I Choose the Ladder

In this episode, we explore some of the unique challenges Black women face as they climb the corporate ladder. The themes were gathered from hundreds of Black women leaders who have been interviewed for the I Choose the Ladder Podcast. Whether you're a Black woman leader, ally, or simply interested in the topic, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable advice for creating more equitable workplaces. Don't miss out on this important conversation!

In this episode of the I Choose the Ladder Podcast you meet Brenda Battle, a leading voice in healthcare and Senior Vice President of Community Health Transformation and Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at UChicago Medicine. With over 30 years of experience, Brenda Battle is a trailblazer in healthcare who has worked tirelessly to improve health equity and access for marginalized communities. Brenda oversees efforts to design UCM’s community-health management strategy, develop and implement coordinated, innovative healthcare solutions to address healthcare disparities, and foster innovation in UCM’s care delivery system by crafting care models that promote diversity, inclusion, and equity. Brenda leads efforts to integrate the resources and strategies of the UChicago Medicine with the assets and resources of the community to meet the healthcare needs of populations served by the UCM system. Ms. Battle oversees UChicago Medicine’s Urban Health Initiative (UHI) which facilitates and coordinates efforts to address complex health and social needs of residents on the South Side of Chicago by bringing a collaborative, community-based, and participatory problem- solving approach to the health and social needs of UCM’s patients and the broader community; creating greater access to high-quality and culturally competent information, educational programs, financial and healthcare resources that empower community members to live the healthiest lives possible; generating goodwill in the community and the social capital/relationships needed to create new services and programs that improve population health and reduce gaps in the social determinants of health; serving as the bridge to the community to training and research; and serving as the honest broker providing UCM’s community consciousness, enabling the UHI to listen in to the community and communicate back to UCM leadership what the community needs and wants. Prior to joining the UCM, Brenda was the director of the inaugural Center for Diversity and Cultural Competence for Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO, were she oversaw programs to eliminate health disparities, promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Brenda has over 38 years of health care experience, serving as Executive Vice President, Government and Community Affairs for Medical Transportation Management (MTM), Inc., and leading operations in commercial and Medicaid managed care. Brenda has several publications, and has served as national speaker on reducing health care disparities.

In this episode, you meet Jennifer Montague, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer for NiSource, a natural gas and electric utility company servicing 4 million customers under the NIPSCO and Columbia Gas brands. She is responsible for setting direction and managing a leadership team focused on customer experiences in the areas of Customer Care Centers, Customer Insights and Marketing, Billing & Payments and New Business across six states. She joined the company as the Vice President of Communications and External Affairs at NIPSCO in November 2018. Prior to joining NIPSCO, Jennifer had nearly three decades of customer operations, branding, communications and marketing experience in several roles with Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) in Chicago and British Petroleum (BP)/Amoco in London (England) and Warrenville, Illinois. Jennifer currently serves on the board of directors for Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, Edgewater Health, Merit School of Music, and Northwest Indiana United Way. Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree in quantitative economics and feminist studies from Stanford University and a master’s of business administration degree from the University of Chicago. Jennifer is based at the NiSource headquarters facility in Merrillville, Indiana. In this episode, we discuss: - Keeping your eyes on your own prize - How to keep from being bitter at work - Creating connections with people who have different life experiences

As we step into the new year, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO takes you through 12 questions to ask yourself to help clarify your goals for the year.

We are seeing layoffs happening all over corporate America, and if we are being honest, these are some scary times for employees. In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO, Watchen Nyanue, helps people managers lead their teams through layoffs. We focus on the ones who stay and the impact of the ones who leave.

It's that time of the year again when we start planning for the new year. Of course, we make ambitious plans, but we may need to look at our plans through the right lens. In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO Watchen Nyanue takes you through how she plans for her upcoming year and helps you use the right data to ensure that next year is your best year yet!

In this episode, you meet Rae Livingston. As AbbVie’s Chief Equity Officer, Ms. Livinston leads enterprise efforts to promote a diverse, equitable, bias-conscious, and inclusive culture with internal and external impact. Ms. Livingston serves on the AbbVie Executive Leadership Team. In her previous role, Ms. Livingston served as Vice President, Business Human Resources, Corporate Functions, and U.S. Employee Relations when she joined AbbVie in 2016. Before AbbVie, Ms. Livingston held multiple vice president roles, primarily in Business Human Resources. In this capacity, her areas of accountability and specialty included: global operations & engineering services, headquarter functions, and mergers & acquisitions, as well as driving a culture of inclusion. Her career journey has included pivotal experiences with SC Johnson and Medtronic domestically, as well as Rockwell Automation and JP Morgan Chase, where she grew her global footprint. In 2021, Ms. Livingston was recognized by Diversity Woman Media’s Elite 100 list as one of one- hundred extraordinary Black women executives changing the face of corporate America. She was also named to Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) Advisory Board (2021-2023) to help guide the HBA’s strategy on diversity dynamics. Ms. Livingston is also a member of The Executive Leadership Council, the Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Executives Council with The Conference Board, and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) executive network. Previously, Ms. Livingston served as board chair for the YWCA of Southeast Wisconsin and as a member of the executive committee. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.

