What's The Difference?

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Sara discusses the pain and trauma felt by “Fernando,” a gay man at a company she was working with, six months after the PULSE night club tragedy in Orlando Why a non-response from Fernando’s employer after the shooting made him feel unvalued, unrespected, and unimportant to his employer How hate-based violence

Marlene Schoenberg has many years of experience as a speech consultant. Over the past 25 years, she has become an accent expert, specializing in working with international scientists, engineers, and executives. Her award-winning work has been honored by her professional peers. Ms. Schoenberg holds a master’s degree in Communication Disorders from Boston University and an Adult ESL Certificate from Hamline University. She has worked with clients from around the world at major corporations in the Twin Cities and nationally. Industries she has served include food, computers, defense, education, health care, insurance, adhesives, tools, electrical power, and banking. Corporate CEOs and VPs have benefited from her services. Marlene is the author of Pronunciation for Career Growth and Speech Insights for Success. She was a columnist for China Insight News for 3 years. Her work has been featured in The Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Chicago Tribune, Info World Magazine, and the IBM Speech Viewer Times as well as on ca

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Sara shares some of the important race and culture lessons that, as a white person, she wasn’t taught but had to learn through the experiences of her mixed-race family Why it is important to recognize that our life experiences and opportunities often aren’t universal Why What Would You Do’s “Bike Thief” Episode

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why the dominant culture in the United States is strongly focused on individualism rather than the group How the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging our individualistic society with new requirements sometimes at odds with our natural inclinations Why all of the challenges brought by COVID-19 are group-oriented and

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why the COVID-19 pandemic has created powerful change in all of our lives, including health challenges and work changes How the team at deepSEE is using William Bridges’ Transition Model, both for themselves and with their clients, to help adjust to these major changes Why change is far more than transactional,

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why everyone is naturally predisposed to automatically identify who is a part of their “group” and who is “apart from” Why those that we see as “apart from” can instill discomfort and even fear, and why that sense of discomfort or fear plays a role in how we see the “other” How polarization, the second stage of

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Sara reads an article she wrote for Forbes titled Full Contrast: How a Pandemic Exposes and Amplifies Systems of Inequity How COVID-19 is exposing many of the already-present injustices in our country in greater detail than ever before, and why injustices within our socio-economic, healthcare and education syst

Ana Elisa Souffront has a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University Chicago. She brings a perspective of advocacy and activism to Diversity and Inclusion. As an activist herself, she speaks to the importance of difference. Her experience within advocacy includes working on the Right to Marry Campaign in Minnesota, interning for Embrace Dignity, a non-profit working to partially decriminalize prostitution in South Africa, and also working as a fellow at the Minnesota Youth Collective, a non-profit political organization. She continues to push for the importance of diversity and inclusion as she looks to the legal field, attending law school in the fall of this year. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Generation Z, which is just now beginning to enter the workforce, is far larger than the other 4-5 generations in our workforce today How growing up with a diversity and inclusion practitioner for a mom made a lasting impression on Ana Elisa Ana Elisa shares some of the most common misconceptions about G

Patricia Jesperson is Chief Curiosity Officer at EmployeeEXP, and co-author of the newly re-released Reversing the Ostrich Approach to Diversity: Pulling your head out of the sand. With more than 25 years working on the people-side of the business, she specializes in working with employers to create better Employee Experience outcomes. As the curious type, Patricia has spent the majority of her career exploring how to maximize the talent experience with an emphasis on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and Total Rewards. This drive for exploring what-ifs enables her to deliver custom content as well as EmployeeEXP proprietary models to help her clients attract, retain, develop and engage talent. Examples include The EmployeeEXP 8 x 9 Box Communication Analysis™, a re-imagined/re-purposed 9-Box that invites organizations to explore their approach to communicating key programs to increasingly diverse talent. It asks the question, “how confident are you that what you spend on Employee Experience is aligned

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How we have three kinds of cultural preference filters that exist as a spectrum: direct vs. indirect communication, hierarchy vs. egalitarian, and task vs. relationship How the direct vs. indirect communication filter determines whether we prefer to address things face to face and with specificity, or indirectl

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How nearly everyone has been impacted by the global pandemic outbreak, and how there is a universal sense of stress What changes and reactions experiencing trauma and stress cause in our bodies and our brains, even small day-to-day stress How our sympathetic nervous systems activate a survival response that red

The 32nd Annual Forum on Workplace Inclusion Conference was held from March 10-12, 2020 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Conference brings together attendees from across many industries and from many different backgrounds who all share a passion for and focus on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. In this special episode of What’s The Difference, host Sara Taylor attends the Forum on Workplace Inclusion 2020 Conference and speaks with special guests Scott Fearing (Manager of Diversity Education at the University of Rochester), Lisa Fain (CEO of the Center for Mentoring Excellence), Patricia Jesperson (Chief Curiosity Officer at EmployeeEXP), Richard Webb (founder and principal Diversity and Inclusion consultant at Second Layer Consulting), Kurt Wiger (Coordinator of Volunteers and Interns at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute), Rosemond Owens (Director of Health Equity Integration at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota), Jackie Thomas-Hall (Director of Culture,

