Inclusion Catalyst
Inclusion Catalyst

Inclusion Catalyst

Mickey Desai & Susan Cooper

Overview
Episodes

Details

Welcome to Inclusion Catalyst, with your hosts Mickey Desai and Julien Geiser. We bring diversity leaders to the table to hear about current issues in diversity and inclusion, deconstructing complex social justice issues to showcase the best practices in our workplaces and our communities.

Recent Episodes

Disability Empathy and Access featuring Lori Frisher
MAY 29, 2023
Disability Empathy and Access featuring Lori Frisher
<p>Today on the show, guest host Josh Miller of <a href="https://joshmiller.ventures/" rel="nofollow">Josh Miller Ventures</a> and <a href="https://ideasxlab.com/" rel="nofollow">IDEAS xLab</a> talks to  <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorifrisher/" rel="nofollow">Lori Frisher</a> as part of his Uncovering Your Value series. Frisher is a leader, an advocate, an entrepreneur, an athlete, a two-time cancer survivor, and a public speaker who dares to dream beyond her present circumstances to discover what is possible. She was born with severe hearing loss and relies on two cochlear implants and lip-reading to communicate. Through her company <a href="https://readyornotmedia.com/" rel="nofollow">Ready or Not Media!</a>, Lori offerings immersive disability empathy trainings, keynotes and more.   In this episode, Miller and Frisher discuss:</p> <ul> <li>How navigating the world with an invisible disability can lead to covering,</li> <li>Disability empathy and the importance of listening to and learning from people’s stories and experiences, </li> <li>The role experiential learning and immersive workshops play in expanding people’s understanding about accessibility,</li> <li>Working to make physical workplaces more accessible while recognizing the role that remote and hybrid jobs play in expanding access to employment for people with disabilities.</li> </ul> <p>If you are interested in learning more about the topic of covering, delving into Miller’s Uncovering Your Value newsletter or getting in touch to share your story or about public speaking, visit ](http://www.joshmiller.ventures)[<a href="http://www.joshmiller.ventures" rel="nofollow">www.joshmiller.ventures</a> or connect with him on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmventures/" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a>!   About Josh Miller: About: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmventures?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAAQJE78BF39-2YjXA0yc0kDWUoHl62BXkXo" rel="nofollow">Josh Miller</a> is a queer changemaker, public speaker, photographer, and outdoor explorer. He is the owner of Josh Miller Ventures and the co-founder + CEO of IDEAS xLab—an organization that uses the art of storytelling and community collaboration to impact public health. Miller’s work has been featured by The New York Times, the Aspen Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He is a Soros Equality Fellow, received the 2022 Nonprofit Visionary Leader Award from Louisville Business First, and was selected for Business Equality Magazine’s Forty LGBTQ+ Leaders under 40 and Louisville Business First's Forty under 40. Miller is a two-time TEDx speaker and has been described as a "force in our community.” He holds an MBA from Indiana University and an undergraduate degree from Bellarmine University. Previously, he served as an advisor to the Derby Diversity &amp; Business Summit and co-chair for the Louisville Health advisory board’s communications committee.   Support Inclusion Catalyst by contributing to their tip jar: <a href="https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst" rel="nofollow">https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst</a></p> <p>Support Inclusion Catalyst by contributing to their tip jar: <a href="https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst" rel="payment nofollow">https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst</a></p>
play-circle
36 MIN
Standing in our “No” featuring Marija Abney
MAY 15, 2023
Standing in our “No” featuring Marija Abney
<p>Today on the show, guest host Josh Miller of <a href="https://joshmiller.ventures/" rel="nofollow">Josh Miller Ventures</a> and <a href="https://ideasxlab.com/" rel="nofollow">IDEAS xLab</a> talks to <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6112965/" rel="nofollow">Marija Abney</a> as part of his Uncovering Your Value series. Abney is a community organizer, the arts curator at The Soapbox Presents, a Broadway performer and actress having starred in movies including both Black Panther films and Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Learn more about her work at The Soapbox presents <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thesoapboxpresents/" rel="nofollow">here</a>.   Covering: downplaying, hiding or filtering parts of ourselves at work, with different social groups, at school and with family.   In this episode, Miller and Abney discuss:</p> <ul> <li>The ways we are encouraged to code-switch or cover from a young age,</li> <li>The role of imagining and creating change for future generations,</li> <li>The importance of accomplices and collaborators in the workplace, and</li> <li>Standing in our “No” by putting in place boundaries that embody our values.</li> </ul> <p>If you are interested in learning more about the topic of covering, delving into Miller’s Uncovering Your Value newsletter or getting in touch to share your story or about public speaking, visit ](http://www.joshmiller.ventures)[<a href="http://www.joshmiller.ventures" rel="nofollow">www.joshmiller.ventures</a> or connect with him on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmventures/" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a>!   About Josh Miller: About: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmventures?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAAQJE78BF39-2YjXA0yc0kDWUoHl62BXkXo" rel="nofollow">Josh Miller</a> is a queer changemaker, public speaker, photographer, and outdoor explorer. He is the owner of Josh Miller Ventures and the co-founder + CEO of IDEAS xLab—an organization that uses the art of storytelling and community collaboration to impact public health. Miller’s work has been featured by The New York Times, the Aspen Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He is a Soros Equality Fellow, received the 2022 Nonprofit Visionary Leader Award from Louisville Business First, and was selected for Business Equality Magazine’s Forty LGBTQ+ Leaders under 40 and Louisville Business First's Forty under 40. Miller is a two-time TEDx speaker and has been described as a "force in our community.” He holds an MBA from Indiana University and an undergraduate degree from Bellarmine University. Previously, he served as an advisor to the Derby Diversity &amp; Business Summit and co-chair for the Louisville Health advisory board’s communications committee.   Support Inclusion Catalyst by contributing to their tip jar: <a href="https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst" rel="nofollow">https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst</a></p> <p>Support Inclusion Catalyst by contributing to their tip jar: <a href="https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst" rel="payment nofollow">https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst</a></p>
