Wrapping up 2023 with a commitment to bid farewell to burnout in 2024! Joined by DEI expert Khayshie Tilak Ramesh, who shares both her personal experiences with burnout as well nuggets from her tried and tested programmes for getting from burnout to balance. But Khayshie's systemic approach goes beyond quick fixes, addressing the energy drain faced by underrepresented groups in demanding systems, and we explored the need for systemic change alongside the personal.    ✨ For any of you who feel the need for permission to slow down and rest, please take this episode as all the permission you need.     🌟 Quote stuck on Khayshie's laptop:   “Instead of asking 'have I worked hard enough to deserve a rest? ', I've started asking, 'Have I rested enough to do my most loving, meaningful work? '” – Nicola Jane Hobbs. 

Joining me on the latest episode of UNBiased is Siang Lu.  Siang is the award-winning author of The Whitewash, the co-creator of The Beige Index and the creator of #dumbbookstagram. The Whitewash won Audiobook of the Year at the 2023 Australian Book Industry Awards and the Glendower Emerging Writer Award at the Queensland Literary Awards, and was shortlisted at the NSW Premiers Literary Awards. In our conversation we delved into The Whitewash in all its punchy, poignant, entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny glory. Siang also shared openly about his own personal journey that led him both to writing (he quit his law degree pretty early on in favour of literature), and targeting representation in so many forms to build visibility of important issues in novel ways. The Whitewash is a mockumentary addressing Asian representation in Hollywood. This led Siang to co-create The Beige Index - the Bechdel Test for race, exploring ethnic representation in the IMDb Top 250 Films. Can't wait to read more from Siang. Learn more about Siang here: https://www.siang-lu.com/ Check out the Beige Index here: https://thebeigeindex.com

Rounding off a series of episodes exploring cognitive biases that I uncovered through my own journey in private practice before studying bias itself – this week highlighting some of the biases that keep us tethered to the status quo. Overcoming biases begins with understanding. Identify and unlock a new way of thinking to discover the unknown unknowns.  

Ever been told not to be the first on the dancefloor? Well, that unconventional advice came from a senior partner rallying a large group of us at the launch of our "Innovation Committee" at a law firm I worked for some time ago.   "Why not lead from the front?" you might ask. The answer lies in understanding cognitive biases, which every one of us has.  We've heard so many varied stories and lived experiences of biases through the podcast. Today we take a step back to break down what we mean when referring to cognitive biases, and deep dive into a few of them - the bandwagon effect, social proof, status quo bias, and in-group bias, based on a lived example.

Cognitive diversity isn’t spoken about enough in the DEI world.   Conversations I’ve had over the past few weeks made me reflect on my early experiences as a new lawyer. When I started out in law school surrounded by the people who would become my colleagues for at least the next 2 years, I was convinced I’d found my people. I belonged. And there can be no better feeling, particularly in an industry known for its long hours – we were going to be spending a whole lot of time together.  When I first realised I felt this way because we were all thought in the same way the joy of belonging outdid any voices in my head that would speculate over whether this was problematic.   Today, we are much more aware of hiring for culture add, rather than culture fit. But a lack of cognitive diversity – an environment where teams all think and operate in one way, and who suppress alternative thoughts for fear of losing that sense of belonging, harms not only inclusion, but an organisation’s ability to survive disruption.  I felt compelled to share one of my law school stories after recognising that law firms which are genuinely invested in adopting an innovative future-focused mindset, have a blind spot when it comes to cognitive diversity.   If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you.   If this really doesn’t resonate with you, I’d also love to hear from you.   If you are one of those lawyers who does think or operate differently but rarely use that voice at work for fear of losing your perceived sense of belonging, I’d love to hear from you. 

