EP 116: Whole Human Leadership – Power, Identity, and the Path to the C-Suite

What does it take to lead at the highest levels — without losing yourself in the process?

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with Victoria Pelletier — corporate executive, board director, author, and public speaker — to explore what it truly means to lead as your whole self.

Nicknamed the “Turnaround Queen” and “CEO Whisperer,” Victoria has spent more than two decades driving business transformation, leading global teams, and navigating the path to the C-suite. But behind the titles is a deeply human story of resilience, identity, and intentional growth.

Victoria shares how her lived experiences — growing up in the child welfare system, overcoming early trauma, rising to executive leadership at 24, and navigating her identity as a queer leader and parent — shaped her leadership philosophy.

Together, Lola and Victoria unpack:

• How childhood adversity can shape executive resilience
• The pressure of being the only woman — and the youngest — in the room
• Why armor might help you rise… but vulnerability helps you lead
• The evolution from “Iron Maiden” leadership to whole human leadership
•  How inclusive leadership drives performance — not the other way around
• Why board service matters and how to think about building a portfolio career

This episode challenges the outdated belief that strength and empathy are mutually exclusive.

Whole human leadership isn’t soft.
It’s strategic.
It’s sustainable.
And it’s the future of leadership.

About Victoria Pelletier

Victoria Pelletier is a 20+ year corporate executive, board director, bestselling author, and professional public speaker. She has served as COO at 24, President at 35, and CEO at 41. She is the author of The Power of Whole Human Leadership and Influence Unleashed, and is passionate about helping organizations transform culture, leadership, and growth.

Connect with Victoria:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriapelletier/
Website: https://victoria-pelletier.com/

Connect with Host Dr. Lola

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is a speaker, consultant, and founder of EQI Mindset and Immigrants in Corporate. She partners with organizations to build cultures of belonging through strategy, storytelling, and inclusive workplace communities.

Dr. Lola's Website: www.drlola-adeyemo.com   Dr Lola's Linkedin
 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hello and welcome to the Thriving in Intersectionality Podcast. A podcast that explores the real experiences of professionals navigating the workplace with layered lead identities. I'm your host, Dr. Lola Ateemo, the CEO of EQI Mindset and founder of the nonprofit Immigrants Incorporate Inc. I'm also an author, speaker, and a workplace inclusion strategist. I work with organizations to build communities of belonging through strategy, storytelling, and systems change. This podcast amplifies the voices of professionals from intersectional backgrounds, immigrants, ethnic minorities, first-gen professionals, veterans, working parents, individuals with disabilities, and so many more. Through solo reflections and guest conversations, we'll uncover the eating challenges, celebrate the wins, and offer insights to help you thrive, not just survive in the corporate world. Because in today's global workforce, belonging isn't just a bonus, it's the catalyst for real growth and impact. Let's dive in. Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Thriving in Intersectionality Podcast. Before I bring in my guest today, a little bit about the word intersectionality. It is a mouthful, um, but it's also a word that I came across um uh just a few years ago and has become a real central piece of my work and conversation. So thriving in intersectionality um has to do with the layers, the multi-layers that we bring into the work we do, into the roles that we take, into the life that we build for ourselves, and especially through the inclusive workplace and leadership lens. And so I'll do a little bit of definition of what our word is. Intersectionality is a framework that recognizes our multiple aspects of identity, such as gender, race, ethnicity, immigration status, and class, and so many other layers, which is the essence of this podcast, how they all overlap and interact, creating very unique experiences of privilege or discrimination that you can't understand by examining just a single one of those factors alone. And this framework helps us to understand leadership and exploit not just as skills, but as a strategy and as something that is shaped by our identities, our lived experience and context. And so, for all of my guests, I love to really go behind the scenes and to who you are in your own words and uh beyond the bio. And I'm excited to have Victoria Pelletia joining us today. Hi, Victoria. Hi, thanks for having me. Thanks for being here. All right, a little bio bioframing of Victoria before we go beyond the bio. I definitely know that my guests are uh doing some amazing work, and they are the behind the scenes is what we get to have them tell you. But Victoria is a 20-plus year corporate executive, a board director, a number one selling author, and professional public speaker. She's been nicknamed the Turnaround Queen and the CEO whisperer. Oh, I love that. By former colleagues and employers, Victoria inspires and empowers our teams and clients to change mindsets and drive growth in business, leadership, and culture. As someone who does not subscribe to the status quo, she's always ready for new challenges, becoming one of the youngest chief operating officers at the age of 24, president by 35, and the CEO at age 41. All right, Victoria, we're gonna dive into how you got there today. But thank you so much for joining me today, Victoria, and for the work that you do.

