"DEI is often seen as something off to the side—something we can easily discard because people still don’t always see its benefits,” says Ericka Hines, founder of Black Women Thriving. This week, she joins Alex Raymond to shed light on the vital role of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Drawing on over 14 years of experience, Ericka shares insights from her Black Women Thriving Report, which explores the unique challenges Black women face in the workplace and provides actionable recommendations for creating environments where they can truly flourish.

Ericka emphasizes the need to move beyond traditional DEI training to foster genuine cultural change. She introduces the concept of thriving—a state of vitality and learning at work—as the ultimate goal once diversity and inclusion are achieved. A striking finding from her report is that 88% of Black women experience burnout, often due to a lack of personal time and negative workplace environments. Ericka advocates for organizational policies that prioritize well-being, such as implementing rest periods between meetings and discouraging after-hours emails.

For entrepreneurs, Ericka advises embedding DEI principles into their businesses from the outset by tailoring them to their industry and integrating them into daily strategies and practices. She cautions against relying solely on unconscious bias training and stresses the importance of a comprehensive approach to building an inclusive culture. Ericka urges entrepreneurs to lead the charge in evolving workplaces to meet the expectations of millennials and Gen Z, who place a high value on diversity and inclusion.

Quotes

• “There are definitions of DEI, and you should have a shared language about those. But what I’m saying is, if we understand that diversity means we want different perspectives, lived experiences, and identities, right? What does that mean in the context of the business or industry I’m in? What does that mean to us? Once you have those operational definitions, I think the strategies and knowledge you need will flow from that.” (27:35 | Ericka Hines)
• “As an entrepreneur, I think DEI work should become one of the pillars of your business. In doing so, you want to embed it across operations, how you hire, how you conduct performance reviews, and how you choose vendors.” (29:24 | Ericka Hines)
• "DEI is often seen as something off to the side—something we can easily discard because people still don’t always see its benefits.” (40:20 | Ericka Hines)
• “People who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, trans, gay—we’re not going away in the workplace. So, yes, it’s still a good time to do this. To me, it doesn’t make sense not to be doing this. And this really isn’t from a place of, ‘Oh, this is my business.’ It’s more like, look at who’s in your workplace. Why would you not try to make it a place that people want to work in?” (41:25 | Ericka Hines)

Links

Connect with Ericka Hines:

Website: https://everylevelleads.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/

HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“I worked for people who have achieved a lot but didn’t seem all that happy in life,” shares Jim Barnett, a seasoned CEO with leadership roles at Wisq, Glint, and LinkedIn. This realization sparked a 35-year journey into happiness and consciousness, leading Jim to explore meditation and conscious leadership.

Introduced to meditation by a monk in Los Angeles, Jim’s daily practice has since become a cornerstone of his personal and professional life. Through YPO and transformative retreats, he deepened his commitment to conscious living, eventually partnering with Diana Chapman of the Conscious Leadership Group. Her teachings on the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership impacted his approach to leadership.

Jim discusses how shifting from a stress-driven mindset to one focused on awareness and intentionality transformed not just his well-being but also the culture within his organizations. He also highlights the potential of AI to fill gaps in traditional HR, offering accessible coaching and support to managers and employees.

For entrepreneurs, Jim emphasizes the importance of building a strong company culture from the outset. His advice? Prioritize actions that reflect thoughtfulness, inclusion, and collaboration to create a workplace where happiness and success can thrive.

Quotes

• “I’m so dedicated to helping people be happy and successful at work that I see this as a way of being of service to humanity, rather than trying to achieve a specific business outcome.” (17:33 | Jim Barnett)
• “I think the role of a manager is to be a guide for the team and the people on the team in all areas. The challenge is that a lot of managers don’t have the skill set required to be a good manager. Typically, what we do is find the highest performer, and that performer then becomes the manager.” (25:53 | Jim Barnett)
• “I would say one cheat code for approaching anything consciously is to approach it with curiosity. If you come from a place of “I’m right, they’re wrong,” that’s not likely to lead to the best outcome.” (32:48 | Jim Barnett)
• “Don’t just talk about culture. Let your actions show how important culture is. Dedicate yourself to creating a culture of thoughtfulness, inclusion, empowerment, responsibility, communication, and collaboration. Be very thoughtful and purposeful about it. I think it’s super important.” (42:51 | Jim Barnett)

Links

Connect with Jim Barnett:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-barnett-a5312/

Website: https://www.wisq.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/

HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“Leadership isn’t about doing certain things; it’s about being a certain type of person,” says Ryan Gottfredson, a professor and consultant specializing in leadership development. In this episode, Ryan, the author of “Success Mindsets” and “The Elevated Leader,” sits down with Alex Raymond to explore vertical development—a powerful approach to growth that goes beyond just acquiring new skills.

Ryan’s journey into this field started back in high school when a sports psychology class ignited his passion for personal development. That passion eventually led him to pursue a Ph.D. in organizational behavior and human resources, where he noticed a gap in traditional leadership research. Most studies focused on what leaders should do, rather than who they need to become. This insight redirected his work toward helping leaders and entrepreneurs focus on their way of being, not just their actions.

The three stages of vertical development are key to understanding this approach: the first stage focuses on safety and comfort, the second on standing out and advancing, and the third on contributing to the greater good. How do we shift from a mindset of self-protection to one of value creation? Ryan explains that while most people operate at the first level, true transformation happens when we move beyond it, advancing to stages where the focus shifts to making a meaningful impact.

Courage plays a critical role in this journey. Transitioning from one level to the next means letting go of certain needs and embracing new ones, which requires significant bravery. Ryan shares practical tips for entrepreneurs to start this transformation, like daily affirmations, journaling, and adopting growth-oriented mindsets.

This episode offers a deep dive into vertical development, providing actionable insights for entrepreneurs who want to move from survival mode to making meaningful contributions. By focusing on who they are, and not just what they do, listeners will learn strategies to overcome challenges, unlock their potential, and achieve transformative growth in both their personal and professional lives.

Quotes

• “Leadership isn’t about doing certain things; it’s about being a certain type of person.” (04:19 | Ryan Gottfredson)
• “It’s one that’s very rare for people to take, but as I mentioned, it’s transformational. This path is what we call vertical development. Vertical development isn’t about adding apps to our iPad; it’s about upgrading our internal operating system so that we think and strategize at a higher level than we currently do.” (09:13 | Ryan Gottfredson)
• “Our mindsets are the most foundational aspect of everything that we do. How we see our world shapes how we think, how we learn, and how we behave. And we all have mindsets, and they are all driving our unconscious thoughts and processes. Most people think that they have good mindsets, but most people actually don’t even know the quality of their mindsets.” (33:47 | Ryan Gottfredson)

Links

Connect with Ryan Gottfredson:

Website: https://ryangottfredson.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/

HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm