We interviewed Mary Matheson, an award-winning British director known for directing character-driven films in innovative ways for social impact. She was recently the lead director of the 10-part 360° New Realities VR Series 10 Young Women 10 Countries. One World, which showcases the stories of 10 young female activists across the world with focus on themes of education and fair access to technology, created for the Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headset.
Matheson is currently directing a multi-platform documentary about the women behind NASA’s Artemis women-led mission to the Moon. Matheson mixes the latest technology (mobile, augmented and virtual reality) with intimate documentary techniques to bring the audience into the heart of the narrative. We spoke to her about creating impact, both through her work and in this new industry.
Q: Tell us about what has driven your career long passion for making films of social impact, especially related to women.
I started out as a journalist cutting my teeth in Latin America (in Venezuela and Colombia) when I was 23 years old, reporting on the Guerrilla War and drug cartels. My passion has always been to communicate between two different people – between characters and the audience. I’ve specialized in foreign stories, often in conflict or post-conflict zones, but what’s interested me most is the stories we don’t hear.
Even if you think about Ukraine, social media has enabled us to hear stories that we wouldn’t normally have heard through mainstream media. When I started out, those things didn’t exist. I was always more interested in what we weren’t hearing and weren’t seeing, and being able to communicate that. So leaving behind straightforward journalism, I began to focus on communication with a purpose and greater objective: communicating what life was like for the people that we often see or hear about from one particular point of view, and I’ve always been interested in sharing the other point of view.
Q: How has Virtual Reality (VR) created the platform of ‘immersive storytelling’?
Immersive storytelling is literally being able to step into the story. Instead of peering through the window into another person’s world, you open the door and step inside.
Virtual reality became another tool for me to use to communicate with audiences and try to convey another person’s experience, so they can understand what it’s like in a country they wouldn’t normally visit. What has been incredible about VR is that it suddenly opens this extraordinary door to a whole world that you can feel you’re part of, rather than just viewing.
For me, that was transformational in terms of both my work and the characters themselves being able to communicate with you, the audience, directly. In a way, as a director, I stopped being the interpreter of the story and became the facilitator between two people.
The 10 Young Women series is a 360° film series- it’s shot like a film and looks incredibly real. You feel like you’re immersed in their world, because you’ve got the Quest 2 headset on and the audio is also 360 degrees, so you’re cut off from your real world environment. Your body and your mind suspend belief, and you feel like you’re in the country with the girl you are visiting. She talks to you directly, usually looking right at you, so you feel like you’re a good friend of hers – and she’s just telling you her story.
In India, due to the timing with Covid, we ended up sending the camera to the young woman herself, taught her how to use it, and she shot the film herself. That episode has an extraordinary authenticity, like a video diary shot brilliantly from her perspective.
Q: How were you impacted by working on the 10 Young Women series?
I now try to involve and co-create the characters in the filmmaking as much as possible, giving them power in the narration of what goes in and what doesn’t. I talk to them about what they would like to do, and it means you get these extraordinary authentic moments you would never expect, and little snapshots of their lives that you wouldn’t normally get if I was imposing my ideas. It’s revolutionized my job. Even as somebody who’s traveled a lot, I’m constantly surprised by reality and the true story.
For example, I was in Germany filming with a young Syrian woman who faces a lot of racism in Germany. I had the idea to have her sitting static and have people walking all around her and use the sound to hear all the words that she hears, hear the racism she faces and feel how she feels. She was absolutely furious with me and said, why should I have to go through this again? She wanted to do it differently. She wanted a very strong image of herself (which ended up being on a bike cycling) and to talk about how supported she felt by her mom, her sister and her aunts. Her idea was to use the ululation singing of her aunts in Syria around her, and it’s such an extraordinary moment in the film.
The technology and this industry is at such a wonderful, innovative and creative place. We all know how to shoot a sequence in a film smoothly and the techniques to use to create a certain feeling, whereas with virtual reality, we’re at the dawn. Even though I’ve done a lot of 360° filmmaking now, I’m still trying out new techniques every single time. So it’s really liberating and very experimental and invites co-creation.
Q: Tara Brach, Ph.D, talks about creating ‘unreal others’ – how when distanced from someone, we project into their world, making them unreal. The more distant a group, the easier it is to do that. What role do you think immersive storytelling plays in making others ‘real’ and creating empathy and compassion?
Even from the beginning of my work, I was really committed to trying to reduce “othering” and for me, this is just such a powerful tool that’s indescribable until you get in there. Once you do, you suddenly feel that you’re there and it does take you to a different level of empathy.
We talk about something called presence, which is like where you feel present in a different place, and the goal for me as a Creator is to make you feel present in that world. That’s what creates the feeling of empathy, or perhaps a different feeling, but it’s strong because you feel that you’re present. There’s examples where the headset technology has even been used to help people with trauma, to help opposing sides come towards agreement through empathy, and in peace building.
Q: How has virtual reality impacted upon and changed your creative process and sensory awareness, as a director and a creator?
Suddenly I have a toolkit at my fingertips that is extraordinary and has multiplied. I am now using techniques from theater and from gaming. I’m 53 years old and I’m not a gamer or technical person – but I’m using gaming techniques all the time now. It’s just blown my mind. I’m learning and using new skills with every experience.
For example, sound is transformational. Because as a director in VR, I can make a sound behind you and you’ll turn and look behind you. So, now you can use sound as a tool to direct your viewer’s gaze.
I have had to also learn about techniques from working with immersive theater – how to draw an audience in and do blocking, a technique that you use in theater and fictional filmmaking, not in documentary. In virtual reality we talk about creating a world you’re setting up for somebody to step into, not necessarily a scene as in film, and I’ve learned about that from working with immersive theater groups.
Q: What would be an example of a gaming technique you find compelling?
I never realized gaming is so extraordinary in the sophistication of their storytelling. It’s complex and layered. Branching narrative is a classic gaming technique I’m using.
For example, I’m working on a project on NASA, about the new Artemis mission, which will put a woman on the moon for the first time in 2024. There’s a main storyline, but you’ll also be able to go off and discover more about the astronauts if you want to dig deeper into their narratives, and then come back to the main storyline.
But there are also other ways of using branch narrative where you take a choice, go down a storyline, and don’t necessarily come back to the same ending.
For example, female director Gaëlle Mourre created this experience called Mechanical Souls, examining the difference between humans and avatars. As the viewer, you didn’t know you were making a choice, but your choices were made by where you looked in the scene. If you looked in a particular direction and were more interested, then the storyline would go along in that direction. Whereas, if you were looking over here at this person, then you’d start to follow a different storyline. At the end of that experience, everybody took off their headsets, started talking and realized they’d had different experiences based on where they’d put their attention.
Another experience I had was in Northern Iraq, where I was creating an experience about the Yazidi people, who were attacked by ISIS in 2014 and lot of the women were taken as sex slaves. The way I branched the narrative was that, as the viewer, you could choose whose perspective you wanted to hear about – whether from the young woman who had been taken as a slave, from her brother who had survived an attack or from the perspective of an ISIS fighter. These were all documentary interviews, but you as the viewer can choose whose perspective you want to listen to about a particular moment in time. And you could go back and listen to all of them, too. That’s not how I would structure a story if I was making a regular film – it would have incorporated the different viewpoints or come from one particular viewpoint.
Q: What further creative possibilities are you excited about in this industry?
I’ve just taken up a job as Professor of Practice for Arizona State University’s new center for Narrative and Emerging Media in Los Angeles. What I find really exciting is helping other people to learn about this technology and making sure they understand what they can do. I’ve had students build completely different immersive experiences. It builds on my knowledge, and then I say see what you can do and they go off and do something extraordinary.
I love film, so I personally get really excited about photo-real stuff. Animation and CGI are dominating the space, but photoreal is getting there, little by little. It’s not going to be long before you can have holograms in VR that will be live – you’ll be able to talk to somebody in Kurdistan or Northern Iraq, in photo-real 3D embodiment.
Another passion of mine is getting this technology out to the underrepresented voices. It’s about making sure that those people have access to the technology and there are no obstacles in the way. That’s often what the problem is – not that people don’t want to or don’t know how to do it – but that they’re blocked. We just need to make sure the obstacles aren’t there. Maybe not everyone can afford a headset, but we can make them available, such as in libraries or community centers, so there’s not a block to entry. We’re in the middle of working that out at a grassroots level in LA.
Q: What are the opportunities to create more equitability of voices in this industry?
We’re right at the start, it’s a whole new medium, and we can set the new rules. For example, I’m passionate that this is not for young people, but everybody. Why shouldn’t women in their fifties do this? There’s a lot of cultural prejudice against middle-aged women, that we won’t be able to keep up with technology. There is a myth around VR being techy or gaming, that it isn’t our world, but actually why shouldn’t it be? We can simply use it for what we want it to be.