SPEAKER_01 4:15

Thank you. Thank you again.

SPEAKER_00 4:18

All right, so the the first part of my question um inside to your intersectionality and of course um all of the things that make you who you are beyond what we just shared. So when you think about the word intersectionality, Victoria, what aspect of your identity do you think have been most relevant in shaping your own leadership journey so far?

SPEAKER_01 4:41

Uh a number. And so I like the way you opened up and explaining it um to your audience. So for me, my intersectionality and the ones that are most powerful are so I so I'm I come from uh significant trauma in my youth. And so from I'm born to a drug-addicted teenage mother who was very abusive to me. I was in and out of the child welfare system. I'm fortunate to have been adopted, uh, but to a family of lower socioeconomic means. So the intersection of being a child from the child welfare system, um, a child who suffered abuse was foundational in terms of how I showed up, some of the armor I initially built around myself. Subsequently, becoming um an executive at such an early age, you know, at 24 to become the chief operating officer for a mid-sized company. I was the youngest by two decades. And at the time, I was also the only woman. And one other aspect of my intersectionality is I am part of the LGBTQ community. I came out at 14 as being, then I used the word bisexual. I, as an adult now, I might say my youngest says I should say pansexual. I choose the word queer, it just means I'm not straight. Uh, you know, I was married to a woman for 11 years where I gave birth to my two children. I happen to now be married to a man, and one of my two children is trans. So those are the aspects of my intersectionality that make me me and have me show up in the way that I do uh as a human, as a leader.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Yeah, wow. And then raising kids in the middle of all of that, right? How old are your kids now?

unknown 6:23

I know.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

Oh, and I say it, it's gonna make me feel really the parenting side of the journey is also huge. That's right. Yeah, yeah. They're uh they're 25 and 21 now.

SPEAKER_00 6:32

So and and so yeah, I did want to bring that up because we also kind of talk about this parenting and career, almost like yeah, this parallel path. But most, you know, these days we're all trying to build the careers that we love through multiple layers and also raising humans, right? And and and and and I love that. Thank you so much for sharing that. Um, we definitely are all multi-layered, and a lot of time we all come into people's lives through one lens, right? We don't see all of the things that make people who they are, and um, so that's why I always love to open up this conversation is we can all Google Google your bio. We know you're doing amazing work, and and people will see it in the show notes, but how did you get here? So thank you for sharing that. Okay, so the second part of my question then will be your career journey so far, and and you touched on some of the leadership roles you took on pretty early as well. Can you walk us through your career path? How did you get here? Maybe highlighting some of the key milestones and transitions and people down movements in in building your business and and um how you got here. Take all the time you need.