In this episode, we learn all about The CLIMB Career Summit and what attendees can expect this year. Enjoy!

In this episode you meet Tara August the Senior Vice President of Talent Relations & Special Projects for Turner Sports and Bleacher Report, where she oversees the division’s marquee roster of on-air announcers across both digital and linear platforms. In this role she is responsible for the management of some of the biggest names in sports including Hall of Famers Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky and Pedro Martinez, across Turner’s sports properties which include the NBA, NHL, NCAA and MLB. On a day-to-day basis August facilitates on-air production, sales, marketing and promotional activities, with a special emphasis on serving as the primary liaison to all sport teams, leagues, agents and celebrities to facilitate contract negotiations and special guest bookings. She also contributes to the development of special projects for the TNT, TBS, NBA TV and Bleacher Report family of platforms such as the official NBA Awards show, The Dunk King and the All-Star All-Style Show. She also currently oversees the organization’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) efforts via the People Advisory Council (PAC), an internal organization which aims to increase diverse hiring and mobility and creating a diversified industry pipeline of professionals. Previously, Tara served as public relations manager for Turner Sports where she aided in directing the strategic development and implementation of visibility efforts for the organization’s programming, talent and executives. Prior to joining Turner Sports, August was an account director for Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide where she managed extensive sports marketing partnerships designed to promote social marketing causes via sports personalities and organizations. For more than six years she successfully worked across a multitude of sports leagues to develop award-winning public service announcements, special events and programs for the agency’s public and private clientele. In October 2021 Tara August was named the 2021 DEI Cablefax Champion for her diversity, equity and inclusion efforts; additional recognition includes the Atlanta Business Chronicle 2021 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion “Outstanding Voice” Award and being named to the Cynopsis “2021 Top Woman in Media” and 2020 Cablefax “Most Powerful Women” lists. Tara August is currently a Southeast Trustee for the Boys & Girls Club of America, as well as the VP of public relations on the Sports Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and a member of the American Cancer Society’s Sports Council. She’s also a founding member of the San Diego Network of African-American Professionals (SNAAP!). She earned her master of arts degree in sport management from the University of San Francisco and her bachelor of arts degree in comparative literature, with a minor in communications, from San Diego State University.

In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO discusses practical ways that you can help your team find success. Enjoy!

I feel like I say this all the time, but all of your employees don't need the same things. And what got them to your company might not be what keeps them at your company. So in this episode, I talk about some of the areas you should consider as you develop programs and retention strategies for the diverse employees who work for and with you. Enjoy!

Everyone thinks they want to be a people manager until they actually have to manage people. Ask any current manager, and they will tell you that managing a team is one of the hardest things they have ever done. But ask someone a first-time manager has managed, and they would argue that that's even harder. So in this episode, we talk to aspiring people managers about preparing for a leadership role. Enjoy!

In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Podcast host Watchen Nyanue shares some tips on what to do when the realization of a dream is delayed or taking longer than expected. Hint: Getting resentful or bitter does not make the list.

In this episode, you meet Lori Spicer Robertson. Lori is a creative change agent always pursuing opportunities to transform lives and foster sustainable progress. Formerly, she assumed the role of VP, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Saks Fifth Avenue to design a more inclusive experience for employees, customers, and partners. As a natural connector, she currently is the founder and Chief Joymaker of an experiential platform and membership community created to reconnect women and mothers to a life of joy called Wundher. As a thought leader on women and mothers; diversity, equity, and inclusion; leadership and authentic joy, she is sought after by companies, universities, and organizations annually to share her narrative. Spicer Robertson is wife to her fellow community crusader Eric Robertson, mother to her amazing boys - Liam and Emory, and they all believe in their family motto to ‘live in your vision and not your circumstances’. Enjoy!

In this special crossover episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO Watchen Nyanue shares tips on how to discuss race at work. As we continue to navigate tragedies that impact our entire society, Watchen shares some best practices she has seen over the years of working with some of the world's best leaders.

