#202 | Cultural Humility, Belonging, and the Courage to Lead Differently W/ Dr. Joel Pérez, PCC from Contagious Culture

Contagious Culture

Kyle S. King

Episodes

About

Reviews

Promote

#202 | Cultural Humility, Belonging, and the Courage to Lead Differently W/ Dr. Joel Pérez, PCC

34 minutes Posted Jul 3, 2026 at 9:00 am.

— Introduction00:15 — Meet Dr. Joel Pérez, PCC01:00 — Dear White Leader and award recognition01:30 — Balancing multiple roles and work-life integration02:30 — Holding things loosely and living in the gray03:30 — Why better people lead better teams04:00 — How leaders can operate in ambiguity04:30 — Leading with clarity05:30 — Cultural humility and nonprofit leadership06:30 — Looking in the mirror as a leader and organization07:30 — Turning philosophy into practical frameworks08:00 — The belonging-centered organizational framework08:30 — Psychological safety09:00 — Systems that work for everyone09:30 — Accountable leadership10:00 — Daily habits that build belonging10:30 — Exceptional leadership in a turbulent world11:00 — Identity as a leadership superpower11:30 — Mental health and leadership12:00 — Nostalgia is not a strategy12:30 — Leading through turbulence14:00 — Dr. Perez’s first-generation college story15:00 — Growing up as the son of Mexican immigrants16:00 — Learning to lead across difference17:00 — Cultural humility coaching18:00 — Identity, code switching, and belonging19:30 — What belonging-centered leadership means21:30 — Intent versus impact22:30 — Apologies, accountability, and leadership repair23:30 — Why belonging is both moral and strategic

0:00

34:53

Download MP3

Share at current time

Show notes

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Dr. Joel Pérez, PCC, award-winning author, executive coach, belonging consultant, Gallup Strengths coach, IDI Qualified Administrator, and author of Dear White Leader: How to Achieve Organizational Excellence Through Cultural Humility.

Joel Pérez, PCC shares how leaders can create cultures of belonging by practicing cultural humility, leading with clarity, and learning to operate in ambiguity. He explains why leadership begins with self-awareness but must move beyond the individual into the organization, community, and systems leaders influence.

Kyle and Dr. Joel Pérez, PCC also discuss work-life integration, cultural humility, psychological safety, identity as a leadership superpower, mental health, intent versus impact, leading across difference, and what it takes to become a belonging-centered leader in a turbulent world.

Key Topics:

Why leadership requires comfort with ambiguity

The difference between work-life balance and work-life integration

What cultural humility looks like in practice

Why leaders must look in the mirror first

Leading with clarity and self-awareness

The four dimensions of a belonging-centered organization

Psychological safety and healthy conflict

Systems that work for everyone

Accountable leadership and daily habits that build belonging

How identity can become a leadership superpower

Why mental health matters for exceptional leadership

Intent versus impact in leadership

Leading across difference with curiosity instead of judgment

Episode History

Guest Bio

Dr. Joel Pérez, PCC is an award-winning author, executive coach, belonging consultant, Gallup Strengths coach, IDI Qualified Administrator, and founder of a coaching and consulting practice focused on helping leaders and organizations create cultures of belonging. He is the author of Dear White Leader: How to Achieve Organizational Excellence Through Cultural Humility, which was recognized with the Silver Award for Best New Voice Nonfiction by the Independent Book Publishers Association. Through his work, Dr. Joel Pérez, PCC helps leaders practice cultural humility, lead across difference, build psychological safety, and create organizations where people can thrive.