Listen: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

November 11, 2024

Who gets to be an entrepreneur? Saamra Mekuria-Grillo says the image we most commonly see — a guy in a hoodie — is a limiting representation of entrepreneurial success. She highlights the importance of young Black people seeing entrepreneurship as a possibility for themselves and explains the key to making the field more inclusive. After the talk, Saamra joins Modupe for a conversation about how she got into this work.

September 30, 2024

Jay Bailey says so many ideas never see the light of day because entrepreneurship has a problem of belonging. He shares how a chance encounter kicked off his own journey to becoming an entrepreneur and advocate for Black-owned businesses — and shows how anyone can unlock untapped potential. After the talk, Modupe reflects on how having space to explore your talent can actually help you realize your dreams.

August 26, 2024

Social entrepreneur Paolo Gaudiano explains why many companies are taking the wrong approach to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives — by overly focusing on one thing. To avoid backlash and costly turnover, he shows the key change leaders can make to create thriving, equitable workplaces while also increasing profits. After the talk, Modupe shares how she incorporates these learnings into the classroom.

July 1, 2024

What do communities on the social, economic and environmental margins have in common? For one thing, they tend to be on the east sides of cities. In this short talk about a surprising insight, anthropologist and venture capitalist Stephen DeBerry explains how both environmental and man-made factors have led to disparity by design in cities from East Palo Alto, California to East Jerusalem and beyond — and suggests some elegant solutions to fix it.

May 6, 2024

Women are routinely underestimated, overlooked, interrupted, talked over or mistaken for someone more junior at the workplace. Author Mary Ann Sieghart calls this the "authority gap" — all the ways women are (still) taken less seriously than men, despite proven competence and expertise. She explains how we can close this pernicious gap and why everyone wins when we do so. After the talk, Modupe shares another tool to help close the gap.

March 25, 2024

Access to information is the key to unlocking human rights for all, says equality champion Paige Alexander. From educating female entrepreneurs on how to launch life-sustaining businesses to murals, billboards and other creative ways of sharing vital resources, Alexander shares how she and her team at the Carter Center connect people to the information they need — when they need it the most. After the talk, Modupe unveils a surprising and often overlooked source of useful information.

November 6, 2023

If a diverse workforce makes a better company, why don't more businesses hire internationally? Innovation and migration strategist Johann Daniel Harnoss details the advantage of global talent and how to best build the systems and culture to welcome immigrants to your staff. After the talk, leadership expert Tsedal Neeley joins Modupe for a conversation on what successful hiring practices can look like.

October 30, 2023

What can we do to make workplaces more welcoming to people living with disabilities? Representation advocate Tiffany Yu shares three ways that employers can change and tap into every worker's skills and gifts. After the talk, Modupe discusses how she embraces flexibility in her own teaching practice.

July 31, 2023

Global consumer strategist Aparna Bharadwaj shares a fascinating glimpse at under-the-radar affinities that transcend cultures and borders -- from the way people snack in China and Saudi Arabia to how people shop for clothes in the US and Russia. "There are patterns where you least expect them," she says -- and paying attention to them just might bring the world a little bit closer. After the talk, Modupe expands on how data can connect people and help us better understand each other's needs.

July 3, 2023

Learning how to have productive conversations about race is a necessary part of the human experience. Educator Afrika Afeni Mills says the best place to start is in the classroom -- because the earlier these skills are taught, the fewer biases there are to unlearn. She shares four actionable lessons to help people overcome their fear and take on these conversations at any age. After the talk, Modupe shares questions to ask ourselves to have more open conversations at work.

June 5, 2023

"We have the right to demand budgets to be equitable, to be fair," says economist Maja Bosnic. And one of the places where public money often falls short is being inclusive of gender and sex, furthering discrimination. Using examples from around the world that already factor gender into public finance decisions, Bosnic shares how budgets that actively account for gender don't just lead to equality -- they're also more efficient and effective. After the talk, Modupe shares simple yet crucial ways to make sure no one is overlooked in organizational processes.

April 17, 2023

Depending on where you stand, you may see the status quo as a result of unearned privilege or a simple reflection of merit. Backed by research and personal stories, lawyer Mariam Veiszadeh offers a much-needed perspective shift on the water-downed DEI conversations in business today, calling for real change in workplace diversity and inclusion that routs out biases rather than replicating them. After the talk, Modupe dives deeper into accepting your own privilege and the positive changes that can bring.

February 20, 2023

Climate action has historically had a gender-neutral lens, but this lack of intentionality has actually negatively impacted women, says gender and climate researcher Zineb Sqalli. Using real-world, gender-equal programs as examples Sqalli offers solutions for advancing both sustainability and gender equality – at the same time. After the talk, Modupe shares ways organizations can increase gender diversity and promote inclusion.

December 5, 2022

The housing market can be vexing: while some neighborhoods get ridiculously expensive and price out longtime residents, others have historic homes sitting vacant without demand. Equitable housing developer and TED Fellow Bree Jones shares how she found a way to revitalize neighborhoods experiencing hyper-vacancy while preventing gentrification -- supporting home buyers and transforming communities along the way. After the talk, Modupe shares some more organizations uplifting communities.

