WHITE AWAKENING POWER TALKS
PowHer Redefined:
How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America
Join us for a truth telling conversation with Deepa Purushothaman, author of The First, The Few, The Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America and co-founder of nFormation, and Rha Goddess, author of The Calling, co-founder of White Awakening and nFormation
“As WOC, we are the brokers of a new power. As we become the growing majority of the educated workforce, we have an opportunity to be the change the world needs right now.”
- Deepa Purushothaman, Author of The First, The Few, The Only
As companies are realigning their workforce after 2 years of pandemic disruption, women of color (WOC) - especially those within corporate america, have a unique opportunity to redefine power and reimagine the future of work. In order to do that, WOC must understand the internal, interpersonal and structural work needed to meet this opportunity. In addition, co-conspirators must learn to utilize their “political capital” in ways that really matter, and corporations need to prioritize building cultures that represent true inclusion in order to meet the demands of a growing workforce that is ready to live and lead in the 21s Century:
"If we want more diverse leaders to aspire to corporate spaces, leadership must be redefined to include equality, empathy, fairness, openness, and heart. Power isn’t about becoming a CEO—it’s about being able to be true to who you are, what you believe, & what you stand for."
Corporations need to adopt “new rules of power":
“Power over” others is done.
Power needs to be coupled with safety, and with that, the leaders we gravitate toward should make us feel less guarded.
“Power for good” is stronger than power for self-gain.
The power of standing up for things that matter can trump greed and exploitation.
“Power with” can redefine the rules of business.
Banding together as a collective is the most important thing we can do to create change.
“Power within” is paramount.
The business world hasn’t seen women of color as powerful, or leaders, and pushed them to suppress who they are. We need to wield our power in ways that feel congruent with how we think and live in the world.
Our Quarterly Power Talks Event Series Supports DEI Directors, HR Leaders and Executive Professionals In Rehumanizing the Workplace and Our World
Rehumanization goes beyond performative allyship and embraces the “real work” on both a personal and global level.
Join us for a truth telling conversation with Deepa Purushothaman, author of The First, The Few, The Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America and co-founder of nFormation, and Rha Goddess, author of The Calling, co-founder of White Awakening and nFormation.
We aim to open the door to reimagining a more just, equitable, and sustainable world that starts within our organizations and ourselves.
What is White Awakening?
White Awakening is a leadership growth curriculum designed to help organizations and leaders understand and deliver on what it takes to align with their commitment for a more just, equitable and inclusive workplace and world.
What You’ll Achieve When You Attend
This event’s reflective dialogue and actionable leadership curriculum are designed to help you take stock of where your organization is in its quest for racial equity, and set the course for the future you want to see.
In this 60min fireside chat, we will address:
WOC Executives in Corporate America: What this moment means for you, and how to support you in navigating the moment that we’re in. We’ll also discuss the contribution that WOC are here to make, and how prepare internally within yourself, interpersonally with others, and structurally to make your best contribution
Co-Conspirators: What is “Political Capital” and to what degree are co-conspirators willing to spend it to move the needle. And how can we all move from “giving lip service to Allyship to really doing the work of “co-conspiratorship.”
Corporate Culture: What shifts are happening within corporate culture that leaders need to pay attention to? And what is the additional work that corporations need to do to get ready for this next frontier of true inclusion and workplace belonging.
Meet Our Featured Speakers
Rha Goddess is the co-Founder of White Awakening, and the acclaimed entrepreneurial soul coach behind hundreds of breakthrough changemakers, cultural visionaries and social entrepreneurs. From multiple NY Times Bestsellers to multi-million dollar social enterprises, Rha’s unique methodology has empowered a new generation of conscious entrepreneurs to stay true, get paid, and do good. From the onset of her more than 30-year career as a cultural innovator, social impact strategist and creative change agent, Rha has drawn on the power of creativity, culture and community to move hearts, minds and policy.
Rha’s work has focused on issues of racial justice and equality, electoral politics, offender aid and restoration, mental health and youth and women’s empowerment and contributed to initiatives that have impacted millions of lives. Rha’s book, The Calling (St. Martin’s Press) leverages her unique methodology into a step-by-step blueprint for finding your purpose and making your most profitable contribution.
Deepa Purushothaman was a “first” senior partner at Deloitte, where she spent more than 20 years focusing on women’s leadership and inclusion strategies to help women of color navigate corporate structures. She was the first Indian-American woman and one of the youngest people to make Partner in the firm's history.
After leaving Deloitte in 2020, Deepa co-founded nFormation, a membership-based community for professional women of color, offering brave, safe, new space and helping place women of color in C-suite positions and on Boards.
Deepa’s book The First, The Few, The Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America, published by HarperCollins came out March 1, 2022. She is also a Women and Public Policy Program Leader in Practice at the Harvard Kennedy School where she concentrates on research to combat systemic racism in corporate structures to help women of color rise.
Deepa is a founding board member of Avasara, India's first leadership academy exclusively for young women. She has degrees from Wellesley College, Harvard Kennedy School, and the London School of Economics. She lives in Los Angeles.
Thank You To Our Promotional Partner:
Isn't It Past Time for Meaningful Change?
As leaders, we have a unique opportunity to move each other forward as beacons of light in our organizations and communities. Our work is needed now more than ever as we reimagine this world.