In terms of diversity, equity and inclusion, what’s really interesting for me is who’s creating and distributing these narratives? How do we, early on in this game, meaningfully create an industry that is equitable? How do we really change the structure so it becomes an industry that has proper representation? It’s still white and male, and there’s yet also a strong female directing presence. But where the money goes is the big thing. When it comes to venture capitalists and female run businesses, that’s where we’ve got to really put in a lot of work – both bottom-up and top-down.
From the bottom up, that means looking at the big companies – who they’re hiring, who they’re giving internships to. Looking at people’s potential as opposed to necessarily their qualifications is a really interesting and different way of hiring people, not necessarily through traditional routes. It also means making sure funding, not only venture capitalists, but other types of funding both within business and also foundations, goes towards women, BIPOC communities and other marginalized voices.
We have an opportunity now to ensure that it’s really a representative industry that is being created and built in a way that reflects society, so it’s not one singular point of view that we’re seeing. That’s what I’ve always been excited to be a part of, and the possibility I see here, too.
Interviewed by Aimee Hansen
Beyond Pride Month: LGBTQ+ Inclusion Is About Every Single Day
Career Advice, LGBT celebration, NewsDuring Pride Month, let’s remember why valuing LGBTQ+ employees is not just about a month of celebration, adapted logos and rainbow flags – but about a deep commitment to building LGBTQ+ inclusive and safe workplaces that allow all individuals to contribute and thrive every single day.
Underrepresentation for LGBTQ+ From Entry to Leadership
According to Gallup in 2021, 7.1% of the U.S. identifies as LGBTQ+ (doubling since 2012) and 21% of Gen Z do (twice the proportion of millennials). LGBTQ+ identification is increasing across major racial and ethnic groups – giving rise to more diverse, intersectional identities.
Yet under-representation in the workplace for LGBTQ+ groups begins at entry level. McKinsey found that LGBTQ+ women are underrepresented by more than half, even at entry level. Meanwhile at the top, only .5% of the board seats in the Fortune 500 are held by openly LGBTQ+ directors and only a few Fortune 500 CEOs are openly gay, including one woman. One transgender woman leads a Fortune 1000 company. The lack of visible LGBTQ+ executive leadership limits visible role models for younger talent.
LGBTQ+ men (80%) are more likely to be out than LGBTQ+ women (58%). Senior LGBTQ+ leaders (80%) are more out than junior employees (32%), even though their peers are more accepting and demand inclusivity in the workplace.
Globally, the World Economic Forum is advocating for LGBTQ+ visibilty: more LGBTQ+ representation in business and media that tells more diverse and inclusive stories of LGBTQ+ individuals, to advance both equality and acceptance. LGBTQ+ community members report feeling least authentically represented in media depictions. And while 63% of non-LGBTQ+ people perceive the “community” as one collective group with similar needs, the reality of a changing LGBTQ+ culture has never been further away.
While LGBTQ+ acceptance has grown globally since 1981, an unprecedented number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills are proposed in U.S. state legislatures, 71 countries still criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, 15 countries criminalize the gender identity and/or expression of transgender people and 11 countries deem consensual same-sex relations punishable by death.
LGBTQ+ Experiences In the Workplace
A LinkedIn survey of LBGTQ professionals found 24% were not open about their identity at work and 26% feared they’d be treated differently by coworkers, echoing McKinsey’s findings that one in four LGBTQ+ employees are not out at work.
McKinsey research found that half of out LGBTQ+ individuals have to come out at least once a week: especially challenging for women, junior employees, and people outside Europe and North America. BCG found 40% of U.S. LGBTQ employees are closeted at work and that 75% have experienced negative day-to-day workplace interactions related to their identity.
Yet being out has helped many to access more of their potential. According to LinkedIn, LGBTQ+ individuals report being open at work helps them connect with others for support and build better relationships. According to McKinsey, individuals experience greater well-being and are more able to focus on work. Those who are out are far less likely to plan to leave their current employer. But in absence of strong cultures of inclusion, many are deterred or facing headwinds.
According to CIPD research on LGBTQ+ inclusion, LGB+ employees (40%) and trans employees (55%) experience more workplace conflict and harassment than heterosexual employees (29%) and feel less psychological safety. LinkedIn found 31% reported facing discrimination or microaggressions at work.
Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law also found that nearly half (46%) of LGBT workers have experienced unfair treatment at work, such as harassment, dismissal or hiring discrimination based on their LGBT status. Nearly one-fourth have experienced discrimination when applying for jobs, and even more so for transgender workers.
67% of LGBT workers have heard slurs, jokes and negative comments about LGBT people. Half are not out to their supervisors. While 40% of LGBT cis-gender employees are likely to adopt behaviors to “cover,” nearly 60% of transgender employees are. Trans individuals are twice as likely to hear sexist jokes about people of their gender, three times more likely to feel they can’t talk about life outside of work, and think more often about leaving.
When it comes to advancing, McKinsey reports that many LGBTQ+ employees believe they have to outperform non-LGBTQ+ colleagues to gain recognition and 40% of LGBTQ+ women feel they need to provide extra evidence of their competence. Compared to 2/3 of non-LGBTQ+ employees, only half of LGBTQ+ respondents saw people like themselves in management positions at their organizations. Less than 1 in 4 of have an LGBTQ+ sponsor, even though senior LGBTQ+ leaders are twice as likely as straight and cis-gender peers to credit sponsors for their own career growth.
LGBTQ+ employees earn 90% on every $1 and transgender employees make 32% less per year than their cisgender peers. 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ U.S. employees feel discrimination has impacted their promotion or salary levels.
And a study published in the Journal of Business and Psychology found that leaders with same-sex sexual orientation are perceived to be less effective and receive less follower conformity than heterosexual leaders, regardless of gender presentation or biological gender, especially among male followers (women followers were more supportive). The researchers note that extra care must be taken to ensure same-sex sexual orientation leaders are evaluated fairly in performance reviews.
The Remote Workplace Has Mixed Impacts on LGBTQ+ Inclusion
In a global study, McKinsey found that LGBTQ+ employees in the remote workplace were 1.4 times more likely (twice as likely in Asia) than straight and cis-gender peers to report acute challenges with workload increase and fair performance reviews. They struggled more from a loss of workplace connectivity and belonging. Two of three LGBTQ+ employees reported acute or moderate challenges with mental health. Additionally, a survey of remote workers in tech reported that online harassment and hostility went up for LGBTQ workers during the pandemic.
McKinsey researchers noted: “The allyship found in social and work settings is an important source of belonging among many in the LBGTQ+ community.”
On the other hand, some LGBTQ+ employees found remote work to be a ‘game changer for inclusion.’ With remote work, employees can remain in a place where they have a supportive community and work for an employer in a different location. Some find the remote office reduces the pressure of office interactions and helps avoid appearance-based comments. It also makes it straight-forward to introduce pronouns.
The Cost for Lacking LGBTQ+ Inclusion
It’s been estimated that the US economy could save $9 billion annually if organizations had more effective inclusion policies for LGBTQ+ employees.
A recent argument in Forbes demonstrated that a lack of LGBTQ+ inclusion is costing companies. If an LGBTQ+ employee – either out or closeted – spends even 15 minutes of their day either explaining or evading uncomfortable situations related to their identity, it amounts to 65 hours a year, or over $1500 per LGBTQ+ employee based on median income, to compensate for a workplace that isn’t LGBTQ+ inclusive: which sums to a quarter million for a company with 10,000 employees or $2 billion for U.S. employers, annually.
“Add it all up, and employers are wasting a huge amount of money by not creating spaces where LGBTQ+ folks can bring their whole selves to work, do their jobs and be successful,” writes Michael Bach.
Meanwhile, many studies confirm that when employees are within a genuinely inclusive organizational culture, it benefits individuals, teams, organizations and the bottom line.
LGBTQ+ Inclusion Is a Cultural Commitment
While Pride Month is a celebration that lasts for a month, a LGBTQ+ employee needs to feel included – and protected from homophobia and transphobia – every day, and regardless if they choose to share their identity in the workplace. Because LGBTQ+ individuals are less visible than other underrepresented groups, organizations must go the extra mile.
Inclusion is not performative but about mitigating biases, creating authentic belonging, valuing LGBTQ+ voices and providing equal opportunity to contribute and fulfill potential. When it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusion, dedicated corporations advocate for legislative change and oppose legislative discrimination.
