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!
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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
6/9/2025 Episode #53 ROBERT PRINCIPE: STRAIGHT WHITE GUY ON DEI
In this compelling and candid episode of Conversations With Carole, host Carole Copeland Thomas sits down with longtime colleague and diversity champion Robert Principe, author of "Excuse Me While I Skip a Beat: Working to Reinvent My Life and Leadership as a White Guy". With over three decades in the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) space, Robert pulls no punches as he explores what it means to be a straight white man doing the work of equity in a divided and resistant America.
From his Italian-American roots in segregated Queens, New York, to his transformational journey as an educator, court administrator, and DEI advocate, Robert opens up about personal blind spots, cultural reckoning, and the systemic challenges that white men often ignore—or reinforce—unknowingly. His voice is not one of paternalism but of partnership, rooted in humility and a fierce commitment to truth-telling and systemic change.
The episode unpacks:
- Why Robert wrote his book for “We the People”
- The lifelong impact of privilege and unearned access
- Honest conversations about race, gender, and history
- How his work with Black women like the late Mabel Milner shaped his lens
- Why DEI efforts need glue—not just performative urgency
Carole and Robert reflect on history, health disparities, Covid, George Floyd, and even corporate responsibility—from Target’s backtracking to Costco’s unwavering stance on DEI. The episode is both sobering and galvanizing, reminding us that this moment demands bold, sustained commitment—not polite conversations.
Whether you're a CEO, DEI professional, educator, or someone just beginning to examine your own place in this movement, this episode offers deep insight, practical wisdom, and the kind of straight talk that’s rare—and necessary.
Excuse Me While I Skip a Beat: Working to Reinvent My Life and Leadership as a White Guy
An expansive, evidence-based guide on confronting personal and societal biases, Robert's book is part memoir, part DEI manual, and part call to arms. It is especially resonant for white men seeking to do better—but not limited to them. The book explores themes like historical erasure, gender inequality, economic injustice, and the transformative power of truth-telling and systems thinking.
Purchase the book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.