Inclusive Conversations: The evolving diverse workplace, and how to get out of your ‘own’ way

Epsisode 5 Transcript

Chris: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to the HerSuccess podcast, the podcast that interviews highly successful and influential females within the engineering and tech world with the hope of inspiring the next generation of leaders in these industries. The podcast is brought to you by Engtal. We are an engineering and technology recruitment company that really cares about diversity, equity and inclusion. If you're an engineer looking for your next role, or you're a company that wants to partner with an engineering and tech recruitment company that cares about diversity, please get in touch. This episode, we interview Jyl Feliciano. Jyl is the daughter and granddaughter of civil rights activists, and today she is the global vice president of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at Highspot.

She's also held a number of very senior roles at a handful of household name companies throughout her career. It's a [00:01:00] fantastic episode. We talk through how important it is to create belonging in the workplace and how you do that. We also explore how true DEI and B is not just about creating a program or an add-on.

It's thoroughly ingrained into the DNA and personality of a business. Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoy today's episode.

Hello everyone and welcome to this episode of the HerSuccess podcast. I'm super excited today to be joined by Jyl Feliciano.

Jyl is the Global Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Highspot. Highspot is a sales enablement platform that essentially improves the productivity of sales reps. They have over 1000 employees, the headquarters in Seattle, and they have various other offices across the globe.

Prior to Highspot, Jyl also worked for some huge global brands such as A. V. P. MetLife, [00:02:00] Cognizant, and Conagra Brands. We're super excited to, to dive into her background and, and learn more about her journey. So Jyl, thanks very much for joining us and welcome to the show.

Jyl: Oh my gosh, Christopher, thank you so much for having me. I am thrilled to be here.

Chris: Excellent. First things first, I gave a bit of a, you know, 20, 000 foot overview of your career there, but I'd love to learn a little bit more about your background, where you came from and, and how your career journey has gone. So maybe you can start us off there.

Jyl: Yeah, it's a really great question. So, you know, the way that I describe my background and essentially just, the moments of my life that really shaped who I am today. I am a daughter and granddaughter of civil rights activists from Chicago. So my entire life was really centered around social justice and seeing my parents and my grandparents lobby for change, especially some of the net inequities that underrepresented communities here [00:03:00] in the U. S. but primarily Chicagoland area and really encounter when it came down to housing, discrimination and equities within the health care system, education, you name it.

 So I was shaped to see the world as an advocate and a voice for people. I think the other piece is, I come from a very interesting family. So, my family is a blend of, what I like to say, just folks from different walks of life. You'll find family members who are from different races, different genders.

They have different abilities. We speak different languages. And by having that as part of just my natural makeup, it helped me gain an appreciation for differences, but also grew this heavy empathy for wanting to understand people's story and how they face the world and why it was important that we just think about others.

Right? As [00:04:00] opposed to ourselves, so that is about me in terms of just my background and how I see the world for sure. But from a career perspective, and I just started my career in the financial services industry. I was lucky enough to join this company in a rotational program. So it allowed me to move across 4 different jobs within a span of 4 years.

So everything from customer service to I. T. I worked in international operations. And then lastly, I moved to an operational engineering role. And by the way, I have a liberal arts background and degree. So it also the testament to non traditional backgrounds. And I love that experience. But, you know, Chris, what I found is oftentimes in that setting, I found I was the only one I was the only woman, the only person of color.

I am neurodivergent and proud because [00:05:00] it is my superpower or one of my superpowers. I was married to the military and at that time I became a mom. So the conversations that were happening around me, I couldn't connect. I couldn't relate. And it created this sense of fear for me to truly show up and be my authentic self.

And, you know, I became an actress. I learned how to assimilate in worlds of dominant groups because that was the signals in the environment were telling me if you can assimilate and navigate, you can be successful and grow and have the income to support family and that type of thing. But, you know, one day I was sitting in a conference room and I just said, I'm tired.