At a DEI commitment level, LGBTQ+ inclusion must be a specific priority and companies must seek to understand how individuals who are LGBTQ+ experience the office differently to other groups. It means visible leadership commitment to inclusion and leadership representation, and activating sponsorship of LGBTQ+ talent.
At an advocacy level, it means leveraging the corporate voice to oppose discriminatory legislation that targets the LGBTQ+ community and even leading the charge as powerful allies on LGBTQ+ rights.
At a policy and processes level, inclusion means making sure policies are LGBTQ+ inclusive such as domestic-partner benefit and trans-inclusive healthcare coverage as well as clear about non-discrimination on gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation regardless of whether employees are “out”; mitigating assumptions and bias in hiring, reviews, pay and promotions; adapting technological interfaces to be inclusive (such as freedom to input chosen names in data fields); providing gender-neutral restrooms; and protecting employees from bullying whether in-office or online.
At the level of everyday cultural interactions, it means cultivating compassion and awareness among employees; using inclusive and gender-neutral language in the workplace; actively encouraging allyship, empowering better allyship and making allyship visible; investing in LGBTQ+ networks and rewarding contributions; setting aside safe spaces for voices to come forth; normalizing the adding of pronouns on LinkedIn and social media profiles; recognizing that identifies are fluent and complex and letting people tell you how they identify on their terms; celebrating LGBTQ+ calendar events and days; and most of all creating a culture of learning, openness and psychological safety.
It’s the organizations and leaders that champion not a month, but a sustained and iterative commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion, that will make a real difference to LGBTQ+ lives.
By Aimee Hansen
Mary Cassai: Senior Vice President, Perioperative Services, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
People, Voices of ExperienceCassai is responsible for all operational oversight for Perioperative Services at NYP, including 140 operating rooms, 10 central sterile reprocessing departments and 40 endoscopy suites, producing over 180,000 procedures annually.
Converting Empathy Into Purpose
“I love problem solving. I am driven by challenge and uncertainty,” says Cassai. “I find comfort in bridging operational gaps and in understanding the dynamics of people and process that will lead to the best outcome and solution.”
Cassai finds purpose by creating the best possible environment of care for both patients and the interdisciplinary teams. She loves building relationships, partnerships and discovery – as well as finding what inspires people, the why it matters; and how different pieces of the puzzle and people come together to create the greatest results.
While in nursing school, her uncle was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease cancer. Observing the gaps in his bedside care validated why she was going into nursing. From a young age, she has always been driven by empathy and a keen sense of what empathy means; which is invaluable in healthcare: “I sometimes call it my superpower. I feel like I can decipher quickly how folks feel in certain dynamics.”
At the age of eight, she struggled with the diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which she remembers as world changing: “Rather than suffer through it, I made it work in my benefit in terms of my own perseverance and seeing how I could optimize some of that compulsive tendency into good and being the most productive and healthy.”
She accredits her parents with not ignoring the condition or hiding it away, but rather handling it directly with consideration and thoughtfulness: “I think that experience, which both pained me and also allowed me to become much stronger and even more empathetic, led me towards this desire of being in healthcare.”
Orchestrating Teams to Harmonize
In her present corporate remit, much of Cassai’s work is in leading multiple teams across the enterprise to improve clinical and operational outcomes. She provides the oversight of all strategic planning as it relates to operating room and endoscopy operations across 10 campuses.
Empathy comes into play differently than it did back in her bedside days: “It’s the ability to understand quickly what each person’s strengths are and how to leverage that best across teams in order to achieve success.”
She has found that when you have the right diversity of people and experience in a room, you come to the end-result faster because of positive friction and the ability to leverage each other’s thoughts in a spirited way.
Agility has become even more important as a leadership skill, especially in managing increasing complexity, whether it be facing the “untoward circumstances” of COVID-19 and having to create more hospital bed capacity for the surge of acute patients or transitioning from a clinical operational world into a more technology-based environment.
“Orchestrating” part of the why it matters for Cassai means helping everyone to harmonize together as a group – even beyond words through body language and action. Encouraging fluid, interrelating working dynamics – to drive for the best solutions. The previous years’ Covid 19 required orchestrating unprecedented collaboration: “We had to figure this out together, and that’s what we did. The solidarity of the team was absolutely amazing. It was beautiful in the face of disaster, and I walked away feeling like this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Fail Fast and Fail Forward
Humility has served Cassai, including being able to transparently acknowledge to her team when something didn’t go as planned. She’s learned the criticality of asking more questions and leading by coaching her teams.
Encouraged throughout her career by mentors who supported her professionally and in growing in emotional maturity, she received the great advice to: “Fail fast, fail forward, move on.”
When failure happens, Cassai focuses on understanding what could have been done differently, to learn from the mistake, but not to harp on it, noting that failing is less about the failing and more about the learning that comes after, which often makes for even better results. She embraces this mental strategy for herself and imparts this on her teams.
“It’s important that we don’t live in monotony and that we are absolutely thought-provoking, disruptive, and creative. If we start to stifle that because of the unknown, then we’re never going to advance as quickly as we need to.” Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress.
This advice also helped her to step up, professionally, and take on roles she hadn’t foreseen herself in: “Having been given that gift very early on allowed me to be more fearless in my choices and allowed me to rise into what others saw in me with less trepidation.”
Being Part of An Inclusive Organization
As a lesbian woman, Cassai feels blessed to be part of such an inclusive organization as NYP: “It is definitely an honor to work in a place where I feel so much pride not only for the organization, but for how much pride they take in their people. It’s been truly a feeling of belonging and it gets even better and more powerful day-by-day and week-by-week. I can’t say enough about the sense of belonging and safety that this organization provides.”
She recalls how warmly she and her son’s mom were embraced from the start. Senior leadership demonstrated such enthusiasm and joy in meeting and learning about who Mary called family.
Cassai is also proud of the consistently inclusive hiring and promotional practices at NYP: “There’s been a genuine and tremendous amount of focus by the organization on creating diverse platforms of teams.”
Earned Comfort in Her Skin
Early on in her journey as a registered nurse, Cassai recalls she was not as comfortable in her own skin as a lesbian woman as she is today, and had moments when she felt like she wasn’t being who others wanted her to be – not because anyone else said so, but from her own insecurities.
What Cassai did experience were people would question her sexuality aloud and sometimes make discriminating comments. Worn down by the constant questioning of her sexuality, she decided to take a stance and cut her hair short in her mid-20’s, hoping that would make it clear: “I made the decision to own who I am.”
Shortly after, strangers have said some hateful things to her based on appearance, and she remembers thinking she needed to empower herself to turn the pain into pride: “I had to learn to not take it personal, this was their issue, not mine. I acknowledged that this is going to happen. It’s not okay, but it’s going to happen. I was really shaken up but I just focused on what matters and became my own advocate and ally.”
Having experienced moments when I was not supported for who I am and was, Cassai has made it a purpose to be the person who does: “From that moment forward, I said to myself that I would never allow anyone I worked with, or was close to, to be on the receiving end of that.”
As a leader, Cassai wants to make it safe for people to always feel like they can speak up. It’s important for her to promote a feeling of safety, belonging and acknowledgment. She focuses on checking in, asking the right questions to understand how they are feeling: “I make a conscious choice to acknowledge what’s happening in the world and within my teams on a day-to-day basis, even if it’s just to check in.”
Cassai considers her seven-year-old son to be her world, and loves spending time with him going on adventures, watching movies and doing sporting activities. She rides the Peloton twice a day, enjoys reading and cooking – and hopes to build a pizza oven one day.
By Aimee Hansen
A Matter of Pride: Words on Embracing Your Difference
LGBT celebration, NewsWe re-share them in the spirit they inspire you to embrace your own uniqueness and difference, and celebrate those of others.
On finding both magnetism and internal strength in your difference.
“One of the things now running through my veins is the knowing that what makes me connect with people is the ways in which we are similar, what intrigues and draws me to people is the ways in which we are different.”
“I found a different lease on my otherness. I can’t chase everybody’s projection of me, but the more I recognize the uniqueness of my own experience, the more I feel I have to offer.”
Words from: Elena Kim: VP Business Development, TV/OTT at Global Music Rights
On recognizing diversity as a catalyst to growth and adding value.
“Any difference you think you may have is not a shortcoming. It’s always your springboard. You have to embrace that diverse part of you, because it’s only through diversity that we thrive.”
“Bring your difference to the table because that is what really adds value to an organization, to a meeting, to a friendship, to anything. That diverse point of view is what makes everything grow.”
Words From: Valeria Vitola: Managing Director, Anti-Money Laundering Region Head – Latin America (Except Mexico), Citibank
On why being yourself liberates you.
