Conversations With Carole
"Conversations with Carole" is meant to build a community where we can talk about current and historical issues relevant to our times. I've been in the cross culture business for many years and celebrate the past work I've done in radio. It made sense NOW to move the conversation to a podcast format where we can all get involved!
=====
As an award-winning keynote speaker, trainer, and global thought leader, since 1987, Carole Copeland Thomas moderates the discussions of critical issues affecting the marketplace. She has her pulse on the issues affecting working professionals and regularly consults with industry leaders. She has spent 36 years cultivating relationships and partnerships with local, national, and international sponsors, including Walmart, Amtrak, and Emirates Airlines. Carole is the past president of The National Speakers Association -New England Chapter and was on the leadership team of Black NSA. Carole is a blogger and social media enthusiast using various technology platforms to enhance her business development activities.
Carole has been featured in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Black Enterprise, ABC Radio, and CBS News.
She is the author of eight books and is the Past National Vice Chair of the National Black MBA Association
Carole is a 28-year member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and an active member of Black NSA. She won the President Emeritus Award for the leadership role she played during the 2017-2018 NSA New England Chapter Year.
Visit Carole's website at www.carolecopelandthomas.com.
Conversations With Carole
5/5/2025 EPISODE #52: THE RACE PARADOX — WHY ORGANIZATIONS FAIL ON RACE with DR. CARLTON BROWN
In this compelling and eye-opening episode of Conversations With Carole, host Carole Copeland Thomas sits down with Dr. Carlton Brown, a renowned UK-based diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategist and founder of Aspire Consultancy Ltd. (https://www.aspire-consultancy.com), to unpack “The Race Paradox”—a searing critique of how and why organizations repeatedly fail when it comes to race.
Dr. Brown exposes the deep-rooted patterns of performative allyship and broken promises that permeate the corporate DEI space—both in the United Kingdom and the United States. With clarity and urgency, he explains how many companies, despite grand declarations after George Floyd’s murder in 2020, failed to deliver sustained, systemic change. His insights into the "illusion of progress" challenge organizational leaders to confront uncomfortable truths.
Carole and Dr. Brown also highlight the eerie similarities between the UK’s DEI shortcomings and those seen across U.S. corporations—particularly the retreat from racial justice commitments once media attention faded. Their conversation urges leaders to abandon box-ticking exercises and instead commit to transformative, long-term racial equity.
Dr. Carlton Brown’s Background:
Dr. Brown brings a powerful blend of executive retail experience, academic excellence, and organizational consulting to the table. With a doctorate in leadership and over 20 years of DEI expertise, he has advised companies, and institutions on how to dismantle racism from within.
Upcoming Engagements:
Dr. Brown is a featured leader at the upcoming 2025 Black Business Entrepreneur Conference (BBEC) in London on June 25, 2025. This prestigious event brings together global Black business leaders to accelerate economic growth and leadership within the African diaspora. Learn more about the conference at: https://www.thebbec.com/2025-conference
Carole Copeland Thomas will also be speaking at the BBEC, continuing her lifelong mission to elevate racial equity and inclusive leadership across global platforms.