This is a lot. This is a lot to mask myself. Right? And I just made a commitment to myself. No matter what happens, just be your authentic self. And once I did that, I started to unlock so many things, not only about me, [00:06:00] but about others in the work environment. I was comfortable challenging status quo and helping that company rethink their products that they were pushing out to consumers.

Some who look like me, right? And my experience, I also help them build different international operations for the 1st time. Right?

 But it was because I wasn't scared to make mistakes because of who I was. And I found out that folks were really appreciative, and it was important for me to demonstrate that so others felt comfortable bringing their authentic self to the workplace.

So that's a little bit about just my journey and finding myself, through an interesting stint in a rotational program.

Chris: No, yeah, certainly. That's that's amazing. Thank you for giving us that. That overview is interesting. And pretty much every person I think I've interviewed for this show said they had a moment in their career when they just became confident to be themselves.

And it's a really [00:07:00] defining moment. You know, obviously I experienced it myself. Like, I think when we first, go into the world of work, you're almost looking at kind of like, how should I behave? How should I talk? They condition you to be like, if you do this, that you will move up the ladder and you will be successful.

I think everyone has that moment or every certainly every person that I've spoken to on this show, where like you said, they drop the act and they say, actually, I now have the confidence and you know, to be myself. But that's amazing. And, you know, it sounds like you had two incredible role models, you know, with your mother and then your grandmother as well.

 So tell us about your role, at Highspot. Like, you've been with them, I think, about 18 months or so. What did, they almost hire you to do, and how has that journey gone so far?

Jyl: Yeah, well before I get there, Chris, I think it's interesting to point out, how non-linear my career has been. Right? So I talked to you about some of those rotations, but you know, in that last operational engineering [00:08:00] role, I then pivoted and moved into hr and that's where I started my career in DEI.

So I've been in this work for over 17 years. I tell folks that I'm 21, but after they do the math, they kind of figure that out. But, yeah, absolutely. But I was really fortunate enough to lead DEI program development, execution, training, learning, metrics ,definition for a lot of big, you know, Fortune 500 companies, and those were my training grounds.

And, you know, when I joined Highspot, I was so excited because Highspot, truly walk the walk. In terms of creating an environment that people feel good showing up and contributing. But what they realized is, we need to put some more structure and framework around understanding how DEI&B is showing up in our [00:09:00] organization, measuring tracking, holding ourselves accountable and just being very intentional about moving the needle in the work. So, because I've been through many rebuilds, I was fortunate enough over the last 18 months to help, Highspot build their multi year DEI&B framework. Our strategy, and we set 3 year goals, right? That touch on representation, employee engagement, sense of belonging retention, you name it. But I think the most powerful thing that we've done, besides the infrastructure, is we have launched 7 employee communities, 6 employee resource groups as well as 1 inclusion and belonging council that sits across our media regions.

And we've really created this really unique place where employees can vocalize their needs and drive and influence change at the leadership level and hold leaders accountable. Right? And I think [00:10:00] that's a new paradigm, that you're starting to see in the workplace. And I think because of that connection, that trust, that empathy they've built for one another at different career levels, it's helped us really continue to make sure DEI&B is something that just naturally happens and lives in the blood flow of the organization.

We've also really doubled down over the last 18 months in focusing on, building or rebuilding processes to be equitable. What I found and what I've learned from my grandparents and my mother is that if you can disrupt structures that disenfranchised certain communities, you got something.

Okay, so we've completely really took a step back, reevaluated obviously, our recruiting process. Understood where folks are falling out of the funnel. What groups traditionally fall out of the funnel, for what department, who are the folks involved and made some some [00:11:00] changes, right? Awareness, training, some goals there.

You'll also see that we have re-engineered our performance management process, and by the way, our employee community sat at the table and looked at the process as we were shaping and building it and showing us where the inequity usually shows up traditionally for their groups. So that we're mindful. We were able to remove them. And, I think one proof point of that is over the last year, we've increased BIPOC representation, so the Black, Indigenous, People of Color representation and leadership roles by 26%. Right, so disrupting systems is also a key and just something we've been able to do. And I think we're better off because of it.

Chris: Yeah, 100%. When I was reading one of your blog posts, you talk about how the DEI&B is not, it's not just a program, you know, the people [00:12:00] need to have, if it's going to be truly successful, it needs to really be in the DNA of the business. It needs to be who you are, how you talk all day, every day.

I imagine when you come in and say this to people when you join a new company, you get some people that jump on the bus immediately and say, yeah, that's a great idea. I also imagine you get people that don't do that. How, how do you face that challenge? How do you go about getting people on the bus, getting them to the point where they understand, you know, that this is such a crucial part of creating belonging.

And it's not just about some person in a different office saying, you know, cool, we're going to have a, you know, go out for lunch together or whatever. It is a lot more, you know, needs to be really kind of ingrained in the DNA of the business.

Jyl: Yeah, I call it moving from a state of unconscious bias to a state of unconscious inclusion.

Right? Well, we're naturally just thinking about others or naturally [00:13:00] asking ourselves before I hit this button, have I engage in all stakeholders? Right? Which groups are missing? You know, what haven't I poked a hole in? But I think the way that, we've brought people along the journey on our DEI kind of, evolution was critical to getting alignment and agreement from our all of our people that yes, this is important to us as a people. Yes. It's more than a business imperative. Yes, it's enabler for us to do business because, by the way, we each represent our customer. Right? And at the end of the day, we all have a common goal and that's we all want a sense of belonging.

And Chris, I think you can attest to this. Right? And I think that's why it's important that companies consider belonging as part of their acronyms like we do at Highspot and what that does is it allows folks from dominant groups, as well as those from underrepresented groups to rally around a common [00:14:00] goal.

Right. We all want a sense of belonging, but Chris belonging may show up, different for us. And we may need different things to belong, but from an equity perspective, I may need accessibility tools and you, you may not right. But if we have the things that we need, and we can support one another, we can each feel a sense of belonging.

And I think that is the key ingredient, because oftentimes there, there are subsets of populations that don't see themselves in the work. And they don't quite understand how they can personally attach to it. So I think that's, that was the first piece. The second piece is we rolled out our strategy through a series of roadshows.

And the road shows not only talked about the strategy, the pillars, the goals, the metrics, the roles we each play, but they heard some really, groundbreaking stories from their most senior leaders. There was a leader that talked about, how,[00:15:00] he was neurodivergent and the challenges he faced, we had leaders who talked about being in same sex relationships and being afraid to be their authentic self.

And it was just these amazing human connections that we brought to a screen that enable people to anchor on to something much bigger than an acronym letters, but the sense of empathy and support and looking out for one another, even though we may be different things. And I think that was the culmination of things that got folks on the bus and they believe in it because they see themselves in it.

Chris: Yeah, I mean, I think it's such a crucial thing to understand. I think a lot of people think sometimes that you've got maybe the population that require DEI and belonging is, you know, 10% of people over here and then the other 90% are here. It's really not the case. When you look at [00:16:00] people that are neurodivergent that people are, you know, again, just require different levels of, support or communication or anything like that, but we did a similar thing and, you know, in our organization and almost every single person came to the table with, you know, something, that they needed and required to feel a stronger sense of belonging.

But one of the individuals I interviewed for this, a lady called Tara May, she's the CEO of a firm called Aspiritech in Chicago, 93% of their workforce are on the autism spectrum. So they have 120 people and pretty much the entire organization, is neurodiverse.

And we talked about how, in a weird way, it was just, it almost made all of this so much easier because everyone came in already knowing that, there were things that people needed to do to communicate in certain ways and every single person was different. And that is the case in every single workforce.

But a lot of the time we almost don't think [00:17:00] like that because, we just assume that everyone has the same learning needs and their brains work in the same way and they have the same background

Jyl: same opportunities. Yeah, yeah, 110%. And I think. You know, by having those human connections, you start to discover that DEI is not a program. Like programmatic pieces help you push DEI into the workforce. DEI is not a program, DEI is the how, is how you feel when you show up, is how we talk to one another is how we support. It's about how we ally ship. It's about how we make sure we have the right tools to be successful.

It's about how we both, at the same time can grow and progress in our career. Right. On even footing. That's DEI&B at its core. And you know, when I think about evidence of success, people think about metrics, for me is hearing someone who [00:18:00] is a military veteran, and wants to share their perspective, and their time, and the service with their team, it's about me walking past employees desk who, is showing off their family, that is, you know, a beautiful, maybe different family dynamic, than some traditional family structures have been portrayed to be right. It's about the leader who raises their hand and says, hey, if we make this decision, it will impact women at a much greater rate, have we thought about it? Right? It's those things that come into the environment that tell me it's working and programs are just an enabler for us to continue to push and make sure that the infrastructure is there so that people have what they need.

We interrupt this podcast for a quick 30 second introduction to Engtal the host of her success Engtal is a US-based staffing agency specializing in engineering and technology. We have an insatiable passion for [00:19:00] diversity, equity, and inclusion, and part of our mission is to balance the diversity scales in our industry.

We are so tied to this mission that we donate a thousand dollars from every diverse placement made to our very own nonprofit Diversify the Future. We then use that money to fund scholarships for underrepresented groups of people to help them obtain a STEM degree. If you're an engineer or a tech professional looking for a new position, or maybe you're hiring for talent in this space and want a recruitment partner, please get in touch.

Chris: Yeah, absolutely. You know, the, the programs are, are the tools to get there. Absolutely. DEI is, is the, the how. It's almost changed for the better over the last few years. I think a lot of progressive companies are understanding the commercial value to this as well. I do think, you know, 15 years ago, you know, DEI&B. was almost seen as like philanthropy or something like it wasn't, I don't think it was tied to the bottom line. It was maybe some people passionate about it [00:20:00] because it was a fair thing to do and it was an equitable thing to do, but I don't think people really realized how positive an impact you can have on the financial performance of a business, right?

If you can retain your staff more, that alone, there's not a business in the world that wouldn't benefit from better retention levels. As you said, having a more diverse workforce that is more aligned with your customer base. No company in the world that would, not benefit from that. Having diversity of thoughts. You know, one of the other, podcasts I did recently, one of the people I interviewed asked me have you learned more from people that think the same as you? Or have you learned more from people that think differently to you, that was such a simple way of phrasing why it's so important to have people that think differently from you and come from different backgrounds. You learn more. So I actually think that the financial benefit and say, an organization from a performance perspective, and there is so much evidence to prove that, you get DEIB correct, you know, the [00:21:00] financial performance of your organization will massively benefit.

Jyl: Absolutely, 110% and it's really interesting because I'm very thoughtful about the order and operations in which I speak about DEI because yes, there is such a huge financial reward. Data, has shown that, sales teams particularly, are, you know, three times more successful in landing, really profitable deals. It also just talks about, companies and, and just their annual revenue ability is so much higher, right? When they do, in fact, have a diverse workforce, but in order to get to that output, there has to be this agreement of the head and the heart, because if people don't have that feeling, they won't produce the innovation and the things that get you to strong ROI.

But yes, you are 100% correct. Actually, McKinsey just released an [00:22:00] article that talked about they have tracked companies who prioritize diversity, from 2014 to now, and those companies are outperforming others who, quite haven't prioritized this at alarming rates. So, you know, again, just a really nice reference point for us to go look at and read after.

But there's data that validates this. In fact, I think, you know, leaders need to understand that it's not only good thing to do, but it is a good thing to do for their business.

Chris: Yeah, exactly. I think your point is is crucial as well about getting people's hearts on board first. You know, people perform better when they feel safe in the workplace, when they feel like they belong, when they feel that they have a voice at the table, when they don't feel that if they mess up for a month, they're going to get fired.

It's like those kind of things. If people have that level of security and belonging, a lot of the rest kind of takes care of itself, you know, if you have the right people, I think.

Jyl: [00:23:00] Yeah, yeah. Right. Versus a company that just prioritizes recruiting and bringing in bodies. And then when folks get there, they haven't set up the culture, the infrastructure for them to thrive and they simply leave.

Right?

Chris: 100%. In conversation a week or two ago, I think you talked about getting out of your own way. And that was one of the, the things in your career that kind of, it was a little bit of a light bulb moment when you first think about that. And in what ways did you need to kind of get out of your own way?

Jyl: I guess. Yeah, Chris, this is a lesson, that that I've been learning for a really long time, but just recently in my career, I've been able to put a phrase to it shall I say, and really articulate it, especially to, younger women, you know, who I mentor, and I believe that, you know, we've been programmed and influenced by the stimuli in our environment.

[00:24:00] Right? And for a lot of us, especially women, younger women growing in their professional career, when we've looked up, you know, as senior leader ship roles, especially in stem, we just didn't see ourselves there. So, it gave us the signal that that space isn't for us or breaking into that space would be a daunting task.

Right? So I think it's the environment. The other piece is history, right? Especially who you are, your background can tell you a lot about. The potential success that you'll have in your career, right? And, you know, I learned things from, you know, my grandmother and past mentors and I'm like, well, you know, I'm not sure if I can be successful because of maybe the political landscape that they had to to grow up in.

Right? So, I say all that to say I form this perspective [00:25:00] of the spaces that I would be successful in versus the things that I wouldn't. What it did was it inherently stopped me from having the guts to take risks, to try, to fail, to push through a door that no one's ever opened before.

And if you get to those spaces, by the way, a lot of us do have imposter syndrome and we ask ourselves, like, okay, we made it, but do I really belong here? Am I smart enough? Do I have the skills that can I learn? You know, yeah. And Chris, it wasn't only until, like, maybe a couple of years ago that I realized that some of that was me, I made this narrative up because of what I saw in my environment. But we know we only can see this binary. That's why we teach unconscious bias. And I challenged myself to move [00:26:00] past my fear and do it anyway. And it's allowed me to move into spaces to even prove to myself that yes, you do have the skill set.

Yes. Even if you don't know, you can learn. Because I've seen a lot of my male counterparts move into things with confidence and didn't know a darn thing. Like, I'm starting to look at things around the environment. And when I gave myself permission, Chris, I've been able to just really show up and engage, influence, create and innovate in ways I didn't think possible. So that is kind of the thought around getting out of your own way and saying, you know what? Flip it, I'm going to do it anyway. Try, right? You either learn or you succeed. Failure isn't an option, right? Either way you learn.

So that mindset was really huge for me to get myself out of the way and do it [00:27:00] anyway. I've been in rooms that I never thought I could. I've helped influence. I've been on podcasts. I've been on top DEI leader lists and I'm just a laid back girl, middle class family from the South side of Chicago. Right? Yeah, my journey of getting out of my own way and doing it.

Even if I'm scared.

Chris: Yeah, I think it's, , a great, great message to to anyone, listening to this and and again, quite similar to some of the things that we've talked about in previous episodes. You know, I interviewed someone who was Latin American and she came from very humble beginnings.

And in her background, not only did she never see herself in these rooms, but there was no real knowledge of where to go. She was like, no one ever talked to me about going to college. No one ever talked to me about getting an MBA or like, she was like, I thought I'd work in the grocery store, same as, you know, my mom and everyone else.

And, you know, you kind of realize, when you've even that, your parents say, Hey, you should maybe get a [00:28:00] degree and go to college. Like that itself is a privilege that not everyone has. She said a very similar thing that there was this kind of moment of realization that, I do belong here and I'm almost going to say, you know what? Screw it. Even if I fail, even if I feel fat on my face, that's better than always holding myself back because I don't think I belong here. And that was where, her career really started to, to accelerate.

Jyl: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Love that.

Chris: Excellent. If you were to give advice to someone maybe facing something similar, you mentioned you mentor people, so you may be doing this already, but someone that has maybe a bit of imposter syndrome or is in that position now where they don't have the confidence to say, you know what, screw it, I'm just going to do it.

What advice would you give that person?

Jyl: Yeah, that's that's a really great question. And, you know, I'm sorry to say that I don't have a magic, you know, formula here for it. But I [00:29:00] think by one, recognizing that it's just an area that you want to challenge yourself in is a really big step. Right? So I don't want to downplay that.

So one, I think acknowledging and just reflecting and asking yourself a question. Thank you. Am I holding myself back? Am I afraid of being in rooms? The second thing is surrounding yourself with other folks who you identify with who have been on this journey. They can serve as a safe place to, you know, share how they've navigated their mistakes, their learnings, tips and tricks, right?

And sometimes, Chris, we have to see things model for us and put yourself in those situations. Is really helpful. I'll give you an example. Like, folks think I'm talking about, you know, finding a mentor, that's, you know, a CEO, like, no, literally here in Chicago. We have so many, like, not for profit girls and boys clubs.

 And I've learned so [00:30:00] much from, like, my camp leaders, I learned so much from community advocates, like, just looking at people who aren't afraid to dare to be different and speak up and, and those are the people, just sit, listen to them, observe, ask them to be your mentor. And I think just seeing that model will inspire you.

And I think the third step is when you're comfortable, move into that place where you give yourself the permission to try, you know, hey, I have a class coming up, you know, on Tuesday. I'm in a group with folks who, you know, maybe I'm afraid of voicing my opinion. When I go back to class, like, I'm going to say one thing, you know, that I'm thinking that's counter to everyone and I'm going to try it.

And if it works, great. If it doesn't, oh, well, you know, I'm not going to wear that as, my problem, I'm going to find my space and I'm going to [00:31:00] step in it. So it's those little things that you should try and chip away. And then over time, it'll become a part of just who you are and how you see yourself and the position that you rightfully should take and deserve in different rooms and in different spaces.

Chris: Yeah, well, one of my, my good friends is, she's a career coach , she has quite a similar background to myself. She, she did the same, Cornell, certification that you did, also in Chicago, she's, absolutely amazing.

And one of the things that she talked about was kind of baby steps around advocating for yourself. So if you want to start advocating for yourself, you don't need to march into your boss's office tomorrow and say, give me a hundred grand raise. Maybe, you know, take, you know, a small scenario and say, okay, in this scenario, I'm going to ask for slightly more than, I typically would do.

And you almost you get used to that slightly uncomfortability factor of asking for something that you probably deserve and then if you just take that on, you know, maybe twice a [00:32:00] week, you're going to advocate for yourself and then you get used to it and then grow and, you know, becomes kind of more of a habit.

She said when she's doing that kind of stuff, it really. Increased her own confidence and, eventually it manifested itself in far bigger things. And she was able to advocate for herself and ask for a lot of the things that she, would, rightly deserve.

Jyl: Absolutely. Absolutely.

And it's a journey, right? And the things that I advocate for now, are things that I wouldn't even touch with the 10 foot pole when I was an entry level, you know, associate. So you're right it it, it's a journey. And I've been at this for 20 plus years. If you just take those small incremental steps, it will just condition you to being uncomfortable, to moving, to being comfortable, you know, making, yourself a priority and, your, your true ally.

But I will say though, Chris. It is equally important to [00:33:00] learn how to find champions and allies. Of folks in your community that can also help you, right? Whether that's at work or so, who are those people who are willing to say your name in rooms that you're not seated in. Right? Who are those folks that have influence that can help you understand the landscape and kind of give you the cheat codes.

 Like, having those people as well as advocating for yourself is just a really nice formula to making sure that folks are really focusing on equity for for you as an individual.

Chris: Yeah, absolutely. I think one of the points that you made earlier about who your mentors are is a really good one. Like, one of the things that I've noticed is, job title.

It doesn't correlate to how great a mentor you are. Really? I have had so many phenomenal mentors that you might look at their resume and think, you know what? Why would this person mentor anyone? But actually, you know, they have been incredibly insightful, incredibly knowledgeable. Oh. And I think, [00:34:00] fine, have a mentor that is the CEO of a business, maybe they fill something, for you, but I think finding those mentors that have different way of thinking, different perspectives, different journeys, some of the best mentors, you know, that I've ever had in my career have very much been like that.

And they've just, they've thought differently to the way that I think, and the, value that they've been able to give me. To bring to my career was probably far greater than, you know, CEO of the first company that, made me think the same way I do.

Jyl: Yeah, I think I've experienced that same thing, Chris.

What's interesting is I've learned that it is a difference between a mentor and an advocate or a champion, right? So a mentor is the folks who have the competency and the skill set to effectively relate, communicate, give you strategies, help you with the blueprint, like, they are the ones that really, help you form and shape your voice as whatever, if you're a professional or a [00:35:00] student, like, that is that person and I learned so much, from them.

But in terms of someone who's an advocate or a champion. That's where I started to learn to lean in to folks who are more senior and have influence right to say my name in rooms.

But those folks, because they're busy, or I don't know, but I haven't had great success in terms of, like, having a real mentorship relationship and taking value away. So it's okay, you know, different people can play different roles in supporting you holistically. And that's just the reality of it.

And it's okay to recognize that and create the ecosystem of the network that that helps you and the way that you're, you're hoping to, move in your career.

Chris: That's it. I've never really thought about that. You know, those differences between a mentor and an advocate, but I think you're right, they do play different roles.

We're almost out of time here, which is crazy. I thought this has gone super quick and [00:36:00] I really enjoyed the, discussion. Wrap us up by telling us what's next for you. Like when you look forward into the future, what are you excited about and what things are you hoping to achieve, whether that's at Highspot or anything else?

Jyl: Oh, that is such a great question. I'm really excited about just the dynamics and the changes around just how DEI is evolving in the workplace, right? We've we moved from a place of compliance 15 years ago to now moving to a place of accepting one's whole self. And I'm really excited to continue to be on the forefront to help continue to shape kind of the trend.

And I do that by being innovative, I take risks, I've done some really unusual crazy stuff around DEI&B and, you know, sharing that obviously with the peers in the industry. So I want to continue to help push the needle because obviously, as we bring new generations into the [00:37:00] workforce, new perspectives, we have to evolve. DEI, it can't stay stagnant. So I want to continue to be a thought leader and then shape the future.

The second thing is, I want to continue to support my daughter in her endeavors. So I have a 11 year old daughter who launched her own therapeutic slime business called your more slime and she found that her classmates were having challenges with anxiety and staying engaged in the classroom. So she did this aroma fuse therapy slime combination. It's trademarked and patented and everything. And she's, you know, ready to go to market with it. But what I see in her is potentially a future leader.

And if we're going to continue to keep the work of just DEI alive, we need to continue to train and have succession planning in place [00:38:00] because it is a new discipline. So I'm excited to see kind of that trend of new leaders emerge into their space. But, other than training DEI leaders and helping Jordan perfect slime, that's about it for me.

Chris: Wow. I wasn't expecting that answer. I must admit, that's amazing. And I'll be the first customer of the slime.

Yeah. Some anxiety, you know, kind of slime would do me quite well, actually. I could see the benefit in that. Well, that's amazing. Thank you so much. I think we have covered some really great topics in this conversation, I really, really enjoyed it. Thank you for everyone. thanks for listening and please dial into our episode next week.

Jyl: Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you so much for listening to today's HerSuccess podcast, brought to you by Engtal we hope you found this episode, instructive, educational and inspiring. Don't forget to tune in next week.