Welcome to Inclusion Bites, your sanctuary for bold conversations that spark change. I'm Joanne Lockwood, your guide on this journey of exploration into the heart of inclusion, belonging, and societal transformation. Ever wondered what it truly takes to create a world where everyone not only belongs but thrives? You're not alone. Join me as we uncover the unseen, challenge the status quo, and share stories that resonate deep within. Ready to dive in. Whether you're sipping your morning coffee or winding down after a long day, let's connect, reflect, and inspire action together. Don't forget, you can be part of the conversation too. Reach out to jo.lockwood@seechangehappen.co.uk to share your insights or to join me on the show.

So adjust your earbuds and settle in. It's time to ignite the spark of inclusion with Inclusion Bites. Today is episode 142 with the title, Empowering Belonging. And I have the absolute honour and privilege to welcome Alisa de Vere. Alisa is a confidence expert, a leader of the ERG Alliance that equips organisations with the tools and brain science to create sustainable, inclusive, and impactful employee resource group. And I asked Alyssa to describe a superpower. She said that it is helping people feel confident and valued by creating spaces where everyone belongs. Hello, Alissa.

Welcome to the show.

Jo, I'm so excited to be here. I can't imagine a more perfect conversation for today.

No. And we met, I suppose, coming up from a month ago. It was actually, to put a date stamp on it, it was the day after the, US presidential elections where the news of the result was just filtering through. Wasn't it?

It was. And I was so glad to be with you and not in Boston where I am right now because I tell you that was a tough day.

Yeah. So we were at a, the ERG Alliance event in London, weren't we, on that day? That's right. In Waterloo, South Southwark.

Yeah. It was it was really nice to be, and and, you know, it's interesting too, of course, for me being kind of the representative American in the room. You know, everyone was like, why? And, I still don't have those answers.

No. And you put a brave face on it, if I remember rightly. Yeah. We could everyone could tell that there was a a lot of confusion and pain behind the eyes.

Oh, yeah. Well, I, you know, I guess that's good because I don't wanna fake anybody ever. I will say this, you know, in processing it now for several weeks, there is a lot of pain still. And every day, the news is, you know, almost more unbelievable with some of the appointees and some of the ramifications and things that are happening. But it's also rallied maybe an energy or a a latent complacency. Right? I think that we we often take a lot for granted, whether it's women's rights or any kind of rights, civil rights. And those are things that we have to continue to put our focus on. So for what it's worth, it bites.

But at the same time, we are gonna bite back in a way that is productive, smart, and, sustainable. So we have a lot of work to do. I think a lot of people are realizing that. They're taking maybe the rest of the year to kind of re energize and at the same time find a new approach.

Yeah. It's I find that the whole world of politics is it's very divisive, isn't it? I mean, we're gonna be talking around ERGs and staff networks and empowering people and creating belonging, which is an inclusive approach. Whereas politics is you're in, you're out. You're with us, you're against us. And and there's no room for the for the losers almost, is there?

Yeah. Well, think about elementary, middle school, high school. I mean, why is it any different? You know, power, people who wanna be popular, who wanna have power in that. The only way they I should say the only way. The most common way, of course, is to make themselves either bullies or make the and or make the rest of the population feel less confident. And so, unfortunately, that that's kind of the definition of divisiveness. Right? Somebody's a winner, somebody's a loser. And it's just sad.