When you’re raised as the only Black family for miles, in a place like Ogden Utah that has very little racial diversity, as a Black person, you get used to being ignored. The book Invisible Man should have had a sequel titled, “Invisible Children: the training guide for colored kids who are confused by white avoidance.” This erasure and feeling of invisibleness isn’t just unique to my upbringing. For Black individuals, the erasure of culture, complexity of identity outside of stereotypes, and a lack of Black history taught outside of oppression or slavery creates barriers to a healthy sense of self and fuels the biases that keeps society inequitable. I was recently inspired to contribute a new narrative to the concept of Blackness by asking my friends and family who are Black to answer the simple question “What do you love about being black?” Their answers were inspirational, funny, informative, universal, as well as unique, and a balance to the traumatic images, negative stories, an imbalanced emphasis on Black pain, Black violence, Black erasure, and Black oppression shared on a daily basis. Those stories are important to share, but they are not the only narrative in the bigger story about Black culture. The best way to change the status quo and create true understanding and belonging is to redefine narratives. This episode is one small step towards that redefinition. Take a listen to writers, an actor, public speaker, entrepreneurs, and makers who share their stories about what they love about being Black, in a world and society that many times makes it difficult to affirm ourselves.

Sway Them in Color

What I Love About Being Black

In this episode of Sway Them In Color I speak with Tony Chatman. Tony has worked with hundreds of corporations and government agencies including the U.S. Secret Service, Dept. of Homeland Security, Chase Bank, Estee Lauder, N.O.A.A. and N.A.S.A. to help people reach new heights of effectiveness by understanding themselves and others better. As a corporate relationship expert and leadership keynote speaker, his passion is contagious and his messages provide practical, usable knowledge that people implement immediately for business and personal success. Currently, Tony serves as a board member for the Captain Phillips Lane Kirkland Maritime Trust. Tony recently completed his first book: The Force Multiplier: How to Lead Teams Where Everyone Wins and in 2018 he delivered his first TEDx talk – How to Stop Settling for Less. In this discussion we dive into: why pursuing character over cash leads to positive outcomes and fulfillment.  dealing with microaggressions why productivity and performance at work is all about relationships  how to navigate change and risk when you're terrified of the outcome  

Building What You Can't See

In this episode of Sway Them In Color I speak with Zena Hanna founder of Zena Digital Group. With over ten years of digital media experience under her belt, she wanted to start an agency that had a different face as the CEO. Having worked within verticals ranging from fashion and luxury while living in Milan, to social impact and education, she’s realized that brands want an agency partner that is skilled, integrated, innovative, involved and, with what we bring to the table: diverse. Her agency has worked with The Marriot, Real Brewed Tea, The Assemblage, and The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization. In this convo we speak on: risk taking as an immigrant  why respect can be hard to come by in traditional work settings and is the most important aspect of a healthy culture the unique challenges and opportunities this time of social distancing creates  

Why We Need Values Driven Business

In this episode of Sway Them in Color I speak with Oshoke Pamela Abalu, an architect and futurist, who was the Chief Architect for MetLife’s $1 billion inclusive workplace redesign. She pioneers human-centered design solutions that infuse consciousness, energy flow, and inclusivity into global workplace transformations. She is a gifted design thinker and diversity advocate who has moved the needle, shattered glass ceilings, and enabled a broader conversation on diversity for organizations. Faculty member at The Inner MBA and a Crain’s 40 Under 40 honoree, Oshoke and her work have been featured in TIME, Smart Planet, Real Simple Magazine, Domino Magazine, Interior Design Magazine, ABC, NBC, Fast Company, TED and more. In this conversation we discuss: how our families of origin impact our life paths  how to change the narrative on your abilities when changing careers  3 principles for being more inclusive and purpose driven in your work why we need new terms for diversity and belonging and how the term symphony showcases inclusion as the greatest innovation.  

