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Creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace is an immensely worthwhile goal. But if you want to transition from being a monoculture (or a homogenous culture) into one that is open to many different types of people, then you need to be willing to grow and make changes in how you operate.
Joining us today to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is Alli Myatt, co-founder of The Equity Practice, a racial equity consulting firm that supports organizations by helping them incorporate liberatory principles into their talent practices so that everyone can thrive. For more than two decades, Alli has helped teams and organizations reimagine their workspaces, and in today’s conversation, we talk with Alli about her work in DEI, how she founded The Equity Practice, and why working across cultures and building belonging takes practice (even for her). We discuss identity's instrumental role in our ability to thrive at work, how patterns of oppression can show up in an organization, and the powerful shifts that can happen when we realize what is possible at work.
Alli goes on to provide insight into how she conducts DEI work, what we can learn from the book Rest Is Resistance, and how a workshop on Decolonizing Non-Violent Communication by Meenadchi influenced her approach to restorative circles. Today’s episode delves into a set of urgent and fascinating topics and challenges the oppressive practices that define much of the current economy. To learn more about DEI and how to bring humanity back into the workplace, be sure to tune in today.
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Key Points From This Episode:
• Alli’s upbringing in Houston, Texas, within predominantly white communities, and how this influenced the work she does today. [0:02:58]
• The skills and experiences that helped Alli launch The Equity practice and what she has learned about DEI work throughout her career. [0:05:23]
• An overview of The Equity Practice and how they help companies. [0:09:28]
• The concept of restorative practices and how Alli uses restorative conversations. [0:11:38]
• Recognizing and addressing exclusive and oppressive practices that can undermine diversity efforts. [0:14:25]
• Liberatory practices and how it addresses the many extractive practices that we see in business. [0:19:08]
• Key concepts in Trisha Hersey’s book Rest Is Resistance and insight into how rest disrupts oppressive practices. [0:21:00]
• DEI advancements made during the protests of 2020, the backlash currently being experienced, and how power pushes back when disrupted. [0:26:35]
• The Decolonizing Non-Violent Communication training that Alli did with Meenadchi and how it influenced the way that she conducts restorative circles. [0:36:45]
• What is coming up for Alli and The Equity Practice. [0:38:01]
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Tweetables:
“The system's broken, and we need to fix the system instead of asking people of color to have this extra labor at work.” — @SingOutAlli [0:08:11]
“If you really want to move from a monoculture, or a homogenous culture, to one that is more open to many different people, you do have to change how you operate.” — @SingOutAlli [0:15:01]
“I'm really invested in being in reciprocal relationship with people. I just think it feels better and there's a lot of evidence that shows that you do better work that way.” — @SingOutAlli [0:18:52]
“One of the things I learned in our DEI work was that power pushes back when disrupted.” — @SingOutAlli [0:28:36]
“If you want to be in a work environment where psychological safety exists, you need vulnerability.” — @SingOutAlli [0:36:02]
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Alli Myatt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allimyatt/
Alli Myatt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SingOutAlli
The Equity Practice: https://www.theequitypractice.com/
John A. Powell: https://www.johnapowell.org/
Rest is Resistance: https://bookshop.org/p/books/rest-is-resistance-a-manifesto-tricia-hersey/
Meenadchi: https://www.meenadchi.com/
Decolonizing Non-Violent Communication Second Edition: https://shop.fccwla.org/products/decolonizing-non-violent-communication
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