SPEAKER_01 7:46

It could take a while given the long career I've had. Well, interestingly, first of all, I started my first job when I was 11, which child labor laws would probably not allow today. Um, I worked in a hair salon, um, and that was to earn just extra money for um extracurriculars. I actually had plans on being a lawyer. So I um in um I grew up in Canada, um, although it's similar to in the US, you have to have an undergraduate degree before you go to law school. So while I was um in university in my under getting my undergraduate degree, I worked at a bank in their contact center, super flexible hours to allow me, you know, to go to school. And I was an actor part-time. And um I got promoted very, very quickly through the ranks, um, such that by the time I was nearing the end of my undergrad, the bank I worked for offered me a promotion and a relocation across the country. So I thought I was taking one year off before I was going to go to law school, but it turned out I loved the leadership role that I was in. I loved it, it was the early days of like what we would now call digital banking, that promotion they gave me. Um back then they called it branchless banking. Uh, and so just you know, learning and um being involved, I got my securities license. And so after six years or more working in financial services, I got recruited to that first executive role. So, no, I never went to law school, although I jokingly say I think I read more contracts now than I might have in that capacity, it feels like. Um, but a really bold move for me was taking that exec role. So, as I said, I'd spent six or seven years working in two of Canada's largest banks to get recruited to go be the chief operating officer for a large call center outsourcing company. So there were synergies. They had large banking clients, it was contact center. I'd been running contact centers within the um the banks, plus some of the digital banking work, um, but it was a huge stretch role for me. Um, so I was also a brand new mother. My eldest son was only three months old at the time as I stepped into that. But stepping into that zone of discomfort, um, and in that role in particular, it has taught me so much about business. In that role, every role, every function except for finance reported into me. So many of which never had before. So I had to lean into really strong team members, learn things I didn't know. But also in a business-to-business environment, and particularly in the world of outsourcing, the margins are narrow. So you have to be very good, um, lean at running a business. So it taught me how to run a business. There were aspects of it that were horrific in terms of some of the cultural and dynamics and being on what felt like 24 or 7. Um, but I really learned a lot. And it was that that set me up for career success. So since then, I've stayed in the world of professional services, some capacity B2B, but I've let my career um, as much as I operate with strategic intentionality, a little bit of free reign to go where the opportunity is taken. So I've stepped into very different roles, running shared services for a large global corporate travel company, and then ultimately leading about six or seven acquisitions within 18 months to the last number of years working for large-scale technology companies and leading the business units that support a lot of the tech work. Uh, and then I've also um built and bought businesses. I've got this entrepreneurial spirit, even though I've worked in mostly large publicly traded companies. So I describe myself somewhat as a multi-potentialite in the very diverse set of that I have.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

I love it, yeah. And I think I think all of that, we are we are we are definitely in the age now where people are beginning to realize that's just the way to go, right? You can't lock yourself into one career and one role forever and ever because the world of work is changing uh pretty rapidly. So um I would say you have a good mix of corporate and entrepreneurship. And so maybe I will ask you, I ask you a little bit about that because sometimes I do get the question. I come from a large corporate background too, and I'm mostly B2B, but I also have small businesses, and sometimes people, you know, trying to like beat pick one over the other, like it's better to be in corporate or it's better to have your own business, and and what would you what would you say to that?

SPEAKER_01 12:17

That well, um, I don't think there's a right answer, right? I I um my husband jokes um with me, he's like, you're never gonna be happy until you're CEO of your own company. Um, and I'll say again, because I actually did buy uh a data and analytics company back in 2016 or 2017, I get 2017, I think, and I did run it as its CEO, um, although I had only bought it as an investment, and then it was just by happenstance I ran it. And so I think I I know that I love the complexity that comes with size and scale in the large enterprises I work in. However, I do want to capitalize when I see an opportunity and or I have a passion for something. So I bought my first business at 20. I said I was an actor part-time. I ended up buying the casting agency that represented me. Uh, but I knew that I'd been doing some um work for them just on the business side, not just as an actor. Uh, I built a business around natural bath and body works products. That's because I loved them and I did it for myself and turned it into a business. And so having the balance for me of like large-scale enterprise where I'm doing significant transformation and leading very large teams and clients excites me, but also like scratching the itch around things that I'm passionate about, or I see this opportunity. And so again, don't think there's a right or wrong answer. I've had the ability to do both, but I coach a lot of people that are um are small business owners and they couldn't think of you know not working for themselves. They they couldn't imagine, you know, I know having you know the bosses that I do and dealing with like the corporate politics and you know the Game of Thrones-esque experience in the corporate world.

