Celebrating A Dog Called Diversity
This week we are celebrating a podcasting milestone
I often get asked why I started a podcast. And why is it called A Dog Called Diversity. I got asked this very question today.
For me I think there are two parts to working diversity and inclusion for a large organisation. The first part holds for many corporate type roles. I call this the “organisational navigation and getting stuff done” piece. It’s hard to believe I don’t work in marketing isn’t it?
These are things like:
Being able to manage projects from start to finish
Understanding and using data to make decisions
Influencing skills, up, down and across the organisation
Presentation and communication skills
Being able to manage change and implement new things
Plus lots of other stuff….
And then the other piece is understanding the content of diversity and inclusion. When I started in D&I I thought I knew quite a bit. I’m a woman who has worked in male dominated organisations all my life, so I know a fair bit about microaggressions, gender stereotypes and discrimination. I also have a child with a disability, so I know a bit about how the world is not always designed for people who need some accommodations made.
But I soon learnt that I didn’t know much at all. I didn’t know about male toxicity, or how if you are gay you are always “coming-out”, or if you are a black, people want to touch your hair. There is so so much I needed to learn to be successful in my role.
Because I love podcasts I decided to start one and interview people from diverse backgrounds so I could learn, along with my listeners, about all the different ways we can build inclusion and understanding.
And why is it called A Dog Called Diversity? Well I wanted something that would stand out and be catchy and luckily I have a creative friend to brainstorm with.
Producing and putting a podcast out into the world has been hard work and extremely rewarding. This week A Dog Called Diversity celebrated 4,500 downloads, and 31 episodes, which is pretty cool.
My name is Lisa and I love true crime podcasts. I particularly love this one. The story starts with Lauren Clark, a hair stylist in D.C. When a stranger sexually assaulted her in 2013, it sparked a years-long courtroom saga and a campaign for justice. Will women will ever be heard fairly?
I love a good James Bond movie. I know they are misogynistic and all, but I can’t help it. But I never thought about how the villains always have facial disfigurements or physical impairments. Great article here on this very topic by Jessica Gibson
Appearance disabilities
One of the ways I learn about diverse people, and developing inclusion is to follow people on social media. I follow Carly Findlay because she’s a beautiful writer on appearance disabilities and teaches me something in every post.