Episode 52

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Published on:

28th May 2024

Balancing DEI Work And Personal Wellbeing With Michelle Emery

Let’s dive into the challenges and strategies for self-care as a DEI practitioner with special guest, Michelle Emery, on the next episode of Communicate Like You Give A Damn. Michelle, a seasoned DEI professional with over 30 years of leadership experience, shares with host, Kim Clark, the importance of taking time off, meditating, and being present with family to maintain passion and energy for the work. Not only do they explore her former role at Macy's, but together they highlight how Michelle effectively integrated DEI initiatives across all levels of the organization, ensuring frontline employees were engaged and empowered. They also discuss the state of DEI today, as well as the importance of continued commitment despite backlash, and how to adapt and evolve strategies to meet current and future challenges.

About The Guest:

Michelle is a seasoned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) professional with over 30 years of leadership experience, dedicated to fostering inclusive and equitable work environments to drive business outcomes. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts in consumer behavior and social wellness from the University of North Texas and a Master of Science in Management from the University of Illinois, along with certificates in Diversity & Inclusion, Sociology of Race & Ethnic Minorities, and Sociology of Religion. Michelle's unique educational background, including studies at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, has provided her with a comprehensive perspective on retail strategies. Throughout her career, she has implemented successful DE&I programs, trained leaders on inclusive practices, and advocated for underrepresented groups, all while leading multi-unit store operations and improving sales, merchandise execution, and people development in the retail industry.

Find Michelle Here:

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About Kim:

Kim Clark (she/her) focuses her work on the communicator and content creator's role in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She is the co-author of The Conscious Communicator: The fine art of not saying stupid sh*t, an Amazon #1 bestseller and the leading voice for DEI communications and social justice messaging for brands.

She speaks at conferences, writes custom workshops, writes inclusive communications guides, and consults with companies on all things related to diversity, equity, and inclusion communications. Kim is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, a cisgender woman, Native American (Muscogee Nation) and a mom of two kids with disabilities. These marginalized identities and the privileges that come with society seeing her as White motivate her daily for social change.

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About the Podcast

Communicate Like You Give A Damn
Welcome to Communicate Like You Give A Damn, where we dive deep into the world of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and explore how communicators can effectively incorporate these principles into their strategies. We firmly believe that by positioning our companies well on social justice topics and adopting a DEI lens, we play a crucial role in the success of DEI initiatives within our organizations.

Your host, Kim Clark is not only a dynamic speaker and consultant but also a co-author of the Amazon number one bestseller, "The Conscious Communicator: The Fine Art of Not Saying Stupid Shit." While the title may make you think there will be plenty of swearing, it actually reflects our passion for helping communicators understand and apply diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles in their daily work.

Language, communication, engagement, and a compelling vision are the foundation of DEI, and that's what we'll be focusing on. It's time to move beyond performative communication and level up our approach to truly make a difference. Each episode, we bring you incredible guests who will share their personal stories and professional approaches, offering valuable insights and strategies to help us all become conscious communicators. Get ready to take notes because every episode contains a powerful message that will create a shift in your perspective.

Language leads to behavior so it's time to step up, communicate like You Give a Damn, and build a vibrant community of conscious communicators.

About your host

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Kim Clark

Kim Clark (she/her) works with leaders and communicators who are serious about learning and applying Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to build strong teams and organizations.

She is the co-author of The Conscious Communicator: The fine art of not saying stupid sh*t, an Amazon #1 bestseller that features The DEPTH Model (TM). DEPTH is a strategic and proactive positional framework to guide organizations on DEI and social topics and messaging.

Her career spans documentary filmmaking, agency partnerships with the Discovery Channel, teaching at San Jose State University, and leading global internal communication teams at KLA, PayPal, GoDaddy, and GitHub. She is known for her ability to facilitate sensitive yet urgent conversations to make meaningful progress in creating inclusive workplaces.

She speaks at conferences, designs custom workshops, writes inclusive communications guides, and consults with leaders and companies on all things related to diversity, equity, and inclusion communications.