#085 – In honor of International Women’s Day, Kay Fabella will be hosting a variety of subject matter experts to uncover real experiences of women at work on the Inclusion in Progress podcast. Each guest will cover different topics of concern for women in the workplace: from bias towards trans women, gender equity and cultural identity, the gender pay gap, as well as miscarriage, fertility loss and menopause. This episode covers a wide range of things that women are facing every day at work, and how organizations that are committed to gender equity can support women from across the spectrum of experiences!
Many people think that the conversation about gender equity at work revolves around maternity policies and caregiving. But the reality is that companies that want to truly support women’s advancement in the workplace must consider the real, often “hidden” experiences that many struggle to disclose to their employers.
We all have a part to play in making the workplace a more inclusive, diverse and psychologically safe place for everyone, and the advice from our guest experts will broaden your perspective and offer a wealth of actionable ideas to support and sustain female representation and gender-inclusive workplaces.
Featured Guests
Ashanti Bentil-Dhue is a leading diversity and inclusion practitioner, speaker and coach based in the UK. Ashanti believes that systemic change comes from taking a considered, blended approach which brings accountability to the change process, the inclusion of appropriate lived experience, and dynamic and innovative approaches to facilitated thinking. More importantly, Ashanti focuses on working with organizations on how they prepare employees and leadership for uncomfortable conversations, before they receive any training and education. Ashanti is able to bring the experience she gained from five years spent as a Regulatory Compliance AVP for the likes of Santander Bank, Barclaycard and the Financial Ombudsman Service. This experience has given Ashanti an understanding of corporate governance and challenges associated with change management and workplace culture shifts.
Yai Vargas leads the strategy development and execution of custom diversity, equity, and inclusion training and development programs for HACR’s member organizations and other corporate stakeholders. Yai joins HACR with over 15 years of professional experience in multicultural marketing, diversity and inclusion strategy, and community engagement. Prior to joining HACR, Yai ran a successful DE&I consulting business designing inclusive programs for increased productivity, employee engagement, and culture change. Her expertise focused on organizational assessments, strategic planning and training, and development. Yai also spent nine years in corporate financial services developing diverse marketing initiatives for sales and recruiting. Yai sits on the benefit board for The Latino Commission on AIDS and is founder of The Latinista, a national organization for Latinas and women of color invested in career and leadership development.
Celia Sandhya Daniels is an Asian Indian trans women, who is an entrepreneur, musician, photographer, story teller, activist and a blogger. Born and raised in a conservative family in southern India, she writes and speaks passionately about her struggles and challenges she faced in her family, work and community both in US and India. As a management consultant with top fortune 500 companies, she educates, empowers and advocates for transgender and gender non-binary individuals in the corporate world from the Bathroom to Boardroom. She has built ally ship with local businesses, police dept, therapists, doctors, churches and civil rights organizations in US and India to educate them about bullying, transgender violence, discrimination, healthcare policies and employment. She is currently the Founder and CEO of Rebekon Consulting, Executive Board at Trans Can Work Inc. and the VP of Stonewall Democrats of Ventura County, California.
Julie Dennis runs one of the UK’s leading menopause consultancies for organizations who want to introduce menopause as an inclusive topic, educate leaders and ensure people working through menopause continue to thrive at work and home. Prior to entering the world of menopause Julie was employed in a variety of corporate roles spanning executive search, management consultancy and the mining industry. The powerful combination of her personal experience of menopause and business background means she is ideally placed to meet both the needs of the individual and the demands of the business.
Gemma Stow is a self promotion expert and specializes in working with female leaders to support them to reach their next level. She understands the importance of performance and visibility so uses high level coaching techniques to help her clients find their confidence to own their expertise. Gemma has a background in both public and private sectors helping clients unlock their potential.
Michelle Gyimah is the Director of Equality Pays, a gender and ethnicity equality consultancy dedicated to closing workplace pay gaps. With gender pay gap reporting regulation, possible ethnicity pay gap reporting and a workplace talent shortage looming, redressing gender and racial inequalities in the workplace is more important than ever. Michelle’s unique understanding of employee engagement, workplace challenges and personal experiences enables her to embed practical application into her consultancy. Michelle is a passionate advocate for enabling women (and men) to progress in their careers in a way that suits their outside of work responsibilities and lifestyle choices. She does this by empowering workplaces to radically rethink how they can support their employees to thrive at work. Michelle has over 8 years’ experience of working at the Equality and Human Rights Commission and holds a Masters in Human Rights from The University of Manchester.Michelle is a regular contributor to numerous podcasts, business magazines, international conferences and lives in Valencia, Spain.
