158: Blended - Story of my Life

This is the second episode of Let’s Talk Supply Chain’s brand-new show, Blended. Blended is all about opening up conversations and giving the mic to all of the underrepresented voices in our industry – women, the LGBTQIA community, people of color, those with disabilities, whether they’re visible or hidden, and many more. Today in Episode 2, ‘Story of my Life,’ we’re going to be delving into our guest’s personal stories: the experiences that made them who they are today and the impact, both positive and negative, that those experiences have had on their lives and careers. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [03.23] Introductions to our Blended panelists. Madison Mobley – Senior Account Executive at Fairmarkit Lamont Robinson – President and CEO at Robinson LaRueCo Consulting, LLC Claudia Freed – CEO and President at EALgreen Martin Stark – IT Strategic Sourcing Lead at University of Sydney and Founder and CEO World Gay Boxing Championships Angie Reno – Director of Procurement, Government Services at Crowley [09.35] Martin’s story; from serious ill health to harnessing his courage, finding his voice and following his own path. “Our experiences propel us forward.” Martin [12.18] How minorities can find themselves the butt of the joke and often find themselves joining in, in order to fit in and not rock the boat. Why we need to keep sharing in order to move the dial of what’s appropriate. How inappropriate humor, and using jokes to demean, is not particular to one community. How we can use these incidents as opportunities to educate and ask questions. How jokes can often be a repeated turn of phrase, learned from previous generations, used without truly thinking about or understanding the meaning. “I’m a black Mormon (which is rare!) so I’d get a lot of those ‘jokes;’ and if I don’t stand up and speak out, I’m doing not only myself a disservice but also anybody else that's at a disadvantage.” Lamont [17.40] Madison’s experience as a black woman growing up in the suburbs, and the panelists reflections on language. "Forums such as this, where we’re telling stories and educating each other around all the different flavors of humanity, are so important. And the more we do this, the more visibility we have into one another’s real life experiences - and then you can begin to adjust how we speak to one another." Madison  [19.37] Claudia’s story, the boardroom experience that opened her eyes and the groups reflections on the power of words. “It said to me that women are not valued in financial transactions.” Claudia  The implications of words, and the intent behind them. The proliferation of casual discrimination in the workplace. English as a second language, and understanding nuance and phraseology. [30.03] Madison’s story, how it led to her passion for humanitarianism and the panelists reflections on background, privilege and self-improvement. Taking a hard line vs a soft line. Using your privilege for good. Being an example to others. Calling each other out when you need to. What it means to fit in, or not fit in. The danger of labels and assumptions based on issues like gender, race, religion or sexuality. [51.55] Angie’s story, facing misogyny in the workplace and the groups reflections on behaviors and encouraging change. How do you take your experience and learn from it or change it? How do we think about gender bias? How our experiences impact us and/or change our behavior. Our reactions to our experiences, and other people’s perceptions of those reactions. “As women we’re in a dichotomy: on one side we have to be assertive and confident, and on the other side we have to be very mindful that we’re being watched, in terms of our reactions.” Claudia [70.13] The one piece of advice the panelists would share from their personal stories: If you’re not aligning, get out! – Angie Follow your passion – Lamont See color, and seek to understand – Madison Have courage, fear nothing and live your life for yourself – Martin Believe in yourself – Claudia RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED: You can connect with all of our amazing panelists on LinkedIn - Madison, Claudia, Lamont, Martin and Angie - if you'd like to find out more. Check out our other podcasts HERE.