When I was a kid, I couldn’t swallow aspirin. To help, my mother would crush it into a spoonful of grape jelly. A little chalky, sure. But it went down easier, and my fever broke.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about that a lot.
Right now, nonprofit leaders are trying to have some of the hardest conversations of their careers – with boards, donors, and staff – about equity, belonging, and the work that sits underneath the acronym DEI. Not an easy topic for everyone to swallow.
On top of that, this is all set in a climate where that acronym can trigger defensiveness, fear, and funding threats.
Truthfully, the challenge here isn’t whether these conversations matter. It’s how to make them go down easily. Because when conversations immediately put people on edge, they stop listening. They shut down or retreat into talking points. And, when that happens, the real work underneath this important acronym gets lost.
That’s exactly why I wanted to have this conversation with Dr. Kiki Ramsey, positive psychologist and CEO of the Positive Psychology Coaching and Diversity Institute. She works on the front lines every day with nonprofit organizations, navigating a climate where DEI is under attack. But what she sees gives her both clear eyes and real hope.
This episode is for the nonprofit leaders who believe in this work but who may be tired, scared, or not sure how to keep going. It’s for the E.D.s trying to make the case to a risk-averse board, and the staff leaders carrying the weight of a mission that feels more urgent and more threatened than ever before. It’s a reminder that building belonging is not optional, especially now. It is the work.
Consider this your spoonful of grape jelly!
TUNE IN TO LEARN:
- Why belonging is a growth strategy, not a more argument: How reframing DEI around fairness, trust, innovation, and strong teams changes the conversation – especially with skeptical stakeholders.
- What positive psychology brings to equity work: How a strengths-based approach to leadership development creates the conditions for belonging, resilience, and culture change that actually sticks.
- What leaders need to do right now to sustain this work: From acknowledging the emotional toll to showing up with transparency, Dr. Ramsey and Joan dive into what courageous leadership looks like when the climate is working against you.
KEY QUOTES:
- “What it really means, Joan, is fairness. It means opportunity, it means trust, it means strong teams, it means belonging, and it means innovation.” – Dr. Kiki Ramsey
- “[A]s a leader, I think that we also have to anchor in our values, not just vocabulary.”
– Dr. Kiki Ramsey
- “[W]hen you don’t have a diverse workforce, then you are at a competitive disadvantage.”
– Dr. Kiki Ramsey
- “I don’t think you have to actually come to a board meeting and say, I know there’s DEI backlash, but we have to stay the course. How about doing a couple of things and then giving those examples of success to your board and letting them see how it really does change and improve the work that you do.” – Joan Garry
ABOUT GUEST:
Dr. Kiki Ramsey is a Positive Psychologist and Executive Coach that helps organizations transform their people by using positive psychology and diversity, equity and inclusion approaches to coaching and training. As the CEO of The Positive Psychology Coaching and Diversity Institute (PPCaDI), a leadership development firm that specializes in driving diverse organizational change utilizing positive psychology and DEI approaches to coaching, Dr. Kiki inspires employees to tap into their purpose, courage, and belonging, so they can do the work they love and love the work they do.
She is also a full-time Assistant Professor at Life University in the Master of Science in Positive Psychology program and holds a Master’s in Social Work, a Master’s in Positive Psychology Coaching, and a Ph.D. in Business Psychology.
RESOURCES:
- DEI Isn’t Dying. It’s Finally Growing Up by Dr. Kiki Ramsey
- Dr. Kiki Ramsey LinkedIn
- Dr. Kiki Ramsey Facebook
- Dr. Kiki Ramsey Instagram
- Nonprofit Leadership Lab
- Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership – 2nd Edition by Joan Garry
- FREE WORKSHOP: Let’s Build the Nonprofit Board of Your Dreams!
- FREE WORKSHOP: The 5 Practices of Outstanding Nonprofit Leaders
- Music by Jukebox the Ghost
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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