When it comes to leveling up professionally, the focus seems to be on leveling up financially. Still, in this episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO Watchen Nyanue shares a few other career areas you will need to level up if you plan to pursue leadership roles. Enjoy!

In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO Watchen Nyanue discusses the five areas that often hold you back from being able to quickly and smoothly navigate a career change. These challenges are relatively simple to address but not always very easy. So grab your I Choose the Ladder notebook, a pen, your favorite beverage, and get ready to get to work.

In this episode you meet, Melissa Donaldson. Melissa Donaldson, a self-described business leader with a heart for human capital, is the first chief diversity officer at Wintrust and responsible for developing diversity and inclusion strategies for increasing competitive advantage while positioning Wintrust as an employer of choice and responsible corporate citizen. The heart of her practice is that advancing diversity, equity and inclusion should be business-owned and leader-led to promote shared responsibility in action. A direct report to the CEO, Melissa established the ubiquitous “One Wintrust” masthead as a unifying guidepost. Noted accomplishments include: establishing the annual executive diversity forum assembly of top senior executives, co-designed 360°Inclusivity multicultural segment framework, launched Paired to Win hybrid mentorship- sponsorship program targeting underrepresented leaders, regular Board of Directors engagement, and contributor to ESG reporting. Prior to joining Wintrust, Melissa led inclusion practices as a director with both Walgreens and CDW LLC, which received the Exemplary Voluntary Efforts Award from the U.S. Department of Labor in 2008. Skilled in communications, strategic planning, stakeholder management and innovative high-impact programming, Melissa is a versatile change agent who enjoys collaborating with internal and external partners to drive results. Crain’s Chicago Business named Melissa among Top Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Executives and Most Influential Women in Commercial Banking. Chicago United selected Melissa to the esteemed 2021 Business Leaders of Color, to name a few of her accolades. Melissa is a Leadership Greater Chicago Daniel Burnham Fellow, and member of the Economic Club of Chicago, and The Links, Incorporated. A prolific writer and speaker, she has contributed to numerous industry publications, conferences, podcasts, radio and other media outlets. Melissa holds an MSC from Northwestern University, MSA from Central Michigan University, and a BS Wright State University Raj Soin College of Business. She has guest lectured at Northwestern University and serves on a variety of boards and councils. Some of the things we discussed that stood out to me were: - Following the steps that you think you are supposed to when make career choices. - How a layoff shifted her perspective on being left behind professionally. - Understanding your path and the ability to cheer on the success of others without envy. Enjoy!

We have seen a few different responses to people feeling disrespected at work in the past couple of weeks. In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Podcast Host, Watchen Nyanue, shares some context around disrespect at work and tips for both people managers and individual contributors on handling disrespect at work. Enjoy!

In this episode you meet Elizabeth A. Campbell. Elizabeth is a +20 yr marketing veteran with a proven track record of successfully cultivating consumer insight to deliver integrated marketing programs that drive consumer demand. In September 2019 she was chosen to lead McDonald’s Cultural Engagement Team into its next evolution. Her responsibilities include managing a $30M budget to elevate McDonald’s Cultural Strategy in the areas of Music, Sport and Entertainment, amplifying McDonald’s social media presence and driving forward our Multicultural Youth marketing strategy. Elizabeth uses her cultural curiosity and her ability to partner with the McDonald’s franchisees to build cultural brand experiences that touch the consumers passion points. Elizabeth has led some of the brands most iconic platforms to advance the brand with consumers including; McDelivery with UberEats; Dorado with J. Balvin; The Saweetie Meal; The Mariah Carey Meal; Future 22 Black and Positively Golden and the brands most recent steps in to the Metaverse through a partnership with Humberto Leon and IWG to celebrate Lunar New Year. Prior to joining McDonald’s, Elizabeth honed her business acumen at Kraft Foods, New York in Brand Management and as an Account Executive with the Coca-Cola USA Fountain Division of The Coca-Cola Company. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from the Purdue University, Krannert School of Business and a Master of Business Administration from the Clark Atlanta University, School of Business. She currently resides in Chicago, Illinois and is a native of Benton Harbor, Michigan. Some of the things we discussed that stood out to me were: - The freedom that career tenure has given her - Mistakes that young Black women are making - How the next generation of leaders can help their mentors and sponsors help them - Being at the same company for 18 years - Dealing with impostor syndrome - Being an example of what Black excellence is - The pressures of a seat at the table as a Black woman Enjoy!