“Even if it did affect my career in some way, I don’t care. I’ll never know. I don’t care, because I feel like being out has made me more productive, more creative, more content than I could have imagined back then.” (on being the first out lesbian on the trading floor)
Words From: Erika Karp: Chief Impact Officer, Pathstone
“You often hear the phrase ‘bring your whole self to work,’ which underscores the concept that authenticity frees up discretionary energy, enabling you to engage more powerfully. For those in the LBGT+ community who are in the closet at work, it’s not simply that they are choosing to leave behind certain discretionary aspects of their lives, but rather they are actively hiding this very elemental aspect of their personhood.”
Words From: Corinne Heyes, HR Director for the Americas at Barclays
On why realizing your full potential requires your authentic self.
“Now this was 20 years ago, and times were different, but I hid who I was. I changed my image, tried to behave and walk differently, and it destroyed my career. I was trying to be someone I wasn’t, and I wasn’t authentic to myself or to the world around me. If I could do it over again, I would have behaved differently, even though it would have dissolved my access to income at the time. Trying to hide who I was made it impossible to be great. I couldn’t be my best without being my full self.” (in her experience as a former professional athlete)
Words From: Natalie Tucker: Head of Strategy & Operations, Radioligand Therapy
On finding a culture where you can thrive in your difference.
“I bring to the table my lived and learned experience as a woman, a lesbian woman, a Hispanic woman. The things that kept me quiet in the room before are the things making me speak the loudest in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion space.”
“Go somewhere where you can be yourself. I’m very passionate in my delivery and it’s part of my culture. Making sure I’m in an environment where that doesn’t have to be shut off is important. Look for environments that are ready to receive you, because that’s where you’ll be your most productive, innovative, creative and strategic.”
Words from: Noelle Ramirez: Project Manager, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, PGIM (career update: VP, Morgan Stanley)
On sharing your authentic self as the foundation of trust-building.
“Sharing our personal lives helps us be a more cohesive team. When pressure and deadlines come, you can get through those rough times better when you have established a high level of trust.”
Words From: Terry Albarella, Vice President, Enterprise Architecture, Prudential Financial (career update: Senior Manager, IT Operations, Relativity)
On not boxing yourself out of opportunities based on expectations.
“Diversity is an asset and a valuable contribution to a large organization such as Goldman Sachs. Junior women should not be swayed by misconceptions that the financial services industry is searching for ‘cookie-cutter’ candidates – it’s important to be yourself because everyone brings something new and different to the table.”
Words From: Michelle Nyberg, Vice President, Services Division, Goldman Sachs (career update: Executive Director, General Manager of Corporate & Workplace Solutions + ESG liaison, Goldman Sachs Australia)
On challenging stereotypes and being a visible inspiration to others.
“It can be hard to find your confidence when you’re not being your true self. I often having people saying that I don’t look gay, and for me that’s an invitation to break the barriers down on a daily basis so we can treat everyone as equals.”
Words From: Laura Raymond, Vice President and Business Development Officer, Wells Fargo Commercial Banking
“When you are open and visible about who you are, others who may be struggling can see that and say ‘She’s doing it and seems to be ok, and maybe I will too.’ Even if you never interact with them, you can be a lighthouse that offers that level of comfort…The most important thing you can do is be yourself; in fact you can’t be successful without it.”
Words From: Francesca Harris, Business Development Manager, PwC UK
“You get a different perspective from unusual backgrounds and combinations of influences. It’s eye-opening for so many people and paves the way for them to be themselves.”
“Having a lesbian woman in the highest position changes the perspective on everything, and I appreciate that I can be a role model for women, lesbians and anyone who’s different from the stereotypes people have in their heads.”
Words from: Liesbeth Botha, Strategic Digital Transformation Leader at PwC Africa (career update: Chief Digital Officer, PwC Africa)
On going beyond your difference to rise into allyship for others.
“ln my attempts to make sure I kept my job and kept growing in the way I wanted to, did I do enough speaking out on behalf of others around me? Did I do enough ally work? I think the answer, probably up until recently, is ‘no.’” (on her rising commitment to allyship for others)
Words From: Caroline Samponaro: Head of Transit & Micromobility Policy, Lyft
Valeria Vitola: Managing Director, Anti-Money Laundering Region Head – Latin America (Except Mexico), Citibank
People, Voices of ExperienceBorn and based in Guatemala, Vitola speaks about why you have to dig even deeper to understand any problem, moving from shame to pride from the inside-out and the true value of bringing your difference to any situation.
Making a Societal Impact
Valeria comes from an Italian family who fell in love with the textiles of Guatemala and began a textile factory and textiles related industries in the country. Coming from a history of family-owned business, she never envisioned herself at a multinational company.
Now, twenty-two years have passed since accepting her initial offer and postponing her master’s degree indefinitely for the experiential MBA of Citi. Before working in anti-money laundering/financial crimes prevention, Valeria had witnessed the consequences of corruption in her country and found meaning in work that helps to narrow the inequalities that it helps to create.
“I am from a country where corruption impacts society – contributing to a gap between those who have lots and those who have not even a dollar a day to live, and denying access of vital services such as health, education and safety,” she says. “For me, to be in the frontline, making sure that the financial institution that I work for is not used by criminal organizations to launder money, or move proceeds, really feels like having an impact on society.”
Getting Way Underneath the Problem
Valeria brings unexpected diversity to the table – she’s a woman, she leads Latin America from Guatemala (even though Guatemala is not a major regional hub for Citibank), English is not her first language and she is part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Being from a diverse environment allows me to see everybody’s perspective from a different angle, with empathy,” says Valeria. “I’m a good listener, so my leadership begins with listening. I’m really interested in understanding not only the job and the problem that people are bringing to the table, but also the whole situation they’re experiencing when they bring the problem.”
This proves especially valuable when conducting financial crimes risk assessment on client prospects and transactions. Her ability to get underneath a situation, and ask the critical questions, is one of the key skills that has supported both her career and her life.
“I like to take complex problems and divide them into simpler ones, and I like to do that very fast. Every single problem, no matter how big, can be dissected, once you understand the root cause,” Valeria says. “But when you think you know the cause, you have to dig deeper and deeper. Once you have the root cause, everything else gets easier. You can find the paths to resolve the problem.”
Speaking to a skill that applies in all areas of life, Valeria likens this analytical skill to what empathy asks of us – when it comes to understanding why a person is feeling or behaving a certain way, and not jumping to a conclusion.
“The brain works in a way that sometimes likes to trick you into into thinking that you already know what the problem is,” she says. “But once you go layer after layer after layer, you identify there’s always something deeper. You usually have to go at least three layers, to make sure you’re addressing the true causes of the problem.”
Valeria also possesses an instinct for accountability: “I’m that person that when I see the ball being thrown, will run, catch the ball and make sure that I don’t drop the ball until it gets delivered to where it needs to be.”
Being a Leader is For Others
Vitola confesses that as an economist, what drew her into her profession was the notion of working all by herself, at a desk, analyzing numbers, with nobody reporting to her.
She stared at Citi as a sole contributor and she says that during her tenure she sought positions where she did not have to manage others. Reluctant to be working with and be responsible for so many others, Vitola remembers what her female boss and mentor, told her: “You have to believe that you are enough and more, and that you need to inspire people – and not for your sake, but for the sake of the people that are below you.” And that is how Valeria now leads a group of around 400 financial crimes professionals in over 18 different countries.
Before she speaks in front of an audience or accepts a role with more exposure and responsibilities, Valeria remembers those words. While working with others can be energy-absorbing and disruptive to an introverted disposition, she has come to understand her mission is not about tasks, but inspiring people to achieve their own whole potential, which is part of why listening has become essential.
180 Degrees From Shame To Pride
Within her family and her work, Valeria never felt held back by being a woman. Being comfortable sharing about her family and personal life as a lesbian, however, has taken longer to relax into.
“Back in the 90’s, I don’t think I knew another lesbian, not only in the financial industry but the whole country, so I felt very insecure about letting people inside of my world,” she says. “Citi is an organization that really embraces and encourages diversity, and how diversity brings different views to the table, so it was never about Citi. It was complicated for me because of fears related to my traditional catholic upbringing, my family, my friends and society in Guatemala. Coming out of the closet has been the most terrifying decision I’ve taken in my career.”
Last year, a photo of her family, including her 17 year old daughter and her ex-wife, appeared on the cover of Citi’s annual diversity report. Vitola says that her daughter, Alessandra, has been her greatest teacher: “She’s shown me the path of openness. She’s never been ashamed of her diverse family and has always introduced me as her mother.”
