Embracing Only: Workplace Culture & Career Development for BIPOC Leaders – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the Embracing "Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 34 with guest Dr. Kim McLear. We explore what it means to be a truth-teller, the emotional cost of retaliation, and how choosing courage over fear can break generational cycles of harm. 

Kim is an author, speaker, and social designer who works at the vibrant intersections of the arts, tech, wellbeing, civic engagement, and justice. She served 20 years of distinguished public service as a senior officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and bravely exposed three of the largest abusive cover-ups of racism, sexual assault, and retaliation in modern U.S. military history.

This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 34: Choosing to Challenge workplace bullying and retaliation.

Key Discussion Points:

00:59 Claiming the Label “Whistleblower”: Whistleblowing is not dishonorable. It’s an act of integrity rooted in American history.

03:29 The Audacity to Be Your Full Self: It is powerful and takes courage to show up authentically in spaces where your gender, the color of your skin, sexual orientation, or your accomplishments are considered threatening.

05:30 Navigating Fear and Survival: Sharing stories of abuse and psychological violence is important not only for the storyteller but for the countless others who don’t survive the system.

09:05 Centering Courage Over Fear: It is both a responsibility and a gift to use our voice to make the path easier for those who follow.

In Summary: Dr. Kim McLear shares how choosing truth over fear can change a system. She reminds us that being your full self in environments not built for you is radical, courageous, and essential.

Resources from this episode:

Follow Kim on LinkedIn or visit her website. 

If you happen to be a woman of color and you are looking for a community of like minded women, join Olivia here: https://www.mysistersshoulders.com/ 

Ready to make a change?

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to transition out of Corporate and want to start building a profitable portfolio career as a business owner, board member or more, but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship.

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Embracing Only on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

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Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the Embracing "Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 10 with guest Priyanka Lugani. Through intuitive decision-making, self-study, and a deep connection to nature and ancient wisdom, she shares how you can lead with your truth, make peace with mistakes, and reimagine what success looks like on your own terms.

Priyanka  is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Alma Deli, a plant-based food brand based in London, which is pushing the boundaries of connecting the ancient wisdoms of the world with food, travel, art, spirit, and science. Today, Priyanka advocates for systemic change across health, education, and food.

This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 10: Women Leaders on a Mission - Feeding Clean Food to the World.

Key Discussion Points:

00:59 Choosing Freedom & Self-Expression: Self-expression and freedom of choice are two of the core pillars of entrepreneurship.

02:43 Success Without a University Degree: University is not the only path to success, but you have to have a growth mindset and be open to learning in different forms.

05:30 The Role of Family Support: Having an emotional and financial support system does give you more freedom to fail, learn, and experiment. 

06:35 Finding Your Source of Inspiration: You can find inspiration from so many places in your daily life. 

In Summary: Priyanka Lugani shares her journey from fashion to holistic healing, emphasizing the importance of self-expression, support systems, and inspiration drawn from health, nature, and ancient wisdom.

Resources from this episode:

Follow Priyanka on LinkedIn or visit her website. 

If you happen to be a woman of color and you are looking for a community of like minded women, join Olivia here: https://www.mysistersshoulders.com/ 

Ready to make a change?

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to transition out of Corporate and want to start building a profitable portfolio career as a business owner, board member or more, but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship.

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Embracing Only on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

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Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the Embracing "Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 71 with guest Animah Kosai. This episode is a must-listen if you’ve ever felt pressured to conform, questioned your leadership style, or struggled to stay authentic in high-stakes environments.

 Animah is a passionate advocate for ethical leadership, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. She founded Speak Up At Work to diagnose the speak up culture in companies and assess their response to reports on wrongdoing, harassment, unsafe, and unethical practices.

This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 71: Speaking Up in the Workplace with Animah Kosai.

Key Discussion Points:

00:59 Bullying vs. Strong Leadership: There is a difference between strong assertive leadership and bullying. Transformation is possible if the bully is open to learning and acknowledging what they did wrong.

03:49 Understanding the DARVO Pattern: Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender is a common corporate response to being called out. 

05:18 Toxic Leadership Conditioning: Past experiences shape behaviors. Leadership mirrors toxic systems until we consciously choose another path.

08:09 The Challenge of Disrupting Systems: We are living in a world designed by and for  cis straight white men from certain educational backgrounds.

