand in a beehive and not when normal bees, but killer bees. And every time somebody is making a comment, that might be a joke, but isn't a comment, that is maybe a compliment. But from the inside, it's an insult and also literally stepping on people. So so an example as you speak? Well, for an African person, you don't look like the most, you know, African people. Black woman or where are you from? Where are you really from? Right. If you want to know where my roots lay asked me, where are your roots from? Ask me what what food is maybe popular in your origin, right. Ask me more. Ask the personal questions instead of stepping on my pinky toe. And it's painful. It's painful and it's hurtful. And the moment that different people are asking or making these small comments, I see them as taps. I see them like being attacked by killer bees. It's hurtful and it's impacting the mental wellbeing. It's impacting the physical well-being, and it's also impacting the career well-being as well. OK, so how do we if we could, if we look at our reducing anxiety? Mm hmm. I wrote the question, how do we have a conversation? Without. An open conversation without shaming for the wrong sort of questions or so, if that makes sense. So I know if I'm sitting in a conversation or even here on a conversation trying to be careful with how you wear things you don't want somebody to be like. And obviously, John's a racist, right? And you're thinking, no, I just said something incorrect. And so how do you have that conversation in a work environment, though, which can be way more tense than my own podcast? How do you have. How do you have that conversation? Maybe it's with the mediators you're talking about. How do you have that conversations there without someone saying, well, you can't ask that question like that or you can't it? Because I think as soon as you start attacking somebody for saying asking the wrong questions, those types of things, it immediately shuts down the conversation when they may have had good intent. They just had a really bad delivery. That's where it goes wrong when you say attack. I feel like we need to learn unlearn the way that we think we are giving feedback and learn how to give appropriate feedback. Sometimes when it may be from the victim's perspective that they think they need to address it by butchering, you know, the person who's saying that. But then again, are you better than the person who was making those slurs? And also from the other side. Right. You need to understand that certain comments cannot be made. And I feel like we need to sit. We need to create that right oven temperature. So have it within the company. That has to be policies. That has to be things shared within the company that is saying that if you want to address racism, for instance, try to address it in this way or address it in a way where it's on one on one conversation, it's not a debate, it's not a discussion, but a one on one conversation. And if needed, ask for a facilitator, asked for a mediator as well. If you feel like the oven or your often temperature, your personal oven temperature is too hot because your mind is blowing. I'm like that. I need some husar time to have that conversation, especially when it touches me on a personal level. I'm not the person who's going to address it on day one because I need to deactivate my own emotions and my own sense, because otherwise I'll be talking with lava. And that's not helpful. That's not helpful. The conversation that I'm having. So sometimes we need to understand that some people are there and they can address things immediately, but some people need some cool off time. And also, this is an ideal part for allies to step up. If you see something, hear something or sensing something. Do something about it. Address it in a in a political way, constructive way, where you take that person aside and say, this is what I'm seeing and this is not you know, we don't tolerate this behavior. But I also feel like from the company side, there needs to be more anti-racism policies, what is tolerated, what is not , what is a big no. No. And I'm not saying that you have to fire that person because then you lose the opportunity to educate them, to raise awareness. I want people to raise awareness and to understand that what you're doing is impacting somebody. So what you're doing, you're embracing that person for being themselves. What are some common biases that you see in the workplace presently? And how can we disarm those biases? I see a lot of likability bias when it comes to job ads standing, setting high expectations. For instance, if if there is a new role that is just being created and it's maybe one or two years old asking for the expectation for a Harvard education or an MBA education, at least 10 years of experience, I mean, someone even from time to time, I see people only calling out these absurd requirements because it's not realistic. And the comments of saying, I can't find diversity. We have Google, we have Lington, we have Twitter. If you can find diversity, then that means that something wrong with your network and you need to act upon something. You need to do something. You need to hire a DJ. I coach who will tell you the truth, but also will open your your vision. Opening a little bit more of. So you understand that you need to tap into different talent pools to get diverse people or to get people with diverse background within your company as well . And that's number one. Number two is hiring people just for, you know, checking the box because you want to diversify your talent pool. OK. But what are you going to do to help them stay within the company? How are you going to accelerate them? How are you going to amplify there was how are you going to create that psychological safety that is missing even now when I know that in the US there are companies out there, they are saying that the doors or the offices are open, but a lot of women, a lot of black women don't feel safe coming back . They feel safer more now that they are working from home. And I would say have that flexibility, offer that flexibility. I've seen LinkedIn sharing that they are offering flexibility to independently, whereas a Facebook or other companies are not, you know, are not at that stage. And I want to challenge people to be more at that stage as well. You specialize, you emphasize, rather, that word amplify. How how can leaders amplify the voices of those in the organization who seemingly feel like their voices have been silent, have the conversation with them, know them, activate your empathy button, know what is missing, know what they need? Because not a lot of people want to be able to amplify in the same