Valeria now feels that pride is the opposite of shame, and the journey towards becoming who you are also includes leaving behind the isolation of shame, which she too long imposed on herself in the workplace. If she has one regret, it’s that she held back for so long, only to suffer stress and fears around her identity, when in the end, it didn’t matter to any of her colleagues, only to her. If she could go back, she’d bring her whole self from day one and hopes that being more visible now shines a light for others, especially those based in countries where it might be more difficult.
In all ways, she’s now come to see her differences as an asset, and encourages those she mentors to do so, too.
“If you have a room full of people thinking the same way, with the same upbringing and same everything, the solution that you’re going to attain is going to be very limited.” she says, “So, you have to embrace who you are. Bring your difference to the table because that is what really adds value to an organization, to a meeting, to a friendship, to anything. That diverse point of view is what makes everything grow.”
Leading and Doing with Heart
Valeria is inspired by how Jane Fraser, CEO of Citi, leads with empathy, giving everybody a seat on the table, and caring about all stakeholders.
“I love having a leader with heart, more than one that just executes,” says Vitola. “Instead of having a chain, like an army, it feels more like a room with friends and family, where everybody is heard and all opinions are taken into account. But someone is responsible, deciding when we’ve all been heard enough and saying let’s move together now, behind this higher vision.”
During the beginning of the 2020 lockdown, and grounded from the three weeks a month she used to spend traveling, Valeria initiated a spare time challenge with her 400 strong Citi team and family, inviting everyone to share their personal interests, as a way of staying connected. The effort was then replicated in other areas and regions of Citibank.
Akin to her fascination of going deep into the mechanics of a problem, one of her own passions is restoring old and defunct machines – from the original espresso machine to a 1960 Vespa (which she rides on the city streets of Antigua, Guatemala on her weekends) – including sourcing all the technical hard-to-find parts they need to work again. As a girl, she watched her father and grandfather repair machines for the textile factory, often with parts imported from Italy that took weeks just to arrive.
“I have a personal satisfaction in bringing something back to its old shine and glory – to see the inside of a machine and how it works, from the time before electronics,” she says. “It’s a tribute to the ingenuity of the people that designed the machine to bring it back to life.”
Valeria is a scuba divemaster and also loves gardening, because it offers many transferable lessons and helps her stay in the present moment, from planting a seed, to waiting for weeks (with trust) until it germinates, to giving it the space to grow, to cultivating the fruit and making marmalade to share with and gift to friends: “Going from the seed to the product, with love, is like sharing a part of me, of my time, of myself.”
By Aimee Hansen
Op-ED: How to Navigate Your Career as a Working Mother in Technology
Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!, Life HacksWith just 27 percent of female representation in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) industries, women are underrepresented. Mothers who remain in these fields are even fewer, with 43 percent of women leaving full-time STEM employment after their first child (PNAS). Since women in tech studies report that $12 trillion could be added to global GDP by 2025 with a more gender-diverse workforce, where balanced contributions can lead to the creation of workplaces in which “employees feel safe to innovate, knowing that their unique experiences and contributions are valued” (JAB), there are compelling reasons for change.
As mothers in tech, what can we do to overcome the obstacles, and rise above to thrive in our careers, rather than only survive?
Here are three key steps to navigating motherhood and their STEM careers:
By being confident, seeking out allyship, and practicing benevolence, mothers in technology have a greater chance of breaking down barriers and invoking change. With more mothers staying in technology, a more inclusive environment will emerge that sets the precedent for future generations. So, while the day-to-day routine of a working mom may feel like a circus act, continue to show up. Persist. Persevere. Your efforts are part of our movement to change the future for our daughters and their allies.
Other resources to nurture and inspire your journey that we often use include:
About:
Sabina M. Pons is a management consultant whose focus is on driving revenue protection and growth for technology companies. In her 20+ year career, she has led global corporate teams, managed multi-million-dollar P&Ls, and built teams from the ground up. Now, she serves as the Managing Director of the emerging management consulting company, Growth Molecules.
With a master’s degree in Communication, Leadership & Organizational Behavior from Gonzaga University and a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Southern California, Sabina is passionate about igniting corporate transformational change. She also sits on several boards, participates in many mentorship programs, and recently obtained a First-Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. Sabina resides in Orange County in Southern California with her husband, two young children, and Goldendoodle dog, Riley. Pressing ON as a Tech Mom: How Tech Industry Mothers Set Goals, Define Boundaries & Raise the Bar for Success is Sabina’s first book.
Louise Carroll: Partner, Real Estate, Katten
People, Voices of ExperienceCarroll talks about her experience as former New York City Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner, leveraging her differences, using her voice, and navigating the complexities of the law to find innovative win-win solutions that have helped deliver nearly a quarter-million affordable housing units in the city’s 59 community districts — one of the most expansive affordable housing plans in U.S. history.
Hands-On Career in Creating Affordable Housing
Born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and raised in Saint Lucia, Carroll attained her undergraduate degree in Wales, acquired her MBA in England and worked as a senior executive for a German ship-owning and brokerage company in Cyprus before entering Tulane University Law School. She began her legal career serving as a transactions attorney for the business law division of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, followed by prosecuting public officials who violated New York City ethics laws, and advising on real estate projects and housing programs and policies, as well as drafting zoning and tax statutes. Over a 20-year public service career, she worked her way up to the General Counsel role and then became Commissioner of the largest municipal housing agency in the country.
At the time, Carroll had no idea how gratifying working with the affordable housing industry would be. She recalled the first time she went to speak to tenants in a supported housing residence in Times Square, in which HPD was a government partner on the building renovation. She saw how much the project affected and changed how the tenants felt more positively about their current life situation, and gave them not only a safe and affordable place to live, but also inspiration and hope at the potential of what might lie ahead in their lives.
“When I look at all those massive buildings on Riverside Drive, or Hudson Yards, all along the Greenpoint waterfront, I can say, ‘This is my building, this is my building, this is my building,’” says Carroll. “I have managed to put low-income tenants and families in some amazing buildings throughout the city, next to good schools and great access to transit. It took a great deal of work —drafting and revising legislation — to make these projects happen. This industry can be so complex, because there are so many different players and different laws, that just finding a way to do it over and over was both amazing and fun.”
Navigating Complex Win-Win Solutions
Carroll prides herself on her ability to listen to many sides, navigate diverse interests and find the best compromise or solution. “In good negotiating, you have to understand the viewpoint of the person across from you — what it is they’re trying to achieve. You have to listen and have empathy, and make sure people understand the parameters of where you can and can’t meet them and why,” she says.
Carroll met Katten partners Ken Lore and Martin Siroka when they were working together on many mixed-income housing developments. “I knew they were clever lawyers who were able to problem solve on really difficult issues, so I’ve respected them greatly over the years,” says Carroll, who herself joined Katten in March.
As Commissioner of the NYC HPD department, Carroll worked directly with Katten on real estate deals that had a combination of low-income housing tax credits, tax-exempt bonds, and other innovative financing structures, each with complex requirements and regulations. “What I loved was that every time I did a deal with Katten, we improved the status quo by making new changes that accommodated the private lenders in a better way. There are often cookie cutter deals in city government, but that was not the work we were doing together,” she says. “Instead, we tackled the intricacies of laws to figure out how to make them work best for every stakeholder involved in the project. Finding solutions to those incredibly complex problems was personally gratifying and provided housing to so many communities.”
When her public service career was winding down, she considered whether to work for a not-for-profit organization or take a post at a law school, but realized she wanted to continue working on impactful deals. “Some people could do the HPD commissioner role as a figurehead job, but that’s not how I did it. I read every piece of legislation. I was there for every policy draft and every brainstorm. I formed the working groups,” Carroll says. “I knew that finding a job that could compare was not going to be easy, but this role with Katten offered me the opportunity to work on affordable housing projects in the way that I love, and to contribute to the firm’s widely renowned practice.”
At Katten, Carroll’s practice focuses on affordable housing and community development, mixed-income housing, public finance and government relations. She is highly regarded at the firm for her experience and capabilities to guide clients through the financial and legal complexities of housing projects.
Leveraging Her Difference
“I went to an all-girls Catholic school, where the nuns told us we were as good as anybody. That’s, in part, why I’ve always spoken up,” says Carroll. “I understand the stereotypes or expectations when a woman is in the room — how we’re expected to speak, defend our work, or refrain from speaking in an authoritative way — and I’ve told myself, ‘None of that applies to you, because you weren’t born and raised in this culture, so you’re going to embrace the otherness.’ So, I speak up, respectfully and never rude, but I have to speak.”
Carroll leverages her experience and seniority to advocate for others. “When I see people not speaking up or being silenced or pushed out, I step into that space and say, no, I would like to hear what this person has to say,” she notes.
