5 Things / Connection First
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / Connection First

This week I met with a keynote client that found, when they issued return to office mandates last year, that productivity was higher when people worked remotely. As a result, they backtracked on the mandates and now the vast majority of employees work at home.

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5 Things / Diversity Stand-Up
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / Diversity Stand-Up

This week I’ve been feeling really discouraged about the 650 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced this year. The good vibes can be elusive. One way I’ve kept my energy up is by testing o

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5 Things / Good Vibes?
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / Good Vibes?

I’m excited to share that 5 Things is going a little deeper this year with some small but mighty changes: 1) I’ll begin to provide a bit more context of the problem/oppression behind the positive story; and I’ll include a weekly call to action in the Call to Action & Updates section below. This may be an article to read, a video to watch, a business to support, or something else entirely.

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5 Things / Remembrance
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / Remembrance

This week was (and still is through today) Trans Awareness Week. This week culminates in the Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR) tomorrow, on November 20th. TDOR was started in 1999 by a transgender advocate as a vigil to the memory of Rita Hester who was killed in anti-transgender violence. The somber nature of the end of the week stands in contrast to the prior 7 days when trans people (and cisgender allies) educate and take action.

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5 Things / Still Learning
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / Still Learning

This week I had a bunch of planning meetings in anticipation of upcoming keynotes. About 80% of the time, the client advises: “As a heads up, our employees are generally pretty conservative.” I’ve heard this from clients in many industries: financial services, energy, manufacturing, commercial real estate, and more.

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