way that you are amplifying as a leader. Maybe they want to blog, you know, talk about what is happening within the company in a positive way. Maybe they want to advocate in a different way. So ask them what do they need, but also be really authentic about what you are willing to hear from them. Right. I want people to not be. How do you say if or how are you know, what is it that you need? And how can I support you to be better? To be great. Go Gebril. Now, I have mentioned on that I'm just bringing I'm just marinating on each other. Each part of the conversation, because I always go back to how do we. My questions always stem from not like I do a lot of information, security stuff during the day. And a lot of companies want to say, hey, we're secure. So what they do is they pull up a checklist of things that are required and they sort of check a box. And one of the things I do is training. And I say, hey, just having a one day training a year is just checking a box that we trained everybody. So we are cyber secure. And I say, no, it needs to be a continuous program. It needs to be a monthly thing. It needs to be ingrained in the culture of what you do early on. It's hard, early on it's uncomfortable and everything. Every small training that we do, every conversation that we have, every step is not is does not feel normal. But over time, you strengthen your cyber muscles into where eventually it doesn't feel like you're trying at all, but you're doing the right steps. And so I feel like it's very similar and that this cannot be a one time DIY training that you have every November, so you can say that our organization is no longer racist because we have hired a few people who are from different backgrounds and we do annual training. But it has to be something that we are implementing and continuously talking about with the right intentions, not just so we can advertise for jobs, so we can be. Go ahead now. And I want to say something about that. I see companies having a employee resource groups. So Employee Ritz's group is a group within a company where people can talk, feel supported, but also can level up, learn from each other, mentor each other, sponsor each other. And when I say sponsor sponsoring as knowledge, sponsoring these as bringing somebody else in a different environment, bringing them opening the doors for them, sharing your Rolodex so that they can see, you know, the environments that you are working in. And employee resource group, when done right, can create that muscle training that is needed within the the ice space because they have monthly, weekly, bi weekly activities that you can join. So if your company has an ERG or has a different employee resource group or business research group, there are different names for that. But if your company has a group where there are monthly activities for you to do better and to become more inclusive, try to join, try to participate, not not from the sideline, but try to participate as maybe as one of the volunteers that is doing that, because it will help your career as well. Mm hmm. Now, we we talked about the diversity in the inclusion. How can we really focus in on that third piece, that equity in the workplace? How can that be divided? I believe that equity can be provided to mentoring. So either you become a mentor or either you become a mentee. And the reason why I say both is both are learning. Right. As a mentor, you are learning the value barriers, the challenges somebody is facing. But also as a mentee, you are learning to accelerate your career journey because your mentor is giving you a different perspective as, let's say, a perspective for you to accelerate in your journey and this whole mentoring shift. It feels like it's only for a certain kind of people. And I wanted to be open more open, more accessible for everybody in the company. So what I would encourage the listeners to do or to watch us to do is if you don't have a mentor, look somebody up. Be intentional about why you need a mentor or if you don't know why. Find out your why. What is it? Where do you want to be? And find out a role model within the company or maybe outside of a company or within a different business network. Ask them if they want to be a mentor, but also give a valid reason into why you think that they are your ideal mentor. You never know. You might hear a yes after ten no's, but still you might hear yes. Now we've talked about diversity, who should be leading those trainings? Hmm. Because I feel like the ones that need training in the diversity are the ones who are trying to lead the diversity training. Mm hmm. So I have mixed feelings about this. So what I often see is white men, white women, given the training. But as a white woman or a white person, you don't have my lived experience, the live experience of a black person. I'm not saying that people from, you know, white people cannot share or cannot do the training. I want to challenge companies by bringing in the different lenses that is needed, because the different lenses that are in your company, that's where the people are being relatable. That's where you can create that connection. So if you have fires related to the black community within your company, it's not fair to bring in a white person who's going to share a different lens, different perspective. So I wouldn't say no to a white coach. I would say add on a different coach, because that's where I am able to look you in the mirror, give you my perspective, but also listen to your perspective as well. And true, our conversation through challenging ourselves. That's where I want to open up your your your lens as well into the challenges that people are facing. So how often should these trainings take place? Should this be quarterly, yearly, monthly, weekly? And when you're referring to these trainings, what is it? Make it a little bit more specific. Yeah. Training for the leadership. Training for the people. So the diversity training, not just corporately, but but even on a micro level within each department. Yeah. You know, how often should that take place? I would say definitely one once per month. But also realize you don't have to do a training each month. You can also have conversations. You can also have a lunch and learn where you bring in a different topic so that you can open people their eyes. And what I what I challenge company with is focus on your top three things that the people need from you and want you to do better. And within those three topics, you can narrow it down to or you can break it, break it up into little topics that you are addressing. So every week or every two weeks, you have a highlight topic that you are addressing. So instead