Joining me today is Tash Menon -  CEO & Co-Founder of global creative technology company, Mash. Founded in 2018, Mash’s foundational belief is that there’s a more creative way to do creative services. Having flipped the traditional agency model on its head — by curating bespoke creative teams from referral-only freelancers — Mash has cultivated a global community of creatives working across 28 countries, with global brands such as Netflix, Breitling, Accor Hotels and some of Asia Pacific’s fastest growing scale-up businesses.  The Mash of today has evolved into something almost unrecognisable from when it was started on a kitchen dining table. With the focus of redefining the future of work and continually building a culture that empowers and encourages both brands and creatives to benefit from remote work structures, Tash’s direct and transparent approach has led her to now build a global business that has been recognised in almost every industry and business publication in Australia. Dubbed the ‘Mighty Mouse’ of the advertising industry by Forbes USA and proudly named one of Campaign Asia’s ‘Women to Watch’, it’s safe to say Tash’s impact on the industry has spread far and wide, changing the way brands and creatives view their work for the unforeseeable future — and for the better.  Mash is also listed in Saari Collective’s 101 South Asian Australian Startup Founders List (which you can check out here: https://saaricollective.com.au/south-asian-australian-startup-founder-list/?v=1).  Tash so naturally embodies the qualities of a textbook founder with a twist – living and breathing inclusive leadership without rhetoric.  I hope you enjoy the conversation and all of Tash’s stories of the ups and downs of the startup game. 

I’m joined this week by Sandeep Varma.  Sandeep is the Founder and CEO of award-winning South Asian Australian media startup SAARI Collective. SAARI works to build the capacity of South Asians to write and build media skills.   After being selected for funding by the Google News Equity Fund, SAARI Collective built a media list of 101 South Asian Startup Founders - a list and report which launched last month.   During this episode Sandeep shares his unique approach to storytelling and his mission to get greater visibility and representation of South Asians in the media, and reveal the value of narratives shared from underrepresented perspectives beyond identity.  Through his work Sandeep challenges the inherent biases that exist in the media industry which have managed to establish that a majority perspective is considered an objective perspective as a result.   Sandeep is a true advocate for community, creativity, diversity, conscious leadership and the value of play in bringing out the best in us and how we show up in the world.  I’d love to hear your thoughts. What ‘norms’ exist as mainstream, that just don’t reflect your own lived experiences? Is there a way you could share those more openly to disrupt the thinking of those around you?  You can connect with Sandeep here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandeepkvarma/ And read SAARI's work and find the 101 South Asian Startup Founders List here: https://saaricollective.com.au/ 

I’m joined this week by Charlotte Faul.  Charlotte is the founder of Purple Consulting a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Consultancy, uniquely specialising in Disability Inclusion.  Charlotte has a disability, chronic pain which resulted in Charlotte being on long term sick leave. When she returned to work Charlotte realised just how many barriers people with disabilities face in the workplace and how rarely disability is prioritised in DEI plans.  The fact that so many people in business already have disabilities and yet very few share them, is what compelled Charlotte to move into this space. So she set up Purple Consultancy to work with businesses who want to build better workplaces for their staff with disabilities.  As well as sharing her story, Charlotte and I talk language around disability, the lack of data in some areas versus the data that does exist to suggest that it’s rarely safe for people to share their health concerns openly with their employer, trust, and more.  If you’d like more detail on Charlotte’s personal journey with chronic pain, do check out a video created as part of Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place:  https://www.instagram.com/tv/CPBWUT0I32B/?utm_medium=copy_link  Connect with Charlotte here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-faul/ 

This week’s guest on UNBiased is Jahin Tanvir, CEO of the Australian School of Entrepreneurship, 3-time TEDx speaker, board director, media personality, and angel investor who was named in the 2022 list of the 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians, at the age of 21.  Jahin shares his personal journey and professional insights as an award-winning advocate for young people, and diversity and inclusion.  It’s impossible not to be inspired by Jahin’s drive and optimism to effect change. Hope you enjoy. Would love to hear your thoughts! 

6 months since moving and it’s time to lay all the questions on the table as I start to dig deeper into labels, identity, and how we shift the needle on D, E, and I when what it means can differ so much between groups, organisations and countries.  To those who work in and/or maintain their commitment to DEI, do you still get affected by your own biases?  At a time when DEI fatigue has set in and budgets are getting slashed, does DEI need a rebrand?