While Carroll was warned the commissioner position would be an outward-facing job, she couldn’t have prepared for just how much moment-to-moment adrenaline would be involved and how she would need to transition from a naturally shy person to an extrovert.
“As Commissioner, I was constantly on the move, interacting with many different people in sometimes challenging circumstances throughout the day. I might start the morning with a press conference, go to a 50-person meeting to solve problems around affordable housing, switch to working with my policy team on rewriting legislation, and then shift to being present for heated phone calls with city council members,” recalls Carroll. “I learned to put my game face on and step into the moment, whatever it was. Sometimes that meant winging an impromptu speech.”
No Task is Insignificant
Carroll credits her grandmother for inspiring her lawyer deal-making mentality of getting things done. Her grandmother instilled in her at a young age that no matter how big or small a task, you do it well.
“Everything you touch, you have to do the best you can — even when you’re not leading the team, and are just a part of the team,” says Carroll. “Before I became commissioner, I was the attorney that people could call at 11 p.m. and who would send the agreements back at 3 a.m. People started to talk about my work and every time I got a new challenge, even when they were difficult challenges, I would aim to make things better — and that kept me moving forward.”
A decade ago as a new mom with a rising legal career, she made it home from work for bedtime, and then started working again — knowing it was important to her advancement. “We all have adversity in some way,” says Carroll. “There are real issues, such as childcare. There are also times and places to address it, and how we handle our adversity is as important as the adversity we face.”
Married for nearly twenty years, Carroll has one 10-year-old son and enjoys watching him play travel ice hockey, a sport off her radar growing up as a Caribbean woman. Her sport of choice: tennis. She completes twice a week against tennis pros — and, sometimes, she wins.
By Aimee Hansen
Avoid These Four Leadership Failures To Retain Employees Through The Great Resignation
Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!, NewsWorld-wide, leaders are grappling to understand what is fueling ‘the Great Resignation’. Also known as ‘the Big Quit’ and ‘the Great Reshuffle’, this is an ongoing economic trend in which employees have voluntarily resigned from their jobs en masse since early 2021, primarily in the US.
Research into this phenomenon that is wreaking havoc in the employment world suggests that many people are rethinking their careers, seeking a better work-life balance, facing up to long-endured job dissatisfaction, and preferring the flexibility of remote work.
As ‘the Great Resignation’ unfolds, there has never been a more important time for business leaders to think smart to ensure their work environment appeals to the post-Covid generation of workers.
Here are the four fundamental leadership failures that drive good employees away. Recognizing and rectifying these leadership failures will provide women leaders with an edge to help them retain good employees amid a mass exodus.
Rectifying leadership failure 1: Treating employees as the primary customers
The first crucial leadership failure is not recognizing that the employee is actually the primary customer.
Employees are initially drawn to work for a company because of various reasons, such as the company’s reputation. Ultimately, however, good employees stick around because of how well a company looks after them. Employees should therefore be treated as the primary customer. This means that each employee should be treated, cared for, managed, and responded to in a way that is consistent with how the company wants its customers to be treated.
Not only does it set a good example to manage employees this way, but it also increases one of the most important assets of any company: credibility, and the trust it brings. Employees want to work with and for a company that they can trust.
Rectifying leadership failure 2 – Recognizing leadership is not management
Another crucial leadership failure is not recognizing the difference between leadership and management.
Most companies have a management culture, which is not the same as proper leadership. Management is important and is a part of leadership responsibility. Managers have to make people follow, but leaders make people want to follow. Managers bring about compliance, but what leaders are able to create is buy-in, and this increases the likelihood of employees bringing their best self to work.
Recognizing the difference between management and leadership not only increases the likelihood of recruiting and retaining good employees, it also increases the chances of having a team that gives their best effort and go beyond the regular call of duty.
Rectifying leadership failure 3 – Realizing valued compensation is not just financial
The failure to recognize that finances are not the only form of valued compensation is a third common leadership failure today.
This is a recent development and is clear when considering the work patterns of the Millennium generation. This is the first generation in some time that does not out earn the previous generation. And it’s not because this generation is not capable or competent, but rather because they value some things more than money, such as flexibility, being part of something bigger or being valued as individuals.
Whereas paying employees so well that they tolerate toxicity in their working environment – often called ‘golden handcuffs’ – may have worked in the past, but will not work in the future.
Rectifying leadership failure 4 – Recognizing that EQ is the IQ multiplier
Last, but certainly not least, is the leadership failure of not recognizing that EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is the IQ (Intelligence Quotient) multiplier, especially now during ‘the Great Resignation’. It’s not that employees are avoiding work, or that they prefer to stay at home, but rather that many have had a glimpse of what it’s like to work in peace and don’t want to return to a toxic work culture.
For this reason, building Emotional Intelligence is a core leadership competency. Fortunately, building EQ is possible, and requires attention to each of the four qualities of EQ, briefly described below.
The four qualities of EQ
In a post-COVID work world, dominated by ‘the Big Resignation”, being an emotionally intelligent leader – able to manage yourself and others – is key and critical to recruiting and keeping good employees.
By: Dr. Dharius Daniels is an emotional intelligence expert, author of Relational Intelligence: The People Skills You Need For The Life Of Purpose You Want, and former professor at Princeton University.
Mental Health Month: Racism and Women of Color at Work
Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!According to a recent survey by Fairy Godboss and nFormation in 2021, one third of women of color planned to leave their workplaces in the next year, with burnout being the leading factor at 51%, followed by different career/greater purpose and salary/benefits tied at 47%. When we dig deeper, “burnout” for women of color is fueled by multiple competing ideas: more work with less appreciation, more discussions about racism without meaningful and effective mitigation of its effects, and greater focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion softened by little measurable progress.
Despite statements about commitments to diversity, the same survey revealed that nearly two thirds of women of color aren’t satisfied with their company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, with 60% saying their companies are not properly prepared to handle racist incidents in the workplace.
Is it no shock then that merely 3% percent of Black knowledge workers want to return to full-time on-site work, as opposed to 21% of their white peers, and that Asian and LatinX also prefer a hybrid or fully remote work environment.
Many are wondering why, with dominant assumptions centering on the ability to manage home and work harmoniously. While flexibility has in fact brought unintended benefits to many women, especially those with young children, the pandemic has given women of color another gift that’s growing more valuable with time: psychological safety.
According to McKinsey and LeanIn’s 2021 Women in the Workplace study, women of color are far more likely to be on the receiving end of disrespectful and othering behavior, which includes race-based insults or inappropriate comments. These microaggressions, or subtle acts of indignity that communicate to outgroups that they do not belong, can range from judgments about attire or hairstyle, to ignoring one’s presence in a room, to discounting input or decisions, and even tolerating overt acts of racism or gender discrimination.
During the pandemic, Black and brown women enjoyed a respite from race-based offense and trauma. Working from home meant the avoidance of harmful people, conversations, and spaces while still receiving (most of) the critical information they needed to do their jobs.
Racism wears women of color out, literally and figuratively. The emotional and psychological weight associated with bracing for offense, overthinking whether and how to respond to offense, feeling unsafe in the world and consequently at work, and knowing you must work harder to achieve half the credit and opportunity is not only burdensome, but extremely damaging to the mental and physical health of women of color at work.
We can’t afford to dabble in healing. For businesses that desire to thrive into the future, the path forward is multi-dimensional and urgent.
Be courageous and compassionate.
As a leader, you have an opportunity to “show up” for the people with whom you work in ways that help and heal. When harm is inflicted upon their communities, engaging women of color at work with curiosity and compassion helps them feel seen by you. We want to be seen at work, and ignoring racial trauma makes people feel their pain is invisible to you. Failing to make compassionate connections during times of emotional need also chips away at psychological safety, which is key to creativity and innovation, and a precursor to true inclusion. Another way to show up for people is to intervene directly and immediately when you personally witness race-based offense.
Beware of overwork and undervalue.
Many women of color feel overworked and undervalued. In a LinkedIn poll I conducted earlier this year, the comments section overflowed with anecdotes about this very imbalance. Black women have long felt they must work twice as hard as their white peers—a feeling that is validated by Gender Action Portal research that revealed they are evaluated more negatively than Black men, white women, or white men. This “overwork” requirement stands in sharp contrast to the underrepresentation of women of color, who enter the workforce at 17% but hold only 4% of top jobs. Clearly, it is not paying off in greater opportunity. It’s every leader’s responsibility to ensure they are not requiring more proof, more effort, and stronger results from women of color than from others at work, and that you are not seeing some as perpetual “doers” and others as “leaders,” the definition of which is often based on white male models.
Build bridges.