of focusing only on Friday in June, for instance, have that conversation in another month or focusing on black black excellence only on February, have that conversation, do throughout the year and have the conversation where there's an intersectionality. Bring in that. So I'm realizing that I'm bringing in a different word. And you're going to ask me what is intersectionality? So let me explain that intersectionality is a crossroad where you are peeling off the different layers that I have. So I'm a black woman. My roots are from Ghana. So I'm African. I am a mother. That's also another layer. I am born and raised in the Netherlands. That's also another layer. But I'm also a nerd. That's also another layer. Right. So there are different layers upon me that we need to realize that there are different ways to connect ourself, but also different ways to separate us. And I want us to find that connectivity that we have, because we are not I'm not only a woman. I'm different people within one person. So outside of training per se, like monthly training, I'm not saying that's not important. What kind of systems or like structures or things can we implement besides, hey, let's do our monthly training? Because sometimes I'm saying training is good, but we don't want to get into the routine of a monthly training so we can say that we're compliant. So how how what kind of systems and things can we implement? Maybe that's too deep for this part of the conversation. But you talked to that a little bit. Think about having a starting a book club, read a book together or read a book together and share the lessons learned ride share the different perspectives that you have from reading that book. And from there on, continue learning. I want to challenge people to educate themselves. Start with your own education. And educating yourself is not asking a person from an underrepresented group to share their personal experiences, because you might be tapping into them, opening up Pandora's box, them reliving a trauma that's not necessarily to be relived. And so asks for their permission first. And if they say no, respect them or otherwise, look me up on LinkedIn. I share a lot of content for you to challenge yourself to do better. I'm asking you to commit to at least a microaggression once per quarter to challenge yourself to do better, to unlearn certain things that you've learned, that you think that is inclusive, but actually hurting people and activate yourself, commit to something where you are taking steps to become inclusive. So a tip that I can definitely share is LinkedIn has a simple name feature. A lot of people don't don't realize that. But this future is so powerful because this is a way for you to learn how to pronounce someone's name. In the beginning, if you ask me how do I pronounce your name? How often are people asking you, how do I pronounce your name? And also realizing that in different countries, the name pronunciation is different. And this simple tool that LinkedIn has, you can easily learn how to pronounce somebody's name without slipping, making that slip. Because if you are pronouncing my name wrong, I am like, so not interested in having that conversation with you. And it's it's. It's something that shouldn't be there because you're stepping literally on somebody's pinky toe and that's painful. Absolutely, absolutely. Vivia, leave our audience one last piece of advice, and it could just be from the heart wherever you feel you're led to say, leave us with a last word. Yeah, I want to challenge you all to challenge yourself, but also find an accountability partner who is doing the exercise with you. Do something where you are making it better for somebody else. You are doing something that is better for somebody else. And like I said, I share a lot of content where you can challenge yourself to do better. But I also feel like read a book, watch a movie. What's the thirteen's? Or if you want to go a little bit deeper, watch. This is all snow along with a few people as well. And have that conversation or watch uncoded bias, ACOTA bias. Stay connected with Vivian. You can do that several ways. Her LinkedIn profile, she's mentioned her name there, Vivian ACWA. You also can follow her on her Twitter handle is at Viva La Vev in our Vivie Alaei. Viva e l is our Twitter handle. That is also are you to name their YouTube channel there. And also, she has an amazing podcast, Let's Humanize the Workplace podcast. She's also providing something very special for our listening audience. She has a DIY summit that is coming up September 27th through September 29th. And she has graciously given us 10 tickets to be shared with our audience. We will put that link in the show notes with this episode. If you're interested in attending that amplify the AI summit, I highly recommend that. I'm sure today's episode was just a sliver of what they'll be sharing there at the summit to twenty twenty one. That is September twenty seven through September 29th. As always, stay connected to us here on Scripta on our various social media platforms. Unscripted, Authentic Leadership Podcast is our name on our Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn page. Our Twitter handle is an unscripted lead. Our Instagram is an unscripted leadership. And those of you that are part of the streaming audience are part of our listening audience. Wherever you get your podcast provided, you can find our podcast there from Apple to Spotify, Google Podcasts, how radio, Pandora, Stitcher, wherever you get your podcasts type in unscripted authentic leadership podcast, you can find us there. Also connect with us on our website. Sign up for a mastermind group where you can connect with diverse leaders, diverse thought leaders, their peer to peer connection. You also can be poured into and also pour out onto others leaders there on unscripted that's leadership dot com. You also can sign up for our email group to help you stay connected and stay tuned in to what we have going on here at the podcast. And you also will receive a 10 percent off Mirch promo code when you do so. Again, we say thank you to our special guests, Vivian ACWA, for joining us today to have this amazing, incredible conversation. And she has a thank you so much. Thank you so much. No one's ever given us the awesome car so that you hold a special place in our heart. No, thank you. We're having a special conversation about amplifying diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. As always, we pray that you be the leader that God has called you to be. We're here to build bridges and not walls. Bridges connecting walls divide. Until next time. God bless you. Thank you for having me. Bye.