Why Symphony is a Better Term Than Diversity for Creating a Better World

Dr. Akilah Cadet is the founder of Change Cadet consulting, which offers a broad array of services including executive coaching, strategic planning, innovation, and diversity facilitation. Cadet is a French term that means soldier (and happens to be Akilah's last name). As it's often an uphill battle for women and people of color to achieve success in the workplace, Change Cadet prepare soldiers of change to overcome these continuous battles to be their best selves. Akilah has 15+ years of experience working in various organizations, with both private and public sector companies. She has literally all the degrees, lives in Oakland, and is a proud Beyoncé advocate. In this episode of Sway Them In Color Dr. Cadet and I get into: Managing severe depression and microaggressions with health practitioners  How bias can show up in so many unexpected places, from therapists to bosses How conformity is false sense of professionalism  When to walk away from money especially when it is out of line with your values Why we shouldn't code switch, even in predominantly white male leadership circles  Why you should always negotiate for your financial worth, whether taking a new job or selling services from your company  

Being Your Authentic Self is a Courageous Act of Rebellion

Oppression pass (n): a term I’ve coined about the belief that because you are liberal, marginalized yourself, like black people/have one black friend/ are married to a black person/have black children you don’t participate in or perpetuate in white supremacy. My dear friends, I’m here to let you know oppression passes are being handed out like it’s six flags, but they don’t exist. In this episode of Sway Them In Color I unpack five key narrative myths many liberal people, in particular white people, believe around racism that keeps white supremacy alive including: myth 1: if I know/am married to/friends with a black person, I am not racist myth 2: systemic racism doesn't exist, social outcomes are always from individual effort/character flaw myth 3: the only form of protest that's acceptable is peaceful protest myth 4: I am marginalized myself (gay etc) I can't be racist myth 5: I identify as a liberal thus I am not racist Take a dive in, listen, learn, and share. For every gain in human rights, we have always had set backs. After slavery was banned, Jim crow was born. After the voting rights act of '65, states used loop hole measures to make voting damn near impossible for marginalized groups empowered by the act to go to the polls. Our system has never been designed with equality in mind and has terrorized black folks for centuries. It has never worked for everyone especially public policy, police, and the justice system. The silver lining in strife is busting narrative myths allows us to build a new reality. People of color, especially black people, are painfully aware of how broken it’s always been, so now we need to design something new and white people must be deeply involved in examining themselves and their own ideology for white supremacy to truly change. 

Being Liberal Is Not an Oppression Pass

With every growth spurt I’ve gone through, both physically and mentally, there’s been a mark left it its wake, a story no longer fitting cast aside. When we cast off rituals or social expectations that don’t feel good, or match who we’ve become, what new stories do we adopt to chase our curiosity and build the lives/businesses/world we want to see? In this episode of Sway Them In Color Georgie-Ann Getton-Mckoy discuss these ideas, diving into: figuring out what seems impossible with limited resources and access how the skills of motherhood translate to powerful skills at work  why curiosity and learning is a critical tool for expanding your network even if you're an only (only woman, only person of color etc) in the groups you're entering into. Georgie-Ann Getton-Mckoy is an Execution strategist, married mom of 2, serial entrepreneur, community builder, speaker, author, & Diversity in Tech Enthusiast. She loves learning as well as teaching new and creative ways to find solutions to problems. She is here to help others become more productive, execute on their ideas, & go from being a dreamer to being a doer. You can find her work online at https://gsdwithgeorgie.com and @gsdwithgeorgie on IG, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  

Creating Something From Nothing

I can’t tell you the number of times I have talked with friends about social and political issues with deep sadness and anguish. From white nationalist protestors, hate crimes against innocent black men and women, incompetent leaders, to the imminent tension of racism and unaddressed social wounds this country has, there’s a lot of generational pain bubbling to the surface. Social media gives us a window into this pain with a 24/7 cycle of information. Adversity can be channeled and processed through creativity, and there’s incredible power in our own stories. In this episode of Sway Them In Color I speak to Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of New York Time’s bestselling anti-helicopter parenting manifesto, How to Raise an Adult, and of award-winning memoir, Real American, on growing up Black and biracial in white spaces. Juile has also given a TED Talk that has over 4 million views and counting. As a former corporate lawyer and university dean, she’s now entirely focused on writing and ideas and is inspired by people who tell their stories. In this conversation we discuss: how racism affects self esteem  discovering your true identity beyond other people's judgements and biases  creative expression as a form of healing from injustice and working through pain and suffering through writing the best thing leaders can do to better engage other people's talents no matter their background or title You can check out her work at julielythcotthaims.com at @jlythcotthaims on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Finding Your Self-Worth In a Sea of Racism 

