EquitAble

Equity is both an urgent goal and a long-term vision, requiring leaders to hold onto ambitious ideals while navigating current practical constraints. Parvathi Santhosh-Kumar and Dr. Adriane Johnson-Williams explore how nonprofit organizations and their leaders can focus, adapt, and collaborate to make meaningful progress even during times of crisis. The conversation emphasizes learning from lived experience, using budgets as expressions of values, and centering those most affected, particularly young people, in decision-making.

Holistic wellness is often co-opted by profit-driven industries rooted in white supremacy, failing to serve the unique needs of queer, trans, and BIPOC individuals. In an impactful conversation with Standpoint Consulting's Kym Alexander, Dalia Kinsey, RD, LD shares significant lived and professional experience as a holistic dietitian, offering strategies for resisting toxic wellness culture, reclaiming body autonomy, and centering self-affirmation and pleasure. The conversation explores decolonizing health practices, creating environments for authentic thriving, and recognizing systemic barriers that impact marginalized communities’ paths to wellness. In this episode, Kym refers to the concept of Targeted Universalism. john a. powell, the Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, offers this approach as a way of focusing on the specific needs of subgroups in pursuit of positive social outcomes.

The episode explores the philosophy of community-driven change and equity through the eyes of Natalie J. McKinney, executive director of Whole Child Strategies, Inc., and Dr. Adriane Johnson-Williams. By challenging the myths of individualism and the "bootstrap" narrative, the conversation reveals the indispensable role of communal infrastructure, trust-building, and direct engagement with residents in neighborhood transformation. The objective is to highlight how sustainable change and equitable opportunities can only be achieved by empowering communities to define and solve their own problems.

The complex beauty and contradictions of Southern identity, community, and language is explored through heartfelt conversation with Landon Bryant, social influencer, comedian, and author of “Bless Your Heart, A Field Guide to All Things Southern.” Kym Alexander (Chief Strategy and Operations Officer) joins Adriane and Landon to discuss how joy, community, and equity are interwoven with Southern traditions, language, and changing notions of identity, while also reflecting on the importance of preserving culture amidst evolving social values. They also reflect on the need for honest conversations about privilege, inclusion, and the different ways Southerners build connection and resilience, .

"Equity is personal. We know when we're being treated inequitably. What we struggle with is how to help others learn to identify it systematically or how to address it."Jena Martin, law professor at St. Mary’s University and scholar in business and human rights, shares how she helps future attorneys connect legal frameworks with the lived experiences of real people. She reflects on her journey through academia -- from Howard to West Virginia University to St. Mary’s -- and the importance of teaching students to center human dignity in their work. Martin speaks candidly about the complexity of advocating for equity, the challenges of being the only voice in certain rooms, and what it means to listen and act inside corporate environments. This episode explores how equity shows up through access and voice, and why teaching the “why” behind legal systems matters as much as the law itself.

"It's not profits first. It's people first to create profits."Human Resources expert Naseera Mays and Standpoint Consulting's Kym Alexander (Chief Strategy and Operations Officer) engage in a compelling conversation about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, affirming that profit gains are a result of prioritizing people. Naseera shares her journey from corporate HR to consulting, revealing the challenges and triumphs of advocating for DEI initiatives that foster creativity and innovation. Emphasizing the need for actionable equity and inclusion, this crucial and timely discussion highlights programs and practices designed to create an equitable workplace where everyone belongs and profits naturally increase.

"We need to redefine public safety by engaging with Black communities to explore alternative measures beyond traditional policing, aimed at genuinely addressing their needs and concerns."April Frazier Camara discusses the pivotal role of public defenders in safeguarding individual rights and ensuring fairness within the justice system. She highlights the systemic inequities in law enforcement and the essential work of the Black Public Defender Association (BPDA) in redefining public safety for Black communities. In this conversation, Dr. Adriane Johnson-Williams adds insight on how media often misrepresents public defenders, emphasizing the need for changing narratives and advocating for more equitable legal representation.

Celebrating the 5th anniversary of Standpoint Consulting, guests Kym Alexander and Kayla Brooks join host Dr. Adriane Johnson-Williams to discuss their collaborative journey in building a Black women-owned business focused on equity. They reflect on the impact of trust, love, and mutual admiration on their work, the transformative power of leading with love, and their hopes for the future. Through personal experiences and shared values, they emphasize the importance of creating systems that allow people to thrive without barriers.