SPEAKER_00 14:10

Yep. Yep, I know. Um, I I definitely never saw myself as an entrepreneur. In fact, I I used to always say I'm a corporate girl. Like I'm always gonna you know climb the corporate ladder. And I would say, I'm grateful that I followed my passion, because then it didn't it became not not uh do I want to be an entrepreneur or do I want to be a corporate person? It was simply following my passion and and seeing where it leads. So um always like I can advise you to stay in corporate or quit your corporate. You you know, those decisions are not that clear at the time. So thank you for sharing that. So maybe bringing it back to the intersectionality and all of the layers of who you are that we talked about earlier for anyone that is listening to these, that maybe your definitions around your intersectionality kind of resonated with them, and they see themselves in you, in the young you, and they are navigating the world of work these days. What are some of the things that you think helped you that you could trace maybe to your identity, your background, your personality, um, that they can lean into or advice that you have for professionals now who are navigating the world of work?

SPEAKER_01 15:26

So I'd say um the early years for me um is defined me because um it it's my why, right? My and I remember my mother, and my mother's the woman that raised me, not that gave birth to me. She said to me, I think I was 10 or 11 years old, she said, Tori, you need to do better than us. And she meant socioeconomically, she meant by vocation, but she did not need to say that to me because I was determined I would be better than my biology or the circumstance. So that's a very significant part of the intersectionality and my lived experience and lower socioeconomic means, having been a child of abuse and trauma when I was so one, that's that's so that's a big part of my why. And I've made a uh a big point now. I didn't always, I was embarrassed of that when I was younger, and I would hide that from people. I now share it so openly because I want people to understand they can move from some kind of challenge or adversity or trauma into triumph. Uh, but I also want them to understand me a little bit better. The other one around it, there's an aspect of that intersectionality that I chose to show up in a way that I later was not proud of. So being a young female executive who's relatively assertive, um, I um was concerned about um being viewed um as either you know inexperienced, soft or weak. So I actually didn't show emotions. Um I, well, a number of things. I lied about my age, older, like how many women make themselves older. I certainly don't do that now, uh, but I did in my 20s. Um, but also I felt like as the the only female too, that if I shared vulnerability, that I shared emotions, that I would be viewed as soft or weak. Yes, I am confident and yes, I am assertive. Um, but I felt that if there was any chink in that armor by demonstrating that softness or weakness that's more stereotypically assigned to women, um, I would be seen as less than. And so I found out I had this nickname in my mid to late 20s as the Iron Maiden. Um, and on one hand, I was like, well, great, I make very difficult decisions and I can, you know, move the business forward, but I realized it was actually more to do with the perception and how I was showing up. So because I was so concerned about those aspects of intersectionality and how people would perceive me, I was all business all the time. I wasn't this empathetic, um, very human leader. And so I had to consciously shift and show up in a way that felt a little less natural for me and made me uncomfortable. But now that I've embraced all aspects of that intersectionality and lived experience, and I show up and I talk about it, it's made me such a better leader. Uh and I'm wish I could have told my 20-year-old self to do that.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

Thank you so much for sharing that. Um, there's also a lot of vulnerability in being able to release and share some of these experiences, but I know it's definitely valuable. Um so tell us about the writing. I don't think we touched about that when we talked about your path. You you have a book, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:39