For every practice or process we interrogate, we should build a relationship across difference. Relationships are the great accelerator in the workplace, and while systems matter greatly for sustainable impact, getting to know the people on your team – what they aspire to, what they’re good at, what their concerns are, what great looks like to them – is a powerful way to open doors for others and make them feel they truly belong. Belonging is an antidote to the isolation and trauma racism creates in any given environment and is foundational to racial equity. Your women of color need to know they are not alone, yes, but also that they are an equally valuable member of the team. Women of color, and especially Black women, aspire to higher levels of contribution. The inability to realize career aspirations can erode general optimism and taint one’s belief in their career possibilities.
Racism has long been a destroyer of people and places, and work is no exception. It divides us, harms us, and prevents us from working collaboratively in life and in business. Every leader has an opportunity and responsibility to better understand the roots of racism and how it manifests in your given work environment. Assessing your employee experience is a critical first step. Then, take responsibility for what you learn, and commit to a safer, more equitable future. This is the workplace culture your women of color, and all your employees, deserve.
By: Tara Jaye Frank is a sought-after Equity Strategist and author of The Waymakers: Clearing the Path to Workplace Equity with Competence and Confidence (May 3, 2022). Tara has worked with thousands of leaders at Fortune 500 companies to help solve culture-based and leadership problems. Before founding her culture and leadership consultancy, Frank spent twenty-one years at Hallmark Cards, where she served in multiple roles, including Vice President of Multicultural Strategy and Corporate Culture Advisor to the President. Frank’s work, fueled by a deep belief in the creative power and potential of everyone, focused on equity and building bridges between people, ideas, and opportunity.
Ivy Tsui: Director of Program Management for DE&I, PGIM Real Estate
Movers and Shakers, PeopleTsui speaks to staying open and authentic, asking for sponsorship and embodying inclusion.
From Banking to Inclusion
“I have always been open to different opportunities beginning from early on in my career to now–because where you end up may not be where you thought you would go,” she advises. “Life is a journey and it’s not always linear.” Tsui’s parents immigrated to the US from Taiwan and Hong Kong, and she has learned a lot from their adaptability and unwavering spirit.
Tsui started out in banking after obtaining her dual-major bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations at Wellesley College. Tsui spent the first 14 years of her career at J.P. Morgan, and crossed many different disciplines–eventually landing in human resources–while obtaining her master’s degree in organizational psychology from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. In 2017, Tsui made the move to PGIM Real Estate.
While DE&I has always been an aspect of her HR work, in April, Tsui joined a new team headed by Christy Lockridge–the first Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer of PGIM Real Estate–which is focused on advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in five key areas of impact: Talent, Culture, Industry, Investing, and Community. To Tsui, the new role feels like a culmination of her professional and personal experiences, especially as an Asian American woman.
Tsui is passionate about how the work of the DE&I team impacts people directly, and she’s especially energized about building a diverse pipeline of early talent. One of her key programs is the PGIM Real Estate Sophomore Training Program (STP), which gives college students early exposure, training and experience in the real estate industry–an industry that has historically not been very diverse. Tsui noticed the need to introduce real estate to students before their junior year (when students usually apply for internships) and has tripled the number of sophomore interns in the past four years.
“We often see students majoring in real estate because of a family member in the business. STP provides sophomores from diverse backgrounds, who otherwise may not know about real estate as a career possibility, the opportunity to work in real estate asset management.” says Tsui. “Some may not stay in real estate, but it opens a lot of different doors for them regardless.”
Being Open and Authentic
Tsui accredits her openness, adaptability and flexibility to her diverse and varied experiences: “I’ve never strategized about how this or that will bring me to the next level. I’ve been more interested in learning new things–sometimes, you have to take a step back or go lateral to really develop yourself.”
“I’ve always found people feel comfortable to talk and open up with me, and I make connections quite easily, and am able to meet people where they are at, which is quite a valuable skill in the HR and DE&I spaces.”
Describing herself as unconventional and an extroverted introvert, with a quirky sense of humor, Tsui has stayed true to herself and feels she has grown in self-confidence with time.
“One of the biggest pieces of advice to my younger self would be to let go of the fear to share my opinion,” says Tsui. “Early in my career, I was more conservative in offering my perspective and spoke only if I had the perfect comment. I’ve realized it’s okay to not always have the right answer or right idea, but it’s important to use your voice. There is power, value and hopefully impact, in sharing diverse perspectives.”
Tsui encourages mentees to do the same: “It doesn’t matter if you’re a junior level person in a room of more seasoned executives, you’ve been given a seat at the table for a reason and it is in the firm’s best interest to encourage and embrace your perspective. You have valuable things to say, so don’t sit in the background. Use your voice, early on.”
Asking For Sponsorship
Tsui absolutely recognizes the importance of being championed at work. She cites the difference between mentorship and sponsorship as critical: a mentor is someone who provides you with career advice and feedback and a sponsor is someone who directly advocates for you in your career development, whether for a promotion or an opportunity.
She encourages employees to have mentors and a sponsor but while she’s had highly valuable informal mentors, she has never had either a formal mentor nor a sponsor, and never asked for one.
“I think that’s partly because as an Asian American female, we’re taught ‘Just put your head down, work hard, do a good job and you’ll be rewarded or at least you won’t fail. Don’t ask for anything more and don’t rock the boat.’ But that doesn’t work.”
Tsui wishes someone had nudged her towards the advice she now gives: “My advice to everyone, but especially to Asian American women and people of color, is that you have to be in control of your own career and vocalize what you want. Even if it’s uncomfortable, you have to find mentors, formally or informally, and you absolutely need to find a sponsor.”
“I’ve learned that it’s important to be your own best advocate. Communication is key to ensure my manager and leaders in my group are informed of what I’m doing and know what my future interests are. This helps keep me in mind for both additional responsibilities and stretch opportunities.”
Embodying Inclusion
“As I’ve moved up, I’ve felt it’s increasingly important to make sure that all voices are heard. If a few people are dominating the Zoom conversation, and I see someone trying to speak or someone who doesn’t often speak, I will try to bring them in and have their voice included,” says Tsui. “When I was in that junior position, I would have loved if someone would have asked for my thoughts, so now I have that opportunity.”
Tsui also makes a point of saying hello to everybody she passes. And while it might seem basic, she notes you’d be surprised how often people just walk past each other. Especially as the senior person, it can help to create inclusion by simply acknowledging the more junior people you pass by.
Another regular practice is to thank people for their contributions in public to increase recognition. She also may draw a more hesitant person into a group conversation while at a networking opportunity.
“Much of this comes naturally to me, but some of it, I do with intent–especially if I see an opportunity to lead by example,” says Tsui.
Choosing Her Own Path
Tsui was advised by a current mentor not to compare her life or her career path to others, and that advice has served. Throughout her career, she’s made choices that were not linear, but were aligned to her personal desires–whether a lateral move to an opportunity outside of her comfort zone, time out of her career after having her third child, or choosing her location based on family-work rhythm.
“I made all those decisions based on what was more important for me at each of those times and they did have trade-offs – whether it was a less competitive salary or getting that more senior title, sooner,” notes Tsui. “But I am happier because of those experiences and grateful for them. This was my path, and I don’t compare myself to peers who chose a different path.”
Tsui met her Colombian husband, who was raised in Brazil, during her early investment banking years. They have three children – Sofia, 15, Bruno, 12 and Emma, 6. At any given time in her house, there’s a combination of Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin being spoken. Based in New Jersey, she loves visiting her parents and sisters in California, and considers them to be a bicoastal family. She plays piano, and recently played Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra with her nieces and nephew, although ballads are her usual jam.
By Aimee Hansen
Q&A with Mary Matheson, British Film Director on Immersive Storytelling For Social Impact
Expert Answers, NewsMatheson is currently directing a multi-platform documentary about the women behind NASA’s Artemis women-led mission to the Moon. Matheson mixes the latest technology (mobile, augmented and virtual reality) with intimate documentary techniques to bring the audience into the heart of the narrative. We spoke to her about creating impact, both through her work and in this new industry.
Q: Tell us about what has driven your career long passion for making films of social impact, especially related to women.
I started out as a journalist cutting my teeth in Latin America (in Venezuela and Colombia) when I was 23 years old, reporting on the Guerrilla War and drug cartels. My passion has always been to communicate between two different people – between characters and the audience. I’ve specialized in foreign stories, often in conflict or post-conflict zones, but what’s interested me most is the stories we don’t hear.
