Show notes
Today on the Karen Kenney Show we're going back to an episode that I originally released in April of 2019. In this episode, I talk with my beautiful & brilliant friend Susan X Jane about Race, Racism, Diversity, Culture and a Willingness to be uncomfortable!
Susan X Jane is the Principle of Navigators Consulting. She has over 25 years of experience working in the field of culture, diversity and inclusion, providing strategic planning, facilitation, program development, and training to both big and small organizations in Boston and beyond.
Susan helped dozens of Boston area organizations grow their capacity to serve diverse audiences during her decade as a senior manager at the YWCA Boston.
Most recently, Susan was a professor of Communications and director of Wheelock College’s Communication and Media Literacy program where she trained the next generation of activists and leaders to affect change in the public and private sector, teaching courses like Media and Race, Sociology of Minorities, and Organizational Communication.
Susan is a skilled facilitator, experienced in making organizational cultures inclusive. She has served on a number of planning committees, including The Youth Voice Collaborative, LiNC, The South End Youth Workers Alliance, The
Wheelock College Strategic Realization Team, and The Boston Civic Media Planning Group, to develop and support execution of long-term organizational strategic plans. Susan believes that diversity isn’t about checking a box; it’s about leveraging the best human capital to achieve your organization's mission and goals. She is passionate about helping organizations build sustainable integrated inclusion practices that will help their company, their clients and our world thrive.
About Navigators
Our country and the communities and audiences we serve are becoming increasingly diverse:
By the year 2040, America will become a majority-minority country. What does that mean for businesses looking to run lean while building teams, getting work done and serving clients? It means having diversity is a key competency, not just an add-on; it means inclusion is essential to being able to respond to our increasingly diverse constituency. It is no longer a question of whether or not your company should pay attention to diversity and inclusion, it’s now an imperative to do it well.
Diversity ensures we get the right people in the room. Inclusion, done right, creates stronger more creative teams. A comprehensive diversity and inclusion strategy helps organizations leverage their diversity to work smarter, with more creativity, and successful collaborations, resulting in better production.
In order to create inclusive communities prepared to respond to our new reality, companies need to think beyond one-prong approaches and create a multifaceted D & I strategic plan that can operate across their organization, ensuring their workforce, collaborators and work product all represent—and appeal—to their diverse audience. Navigators seek to empower every member of your organization with the tools and strategies to build an inclusive organization, from front line workers to senior management.
Be Sure to Connect with Susan here:
Key Takeaways:
- The Stories that We Tell are the Life that We Live (18:42)
- The Way Power is Organized in Our World (27:57)
- Benefits of the System of Race (30:42)
- Limits of Law (32:36)
- Susan’s Work with Organizations (56:06)
Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, and the founder of Fearless Flow Mentoring.
She’s a certified Spiritual Mentor, has been a student & guide of A Course in Miracles for 26+ years and a longtime student of Passage Meditation. She’s also a Gateless Writing Teacher and has been a yoga teacher since 2001.
KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor and her “down-to-earth” approach to spirituality. Her signature mentoring programs: Your Story to Your Glory™ & Fearless Flow™ help people let go of their old stories of suffering and victimization, so they can write a new kick-ass story from a place of inner power, forgiveness, freedom and Spirit.
A sought-after expert and Spiritual Thought Leader for Live Events, Podcasts, Coaching Programs and Shows, Karen speaks on stages across the country and leads Transformational Retreats in the New England area and at the Omega Institute in NY.
KK is the host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast and The Sunday Spiritual with Karen Kenney.
She’s currently at work on her memoir.
You can learn more and connect with Karen at:
WEBSITE: https://www.karenkenney.com/
THE SUNDAY SPIRITUAL with KK: https://www.karenkenney.com/sundayspiritual
KK FREEBIE: https://www.karenkenney.com/freebie
FB: https://www.facebook.com/karenkenneylive/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/karenkenneylive/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarenKenney
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/karenkenneylive
Thanks for listening!
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