Uh yeah, yeah. I am I have three now. Um the first one is a co-authored book. I was invited by publishers to contribute a chapter to a book called Unstoppable, Changemakers Who Dare to Make a Difference. And Unstoppable is my motto. I sign a majority of my um social media posts with hashtag unstoppable. So that one just felt like serendipitous. Like, yes, I must. Uh, so that was the first one. And then the other two, one is called Um Influence Unleashed, and it's about personal branding. It's something that I do attribute a lot of my career success to learning how to having learned how to successfully build a strong brand. When I worked for IBM a number of years ago, LinkedIn ranked me as their number one social seller worldwide. So I turned um my knowledge and the education I provided to others into a book. And the last one is around leadership and culture called the power of whole human leadership. So it's a little bit of what I've described to you around my journey and embracing the authentic um pieces of me that make me me, and but also creating a sense of belonging and capacity for others to do the same.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

Yeah, I love that. And I and that was why I asked you to talk about the book because I feel like a lot of the journey through the book as well has a lot to do with some of the things you were experiencing and some of your own belonging uh journey as well. So um I think for for the people listening also, there's a lot of the I want to lead, I want to be a leader, and and sometimes we focus so much on the titles, right? Um waiting for that next promotion that will come when I'm in my 50s or something, right? Like, how what advice will you give to people who are maybe in their mid-career level or they've been working for years and and maybe they want to take on more of a leadership role in their career or in their organization? What are some of the things that they should be doing?

SPEAKER_01 20:35

Well, um, first of all, I would say that not everyone is cut out to be a leader. Um, I think there's this view of like and definition of success that somehow means hierarchy within organization. And so I would tell people to think critically about that. Like understand, you use the word passion, like what are you passionate about doing? Um, and so make sure that it's aligned to being a leader, number one. Uh, but then next, you know, being a good leader. So as I said, you know, my book is entitled, and I talk about it being like this whole human leader. So I think, you know, being a successful leader means many, many things. It means an investment in the whole person that is the per the employee that you're supporting, means understanding their hopes and dreams as it relates to their career, means investing in them where you identify there might be performance or skill gap. Well, that's actually the leader's role to help them bridge that, identify the learning opportunities, coaching them to be more successful. Uh, it's about being, you know, transparent to the extent that you can be in your communications. It's about building trust. It's about being empathetic. Uh, and for many, depending on when or where they've entered the workforce, like that's that's not what they're accustomed to. When I entered the workforce, it was very much a command and control taught. Down, um, thou shalt, right? And not not this kind of two-way um sort of engagement. And I think that is the new leadership of today, and that's what will make a successful leader versus maybe what we see in movies, or if you're an older generation, what you experienced when you entered the workforce.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And and I, yeah, it was the kind of leaderships that we're taking as being too soft, it was the normal leadership to be top down, and so I I work with a lot of um companies that have employee resource groups, and so we talk a lot about informal leadership and formal leadership. If you have anything to share with um on that, but I also wanted to I wanted to ask for your advice for those who are maybe leading right now in leadership role within organization because there's two parts to this, right? We've sort of focused on for the individual who is aspiring to build their career, what are some of the things they should be doing or thinking about? But what about the people that are listening and maybe they are work within they work within organizations, they manage large teams, they hold leadership roles. Um, in this world of inclusivity, being top of mind, and where people are switching styles, trying to figure out what's the best leadership style to use uh within their organization. What advice do you have for leaders around that?