Even if you think about Ukraine, social media has enabled us to hear stories that we wouldn’t normally have heard through mainstream media. When I started out, those things didn’t exist. I was always more interested in what we weren’t hearing and weren’t seeing, and being able to communicate that. So leaving behind straightforward journalism, I began to focus on communication with a purpose and greater objective: communicating what life was like for the people that we often see or hear about from one particular point of view, and I’ve always been interested in sharing the other point of view.
Q: How has Virtual Reality (VR) created the platform of ‘immersive storytelling’?
Immersive storytelling is literally being able to step into the story. Instead of peering through the window into another person’s world, you open the door and step inside.
Virtual reality became another tool for me to use to communicate with audiences and try to convey another person’s experience, so they can understand what it’s like in a country they wouldn’t normally visit. What has been incredible about VR is that it suddenly opens this extraordinary door to a whole world that you can feel you’re part of, rather than just viewing.
For me, that was transformational in terms of both my work and the characters themselves being able to communicate with you, the audience, directly. In a way, as a director, I stopped being the interpreter of the story and became the facilitator between two people.
The 10 Young Women series is a 360° film series- it’s shot like a film and looks incredibly real. You feel like you’re immersed in their world, because you’ve got the Quest 2 headset on and the audio is also 360 degrees, so you’re cut off from your real world environment. Your body and your mind suspend belief, and you feel like you’re in the country with the girl you are visiting. She talks to you directly, usually looking right at you, so you feel like you’re a good friend of hers – and she’s just telling you her story.
In India, due to the timing with Covid, we ended up sending the camera to the young woman herself, taught her how to use it, and she shot the film herself. That episode has an extraordinary authenticity, like a video diary shot brilliantly from her perspective.
Q: How were you impacted by working on the 10 Young Women series?
I now try to involve and co-create the characters in the filmmaking as much as possible, giving them power in the narration of what goes in and what doesn’t. I talk to them about what they would like to do, and it means you get these extraordinary authentic moments you would never expect, and little snapshots of their lives that you wouldn’t normally get if I was imposing my ideas. It’s revolutionized my job. Even as somebody who’s traveled a lot, I’m constantly surprised by reality and the true story.
For example, I was in Germany filming with a young Syrian woman who faces a lot of racism in Germany. I had the idea to have her sitting static and have people walking all around her and use the sound to hear all the words that she hears, hear the racism she faces and feel how she feels. She was absolutely furious with me and said, why should I have to go through this again? She wanted to do it differently. She wanted a very strong image of herself (which ended up being on a bike cycling) and to talk about how supported she felt by her mom, her sister and her aunts. Her idea was to use the ululation singing of her aunts in Syria around her, and it’s such an extraordinary moment in the film.
The technology and this industry is at such a wonderful, innovative and creative place. We all know how to shoot a sequence in a film smoothly and the techniques to use to create a certain feeling, whereas with virtual reality, we’re at the dawn. Even though I’ve done a lot of 360° filmmaking now, I’m still trying out new techniques every single time. So it’s really liberating and very experimental and invites co-creation.
Q: Tara Brach, Ph.D, talks about creating ‘unreal others’ – how when distanced from someone, we project into their world, making them unreal. The more distant a group, the easier it is to do that. What role do you think immersive storytelling plays in making others ‘real’ and creating empathy and compassion?
Even from the beginning of my work, I was really committed to trying to reduce “othering” and for me, this is just such a powerful tool that’s indescribable until you get in there. Once you do, you suddenly feel that you’re there and it does take you to a different level of empathy.
We talk about something called presence, which is like where you feel present in a different place, and the goal for me as a Creator is to make you feel present in that world. That’s what creates the feeling of empathy, or perhaps a different feeling, but it’s strong because you feel that you’re present. There’s examples where the headset technology has even been used to help people with trauma, to help opposing sides come towards agreement through empathy, and in peace building.
Q: How has virtual reality impacted upon and changed your creative process and sensory awareness, as a director and a creator?
Suddenly I have a toolkit at my fingertips that is extraordinary and has multiplied. I am now using techniques from theater and from gaming. I’m 53 years old and I’m not a gamer or technical person – but I’m using gaming techniques all the time now. It’s just blown my mind. I’m learning and using new skills with every experience.
For example, sound is transformational. Because as a director in VR, I can make a sound behind you and you’ll turn and look behind you. So, now you can use sound as a tool to direct your viewer’s gaze.
I have had to also learn about techniques from working with immersive theater – how to draw an audience in and do blocking, a technique that you use in theater and fictional filmmaking, not in documentary. In virtual reality we talk about creating a world you’re setting up for somebody to step into, not necessarily a scene as in film, and I’ve learned about that from working with immersive theater groups.
Q: What would be an example of a gaming technique you find compelling?
I never realized gaming is so extraordinary in the sophistication of their storytelling. It’s complex and layered. Branching narrative is a classic gaming technique I’m using.
For example, I’m working on a project on NASA, about the new Artemis mission, which will put a woman on the moon for the first time in 2024. There’s a main storyline, but you’ll also be able to go off and discover more about the astronauts if you want to dig deeper into their narratives, and then come back to the main storyline.
But there are also other ways of using branch narrative where you take a choice, go down a storyline, and don’t necessarily come back to the same ending.
For example, female director Gaëlle Mourre created this experience called Mechanical Souls, examining the difference between humans and avatars. As the viewer, you didn’t know you were making a choice, but your choices were made by where you looked in the scene. If you looked in a particular direction and were more interested, then the storyline would go along in that direction. Whereas, if you were looking over here at this person, then you’d start to follow a different storyline. At the end of that experience, everybody took off their headsets, started talking and realized they’d had different experiences based on where they’d put their attention.
Another experience I had was in Northern Iraq, where I was creating an experience about the Yazidi people, who were attacked by ISIS in 2014 and lot of the women were taken as sex slaves. The way I branched the narrative was that, as the viewer, you could choose whose perspective you wanted to hear about – whether from the young woman who had been taken as a slave, from her brother who had survived an attack or from the perspective of an ISIS fighter. These were all documentary interviews, but you as the viewer can choose whose perspective you want to listen to about a particular moment in time. And you could go back and listen to all of them, too. That’s not how I would structure a story if I was making a regular film – it would have incorporated the different viewpoints or come from one particular viewpoint.
Q: What further creative possibilities are you excited about in this industry?
I’ve just taken up a job as Professor of Practice for Arizona State University’s new center for Narrative and Emerging Media in Los Angeles. What I find really exciting is helping other people to learn about this technology and making sure they understand what they can do. I’ve had students build completely different immersive experiences. It builds on my knowledge, and then I say see what you can do and they go off and do something extraordinary.
I love film, so I personally get really excited about photo-real stuff. Animation and CGI are dominating the space, but photoreal is getting there, little by little. It’s not going to be long before you can have holograms in VR that will be live – you’ll be able to talk to somebody in Kurdistan or Northern Iraq, in photo-real 3D embodiment.
Another passion of mine is getting this technology out to the underrepresented voices. It’s about making sure that those people have access to the technology and there are no obstacles in the way. That’s often what the problem is – not that people don’t want to or don’t know how to do it – but that they’re blocked. We just need to make sure the obstacles aren’t there. Maybe not everyone can afford a headset, but we can make them available, such as in libraries or community centers, so there’s not a block to entry. We’re in the middle of working that out at a grassroots level in LA.
Q: What are the opportunities to create more equitability of voices in this industry?
We’re right at the start, it’s a whole new medium, and we can set the new rules. For example, I’m passionate that this is not for young people, but everybody. Why shouldn’t women in their fifties do this? There’s a lot of cultural prejudice against middle-aged women, that we won’t be able to keep up with technology. There is a myth around VR being techy or gaming, that it isn’t our world, but actually why shouldn’t it be? We can simply use it for what we want it to be.
In terms of diversity, equity and inclusion, what’s really interesting for me is who’s creating and distributing these narratives? How do we, early on in this game, meaningfully create an industry that is equitable? How do we really change the structure so it becomes an industry that has proper representation? It’s still white and male, and there’s yet also a strong female directing presence. But where the money goes is the big thing. When it comes to venture capitalists and female run businesses, that’s where we’ve got to really put in a lot of work – both bottom-up and top-down.
From the bottom up, that means looking at the big companies – who they’re hiring, who they’re giving internships to. Looking at people’s potential as opposed to necessarily their qualifications is a really interesting and different way of hiring people, not necessarily through traditional routes. It also means making sure funding, not only venture capitalists, but other types of funding both within business and also foundations, goes towards women, BIPOC communities and other marginalized voices.
We have an opportunity now to ensure that it’s really a representative industry that is being created and built in a way that reflects society, so it’s not one singular point of view that we’re seeing. That’s what I’ve always been excited to be a part of, and the possibility I see here, too.
Interviewed by Aimee Hansen