5 Things / The DEI PSA
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / The DEI PSA

When I’m prepping for a keynote, I love to spend time talking to the client about their DEI goals and current state. Between all these conversations, research for 5 Things, and research for my book, Inclusive 360, I think I figured out the winning formula for meaningful DEI progress: Purpose + Strategy + Accountability (PSA).

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5 Things / Justice Sotomayor
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / Justice Sotomayor

This week my partner and I went to seeU.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor talk in Chicago. She answered most of her questions while walking through the audience, shaking hands, and signing books. The Justice approaches her work with an amazing amount of grace and gentleness and sees her greatest work as being a trailblazer for others. She’s written three children’s books and dedicates an astounding amount of time to speak with young people.

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5 Things / Comparisonitis
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / Comparisonitis

This week, I spent three days (and joyful evenings) with other thought leaders, each working to bring our new keynotes to life with the brilliant team at Heroic Public Speaking. I had a great week and did some fantastic work, but I started to feel a little down on myself once I left. I didn’t feel like writing this morning. Spending three days with other thought leaders can trigger comparisonitis (comparison syndrome). They have how many LinkedIn followers??!!

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5 Things / Sparks
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / Sparks

This week I delivered a keynote for a client’s internal event and, afterward, joined them for dinner. I spent much of my time in a pleasantly long conversation with a managing partner who, at one point, exclaimed to me, “I mean, can you believe at one point, people held slaves in this country?”

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5 Things / National Hispanic Heritage Month
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / National Hispanic Heritage Month

We are in National Hispanic Heritage Month and I’d like to recommend some Latine folks for you to follow and/or hire all year long. Ingrid Harb is my guest on 5 Things in 15 Minutes this week. She’s a fabulous, connective speaker who also leads transformative in-person DEI experiences. You can follow Ingrid here and catch her on my podcast this week.

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