play-circle
45 MIN
Covering at Work and Uncovering Your Value
MAY 1, 2023
Covering at Work and Uncovering Your Value
<p>Today on the show, queer changemaker and public speaker <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmventures/" rel="nofollow">Josh Miller</a> kicks off a multi-part series on the topic of covering: downplaying, hiding or filtering parts of ourselves at work, with different social groups, at school and with family.   Miller believes that being visible can shift culture, and that sharing our stories can be the catalyst that changes how people see and move through the world. During the episode, he features excerpts from interviews with corporate, nonprofit and political leaders on their experiences with covering at work and in life.   As guest host, the founder of <a href="https://joshmiller.ventures/" rel="nofollow">Josh Miller Ventures</a> and co-founder and CEO of <a href="https://ideasxlab.com/" rel="nofollow">IDEAS xLab</a>:</p> <ul> <li>Defines covering and talks about its prevalence and impact,</li> <li>Talks about the cost of covering and how it can lead to coping and burnout</li> <li>Delves into how COVID-19 and the socio-political environment intersected with covering and how people evolved and changed since 2020</li> <li>Asks you to consider, “Whose imagination are you working you?”</li> <li>Invites listeners to become part of an uncovering movement</li> </ul> <p>If you are interested in learning more about the topic of covering, delving into Miller’s Uncovering Your Value newsletter or getting in touch to share your story or about public speaking, visit ](http://www.joshmiller.ventures)[<a href="http://www.joshmiller.ventures" rel="nofollow">www.joshmiller.ventures</a> or connect with him on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmventures/" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a>!   About Josh Miller: About: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmventures?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAAQJE78BF39-2YjXA0yc0kDWUoHl62BXkXo" rel="nofollow">Josh Miller</a> is a queer changemaker, public speaker, photographer, and outdoor explorer. He is the owner of Josh Miller Ventures and the co-founder + CEO of IDEAS xLab—an organization that uses the art of storytelling and community collaboration to impact public health. Miller’s work has been featured by The New York Times, the Aspen Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He is a Soros Equality Fellow, received the 2022 Nonprofit Visionary Leader Award from Louisville Business First, and was selected for Business Equality Magazine’s Forty LGBTQ+ Leaders under 40 and Louisville Business First's Forty under 40. Miller is a two-time TEDx speaker and has been described as a "force in our community.” He holds an MBA from Indiana University and an undergraduate degree from Bellarmine University. Previously, he served as an advisor to the Derby Diversity &amp; Business Summit and co-chair for the Louisville Health advisory board’s communications committee.   Support Inclusion Catalyst by contributing to their tip jar: <a href="https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst" rel="nofollow">https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst</a></p> <p>Support Inclusion Catalyst by contributing to their tip jar: <a href="https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst" rel="payment nofollow">https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst</a></p>
play-circle
27 MIN
Veterans & Higher Ed (Pt. 2): Perspectives on Navigating the Transition to College as a Student Veteran
APR 17, 2023
Veterans & Higher Ed (Pt. 2): Perspectives on Navigating the Transition to College as a Student Veteran
<p>Join LeNaya Hezel, director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP) as she chats with three alumni of the WSP program, Army veteran Chris Twigg, Navy veteran Desaree Edwards, and Marine Corps veteran Jessica Nelson. In this episode, they’ll discuss life after military service, the role higher education plays in transitioning to civilian life, owning the veteran narrative, and their plans to continue to serve and “make the world a better place.”   Know an enlisted veteran looking to jumpstart their education? Invite them to learn more about Warrior-Scholar Project and submit an interest form at <a href="https://www.warrior-scholar.org/" rel="nofollow">www.warrior-scholar.org</a>.   <strong>Connect with Warrior-Scholar Project!</strong> <a href="https://www.warrior-scholar.org" rel="nofollow">Website</a> <a href="https://www.warrior-scholar.org/get-involved/" rel="nofollow">Donate</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/warrior-scholar-project/" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a>   <em>An official partner with the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, WSP is a nonprofit that hosts immersive academic boot camps in partnership with some of the nation’s top colleges and universities. A ](<a href="https://www.warrior-scholar.org/two-year-study-confirms-national-nonprofit-warrior-scholar-project-provides-unprecedented-resources-to-veterans/" rel="nofollow">https://www.warrior-scholar.org/two-year-study-confirms-national-nonprofit-warrior-scholar-project-provides-unprecedented-resources-to-veterans/</a>)[<a href="https://www.warrior-scholar.org/two-year-study-confirms-national-nonprofit-warrior-scholar-project-provides-unprecedented-resources-to-veterans/" rel="nofollow">recent study</a> found that WSP is the only national program of its kind dedicated to veterans that not only provides targeted support for academic success, but also improves social connection and relationships with both faculty and nonveteran students.</em></p> <p>Support Inclusion Catalyst by contributing to their tip jar: <a href="https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst" rel="payment nofollow">https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/inclusion-catalyst</a></p>
play-circle
35 MIN