10:32 Authenticity as Resistance: The roots of “professionalism” are deeply racialized and gendered, and it serves to erase identity.

In Summary: Animah Kosai encourages self-awareness in leadership, especially in addressing and transforming bullying behavior. She discusses the need for authenticity and systemic change in corporate cultures to promote inclusivity and challenge existing biases.

Resources from this episode:

Follow Animah on LinkedIn or visit her website. 

If you happen to be a woman of color and you are looking for a community of like minded women, join Olivia here: https://www.mysistersshoulders.com/ 

Ready to make a change?

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to transition out of Corporate and want to start building a profitable portfolio career as a business owner, board member or more, but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship.

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

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Produced by Ideablossoms

Jessica Michalak, a two time cancer survivor #chosetochallenge two diagnosis as she fought Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Jess was first diagnosed at the age of 19 and then seven years later she found herself as a patient in the stem cell transplant unit where she served as an ICU nurse.

She finds strength in her meditation, prayer, mindfulness and gratitude practice.

She encourages all to embrace the challenges they are given because oftentimes those challenges can lead to blessings you didn’t expect. For Jess, it was her cancer diagnosis that brought her to her nursing career and doctorate degree, using which she now cares for and comforts patients and family members as they navigate their journey’s through what might seem like insurmountable challenges.

Episode 33: Leadership Practices & Lessons from a Two-Time Cancer Survivor

About Embracing "ONLY"

Welcome to Embracing Only, the podcast dedicated to empowering women in the workplace by sharing inspiring stories from diverse women who’ve defied the odds in their careers.

Each episode spotlights women in leadership, providing insights into their journeys and the leadership skills they’ve developed along the way. With a focus on career development for women of color, we offer actionable career advice for women to help them navigate challenges and thrive professionally.

Join us as we create a supportive community for women to rise, claim their power, thrive as "an only" in the workplace, and lead with purpose.

Ready to make a change?
→ Struggling with your corporate career but have big goals? 
Reach out to Olivia on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.
→ Ready to leave corporate or start a side venture? Archita can guide your next steps.
Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

On this episode of The Nine Oh Six, Archita and Olivia unpack how we all can intentionally ride the ship vs. the wave of the social injustice movement. They then look at the workplace and talk through the impact of the bystander effect and how important it is to choose to challenge our limiting beliefs, those of others in a way, in which you can control the controllables. They wrap it up with talking about the shadow we cast as leaders, workplace burnout and how asking for help and knowing how to do so has never been more important than now! Tune in to unpack how you #choosetochallenge!

Episode 32: Real Talk with Archita and Olivia - The Social Injustice Movement, Workplace Culture & Burnout

About Embracing "ONLY"

Welcome to Embracing Only, the podcast dedicated to empowering women in the workplace by sharing inspiring stories from diverse women who’ve defied the odds in their careers.

Each episode spotlights women in leadership, providing insights into their journeys and the leadership skills they’ve developed along the way. With a focus on career development for women of color, we offer actionable career advice for women to help them navigate challenges and thrive professionally.

Join us as we create a supportive community for women to rise, claim their power, thrive as "an only" in the workplace, and lead with purpose.

Ready to make a change?
→ Struggling with your corporate career but have big goals? 
Reach out to Olivia on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.
→ Ready to leave corporate or start a side venture? Archita can guide your next steps.
Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Jeanine McIntosh Menze was awarded her ‘wings of gold’ on June 24, 2005 and became the first Black female aviator in the 215-year history of the United States Coast Guard! In this episode of The Nine Oh Six Jeanine shares how her staying true to not only her why but her how helps her conquer fear in all walks of her life. She challenges us to cancel out the noise, especially the negative self talk that keeps ‘the only’s’ from seeking with clarity the light they were meant to shine in. She encourages us all to reach back and pull up another person as we continue to scale our leadership journeys.

Episode 31: Becoming The First Black Female Aviator in The U.S Coast Guard

About Embracing "ONLY"

Welcome to Embracing Only, the podcast dedicated to empowering women in the workplace by sharing inspiring stories from diverse women who’ve defied the odds in their careers.

Each episode spotlights women in leadership, providing insights into their journeys and the leadership skills they’ve developed along the way. With a focus on career development for women of color, we offer actionable career advice for women to help them navigate challenges and thrive professionally.

Join us as we create a supportive community for women to rise, claim their power, thrive as "an only" in the workplace, and lead with purpose.

