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. And today is episode 161 with the title, beyond the DEI backlash. And I have the absolute honor and privilege to welcome Wema Hoover. Wema is a global diversity, equity, and inclusion expert and former chief diversity officer for Fortune 500 companies, including, no less, Google and Sanofi, dedicated to driving systemic change and cultural transformation. When I asked Weymah to describe her superpower, she said that it is championing sustainable DEI strategies in a shifting corporate landscape. And don't we need that right now? Hello, Wema. Welcome to the show.

Hello, Joanne. Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.

Yes. And you're based in the New Jersey, did I hear you say?

I am. I'm based based in Princeton, New Jersey, which is right outside New York City and situated between Philadelphia and New York.

It's a bit nippy, bit cold over there at the moment.

Yes. We've got a cold front. This is our typical Northeast weather that we have forgotten for many years, but came back blistering over this.

Yeah.

But it's quite nostalgic. I don't I don't mind so much.

No. It's it's nice sometimes. It it changes it up a bit as you I think you're saying in the agreement, get chance to wear some different shoes, different coats, and, different outfits.

Exactly. I'm pulling out all of my heavy coat and my various different, shoes that has Gore Tex and the different materials for cold weather to keep your feet warm. So it's been a lot. It's been a long you know, we would definitely will welcome the spring, but right now, the fireplace, the heated blankets, all of that, I'm enjoying. I'm enjoying for the moment.

I'm shivering just thinking about it. Yeah. In The UK, it's we get frightened if it gets to one degree centigrade. So, yeah, we have, we're struggling here at the moment. K. Waima, you're telling me about your name. It's a beautiful name. What's the what's the history behind it?

Thank you. Yes. My name is Wema, which is Swahili, and it's, spelled w e m a, and the e is pronounced like a long a, that language. And it means true goodness. So, that is, you know, the back road of my name and was given to me through my parents. They were, you know, in the early seventies and here in America wanted to embrace our heritage. And so I've embraced it and I've hopefully lived up to the name through the work that I've done and how I show up in the world.

That's a truly beautiful day, Amanda, and even more peaceful meaning. So thank you for sharing that. Yeah. Lovely to meet you. We talked about your superpower. You know, championing sustainable DEI strategies as shifting corporate landscape. And we first started talking about this podcast back in October, November last year, and the landscape has shifted. It's not aggressively slow anymore.

It's like a it's been an avalanche in the last few weeks, hasn't it? What's happened?