November 7, 2022

Only four percent of construction workers are female -- that's totally unacceptable, but it's also a huge opportunity both for women and for the trades, says youth educator and builder Emily Pilloton-Lam. She makes the case for putting power (and power tools) into the hands of young women and gender-expansive youth, dreaming of inclusive construction sites and daring to ask: What if women built the world they want to see? (The power tool sounds you are hearing are Pilloton-Lam sharing live demo of her own woodworking skills ... while giving the talk.) Stay tuned after and hear from our host Modupe on some other programs that are creating opportunities for career-readiness.

September 5, 2022

In our second episode with corporate inclusion visionary Deepa Purushothaman, she shared how women of color can advocate for themselves in workplace settings where they are undervalued, discriminated against and overlooked. In this continuation of that conversation, Purushothaman shows the importance of bringing your full self to work, and explains how powerful staying true to yourself while climbing the corporate ladder can be. After the interview, Modupe digs into four different ways you might be hiding aspects of yourself at work.

August 29, 2022

Corporate inclusion visionary Deepa Purushothaman shares how women of color can advocate for themselves in workplace settings where they are undervalued, discriminated against and overlooked -- and how companies can foster working cultures that empower everyone to achieve success. This conversation, hosted by TED current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. Visit ted.com/membership to become a TED Member. After the interview, our TED Business host Modupe gives practical tips on how to advocate for yourself.

August 15, 2022

"It is time to close the funding gap for Black female-led start-ups the world over," says entrepreneur Temie Giwa-Tubosun, whose company LifeBank delivers life-saving medical supplies to remote areas in Africa. Today, LifeBank operates successfully across the continent, but Giwa-Tubosun knows that barriers to funding prevent many other brilliant business ideas from blossoming. She highlights examples of impactful women-led ventures around the world -- and challenges investors to help more of them thrive. After the talk our host Modupe Akinola delves further into what needs to happen to equal the playing field in entrepreneurship.

July 18, 2022

Hot flashes, joint pain, anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping -- these unforgiving menopause symptoms directly impact work but often go overlooked and under-discussed as a taboo topic, says entrepreneur Andrea Berchowitz. She gives practical advice on how to create a menopause-friendly work culture that supports gender equity and diversity retention in the workplace. Stay tuned after the talk for more tips on how organizations can support employees as they age.

June 20, 2022

Women and girls are conditioned to believe success is "a seat at the table." Creator, actress and author Lilly Singh thinks we need to build a better table. In this hilarious, incisive talk, Singh traces the arc of her career from up-and-coming YouTuber to history-making late-night talk show host, offering four ways to build a more inclusive society where girls are encouraged and empowered to do great things. After the talk, our host Modupe shares telltale signs a workspace isn't built with everyone in mind – and how small changes can make a big impact on making all people feel welcome. We love making TED Business, and we want to make it better. So if you have a few minutes, share your thoughts at surveynerds.com/ted.

October 11, 2021

What if your attachment to being a "good" person is holding you back from actually becoming a better person? In this accessible talk, social psychologist Dolly Chugh explains the puzzling psychology of ethical behavior—like why it's hard to spot your biases and acknowledge mistakes—and shows how the path to becoming better starts with owning your mistakes. After the talk, Modupe and Dolly give examples from their own lives of what it means to break down defenses, and be truly "good-ish."

October 4, 2021

Companies often target consumers based on gender, but this kind of advertising shortcut doesn't just perpetuate outdated stereotypes—it's also bad for business, says marketing expert Gaby Barrios. In this clear, actionable talk, she explains why gender-based marketing doesn't drive business nearly as much as you might think—and shows how companies can find better ways to reach customers and grow their brands. After the talk, Modupe discusses why labeling and categorizing consumers in any way will negatively impact marketing strategy.

April 26, 2021

If it's the richest country in the world, why does the American economy fail so much of the American public? Heather C. McGhee is a public policy expert who has spent the past several years trying to understand that question. Her conclusion, carefully detailed in a NYT bestselling book called The Sum of US, is that racism leads to bad public policy. Policies that have a cost for everyone—not just people of color. In this talk, she proposes a new way of thinking that can lead to a more prosperous nation for everyone. After the talk, Heather and Modupe continue the conversation to get practical and figure out how to bring this mindset to work.

February 15, 2021

Did you know that in the US the average white family has ten times as much wealth as a black family? Ten times. But while we wait for government policies to shrink that gap, we all decide where our money goes. So how can we collectively chip away at that gap, now?

In this episode, we find out. First, through a talk by BCG consultant Kedra Newsome Reeves that follows her family through generations to understand how policy helped build this gap—and what financial institutions can do now to shrink it. Then, Modupe talks with founder Shani Dowell, the first black woman in Tennessee to raise a million dollars in VC funding, about the creative techniques that anybody can use to start redistributing wealth in America.

December 21, 2020

When companies think of diversity and inclusion, they too often focus on meeting metrics instead of building relationships with people of diverse backgrounds, says Starbucks COO Rosalind G. Brewer. In this personable and wide-ranging conversation with TED current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, Brewer invites leaders to rethink what it takes to create a truly inclusive workplace — and lays out how to bring real, grassroots change to boardrooms and communities alike.

November 30, 2020

Our brains create categories to make sense of the world, recognize patterns and make quick decisions. But this ability to categorize also exacts a heavy toll when it comes to unconscious bias. In this powerful talk, psychologist Jennifer L. Eberhardt explores how our biases unfairly target Black people at all levels of society — from schools and social media to policing and criminal justice — and discusses how creating points of friction can help us actively interrupt and address this troubling problem. After the talk, host Modupe Akinola gives us tools and tactics to counteract bias when it comes to giving feedback at work.