Pain is something we take large precautions to avoid. The psychical pain of accidents, ill health, and pushing our bodies to our limits. The mental pain of stress, fear, betrayal, and turmoil.  Pain is complex, at times it’s unavoidable, seeping into your bones and mind. We cannot control how pain occurs, but we can control how we react to it.   In this conversation of Sway Them In Color I speak with Alanna Gardner, a therapist, fitness instructor, and heart attack survivor who uses her background to help individuals become emotional athletes; developing the skills and tools necessary to have emotional resilience throughout life's most difficult challenges. We discuss: the term "emotional athleticism" and how it can help you face challenges in life how the ways we respond to adversity shape the trajectory of our lives how to build resiliency during a major setback how society knocks the sensitivity out of people how being able to sit with pain is a part of the healing process  

Emotional Athleticism and Resilience in Times of Trouble

What do you do when life hands you a big ol’ stanky basket of lemons? You make the most delicious remixed lemonade (with probably a splash of whiskey). In this episode of Sway them my Color my guest and I dive into her journey of building a career during the 2008 economic crisis, and how she went from odd jobs to tech giants and is now in the innovation space. We discuss: bouncing back after a rescission why balancing stability and flexibility when going through periods of growth and change is key to survival  why ego driven leadership is bad for innovation and what actually works   Brittney Dimes is a thirteen year Austin veteran by way of Houston. During this time she’s owned and operated a national pageant system, worked for tech giants like Google, Favor and Bumble, all the while building a mobile bar catering business in the background, Party Pulse, which is growing every day. And is now the acting Director of Operations for Thinktiv, a value-driven innovation firm that partners with Private Equity leaders, VC-funded companies, and Early-Stage founders to create what's next. You can learn more about her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/partypulseatx/ or @b.dimes on Instagram

Innovation, Surviving recession, and Good leadership

My relationship with my body and health is a complicated one. There are days where I feel strong, and curvy and sexy. I can kill an HIIT class. I’m at the top of intense spin classes on leaderboards. I can squat over 150 and-some change-pounds. But I have days where I weigh myself non-stop, grapple with every morsel that comes into my mouth, and beat myself up for not being whatever conventional idea of being “thin enough” and what defines healthy that day (which I’m sure 99.9% of people can relate to). We live in a system where health is an all or nothing conversation of punishment or morale failure, and it takes up so much of people's mental energy and vitality worrying about it.  In this episode of Sway Them In Color I speak with fitness instructor and business owner Laci Chisholm who was inspired to create her dance company, Fit 4 Dance after having a major wake up call with a doctor about her health. We discuss how your interests in childhood can shed light on your career purpose, how to overcome self doubt, how a local library business plan competition helped her launch her company and how to take more risks, but also why you shouldn't just up and quit your job. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to turn around your health or turn your passion and personal problems into a tangible business, this is the episode to listen to.