A seasoned digital professional with over 15 years of experience, Stephen Ruiz has worked directly with high-profile brands including Google, Bank of America, Mattel, Disney, and Toyota to name a few. He is an expert at the conceptualization and execution of multi-channel digital marketing campaigns, complex data-driven websites, the development of intricate digital ecosystems for consumer and B2B markets, SaaS software and the use of analytics tools to optimize digital properties to increase the ROI for clients based on tactical strategy and deep research of the end-users. Stephen has a firm commitment to championing diversity within the technology sector. As host of the UX of Diversity Podcast, and founder of the Silicon Valley Diversity Meetup, he is striving to create a more level playing field in the tech industry for women and minorities. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why the tech industry has historically struggled with becoming more diverse, and why there is an urgent need for improvement

Melissa currently works in organizational development in the private industry, focusing on building and sustaining diverse and inclusive workplace environments. Prior to her organizational development work, Melissa was a contract lecturer and researcher at York University, Queens University, and the Ontario Technical University in Canada. At York University, she was involved in developing and implementing the First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Infusion in the Mainstream Teacher Education Program from 2008 to 2016. Research on the successes and challenges of this work has been published in several Canadian Education Journals. In December 2018, she defended her Ph.D. in Language, Culture, and Teaching in the Faculty of Education at York University in Toronto, Canada. Melissa is a member of the Algonquins of Greater Golden Lake First Nation from the Kichi Sibi (Ottawa) Valley in Ontario, Canada. She is an auntie to eight four-legged creatures, including 3 Newfoundland dogs, 1 rescue hound, and 4 cats. What you’ll le

Lisa Fain is the CEO of Center for Mentoring Excellence, and founder of Vista Coaching, the coaching division of the Center. Her passion for diversity and inclusion work is fueled by her strong conviction that leveraging differences creates a better workplace and drives better business results. She has conducted mentoring training programs for corporate, government and educational institutions. Lisa coaches mentors, mentees and program administrators on how to achieve mentoring excellence and create the right environment for achievement of career and personal goals. She is highly regarded for her special combination of knowledge, expertise, humor and a no-nonsense practical approach. As Senior Director of the Diversity and Inclusion function at Outerwall, Inc. (the parent company to automated retail giants Redbox and Coinstar), Lisa spearheaded the development, establishment, and implementation of its diversity initiative, including launching the company’s first mentoring program for its Women’s Business Reso

Murray Allen Moshe ben Gershon Martinez Mann is of Argentinean, Mediterranean, and Russian heritage; he lived in a Catholic and Jewish household – as Murray says “with a round guilt trip ticket.” He is male, straight, and an LGBT ally. Being a person with a disability is one of those things Murray “forgets,” until someone, consciously or unconsciously, treats him in marginalizing ways. Murray is a parent of four who lost two adult children. He is a Baby Boomer and a member of the Sandwich Generation caring for an aging parent and a grandson whom he adopted at the age of two. Murray’s guiding values are Amor de La Vida (Love of Life), Familia (family) y Comunidad (community). Early on, Murray’s multicultural upbringing and experience navigating physical barriers and human biases taught him to see every person as unique and differently gifted and started him on a life-long journey to empower people and organizations to follow their calling. For Murray, trust in the workplace does not come immediately because on

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The definition of the words ‘appropriation’, ‘frames’, and ‘filters’, and how cultural appropriation is really about taking someone’s cultural frames Why it is difficult or impossible to honor the symbols of a culture without honoring the people belonging to that culture Sara shares why wearing Native American

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why the Superbowl LIV football game featuring the Kansas City Chiefs sparked controversy over the team using the name “Chiefs” How the Kansas City Chiefs organization defended the use of their name as well as cultural icons such as traditional Native American headdress and face paint How a recent article defend

As president and CEO of the Science Museum of Minnesota, Alison Rempel Brown leads an organization that is firmly committed to science education and equity. Under Alison’s leadership, the Science Museum has adopted a new strategic plan designed to transform the organization into a resource that captures the power and talent of all people – especially women and people of color – so they see themselves as scientists. New programs, like 2018’s Year of the Engineer and the ongoing Water Planet initiative, leverage the Science Museum’s relationships and rich assets. And the adoption of a brand new Statement on Equity and Inclusion captures the museum’s vision to use STEM as a tool to advocate for justice and equity, acknowledging that significant change must start from within. Alison was named one of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal’s People to Watch in 2017, and she received the publication’s Women in Business Award. Alison came to the Science Museum from the California Academy of Sciences, where she ove

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why “systemic filters” are really just shared patterns of unconscious judgment across a group, and why systems are perfectly designed to create the results they create How 95-98% of Fortune 500 CEOs are white males, how 58% of them are more than six feet tall, and why this is an example of a system at work An e