Ready to make a change?
→ Struggling with your corporate career but have big goals? 
Reach out to Olivia on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.
→ Ready to leave corporate or start a side venture? Archita can guide your next steps.
Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, Sanhita Sen who works for the District Attorney’s Office of Philadelphia. shares how she is choosing to challenge systemic racism in the United States Justice system by helping Philadelphia launch a Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission.  She shares how this is the most important and challenging work she has ever done.

She deconstructs how her class, career, education, and race motivate and fuel her passion for finding ‘individual justice’. She challenges us with kindness on how we can be intentional in what we choose to challenge and how uncomfortable we are willing to get. She walks us through the power of being the oppressor and being oppressed and her continued journey to challenge the underlying power conversation which requires an investment in imagination.

Episode 30: Choosing to Challenge Systemic Racism in the U.S Justice System with Curiosity And Kindness

About Embracing "ONLY"

Welcome to Embracing Only, the podcast dedicated to empowering women in the workplace by sharing inspiring stories from diverse women who’ve defied the odds in their careers.

Each episode spotlights women in leadership, providing insights into their journeys and the leadership skills they’ve developed along the way. With a focus on career development for women of color, we offer actionable career advice for women to help them navigate challenges and thrive professionally.

Join us as we create a supportive community for women to rise, claim their power, thrive as "an only" in the workplace, and lead with purpose.

Ready to make a change?
→ Struggling with your corporate career but have big goals? 
Reach out to Olivia on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.
→ Ready to leave corporate or start a side venture? Archita can guide your next steps.
Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

This episode provides a sneak peek into Season Three of The Nine Oh Six. Lots of changes: new guest co-host Olivia Cream join us this season! Focus this season is #ChoosetoChallenge. We will interview extraordinary women who are being intentional in what they #ChoosetoChallenge. Season 3 episodes drop March 8th!

In this episode of The Nine Oh Six, Meha and Archita reflect on the year that was 2020 - our personal journeys, how we navigated the year and what continues to shape us and our approach to life, including the social justice reckoning in the U.S. We also share how we plan to show up in 2021, and most importantly, we express our gratitude to our listeners, our family and our friends.

About Embracing "ONLY"

Welcome to Embracing Only, the podcast dedicated to empowering women in the workplace by sharing inspiring stories from diverse women who’ve defied the odds in their careers.

Each episode spotlights women in leadership, providing insights into their journeys and the leadership skills they’ve developed along the way. With a focus on career development for women of color, we offer actionable career advice for women to help them navigate challenges and thrive professionally.

Join us as we create a supportive community for women to rise, claim their power, thrive as "an only" in the workplace, and lead with purpose.

Ready to make a change?
→ Struggling with your corporate career but have big goals? 
Reach out to Olivia on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.
→ Ready to leave corporate or start a side venture? Archita can guide your next steps.
Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Olivia Grant-Cream is a U.S. Veteran born and raised in Jamaica, and is one of the first Black female Engineer Officers of a major Coast Guard cutter to graduate from the United States Coast Guard Academy. Olivia has spent the past decade working in the healthcare industry in Human Resources, and is passionate about changing the face of Corporate America. Recently, she started a coaching practice to help under-represented high performers discover their why and win in the workplace. Olivia is also writing a book -  "The Only: A survival guide for under represented employees in Corporate America."

In this episode, Olivia challenges our listeners to ask the right questions in the pursuit to discovering their individual 'why', especially when part of an underrepresented community. She also reflects on her experiences in the U.S. Coast Guard and how we should empower ourselves with our intentions.

Episode 28: From First Black Woman Engineer Officer in The U.S. Coast Guard to Corporate America

About Embracing "ONLY"

Welcome to Embracing Only, the podcast dedicated to empowering women in the workplace by sharing inspiring stories from diverse women who’ve defied the odds in their careers.

Each episode spotlights women in leadership, providing insights into their journeys and the leadership skills they’ve developed along the way. With a focus on career development for women of color, we offer actionable career advice for women to help them navigate challenges and thrive professionally.

Join us as we create a supportive community for women to rise, claim their power, thrive as "an only" in the workplace, and lead with purpose.

Ready to make a change?
→ Struggling with your corporate career but have big goals? 
Reach out to Olivia on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.
→ Ready to leave corporate or start a side venture? Archita can guide your next steps.
Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.