Health, Weight, And Taking Risks

Romantic love, that good good, is the type of love that’s fetishized as the ultimate achievement, the one type of love we must cherish and work on the most, so much so that a majority of the chatter in pop culture and society about love is centered in romantic love — how to get it, how to keep it, how to flip it and reverse it, how to bottle it, manipulate it, share it, why you want and need it, how you gone lose it — the list goes on. But love lessons typically come through a lot of trial, error, and a whole lot of tribulations (mm hmm sang it!). In this episode of Sway Them In Color I share 5 hard won lessons people don’t tell you about love including: why fighting is important and how to fight fair why knowing your attachment style is key to finding compatibility what to do when dealing with betrayal why you need to stop mind reading other people’s behavior 

What They Don't Tell You About Love : 5 Ways To Love Better

Racism and racist are triggering words. Use the R word and people clutch their pearls and run for the “not me, I’m not one of them!” hills no matter how accurate the term is to describe their behavior. The issue with this word to is it's ineffective as it's been declawed by racists who don't want the consequences of the correct labeling of their behavior, but refuse to own the truth of their racist thinking and communicating.  In this episode I make a hilarious case for the power of words, why we should rebrand racism and dive into:  why the term racist hasn't been rebranded since 1935 5 recently made up terms that shut down conversation on racism that are damn effective, from the term "snowflake" to "social justice warrior (SJW)" the wonderful, made up time of B.P.C -- Before Political Correctness how I wish my "race card" was an Amex why we can and should make up new words for the term racist and 3 new terms I created that gave me a deep belly laugh that people should causally start dropping in conversation when addressing racism  I also sing four part harmony for fun on the episode in honor of Black History Month.

I'm Rebranding Racism With Three Hilarious New Phrases and You Can't Stop Me

My Afro has always generated conversations well before I did. Entering rooms, blocking pictures, catching sunlight and an array of other things I'd pull out of it in surprise. Since wearing my hair naturally for the past 11 years it’s been an extension of me that was much more than just incredibly curled follicles, and my guest today knows all about how much hair, especially curly hair and kinky hair, deeply affects our identities and how we show up in the world.  Kim Cowans is the founder of SKIMDO the first seven day hold hair product designed to give freedom from daily hair-styling by holding curls in flexible suspension for up to a week with no parabens, no formaldehyde, and no sulphates. She is of Russian and Jamaican descent, and was raised between England and Thailand. Four years after launching SKIMDO she moved to New York City to bring the brand to the American market, and the product has gained gained cult status use amongst stylists and influencers. Kim is now in the process of finding investment to expand her impact.  We dive into her journey of creating SKIMDO, from being fired from her job, to hiring chemists to help her concoct her dream product and along the way we talk about:  dealing with bullying in childhood  why travel can change your perspective of yourself in the best way why seeing yourself represented in the world really does matter and has an impact on your development  how a lack of solutions for your unique problem can be inspiration for creating something new  You can check out more about Kim at skimdo.com and on Instagram @skimdo. 

Hair and The Beauty of The Parts of You That Were Bullied

"Think about the next big risk you want to take. The thing that makes you feel like your stomach is doing a backflip and you may shit your pants. The one that's terrifying to you and you've been holding off on because you don't think you're ready or you're afraid of the no or having the door slammed in your face. I want you to think what's the worst thing that can happen if you decide to take this risk?" - Me! Rejection stangss honey, but our avoidance of rejection can be the most limiting thing crushing potential ideas and dreams. In this solo episode of Sway Them In Color, I share a personal story of how I was rejected from the singing competition The Voice in an audition in New York City and the key 3 things you must do to build a tolerance to getting rejected on the path of chasing your dreams and goals. If you want to do big things, you’ll have to get comfortable with facing some rejection, because there’s nothing in this damn world worth pursuing without some risk and potential rejection attached to it. I also sing a few times during this episode so if you want to hear a remixxx and experience me singing four part harmony with myself because I’m a damn fool, take a listen. 

The Secret to Dealing with Rejection

If you’re tired of listening to the same ol’ voices being the authority on creativity, leadership, and making an impact on society, you’re in the right place. Sway them in color explores a personal story + interview of creative courage and the leadership lessons from taking the leap from an under-heard rebel/maker/mover/rump-shaker/entrepreneur/happy dancer and more. Each episode provides hilarious, unconventional and enlightening universal lessons on creativity and leadership anyone of any background can relate to and learn from. Created and hosted by Christina Blacken, Founder, Strategist and Storyteller of TheNewQuo.com.

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Sway Them in Color

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