SPEAKER_01 23:19

Well, first, and I will address the one you said about informal leadership. I do agree we are all leaders, regardless of hierarchy. So recognize the power that we have in um guiding others, of speaking truth to power. So I love that. And so I do think it's really important for everyone to recognize you are a leader regardless of sort of that status or title. Um, and then next, you know, for me, you know, I had to, I had to do this evaluation of myself when I learned I had that that that nickname is the Iron Maiden of, you know, perception is reality. And so people were perceiving me to be unemotional, very business, maybe less caring around, you know, how people were um feeling or experiencing. And so I needed to think more around, pull the mirror up to my face and think more around like what's the kind of leader I want to work for? And so then starting, starting to model that. And so I'd say, you know, for those who are in leadership today or or are aspiring to be, or just to become like better leaders, you know, to think about that. There's not this trade-off for strong business performance with being an inclusive leader who creates a sense of belonging for their team, who is committed to the growth and development of their team. They are not mutually exclusive. In fact, one drives the other. And so be very clear on how success is measured. I this is, by the way, for an individual statement for these leaders as well. Like, how does your company look at success? How are they, how is your compensated deterrent determined? So be very clear on performance and then the skills required to achieve that, and then subsequently with your teams in messaging that clarity, um, and again, that transparency in the communication, but making the investment in time in the people to be successful. And in some cases, um, they might not. I in, you know, my the decisions to exit people from the organization oftentimes has to do with their um commitment to um learning, new and different, uh, their propensity to learn um rather than purely the skill set they've come in with or the gap, right? So I'm gonna try and take them there. And if they're unwilling to do it, then we have some different conversations. So as leaders, it's about being balanced, like at this balance between driving strong business performance and needing to make the difficult decisions, but being the empathetic leader who's invested in the in their team directly.

SPEAKER_00 25:54

Yeah, thank you for that. Thank you for sharing that. I think definitely with with the blend of experience you have, uh, I'm I'm glad I was able to capture that from you because you bring the leadership lens and the being the person um before you get there. So uh thank you for that. Um before I go to the final question, which is my cultural connection question to wrap up with, is there anything else you'd like to add about what you're working on these days? And um, anything else from my audience?

SPEAKER_01 26:26

Ah well, I'm spending a significant amount of time. I work, as I said, in technology uh for a technology company, although I do the business consulting aspect of it and my teams do all of the enablement around it. So I'm spending a ton of time with business leaders talking about how to build the workforce of the future. So some of that is some of we talked about leadership and culture, some of it is ways of working, but it's also thinking about how AI is changing the shape of work. How do we look at job like organizational structures and the job architecture itself? So that's where I'm spending a lot of my time. Um, and then otherwise, where I look forward to going next. Um, I I still I am gonna, you know, listen to my husband around. I will be happy when I'm CEO of a company. So I want to continue to take steps in advance my career to go back to being a CEO, but doing it of a larger organization. Um, looking for after many, many years on a couple of different boards, um, looking for my next board seat. Uh, and then I'm always, you know, loving to do. I do professional speaking as well. So any I thrive on stage, like get me in front of an audience. Um, so and I love that. So those are all the things that I'm working on and get me excited and what I'm looking to do going forward.

SPEAKER_00 27:39

Oh, I love that. And now that you brought boards, I would definitely love to get your thoughts on that recorded a little bit. So I know I'm I'm I'm always um an advocate for board service because I I I've been on a couple of nonprofit boards myself, not not uh public yet. But I wanted to ask you about that because I feel like uh board exploring board service is something that a lot of people are not aware of, how to even get started, or what value you get from being part of those, you know, that's that's that's such a niche conversation. I I feel like to a lot of people who are maybe part of different minority groups. It's not a conversation that people um when I certainly didn't know anything about boards when I started to learn about it. Thankfully, I had a mentor within a big corporation who had been on multiple boards. She she was amazing, and so she exposed me to board service like early on, even explaining things about how a corporate uh boards are structured for public organizations. I don't think there's a lot of um visibility or knowledge around board service. So, do you want to do a little bit of do a board? Uh why should people get on boards? Why should they get on boards?

unknown 28:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

I think um that there's different reasons for people to get on boards. I think um you call it when you talk about board service and not-for-profits, that's an incredible, and that's how I first got my my experience on boards was with not-for-profits. And it was working for not-for-profits that aligned with the things that were meaningful for me. So I was involved in one that was helping new immigrants into the country, uh, as well as those that were underemployed or unemployed. Um, to I, you know, um sat on the Children's Aid Foundation board in Canada, which helps those in the child welfare system, knowing I was one of those, right? So the opportunity to give back in a very impactful way to causes that are meaningful. So it's fantastic. And bringing your business experience, and I say that because typically boards will be structured in it depends on the not-for-profit. You definitely there's an aspect that is about fundraising. But then there are finance committees, marketing committees, technology committees. So bring the experience you have in helping the organization in that that way. And then when you start to think about for-profit boards, um, you know, you're you're doing it for again a multitude of reasons, but um uh oftentimes there's financial benefit for the for-profit boards, um, although some not, some you're you you're doing it with startups, and you may or may not even be getting equity, you're definitely not getting paid at that point. Um, but for for many, and so my goal um is when I retire, and I use air quotes because my husband says he doesn't think I'm ever actually gonna retire. Um, but when I leave the traditional corporate nine to five-ish job, my goal is to have a portfolio career. And that means I will choose how to spend my time, but that portfolio will consist of boards that will pay me. Um, it will consist of my public speaking, it will consist of any coaching or you know, consulting that I choose to do. And so I'll tell people don't wait until you're near the end of your career to try and start to build a portfolio career. Gain some experience with board service, um, if that's going to be part of your retirement strategy or portfolio career strategy at the end. Gain the experience with not-for-profit in in areas that you know are meaningful to you. Um, so that if you desire to sit on for-profit boards for which you can be paid for and lend all of the experience you've had in the business world, like it's phenomenal.

SPEAKER_00 31:18

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for sharing that. Um I'm glad I I cut that part and list that in because I think that's a a very important aspect too of uh finding your passion, building your portfolio, as you said. Uh and your nonprofit boards are always looking for help. And people from industry, business experience, always a plus. Thank you so much for being here, Victoria. All right. Um, my last phone question if you were to share a dish with your co-workers, and a dish could mean a snack, if you were to share fruits, something that is a favorite of yours, if you were to pick something and share it with your co-workers or your leadership team, what would it be? And why did you pick that?

SPEAKER_01 31:59

Ah, that one's easy, but I'm gonna tell you um, it's an adopted dish from my husband. So, my husband, Peltier, last name, French, he's French Canadian, and he introduced my children. Um, unfortunately, my ass, my ex had passed away. My husband adopted my children um when they were nine and thirteen. Uh, and they were so fast to leave the dinner table. Like they wanted to get in and out as soon as possible. And my husband introduced us to Fondue Chinoise, or just like fondue thing, Swiss Swiss, you know, and so we like that. Um, and so I've now done it, you know, in the business context. They've invited my team members and their spouses to the house. It is one, it's amazing food. So you can do a three-course meal, you know, from cheese to like broth to the chocolate for dessert. Um, but I I choose it because it's a great way to break bread literally and figuratively with people. You're doing it over conversation, it takes time to do it. You dip into a communal pot um as you dip out. And so it's just a great way to build connection with people. So I love sharing that every opportunity I get.

SPEAKER_00 33:07

I love it. And I always love to explore how my guest responses kind of ties to what they're saying in terms of our conversation so far. I think you love bringing people together. I think that's just reflective of the response you gave to that food question. Sharing, bringing people together, having conversations, getting to connect with people and a meal is a great way to do that. Thank you very much, Victoria. Thank you. It was uh it was great to be here with you. And for those listening, uh, links to connect with Victoria and links on our book will be in the show notes. Thank you for joining us today. Uh, please rate to review and share the episodes wherever you're listening. Thank you. Thank you for being part of today's conversation on thriving in intersectionality. If you're an HR or DEI leader and you need employer resource group or business resource group resources, let's connect and LinkedIn and help organizations build inclusive cultures through inclusive workplace communities, strategy, and storytelling. Immigrants and first gen professionals, join our free community at www.immigrantsincorporate.org for career support, networking, and resources in community with peers who understand your journey. Tag our podcast page on LinkedIn or connect with me directly to continue the conversation. Please don't forget to rate and review to help others discover these discussions. Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters. I'm Dr. Lola Adeyo, and this has been Thriving in Intersectionality Podcast.