Advertise on podcast: ROI of DEI

We covered topics - Your journey into Anti-Bias work - What impact do you want to create? - What are your core offers? - What changes in business when you work with them? - Which organisations do you serve and what are their headcount? - What offer felt effortless to sell, and why did it work? - How do you respond to “We don’t have the budget”? - How do you explain the ROI of DEI to sceptical buyers? - What’s your most controversial belief about culture that most people in our field would disagree with? - Finish this sentence: “Most companies are wasting money on culture because…” - What does it really take to hit six figures in this field? - If you had 90 days inside one organisation with no new budget, what would you change first? - What’s the hardest part of getting a budget signed off for the work you do? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-verlezza/ ) Website - victoriaverlezza.com ---- Download the white paper ROI of DEI, ⁠ click here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics - Your career started in advertising and communication before moving deeply into DEI. What pulled you towards diversity and inclusion? - You’ve spent more than a decade helping organisations attract, retain and develop diverse talent. What have you learned about what actually makes an inclusive culture work? - Inclusive leadership is a big part of your work, from management training to board consulting. What do leaders tend to misunderstand about their role in creating inclusion? - You describe your approach as data-driven DEI. What does “data-driven” mean in practice, beyond simply collecting representation or engagement numbers? - When organisations invest in inclusive recruitment, leadership or talent retention, where do you think the strongest business case for that investment can be found? - When you think about the best client you’ve ever helped, what actually changed in their business? - If you had 90 days inside one organisation with no new budget, what would you change first? - What’s the hardest part of getting a budget signed off for the work you do? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendybroersen/ ) Website - wendybroersen.nl ---- Join my weekday newsletter, ROI of DEI Sign up here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics - Your journey into Belonging - What impact do you want to create? - Many leaders still describe belonging as a "soft" topic. Have we simply been looking in the wrong place for its cost? - You've worked with executive leaders. What changes when those legal costs are no longer absorbed by HR or Legal, but attached to the P&L of the manager tied to the bonus? - Most organisations see that as a Talent Acquisition problem. Why is that the wrong way to think about it? - Once legal outcomes are linked, & If the full cost of replacing employees appeared on a manager's P&L, how do you think their leadership priorities would change? - In your experience, how does a lack of belonging eventually show up as legal exposure, whether through EEO complaints, discrimination cases, grievances, or investigations? - Once someone is hired, the next invisible cost is capability. How closely do belonging, learning, and productivity actually connect? - Engagement surveys often end up as HR reports. What changes when engagement scores become part of a manager's own performance review? - If every executive listening today could make just one invisible cost visible inside their organisation next quarter, which one would create the biggest improvement in belonging and business performance? - If you had 90 days inside one organisation with no new budget, what would you change first? - I love when you say If I have to show the ROI of DEI, you are not my client, How did you develop this confidence in the current market? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherbylone/ ) Website - alwayschristopher.com ---- Join my weekday newsletter, ROI of DEI Sign up here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? please email ⁠vikra⁠[email protected]

We covered topics - Your journey into Inclusion - What impact do you want to create? - You say you are often brought in to “defuse situations.” What does that usually look like inside an organisation? - What is the difference between making people aware of inclusion and making direct changes that people can actually experience at work? - How do you explain the business value of creating work environments where people can work safely? - What are the hidden costs when organizations ignore conflict, exclusion, or unclear communication? - What metrics or signals could leaders track to understand whether inclusion is improving the workplace? - If you had 90 days inside one organisation with no new budget, what would you change first? - What’s the hardest part of getting a budget signed off for the work you do? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/beccsriley/?locale=en ) Website - beccsriley.de ---- Join my weekday newsletter, ROI of DEI Sign up here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics - You describe yourself as “The Culture Ajagun.” What does that name mean? - What inspired you to write Culture Blooming, and what impact do you hope the book creates? - The book challenges leaders to treat culture like a garden rather than a construction project. Why is that distinction so important? - Could you introduce the SERN™ framework and explain how Soil, Exposure, Roots, and Nutrients work together? - How do you help leaders connect workplace culture with business outcomes such as retention? - If you had 90 days inside one organisation with no new budget, what would you change first? - What’s the hardest part of getting a budget signed off for the work you do? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/abiadamson/ ) Website - theculturepartnership.com ---- Join my weekday newsletter, ROI of DEI Sign up here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics - Recap of your journey into data-driven DEI - “Every budget is a leadership biography.” What do you mean by that? - Why is this a better question: "How do leadership experiences influence the decisions leaders make once they get there?" - In your research, representation alone was not a reliable predictor of outcomes. What surprised you most about that finding? - Can you explain the idea of investment logic in simple terms for a leader who has never heard that phrase before? - When you look at a DEI budget, what does it usually reveal about what leaders truly believe? - Your research suggests low-performing organisations spent around 50% of DEI investment on training, while high-performing organisations spent closer to 25%. Why is overreliance on training a problem? - What should executives be looking at beyond headcount data if they want to understand whether leadership diversity is actually shaping strategy? - If a DEI consultant is helping a client review their DEI budget, what questions should they ask to uncover the client’s real investment logic? - What would you say to a CEO or CFO who is listening to this episode? - If you had 90 days inside one organisation with no new budget, what would you change first? - What’s the hardest part of getting a budget signed off for the work you do? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryl-ingram-29093067/ ) YouTube - https://youtube.com/@inclusologists?si=iKXyTjHwlGjGQbt5 Research Data Image - https://73bit.com/ROI_of_DEI/Ep242_Data.png ---- Join my weekday newsletter, ROI of DEI Sign up here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics - Your journey into becoming an AI specialist - What has that taught you about helping leaders make important decisions when the data is incomplete? - Which argument from Douglas Hubbard’s book, How to Measure Anything, are we focusing on for today's conversation? - Can you explain further why measurement does not need to eliminate uncertainty and only reduce it? - - How do we build trust with business leadership on any cost model? - What indicators do we have to look for to know the HR Leader is trusting the formula? - How do we conclude if HR trusts the numbers? - How do we transfer confidence to the HR Leader to make the connection with business impact? - Are reputational risk, opportunity cost, and damaged client relationships a strong enough business case to defend? - What separates a credible business-impact argument from a chain of speculative claims? - What language would help the HR Leader deal with internal uncertainties? - How do we build conviction in creating a correlation between leading signals and the investment decision? - How do we overcome an investment decision with the risk of uncertainty when we know causation can't be proved in 90 days Pilot? - What would make the results strong enough to approve further investment? - How does someone trained in measurement under uncertainty think about using correlational signals like these to justify a budget decision? - What is one thing a DEI consultant should change about how they present numbers to an HR leader or CFO? - When should a leader be confident enough to say, “We do not know everything, but we know enough to act”? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/gkhayes/ ) Website - valuedrivendatascience.com ---- Join my weekday newsletter, ROI of DEI Sign up here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? Please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics - Your journey into neurodiversity - What impact do you want to create? - What are some common assumptions about productivity that quietly damage neurodivergent employees - Where do you see the clearest business cost of non-inclusive workplaces? - What would you measure first to show that better support for neurodivergent employees improves performance - What are some beliefs about people and performance that workplaces need to rethink? - What does a neuroinclusive leader do differently in day-to-day communication? - Have you seen a moment where a small adjustment or accommodation made a measurable difference? - If a senior leader asked you to justify neuroinclusion in business terms, how would you explain? - How do you share success stories that resonate with non-DEI leaders? - What is your core offer? How do you help organisations? - If you had 90 days inside one organisation with no new budget, what would you change first? - What’s the hardest part of getting a budget signed off for the work you do? ---- Important Links Gillian Forth - LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-forth-coach/) Website - thelowachiever.com ---- Join the newsletter ROI of DEI Click here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? Please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics - Your journey into Anti-Racism- What impact do you want to create?- Your book is called It Was Never About That. What is the "that" people mistakenly believe racism is about?- Why did you decide to write this book?- Who should read this book?- What becomes invisible when we define racism primarily as hate?- Can someone genuinely believe they are not racist while still supporting decisions, practices, or systems that produce racially unequal outcomes?- You highlight the Black-white racial wealth gap, job discrimination, and medical racism. Why did you choose these as central examples?- Do you believe in capitalism?- Why do disparities continue even in institutions that publicly state their commitment to fairness and equality?- You write about gaslighting DEI advocates. What does that gaslighting commonly sound like?- How can an anti-racism advocate respond when someone says, "Everything is about race now"?- What are some ordinary workplace practices that appear neutral but can create unequal racial outcomes?- How can leaders move beyond one-off unconscious bias training and create lasting change?- What workplace data should leaders examine to determine whether racial inequality exists?- What is the business cost of refusing to examine everyday racism within an organisation?- Do you do consulting?- What are your final thoughts before we end this episode?----Important LinksGuest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-ladipo/ ) Book - It Was Never About That -

