If You Call Yourself an Ally, You Probably Aren’t One, with Dr. Akilah Cadet & Karen Catlin

Everything Speaks

Dr. Akilah Cadet is the Founder and CEO of Change Cadet, an organizational development consulting firm that offers services that support embedding belonging into overall company culture, identity and strategy. As a Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneur her work is behind some of the biggest brands you use everyday. Dismantling white supremacy through storytelling is at the core of her work as a leader, speaker, creative director, producer, writer, editor, co-owner of the Oakland Roots and Soul soccer teams, and author of White Supremacy is All Around: Notes From a Black Disabled Woman in a White World. She literally has all the degrees, lives in and loves Oakland, CA, celebrates her disability, is a proud Beyoncé advocate, and has an incredible shoe game.

Karen Catlin is a highly acclaimed author and speaker on inclusive workplaces. She has published four books: Better Allies®: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces (2019), The Better Allies Approach to Hiring (2020), Belonging in Healthcare (2022), and The Better Allies Way: A Workbook for Being More Inclusive at Work (2024). She also emails a roundup of “5 Ally Actions” to over 60,000 newsletter subscribers every week. Previously, Karen spent 25 years building software products and serving as a vice president of engineering at Adobe. During that time, she witnessed a sharp decline in the number of women working in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, she knew it was time to switch gears and focus on creating more inclusive workplaces where everyone could do their best work and thrive. A self-professed public speaking geek, Karen is a highly sought-after and engaging presenter who has delivered talks at hundreds of conferences and corporate events.

What you will learn in this episode:

• What it means to be an “accomplice,” and how it differs from being an “ally”
• Why allyship can feel performative, and what it actually means to be an ally
• How to use your voice and platform to do the work as an accomplice
• Why we must become comfortable with being uncomfortable to be better accomplices
• How we can become role models for the behaviors involved in making a meaningful difference

Resources:

• Website: https://www.changecadet.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/company/changecadet/
• Facebook Business: https://www.facebook.com/changecadet
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changecadet/
• Twitter: https://x.com/changecadet?
• Website: https://betterallies.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kecatlin/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/betterallies