We covered topics - Your journey into ethics and corporate culture. - What impact do you want to create? - What does a healthy speak-up culture look like inside an organisation? - Why do employees stay silent even when they see something wrong? - What is the cost of silence for a business? - How can leaders make employees feel safe enough to report concerns? - How do you explain whistleblowing as a cultural tool, not just a compliance tool? - If you had 90 days inside one organisation with no new budget, what would you change first? - Any success stories about your client that you often talk about in sales meetings? - What’s the hardest part of getting a budget signed off for the work you do? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-walker-2833b513/ ) Website - whistleblowersecurity.com - caseiq.com ---- Join my daily weekday newsletter, ROI of DEI Sign up here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? Please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics: - Your journey into workplace strategy. - When you hear the phrase “high-performing workplace culture,” what does that mean to you? - What are the early signs that a workplace culture is helping performance instead of hurting it? - Where do organisations usually go wrong when they try to improve culture? - What are the most common business risks leaders underestimate until it is too late? - What is the correlation between the workplace culture and retaining good people? - What role does trust play in creating an engaged and high-performing workplace? - What are the best business benefits of improving employee engagement? - If you had 90 days inside one organisation with no new budget, what would you change first? - What’s the hardest part of getting a budget signed off for the work you do? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/contactmecarliebell/ ) Website - citationcanada.com ---- Download the white paper ROI of DEI, ⁠ click here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics - Origin Story of Know Better Do Better Consulting. - What impact do you want to create? - What are your core offers? - Why do they call you The Chaos Whisperer™ - What has changed for you in your business in the current market recently? - What is your primary challenge today in talking to a prospect? - What offer felt effortless to sell, and why did it work? - How did you land your first 5-figure clients? - What is the hardest thing about getting the budget approved? - If you have 90 days to work with a client, what would be the first things you would do? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassrcooper/ ) Website - knowbetterdobetter.co ---- Download the white paper ROI of DEI, ⁠ click here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics - Your journey into DEI - What impact do you want to create? - What is your core offer? - You’ve built your work around measurement, why does measurement matter so much in this space? - How is Culture work currently budgeted in organisations? - Any success stories that stood out for company? - If you had 90 days inside one organisation, what would you change first? - If a leader listening to this is still unsure about measuring culture, what would you say to them? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jones-a23aa51/ ) Website - spectradiversity.com ---- Download the white paper ROI of DEI, ⁠ click here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics - Your journey into leadership, inclusion, and social mobility. - What impact do you want to create through your work? - How does Flex Legal help the cause of social mobility? - How do you quantify the outcome in the bottom line? - How can businesses benefit from the talent strategy you offer? - Why is social mobility one of the least understood areas of diversity? - What support do employees from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often need, but may not ask for? - What role does mentoring play in improving social mobility inside organisations? - If you had 90 days inside one organisation with no new budget, what would you change first? - Have you worked with external consultants? What’s the hardest part of getting a budget signed off for the work you do? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/kategaskell1111/ ) Website - go.flex.legal ---- Download the white paper ROI of DEI, ⁠ click here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? please email ⁠[email protected]⁠

We covered topics - Your journey into Neuroinclusion - What impact do you want to create? - If a leadership team truly embraced neuroinclusive design, what business outcome would improve first? - You say burnout isn’t a time management problem. What problem is it? - Was there a moment where you thought, ‘If they could see this in metrics and money, the buy-in would be easy’? - How does neuroinclusion improve decision-making quality, not just well-being? - What’s the difference between designing a neuroinclusive system and making individual accommodations? - When you think about the best client you’ve ever helped, what actually changed in their business? - What’s the hardest part of getting a budget signed off for this kind of work? - If you had 90 days and no new budget what changes would you do first? - What does the ROI of DEI mean to you? ---- Important Links Guest - LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-sosa-cvpm-ccfp-pgd-cld/ ) Website - syn-apt.me ---- Download the white paper ROI of DEI, ⁠ click here⁠ → ROIofDEI.ai⁠ Any feedback? please email ⁠[email protected]⁠